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To our fellow member of Christ, Brother Kuang Jung:
We have already received two issues of Collection of Newsletters. Thank the Lord, He has raised up this publication so that all His children can communicate with each other and know the condition of each locality. Through this publication we have learned that there are nineteen localities with meetings in northern Kiangsu. Soochow, Ling Tzu, and other places have meetings now as well. We should praise the Lord! Although the world is full of sin and the church is still desolated, God's faithful children are at the front line of battle fighting with the enemy. This encourages us to continue forward faithfully.
In Tsinan there has been a meeting in the Lord's name for one year. We will describe how it started and its experience so that all the brothers and sisters in the Lord can give glory to God and pray for us.
In the fall of 1932, a preacher named Kung Su Teh came to Tsinan to preach the Word. Chi Lu University also invited him to the school to speak. We knew of him before but did not know him, so in prayer we hoped that he would come save many sinners and uplift the cross of Christ to glorify the Lord. Who would have thought that it would be quite the opposite? He did not speak on the Bible. He did not pray. All he preached was socialism. From that time on, we knew that he was not a Christian but a modernist. At the same time, the university made an announcement that all meetings would stop. Of course, that included the meeting in Dr. Stearn's (an American) house. From that time we had eight brothers who clearly saw that our meetings were conducted in man's way and that God was not the Head. Therefore, we were willing to freely come before God to serve Him and receive His discipline. We met in the wilderness or in a graveyard every Lord's Day morning. At that time we did not understand any truth, but our goal was to serve God, so our reading of the Bible, prayer, and hymn-singing were very free in the Spirit. We went on this way for several months. Then the weather became cold and windy, but we could not find a place to get out of the cold and the wind, so we kept meeting in the cold. Finally, it was too cold, and we could no longer stand it; all we could do was consult with the school to see if we could borrow a classroom but not be governed by them. The school agreed to give us a classroom. From this time forward, the number of people in the meeting has sometimes been very large. We also gradually learned a few hymns of praise. The meetings at that time saw the brothers' hearts drawn to God in a very living manner, even though it did not have the manifestation of a praise meeting. Not long afterwards, God showed us the element and center of the meetings through a book on worshipping God. He also showed us the commandment in Luke 22:19. Then we knew that the Lord had commanded us to remember His death and manifest His death through His Supper. In the meetings, we should take Christ as our center. Oh, we thank God for showing us the light of the truth. Therefore, the brothers in one accord began to have the table meeting. We wanted to obey Him so that our consciences could have peace. But we did not know what to do; we knew only that we should obey and practice the Bible. It was a most difficult time for us! We prayed and asked God to show us what we should do to please Him. We also discussed where we should have the meeting — in the school or outside the school. We bought a cup and a plate so we would be prepared to use them whenever we had the meeting. Every brother in one accord prayed much and waited. Who could have known that before we put anything into practice, oppression would come? We had a brother who loved the Lord very much. He knew what we were going to do, but he disagreed with us very much. He said that if we did this, we would stumble many other brothers. He felt that the gospel meeting in the school would be closed if we did this. When we heard this, it seemed reasonable to us, and our hearts were somewhat persuaded. But in the deepest part of our being we told ourselves that this meeting was "right." We would not stumble brothers by our obedience; we would not cause the gospel meeting to be closed because of our obedience. We went through a long period of prayer and considering, and finally we were not moved. Although we were weak outwardly — because of the breaking of the emotions — inwardly there was a kind of strength surrounding us. We prayed again, asking God to show us soon what we should do. We decided not to meet on the school campus but to rent a house that was not connected with the school in any way. We all agreed to wait until there was a suitable place. After a few days, we met again to see whether the brothers had received revelation from God in their prayer. A few brothers said we had to wait for a servant of the Lord to come lead us. We waited because we obeyed each other. In this way we waited for two months, but no servant of the Lord came. Our brothers were impatient with waiting and were ready to break the bread with two or three brothers who did not feel the need to wait. By this time, our Lord saw that we really wanted this, so He made preparations for us. Oh, our Lord cannot be wrong. His provisions are neither fast nor slow. In the beginning of February 1933, if I remember correctly, the Lord's servant, Brother Liu Tien Min, came to Tsinan from Tsou County with a friend who was sick and was going to Chi Lu Hospital. He did not know that there were already brothers in Tsinan who wanted to go the way of obeying the truth. He stayed in Dr. Stearn's house — they met in the meeting in Taishan — and by chance he met one of us brothers there. They began speaking of the brother's present spiritual condition. At that time, the brother introduced us to Brother Liu. Our brother spoke with Brother Liu about how to have the table meeting. When Brother Liu heard it, he was surprised and joyful. We invited him to tell us about the truth of the church. He saw that we definitely had this desire, so he spoke a little to us. Because it was not convenient to speak openly in that environment, we found opportunities to visit him and speak with him. At this time, God showed us that the name of the Lord Jesus is above all other names and that we should meet in the Lord's name. Now we could delay no longer. Although many brothers and sisters still were not clear, we believed that the Lord would lead them eventually. At the end of the Chinese year, we rented a five-room house facing north at 50 Hsu's Garden. It was very providential that at that time Sister Peace Wang came to Tsinan to work among the sisters. Many sisters also became clear. The meeting in the Lord's name began in March. Oh, our hearts thanked the Lord so joyfully! Hallelujah! On the first Lord's Day, there were more than twenty brothers and sisters in the table meeting. We sat at this feast, and you do not know how joyful our hearts were. We wanted desperately to empty our thanks and praise into the Lord's bosom. Our marvelous Lord had given Himself and shed His blood for our sins. He had given us His full salvation and had saved us to the highest position. We could not but praise and thank Him. Our faces before this table could not express our livingness, but our deepest parts were joyful to the uttermost while we were eating the precious things given by the Lord and drinking His cup of blessing.
Since we decided to follow the Lord in this way and go the way of obedience, outward ridicule, criticisms, and misunderstandings have been busily attacking us. But we have put them in the back of our minds, and we put our hope in our victorious Lord who is before us.
Time has passed very quickly. The school let out for summer vacation and is now back in session. Six or seven brothers who were in one accord with us have left us to go to the places appointed by the Lord for them to work. At that time, the Lord prepared another house for us that is a little quieter and cleaner than the first. From now on the way will be narrower and more difficult. There are many difficulties before us.
We have been meeting for one year. We praise the Lord for the past. We will still rely on Him for the future. Although many denominations criticize and slander us, we can only plug our ears and ignore them as if we were deaf.
Last summer we had a baptism meeting. Six brothers and two sisters were baptized. On the first day of this year, seven sisters and four brothers were baptized. One of the brothers was more than sixty years old; one of the sisters was only thirteen. They are all precious in the Lord's eyes.
