THE PRACTICE HANDBOOK FOR THE DISTRICT SERVING ONES
SERIES THREE
PRACTICAL SERVICES
Message Two
The Coordinator and the Coordinating Ones
1 Cor. 3:10 According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation, and another builds upon it. But let each man take heed how he builds upon it.
Exo. 31:2-3 See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with understanding and with knowledge and with all kinds of workmanship.
Rom. 12:4-5 For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
A WISE MASTER BUILDER—PAUL
Paul said, “According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation, and another builds upon it…For another foundation no one is able to lay besides that which is laid” (1 Cor. 3:10-11). This means that anyone who does not build upon Paul’s foundation is not serving according to the vision. In the eyes of man this is too presumptuous, but Paul was not apologetic at all. He said that he was a wise master builder. He had given everyone the blueprint of the building, and he was supervising the building work. The phrase master builder here is architekton in Greek. It denotes a person who has the blueprint and builds and supervises the building according to the blueprint. The anglicized form of this word is architect. We know that in construction, the only person whose word counts is the architect’s. This was Paul’s position. No one else’s word counts; only Paul’s word counts because he had the blueprint.
MOSES RECEIVING THE PATTERN OF THE TABERNACLE FROM GOD,
AND SUPERVISING THE BUILDING WORK
We see the same thing at the time of Moses. Moses received the pattern of the tabernacle from God, and he supervised the building work. Moses was the one who had the dimensions of the tabernacle and the ways to construct it with all the utensils. In the building of the tabernacle, only his word counted; no one else’s word counted. If everyone would have had his say in that work, I am afraid there would have been a hundred or two hundred different kinds of tabernacles. This is the situation with Christianity today. There are thousands of churches. Every one of them is different, and every one of them wants to build up its own group. The Anglican Church builds up its own church. The Presbyterian Church builds up its own church. The Catholic Church builds up its own church, and the charismatics build up their own tongue-speaking churches. Where is there a church that is built according to the proper pattern? There is none. No one is building according to the blueprint that Paul received; no one is building according to the revelation of the Bible. Everyone is building according to his own desire.
There is only one blueprint and one master builder in the proper, correct building. The only master builder is the architect who has the blueprint in his hand. This is true in every age. The Lord issues the blueprint, the revelation, and the utterance, and through one man He supervises and completes the building work. All those who do not build, speak, or serve according to the blueprint released by the Lord through that man are void of light and revelation and are not serving according to the vision. Today in the Lord’s recovery some are preaching and publishing messages. The portions in their messages that impart light, revelation, and the life supply invariably derive their source from this ministry in the Lord’s recovery. Other than those portions there is no revelation or vision in their writings. (CWWL, 1986, vol. 2, “Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 1: The Vision and Definite Steps for the Practice of the New Way,” msg. 1)
THE MASTER BUILDER OF THE TABERNACLE—BEZALEL
Exodus 31:2-5 speaks of the master builder of the tabernacle.
Exodus 31:2 says, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.” Bezalel is a type in the Old Testament of the master builder. The name Bezalel means “in the shadow of God.” This indicates that as a master builder, Bezalel was altogether under God’s shadowing. He was a man under the shadow of God’s grace. This corresponds to Paul’s word in 1 Corinthians 3:10, where he says that it was by God’s grace that he was made a wise master builder.
All of us, whether we are leaders in God’s building or common builders, need God’s grace. We need to be under the shadow of His grace. If we are not under the shadow of God’s grace, many things may come to disturb us. But the shadow of God will keep these things away from us and cause us to remain in a peaceful situation and condition to do the building work.
The name of Bezalel’s father was Uri, which means “light of Jehovah.” This name indicates that all the builders of God’s dwelling place should be not only under God’s shadow, but also full of the Lord’s light.
The name of Bezalel’s grandfather was Hur. Hur means free, noble, white. Not only should we be under God’s shadow and full of light, but we should be free and noble. Those who build God’s dwelling place are not low people. On the contrary, they are noble people doing a noble work. No other work is as noble as the building of God’s dwelling place. Furthermore, the builders of God’s dwelling place are “white,” that is, they are clean and pure. When we put together the meaning of the names Bezalel, Uri, and Hur, we can see what kind of person the builders of God’s dwelling place, especially the elders, must be.
