Living in the Fellowship of the Body
IV. The examples of the fellowship with the saints：
A. Fellowship with God
1. Strengthening vertical fellowship brings in deeper horizontal fellowship
a. Example:
The propagation in a certain country of Southeast Asia, co-workers had problems in their coordination. One of them was intensely offended.
b. Practical Points：
(1) To exercise to unit with the crucified Christ.
(2) To realize that all circumstances is measured by God.
(3) We should have vertical fellowship with the Lord and horizontal fellowship with one another at the same time. On one hand, our horizontal fellowship with the saints brings us into vertical fellowship with the Lord; on the other hand, our vertical fellowship with the Lord brings us into horizontal fellowship with the saints.
B. Fellowship with the local elders and responsible brothers:
1. Taking care of the feeling of every member of the Body
a. Example:
There were two pairs of full-time couple to propagate in Africa and coordinate with three local responsible ones in locality. In order to practice the God-ordained way in locality, they planned to fellowship with them. One of three responsible ones did not participate in the fellowship on account of going abroad. The full-timers did not fellowship with him, then they were ready to practice. The responsible one thought that they didn’t pass through the fellowship. Eventually, all of them were repatriated.
b. Practical Points：
(1) We must realize the “Game Rules” in the fellowship in locality, such as the order, realm and method of fellowship, in order to respect the leading brother. Even if the responsible ones say “No”, we need to quit.
(2) Every burdens and practices must first fellowship thoroughly with “every” local elders and the responsible ones.
(3) To see authority and obey absolutely is the secret of being blessed in coordination.
2. Paying attention to the level and the targets related to the fellowship
a. Example:
The certain church in Southeast Asia was about almost thirty saints. The fellowship concerning service with responsible ones were practiced twice a week. One of them was the fellowship with the churches in Bangkok and in its neighborhoods, and another one was the fellowship concerning service in the local church. In order to take care of parts of foreign saints, the full-timer hoped that the English district in the Lord’s table was established. Because the practice of district was related to the coordination of two churches in their neighborhoods, they wrote a plan from their thinking. Then, they fellowshipped with churches in Bangkok and in its neighborhoods. Moreover, they wanted to divide the small group into three small groups of Chinese, English and Thai. They also brought their plan into the fellowship concerning service in local church once a week.
b. Practical Points：
(1) If we give a suggest in the fellowship concerning church service, we shall consider the sphere related to the suggest. Then, we fellowship in a superior way with the related responsible ones. Therefore, we should realize any kinds of the local serving ones, just as the elders and the responsible ones
(2) To know by the responsible ones is profitable with no harm. It is a protection. (Br.Wu)
3. Be initiative to express the desire to participate in local service fellowship:
a. Example:
A full-timer learned to ask local responsible ones on his own initiative whether he may participate once a week in the fellowship concerning brother’s service together or not as he propagated in region of Southeast Asia.
b. Practical Points：
(1) There is need of participating in the fellowship concerning local brother’s service. If Brothers feel that you have no need to join, and the suggestion burdening you, you can query them positively whether or not he holds up few minutes in order to give a suggestion in the fellowship.
(2) Seeking to establish the form and the model of the new way; we may begin practicing with a very small scale. For instance, opening our homes to practice the small group, we are able to attempt to do for a period of time, and then to reply brothers to know the effect of this practice so that they will have further fellowship concerning whether the small group meetings carry out or not.
4. Not only do we take the lead to do things, but even more we learn to perfect others:
a. Example:
There is a developing church in region of Southeast Asia. In locality, owing to having no the approved enrollment getting from government, any aspects of practice of the local leading brothers are conservative, and they easy to rely on the leading from foreign co-workers in order to be lack of breakthrough and are unable to go on.
b. Practical Points:
(1) Encourage the saints and to do with the Saints.
(2) Perfecting peoples that have the propagation spirit.
