LESSONS ON THE GOD-ORDAINED WAY
Lesson Sixteen
The Vital Groups (2)—The Nature and the Basic Factors
Scripture Reading:
Acts 2:46-47 And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart, Praising God and having grace with all the people. And the Lord added together day by day those who were being saved.
Rom. 12:5 So we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Gal. 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.
1 Thes. 5:16-18 Always rejoice, unceasingly pray, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Eph. 5:18-19 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissoluteness, but be filled in spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and psalming with your heart to the Lord.
I. The vital groups should be up to the Bible’s standard in its purpose, nature, and condition—John 15: 17, note 1:
A. The purpose of the vital groups is the increase, perfecting, and building up of the Body of Christ—Acts 2:46-47; Eph. 4:12.
1. The six things mentioned in Acts 2:46-47 are the conditions for the increase in the church:
a. Day by day.
b. Continuing steadfastly with one accord.
c. Breaking bread from house to house.
d. They partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart.
e. They praised God and had favor with all the people.
f. The Lord added together those who were being saved.
2. In such a condition in Acts 2:46-47, the perfecting of the saints is realized (Eph. 4:12) so that each one may do the work of ministry for the building up of the Body of Christ.
B. The nature of the vital groups should be spiritual; to be spiritual means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, within and without (Acts 5:42; 4:31):
1. We should pray to be filled every day, every morning, and every evening with the all-inclusive Spirit.
2. This will cause us to be active, fresh, and new.
C. The condition of the vital groups should be that of loving one another in oneness and in one accord (John 13:34-35; 17: 21, 23):
1. Forsaking all self-preferences, following the Spirit’s direction and respecting your fellow members’ feeling.
2. Loving all the members of your group with an equal love in the love of God. D. These items above from Acts 2:46-47 are the terms and conditions for us to gain the proper increase, so that the Lord can add to the church day by day.
II. The characteristics of the group meeting—Rom. 12:5; Matt. 18:20:
A. The way being in mutuality—Matt. 18:20; Rom. 12:5.
B. The content being flexible and adapting according to the need.
C. The time and the attending ones can be freely decided.
III. The four basic factors of the group meeting—the Spirit, the word, praying, and singing—Gal. 5:25; Col. 3:16; 1 Thes. 5:17; Eph. 5:19:
A. The mingled spirit—Gal. 5:25.
B. The rhema word—Col. 3:16.
C. Praying—1 Thes. 5:17; Eph. 6:18.
D. Singing—Eph. 5:19; Heb. 2:12.
IV. The practice of the group meeting—Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Phil. 2:1:
A. Speaking and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs—Eph. 5:19.
B. Fellowship, interceding, mutual care, and shepherding—Col. 3:16; Phil. 2:1.
C. Teaching in mutuality—Col. 3:16.
D. Carrying out the church service.
Excerpts from the ministry:
THE VITAL GROUPS SHOULD BE UP TO THE BIBLE’S STANDARD IN ITS
PURPOSE, NATURE, AND CONDITION
The Purpose—for the Increase, the Perfecting, and the Building Up of the Church
The groups that are up to the standard should be up to the normal level revealed in the Bible.
The purpose of the vital groups is the increase, perfecting, and building up of the Body of Christ (Acts 2:46-47; Eph. 4:12). The vital groups are to gain the increase, finish the perfecting, and complete the building.
First, we need the increase not only of Caucasians but of all peoples. Acts 2:46-47 says, “And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added together day by day those who were being saved.” This is the normal standard of the Christian life. In these verses there are a number of important points. The first point is “day by day,” the second is “continuing steadfastly with one accord,” the third is “break¬ing bread from house to house,” and the fourth is “they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart.” The believers in this verse not only enjoyed their food, but they partook of it with exultation. To exult means to praise by giving a ringing shout. The fifth point is that they praised God and had favor with all the people, and the last point is that the Lord added together those who were being saved. The increase comes from this. If we want the increase, we need to have the few things mentioned in these two verses.
