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Question: Recently, some churches have proposed that one should not keep the Sabbath on the day of resurrection. It is not God's will in the Bible that we observe the day of resurrection. In taking the holy communion, we should use unleavened bread and grape juice and should not have anything else as a substitute. Baptism should be by immersion and not by sprinkling. It is better to have foot-washing at the same time we have the baptism. (Wang)
Answer: We can only follow the Bible in everything we do. Other than the Bible, no other human words should move our hearts.
(1)Please note that we are not "keeping the Sabbath on the day of resurrection." Christians do not keep the Sabbath. To say that Christians should keep the Sabbath is an anti-scriptural expression. Where in the Bible does it say that Christians should keep any Sabbath? We should know that with Christians there is no Sabbath. We only come together to meet and to break the bread (Acts 20:7), to make our offerings (1 Cor. 16:1-2), and to rejoice (Psa. 118:24) on the first day of the week, which is the day of resurrection, the Lord's Day, according to the commandment and example of the Scriptures. Other than these, whether or not it is a Sabbath, whether or not we should do business or work on this day, are all questions related to the Jews and have nothing to do with us Christians. It is a pity that there are too many Old Testament Christians!
(2)The Bible does not have the words holy communion. This is a product of the Roman Catholic Church and a term left over from the denominations. The Bible only says the "supper" (1 Cor. 11). Of course, our emphasis is not on the rituals, but as much as possible we should use unleavened bread and grape juice. No doubt that was what the Lord used on the night of His betrayal. To follow the Scripture in this way will leave no doubt in the hearts of the weak brothers.
(3)All the baptisms in the Bible are water baptisms. Hence, sprinkling is unscriptural. All those who have not been baptized in the scriptural way have not been baptized at all. Here we need to add another word: baptism alone will not save a person. But in order to belong to the Lord fully, a person has to act fully according to the Scriptures.
(4)Foot-washing is not a ceremony. Personally, I believe that foot-washing should be practiced. What is needed in foot-washing is humility, selflessness, love, and obedience. If we do not have these things, it is better that we do not practice foot-washing. To interpret the Bible spiritually does not thereby annul the commandments of the Bible. As to whether one should have the foot-washing after baptism, I do not see such a commandment in the Bible. If the saints consider foot-washing a kind of ritual, it is better that they do not practice it.
Question: In what teachings are yours different from those of Mr. Scofield? (Kuo)
Answer: Mr. Scofield's teachings are generally the same as ours. The differences we have with Mr. Scofield are merely on a few questions related to the Sermon on the Mount, the rapture, and the kingdom. To me, the Sermon on the Mount is what Christians ought to keep, the rapture will take place only in the case of the watchful and waiting ones, and not all those who have received eternal life will enter the kingdom to reign with the Lord. Mr. Scofield does not believe this way.
Question: Is David the seventh or the eighth son of Jesse? First Samuel 16:10 and 11 say that Jesse called his seven sons to pass before Samuel, none of whom were chosen. When he was asked if he had more sons, he answered that there was still the youngest one, who must therefore have been the eighth son. But 1 Chronicles 2:13-15 records the names of the sons of Jesse, and David is ranked as the seventh. The two places are different. Why is this so? (Lin)
Answer: According to the order of birth, David was the eighth son of Jesse. There is a reason why he was called the seventh son. First Samuel 16 was recorded when David was young. At that time, all his brothers were alive, and he was the eighth son. First Chronicles was recorded at the time David became king. One of his brothers had died and had no children. His name was therefore removed from the record of the Israelites. As such was the case, David became the seventh son.
Question: I read 2 Kings 6:8-19 which says that the Syrians surrounded Dothan not for the sake of the Israelites, but to look for Elisha. When the Syrians reached Dothan, why did Elisha say, "This is not the way, neither is this the city"? Was not the man of God lying? Please instruct me. (Yin)
Answer: Elisha was a Samaritan. What he said to the Syrians was not deceiving them, because he led them to Samaria, that is, "to the man whom ye seek" (v. 19).