We confess that in the past we were disciplined by the Lord in many matters. Satan attacked us in many places. Many things were our own weaknesses. Although we have not done better, the light of the truth is what we want in the end. We ask the Lord to give us more of a heart to obey Him. We are willing to follow the Lord in this way. We know clearly: (1) It is not the glory and profit of the world that draws us; (2) it is not the persecution behind us that forces us to do something; and (3) it is not what our flesh likes. We only know that we should obey the Lord's command. For this reason, we are willing to suffer the sufferings, difficulties, persecutions, tears, slander, and mocking that we meet on this difficult and blood-stained way. May the Lord deliver us from evil that we may be able to obey Him in everything. We know that many difficulties in our meeting need the prayers of the brothers and sisters in all the localities. We ask that the victorious Lord would bind Satan's authority in the air, so he can be cast out of heaven soon. That day is coming soon. What the Lord has promised us and set before us will also become reality soon. May we go on more faithfully, and may we take the Lord's way more watchfully. May the Lord give you peace!
From,Ch'ien Nung Sheng and Pan Huei Sheng1934
(This is the record from after a table meeting.)
Psalm 133:1: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is/For brothers to dwell in unity!"
Today I see many brothers and sisters here and I feel very joyful. I have been away from you for seven months, but in these seven months, I have never once found a meeting like the one here in Shanghai, so I often have thought how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. Whenever I was alone in Ch'ang-sha (Hunan province) a thousand miles away and could not be together with you, my heart was grieved. So I often asked the Lord to raise up some brothers and sisters there, so we can meet together. Thank the Lord; He heard my prayer, and the work has begun there. Therefore, I want to tell the brothers and sisters a little bit about how it happened in a general way.
I have been in Hunan for seven months. I came back this time because I have a month of vacation. When I went to Ch'ang-sha, the brothers put me on a boat, and before they left, we prayed for a short while. One sentence of Brother Chang's prayer helped me the most; I have not forgotten it even now. The sentence was, "God, please go before him and begin the work." This one sentence really moved my heart. Afterward, I also prayed with this sentence, saying, "God, I am a useless person; I can do nothing. You must begin the work there before I can work. O God, if You want me to do something, please begin the work."
Let me begin by saying something in regard to the work. In the beginning, the assistant director of our hospital, Doctor Ku, was very happy to see me come; he invited me to eat with him many times. One time he invited the members of the Siang Ya Medical School YMCA (among whom there are some Christians). He also invited me to go with him, and we talked about the meetings there. Originally, they had a prayer meeting every Friday, but for some unknown reason it had stopped. At that time, we decided to resume the prayer meeting but changed the time to every Wednesday. The Che Ya YMCA invited me and two other people, Dr. Ke and Dr. Liu, to help with this meeting. They came the first time, but later, perhaps because they were busy or had other frustrations, they did not come often. But among the students there was a great number who wanted the meeting and who had a heart to get some help. So I asked the Lord to begin the work there, and I also preached the gospel to them through this prayer meeting because many of them had not been saved. Because they were unsaved, their prayers were like incantations. I told them that the prayer meeting was on Wednesday, and that we should use more time to pray. But because many were not saved, we could only preach the gospel more before working on prayer. In this way, I preached the gospel first, and in the fourth week some got saved. Later, I felt we should have a counseling meeting, so they would have more opportunity to understand the Lord's Word. So I decided to have two times on the Lord's Day morning, one at 9:00 a.m. and one at 10:00 a.m. for such talks. (They could not all come at the same time.) Although many had questions, the questions were not too difficult. There were just a few, and once they were answered, it was over. Later, I used this time to preach the gospel also.
At this time two sisters got saved. It happened in this way: After my speaking once, everyone else left, but these two remained. At first I did not know what they were doing. I noticed they were crying and knew they were repenting for their past because they were very zealous before and later they had become cold. I told them that the blood of the Lord Jesus was shed for their sins and that they could be at peace. As long as they believed that the Lord Jesus was their Savior, their sins would be forgiven. Then I comforted them with a few words. After this, they came to the meetings often and were more eager than the others. I met the elder brother of one of these sisters. He was my fellow student at Ya Li University. He said, "My sister is very zealous. She even eats early because your meeting is at seven o'clock." (There is a Bible study on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) I realized that they were very zealous. Sometimes they skipped their meal in order to come to the meetings. At the same time, I saw that their personal lives had changed. From their own mouths, I found out that they were pursuing righteousness. They were dealing with many matters of sin.
One other person was saved in a very marvelous way. A nursing school invited me to preach the Word. When I went, I met a person on the way, and he asked me where I was going. I said, "I am going to preach the Word. Do you want to go with me?" He said yes and followed me. That day I spoke of salvation by faith. Most marvelously, he was saved at that time. Afterward, he came to speak with me often, and he became very seeking. Furthermore, he has already read The Spiritual Man up to the second volume. When I was meeting in the hospital, he came often, but after the meeting moved to the campus, he did not come. He said it was because it seemed inconvenient to him. But no matter what, he is a saved person. He is a pharmacist in the pharmacy at our hospital.
There is one other matter which delighted me very much. There was a female student who was about eighteen years old who came to the meeting. She was probably invited by a fellow student. After the meeting she still would not leave. She just stood there as if she wanted to speak with me. Then she told me she wanted to be saved. So I asked her whether or not she had believed. She said that she had believed. I said that if she had believed, she was saved. The next time I ran into her, I asked her whether she was saved. She told me joyfully that she was. Later, she kept coming to the meetings and always brought other students with her to the meetings.
In spite of all these, there are many things that make me sad! But they are all in the Lord and they are children of God, so we should still love them. Once a pastor came to see me. He did not speak of anything except the question of the church and leaving the denominations. I thought I did not need to speak about this. However, he kept asking and quizzing me, and he exhorted me, saying, "You are very good, but there is one thing that you do that is not good. Because of your meeting, you are taking members of other congregations from them; the number of attendants in the nearby churches has decreased." He also said that I was not very polite to him and was too rude. At that time, I did not debate with him because he was older than I. Later, he introduced me to another old pastor who spoke about the same thing. The other old pastor also exhorted me to stop the meetings because the numbers in their churches had decreased. He also said, "It is not easy for a church to get people to come listen to the Word or to become members and come to their meetings. They had worked very hard for this. Now you have pulled them all away at once." He thought I should not do that. At that time, I could no longer hold my peace. I said a few straight words. I said to him, "Pastor, if all the people in Ch'angsha went to your church meetings, but the Lord did not gain anything, what would you gain? I did not come here to gain anybody. I only have one goal. I want the Lord to gain something, and that is enough. If someone was raised up by God, and every believer in my meeting went to hear him, I would be happy because this is the Lord's work. It is the Lord's gain." He said, "That is reasonable." Oh, it saddens me to see people going after things other than the Lord and uplifting these things rather than the Lord. Their only goal is an increase in attendance. It is indeed sad that they put the Lord aside! As I was speaking, two verses came to me: One was when David was hiding from Absalom, and Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, gained his master's wealth through craftiness. After David returned, Mephibosheth said a word to David, "What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?...Let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house." The other verse is in John 3 when the people said to John the Baptist, "He who was with you across the Jordan, of whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him." John said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." I feel that indeed, "No one can come to Me unless it has been given to him from the Father." I told the brothers that if there was only one person here at our meeting, we still had to keep meeting because the Lord said, "Not abandoning our own assembling together." If some brother stopped meeting, we could visit him on the one hand, but on the other, we must remember that whatever is sown will be plucked up, if it is not sown by My Father. Oh, I am nothing; the work is nothing; only the Lord's will is enough.
