The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 10, chapter 14, Saturday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH’S FOUNDATION

WEEK 10 – SATURDAY

Bible reading: 1 Cor. 12

Read and pray: “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.” (1 Corinthians 12:18)

THE FOUNDATION OF LOCALITY

IS THE FOUNDATION OF OUR EXISTENCE

I realize that Brother Austin-Sparks was trying to correct us out of care for us. He had no bad intentions. However, it was like a doctor who makes a wrong diagnosis. What he considered to be our illness is actually our life. The local ground is not a sickness. If this element is removed, we cannot go on living.

It’s like someone who drinks tea and then breaks the teapot. He doesn’t realize that the teapot is needed to make more tea. Tea needs the teapot in order to exist. The blessing we experience comes from the fact that we remain on the ground of locality. We depend on this ground for our existence. It is what sustains us. So if we let others take it away from us, our “teapot” will be gone—not only the teapot they hate so much, but also the tea they enjoy.

So this is not a matter of good or bad intentions; we never doubted Brother Austin-Sparks’s intentions. He cared for us with a pure and zealous heart. We are very grateful for that. However, the foundation is a matter of revelation and not of personal opinion. This fellowship aims to give us light. If we ignore this fellowship, history will repeat itself, and there will be no blessing.

RECEIVING OTHERS WITHOUT

DAMAGING THE LORD’S TESTIMONY

Over the past two thousand years, God has raised up many useful ministries. In the United States, there are strong ministries in gospel preaching. God is great and has already raised up many spiritual people. Brother Austin-Sparks is one example. Even though he defends a ground very close to the local ground, he is not on the local ground.

There have been many people throughout history who have taken such a position. Some, though not standing on the local ground, have received more biblical revelation than we have. We are happy to receive supply from them, because these are riches God has given to His Church.

Even some people who were in Catholicism, like Madame Guyon or Brother Lawrence, were very important and spiritually gifted. We must receive the spiritual supply that comes through each of them. At the same time, however, we must be very clear that the Lord has raised us up to bear testimony of the one Body, so that there might be a built-up expression and representation in each city.

We do not demand that everyone have this vision. But we ask all the coworkers, whether brothers or sisters, to do their best to minister the gospel and the truth without touching or damaging the foundation of the church. If they are willing to cooperate, there will be no problem; but if they touch or damage the foundation, they will bring us many difficulties.

May the Lord grant us the grace to have a clear vision of these messages as we go forward. We must be sure of our standing and humble in receiving anything that may benefit us regarding the gospel, the truth, and the spiritual supply. But we must also be fully aware of the testimony the Lord wants us to bear.

We must hold this testimony firmly. We must not be foolish—neither holding this vision without standing on the ground, nor holding the ground while rejecting spiritual riches.

If we are firm in this matter, we will be able to help those we come into contact with. We receive spiritual supply from others, and we also help them. We must receive others’ help humbly and also know our testimony and our ground.

Whenever we contact others, we must bring them help. We should not speak about things that will not perfect them. Everything should be done unto building up. We should never withhold what may benefit others. If we can help others in this way without giving up our standing, the Lord’s testimony will be built up.

We should receive Brother Austin-Sparks’s portion. The problem came because he went beyond his portion and caused us harm. Moreover, the problem was worsened because some of our brothers lacked proper light. If Brother Austin-Sparks had not gone beyond his portion, there would have been no problem.

Likewise, if all our brothers had had a conviction about this matter, then even if Brother Austin-Sparks had gone beyond the limits, we would not have had any problems. Thus, the key is for us to have clarity concerning the foundation. If we are sure, no one will be able to shake us easily. People may say whatever they want—we will not waver.

We still maintain a normal relationship with Brother Austin-Sparks. Our relationship has not been affected. What we are emphasizing is how difficult it is for us to accept something different from us when it comes to the foundation of the church and the revelation of this truth, because the foundation of the church is our life, and it affects our testimony.

Enjoy more: Hymn 239

“Experience of Christ — As Life”

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The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 10, chapter 14, Friday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH GROUND

WEEK 10 – FRIDAY

Bible Reading: Acts 4:29; Rom. 8:31–39

Read and pray: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or anxiety, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” (Rom. 8:35)

In northern China I was imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese because I was unwilling to compromise. Had I compromised with the denominations, I would not have been imprisoned or had so much trouble. I was put in prison because I was not willing to cooperate with the denominations.

Our friends in the denominations wanted to draw me to their side, to make me like them, but I stood firm. For this reason they spoke unfavorably about me to the Japanese military police, who eventually arrested me.

After three weeks of interrogation, the Japanese military police could not find any evidence against me. Then they said: “Mr. Lee, we’ve interrogated you for three and a half weeks, but we can’t find anything wrong with you. [...] Why is it that those in Christianity don’t speak well of you?” Their question made me realize that those in the denominations had spoken all kinds of evil about me to the Japanese.

The president of the United Christian Association, who was a former classmate and neighbor of a brother among us, heard of my arrest by the Japanese. Before I was imprisoned, the wife of a pastor spoke to a crowd in front of her house, expressing joy that the Japanese would discipline me.

Because I never cooperated with the denominations, they wanted the Japanese to discipline me. I was truly under threat of death while in prison, for to the Japanese military police, killing a Chinese was as easy as killing a chicken. The Lord preserved my life during that time.

After I was released from prison, our friends in the denominations asked me once again to cooperate with them. They did not pressure me; rather, I was informed that twelve congregations would participate in a conference and one speaker from each congregation would give a sermon. I was also told on which day I should preach. I told the brothers that even if I were to die, I would not preach that sermon.

Then an older brother accompanied me on a visit to the president of the United Christian Association, as I felt it was courteous to inform him that I could not accept the engagement. The president thought I should consider and pray about it. When I said there was no need to pray, he said, “Mr. Lee, what you are doing is very dangerous.” I solemnly replied, “Since you said that, I want you to know that the worst you can do is have me arrested and thrown into prison again.”

It was hard to believe that they used the word “dangerous” when asking for my cooperation. I believe this was the enemy’s scheme to force us to become like institutionalized Christianity. At that time, those in that Christianity hated that we were different from them. If we had reconciled with them and become like them, the enemy would have applauded loudly, for his scheme would have succeeded.