Question: I read Genesis 15:16, which says, "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again." What is this fourth generation? Please answer. (Tsui)
Answer: This means that by the fourth generation the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, they would be led out of Egypt. This was literally fulfilled later. When we read Exodus 6:16-20, we see that Levi was the first generation (v. 16), Kohath, the second generation (v. 16), Amram, the third generation (v. 18), and Aaron and Moses, the fourth generation (v. 20). It was at the time of Aaron and Moses that the children of Israel left Egypt for Canaan.
Question: How does the Holy Spirit speak to man? (Acts 8:29). (Hsu)
Answer: The Holy Spirit speaks to man through the intuition in his spirit. A person cannot hear Him with his physical ears, nor can he fathom Him with his mind. He can only hear Him through his intuition. We should pay special attention to this matter at present. The intellectual ones seek after the mind of the Spirit with their mind. The zealous ones who lack scriptural knowledge and deep spiritual life try to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit with their physical ears. These will lead people down the path of error. These are the ones who are deceived by Satan. All of the Holy Spirit's works are in our spirit (Rom. 8:16). Besides his soul, man still has a spirit. The greatest faculty of the spirit is the intuition. The intuition is the direct sense within man's spirit. It is not a physical sense, nor a thought in the mind, but an independent feeling that does not come from any source. The voice of the Holy Spirit can be detected in the intuition. If believers today do not serve the Lord through following the intuition, they will trespass the Lord's will often.
Question: Matthew 24:13. Will those who do not endure to the end be saved? What kind of salvation does this refer to? (Weigh)
Answer: Of course not. This does not refer to the salvation of the spirit of the believers. Rather, it refers to the salvation of the body of the Jews during the tribulation.
Question: What does the "queen of the south" in Luke 11:31 refer to? (Tsui)
Answer: It refers to the queen of Sheba in the Old Testament (2 Chron. 9:1).
Question: What are the differences between the kingdom of the heavens, the kingdom of God, and heaven? (Tsui)
Answer: There are differences. The kingdom of the heavens is God's present administration among His children. This will be much developed in the millennial kingdom. By that time, the believers will reign with the Lord Jesus. The kingdom of God is God's rule from eternity to eternity. The kingdom of the heavens is included in the kingdom of God. Heaven is where the Lord Jesus is now and where the believers will go in the future.
Question: Is the word "was" in Genesis 1:2 the same in the original language as the word "became" in 19:26? (Weigh)
Answer: Yes.
Question: I have believed in the Lord for many years, but have not received much enlightening. Recently, I read a newspaper that said that under the tide of revolution those who are involved with missionary works in the church should join the anti-Christian movement. Some have even said that any fundamental biblical teaching that is not in conformity to the current of the age should be criticized. I feel that this is too much devaluating of the worth of the Bible. Our church is also much affected. Because I feel ill at ease at heart, I dare to ask about your opinion. (Wang Yu-ting)
Answer: After reading your letter, I know what you are talking about. The things that you described are commonly seen everywhere. Of course, there is no need for outsiders to oppose and investigate the sins in the church; we have to rise up to oppose them ourselves. As to the point that the fundamental teachings of the Bible do not match those of the current of the age, my opinion is that the Bible has never matched the current of any age! We should correct the unscriptural currents with the Scriptures, rather than criticize the Scriptures by the unscriptural currents. The truth is always the same and should not change with the current of the age. If Christians should follow the current of the age, does that mean that our faith and conduct should change with the ever-changing current of the age?
As far as the church itself is concerned, I think that the biblical teaching is that we should submit ourselves to the local government (Rom. 13). A Christian should "submit" to his government absolutely. But he does not necessarily have to "obey." The Bible only requires that we submit; it does not require that we obey. Whatever the reasons may be, we have to submit. But we can only obey what is not contrary to the commandment of God. Others can kill us or punish us, but we cannot rebel. However, we will only obey that which the Bible allows us to do. A Christian should be a follower of the Lord as well as a citizen of a state.
