Search
Scripture Reading: Acts 9:31; Eph. 4:11, 16; 6:10-11; Neh. 4
Although there is still much to cover concerning God’s building, we will conclude with this chapter. In doing so, we would like to mention several important points that serve as principles for us to keep in the practical building up of the church.
First, we would like to see how the building of God proceeds in the church age. In the previous chapters we saw the various conditions of the New Jerusalem in brief. This city, revealed at the very end of the New Testament, is the ultimate issue of all the building of God throughout the generations. The revelation of the New Testament is complete; it is a complete book. Hence, if we want to see the building of God in the church, we have to come to the New Testament.
In the New Testament the first time the building of the church is mentioned is in Matthew 16. There for the first time the Lord clearly said that He would build His church (v. 18). However, He spoke in a general way, without revealing the details of how He would build the church. It was not until the book of Acts that the Lord clearly and specifically spoke concerning the way to practice the building of the church. Here it indicates that in His building of the church, the Lord intends to build all His believers together locality by locality. When the believers in a locality are built up, they become the church in that locality. For instance, in the early days, as the believers in Jerusalem were built up, they became the church in Jerusalem. It was also the same in all the places in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. Later, in Antioch a group of believers were built up together to be the church in Antioch. Therefore, in Acts 9:31 we have a precious verse saying that the churches in all the places throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, being built up, and that going on in the fear of the Lord, they were multiplied. This shows clearly that the Lord’s intention is to build up His church one locality after another.
Here I would like to point out a crucial matter. In Christianity people often talk about building the universal church. This concept is not so accurate. It is true that in the Bible there is a word saying that the Lord will build the church, but we cannot find any statements that refer to the building of the universal church. In the entire book of Acts we see that when the apostles were commissioned and sent by the Lord to go forth and work, what they did was to build the local churches. They built up the church in locality after locality. They were not building the universal church directly as most people think today.
Practically speaking, the universal church is very mysterious to us; we cannot touch it. In the early days the apostles built up the local churches. We cannot see them building the so-called universal church. They were building local churches in one locality after another. Only this kind of building is practical.
Furthermore, every one of the Epistles written by the apostles to the churches was written to the church in a particular locality. The Epistle to the Romans was written to the church in Rome. The Epistles to the Corinthians were written to the church in Corinth. Even the Epistle to the Ephesians, a book which seemingly speaks about the universal church, was written to the church in Ephesus. The Epistle to the Philippians was written to the church in Philippi. The Epistles to the Thessalonians were written to the church in Thessalonica. And even the final seven epistles in Revelation were written to seven local churches in Asia respectively.
Therefore, the divine revelation in the New Testament clearly reveals that today, in the church age before the manifestation of the New Jerusalem as the eternal habitation of God and man, God wants to build up the local churches, one by one in various localities. He wants each local church to be His house on a small scale in each locality and a miniature of the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem may be likened to a big hen, and the local churches in various places may be likened to small chickens. They may differ in size, yet they are the same in nature, principle, and content. The nature, principle, and content of the New Jerusalem are also the nature, principle, and content of the local churches.
This is the reason that we have been looking at the specific characteristics of the New Jerusalem. The condition of the New Jerusalem should be the condition of the builded churches in all the localities. Although the fullness of the time is not yet come, the ultimate plan of God is not yet accomplished, and the New Jerusalem is not yet fully manifested, God desires that in the church age there be churches in various localities that manifest the condition of the New Jerusalem. God’s desire is that in locality after locality the local churches will become miniatures of the house of God so that He may have a resting place in which He can freely do His will and thereby express Himself. Please remember that this is what God intends to do in the church age. God’s intention today is to build all the believers in each locality together in His Son to be the local expression of the church in each locality.
History shows, however, that God’s enemy, Satan, comes in to undermine God’s work in many ways. The most obvious way is to bring in divisions in the church. Today no matter where we are, we see that the church is divided. No matter where we are, we see that there are many Christian sects. This is the undermining work of the enemy. According to God’s intention, there should be only one church in each locality. In the early days in Jerusalem, although many thousands of people were saved and were meeting separately in numerous homes, there was only one church. Similarly, in Antioch there was one church, and this was also the case in Rome. In Ephesus there was one church, as well as in Corinth. It is true that due to their being fleshly, the believers in Corinth were divided into parties. They said that they were of Paul, of Apollos, of Cephas, or of Christ. Nevertheless, they were still one church; they were not divided into four churches. At that time there were not four churches in Corinth.
