Administration of the church and the ministry of the Word, week 1, chapter 1, Wednesday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH
AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER ONE

WEEK 1 - WEDNESDAY

Bible Reading: Acts 7:44-50

Read and pray: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

LEARNING THE PRINCIPLES TO ADMINISTER
THE CHURCH AND MINISTER THE WORD

Perhaps we do not have the ability to speak and exercise the ministry of the word like prophets, and not all of us have the ability to administer the churches like elders. However, there must be good elders and brothers capable of effectively ministering the word among us.

In principle, those who participate in God's work must learn to administer the church and exercise the ministry of the word. Although sisters, in the position of having their heads covered, should not be "female elders," in principle, they should learn to administer like the elders. All those who, in some way, participate in the work of God's building must learn to administer the church and minister the word.

All who serve must know these two matters. If we do not know them, we are not fit for God's work. The administration of the church and the ministry of the word are two lessons we must learn because the building up of the church depends on them.

The development of the church first requires the administration of the church and then the ministry of the word. However, the sequence in the Bible presents these two matters in reverse order. When the church is living in normality, the administration of the church is not so crucial. However, when the church enters into degradation and disorder, there is a need for the administration of the church and the ministry of the word.

These two matters go hand in hand; it is difficult to say which comes first and which follows. Therefore, the brothers, especially those who minister the word and serve as elders, need to realize the responsibility they have.

The conditions of God's building—whether a church is strong or weak—depend on its administration carried out by the elders and on the word delivered by the ministry. The elders and those who minister the word are skilled workers, and they are assisted by others who do not have the same skill.

This can be compared to the construction of a house with skilled workers along with others who are not as skilled. Whenever the skilled workers are weak, the administration of the church and the ministry of the word there will be weak, and the less skilled co-workers will be confused and not know what to do. But whenever the more skilled workers are strong in carrying out the work, it will be easy for the others to cooperate.

This is the condition of the local church. When the ministry of the word and the administration of the church are strong, those who do not have much experience can have a beautiful coordinated action. However, when the administration of the elders and the ministry of the word are weakened, the church will be in disorder, even if the saints are busy preaching the gospel and instructing others with all zeal. In this case, the building up will not happen, because the more they "build," the more it will collapse. The building up of the church depends on the administration of the church and the ministry of the word. Those involved in the work need to understand the principle of these two matters.

THE CONDITION OF THE ADMINISTRATION

OF THE CHURCH AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD DEPENDS ON OUR PERSON

The condition of the administration of the church and the ministry of the word depends on us. We are the ones who determine the condition of these two things. The central work of God is building up, which in turn depends on the administration of the church and the ministry of the word. The kind of person we are determines how we administer the church and minister the word. These two services cannot be independent of our person.

This is similar to the fact that houses built by Westerners have a Western appearance, while houses built by Chinese people have a Chinese appearance. We build according to our personality. This is especially true in spiritual matters. For this reason, it is inadequate to simply study how to administer the church and minister the word. Rather, we need to understand that the way is ourselves. The way of administering the church is related to the person who administers it, and the kind of person we are determines how we administer. It is inadequate to learn simply in an external way; we need to deal with ourselves.

After a long period without rest, I gained from God the inward realization that He is carrying out a work of building up in this age. In Manila, the capital of the Philippines, I released more than fifteen messages related to building up. When I went to Hong Kong, the brothers wanted me to perfect them in certain matters.

I emphasized to those who served that it is inadequate to simply be busy doing something. We need to understand that God desires building up. During this period in Taipei, I was able to perceive many things concerning God's building and those who serve. When I envision the two together—God's building and those who serve—I feel very sad and inwardly burdened, because our condition is far from God's building.

Enjoy more: Hymn 290