Question: Is it unscriptural for preachers to receive a fixed salary? How do you trust in the Lord in your preaching? How does the Lord supply your need? What is your experience? Please share with us so we can follow. If I do not have enough faith, can I conduct business, on the one hand, and preach at the same time?
Answer: Neither in the Old Testament nor in the New is there such a thing as God's servant receiving a fixed salary. Even the priests in the Old Testament lived by the altar. If the Israelites were to become rebellious, the priests would suffer starvation. The apostles were those who had neither gold nor silver (Acts 3:6), much less money to hire servants. The question is whose servants we are. If we are God's servants, surely we have to ask God for our salary. Otherwise, we should ask man or the denominations for our salary.
It is not convenient for me to go into my personal experience here. But one thing I can say: during the past few years, I have trusted only in God and have never suffered any lack. There is no excess, but there is also no lack. The heavenly manna comes every day, and it is never short of supply. The Father's raven flies everywhere, and it comes uninvited.
Actually, it is more appropriate to conduct business and preach at the same time than to be a salaried preacher. But it would be a pity if anyone chooses to do it because of a lack of faith. God's commandment is that we trust in Him. What we need to ask is whether God has called us to the work of preaching. If He has, He should be responsible for our supply. The waters in the Jordan do not separate first to expose the dry ground. Rather, you have to put your feet forward first, before the waters will part. The secret in the way of faith is to trust in God alone and not to worry about tomorrow. As long as today is cared for, we can praise the Lord. There is no need to worry about tomorrow, next month, next year, or ten years from now. If we worry about these things, we will be afraid. We should trust in God day by day.
One thing that grieves me today is that too little do believers receive answers to prayers. Perhaps it is because they pray too little. It seems as if it is a rare occurrence to receive answers to prayers and that it is normal for there to be no answer to prayer! We should know God. God should have the chance to daily prove to us how real He is and how real His promises are. We should see that God's heart and His hands as well are for us.
Question: Can believers who have reached the stage of sanctification and who have the Lord's resurrection life still working in them be raptured? When the Lord comes, is it true that only the spiritual believers will be raptured and that the fleshly believers will go through the tribulation? (Kuo)
Answer: The condition for rapture has been clearly given in the Scriptures (Rev. 3:10; Luke 21:36). We also believe that a spirit of rapture is a forerunner to the actual rapture. We dare not say to what stage a person has to be before he can be raptured. But I believe that fleshly believers will have to go through the tribulation.
Question: Is the Christian and Missionary Alliance the same in nature as all the other denominations? (Kuo)
Answer: In order to answer this question, one must first know what is a sect. There are a few elements to a sect: (1) a name, (2) a charter other than the Bible (whether scriptural or not), and (3) not including all regenerated believers. When Mr. Simpson founded the Christian and Missionary Alliance, we know that he was full of spiritual power. Even today, the Christian and Missionary Alliance is one of the best denominations. But unfortunately, it is still a denomination, because (1) it has a name, (2) it has a special fourfold gospel, and (3) its system does not include all regenerated believers. Brothers, what we are concerned about today is not a question of good denominations versus bad denominations, but a question of sectarianism versus nonsectarianism.
Question: Since many organized denominations are hated by the Lord, why does the Lord bless them still, work with them, and even save many through them? Please explain. (Kuo)
Answer: It is a pitiful fact that God's children do restrict Him. God's work with His children is according to the measure of ground His children afford Him. God can only work as much as He is given the ground to work. Hence, although many organizations (and many other things besides organizations) are not approved by Him, the fact that there is still need for saving people means that God will still work with these organizations to save people. We know that God fully disapproves of Roman Catholicism. But there are those in Catholicism who are saved and are even saving others. However, we cannot become Catholic believers just because of this. We have given the Holy Spirit too much limitation! May God be merciful to us.