However, after the apostles passed away, Satan gradually began to do an undermining work in the church by dividing the church in each locality into many sects and denominations. Consider Taipei as an example. How many “churches” are here? There is a “church” here, and there is another “church” there. I do not like to speak about such things; however, I would like God’s children to see that God’s desire in the church age is to build up His church in each locality. Since the church is uniquely one in the universe, its appearance in each locality should also be one. In every locality God has only one house; He cannot have two houses in one locality. In each locality God can have only one church. Therefore, today God’s building of His church is altogether in the principle of one church for one locality.
Since the church is already in such a state of desolation and confusion, what should we do as the children of God? Simply speaking, we need to have a certain amount of discernment. We need to discern according to God’s intention and God’s ordination. In this time of confusion we need to find the proper way and put ourselves into it.
Due to the present confusion it is not easy for Christians to have proper discernment concerning the church. Therefore, some Christians simply refuse to talk about the matter of the church. They would rather just talk about personal spirituality. This is not a proper attitude. We should not be wandering Christians. I have heard someone say that So-and-so is a “guerrilla” believer. Such a one does not belong to this “church” or that “church.” Since he does not belong to any “church,” he can go and meet with any “church.” Hence, he is a “guerrilla” believer. I was amazed when I heard this. This is really a new invention. There is no such thing in the Bible. Neither the divisive situation nor the “guerrilla” believers can be found in the Scriptures.
Someone else once told me, “I am ‘transdenominational.’” He meant that he was transcendent and did not belong to any denomination or sect. However, Christians cannot be without the church. We should not be floating Christians; we must be firmly established in the church.
As the children of God, we must allow Him to open our eyes to see that in the church age the building that God desires is the building of His church in every locality. Although the church today is desolate and divided, the proper way ordained by God for the church is clearly set forth in the Word of God. We cannot take care of the many divisions and confusions. We should care solely for the intent of God’s heart. We want to see from the Word of God what God’s intention and ordination really are. We must take the way of recovery according to this ordained will of God. Thus, we are unable to take care of so many people who are in divisions. This is the same as the situation in the Old Testament. After God’s people were carried away to Babylon, a small number of people who cared for God’s intention and knew that according to His ordination the temple had to be built in Jerusalem rose up and returned to Jerusalem. Although the majority of God’s people remained in Babylon, not caring for God’s desire, a small number of God’s people were willing to return to Jerusalem with Ezra and Nehemiah. They returned to the original foundation on which they would build the holy temple and holy city according to the determination of God’s desire. The majority of the Jews still sojourned in confusion in a Gentile land. However, a small number of people represented the entire people of God and returned to Jerusalem for the building of the temple of God.
This is a type of the present recovery of the building of God among us. Today the church is in desolation. The children of God are in captivity and have lost their original position. Although the majority of them are in confusion, we cannot neglect the intent of God’s heart just because the situation is this way. Like the small number of the children of Israel, we should rise up and return to the original ground to raise up the testimony of God in every locality according to what God has determined in His heart. Regardless of how confusing the situation is among today’s Christians, we must act according to the intention of God by building the church in every locality.
In the midst of so many sects and denominations we need to discern the way ordained by God according to His heart’s intention. It is only according to this way that we can be joined to the believers in our locality in order to be built together with them. We should not continue to remain in the confusion of the sects and denominations. Neither should we be individualistic, caring only for our own interests as a “guerrilla” believer or a “transcendent” believer.
At this point in history we surely have to thank the Lord. Over the past thirty years He has truly granted us grace and has led us into the way that is according to His heart, enabling us to bear His testimony in each locality in a pure way. The senior brothers and sisters have already fought many difficult battles for us. They have also received clear revelation from the Lord concerning many things. Therefore, today we just need to go on positively by allowing God to build us together in each locality.
What we need to do now is to get ourselves fixed in a locality so that we can be built together with the brothers and sisters there. Are you in Kaohsiung? Then you must be built together with those who love the Lord with a pure heart in Kaohsiung. Are you in Tainan? Then you have to be built together with those who pursue the Lord in Tainan. Wherever you are, you must be built together with the believers who pursue the Lord there.
