A few other matters

  In this chapter we will speak of a few other matters, namely: (1) upholding the absoluteness of the truth, (2) taking care of our physical health, (3) daily habits, and (4) marriage and virginity.

One

  Every worker of the Lord must uphold the absoluteness of the truth. This is possible only when a man is delivered from himself. Many brothers and sisters are not absolute to the truth; they are affected by people, things, and personal feelings. If a man is not absolute to the truth, he will, in the course of his work, sacrifice God's truth for man, himself, or his own desires. A basic requirement for being a servant of the Lord is to not sacrifice the truth. We can sacrifice ourselves and our desires, but we can never sacrifice the truth. The problems with many workers stem from the relationship with their friends, intimate acquaintances, and family. The truth is compromised by their friends, immediate family, or relatives. God cannot use such people. If the truth is the truth, it should not be compromised, whether by our own brothers, our relatives, or our intimate friends. Suppose the son of a Christian worker expresses a desire to be baptized. If his father realizes that this matter relates to the truth, he will pass this matter on to the leading brothers in the church and leave it to them to decide whether or not he is ready for baptism. But the problem is that the co-worker presumes that his son is qualified for baptism, and in so doing, he sacrifices the absoluteness of the truth. He has been influenced by the father-son relationship, and he is no longer absolute to the truth. If he is absolute to the truth, he will go along with the direction of the truth as it is laid out in the church; he will not bring his personal relationships into the situation. Consider another illustration: In a certain place a controversy arises. A number of the saints may be favorably disposed toward a particular group of brothers and side with them, whereas a number of others may have a preference for another group of people and line up on their side. Instead of sitting down and counting the cost of being absolute for the truth and of following the truth, they are influenced and directed by their own emotions. This does not mean that the brothers are not speaking about the truth. It only means that they are not absolute to the truth. They have not brushed the truth completely aside; they still have some care for the truth. But they are not absolute to the truth. Being absolute to the truth means that no personal feelings or family relationships are allowed to stand in the way of the truth. In spiritual matters, the truth is compromised as soon as human relationships are taken into account. As soon as human relationships become involved, God's word and His commandments are discounted through human factors, and the truth is compromised.

  The Bible contains many ordinances and commandments. These ordinances and commandments are from God, and God's servants need to preach and announce them. On the one hand, it is tiresome to consider those who are only speakers but not doers. On the other hand, we cannot be a servant of God if we cannot preach beyond what we can practice. This is because the truth is absolute. The standard of the divine Word must not be lowered to the level of our personal attainment. We cannot tamper with the truth in any way in order to justify our own deficiencies. This is what it means to be absolute to the truth. We have to transcend ourselves, our own feelings, and our own personal interest in our speaking. This is a high requirement for the servants of the Lord. We must beware of doing things one way as they affect other brothers and sisters but doing them another way as they are applied to our spouse or our children. The truth is always absolute. God wants us to uphold the absoluteness of the truth. If God's Word says something, it is so, no matter who is involved. We cannot make exceptions just because of some special relationships. If we do, we are lowering the standard of God's truth. I am not talking about speaking untruths; I am talking about sacrificing the absoluteness of the truth. We have to learn to uphold the absoluteness of the truth. We cannot forfeit its absoluteness just because someone is our relative. We are here to follow the truth, not man, and we are here to maintain the absoluteness of the truth.

  Many difficulties arise in the church today because God's children sacrifice the truth. A local church became divided after a brother said, "I had no intention to be separated from you, but last night something happened in the church, and I was not informed of it. Today I will no longer meet with you." The truth is absolute. If the brother's separation of himself was right, he should have done so even if he had been informed of the matter. Likewise, if the brother's separation of himself was wrong, he should not have done so even when he was not informed of the matter. If he is absolute for the truth, the act of informing him bears no significance. If his separation is based on a lack of informing, man has been elevated above the truth. Another place wanted to have separate tables and to break bread separately because a brother was offended when he asked a question in the meeting and did not receive an answer. If it was right for him to separate himself, he should have started another table much sooner. If it was wrong for him to separate himself, he should not make an excuse of not receiving an answer to his question. This is what it means to be absolute to the truth. If having separate tables is according to the truth, there should be separate tables, even if the brothers are attached to one another. If having separate tables is not according to the truth, there should not be separate tables, even if there are offenses. Brothers and sisters, have you seen this? We must deny all forms of self before we can serve the Lord. If there is any pride, selfishness, or thought of receiving respectable treatment as a condition for upholding God's word, we are putting ourselves above God's truth; we are saying that we are more important than His truth. This disqualifies us from His service. In our service to the Lord, we have to deny ourselves absolutely. Whether or not we like what is happening and whether or not we feel hurt about something have nothing to do with the issue. If something must be done one way, it must be done that way no matter how we feel. Even if we suffer greatly by doing so, we still have to do it. Even if others mistreat us, despise us, or count us worthless, we still have to do it. We cannot force God's truth to go our way just because we want to go that way. Man is too bold; he always forces God's truth to follow him.

