About the Site Owner

Thanks for you hard work on this thread. I too left the recovery once I started to notice a few things that didn’t align with scripture. I got saved in college a couple of months before I even joined Christians on Campus / Lords Recovery movement. I had read basically the entire New Testament with the exception of parts of Revelation (decided to read Old Testament first). I learned and grew in my faith purely from the Word of God and teachings from the Holy Spirit. Understood the core teaching of the Gospel; Jesus came to save a sinful humanity when he bled on the cross and rose again on the 3rd day. If anyone puts their full faith and trust on Christ’s finished work on the cross will be saved. After this journey as a new believer began, that’s when I stumbled upon a group of Christians on Campus here in Texas at the University of North Texas. I did my research based on their name and I was relieved they said they were a good Christian group on campus that focused on the word of God. There was no mention of Witness Lee or any Recovery movement. Also at this time I was a new believer in dire need for Christian friends because I had just repented of my old life and wanted to grow with other Christians. I joined the group, met great people and even signed up for their bible meetings. I did notice how different they prayed and read the Word of God compared to my church back home, but I brushed this off because I had not stumbled upon any doctrinal issue.

I think the first thing had me on alert was the leader of our group used a bible version called “Recovery Version”. It was interesting because I had never heard of it, it wasn’t even on my regular bible app. I brushed this off as well because there is other lots of Bible versions right? Anyways, another thing that put me on alert is the leader of the group once told that we need to get “saved more” I was very confused what he meant because Paul makes in Romans salvation comes through faith. Our works are simply a response to the grace God has showed us, but they are not a means to salvation.

Romans 10:9-10 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”. In simple understanding when one becomes a believer in Christ he becomes “born again” or born into the family of God. Scripture does not teach salvation as a process that has to happen over and over. I think he was confusing what sanctification meant. When one becomes a believer, the journey of sanctification (becoming holy) begins it’s completed when the Lord Jesus Christ returns and makes our lowly bodies perfect.. Anyways when he quoted to me a few verses and I brushed this issue off too.

I still believed they were a good Christian group and maybe we just didn’t understand each other on a few passages of scripture. I also knew that I was a new believer and was still learning. However, the biggest red flag came when we started to meet various places that they stayed. I once went to the house of the bible study leader, and noticed his wife also used the “Recover Version” bible. I was also invited to one of their elders place for dinner and noticed he used the same bible as well. Lastly, I went to were the other students who had been in the group a little longer than me stayed. They also used the same bible version. At this point I felt like the Holy Spirit was showing me a few things that I should take into consideration. I decided to download the Recovery Version bible on my phone and give it a read myself. I also searched up who rote this version of the bible, and that is when I stumbled upon the name Witness Lee. I read parts of the “Recovery Version” bible, and in Revelation inside this bible version I noticed on the footnotes this movement was claiming the rest of Christianity outside their movement was apostate? I was shocked to say the least. Back home my pastor for example preaches the full counsel of God, however I know as a believer he is not infallible he can make mistakes. But it is my pastors duty to correct himself and apologize to the congregation of anything he mentions that is contrary to scripture.

The writings of Witness Lee troubled me, especially when I run into his teachings of “One City, One Church”. Up to this day I still find it complicated and confusing, and Paul never taught or emphasized such teachings. It should not even be something worth affecting ones salvation. However, it felt like holding a different belief would make you an apostate. I also struggled to understand some of their teachings regarding the Trinity and their repetition in calling upon the name of the Lord. However, most importantly is that I came to find out that their entire organization and movement was founded by a man, but they never told me any of this when I joined. I wanted believe maybe they don’t affiliate themselves with Witness Lee? Or worse, maybe they didn’t tell me because they knew I would do my research? I decided to go ask the leader of our bible study, and he basically came clean and told me they are affiliated with the Living Stream Ministries which to my understanding is the Lords Recovery movement. I showed him things that I was troubled with but he was prepared to answer anything I had. I came to understand I was not the first person who had problems with their movement. I met up with them two more times to discuss why I was leaving. They tried to convince me to stay, but I had already made my mind to leave since I already had a church back home that preached the Gospel. After only 2-4 months with them I left and never looked back. They were nice, and honestly kind to me, but I felt it was deceptive to not tell me the truth about their entire ministry. I left in peace, but I am still concerned about all the people who are still there.

The Recovery isn’t recovering anything. None of Lee’s exegesis is essential for salvation. Yet many in the Recovery claim they have “higher truths”.

I Cor 3:1-8 alone debunks following a single teacher in Christianity. The Recovery elevates a man well beyond scripture’s guidance on how to esteem them. Leadership doing this 25, 30, even 50 years seriously lack discretion. It is, literally, keeping an intermediary between believers and Christ Himself. And, scripture states judgment is not kind to those doing so. The Recovery is, at minimum, a sect – explicitly not acceptable in scripture.

It’s a ministry of “synonym theology”, e.g. “economy of God” is really the “Kingdom of God” with a Lee twist to it. The latter is, by far, more established in scripture and lacks nothing Lee says with respect to the former. In fact, the latter is more expansive. There are more, space not permitting.

They also claim their seven headquarters-delivered assemblies are delivering “God’s up-to-date speaking”. This further establishes intermediaries between believers and Christ Himself. There should be EXPLICIT guidance to Christ, but EVERYTHING is through a Lee publication.

You don’t buy the Lee Kool-Aid? Then, watch associations and fellowship with you drop off. This moves it from sect to cult (unless you don’t really care. However, anyone in the Recovery long is very impressionable, thus will suffer for the relationship severances.

It’s a sect at minimum. And, in practice a cult.

It’s full of members who have no personal testimony with the Lord yet there for decades. They all parrot Lee statements, many in the same vocal tone and inflection as if they’re robots.

The Lord meets people where they’re at. He’s taught me some things through it, but then was real sharp to get out of it.