THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES TEN
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Message One
The Body of Christ
Eph. 1:22-23 “And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.”
1 Cor. 12:12 “For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.”
27 “Now you are the Body of Christ, and members individually.”
The Body of Christ Being the Top Revelation of the Bible
The Body of Christ is the top revelation of the Bible (Eph. 1:22-23). The Body of Christ is uniquely one universally. In all the places, the Body of Christ is uniquely one with the Triune God as its contents (Eph. 4:4-6)
The Body of Christ Being Composed of the Believers,
Who Are the Members of the Body
“For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ. For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.” The Body of Christ is composed of the believers, who are the members of the Body. So we should all, regardless of our races, nationalities, and social ranks, be this one Body.
In 1 Corinthians 12:14-22 Paul speaks of the indispensability of each member of the Body. Then in 12:23-27 he goes on to speak of the tempering of the members. In verse 27 he says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” Every believer in Christ is a member of the Body. Hence, no believer should have the concept that he is not of the Body. In the Body every member is indispensable, for the Body exists in the functioning of all the members.
The Many Members of the One Body Having Different Functions
The believers practice the Body life by functioning with different gifts. The many members of the one Body have different functions. “As in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and severally members one of another” (Rom. 12:4-5). If we realize this, we shall not think too highly of ourselves (v. 3) but shall respect others.
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 211
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES TEN
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Message Two
The Discerning of the One Body
Eph. 4:4 “One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling.”
1 Cor. 11:29 “For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not discern the body.”
The Discerning of the One Body
My fourth burden in this supplementary word is the discerning of the one Body. First Corinthians 11:29 says that we need to discern the Body. Moreover, it says that if we do not discern the Body, we will suffer some kind of discipline by the Lord.
The Bread on the Lord’s Table Being a Symbol
Not Only of the Lord’s Physical Body,
but Also of the Lord’s Mystical Body, Which Is Universally One
The first item we need to discern is the bread on the Lord’s table. The bread on the Lord’s table should be a symbol not only of the Lord’s physical body, but also of the Lord’s mystical Body, which is universally one (Eph. 4:4). Although we may take the Lord’s table in many different cities around the globe, we all are taking just one bread, because the bread we partake of is a symbol of Christ’s mystical Body, which is universally one. Thus, 1 Corinthians 10:17 says, “We who are many are one bread, one Body; for we all partake of the one bread.”
Any bread on the Lord’s table that does not signify the Lord’s one universal Body but the body of a certain sect is divisive. The denomination in which I grew up in mainland China had their “communion” at regular intervals of time. Each time they made a strong announcement that whoever was not a member of that denomination had to leave the premises. The bread that they partook of was not a symbol of the Body of Christ; it was a symbol of the sect of that denomination. We should not partake of that kind of bread, that kind of “communion,” or that kind of table. We should not have any share in it; it is a sign of a sect.
Being Careful and Looking to the Lord
That We May Be Able to Discern the Situation among Us
Some of the new believers among us may wonder what the difference is between the Lord’s recovery and Christianity. In this book with the supplementary word we have seen, first of all, that we are here for the recovery, and second, that we are here for the oneness of the Body. We are here in the recovery of the Triune God, Christ, the Spirit, life, the believers, the church, the church ground, and the practice of the local churches. In total, we are in the recovery of the oneness of the Body of Christ. Thus, we need to conduct ourselves properly, and we also need to exercise our discernment because of the confusion that is around us. As long as there are divisions, there will be confusion. So we must be careful and look to the Lord that we may be able to discern the situation among us.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 2, “A Brief Presentation of the Lord’s Recovery,” A Supplementary Word
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES TEN
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Message Three
The Clergy-Laity System
Rev. 2:6 “But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
Exo. 19:6 “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
The Works of the Nicolaitans Referring to a Hierarchy among the Saints
In Revelation 2:6 the Lord refers to “the works of the Nicolaitans,” which He hates. The works of the Nicolaitans refer to a hierarchy among the saints in which some set themselves to rule over others. This brings into being the so-called clergy and laity. In the church of Ephesus there was not the doctrine, the teaching, of the Nicolaitans. This was to develop later. But there were the works and activities of the Nicolaitans, that is, there was some type of clergy and laity.
