The Wisdom of Witness Lee

Greetings. My name is Sterling Byassee. I would like to give my personal testimony regarding knowing brother Witness Lee and his teachings, and the church life that we practice in the local churches throughout the earth.

When I attended my first meeting with the church in Los Angeles, California, I heard brother Witness Lee ministering the word of God concerning a subject which I had never heard before, found in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the issues of life.”

His word impressed me. It was profound, it exposed me and exhorted me to always take care of my heart, that it would be purely for the Lord, so that He could freely flow within me and out from me as rivers of living water. This word that I heard that night ministered life to me at that moment, and I can say that even today it still ministers life to me.

Although I was very blessed to know the living, profound teaching of brother Lee, and to participate in some of the meetings of the church in Los Angeles, I did not quickly enter into the church life. I wanted to take the necessary time to thoroughly study what I had found. At that time there were many strange Christian groups, and sects were emerging in many parts of the United States.

I took notes on everything I heard, and afterwards I would study the notes and compare them with what I read in the Bible. I gave myself to much prayer regarding God’s will for my life, especially with respect to where I should meet, because I knew that this decision was going to be very important and have a long-lasting effect on my life.

Having visited different Christian groups and denominations, I could see that the church life was not simply another good Christian “free group” that appeared for a time and later would disappear. Nor was it another religious denomination. It was different. Never had I heard of a “church life” before this, nor had I experienced something so rich in my life.

For this reason I gave myself to study the ministry of Witness Lee, attend his trainings, and attend the meetings of the church. I did all of this while I still stayed in the Christian group to which my family had belonged for approximately 100 years.

Little by little I could see the sincerity of the living of the brothers, the deepness of the truths that they taught, and the reality of the church life.

Finally, after 8 months I decided to leave the group with whom I was meeting and join myself to what had become known as the Lord’s recovery. I was certain of this decision because of my studying the Word and my prayers to the Lord. I felt certain of this decision the day that I made it, and I still feel the same today, 48 years later.

In the few limited situations where I have been involved in fellowship related to one of the negative matters that had to be dealt with, I have been deeply impressed by the loving heart and wise consideration of the senior brothers who were taking the lead.

I realized that this was a love that comes from recognizing their own shortcomings and from being one with the Lord’s heart not to judge, but to recover; and a wisdom which they would be the first to testify comes not from their own brilliance, but from many failures, much fellowship, and from closely following the ministry.

Far more common are the experiences of enjoying the Lord with the saints and through the ministry (the ministry of the New Testament as ministered by Watchman Nee, Witness Lee, and many other ministers among us).

Anyone who has been around for as long as I have has lost count at the number of meetings where we left with our cheeks hurting from smiling so much. I do not know how many times I have uttered the word ‘wow’ when reading the ministry or listening to a message, amazed again at the clear revelation of Christ and His purpose that is being unveiled, opened up from the Bible.

Perhaps most compelling of all is the sense of peace and purpose that comes when meeting with the saints and realizing that this is what I was created for. As the Psalmist experienced in Psalm 73, in our daily life it is easy to become perplexed, stumbled, envious and troubled – to lose heart. But when we come into the sanctuary, which is to turn to our spirit and meet with the church, we receive divine revelation and obtain the explanation to our all our problems. Praise the Lord!

Testimony by Jeremy Mason concerning, We Do Not Lose Heart.

"Anonymous" - Former Member
Posted 11/2/96

I recently received a copy of "The Stream", Volume 16, Number 1, June, 1996, a small magazine published by Witness Lee's Living Stream Ministry. The following paragraph appeared on page 4.

"In the New Testament God came to regenerate man with Himself as life. John 1:12 says, 'But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name.' When we become children of God, we have God's life and nature. Since goats beget goats and cows beget cows, surely God begets gods. If cows begot cows and goats begot goats yet God begot human beings, this would indeed be something strange. That which is begotten must be the same as its begetter. There is no such thing as a cow giving birth to a donkey or a goat giving birth to a dog. God's heart's intent is to make us the same as He is that we may be exactly like Him not only in the inward image and the outward likeness but also in His life and nature. We the regenerated people of God have the life of God and also the nature of God. This is really precious."