Today, however, because we have not received sufficient dealings from the Lord, such a condition in which the believers are being built together is not so manifest. On the contrary, there are some abnormal situations. For example, there is a person in Taipei who wants to be built with those who are in Kaohsiung. He says, “I cannot get along with certain brothers in Taipei, but if I go to Kaohsiung, I will be able to be built together with the brothers there.” I would like to tell you that if you cannot be built up in Taipei, you will not be able to be built up when you go to Kaohsiung. If you have problems with the brothers in a certain locality, then no matter where you go, you will also have problems there. Dear brothers and sisters, we have to acknowledge the Lord’s sovereignty. You drifted here and there, yet you were not saved until you came to Taipei. Previously, you always refused to receive the gospel when you heard it in other places. However, when you came to Taipei, as soon as you heard the gospel, you were touched and were saved. That was God’s sovereign arrangement. Likewise, now when you meet brothers and sisters in Taipei who make things difficult for you, you must also acknowledge that this is according to the sovereignty of God. You may expect that everyone here will be pleasant and relaxed. But regrettably, it so happens that the brothers and sisters you are with are dull and cold. As a result, you become unhappy about the situation. Then you hear that the church in Kaohsiung is quite good and that the brothers and sisters there are very warm and loving. Therefore, you think that if you could be there, then you would surely be able to be joined with the brothers there. But please remember that this is just idealistic thinking. If in fact you went to Kaohsiung, you would discover that there are some brothers and sisters there who would make things even more difficult for you. Therefore, the problem is not with others but with you. You have to accept the sovereignty of God. Wherever the Lord has arranged for you to be, you have to learn to be built together with the brothers there. I like the words in the Bible concerning Priscilla and Aquila. When they were in Rome, they were in the church in Rome; when they went to Ephesus, they were in the church in Ephesus. Wherever they went, they were coordinated and built together with the brothers and sisters in that locality.
We must see, therefore, that God is not building His saints in a universal way. All the building of God is local. The brothers in Kaohsiung must be built together in Kaohsiung, while the brothers in New York have to be built together in New York. The building of God is always local. This causes our flesh to be tested and our disposition to be broken. Those who are relaxed and easygoing often find that the church in their locality is very rigid. Those who are cheerful and carefree often find the church in their locality to be very cold. All these arrangements are for us to be tried and dealt with. We can be built together only when we have been broken by God.
I would like to relate to you a story that happened many years ago in the church in Shanghai. A brother came to the leading brothers and asked us to transfer him so that he could serve in another hall. His reason was that in the hall he was in there was a brother whom he could not stand, and there was also a sister whom he could not bear. He said to me, “Brother Lee, I really have no way to serve with them, and I do not want to quarrel with them.” So he went on to ask us to assign him to another hall. We asked, “Then which hall do you think is the most suitable?” He said, “I think that such-and-such a hall would be the most suitable one, because the responsible brother in that hall is slow, and the responsible sister is gentle. I am a slow person, so when others are fast, I cannot catch up. Therefore, I can get along only with those who are slow.” After listening to him, we had no choice but to transfer him according to his request. But in less than half a year he came to us again and said, “Brothers, I have no way to go on. Please transfer me to another place.” We asked him, “What is the reason?” He said, “Oh, that responsible brother is too slow; he is ten times slower than me. Therefore, I cannot take it. This time please transfer me to a hall that is neither too quick nor too slow.”
We can see that this brother did not learn the lesson. He thought that whenever there was a problem in the church service, a transfer to another place would solve the problem. Little did he know that actually the problem was not with others but with him. Therefore, we have to see that transferring to another place is not the solution. If we have a problem with the brothers and sisters in the church, the only solution is to be broken. We should never consider transferring, neither should we think about escaping. We have to trust in God’s arrangement. Since God has arranged for us to be in a certain place, we have to remain there in submission and learn to be broken there. Do not think, “I cannot be built up in this place, but if I go to another place, I will be able to be built up there.” There is no such thing. God’s sovereignty and God’s arrangement cannot be wrong. You cannot be a choosing person or a jumping person, jumping from the east to the west or from the north to the south. You must quiet yourself down and be a fixed person. Since God has arranged for your home, your job, and you yourself to be in this place, then you must wholeheartedly establish yourself here according to God’s arrangement. Since God’s intention is to build His church in all the localities, and He has arranged for you to be here, then you have to place yourself among the brothers and sisters and be built together with them. If you cannot be properly built with the brothers and sisters in a certain locality, there will be no way for you to be built up no matter where you go.
