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Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 12:31; 13:1-8, 13; 14:1; 8:1
In this chapter we will consider love. Love is an important item that we are familiar with but neglect.
First Corinthians deals with the problems of speaking in tongues, knowledge, and gifts. In chapter 1 Paul told the believers in Corinth, “In everything you were enriched in Him, in all utterance and all knowledge...so that you do not lack in any gift” (vv. 5, 7). The Corinthian believers had problems because they were rich in knowledge and gifts and lacked nothing. They were rich in knowledge and were well-gifted, but they were disorderly. The New Testament reveals that the church in Corinth was a very disorderly church; no local church was as disorderly as the church in Corinth.
The church in Corinth was not only disorderly; it was also sinful and was not even clear concerning idols. It is remarkable that they were rich in knowledge and had many gifts and yet were disorderly, sinful, and involved with idols. This shows that knowledge is not life, and gifts are not life. At the end of chapter 1 the apostle Paul says, “Of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (v. 30). God made Christ wisdom to us as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. God did not make Christ our knowledge, eloquence, or gift.
Some may not appreciate this word, because spiritual knowledge, eloquence, and gifts are highly regarded among Christians. A person who can speak clearly, logically, and engagingly with clever words, quoting verses and telling stories with parables, is considered to be a first-rate preacher. Famous preachers do not stammer, are eloquent, and have a resounding voice. As long as a person can stand up in a crowd and give a flowing and articulate speech with a voice that is resounding and melodious, he will be popular. He does not need to know how to give many messages, for if he can give thirty to fifty messages, he will be able to conduct revival meetings and will be welcomed everywhere.
Famous preachers, however, damage the church because they form their own sects. When a preacher becomes famous and popular, he will form a sect. This happens in the West and also in the East. The older saints who became Christians at a young age have watched Christianity for over half a century. During this time there was not one famous Chinese preacher who did not form his own sect, and no two famous preachers have been able to cooperate with each other. Even though such preachers made lofty statements, claiming to be one in Christ, to believe in the same Lord, to have the same faith, and to be the Lord’s servants, they could not work together but rather were jealous of one another.
We must see that eloquence, knowledge, and gifts are damaging. Paul did not use words such as vipers or fierce beasts to describe the believers in Corinth; rather, he was cautious in his words to them. He told the Corinthians that although they had all eloquence and all knowledge and did not lack in any gift, he would show them a most excellent way. No way is more excellent than love (12:31—13:3).
The Corinthians wanted eloquence, knowledge, and gifts, but they were not spiritual. Paul called them fleshy (3:1). Likewise, many people today care about the outward manifestation of gifts but not the indwelling Spirit. Furthermore, some of the so-called tongues spoken by the Pentecostal Christians are not genuine tongues. What came out of the mouth of Balaam’s donkey was an authentic and genuine tongue (Num. 22:28-30). But even if people speak in genuine tongues, Paul considered such ones as sounding brass and clanging cymbals, being without life (1 Cor. 13:1).
Some are eloquent but are sounding brass and clanging cymbals; others stammer but are outlets of life. Which kind of believer do we prefer? Many would prefer sounding brass and clanging cymbals instead of stammerers, but Paul said that the lifeless gifts, the sounding brass and clanging cymbals, caused problems in the church. The Corinthians treasured the gifts; they felt that Paul was good, that Apollos was good, and that Cephas was good. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas suited three kinds of human taste. Hence, some in Corinth said that they were of Paul, others said that they were of Apollos, and still others said that they were of Cephas (1:12). Thus, the church in Corinth had strife, factions, and sects.
The believers in Corinth did not lack in any gift (v. 7), but instead of being spiritual, they had strong natural tastes. Factions arise when there is a preference for and an appreciation of different tastes. For example, spicier foods match the Szechuan taste, and blander foods match the Beijing taste. In serving the church, our spiritual taste should be as indistinct as possible. We should not have a sense of “spice” or “blandness,” nor should we be attracted by an “aroma”; we should have regard only for eating until we are satisfied. By the Lord’s grace we should not be picky about the “taste” of the meetings; we should simply eat. When the saints rise up to testify or release the word, we should not have any preferences. We simply receive Christ and the supply of life.
Paul says, “Love never falls away. But whether prophecies, they will be rendered useless; or tongues, they will cease; or knowledge, it will be rendered useless” (13:8). Only love is eternal, lasts forever, because love is out of life. Hence, Paul says, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I dole out all my possessions to feed others, and if I deliver up my body that I may boast, but do not have love, I profit nothing” (vv. 1-3). In the Lord’s recovery we must love one another. The love in 1 Corinthians 13 is life; the expression of life is love.
