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We have seen that in the Lord’s move on earth, there are two areas of function: fighting the battle and keeping the testimony. For fighting the battle the Israelites between the ages of twenty and thirty were useful, but for keeping the testimony the older ones, those above the age of thirty, were necessary. According to the picture in the Old Testament, those in the middle-aged group are the ones most necessary for the Lord’s move.
Chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Numbers reveal that the children of Israel were formed into an army because they were surrounded by enemies. This army was necessary for the protection of God’s testimony. Around the church as God’s testimony today, there are many enemies. Because we are an anti-testimony, there are many enemies to the Lord’s recovery. Hence, there is the need of an army to protect the testimony. We have seen that this army does not take care of the Tent of Meeting directly. Rather, according to the picture in Numbers, the army was encamped around the tabernacle to protect the sphere, the realm, in which the tabernacle was erected. For the keeping of the Tent of Meeting, there was the need for a peaceful sphere. Because the twelve tribes camped around the Tent of Meeting, wherever the children of Israel went, there was a peaceful realm in which the tabernacle could be erected. Today in the Lord’s recovery we need the young people to be an army encamped around the church life.
The twelve tribes of the children of Israel not only fought the enemy but also gained the ground to create a peaceful realm for the setting up of the tabernacle. This ground made it possible for God’s habitation to be safely erected. Today we need the young people to drive away the enemy and to gain more young people to secure the safety of the Lord’s testimony. In every major city there is the need for a peaceful sphere for the establishment of the church life. The gaining of such a sphere is the responsibility of the young people.
By studying the picture presented in the book of Numbers, we can see what the responsibility of the middle-aged brothers and sisters should be. In chapter 3 of Numbers we see how to keep the Tent of Meeting. Those related to the Tent of Meeting were in three sections according to their age: one section for those from one month to twenty years, a second section for those between twenty and thirty, and a third section for those over the age of thirty. We have seen that those between the ages of twenty and thirty were to fight the battle and that those over thirty were to maintain the testimony directly. But what about those between the ages of one month and twenty years? Those in this age group surrounded the tabernacle in order to keep it. The Bible does not tell us the meaning of keeping the tabernacle. Perhaps it meant to protect the tabernacle and to share in its maintenance. As the Lord’s testimony today, the church needs more young ones, more new ones. However, most of us in the church life do not have the way to use the new ones. It seems that the more new ones we have, the more trouble we have. But the more young ones there are, the more the church is protected. How wonderful it would be if the church in Anaheim had a thousand new ones to protect the church life!
In the meetings of the church many times the same ones give testimonies again and again. I am eager to hear new ones speaking in the meetings. If many new ones would testify at the Lord’s table meeting, I would be excited. Some of those who speak often are quite eloquent. But eloquence means nothing. The church is not a place for eloquent speaking. Instead of eloquence I prefer to hear the childlike speech of the new ones. How sweet such speaking is! We do not want to hear the same voices all the time. If there are no new ones speaking in the meetings, the church life will be under attack. A sister may be sixty years old as far as physical age is concerned, but spiritually, having been newly converted, she may be only a month old. To hear such a one praise the Lord is very sweet. Although her speech may not be eloquent, it is refreshing and encouraging. How refreshed we would be if several newly converted ones would stand up in the meeting and praise the Lord for their salvation! We need the speaking of such babes and young ones. We need more new converts to guard the Lord’s testimony. We need a line of spiritual babes and young ones to surround the church life.
Numbers 3:32 says, “Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be leader of the leaders of the Levites and have the oversight of those who keep the charge of the sanctuary.” This verse indicates that Eleazar was to have the oversight of all those between the ages of one month and twenty years. I hope that among the elders in the churches some will be overseers of the babes or teenagers.
We should forget about being leaders. For many years I have been looking to the Lord for a way to have the church life without the eldership being so prominent. I have also been seeking a way to have the church service without emphasizing leadership. Although there is a need for elders, eldership has been a strong temptation for many brothers. In the past certain brothers have been ambitious to be elders. Once, I received a telephone call from a brother who asked me whether or not he would be an elder in the locality to which he was migrating. I told him that migration is not for eldership. Anyone who moves to a city expecting to be an elder is not qualified for eldership. Others desire to be leaders in the service groups. Many who have had such an expectation have been disappointed when they were not appointed elders or service group leaders. My point here is that we need to drop our natural concept of “leadership.” However, we need many brothers and sisters to take up the burden to care for the young ones and the new ones. Do not wait for the elders to arrange something. Be encouraged to carry out your burden for the new ones.