Being Filled with the Spirit of God
Concerning Bezalel, 31:3 says, “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all workmanship.” If we would build God’s dwelling place, we must be a people filled with the Spirit of God. By our natural life and ability and in our natural man, we are not able to do this work. Nothing natural is capable of building God’s dwelling place. Only the Spirit of God can build His own dwelling place through us. We are the instruments, the means. The actual ability, capacity, strength, and power must be God Himself as the Spirit to us.
With Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge and with All Kinds of Workmanship
According to verse 3, this filling up with the Spirit of God involves four matters: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and workmanship. It is difficult to explain the difference between wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. The Hebrew word rendered workmanship also means craftsmanship. For the building of God’s dwelling place, we need craftsmanship. It takes skill to be able to build even a small table. This skill, this workmanship, involves knowledge. But it is not sufficient to have only knowledge; we also need understanding and wisdom.
It is possible for us to have knowledge without understanding. For example, the sisters may have some knowledge of how to measure materials used in making clothing and how to cut these materials. But it takes understanding to know how to put the materials together to make an article of clothing. I know something about the suits I wear, but I do not have any understanding at all concerning how they are actually made. I may know the length of my sleeves and the kind of material used in making my suits, but I do not understand how a tailor goes about making them. I use this as an illustration of the difference between knowledge and understanding and of the fact that we may have knowledge but still be lacking in understanding.
We may also take the matter of listening to messages as an illustration of the difference between knowledge and understanding. You may know all the verses used in a particular message. Nevertheless, although you know these verses and may even be able to recite many of them, if you put all the verses together, you may not have any understanding of them. For the understanding of the verses, you need to listen to the ministry of the Word. Then you will begin to have understanding as well as knowledge.
In listening to a message we first may have the knowledge of the verses and then an understanding of what the verses mean. However, we may have both knowledge and understanding of verses, but still not have any revelation concerning them. Someone may say, “I know these verses, and I also understand them. But as far as I am concerned, there is nothing here for me to see.” But as a minister of the Word continues to open the Word to you, you eventually begin to see what is revealed in the verses being considered. This is a matter of wisdom.
When Moses was with the Lord on the mountain, God showed him the design of the tabernacle and all the furniture and utensils. Moses learned the dimensions of the ark, the showbread table, the incense altar, and the bronze altar. He also learned what materials were to be used in making these things. But suppose Moses had said to certain ones of the children of Israel, “Here is a description of the design, dimensions, and material of the tabernacle and its furniture. Please go and make the tabernacle and all the furniture.” No one could carry out this work without knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
As we have already pointed out, knowledge and understanding are not adequate. We also need wisdom. Suppose an instructor in a history class asks the students to write how they would handle a particular matter if they were the minister of foreign affairs of a certain country. In order to answer such a question, not even understanding would be sufficient; it would be necessary to have wisdom. Perhaps through these illustrations you can get some idea of the difference between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
Understanding Being the Ability to Make Conclusions Based on Knowledge
Beginning in Exodus 25, we have a description of the tabernacle and all its furnishings and utensils. First we have a knowledge of the design, the dimensions, and the materials involved with all these matters. But if we do not have understanding, we shall not be able to put our knowledge together to make a conclusion. Understanding is the ability to make conclusions based on knowledge. But even if we have both knowledge and understanding, we still need wisdom in order to construct the tabernacle. It takes wisdom to realize what part should be made first. If those who made the tabernacle did not have wisdom, they would have wasted a great deal of time before they found the right way.
