Ministry Excerpts:
Christianity Having Christ Only in Name: Instead of Christ,
Christianity Is Composed Mainly of Four Categories of Things
Christianity has Christ only in name and very little in reality. Instead of Christ, Christianity is composed mainly of four categories of things. The first category is concepts, doctrines, and teachings. The second category is certain ways, such as ways to preach the gospel. Many Christian groups use worldly music, dramas, movies, and other ways to preach the gospel. The third category is various activities and movements. The final category of things that compose today’s Christianity is organizations. If these four categories of things were removed from Christianity, there would be little left. This is the regrettable situation among God’s people today. Christ is altogether missing from Christianity (Rev. 3:20). (Crucial Elements of God’s Economy, ch. 3)
Being Crucified to the World of Christianity
In verse 1 of chapter 6, Paul speaks of our human spirit as the proper organ for serving the Lord by restoring a fallen brother, and in verse 8 he speaks of sowing unto the mingled spirit. Following this, Paul points out that circumcision, a strong ordinance of the Judaistic religion, is merely a good show in the flesh. Verses 12 and 13 say, “As many as desire to make a good show in the flesh, these compel you to be circumcised, but only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For neither do they that become circumcised keep the law themselves, but they desire you to be circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.” In principle, all religious ordinances are shows in the flesh, such as the wearing of brightly colored robes by a choir and the singing of solos by specially talented persons. We must condemn all fleshly shows. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 3, “Enjoying Christ as the All-inclusive Spirit for the Practical, Genuine, and Real Church Life”, ch. 6)
If We Lead People to Be Saved with the Worldly Way,
We Are Following the Principle of “Moab” And “Ammon”
We should not follow the worldly flavor. If we lead people to be saved with the worldly way, we are following the principle of “Moab” and “Ammon”. Moabites and Ammonites were the descendants born of Lot and his daughters through incest. (Gen. 19:36-38.) Any Christian organization expecting to lead people to be saved through worldly things practices the principle of incest.The result will not be very blessed. We must be alert that our door toward the world should not be open wide, on the contrary, it should be closed very tightly. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 4, “The Supply of the Word and the Increase of the Church”, ch. 8)
We Are Simply Putting Off Religion, Putting Off Christianity
The practical expression of the church is the local church, and in the local church there is the need of the functioning members. We do not have any clergy or laity, but we are all members of the Body. Therefore, we all must function. None of us should come to the Sunday morning meeting with the concept that we are going to “church.” What are we going to “church” for? Is it to attend “the service”? A service requires a church building with people sitting in the pews, a pastor to preach a sermon, and a choir to sing specially arranged music. We are absolutely against this. If anyone comes to us with this kind of concept, they are in the wrong “store.” They had better go elsewhere; we are not for this. We have no church service, no pews, no ministering pastor, and no choir.
Then what are we doing here? We are simply putting off religion, putting off Christianity. In the early days the church had to put away Judaism. Today we have to put off Christianity. For this, we all must change our concept. There is no pew, no pew members, no laymen, and no pastor. There are only the functioning members of the living Body. (The Practical Expression of the Church, ch. 15)
The Resurrected Christ Singing Hymns of Praises
to the Father in the Church
The beginning of Hebrews tells us that Christ as the Son of God (1:5-8) and the Son of Man (2:5-18) after His resurrection is in the church. Indeed, Christ today is in the heavens (Mark 16:19), yet we need to realize that this heavenly Christ also singing hymns of praises to the Father in the church. However, if we do not sing, He has no way to sing. For He sings in our singing. If the whole church come together, everyone withholds his mouth and speak nothing, then Christ has no way to sing. Every time we sing, Christ sings in our singing. This is not the singing of a soloist or the singing of a choir, but the singing of God’s many sons—many brothers of Christ. (CWWL, 1969, “Praising God with Christ as the Content by Our Experiencing and Enjoying Him”, ch. 9)
Do You Have Any Doubts Concerning Our Practice
Being Sharply Different from That in the Denominations
(e.g. No Pastors and Choirs, no Christmas… )
So many things in Christianity are leaven. These include Christmas, Easter, idols, pictures, images, rock music, drama, and the entire Y.M.C.A. system. We must be careful not to take anything other than Christ for God’s purpose…in our human nature is the desire to make it easy for people to experience spiritual things. But whatever you use to help people to touch spiritual things is a type of leaven. The pure and sanctified way to preach the gospel and to bring people to Christ is prayer and the ministry of the Word. Do not take any other way…with the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens there are three matters: the tares, the changed nature of the constituents of the kingdom; the big tree, the false façade; and the leaven, the inward corruption and rottenness…throughout Christianity we can see tares, abnormal growth, and the corruption caused by leaven…in building up the church and spreading the Lord’s testimony, the only way is to pray and to minister the pure Word. In the eyes of God, any gimmick—anything other than Christ, the Word, prayer, and the Spirit—is leaven. We must pray until our preaching is in the power of the Spirit, and we must pray until our testimony is filled with the riches of Christ. (Life-study of Matthew, msg. 38)
With Regard to Its Nature, Is It a Lord’s Day Meeting,
or a Gospel Meeting, or a Concert?
