Scripture Reading: Eph. 1:17; 2:22; 4:12-13; Acts 13:1; 1 Tim. 2:4; 3:5; John 17:21, 23; 1 Pet. 2:5
I. In Matthew 16:18 the Lord said, “Upon this rock I will build My church”; the building that the Lord referred to is the building of the universal church; nevertheless, the carrying out of this building must be through the building of the local churches—18:17; Acts 13:1:
A. Although the church is universally one, the local churches, as the expressions of the one universal church, are many; without the local churches there is no practical building; the building up of the local churches is the building up of the Body of Christ because the local churches are the Body of Christ as its expression—13:1; Eph. 4:16.
B. The building up of the local churches is a tremendous matter; it is in the local churches that the Lord is recovering the practical building for His coming back; the local churches are the steppingstone, the beachhead, for Him to take the earth and fulfill His purpose—Acts 9:31; Eph. 4:12, 13.
C. In the New Testament, God’s way is to build up one church after another, locality by locality, until all the local churches are built up; these local churches collectively will become the universal church, which is the New Jerusalem—1 Cor. 14:4-5, 12; 12:27; Eph. 2:21-22; 4:16; Rev. 21:2.
II. Ephesians 2:22 says, “In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit”; this is not the universal building; this is the local building:
- Paul says, “You also”; he is speaking of the saints in that locality; the local saints must be built up together into a dwelling place of God in spirit—v. 22.
- Brother Nee told me that the blueprint for the building up of the church was in his hands; today I am not here doing things blindly; we are carrying out the building work according to the blueprint—Acts 1:8; Eph. 4:12.
III. The Word is the base for the building up of the church; all the saints need to know the truth so that the church would be built up as the pillar and base of the truth—1 Tim. 2:4; 3:5; John 17:17b:
A. There has been a strong history in the church concerning the Word; whoever is skillful in using the Word of God is powerful, and their work remains because it is built up with the solid Word—Heb. 1:3; Acts 20:32; 1 Cor. 2:4.
B. In that conference Brother Nee had told a group of seeking saints, “We have a brother, Witness Lee, whose progress in the truth and in life can be likened not just to running but to flying”—1 Tim. 2:4; John 6:57:
1. We must study the truth diligently; we must make progress in the truth, because our progress in the truth causes us to grow in life; true growth in life cannot be separated from the truth—Col. 1:9-10.
2. What is important now is not how much you read every day but how much you learn and enter into the truth—Neh. 8:8.
C. If you see a Christian making progress, you know that he must have paid a price; we need to read more of the Bible and the spiritual publications; we should spend time to get into; we should not skate on the surface of the ice in our study of the holy Word; we must break the ice and dive into the depths of the Word to see the divine revelation—Col. 3:16; Psa. 119:130.
D. By spending time to prayerfully read, study, and fellowship with the Lord in His Word day by day, then out of the abundance of our heart will proceed words of grace for the building up of the church—vv. 9-11; Matt. 12:34-35; Luke 4:22.
IV. True oneness is also the building; the work of the building up of the church is not to go out and impart doctrines but to pay attention to arriving at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God—Eph. 4:12-13:
A. “That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us”; the Lord Jesus prayed that we all would be one—John 17:21, 23.
B. The oneness of the Lord’s aspiration and prayer is accomplished in the oneness of reality and is fulfilled in the oneness of practicality; we need to arrive at the oneness of practicality—the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God—v. 21, Eph. 4:13:
C. The full knowledge of the son of God is the apprehension of the revelation concerning the Son of God for our experience—v. 13.
D. The more we grow in life, the more we will cleave to the faith and to the appreciation of Christ, and the more we will drop all the minor and meaner doctrinal concepts that cause division—v. 13.
E. God’s blessing is wherever the building is manifested; God’s blessing is based on our one accord, being in harmony in spirit with one another, having real coordination, and having genuine oneness—4:4-6; Acts 1:14.
V. Our service is based on our being built together; the more we are built together in the church, the more we can serve—Eph. 2:22; 1 Pet. 2:5:
A. In God’s eyes, not only is there the ministry to the house; there is also a better ministry, the ministry to the Lord—Ezek. 44: 10-11, 15-16:
1. Many are ministering to the house and not to the Lord; the ministering that the Lord is after is not for us to do His work; He wants His slaves to minister to Him and to serve Him—vv. 10-11, 15-16.
