The Coordination in One New Man
V. Examples of the coordination in the new man:
A. The coordination in daily life:
1. Focusing on Christ himself and dealing with our own feeling:
Case 1:
A couple engaged in overseas propagation lived with a local saint. They found that the pace of life there was much slower than their hometown. They felt uncomfortable in the coordination with the local saints because with a loose character, they always didn’t clean dish in time, and even they would continue to use it. But through pursuing the spiritual messages and praying together, a sweet blending was brought in. The husband helped his wife to put her feeling aside initiatively by praying with her, because she has a character of carefuln ess.
a. Influencing factors: the differences of custom and culture.
b. The key point of practice:
(1) Apply the cross of Christ to our culture to deal with our feeling.
(2) Concentrate ourselves on Christ himself through the spiritual pursuit and through prayer and fellowship in one accord.
2. Learning about the local habits and adapting to them:
Case 2:
The full-timers propagated abroad lived with a local family. they found that their personal belongings put in the living room and the fridge always be used by the local saints. They could not understand it at first. But because of the Lord’s move, they coordinated positively. Through the deeper blending in life, they knew that the belongings in the communal place, including personal belongings put in the communal place are public belongings. Then they accepted the habits, even sometimes they consecrate their things.
a. Influence factors: the differences of custom and culture.
b. The key point of practice:
(1) We need to accept the controlling of the vision of the Body of Christ.
(2) Clearing our background with the cross of Christ is good for us.
(3) We could observe deeply in our daily life, and fellowship euphemistically, then we will learn about the local habits and adapt ourselves to it.
3. Entering into the coordination according to the local habits:
Case 3:
The saints in India eat food with their hands rather than with chopsticks, and the pace of the life there is slow. Co-workers who arrived there put their original culture aside and blended into the local habits.
a. Influencing factors: the differences of custom and culture.
b. The key point of practice：:
(1) We need to clean up the background and enter into the coordination according to the local habits.
B. The coordination in service:
1. Knowing the social etiquette of the country:
Case 4:
A brother went to the airport to pick up some brothers, because he didn’t know the other country’s social etiquette, so he shake hands with them with the common way used in China. As a result, he was refused. Later, he learned that in their country, in the same situation, they will bow to each other. After that, through the blending with each other, brothers can deny their self and greet with each other in the way in the other country.
a. Influencing factors: the differences of custom and culture.
b. The key point of practice:
(1) We need to learn about the features of the culture in advance.
(2) We need to put our culture aside and adjust ourselves to the culture of others.
2. Clearing up the background by applying the cross of Christ
Case 5:
When Brother Spark came to China again, he had an intensively different view concerning some brothers as soldiers who leave the adjournment with wearing the cap in Taiwan. It is because that even the military will never wear a hat under the ceiling according to Western customs. Finally, this matter brings in trouble.
a. Influencing factors: the differences of custom and culture.
b. The key point of practice:
(1) We need to put aside the teachings and take Christ as our center.
(2) We need to apply the cross of Christ and clear up our own background.
3. Receiving saints according to Christ’s receiving
Case 6:
The overseas propagation full-timers contacted with the local saints full of zeal and love in the initial stage. However, because of some different concepts that he cannot receive，there are some troubles in the coordination among them. For instance, some local saints always regard foreigners are rich, including our brother, and also expect the help of them. Regarding this, our brother may have opinion to the local saints and can’t coordinate with them.
a. Influencing factors: the differences of custom and culture.
b. The key point of practice:
(1) We may experience the cross of Christ and accept Christ as our center.
(2) We need to receive saints according to the Lord’s receiving.
4. Taking care of the feeling of the listeners and trying to speak consultatively
Case 7:
When fellowshipping with the local brothers, we can talk about something concerning the burden and practice, but never say some word like “church in somewhere practice in this way” and so on.
a. Influencing factors: the skills of speaking.
b. The key point of practice：
(1) We need to take care of others’ feelings and try our best not to speak gruffly.