There is one other thing. I went to observe the True Jesus Church in Ch'ang-sha to see how they spoke in tongues, rolled on the floor, and shook, etc. But I only saw them speaking in tongues. I did not see anything else. I went on the Lord's Day. (Their real meeting is on Saturday.) That day I met one of their deacons and asked him about the matter of tongues, but his attitude was not very good. Actually, I went with a good attitude. If speaking in tongues was right, I also wanted it. However, on his side, he thought I was trying to give him a hard time. Finally, I asked him, "Is there anyone else here?" He said, "They have all left. The preacher is not here either." So I made an appointment to go the next Saturday. I met the preacher when I went. I asked him about the matters of speaking in tongues and the Holy Spirit. He asked me whether I could speak in tongues. I said I could not. He said, "You have not been saved." I said, "I am saved because I have definitely believed in the Lord Jesus as my Savior." He said, "Even though you believe, you still do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit." I asked him, "Do all believers have to speak in tongues?" He said, "Of course, they should. What is more, they certainly must." At that time I said, "I want to speak in tongues. If it is real, I really want it. But I must first test this Spirit." Then he said that I was not saved because I still could not speak in tongues. I asked him about 1 Corinthians 12:30: "Do all speak in tongues?" He could not explain it and could only interrupt with other words. He related many testimonies to me. I also sat through one of their sermons. This happened before I went to speak with him. The only thing that they kept speaking about was that other churches are not churches, and that they are the only church. They base their assertion on the claim that the other churches are not like those in the age of the apostles. It is a shame! They are a meeting which only uplifts itself. They do not uplift the Lord!
Ya Li University is very close to us. They also invited me to speak the Word. They had originally wanted the director of our hospital to go, but later they invited me. I thought I should not refuse this invitation. It was very good to have the opportunity to preach the gospel. Unfortunately, I only went twice because they only have it once every two weeks. If the Lord is willing, I think that there must be some who can be saved.
When I went to Ch'ang-sha, my desire was not that great. I felt that if one person was saved, I had not gone in vain. Thank God, many people have been saved to my surprise. With regard to myself, I have missed so much perfecting and could not hear so many precious words. I could not see so many dear brothers. I am alone there by myself and have not had much growth. I have so many areas that cannot satisfy the Lord. Many times, I know that a certain matter is wrong, but the flesh will not let me go, and I still do it. For example, I bought many things that were not necessary. The strength of the flesh is strongest here. It seems that there is no way to overcome it. Before I did not know, but now I know a little. Once I thought, have I really fallen so low? Do I really love the world like this? The book of 1 John tells the young believers not to love the world and the things in the world. If a person loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. This is not said to the fathers but to the young men. It is something very difficult. Unless the cross operates in us, the strength of the flesh is too great for us. I did not know before, but now I have really seen this. The flesh wants to grab me and drag me to buy things that I do not really need. This is my individual failure. I do not have much more to say. In any case, I must always thank God because He is with me.
Yu Cheng HuaWinter, 1933, Shanghai
To my co-laboring brother in the Lord, Mr. Watchman:
When you went to Europe and America to give testimony upon the Lord's command, you went through Penang, Malaysia and had your picture taken with Brothers Yang and Cheng. Brother Yang gave me a copy, and it is as if I have seen you, but I would like to meet you personally. I had hoped that on your return journey you would pass through Ipoh, so I could receive your teachings face to face, and they could lead me on my spiritual path! But you changed your mind about your return itinerary. My hope was not fulfilled, and I was very disappointed. My family is from Hsun Wu in Kiangsi province. I was originally a pantheist, then I was an atheist, and I also despised the Lord's way. But the Lord loved me, and I believed in Him and was baptized in June 1914. In the spring of 1915, I studied at Shanghai Yih Tao School but did not graduate. However, the devil was working, and the hornet of heresy arose. I was almost poisoned by modernism, which would have caused me to leave the Lord. Fortunately, the Lord loved me and led me out of danger by leading me to return home and begin working; then I started a school. For more than ten years, I have not had any results, and the future ahead is sometimes clear and sometimes dark. In 1927 the denominational church in this locality was attacked. The Lord then led me south to this place. My dear Lord taught me through the leading of Brothers Kuo, Cheng, and Yang and through reading your books and your testimonies of Bible expositions. The Lord's light led me gradually ahead day by day. I have now been working by relying on the Lord for more than a year now. Thank the Lord's grace! He did not allow me to be a slave in the denominations for my whole life, but caused me to obey the Lord fully and become His slave. My brother, if you think I am teachable, please do not withhold your guidance in the Lord that I may advance. May God be with you that you may lead many sinners to the Lord. Amen. I also greet you with spiritual health.
The little slave in the Lord,Ku Shang Ch'inFebruary 28, 1934
Peace in the Lord to our dear Brother Nee:
We have not seen each other for many years, and I miss you very much. However, I have received The Present Testimony and the "Gospel Messages," which you sent many times. They make me feel as if I were receiving your personal teachings. I had originally established my hospital in Tung Tai, but because there were many bandits, it was difficult to maintain. I have now moved into the city. I have just arrived in this county; Brother Choo has returned home, and Dr. Ying San has moved to practice medicine in the province capital. So now I am temporarily living in the gospel mission and helping Brother Ping Hsin maintain the affairs of the hall. Although I have now rented a hospital, I still have not moved in! But the churches in Lien Chiang are weak to the uttermost! There are believers from the northwest part of Lien Chiang to Shan-Ts'un, Tung Tai, Hsiao Ao, and P'u Chiang, but unfortunately, most are scattered and backsliding. The reason for this is that there are no appropriate workers here. What is more, through these hard times, the people's hearts are open to the truth, so there is an even greater need for workers to spend their lives for the Lord. Our hearts are aching. We are calling on the Lord and also writing this to fervently ask you to pray for all the weaknesses here in Lien Chiang and to petition the Lord to send workers and to meet every need. A brother like you who loves the Lord could use a special letter of announcement to ask all the brothers and sisters in your locality to pray for Lien Chiang! I greet you with Christian greetings.
Your weak little brother in the Lord,Lee Yu Fu greets you with a kiss.
