LESSONS ON THE GOD-ORDAINED WAY

Lesson Thirty-two

The Speciality, Generality, and Practicality of the Church Life

Scripture Reading:

Titus 1:4 To Titus, genuine child according to the common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Colossians 2:19 Holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.

Rom. 14:1 Now him who is weak in faith receive, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his considerations.

1 Cor. 12:24b-25 But God has blended the body together, giving more abundant honor to the member that lacked, That there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same care for one another.

Eph. 4:12-13 For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ, Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Rev. 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! And let him who is thirsty come; let him who wills take the water of life freely.

I. The speciality of the church life—Titus 1:4, 2 Peter 1:1:

A. The speciality of the church life is “the faith”, which is composed of the beliefs concerning the Bible, God, Christ, the work of Christ, salvation, and the church—Titus 1:4; Rev. 14:12; 2 Tim. 4:7.

B. The seven crucial points of the major items of the Lord’s recovery:

1. The participation in the processed Triune God.

2. The rich enjoyment of the all-inclusive and all-extensive Christ.

3. The full experience of the consummated, compound Spirit.

4. The absolute living by the eternal life.

5. The building up of the Body of Christ.

6. The practice of the churches on the local ground.

7. The keeping of the oneness of the Body of Christ.

II. The generality of the church life—Col 2:19, Rom 14:21, 1 Cor. 12:24b-25:

A. In order to learn to keep the oneness of the Body, we must practice this generality.

B. Practicing the God-ordained Way while taking care of our background, our present situation, and the many churches around the globe.

C. Advice regarding the way we live our church life in our locality after we have seen the light concerning the God-ordained Way:

1. Never imposing the God-ordained Way on others nor promoting it.

2. Endeavoring to practice the God-ordained Way as the Lord leads according to the limit of the circumstances.

3. Expressing the Lord’s humility and forbearance in any step of the practice of the God-ordained Way.

4. Never despising anyone who is not positive for the God-ordained Way.

5. Always submitting yourself to the present practice of the local church in your locality with a positive, constructive, and building up spirit and attitude.

6. Never debating, arguing, or fighting with anyone concerning the God-ordained Way but carrying the God-ordained Way out in a living and building up way according to the Lord’s instant leading and arrangement.

7. Avoiding any kind of divisive word or deed in keeping the oneness of the Body of Christ with a sweet harmony.

8. Endeavoring to function in all the meetings of the local church in your locality according to the flow of the present practice of your local church.

9. Exercising prevailing prayers for the Lord’s new move and for all the churches with all the saints to be graced with the heavenly vision and the bountiful supply of the Spirit.

10. Keeping fellowship with the churches and the saints in the concern of the Lord’s new move.

III. The practicality of the church life—Eph. 4:12-13:

A. Life is the primary thing in the practicality of the church life.

B. The God-ordained Way being a way of death and resurrection.

C. The God-ordained Way being a way to revive people.

D. The God-ordained Way develops each one’s gift function, and capacity of life.

E. The God-ordained Way being God-ordained and scriptural way to practice the church life.

IV. There is a thirst within God’s chosen believers to have a new revival—Hab. 3:2b; Hosea 6:2; Rom. 8:20-22; Rev. 22:17:

A. We can enter into a new revival by arriving at the highest peak of the divine revelation through the ministry of the age.

“I hope that the saints in all the churches throughout the earth, especially the co-workers and the elders, will see this revelation and then rise up to pray that God would give us a new revival—a revival which has never been recorded in history.” (Life-study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, p. 15)

B. If we practice living the life of a God-man, spontaneously a model living in the economy of God will be built up; this model will be the greatest revival to bring the Lord back.

“We should all declare that we want to live the life of a God-man. Eventually, the God-men will be the victors, the overcomers, the Zion within Jerusalem. This will bring in a new revival which has never been seen in history, and this will end this age” (Life-study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, p. 28).

C. We can enter into a new revival by shepherding people according to God, having the Father’s loving and forgiving heart and the Savior’s shepherding and seeking spirit—1 Pet. 5:2.