2. If we want to minister to the Lord in the Holy of Holies, we must spend time before the Lord and pray more; we need to draw near to Him and seek His will before Him—vv. 10-11, 15-16.
B. Psalms 103:7: “He made His ways known to Moses; His acts, to the children of Israel”; if you do not know God’s principles, God’s way of doing things, and God’s nature, you are no different from other people; if you can only give people some spiritual theories, you cannot lead them on in the spiritual way—Exo. 33:13; Gen. 18:23-32.
C. Brother Nee always stressed that the work is the overflow of inner life; this speaking will be a seed planted within them that will grow, multiply, and continually produce life—John 15:4-5.
VI. “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him”—Eph. 1:17.
Ministry Excerpts:
THE BUILDING OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
BEING THROUGH THE LOCAL CHURCHES
In Matthew 16:18 the Lord said, “Upon this rock I will build My church.” The building that the Lord referred to is the building of the universal church. Nevertheless, the carrying out of this building must be through the building of the local churches. In other words, the Lord’s building of the local churches is His building of the universal church. Without building the local churches, it is altogether impossible to build the universal church. Therefore, the building of the universal church is through the local churches. Sadly, some say that it is too narrow and rigid to focus on building the local churches. They do not want to build the local churches because they want to build the church of Christ, the universal church. How can they build the church of Christ without building the local churches? How can they build the universal church apart from the local churches? By building the local church in Jerusalem, were Peter and John not building the church of Christ? By building the various local churches among the Gentiles, was the apostle Paul not building the universal church? To speak of building only the universal church is impractical, empty talk. (CWWL, 1959, vol. 3, “Lessons for New Believers,” lsn. 14)
In order to accomplish the building of the church the Lord builded the local churches (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). The building of the church is actually realized by the building of the local churches. The building of the local churches is practical. Although the church is universally one, the local churches, as the expressions of the one universal church, are many. The building of the universal church began in the building of the local churches. It has been proceeding and will continue to proceed in this way until its completion. (Life-study of John, msg. 1)
The Practical Building Up of the Church Being in the Local Churches
The practical building up of the church is in the local churches. Without the local churches, how could the church be built? Suppose we do not have local churches, but we plan to build up the church in the heavens. How could we do it? It is impossible. Without the local churches there is no practical building. If we are not built with others in the local churches, we have never been built up in the church. The practicality of the building of the church is in the local churches. (CWWL, 1968, vol. 1, “The Practical Expression of the Church,” ch.4)
The building up of a local church is not only for its own building up locally (1 Cor. 14:3) but for the building up of the entire Body of Christ universally (Eph. 4:12). Actually, the building up of the local churches is the building up of the Body of Christ because the local churches are the Body of Christ as its expression. Without the building up of the local churches, by what other way could the Body of Christ be practically built up? (CWWL, 1990, vol. 2, “A Brief Presentation of the Lord’s Recovery,” msg. 1)
The Building Up of the Local Churches Being a Tremendous Matter
All five books of the Psalms show us that the earth is the ultimate intention of God’s desire. He must conquer the earth, recover the earth, and bring it back under His rightful rule. That is why the Lord taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9-10, “Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.” But His will is not yet done on the earth. That is why He taught us to pray, “Your name be sanctified.” But His name is not yet sanctified on earth. That is why He taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come.” But His kingdom has not yet come. Psalms 8 tells us, “O Jehovah our Lord, / How excellent is Your name / In all the earth.” But His name is still not excellent in all the earth. God is waiting for the building up of the local churches. When He has this, His name will be sanctified, His kingdom will come, His will will be done on earth as in heaven, and His name will be excellent in all the earth. The building up of the local churches is a tremendous matter.
