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Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 5:13; Rom. 9:3; 1 John 4:7; James 4:7; Eph. 5:22-24; 1 Cor. 12:25; Eph. 5:21; Hosea 7:8
During the past few days I have been paying attention to one thing, which is what a Christian has to be in order to be a cake that is turned. What is a cake that is not turned? It is one that has heat on one side and no heat on the other side. To be a turned cake is to be cooked on both sides. This is a great principle in the Bible. In many matters a Christian has to pay attention to both sides. If he pays attention to only one side, he will be like a cake not turned. One side will be either burned and overcooked, and the other side will still be watery and uncooked. If the sisters have vegetables or meat that are burned on one side and raw on the other side, it means that the food has not been turned. Please remember that it is most important to be turned. Anything that is not turned is burned on one side and raw on the other. The meaning of being turned is to pay attention to both sides. A person should pay attention to one side as well as to the other. He should learn from one side as well as from the other.
The message this afternoon may not be a principle of spiritual life, but it is a principle of a believers' daily living. This principle is the balance between the corporate life and the individual life. On one hand, we have to pay attention to the corporate life. On the other hand, we have to pay attention to the individual life. On one hand, we are members. But on the other hand, we are also the Body. This is why we have to pay attention to our life as members and to our life in the Body. We are not alone but with all the ones who constitute the Body.
In the Catholic Church today, all the authority rests in the hands of the pope; all Catholics listen to the pope. There is no such thing as sects with them. But Protestantism with five hundred or more years of history had, by a few decades ago, over fifteen hundred sects. Since then, there may be even more. The Catholic Church is unified, and from the first day until now, everyone has been following the orders of the pope. Catholics are very obedient to the pope. But with Protestants, there are many sects, each with its own beliefs and ideas. Catholics have gone to one extreme; the conscience of the individual is not important and everyone simply follows the pope. Protestants, on the other hand, only care for their own conscience and ignore the views of others. Once a few people develop a different view, they put up a sign and start another group. The result is many denominations. Catholicism is an unturned cake, and Protestantism is also an unturned cake.
The Bible is in between these two extremes. It speaks of personal liberty, the voice of the conscience, and it also speaks of listening to others and submitting one to another. We are the Body; yet at the same time, we are the members. Every one of us should be an independent individual in this world. At the same time, every one of us should submit to other brothers and sisters. We have to maintain our life as members and also maintain the Body life. We have to pay attention to the corporate life and also pay attention to the individual life. If we pay attention to one aspect only, we will become an unturned cake. If we only pay attention to others and do not have any ideas of our own, we will become an unturned cake. Before God, we have to pay attention to the individual as well as to the Body. Today we will mention some differences between the individual life and the corporate life, but you have to excuse me for not being able to go into detail.
Being beside ourselves is being crazy; we do this to God. But we are sober-minded for others. On one hand, this is very personal; on the other hand, this is very corporate. Being beside ourselves is a personal matter. Being sober-minded is a corporate matter. For example, a person may study the Bible by himself in the morning. He may receive some light from the Lord and unconsciously hit the table a few times. There is nothing wrong with this. While I am standing here today, if I hit the table when I think of a verse, would you not say that I am unsound? Paul was beside himself before God but sober-minded before men. If you are alone by yourself, you can hit the table or chair and be beside yourself with joy before God. But if you are before men, you have to be sober-minded. Many people are bound before God; it seems that they do not know how to pray. Actually, a person's heart should be as hot as possible before God. When we are before God by ourselves, we can be very free and jump up and down in an ecstatic way or shout "hallelujah" all the time. But if you are in a meeting and others are with you, or someone can hear you in the next room, you cannot shout and cry as you wish. You have to be sober-minded before men. I may be speaking too frankly, but this is the teaching of the Bible. Paul said that we can be beside ourselves only before God, while before men we have to be sober-minded.
An unseemly thing today is that men display the ecstasy that they should have before God to others. The Bible never permits this. Can you pray when you are in your room with only your underwear and no socks? We all can do this. But if you are in a meeting, you surely cannot pray this way. What you can do before God may not necessarily be permissible before men. We still have to be sober-minded before men for their sake.
What is the meaning of being sober-minded? Being sober- minded is being careful and having self-restraint. Being sober-minded is being polite; it is not being crazy, but proper. If you never pray by yourself and only pray in front of men, and if you never read the Bible in your own room and only read in front of people, you are like a shop that exhibits every item of its merchandise and has nothing left in the warehouse. This is not being beside yourself before God; it is living a fallen life, one that God will never bless. There is the need for soberness before men. There is also the need for being beside ourselves before God. If we do both, we are a turned cake.
If I lived in a rural place with no one around me, not even shepherds or ranchers, I could shout and pray as loud as I wanted. If I did this, no one would touch me. But I live in Wen-teh Lane. Even though I live in a room by myself, my neighbors would think that I am sick or that someone had died in my room if I suddenly shouted in the middle of the night. Please remember that a person can only be beside himself before God; he must take care of soberness before men. You have to learn to be sober before men and beside yourself before God. Many people are sober before God and men. They are lifeless before men and God. Paul was beside himself before God, but he was very unassuming before men. The letters he wrote were serious in their tone, yet when he met men face to face, he was very unassuming. He was very normal. We should learn to be beside ourselves before God and sober before men.
