There are certain matters that cause me to suffer. After hearing a brother speak, some came to me and complained that he had attacked others in his message. When the brothers give messages, their purpose should be to instruct. Regarding the content of the messages, I don’t believe they speak heresies. But there is also no need to attack others while speaking. If we are driven by emotional issues in our activity, we will not carry out the work of building up.
The saints have the simplicity of children. The brothers must cooperate with God in order to speak from God, for the purpose of building up, not tearing down. Those who minister the word should not offer help with one hand while spreading germs with the other. Otherwise, the saints will be both taught and hurt at the same time. This results in the tearing down of the building.
After hearing a message given by a young person, some came to me and questioned what he had said. This indicates that there is a thorn in his work that makes people uncomfortable.
We may think we are doing a work, yet we do not realize that there is a thorn interfering with it. This kind of work is unprofitable. Our messages should not attack people; they should be positive.
Our speaking must convey life. It should not lead people to make negative comparisons or to feel critical or judgmental. The goal of our speaking is building up. Therefore, we should not give the saints the impression that what we say is superior to what others say. Instead, the saints should sense that our word is in harmony with that of others. They should not feel that one brother is attacking another in his preaching. Although they speak from different perspectives, they are one.
For this reason, we must strive to speak words that build up. This requires that we be broken and built up together. Otherwise, it will not be possible to carry out God’s work. This is a solemn matter.
Even though the churches are founded on a proper basis, the situation among them appears to be one of autonomous government. We should not have distinct local aromas; instead, we should have only the aroma of Christ.
For example, if we go to the city of Kaohsiung, we should sense that we are simply the church in Kaohsiung. A believer can only be in one city, and should serve there for the building up.
However, this can cause a new problem if the church in a city is unwilling to maintain fellowship with others. When several cities were raised up by the Lord, the brothers did not know how to administrate the church, and thus depended on other churches. For example, the churches in Taiwan and in Kangshan depended on the church in Kaohsiung.
After progressing somewhat, they began to take care of themselves without depending on Kaohsiung. Even though they do not argue, dispute, or contend with the church in Kaohsiung, they have an autonomous government. Those in Kaohsiung may even break bread with them, yet there is a feeling of independence. There is not even building up among the saints individually.
The lack of building among the churches results from the lack of building among the saints. The brothers responsible for the young people’s work do not depend on one another for life. This is very disappointing. They are intelligent and skillful and feel that working alone is more effective.
However, such individual labor will not yield results. Even though they do not fight or argue with others, they are unable to work together and serve the Lord with one soul. Therefore, there is no blessing.
We cannot deceive others regarding our true condition. When others touch our spirit, they can perceive our real condition and know for certain whether or not we are honest. Those responsible for the young people’s work do not have a corporate spirit. They may even say that they need one another and cannot be independent; however, in their hearts, they do not want to work with others.
If we want to have the Lord’s blessing and His presence, and if we want others to be perfected, we must learn to be built up together. We need to do every work in the position, atmosphere, and spirit of being built together. Only then will our effort produce the result that God seeks and blesses. If we are truly enlightened by God concerning this truth, we will bow before Him and say: "I cannot live apart from others. I need to be built up, regardless of how spiritual I am."
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