  We have to see the glory of God's truth. We cannot project our own feelings into His truth. When we stand beside God's truth, we should not just consider ourselves to be smaller than it; we should consider ourselves to be non-existent. If we involve the self even a little, we will end up with trouble immediately. A brother, who had been criticized in some quarters, came to the church and felt quite happy about the contacts he made. He felt that he had been unjustly criticized where he had been, but he did not really touch the truth before the Lord. He was merely impressed by a few of the brothers. Such a brother was very undisciplined in his conduct. Some time later another brother said to him, "Brother, you have been too loose," and he proceeded to point out some of the things that the new brother had done. This was a speaking of truth in love. But when the new brother heard this, he left, remarking in anger, "No wonder so many people are against this church. It should be criticized." Brothers and sisters, this brother was not absolute to the truth. If he had been absolute to the truth, he would not have said this when he was rebuked by others. Because he was not absolute to the truth, he changed his tone as soon as he was rebuked.

  What does it mean to be absolute to the truth? It means to set aside feelings, to ignore personal relationships, and to not stand for the self. The truth is absolute. Our personal feelings, relationships, experiences, and encounters should not be mixed up with it. Since truth is absolute, what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong. There is a brother who is a leader in many places. He has taken our way and has decided to stand for the testimony of the church. If the way we take is right, it is always right; it does not become right because this brother is taking this way. If the way we take is wrong, it cannot be made right simply because this brother is taking this way. Whether or not the way is right has nothing to do with this brother. Even if this brother becomes fallen, the way is still right because truth is absolute. However, many people have their eyes set only on this brother. They think that if this brother is right, the way he has chosen must be right as well, and if the brother is wrong, the way he has chosen also must be wrong. Are their eyes on the truth, or are they on the person? This does not mean that we can be careless. We should never be careless; we should uphold God's testimony. This is a fact. Yet at the same time, whether or not this way is the right way is based on truth, not on men. Does this mean that when other Christians sin we are no longer Christians? Does this mean that when other children of God fall, we are no longer children of God? Does this mean that when many children of God lose their testimonies, we are no longer believers? No, brothers and sisters, truth is absolute. Even if many Christians have failed, the Lord is still worthy of our trust, and we must still trust in Him. Even if many of God's children have sinned, we remain children of God; there should be no change. This does not mean that God's children have license to sin or that Christians have license to fail. It does mean, however, that the truth is absolute. If it is right to believe in the Lord, we should believe in Him even when others do not believe. If it is right to be a Christian, we should be a Christian even if all others have fallen. The issue is not what others are doing. The issue is whether or not something is the truth. Many divisions in the church, many problems in the work, and many disputes among workers will cease when personal relationships, feelings, and problems are set aside.

  It is not a small thing to be absolute to the truth. We cannot be indifferent about this. If we are loose in this, we will be loose in everything. In order to uphold the truth, we have to abandon ourselves completely. If we do not have such a heart and habit for the truth, we will have problems sooner or later. Some brothers say, "I thank God for bringing me to this meeting. I have received much help." This does not mean that this brother is absolute for the truth. He may only be emotionally attached to this place. When something unpleasant happens to him, he may change his mind and decide that he is in the wrong place. Truth, however, is absolute. If this place is right, it is right. If it is wrong, it is wrong. It cannot be right just because it is good to him, and wrong because it is not good to him. If the justification of a place is dependent on its treatment of him, he must be the most important thing in the whole world! Truth is not important to him; he is important! He is not absolute for the truth. This is where many problems come from. God demands that we be dealt with to the extent that we set ourselves and our feelings aside in everything. It matters little whether we feel happy or hurt. Our direction should never be affected by our own personal feelings. If God says it is right, it is right. If God says it is wrong, it is wrong. If God says this way is right, we have to take this way even if everyone refuses to take it. We do not take this way because it is exciting or because a certain brother has taken it. If this way is right, we should take it, even if none of the brothers take it. Truth is absolute, and no human being should influence us in any way. If we bring in the element of human consideration, we have made man greater than the truth.