The Lord Hating the Works of These Nicolaitans,
and We Hating What the Lord Hates
The word “Nicolaitans” is an equivalent of the Greek word nikolaitai, the root of which is nikolaos, composed of two Greek words-niko and laos. Niko means conquer or above others. Laos means common people, secular people, or laity. So nikolaos means conquering the common people, climbing above the laity. Nicolaitans, then, must refer to a group who esteem themselves higher than the common believers. This was undoubtedly the hierarchy formed and established by Catholicism and Protestantism. The Lord hates the works of these Nicolaitans, and we must hate what the Lord hates.
God in His Economy Intending
That All His People Be Priests to Serve Him Directly
God in His economy intended that all His people be priests to serve Him directly. In Exodus 19:6 God ordained the children of Israel to become “a kingdom of priests.” This means that God wanted them all to be priests. However, because of the worship of the golden calf (Exo. 32:1-6), they lost the priesthood, and only the tribe of Levi, because of their faithfulness to God, was chosen to replace the whole nation of Israel as priests to God (Exo. 32:25-29; Deut. 33:8-10). Hence, there was a mediatorial class between God and the children of Israel. This became a strong system in Judaism. In the New Testament God has returned to His original intention according to His economy in that He has made all believers in Christ priests (Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9). But at the end of the initial church, even in the first century, the Nicolaitans intervened as the mediatorial class to spoil God’s economy. According to church history, this became a system adopted by the Roman Catholic Church and was also retained by the Protestant churches. Today in the Roman Catholic Church there is the priestly system, in the state churches there is the clerical system, and in the independent churches there is the pastoral system. All these are a mediatorial class, spoiling the universal priesthood of all believers. Thus, there are two distinct classes-the clergy and the laity. But in the proper church life there should be neither clergy nor laity; all believers should be the priests of God. Because the mediatorial class destroys the universal priesthood in God’s economy, the Lord hates it.
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 225
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES TEN
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Message Four
Hierarchy
Matt. 23:8 “But you, do not be called Rabbi, for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.”
Rev. 2:6 “But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
Hierarchy Being Built up through the Practice of the Clergy-Laity System
Today the church has been corrupted by Christianity to such an extent that it has fully become a religion and an organization. In such an organization, two things are produced—a clergy-laity system and hierarchy. Through the practice of the clergy-laity system, hierarchy is built up. The Catholic Church takes the pope as its head, and the different Protestant groups take their founders as their heads. Under the pope and these founders, there is a distinct class of people who are different from others. People are separated into different categories and classes. This completely obliterates the life relationship among God’s children and annuls their organic function.
Nicolaitans Referring to a Group Who Esteem
Themselves Higher than the Common Believers
In Revelation 2:6 the Lord refers to “the works of the Nicolaitans,” which He hates.…The word “Nicolaitans” is an equivalent of the Greek word nikolaitai, the root of which is nikolaos, composed of two Greek words-niko and laos. Niko means conquer or above others. Laos means common people, secular people, or laity. So nikolaos means conquering the common people, climbing above the laity. Nicolaitans, then, must refer to a group who esteem themselves higher than the common believers. This was undoubtedly the hierarchy formed and established by Catholicism and Protestantism. The Lord hates the works of these Nicolaitans, and we must hate what the Lord hates.
