Search
In the administration of the church and the ministry of the word we need to know people in order to have the building. In addition, we must pay attention to the matter of consecration.
Everyone knows about consecration, but not many are clear concerning how consecration affects us. The problems that some serving ones are having may be related to consecration. We are not referring to material offerings. Consecration is a basic need for God to do a building work on the earth through us. However, this is not empty doctrine; it is a personal and practical matter. The improper conditions manifested among the serving ones indicate that their consecration is not thorough or is weak.
All our problems, difficulties, and sufferings are related to consecration. The more ease and comfort we desire, the less consecrated we need to be. If we do not want any sufferings, there is no need for consecration. We should not blame the Lord for giving us sufferings. Our sufferings are the result of our consecration. Some say that our sufferings are given to us by the Lord. In fact, the real sufferings of Christians are brought upon them by themselves. If we do not want any sufferings, we simply should not consecrate ourselves. We can be zealous, preach the gospel, and even minister the word without being consecrated. In Christianity we may be successful without having any sufferings. Natural disasters and man-made calamities are the portion of every person. A person who is not consecrated, however, is exempt from a large amount of suffering.
It seems as though the apostles in the early church life sought sufferings. If they had not been absolute and had compromised, they would not have had much suffering. If they had compromised, they would not have been persecuted by the Jewish religion and the Roman Empire. The sufferings that they experienced were the result of their consecration. They created sufferings for themselves because of their consecration. The sufferings the apostle Paul experienced were the result of his consecration. It would have been possible for him to love and serve the Lord without suffering any hardships if he had not been so absolute in his consecration. Paul said, “I now rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His Body, which is the church” (Col. 1:24). Paul consecrated himself willingly. He said, “I travail again in birth until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). Paul’s willingness came from his consecration.
In contrast, our situation seems to reveal that our consecration is continually getting weaker. We may be excellent Christians and excellent preachers in the eyes of the world. Nevertheless, we cannot do the genuine work of building up the church, because our consecration is weak. When we consecrate ourselves absolutely, the saints sometimes do not approve. They would rather that we compromise in our service, that is, that we be moderate, neutral, or less than absolute in our service.
If we want others to welcome us, we only need to compromise in our service to the Lord. At least seventy percent of the saints will support us if we serve in this way. However, if we would be absolute in our consecration continually, those who support us will decrease and our suffering will increase.
In the apostolic age the apostles were persecuted wherever they went, but today few preachers are persecuted. This is not because the age has changed or because the world is more favorable toward Christians. Rather, the consecration of those serving the Lord today does not match that of the early apostles. The so-called serving ones of the Lord today have lost the consecration of the early apostles. If all the serving ones today consecrated themselves like the early apostles, they would experience many sufferings and hardships.
Many young saints are building up relationships with the view of entering into marriage and establishing a family; this is absolutely necessary. However, what we have observed causes us to wonder whether these relationships strengthen or weaken their consecration. We cannot condemn the young saints, but they should consider whether their consecration has been strengthened or weakened. Perhaps they are considering the future of their service, their burden, or their function. But do these considerations indicate a strengthening or a weakening in their consecration?
Some Western missionaries once confronted me, saying that the brothers who are responsible for the group meetings should take proper care of their own households and not be in so many meetings. Although these brothers had a good intention, we should ask, “Whose house is more important, God’s house or ours?” This is a matter of consecration. We cannot say Amen to the attitude that the Western missionaries have toward their families. Instead of sacrificing their households for the Lord’s household, they sacrifice the Lord’s household for theirs. We cannot say Amen to this. Perhaps their families are wonderful, but what is the condition of the church they lead? Almost all the saints who serve the Lord have families. If they would spend all their time with their families, producing families that are like happy gardens and children who are like angels, God’s house would be gone. This is a matter of consecration.
If our consecration is absolute, even our children may rise up to oppose us. None of the children of the Western missionaries oppose their parents, because the missionaries care too much for their families. Some of them did not have servants in their own countries, but when they come to China, they hire someone to cook, someone to take care of the children, someone to do the laundry and cleaning, and a gardener, a driver, and even a guard. If we are truly consecrated, the first ones to oppose us will be our children. For this reason I question the consecration of the missionaries who speak irresponsibly and sarcastically. Even though they are God’s servants, we should not learn from their way of living. It is undeniable that we should do our best to care for our families. However, we also need to be clear concerning consecration.
A certain responsible brother has five children, and the group meeting he is responsible for has over a hundred saints. If he only takes care of his family, he cannot take care of the one hundred brothers and sisters. If he only takes care of the one hundred brothers and sisters, he would not be able to take adequate care of his family. It is difficult to know how to take care of the group meeting properly while adequately caring for his family. Taking care of the group meeting requires one’s whole being. We even need to consider the group meeting in our dreams.
If we imitate the Western missionaries in how they care for their families, the result of our labor in the church will match theirs. At critical moments they say, “Brothers, I can no longer do this work because I must be with my children.” We, however, cannot do this because of our consecration. May God bless us so that our families will receive mercy and care. However, we must be warned that the way of some missionaries is not our way. They do not take the way of consecration.