What God has shown us is not merely a matter of salvation or spirituality. He has shown us where a Christian should and should not be. This is the testimony we have been bearing for over thirty years. Satan, however, has been pushing us away from this testimony, wanting us to reconcile with institutional Christianity. If that happens, Satan will have succeeded. Therefore, we must be clear and realize our need to maintain this distinction.

THE PRACTICE OF THE

GROUND BRINGS BLESSING

Brother Austin-Sparks did not know this when he came to Taiwan. He left Taiwan in March and arrived in London in April. In May, he wrote an article in his magazine in which he praised us, saying: “For many days I spoke during the day to over five hundred selected Christian workers and at night to about two thousand believers. Moreover, we visited churches for several days, and all the ones we visited were fervent. The faces of the brothers shone, eagerly waiting for fellowship with us. They devoured every word we spoke.” Brother Austin-Sparks treated us with great honor. However, I would like to ask him if he knows the main reason our work has been successful.

Many may think the main reason is the work of the Holy Spirit. We agree. But why would the Holy Spirit not bless a work carried out on other grounds? I believe Brother Austin-Sparks met many missionaries from the West and people from other groups while in Taiwan.

All were working zealously. They had more resources than we did and were more talented. Some among them were even better educated than we were and had better reputations. Why then did Brother Austin-Sparks not praise their work? Why does the Holy Spirit not work among them? We clearly realize that if we have obtained any praiseworthy results, it is because we have not reconciled with the denominations.

Had we worked in reconciliation with the denominations since 1949, we would not have achieved the same results. The main reason our work is praised is that we have the ground. Unfortunately, Brother Austin-Sparks saw the result but did not recognize the reason behind it.

Enjoy more: Hymn S-99

The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 10, chapter 14, Thursday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH
AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH GROUND

WEEK 10 - THURSDAY

Bible reading: Rev. 1

Read and pray: “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is coming, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.” (Rev. 1:4)

PROBLEMS CAUSED

BY BROTHER AUSTIN-SPARKS

DURING HIS SECOND VISIT TO TAIWAN

Brother Austin-Sparks’ first visit to Taiwan was meant to supply us spiritually. That visit caused us no problems because we did not touch the matter of the ground. It was a very pleasant time. His second visit, however, brought us much sorrow. He should have kept the attitude of ministering to us spiritually and not touched the matter of the ground. If he had done so, there would have been no problem.

But during his second visit, he went beyond the limit of his ministry and not only questioned us about the practice of the ground of the church, but also interfered in this matter. A brother suggested that perhaps I had misunderstood Brother Austin-Sparks. I also hoped it was just a misunderstanding and that Brother Austin-Sparks did not oppose us in this matter. During his visit, however, a group of saints began to waver, thinking it was not necessary to care for the ground, and that being spiritual was enough. That shows that it was not just a misunderstanding.

Brother Austin-Sparks rebuked us openly, not just in private conversations. In one meeting, he publicly said, “You limit Christ to a place, and in this way, you make Him a small Christ and the church a small church.” These words show that he insisted on his opinion. This is the problem we faced.

We need to be clear about the testimony the Lord desires us to bear in His recovery. We thank the Lord for all among us who are strong in the gospel for the salvation of souls. However, if you act or speak in a way that affects the ground and our testimony, we will have problems. As long as what you do does not affect this testimony and ground, you may exercise your portion, and we will receive you and consider you as a co-worker, a dear brother. We are not narrow.

For example, there was a sister in Hong Kong who did not have the vision of the ground, but who had spiritual fellowship with us. She bore the burden to serve the Lord in the East. She wanted to be with a group of God’s children seeking to please God’s will and to be spiritual, so she chose to be among us. Her joining us was for spiritual supply, not for the ground.

Therefore, we accepted her as a co-worker even though she was not clear about the ground. This is because, spiritually, she was truly a co-worker. She did not interfere with our practice of the ground. She endeavored to carry out her portion so the brothers might be perfected. We acknowledged her contribution and did not try to persuade her to be one with us in the matter of the ground.

She had no problem with us. However, she needed to know that she had joined a group of brothers who were on the ground and were one in the ground. Even if the leading ones turned away to love the world, they would still continue on this way, because this is the way the Lord desires.

THERE IS NO RECONCILIATION

OUTSIDE OF THE GROUND

Since we have seen the vision of the ground, we must hold it firmly and immovably. There is no such thing as a middle ground. There is no neutral ground. If the ground of denomination is right, we should not have another. We should all worship God in the denominations. If the ground of denomination is wrong, there can be no reconciliation with it. We must be absolutely clear about this.

Reconciliation, in this case, will not lead to blessing. On the contrary, it will cause suffering to both parties. There have already been many cases of compromise among us. Some involved individuals, others involved a group; some occurred in southern China, others in the north. The results have always been damage and loss; neither side was built up and all our efforts were in vain.

Furthermore, most of those who tried to reconcile with the denominations eventually went their way. As a result, they became people without vision. We must never think that those in the denominations can help us. We must realize that not only can they not help us, but if we try to reconcile with them, we will be influenced by them.

Enjoy more: Hymn 376

The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 10, chapter 14, Wednesday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH'S GROUND

WEEK 10 – WEDNESDAY

Bible Reading: Eph. 4:11–16

Read and pray: “To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both theirs and ours.” (1 Cor. 1:2)

CONCERNING BROTHER

T. AUSTIN-SPARKS

Our relationship with Brother T. Austin-Sparks was not based on the ground of the church; rather, it was based on spiritual aspects. We were certain of God’s desire for us in the East, but we also felt that we should receive supply from other ministries. Even though they had no clear ground, standing, or background, these ministries still had a portion in the spiritual ministry. This principle applies both to those who are still alive and to those who have already passed away.

Madame Guyon, for example, had a spiritual ministry, yet she was Catholic. The fact that she was within Catholicism should not be a reason to reject the spiritual supply from her portion. However, this does not mean that we would receive the peculiar elements of Catholicism.

According to this principle, we should receive supply from Dr. F. B. Meyer, Andrew Murray, and Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis. We received all the spiritual riches we could find in books written throughout the centuries that spoke concerning the gospel, the divine life, or the truth. Yet we rejected their ground—that is, the organizational institution they represented—because it did not correspond to our testimony and could even damage it.

Brother Nee had fellowship with Brother Austin-Sparks concerning this matter. Brother Nee also did his best to receive spiritual help from the group around Brother Austin-Sparks, but the ground of the church was not a factor in our relationship with him.