In Ephesians there are two phrases that are two sides of one thing. These two phrases are in love (1:4; 3:17; 4:2, 15, 16; 5:2) and in spirit (2:22; 3:5; 5:18; 6:18). What is within is the spirit, and what is expressed is love. There is also another phrase — in Christ (1:3, 10, 12; 4:32). If we are not in spirit, we cannot be in Christ or in love. The Spirit is the reality of Christ, and love is the expression of the Spirit. These are our touchstones. Our being in the Spirit depends on our being in love. If we are in love, we are of the Lord and in the Spirit, and our love will be pure. Such love is the expression of the Spirit, and the Spirit is the reality of Christ. If we are in love, we are in the Spirit, not in knowledge or gifts. In the sphere of love, life is rich and flourishing.
Paul says, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1). Much knowledge puffs people up. Only love can build people up and edify people. Love can build up the church and build us into the church. Without love, we are sounding brass and clanging cymbals; that is, we are lifeless, and we are useless to the church. The less love we have, the more we damage the church. It is not the card players or the moviegoers who damage the building but those who are without love, even though they can preach according to knowledge and gifts.
Several co-workers and I have been seeking the Lord and fellowshipping concerning the responsible brothers in a certain locality. We feel that five middle-aged brothers and two elderly brothers should be “bound” together so that they bear responsibility together. These seven brothers have not coordinated together in the past, but now that they are bearing responsibility together, they must be “bound” together to the extent that they love one another. These brothers should say, “Lord, give us love. We need to love one another. We may be wrong, but You are never wrong. You have placed us here and bound us together. We thank and praise You that we were born into Your family and have seen the vision. We will never escape.” These brothers should be “disarmed” and love one another. Whether or not they are willing, as soon as they are bound together, love will abound.
I appreciate the traditional Chinese marriages. After living in America for many years, I feel that modern marriages have many problems. There is too much choice and freedom in modern marriages. The young men and women do not listen to their parents. Hence, two people can take an interest in each other if they have the same taste or temperament. According to statistics, the percentage of divorces and separations in such free, modern marriages is quite high. The reason such marriages fail is that there is too much freedom and self-choice. The old-fashioned Chinese marriages bound two people together whether they loved each other or not. This might seem harsh, but the percentage of couples who remained together is high.
When I was young, the phrase a match made in heaven was posted in my hometown every time someone got married. Such marriages were arranged by the parents but were called a match made in heaven. Because the young man and the young woman recognized that their marriage was the will of heaven, they accepted the marriage. They did not need other people or pastors to ask whether they loved each other; both parties believed that since the marriage was the will of heaven, it would be blessed by heaven. There was no choice in such old-fashioned Chinese marriages; there was only complete resignation to the will of heaven. As a result, the matches were free of problems. If left to choice, a young man or woman might choose a good counterpart but see a better one after several months or an even better one several years later. How can a person decide? Who has the assurance that his insight will give him the best choice? A young woman might choose someone with a dignified appearance, only to suffer later because he has a crooked heart. If the door of choice is closed at the beginning, everything will be the “will of heaven,” and the result will be heaven-made matches that are happy and free of problems. Brother Nee once said that the young people should open their eyes wide and make thorough observations before getting engaged, but they should close their eyes and be blind as well as deaf after they are engaged and married. I would further say that it is better for the young people to be blind and deaf even while they are looking for a spouse.
The young people are in the age of science and may not believe my word. They may think that I am too old-fashioned and completely out of touch with the current of the age. However, I have fifty years of experience and have observed much in northern China, southern China, Taiwan, and the United States. Those with strong opinions in choosing a spouse do not necessarily have a good outcome. During the last twenty years in the United States I have seen at least five hundred couples get married. Those who were choosy usually had a bad outcome, but for those who were simple, things usually turned out well. By simple I mean that these ones did not choose on their own but gave the matter to God. They often said, “Lord, I was made by You. My future is in Your hands. You know who would be a good and suitable spouse for me. I do not know.”
I have likened the change of responsible brothers in a locality to marriage. These seven brothers need to be firmly bound together and love one another. My desire, however, is not an order; if these brothers have the same desire, they will begin to love one another. If they accept this change and are bound together in the service, love will follow. They should love one another and not choose. Choosing will open a back door for the enemy to come in and work. I hope that these seven brothers will commit themselves into the Lord’s hand, forget the past, coordinate together, and love one another. If they are willing to do this, they will be blessed.
Forgetting is a principle in the Bible. In forgiving us of our sins, God forgets our sins (Heb. 8:12). Therefore, we also should forgive one another (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13). In the Bible to forgive is to forget. Only when something is forgotten is it truly forgiven.