Regrettably, however, almost every one of us has a common sickness; that is, we prefer other localities to our own locality. Usually those who live in Taipei prefer to be in Tainan, but when they are in Tainan, they prefer Taichung. Even in our families we often have this problem. In particular, the sisters have this weakness. I know that many sisters who are wives often tell their husbands how good other husbands are. Let us suppose that there is a sister like this named Sister Hwang. She would say to Brother Hwang, “Look at how good Brother Liu is. He is so considerate and helpful to his wife.” However, if you go and listen to Sister Liu, you will also hear her giving her husband a hard time, saying, “Look at how good Brother Hwang is. See how diligent he is at home and how much he cares for the children.” Almost all the wives think that others’ husbands are better than their own. The brothers also have the same problem; they easily notice the good points of others’ wives. It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit says in Ephesians, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands” (5:22).
Similarly, in the church we also feel that other localities are better than our locality. Those in Tainan think that Taipei is better, whereas those in Taipei think that Taichung is better. Almost everyone is like this. This is proof that neither our flesh nor our disposition has been dealt with. If we have been broken and have been built up by God in a locality, we will be satisfied with God’s arrangement. When God puts you in Taipei, you will be built up in Taipei. When God puts you in Tainan, you will be joined in coordination with the brothers in Tainan.
Therefore, we need to see that God wants us to be built up in each locality. Locality is a restriction as well as a protection. At the same time, it is also a test to expose our real situation. Do we have a preference? Do we have a choice? Locality is a severe test. If we have truly been broken, we will have nothing to say wherever we may be, and we will be able to accept God’s arrangement. As a result, we will be able to be built up by God in the local churches.
Second, everyone who is being built up in a local church must learn to exercise his function. Colossians 2:19 shows that in the Body some are joints, and others are sinews. Joints are for supply, whereas sinews are for knitting together. The supplying joints and the knitting sinews are necessary for the building up of the Body. These two kinds of members are big members. Besides these, there are many small members. In the church every one of the brothers and sisters is a member of the Body. Hence, under normal circumstances each one, whether big or small, has a function.
Moreover, Ephesians 4:16 says, “All the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.” Therefore, each member should function according to his own measure. If in a local church all the saints were like this — you performed your function, I fulfilled my duty, he carried out his charge, and each one operated according to his own measure and manifested his particular function — then the church there would be built up.
There can only be two reasons for the function of a member not to be manifested. One reason is that there is no growth, and the other reason is that a problem has developed. Although a newborn baby has hands and feet, he cannot use them. After he grows a little, however, his hands and feet have some movement. Then after he grows a little bit more, his hands will be able to do things, and his feet will be able to walk. If there is no growth, however, the functions cannot be manifested. Sometimes a grown-up person may have a sickness in a certain part of his body; if so, the function of that part cannot be manifested either.
If you love the Lord, but your function is still not manifested, then you must believe that surely it is either because you are short of growth or because you have a problem, a sickness. In addition, all our problems and troubles are due to our not having been broken. Dear brothers and sisters, please believe my word. As soon as you receive the breaking, your function will be manifested. There was once a person who, due to his loose talk, did not have any function in the church. Then one day he was broken by God by being dealt with in his speaking. Immediately, his function was manifested. Perhaps you would ask me, “What can I do? What is my function?” I believe that you have already seen enough in these years. There are many areas of service in the church. We all can participate in these services for the manifestation of our function. Some of us should intercede for others. Some should go out frequently to visit others. Some can help others in particular problems. Some can supply others in the meeting. Some can minister the word. Some can engage in taking care of general affairs. For example, someone can do cleaning and supply life to others. If we all carry out our respective functions, the church will be built up.
For instance, in a big church, where three hundred to five hundred people are baptized at the same time, we cannot expect the responsible brothers to render proper care to all of them. In actuality, the responsible brothers often are unable even to become acquainted with all the newly baptized ones, not to mention to take care of them. Then who is going to take care of the new ones? This is the responsibility of all the brothers and sisters. Every brother and every sister should pick up the burden to take care of several new ones and bear them all the time. Perhaps you would say, “I do not know how to do this.” But please remember that at least you can get them to come to the meetings. When it is time for the meeting, you can go and invite them to the meeting. In addition, you can continually remember them in your prayers. These are functions.