For this reason, since Brother Nee had already said that Brother Austin-Sparks was not as clear as we were regarding the ground of the church, we did not ask him what his standing was concerning it.

OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD

BROTHER AUSTIN-SPARKS

The group around Brother Austin-Sparks in London had already left the denominations. Therefore, his position was clearer than Andrew Murray’s and more developed in this regard than Dr. Meyer’s and Mrs. Penn-Lewis’s. Thus, on the positive side, he was practically blameless. On the negative side, however, he was not as definite as we were in the East.

We had already understood that the ground of the church is one and that there should be only one church in each city. We were very clear on this point from the beginning. Even though we were different from Brother Austin-Sparks regarding the ground, this did not lead us to reject him or his spiritual supply.

Our attitude was to receive the spiritual supply from all the ministries the Lord had given to His church throughout the centuries, regardless of their position or background. We would not be influenced by their background. This was our attitude.

Since Brother Austin-Sparks’s vision differed from ours concerning the ground, Brother Nee said it was not yet the time to invite him. And not only that—Brother Austin-Sparks had a certain spiritual influence on some, and thus, had he been invited to visit China, it would have caused problems.

We were only able to understand this later. I mention this so that we may understand our testimony and what the proper attitude should be concerning this testimony.

Enjoy more: Hymn 123

“In Remembrance of Him”

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The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 10, chapter 14, Tuesday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH GROUND

WEEK 10 - TUESDAY

Bible Reading: 1 Tim. 6:3-10; 2 Tim. 1:13-14; 3:16-17; 4:2-3

Read and pray: “To those who are without law, as without law (though not being without law to God but under the law of Christ), that I might gain those who are without law.” (1 Cor. 9:21)

THE LORD'S SPECIAL
COMMISSION TO US (3)

We sought to receive the spiritual heritage from others; we accepted things related to the gospel and the truth. However, this attitude led Brother Yu Cheng-hwa to the boldness of accepting everything from Madame Guyon, including things peculiar to Catholicism.

He acted this way because the co-workers had adopted the attitude of accepting anything related to the gospel, spirituality, or the truth that anyone had to offer, regardless of the denomination or sect they belonged to, as long as it did not sacrifice our ground.

In the co-workers’ meeting held in Shanghai in 1937, we fellowshipped concerning the line of Antioch. Brother Nee suggested that we proceed in two ways. On the one hand, we would all go to various places and establish meetings for propagation; on the other hand, those among us who were convicted of the truth would endeavor to work within the denominations, imparting the truth and supplying spiritual nourishment. After this fellowship, we began to carry out the work in these two aspects.

However, not long after this fellowship, the war with Japan broke out. This brought the propagation work to a halt. At that time, there were many intellectuals among us; many worked in the medical and educational fields.

During the war, many of them moved to provinces far from the front lines and were evacuated from areas occupied by the Japanese, such as Nanking. Only after the war ended did we begin to gather again in those places.

During the war, Satan was active and struck Brother Nee with a severe blow. As a result, those who had moved far from the war zones received very little supply, and the believers in enemy-occupied territories were weak. In this way, the testimony was weakened everywhere.

In this weakened condition, we realized that those working in the denominations were more effective in evangelizing, were like us in terms of spirituality, and were producing people who understood the truth. It seemed that bringing people out of the denominations was our only accomplishment. Our situation was sad and gloomy.

After the war, the leaders experienced great difficulties among themselves, having gone through a long period of neglect, trials, and frustration. The churches went through various trials. When the saints returned to Shanghai, all the co-workers gathered and had fellowship.

Based on our insights and experiences, we decided that we should maintain the testimony of our initial vision—the testimony of one church in each city—and that we should build all spiritual matters upon this ground.

We would continue to accept elements related to the gospel, spirituality, and the truth from other denominations or sects. The only thing we would not relinquish and would insist upon was the ground of the church. We would continue to insist on taking one city as the ground for one church and would hold firmly to the testimony of the Body of Christ.

Enjoy more:

Hymn “The Church—The Lampstand of Christ”

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The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 10, chapter 14, Monday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE GROUND OF THE CHURCH

WEEK 10 – MONDAY

Bible Reading: Rev. 1–3

Read and pray: “who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all that he saw.” (Rev. 1:2)

THE LORD’S SPECIAL

COMMISSION TO US (2)

Over the past twenty years, we have had many experiences and suffered many attacks. Although we were affected to some extent by these blows, we did not give up the testimony that had been committed to us.

There were spiritual people and evangelical giants who had influence over us. We were inferior to them in terms of the power of the gospel and also in certain spiritual matters. Nevertheless, we felt that we had a testimony to uphold. At times we asked ourselves whether we were not in fact being radical. We wondered why those who were powerful in preaching the gospel and were spiritual did not pay attention to the testimony of the church.

We were tested many times in this regard. However, we can testify that we gained greater and greater clarity as we were tested. Today, God’s purpose on earth is not merely to save souls or to raise up spiritual individuals; rather, His desire is to build up His corporate testimony in every city. We were fully convinced of this.

PROBLEMS WE ENCOUNTERED

AND OUR SOLUTIONS

We analyzed how to deal with the difficulties brought to us by those powerful evangelists and spiritual people who did not maintain the testimony of the church. We sought the Lord, asking what kind of attitude we should have toward them. There were indeed some men who were powerful in the gospel.

For example, Dr. John Sung was an evangelist at the time we gained clarity concerning this testimony in 1935. He went everywhere preaching the gospel. Regardless of whether his jumping, agitation, shouting, and crying came from the flesh or included something of the Spirit, wherever he went, thousands of people repented every time he preached. He was powerful in the gospel, but he always criticized us. We didn’t know what attitude to take toward him, and our co-workers considered this a serious problem.

There was also Pastor Chia, a man influential in the truth and highly regarded among theologians. Although he appreciated us, he opposed us for taking this way. A prominent theological school, the Chinese Women’s Seminary, in River Bay, Shanghai, also opposed us to the point of forbidding their students from attending our meetings in Shanghai. It was difficult to know what attitude to adopt when those who excelled in the gospel or had great spiritual influence opposed us.