5. Blending actively and removing differences:
Case 8:
Some brothers from three different regions served in the same church. Because of the different concepts, it was difficult to coordinate and blended together for many years in the past. The number of the saints in that local church was millionth of the number of people in that city. By blending with churches in other city, they saw the blessing of the oneness in the Body of Christ. So they opened to each other, putting their concept aside, coordinating together, and the blessing of the multiplied came.
a. Influencing factors: differences in infrastructure ministry, the differences of custom and culture.
b. The key point of practicing:
(1) With the help of the Body of Christ, we can reach the harmony on the concept.
(2) Blending can remove our differences and bring us into a sweet coordination.
6. Showing clearly the principle, giving proper shepherding after rejecting them. and never keeping it in mind:
Case 9:
The propagation fund was kept by the full-timer A when he was working with a local saint. The local saint asked for some money for a piece of toothpaste from the propagation fund. Brother A told him the principle and refused him. Later, A took the initiative to fellowship with him and cherished him in every way and come to the Lord to pray. So that he could have no prejudice toward this brother, maintaining a pleasant coordination.
a. Influencing factors: the differences of custom and culture.
b. The key point of practice：
(1) We need to receive the saints according to God.
(2) We need to active with wisdom and refuse the improper requirement in a proper way.
(3) We should not keep the case in mind, but to be without prejudice.
7. Knowing the local coordination mode, and flexibly adjusting and blending into this mode:
Case 10:
Two couples went to received entrusted to propagate in a country. when they served for campus ministry, they were faithful to the Lord and labor a lot for work to practice the God-ordained way, therefore this brought in the Lord’s blessing to community and to raise the community brothers and sisters up to preach the gospel. Then they fellowshipped the burden with the local responsible brothers. There were three local responsible brothers; one of them who abandoned his job for full-time service was main responsible brother. When two propagating brothers fellowship this burden with the local brothers and got their agreement, the main serving one was absent at that time. After that four brothers started to gather all saints to registration of preaching the gospel. However, after the brother A returned to his country and acknowledged this matter, he sent the two propagating brother by some reasons. During this period, brother B and C were not in the presence with them.
a. Influencing factors: the difference of the service structure.
b. The key point of practice：:
(1) We should clean up the background and enter into the mode of the local coordination.
(2) Knowing the local coordination mode by observation: the decision is made by one person or more.
(3) We can fellowship the matter with proper brothers according to the specific circumstances by face to face or through Email to get the ratification. However, we need to care for the feelings of every responsible brother.
8. Matters concerning the church in the new propagating city should be fellowshipped with brothers in the church established earlier.
Case 11:
A full-timer went to a new city in a country for propagation. They fellowshipped the important decisions, such as conferences and training with brothers in the capital.
a. Influencing factors: the difference of the service structure.
b. The key point of practice： :
(1) We can have a tridimensional fellowship with brothers according to the local service structure with the principles of the divine fellowship.
(2) We need to respect the deputy authority and live in the position of obedience. Then the harmony of the coordination will be motivated.
9. Knowing who is response for the meeting, and fellowshipping the things related to the meeting actively
Case 12:
In a training, brother A entrusted brother B to arrange and print a schedule. But when brother B accomplished it, he didn’t inform brother A, and didn’t inform the schedule to the brother who was going to be in class.
a. Influencing factors: The concept of service.
b. The key point of practice：
(1) We need to learn to fellowship the arrangement to the brother who responsible for the meeting.
10. Leading people to Christ Himself from all the physical needs
Case 13:
A local brother always borrows money from the full-timers. The full-timers lead him to Christ from the physical needs by the fellowship based on 2Cor.6:10, which is “as poor yet enriching man”.
a. Influencing factors: The concept of service.
b. The key point of practice：
(1) Christ and His cross are the answers to all the questions.
(2) We need to lead people to Christ Himself.
11. Having humanity, but holding on the principle and never creating a precedent:
Case 14:
The one who propagated oversea shepherded the local saints who are too poor to borrow money from them by buying some nutrient rather than give them cash.
a. Influencing factors: The concept of service.
b. The key point of practice: concept concerning service.
(1) We need to have the proper humanity.