(3) Although some of the work cannot be carried out on the table, but we also need to move forward wisely in secret.
5. The management and use of finance:
a. Example:
The arrangement of propagation and any aspects affairs in a certain country of Southeast Asia is chiefly responsible by full-timers and local responsible ones. Because of the shortage of finance there, there is a need of properly managing and distributing the working fund for propagation and the financial devotion of every church in case of being hooked by the enemy’s tempting.
b. Practical Points:
(1) To have regular fellowship with local responsible ones and with the church supplying the working fund, and especially to maintain financial application clear.
(2) To help people to convey the dependence on money to the trust in God and the experience of Him.
6. Exercising to speak accurately in fellowship
a. Example:
In Southeast Asia, a full-timer coordinated in a campus in locality. Because he observed some conditions of which these students intended to use cellular phone, he formed a plan to limit students to take hymn and the Bible in writing, rather than cellular phone. As a result, the responsible one were demanded to report the plan to all the saints in the Lord’s table with no exceptional explanation which the plan was directed mainly against students living in the student center. Afterward, the report announced by the responsible one in the Lord’s table gave all the saints the sense of confusion.
b. Practical Points:
(1) we must learn to fellowship appropriately with the related responsible ones first before reporting a matter or leading.
(2) When we have fellowship with saints, we exercise speaking accurately, completely, so that we can make different meanings in our speaking.
C. Fellowship with the deacons:
1. The way of service must be suited to local circumstances and be adjusted flexibly:
a. Example:
A full-timer served a campus in Southeast Asia, and he observed that local resources were not as well as original church where he served in the past. Hence, it needed to modulate in freely and become flexible. For instance, one time they held a college special meeting about one-hundred members. Most of the local teenagers ridded motorcycles rather than took sightseeing busses. Therefore, they should out of serving traditions, and allow these teenagers to ride to join the special meeting.
b. Practical Points:
(1) We need to consider the operating model and life style in order to regulate the concept and methods of raw service.
D. Fellowship with the saints
1. There should not be debtor creditor relationship among saints:
a. Example:
The certain church in Southeast Asia, some of the local saints ever asked a full-timer for a loan.
b. Practical Points:
(1) Do not borrow money to saints from us.
(2) Serving ones should fellowship and consider whether they consecrate in the name of the church or not.
(3) To give Christ to them so that they experience Christ as their real satisfaction.
2. Learning to bear one another in love:
a. Example:
One full-time worker served in Southeast Asia. At first, they were full of zeal and love to contact with the local saints. Later, they had difficulty in adapting to their concepts in order to have opinions of them, and have no real concerns on them. For example, the local saints always thought that foreigners were wealthy, and they also expected to get helps from foreigners.
b. Practical Points:
(1) Learning to be the one “with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing one another in love.” among the saints.
(2) In order to keep the oneness of the body, do not exalt yourself and not set the standard for others.
3. Learning to blend into local life and habits
a. Example:
In India, saints usually had a habit of eating with hands, and their marching orders were unhurried. The co-workers propagating there needed to set the original cultures aside and to integrate into local life.
b. Practical Points:
(1) We must know the local nationality: If local saint’s marching orders are much unhurried, we need to learn to slow down our marching orders.
(2) In order to integrate into the local church life, we need to set the concept of being proud of own country aside, and to learn to blend, build with others. For instance, to be the one eating with hands like Indians.
E. Fellowship with the co-workers
1. Strengthening the building between the coordinating companions:
a. Example:
Two full-time couples coordinated together in certain country of Asia. They used some time to pursue the ministry messages, share their situation and intercede for each other on Monday weekly; also, they have a dining blending and meals coordination. The way of preparation for breakfast is prepared by home in turn, and the preparation way for lunch and dinner is prepared by two sisters who coordinate together.
b. Practical Points:
(1) Pursuit of the ministry messages, supply the life for each other.
(2) Practice blending: shepherd and spare each other in Christ’s humanity and divinity, and build up the life of vital groups.