Brother Shen:
I am not in Foochow now. I am a teacher in Fu Ch'ing County, Lung T'ien, Jung Mei School. The locality of Lung T'ien is a small town with many kinds of denominations. It is very confused. There is a Catholic Church, an Anglican Church, an American Church, and the True Jesus Church, etc. The school was established by the American Church. However, among the teachers, staff, and more than one hundred twenty students, less than two or three are regenerated. Although the environment is not too good, I am relying on the Lord's grace and have not backslidden. I really pray that the Lord will give me strength to get through this unbelieving and perverse generation. Sometimes I feel alone, but I receive comfort from the Lord through prayer. Satan often attacks me, especially in my body. But the Lord is the Victor. He can save me when I meet with temptation, so I will not stumble. I hope you also pray for me often. I testify for the Lord to the students whenever I have the opportunity. Four students have said they are willing to receive the Lord, but I still want to see whether or not they really are saved. Let me tell you about them later. May the Lord work to save many sinners here. May the gospel of God be spread so that the people of every place have the opportunity to hear His gospel! I really do not desire to merely teach here (it's a matter of death). I hope the Lord can fulfill a little of His will.
Recently, the Oxford gospel group came here. They gave four commandments: absolutely love; be honest, clean, and unselfish; confess your sins to one another; and try to touch others this way. I have also been there to speak a few words. They confess their sins, but they do not mention the precious blood, so I boldly told them that confessing with tears is empty. The Lord's blood is the basis for the forgiveness of our sins. However, among them there is also life. Now in Lung T'ien, a separate Oxford fellowship has been set up, with a local person as director. They want me to attend. Can I attend this for the purpose of correcting their mistakes? Or should I not attend? Which is the Lord's will?
O Lord! Please strengthen your children in these days. Although You are in the heavens, You remember us — who are in the enemy's workshop (the world). Lord, make us overcomers like You! Lord, come quickly! May the grace of the Lord and His love be with you always!
Chen Hsi Wen
Greetings to the brother in the Lord, Mr. Yueh Chiao:
Thank the Lord. He has blessed Hsieh Ts'un with the raising up of a meeting. We used to attend the Methodist denomination in Chien Li. We believed in the Lord for more than ten years, but we were foolish and ignorant, having never heard the gospel. Then Brother Huang Pao Kuang came to our area to preach the gospel, and Brother Chang Ching Yuan gradually introduced us to what he had read in The Present Testimony and Notes on Scriptural Messages and sometimes exchanged letters with us. It was only through this preaching of the gospel that we came to know the salvation of the cross of Christ and were led by the Holy Spirit to believe in the Lord and receive life. When Brother Huang Pao Kuang, whom we mentioned before, heard the truth about the church, he no longer had the peace to remain in his position, knowing that denominations were heresy (Gal. 5:20). Therefore, he announced that he was leaving the denomination and resigned from his post. The denomination also cut off the preacher's position in this place because of economic difficulties. Brother Huang took the opportunity to resign, but then later the brothers asked him to stay, so he rented a house to live in. He opened a school to teach and continued working for the Lord. All the saved brothers were willing to take the same way together. For this reason, the denominations began to oppose and give Brother Huang a hard time. Our brother saw this, but he knew the denominational error of human organization, so he was not willing to return to meet in the denominations. The denomination called a seasonal conference, and he did not go. They could not do anything about it, so they tried gentler methods to ask our brother to compromise. Our brother steadfastly refused. He still met according to the principle in Matthew 18:20. In the beginning of March of this year, two brothers, Chang Ching Yuan and Shen Hsi Chuan, came to our district to meet and pray in one accord with us. We each told the others how we were saved and the three brothers Chang Ching Yuan, Shen Hsi Chuan, and Huang Pao Kuang were witnesses.
Thank the Lord, the Holy Spirit worked so that we could be completely open before God without hiding anything. All the saved ones manifested the evidence of salvation in their words and actions. Those who were not saved were also manifested and could not hide. The more we know the Lord, the more we also know the corruption of our own flesh.
Then Brother Chang Ching Yuan spoke on the two great truths of baptism and breaking the bread. We heard it and received the light from 1 Corinthians 10 and 11 concerning the truth of the discerning of the Lord's Body and fellowship. So we each sent a letter to the denomination withdrawing from it. We also followed the apostles' teaching and fellowshipped, breaking bread and praying together. We have already established the Lord's table. Once the weather is warm, all the brothers will go into the water to be baptized. For this reason, I am sending this letter to you. My desire is that through your publication, Collection of Newsletters, all the brothers in the fellowship around the country will be made aware that the country town of Hsieh Ts'un in Chekiang province has a meeting in the Lord's name and will have fellowship with us. We send our blessings with this. Peace in the Lord!
The brothers meeting in Hsieh Ts'un,Huang Pao Kuang, Ts'ang Ling Yu,Chang Lung Sheng, and Lu Ying ShihApril 20, 1934
(This letter was written to Mr. Hu Chi T'ang by Mr. Hu Chi Fu.)
Peace to my fourth younger brother:
I recently heard Brother Fan Hung mention that Brother Fei is going to gradually bring in the keeping of the Sabbath. He has planned to take steps to speak in each of the four meetings under him, slowly infusing the word Sabbath into everyone. I have recently heard that Brother Fei is closely fellowshipping with Brother Shang. Brother Fei accepted this suggestion because he really admires Brother Shang's knowledge of the Bible. For this reason, any brothers willing to come to the Hua She region to work should be very familiar with the Bible and should be able to completely understand the truths of the Bible. (They should be very familiar with the Sabbath.) This is the only way to bring Brother Fei back from being lost. The most important thing is to pray to the Lord to send His servants to join in the work. The house in Chou Chia Ch'iao changed landlords. The current owner only wants to occupy it himself and will not rent it out. We can only commit the pioneering work of that area into our prayer.
Your older brother,FuMarch 15, 1934
In 1930 a believer in the Lord from the area of P'u Tung was hired as a preacher in a denomination in Shanghai. In the spring of that year, he received enlightenment from the Lord's truth and felt that denominations were of man's will. He also felt that the Bible was against denominations and that most of the beliefs and systems in the denominations were against biblical principles. Therefore, he felt he must leave the denominations. At the same time, the Lord showed him a vision of the sufferings of the souls of the sinners in his hometown area. The Lord called him to be responsible for the souls of these people. Therefore, he told this situation to the leaders of his denomination and resigned. He wanted to trust in the Lord to do some business and to preach the Word at the same time. However, he did not tell the denomination the details concerning his resignation, so they tried to keep him and promised to help him rent a place and start a mission in Ch'i Hsien Ch'iao in P'u Tung. That place had never had anyone preach the true Word of the gospel before, so there were no churches there. The Lord blessed the work and performed miracles and gave gifts of healing and casting out demons. Many repented and turned to the Lord. Not long afterwards, a "semi-denominational" church was raised up.
In 1931, the Lord prepared an Overcomer Conference in Shanghai and led the brother who was working in Ch'i Hsien Ch'iao, P'u Tung to go to it. He received the light of the spiritual truth. In January of this year, there was the Third Overcomer Conference in Shanghai, and the Lord led him to the meeting again. During the conference, the leaders of the denomination found out about this. With the speed of lightning, they isolated the brother by political ploys while he was still in the conference. They went down to the brothers in the country to tell them that the brother had received evil teachings in Shanghai. They told them that the brother would preach heresy when he returned. They also told them that if they listened to the brother after he returned from Shanghai, their souls and spirits would perish for eternity. The denomination set up two other meetings near where most of the brothers in that county lived. They also sent gifts of candy to each brother's house and held a feast and invited the brothers to come. They hoped and planned to bring the brothers to meet under their name. However, the brothers who had discernment and were faithful to the Lord did not go to their meetings.