  All judgments are based on truth, not on individuals. Whenever the basis of judgment is shifted to an individual, we have compromised God's way and His truth. The basis of judgment is the Word of God; its foundation is the truth. We should act the same way, whether or not others treat us well. When we confront a situation, we should ask what God's truth is, not what our feelings are. Personal judgments and feelings should never come into play in God's work. If truth tells us that we should totally separate ourselves, we should sever ties with even our best friends. We may have been eating together and living together every day in the past. But when the absoluteness of truth calls for a separation, we should obey. Human affection should not have a place. If truth dictates that we should not separate, we cannot separate even if we are arguing with each other and irritating each other every day. If we are together merely because of personal reasons, we do not know what the truth is, and we cannot go on.

  Brothers and sisters, this is a very fundamental issue. The way ahead of us is very much related to the dealings we receive from the Lord. If we focus on how great and important we are, the truth will be sacrificed. In order to uphold God's truth, our self must go; we must keep the self at bay. We all have our own temperament and feelings. We cannot alter God's truth because of our temperament and feelings. No minister of God can sacrifice or compromise His truth for his own comfort. If we consider God's truth to be so low, we do not have a spiritual future with God. When a judge presides in court, he must be absolute to the law. A crime must be pronounced a crime, and an innocent man must be pronounced innocent. The judge cannot pronounce a criminal not guilty just because the criminal is his brother or friend. If he does this, there will be disorder. The law is absolute, and personal sentiments cannot be taken into consideration. It would be terrible if a defendant were judged guilty just because the judge happened to be his enemy. A judge must uphold the law. We must believe in God, serve Him, and maintain His truth. Our personal feelings cannot come in. I hope that we will remember that all of our personal feelings have to be denied. We must all be dealt with by the Lord. We must all say to Him, "Lord, I am nothing, but Your truth is absolute." If we do this, there will be no more disputes or problems in the work. One great advantage for the co-workers to uphold the absoluteness of God's truth is the great freedom they will have among themselves in speaking and working. Things will be done as they should be done, and there will be no need to worry about the reactions of others. If we all see the absoluteness of the truth, we will care for one thing only — whether or not something is according to God's will and decision. If it is according to God's will and decision, we will have no fear. But if we are not absolute for the truth, it will be hard for us to go on. When something comes up, we will consider Brother Wang's reaction, Brother Chow's thought, and Brother Liu's action. Since all three have different temperaments, we will have to compromise a little here and there. This is terrible. The truth will be sacrificed. If this is how we do things, we will not be able to say much or make many decisions for fear of offending men. Problems will develop among us. If a company of men would only care for God's truth and would reject human methods altogether, that would be a blessed body of men indeed. If they would firmly reject human manipulation and diplomacy, not compromising or mitigating anything through human hands but doing things strictly according to God's will, we can be assured that this group would be full of God's blessing. If we are able to take the absolute way of truth among the co-workers, we will be able to say what we should say and do what we should do. If not, there will be much consideration, diplomacy, and change, and the church will cease to be the church.

  Let us deal with this matter conscientiously before the Lord. It is a very crucial and serious matter. Let us remember that there is no place whatsoever for personal feelings and sentiments in the work of the Lord. Even if our personal sentiments can positively influence others to receive the truth, we should still keep them out of the work. We may influence a person to receive the truth by inviting him for dinner, but this is wrong. Truth is absolute. Out of the goodness of our hearts we may want to do something to uphold the truth, but truth requires no human hand to uphold it. It has its own standing, its own authority, and its own power, and it needs no human hand to uphold it. We do not have to lend truth a helping hand. We should not be afraid of anyone's rejection of the truth. We only need to learn to honor God's truth, to take the way of the truth, and to not compromise the truth in any way.