To my observation, this is at best an unfortunate interpretation of scripture. At worst, it's heracy. Yet, it's another example of the aberrant nature of some of Witness Lee's teachings.

http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/Testimoniesoftruth.htm

@sonship said
@divegeester

Only religious cult members defend their human leaders to level of die-on-the-swordism.

You are suggesting that I regard Witness Lee or Watchman Nee as infallible which I do not. And which they ALSO did not.

You say a lot of stupid things, did you know?

@divegeester

Feel free to answer my question in the other thread.

In the LC, the Word of God has been reduced to God's breath. The intelligence of Gods mind expressed through the deep wisdom of his Word is converted to a non-sentient objectified commodity which must be acquired. This reduces the relationship of the believer with the Word and God himself to a mechanical process. Under these doctrinal assumptions, both the believer and God have lost intelligence. The entire scope of the Christian existence is described as a series of ingestion and inhalation rites, stripping the meaning and purpose to that existence. Man's heart and mind are rendered irrelevant in this consumption-based Christianity. Dialogue and conversation with God which require understanding and mutuality of mind is replaced with a primitive materialism where both God and man have been reduced to matter without mind.


http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/Testimoniesoftruth.htm

Testimony of one B.P

I was born into a Christian family, but the Lord allowed me to wander down a long and winding path before I was able to see that being a Christian is the central reality of who I am. As a child growing up, I loved the Lord, I loved being with other young Christians, and I loved being a part of the church in my city. When I got to college, however, I wanted to see what the rest of Christianity had to offer. For almost two years I hopped from church to church, trying denomination after denomination. I didn’t know what I was looking for, I only knew that I wasn’t finding it. The months of wandering soon left me dry and vulnerable to all of the world’s temptations. By my third year of college I was fully immersed in the emptiness and vanity of the world, barely able to remember who I really was.

The summer before my senior year of college and also during my senior year, the Lord showed such mercy to me. I spent that summer in my hometown, where I plunged back into the church life. I realized that I was a dried-up raisin with no real life flowing in me. But being back that summer and in the year that followed, I found again the river of life (Revelation 22:1; John 7:38)! This river and this life are just Christ. He is a real and living person, who wants to flow into me and out of me, to fill me up with Himself and make me living in Him. I began to enjoy and pursue after Christ again.

In the three years since my return to the church life, the Lord has again become so enjoyable to me. He is making His home in my heart day by day (Ephesians 3:17). Christ’s love surpasses all knowledge and the best way to know His love and His vast dimensions is with all the believers (Ephesians 3:18-19). Praise the Lord for the churches. Here I am enjoying the living Christ filling me, even unto the fullness of God.

B. P.

Testimony of Aaron Hsieh - God is Real

I was baptized in Taiwan. Although at the time I didn’t want to be baptized, thinking back, I really think that it was God’s intention for me to be baptized. When I was 16, I came to the United States. Here I started to open up to the Lord and even began reading a gospel book. One day, I suddenly felt the need to repent and open up to the Lord and let Him come in. I did, and from that time on, God has been pouring out blessings upon me.

I started reading the Bible every day. I wasn’t forced to, I just felt like reading the stories in the Bible. As time went by, my whole attitude changed and I didn’t even know how or why. My taste changed from desiring the world to loving the Lord instead. Little by little, God drew me more and more until I could not do the things I used to do. I have to say that I love God and He is my Savior.

As a young person, the meetings of the church are great. When I get together with other believers, God is so real and clear to me. I can enjoy God and really touch Him in spirit. Some of the best experiences I have had is in the church Bible camps we have every summer. During these times, young people from all over gather together and are filled with God. I distinctly remember the camp of 1998. Everyone was sharing and active during the meetings, and the whole time was such a blessing to all the young people. I will always remember that time.

God is real. Even as a young person, I have felt God, touched Him, and know Him. That is really wonderful!