The Local Churches Being the Steppingstone, the Beachhead
We are living today in a very crucial time. We are standing at an extremely strategic point in history. The issue of God’s work on the earth today is tremendous. May the Lord be merciful to us and grant us His grace so that we may go on with Him. May He open our eyes to see and appreciate His recovery. We appreciate other works which are being done for the Lord, but the unique, strategic work of the Lord today is the practical building up of the local churches in the leading cities of this earth. After a few years you will see what will come forth all over this earth. The Lord will honor this move. He must have the building up of the house and the city so that He may recover the entire earth. This is our burden. For this reason we have spent so much time studying the Psalms. There is not one book, even in the New Testament, which reveals these things so clearly as the Psalms. The local churches are the steppingstone, the beachhead, for Him to take the earth and fulfill His purpose. He will certainly do it. How glorious this will be! What a wonderful experience we will have at that time! (CWWL, 1969, vol. 3, “Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms,” ch. 24)
These Local Churches Collectively Becoming
the Universal Church, Which Is the New Jerusalem
God’s eternal desire is accomplished through His work in time, and God is working in time to build up the church in each locality. We need to see this vision and revelation clearly. If we see this clearly, we will immediately have a feeling that our preaching of the gospel is for the building up of the local church. The preaching of the gospel in Tainan is for the building up of the church in Tainan. The preaching the gospel in Taipei is for the building up of the church in Taipei. We cannot build up the church in Tainan from Taipei, and we cannot build up the church in Taichung from Tainan. We can build up the church only in the place where we work and serve.
Every saved one, every spiritual person, must be built up the local church in his particular locality; he cannot be individualistic. The Lord has been building up the church and establishing the testimony of the church locality by locality from Jerusalem to all of Judea, to Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the earth. When the seven epistles in Revelation were written, there was one lampstand for each (1:11-12). The lampstand is the testimony. There is no place for individual spirituality, there is only a place for the testimony of the church. The testimony of the church is absolutely one in each locality; that is, there is one locality with one church. A person who was in Jerusalem was in the church in Jerusalem. If he went to Antioch, he was in the church in Antioch. Once someone is saved and spiritual, he needs to be involved with the building up of the church. We should not wait until the New Jerusalem in the future to build up the church; rather, we should build up the church in our present locality in the present time.
In the New Testament, God’s way is to build up one church after another, locality by locality, until all the local churches are built up. These local churches collectively will become the universal church, which is the New Jerusalem. Satan’s destructive work throughout the ages has centered on the matter of the local church. Since God is taking the way of recovery in this final age, He will surely recover the building up of the local churches, the testimony of the local churches. He cannot merely recover justification by faith and spirituality; He needs to recover the testimony of the local churches. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 1, “The Recovery and Practice of the Testimony of the Church,” ch. 9)
BEING BUILT TOGETHER
INTO A DWELLING PLACE OF GOD IN SPIRIT
Referring to the Local Building
Ephesians 2:22 says, “In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit,” after verse 21 has said, “In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.” Using verse 21, some say that Ephesians is for the universal church, for it says that we all are built together spiritually, no matter where we are physically. You may be in London, I may be in Jerusalem, and another may be in New York, but we are all the building being fitted together. I do not contend with this, but we must also read verse 22. Paul says, “You also.” He is speaking of the saints in that locality. The local saints must be built up together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. This is not the universal building; this is the local building. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 1, “Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs,” ch. 15)
The Blueprint for the Building Up of the Church
In 1940, before the Pacific War broke out, I went to Shanghai again in order to fellowship with Brother Nee. In a private time he told me that the blueprint for the building up of the church was in his hands. These few words gave me a deep impression, and I kept asking myself what was the blueprint. During two months of fellowship with Brother Nee he gradually showed me the blueprint.
His words were often concise. One time he said that this blueprint is, first, Christ as everything. The only material for the building up of the church is Christ; hence, Christ is everything. Second, this building is expressed in localities. And third, this building should be carried out in coordination. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 2, “The Sufficiency, Pursuit, and Learning of the Lord’s Serving Ones,” msg. 6)
Upon returning to Chefoo I also began to practice the building up in the church in Chefoo according to Brother Nee’s blueprint. In 1942, due to internal turmoil and persecution in the outward environment, the building up in the church in Shanghai was disrupted. However, the practice of the blueprint continued in Chefoo, and a revival was brought in.
After the war Brother Nee returned to Shanghai, and I was also invited to Shanghai. Although Brother Nee had not yet resumed his ministry, I had frequent contact with him. I had a thorough fellowship with Brother Nee on matters related to the practice of the building up the church and to the revival in the church in Chefoo. He very much confirmed and encouraged me to promote this practice because this was the need of the churches. Little did anyone know that the political situation in mainland China would change, and the opportunity would be lost. When I left mainland China, only the church in Shanghai and the church in Chefoo were practicing the building up of the church according to the blueprint that the Lord gave to Brother Nee.