Question: If there are to be organizations or systems, how should we institute them without acting contrary to the Scripture and being entangled in human organizations? (Kuo)
Answer: The Bible has decreed all institutions of the church in a clear way already. We must never have any decrees, whether they are creeds, constitutions, rules, charters, or ordinances outside the Bible, no matter how scriptural they may appear. Otherwise, we will become a sect right away. We may be more scriptural and more knowledgeable than other sects but still be a sect. We should only have one open Bible now for men to follow. If we institute anything outside the Bible, no matter how scriptural it may appear, we are causing others to despise the Bible and turning their attention to the instituted ordinances. In this way, those who are "of our group" must abide by the teachings of these ordinances before they can meet together. Of course, if anyone sees any ordinance that is contrary to the Scriptures, he should reject it. Of course, we should teach others the teachings of the Bible. But if anyone follows these teachings, they are following the Lord's word, not any kind of authority in our word. If we institute anything, our institution will become the standard of our faith. This means that we will be setting up another standard of faith besides the Bible, no matter how scriptural such a standard may appear.
The institution of any ordinance carries with it one of two characteristics: either it is authoritative, or it is nothing. Something that is authoritative means that it ought to be observed and that it is unalterable. If such ordinances are to be authoritative, what happens when they contain mistakes? Even if they do not contain any mistakes, can they possibly be perfect? On the other hand, if such ordinances are non-authoritative, and someone can correct whatever is wrong and add whatever is lacking, what good will these ordinances do? Is it not redundant to have another page outside the Bible?
The only scriptural way now is to allow God's word to lead the believers personally. Of course, human opinions and ideas can never be the same. But the Holy Spirit will never give two contradicting interpretations to anyone. If there is any mistake, it lies on man's side. John 7:17 is the root of all problems. If believers would reject their self-will, submit to the Holy Spirit, and respect one another and wait on one another, the one accord can be achieved. If there are self-will and self-opinions, even when a person has outwardly left the sects, he is inwardly still in the sects, and there will still be disputes.
Question: If there should not be any organization or system in the church, how can the church be administrated? (Wang)
Answer: What we propose is that everything invented by man and not instituted by God should be removed. We should not follow anything other than the Bible.
We are not saying that the Bible tells us that the church is without any organization or system. We are merely saying that the present church organizations and systems are not scriptural. According to the Scriptures, the present church organizations and systems contain the following errors: (1) a denominational name, (2) different methods of organizations, (3) the system of a pastor presiding over a church, (4) meetings in which one man replaces the function of everyone else, and (5) ordination. These are only the major items.
With respect to the question of church administration, in the beginning this was under the Lord Jesus as the Head and carried out through the Holy Spirit and by means of the apostles and the elders (see Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22; 16:4; 21:18; 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-2). The elders are appointed by the apostles (read Acts 14:23; 1 Tim. 3; Titus 1:5). If we cannot prove the existence of apostles today, how can we have elders? Although we cannot find any reason from the Bible to show us why there are no apostles today, it is almost certain that there are no more apostles today. If this is the case, surely there are no more elders today, because they are appointed by the apostles. If there are no apostles and there are no elders, does this not mean that the church administration is over? This is what you are concerned about. God's provision and arrangement, however, are not only for normal times, but for the times of failure and the degradation of the church as well. Please read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Hebrews 13:7; 1 Corinthians 16:15-16. These few verses do not mention the office of eldership, but they mention the work of the elders. Hence, in the present age of desolation we do not have official elders. However, the Lord will raise up among those who are meeting under His name in all the places men who can be elders. They will oversee and will manage, but they will not have the title of elders.
Question: How do you explain Matthew 18:18 and John 20:23? Some have said that these words were added in the Middle Ages and were not proposed by the Lord Jesus Himself. How do you feel? Please answer me in The Christian. (Tsui)
Answer: These two verses are in the reliable manuscripts. There is no basis to say that they were added during the Middle Ages. The teaching in these verses is true. The Lord introduces His words in Matthew with the words, "Truly I say to you." This shows their importance. These two verses are on the excommunication of believers. If some are excommunicated from the church, it means that they were in the church. Therefore, what is covered here has nothing to do with salvation and perdition (1 Cor. 5:5), because the excommunicated ones are saved ones.
