Similarities to the "local churches" (Witness Lee)
anonXian:
Thank you, Tom and Mark, for your responses.
I was greatly helped by those quotes from Bonhoeffer.
Also, I will look in more detail at the "Wounded Pilgrims" thread. There's so much there that it's overwhelming. Yet it is amazing how much the experiences are similar.
I may not be able to post for awhile, but I will try to again.
Grace and peace to you brothers.
Margaret:
Anon,
In case you aren't aware of it, there is another website about the Assembly and other Bible-based high-demand groups, called Assembly Reflections, http://www.geftakysassembly.com/Reflections/Home.htm. There are a couple of articles about the Local Church and Nee teaching, as well as a section on Recovey.
Godspeed on your road to recovery.
Margaret Irons, Editor
Assembly Reflections
anonXian:
Margaret,
Thanks very much. Yes, I'm familiar with the Geftakys Assembly website, and have begun reading several articles there. Thank you for your help and concern.
By the way, in case it would interest anyone here, there is a forum for the local churches (made up mainly of ex-members) at http://www.thebereans.net/forum2/forumdisplay.php?f=342 . I've been helped reading lots of those posts.
My impression is that there are lots of similarities between the two groups, and that the issues people have to deal with once they leave are pretty much the same.
- anonXian
amycahill:
Quote from: Tom Maddux on January 09, 2008, 11:16:04 am
Mark's reply to you is very insightful. Mark is quite correct when he says that the "inner sense" can be similar to taking drugs. In fact, it can be the same thing! The only difference is that we produce the drugs from within ourselves. The drugs are such things as adrenaline and certain endorphins such as dopamine. They can be just as addicting as drugs we injest or inject. Many Christians evaluate their spiritual lives by the state of their feelings. Emotions are important, but are not a replacement for a life of faith and service.
I wanted to comment on this. It's funny...I've talked here about talking to God frequently before, and was received with some bemusement, and now I know why.
Believe me, many times in my life I've been led down the garden path...badly. This was because I did NOT get what I was told discerned. Now I have discerners around me as reality checks, and check anything theological against sound theology. If what I hear is against sound theology, guess what? I'm wrong! In this way is the inner life balanced with reason AND reality.
Many things I have heard have come to pass as I have been told they would, and the sane and sensible people closest to me all believe my communication with God is very real.
So I agree. The inner life is vital, but will not lead you to the truth all by itself.
Edited to add: Oh, and just to explain, of course God does not lie. But when you have the ability to hear spiritually, too many beings are more than happy to pop in and say, "Hi, I'm God! Now here's the way it is..." Lying through their teeth, of course. I have discovered when I'm wrong it's usually because I believed something I shouldn't have, that I didn't get discerned, or made some unwarranted assumption that I thought was part of something valid I was told but was not. The only thing I was told (and got discerned) that would happen that did NOT was something I was ALSO told was a "conditional prophecy." Here's a good example of one of those. God doesn't speak to my husband usually at all, but one night we attended church up the mountain. God spoke clearly to him that he would be attending a funeral...his own! That is, of course, if he sped down the mountain like he was planning to. Well he didn't and here we both are. :)
But I think adding this probably convinced you even more how necessary it is to have reality checks with this sort of thing. God loves it when I question and investigate what I hear and has told me repeatedly NOT to believe things I haven't had discerned.
poormansprophet:
Yes, in reading through some of these posts the assembly is strikingly similar to the Local Church of Witness Lee and visa versa!!!
I have found a wealth of information on this site http://localchurchdiscussions.com/vBulletin/index.php
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