In 1949 we came to Taiwan and began to practice the practical building up of the church in Taipei. In early 1950 Brother Nee came from mainland China to visit Hong Kong, and a revival brought in there. Immediately, he cabled me and wanted me to go to Hong Kong. I arrived in Hong Kong and attended the meeting that evening. Brother Nee wanted me to speak, and I said, “As long as you are here, I have no burden to speak.” Thus, he continued to minister. The next morning he brought me to the service meeting of the co-workers and responsible brothers and charged me before everybody, saying, “Brother Witness, according to the authority that the Lord has given you, you must make arrangements for the services of the elders, deacons, and co-workers here.” I had been with Brother Nee for almost twenty years but had never heard him say, “According to the authority that the Lord has given you, you must…” I understood that his intention was that everyone should submit and accept this leading. Consequently, because of Brother Nee, a revival came to the church in Hong Kong, and then an arrangement and leading concerning service was made. Hence, the church tremendously blessed from 1950 to 1954. (CWWL, 1981, vol. 2, “The History and Revelation of the Lord’s Recovery,” msg. 22)
THE WORD BEING THE BASE FOR THE BUILDING UP OF THE CHURCH
The Word, the Spirit, and life are all wrapped up with our spirit. Thus, we must learn to study the Word by exercising our spirit, and we must also learn to study with prayer. Whatever we study, we must turn into prayer, and then we must turn our prayer into our experience. When the word in the Spirit becomes our experience, the issue is life. The issue of the word and the Spirit is the experience of life. The only way for us to grow is by touching the word with prayer and turning the word with prayer into the Spirit, which issues in the experience of life. With the life of the Spirit from the word, we can build up the church. The word is the base for the building up of the church. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 1, “The Central Line of the Divine Revelation,” ch. 12).
Pillar and Base of the Truth
First Timothy 3:15 says that the church is the pillar and base of the truth. In ancient architecture a building was supported by a pillar, which rested on a base. The church is the pillar and base that bears the truth. The pillar and base of the truth are not the elders but the church, which includes every brother and sister. Every member of the church is part of the pillar that bears the truth. Whenever a new one or a young one asks a question related to the truth, we should all be able to answer. Someone may ask what holiness is. We not only should know that holiness is Christ, but we also should be able to find the verse that proves this (1 Cor. 1:30) and expound it.
However, many saints know a certain amount of truth, but their knowledge is not thorough or adequate. In order for the churches to be strong, every brother and sister must bear the truth by learning the truth, experiencing the truth, and being able to speak the truth.
Knowing the Truth so that the Church Would Be Built Up
While the Lord delays His return, we need to know the truth for the practice of the church life. The Lord’s recovery can withstand any kind of attack, because the foundation of life has been solidly laid, but we also need to adequately know and practice the truth. When the pillar of the truth is added to the foundation of life, the building of the church in the Lord’s recovery will be solid. As long as the church upholds the truth, nothing negative will be able to come into the church. Thus, all the saints need to know the truth so that the church would be built up as the pillar and base of the truth. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “The Healthy Word,” ch. 9)
Brother Witness Lee’s Progress in the Truth and in Life
Being Likened Not Just to Running but to Flying
When I began corresponding with Brother Watchman Nee in 1925, I mostly asked him questions concerning the Scriptures. It was not until 1932, when I invited him to speak in my hometown of Chefoo, that I met him for the first time. As a result of his visit, a church was raised up in Chefoo in July of the same year. Through the Lord’s blessing, the number of saints meeting in the church exceeded a hundred. I had to give a message five times a week. This forced me to drop my job and serve full time. Afterward I went to Shanghai to see Brother Nee, and later he asked me to move to Shanghai with my whole family. From then on I became his co-worker. Two years later in October of 1935, Brother Nee held a conference in Kulangsu, Amoy, which is in the province of Fukien, but I did not go with him then. Fifteen years later in 1950, I went to the Philippines. One of the responsible brothers there who had attended the conference in Kulangsu told me that in that conference Brother Nee had told a group of seeking saints, “We have a brother, Witness Lee, whose progress in the truth and in life can be likened not just to running but to flying.” Actually, at that time I had not been satisfied with my condition.
