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We need to live in our spirit all the time, just as we need to breathe all the time. We do not have certain places where we breathe and certain places where we do not breathe. We come to the meetings to breathe. Therefore, instead of waiting for others, we should be strong in our spirit, actively exercising and releasing our spirit, and we must pray much. The meeting is ours; hence, everyone should open his mouth to pray. Every meeting is our assembling together; it is a time for us to pray with our spirit. Everyone should pray in the meetings. We must practice this.
Our meetings are open, and we have the spirit and life. Hence, we should be aggressive to pray one after another. In contrast, our meetings are abnormal, because they are full of regulations and rituals, and they lack the aggressiveness of the spirit and the spontaneity of life. In the United States when the co-workers and elders gather together, they only pray. They do not care whether there is a speaker in the meeting; they only care to pray aggressively. Everyone prays, and there are no pauses. We have gathered from various places to seek the Lord’s grace. Hence, it is proper for us to pray instead of relying on a message. All the churches need to receive grace from the Lord in order to have a drastic change.
Concerning the service of the elders, in some places the elders have become everything in the church. They must be consulted for every matter, and everything depends upon their decision. This is too much. There should not be hierarchy among the believers. We are all brothers. There cannot be only one or two people in a local church. In a church with a few hundred or a few thousand people, there is the need for a few responsible ones to take the lead and to make arrangements concerning the church affairs. The Lord does not want a disorderly situation among His children. Therefore, the principle in the Bible shows that the elders are needed in the local churches. It is right for the brothers and sisters to obey the elders, but this does not mean that the elders are the officials in the local churches. It is wrong for the elders to be more overbearing than officials.
The elders are appointed by the apostles, but they should not think that they are elders only because they were appointed by the apostles. It is wrong for the elders to have such a bureaucratic and hierarchical view. The elders need to be appointed by the apostles, because those who are weighty are usually humble and do not fight to be first, whereas those who are insignificant want to be first. The apostles, who have spent much time with the Lord and are led by Him, need to appoint the elders; otherwise, the insignificant ones would rise up to be elders, and the proper persons would humbly retreat. Hence, the elders need to be appointed by the apostles. However, we should not have the concept that the apostles are popes appointing officials. There is no such practice in the church. Whether a brother should be an elder is between him and the Lord. Every saint has received a different measure of grace to fulfill his function and portion.
It is beautiful for the elders’ shepherding, teaching, and care to cover every detail and aspect of the church life. This is necessary. In some localities, however, every matter requires the elders’ approval. In many churches most of the affairs have been in the hands of the elders for ten or even twenty years. There is no building up in these localities. The elders should not keep anything in their hands; instead, they should commit everything to the deacons. The function of the elders is to oversee, not to handle things directly. The common problem among the elders is that they keep things in their hands and take care of things themselves; they do not allow others to be responsible. If there are a few who find favor with the elders, the elders will arrange for them to handle some matters. This, however, is not the church; this is not the building.
Building the church may be likened to building a house or making a piece of furniture. As long as the materials are available, they should be put to use, regardless of their size or value. Any person who is not put to use in a locality will become a problem, just like unused materials at a construction site that are heaped in a pile and become a problem. Some elders blame the saints for being material of poor quality. What kind of material is good? In order to build up the church, we need to use all kinds of materials. The larger ones are useful, and the smaller ones are useful. The ones whom we consider to be valuable are useful, and the ones whom we consider to be less valuable are also useful. However, if these materials are left on the ground, they will become a problem. When all the materials are used for the building, there will be no problem.
The elders can always come up with reasons for not putting people to use. Based on these excuses, no one can be used. Hence, the saints are set aside. The elders must bring the saints to the right track by perfecting them. A piece of wood cannot become a door by itself. It requires a carpenter to work on it before it can be installed into a building. This is the meaning of perfecting. The more the elders bring the saints into function, the fewer problems there will be in the church. The materials that are used to make furniture will not become a problem.