The Way of Doing Something Being Equal to the Wisdom Required for Doing It
Actually, the way of doing something is equal to the wisdom required for doing it. The Lord Jesus once said that He is the way (John 14:6), and Paul says that Christ is our wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30). By putting these verses together, we see that wisdom and the way are one. For example, there may be several ways to drive a car from one city to another. But if a driver is wise, he will have the wisdom to take the best way. Every good driver has wisdom. A foolish person may know how to drive a car, but he will not have the wisdom concerning the way he should take to get from one place to another. When he comes to a crossroad, especially a crossroad where three highways come together, he may be confused and not know which way to go. Although he has knowledge, that is not sufficient. The driver of a car needs understanding and also wisdom. This is another simple illustration pointing out the differences between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
We may use family life as a further illustration of the difference between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Taking care of children is a great burden, a serious responsibility. The parents, especially the mother, first need a knowledge of their children’s condition and situation. Then the parents need an understanding of their children’s motive, desire, disposition, character, and environment. The mother and father need to consider all the factors, including the influence of the relatives and the family background, that will affect the raising of the children. Then they need to look to the Lord and pray to Him for wisdom. They may pray, “Lord, we know the things concerning our children. Also we have some understanding of their disposition, character, and environment. Lord, give us the wisdom to know how to care for them and to raise them.” In order to raise our children properly, we need knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. The principle is the same with the building up of the church. If we would be used of the Lord to build the church, we need knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
No human writings can compare with the Bible. The Bible is a book filled with divine wisdom. According to the Bible, the most noble task is the work of building up God’s dwelling place with all the furniture portraying Christ and our Christian experience. For the carrying out of the noble work of building up the church, God’s dwelling place on earth today, we need to be filled with “the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all workmanship” (31:3). Only when we have the proper knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and craftsmanship shall we be able to carry out the noble work of building God’s dwelling place. (Life-study of Exodus, msg. 170)
THE CO-MASTER BUILDER WITH BEZALEL—OHOLIAB
Verse 6 speaks of Bezalel’s co-master builder: “And I, behold, I have given with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.” The name Oholiab means the tent or tabernacle of my father. This signifies that one’s whole person cares for God’s tabernacle. Ahisamach, the name of Oholiab’s father, means a brother of strength or support. This co-master worker was a man for the tabernacle of God with strength and support.
No Matter High or Low, All Being Included in the Work of Building
However, this co-master builder was of the tribe of Dan, the tribe of the lowest estate. The first master builder, Bezalel, was of the tribe of Judah. Judah is a kingly tribe, the tribe of the Lord Jesus. But the second master builder, Oholiab, came from the lowest tribe, the tribe of Dan. This indicates that the building work must include those of both the high estate and the low estate. No matter whether you are high or low, as long as you are one of God’s children, you must be included in the work of building.
We see the same principle in the building of the temple under Solomon (2 Chron. 2:11-14). The master builder was King Solomon, who was of the tribe of Judah. But the co-master builder was once again of the tribe of Dan. But his estate was even lower than that of Oholiab, for he was the son of a Danite woman and of a Tyrian father. How wonderful the Bible is! With the building of both the tabernacle and the temple the master builder was of the tribe of Judah, a kingly tribe, and the co-master builder was of the tribe of Dan, a lowly tribe. There is nothing coincidental here. This arrangement is according to God’s sovereignty.
Beautiful and Pleasant Coordination
Exodus 35:34 indicates that Oholiab’s main task was to teach. No doubt, Oholiab was wise. However, he must have received most of his knowledge, understanding, and wisdom from Bezalel. Receiving all this from the master builder, he then went out to teach others. Here we see a beautiful and pleasant coordination.
The Main Task Being to Teach
Exodus 35:34 says that both Bezalel and Oholiab did the work of teaching. But I believe that most of the teaching was done by Oholiab. This indicates that in the building up of the church there is the need of adequate teaching. We need some to be today’s Oholiab to teach the saints concerning God’s building according to the knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and skill received from the master builder.
Being Filled with Wisdom of Heart to Do Every Work
Exodus 35:35 says of Bezalel and Oholiab that they were filled with wisdom of heart to do every work of the engraver or craftsman, the skilled workman, and the embroiderer in blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen. What is the difference between an engraver or craftsman and a workman? I believe that an engraver or craftsman has a special gift, whereas a workman does ordinary work with skill. The embroiderers, who may have been female workers, worked in blue, signifying heavenliness; in purple, signifying the kingship or royalty of Christ; in scarlet, signifying Christ’s redemption; and in fine linen, signifying Christ’s humanity.
Exodus 35:35 also speaks of the weaver, the doers of every work, and those who plan designs. By all this we can see that the building up of God’s dwelling place is a fine, detailed work. The fact that many of the words used to describe the workers are similar in meaning indicates that the work of building up the church is fine, delicate, and detailed. (Life-study of Exodus, msg. 171)
THE MEANING OF COORDINATION
What is coordination? It means that your portion is here, my portion is here, and his portion is also here; everyone’s portion is here. Yet all are in coordination. However, this is not what we see in some places. What the condition of some seems to say is that unless a certain one puts out all his portions, he will not put out anything. It is either everything or nothing. To them, it is either one person’s portion or another person’s portion. If it is not your portion, then it is my portion. Either I do it all, or I do not do anything at all. This is absolutely not coordination. The real coordination means that your portion is here, my portion is here, and everyone else’s portion is here.