In the spring of 1934, Brother Nee and I drove to River Bay. It was a long journey during which he opened his heart to me. He asked what I thought we should do since so many were against us. We could not deny that some preached the gospel very powerfully. Neither could we deny that others were indeed very spiritual: they led people to love the Lord, spoke of the way of the cross, and instructed many in the truth. Yet they rejected us. We were tested in this regard and didn’t know what attitude to take.

After much consideration, study, fellowship, and seeking the Lord, all the co-workers eventually came to the realization that we could not let go of our testimony nor abandon the ground upon which we were standing.

We could accept the gospel being preached with power and accept the spiritual aspects, including the need to be perfected in the truth and in life; however, we could by no means hesitate concerning the ground and the testimony.

We could have fellowship and share with other believers regarding spiritual matters, exchanging spiritual things with one another. We should have mutual fellowship in the gospel, in spiritual matters, and in the truth, but we could not compromise the ground of the church. We decided that this would be our attitude.

Enjoy more: Hymn 476

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The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 10, chapter 14, Sunday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH’S FOUNDATION

WEEK 10 – SUNDAY

Bible Reading: Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5

Read and pray: "But with the voice of thanksgiving I will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!" (Jonah 2:9)

THE LORD’S SPECIAL COMMISSION TO US

We recognize that the Lord has used many forms and many workers to save thousands of people. Not so much through us but through others, God has done much concerning salvation. In reality, we need to learn from others regarding the many ways to lead people to salvation.

God has also done much concerning life through others, and their work has been very good. This is true in the Western world and also in China. The Lord has done much in the East and the West regarding helping people to be spiritual, to consecrate themselves, to love Him, to live in His presence, to fear Him, and to walk with Him.

However, the Lord gave us a special commission concerning one church in one city, concerning the building up and the expression of the Body of Christ. Besides us, no one else has paid attention to these matters. We are the only ones who have, and we have even suffered opposition because of it.

We have been attacked by many outsiders mainly because of these points. They argue that it is enough to save people and help them be spiritual, but there is no need to care about gathering and being built up in each city to be the expression of the Body of Christ.

They claim that if we simply care about salvation and spirituality, there will be no problems related to denominations, the church, and the church’s foundation. They say people can be saved in the Catholic church as well as in the Presbyterian church and can be spiritual in either.

Some believers feel they can be spiritual by themselves; they also feel that since they are spiritual, they can join together to be one in spirit. Some who have felt this way included Mr. Chia, the main pastor of the Presbyterian church, Mr. Kao, the main pastor of the Quaker church, and Cheng, a spiritual Christian worker.

They were all very spiritual. They thought that by being in Christ and in the Holy Spirit, they could join together to form a spiritual group where they would care for the work together. So they published a magazine called The Spiritual Light and invited sister Ruth Lee to be the editor.

In 1925, after understanding the unity of the church and the sin of denominationalism, sister Ruth Lee was no longer willing to serve as editor and decided to resign. However, the pastors did not agree. Later, when the Chinese nationalist government was engaged in fighting against rebellious military leaders, some communist soldiers of the nationalist army burned down church buildings in Nanking and arrested preachers. The office of The Spiritual Light magazine was not spared.

I respected these spiritual people. I can still testify with a pure conscience that they were consecrated Christians who lived in the Lord’s presence. Yet the local ground and the building up of the Body of Christ are not mere matters we minister; they relate to our testimony.

I spoke with Pastor Chia and Pastor Cheng. I could only humbly receive their spiritual instructions, confessing that they were God-fearing, spiritual, experienced brothers who lived in the Lord’s presence. Yet they did not know or understand that God commissioned us with the testimony of the local expression of the Body. They even exhorted me not to insist on this point.

On one occasion, in 1937, I happened to meet Pastor Cheng on the same train. I do not remember the details of the conversation, but I remember well that he exhorted me not to be so insistent.

He told me it was enough to preach the gospel diligently to save souls and to speak of God’s truth to nourish and perfect others. He said this is the height of a Christian. His attitude was sincere, and he really esteemed and admired us.

By our manner of speaking and attitude, he knew we were firm regarding the truth and had a firm foundation. For this reason, Pastor Cheng and even Pastor Chia liked us. We also respected them greatly before the Lord, just as we would respect older, more experienced brothers.

We also maintained fellowship with a pastor named Ting and respected him. He was in his seventies when I was still in my thirties. He was an elderly man who lived in the Lord’s presence. We respected and loved him, as he also loved and esteemed us.

These older brothers considered it precious that young people like us were willing to renounce the future to live for the Lord. They truly held us in high regard. However, they always considered us extreme. On one occasion, they implied we were the most important group among Chinese Christians and that if we changed and became more moderate, we would be the model for the churches in China and the future of the churches in China would depend on us. According to their perspective, we were too radical in our attitude.

However, we realized that the Lord’s testimony is dispensational. These older brothers had a vision in their generation, but it was not part of the Lord’s plan for us to maintain the same testimony as theirs.

The Lord continues to move and desires to advance even further. For this reason, despite respecting the portion they received, we knew God wanted to take a further step in China. The Lord desires more than salvation and the development of personal spirituality; He desires to work the testimony of His Body, the testimony of the church from city to city in order to obtain a corporate vessel to express Himself. This is what the Lord showed us more than twenty years ago.

Enjoy more:

Hymn "The Church – Its General Definition"

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The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 9, chapter 14, Saturday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH’S GROUND

WEEK 9 - SATURDAY

Bible Reading: Isa. 52:11; Jer. 51:45; Matt. 5:14–16

Read and pray: “Go forth out of Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans, and declare this with the voice of joy; proclaim it and carry it to the end of the earth; say, The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.” (Isa. 48:20)

BELIEVERS LEAVE

THE DENOMINATIONS ENTHUSIASTICALLY

In 1934, countless people were leaving the denominations. This became a trend, and there was enthusiastic response almost everywhere. We received letters every day, and the majority of them were about leaving the denominations. All the letters were handed to me because I was the acting editor of Collection of Newsletters.

From these letters, we learned many stories of people leaving the denominations. We received letters from the north, south, and central parts of China. Leaving the denominations even caused problems among the Western missionaries. Some of the missionaries from the China Inland Mission called a special meeting to discuss how to handle the situation. In the eyes of institutional Christianity, it was a revolution. Everywhere, many people were leaving the denominations.