Two

  A worker of the Lord also has to pay attention to his own body. We know that Paul was a very gifted brother, and he prayed many times for others' healings. Yet he spoke of three persons who were never healed — Trophimus, Timothy, and himself. When Trophimus became ill, Paul did not pray for his healing, nor did he exercise his healing gift. Instead he said, "Trophimus I left at Miletus sick" (2 Tim. 4:20). As for Timothy, his stomach pain and his frequent illnesses never left him (1 Tim. 5:23). Paul did not exercise his gift or pray for Timothy's healing. He healed many people. It would be reasonable to assume that since so many had been healed, he should have healed Timothy as well. Timothy was a successor to Paul's work, and he was indispensable. Yet Paul did not heal Timothy. His sickness was in God's hand; it was not in Paul's hand. What did he say? He said, "No longer drink water only, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses" (1 Tim. 5:23). In other words, Timothy needed to take care of his health. He needed to exercise care — eating what was good for him and refraining from what was not good for him, taking things that would relieve his stomach pain and abstaining from things that would upset it. This was Paul's word to Timothy. As for Paul himself, he spoke of a thorn in his flesh, concerning which he prayed to the Lord three times. Yet the Lord did not heal him. Instead He said, "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Cor. 12:9). Trophimus's illness did not go away, Timothy's illness did not go away, and the thorn in Paul's flesh remained; their illnesses were not healed. With Paul, we do not see the "wrecking rock" being removed. Yet we see his vessel still sailing on. Although the rock — his sickness — was still present, God raised the water level, and his vessel was able to glide over the obstructing rock without suffering any damage. This was Paul's testimony.

  Brothers and sisters, it takes ten or twenty years of training in God's hand before a man can become somewhat useful to Him. If we want to run a good race and be somewhat mature in the Lord, we need at least ten or twenty years of training. Yet some who do not take proper care of their own health may die before they reach that point. This is most unfortunate. Some do not start running until they have been in the Lord for twenty or thirty years. Then they touch the right way, and their usefulness begins to blossom. The church should not only have children and young men, but fathers as well. All those who desire to serve the Lord should consider it to be a great waste for a brother or a sister to die prematurely after spending many years and much effort to learn his or her lessons! We know that some vessels are broken and damaged halfway through the process. This is a pity. This is like Jeremiah's speaking concerning the vessels in the hand of the potter being spoiled (Jer. 18:4). When a potter turns his wheel and molds his vessels, some become damaged before they even reach the fire. They do not even pass the formative stage. This is a loss. The church has already suffered the loss of many who failed the test of trials and temptations. If the Lord is merciful to us, we can be spared from such damage, breakage, and wreckage. The Lord may have more crosses for us, and His intention may be for us to become more useful in our latter years. It takes much time for the Lord to complete a trial in us. Some trials take a year or even a few years to complete. A child of God may not have the chance to go through too many trials in his lifetime. We can only experience a few trials. Many are crushed as soon as a trial comes. It is sad, as well as a loss, when a trial does not produce the desired result in them. With the passing of time, year after year and decade after decade, how many of God's children are safely preserved to reach the other side of their trials? We have to say that not too many are preserved. Do not think that this is a simple thing. Too many have fallen by the wayside! Of the six hundred thousand souls among the Israelites, only two entered Canaan alive [Joshua and Caleb], and two others entered Canaan dead [Jacob and Joseph]. So few were the ones who survived and who made it. What a pity that by the time the trials were almost over, they had died one by one! If it is the Lord's will that we die early, we have nothing to say. But if we die through our own neglect of our health, it is God's work that suffers. If the church is to be rich, it must have brothers who are in their seventies, eighties, and even nineties. If the Lord ordains that one or two of them go to Him early, we have nothing to say. But if we want to be useful in the work, we have to spend some time to take care of our body. We cannot be careless. It is a big problem if a worker has reached the end of his days by the time he is well trained! It is most unfortunate when a man falls just as he is about finished with his training. If all the workers of the Lord are this way, the work cannot go on. What a pity it is when the body becomes corrupt before the work ever begins, or when a person dies before he has ever become useful!

