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We shall consider two passages of the Scriptures. The first is Colossians 1:27-29, which says, “What are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ; for which also I labor, struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power.” The second passage is 2 Corinthians 4:1, 2 and 5, which says, “Having this ministry as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart; but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every conscience of men before God...For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.”
In these passages of the Scriptures, Paul shows us not only the mystery of God hidden throughout the ages but also the all-inclusive Christ. Moreover, he shows us how the apostles carried out the ministry and accomplished the mysterious work of God on earth. In Colossians 1:27 he says, “What are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Some versions translate the latter phrase as Christ in us. These translations may come from different manuscripts, but they both make sense. On the one hand, you refers to the New Testament readers; on the other hand, us refers to the apostles at that time. Paul then goes on to say, “Whom we announce...in all wisdom.” Paul uses all his wisdom to announce Christ. His announcing is not according to a single kind of method or speaking. Rather, it is multilayered, multifaceted, and multidirectional. He exhausts all his wisdom not only to announce but also to admonish every man and teach every man so that he may present every man full-grown in Christ.
The word full-grown includes being perfect, complete, and grown up. In Greek this word basically means “grown up unto maturity.” When a person grows up unto maturity, that is the time he is perfect and complete. This is Paul’s meaning in this verse. He preached Christ to others, hoping that one day they would grow up unto maturity and become perfect and complete. Perfect denotes full in quality, whereas complete denotes full in quantity. To be full-grown is to be completely perfect, without any lack in quality or quantity. If there is a blemish in a precious stone, it is not perfect, and if it is lacking a corner, it is not complete. A precious stone must be pure within and have no blemish; this is to be perfect. However, for the stone to be perfect does not necessarily mean that it is complete. Only if the stone is properly faceted without the slightest flaw can it be considered complete. Being perfect and complete in Christ is the result of growth in life. Hence, Paul says that we need to present men to Christ in this manner, that is, to present them full-grown in Christ. This is the ultimate goal of Paul’s ministering to people.
In verse 29 Paul goes on to say, “For which also I labor.” Here Paul uses the word labor, not merely work. To labor means to toil at a difficult task. Any kind of job that requires laboring is not an easy one. An easy job does not require us to labor. Paul labored “according to His operation which operates in me in power.” What kind of power is this? This is the power that is activated within us and continues to operate in us. Furthermore, Paul adds that he was struggling according to this power. The Greek word for struggling is used to describe the struggling, contending, wrestling, and fighting of athletes in the Olympic games. The Lord Jesus said in John 18:36, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My attendants would be struggling.” To struggle indicates a battle. Hence, this is a strong word.
As we all know, people like pleasure but not suffering. However, today we cannot serve Christ on a sedan chair. There is no such thing, and there is no such chair. Paul in the New Testament was one who struggled, like the contenders in athletic contests (1 Cor. 9:26-27). He boxed, not as though beating the air, and he ran the race ahead of others in order to win. If his struggling were like weightlifting, then he must lift clean and high. This was the nature of his struggling. Jude 3 exhorts the believers to earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints. This shows us that we need not only to struggle but also to contend for the faith. All these meanings are included in struggling.
In Matthew 25 the Lord Jesus spoke a parable concerning the kingdom of the heavens. The kingdom is like a man who was about to go abroad, called his own slaves, and delivered to them his possessions. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one. Later, the master returned, and the one who had received one talent, the cautious one, came before him and said, “Master, I knew about you, that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow. And I was afraid” (vv. 24-25a). It is as if he were saying, “O master, behold, your one talent is still intact; I kept it for you and did not lose anything.” The master seemed to reply, “You are absolutely right. Since you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not winnow, why did you not use the one talent to earn interest? Why did you hide it?” For that slave, earning interest was a psychologically taxing job. It seemed best for him not to do anything and not to move anywhere. This person had completely lost his morale. The master said to him, “You should have deposited my money with the money changers; and when I came, I would have recovered what is mine with interest” (v. 27). If we are those willing to struggle for the Lord, the Lord will be able to gain much and even recover what is His with interest.