Brother T. Austin-Sparks once said that there are some problems with the Western missionaries in organized Christianity. We acknowledge that they traveled to a distant land for Christ’s sake, but this does not mean that all the missionaries who came to China sacrificed and consecrated themselves. I have no intention to condemn their lifestyle, but we must know that the way of consecration results in many sufferings. Before we consecrate ourselves, we do not have many problems with our studies, jobs, or families. But once we consecrate ourselves, there are many problems. Before we consecrated ourselves, we may have been good teachers, doctors, civil servants, parents, or children, but the more we consecrate ourselves, the less capable we become and the more problems we encounter. In a sense, the One who troubles people the most is Jesus; He has “wrecked” innumerable people. Many talented ones have been wrecked by Him; many good students, good professors, good fathers, and good mothers have all been wrecked by Him.
When I was in Manila, a group of young brothers and sisters asked me to speak to them. My first sentence was, “Jesus wrecks people.” The young people in Manila need to be wrecked by Jesus, and the Christian families of the overseas Chinese in Manila need to be wrecked by Jesus. Do not think that our work in Southeast Asia is welcomed by people. Over the past few years we have been fighting the battle every day.
When I was in Manila in 1955, on one hand, the brothers there respected me, regarded me highly, and treated me well, but on the other hand, I was in a battle with them. I was fighting the battle concerning “heaven.” I wanted to eradicate the concept of “heaven” from the core of their being. I told them that as Christians we should not think that being a Christian is a matter of asking for blessings, longevity, peace, of fearing the Lord, and of not sinning. Neither is it a matter of going to heaven to enjoy eternal blessings when we die. Such a gospel may seem very attractive, but this is altogether a religious concept that considers Jesus to be a person who is more trustworthy than a Buddha.
Therefore, I was strong in fighting the battle concerning going to heaven. I showed them the Lord’s word in the Gospels: “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and moreover, even his own soul-life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). This strong word touched the heart of those who loved the world.
In a love feast I fellowshipped about how to read the Bible and pray, to receive grace and an answer to our prayers, and to be shown mercy by the Lord. A brother asked why I did not speak this way to all the saints but rather spoke of forsaking everything for the Lord and consecration. I immediately responded, “Dear brother, do you need me to give messages that even you can give?” After the meal I said to the elderly brothers that they needed to consider their condition. They should not simply say that the young people love the world and have no reality; rather, they need to consider their condition. When they saw me later, they were ashamed. Those who love the world should be ashamed.
Hence, whoever believes in Jesus will be wrecked. Everyone who has genuinely believed in Jesus is wrecked by Him. He is not corrupted by Him but wrecked by Him. If the young people want to follow Jesus, they will have problems at their schools. If one is a doctor, he should not expect to prosper. Most of those who live a smooth and prosperous life have problems with their consecration. A person who is able to prosper as a doctor, make money as a businessman, become famous as a professor, be recognized as a top student, or be an excellent father must have problems with his consecration. A person can serve only one master. If he is occupied with his studies, he will not have room for Jesus, and if he is occupied with Jesus, he will not have room for his studies. Similarly, if he is occupied with his children, he will not have room for Jesus, and if he is occupied with Jesus, he will not have room for his children. Therefore, it is impossible for a person to serve the Lord properly and also be a good doctor or a good father in the eyes of the world.
It is not difficult for a person to be well respected as long as he does not consecrate himself. However, this does not mean that those who serve the Lord and preach the word should behave unbecomingly. We need to conduct ourselves in a manner that is respectable and worthy of man’s praise when we serve the Lord and preach the word. If we want to be absolute in our consecration, we must be prepared to live a life of sufferings. This price is set before us, and we must count the cost.
In these days the enemy is not only doing a dissenting work among us, but he is also leading many to weaken their consecration and be compromising Christians. We cannot serve the Lord on one hand and belong to the world on the other; we cannot be successful in both. If all the serving ones would take good care of their careers and families, they would be more successful in their careers, and they could take better care of their families. This can be compared to taking care of a garden by weeding and watering it every day. Such a garden surely will be beautiful. If a person manages a hospital and labors diligently every day, that hospital will surely be successful.
This is similar to the matter of consecration. If we devote ourselves to care for our careers, studies, and families, we should not expect the church to flourish. Instead, the church will be desolate and deserted. If we give our careers and families priority and put the Lord and the church in second place, the church will have no increase.
Meeting every day may cause us to suffer certain personal losses. But we must ask ourselves concerning the purpose of our existence. Are we here for our house or for God’s house? A Western missionary in Manila testified that his oldest daughter and second son wanted to be preachers. He rejoiced that many of his children were preachers and that his family was a family of missionaries. If we live a comfortable and easy life and do not pay a price to follow the Lord, our children will want to follow us. Such preachers can travel around the world, have servants, suffer no lack, and be highly regarded by others. How many people can live the kind of life they do? If they took the way of a Nazarite, it is unlikely that their children would still want to be preachers.