“I hope that there will be a genuine revival among us by our receiving this burden of shepherding. If all the churches receive this teaching to participate in Christ’s wonderful shepherding, there will be a big revival in the recovery.” (The Vital Groups, p. 40)

 

Excerpts from the ministry:

THE SPECIALITY OF THE CHURCH LIFE

The Faith

The speciality of the church life is the faith. In the New Testament the word faith is used with two different meanings. First, it means the action of believing (Rom. 5:1; Eph.2:8; Heb. 11:1). We have faith in the Lord Jesus, and this is the action of believing. This is the subjective meaning of the word faith. There is also the second meaning, that is, the objective meaning of the word faith. Faith used in this way refers to the things in which we believe, the object of our faith, our belief (Titus 1:4; Rev. 14:12; 2 Tim. 4:7). So when we say the speciality of the church life is the faith, we mean the faith which is the object of our believing. This is what we call our Christian faith. As Christians we have a unique faith. (The Speciality, Generality, and Practicality of the Church Life, p. 7)

The Seven Crucial Points of the Major Items of the Lord’s Recovery

In order to be an overcomer, we need to know the seven basic items of God’s recovery. God made Christ the pneumatic Christ as the center and the goal in the recovery of seven things.

The Participation in the Processed Triune God

The first crucial point of the major items of the Lord’s recovery is the participation in the processed Triune God.

The Rich Enjoyment of the All-inclusive and All-extensive Christ

The second crucial point of the major items of the Lord’s recovery is the rich enjoyment of the all-inclusive and all-extensive Christ.

The Full Experience of the Consummated, Compound Spirit

Today Christians know the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, but very few know that the Spirit of God today is the consummated, compound Spirit.

The Absolute Living by the Eternal Life

The overcomers are also here for the recovery of the absolute living by the eternal life. We Christians possess the human life and the divine life. The problem is the life by which we live. We should live by the divine life.

The Building Up of the Body of Christ

We are here for the building up of the Body of Christ. The building up of the local churches should be for the building up of the Body of Christ.

The Practice of the Churches on the Local Ground

The Bible, the New Testament, shows us clearly that every city should have only one church, just like a husband should have only one wife (Rev. 1:11; Acts 8:1; 13:1).

The Keeping of the Oneness of the Body of Christ

The final crucial point of the major items of the Lord’s recovery is the keeping of the oneness of the Body of Christ. (The Training and the Practice of the Vital Groups, pp. 12-14)

THE GENERALITY OF THE CHURCH LIFE

The Balance to the Generality

Paul knew all the proper doctrines, but in the practice of the church life he was so general. We all have to learn that to keep the oneness of the Body we must practice this generality. …Now we need to see another balance. We have seen that the speciality is balanced by the generality. The generality also has to be balanced by something. We as human beings easily become one-sided and go to an extreme. In the Old Testament in the book of Hosea there is a verse in which the Lord likened Ephraim to an unturned cake (Hosea 7:8). Cakes baked in an oven or in a pan need to be turned again and again. If the cakes are not turned, one side will be burned and the other will remain raw. Some of Israel were like an unturned cake in the eyes of the Lord. They were always one-sided, and this is still the problem with the Lord’s children today. (The Speciality, Generality, and Practicality, pp. 33-34)

Practicing the God-ordained Way
While Taking Care of Our Background,
Our Present Situation, and the Many Churches around the Globe

Our background is not a light or superficial background, because for many years we have paid attention to seeking the Lord, knowing Him, experiencing Him, living Him, growing in Him, and having Him increased and magnified in us. From the very beginning we were led by the Lord in this way, and we have never deviated from this kind of seeking. This is our background of spirituality. In addition, we have a further, deeper background; that is, we take care of God’s economy to have everything for the building up of His organism, the church. God desires to have the church, and we are endeavoring to reach His goal.

Therefore, on the one hand, we must take the new way, the God-ordained Way, as the Lord has revealed it to us, and on the other hand, while we are going forward we must take care of our background, our present situation, and the many churches around the globe.

After much consideration before the Lord, I feel led by the Lord to the conclusion that while we are endeavoring to take the new way, we should not change anything of the present situation. We should not change our present way of conducting the children’s meeting, the young people’s work, the prayer meeting, and the existing group meetings. (Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, Message 4, pp. 26-27)

Advice Regarding the Way We Live Our
Church Life in Our Locality after We Have
Seen the Light concerning the God-ordained Way

Never Imposing the God-ordained Way on Others nor Promoting It

We should neither impose the new way on others nor should we promote it. The best way to carry out the new way is to live as an example. To preach the gospel by visiting people in their homes is altogether scriptural. I do not believe that any of the saints would oppose this. It is possible that some might not be happy to preach the gospel in this way, but we should not impose this on them. It is up to the saints whether or not they would take this way. We trust in the Lord for His doing.