Today the earth is in desolation. Although there is a general preaching of the gospel, there is no gospel concerning the hidden mystery or the high gospel concerning Christ in us. It is no easy task to open up a wasteland, but it is an indisputable fact that there are millions of people scattered in every major continent of the world, waiting for people to save their souls. It is a glorious matter for us to go out for the Lord. On the one hand, we reap the harvest wherever we go. Although we are not the ones who sowed, the Lord has already sown through others, so all we need to do is to reap. On the other hand, we ourselves need to go out to sow the seeds. Then after we sow the seeds, there will certainly be a harvest.
We had this experience when we began our work in America. We traveled from the East Coast to the West Coast, and from the west back to the east. We also traveled from south to north and from north to south. Within a few years our traveling covered most of America, and we reaped a harvest in almost every place. There were three to five persons in one state, five or six in another, and others elsewhere. In less than two years we reaped many people here and there in each state. When the church in Los Angeles was raised up, the numbers increased quickly from tens of people to a hundred people, from one hundred to one hundred fifty, and then from one hundred fifty to two hundred. These persons were brought in during 1963, 1964, and no later than 1965 when the work in the United States first started. Eventually, in 1970 at the International Conference in Los Angeles, a revival was ushered in as a result of our meetings.
The fire of our spread began in the summer of 1964. Some wanted to move to Alaska, some to Nebraska, and some to other places. At that time the tide of migration was so prevailing that many did not know how to respond. However, the Lord clearly showed us that it was not yet the appropriate time to spread. Hence, the Lord gave us grace to stay where we were for another three years. Those three years were truly a wonderful period in which we all became better equipped.
In 1970 the number of people who attended the International Conference exceeded one thousand. During this year everyone wanted to spread out through migration. Many of the saints were praising and leaping, although they were also shedding tears, being reluctant to depart from Los Angeles. On the day they left Los Angeles, some made a detour from their homes to the meeting hall on Elden Street to catch a last glimpse, and they could not hold back their tears. They were richly blessed and edified there, and Elden hall had left an eternal impression on them. That wave of migration resulted in the spread to between twenty and thirty localities, such as Chicago and other places. This migration proceeded quickly and had a great impact. In not more than two years, the Lord’s recovery had reached two to three thousand people. In a conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 1973, the number of attendants exceeded three thousand. Large crowds gathered both inside and outside of the meeting place. From that day onward, our concept was changed. We realized that we should no longer hold big conferences but that we should begin to conduct trainings. Big conferences are open in nature, and anyone could join, but trainings required a process of approval. Therefore, since 1974 we have conducted trainings twice a year. People have had to register and be approved by the various churches. That was the beginning of the life-study training. We praise the Lord that this has gone on for thirteen years without interruption.
History shows us that what we have today is precious. Therefore, we should go everywhere with boldness. When we first arrived in the United States to begin our work here, we could not say that there was no opposition in such a large Christian nation. Nevertheless, we have maintained a positive attitude until this day. It is not the case that there has been no opposition. Rather, there have been all kinds of opposition. However, whenever we engage in a conversation with an opposer, our attitude is always that no matter what they say, we have a treasure that they do not have. As we speak with them, we present to them the truth that the Lord has revealed to us. We can show them the treasure at any time. However, when the opposers want to display their treasure, they have nothing to show. This is the real situation.
Regardless of whether you are old or young, you should have a realization that there is a power in us. If you want to lead an easy life, I must tell you that this is impossible. If an appliance could talk, it may ask the electricity to pause for a while and allow it to have a good rest. However, electricity has no way to pause. For this reason Paul told us to struggle. In 1963 or 1964 a brother from the Brethren assembly came from the United States to Taiwan. In Taichung he met a Western missionary who was also in the Brethren assembly. As they began to converse, he compared the missionary work of the Brethren assembly there to a drop of water on a fingertip, and our work in Taiwan to a bucket of water. This brother said that no one could outrun us, and no one struggled as much as we did.