I am speaking from the minimum perspective. I believe that many of us have functions that are greater than what I just described. Your real function does not come from the arrangement of others; rather, it comes out of your direct dealing with the Lord. If you pursue the Lord, receive His breaking, and are willing to be built up, your function will be manifested. We should not have the wrong concept that all the areas of service in the church are the responsibility of the pastors and preachers. We need to see that the service in the local churches is the responsibility of every believer. In the New Testament age all the saved ones are priests, and they are also members one of another. Hence, in the church we all need to exercise our function according to our measure for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Third, the co-workers and responsible ones have to see a great principle in Ephesians 4. In the building of the church the gifted persons are meant to perfect the saints so that they will become useful ones. They are not meant to take the place of the saints in serving the Lord; rather, they are meant to perfect the saints so that they can serve the Lord together. There is a big difference here. It is very easy for those of us who are co-workers or responsible ones to fall into the danger of replacing the saints in the matter of service. Often, the more we work, the more the responsibility of service falls upon us. The more we work, the more the brothers and sisters let things fall out of their hands. As a result, they only come to the meetings to hear messages. If this is the case, we are not perfecting them but replacing them in the service.
All those who have seen the light concerning the building of the church must guard against this. In the church we may be doing a very important work, but our work should never replace the service of the saints. Instead, our work must be to perfect the saints to serve. The normal situation should be that the more we work, the greater will be the number of those who are perfected by us to serve. The number should increase to the point that all the services are in the hands of the saints. This is what it means to perfect the saints to carry out their respective functions for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Of course, having all the saints fulfilling their functions is the responsibility not only of the co-workers and responsible ones but also of all the brothers and sisters. In general, the brothers and sisters often have this kind of feeling: “The co-workers and responsible ones can do a much better job than we can in the services in the church, so we should just let them do everything.” On the other hand, some brothers and sisters do not serve because they simply prefer to be at ease. These ones may say, “Since we have these co-workers and responsible ones to do everything, let us relax and enjoy. During the day we have already been so busy working in our offices, teaching in schools, and taking care of our homes. It is not easy even for us to come to the meeting in the evening. Therefore, let us just leave the service to the co-workers and the responsible ones.” Please remember that if this is the case, then all the gifts of the saints will be buried, all their functions will be annulled, and all their responsibilities will be neglected.
Sometimes after the meetings we divide into groups for fellowship. I would like to go to visit these groups to have some fellowship with the brothers, but I am afraid to go. The reason is that no matter which group I go to, the brothers in that group stop their fellowship. Immediately they say, “Brother Lee is here. Let us ask him to speak.” The group leaders say, “Brother Lee, we have a difficult question. How would you explain this?” This forces me to pick up my Bible and leave. If I leave, they will do their job. If I stay, they will not do it. They say that I can do a good job while they cannot. But I do not believe that, because from what I hear, they actually do a better job than I.
Therefore, on the one hand, the co-workers and the responsible brothers must believe that the brothers and sisters are able to serve and must give them the opportunity to serve. On the other hand, the brothers and sisters ought not to let the co-workers and the responsible brothers do everything. They are not angels; they are human beings like everybody else. You have to believe that sometimes you can do a better job than they can. If every one of us would stand in our own position to fulfill our function, then not only a small number but all the brothers and sisters in the church would be serving. This would build up the Body. I hope that everyone who works for the Lord or bears responsibility in the church will firmly grasp this principle. We are perfecting others so that they may all participate in the service. We should not replace others in the service. We should not act as pastors and preachers, replacing others.
One time a brother came to invite me to his home to preach the gospel. I asked him, “Why do you invite me and not the other brothers?” He replied, “They cannot speak as well as you can.” I said, “Your word is not accurate. I know that there are brothers who speak much better than I do. I beg you to believe me, but even if you do not believe me, I am not going. You just have to ask someone else.” Eventually, he had no choice but to ask another brother. Thank the Lord, He proved that what I said was true. Later, the brother who had invited me said to me, “Thank and praise the Lord, that day the other brother’s speaking was really good.” I said, “Among the brothers there are still many more who can speak even better than he can, so do not invite him only.” He asked, “Who is better than he is?” I answered, “Everyone else is better than he is; go and invite them.” This sounds like a joke, but I know what I am talking about.
If we believe that only a few persons are able to serve and therefore always depend on them, then the church can never be built up. All the wise parents know that to train their children to do a certain thing, the best way is to let them do it and to believe that they are able to do it. For instance, if you want to train your children to cook rice, you just step back and let them cook. Even if the rice they make is uncooked, you should still let them cook. I tell you, after they have cooked rice five times, the rice will no longer be uncooked. By doing it again and again, eventually, they will know how to do it. In the same way, in the church we must believe that the brothers and sisters have the Spirit of God and the life of God in them. We have to believe that this Spirit gives gifts and that this life has functions. Hence, we have to give them sufficient opportunities. At the same time, every brother and sister should have this conviction: “I am a saved person. I have the Holy Spirit, and I also have the Lord’s life. Hence, I surely have a gift, and I surely have a function.” We should not be proud, because self-pride is an accursed thing. However, we also should not keep saying humbly that we cannot do anything. We need to learn in humility to fulfill our function. This is not to have confidence in ourselves but to trust in the Lord’s Spirit and the Lord’s life. In this way we will see that our function is manifested.