Endeavoring to Practice the God-ordained Way
as the Lord Leads according to the Limit of the Circumstances

You also need to endeavor to practice the new way as the Lord leads according to the limit of the circumstances. You may be in a local church which does not practice the preaching of the gospel by visiting people in their homes. On the one hand, you should not impose this on others or promote it. On the other hand, you can carry out your burden for this on your own. You can follow the Lord’s leading to fellowship with one or two others who would be burdened to go with you to preach the gospel according to the God-ordained Way. The Lord will surely lead you to some sons of peace.

If we take this way quietly without promoting it or imposing it on anyone, we will not offend anyone or stir up different opinions. We must do our best not to stir up any turmoil, debate, or argument. The saints will not oppose or criticize you if you preach the gospel by visiting people and set up weekly home meetings with the new ones that you gain. If the church in your locality does not practice the new way, you should do your best to attend the regular meetings of the church, at least on the Lord’s Day and if possible the prayer meeting. Then you could reserve one evening a week to either preach the gospel or care for the new ones in their homes. Actually, these home meetings are church meetings in the eyes of God. Do everything in your locality in a loving, nice, and wise way. This is what it means to practice the new way as the Lord leads according to the limit of the circumstances.

Expressing the Lord’s Humility and Forbearance in Any
Step of the Practice of the God-ordained Way

Do everything in humility with forbearance. Never do anything arrogantly. If we are doing a good work to preach the gospel and raise up the home meetings, we should not have a proud spirit or attitude. If we are living in and with the divine Trinity, none of us can be proud. We always have to be humble and forbearing. In any situation we should not overstep the limit the Lord has given us.

Never Despising Anyone Who Is Not Positive for the God-ordained Way

Do not make a division or draw a line between who is positive for the new way and who is not. Even in our talk we may say that a certain brother is not for the new way. This is not good and we should never utter anything like this. We should not have the concept that only the saints who are positive for the new way are in the recovery. A brother in a local church who does not agree with the new way is still in the recovery. We who are positive for the new way should not despise or look down on anyone who is not positive. We hope that anyone who does not agree with the scriptural way will not oppose it. Opposing can stir up dissension, and dissension will issue in division. This will be a damage to the Lord’s Body. Even a little dissension may kill the blessing of the Lord in the church life.

Always Submitting Yourself to the Present Practice of the Local Church in Your Locality with a Positive, Constructive, and Building Up Spirit and Attitude

Even if the church in your locality does not practice the new way, you still have to submit yourself to the church. If your local church does not practice the new way and you grasp the chance in a meeting to promote it and preach or teach about it, this is not proper and indicates that you are not submitting yourself to the present practice of your local church. What you say depends on the leading of the Spirit. The church in your locality may not practice the new way, yet the spirit, attitude, and atmosphere of the church allows you to fellowship about the new way or give a testimony of your practice of the new way. This is different from promoting, preaching, or teaching.

Never Debating, Arguing, or Fighting with Anyone concerning the God-ordained Way but Carrying the God-ordained Way Out in a Living and Building Up Way
according to the Lord’s Instant Leading and Arrangement

Once you sense that an argument is rising up, you should stop what you are saying. If five saints are gathered together in a home and two or three of them are opposing, do not talk about the new way. Under the Lord’s sovereign arrangement, these opposing ones may leave. The others might be stirred up by the Lord to ask you some questions about your practice of preaching the gospel by visiting people in their homes. Then you can give them a report about what the Lord has been doing, and they will receive some help. We do not need to fight or struggle for anything. We realize the Lord’s new way is profitable, scriptural, and workable, so we practice it without promoting. Yet if there is the opportunity, we can fellowship with the saints and leave the result in the hands of the Lord. We should never debate, argue, or fight with anyone concerning the new way, but we should carry the new way out in a living and building up way according to the Lord’s instant leading and arrangement.

Avoiding Any Kind of Divisive Word or Deed in Keeping the Oneness of the Body of Christ with a Sweet Harmony

Sometimes some of the brothers who were so positive for the new way spoke with a divisive tone. This is unwise and not good. We should avoid and reject anything that would even build up a tendency toward division. Our words and our deeds could be considered by others to be divisive. We must be wise and take care of the oneness of the Body of Christ with a sweet harmony. How can there be harmony between a group of people, when some of them are positive for the scriptural way and some are not? It seems that there is a kind of disharmony that is already existing. But to keep the oneness of the Body of Christ with a sweet harmony depends on us. By our behavior, speaking, and actions we can adjust the situation and recover the harmony. We are brothers with the same faith, and we are in the church life in the same recovery. This is our base for oneness. We are harmonious for the one purpose of having the Lord’s recovery to keep the testimony of the oneness of the Body of Christ. We should not expect that we can all be the same in everything. Therefore, we should not try to unify the situation.