All Believers Being the Priests of God
God in His economy intended that all His people be priests to serve Him directly. In Exodus 19:6 God ordained the children of Israel to become “a kingdom of priests.” This means that God wanted them all to be priests. However, because of the worship of the golden calf (Exo. 32:1-6), they lost the priesthood, and only the tribe of Levi, because of their faithfulness to God, was chosen to replace the whole nation of Israel as priests to God (Exo. 32:25-29; Deut. 33:8-10). Hence, there was a mediatorial class between God and the children of Israel. This became a strong system in Judaism. In the New Testament God has returned to His original intention according to His economy in that He has made all believers in Christ priests (Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9). But at the end of the initial church, even in the first century, the Nicolaitans intervened as the mediatorial class to spoil God’s economy. According to church history, this became a system adopted by the Roman Catholic Church and was also retained by the Protestant churches. Today in the Roman Catholic Church there is the priestly system, in the state churches there is the clerical system, and in the independent churches there is the pastoral system. All these are a mediatorial class, spoiling the universal priesthood of all believers. Thus, there are two distinct classes-the clergy and the laity. But in the proper church life there should be neither clergy nor laity; all believers should be the priests of God. Because the mediatorial class destroys the universal priesthood in God’s economy, the Lord hates it.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1986, vol. 2, “Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 1: The Vision and Definite Steps for the Practice of the New Way,” msg. 14; The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 225
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES TEN
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Message Five
The Modernists Being the False Teachers in the Apostasy
Matt. 13:24-26 Another parable He set before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man sowing good seed in his field. But while the men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares in the midst of the wheat and went away. And when the blade sprouted and produced fruit, then the tares appeared also.
2 Pet. 2:1 But there arose also false prophets among the people, as also among you there will be false teachers, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
In Degraded Christianity
There Being Many False or Nominal Christians
One parable in the three parables in Matthew 13 shows us that while the wheat is growing, the enemy of the Lord comes and sows tares amidst the wheat (vv. 24-30). This means that the false believers, the nominal Christians, were sown into the so-called church. In degraded Christianity there are many false or nominal Christians.…
The Modernists Being a Class of Teachers
Who Claim That the Bible Is Not Inspired by God
and That the Miracles Recorded in the Bible
Are Merely Superstitious Stories
The Modernists are a class of teachers who claim that the Bible is not inspired by God and that the miracles recorded in the Bible are merely superstitious stories. For example, Modernists do not believe that the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea in a miraculous way. Instead, some Modernists think that the children of Israel walked through shallow water, water that was made shallow by the blowing of a strong wind. In like manner, Modernists do not believe that the Lord Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves and two fishes. They explain this by saying that those in the crowd brought food with them and simply ate whatever they had brought. Even more serious, Modernists teach that Jesus was not born of a virgin and that He was not God. They claim that He died on the cross not for our redemption, but as a sacrifice for the kind of ism in which He believed. Furthermore, they do not believe in the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus. In many respects, the Modernists of today and the heretics of the first century are similar.
In today’s Christianity there are also modernists, who do not recognize the inspiration of the holy Word and deny the Lord’s incarnation through the virgin Mary. They say that the Lord’s death was not for redemption but only a kind of martyrdom. They believe that the Lord was martyred on the cross for His teachings which were different from the Jewish traditional religion. They also deny the resurrection of Christ and all the miracles in the Bible. This modernistic teaching spread even to China, and fifty years ago it was prevailing on the college campuses. We had to fight against this teaching in mainland China, and eventually the Lord gained the victory. Today there are hardly any modernists among the Christians on the mainland of China. Second Peter 2:1 says that such modernists are degraded to such an extent that they even deny the Master who bought them. The false teachers at Peter’s time, like today’s modernists in their apostasy, denied both the Lord’s person as the Master and His redemption, by which the Lord purchased the believers.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1987, vol. 2, “The God-Ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy,” ch. 3; Life-study of 2 Peter, msg. 8
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES TEN
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Message Six
The Deformed Christianity
as Being Described in the Parable of the Mustard Seed
Matt. 13:31-32 Another parable He set before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, And which is smaller than all the seeds; but when it has grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of heaven come and roost in its branches.