Those who left the denominations generally did so openly and not secretly. In most cases, they wrote and signed an official letter asking the denomination to remove their names from the membership roll. Everything was done officially. Although not a rule, the general practice was to write an official letter declaring the decision to leave the denomination. The believers left fervently and vigorously.

THE TESTIMONY TO BE MAINTAINED

At the beginning of 1935, some coworkers felt that the trend of leaving the denominations was not proper because it brought up many sensitive issues. Therefore, Brother Nee spoke to all the coworkers to clarify the matter of our testimony.

He stated that leaving the denominations was not our testimony; rather, our testimony is Christ: Christ as the Savior, Christ as life, Christ as the conquering King, Christ as the Lord of all things, Christ as the centrality of God, and Christ as the universality of God.

He also emphasized that the testimony of Christ is wholly in the church, and that the church is one, and its ground is local. All these matters were made very clear.

In 1937, Brother Nee also spoke on how to maintain the Lord’s testimony by establishing churches city by city. These messages were compiled and published in Rethinking the Work, currently published under the title The Normal Christian Church Life.

The Lord raised us up in the East for the purpose of maintaining the testimony of Christ expressed in the church. Such a testimony includes saving people and making them spiritual. It also includes building up the saints, city by city, to be a corporate dwelling place of God and the Body of Christ, so that Christ may be expressed through this corporate vessel.

Although the church is expressed in different cities, all the local churches should be one in testimony and maintain fellowship with one another. This is what the Lord has shown us, and this is the testimony He wants us to maintain.

Enjoy more: Hymn 79

“Praise the Lord — His Love”

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The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 9, chapter 14, Friday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE GROUND OF THE CHURCH

WEEK 9 – FRIDAY

Bible Reading: Col. 1:15–20; Heb. 1:1–3

Read and pray: “making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth in Him.” (Eph. 1:9–10)

THE CONFIRMATION OF THE GROUND OF THE CHURCH

The letter I sent to Brother Hsieh Tien En was my first article published by Brother Nee’s evangelical publishing house [Gospel Book Room]. I labored much in writing this article, and although it was a letter, it was like a small book in its content. Many points in the letter were related to denominations. It defined denomination and the meaning of denominationalism.

At that time, I was not personally clear regarding the ground of the church. I knew what unity meant and what a denomination was, so I was able to write about these other matters. However, I did not know the ground of the church. The other co-workers were also unclear. Only Brother Nee had clarity.

Around one hundred and twenty brothers from northern China attended the January conference. This important meeting was a turning point in the church’s advance. It also influenced me personally. From that fellowship we saw the sin of sectarianism and the need for the oneness of the church. Therefore, some co-workers were burdened concerning this matter and determined to take this way.

After the conference, I returned by boat to northern China. Many who attended the conference remained in Shanghai and asked Brother Nee to hold Bible study meetings to help them learn how to meet. This was important because meetings were beginning to appear whose participants had come out of denominations and sects. However, they did not know how to meet. Brother Nee agreed, and the manuscripts were later edited and published as the book The Assembly Life.

I was not present in those meetings because I had already returned to northern China. When I came back to Shanghai four months later, I heard about the Bible studies, but I did not see the notes. It was only after Brother Nee had finished editing the manuscripts that he gave them to me and asked me to write a preface. I read the messages carefully and understood the content of the entire Bible study.

Since then, I have been deeply impressed that the expression of the church is local. However, the term “expression” was not used at that time. We began using the word “expression” in 1950 in Taiwan when we defined the boundary of a local church. It was also around that time, in 1934, that we began to share concerning the matter of locality, and the light on this matter was confirmed. When the light on locality was confirmed, the ground of the church was also confirmed among us.

At the January conference, Brother Nee gave very clear messages concerning Christ as the centrality of God, and he was very clear concerning the ground of the church. As a result, the year 1934 was a milestone in the Lord’s recovery, and we entered into another stage.

We saw that Christ as the centrality and universality of God was the content of the church, and outwardly, the church should take the ground of locality. After that, Brother Nee was no longer the only one who had clarity concerning all these matters; we, his co-workers, also had the same clarity.

Enjoy more: Hymn 232

The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word, Week 9, Chapter 14, Thursday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH
AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE GROUND OF THE CHURCH

WEEK 9 - THURSDAY

Bible reading: Matt. 6:31-33; 10:9-10

Read and pray: “Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes forward to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6)

BROTHER NEE’S VIEW

CONCERNING THE GROUND OF THE CHURCH (2)

Before traveling abroad in 1933, Brother Nee was in northern China and stayed in my home for six days. At that time the Lord’s work had already begun in northern China, but I was still working professionally. So I shared with him to know his perception about this matter—whether I should keep my job or serve full-time. He simply said, “Brother, when you are not sure, it is better to wait and see.”

He returned from his overseas trip in the fall. In that same season I was struggling inwardly, because the Lord wanted me to leave my job. During those days I received a letter from Brother Nee, which he had sent while on board a ship in the Mediterranean Sea, returning from Europe. The letter was a great encouragement and confirmation to me. It said, “Brother Witness, regarding your future, I feel you should serve the Lord full-time. How do you feel about it? May the Lord lead you.”

I received the letter more than a month after Brother Nee had written it. By that time I had already resigned from my job and had been serving in Manchuria for three weeks. As soon as I returned from Manchuria, I read Brother Nee’s letter and was greatly encouraged. The letter came as a strong confirmation to me. Although it had been six months since I had parted from Brother Nee and he did not usually correspond with me, he sent that simple, clear, and timely word concerning my leaving my job and serving full-time.

The most impressive thing is that he had written the letter around the same time I had been struggling before the Lord about whether or not to leave my job. I deeply sensed that this was the Lord’s leading on the matter, so I became determined to go to Shanghai to see Brother Nee. In the fall I went to Shanghai. It was my first trip to that city.

It was around that time that Brother Nee stated that he had clearly understood the matter of the ground of locality. He had just returned from England and saw this matter in the Word of God. Spiritually speaking, it was also around that same time that he received the central vision concerning Christ as the centrality and universality of God.

Therefore, he decided to convene a national conference in January 1934. While I was in Shanghai, Brother Nee asked me to help him reply to some letters concerning spiritual matters. I wrote a long letter on his behalf to Brother Hsieh Tien En of Canton.

That letter was later published in the Collection of Newsletters (see The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 25, pp. 77–80, 107–117). The letter was mainly concerning denominations.