Endeavoring to Function in All the Meetings of the Local Church in Your Locality
according to the Flow of the Present Practice of Your Local Church

Some of the younger saints may have been trained in the new way, but when they returned to a church that did not practice the new way, they would not function. They attended the church meetings in a cold way. This is wrong. As long as you attend a certain meeting, you have to go along with the practice of that meeting. You must endeavor to function, not according to your preference but according to the present flow in the meeting. Go on with the saints to show them that you are really one with the Lord’s Body in your locality. As long as what is going on is not idolatrous, divisive, or sinful, you must endeavor to function in all the meetings of the local church in your locality according to the flow of the present practice of your local church.

Exercising Prevailing Prayers for the Lord’s New Move and for All the Churches with All the Saints to be Graced with the Heavenly Vision
and the Bountiful Supply of the Spirit

We need to exercise prevailing prayers for the Lord’s new move and for all the churches with all the saints to be graced with the heavenly vision and the bountiful supply of the Spirit. We must realize that there is an old traditional way of meeting and serving existing on this earth among the Lord’s children. We have already pointed out that it is hard to change something habitual. It would be hard for someone who is used to eating with a fork to switch to eating with chopsticks. The traditional way of meeting and serving is nearly a two thousand-year-old habit. If we try to change this habit in an unwise and quick way, we will stir up much unhappiness. The old way has been built up in Christianity for centuries, and we have it with us to some extent in the Lord’s recovery. We have to expect that some will feel unhappy when we want to take away the old way and replace it with the new way. Thus, we have to pray for ourselves and for all the saints that we may see the heavenly vision.

Keeping Fellowship with the Churches and
the Saints in the Concern of the Lord’s New Move

We should not be cut off or kept apart from the churches and the saints. We need to keep fellowship with the churches and the saints in the concern of the Lord’s new move. We should have much fellowship with one another. We have to fellowship with the churches in Australia. We need to have some communication with the saints in New Zealand.…I hope that many churches could publish something to let the saints in other countries and continents know how the Lord is moving in their localities. This may nourish, support, and contribute some help to all the saints, even to the saints outside of us in the denominations. (Speaking Christ for the Building Up of the Body of Christ, pp. 137-143)

THE PRACTICALITY OF THE CHURCH LIFE

Life is the Primary Thing in the Practicality of the Church Life

Life is the primary thing in the practicality of the church life. We need life and growth in life, and for life and growth in life we need the eating of the Lord. Eating results in growth unto a full-grown man.

None of the points that we have covered in the last three chapters are aspects of our Christian faith. However, all of them should be put into practice; otherwise, a local church could never be strong and prevailing. If all of these points are put into practice, a local church will become strong and prevailing. These are not items of our Christian faith. But they must become part of the practicality of the church life.

I hope that we all will realize that in the normal church life, the proper practice is to pay our full attention to the matter of life and the growth in life. Otherwise, we may be a genuine local church; yet, we will be a dead one full of problems. (The Speciality, Generality, and Practicality, pp. 53, 70, 52)

The God-ordained Way Being a Way of Death and Resurrection

Hebrews 10:20 says, “By a new and living way, which he dedicated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh.” The veil here is a type of the flesh of Christ. When the flesh of Christ was crucified on the cross, this veil was rent, and a new and living way was open for us. This way is now prepared in the new creation and is ready for us to walk on. For the same reason, our flesh has to be broken, and we have to deny our soul life. Only then can we walk on this new way in resurrection. Everything that is in the old creation is old. Only by being in the new creation can there be newness. If we preach the gospel by the old creation and serve God by the flesh, our way is an old way. But whenever we preach the gospel and serve God by the new creation, that is, by our spirit, we have the new way.

What then is the new way? The new way is the way of death and resurrection. This way requires that we deny ourselves. By this, we would not be in ourselves, the natural realm, the old creation, or the flesh, but would be fully in the new creation and in life. This is the new way. The secret of the new way is death and resurrection. The natural man cannot take this way. Much less can the flesh take it. It is wrong for a man to assume that, just because he has a higher education or has lived through all the sufferings of the human life, he is qualified to preach the gospel. If we have this thought, even if we say that we are taking the new way, in reality we are not in the new way, because everything we do is in the old creation. The service in the new way requires that we deny the self, the flesh, and the natural strength. (The Organic Practice of the New Way, pp. 61-62)

The God-Ordained Way Being a Way to Revive People

The way of meeting in the Bible and the way which we are entering aggressively and practicing carefully is the way to be genuinely revived. In the denominations or in our past way of meeting, people were required to attend the Lord’s Day service but were not required to be revived. There were some who were responsible for singing, some for praying, and some for preaching, so those who attended the meeting did not need to do anything; they just needed to be there.