The meaning here is this: When the church excommunicates a believer and such an act is carried out according to God's word, God will acknowledge in heaven what the church does on earth. John 20:23 is even clearer. Verse 23 immediately follows verse 22. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, there cannot be a proper excommunication. The authority of excommunication comes from the power of the Holy Spirit. These two verses should be read in conjunction with 1 Corinthians 5:11, 13 and 6:9-10. All those who have been properly excommunicated by the church will not reign in the millennium, though they themselves will be saved.
Question: Why does the book of Esther have no mention of the name of God? (Weigh)
Answer: This is, of course, the ground for the higher critics to criticize the book of Esther. But I will quote Dr. Gaebelein's word, "Although the name God is not here, God Himself is in this little book. We see Him expressed in many areas. We see Him expressed in His arrangement and His power in delivering and preserving His covenanted people. Although God's people were unfaithful, He looked upon them and cared for them. He destroyed the enemy's plot. It is true that they had not called on Him. But His unbounded matchless grace was manifested to them. Hence, although this book does not mention God's name, it shows God's government."
Professor Cassel said, "This book was written by one Jew to all the Jews scattered in all the provinces of Persia. It recorded how God's sovereignty delivered His people from inevitable woe through miraculous hands. This book has no other purpose except this one; it is not for recording other incidents. Of course, this book also describes to us the life in the Persian palace, which we cannot find recorded anywhere else."
Gaebelein also said, "This book points out the fact that after the Jews had left their homeland and outwardly had nothing more to do with God, God was still being gracious to them. This termination of outward relationship may be the reason for this book to avoid the name of God."
Question: I read Hebrews 6:2 concerning the teaching of baptisms and do not understand what it means. Please explain to me in detail. Do the different baptisms in this verse mean that in the ancient churches there was also a variety of rituals, as it is today with the variety of baptisms found in the various denominations? Or does it mean the baptism of water, fire, and the Holy Spirit? (Law)
Answer: In the ancient church, there was no other baptism except water baptism. The baptisms here do not refer to the baptism of water, fire, or the Holy Spirit. This is speaking of the various washing ceremonies in the Old Testament. The apostle is here exhorting the Hebrew believers to leave the word of the beginning of Christ and to go on to perfection. They were Hebrews and had much to do with the Old Testament. The baptisms here refer to the many washings in the temple. Even the laying on of hands here refers to the laying of hands on the head of the sacrifices in the Old Testament. In the New Testament age, there is only "one baptism" (Eph. 4:5).
Question: I have never seen the actual way of baptism. I wonder if it is all right for both males and females to baptize. Or should it just be males? If only males can baptize and the one being baptized is female, it is inappropriate for them to be in the water together for the sake of the weaker ones. Please do not ignore my questions for their insignificance, and please instruct me concerning the same.
Answer: According to the example of the Bible, we do not see sisters baptizing others. I dare not say that the Bible forbids sisters to baptize others, but it is clear that the Bible has not charged them to do this. As far as it being inappropriate for the weaker ones, we cannot be that concerned. I know that in the villages, when the brothers and sisters meet together under one roof, some unbelievers even criticize them for such. But we cannot separate the men and the women into two meetings just because others criticize us. If believers would keep a clear line between male and female in their daily lives and would walk soberly and properly, the unbelievers would have nothing more to say. John once baptized a prostitute. One thing is sure: "To those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure" (Titus 1:15).
Question: Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, and Luke 23:26 all say that Simon the Cyrenian took up the Lord's cross. Why does it say in John 19:17 that the Lord Jesus bore His own cross to a place? Did He ask this Simon to bear it for Him along the way?
Answer: If you put the four passages together, there will be no problem. If we combine the four Gospels together and read them together, we will see the historical order of events. "Therefore they took Jesus. And bearing the cross for Himself, He went out" (John). "And as they were going out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name" (Matthew), "a certain passerby coming from the country" (Mark). "They laid hold of Simon...and they placed the cross upon him to carry it behind Jesus" (Luke), "to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha" (John). According to Luke, Simon the Cyrenian was bearing the cross together with the Lord Jesus; the Lord was walking in front of him, and he was walking behind the Lord. Hence, the order of events should be this: the Lord went out with the cross and met Simon, while the crowd forced him to bear the cross with the Lord all the way to Golgotha.