At that time we paid much attention to spiritual matters and to denominations. Only Brother Nee had the conviction concerning the ground; the rest of us had not yet seen it clearly. We only knew that the church was one and the denominations were wrong.

Enjoy more: Hymn 155

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The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 9, chapter 14, Wednesday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

THE RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH’S FOUNDATION

WEEK 9 – WEDNESDAY

Bible reading: Rev. 2:4–7

Read and pray: “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order the things that remain and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you” (Titus 1:5)

THE BEGINNING OF

THE LORD’S RESTORATION

In this chapter, we will speak about the kind of testimony the Lord wants us to bear in the present age. No matter how much we talk about it, we still need vision and revelation regarding these things in order to gain a true perspective.

At the beginning of the work in the East, God gave us the realization that the condition of institutionalized Christianity was not right. Since then, we have had questions and doubts concerning contemporary Christianity. These doubts led us to examine the true condition of Christianity and to study the Word of God.

We discovered that many practices in Christianity were not according to the Bible. So we abandoned them, and for each point that we abandoned, we sought to return to the way it was in the beginning according to the Bible. This period could be called “the initial stage of the restoration.”

At first, we did not experience an instant restoration on many points; rather, it was a point-by-point restoration. During the early years, many aspects were restored. Some began as early as 1922, but we consider that the official beginning of the restoration was in 1924. The initial stage of the restoration concluded in 1934.

THE RESTORATION OF

THE CHURCH’S FOUNDATION

When the foundation of the church was restored, the restoration reached the end of its initial stage. In 1925, we were convinced that the church should not be divided into factions. There is only one church, and it must exist as a unit. It is a sin for the church to be divided into different denominations. We were able to say something concerning the truth regarding sectarianism, but we did not yet have a clear definition of what a faction is.

It was between 1928 and 1931 that we were able to define sectarianism. We knew that if a church had a particular name, a particular fellowship, and a particular belief, it constituted a faction. However, we still did not have clarity about the foundation of the church.

Although we understood that the church is one and should not be divided into factions, and although we knew the meaning of sectarianism, it was not until 1934 that the light concerning the expression of the church in a city was clearly and precisely released among all the saints with us. Many of us, however, had already received this clarity by 1932.

BROTHER NEE’S VISION

CONCERNING THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH

In the first edition of the book "The Orthodoxy of the Church", Brother Nee clearly stated that during a trip to Europe and the United States in 1933, he encountered some good groups of the Open Brethren. He also came into contact with very respected spiritual saints and attended their meetings. It was at that time that he met Brother T. Austin-Sparks for the first time.

Brother Nee undertook this journey after being invited by a group of the Open Brethren in London. However, he informed them that his fellowship with them did not mean that he would join the assembly of the Open Brethren. Thus, he was not limited to them during his stay in England. He met with others besides the Open Brethren who knew the Lord and had fellowship with them.

He refers to this in "The Orthodoxy of the Church". During this overseas journey, Brother Nee visited many places. Some had the condition of Philadelphia, as they manifested the signs of revival prophesied by the Lord in the seven epistles in Revelation. Others were like Laodicea. Since some places had fallen into sin, others had a condition of revival, and others were divided repeatedly, it was impossible to make a general statement about their condition. After observing these different situations, particularly the divisions, Brother Nee began to question the foundations of the divisions among the Brethren.

He studied and examined all the matters related to the church in the Bible. After this study, he clearly understood from the Word of God that there is only one church in the whole universe, but when it is expressed, it is expressed city by city. In other words, there is only one expression of the church in each city. The repeated divisions among the Brethren led Brother Nee to study and receive light from the Word of God.

He saw that the church can only be distinguished by locality. The church in Corinth and the one in Ephesus were distinct churches. The church in Ephesus and the one in Jerusalem were also distinct. Moreover, in Jerusalem, there could not be two or more churches. Likewise, in Ephesus, there could not be two or more churches. Brother Nee understood this from the Word of God.

Enjoy more: Hymn 387

“The Church—Her Building”

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The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 9, chapter 13, Tuesday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH
AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

THE BASIS FOR THE BUILDING UP OF THE CHURCH

WEEK 9 - TUESDAY

Bible Reading: Rom. 14

Read and pray: “So that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.” (2 Cor. 2:11)

STAYING ON THE LOCAL GROUND

AND WALKING IN THE WAY OF THE TRUTH (2)

The matter of the church is not simple. We need to see the truth concerning the church and its ground. We have received all the spiritual riches from those who have gone before us through the centuries, regardless of their ground. Nevertheless, we are clear concerning the way the Lord wants us to take. No one can cause us to change in this matter. We admire their spirituality, but that is not our testimony. We know with full assurance that the Lord has raised us up for the ground of the church.

When Brother Nee, in 1937, spoke about the principle of the Antioch line, his emphasis was on the local churches. The notes of the messages were compiled and published as [the book] Rethinking the Work, later published under the title The Normal Christian Church Life. Brother Nee received this light.

In the last twenty years, we have come to better understand his speaking. But there is still more to see on this matter. My desire is that we would understand it, because the administration of the church among us depends on this understanding.

Transportation in today’s world is convenient and available to all. People come from different places to have fellowship and share with us. The brothers from the West may be spiritual and good, yet we need to be aware of the problems that exist.

I cannot tell you everything, but I ask you to believe me. I speak sincerely, for this is not something I decided hastily. I have been considering it for months. I will be held responsible for my words, but you need to properly understand what I say.

We are not breaking fellowship with the West. We are not an Eastern faction. We need to be aware of the Lord’s desire in raising us up. We need to know who we are, what others have, and what help we should receive. Knowing our condition as well as that of the enemy guarantees victory in every battle. In this way we will not fail regarding what the Lord has entrusted to us.

Enjoy more: Hymn 310

The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 9, chapter 13, Monday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH
AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
THE FOUNDATION FOR THE BUILDING OF THE CHURCH

WEEK 9 – MONDAY
Bible reading: Rom. 14

Read and pray: “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16).

STAYING ON THE LOCAL GROUND

AND WALKING IN THE WAY OF TRUTH (1)

Even though we may not fully understand the extent of these matters, my speaking concerns our future work in other places. Today, there are many believers from different backgrounds. If we want to build up the Lord’s church, we must understand the foundation of the church; otherwise, there can be no building. We cannot take the path of exclusion and reject those who come from the West. We must receive them and acknowledge them as brothers. We need discernment to receive those who come from the West; otherwise, much of our work will have been in vain.

