Meal Service

THE PRACTICE HANDBOOK FOR THE DISTRICT SERVING ONES

SERIES THREE
PRACTICAL SERVICES

Message Five
Meal Service

John 12:2      Therefore they made Him a supper there; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of the ones reclining at table with Him

Acts 6:2–3     And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples to them and said, It is not fitting for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables.

THREE KINDS OF FUNCTIONS
IN THE SERVICE OF THE CHURCH

Serving

In the church life there are different functions. There are three kinds of functions in the service of the church represented by the three persons in the house. Firstly is the serving function represented by Martha (12:2). Throughout all the centuries, Martha has been treated unfairly. Throughout history, Christians have looked down on her. Do not condemn Martha. It is unfair to condemn her. We should not think that Martha is no good, for this chapter says that Martha served. This is very good, for, in the church service, the business affairs of the church must be taken care of. How could we have the food taken care of without Martha? We need her to prepare the food. I appreciate Martha’s service. We all must change our concept about her and not look down on her. We should encourage the sisters to be Marthas. Perhaps you sisters are still quite spiritual and religious, but I am rather practical. I do not want to be that spiritual. Suppose all the sisters are Marys sitting there quietly being spiritual. Who is going to prepare the meal? We must have some Marthas who are diligent, capable, active, living, and practical. Although we are spiritual, we must still serve practically. Martha’s service was needed in that house. Likewise, in the church service, the first function needed is to serve by doing certain things, by taking care of certain practical affairs.

Testifying

The second kind of function in the service of the church is represented by Lazarus. It appears as if Lazarus did nothing. He just sat there at the table with the Lord, enjoying the feast with Him. But we must remember that Lazarus was the living testimony of the resurrection life. He did not testify by doing but by living in the resurrection life. His testimony was not in labor or in works; it was in the enjoyment of the resurrection life. He was a witness to the power of the Lord’s resurrection life. Wherever he was, the testimony of resurrection life was there.

Martha’s service was good, but it did not attract people. It was the testimony of Lazarus that attracted them. This does not mean that Martha’s service was not good and was not needed, for certain things had to be taken care of. Even Lazarus had to be served by Martha. Therefore, we must realize that even when we have a good testimony of life, we still need the service of Martha. Otherwise, we will have nothing to eat.

Loving the Lord

Mary represents the third kind of function (12:2-3). She represents the dear ones who love the Lord very much and who pour out what they hold most precious upon the Lord. They love the Lord so much that they give the best to the Lord. This is what Mary did. She poured the costly ointment upon the feet of the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair. In her heart nothing was so dear, so precious, and so costly as the Lord.

Mary’s pouring the precious ointment upon the Lord Jesus is a sign of the proper church life. Although you may realize that Mary anointed the Lord Jesus with the best ointment, perhaps you have not seen that this is a sign of the church life. The main characteristic of the church life is anointing the Lord with our best love. The main expression, aspect, and characteristic of the church life is that we pour out our ointment upon Him.

Therefore, we have three kinds of functions: serving, testifying, and loving. We have the service, the testimony, and the love poured out upon the Lord. These three items must be found in the church life. Whenever people come to us, they must realize that among us are the service for the Lord, the testimony of the Lord, and the love poured out upon the Lord. These three items are a must.

Again I say that in the church life there must be at least three items: the diligent service for the Lord, the living testimony of the resurrection life of the Lord, and the absolute love poured out upon the Lord. If we are truly practicing the church life, we must have the service, the testimony, and the love toward the Lord. We all must be Martha, Lazarus, and Mary. Such a church is the result and issue of the Lord being life to us. ( Life-study of John, msg. 25)

SEVEN DEACONS BEING CHOSEN TO SERVE TABLES

Acts 6:2 says, “And the twelve, having called the multitude of the disciples to them, said, It is not fitting for us to leave the word of God to serve tables.” Here we see that in the church life some things are major and others are minor. To minister the word and pray are major matters, but to serve tables is a minor matter.

In verses 3 and 4 the apostles went on to say, “Now brothers, select seven well-attested men from among you, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we shall appoint over this need. But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.” The Greek word for “full” in verse 3 is pleres, an adjective form of pleroo, according to the usage here and in 6:5; 7:55; 11:24; and Luke 4:1. Full of the Spirit is one’s condition after being filled with the Spirit inwardly and essentially, as mentioned in 13:52. This refers to life, not to work. The word “wisdom” in 6:3 also indicates that in this verse to be full of the Spirit is for life, as in Luke 2:52.

In verse 4 the apostles said that they would continue in prayer and in the ministry of the word. To pray is not only to entreat the Lord to do things for His move, but also to cause our spirit to be exercised and to be strengthened. Hence, prayer should precede the word just as the apostles practiced. Without such prayer, the ministry may not be enlivened and empowered.