Question: In Acts 2:14 Peter and the eleven stood up to proclaim the Lord's word. Why is it that there was only the testimony of Peter and not the testimony of other apostles? Was Peter the representative of the eleven? (Luk)
Answer: This should not be a problem here. According to the text, all eleven apostles stood up, but only Peter opened up his mouth. We cannot say that Peter was the representative of the other eleven. But in the Gospels, we often see Peter being the mouthpiece of the twelve apostles. This is, of course, due to his age and his rashness. When he stood up to speak on the day of Pentecost, however, it was not because of the urging of his flesh, but because of the stirring of the Holy Spirit. The keys of the kingdom of the heavens was entrusted to Peter (Matt. 16:19). Hence, he was the first one to open the door of the gospel for the Jews (at Pentecost) and for the Gentiles (in the house of Cornelius).
Question: According to John 3:22, did the Lord Jesus baptize anyone while He was on earth? If so, in whose name were they baptized? (Luk)
Answer: No. John 4:2 says, "Although Jesus Himself did not baptize, but rather His disciples." According to the Bible, probably at that time it was not in anyone's name. This is not crucial. It is better that our thoughts be centered on the things that have to do with Christ.
Question: Every time the Lord Jesus healed someone, He warned them not to tell others about the act. Why did He do this? Is it because He was afraid that too many would follow Him? (Luk)
Answer: It is because He did not want others to follow Him out of curiosity. He wanted those who followed Him to be the ones who had grace working in them in a deep way already. If they came merely because they had seen the miracles, such following may have even frustrated His proper works. The Lord Jesus was here to do a solid work, not works that were measured only by their quantity. What a lesson for us!
Question: How can a congregation identify those who have been gifted to oversee it? According to Acts 13:1-3, is the laying on of hands, and an open declaration of such, something condemned by the Lord? What is the limit of authority of those who oversee the church? If they do not have any authority at all, how can they settle disputes in the church? It is true that the authority of the church rests with the whole congregation, but does this mean that everyone should exercise his own authority and should not be bound by anything? Or should a few be elected to execute orders so that things can be accomplished? (Kuo)
Answer: The church is the Body of Christ. We can only understand the gifts through the function of the Body. The Bible always puts gifts and the Body together (Rom. 12, 1 Cor. 12). I have said elsewhere that the laying on of hands in the Bible is not a kind of acknowledgement of gift. We have to differentiate between gift and office. A gift is for the perfecting of the whole Body, whereas an office is for the administration of a church. Gifts are for the whole Body of Christ, whereas an office is for one individual church. In the Bible we see such a thing as men being ordained to oversee a church, but we never see anyone ordained to preach the word. Preaching is a gift, whereas administration is an office.
In those meetings that are in His name, a young man can exercise his gift to teach the congregated believers even though some in the congregation may be a few times older than he is. But his age prohibits him from being an elder to settle others' disputes. The present systems in the various denominations do not differentiate between the two. This is due to error and ignorance. Those who oversee do not necessarily preach: "Let the elders who take the lead well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and teaching" (1 Tim. 5:17). This verse tells us that some elders only oversee the church, but do not preach or teach. The office of an elder is for the administration of the church. However, some of them also receive additional gifts of preaching and teaching from the Lord. An elder who preaches or teaches in the church does not do so because he was ordained and was thus qualified to do the same. A young man who does not occupy any office is as qualified to preach and teach as an elder who occupies an office.
In summary, the gifts mentioned in the Bible (including preaching, teaching, and shepherding) can be exercised by all the believers. Those who have these gifts are qualified to exercise these gifts. The office of overseeing the church is the responsibility of the elders (together with other serving deacons). The Bible does not acknowledge the gifts by the way of the laying on of hands, but as to the office, there is the laying on of hands. As to the question of the elders and their relationship to the laying on of hands, we have covered this matter elsewhere and will not repeat it here.