The proper way to be a Christian is not to have opinions and divisions but to continue steadfastly with one accord in meeting in the homes, having the Lord’s table, and eating with exultation, with rejoicing and shouting. We all need to be beside ourselves. Brother Nee once said that if a Christian has never been beside himself, he is not qualified to be a Christian. As Christians we must be outside of ourselves, praising God and having favor with all the people. These are the conditions for the proper increase. In such a condition the Lord can add to the church day by day.
Ephesians 4:12 speaks of the perfecting of the saints that each one may do the unique work of the ministry, that is, to build up the Body of Christ. This is the purpose of the vital move to have the groups.
The Nature—Spiritual
The nature of the vital groups is spiritual (Acts 13:52; 4:31b). To be spiritual means to be filled with the Holy Spirit, within and without. We need to practice to be filled every day, every morning, and even every evening. We need to pray, “Lord, fill me with Yourself.” Every morning my regular prayer is: “Lord, thank You for a good night’s rest with good sleep. Thank You for my safety, and thank You for peace. Thank You for Your forgiveness through Your grace and Your cleansing with Your precious blood. Thank You, Lord, that this cleansing brings me into Your presence, and that You are now anointing me with Yourself as the all-inclusive Spirit, who is the compound ointment. Lord, fill me now.” Such a regular prayer is not vain repetition. I eat three meals every day, and every meal is a regular meal. In the same way, I pray every day that the Lord will fill and saturate me thoroughly. We all, young and old, need to pray in such a way. This will cause us to be active, fresh, and new.
I cannot rest without seeing the saints stirred up by the Spirit and having their spirits fanned into flame. We should all be stirred up by the Lord, and we also need to fan our spirits into flame (2 Tim. 1:6). A proper Christian is one who is filled with the Spirit. We should not be “flat tires.” We should be those who are filled with the Spirit, within and without, essentially and economically. The Bible tells us that whenever the people of God come together, they should make not merely a joyful voice, but a joyful noise (Psa. 100:1). Whenever they speak, certain saints speak very solemnly. However if they would speak exultantly, they would be normal. For this we need to be filled inwardly with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 13:52 says that the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. They were filled with the Spirit within. Then, Acts 4:31b indicates that they were also filled with the Spirit without. At that time a number of them prayed together in one accord. Eventually, they were all filled out¬wardly. They experienced the outpoured Spirit again. In Acts the disciples experienced the outpoured Spirit again and again (2:1-4; 4:31; 9:17; 10:44; 13:9; 19:6).
The Condition — Loving One Another in Oneness and with One Accord
The condition of the vital groups is that of loving one another in oneness and with one accord (John 13:34-35). To love one another may seem very common. However, we must admit that although we do love one another, we may not love one another very much. Because we meet together day after day and year after year, we surely have human affection for one another; but the condition of loving one another in the vital groups should be more than this. We need to love one another, meeting together in a mutual love.
We not only love one another, but we love one another in oneness and with one accord. In John 17 the Lord Jesus said that when His disciples are one in the Triune God, the whole world will believe that He was sent by the Father (vv.21, 23). This is the way to gain people. Often when we go out to visit people by twos and threes, the people whom we visit may realize that there is no oneness among us. The result is a lack of impact. But if two or three of us go out as one man, the people whom we visit will realize that there is a dynamic power among us. There will be the impact, and they will be convinced.
In John 13:34-35 the Lord Jesus said, “A new command-ment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” By our loving one another the whole world will know that we are the Lord’s disciples. This is the real impact. Without our speaking anything, people will be convinced because they see us loving one another in oneness and with one accord. On the whole earth, in every society everyone knows that whenever people group together, there is strug¬gling and fighting. Wherever there are groups of people, there will be debates, arguments, and strife. But when people are among us and we are really one, they will wonder what has made us one. The Lord Jesus is the living person who has made us one. Our being one is the strongest testimony that we are the people of Jesus. We are disciples of the One who has made us one.