In some local churches I have indeed seen this kind of coordination where everyone is included. When an action is taken, everyone’s portion goes into it. No one would say that if he does it, he does it all, and if he does not do it, he will not have anything to do with it. Rather, everyone speaks, and every brother’s portion is put into it. I may not be the one who is speaking today, but when one brother speaks, in his speaking there is my opinion and my feeling. Although I do not make the arrangements and I am not responsible for a certain district or a certain hall, yet within that overseeing there is my portion, because in some areas there is my view, my suggestions, and my fellowship. It does not mean that since a hall is not under my care, I will therefore not touch it at all. We cannot say that such and such a responsibility rests on one elder and that such and such a hall rests on another elder. We have to see that the responsibility of the whole church rests on the shoulders of all the elders. Here is the need for fellowship and coordination.
THE NEED OF COORDINATION
When the elders in the church see the need to be capable in everything, immediately they will realize the need of coordination. It is impossible for you alone to meet the many needs in the church. Perhaps you are skillful in planning, yet you may not be able to carry out your plans practically. Perhaps you are good in working, but you are very weak in planning. You may be especially good in shepherding, but you may be very weak in handling business affairs. You may be very good in handling business affairs, but you may come short in the supply of life. Hence, you can see that no elder can meet all the needs. To meet all the needs, the elders must be coordinated.
In order to be capable in everything, there is the need for coordination. In order to have the manifold gifts, there is also the need for coordination. Many times I am distressed about the elders in certain localities, because among them you do not see any coordination. Three or five of them may be meeting, discussing, and planning there, yet among them there is no coordination.
Without fellowship and coordination, no one elder should speak and act independently, for to do so would annul the fact that the elders are plural in number. The elders are not one but many. Whenever the elders move and speak, they do so with one another. It is not just a matter of representing one another but a matter of being with one another. Every report is something that represents the whole eldership, because it is something that the whole eldership has fellowshipped about and is doing in coordination. For this reason the elders must be in coordination.
THE WAY OF COORDINATION
Learning to Accept Authority
Under normal circumstances, when eight or ten elders come together, they should not adopt a congressional system and should not look for a democratic solution. Rather, they should open to one another and fellowship in the Holy Spirit. Every elder should learn to fear the Lord and to live before the Lord. They should learn to present all their feelings concerning a certain matter. Those elders who are the authority should also learn to fear the Lord, to be without preconceptions, prejudice, or bias, and to listen to this fellowship and to touch the brothers’ feelings. After they have sensed the intention of the Holy Spirit, those who are the authority can make the decision and can announce that the matter should be taken care of in a certain way. If they do this, the result will not be democracy or autocracy but will be something that issues from the Holy Spirit.
Suppose here is a matter to be handled. At the beginning he would allow the brothers to speak about their feelings. One brother may feel one thing, and another brother may feel another thing. Every brother would speak out what he feels. If I am the one who should act as the head, I should fear God. I should not have any preconception, prejudice, or bias but should simply touch everyone’s feeling. In the end, when I am clear within and am peaceful, I will say, “Brothers, if that is the case, let us make such and such a decision.” Every time we discuss any matter, we should learn not to have any arguments or to ignore any inward feelings. If any of the brothers feel that there is something wrong with the decision, he can still speak out his feeling. The leading one should still listen to this feeling in a serious way and should still consider it. This is the way for the elders to coordinate in the church. Among the elders there is no democracy or autocracy; everyone submits to the authority of the Holy Spirit. No one is too aggressive or at all passive. Instead, everyone places himself fully among the elders. Everyone knows in what order he is placed, and everyone accepts the authority without insisting on anything or resisting any responsibility. This is the way to coordinate together.
Learning to Be Open
All those who do not open themselves to the brothers are keeping themselves whole. As such, it is impossible for them to coordinate. Many problems result from a lack of openness, the most serious of which is misunderstanding. If you never open up yourself or share your feeling with others, but you hold on to what you consider as right, misunderstanding and misinterpretation will very easily result. This misunderstanding is the enemy’s most serious weapon to destroy coordination. I know of some places where elders cannot be coordinated together simply because of misunderstanding. Wherever misunderstanding occurs and exists, coordination is finished. Everyone may still be able to come together for talks and discussions, but it will be of no avail, because the germ of misunderstanding has killed the life of coordination.