The number of people in our meeting was originally more than one hundred. More than eighty of these were regenerated by the Holy Spirit. There are now about seventy people who have left the denomination, and they are only meeting in the Lord's name. There are about forty people every Lord's Day for the table meeting.
The first Lord's Day, after the leaders of the denominations moved the chairs for the meeting out of the hall, the brothers who had left the denomination brought their own chairs from home to the meeting. Now the brothers have already given the money themselves and have had new chairs made especially for the meetings.
It has been four years since the church in Ch'i Hsien Ch'iao first rented a hall and began preaching the Word. Nine out of ten of the brothers are poor farmers who do not even know how to read the simplest Chinese character. This really fulfills the Lord's word that the good news is preached to the poor. The Lord has truly chosen the foolish and poor of the world that they might gain spiritual wisdom and the riches of faith in Him.
Going west from P'u Tung is the Whampoa River, and going east is the sea. In this region there are the four counties of Feng Hsien, Nan Huai, Chuan Sha, and Pao Shan. Their population is over ten million. Ch'i Hsien Town is in the middle between P'u Tung and P'u Nan. There is a rich harvest all around and few workers. I asked the brothers in the Lord from all the localities to pray much for us. May the Lord raise up faithful workers to come to all the places in P'u Tung to reap His harvest. I respectfully greet all brothers who meet in the Lord's name with peace and joy in the Lord!
From,Chu En ShengMarch 13, 1934
(The brother spoken of in this letter is Brother Chu En Sheng — Editor.)
Greetings in grace to my dearly beloved brother
in the Lord, Brother Nee:
My trip from Shanghai to this province was safe and peaceful. Brother Shen wrote saying that in Shanghai you began a Bible study on the nineteenth which meets every day. It is a shame that I have missed this good opportunity! Recently I have been asking the Lord to give me an opportunity to have contact with you often, so we can speak our hearts to each other and so I can receive your teaching and messages from the Lord as well as those of all the brothers. When are you going to southern China to visit the brothers? I hope you can let us know. If the Lord is willing, I can go with you. It would be profitable for me. I hope you will remember me often, praying for me and asking God to turn me from my foolishness so that I can testify for the Lord more and glorify His name. I do not forget your work in my prayers, and I pray for you often, asking God to give you physical strength so you can bear the burden God has required you to bear.
I am one of the last workers raised up by the Lord, and I am advanced in years, so I do not have enough strength. I do not have many days left to serve the Lord! I often regret that I did not turn to the Lord earlier, but I delayed until today to receive a little light and revelation; such revelation has dispersed the clouds and fog so that I can now see the sky. I regret that it is so late! Nevertheless, I should forget the things which are behind and stretch forward to the things which are before. I have set my mind to trust in the Lord.
Recently a sister has come from Ku T'ien to Foochow and has told me about the desire for the Word in Ku T'ien. I hope that some brothers among us will go there to work. It really is a good opportunity. If you come back to southern Fukien, it would not be bad if we could go to Ku T'ien with Brother Luk and do some work there.
Since returning to Fukien, I have been caring for the churches in the north of the province because there are seeds sown in many localities. For example, Chien Ou, Ch'ing Liu, Kuei Hua, Yen P'ing, and Yang Kou are places with seeds that have not sprouted yet. I hope you can come home to reap the harvest on the one hand and sow some good seeds on the other. Thank and praise God for what He has prepared. The transportation in the north of Fukien is gradually getting better. We can already get to P'u Cheng from the border of Fukien and Chekiang. The government is preparing to build roads from P'u Cheng to Chien Ning, Yen P'ing, and Foochow this year. We hope to be able to travel through by the end of the year. The major part of the north of Fukien has been pillaged by bandits. Nine out of ten houses are empty. It is really a pitiful situation! The people's hearts are desperate, and there is no place to go. In addition to the cold, they are physically hungry. Their inner hearts have a hunger even more than their outward, physical hunger. If the Lord permits, fifty brothers could be raised up to go from the north of Fukien to the west, the south, and the east, which are the areas most disturbed by the bandits. They could go to save people's souls and preach the precious gospel to them because those who have lost hope in their hearts receive the truth most easily. For this reason, I told the brothers in the prayer meeting to pray specifically for the entire country and for Fukien province and to ask God to send more than five hundred brothers to pioneer in all parts of the country, like Szechuan, Sinkiang, Tsinghai, Ningsia, Yunnan, Tibet, Mongolia, and other areas. Unless they go with God's sending and calling, their going is not only useless but also harmful. I hope you tell all the brothers and sisters at Hardoon Road to pray for this matter. I bless you with this. May you overcome without limitation.
Your brother in the Lord,Chung Ch'un KengFebruary 27, 1934
Greetings to Mr. Watchman:
Something happened in the meeting in this place. A brother sold part of his fields for five dollars to an unbeliever to build an idol temple. When he did this, the other brothers and I did not know. We found out after the transaction had occurred. We went to ask him, and he pushed it aside, saying that it was his wife's and his son's idea, but that he did not want to do it. We have already stopped him from partaking of the table. Is this according to the Bible? Is there any other way? I am small and ignorant. I am somewhat lost, and I am afraid of doing the wrong thing in the house of God and shaming the Lord's name. I pray that you would not spare your instruction. I am waiting for your response. Peace.
Your little brother in the Lord,Chia Ying ChungFebruary 25, 1934
(Answer: This is a sin. However, if he repents, you brothers should forgive him. There is a difference between "worshipping idols" and "being an idol worshipper." Worshipping idols is an action. Being an idol worshipper is a habit. We should cut off those who do it habitually. But we should forgive those who occasionally fall and who repent. — note from Brother Watchman)
Greetings to my dear brother in the Lord, Mr. Nee:
I received a copy of Collection of Newsletters the day before yesterday and realized the need for mutual fellowship. When I first believed in the Lord, I met in Su Chia Tsui, which is about thirteen miles from here. The second year, Brother Chen Yung Pao believed in the Lord, and we went to the meetings together. In the third year, God worked in my house to save my mother, wife, and third younger brother. God also saved Brother Chen's father and his wife. At the same time, God saved another brother and three other sisters. There were eleven people who went to Su Chia Tsui for the meetings. Before Brother Chen believed in the Lord, he farmed for others and had never been to school. God loved him and chose him. Brother Chen loves God and gave his house to God for meetings in the Lord's name. Messrs. Ting and Chiu were at the first table meeting with eight of us. We thank the Lord that God alone operated to heal sicknesses, cast out demons, and add sinners to the church. He commissioned us with the work of saving people. In three years God has saved more than fifty people. Brothers and sisters in the Lord, please do not forget us in your prayers. May the grace of God be with you in Christ. Peace be to you.