These are the terms and conditions for us to gain people. Regardless of how much others oppose us, if we are such people, nothing can prevent us from gaining the proper increase. (Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, pp. 50-53)
Forsaking All Self-preferences, Following the Spirit’s Direction
and Respecting Your Fellow Members’ Feeling
To keep the oneness of the Body in the one accord, we need to forsake all self-preferences and disregard all personal tastes. The sisters are often stronger in the matter of personal tastes than the brothers. Our self-preferences and personal tastes are a great hindrance to the keeping of the oneness of the Body.
Finally, to keep the oneness of the Spirit, we need to follow the Spirit’s direction and respect our fellow members’ feeling. Regardless of our view or opinion, we should always follow the Spirit. We must turn to the spirit to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit within us, and we must respect and take care of others’ feeling. (Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, p. 85)
Loving All the Members of Your Group
with an Equal Love in the Love of God
Furthermore, we need to love all the members of our group with an equal love. It is common for us to prefer certain saints over others. This shows that we do not love all the saints with an equal love. Philippians 2:2 says that we should have the same love for all the saints. (Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, p. 84)
We need to build up an intimacy with all the members of our group. To do this, one sister may call another during the day for a few minutes of contact and fellowship. If we love one another, we will always feel that we miss one another. If we would contact one another in this way, we will see the differ¬ence. We will be enlivened and stirred up to love the Lord. Our hearts will also be softened toward one another, and we will be able to receive something from one another. (Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, p. 79)
John 15:171: This is to love one another in the Lord’s life, the divine life, in the Lord’s love, and in His commission of fruit-bearing. Life is the source, love is the condition, and fruit-bearing is the goal. If we all live by the Lord’s life as the source, in the Lord’s love as the condition, and for fruit-bearing as the goal, we surely will love one another. Having different sources of life, different conditions, or different goals will separate us and prevent us from loving one another.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GROUP MEETING
The Way Being in Mutuality
The Gospels and Acts speak of different kinds of meetings. Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.” According to verse 19, this is not a meeting in mutuality but a meeting for prayer with a particular burden. In Acts 12 there was such a meeting in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark (v. 12). A number were assembled together to pray for Peter’s release from prison. This was not a group meeting in mutuality for inciting and exhorting.
Before the day of Pentecost, there were only one hundred twenty Christians meeting together. They had been with the Lord for as long as three and a half years. Probably most of them had followed Jesus from Galilee. They had traveled with the Lord and seen His human living. Some of them had seen how He was arrested and judged, and a number of them had seen how He was nailed on the cross and how He hung there for six hours. They saw how the Lord was buried, and eventually they also saw how He was resurrected. They were with the Lord for forty days, from the day of the Lord’s resurrection to the day of His ascension, enjoying His appearing and His hidden presence. Finally, they saw the Lord Jesus ascend to the third heavens. The one hundred twenty had received an excellent view of the Lord. This made them bold and even beside themselves. After the Lord’s ascension, they returned to Jerusalem and prayed in one accord for ten days to be clothed with power from on high. On the day of Pentecost they received the outpouring of the Spirit, and they began to preach and to propagate Christ.