If we think we shouldn’t contend for the local ground but be tolerant like the denominations, then we might as well save our energy and join them. However, we want God’s children to know that God has no way in the denominations¹, because they cannot produce the building. At most, they can lead people to salvation and offer spiritual instruction.

Over the past thirty years, the Lord has shown us that, to build the church, we must be spiritual on the one hand and stand firm on the foundation on the other. If we are spiritual but lack foundation and building, the brothers will not be able to advance. If we change our attitude and let go of the matter of the foundation, the brothers will become wandering stars, with no way to go forward.

Every matter has its principles and rules. If we do not walk in the way of truth, others will, and when those who do come to question us, we will have no answer. We won’t be able to respond to their inquiries, because we didn’t take the way of truth.

A person may think baptism by immersion is unnecessary and say that sprinkling is enough. However, when a brother who was baptized by immersion questions him, he will have no answer and will fall under the condemnation of the truth. Therefore, for the sake of God’s building, we must have an accurate view of the foundation. Only by being firm regarding the foundation of the church can we build the church.

We must love the Lord and be spiritual, and we must be mingled with God and have His authority to be one with others. However, we cannot be in the Baptist or Lutheran Church, but only on the ground of locality. It is on this ground that we can speak the truth, and our speaking will be clear and logical. That is building. The way to building is the foundation. If we don’t have it, our speaking will only go halfway. We will be exactly like Brother Austin-Sparks.

May the Lord have mercy on us so that we may clearly see the matter of the foundation. We recognize that the brothers in the West are good and that their hearts are pure. However, they lack sufficient light concerning the truth, and as a result, they are not clear about the foundation.

They also have a Western superiority complex that hinders our ability to help them. If they didn’t have this sense and were willing to be humble and fellowship with us in the Word of the Lord, they would gradually begin to be enlightened. Their pride causes them to want to change everything they touch. That’s why they are unable to see the light, and it’s difficult for us to help them.

This shows that institutionalized Christianity has problems, and even those who are spiritual and pure have issues: their conduct and viewpoint force us to be passive and keep our distance, even though we don’t break fellowship. But since there is no practical fellowship, it’s hard to have the building. If we were to maintain practical fellowship with them, our work would fall apart. We have a way to move forward, but we cannot progress in our relationship with them. That’s why we prefer to maintain our position.¹

______________________

¹ Editor’s note from the blog: We must always be very cautious with the content of older books, as not everything can be applied to today’s reality. We are publishing this material with the goal of learning and applying biblical principles (which never change). However, the understanding and practice of certain matters may vary greatly — or may even have already been surpassed — according to the Lord’s present light for His people.

This book was published in 1957. Over the years, the distance between us (brothers who practice the ground of locality) and the Christian groups has greatly increased; this has led to a sense of exclusivism that also brought us down a path of pride. Starting in 2023, many churches recognized this issue and abandoned the wall of exclusivity toward other brothers in Christian groups, since they are also part of the Body of Christ.

We have seen that, even with a clear understanding of the truth of the local ground, we cannot live as if we were the only ones who are the Lord’s church. Today, we enjoy more fellowship with them — even if each group follows what it has received from the Lord — because neither side can claim to be the direction of all Christians in the world or impose its own understanding, since the churches belong to the Lord Jesus and have local administration carried out by the elders.

Enjoy more: Hymn 389

“I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord”

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The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 9, chapter 13, Sunday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

THE FOUNDATION FOR THE BUILDING UP OF THE CHURCH

WEEK 9 - SUNDAY

Bible Reading: Matt. 23:34; Luke 8:1; 10:1; Acts 20:23

Read and Pray: "For this cause I left you in Crete, that you might set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you:" (Titus 1:5)

NOT GIVING UNDUE EMPHASIS TO SPIRITUALITY,

THUS NEGLECTING THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH

To build a house, one needs land—a foundation for the house. Similarly, the building up of the church needs a foundation. Brother Austin-Sparks overemphasizes spirituality and neglects the foundation. May the Lord cover me with His blood as I say this: the work of Brother Austin-Sparks at Honor Oak in London is very spiritual, but because he neglects the foundation of the church, his work has no future. Those who gather at Honor Oak learn many spiritual matters and are helped spiritually. However, they have nowhere to go when they leave Honor Oak.

There was a good assembly of the Exclusive Brethren in London. D. M. Panton also had a congregation there. Since those congregations were not part of institutionalized Christianity, why did Brother Austin-Sparks separate from them and start another congregation at Honor Oak? This issue concerns the foundation.

Brother Austin-Sparks may have thought those groups were not spiritual. If those groups were not spiritual, where should the brothers who gather among them go after leaving Honor Oak? Should they go to the Presbyterian church, the Baptist church, or should they follow Brother Austin-Sparks’s pattern and start another congregation? Spirituality is relative, but the foundation is absolute.

Just as we receive help from Madame Guyon and honor her spiritual portion, we also receive help from Brother Austin-Sparks and respect his spiritual portion. However, we disagree with both concerning the foundation of the church.

We respect the spiritual portion of Brother Austin-Sparks, but we disagree with his perspective regarding the foundation of the church. We cannot accept his correction; rather, we refute his point of view. This completely concerns the truth. Those who receive help from Honor Oak have nowhere to go and no way to advance, because they have spirituality without the foundation of the church.

Therefore, those who leave Honor Oak become wanderers wherever they go in the world. We cannot allow the brothers to become wandering stars, with no definite place to go. If the churches in Taiwan seek only spirituality, they will have many problems. Brother Austin-Sparks’s emphasis on spirituality is too subjective. He may do this in Honor Oak, but he cannot correct us to take his way. Such correction would cause our work to collapse and make us the same as the denominations.

Enjoy more: Hymn 302

The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 9, chapter 13, Saturday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

THE FOUNDATION FOR THE BUILDING UP OF THE CHURCH

WEEK 9 – SATURDAY

Bible Reading: 1 Cor. 1:10–17

Read and pray: "Now I exhort you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion." (1 Cor. 1:10)

THE CHURCH’S FOUNDATION

IN OUR BELIEF AND PRACTICE (2)

One day Brother Austin-Sparks asked what we meant by local ground. I illustrated with an example: I drew a circle on the ground representing the city of Jerusalem and said that all the believers there gathered within that circle; thus, they were called the church in Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem is the ground of the church in Jerusalem; the church is in Jerusalem.