In building up the church, it is critical for the elders to use all the different kinds of materials, regardless of whether they are good. Sometimes, the well-behaved saints cannot carry out a task, but the naughty ones can carry out the task. The function of the saints depends on how the elders perfect them and build them up. The elders need to perfect, shepherd, and teach the saints and then assign responsibility for things to the saints. The elders need to identify the things that need to be done in order to assign them to the saints so that the saints can function.
The elders should not think that they are the only ones able to do things. Many young people are full of potential and will eventually do things better than the elders. There is a Chinese saying: “There are only champion trainees but not champion trainers.” A trainer may not be a champion himself, but one of his trainees may become a champion. Therefore, the elders need to let the saints develop by giving them opportunities to serve. Our problem is that many people are not built up but are “piled up” on the side. They have nothing to do, so they just gossip about the elders and about the church. The elders cannot blame them, because the elders do not give them anything to do. These ones have too much time, so they gossip. The elders need to build up the saints so that they function and bear responsibility. When the saints bear responsibility, they will not have time to gossip.
I have learned a basic secret from my many years of service in the church. If someone criticizes something, let him do it. For instance, if someone says that the glass windows were not thoroughly cleaned, he can be put in charge of cleaning and be given a chance to do it. This will help him to stop criticizing. If he does not do as good a job, his condition will be exposed. If he does a better job, his ability will be manifested. We should not prohibit those who criticize from doing things. If a person complains that the message was poor, he can be asked to give a message the next Lord’s Day. When he gives the message, either his poverty will be exposed, or his riches will be manifested. The principle is that we should do our best to bring people into function.
The elders should not consider themselves to be in a higher position, nor should they consider themselves to be the authority for every decision. It is bureaucratic and authoritarian to set aside those who “disobey.” The Lord has commissioned me to minister life and truth to the churches and the saints. The churches have the freedom to decide what they want to do and how they will develop. There are more than three hundred churches on six continents. Not one church is in my hand. I live in Anaheim, but I do not know about many matters in the church in Anaheim. Some may even think that I am not a member of the church in Anaheim, because I am unaware of many things in the church there; these matters are in the hands of the elders. Every church should have the opportunity to develop, and the elders should allow the saints the opportunity to develop.
It is easy for the elders to conduct themselves as officials. In some situations it is better not to have elders, because they cause the church to suffer. In Revelation the Lord does not mention elders in the local churches. I believe that at the time of Revelation, people viewed the eldership as a system and the elders as officials. Hence, the Lord does not mention the elders or deacons in the local churches. The Lord seems to be saying, “We do not need the elders to be officials. Instead, My people need the opportunity to develop, to live in the spirit, and to follow the spirit at all times.” Some have a wrong concept and do not pray in a meeting when they feel that the meeting is under a certain elder brother’s leadership. This should not be practiced. We are all brothers and sisters and should fulfill our functions in the meetings.
The elders in some local churches are like kings who give orders to the saints at will. This is entirely improper. As much as possible, the elders should assign the affairs of the church to the saints. The elders need to oversee instead of replacing the saints. When I hand things over to the saints, I often find that they do a better job. They can do what I could not do. Every person is limited; we have only two hands. May the Lord’s precious blood cover me to say that although I have done many things, everything is now in others’ hands. The elders must learn how to perfect the saints. If the elders think that there is no “good” material, they should still use the “inferior” materials. A coffee table does not need to be made of valuable material; it can be made of ordinary wood.
If the elders cannot lead the saints to function, everyone standing idle will become a problem. Those standing idle will turn to idle words, which will turn into problems. The elders need to perfect the saints and allow them to fulfill their portion within their measure. At the same time, the elders should supply the saints with life and pray for them so that they may learn the lessons of life. If the saints are built up in this way, there will be no more problems.
The problem is that the elders think too highly of themselves. Every person is confident. However, I have learned to do things against my nature and not trust in myself but to commit things to others and teach them to do things. I once asked a sister to take care of a matter; she handled it in a better way, so I told her to do it her way because it was better. The elders must do this if they want to perfect the saints and build them up. If everything is held in the hands of the elders, the church will not develop.
We must help the saints realize that the elders do not have to approve everything that they do. The elders may not have the feeling to preach the gospel, but they should not discourage or restrict the saints who have earnestly received a burden for the gospel. Rather, the elders should encourage all the saints to preach the gospel. Not everything needs a stamp of approval from the elders. That is not the Body. The Body is of life and in the spirit.