The apostles told the multitude to select seven well-attested men from among them to be appointed over the need. Verses 5 and 6 say, “And the word pleased all the multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch, whom they set before the apostles; and having prayed, they laid their hands on them.” Since these seven were chosen to serve tables, they may be considered deacons, just as those whom Paul and his co-workers appointed later in the churches (Rom. 16:1; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3:8).

THE WILLINGLY SERVICE OF TWO BROTHERS WITH PARTICULAR GIFTS 

Of the seven who were selected as deacons, two—Stephen and Philip—had particular gifts. From Stephen’s speaking in chapter seven we can realize that he was a great teacher. His long speech indicates that he was knowledgeable in God’s Word. He surely was qualified to teach the Scriptures. Stephen’s teaching was rich, powerful, and full of significance. He certainly was an excellent teacher. Philip also had a particular gift, and he was eventually manifested to be a great evangelist.

Although Stephen and Philip had particular gifts, when they were selected to serve tables, they willingly served. Here we have a good example. Some who have particular gifts may not be willing to serve tables. For example, suppose a certain brother is an excellent teacher. If he is selected to serve as a deacon, he may be unhappy and say, “Don’t you realize that I am a teacher of the Word? Why do you ask me to serve as a deacon?” Another brother, one who is gifted in preaching the gospel, likewise may say, “You need to realize that I am an evangelist, that I have the gift to preach the gospel. You belittle me when you ask me to serve tables.” But from the example of Stephen and Philip we see that no matter what kind of particular gift we may have, if we are selected to serve tables, we should be willing to serve. When we are asked to serve, even if it is to clean the restroom, we should serve willingly.

According to the pattern in Acts 6, Stephen and Philip did not murmur when they were asked to serve tables. Stephen did not say, “I am a great teacher. How can you ask me to be a deacon?” Likewise, Philip did not say, “I am an outstanding evangelist. Why do you ask me to serve tables?” Instead of murmuring, Stephen and Philip did a good job in serving tables.

In the church life we are under the Lord’s grace and also under His sovereignty. Therefore, without murmuring we should accept the Lord’s sovereignty and the environment arranged by Him. If we do this and follow the pattern in Acts 6, we shall have a happy and pleasant church life.

Stephen served tables, but eventually he functioned as a great teacher of the Word. This indicates that whatever we are in the Lord cannot be hidden. Sooner or later, what we are will be manifest. Stephen was a teacher, but he was selected to serve tables. However, the record in Acts actually says little about his serving of tables but much about his teaching. In chapter seven we have a lengthy record of Stephen’s teaching. From the example of Stephen we see that what we can do will not be lost, and what we are will eventually be manifest. Sooner or later the Holy Spirit will use our gift, even as the Spirit used Stephen’s gift of teaching. ( Life-study of Acts, msg. 19)

A PERSON WHO IS LEARNING TO SERVE THE LORD
NEEDING TO LEARN TO “SERVE TABLES”

Those who are involved in management of business must be clear first of all that this activity is by no means unspiritual. Even Peter and John were involved in the distribution of food at one time. Stephen, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, was also a server of tables. The proper management of affairs is a necessary lesson that a beginner in the Lord’s work must learn. If a man cannot manage affairs properly, he cannot work effectively. A young person must not offer himself simply “in prayer and in the ministry of the word.” In many cases this is an excuse for idleness under the name of “prayer and ministry of the word.” We have to uproot this. A person who is learning to serve the Lord should learn to “serve tables.” Otherwise, he will not be able to do anything except preach. A learner in the Lord’s work must learn to handle business properly, or else he will give ground to disdain and contempt. We must never consider the management of affairs as something unspiritual. It is something that a servant of the Lord must learn. (CWWN, vol. 60, “Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (2),” msg. 41)

Our Service Being Directly Related to the Lord

We have to see that all our work and service are for the Lord and are related directly and solely to Him. The works are not related directly to the church. Although we are working in and serving the church, our work and service are not related directly to the church; they are related directly and solely to the Head of the church. It is the Lord who has committed the work to us, and it is the Lord whom we serve. My left arm often helps my right arm. When the right arm cannot lift up a chair, the left arm will come to its aid. The left arm is not serving the right arm when it does this; it is merely serving the head. The left arm is directly related to the head. In the same way, all works that genuinely supply the church should be services that are directly rendered to the Lord. 