Because those who serve the Lord in China have taken the way of consecration, none of their children have desired to serve. If we want to do a work of consecration and to take the narrow way in the Lord’s recovery, we should not expect that there will be a comfortable life ahead of us. We cannot trust the way of the Western missionaries. If we take their way, we will do a work of Christianity, not the work of building up the church. When we do the work of building up the church, our fame, reputation, family, energy, and natural man will be wrecked. Our reputation and what we are will be wrecked.
Those who desire to serve the Lord and maintain respectability in their family, career, and studies have taken the wrong way. There is no way for us to be successful in both. If we want to allow the Lord to build and gain something, our consecration must be absolute. This is not merely a matter of following our parents or husbands because we have a desire to preach. This is a matter of being wrecked by Jesus. He will wreck our everything. This is a matter of genuine consecration.
However, this does not mean that we do not need to study, have a career, or take care of our family. We should not abandon everything. We should and must do our best in our studies, in taking care of our family, and in working. However, when there is a conflict between the two, we should ask which side should win. Should the Lord Jesus win the victory, or should our own benefit win the victory? We should also ask which side has the highest priority within us. What is our primary occupation? We should all have a definite answer before the Lord. Do we regard the Lord Jesus and His work as primary or secondary? If we want to do a work of Christianity, we can regard what pertains to us as primary and what pertains to the Lord as secondary. If we want to build up the church, we need to give the Lord priority.
The way of consecration is a way of suffering, a way of sacrifice, in which everything that pertains to us is wrecked. Some people consecrate themselves in order to gain sympathy from others and reduce their suffering. These believers have lost their consecration. It is shameful to seek help from others in order to reduce our sufferings. Those who are consecrated should learn not to seek help from others. We would prefer to suffer before the Lord than to seek help from others, and we would prefer to starve for three days than to let others know our need. However, this is not our situation. Some who suffer just a little desire to be noticed by others and to receive help from them. This indicates that their consecration is not as strong as it was in the past.
The first group of serving ones among us did not seek help from others. They even told people that they would not take the way of receiving help from others. They had the ability to make money in the world, but for the Lord’s sake they did not go to the world. This was the situation and character of the serving ones in the beginning. Sadly, some of us are now afraid that we will not receive help. It seems as if it is a shame for us not to receive help. However, it is glorious for others not to take care of us, because we serve the Lord full time. It is not glorious to seek the help and sympathy of others; rather, it is shameful.
We will become pitiful parasites if we always expect others to help us. Because of this, some are able to rebuke us, saying that we are the parasites of society since we depend on others for our living. This indicates that our consecration is not strong. However, this does not mean that the saints should not love or care for the Lord’s serving ones. For many years the senior co-workers have held the principle that we should not appreciate or feel grateful for the care we receive directly from others. We do not want to receive any help directly from man’s hand. Those with a burden to care for us should give through the offering box. We want to receive our supply directly from God’s hand.
Someone once asked a full-time serving brother how much support he received that week. Such questions are an insult to those who serve full time. Such people should be looked in the eye and told that it does not concern them. Their questions do not reflect a love for those who serve the Lord; rather, they are an insult. A person who is truly concerned should put something in the offering box without asking how much a serving one receives. Such questions are improper.
The wife of a serving brother once said that her husband received only a few dollars a week. This caused others to feel that they should help this brother find a job. This is shameful. Since this couple was willing to take this way, they should not complain. One who serves the Lord should not be like this.
Those who take this way should be clear that this is a way of suffering and poverty. They should not expect to have a prosperous life. The Lord never said that those who take this way will have food to eat and a good living. Instead, He said that we should forsake our all to follow Him. We should even lose our life. This is the way of consecration. It is glorious if we can live by faith for an entire year without anyone showing concern for us. However, there are situations in which serving ones ask others for help. When we are in this condition, we can do the work of Christianity, but we cannot do the work of building up the church. When we build up the church, our fame, reputation, being, and family will be wrecked. Our reputation, what we are, and what we have must be buried. The apostle Paul was wrecked by the Lord; the Lord gained his everything. The Lord Jesus can wreck people. Many lives have been wrecked by Him. This is a matter of consecration, of paying the price; this is to “fill up...that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ...for His Body” (Col. 1:24).
We must consider this matter of consecration and consider the price that we must pay. Those in Christianity do not take this way. We must be prepared to be wrecked by Christ. We should not measure things according to natural thoughts. We should not consider our profession, marriage, family, or studies according to natural thoughts. The situation of the early apostles, the Christians in the early church life, and those who have followed the Lord throughout the ages surely cannot be considered as normal. We can be considered as normal only if we are not consecrated and not taking the way of consecration. All the ways of consecration surely are abnormal. For example, the parents of Sister Dora Yu sent her to England to study medicine. However, when the ship she was on arrived at the port of Marseilles, France, she told the captain that she had to go back to China to preach the gospel. This is abnormal. We cannot take a normal path in our human life. If we take a normal path, we cannot take the way of consecration. May we all see that the way of serving the Lord is a way of consecration. Nothing is normal in this way; instead, everything is abnormal.