I hope that those who work for the Lord and the brothers and sisters who are serving together would continually learn this matter. We have to constantly provide opportunities for the brothers and sisters to serve. We need to guide, perfect, and instruct them in all things, turning over our responsibilities to them so that they may rise up and serve. If this is the case, surely the church will be built up.
Fourth, all ministries should be for the building up of the church locally, but the church should not be required to be for any ministry. We always stress that as mentioned in Ephesians 4, the work of those who have a ministry, of those who are especially gifted, is to perfect the saints for the building up of the Body of Christ. The goal of their work is not to build up their ministry but to build up the churches locally. This was what the early apostles did. They went from one locality to another locality in the whole of Judea and various places in the Gentile world to carry out their ministry for the building up of the churches. Therefore, although they did a great deal of work in various places, the result of their work ultimately belonged to the local churches and was for the building up of the churches in all the localities. Corinth is an example of this. Paul was the first one to go there. He established the church in Corinth after he had been working there for a while, and a group of people were saved. After a time Apollos went there. Since he was very competent in expounding the Word, a group of people were edified. When he left, he turned over these ones to the church in Corinth. Then after another period of time Peter also came to Corinth. Since he was a great apostle of the Lord, many more received help from him. However, when he left, all the fruit of his work was turned over to the church in Corinth. It is true that in the church in Corinth there were four groups of people and that there were divisions among them. But this was altogether due to the fleshly behavior of the Corinthian believers. It was not due to any impropriety in the work of Paul or the other apostles. Therefore, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians Paul severely rebuked them, saying, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Ministers through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each one of them” (3:5). He also said, “All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas...all are yours” (vv. 21-22). This means that all the work of those who have a ministry belongs to and is given to the local churches.
Regrettably, however, today those who have a ministry are not like this. Often their ministry is not for the local churches; instead, they want the local churches to be for them. As a result, the local churches will be divided instead of built up. Why are there so many denominations and sects in Christianity today? Honestly speaking, the problem is not with the brothers and sisters in general but with those who have a ministry. These people who have a ministry and who are especially gifted do a great deal of work after they are raised up by God. They bring many to salvation and edify them, but they do not give these believers to the local churches. On the contrary, they attach these believers to themselves and form an independent organization. Consequently, although in various localities there may be some who are saved, who love the Lord, and even who become spiritual; nevertheless, the churches in these localities are torn down.
This matter is very important. If the Lord grants us grace, in the coming days He may raise up among us certain ones who have a ministry. These ones may be able to edify others and help others to be spiritual. However, if we do not see this principle, I am afraid that after these persons are raised up, the churches in various localities will be torn down. Therefore, I hope that all those who work for the Lord and those who are the responsible ones in every locality would have a strong feeling concerning this matter. We have to see that every ministry must be for the building up of the churches locally and that the churches should not be asked to be for any ministry. Although the apostle John’s ministry was strong, and although most of the seven churches in Asia were in a poor condition, the Lord’s desire was to build up those churches, not to build up the ministry of John. The Lord wanted John to build up those churches with his ministry, rather than asking those churches to be for his ministry.
Finally, we need fighting prayer. Please remember that once we touch the building, the enemy will come to attack and frustrate. Therefore, there is the need of fighting. We need to have fighting prayer for the building. I do not need to speak too much concerning this matter, because the words in Nehemiah 4 are very clear. The enemy despised and mocked the children of Israel when they returned from their captivity to rebuild the holy city. Furthermore, the enemy tried a thousand schemes to frustrate and falsely incriminate them so that their hands might be weakened. When Nehemiah saw the situation, he immediately went to pray before God. As soon as he prayed, he became clear inwardly. He knew that this was the strategy of the enemy, so he guarded against it right away. He and his brothers carried out the rebuilding work with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon (v. 17). This is to build on the one hand and to fight on the other.
In Ephesians, a book on the building of the church, the matter of spiritual warfare is also emphatically mentioned. Ephesians 4 speaks about building, and chapter 6 speaks about warfare. We cannot merely have the building; we must also have the warfare to guard against the attack of the enemy.