  Brothers and sisters, we should not have the concept that we should neglect our body. It is true that we need a mind to suffer and that we need to reign over our body and put it under subjection. But we also should take care of our health if at all possible. It is easy to be loose, and it is hard to exercise care. We have to learn to eat healthy foods and to take care of our bodies in every possible way. When the Lord has a commission and there is a need in the work, we have to sacrifice ourselves. There is nothing we can say about this. But at the same time, we have to employ every means available to us to take care of our body. We have to remember that the loss of one person is the loss of ten to twenty years of the Lord's training. There are not many periods of ten to twenty years in our lives. Many people start out somewhat useful and gifted in their service to the Lord, yet it is hard to say that they will have any usefulness in the ministry. It takes at least ten to twenty years before a person can become useful in the ministry. A person often has to wait ten or twenty years before he can become valuable and useful. Being truly useful is something that happens ten or twenty years later, and we are talking only about those people who are running a straight course. If the course is not straight, even ten or twenty years may not yield any fruit. It is not a simple thing to raise up a person in twenty years. God has to smite him and do a carving work on him many times before he can pass the test. He has to go through sufferings year after year, not just a few years, but twenty years, bearing the cross for twenty years, being dealt with for twenty years, being smitten for twenty years, and suffering under God's heavy hand for twenty years, before he can start to be useful to God. How difficult a task this is! Yet if a man does not take good care of his body, he may be gone by the time he is beginning to be useful. That would be very unfortunate and a great loss.

  Once an elderly brother was asked, "What do you think was the most productive period of your life?" He thought for a while and then answered, "Between seventy and eighty years old." Indeed, spiritual usefulness grows with years. The longer we remain in the way of God's service, the more useful we become. We have seen many people who have been ruined, wrecked, damaged, or proven to be of little use along this way. We have seen some whose function blossomed only a little. A few will prove to be useful after twenty or thirty years. But by then they may be ready to depart from the world! It is a pity when a man dies just at the point when he is beginning to become useful! The more lessons a man learns before the Lord, the more useful he is. It is a great loss for such ones to pass away. In taking care of our health, there are many necessary precautions we have to take, many necessary things we have to pay attention to. We agree that we need a mind to suffer, and that such a mind is indispensable. Many times when we are put in a difficult situation, we have to be flexible. But, if at all possible, we should learn to take care of our bodies and should not be loose or careless about our own health.

  Workers of the Lord should not eat for taste, but for nutrition. We should eat foods that have a high nutritional value and should eat less or nothing at all of those that have little nutritional value. When it is time for rest, we should learn to rest. We have enough strain upon us already. If we do not know how to rest, our bodies will not be relieved of its tension. If our stress cannot be relieved when we lay on our bed, what is the use of our sleep? It is useless. Many times our sitting down should be a kind of resting. But many people are not restful when they sit down, because they continue to be stressful and tense. A worker of the Lord should be strong enough to bear strain when circumstances make it necessary. At times strain can be as intense as fire. But when we find some time for respite, we should rest. It is impossible for anyone to be tense all the time. We have to learn to relax.

  Brothers and sisters, when we are free, we have to learn to relax our muscles. While we are sleeping, all of our limbs should be relaxed. We should be able to stretch our capacity when there is the need for it, and when we do, we should be able to handle more stress than the strongest men. Our body has to obey us. But we cannot be under stress all the time. Our muscles and nerves often need relaxation and rest; we have to find opportunity to allow our body to rest. This is one way the body balances itself. If we do not find time to rest, we will push ourselves beyond the limit and go to an extreme. We are not men of extremes. Brothers and sisters, we have to learn to trust in the Lord regarding our body, yet at the same time we have to follow natural laws and rest. This is a very basic lesson. We have to learn to let go. If we learn to let go, we will find it easier to rest and sleep. Experienced ones have told us that counting the number of times one breathes can help a person to go to sleep. When we are asleep, our breathing is deep. It may not be that easy to control our sleep, but it is easy to control our breathing. We can count the number of times we breathe, and we should not breathe quickly, but slowly. We can learn to adjust our breathing to the sleeping mode. Our mind should be set not on sleeping but on breathing, on counting the number of breaths. First, we control our breathing to the speed we would breathe in our sleep. After a while, we will go to sleep. Many people are able to go to sleep with this method. In our sleep we breathe slowly and deeply. By controlling our breathing, making it slow and deep, we can induce sleep for ourselves. We often need to count only up to a few hundred and then we are asleep. We have to believe that the body God has created for us is good enough to go to sleep. We have to trust in God, and we also have to trust in God's law in His creation. God has created a head for us that will go to sleep, and we should be able to go to sleep. We should try to relax our whole body. This will give us rest. If we are not able to rest, we will be constantly under tension, day and night. Such a condition will not sustain us to accomplish many things. We may be sick; we may be bound by more than one illness, but if we take care of our body a little more, we will save ourselves from many worries.