The most important age group with respect to the tabernacle was the group between the ages of thirty and fifty. The burden of caring for the Tent of Meeting was directly upon them. It was those in this age group who carried the various parts of the tabernacle from place to place. In the church life we need those between twenty and thirty to fight the battle, those from one month to twenty to guard the Tent of Meeting, and those over thirty to care directly for the Tent of Meeting. According to the book of Numbers, those thirty and over carried the Ark, the table of the bread of the Presence, the lampstand, the incense altar, the bronze altar, and all the vessels and utensils. The children of Kohath took care of the vessels; the children of Gershon, the curtains, the hangings, and the coverings; and the children of Merari, the pillars, the boards, and the sockets. We may apply these types to today’s church life. We need many saints experienced in Christ to take care of different aspects of Christ for the constitution of the church life. We need a number of experienced saints to take care of Christ as the Ark, as the incense altar, as the table of the bread of the Presence, as the lampstand, and as the bronze altar. Those who have experienced Christ in these ways should convey these aspects of Christ to the new ones. Many are short of the experience of Christ as the Ark or as the incense altar. Thus, there is the need of the experienced ones to carry Christ to them in these ways.
The Ark was not carried within the Tent of Meeting. Likewise, we do not need to carry Christ as the Ark to the new ones only in the meetings. There is much opportunity to do this outside the meetings. For this reason we have some evenings each week for the basic church meetings, meetings for prayer, the Lord’s table, and Bible study; one evening for our family life; and the other evenings open to have fellowship with saints, especially to care for the new ones or for the young ones. We need to use this time to minister Christ to others as the Ark, as the table of the bread of the Presence, or as the lampstand. This is what it means to care for the vessels that belong to the Tent of Meeting.
In the past the elders have been too exercised in making arrangements and in selecting saints to do things. Instead of this, we should give the saints the liberty to carry out their burden and encourage them to do so. Not long ago I proposed to the elders that many homes be opened for Bible studies. Although a number are burdened for this, they are waiting for the elders to arrange something. Do not wait for the elders to make arrangements or to decide who is qualified to have a Bible study in his home. We all can study the Bible. Can you not gather a few of your neighbors together for a Bible study on the Gospel of John? Certainly you can. Whether or not you can carry on a Bible study does not depend on eloquence; it depends upon your burden. People do not want eloquence — they want reality. I encourage you, according to your burden, to have a living, informal Bible study according to the spirit. This is simply one example of the many things the saints are able to do.
Since coming into the church life, we have heard message after message. The saints not only need to eat the spiritual food; they need to work and to be useful. All the brothers and sisters can be useful and do something. I would encourage the elders to stop making arrangements and to let the saints be busy. In the church I like to see that the saints are busy and that the elders have much time to pray. Although the saints should not wait for the elders to make arrangements, they should not be rebellious or independent in what they do.
The church needs the elders, but the elders should not do everything, for this will produce the clergy-laity system. We need the eldership but not the clergy. As long as the saints are not rebellious or independent and as long as they are for the Lord’s recovery, whatever they do is all right. They need to be given their freedom. Selection always forms a class among the saints, and this causes division. The elders should give the saints the liberty to drive the “car.” As long as they are moving toward the same goal, it does not matter if they drive differently.
We have pointed out that we need some experienced ones to minister Christ in specific ways to the new ones. Suppose a certain brother, skilled at carpentry, serves with the maintenance group. Although many things in our meeting hall require maintenance, our goal is not merely to take care of the practical needs but to bear Christ as the Ark to those serving in the maintenance group. A new one with ability in carpentry may spontaneously share in this service. The more experienced ones should be thankful for this new one, not for the help that he can render in maintenance but for the opportunity to minister Christ into him as the Ark. This is shepherding. If those in the maintenance service minister Christ to others in this way, this service will be full of Christ.
However, this is not yet the situation among us in the church service. Instead of ministering Christ to others, we care for the group itself and, for the sake of the group, we often make a selection among the saints. Do not think that ministering Christ is solely the responsibility of the elders. It is the responsibility of all the saints. There are innumerable opportunities to minister Christ. If there were thousands of us ministering Christ, we still could not exhaust the opportunities.