The laying on of hands in Acts 13 is a matter of identification. Otherwise, you would have the impossible case of a prophet ordaining an apostle.
The extent of authority of the overseeing one is a spiritual matter, and not fleshly. One should administer the church by prayer, godliness, and love. The Bible does not permit any form of imposition (1 Pet. 5:1-3).
The Bible does not have such a thing as the election of overseers. Those whom God has raised up should make themselves approved by their faith, love, and example; the believers will spontaneously recognize them as God's chosen ones. The church is a Body, not an organization. Hence, we cannot have everyone to be free to exercise his right. If the church were a social club, we could do this, but it is not a social club. Because there are so many unregenerated ones mixed in the church, problems occur when we practice according to the Bible. Either this is the case, or the majority of the believers are fleshly and have never been taught of the Bible. Those believers who are mature in the Lord are responsible for rebuking such things when they happen. This is true liberty. But this is at the same time more bondage than before. There is nothing more binding than the bonds in the Body. If everyone wants to have absolute freedom, we will end up with lawlessness, which is the spirit of Antichrist. In short, authority is spiritual, not something that the flesh can approve.
Question: What is the scriptural way to meet, to serve God, and to oversee and shepherd the church of God? How should we be acquainted with each other socially? How should we collect the offerings, and how should we distribute the offerings? How should we assign people to preach, and what is the way to take care of the different branch mission halls? How should we have "all things...done becomingly and in order"? Please explain to me in detail, for I want to find a church organization and practice that is absolutely according to the Bible. (Kuo)
Answer: I am so happy to read the last few lines of your letter. There are not very many people in these days who are seeking. Many people are not willing to pay the price. Many have their own opinions, and many do not have a willingness to obey, so the church of God becomes what it is today.
The meetings of the believers are at times for prayer, at times for preaching, at times for the discussion of affairs, and at times for the breaking of bread to remember the Lord. For now we will only talk about the meetings for the breaking of bread and the worship of the Lord. A meeting should be gathered into the Lord's name (Matt. 18:20). This means that we should have the Lord as the center, and we should come for Him and worship Him. In the meetings, we should pay special attention that we are coming to the Lord Himself. We do not come merely because a certain person is there. We do not come to listen to certain preachers, nor for thousands of other reasons; we come only to meet the Lord. In the meetings, there is no set schedule and no man-made chairmen. Everything should be done under the leading of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11). First Corinthians 14:26 is most crucial: "Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation." This verse tells us that all believers, whether old or young, rich or poor, have the right to be led by the Holy Spirit to share in the meeting. Verse 31 is even more clear: "For you can all prophesy one by one." When the Corinthians met together, there was much conduct that was disorderly. But the apostle did not consider such a way of meeting impermissible or that it should be changed. He merely told them that they should behave in an orderly way. However, this order is not a man-made, dead schedule that is manipulated by man. Rather, it is something according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and according to His orderly distribution. If we read this chapter alone, we find that in the meeting of God's children there are no formalities such as those found in present-day so-called services. "The first should be silent" in verse 30 is one example of the lack of formality. Verse 35 shows that if the brothers do not understand something in the meeting, they can ask at any time. Women should not speak in meetings with brothers present (11:5; 14:34). According to the Bible, the breaking of bread for the remembrance of the Lord should be a breaking of bread by the disciples (Acts 20:7, etc.). Hence, no one can represent the Lord to pass out the bread. There should be thanksgivings (1 Cor. 14:16), but no one is assigned to offer such thanksgivings. Everyone should be led by the Holy Spirit, and everyone should break the bread himself, with one merely taking the lead as the first one to break the bread.
