Hi! I subscribe to receive a "Verse of the Day" from Youversion... Today's verse is, "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
In the New Testament we read: Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law” (Matthew 5:18).
If one is a believer, especially a sincere, godly believer, one should not be practicing NOR covering up violations of God's law that are hurting others. This is not a matter of exposing PEOPLE but of exposing and dealing with SIN. Otherwise, death comes through sin, and none of us are being faithful to each other to hide sin for which repentance is required for there to be true oneness and fellowship.
We should LOVE one another fervently, in deed and in truth, without hypocrisy or pretense.
I cannot bear a community calling themselves "THE church" while leadership hides countless sins that offend God and that hurt the sheep, even destroying lives and families. The remedy is rebuking, reproving, and repenting. This is out of love. It is a much easier route to say nothing, especially if that is what leaders in your group require of you, for you to remain in their favor and be "allowed" to meet with their flock. But that is not scriptural, and, back to my verse of the day, we are to fear GOD and keep HIS commandments.
His commandments do NOT mention deputy authority, but in the Lord's Recovery, one might start to think that "deputy authority" is the main commandment - that trumps all other commandments.
Some in leadership in the Lord's Recovery say that Watchman Nee, Witness Lee and other elders/co-workers are spiritual fathers, and we must honor our parents. Yes, honoring of our parents is there. But are parents (spiritual or fleshly) God's "deputy authority" (a HUGE term and concept in "The Lord's Recovery" whom we must obey to the degree of violating other commandments of God? Here are the 10 commandments as in Exodus, and then following with a bit of exposition:
The 10 Commandments List in Exodus 20:2-17
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“You shall not steal.
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Have NO other gods. ("Whatever [or Whoever] holds the supreme place in a person’s life is a god. ...Some worship pleasure; others, reason, philosophy, or business. [Even a certain person's "ministry"???] But all these things are as imperfect as humans themselves, and those who trust in them will be left at last without a light in the vacant and dark night, until the words of the first commandment meet them in the judgment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” - Bibleinfo.com)
Have NO idols. Idols may be "anything that we come to rely on for some blessing, or help, or guidance in the place of a wholehearted reliance on the true and living God" (https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-an-idol)
Do NOT say the Lord's name insincerely... nor even speaking idle words (Matthew 12:36, 37, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”)
Keep the Sabbath. Be people who properly rest (a test of man’s willingness to recognize his Creator’s first claim to his time - Bibleinfo.com).
Honor your parents (Disobedience to parents is one of the ominous signs of the last days, according to 2 Timothy 3:1, 2. - Bibleinfo.com)
Do not kill (which includes hatred in the New Testament).
Do not commit adultery. "People were not meant to be unfaithful to one another once they made a commitment to love, honor, and cherish one another, just as they were not meant to be unfaithful or disobedient to God. When someone commits infidelity, that person is going against God’s plan. It also requires a callousness of the heart that is insensitive to the emotions of their partner." (https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/why-it-is-crucial-that-you-shall-not-commit-adultery.html)
Do not steal. "'Thou shalt not steal,' extends far beyond the simple act of not taking something that’s not yours. It also extends to not withholding something that you ought to give. And understanding that principle through the biblical lens leans into all parts of our families and our society. Our marital relationships would be focused on building, growing and uplifting each other. And it would develop relationships of honesty and trust. We would be focused on helping those in need, making sure that we’re developing community safety nets and restoring those who have fallen. Tithes and offering, not withholding what God asks us to give to Him, would develop strong community resources and that social safety net. It’s a recipe for not only economic health, but also a strong social fabric." (https://leadingtolife.org/why-not-steal/)
Do not lie. ("This commandment forbids bribery and forgery and even the least suggestion contrary to truth. It forbids libel, slander, and backbiting, and calls for the truth and nothing but the truth. In Revelation 22:15, we are told that 'whoever loves and practices a lie' will be outside the gates of the New Jerusalem, and in Revelation 21:27 'But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.' - Bibleinfo.com
Do not covet. Covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5). “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s."(Exo. 20:15)
I hope we all would reflect on these commandments and how God would have them practiced and obeyed in our lives.
NO ONE - especially not "deputy authority" in a church - if that is scriptural AT ALL - is above keeping God's commandments, nor above dealing with sins in a scriptural way. And NO ONE should be a god to us... not "deputy authority" or anyone else.
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