  The same can be said about our eating. We should not overeat, and we should not be too restricted in the variety of food we eat. We should learn to eat all kinds of food. Some brothers and sisters cannot eat this and that and many other things. There are not too many things that they can eat; this is not a healthy habit. We have to learn to eat a wide variety of food. Many things can provide nourishment to our body. If we will only eat a few things, we are not doing our body any good. We may not feel that we are short in nutrition now, but when we become thirty or forty years old, our lack of certain nutrients will be manifested. Our health will be damaged, and our life will be shortened. Our life is governed by the things we eat. This is why we have to learn to eat a wide variety of food. Another advantage for having a wide variety in our diet is that we are not inconvenienced in any way when we are sent out in the work. Those who cannot accommodate a wide variety of food will not be able to tolerate many things when they are in the field. They cannot eat things that are too cold or too hot. They will encounter much trouble. It is a different story if we are sick; we have to take care of our health. But under ordinary circumstances, we have to learn to eat as many different kinds of food as possible. The Lord Jesus said, "Eat what is set before you" (Luke 10:8). This is a good guiding principle. Once a believer asked another believer on a ship, "Why did the Lord Jesus give loaves and fishes to the multitude?" The other replied, "The riches of the sea plus the riches of the land." This is a very good answer. God's children should learn to take all the riches of the sea and all the riches of the land. The range of food we eat should be wide; the variety should be great. Brothers and sisters, do not think that this is a small thing. If we do not control and discipline ourselves in this matter, our body will suffer. We have to make our body our slave. At the beginning we may find this difficult; we may find some food unpalatable to our taste. But we have to discipline ourselves by forcing ourselves to eat those things. On the one hand, we have to have a mind to suffer. On the other hand, we have to learn to take care of our body. We have to be able to suffer hardship. When hardship comes our way, we have to be ready to sacrifice our whole being. Some brothers are afraid of hardship; they cannot take this and that and many other things. Such ones are useless in the hand of God. Similarly, we have no sympathy for those brothers who do not exercise care for their own body. Brothers and sisters, it is harder to be health conscious than to not be health conscious. Do not think that it is easy to talk about health. In order to take care of our body, we have to learn to control ourselves. A person must exercise self-control before he can be healthy. We have to learn to eat things that are beneficial to our body. Our eating cannot be dictated by our taste; it should be dictated by what our body needs. We have to learn to take good care of our body and to use it properly. We cannot allow our body to break down easily. The Lord has spent many years working on us; we cannot deal with our body lightly. We have to take care of all precautions against disease. If at all possible, and if the Lord so arranges, we should do our best to fulfill the requirements of good health and to eat things that are beneficial to our body. We should not expose our body to risks unnecessarily. Timothy was advised to take some wine, because that was beneficial to his health. Do not drink anything that is harmful to the body. Always take things that are beneficial to the body. This is a matter of principle. On the one hand, we have to deny self-love and be faithful unto death. On the other hand, when we do not have a specific charge from the Lord, we should take good care of our own body. When we go to a place to work, we should try our best to take care of our hygiene. But we should not burden the local brothers and sisters. When the environment is not up to the proper standard of hygiene, we have to learn to trust in God. But when circumstances allow, we should try our best to take care of hygiene. This will spare our body of much unnecessary damage.

Three

  A worker of the Lord has to pay attention to yet another thing — being flexible in his daily living. God's servants cannot have a set standard for themselves, insisting on their own ways and views. If we want to serve the Lord properly, we have to maintain one principle: We do everything according to the Scripture and in a way that will not stumble anyone. In 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 Paul said, "For though I am free from all, I have enslaved myself to all that I might gain the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew in order that I might gain Jews; to those under law, as under law (though I myself am not under law), that I might gain those under law. To those without law, as without law (though I am not without law to God but within law to Christ), that I might gain those without law. To the weak I became weak that I might gain the weak. To all men I have become all things that I might by all means save some." For the sake of the gospel, Paul was all things to all men. This is a necessary character trait of one who serves the Lord.

