Tag: healthy and unhealthy speaking
A central goal of the Lord’s move in His recovery is to produce overcomers so that He can return to end this age and establish His kingdom (Rev. 12:10-11). If we aspire to be those who cooperate with the Lord for this purpose, we should pay attention to the kind … Continue reading The Kind of Person the Lord Can Use to Turn the Age
Public discourse in our society today is often characterized by extreme incivility and intemperance. The advent of the Internet and particularly social media has reinforced this trend. As those who have been purchased by the precious blood of Christ to partake of His holiness, we should resist this trend. Whether … Continue reading “Let Your Speech Be Always with Grace, Seasoned with Salt”
The sisters have a crucial role in the church life that is most highly valued. According to God’s arrangement, the sisters stand in a unique position to uphold God’s government as an anti-testimony to the rebellious disorder of the world. The sisters also have an irreplaceable role in bringing forth … Continue reading The Crucial Role of the Sisters in the Church Life
Recently the promotion of the independence, or autonomy, of a local church’s administration has reemerged. This mistaken concept is not new. For example, in the late 1980s some brothers pointed to earlier published statements referring to the administration of a local church being independent from that of other local churches … Continue reading No Thought of Independence in the Bible
Words have power. On the one hand, they are the means by which God has chosen to communicate His self-revelation, the Bible, to man (Heb. 1:1, 3; 2 Pet. 1:21), the means by which the Lord imparts His life into us (John 6:63), and the means by which the Lord’s … Continue reading On ‘Independent’ Administration
Recently, a former co-worker accused the North American co-workers of drifting toward organization and hierarchy by allegedly giving serious consideration to centralizing ownership of the local churches’ meeting halls. This is a gross misrepresentation of what actually happened in a North American co-workers’ fellowship. Moreover, in spreading his false account, … Continue reading Serious Errors Made Concerning the Fellowship among the Co-workers
Concerning the practice of the church, certain basic principles need to be understood and kept in balance. Fundamentally, the church as the unique Body of Christ is one universally and includes every believer irrespective of time and space. Practically, this one universal Body of Christ is manifested in time and … Continue reading Receiving All Believers but Not Different Teachings
If we want to be those who are practically part of God’s corporate warrior in Ephesians 6, we must learn how to quench the flaming darts of the enemy. Verse 16 speaks of “having taken up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the … Continue reading Quenching the Flaming Darts of the Enemy
Obsession In the 1930s Brother Watchman Nee gave a word concerning “Obsession and God’s Light” (The Collected Works of Watchman Nee [CWWN], Vol. 36: Central Messages, 257-271). His speaking should help us discern dissenting speakings directed at the Lord’s recovery in general and at the leadership in His recovery in … Continue reading Obsession and Subjectivity
The book of Philippians shows us the great need that believers have in times of turmoil. The church in Philippi was a very good church that participated with the apostle Paul in the furtherance of the gospel (Phil. 1:5-7; 4:14-19). However, it had two problems—Judaizers who sought to bring the … Continue reading Magnifying Christ in the Midst of Turmoil
The apostle Paul told Timothy, “For the time will come when they will not tolerate the healthy teaching; but according to their own lusts they will heap up to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they will turn away their ear from the truth and will be turned aside to … Continue reading Should We Not Warn One Another?
Those who bear responsibility in the ministry, the work, and the churches in the Lord’s recovery have a biblically mandated responsibility to protect the flock (Acts 20:28-31; 1 Pet. 5:2; Titus 1:9). In performing that duty they may advise the saints not to read writings in print or on the … Continue reading Being Safeguarded by the Discernment in the Body
After leading the children of Israel to the threshold of the good land, Moses recounted at length their history, including both negative and positive events, as well as God’s revelation of Himself through His laws and statutes. At the end of his speaking, Moses said, “I call heaven and earth … Continue reading Our Basic Choice
In the Bible the words of three parties—God, Satan, and man—are very significant. As the Word of God, the Bible speaks forth God’s person, intent, and work. By His word He framed the universe (Heb. 11:3). When God came in the person of the Lord Jesus, His words were spirit … Continue reading Words That Spread Death and How to Stop Them
Some have claimed that questions are not allowed in the local churches. On the one hand, this should not be true in any local church. On the other hand, all the saints must discern between proper and improper questions and between questions and questionings. A proper question takes as its … Continue reading Questions versus Questionings
Context and balance are critical to evaluating words fairly. Recently, a short excerpt from a message given by Brother Ron Kangas was mischaracterized as his demeaning his wife in front of thousands of people. This misrepresents Brother Ron’s attitude toward his own wife and toward marriage in general; moreover, it … Continue reading Twisting Ron Kangas’s Words
Based on the New Testament, Witness Lee taught that there is only one unique ministry. Some have twisted his teaching to slanderously claim that Witness Lee was referring to his own ministry. This is a gross mischaracterization. The One Ministry of the New Testament The word ministry means “service.” Properly … Continue reading The One Unique New Testament Ministry
A letter circulated in 2019 has become the subject of social media postings and emails that purport to expose wrongdoings, including abuses and cover-ups, among the churches in the Lord’s recovery. Despite the seriousness of such accusations, careful examination of the letter has shown it contains numerous factual errors and … Continue reading Letter from the Co-workers, 7/5/19