Group meetings in which the saints “bubble” are the proper church meetings and the proper church life. A group meeting is a meeting full of mutuality. In such a meeting everyone speaks and everyone “bubbles.” Such meetings are full of activity. It is doubtful that the meetings of the thousands of new believers on the day of Pentecost kept a certain sequence, with a particular brother praying, another brother calling a hymn, and a designated brother reading the Scriptures. They simply “bubbled,” sang, and testified in their group meeting. (The Practice of the Group Meetings, pp. 18-20)
The Content Being Flexible and Adapting According to the Need
Concerning the content of group meetings, I would say that in principle we should have freedom for development. When you take care of a group meeting, you need to consider the practical environment and the need. The purpose of our training is to train you to be quick in response and to supply people according to their need. (Words of Training for the New Way, Vol.2, p. 92)
The Time and the Attending Ones Can Be Freely Decided
During the week we can have group meetings at various times. If you have the burden, you can attend two or more group meetings. Not only are we flexible about the day, we should be flexible about the time as well, not all meeting at 7:30. Some groups can meet at 6:30 in the evening. Some can meet at 7:30. Some have to meet at 8:30. Due to late working hours, some can even meet at 10:30. The time and the date can be arranged individually. Therefore, you can come to my group and I can attend your group. In this way, there can be flexibility in the use of personnel. Hence, this time I do not agree with any legal arrangement concerning the date, the time, and the persons for the group meetings. Rather, those taking care of the small groups should be free to make their own decisions. (Words of Training for the New Way, ch. 21, p. 93)
THE FOUR BASIC FACTORS OF THE GROUP MEETING—
THE SPIRIT, THE WORD, PRAYING, AND SINGING
The Mingled Spirit
Galatians 5:25 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit,” and 5:16 says, “Walk by the Spirit.” To walk by the Spirit in verse 16 differs from to walk by the Spirit in verse 25b. In verse 16 to walk is to walk in a general way, and in verse 25b to walk is to walk orderly, to walk along a line or by a rule to fulfill a purpose. This indicates that our Christian walk must be a walk generally by the Spirit, and this walk must be also according to the particular rule, that is, to live Christ for the purpose of building up His Body. Galatians 5:16 and 25 show us that the Christian walk must altogether be in this mingling, saturating Spirit, who is one spirit with us. We do not need any outward regulations. When we come to the meeting, we should not care for regulations. We should come in with Him and as Him. When we come, He comes. When we are here, He is here. When we are speaking, He is speaking. To live by the Spirit, walk by the Spirit, pray with the spirit (1 Cor. 14:15a; Eph. 6:18), sing with the spirit (1 Cor. 14:15b), and be strong in the spirit (2 Tim. 1:7) is to exercise the spirit. When we exercise the spirit, the mingled spirit becomes the very factor of the Christian meeting. (The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, pp. 72-73)
The Rhema Word
We saw that the first basic factor for the Christian meetings is the mingled spirit. In this chapter we want to fellowship concerning the word as the second basic factor. The word for the Christian meetings is not our word, but the holy word, God’s word, the divine word. The two classifications of the word in the New Testament are logos and rhema. The Greek word logos refers to the constant word (Col. 3:16). What is revealed and written in the holy Scriptures is the constant word, the written word, the remaining word, the word that stands for eternity. The Greek word rhema refers to the instant word (Eph. 6:17). Anyone who is literate can read the Bible according to its written letter. By reading the Bible, we can receive the constant word of God. The constant word, however, is not so powerful, living, working, energizing, or operating within us until it becomes the instant word. When the constant word becomes the instant word, it becomes living, and it works or operates to accomplish God’s purpose in us and with us. Therefore, we must first learn to acquire the constant word and look to the Lord for Him to change His constant word into the instant word. In other words, we should pray when we come to the Bible that God would change His logos into rhema.
As believers, we need to be filled with and soaked in the word. Colossians 3:16a says that we need to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. We need to receive the word of God into us as drinking water to be filled with the word, and we need to dive into the word as bathing water to be soaked in the word. When we are filled with and soaked in the word, we are completely one with the word. Within and without we have the word. We need to be fully wrapped up with the word, soaked with the word outwardly and saturated with the word inwardly. This soaking and filling will make us one with the word to be a man of God’s word. (The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, pp. 75, 78-79)
Praying
We must learn to pray all the time. We need to call on the name of the Lord throughout the day and talk to the Lord. We can talk to the Lord by using short sentences as part of our unceasing prayer. We can pray, “O Lord Jesus, be with me,” or “O Lord Jesus, help me.” At least we need to keep a praying spirit all the time. During every occupation we can pray, and we have to pray. This prayer will make us men of God. Prayer is the very means through which we contact God.
