Author: Steve Amato
Description: Objections to Local Church Critique
Keywords: bible study,witness lee, watchman nee, local church, purgatory, overcome, perseverance of the saints, faith, easy-believism, plymouth brethren, hightruth, high gospel

Round 4

## Local Church Responder

Hey Steve,

I just wanted to point out that anyone who is eternally saved from Christ is made a part of His Church. As seen in Revelation 2 and 3, Christ is calling His beleivers whether they're in a degraded situation or the church that fits his heart to overcome. So among His believers who have become abnormal or apathetic toward the Lord like Ephesus losing the first love or Laodicea becoming Lukewarm or having mixtures like Roman Catholicism as seen in Pergamos and Thyatira or have not completed the full revelation of their dead works like Sardis, laodicea is typified by those who are doctrinally proud as well yet have become lukewarm The 7 churches are a timeline of church history since Revelation is a book of prophecy (The Orthodox of the Church by Watchman Nee) as well as it is relevance to each individual church. The Lord is calling His believers to stop being abnormal and simply conform to His plan and follow a normal Christian life, so this is what it means to overcome. As for the lake of fire versus darkness, I believe that since God is the righteous Judge, there should be different levels of dispensational 1000 year punishments depending on how much in line you walked in the Lord's plan. So please consider carefully what you're doing and how you're affecting others. It's fine to offend people but if everyone despises you chances are you're not expressing Christ nor carrying His fragrance either. Afterall, Jesus did offend some people but to others He became a wonderful Savior to them and spoke many words that imparts life to men.

I admit that I lied about the sending my last email. Following the Lord's leading, I just wanted to present another aspect of the truth of the Bible that you may have never noticed. Please place all of our exchanged responses on your website. I know you might consider some of my words as a personal attack on your life and I apologize. My apologies if I what I assumed about your life is true. Maybe, it is but I hope it will conduct you unto Christ. You do take time to defend it personally though. So it's nice to let the readers decide. However, I think it'd be nice if you presented the whole truth to all of the viewers because this would be what is right in God's eyes. Otherwise, you'd be lying if you simply left our first exchange on your website. Put in the round 2 etc like the other guy if you'd like. This will be my last email to you unless if the Lord leads me again. Grace be with you.

Your Brother, Peter Jang

## BCBSR Response

Peter,

Thanks for sharing your opinion concerning the seven institutional churches of revelation. However I would disagree with your presumption that people are to be considered automatically saved just because they belong to an institutional church. In many of Jesus' parables he warns of nominalism which would be found within the Christian community. And so also Paul even questions the Corinthians saying, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you— unless, of course, you fail the test?" 2Cor 13:5 And so also John in 1John 2:19 "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but
their going showed that none of them belonged to us."

As for the accusation that I would be lying if I simply left our first exchange on the the website, I don't really understand what you're talking about. In any case to quote the apostle Paul, "I care very little if I am judged by you." 1Cor 4:3

I posted the "rounds" to the site now.

"we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life." 2Cor 2:15,16

Steve Amato
The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources
http://www.bcbsr.com

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources

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