I have been laboring in the United States for twenty-three years, and I have never taken a vacation. This surprises the Americans. Whether they are in school or at work, Americans go on vacation several times a year. Therefore, they find me strange because I work all day continuously and never plan a vacation. The more I read the New Testament, the more I wonder if Paul ever had a vacation. Even if he went on vacation outwardly, he could not be on vacation inwardly. He said that there was a crowd of cares pressing upon him daily, the anxious concern for all the churches (2 Cor. 11:28). This passage of the Scriptures not only encourages us, but above all it points to us a way, showing us that Paul not only had a treasure but that this treasure had become a mighty power within him. He showed us particularly that he was one who struggled. If we were to go on a vacation, this operating power would leave us. Therefore, although we have a power operating within us, we still have to endeavor to strive and struggle. We should not fear any opposition. All we have to do is bring the treasure with us and struggle day and night to present this treasure to others.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7 that he had a treasure within him. This treasure in him was not dull and dormant, but rather it was an operation, an operating power. The word dynamo, which we derive from the Greek word for power, is used to describe the operating force of electricity. This indicates that the treasure within us is full of energy. Nevertheless, Paul says that he still needed to struggle to present this treasure to others. We all have read the fourteen Epistles written by him, which reveal the wonderful riches of the truth. However, the process of writing these fourteen Epistles was filled with much labor and hardship. We may compare this labor to the operation of the jewelry and jade shops in Hong Kong. The shops may be full of precious jewels, but if the shop owner is slothful, and the front of the store is a mess, no one will want to go in and buy the jewels. The shop owner still needs to furnish the shop so that it looks elegant and graceful and displays the treasures in a way that others will see that they are of high value. All this requires much time and effort.
We should not be afraid of hardships when we serve in each locality, because we have the treasure. If we add to the treasure our labor and struggle, I believe that the whole earth will be ours. After being gained by the Lord, a certain brother of Jewish descent traveled not only throughout the United States but also to Taiwan. He was not afraid of any opposition. All he did was bring the treasure with him faithfully and go everywhere to present it to others. Many people saw his struggle, and as a result he gained many young people. It does not matter how difficult the environment is. The key to success is first a matter of having the treasure and the operating power in us. Second, it depends on whether or not we are willing to labor and struggle. If we have the above two factors, we will be successful no matter where in the world we go.
We have come in contact with many people in the United States. In particular, when we speak with the opposers, they feel that there is not much that they can do to us. This is because we are absolute, not in our intent to please Christianity but in following and speaking the truths in the Bible. Today there are many in Christianity both in the Far East and in the United States who use our materials for preaching. They admit that the exposition of the Bible today cannot surpass that in the local churches.
At the time Paul came out to preach the gospel, the Lord had used the Roman Empire to open the area around the Middle East. At that time a person such as Paul could travel anywhere as long he was a Roman citizen. Similarly, after passing through two world wars, the world has been opened up. In addition, as long as a person can speak English, he can go almost anywhere in the world. This shows us that the Lord has prepared the environment. Now He needs people to cooperate with Him. As long as we bring with us the treasure, such as the Recovery Version of the New Testament, and add to it our labor and struggle, success will certainly be ours.
Those who are serving full time in various localities should continue to go door-knocking, gaining at least one person every week. This adds up to four persons by the end of each month. In this way there will be five persons who can start a meeting. This is the fastest way of raising up churches. With regard to finances, we should not have the intention of receiving a supply from others. We should never depend on others but rather make a living with our two hands by taking a simple job. Today there are many churches in the Lord’s recovery, and they will not forsake you, but you should not have the intention to rely on them. Rather, you must labor and struggle. This will eventually produce results.
As we all know, life and death are not in our hands. Even a strong man may not live to see another day. Therefore, we should strive to work more for the Lord today. A slothful person will not gain anything, but if we are diligent to seize the time, opportunities and success will be in our hands. We all have the treasure and the mighty power within us. What we need now is not to live a life in “paradise” but rather to go to various localities to labor, struggle, work the mystery of God into others, and let the mystery of Christ shine forth.