  Philippians 4:12 says, "I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack." Man is prone to swing from one extreme to the other; he is prone to go to extremes. Some Christians think that the only right thing to do is to abound and to be filled. Others are just the opposite; they think that a man must suffer abasement, lack, and hunger. But Paul said that he had learned to be abased, and he had learned to abound. He had learned to be filled and to be in hunger. He had learned to abound and to lack. He had learned the secret in all these things. He said, "I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me" (v. 13). Paul was flexible in the outward things of his daily life. Whether it was this or that, he could accept everything.

  Unfortunately, many brothers and sisters are very stubborn. Their daily habits are untouchable and unchangeable. Some people have to take a hot bath every day. Some people have to shave every day. If they are put in a situation where they cannot live according to their habitual ways, they will not be able to function. These may be very minor things, but they can become obstacles to the Lord's work. Those who are set in their habitual ways cannot be God's servants. A worker of the Lord cannot be lopsided. He can go on with or without a hot bath, with or without shaving for a few days, with or without the opportunity to change his shirt for many days. He can sleep on a hard bed or a soft bed. He should be at ease in any environment he is put into.

  Not only should daily habits not be an issue to a worker, but other things such as personality and age should not be a hindrance to him either. Suppose in one place the people are very warm, while in another place the people are very cold. God's servant should function equally well in both places. If he is a cold person and he can only work among cold ones rather than among warm ones, he is disqualified from the work. Some people can only work with warm ones; they cannot work among cold people. Some people can only work among serious people; they cannot work among carefree ones. All such restrictions represent limitations to God's work. Some brothers can only minister to older ones; they have nothing to say when they are among children or younger ones. Such a lopsided personality hinders God's work. Our Lord received the old and blessed the young. God wants us to be like our Lord, receiving the old and blessing the young. Madam Guyon once said that a man in total union with God is able to be a counsel to the old man and a friend to a child. This is one lesson we have to learn.

  Brothers and sisters, this again is related to the dealing of our self. The self has to be rubbed away to such an extent that we can allow God to put us in any situation. In this way we will no longer be inflexible and will no longer be partial to any way. Paul was able to be all things to all men because he was fully trained by the Lord. May we all learn to be dealt with by the Lord so that our daily habits and personality will not become rigid and unchangeable. May we not go to an extreme and may we not hinder or frustrate the Lord's work in any way.

Four

  A worker of the Lord must also have a proper view and suitable resolution concerning the matter of virginity and marriage. Many people avoid talking about this. But this is an important issue with the Lord's worker, and we have to say something about it based on the teaching of the Bible.

  Paul had a clear word about the matter of virginity in 1 Corinthians 7:25-35: "Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who has been shown mercy by the Lord to be faithful. I consider then that this is good because of the present necessity, that it is good for a man to be as he is. Have you been bound to a wife? Do not seek a release. Have you been released from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But even if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if the virgin marries, she has not sinned; but such ones will have affliction in the flesh, and I am trying to spare you. But this I say, brothers, the time is shortened. Henceforth both those who have wives should be as though they had none, and those who weep as though they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, and those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use the world as though they did not abuse it; for the fashion of this world is passing away. But I desire you to be without care. The unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but he who has married cares for the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and is distracted. Both the unmarried woman and the virgin care for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit; but she who has married cares for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. But this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a noose upon you but that you may be comely and may wait on the Lord without distraction." This shows us the advantage of remaining single. One can serve the Lord with more diligence, less distraction, and greater concentration to the work. A married person cannot match an unmarried person in this respect.

  But not everyone is able to receive this word. We should pay attention to verses 36 through 40: "But if anyone thinks that he is behaving unbecomingly to his virgin daughter, if she is past the bloom of youth and thus it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let them marry. But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, and has authority with respect to his own will and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well. So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do better. A wife is bound for so long a time as her husband lives; but should the husband fall asleep, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only to one in the Lord. But she is more blessed if she so remains, according to my opinion; but I think that I also have the Spirit of God." This is clear enough. If a man thinks that it is wrong to remain a virgin, and that the bloom of youth is past, and it must be so, he can act as he pleases. It is one's own decision whether or not he wants to remain single; others cannot make the decision for him. Of course, in order to remain single, in addition to having the resolve in the heart, one must be "under no constraint, and [have] authority with respect to his own will." The main thing is what one resolves to do in his own heart.

  Let us read again Matthew 19:10-12: "His disciples said to Him, If the case of the man with his wife is like this, it is not profitable to marry. And He said to them, Not all men can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born so from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs because of the kingdom of the heavens. He who can accept it, let him accept it." If we join the last part of verse 11 to the last part of verse 12, "Only to those to whom it has been given....He who can accept it, let him accept it," it will become clear to us that virginity is given to those who can accept it.