Openness can solve many problems. Sometimes there are problems among the brothers. Do not avoid the problems; rather, face them head on. Suppose you avoid the problem, and I avoid the problem; the more we avoid it, the more closed we will become, and the more closed we become, the more misunderstanding there will be. This is only the problem on the negative side. On the positive side, a person who is not open cannot supply others with grace and life and cannot receive others’ supply. This is because there is no flow between you and others; what is in you cannot flow out, and what is in others cannot flow into you. Hence, in order to coordinate together, everyone must be open. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 2, “The Elders’ Management of the Church,” msg. 8)
Learning to Listen to Others
Listening to Others Being the Requirement for Service
In the meeting hall in Chefoo there is a fixed place for everything, including rags, toilet paper, pencils, and nails. Nothing is randomly placed. There is a person responsible for every matter and every article. After a person finishes using any article, there are definite rules as to where the article should go. Sometimes we change the arrangements in order to train the brothers and sisters to listen to others. Today many people have never learned to listen to others. If we want to serve together, we have to fulfill this requirement in service. Once we are loose, we become “Sunday Christians”. To serve the Lord is different from doing any other work. If we want to be proper brothers and sisters, we have to declare that we are people who listen. We cannot work according to our own ways. Our own ways must be dropped. They must be dropped absolutely. When a decision has been made by the elders concerning ushering, none of the brothers should act according to his own wish. A brother cannot come for a week and not come for another week.
Listening to Others Being Listening to the Lord
The church is not a place for a dictatorship. Here we all need to learn to others. The Lord is the Word. Hence, when we listen to others’ words, we are actually listening to the Lord. This is the reason that we have to learn to listen to others’ words. There should be some persons responsible for every item of service in the church. There are responsible ones related to the cleaning service, ushering service, and visitation service. There should be someone responsible for every item of service. This will make things easy to handle, and those who practice submission will experience the joy and presence of the Lord.
In the church in Chefoo the floors are cleaned by the brothers and sisters. While the brothers and sisters are cleaning, they pray that those who put their feet on the floor would be saved. Those who clean the chairs also pray that those who sit on those chairs would be saved. AII the brothers and sisters have a heart for the church, and everything is done for the Lord. Every item of service in the church is carried out through love for the Lord. Once a man passed by the meeting hall on a bicycle. When he saw the posted time for the meeting, he stopped, prayed, and then left. Later, when we asked people to sign up to be baptized, he came and asked to be baptized. He testified that he came to believe because he noticed how responsible the brothers and sisters were toward the church and how they did everything for the Lord. He was touched by this and consequently asked to be baptized.
There was another sister whose husband had an unbelieving friend. The friend had a dream in which he saw this sister in the meeting telling him that if he wanted to go to heaven, he should follow her, and that if he would not follow, he would go to hell. He also saw that this sister’s husband was not in hell. After his dream the church had a gospel meeting, and the husband invited his friend to come to the meeting. When the friend stepped into the meeting hall, he saw the same things that were in his dream. As a result, he came to believe in the Lord. On the one hand, the elders have to put matters before the Lord and consider the way to make the decisions. On the other hand, they have to learn to stir up the brothers and sisters to participate in the service. (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 2, “Speakings Given During the Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry,” msg. 35)
Learning to Ask Everything
In the church a person has to learn to ask everything. Once there is the asking, the services will be produced. If a brother mops the floor in the church for two years and is still the same, he should not come any longer. He has to mop the floor to the extent that he becomes a different person. In the church the main emphasis is not to get the work done, but to learn to be the proper person through doing the work. Every time we engage in any work, we have to learn coordination, and we have to ask the church about everything. We should not propose anything; rather, we should learn to submit. Those who have the ministry are responsible for speaking up, and others are responsible for putting aside their own ideas. Everyone has to learn to submit under the Head.
If the church does not learn this lesson, it will become the same as the denominations and other social groups. Everything in the church is under God’s authority. Not only should the responsible ones learn to give orders, but the brothers and sisters also should learn to follow orders. The responsible ones have to learn to speak, and they also have to learn not to speak. Whether they speak or do not speak, they have to live under the authority of the Head. Living the church life demands our very life. The first thing we have to do is not to think, but to submit. The saints should present all the problems to the elders, and the elders should present the problems before God. In this way the saints can come to God through the elders, and God’s authority can be realized among the saints. (CWWN, vol. 57, “The Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry,” msg. 11)
Discussion:
1. How to fellowship with the responsible brothers about the project that you are responsible for?
2. How can you fully understand the project that you are responsible for?
3. How to determine the coordinating persons and how to fellowship with them?