2. Exercising to open our problems to the coordinating ones:
a. Example:
At the first year, someone who propagation in a new city, often do not know how to breakthrough, and often “to report only the good news, not the bad news”. Thus, the “antagonistic” situation was happened regularly in fellowship. Sometimes, also have the strife situation between each other, for example: which term you are?
b. Practical Points:
(1) Encounter with problem, we need to open widely fellowship, seek help from the body actively.
(2) Learning to understand other’s mind in the fellowship concerning service.
(3) More Prayer: the Lord will speaking in prayer, blending into oneness in the spirit.
(4) If we can’t fellowship smoothly at the moment, then stop fellowship and put it in our prayer, fellowship once again over a period of time.
(5) Do not refuse to budge between each other. If the situation has no improved, then one of them must leave, or both of them must leave from the propagation area.
3. Through the fellowship in the Body, we may live:
a. Example:
A leading co-worker before he prepared to release messages in a training, he got the terrible news that his mother passed away, and when the prayer before the meeting, the opposition attack him, this made the co-workers feeling pain. Later in the meeting, he fellowship his situation immediately to the other brother who next him, then he got some helped and supplied from this brother, so that he not only be saved, but also can release the messages unlimitedly on the podium.
b. Practical Points:
(1) Someone who encountered difficulties, need to learn seeking the fellowship in the body. It will be our timely help through the body’s supplies.
4. Exercising to base our service upon the ministry messages in the coordination and leading:
a. Example:
One co-worker who coordinated in the church which carry out the God-ordain Way completely. When he went to a church for propagation in Asia, the local elders and co-works who coordinate with him were younger relatively, so he can’t fellowship the experience which he served the church before when he lead. Just according to the lead and speak of “the ministry”
b. Practical Points:
(1) Learning to forget the concepts and experiences which we served before.
(2) Must according to the lead and speak of “the ministry” when we fellowship the propagation methods and actions.
V. Examples of the fellowship with those who are not saints:
A. The government agencies:
1. We need to be wise in the contact with the government officials in the restricted countries:
a. Example:
Somewhere the country in Asia, the church can’t proceed the religious activities in the beginning. Then they registered at another lawful church, not only can proceed the religious activities openly, but also their actions are not subject to the lawful church.
b. Practical Points:
(1) Pay attention to the local regulations, apply for registration if you need.
(2) Apply for the appropriate licenses.
(3) The overseas co-workers do not contact with the government agencies directly, but contact them through the local saints, that can protect yourself and do not expose our identity and religious activities.
(4) To avoid interviewed with the media.
(5) To avoid any conflict with others.
(6) To devise the methods to open the door of the gospel.
2. When we contact the police officers, we can response with the excuse of sigtseeing:
a. Example:
Before, the full-time trainees propagated in Southeast Asian, they contact with the government officials who believe in Hinduism. Not only his response was refutation, but the policeman went to meeting hall and took the trainees to the police station in the evening. Then, the policeman asking them to leave from India in three days, even published a newspaper. Although the saints who services in government agencies help them to mediate, but also without avail and be repatriated.
b. Practical Points:
(1) Must understand the characteristics of the local government agencies and police units, that can avoid to contact with the policeman.
(2) If someone encounter a policeman, just demonstrate your identity is sightseer, and explain the reasons for sightseeing, such as attend the Christmas activities.
B. Schools:
1. Having the legal meetings and propagation through the legal identity:
a. Example:
The church somewhere in Southeast Asia, the full-time workers propagated in a Catholic campus which express that can’t distribute the gospel leaflets and preach religion. Unless apply for the appropriate licenses, otherwise they will be expelled.
b. Practical Points:
(1) Must understanding the local religious laws. If necessary, to apply for the appropriate licenses for religious activities and do not conflict with local law.
(2) You can use the clubs or groups of students to carry out the campus work.