Whatever we do in the church, whether preaching the gospel, teaching, edifying the saints, nourishing the lambs, visiting the sick, or cleaning and cooking, should all be directly related to the Lord and should be a service to the Lord alone. (CWWN, vol. 45, “Conferences, Messages, and Fellowship (5),” msg. 132)

Those Who Served the Tables Needing to Be Filled With the Spirit

If you are a priest, there is something about you that is not ordinary; you have distinct and distinguishing characteristics. You are equipped with Christ; you are adorned with Christ; Christ is your robe. You must experience Christ in such a way; then you will be a priest. Whatever you handle, you will handle with Christ; whatever you do, you will do with Christ. You will manifest Christ. If you are a sister, and you are handling Christ all the day, think how much you will be able to minister to the Lord. You will help people to know Christ; you will minister Christ to your family. When you come to the meetings, you will be able to minister many things. Whether you clean or arrange the seats or kneel down with two or three other sisters to pray for the meeting, it is all a ministry, a ministry fulfilled in Christ, with Christ, and by Christ. Perhaps you will prepare some food for guests who will come for special meetings. That is also a ministry that must be filled with the Spirit. In Acts we are told that those who served the tables had to be filled with the Spirit. It is not an easy matter to handle the preparation of food. It is an excellent opportunity to apply Christ and minister Christ. (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-Inclusive Christ,” ch. 10)

Although Busy Outwardly,
yet Maintaining Our Fellowship with God Inwardly

The Lord did not say that one should not work, nor did He say that one should spend half of his time working and the other half dealing with spiritual things. He did not say to Martha that it was wrong to do many things, but He reminded Martha not to let these things enter into her and disturb her. The Lord Jesus did not say that she had done too much; He said that she had considered too much. He did not say that she had taken up too many tasks; He said that she had taken up too many worries. You may work from morning until evening, but you should not be disturbed by it. Many people do not have much to do outwardly, yet they are very busy inwardly. Some people have already spent five sleepless nights worrying about work that needs to be done five days from now. For instance, you only need one hour to visit a friend tomorrow, yet you spend four hours thinking about it in your bed. This kind of thinking is too much! The Lord did not tell us not to work. He said that we can work as much as we need, but that our heart should not be disturbed about it. The Lord will not say that we have done too much; but He will say that our heart should not be disturbed.

Brothers and sisters, this is the Christian life. We should work and not be lazy. It is necessary to work and to be occupied, but we should be at peace within. There should only be one thing within us—Christ. This is what the Lord shows us. The Lord asks only one thing of us—that we remain untouched by whatever circumstance we are in. Outwardly, we may be very busy doing many things, but inwardly there should be only one thing that we do not let go of by any means. Although we may be busy outwardly, we should maintain our fellowship with God. Thank God that there was not only a Martha but also a Mary. Mary chose the best portion—fellowship with the Lord. The Lord wanted Martha to learn the way of inward rest from her sister, not the way of work. It is all right for us to be a Martha outwardly, but inwardly we should be like Mary, who was in complete union with the Lord. Although outwardly we can be very busy, inwardly we should fellowship with God and be at rest. This is a most precious experience.

Brother Lawrence had to prepare meals for many people each day. If we were in his place, we might become so busy that we would lose contact with God. However, Brother Lawrence’s inner fellowship with the Lord was not disturbed by external things at all. He was indeed a man who knew the presence of God! Although he was outwardly very busy all the time, inwardly he was sitting at the feet of the Lord all the time. Despite the many outward things he did, he was not distracted by them at all. (CWWN, vol. 37, “General Messages (1),” msg. 19)

Ministering Christ to Others by Cooking

There are many lessons to learn in ministering Christ to others by cleaning, by cooking, and by doing many different practical things. It seems that we are so spiritual, so Christ-like, when we come together for a meeting, but when we are in the kitchen, it seems that we are anything but Christ-like. We need to learn the lesson to serve others and to serve God by ministering Christ to others no matter what we are doing. If you are in the spirit when you are playing the piano, by playing the piano, you will minister Christ to others. As the church, we are here to do nothing else but minister Christ to others. To cook a good meal for the saints, to prepare a good place for meeting, to play the piano in a skillful way—none of these things are meaningful unless they minister Christ to others. Whatever we do in the service of the Lord should minister Christ to others. We have much to learn in this matter.

To minister Christ as life to others should be the purpose of all the things that we do, whether we are cleaning, arranging, cooking, visiting, ministering the word, singing, or praying. All the practical things in the church life are nothing but the channels, the means through which, by which, and in which we would minister Christ to others.

If others cannot sense Christ in the kitchen while you are cooking, it is doubtful that they will sense Him in the meetings in a real way. To have Christ ministered in the meetings, we need to exercise ourselves in such a way in doing all the practical things so that Christ will be ministered in the practical things. Every part of the service of the church must minister Christ as life.(CWWL, 1963, vol. 3, “Basic Principles for the Service in the Church Life,” ch. 2)

The Coordination in Cooking

When you do things by yourself, it seems that everything is convenient. But when you do things with others, it seems that nothing is convenient…There are many problems and many lessons for us to learn in the coordination.