The meeting revealed in the Bible is where everyone functions: prays, sings, speaks, and testifies; this requires us to live in the spirit. We must be those who love the Lord, who are consecrated, who fellowship with the Lord, and who walk according to the spirit. If we have any offense toward others in our conscience, we have to confess it before the Lord immediately and confess it to the ones we offended and make reconciliation. Only then can we recover the fellowship and thus function in the meeting. Hence, this way is one that requires us to be revived. (Being Up-to-date for the Rebuilding of the Temple (Chinese), pp. 153-154)

The God-ordained Way Developing Each One’s Gift,
Function, and Capacity of Life

The God-ordained Way, negatively speaking, kills and annuls the traditional way. But positively, the God-ordained Way develops each one’s life gift, life function, and life capacity. As long as you are a Christian, you have the eternal life, and this life has the highest capacity, ability, gift, talent, and function. But we need to see that the growth and spreading of life is gradual. For example, the grass in our yards grows and spreads gradually. If we sow grass seeds in our yard today and go back to see it the next day, it seems that the yard is about the same. Every day for many days it seems the same. But eventually, after a number of months, a beautiful lawn full of green grass will cover our yard.

The spreading of life needs a certain amount of time and labor. If you do not till the ground, sow the seed, water, and add fertilizer, the seeds may not grow well. You cannot just sow the seed, go home to sleep, and expect that the seeds will grow properly. In a sense, the seeds grow on their own, but in another sense, there is still the need of proper care, fertilizing, and watering. Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God made to grow” (1 Cor. 3:6). Thus, there is the need of proper, adequate labor with a sufficient amount of patience. (Messages to the Trainees in Fall 1990, p. 97)

The God-ordained Way Being the God-ordained and Scriptural Way
to Practice the Church Life

I would like to point out three verses that are very crucial. Acts 2:46 tells us that the early Christians broke bread from house to house. The Greek text also can mean that they broke bread “according to their homes.” Acts 5:42 tells us that the early apostles went from house to house to do two things: to preach and to teach Christ as the gospel. Their gospel was not a theology nor mere doctrine. Their gospel was a living person, the very Christ, whom the Jewish religion at that time opposed to the uttermost. They preached this opposed One as the gospel and they also taught. These two verses are critical. Another crucial verse is 1 Corinthians 14:26. This verse tells us that when the church comes together, each one should have something. This one has a psalm, another one has a teaching, another one has a revelation, etc.

By these three verses, we can see the real situation and the real condition of the believers’ meetings in the early days of the church. This situation and condition cannot be seen in today’s Christianity. Even we ourselves are very short of this God-ordained Way to practice the church life. First, the early believers practiced the church life according to their homes. This means that the church life at that time was in the believers’ homes. Second, when the whole church came together, it was not a meeting in which one person spoke and the rest listened. Their church meetings were full of mutuality. Each one should have something of the Lord to share with the others for the building up of the church. Such meetings of mutuality cannot be seen in today’s Christianity, and it is hard to see them prevailing among us.

This is why by October of 1984, I was forced to reconsider what is in the Bible, what we are doing, and what we see in today’s Christianity. My eyes were once more enlightened to see God’s ordained way to build up the Body of Christ. Surely Christianity has deviated from this way. We also have deviated to a certain extent because we have not fully practiced what is recorded in the holy Word. Thus, I was strong to make a decision that we needed to have a great change, a revolutionary change. (Elders’ Training Book 9, The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (1), pp. 19-20)

References: Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, msg. 4; The Speciality, Generality, and Practicality of the Church Life, chs. 1, 4-7; The Organic Practice of the New Way, ch. 5; Being Up-to-date for the Rebuilding of the Temple (Chinese), ch. 14; Messages to the Trainees in Fall 1990, ch. 14; Elders’ Training Book 9, The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (1), ch. 2; Life-study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, chs. 2, 4; The Training and the Practice of the Vital Groups, An Introductory Word; Speaking Christ for the Building Up of the Body of Christ, ch. 12.