A few years ago when I was sick, I went for some rest to the place of a brother, who was very good in prayer. His room was next to my room but I often could not sleep at night because of my fever and bodily weakness. I noticed once that a light was on in his room. When I knocked at his door and asked why he was not in bed, he told me that he was about to go to bed. After a while I went over to see him again, and he was still not in bed. He finally went to sleep about two o'clock in the morning. I am not against praying the whole night, but you should remember that you can only be beside yourself before God. If you are beside yourself before men, others will not be able to stand you. You may not need to sleep, but others do. You may want to stay up late, but others do not. When I saw him the next day, I said, "Brother, I am not saying this because I did not sleep well last night. But if you continue to do what you are doing, it will not be good for you and for others." He did not believe my words. Later, he began to vomit blood. Before God, we can be beside ourselves. But if we are beside ourselves before men, we are an unturned cake.
Brothers, please do not be offended by my frank words. I hope that you will take care of both sides. On one hand, we should be lively before God. On the other hand, we should be very normal before men. If you want to be a special Christian, only be one before God. Do not exhibit all your treasures before men. Do not speak with a special tone of voice or walk in a special kind of way. We should act very normal before men. We should wear what others wear and eat what others eat. We have to be a turned cake. If we are beside ourselves before God and men, we are an unturned cake. We have to realize that both aspects are precious. God is pleased with both. We have to be zealous before God and normal before men.
The brother that I spoke of earlier was married. I have asked others about this brother. I have been told that his wife will fix a meal and he will not come to the table. He will not eat his lunch at noon and sometimes does not even come by two o'clock. At five or six o'clock in the afternoon, someone still has to remind him to take his lunch. He is beside himself before God, but he is not very sober before men. This is not the right attitude for a Christian. Do not think that just because you are zealous, you can eat lunch at six o'clock in the afternoon. If you are all alone, you can have lunch at midnight, but if your wife and others are waiting, you should keep the time. You cannot discard manners before men. On one hand, we should be as zealous as possible before God, but on the other hand, we should do our best to take care of the brothers and sisters when we are among men.
James 4:7 tells us to be subject to God, and Ephesians 5:21 tells us to be subject one to another. Brothers, do you see this? Here are two sides once again. On one hand, we have to be subject to God, and on the other hand, we have to be subject to one another. Being subject to God is a personal matter, but being subject to one another is something that we should practice among the brothers. In the church today, some people are unturned cakes. As long as the brothers and sisters agree on something, they follow even if it is a sectarian teaching or heretical doctrine. As long as the majority of the people agree, they follow. As a result, even God's commands and biblical teachings are set aside. This also is an unturned cake. They have taken care of man's side but ignored God's side; consequently, they have become unturned cakes. But there is another group of people who would not care for what other brothers and sisters feel or think. They only do what God says. They are like the brother I have mentioned, who thinks that all that a person needs is zeal and who does not care for his wife at all. This is also an unturned cake.
There are many things that are God's will, but often they are limited by man's hand; consequently, there is the need for patience and waiting. It is true that knowing God's will is enough, but it is also good to have the testimony of two or three brothers. If a finger moves, does only one finger move and the whole body not move? Is it not true that when a member moves, all the other members move as well? A member cannot move by itself because, even though there are many members, the Body is one.
I will say a few words especially to the co-workers. In China we are making a start in many areas. Obviously, there are many dangers that we have to avoid. Not only do we have to learn obedience in our conduct, but we must learn obedience even in the matter of doctrine. Otherwise, division and sectarianism will arise among us. Suppose you receive some light. Since it is from God, you may ignore everything else and start preaching about the light. But the brothers who are with you may not see as clearly as you. In such a case, you should wait for their consent before you preach. If you do not do this, division will occur. You may say that God has revealed this to you, but a brother may say that he has not seen it clearly enough and fears that it may be a heresy. In this instance, you should wait. The Bible says that we should be subject to God, but the Bible also says that we should be subject to one another. When the brothers have different views, they should not argue or be divided. They can wait and pray, and they can gradually learn and watch. Let me say an honest word: nothing helps a person's spiritual progress more than waiting. If something is genuine, it will still be genuine after a person waits for a while. If something is wrong, there is even more of a reason for waiting. It is fortunate when a person waits; when he waits, mistakes are avoided. However, unless we truly deny ourselves and bear the cross, we cannot wait. To wait humbly requires God's grace. We should learn this lesson.