What should you do in all these situations? You cannot dismiss your co-workers and send them home. You simply need to learn the lesson in the coordination. This is the only way for you to serve the Lord with others, to build up the church. You should not be a giant. You should not be the one who is on the top. You always need to be coordinated with others. If you will try this way, you will surely see where you are. It is not so easy.

We are always ready to dismiss others. When some matters of the service were assigned to certain brothers or sisters, many times they would say that they wanted to make it clear that no one should come to the place where they were to serve. If they were to do the cooking, they would insist that no one else come to the kitchen. On the one hand, this is right. But on the other hand, they needed a few not only to help them but also to be a burden to them. Otherwise, there would be no lesson for them to learn. If you have some helpers that are a burden to you in the service, then you will be limited, broken, and adjusted. You need someone to be your burden. You may be too quick, and you need someone to burden you to slow you down. Then you will learn the lesson, and you will bring people in. (CWWL, 1963, vol. 3, “Basic Principles for the Service in the Church Life,” ch. 3 )

REGARDING THE PREPARATION IN COOKING

Take Care of Nutrition, Not Extravagance

Our love feasts should take care of nutrition, not extravagance. If we are too extravagant, we cannot have such feasts often, and some may be too intimidated to come. If our love feast is too sumptuous and extravagant, others will not dare to do the same, and they will be discouraged from coming. Try as much as possible to not spend too much money on love feasts. If we can save a little, we can offer up what we have saved for greater needs elsewhere. We should restrict our spending in everything and should save our money for more important needs in the church. We should not live one day in ease and comfort. We should save as much as we can for the gospel’s sake. We have to conduct love feasts frequently and make this our habit. But we should only serve ordinary food; there should not be any excess. Since we need to eat three times a day, we might as well eat in each others’ homes. (CWWN, vol. 61, “Matured Leadings in the Lord’s Recovery (2),” msg. 39)

The Best Being to Keep the Food Simple

It is best to keep the food simple for a love feast. Such simple love feasts save labor, money, and time. Then most of our time and strength can be spent on spiritual things, such as fellowship and prayer before or after the meal. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 3, “Service for the Building Up of the Church,” msg. 2)

We are not getting together for eating; we are coming together for blending. When we come together, we talk about the Lord Jesus, about His holy Word, and about our spiritual experiences. This kind of contact will revolutionize the church. We will convert the church into a new one. (CWWL, 1993, vol. 2, “The Training and the Practice of the Vital Groups,” ch. 6)

LABORING IN A PRACTICAL WAY, HAVING NO OPINIONS,
AND TAKING THE BODY AS OUR GOAL

Question: When we fellowship, we feel that we are clear and that we have a way to go on, but after we return to our localities, we gradually lose our clarity, and we do not know what to do. What do we need to do?

Answer: We must learn to focus on what we do, and we should not analyze whether or not we are able to accomplish a job. We should not give ourselves the excuse of saying that we do not understand what we are doing. We should simply work, and there will be a result. We should not say that the church in Taipei is too large and that we do not know what to do; we simply need to work. If our service is to clean the restrooms, we should clean the restrooms so that they are spotless. If we are on meal service, what we prepare should be delicious. When I was in Chefoo, I took the lead to clean the restrooms, and I cleaned them in such a way that everyone admired them and tried to keep them clean.

We should not think that it is easy to be successful in taking care of the church in Taipei. It might not be easy for even the apostle Paul to work in a church as large as the church in Taipei. Instead of trying to be successful, we simply need to work. If we are asked to speak concerning gospel truths, our speaking should be very clear, attracting, and inspiring. We should not complain and ask why others are asked to give messages to edify the saints, but we are assigned to speak concerning the truth of the gospel. We should learn to accept in submission and have no opinion concerning any arrangement made by the church. If the brothers ask us to speak concerning gospel truths, we should do it. If they tell us to clean the restrooms, we should clean the restrooms. If they assign us to hall one, we should go there. If every one of us serves in this way, the church will be blessed and strengthened…Therefore, we should devote our time and energy to study the area of our involvement in the service. What we gain from our studies will be useful. (CWWL, 1984, vol. 4, “Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 3: The Future of the Lord’s Recovery and the Building Up of the Organic Service,” msg. 6)

Discussion:

1.    How to arrange the persons who serve the meal and how to keep proper coordination?

2.    How to determine the style of food according to the actual need?

3.    How to determine the amount of food according to the number of people?