The littlest one in the Lord,Hsu Chin Yun1934
(This letter was sent by Mr. Miao Wan Hsiu to Mr. Chiang in Ch'ang-ch'un.)
Peace in the Lord to Brother Shun Tien:
Since we parted ways, you have thought of me much. I really am thankful! I have already decided that I have no choice but to go the way of obedience. However, to man's view, it is very, very difficult to go this way! In my home, my wife, who is faithful to the denominations, opposes me. This is merely Satan trying to stop me, and it is nothing major. On the outside, there are those of the denomination who are still coming to move me with love even though they are going on a way which is against the Lord. Sometimes they pray for me; sometimes they say I am very pitiful. Oh, this just shows how confused they are! Furthermore, they have their background. I know that if a person cannot lead others to become closer to God, but instead causes them to go the way of heresy, no matter how lovable he is, no matter how many tears he sheds, he is still the enemy of the Lord.
Oh, the Lord's will and the emotions of man are before me at the same time. How can I fail to choose the Lord's will and go against Him?
Thank the Lord who loves us. He has enabled me to tell the denomination that I am resigning from them. They did not agree to my resignation and only allowed me to resign from the post of treasurer and accountant. They said they would still keep my name as one of their members. This does not matter. They can keep whatever they want. I will withdraw myself.
Not many days from now, a person will come to visit who has much authority and power in both the denominational church and in the world and who has a very deep relationship with me. In the past, he has promoted me quite a bit. This old man is going to come to try and stop me. Please help by praying for me that I will hold fast the words "obey the Lord, not man; overcome by the Lord" and pursue on toward the goal without caring for anything else. I respectfully greet you.
Your brother in the Lord,Miao Wan HsiuApril 16, 1934
Greetings to Brother Watchman:
Please pray for me and guide me in one matter. Although I knew that if I did not go in the way of God's will, I could not please Him, I still had not pursued His will. Thank the Lord; He did not put me aside; rather, He bothered me constantly. In the past six months, His light has enlightened me to see the unrighteousness of denominations and that the system of the church I was in has many unscriptural practices. I was bothered even more, and so I left the denomination and came out from among them. But there was a struggle in my heart. If I continue to be a preacher, I am afraid it is not the command of God. If I turn to farming, I am afraid that God will not like it. Furthermore, my family and circumstances have been a big concern to me. I have prayed for this matter for several months, and I do not have any assurance now. I still do not understand God's will. Please instruct me and pray for me so that I can recognize God in everything, and so I can obey Him and please Him. Amen. I am respectfully waiting for your reply. Serenity!
Lee Keng Tien
To the brothers and sisters who pray to the Lord
with a pure heart:
The co-workers in northern Kiangsu have decided that we will organize some sisters' work beginning April 4. Miss Chin Hsin Lai will teach the sisters to sing some hymns, learn a few characters, and study the Bible. The work will last for a month, and it will be in Yi Lin. Any sister in fellowship with us in northern Kiangsu who could receive this easy curriculum was invited to the meetings. More than thirty have already registered. We will offer hospitality for most of them. We hope the brothers and sisters praying for us will ask that the Lord's riches fill up every lack. At the end of the sisters' work, we plan to continue with a conference. It will begin on May 7 and will be for the edification of the responsible brothers and sisters in northern Kiangsu and the testimony of oneness among the co-workers. It will last for about ten days and will also be held in Yi Lin. About one hundred brothers and sisters who meet in the Lord's name in northern Kiangsu are expected to attend this conference. We need two things. First, we are asking the Lord to give us a large place for a dormitory, and second, He needs to give us a place to meet. The house in which we meet in Yi Lin can only hold one hundred people. Every Lord's Day, it is so full that some have to sit outside! Now with the addition of those from other localities, we will have no way to seat people! For this reason, we ask the brothers and sisters to pray much to the Lord for an open way so that we can rent a large building and not be hampered by problems in the location. Please also ask the Lord to remove all the frustrations and attacks of the enemy. May the Lord accomplish His will through His promises so that we can give glory to Him for eternity. Amen. May the love of the Lord be with you all.
The bondslave of Christ,Wu WeiApril 5, 1934
(This is a continuation from Issue No. 4.)
Question: Regarding the matter of the table meeting.
Answer: There are two aspects to the matter of the table meeting. On the one hand, we remember the Lord and fellowship with the Lord; on the other hand, the believers have fellowship with one another. The Lord's supper spoken of in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 is for the remembrance of the Lord and for fellowship with Him. The table spoken of in 1 Corinthians 10:14-22 is for the believers to have fellowship with one another. To partake of the Lord's supper is to remember the Lord; to break the bread is to have fellowship among the brothers and sisters. The table meeting is not only for the remembrance of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:24-25) but also for mutual fellowship (Acts 2:42). Hence, when we have the table meeting, we should pay attention to at least three matters:
(1) We cannot break bread with unbelievers. Only those who have received the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior and who have believed that the Lord's body was given for them can remember the Lord. This is because the Lord said, "This is My body which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19). Whomever the Lord's body was given for can remember the Lord and fellowship with Him. Only those who can say, "He loved me and gave Himself up for me," can remember the Lord and fellowship with Him. Furthermore, the table meeting is the fellowship of the brothers and sisters. Believers and unbelievers cannot have fellowship (2 Cor. 6:14-15). We cannot have fellowship with the so-called modernists. We not only are prohibited from having fellowship with them, but we cannot even greet them. "For he who says to him, Rejoice, shares in his evil works" (2 John 10-11).
(2) If a person is a believer, but still has the sins of 1 Corinthians 5:11, we cannot break bread with him. We should not fellowship with him, but also "with such a one [we should] not even...eat." A person does not need to have all six of these sins. If he has only one of them, we may not fellowship with him, because 1 Corinthians 5:11 says "or" and not "and."
(3) When we go to a place to take the table we should first discern what the objects displayed before us represent. "But let a man prove himself, and in this way let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not discern the body" (1 Cor. 11:28-29). We should discern whether or not what is displayed before us represents "the body." "The body" refers, on the one hand, to the Lord's own body, and on the other hand, to the Body of Christ — the entire church. We must prove and discern whether the bread before us:
A.Refers to the Lord's body given for us. We remember the Lord and fellowship with Him through His death which is displayed through the bread and the cup. It is not eating and drinking in an ordinary way.
B.Refers to the Body of Christ, including all the believers, or whether it refers only to a portion of the believers in a certain denomination. We must see the testimony of the oneness of the Body with all the believers through the bread on the table before us. The breaking of the bread shows us our salvation. The completeness of the bread shows us our oneness (1 Cor. 10:17). We partake of the Lord's table (v. 21). The Lord's table is for the fellowship of all His children. A denominational table is only for the fellowship of those in that denomination. The Lord's table is the testimony of the oneness of the Body of Christ. The table of the denominations is the testimony of division. To partake of the table of "division" is not to partake of "the Lord's supper." It is "not for the better but for the worse" (11:17-20).