Furthermore, Paul says, “One thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before” (Phil. 3:13). In the future when we are in the new heaven and the new earth, we will only remember how we repented, got saved, enjoyed the Lord, and fellowshipped with the saints. We will not remember any hate, jealousy, or strife. We will remember the good things but have no memory of the bad things. Therefore, we should live in the new heaven and the new earth today. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, they have become new.” When we forget the things that are behind, the things of yesterday, we will love one another.
If we do not have love but claim to be in spirit, we are performing. We must have love in order to be in spirit. To be in spirit is to be in Christ. I hope that the brothers who are coordinating and serving together would love one another. Love does not take account of evil and does not take account of people’s shortcomings; love forgets the bad and forgets the past. If we would be in love, the local churches would be blessed, full of life, and enjoy the Lord’s presence. We would benefit, and others would benefit.
Question: Should the local churches have a children’s work? We lack suitable children’s materials.
Answer: The children’s meeting is a very important service, but we must admit that we have not done enough in our localities. The responsible brothers in the various localities should pay attention to the children’s work and endeavor to bring younger brothers and sisters into the children’s service. It is not easy to prepare materials. Some of what we have written is not fitting. Other things that were written are good, but not enough copies were printed. The ones teaching the children in the various localities need to pray much. They must not use Sunday-school material from Christianity and must not give the children premature knowledge. Premature knowledge is damaging, not beneficial.
I hope that the churches in the various localities will pay attention to the children’s work. This work is worthwhile and necessary. If we can work with the children and those in elementary school, junior high, and high school, we will have a good foundation in the young people’s work. Time flies; a decade goes by fast. The children who are seven years old this year will be seventeen years old in a decade, and the children who are ten years old now will be twenty years old in a decade. The young people who are seventeen to twenty years old are very useful in the church. The children’s work is more effective than bringing people in from the streets to hear the gospel.
Although there are troubles and sufferings in coordination, genuine coordination is very sweet. The key is with how we coordinate. The work of the ministry officially began in Taipei on August 1, 1949. On the one hand, we endeavored to help the church in Taipei; on the other hand, we helped build all the churches in Taiwan. From the beginning of the work we have avoided four things in our coordination. First, we avoided opinions. When the work began, I told the brothers who attended the service meetings and the elders’ meetings that in the administration of the church and the coordination in the work we must avoid opinions. We should not have opinions.
Second, we avoided the flesh. The flesh must never be involved in our coordination. As elders and co-workers, we must avoid and reject the flesh in any situation. Third, we avoided arguments. We should never argue. Fourth, we avoided strife. At that time I was taking the lead in the work, and by the Lord’s grace we endeavored not to involve the flesh, not to argue, and not to be in strife. As a result, the Lord’s testimony in Taiwan, including the administration of the church and the coordination in the work, began with a good foundation.
The first step in whatever we do is crucial. If the first step is right, the next steps will be easy. If the first step is wrong, it will be difficult to correct it afterward. If the abovementioned seven brothers understand their responsibility and are willing to be bound together, they must guard against the involvement of the flesh. By the Lord’s grace they must by all means avoid ever involving the flesh. They must lay a good foundation. While ministering in the different localities, I have discovered that many elders do not have a good foundation in their bearing of responsibility and coordinating together, because the foundation that they laid involved arguments, contentions, and the flesh. Hence, it is difficult for their local church to go on.
After much prayer, I sense that the Lord wants us to give up our former ways and lay a new foundation. The change of responsible brothers in that locality is a special case. If all the localities imitate that locality, their imitation will be a dead ordinance. I hope that the brothers in the various localities will have a new beginning in bearing responsibility and coordinating.
In our coordination we should deal sincerely with one another, not with mere civility, and we should not involve opinions, the flesh, and contentions. The most beautiful thing in coordination is to love one another. We should have genuine love for one another, not an emotional, excited, superficial, fleshly, or factious love but love that is in Christ and in the Spirit.
I hope that every locality will have a basic, clear, clean, and pure foundation. Laying a good foundation is more valuable than anything else. Even going out to gain thousands of people is not as precious as a good foundation. The younger generation must remember this word and not lay a mixed foundation in their coordination. They must lay a pure and solid foundation without opinions, diplomacy, civility, the flesh, and strife. When a solid foundation is laid, proper persons will come to meet with us. If the foundation is improper, only improper persons will come. Birds of a feather flock together. A person will find and meet in a place that matches him. Therefore, we must lay a simple, pure, upright, and noble foundation in order to gain weighty and upright persons.
We thank the Lord that He has brought in some upright persons on this proper foundation. Those who are not upright cannot stay on this foundation, for they will be exposed if they stay. On a proper foundation without mixture, the flesh cannot rise up, no one can respond to the flesh, and gimmicks do not earn profit. Hence, the ones who come this way want life and the truth. If we have more life and truth and a firm foundation, the ones who come will be weighty.
