An Open Letter by Paul Wu
In 2004 Titus Chu sent what appeared to be a personal letter to Brother Paul Wu in Taipei. The content of Titus' letter did not match the conversation Brother Paul had with Titus, and Paul simply filed the letter away, burdened with the feeling that his fellowship with Titus had not made any impact on Titus or his behavior.
Shortly thereafter a brother from mainland China came to Paul with a copy of that same letter asking him whether the allegations made in it by Titus were true. The letter claimed that "some brothers in Southern California" had accused Paul of doing a different work in the Lord's recovery and saying that there was a possibility of a division between the English-speaking work and the Chinese-speaking work. Of course Brother Paul made it clear to the brother that the allegations in Titus Chu's letter were false. Paul also testified to the brother that the co-workers were in fact in harmony.
Recently, the same letter was circulated again, this time by Robin Lao (sending spam emails anonymously as "Glassy Sea") and also posted on an anonymous website run by Simon Song and Jonathon Lin (under the name "Concerned Brothers"). "Glassy Sea" made the additional claim that the letter was evidence that there was a "power struggle" going on between Living Stream Ministry and the Taiwan Gospel Book Room. In past turmoils the enemy Satan's attacks centered on Brother Witness Lee and on his publishing and ministry office, Living Stream Ministry and Taiwan Gospel Book Room. So today during the present time of dissension the enemy's attacks have centered on the co-workers who serve together in the ministry in a blended way and on Living Stream Ministry and the Taiwan Gospel Book Room.
Upon receiving the recent spam email, we contacted Brother Paul to ask him about the contents of the letter from Titus and of the email. The following is his written response to us:
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April 5, 2007 Dear Brothers, A letter sent to me by Titus Chu in 2004 has been publicly posted on the Internet. That letter is also being sent to saints in emails which make the false claim that there is a power struggle between the Taiwan Gospel Book Room and Living Stream Ministry. There is not and was not such a "power struggle." TGbr and LSM are carrying out one work in full harmony and one accord. Such evil reports, whether in writing or by word of mouth, should be rejected. Titus Chu's letter attributes words to me that I did not say. For example, I did not say that "some leading brothers from Southern California" said that I am or Brother Andrew Yu is doing a different work. Those claims are a false witness against the co-workers. In addition, I did not "indicate" that there was any division between the languages in the Lord's work. There is no such thing. These are evil and false reports spread by Titus Chu using my name. They should be rejected by the brothers and sisters. Titus Chu's letter omits the real content of my conversation with him. In our conversation I urged Titus not to continue to work in Taiwan but to return to the United States to have more fellowship and learn to be one with the brothers there. Instead of heeding me (and many other brothers), Titus has caused division among a number of the churches in North America and the Far East. This is why Titus Chu has been quarantined by both the co-workers and the churches. Shortly after I received Titus Chu's letter in 2004, a brother brought me a copy of it saying it was being circulated in China. This could have only been initiated by or at least done with the complicity of Titus himself. It shows that his real intention was to undermine the oneness among the leading ones and the churches in China and to bring in confusion so that Titus could have room for his private work in China. These lawless uses of a letter that I did not write to claim that I said things that I did not say should make plain what kind of letter Titus's is. Clearly Titus's purpose in writing was not for my comfort and encouragement. That was a pretense by which he could make a false show to others and accuse the co-workers in my name. I will not have my name associated with Titus Chu's attempts to sow discord among the brothers. In Him, Paul Wu |
In addition to the corrections Brother Paul makes to Titus Chu's account of their conversation, there are a few examples in Titus's letter to Paul that illustrate the errors and inconsistencies expressed by Titus Chu concerning the ministry:
- Titus Chu wrote,
"In these 2000 years the Lord has raised up many servants as apostles, as prophets. They all
are doing the same one work." The clear testimony of church history, confirmed through the ministry of
Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, is that the different ministries of many gifted ones, despite having been used by the
Lord in some measure, have resulted in division after division in the Body. For this reason, those ministries cannot be
viewed as carrying out the "one work" of the building up of the one Body of Christ.
We need to see this principle throughout the entire Christian era. All the troubles, divisions, and confusions came from the one source of the tolerance of different ministries. Many Christian teachers have known the peril of different ministries; nevertheless, they have tolerated them. There has been a tolerance of different ministries. In the Lord's recovery, for the long run, we should not believe that this kind of creeping in of the different ministries would never take place. Rather, we must be on the alert. Such a peril is ahead of us. If we are not watchful, if we are careless, in one way or another the enemy would creepingly use some means, some ways, to bring in different ministries. Such a thing would end the Lord's recovery. (Elders' Training, Book 1: The Ministry of the New Testament, p. 16)
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Titus Chu wrote: "The Lord had gained brothers Nee and Lee in this age. They became the spokespersons of the unique New Testament Ministry in this age." We fully agree with this statement. However, less than two years after writing it, Titus Chu and his workers began to openly oppose the co-workers' speaking concerning Brother Lee and Brother Nee being the "ministers of the age" and to teach that there are many such ministers (presumably including Titus himself). Either Titus Chu was not sincere in what he wrote to Paul Wu or he was unstable in his understanding of the truth.
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Titus Chu also wrote: "It is childish for a local church to declare independence! Similarly, it is fleshly for a local church to declare that they belong to a particular worker!" Again, we agree. Yet Titus has been conspicuously silent concerning the actions of certain workers and leading ones in churches associated with him, actions taken shortly after his meeting with those workers and leaders. These ones have taken actions such as:
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wantonly rejecting and publicly despising a quarantine carried out through much prayer and fellowship in the Body, as represented by co-workers and churches throughout the earth;
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demonstrating their intent to designate particular workers of their choosing as their "apostles" with whom they will have a special relationship, contrary to 1 Cor. 1:12;
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declaring a unique standing for their church that is different from the common standing of all the local churches on the ground of oneness; and
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setting up a secular corporate structure with authority over the spiritual affairs of the church, even to the extent that the "Directors" of the corporation can reject the elders' decisions, suspend elders from their function in the church, discipline members and even remove them from the meetings, etc.
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It is sad to see the extent of duplicitous behavior and the extreme degradation from the truth exhibited in the actions of these brothers. Yet facts are facts, and we must face them. With the understanding that God's enemy is attacking those matters most essential for the Lord to build up His Body and end this age, we must stand absolutely for the Lord's interest.