Therefore, we cannot take the table with unbelievers and those believers with the sins of 1 Corinthians 5:11. We may not partake of the tables of denominations either. "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord" (11:27).
Question: Regarding the pastoral system.
Answer: This question involves church organization. From the Bible, we see, on the one hand, that the church is the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15), and on the other hand, that it is the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:23). It is a household made up of many people, and it is also an organically constituted Body. In the aspect of the house of God, the church is an organization of many people. In the aspect of the Body of Christ, it is an organic entity. Although the house of God includes all of God's children, its chief manifestation is within the boundaries of a locality. Although the Body of Christ is seen in many places, its most important manifestation is the inclusion of all of the children of God. The chief manifestation of the house of God is in the local churches. The chief manifestation of the Body of Christ is in all the believers throughout the ages all over the earth. The house of God is visible, and it refers to the outward appearance of the church. The Body of Christ is spiritual and in life. It is organic and cannot be organized by man. Man can do things in the aspect of the house of God. However, there is no room for man's hand in the aspect of the Body of Christ. He is the absolute Head and Lord.
Since the church has these two aspects, there are also two aspects to its organization — offices and gifts. Offices are related to the aspect of the house of God. The house of God directs and guides through the offices. The gifts are related to the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is built up and brought on through the gifts.
The offices are for managing the affairs in the house of God. There are only two offices: the eldership and the deaconhood. These two offices are only for a local church. There are apostles above these two offices.
Apostles — According to the Bible, the first office is the apostleship. Apostles are gifts (Eph. 4:11) as well as an office (Rom. 1:5). This office is not for one local church; it is for the entire church. The apostle establishes elders and deacons in every locality to manage each local church. Each individual local church only has the offices of elders and deacons. There are three offices in the church. They are the apostles, elders, and deacons. The apostles are for the entire church. The elders and deacons are for the individual local churches.
Elders — They are appointed by the apostles (Acts 14:23), or they are appointed by others at the apostles' command (1 Tim. 3:1-2; Titus 1:5-6). Timothy and Titus were both directed by the apostle. Timothy himself was also an apostle (see 1 Thes. 1:1; 2:6), so he had the authority to rebuke sinful elders (1 Tim. 5:20, "the ones who sin" refers to the elders in the preceding verse).
The elders are the overseers. Acts 20:17 says that they are elders, and verse 28 says that they are overseers. Titus 1:5 says they are elders, and verse 7 says they are overseers.
The elders work together with the apostles (Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22; 16:4; 21:18; 1 Tim. 4:14 compare 2 Tim. 1:6). The apostles are responsible for building up the entire church; the elders are responsible for governing a local church.
The elders are responsible for doing the following in their localities: (1) governing a local church as an overseer (Acts 20:28; 1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Pet. 5:1-2); the elders are stewards in the house of God (Titus 1:7). Acts 15 refers only to the elders in Jerusalem, not the deacons. This proves that the elders are responsible for governing a local church; (2) administrating finances in a local church (Acts 11:29-30); therefore, an elder must not be "fond of money" (1 Tim. 3:3); (3) anointing and praying for the sick (James 5:14-15).
The word elders is plural. God never uses just one individual to care for a church. The Bible always says "the elders" (Acts 11:30; 1 Tim. 4:14; Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; 1 Tim. 5:17; James 5:14); "appoint elders in every city" (Titus 1:5); "appointed elders...in every church" (Acts 14:23); "the overseers" (Phil. 1:1).
See 1 Timothy 3:1-7 for the qualifications of the elders. The elders must be mature not only physically but also spiritually. They must have families and have never taken a concubine.
Deacons — They are chosen in each locality and established by the apostles (Acts 6:3-6; 21:8). It is not enough for the church to choose them; they must also be established by the apostles. The apostles only establish; they do not choose or decide. The local church chooses and decides on the people, and the apostle comes to establish them. However, the elders are not selected by the locality. The apostle or those whom the apostle appoints select and establish the elders.
The deacons are those in a local church who bear responsibility for practical matters. The elders are responsible for governing a local church; the deacons are responsible for taking care of the practical matters. The elders make decisions and appoint people. The deacons are appointed to do things. The elders manage the money. The deacons dispense the money.
See 1 Timothy 3:8-13 for the qualifications of a deacon. The deacons must also have families and have never had a concubine. However, the elders are older, and the deacons are younger. There are also many deacons: "the deacons" (Phil. 1:1); "deacons" (1 Tim. 3:8, 12).
There are also deaconesses (Rom. 16:1). The elders can only be men, but there can be female deacons. Because the man is the head (1 Cor. 11:3), only brothers can be the head to govern the local church as the elders; the sisters may not. However, both brothers and sisters can serve as deacons in the church.
According to the Bible, a local church only has elders and deacons. It does not have a third office. In the church in Jerusalem, there were only elders (Acts 15:2, 4) and deacons (6:3). In the church in Philippi, there were also only "the overseers" and "the deacons" (Phil. 1:1). The apostle only commanded Timothy to appoint elders and establish deacons (1 Tim. 3:1-13). A pastor governing a local church is something not found in the Bible. The pastorship is only a gift for the building up of the Body of Christ; it is not an office for governing a local church. Therefore, in the Bible, there are the elders of Ephesus (Acts 20:17) and the deaconess of Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1), but in no place is there the pastor of Corinth, Ephesus, Antioch, or of any place. This is because a pastor is not for a local church but for the whole church. The Bible only mentions pastors once in Ephesians 4:11. In the Bible we cannot find a single passage that shows a pastor governing a local church like the pastors do today in the denominations. A local church just has elders and deacons. They are selected and established or ordained by the apostles. Today there are no apostles, so today no one has the authority to establish elders or deacons. However, God can raise up a group of people in His church with qualifications like those in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 who can bear the responsibilities of the elders and the deacons. Although this group of people does not have the title of elder or deacon, they do the work of the elders and the deacons.
We have briefly covered the offices in church organization. Now let us look at the gifts in church organization. The gifts are for the building up of the Body of Christ. There are a total of five gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers (Eph. 4:11). (The other gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 are not included with these.) These five gifts — apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers — are for the entire church. They are not like the offices which are for the individual local churches. The gifts are given by the resurrected and ascended Christ (Eph. 4:7-11). They are established by God (1 Cor. 12:28). Unlike the offices, they are not established or ordained by men, such as the apostles or their delegates. The ministries are for governing the house of God — the local church. The gifts are for the building up of the Body of Christ — the entire church.
Apostles — The apostleship is an office as well as a gift. The apostle is not appointed by man but by God Himself for the establishment of His church. The apostle is not solely for one local church but for the entire church. Peter and John were apostles in Jerusalem. When they went to Samaria, they were still apostles (Acts 8:14-25). They were not only apostles for Jerusalem but also for the churches in Samaria and other localities. It did not matter whether Paul was in Corinth, Ephesus, Colosse, or Thessalonica; he was always an apostle. Paul was an apostle for all the churches, not just for one local church. The apostles are for building up the entire church — the Body of Christ.