We need to be those who pray before the meeting. To pray before the meeting we must be a praying person who prays unceasingly (1 Thes. 5:17). We need to pray unceasingly by calling on the name of the Lord. According to Acts 4:31, we also need to pray in the meeting: “And as they were beseeching, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness.” In the meetings it is good to call on the Lord’s name, pray-read the Word, and pray the verses of the hymns. But we also need longer prayers and shorter prayers in our meetings. We need all kinds of divine, living expressions. We need singing, shouting, repeating, calling, and proper long or short prayers.
To pray at the beginning and at the end of the meeting may stir up, strengthen, and enrich the meeting. The more prayer there is in the meeting, the better. We may pray at the beginning and at the end of the meeting, but we should not make this something legal or formal. During the meeting, proper prayer may also render help to the meeting. We do not pray during the meeting often, but a proper prayer during the meeting may be very helpful. (The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, pp. 85-87)
Singing
We need to know that the key to the New Testament meetings is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit today is the Triune God. He is not at all objective to us. He is not only in the heavens, nor only with us, the saved ones, He has entered into us. When speaking of this, a term is used in the New Testament that is not found in the Old Testament. This term is “to fill”. The Holy Spirit, who is God Himself, does not only enter into us. He also fills us. This is not a small matter. Which part does God fill us? Not in our brain, but in our spirit. Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be filled in spirit. According to the revelation of the entire book of Ephesians, to be filled in spirit is to be filled by the Triune God. The Triune God will fill us to such an extent that both the Father and the Son will come to make an abode with us (John 14:23). Ephesians 3:17 also says that Christ the Son is not only in our spirit, He also makes His home in our hearts. Acts 13:52 says that the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
When we put these verses together, we can see that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, the three yet one God, will make an abode with us, make His home in us, become the joy within us, and completely fill us. The result of this filling will be as what Ephesians 5:19 says, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and psalming with your heart to the Lord. “ So the result of being filled by the Holy Spirit is the gushing outflow of words of praises. (Words of Life from the 1988 Full-time Training, Vol.1 (Chinese), pp. 76-77)
The home meetings need much prayer and much singing. If we are really filled and saturated with the Spirit and the word, we will be persons praying unceasingly and singing all the time. Praying and singing come out of our being filled with the Spirit and saturated with the word. We must be men of the Spirit and of the word. Then spontaneously we will be praying and singing persons. These four factors are present in our experience to some extent, but that extent is not so high. We take care of the Spirit, but not that much. We learn the word, but not as much as we should. We may pray every day, but we do not pray unceasingly. We may sing and praise, but we do not sing and praise all the time.
Our daily living needs to be saturated with the Spirit, the word, prayer, and singing so that we can be strong, living, new, and fresh to take care of the home meetings. The home meetings always need people who are fresh, living, excited, and even exciting. We need to be an exciting factor in the meetings to make the others excited. Only the four factors of the mingled spirit, the word, praying, and singing can constitute us into such a person. We need to fan into flame the gift of God which is in us (2 Tim. 1:6). (The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, p. 85)
THE PRACTICE OF THE GROUP MEETING
Speaking and Singing Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
Now we need to consider the way to have a group meeting. Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be filled in spirit. We believers who love the Lord Jesus, who are seeking His purpose, and who are burdened for His recovery should be persons filled in our spirit all day long. We should be filled with the Triune God, who is today the all-inclusive Spirit to us. When we are filled within, surely we will utter something out from our spirit. Ephesians 5 tells us to be filled, speaking and singing. Our speaking and singing are not in common language. We may speak or sing a psalm, which is a long piece of poetry. It may be like Psalm 119, which has one hundred seventy-six verses. There are twenty-two sections with eight verses in each section. Twenty-two is the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Each section of Psalm 119 is according to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We may speak or sing a hymn, which is somewhat shorter than a psalm, or we may speak or sing a spiritual song, which is shorter still.