  In order to avoid distraction and have adequate time to serve the Lord with diligence, it is better to remain single. Among the Lord's disciples, John remained single. Later Paul also remained single. But if one needs to be married, he can do so. It is not a sin to marry. The difference between being single and being married has nothing to do with sin. It is a matter of time, diligence, and distraction.

  Marriage is holy, because the body is created by God, as well as all of the needs of the body. This is why marriage is holy. But any demand that man has outside marriage is sin. Why does a man have to be married? It is to avoid having relationships outside marriage. Hence, marriage is not a sin. On the contrary, it prevents sin. Marriage is not a fall. On the contrary, it is instituted to prevent falling.

  Paul made this very clear in 1 Corinthians 7:1-9: "Now concerning the things of which you wrote: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of fornication, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife that which is due, and likewise also the wife to the husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise the husband also does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive each other, except by agreement for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and then be together again, that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. But this I say by way of concession, not by way of command. Yet I wish all men to be even as I am myself; but each has his own gift from God, one in this way, the other in that. But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, It is good for them if they remain even as I am. But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with desire." This passage shows us that one reason for marriage is to prevent fornication. At the same time, it points out that God has given some the special gift of remaining single. But it is better for those who have not received this gift to marry in order to avoid falling into fornication.

  We should not go at length into the subject of virginity. We know that Paul was a virgin. Yet he told Timothy that in later times teachings of deceiving spirits would come and forbid marriage. He said that this is a teaching of demons (1 Tim. 4:1, 3). On the one hand, we believe that it is a good thing to remain single. On the other hand, we have to maintain the balance in God's Word; we cannot say that marriage is something unclean. We must be clear that marriage is holy; it is something that God has ordained in His creation. The forbidding of marriage is a teaching of demons.

  If a worker of the Lord is married, he should do his best to settle his family matters in such a way that he will have the least distraction. In this way he will be able to better give himself to the Lord's work. But he must take note of the clear separating line between his work and his family. He should never allow members of his family to touch his work. Of course, if some of them are also co-workers, that is a different story. He should never bring home the things pertaining to the work. A worker cannot be influenced by his family members concerning the work that he is doing. A brother once said that he went to a certain place to work because his wife had promised that he would go. This is astounding! How can a wife promise something for her husband, and how can the husband go because of the wife's promise? We cannot act on our family members' promise, and actually, we cannot even act on our co-workers' promise. Our family must be clearly separated from our work. A worker of the Lord cannot lightly pass on the spiritual problems of other brothers and sisters to his family. If his family members want to know anything, they should find out the same way that all the other brothers and sisters find out. Many problems in the work arise through the loose talk of workers within their family.

  Another point we should take note of is to maintain a proper relationship in our contact between the brothers and the sisters. If a brother has a preference to work among the sisters, he should be kept away from the work. Likewise, if a young sister has a preference to work among the brothers, she should also be kept away from the work. We have to be very strict with this principle. Under ordinary circumstances, brothers should work mostly with brothers and sisters with sisters. The Son of God left us such a pattern when He worked on earth. John 3—4 shows us a clear separating line in this matter. In chapter three the Lord received Nicodemus at night, while in chapter four He met the Samaritan woman during the day. In chapter three the Lord received Nicodemus in a house, and in chapter four He met the woman at the public well. If the settings of chapters three and four were switched, we would have very inappropriate settings. It is clear that the Lord spoke with Nicodemus under very different circumstances than those under which He spoke to the Samaritan woman. This leaves us with a good pattern.

  We are not saying that brothers and sisters should not contact each other or have fellowship with one another. We are saying that a brother or a sister who has a preference and desire to be among the opposite sex should be discouraged from making such contact. Of course, in Christ there is no difference between male and female, and there is no separating wall between the brothers and the sisters among God's children. Between the two there should be good fellowship. But if a brother has a habit or preference to talk to sisters, or vice versa, we should deal with this situation immediately. I hope that the brothers and sisters will exercise a spontaneous restriction and limitation when they contact each other. If anyone goes beyond the proper boundary and engages in abnormal fellowship, we should deal with the situation in a strict way. May the Lord be gracious to us so that we will maintain a good testimony in this matter.