Although those of you who are serving full time have already graduated from college, you are still under thirty years of age. Your prospects for the years ahead are bright, and you still have much potential to advance. Therefore, you must treasure this period of time and endeavor to enter into the truth and to learn the experiences in life. What is important now is not how much you read every day but how much you learn and enter into the truth. You can never finish studying the Bible. I have been studying the Bible for sixty and a half years, and the more I study, the more I receive and the more I sense that there is much to study. If time allows, I would like to have another life-study of the Bible that would be different from what we had in the past. Our study of the truths in the Bible will never end. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 5, “Vessels Useful to the Lord,” msg. 1)
Studying the Truth Diligently
We must make progress in the truth, because our progress in the truth causes us to grow in life. However, if we study the truth without allowing it to work in us, we will merely be engaging in theological research. True growth in life cannot be separated from the truth. If we have no knowledge of the truth, it will be difficult for us to grow in life. Hence, we must study the truth diligently. Furthermore, what we experience must be added to our study of the truth. We should not worry about how transformed we are; rather, we should consider our experience of the truth.
If we have not experienced an item of the truth, we should pray until it becomes our experience. Our experience of life never surpasses our knowledge of the truth; however, our knowledge often surpasses our experience. This means that we first know the truth and then have the experience of life. This is especially true of the ministers of the Word. When their speaking does not surpass their experience, their speaking is weak and poor. If a person speaks a strong, rich word, it is because his knowledge of the truth surpasses his experience. The more his knowledge of the truth surpasses his experience, the stronger and richer his speaking will be. However, his experience must follow. If his experience does not follow, the level of his truth will never increase. In order to raise the level of our truth, we must have the experience of life. Hence, the reality of life depends on having the experience concerning the truth. We must do our best to know the truth. The Gospel of John and the book of Colossians are two books in the Bible that speak of Christ as life in a clear and definite way. These two books use plain words, not types or parables, to speak concerning life. In the Gospel of John the Lord said, “I am…the life” (11:25). The Lord did not say, “I am your life.” Hence, in this verse He spoke of life from an objective aspect, not according to the subjective experience of the believers. However, in Colossians Paul says, “Christ our life” (3:4). This is not only a fact; it is also related to the (11:25). subjective experience of the believers. (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. 5)
Spiritual Progress Coming with a Price
Actually there is a big difference between salvation and spiritual progress. The ten virgins in Matthew 25 do not have to buy oil for their lamps, but they have to buy oil for their vessels, which are not the same as their lamps. Regeneration is free, but spiritual progress comes with a price. In Revelation the Lord told the church in Laodicea to buy white garments and eyesalve from Him (3:18). In order to buy white garments and eyesalve, there is the need to pay a price. A holy living is something that is bought with a price; it does not come to us free. A proven faith is also something that is bought with a price. If you see a Christian making progress, you know that he must have paid a price…. What do you want before God, and have you ever paid a price in order to attain more? We must pay a great price before we can live in Christ, receive answers to our prayer, trust God for our living, and possess spiritual insight to see what others cannot see! (CWWN, vol. 42, “Conferences, Messages, and Fellowship (2)”, ch. 33)
We must be proficient in the word of the Lord. Being proficient implies not only being experienced but also being familiar with and skilled in a certain thing. The word of the Lord is the word of life. Not only should we understand it, but we also need to enter into it. When we enter into the word of the Lord and experience this word, we will be proficient in the word. For this purpose, we need to read more of the Bible and the spiritual publications. The more we read the word of the Lord, the more we will experience the Lord’s word and the more proficient and skillful we will be. (CWWL, 1987, vol. 1, “Bearing Remaining Fruit”, msg. 5)
TRUE ONENESS BEING THE BUILDING
There is the prayer of the Lord in John chapter 17: “That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that You have sent Me” (v. 21). This oneness is the building. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 1, “Preaching the Gospel in the Way of Life,” ch. 12)
True oneness is also the building. Do not think that this is my concept or that it is not supported by the revelation in the Bible. Through the type of the tabernacle in the Old Testament we can see that oneness is the building. (Life-study of John, msg. 41)
The most crucial point in the Christian faith is to know the Son of God and to hold to truth. We need to know this point and lead others to hold to truth and not be carried about by the winds of teaching. Even if we speak a thousand messages, they should all be to bring people into the unique way of Christ and the church. Regardless of what we speak, we should walk on this way. The work of the building up of the church is not to go out and impart doctrines but to rescue people from the realm of doctrine. We must speak until people no longer pay attention to doctrines but instead arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God and hold to truth, which is Christ and the church, His Body. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 4, “The Way of the Lord’s Recovery,” ch. 14)
Arriving at the Oneness of Practicality
In Ephesians chapter 4, the Greek word rendered arrive in verse 13 may also be rendered attain to. This indicates that a process is required for us to attain to or arrive at the practical oneness.