Rev. 17:5 And on her forehead there was a name written, MYSTERY, Babylon The Great, The MOTHER Of The HARLOTS And The ABOMINATIONS Of The EARTH.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Another parable in Matthew 13 describes today’s Christendom as a great tree with great branches that become a lodging place for birds (vv. 31-32). This is the parable of the mustard seed. The mustard is an annual herb, which shows that the church should be like an herb to produce food. Instead it became a tree, a lodge for birds, having its nature and function changed. These birds refer to Satan’s evil spirits with the evil persons and things motivated by them (13:4, 19). They lodge in the branches of the great tree, that is, in the enterprises of Christendom. Today’s Catholic Church is full of all kinds of evils. Evil persons, evil practices, and evil things are lodging there. In this great organization there is much darkness.
Roman Catholicism is depicted in Revelation 17 as a great prostitute and as “The Mother of the Prostitutes” (vv. 1, 5). Since The Mother of the Prostitutes is the apostate church, the prostitutes, her daughters, should be all the different sects and groups in Christianity who hold to some extent the teaching, practices, and traditions of the apostate Roman Church. The Two Babylons is a book that gives a full documentation of the deformation and degradation of this evil religious system. G. H. Pember in his book, The Great Prophecies, also points out the abominations of the apostate Roman Catholic Church. The Brethren also saw the real situation of Catholicism, and we received much help from them. The entire Christianity is the totality of deformation and degradation.
Having Anything to Do
with the Remaining Unscriptural Things
in Christianity
In the 1920s on mainland China a number of us young people left this deformed religion. We (The Young Christians in Brother Lee’s Generation) thank the Lord for sending the western missionaries to China to bring us the gospel. They told people that Jesus is the Son of God who became a man and died on the cross for our sins. They said that if we believe in Him we would receive the forgiveness of our sins. We heard the proper preaching of Christ being our Savior. These missionaries also brought us the real name of Jesus Christ, and we treasured this. They also brought the Bible with them, providing us with one of the best Chinese translations of the Bible. We thank God for these three things: the gospel, the name of Jesus, and the Bible. We young people who came out of Christendom made a decision just to keep these three things. We would not have anything to do with the remaining unscriptural things in Christianity.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1987, vol. 2, “The God-Ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy,” ch. 3
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES TEN
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Message Seven
Attitude toward the Roman Catholics
Rev. 2:18-20 And to the messenger of the church in Thyatira write: These things says the Son of God, He who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like shining bronze: I know your works and love and faith and service and your endurance and that your last works are more than the first. But I have something against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, she who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and leads My slaves astray to commit fornication and to eat idol sacrifices.
The Church in Thyatira in Revelation
Being a Prefigure of the Roman Catholic Church
In Revelation 2:20 this woman is the same as the one prophesied by the Lord in Matthew 13:33, the woman who added leaven (signifying evil, heretical, and pagan things) into the fine flour (signifying Christ as the meal offering for the satisfaction of God and man). This woman is the great prostitute of Revelation 17, who mixes abominations with the divine things. The pagan wife of Ahab, Jezebel, was a type of this apostate church.
Attitude toward the Roman Catholics
We love all our Christian brothers and respect them, yet we cannot agree with the religious system they are in. There are many genuine believers even in the Catholic Church, and some of them are seeking and devout. Yet the Catholic Church itself is full of idolatry. In some cathedrals the ones who enter buy a candle and select an idol to pray to. They do not call these statues idols but saints. A certain Catholic cathedral in Manila has a statue of a “black Jesus,” and all the people who go into this cathedral touch the feet of that statue. I watched the people buy candles and go in to worship the idols, and I read some of the inscriptions on the wall, which said that if you pray to a certain saint for a period of time, your relatives would be rescued from purgatory. This shows that Catholicism is full of superstition. This fellowship should give us a glimpse of the practice in today’s degraded Christianity.