Aaron Hsieh

Testimony of one J.M.P - Recovered

I was born in 1945 to parents that had survived the eight year WWII in China. They did not have any knowledge of God or the Bible, and were in fact, atheists. Our family moved to Taiwan in 1949, and eight years later, my mother divorced my father, leaving him with three children. My life was a battleground between my parents, and with my mind filled with condemnation, I became clinically depressed. When I moved to the United States to pursue higher education (MS in organic chemistry from Ohio State University), I still did not find peace of mind and happiness. I even searched the Scriptures and tried to find God in different denominations for nine years, to no avail.

In 1972, I met believers in the church in Philadelphia, and for the first time in my life, I had a sense of belonging. I started to understand the Scriptures for the first time and to experience the Spirit in every word (John 1:1 “The Word was God&rdquo😉. I learned how to use and exercise my human spirit. I replaced all the condemnation and questions in my mind with God’s Word. The ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee helped me to come to the Bible with an objective attitude, drop all my preconceived notions, and receive revelation directly from God’s Word. I even found healing from my 30-year struggle with depression with minimum professional help. When my mind was filled with earthly concerns, I was depressed. But when my mind is filled with God’s Word and I am surrendering to Him, I am happy and healthy!

The church life has given me a healthy community to interact in– by paying attention to people, loving others, and being concerned with them, these positive involvements with people have helped to lift me out of my depression. The cloud of witnesses referred to in Hebrews 12:1 is cheering me on in my Christian race. I am running the race every day!

J.M.P.

@sonship

It is really quite telling that you put all your stock in positive testimonials by current members while ignoring those from people who have come out the other side giving really quite negative insights into your 'organization.'

In the LC, the Word of God has been reduced to God's breath. The intelligence of Gods mind expressed through the deep wisdom of his Word is converted to a non-sentient objectified commodity which must be acquired. This reduces the relationship of the believer with the Word and God himself to a mechanical process. Under these doctrinal assumptions, both the believer and God have lost intelligence. The entire scope of the Christian existence is described as a series of ingestion and inhalation rites, stripping the meaning and purpose to that existence. Man's heart and mind are rendered irrelevant in this consumption-based Christianity. Dialogue and conversation with God which require understanding and mutuality of mind is replaced with a primitive materialism where both God and man have been reduced to matter without mind.


http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/Testimoniesoftruth.htm

@Ghost-of-a-Duke

Nonsense.

Nonsense accusations. These are rehashed Walter Martin criticisms going back decades.

Copied without permission from
https://contendingforthefaith.org/en/concerning-christian-practices/

18. THE TRUTH CONCERNING PRAY-READING
In a blatant and insulting attack on Witness Lee and the local church last week, a speaker at Melodyland used mockery and sarcasm to malign the practice of pray-reading. He called it a blasphemy to God and meaningless repetition. He accused brothers in the Lord of just wanting to have something different. He described it as “sound and fury signifying nothing.” He even said that praying with the Word made him nauseous and stated that in practicing pray-reading we “put our mind out of gear.”

It is beyond me how prayer and reading the Bible can be blasphemous, for pray-reading is simply praying with the Word of God. Is the Word of God meaningless? Christians have repeated His Word for centuries without finding it meaningless.

We do not just have a desire to have something different. We only desire more of Christ. Is there something wrong with that?

He called pray-reading “sound and fury signifying nothing.” This only shows that he knows nothing of what he is talking about. Anyone who has contacted the Lord Jesus in the Word would never say that this signifies nothing. Will he, in eternity, say that the amens and hallelujahs resounding through the vault of heaven are just “sound and fury signifying nothing”? (Rev. 19:1, 3-4).

As to the matter of putting our mind out of gear, this is utter nonsense. The problem is not a matter of putting the mind out of gear, but of having the mind renewed (Eph. 4:23). The unrenewed mind and the Bible do not mix. In his book The Release of the Spirit Watchman Nee warns of studying the Bible with the mind unrenewed:

How often man in his conceit relies on his unrenewed mind to read the Bible. The fruit is nothing but his own thought. He does not touch the Spirit of the Holy Word. If we expect to meet the Lord in His Word, our thoughts must first be broken by God.

We intend to meet the Lord in the Word and therefore are willing to have our thoughts broken by God. All the seeking Christians sincerely want to contact the Lord more and more. If we have found a way that is fruitful, why are we accused and condemned for it?