Between the oneness of reality and the oneness of practicality there is a distance. For this reason, there is the need to “arrive at” the oneness of practicality. The oneness of the Spirit is the beginning, whereas the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God is the destination. This indicates that we must journey from the oneness of the Spirit to the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God. In other words, we must travel from the oneness of reality until we arrive at the oneness of practicality.
The Full Knowledge of the Son of God
Being the Realization of the Revelation Concerning the Son of God
The full knowledge of the Son of God is the realization of the revelation concerning the Son of God for our experience. The Son of God refers to the Lord’s Person as life to us, whereas Christ refers to His commission to minister life to us that we, as members of His Body, may have gifts for function. The more we grow in life, the more we shall cleave to the faith and to the realization of Christ and the more we shall drop all the concepts concerning minor doctrines which cause divisions. Then we shall arrive at or attain to the practical oneness; that is to say, we shall arrive at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Several young men may be saved at the same time, through the preaching of the same evangelist. On the day they are saved, they all accept the faith. Afterward, however, they take in different doctrinal concepts. These concepts cause them to be divided from one another. In order for these believers to arrive at the oneness of the faith, they need to be perfected through the work of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. This work of perfecting will cause them to care for the oneness of the Spirit and to lay aside the divisive doctrines. As they arrive at the oneness of the faith, they no longer care for the various divisive doctrines, but care only for the unique faith concerning Christ and His redemptive work. By the perfecting work they also arrive experientially at the full knowledge of the Son of God. They do not pay attention to divisive doctrines or practices, but care only for Christ as the Son of God. They care for the full knowledge of the Son of God as life experientially. They desire more and more to experience Christ in their daily life. By arriving at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, these believers have not only the oneness of reality, but also the oneness of practicality. Now they are able to come together without division and to enjoy oneness in a practical way.
The Oneness in the Lord’s Recovery Being Such a Practical Oneness
The oneness in the Lord’s recovery is such a practical oneness. Our oneness is the oneness of our unique faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God in our daily experience of Him as our life. I believe that most of us in the Lord’s recovery have arrived at the oneness of practicality. Therefore, we are one both in reality and in practicality. (Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 43)
God’s Blessing Being Wherever the Building Is Manifested
The Lord said that if two or three are gathered in harmony, He will be with them, and their prayer will be answered (Matt. 18:19-20). In other words, God’s blessing is wherever the building is manifested. If one-tenth of the serving ones in Taipei are in one accord, God’s blessing will follow their service. On the contrary, even if there are no arguments in a locality, if there is no building, God’s blessing will not be present. God’s blessing is based on our one accord, being in harmony in spirit with one another, having real coordination, and having genuine oneness. For example, if five brothers and four sisters meet together, the brothers should be submissive toward one another just like the sisters. If a brother chooses a hymn, everyone should sing together with rejoicing. Such a condition and spirit will bring in God’s blessing. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 2, “The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word,” msg. 5)
THE GENUINE SERVICE DEPENDING ON THE BUILDING UP
The more we are built up together, the more we can function, and the more we can serve. The genuine service depends on the building up, which issues in the priesthood. We are a body of priests being built together as a spiritual house. The more we are built together in the church, the more we can serve. Our service depends on our being built up. I say again, growth is for the building, the building is for the service, and our service must be corporate, in the Body, for the Body, and in coordination. (CWWL, 1970, vol. 1, “Fulfilling God’s Purpose by Growing in Life and Functioning in Life to Build up the Church”, ch. 7)
MINISTERING TO THE HOUSE OR MINISTERING TO JEHOVAH?
Brothers and sisters, do you know what it is to minister to the house and what it is to minister to Jehovah? Do you know the difference between these two kinds of ministering? Many say that there is nothing better than ministering to the house! They seem to say, “You see me doing my best to make my work expand, to strive for the kingdom, to work in the Lord’s name, to bear the responsibility to help the church, and to earnestly endeavor to be the slave of the brothers. I do my best to render help to the brothers and sisters. I rush about to different places so as to make the church flourish and the work prosper.” Many feel that it would be wonderful if they could save sinners and ask them to join the church, thereby causing the church to grow in numbers. But I say this is merely ministering to the house. As far as God is concerned, besides this kind of ministering, there is another kind of ministering. In God’s eyes, not only is there the ministry to the house; there is also a better ministry. We are not only ministering before the Lord but also to the Lord. Here there is not only the ministering in the house, but there is also the ministering before the table. We are not only ministering before the Lord; rather, we are ministering to the Lord. This is a very different matter. These two are extremely different from each other. There is no similarity between them.
