In contrast to a green bay tree, the Lord Jesus uses the picture of a grape vine to describe Himself. "I am the vine, ye are the branches," John 15:5. The vine causes the growth of the branches, and is the source of their life. In a vineyard, the vinedresser provides support for the branches, because they grow very long, and the fruit hangs heavily. Jesus tells us that His Father is the husbandman.
But what happened to us is that a green bay tree appeared nearby the vine, and the branches began to grow up into the tree. The scenario unfolded like a parable: "Over the years, the branches became very entwined in the tree. The tree presented itself as the source of life and growth for the branches, and the branches became dependent on the tree. Unfortunately, the tree controlled the growth of the branches, directing them in particular directions, forbidding growth in others, so that the branches became twisted and stunted. But unbeknownst to most of the branches, there was rot at the core of the tree, which in time brought about its destruction."
There is something very odd about the end of the tree, as the Psalmist describes it. It doesn't fall with a resounding crash, and lie on the ground where it can be examined. It has simply disappeared. This has been exactly our case. The branches have found themselves suddenly lying in a tangled heap on the ground, with no tree to be found. It is like a scene out of fantasy fiction. But it isn't. It is a scene of real and actual spiritual devastation. There is huge trauma on many different levels.
The familiar support is gone--the source that was completely depended upon for spiritual truth and guidance. In effect, George and Betty put themselves in the place of God, and forbade people to use their minds to evaluate what was being taught and dictated. Scripture teaches otherwise. The Bereans are commended for perpetuity as being more noble than the Thessalonians, because when Paul preached there, they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. We were forbidden to grow in that way, and instead were trained to become entirely dependent on what George and the Leading Brothers said.
Now it is excruciating to be forced to think and evaluate. Some do not have the critical thinking skills, while all have been trained that it is unspiritual to apply them to spiritual things. So there is immense confusion about how to look at things and what to believe, as well as a feeling of paralysis in making decisions. But as people begin to do the hard work of thinking for themselves, the eyes of the mind become enlightened, because the Spirit of God does indwell His people and guide them into truth, as He promised.
And there is also tremendous insecurity, because as branches, we became over time more aware of our connectedness to the tree and to each other than we were of our connection to the true Vine, where our roots really have been all along. The regular pattern of life was geared around the meetings and outreaches and seminars. And through those involvements we were assured of our involvement in the Kingdom of God. Now it's all gone. Or if we are still meeting, it is vastly changed. From the perspective of the tangled heap on the ground, there is little external assurance that the branches are still in relationship with God.
This can be a good thing. It is an opportunity to turn ones attention to the unchanging truth that the true Vine is our source. Christ Himself is our life, we are in union with Him, and in this state of disaster, we can know that it is His strong arm that is lifting us up from the gates of death (Ps. 9:13). This catastrophe does not have the power to take us out of the Father's hand. In fact, even in our distress and depression, we cannot take ourselves out of His hand.
There is also great anxiety because we are unable to be "spiritual" in the ways we were taught. A very big part of the twisting of the branches happened as people were forced to deny their true feelings, stuff them down, reckon them dead, get rid of them, because they were interpreted as red flags. But in a time of crisis and devastation, those feelings will flood our entire being. They are supposed to. They are meant to warn us of danger.
What was distorted in the assembly is that the danger was interpreted to be within us, to be our old self, when really the true danger was external. It was the ungodly control on people's lives, the burden of legalism, the hostility veiled as "standing for the Lord", the false teaching, the double standards. Now those things are being seen for what they were. The task of the moment is to let those feelings do their work of pushing us to think and evaluate, so that we can make choices for spiritual health and safety. If we are unable to pray, we can cast ourselves on Him and depend that Christ our true Vine ever lives to make intercession for us. And in the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us. If we are unable to read the Word as we would wish, He is able to sustain us as He did Elijah in the wilderness. If we are unable to go to church (even that phrase probably makes many shudder), it will take time to get disentangled from the mess on the ground, but the true Husbandman will lift us up. Isaiah says, "A bruised reed He will not break." Nor a bruised branch.
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