With respect to the tabernacle, Moses and Aaron did not do very much. They did not do the packing or the carrying. The elders in the churches today, on the contrary, do too much. The elders should not promote organization. Organization leads to hierarchy, which in turn issues in the clergy-laity system. There is a strong tendency, even among us, to have the laity, but if we have the laity, then we have the clergy also. The church needs the elders, not to control the saints or to do everything for them. The elders should decide the times of the meetings, and they should represent the church in certain matters. Instead of waiting for the elders to make arrangements, the saints should pray and function according to the spirit. However, there must be no tendency toward independence or rebellion. If we are either independent or rebellious, then we are not concerned for the Lord’s recovery.
We need to carry out the Lord’s recovery according to the heavenly vision. Under the light of this vision we care for a living testimony in oneness. Nevertheless, in this oneness there is great variety. The saints are free to set up a Bible study in their homes or to engage in other spiritual activities to care for others. They do not need to wait for the elders’ approval or permission. The elders have no right to grant this permission. Every saint has the freedom to serve the Lord in the spirit as long as he is neither independent nor rebellious. This is the way to build up the church.
In the Lord’s recovery we need all ages. The young people need to be released to fight the battle and to gain ground for the recovery. Although they need to be released, they should not have a spirit of rebellion. If there is the proper release among the young people, there will be a spiritual explosion among us. This involves risks, but without taking risks nothing can be accomplished. If Columbus had not been willing to take a risk, he never would have discovered this continent.
In Anaheim we have had too much organization and selection. We need to turn from this. We are not qualified to determine who is good or not so good. Our maneuvering can accomplish nothing for the Lord. Only the Lord knows who is trustworthy and faithful. Without His mercy none of us can be trustworthy. Whenever I see organization or selection in the church life, my heart aches. From now on, let us drop organization and selection. All the saints are useful in the various sections of the church life. The young people are good for fighting, the new ones are good for keeping the tabernacle, and the older ones are good for taking direct care of the Tent of Meeting. Let us do everything we can for the Lord in the spirit but without a trace of independence or rebellion. Furthermore, we do not need to be unified or controlled by the eldership. All the brothers and sisters must move ahead to do their duty and to fulfill their responsibility.
In the church life we should not make anything special. Rather, we should be general. For example, sometime ago there was the need to set up a business office for the church in Anaheim. In order to have a business office there is the need to have brothers and sisters to serve in the office. Some, regarding this as a special service, were disappointed when they were not invited to serve in the business office. Others felt quite proud at being asked to serve. If you serve in the business office, you should not feel proud about it. Rather, you should regard yourself as a slave. If you consider it a glory to be chosen to serve in the business office, perhaps you need to resign, for you are not caring for the tabernacle in a proper way. We need to tear down the concept of prestige in the church life. More than fifty years ago, we were raised up by the Lord to tear down these things. Let us not build them up again. We should not be concerned about being in a so-called special service; rather, we should be concerned about taking care of others.
The children of Gershon carried the curtains and the four layers of covering for the tabernacle. These refer to different aspects of Christ. We need to experience Christ in certain specific aspects and then help others to also have these experiences of Him. If we do this, we are here as the Lord’s testimony, not as part of religion. For the sake of having a living testimony, we need many who know Christ in a rich way and in many aspects. For example, some should know Christ as the porpoise skin and as the textiles in the tabernacle. If we know Christ in a full way, He will be richly manifested among us. This is the church life. What a shame it is to have organization, selection, arrangements, and assignments without the experience of Christ! To do this is to repeat the history of Christianity. We all need to stand against such a trend. We need to have Christ manifested among us in many different aspects. Then we need to come together and express Christ in the church meetings and to minister Him to others.
The family of Merari carried the pillars, the boards, and the sockets. In other words, they bore the solid elements of the Tent of Meeting. This signifies that some among us need to experience Christ as the sockets that are weighty and full of Christ and as the boards that form the solid structure of the tabernacle. Those who have experienced Christ in this way need to help others out of their experience. If this is our practice in the church life, then at the Lord’s table meeting many new ones will give testimonies full of reality. This is the proper church life. Such a church life, God’s testimony on earth, is God’s habitation. As we bear this kind of testimony, the young people should be on the frontier fighting the enemy and gaining ground, and the new ones should be keeping the tabernacle. May we have all three sections in the church life.