There have always been those who love to be first (cf. 3 John 9), but the elders should not be such. Those who love to be first think that by exercising strict control they prevent chaos in the church. There have been some who caused problems, but most believers will not cause problems. Therefore, the saints should be free to function. Among the Lord’s disciples, only one was Judas. The elders do not need to worry that everyone will be like Judas.
Let me repeat, the elders should not hold things in their hands. If a person is able to do a great thing, let him do it. If a person is able to do a small thing, let him do it. Even a person who is unable to do anything should do something, because he will learn. No one knows everything or is able to do everything from birth. Experience is acquired through learning. If a person makes a mistake, give him more chances. He will not always make mistakes; his mistakes are not on purpose. Hence, the elders need a large heart and much prayer. The elders are shepherds, so they should pray for the saints by name. In particular, they should pray for those who do not know how to do things and for those who may cause problems. The elders are busy, and they should make others busy as well. If only the elders are busy while the others stand idle, the church is not being built up.
It is not easy to be an elder, because being an elder requires much prayer, learning, teaching, and fellowship. The elders need to fellowship with the saints every day and lead them one by one. The elders should fellowship with and lead one brother today and should fellowship with and lead another brother tomorrow. Then the work of the elders will be effective because brothers will learn how the elders lead the church. This is the way for the saints to be perfected.
Some churches might not have any offspring; in other words, they might not have a second generation. I am afraid that the elders in these localities do not care for people, nor do they pray much, and when they pray, they pray only about problems. This cannot produce offspring. We should not pray concerning the problems of the saints; rather, we should pray for them to be perfected. We should be able to bring the saints into their function, to perfect them, and to build them up. The extent of building up depends on the growth of life, and the growth of life depends on how well a person is fed. If parents do a good job of feeding their children, the children will grow up. Hence, there must be no officials, no self-assumed authority, and no rulers if a local church is to be built up. The Bible says that the elders should not lord it over the allotment entrusted to them by God but should be patterns of the flock (1 Pet. 5:3).
If the Lord permits, some local churches could practice having no elders for a period of time so that every brother has the opportunity to advance and develop. I am making this proposal because in some localities the eldership has become a system, and the saints have lost their inner spiritual sense. This is not right. If this situation continues, organizations and regulations will be formed among us. The responsible brothers and the elders must understand that they are not officials; they are merely brothers and slaves serving the church.
In conclusion, the elders should live in their spirit and pray much. Everything related to the church should pass through prayer; nothing should be done without prayer. If the restrooms need to be cleaned, the elders should pray, “Lord, which brother should be put in charge of cleaning the restrooms?” Arrangements can be made after prayer. The elders should bear every saint in prayer and seek the Lord’s leading on behalf of the saints. Then the elders will receive the Lord’s leading and know how to lead the saints, including where to place them in the service. This is building. Materials cannot install themselves into a house; they must be built into the house by the builders, according to the need. This is what the elders should do.
The elders should not rule or lord it over people. We should not say, “The elders are the authority in the church. Only what they say counts.” A brother with this thought should not be an elder. The service and responsibility of the elders are to cultivate the saints, develop their spiritual life, and activate their spiritual function. The elders do not need to rule. Only the Lord Himself is the ruling One. He reigns in everyone. The elders only need to bring the saints into the spirit.
A good elder must be a person of prayer and a person living in the spirit. If a person does not know what it means to live in the spirit or to pray, he will not and cannot be an elder. A person who lives in the spirit and prays at all times will not contact the saints or arrange matters, things, and persons in the church until he has had thorough prayer. Such a person is able to bring others into the spirit of prayer and into fellowship and to build them up in life. The church is not a society that needs socializing. Secular interactions and socializing are the customs of the nations and are filthy leprosy. Only those who pray themselves into the spirit can build up the church and shepherd the church.
If the brothers are to be elders, they must learn this lesson. We must learn to live in the spirit and to pray. If we live in the spirit and pray concerning every matter, we will be different, and the church will also be different.