From the book of Nehemiah we can see that there are three aspects of the attack of the enemy. The first aspect is the enemy’s mocking. This is his stratagem from the outside. The enemy said, “What are these feeble Jews doing?” (4:2). “Even their stone wall that they are building, if a fox were to go up on it, he would breach it” (v. 3). This kind of mocking may cause us to despise the work that we ought to do. The second aspect of the enemy’s attack is to set up plots. The enemy sent word to Nehemiah, saying, “Come; let us meet together” (6:2). If Nehemiah had gone, however, the work would have been delayed, and he would have fallen into their trap. The third aspect of the enemy’s attack is to cause there to be weakness among the children of Israel and to cause some to speak discouraging words.
We also have encountered these situations. Nearly thirty years ago when we were first raised up by the Lord in northern China, we were very weak, but we also had the Lord’s presence with us. At that time there were people from the outside saying, “They are just children playing; after a few days they will be finished. Do not pay any attention to them.” These words were the same as those in the book of Nehemiah: “Even their stone wall that they are building, if a fox were to go up on it, he would breach it.” When I heard those words, I also went before the Lord to pray, asking Him to vindicate us. We deeply realized that it was the Lord who had raised us up. What we were doing was not a small thing; it was not children playing but a testimony raised up by the Lord Himself. I still remember very clearly that at that time I read Nehemiah 4 to the Lord.
Also, sometimes the enemy’s stratagem was to have people ask us to go to meetings and discussions. This was also just like what Nehemiah encountered in his time. We altogether refused these invitations. We ignored the mocking words and rejected the enticing schemes. We could not cease doing the work entrusted to us by the Lord.
We also encountered internal difficulties. When the brothers and sisters were serving together, frequently problems arose from within our midst. Sometimes for no reason at all, a brother would feel that the expression on another brother’s face was not good. In addition, the other brother would feel that there was a problem with that brother’s tone of voice. Then these two would begin to be suspicious of each other. The more the suspicions increased, the more the problem grew. We all know this kind of situation, so I do not have to speak too much about this. Satan worked among us by stirring up bad feelings and creating difficulties. Thus, he caused us to be in discord and to be suspicious of each other.
Moreover, sometimes we had problems within, causing us to be discouraged, to be weakened, and to become sick spiritually. As a result, we could not go forward in the matter of building.
We all have to guard against all these attacks of Satan. Hence, we must have fighting prayer. Whenever we encounter a problem, we have to come back to pray before the Lord. When people say that what we are doing is of no significance, we have to bring this word before the Lord and tell Him about it. If people try to harm us with some scheme, we must bring this scheme before the Lord. If the brothers and sisters are suspicious of each other and if they are jealous of each other, we also have to bring this before the Lord. Even when we are weak in ourselves, we have to bring it to the Lord as well. We always have to deal with these matters by means of prayer. We must reject these things and deal with them by our fighting prayer.
If the brothers and sisters in a locality all exercise their functions, if the co-workers and responsible brothers and sisters do not replace the saints but rather perfect them to serve together with them, if all those with a ministry are for the building of the church, and if all the saints are holding weapons, fighting a spiritual warfare by their fighting prayers while doing the building work together, then you will see a glorious church being built up in that locality. You will also see that a miniature of the New Jerusalem will be manifested to be a resting place for God and a home for all His children. God’s presence, God’s throne, and God’s life will all be there. God’s power and God’s light will also be there. The gospel will spread out from there, the saved ones will be built up there, and God will be glorified there. Whenever people come among them, they will sense that God is there. They will say, “This is the house of God, this is the gate of heaven, this is Bethel, and this is oil poured upon stone.” This is a glorious thing; this is what the Lord desires to gain in every place in this age. May the Lord have mercy upon us that we would not take these matters merely as doctrines for our studying. May the Lord impress this vision deeply into us. By His mercy we want to be built up and to build up others in each locality so that the glorious house of the Lord may be manifested in all the localities on earth for God and man to have a habitation.
Finally, we need fighting prayer. Please remember that once we touch the building, the enemy will come to attack and frustrate. Therefore, there is the need of fighting. We need to have fighting prayer for the building. I do not need to speak too much concerning this matter, because the words in Nehemiah 4 are very clear. The enemy despised and mocked the children of Israel when they returned from their captivity to rebuild the holy city. Furthermore, the enemy tried a thousand schemes to frustrate and falsely incriminate them so that their hands might be weakened. When Nehemiah saw the situation, he immediately went to pray before God. As soon as he prayed, he became clear inwardly. He knew that this was the strategy of the enemy, so he guarded against it right away. He and his brothers carried out the rebuilding work with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon (v. 17). This is to build on the one hand and to fight on the other.