Regarding hymns and music, they are indeed not a simple matter. The church today is not promoting music. We need to perfect the saints that they can sing hymns well and enjoy the richness of the hymns. Even the choral song—”Hallelujah” sung in this gospel meeting has not been selected into our hymn book because it is not suitable for use in our ordinary meetings. Its content and expression is with only a limited amount of truth. This time, because we need a scene of music to maintain order in this gospel meeting, we borrow it for use. However, I expect the brothers to know that we have no intention to bring these things into the church. We need to clearly see this point. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 4, “The Supply of the Word and the Increase of the Church”, ch. 9)
Finally, in First Corinthians 16:18, Paul mentioned several saints and said, “For they refreshed my spirit and yours.” This word may seem ordinary, but the 1 Corinthians concludes with this verse except for the final greetings and warnings. This Bible verse shows that Paul is a person completely living in the spirit. He does not mean that others should give him good drinks to refresh his flesh, nor does he mean that others should give him good music, or bring good news to refresh his soul. He said that his spirit was refreshed. Brothers and sisters, is your spirit refreshed every time you come to a meeting? Some Christian gatherings are like dancing parties for the flesh to be refreshed. Others look like concerts for the soul to be refreshed. However, our meeting today should refresh our spirit. (The Center of the Bible and the Center of Human Life, ch. 4)
With Regard to Its Way, Harmoniously Singing Hymns Together?
Or Singing as a Choir?
I hope that you brothers and sisters would also learn to sing hymns. For the long run we all need to exercise to sing the hymns together in a harmonious way. I believe the dormant saints will be recovered and the newly saved ones will be added. We need to do our best to attach ourselves to them. The foundation for the building of the church is the home meetings. We all need to change our concept and habit. From now on, we will not have any more hierarchy. All are members of the Body. Each one must function actively. (Key Points on the Home Meetings, msg. 1)
The Sunday Morning Service Is a Place for Them to Relax
and Listen to a Choir and a Good Speaker
In the traditional practice of Christianity, a newly baptized one simply enters into the congregation to sit and listen. He is not perfected to speak for the Lord. The members of the congregation do not have to endeavor or learn anything. They simply hire a pastor who is eloquent, who can tell good stories and give good illustrations. The Sunday morning service is a place for them to relax and listen to a choir and a good speaker. They listen for years without learning and being perfected to speak themselves. This situation is not according to what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 14. (The Excelling Gift for the Building Up of the Church, ch. 2)
We Should Promote and Encourage Everyone to Learn a Little Music,
But We Should Not Use the Music Completely,
Nor Should We Bring in The Musical Atmosphere
With regard to the use of hymns, I agree that whether the meeting is large or small, it is necessary for us to sing many more hymns. For the Bible shows that speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God. (Eph. 5:19, 3:16.) We are indeed lacking in this aspect and many hymns we are not able to sing. Therefore, in order to sing hymns, we should promote and encourage everyone to learn a little music, but we should not use the music completely, nor should we bring in the musical atmosphere. What we need is only to gain help to sing hymns. That is enough. On some occasion in a meeting, only when there are two, or three, even four hymns require to be sung together do we need to practice. For example, in order to sing hymns and bring hymns up in a gospel meeting, there is the need to practice the sound of the voice, and to be familiar with the knack of music, but not to delve into the music. In most of the meetings, it is sufficient to singing in an ordinary way. The past many years’ testimony of the Lord’s recovery can testify that this gate is kept very tight; we do not want we do not want anything of the worldly flavor. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 4, “The Supply of the Word and the Increase of the Church”, ch. 8)
Singing Is the Weakest Point among Us and We Sing Poorly.
Therefore, According to This Situation, I Also Agree the Brothers to Sing.
However, I Am Worried about the Teaching of the Music
that Everyone Leans too far toward the Music and Completely Engages in Music
I absolutely agree that we all should learn how to sing hymns, but we should not completely enter into that kind of atmosphere. Learning music is right, but we should not overemphasize the music. The saints in every meeting hall should practice singing common sacred tunes together. These kinds of sacred tunes are followed by our hymns. They were then passed down from David all the way to the Catholic Church and then from the Catholic Church to the Protestant churches until today. Our hymns were selected from more than 10,000 sacred hymns; some tunes were compiled later, and some tunes were taken from Old Timers.
We need not only to know the truth but also to thoroughly understand the truth. For those who serve in Taiwan Gospel Book Room, the first thing they should do is to touch the truth. Whether you are translating, listening to copy, writing or proofreading, you are touching the truth. Second, you need to pray. Third, you need to go forth to speak. Fourth, you need to sing. Singing is the weakest point among us and we sing poorly. Therefore, according to this situation, I also agree the brothers to sing. However, I am worried about the teaching of the music that everyone leans too far toward the music and completely engages in music. Therefore, you must balance. You must learn the truth. I hope that when you come to the small group meeting, you should select a hymn from your hymn book and lead brothers and sisters properly. This will benefit people a lot. You all have to endeavor to practice these four points . (CWWL, 1984, vol. 5, “The Faithful and Diligent Spreading of the Truth—concerning the Publication Service ”, ch. 12)
Separating the Worldly Things from the Spiritual Things, the Human Things from the Divine Things
Genesis 4 makes this quite plain. When Cain was driven out of the presence of God and thus lost God, he and his descendants began to invent things (vv. 16, 20-22). Jubal, for example, “was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe” (v. 21). The invention of music includes entertainment, like dancing, singing, and sports. Why is it that people are so attracted to nightclubs, concerts, and such? It is because they lack Christ. (Life Messages, vol. 2, msg. 45)
I do not know when God’s children will separate the worldly things from the spiritual things, the human things from the divine things. If our brothers and sisters will one day happily separate themselves from the literary clubs, the concerts, the welcome parties, the entertainment clubs, and the social gatherings, and will make a clear-cut separation from the world, they will receive power to be God’s witnesses. Alas, jesting is the greatest destroyer of a godly living, and revelling is a worm in one’s spiritual living! Social celebrations and gatherings are the weapons that put the believers’ holy life and power under a siege! Young believers should beware of these things! (CWWN, vol. 07: The Christian (5), ch. 6)