If you know the difference here, you will see what the Lord is after and what He has always been seeking. Brothers and sisters, please do not be mistaken. To minister to the Lord does not mean that you neglect the house. Rather, what I am saying is that there is not only ministering to the house, but there is something deeper, which is ministering to the Lord. There are many who only know how to minister to the house and not to the Lord.
The Ministering that the Lord Is After Being to Minister to Him
Brothers and sisters, let me ask something very frankly. Are we really ministering to the believers or to Him? Is the focus of our work really on the work or on the Lord? There is a great difference. Ministering to the house is extremely different from ministering to Jesus Christ. We can see many today ministering and serving, but they are only in the outer court. They have not come near to the table. Oh, many are ministering to the house and not to the Lord. The ministering that the Lord is after—the ministering that He is continually after—is to minister to Him. His desire is not for us to do His work. Laboring is certainly important, plowing the fields is important, and feeding the cattle is also important, but the Lord does not look at these things. Rather, He is after the ministering to God and the serving of God. He wants His slaves to minister to Him and to serve Him. Oh, how happy are those who are able to minister to Him.
Spending Time Before the Lord and Praying More
If we want to minister to the Lord in the Holy of Holies, we must spend time before the Lord and pray more. Otherwise, we will be inadequate. We need to pray to be ushered into God’s presence and to draw near to Him. Hence, to pray is to stand before God; it is to seek His will before Him. Thank the Lord that although every believer does not do this, some are standing before the Lord and following Him in the journey ahead. (CWWN, vol. 11, “The Present Testimony (4),” Ministering to the House or to God?)
Knowing God’s Principles, God’s Way of Doing Things, and God’s Nature
I would like to speak some words to the co-workers: if you have not learned to be dealt with by God and to deal with God, you can never go out to work because you are not yet even a proper Christian. If you do not know God’s principles, God’s way of doing things, and God’s nature, you are no different from other people. If you can only give people some spiritual theories, you cannot lead them on in the spiritual way. A person who has read a tour book on Hangchow or Peking has not necessarily been to Hangchow or Peking. A person who owns a cookbook has not necessarily eaten all the dishes in the cookbook. In the same way, if you merely understand the Bible, but have no experience, you can never lead others to the right way.
The most precious thing on earth today is the knowledge of God. However, in order to know God, we need to be dealt with by Him in everything. We need to be dealt with by Him in prayer, and we need to be dealt with by Him in matters related to His will. We need to deal with sin and our environment. When something happens, we need to ask, “What does this mean?” and “What is God after?” A lazy person can never know God. We can only know God through prayer and through communicating with Him. We should be like Paul who, after asking the Lord once without getting an answer, asked the Lord two or three times until the Lord spoke to him. We should also learn of our Lord. He prayed in Gethsemane the first time, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matt 26:39). He prayed a second time and a third time until He was completely clear on this matter. We also need to pray once, twice, three times until we get the answer from God. Only in this way can we know God. (CWWN, vol. 10, “The Present Testimony (3),” The Way to Know God (2))
ALL THE SHINING LOCAL CHURCHES
CONSUMMATING IN THE NEW JERUSALEM
We need a spirit of wisdom and revelation with the eyes of our heart being enlightened to see God’s vision and to know God’s economy in His wisdom. The center of God’s economy is His desire to have many sons constituted through transformation into one Body, which is the church to be expressed on this earth in many localities as local expressions, local churches, and all these local churches are one church. (CWWL, 1993, vol. 2, “The Issue of the Dispensing of the Processed Trinity and the Transmitting of the Transcending Christ,” ch. 5)
Today this corporate vessel is expressed in various localities as local churches, and all these churches are lampstands shining in this dark age. Eventually, all the shining local churches will consummate in the New Jerusalem, which will be the ultimate consummation of God’s move in His New Testament economy. (Life-study of Acts, ch. 64)
