THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH
AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
CHAPTER EIGHT:
THE BUILDING UP OF THE CHURCH REQUIRES
KNOWLEDGE OF DIFFERENT MATTERS
WEEK 6 - MONDAY
Bible Reading: Matt. 6:2-4; Luke 21:3; 2 Cor. 9:7
Read and pray: “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” (Matt. 6:3)
THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING DIFFERENT MATTERS
In this chapter we will consider the various matters we need to know. For the building up of the church, we must know both people and different matters. If we only want to be zealous persons who preach the gospel to save sinners and speak the truth to perfect the saints, there is no need to acquire knowledge concerning various matters.
However, if we want to build up the church, we need to know people and various matters. We need to know those we contact and those who desire to serve the Lord. We must know their motivations and whether their flesh has been crucified, and we must also know their spirit. Furthermore, we need to understand the nature, result, relationship, and impact of these matters.
There are many aspects of things we must know. For example, a brother who loves the Lord may say that the Lord moved him to offer twenty thousand dollars to the church. On one hand, we should thank the Lord and rejoice that this brother is willing to be used by the Lord in this way. On the other hand, we must realize that this matter is not simple.
We need to have understanding regarding the matter of offering—that is, we need to understand the motivation, nature, method, and purpose of the brother’s offering. We must also know the possible results and influence of his offering. If we simply thank the Lord and accept it, our work may not result in building up the church but in tearing it down.
We must seek to be enlightened by the Lord through prayer and consideration in order to examine the background and history of the person making the offering. We must take into account his reputation and position in society, as well as the origin of the money he offers. We must also consider his intentions before the Lord and the spirit of his offering.
When the elders receive a large amount of money as an offering for the church, they must spend time understanding how that amount was obtained. They must also seriously consider the possible effects, direct or indirect, of receiving it. In other words, the elders must have a basic knowledge concerning this specific matter.
Suppose another brother says that he wants to offer fifty thousand dollars to help the needy saints. Although this seems good, it is not that simple. We should not simply thank the Lord for this brother, thinking this is a timely offering to help the needy saints. We should not think that just by distributing fifty thousand dollars among the poor in the church the church will be built up. On the contrary, we must consider whether the offering might cause the church to collapse.
This can be compared to a surgery that causes death instead of healing or food that makes someone sick instead of nourishing them. In building up the church, we cannot be so simplistic. We must learn to have a full understanding of the situation we are facing. Only then can we determine what we should do and how to do it.
Discerning matters is related not only to the administration of the church but also to the ministry of the word. We may preach messages that discourage rather than encourage if we lack knowledge of a certain matter. Therefore, if we want to learn to build up the church, we must learn to discern situations.
We must learn to know all matters that are directly or indirectly related to the church, as long as they are matters we can investigate and contact. Our ability to administrate the church depends on our capacity to know people and matters. Our ability to preach the word and work for the Lord depends on whether or not we know people and matters.
Even our ability to visit and help others depends on such knowledge. Some responsible brothers act inappropriately in church administration because they lack knowledge concerning various matters.
Some messages may instruct the saints but result in tearing down the church rather than building it up. This results from inadequate knowledge regarding matters. A lack of knowledge can also lead us to tear down the church while thinking we are building it up.
CARING FOR NEEDY SAINTS
Two Western brothers, one of whom was a doctor, were with us for some time, but their work did not bring us much benefit. They desired to serve among the saints, but we felt they did not gain much themselves, nor did they benefit the brothers much.
The lack of fruit was not related to teaching, but to the building up of the church. Regarding the building up of the church, we felt that receiving them into the service would result in great loss. As servants of the Lord, we should not gossip or be careless in discussing this matter. The fact, however, is that contact with these two brothers gave rise to many problems instead of building up the church.
According to our discernment, problems could arise because we did not fully know what kind of people they were. We were not sure what they were capable of doing or what the result of their work would be. Those who contacted them were confused and uncertain.
They helped many saints with their medical knowledge, charged nothing, and even paid for some hospital expenses. However, all the work they did resulted in tearing down the church, not building it up.
One day, my wife and I went to visit the brother who was a doctor. On the way, we saw a sister whose child had contracted tuberculosis and had been operated on twice by him. She felt it was the mercy of God that the brother had charged her only half the fee for the first surgery and performed the second free of charge.
On one hand, he was kind and cared for the poor. On the other hand, those whom he helped were grateful to him but did not gain more of Christ. Therefore, it was not for the building up of the church. Moreover, those he helped did not feel uplifted; instead, they felt inferior to him and to the responsible brothers.
For this reason, what the brother did out of love actually brought tearing down to the church, not building up. If he had had the burden to help the saints materially, he could have accepted the medical fees and been led by the Lord to place the amount in the offering box. In this way, the brothers would have received help directly from God's hand. They would not have felt humiliated before men nor thought the help came from men or the church. They would only have felt that God had visited them. This would have built them up with a noble character.
If our help causes the brothers to feel inferior or indebted to us, we are tearing down the church instead of building it up. Our help should not cause others to feel grateful to us. In other words, they should not feel inferior to us. They should not feel like our beneficiaries.
If we cause such feelings in people, we are a charity institution, not the church. The saints should not simply feel thankful to us, the church, or the elders. We must lead them to Christ. Only such a result produces the building up of the church.
If we maintain the attitude of giving alms, showing charity, or providing assistance to needy saints, we will corrupt the Lord’s church. Although the sister whose son had tuberculosis was very grateful to the Lord and praised Him, her entire being had been corrupted. In her humiliation, she became dependent on others and even subservient to them. Those who continuously receive help from others cannot be built up in character, and the church, in turn, cannot be built up either.
In this respect, the two Western brothers truly needed our fellowship. However, we were not able to help them. This proves that we lacked discernment regarding these matters. Moreover, due to this lack, our work here could not build up the church. When we care for needy brothers, we must consider whether our care is for their building up or their tearing down. This depends on our ability to discern matters.
Enjoy more: Hymn 152
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