We need to speak and sing these psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs long before coming to the meeting. Even in our home, it is very good to be speaking and singing. The husband may say, “This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior.…” Then the wife may respond with, “All the day long” (see Hymns, #308). Or she may say, “I have passed the riven veil. Here the glories never fail.” Then the husband responds with, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! I am living in the presence of the King” (see Hymns, #551). If we are filled in spirit, we will have something to utter. The small group meeting may begin at 7:30 p.m., but if a couple begins to sing at dinnertime, around 6:00 p.m., the small group meeting will have already begun. Such a meeting can continue as they drive together to the meeting with the other saints.
If I go to the meeting place and no one else has arrived, I should not sit quietly and wait for others to arrive. I should begin to speak, pray, or sing. At least I have an angel with me, so I am not alone. The Bible says clearly that when Peter was released from prison and went to Mary’s home, some there thought it was his angel (Acts 12:15). The Lord Jesus said that even the little ones in the kingdom have angels (Matt. 18:10). The group meeting can be started very spontaneously by speaking, praising, or singing. (The Exercise and Practice of the God-ordained Way, pp. 231-232)
Fellowship, Interceding, Mutual Care, and Shepherding
The New Testament does not give us the details of the group meetings, but in the verses we have mentioned, there are some small “windows” into the practice of the group meetings. These will help us to see what happened in the ancient days in the group meetings. By considering the Word, we can see that there was much fellowship, interceding for one another, mutual care, and shepherding. The fellowship brings the awareness of one another’s condition and situation. This will lead into prayer for one another. This will then cause us to go to one another to render a mutual care. Through the fellowship we may find out that a brother has been in an automobile accident. This leads us to pray for him and his family. Then we may consider his financial needs and be burdened to care for his health needs. All of this should not be in a formal way. It should be a spontaneous issue of the Spirit. I hope that from now on we can have all our group meetings in such an organic way. (The Exercise and Practice of the God-ordained Way, p. 232)
Teaching in Mutuality
For the perfecting of the saints, there is the need of teaching in the group meetings, and in the group meetings all are teachers. There should not be a particular teacher. Even one who was saved two weeks ago can be a little teacher. After there has been some fellowship, interceding, mutual care, and shepherding with the exercise of the spirit in the small group meetings, a brother may suddenly ask a question. He may ask what God’s dispensing is. All the eyes may turn to the oldest one in the meeting, but it may be better for one who has been recently saved to answer the brother. This gives him the opportunity to speak. This newly saved one may say, “God’s dispensing is for Him to distribute Himself into our spirit.” Suppose such a one has been saved for only one or two months. Everyone would be encouraged by his speaking. It is much better if six or seven speak for a few minutes than if one person speaks for a longer time. This kind of teaching is rich and all-inclusive. Its many aspects are much better than a meeting where only one is speaking. If everyone speaks, all the saints will be happy, and all will learn. This is the way for all to be perfected. If there is someone there who is really high in spiritual knowledge and in the experience of life, he may give a conclusion of perhaps ten minutes.
If the saints will come to this kind of meeting forty-five times a year, much teaching will be gained by all. The new ones will be perfected in this way. Furthermore, because this is a group meeting, many things will be worked out. This kind of practice is the proper way to fellowship, to intercede, to give mutual care, to shepherd, and also to perfect one another by the mutual teaching. (The Exercise and Practice of the God-ordained Way, pp. 232-233)
Carrying Out the Church Service
If we are experiencing the riches of such a meeting, we may pick up a burden to take the first step of the God-ordained Way to go out to visit others. Then we must take care of the new ones whom we gain. This means the group meeting will carry on the church service. Eventually, this will make the small group meeting just a miniature of the church life. (The Exercise and Practice of the God-ordained Way, p. 233)
References: Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, Message 7, 10; The Practice of the Group Meetings, ch. 2; Words of Training for the New Way, Vol. 2, ch. 21; Words of Training for the New Way, Vol. 1, ch. 8; The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, chs. 7-9; Words of Life from the 1987 Full-time Training Vol. 1 (Chinese), ch. 8; The Exercise and Practice of the God-ordained Way, ch. 24.
