In the same way, I do not care that much for doctrine. I am so much for the living Christ. As long as I have Christ, I have the real gold. Please do not talk to me about doctrine. Doctrine is always a bait, and with the bait there is a hook. We must be careful about doctrine. I am afraid that many of you are still not off the hook. You have been hooked for years with your doctrines, but how much Christ do you have? Some dear Christians think that they are so right and scriptural, yet they are so dead. They have been hooked for over twenty years, and they are still hooked. They have not been freed from doctrine. Immediately after I was saved, I was hooked by doctrines for seven and a half years. One day while I was walking on the street, the Lord stirred within me to show how dead and unfruitful I was. I had much knowledge from the types and prophecies, but I was dead. I repented to the Lord and asked for His mercy. It seemed that I had gotten off the hook. But the little hook was still in my throat. It has taken me twenty-five years to fully get off this hook. But today I can say that I am free. “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17).
Praise the Lord, I am liberated! I have been liberated from the hook of doctrine! Now I would ask, “How about you?” If you have been liberated from the hook of doctrine, you will never say I do not like this doctrine or that. You are free from this hook. To care for the doctrines means to care for the hook. I fear that nearly all Christians are hooked. On the day you were saved there was something living, bubbling, and transparently wonderful within you. Then you thought you had to “go to church” to learn more about the Bible. There the pastor helped you study the Bible and learn all the right doctrines. He may also have recommended that you go to Bible school or seminary. Then you graduated in a dead way. You were hooked by all the dead doctrines; you have been distracted from receiving the help of life. May the Lord have mercy upon us all!
While ministering in a certain place, a young man studying at a seminary came to speak to me. He asked if I believed in the Triune God. I told him that I believed more than he. Then he asked if I believed in the rapture. I asked what kind of rapture he was talking about. There is the pre-tribulation, post-tribulation, and mid-tribulation rapture. Poor Christianity! There is no ministry of Christ as the rich gold. They only have the dead teachings and doctrines. After this young brother had asked me a few questions and I did not satisfy him, he said, “Goodbye Mr. Lee; I’ll see you in heaven.” I called him to come back and sit down. He wanted to see me in heaven, but I wanted to see him here. I thank the Lord that He saved this young brother from the doctrinal hook.
Nearly all Christians in this country have been killed by the teachings, doctrines, and knowledge of the Bible. The first year I came to minister in this country, I was invited to three different groups. Everyone was utterly dead. I told them that Christ today is the living One and that they did not need the dead doctrines. What they needed was the living Christ! All of them rebuked me to my face. Immediately after I finished speaking, they came to tell me that my doctrine was wrong. I assured them that whether I was doctrinally wrong or not, they would see one day that they are short of Christ. That was the end. They never invited me again. Instead, I became famous among them as a preacher of heresy. They sent out a paper saying that none of their groups should invite me. When I read it, I was happy. I did not need to minister the living Christ to such a dead place. It is just a waste of time.