Search
Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 3:18; 4:16
In this chapter we will consider the relationship between disposition and function. The matter of disposition is a serious problem among us. I am sure that we have all seen the Lord’s way clearly and that our motives are pure. We will take this way even if it means that we must die, laying down our own life. Still, according to my observation, there is a big problem among us — our disposition, our nature. We are surely destined to take this way, but the extent to which the Lord can have His way in us depends on how much our disposition has been overthrown and our nature broken. The extent to which our disposition has been overthrown determines how much our function will be manifested. I am very clear that the basic hindrance to the manifestation of your function is an unbroken disposition. You all have heard messages on being broken and are clear about them, but you have hardly been broken.
For example, some of the brothers and sisters have a disposition that cannot get along with others. They do not oppose or harass others, nor do they have the intention to disturb anyone. But their disposition prevents them from mingling with others. They would say, “Either I do it and do it all, or you do it and do it completely. It is your responsibility if you fail, and it is my misfortune if I fail.” There are many like this today. Such an inborn nature is a very serious problem in the Lord’s work. We must realize that the basis of the Lord’s work is the principle of the Body. How can we not coordinate together? Some brothers comment that it is very difficult to serve in coordination in the church in Taipei because so many older sisters interfere. There is some truth to this. If you come to Taipei to serve, you have elders above, group leaders below, and ones responsible for the meeting hall in the middle; you will probably be pressed and squeezed from all sides. It is no wonder that many feel as if they cannot continue their service in Taipei. This is a case of disposition. If your disposition has not been dealt with, you can never coordinate with others.
One kind of person is naturally timid. According to the grace and gift that he has received, a certain ministry should have been manifested in him. Whereas he could actually bear a load of a thousand pounds, he would bear only twenty. His nature is like a sensitive plant, always shrinking back, always withdrawing, and his usefulness thus comes to a standstill. Another kind of person dares to tackle anything. He accepts whatever is entrusted to him. Even if he is given the earth and the moon, he is not afraid. In the end, since he is actually limited in his ability, rather than accomplishing the work, he spoils it.
The problems of disposition must be ascribed to our national character. A nation’s character deeply affects its people’s disposition. Take the Japanese as an illustration. Before I went to Japan, I thought that the Japanese were more talented and capable than the Chinese. After I had stayed in Japan for a period of time and had had some contact with the Japanese, I found that the Japanese cannot compete with the Chinese in terms of intelligence and talent. Their thinking is slow, and they are not very smart or clever. What makes them successful is described in a Chinese proverb: “Diligence can compensate for dullness.” The same chore that a Chinese can finish in an hour will take a Japanese at least three hours. I watched Japanese children and Chinese children study in the United States. Chinese students need only one hour to study in the evening, whereas Japanese children need five hours. Chinese children seem to be speed-readers; they study their material once and then try their luck on the test the next day. Japanese children are different. The day before the test, they painstakingly memorize the material and study until three o’clock in the morning. They can recite every word of the material to be tested, not leaving anything to chance. When a Chinese child takes a test, he finishes it quickly and receives an “A” by chance. A Japanese child reads the questions and answers them scrupulously. He may be very slow, but in the end he also receives an “A.” His “A” is sure, whereas the “A” the Chinese child receives is by chance. When chance is not in favor of the Chinese child, he achieves only a “B.”
The Japanese are by nature patient and motivated to learn. Whenever I shopped in a Japanese department store, I never had the patience to wait for the salespersons to wrap the merchandise. Invariably, they always continued to say “Thank you” while they wrapped. A single package might have been wrapped with three or four layers of paper. Whereas it took me only five minutes to purchase an item, the wrapping took ten. They nodded and bowed with tremendous patience. Everyone knows that the Japanese are not inventive, yet they are diligent to learn; eventually, their imitation is better than your invention.
Though the Chinese are smart and capable, our national character is marked by an ability to do things hastily and skimpily. Today the situation in Taiwan may have improved. Generally, however, the Chinese begin a job well but often conclude it in a sloppy way. Years ago the fine silk produced in Shantung initially weighed thirty-eight ounces a roll. Gradually, the amount of silk was reduced and was later mixed with starch. In time, the roll contained only twelve ounces of silk, and the quality was lowered to such an extent that the people did not want it anymore. To do things hastily means to finish a task sloppily in three days when normally it would take a week to complete. The Japanese are not like this. They would labor ten days to finish a job that requires only a week to complete, working until the result is perfect. Their national character is truly impressive.
What about the Americans? They are also serious about their work. Either they do a job seriously, or they do not do it at all. They do not treat any work as a side job. Therefore, it is hard for an American to change directions. Once he starts a job according to your instructions, it is almost impossible for him to change. If you tell him to shift directions, he will be very bothered and say, “You just told me to go south. Why are you telling me to go north?” In dealing with Americans, you must know where you are going; making a change midway inevitably spells trouble, since they will do the wrong thing. On the other hand, if a Chinese is working for you, you can afford to change twenty-eight times. The Chinese are really capable in this regard; no matter how you want to change, they will understand even before you make yourself clear. This is the talent of the Chinese, but in the end the result is seldom satisfactory.
The meeting hall of the church in Los Angeles is cleaned every Saturday. The saints do not come in a sloppy way; they put on work clothes and work seriously. This earnestness is the reason for their success. They are responsible; they do not fool around. They either do something thoroughly, or they do not do it at all. As to the Chinese, we are mostly noncommittal and not absolute.
In principle, our faithfulness and diligence in serving the Lord should exceed our faithfulness and diligence in other business. Since we have consecrated ourselves to the Lord and have given up our future and everything to serve Him, we should be very useful. Unfortunately, we are extremely limited by our disposition and, as a result, too little of our function is manifested. If we do not overthrow our old disposition, I am afraid that our usefulness in the hand of the Lord will cease.
The disposition of some brothers reflects a strong self-confidence. They believe that they can do anything and are thus blinded by their self-confidence. After working in one place for a year or two, they may have accomplished nothing. Then they may move to another place and still produce no result. However, they always feel that this is because of others’ shortage and never their own. Your self-confidence must be overthrown; do not be self-confident any longer. You will be useful only if such confidence is overthrown. It is primarily due to dispositional limitations that the usefulness of our co-workers cannot be fully developed. I am absolutely convinced that if we can break through the constraints of our disposition, the effectiveness of our work will more than triple.
Some people do not know how to utilize their environment; rather, they expect their environment to suit them. They refuse to work as long as the circumstances are not perfect or the conditions are not adequate. You must realize that in our work it is almost impossible to have a perfect environment, because we have no organization. How can we expect perfect conditions when practically we are always in need? In military terms, we are rarely engaged in conventional battles but in guerilla warfare. We have no regular army, only guerilla troops. It all depends on how flexible we are to adapt to our circumstances and adjust to all environments.
When we began the publication work in Taiwan, I wrote articles on a small coffee table at home. I wrote whether there was a desk or not. Do not say that you cannot write or publish without a desk. Whether you have a desk or not, work can still be done. This must be our disposition. Reject the disposition that requires a particular environment before you can work.
We must bring ourselves to a point that we can work in any environment. However, it is useless to learn merely an outward method; we must overthrow our inward disposition. Remember that the degree to which our function will be manifested depends mostly on our disposition. If we overthrow our disposition, our usefulness and the fruit of our work will immediately multiply. We all are limited by our disposition. Many problems today are in fact due to our disposition. I certainly hope that the co-workers would be deeply touched by this matter.