Coming Back Purely to the God-Ordained Way
to Practice the New Testament Economy
We must come back purely to the God-ordained way to practice the New Testament economy so that God can operate in His Trinity to dispense His triune being into us that we may be filled and saturated with the divine being to become His very expression on this earth. This is what God wants today. Christianity has missed this, and God is recovering this in His recovery. The way to meet is not a small matter. The traditional way of meeting kills and annuls the functions of the members of the Body of Christ and builds up something satanic and demonic. We must come back to the biblical way, the new way, the living way, that affords God the opportunity to operate among His chosen people.
Further Reading: Holy Bible Recovery Version, Rev. 2:20, footnote 3; CWWL, 1987, vol. 2, “The God-Ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy,” ch. 3
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES TEN
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Message Eight
The Lord’s Body Comprising All The Genuine Believers
in the Catholic Church
and the Protestant Denominations
Eph. 4:4 One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
Rom. 15:7 Therefore receive one another, as Christ also received you to the glory of God.
The Lord’s Body Comprising All These Genuine Believers
From the very beginning we realized that despite the divisions, organizations, and traditions, there were a great number of genuine Christians scattered in these divisions. We saw that the Lord’s Body comprises all these genuine believers. Even in the Catholic Church we saw a number of genuine believers, and we also considered them as members of the church and as our dear brothers and sisters. On the one hand, we began to meet by ourselves and we fully realized that the dear, genuine believers who were scattered in the Catholic Church and the Protestant denominations were our brothers. We recognized them and we loved them. We realized that the Lord’s Body as the church of God did not only comprise us but also all the genuine believers, of which we were a small part.
We surely recognize that all the genuine believers are our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Also, we fully admit that we are not the only members of the Body of Christ. We are just a small part, just as the returned captives in the Old Testament were just a small remnant of all of the chosen people of God. In addition, we are open to all the dear Christians. If time allowed and if they were open to us, I would take the lead to go and share the truth with them. We do love all the Lord’s children and like to share with them all the truths that we have received of the Lord and that we have experienced and enjoyed.
Being Open to All the Saints
Our attitude is that we are open to all the saints. We do not consider that we only are the members of the Body of Christ. The most we consider is that we are members of the Body of Christ who have come back to the original, unique ground of oneness and who are standing here as God’s remnant. The difference between other Christians and us is that they still remain there in their captivity, while we have come back to the proper, unique ground of oneness. We are open to all the believers, but we would not take the place of captivity where they remain. We could not join them in that place because it is a place of captivity, full of divisions, organizations, and traditions.
We all need to have a clear view concerning the Lord’s practice in His recovery. Then we can have a proper attitude. We should never be sectarian, and we should always be open to all people. We should not only be open to all the Christians, but also be open to all the unbelievers. Because we have received the Lord’s mercy and we are now a people bearing God’s testimony in His truth and in His life, we must learn to be open at all times to every Christian, teaching the truth and ministering the life supply to them. When you meet other Christians, do not be bothered that they are Christians in the divisions. Do not change your attitude, but still be open to them. Present the truth and minister life to them. Try not to consider, think, or feel that they are different from the saints who are with us because they also are our fellow-believers in Christ.
Further Reading: CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders’ Training, Book 4: Other Crucial Matters concerning the Practice of the Lord’s Recovery,” ch. 11
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES TEN
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Message Nine
The Local Churches Being an Authentic Expression
of New Testament Christianity—Hank Hanegraaff
Hank Hanegraaff—the President of Christian Research Institute
As president of CRI and host of the Bible Answer Man radio broadcast, I have personally been asked to weigh in on the controversies surrounding the local churches and their publishing and distribution arm Living Stream Ministry. As such, I initiated a primary research project.… While this primary research is still ongoing, the following statements are beyond dispute.
The Local Churches Not Being a Cult from a Theological Perspective
First, the local churches are not a cult from a theological perspective.… I stand shoulder to shoulder with the local churches when it comes to the essentials that define biblical orthodoxy. With respect to the Trinity, for example, we are united in the reality that there is one God revealed in three persons who are eternally distinct. Although we may disagree on the exegesis of particular passages, this premise is inviolate.