We should obey God's word, will, and command at all cost. Among the brothers and sisters, any problem that can wait for a solution should wait for a solution. Of course, if we care only for waiting and ignore obedience to God, we also become an unturned cake. Many people do not obey just because others object. This is to be an unturned cake. If a matter is doctrinally clear and according to the teaching of the Bible, even if there is the frustration from the flesh, we should not wait for the consent of others before we obey. There is a limit to our being subject to one another. When you intend to be subject to God and I intend to be subject to God, there is the need for us to wait for each other. If a brother is not clear about a certain question, and he asks me to wait a while, I should be willing. I should be willing because I know that this brother is one who is subject to God and seeks to please God. Being subject to one another is only necessary among those who are willing to obey. If a man has never obeyed God, you will not receive his consent even if you waited for a lifetime. In this instance, you cannot wait for him. Otherwise, you will become an unturned cake and be dragged down by him.
Brothers, before the Lord, we have to do our best to pay the price to obey Him. Toward the brothers and sisters, however, we should wait when there is a need for waiting. Individual accomplishments and lonely endeavors are never according to God's attitude in the church. Acts 13:1-3 says, "Now there were in Antioch, in the local church, prophets and teachers...And as they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for Me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." The denominations call this the ordination and establishment of the clergy. But can teachers ordain apostles? There cannot be such a thing. The laying on of hands here means that one has a share in the affairs of the other. In the Old Testament, when a man put his hand on the head of a sacrifice, it meant that the going away of the sacrifice was his going away, and the death of the sacrifice was his death. The laying on of hands here means that these ones expressed their participation with Barnabas and Paul. Paul and the others went in the condition of one accord among the prophets and teachers in Antioch. This is why they could return to Antioch later and could relate to the others the grace that God had entrusted to them and the works that they had done. This is an important principle. A person has to be subject to God, and he also has to be subject to the brothers. He should consider not only what God has to say, but also what the brothers have to say. This is true not only in the work but also in the meetings. The principle of being subject one to another can take us a long way. We have to be subject to God, and we also have to receive the consent of the brothers and sisters.
Once I wanted to go to the country to preach the gospel. The particular village I wanted to go to had some cases of robbery and murder. Before I left, two elderly sisters advised me not to go. So I canceled my boat ticket and the house I had rented there. Personally, I knew God wanted me to go, but I also knew that God wanted me to be subject to them. The flesh is always in a hurry. However, I was also aware that I should obey the Lord. Later, some other brothers went and many people were saved. Although I had no part in it, I was satisfied. We should obey the Lord. But if we are not subject to the brothers, we will become an unturned cake. We have to be turned this way and that way. If we are not, then we will become an unturned cake.
In studying the book of 1 Corinthians in the past, we have seen the Body of Christ. We can advance individually, but no growth is independent of the Body. For example, my mouth eats, but my whole being is also eating. Can I say that my mouth eats but that my whole being does not eat? When my hand works, my whole being works. When my feet walk, my whole being walks. The move of one member is the move of the whole body. I have used this example before: when I take a check to the bank to cash, the cashier gives me the money. Do just my hands receive the money? Will the cashier say, "I am giving your hands the money; I am not giving it to you"? Are there any cashiers who would say this? Everyone would acknowledge that when my hands receive the money, I receive the money.
There is an important truth in the Bible: the growth of one member is the growth of the whole Body. When two eyes see, the whole body sees. When two ears hear, the whole body hears. When the mouth speaks, the whole body is speaking. When the hands work, the whole body works. When one member moves, the whole body receives the benefit. Therefore, a person cannot live an individual life. All the work and conduct of a member is related to the whole Body. This is why there is a need for the same care for each other. You cannot be independent and presume that you have nothing to do with the other members. You should not cause the whole Body to fail by your own failures. When the eyes are blind, the whole body is blind. The Lord says that you should testify. Yet you do not open your mouth. When you turn back, the whole Body turns back. The mouth eats, but the whole body receives the nourishment. The nose smells, but the whole body senses the aroma. The ears hear music, but the whole person enjoys the music. The Body (that is, the Body of Christ) has a universal aspect and a local aspect. When one meeting suffers, the church suffers as a whole. Whatever a person eats, smells, and hears affects his whole body; similarly, the goodness, evil, progress, and fall of an individual Christian affect the whole church.
We should be willing to follow the Lord alone. But we should take care of the pace of the brothers and sisters. Some are too individualistic. They are accustomed to fighting and doing things by themselves. They do not care for the other brothers and sisters. They have forgotten that they are just members. Let me say an honest word: we should soar like an eagle in the sky, advance spiritually, and obey God individually. But we should also humbly wait for the other brothers and sisters and go on and obey God corporately.
Brothers, have you seen the relationship between a member and the Body? I have mentioned these three points to show us the corporate and individual life. We should maintain the individual part of our life. At the same time, we should pay attention to the corporate part of our life. On one hand, we should pay any price to allow God to gain something. But on the other hand, we should also pay any price to gain the oneness of the brothers and sisters. Do not think that you can monopolize everything. The whole body is not the eyes, and the whole body is not the ears. We should not neglect God's side, and we should not neglect man's side. May God bless us so that we know the preciousness of the individual life as well as of the corporate life. May we not annul the corporate life by our individual life, and may we not annul the individual life by our corporate life. Let us be a turned cake. If we are only cooked on one side and are not turned, God will not be pleased with us.