Then I drew another circle representing the church in Corinth. The church in Corinth was originally one, but the believers there became divided. Those who supported Paul became the Pauline faction. Suppose some of the Pauline faction moved to Samaria and declared that they belonged to Paul in Samaria. They would be taking Paul as their ground, not Samaria.

At first, there was only one church in Corinth—the church in Corinth. The city of Corinth was the ground of the church there. After the division, there were some of Paul, others of Apollos, some of Cephas, and some of Christ. And they lost the local ground. The Pauline faction took Paul as their ground, and those of Apollos took Apollos as theirs.

Suppose some from the church in Jerusalem went to Samaria to meet with the saints there, only to find that they belonged to Paul. Those from Jerusalem could then explain that the church cannot be of Paul, but the ones in Samaria would insist they were of Paul; consequently, the brothers from Jerusalem would have no choice but to meet separately from them in Samaria. Although now there would be two groups meeting in Samaria, one would be on the local ground, and the other on Paul's ground.

It is possible that those meeting on the local ground were fleshly and those meeting on Paul’s ground were spiritual. Each group would have a measure of Christ. When other believers went to Samaria, should they take the measure of Christ as the standard and meet with the Pauline faction?

The next morning, Brother Austin-Sparks spoke concerning Christ and said that we make Him a small Christ and the church a small church by limiting everything to the ground. I translated calmly for him, though inwardly I felt uneasy. This matter concerned the truth. Two plus two is four. How can two plus two be five?

Brother Austin-Sparks also saw that we had reached an impasse, so he discontinued the sharing meeting the next day. He said that he and another brother from the West were satisfied with our answers, and therefore there was no need to continue the debate.

Enjoy more: Hymn 72

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The administration of the church and the ministry of the word, week 9, chapter 13, Friday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

THE BASIS FOR THE BUILDING UP OF THE CHURCH

WEEK 9 – FRIDAY

Bible Reading: 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Thes. 1:1; Titus 1:5; Rev. 1:11

Read and pray: "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he entered into his house (now in his upper chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." (Dan. 6:10)

On the one hand, we need to see the building up of the church; on the other hand, we need to see the main frustration to the building up: the lack of the proper ground of the church.

When the saints in Jerusalem were built up, they became the church in Jerusalem. Similarly, the saints in Ephesus were built up as the church in Ephesus. However, the ground of the church is a serious problem today. In Taipei there are Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and other churches. Taipei has become a city of many churches.

THE GROUND OF BUILDING

DOES NOT DEPEND ON THE MEASURE

OF THE STATURE OF CHRIST

We need to build up the church and pay attention to its ground. Brother T. Austin-Sparks thinks that the measure of the stature of Christ should be our criterion; that is, we should be able to join any group that has more of Christ.

The Catholic Church accepts the Bible, acknowledges the Trinity, and confesses that Christ Jesus is the Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, was crucified, shed His blood for our redemption, rose from the dead, and ascended to the heavens. All these items are included in the orthodox faith of Catholicism.

Some believers in Catholicism are more devout than many of us. Should we then join them because they have Christ? Or should we go to another group that has even more of Christ? What standard should we use to determine how much of Christ exists in each group?

THE GROUND OF THE CHURCH

IN OUR BELIEF AND PRACTICE

A brother from the West who had been influenced by Brother Austin-Sparks asked why we say that only we are the church and others are not. He also questioned the local administration of the church. I shared three points with him:

1. We believe that the church is one in the universe.
2. We believe that the expression of the church in every city should also be one. The cities of Jerusalem, Antioch, and Corinth had a single expression, one church.
3. We believe that any ground other than the local ground is sectarian and therefore should not exist.

THE SPIRITUAL REALITY AND

THE GROUND OF THE CHURCH

ARE DIFFERENT MATTERS

Brother Austin-Sparks does not agree with the ground of the church. He also condemns institutionalized Christianity. When he was sharing with us, someone asked, “If there are five independent groups in a city that have left institutional Christianity, is one of them right or are all of them wrong?” Brother Austin-Sparks replied that none of the groups would be absolutely right, but all would be relatively right.

When asked what he meant by relatively right, he answered, “Each group should be evaluated according to the measure of the stature of Christ. The group that has a greater measure of the stature of Christ is more right; the group that has less of the stature of Christ is less right.”

I was the interpreter at that time, but at this point I joined the discussion. I asked whether there was any measure of Christ in Catholicism. Then I said that we had received help from Madame Guyon on the matter of life, and she definitely had a certain measure of the stature of Christ, but Madame Guyon was in Catholicism, which we condemn.

We need to be clear about the fact that spirituality and the ground of the church are distinct matters. Madame Guyon was spiritual, yet she was not right regarding the ground of the church. Dr. F. B. Meyer is highly recommended by Brother Austin-Sparks, yet he never left institutional Christianity, which Brother Austin-Sparks himself condemns.

Based on Dr. Meyer’s spirituality and measure of Christ, should we say that institutional Christianity is relatively right? Andrew Murray is another spiritual giant who remained in institutional Christianity. Therefore, we cannot determine the ground of the church by someone’s degree of spirituality.

God desired that His people remain in the land of Israel and have Jerusalem as the center of their worship to Him. Jerusalem was the ground for the worship of God. After remaining in captivity in Babylon for seventy years, they received the call to return to Jerusalem.

What would have happened if a prophet had arisen at that time and said that it didn’t matter whether they returned to Jerusalem or stayed in Babylon, because all that mattered was their spiritual stature?

Daniel was the most spiritual among them. In New Testament terms, Daniel was full of Christ; yet this man, full of Christ and spiritual, remained in Babylon. Those who returned to Jerusalem were not as spiritual as Daniel. They had their opinions and weaknesses, and some even married Gentile women. Their spiritual condition was much lower than Daniel’s. But which ground was right: Daniel’s, or that of the weak ones who were not so spiritual?

This shows that being spiritual is one thing, and having the proper ground of the church is another. A person may be very spiritual and still be on the wrong ground. The fact that Daniel was on the wrong ground was due to God’s sovereign plan and not his own will. Although he was in Babylon, his heart was in Jerusalem.

Enjoy more: Hymn 378

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