(2) When we make some decisions, we need to consider the possible result.
12. Practicing what is necessary according to the feeling of the local church, and being one with the church:
Case 15:
Brother Lee’s burden for the God-ordained way was heavy to a degree that he said he would exhaust his entire being, even unto death. However concerning the spreading of the new way, he still charged that “We should not push the congregation to take the God-ordained way”.
a. Influence factors: the difference of the practice of the new way.
b. The key point of practice:
(1) We need to try our best to avoid any kind of unity.
(2) We need to be one with the church where we are according to what the church there feels.
(3) We can do it by ourselves simply, if we have a burden to practice God-ordained way.
13. Respecting the local responsible brothers’ feeling:
Case 16:
The full-timers did not bring new believers to the church life according to the practice of the God-ordained way when they propagated somewhere. But the local brothers worried that the new believers would not be remained in the church.
a. Influence factors: the difference of the practice of the new way.
b. The key point of practice：
(1) We can pray with the responsible ones sufficiently and fellowship the burden, the reason with them in a harmony sphere.
(2) It is good for us to respect and transfer to the local burden, if the local minister who does not consent.
14. Fellowshipping actively according to the local service structure
Case 17:
A brother propagated abroad fellowshipped that if there were some proposal, we need to take the initiative to fellowship with the responsible brothers. If they approved this proposal, then take the boldness to do it; otherwise, if they disapprove it, we need to consider before the Lord and fellowship.
a. Influencing factors: the attitude to the deputy authority.
b. The key point of practice::
(1) We need to obey the deputy authority according to
15. Adjusting ourselves to fit in with others as soon as we can
Case 18:
In the coordination between the full-timers and the local deputy authority, the local ones always caused the full-timers unprepared because of their quickly changing on the decisions made before. But the full-timers exercise to adjust themselves to others quickly and respect them, then a wonderful coordination was brought in.
a. Influencing factors: the attitude to the deputy authority.
b. The key point of practice:
(1) We need to respect the deputy authority absolutely.
(2) We need to adjust ourselves to others as soon as we can.
16. Fellowshipping the advice actively and seeking the feeling of the Body of Christ, however, without insisting:
Case 19:
There are many years of church history in a city while there is no formed corn of service. After the full-timers who will propagate there arrived, they fellowshipped with brothers who are responsible there concerning the burden of setting up the prayer meeting, and brothers accepted their opinions happily. They established the prayer meeting and their fellowship was very sweet.
a. Influencing factors: the attitude to the deputy authority.
b. The key point of practice:
(1) We need to respect the leading brothers and fellowship with them when we have some burden.
17. Sisters should not give any opinion about the decision made in fellowship meeting:
Case 20:
If a sister speak some opinions concerning the decision made in the fellowship meeting, it is easy to cause something among brothers. So sisters need to keep the position with their head covered absolutely.
a. Influence factors: The attitude to the deputy authority.
b. The key point of practice：
(1) Sister as the helper of your brother should be kept on the position with her head covered.
18. Knowing the deputy authority and dealing with the flesh and self:
Case 21:
A brother propagated somewhere effectively. He raised the dead situation up with only several months. But because of the different opinions concerning some practice, he had some opinions to the leading brothers. He talked about the brothers behind them, even durned them. At last he quitted from his service.
a. Influence factors: the nature, flesh, self.
b. The key point of practice：
(1) We can apply the cross to deal with the flesh.
(2) We need to learn to receive the Lord’s sovereignty in every circumstance.
(3) We need to obey the deputy authority of God and respect leading brothers.
VI. Being in one accord for the Lord’s present move:
I hope that we could all be in one accord for the Lord’s present move. We cannot organize the one accord. The one accord comes out of our spirit. We must endeavor to do everything we can to keep the one accord among us for the sake of the Lord’s recovery. We should not do anything that would damage this one accord. We must be one with the church where we are according to what the church there feels it must practice presently. We must go on gradually and positively with the Lord. (Elders’ Training Book 9, The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (1), ch. 3, Carrying Out the God-ordained Way by a Revived Life.)