Second Corinthians 4:1-2 says, “Having this ministry as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart; but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every conscience of men before God.” Paul says that he did not lose heart. The Greek word for lose heart is broad in meaning. It means to be disappointed, discouraged, and hopeless. Therefore, wherever we are, we should not be disappointed or discouraged; we should not lose heart. The most important thing to bear in mind after we have received this ministry is that we should not lose heart. There is nothing that should cause us to lose heart. As long as we endeavor, there will be a way. Moreover, we must renounce the hidden things of shame. On the one hand, we do not lose heart, but on the other hand, we also need to abandon, renounce, the hidden things of shame. There should be nothing about us that cannot be disclosed. Whether we are in front of people or among the coordinating ones, we must have nothing to hide. Everything must be open and apparent before men. We do not lose heart, and we also need to renounce the hidden things of shame.
Furthermore, we should not walk in craftiness. Wherever we are, we need to ask the Lord to make us able to boast that we never play tricks or politics. We may disagree with people, but we cannot say one thing outwardly while thinking another thing behind their back. This is to walk in craftiness. Craftiness may be compared to covering a corpse with snow. When the sun comes out, the snow melts, and the corpse is exposed. When a person tells a lie, it is impossible for his lie to remain unexposed.
Paul goes on to say, “Nor adulterating the word of God.” It is a great mercy given to us by the Lord that not only do we not adulterate the word of God, but we also release and strengthen the word of God. Because we do not adulterate the word of God in any way, Christianity objects to us. To adulterate is not merely to add something evil. It is to add a small amount of a substance to something precious, like adding water to a glass of pure grape juice or like mixing copper with gold. We never sell the truth cheaply, and we never adulterate the word of God. Rather, “by the manifestation of the truth” we commend ourselves to “every conscience of men before God.” This is to allow others’ conscience to speak for us. We all should have this experience.
Moreover, we also see from verse 5 that we do not preach ourselves. Instead, we preach two things — “Christ Jesus as Lord” and “ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.” When we go out, we should not give people the impression that we are exalted persons. Instead, we should give them the impression that we are their slaves, preaching Christ Jesus as Lord.
The Lord not only reveals to us the mystery of God but also shows us that this mystery is both on the Lord’s side and on ours. He is the power operating within us. Although we cannot do anything, we can cooperate by laboring, and we can run ahead of the rest. We can labor in our work and struggle, and the more we struggle, the more the Lord empowers us. Hence, the more we struggle, the stronger we are. We should remain in the Lord’s empowering and labor to move ahead by faith.
As human beings, if we do not believe in Jesus, we feel empty and meaningless. Some people have attained doctorate degrees, become high-ranking officials, and even become affluent, but they feel that life is meaningless. As men, therefore, we should believe in Jesus. Moreover, after a person has believed in Jesus, he must love the Lord. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 16:22, “If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed!” This word is very serious but very real. As men, we should believe in Jesus, and after believing in Jesus, we should love Him and labor for Him. If we submit to this destiny, everything will go smoothly. Then even though we may labor, we will not feel it. On the contrary, we may feel distressed if we do not labor. This truly is our experience.
I hope that the elders in particular will stop fighting to free themselves from the yoke given to them by the Lord. The Lord told Paul in the New Testament that it was hard for him to kick against the goads (Acts 26:14). It is better if we do not kick, because the more we kick, the more distressed we become. All those who are elders have received a commission from the Lord. This is not a small matter; it is a great matter accomplished by the Lord. If we regard the church as a Christian organization, we may think that it is of little importance. Instead, we must realize that this is the church of the Lord. Since we have been shown mercy to receive this ministry, we should not belittle all these things. In addition, we have also seen that there is a power within us, and now what we need is simply to labor and struggle. If the elders are able to labor and struggle together, the entire church will be on fire and on the move.