All the seeking Christians realize that in order to grow spiritually they must eat spiritual food. In the Old Testament, Jeremiah ate the Word (Jer. 15:16), Ezekiel ate the Word (Ezek. 3:1-3), and David ate the Word (Psa. 119:103). The Lord Jesus spoke of the Word as spiritual food (Matt. 4:4), and Peter said that we should “desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2).

The vital question to us all is how can we eat the Word of God? For years we were taught and assured that we could eat the Word by study and searching the Scripture. The trouble with that was that although we learned a great deal about the Scripture, we never contacted the life of Christ. The Lord said, “Ye search the scriptures…and ye will not come to me, that ye may have life” (John 5:39-40). What did the Lord mean by this? Andrew Murray put it this way:

The Word is a seed. In every seed there is a fleshly part in which life is hidden. One may have a most precious and perfect seed in its bodily substance, and yet unless it is exposed in suitable soil to the influence of the sun and moisture, the life may never grow up. And so we may hold the words and doctrines of scripture most intelligently and earnestly, and yet know little of their life and power (The Spirit of Christ, p. 47).

My personal experience fully confirms this. The only thing that this kind of study produced was much dryness, just like eating the dry outer shell of the seed. At the end of my second year of seminary, I felt as though I were a bottle of dry dust.

Then I discovered pray-reading through Witness Lee’s ministry in the local church. What nourishment! What satisfaction I found! By pray-reading I had discovered the way into the life of the seed. Instead of being a bottle of dry dust, I now felt like a well of living water was inside me.

What is wrong with prayer? The Bible admonishes us to pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17).

What is wrong with reading? Paul exhorts us to read (1 Tim. 4:13).

What, then, is wrong with putting the two, praying and reading, together? No logical person would contend with it.

Many great spiritual Christians in past ages have practiced a kind of pray-reading. That godly man, George Müller, through whom God gave over a million pounds sterling to support his orphanages and more than thirty thousand souls in answer to his prayers, advocated praying the Word of God.

Madame Guyon, the French saint of the seventeenth century, wrote a well-known book of that period highly recommending this method.

Andrew Murray says in his little book The Prayer Life, “Little of the Word with little prayer is death to the spiritual life. Much of the word with little prayer gives a sickly life. Much prayer with a little of the Word gives more life, but without steadfastness. A full measure of the Word and prayer gives a healthy and powerful life” (p. 88). The “full measure” of the Word and prayer is amply realized through pray-reading. We experience health and strength in our Christian life. In the past a number of saints have suggested to read the Bible prayerfully.

What way does the Bible itself give us to take the Word of God? An accurate translation of Ephesians 6:17-18 says, “And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, by means of all prayer and petition.” Paul tells us to take the Word by means of all prayer. This is too clear! Pray the Word of God! This is pray-reading! It is the scriptural way to take the Word. We have chosen to follow the exhortation of the Bible and pray-read the Word of God.

@sonship said
@divegeester
I'll feel quite feel free to let you entertain your illusion that you have not been answered on that before. You just didn't get exactly what you wanted to hear me say.

The definition of the LC by its members is, of course, provided by the "ministry," a proxy for Lee himself. They claim to be the practical expression of the Church and the Body of Christ in any given city because they observe the semantic designation of that city as their name. This silly device is insisted to grant the exclusive authority of the Church of Jesus upon those who "take the ground" of oneness. Naturally no scriptural evidence can be given to support these claims. [modern day cities are larger than true biblical locality]. The geographical nomenclature assigned to "churches" (assemblies) in the New Testament is never suggested as a theological position by Paul. It is absurd to construct a spiritual castle on such a straw foundation. Yet using this linguistic device, one is taught to believe that all power upon heaven and earth is delivered into the hands of those clever enough to employ it.

(Source already provided).

@divegeester

I'm comfortable with my experience with the local churches and know no such unity and oneness can I find in other congregations of dear brother and sister Christians.

"We both know ... " grandstanding has no effect on this.

Now, Why don't YOU have the guts to plainly identify yourself as a Unitarian ?