In every meeting, the Lord raises up those who will work for Him. They do not have the so-called "official" commissions from the denominations, but they have God's commissioning. The Bible teaches that believers should subject themselves to such people. Their work is based on their relationship with the other members and their gifts, not on any human assignment or titles. Those brothers who have sinned should be admonished, warned, and eventually excommunicated. If they are to be excommunicated, they must have committed the sins in 1 Corinthians 5:11. All God's children who desire fellowship should be received, no matter what level of knowledge they may have (Rom. 14:1; 15:7). The anointing and praying for the sick (James 5:14-15) and other similar works should be done for the sake of the Lord.
Other than the mutual fellowship among the believers, the Bible does not say anything about the church's social contacts with the government, society, or any other communities. Such are considered the acts of an adulterous woman.
Concerning the offerings by the saints (of course, only offerings by the saints are acceptable), the Bible has clear instructions. There is neither the teaching nor the example in the Bible of the offering plate or the offering pouch being passed around for soliciting offerings on Sunday. Even in the Old Testament, we do not see such a practice! In the Old Testament, we see only a box set up at the entrance to the temple. A worker can exhort the believers to give (2 Cor. 8:7). But there is no such thing as sending men out to remind people or even beg for money. On the contrary, what we see is "with much entreaty they besought of us the grace and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints" (v. 4). The teaching in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 points out to us the importance of offering on the Lord's Day. Such offerings are for "filling up the lack of the saints" (2 Cor. 9:12). In distributing the offerings, we must, of course, consider what the offerings are designated for. But the attitude of 2 Corinthians 8:12 is most necessary. These offerings are, of course, put into the hands of those who are approved (1 Cor. 16:3) and "selected" (2 Cor. 8:19). Those who work for the Lord should be "taking nothing from the Gentiles" (3 John 7), and God's children should fill up their lack (2 Cor. 11:9; 1 Cor. 9:11; Phil. 4:15-16; 1 Tim. 5:17-18).
No matter how spiritual a person is, the Bible has not authorized anyone to send others out for the preaching work. Such practice is a poison left from the Roman Catholic Church. There is no such thing in the Bible as putting one servant of the Lord into the hand of another servant. All the servants are directly responsible to the Lord. Even Paul could not force Barnabas to not take Mark along. Brothers can make suggestions, but there must not be any control. Even the aged Paul only "exhorted" Timothy, his own son, to remain in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3). We observe in the work of the apostles that there were friendly exhortations that had to do with the work, but no such thing as the present assignment of preachers. You may ask: if this is the case, will not men move arbitrarily and become lazy in their work? Yes, they will, and that is wherein lies the failure of the denominational systems. This is bound to happen among hired workers. If we stop the practice of having salaried preachers, those denominations which have money (which was unheard of at the apostolic times) will no longer be able to control the servants of the Lord with their money, and they will only be able to hire shepherds who do not have any calling and who will take spiritual work as a kind of profession. If such is the case, will not many preachers be disqualified from their work? Yes, if we indeed practice this, we will see how numerous are those who joined the rank of preachers at will, and how few are those who are truly called by God! We should not volunteer to work ourselves; we should be those who are sent by God.
Terms such as "branch mission halls" and "branch churches" are not found in the Bible. All the churches in the Bible are administered locally by themselves. The practice of combining the different "churches" in the localities to form a head church is an invention of the denominational organizations. Things such as conventions, synods, head churches, districts, and precincts are all products of the human mind. The churches in the Bible are related to one another as members. They can encourage, teach, and warn one another, but no one church controls the affairs of another church. It is the practice of Roman Catholicism to try to unify church administration through joining different "churches" together. The Bible never considers the churches in Philippi and Ephesus to be under the church in Jerusalem. The basic unit of the Body of Christ is the individual believers, not the individual churches. The individual churches are not the members of the Body. We can lead others to Christ and teach others the way of the Lord, but we cannot have any human organization. If the Lord's precious blood is not enough to join us together, in the same way that the names of organizations are joining men together, does this not mean that the precious blood has become worthless to us? The brothers and sisters in the Lord should continually help one another, but the denominational, organizational, and institutional practices must be stopped. In short, if we want to follow the Bible, we need to trust in the power of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, everything will be in confusion.