In Ephesians, a book on the building of the church, the matter of spiritual warfare is also emphatically mentioned. Ephesians chapter four speaks about building, and chapter six speaks about warfare. We cannot merely have the building; we must also have the warfare to guard against the attack of the enemy.
From the book of Nehemiah we can see that there are three aspects of the attack of the enemy. The first aspect is the enemy’s mocking. This is his stratagem from the outside. The enemy said, “What are these feeble Jews doing?” (4:2). “Even their stone wall that they are building, if a fox were to go up on it, he would breach it” (v. 3). This kind of mocking may cause us to despise the work that we ought to do. The second aspect of the enemy’s attack is to set up plots. The enemy sent word to Nehemiah, saying, “Come; let us meet together” (6:2). If Nehemiah had gone, however, the work would have been delayed, and he would have fallen into their trap. The third aspect of the enemy’s attack is to cause there to be weakness among the children of Israel and to cause some to speak discouraging words.
We also have encountered these situations. Nearly thirty years ago when we were first raised up by the Lord in northern China, we were very weak, but we also had the Lord’s presence with us. At that time there were people from the outside saying, “They are just children playing; after a few days they will be finished. Do not pay any attention to them.” These words were the same as those in the book of Nehemiah: “They are feeble; even their stone wall that they are building, if a fox were to go up on it, he would breach it.” When I heard those words, I also went before the Lord to pray, asking Him to vindicate us. We deeply realized that it was the Lord who had raised us up. What we were doing was not a small thing; it was not children playing but a testimony raised up by the Lord Himself. I still remember very clearly that at that time I read Nehemiah chapter four to the Lord.
Also, sometimes the enemy’s stratagem was to have people ask us to go to meetings and discussions. This was also just like what Nehemiah encountered in his time. We altogether refused these invitations. We ignored the mocking words and rejected the enticing schemes. We could not cease doing the work entrusted to us by the Lord.
We also encountered internal difficulties. When the brothers and sisters were serving together, frequently problems arose from within our midst. Sometimes for no reason at all, a brother would feel that the expression on another brother’s face was not good. In addition, the other brother would feel that there was a problem with that brother’s tone of voice. Then these two would begin to be suspicious of each other. The more the suspicions increased, the more the problem grew. We all know this kind of situation, so I do not have to speak too much about this. Satan worked among us by stirring up bad feelings and creating difficulties. Thus, he caused us to be in discord and to be suspicious of each other.
Moreover, sometimes we had problems within, causing us to be discouraged, to be weakened, and to become sick spiritually. As a result, we could not go forward in the matter of building.
We all have to guard against all these attacks of Satan. Hence, we must have fighting prayer. Whenever we encounter a problem, we have to come back to pray before the Lord. When people say that what we are doing is of no significance, we have to bring this word before the Lord and tell Him about it. If people try to harm us with some scheme, we must bring this scheme before the Lord. If the brothers and sisters are suspicious of each other, and if they are jealous of each other, we also have to bring this before the Lord. Even when we are weak in ourselves, we have to bring it to the Lord as well. We always have to deal with these matters by means of prayer. We must reject these things and deal with them by our fighting prayer.
If the brothers and sisters in a locality all exercise their functions, if the co-workers and responsible brothers and sisters do not replace the saints but rather perfect them to serve together with them, if all those with a ministry are for the building of the church, and if all the saints are holding weapons, fighting a spiritual warfare by their fighting prayers while doing the building work together, then you will see a glorious church being built up in that locality. You will also see that a miniature of the New Jerusalem will be manifested to be a resting place for God and a home for all His children. God’s presence, God’s throne, and God’s life will all be there. God’s power and God’s light will also be there. The gospel will spread out from there, the saved ones will be built up there, and God will be glorified there. Whenever people come among them, they will sense that God is there. They will say, “This is the house of God, this is the gate of heaven, this is Bethel, and this is oil poured upon stone.” This is a glorious thing; this is what the Lord desires to gain in every place in this age. May the Lord have mercy upon us that we would not take these matters merely as doctrines for our studying. May the Lord impress this vision deeply into us. By His mercy we want to be built up and to build up others in each locality so that the glorious house of the Lord may be manifested in all the localities on earth for God and man to have a habitation.
