Thank you for your response and question. Your question is very thoughtful; I am happy to try to give an answer. Now that you point it out, it is easy to see how the statement you referred to gives a very exclusive impression. We certainly will reconsider how we expressed what we were trying to convey.
So what do we mean when we talk about the Lord raising up a testimony? It is obvious that there are many churches and groups of Christians here in London. Most of them have been here much longer than we have. Most of them have been and still are testifying something of the Lord according to their understanding of the Christian faith. There are some who we would consider as having denied the basic truths of the person of Christ and His redemptive work on the cross. I am not talking about those. But there are many others who are helping people to receive the Lord and know something of Him. We admit that in that sense the Lord has many testimonies here.
We also don't consider ourselves the only true believers in London. We, like many others, have received the Lord Jesus into our hearts and lives. We are not claiming to be better than other believers and are not intending to give that impression. We are very aware of our own shortcomings and struggles in trying to follow the Lord and be faithful to Him. To use a well worn phrase, we are simply sinners saved by grace. We often pray for the Lord's continued mercy and grace to keep us in the freshness of the first love to Him.
Since that is the case, why would we even think about using exclusive language like, "the Lord has no way to raise up a testimony"? To put it another way, what do we think is unique, here in London, about our testimony? You asked directly, "What is your response for God's call to ecumenism?" These questions are related so I would like to try to answer them together.
In the New Testament the testimony of the church was relatively clear and simple. There were issues that needed to be addressed such as the fleshly behaviour of some believers (1 Corinthians), the influence of Judaism (Galatians), and the influence of Greek philosophy (Colossians). But even so, the churches shone as golden lampstands bearing the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 1:20). A key element of their testimony was that wherever they were, the believers met together as one. In each city the believers collectively, whether a small number meeting in a home or a very large number, were known simply as the church in that city. The fact that so many people from various backgrounds and walks of life (Col. 3:11) could meet together and serve the Lord as one new man (Eph. 2:15), was a very great testimony to the reality and power of God's salvation. The oneness they enjoyed was not theoretical nor merely spiritual; it was practical enough for the world to see (John 17:21).
The situation is very different today. The Catholics claim that theirs is the only real church. But in the New Testament we do not see one, universal church. Rather we see the Body of Christ expressed practically as many churches in many cities. These churches were kept in harmony by the fellowship of the apostles rather than by an organizational structure. They all belonged to Christ, that was enough for them to be included in the church. There was no need for them to agree on every point of doctrine or practice (Rom. 14). Their oneness was a spontaneous expression of the operation of Christ within them.
Apart from the Catholics, Christians today are divided in many ways into many different groups. Some would say that this is wonderful, that each group testifies to a different aspect of Christ and that you need to look at the whole to see the overall testimony. What kind of testimony is that? Are the innumerable divisions and endless bickering among Christians a testimony of our wonderful Saviour? We don't think so. Rather we consider them a sign of defeat.
In the Old Testament the people of God conquered the good land and eventually built the temple of God. That can be considered the high point of their history. Soon after that they became divided. Eventually, due to their propensity to seek after idols, they were defeated and carried away captive. They still worshipped God in their captivity but the testimony, represented by the temple built on the proper ground, was lost. At the end of 70 years a small number of them returned to Jerusalem and began to build the temple. Their condition was not that wonderful but they were in the place God had chosen. Through their coming back to the place God desired there was a way, many years later, for Christ to come according to every detail of the prophecies in the Old Testament.
We believe that the place God chose in the Old Testament represents the basis God has set forth for Christian fellowship: that all the believers that live in the same locality should be one. Some say that this is impossible, it will never happen before the Lord comes back. In a sense this is true, just as in the Old Testament there never was a time when all the Israelites returned to the land of Israel after they had been carried away captive. But some came back and stood on the proper ground on behalf of the whole nation. This is what we are trying to do and is the reason we do not identify ourselves with any name other than the name of Christ or Christian. Everyone whom Christ has received we also receive. This is how we believe the Lord's prayer for the oneness of His believers should be practiced.
We associate the word "ecumenism" with an effort to join various Christian denominations together organizationally. We think that the aim is noble but that the real oneness is not in the realm of doctrinal agreement, organizational structure, or tolerance and compromise. We can only enter into it when we are willing to let go of everything other than Christ and focus only on Christ. In short, the real Christian oneness is Christ Himself.
Are we exclusive? We count all who have received the Lord Jesus as exactly the same as we are, as one of us. Thus we are exclusive to the extent that we believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. On the other hand, we do not believe the Lord would condone the many divisions among His people or the organizational structures that maintain them. Thus we are unwilling to participate organizationally in their activities. This is often perceived as being exclusive. We can't help this because this is how we feel we should be faithful to the Lord.
I hope my answer helps you to understand our stand.
Ron