The Local Churches Not Being a Cult from a Sociological Perspective
Furthermore, the local churches are not a cult from a sociological perspective. In this sense, a cult is a religious or semi-religious sect whose followers are controlled by strong leadership in virtually every dimension of their lives. Devotees characteristically manifest a displaced loyalty for the “guru” and the group and are galvanized together through physical and/or psychological intimidation tactics. It is more than unfortunate that the local churches have been uncharitably lumped together with sociological cults involved in the most heinous activities conceivable. It is truly tragic that this classification has been used to persecute and imprison members of the local churches in various regions around the world.
The Local Churches Being an Authentic Expression
of New Testament Christianity
Finally, the local churches are an authentic expression of New Testament Christianity. Moreover, as a group forged in the cauldron of persecution, it has much to offer Western Christianity.
If the early Christian church had one distinguishing characteristic, it was their passion to communicate the love, joy, and peace that only Jesus Christ can bring to the human heart. As we become entrenched in an age of esotericism, it is essential that genuine believers in all walks of life emulate this passion—a passion I have personally witnessed as I shared in fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ from local churches in places as far away as London, England, Seoul, Korea, and Nanjing, China.
In sum, along with Christians from a broad range of persuasions, the local churches are dedicated to both proper doctrine (orthodoxy) and proper practice (orthopraxy)
Hank Hanegraaff, President, Christian Research Institute
September 2008
Further Reading: Contending for the Faith, The Local Churches—“Genuine Believers and Fellow Members of the Body of Christ”
THE GOSPEL OF GOD’S ECONOMY
SERIES TEN
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Message Ten
Statement from Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Conducting a Thorough Review and Examination of the
Major Teachings and Practices of the Local Churches
Fuller conducted a thorough review and examination of the major teachings and practices of the local churches, with particular emphasis on the writings of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee, as published by Living Stream Ministry. This process was undertaken in an attempt to answer many of the questions and accusations that are often associated with this group of churches and to locate the teachings and practices of these two men and the local churches in light of historical, orthodox Christianity.
The Conclusion of Fuller Theological Seminary
It is the conclusion of Fuller Theological Seminary that the teachings and practices of the local churches and its members represent the genuine, historical, biblical Christian faith in every essential aspect. One of the initial tasks facing Fuller was to determine if the portrayal of the ministry typically presented by its critics accurately reflects the teachings of the ministry. On this point we have found a great disparity between the perceptions that have been generated in some circles concerning the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee and the actual teachings found in their writings. Particularly, the teachings of Witness Lee have been grossly misrepresented and therefore most frequently misunderstood in the general Christian community, especially among those who classify themselves as evangelicals. We consistently discovered that when examined fairly in the light of scripture and church history, the actual teachings in question have significant biblical and historical credence. Therefore, we believe that they deserve the attention and consideration of the entire Body of Christ.
It is important to note, in understanding the process that we have undergone, that considerable attention was devoted at the outset to the stand of these churches on the essential elements of the genuine Christian faith adhered to by all true Christian believers. We believe that if agreement on the basic tenets of the faith can be clearly established, then subsequent dialog and discussion concerning non-essential teachings properly fall within the realm of the fellowship of believers. This determination was made by reading their publications and through our fellowship in five face-to-face meetings between Fuller and representatives of these churches and this ministry.
In regard to their teaching and testimony concerning God, the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, the Bible, salvation, and the oneness and unity of the Church, the Body of Christ, we found them to be unequivocally orthodox. Furthermore, we found their profession of faith to be consistent with the major creeds, even though their profession is not creedal in format. Moreover, we also can say with certainty that no evidence of cultic or cult-like attributes have been found by us among the leaders of the ministry or the members of the local churches who adhere to the teachings represented in the publications of Living Stream Ministry. Consequently, we are easily and comfortably able to receive them as genuine believers and fellow members of the Body of Christ, and we unreservedly recommend that all Christian believers likewise extend to them the right hand of fellowship.