Prophets — The prophets are appointed by God to prophesy in His church to strengthen it. A prophet is not just for one locality but for the entire church. Agabus was a prophet in the church in Jerusalem; when he came to Antioch and Caesarea, he was still a prophet (Acts 11:27-28; 21:10). Judas and Silas were both prophets. It did not matter whether they were in Jerusalem or Antioch (15:22, 30, 32). A prophet prophesies in the church to build up the entire church — the Body of Christ.
Evangelists — These are not appointed by man. Furthermore, they are not hired and employed by man, but they are given by Christ to His church. They are established by God Himself, and they are not for a local church but for the entire church. It did not matter whether Philip was in Samaria (8:5) or going down the road to Gaza (v. 26) or in Ceasarea (21:8); he was always an evangelist.
Shepherds — Shepherds are not appointed, hired, or employed by man either. They are given by Christ to the church and are established by God Himself. A shepherd is a gift to shepherd the entire church. This is not an office to govern a local church. The shepherds are there to shepherd the entire church; they are not there to govern a local church. Furthermore, shepherds do not govern, baptize, or perform the Lord's supper service for others. The church today desperately needs the gift of the shepherds. We do not oppose the gift of the shepherds. We welcome and desire it. We do not oppose the gift of the shepherds but rather the system of the pastors!
The gift of the shepherds is given by God to a believer according to His will, so that he can shepherd and build up the churches of God.
The pastoral system is something set up by men. In this system, men choose men and ordain them as pastors to govern local churches and to replace the believers by carrying out the matters of service to God, such as baptizing people and distributing the Lord's supper, etc.
There is no place in the Bible that tells us that only a pastor can baptize people. Nor is there any example of a pastor baptizing others! On the contrary, the Bible tells us that the command to baptize others was given to the disciples: "Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them... " (Matt. 28:19). The people referred to here are the "disciples" in verse 16. Although these eleven were also apostles, they did not receive the command in their capacity as apostles. They received the command to preach the gospel and baptize others in their qualification as disciples. "Disciples" are not a small, special group of people; "all the nations" could become disciples. The baptizers are "disciples" (v. 16), and those being baptized are "disciples" (v. 19). If the command in Matthew 28:19 had been given only to a group of people with apostolic qualification, those of us without apostolic qualification would not be able to even preach the gospel because the Lord's command to preach the gospel and to baptize others goes together! If a believer cannot baptize someone, he cannot preach the gospel either! However, according to the Lord's command, whoever is qualified to preach the gospel is qualified to baptize others.
The Bible does not only tell us that the command to baptize others was given to the disciples, it also shows us many examples of the disciples baptizing others. In John 4:2 it says that "His disciples" baptized people. The ones baptizing here were "disciples," not the apostles. When Paul was saved, it was also a "disciple" named Ananias who baptized him (Acts 9:10). Paul lived in Corinth for one year and six months. Many Corinthians believed and were baptized (18:8-11), but Paul only baptized a few of them (1 Cor. 1:14-16). Who baptized the rest of all those Corinthians who believed? It was done by the other disciples!
The Bible does not tell us that the Lord's supper can only be administered by pastors. The Lord's supper is "the Lord's table" (1 Cor. 10:21). The Lord is the host. We are all invited to the feast to partake of it. Only the Lord is the host, the One who distributes. The Lord said, "Take, eat...drink" (Matt. 26:26-27). The Lord distributes it; we take it and eat and drink. The Lord said, "Do this" (Luke 22:19). The Lord did not commission anyone to administer the table, but He commanded that all should do this. Every brother can get up to start the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup. There is no chairperson — like the pastors today — who should administer the bread and the cup. This is because the Lord Himself is among us as the host, distributing the bread and the cup to us. The Lord promised us, "For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst" (Matt. 18:20). Furthermore, in the table meeting, we each fellowship with the Lord directly to remember Him; we do not need someone to stand between us and the Lord as a mediator. Today we are all priests (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6). We can all enter boldly into the Holy of Holies to worship God (Heb. 4:16; 10:19). Therefore, when we worship God today, there should not be someone like a priest to replace us. That is Judaism, and it is the tradition of Roman Catholicism! We may not and should not give up our right to worship God to someone else, nor should we hire someone to do it for us just as we commit or hire others to take care of our worldly affairs. Furthermore, when we come before God, we cannot have a hierarchy, because we are all the children of God and brothers one of another (Matt. 23:8). Therefore, having a pastor to take over or replace others in the matters of baptizing people and the Lord's supper is absolutely against the Bible!
Teachers — Teachers are appointed by God Himself and are also for the entire church. It did not matter whether Apollos was in Ephesus or in Corinth; he was always a teacher (Acts 18:24-28; 1 Cor. 3:6). The teachers teach the entire church.
Among these five gifts, there are two, apostles and prophets, that we do not see today in the church. Today in the church, we only see evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. An evangelist is like a father begetting a son (1 Cor. 4:15). A shepherd is like a nursing mother feeding her children, and a teacher is like a tutor. The evangelists bring people into the church. The shepherds feed them and make them grow. The teachers then teach them and make them into useful material. Thus, these gifts are appointed by God Himself, "for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ" (Eph. 4:12).
Question: What should we do after leaving the denominations?
Answer: The Bible says that after we have left these things, we should "pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:20-22). The Lord can and wants to give us those who want to pursue Him. Before the Lord gives them to us, on the one hand, we should ask the Lord for them, and on the other hand, we should wait. Actually, going back to the denominations to listen to the sermon is not that profitable. If you have time, it would be better to follow the leading of the Lord to go out and preach the gospel and bring sinners to the Lord. When you have sinners that have come to the Lord, you can have the table meeting together. You do not have to wait for many. As long as there are "two or three," it is enough (Matt. 18:20).
After leaving the denominations, we should treat the brothers and sisters in them with meekness and love. We leave the sinful sects, not the brothers in the Lord or the children of God. We leave the denominations, not the church. We may not leave the church, nor can we ever leave it. It is not that we separate ourselves from the children of God. We cannot be together with them in the sinful sects. We separate from them because they are in the sinful sects, and the sin of the sects separates them from us. Therefore, we should have a loving motive and a meek attitude toward any brother or sister in the denominations. May our feet stand firmly on the truth. May our hearts be solid and humble in the Lord. May our attitude be meek in love. May our words be seasoned with salt and always cordial (Col. 4:6). May God give us "the wisdom from above [which] is first pure, then peaceable, forbearing, compliant, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, without hypocrisy" (James 3:17).
Question: Should the meeting place have a name?
Answer: No, it should not. Please read the preceding answer to the question concerning sects, especially the part about having names. The building which we use for meetings does not need a name to differentiate itself, because the church of God is God's children, not the house they use to meet in. The building that is used for meetings is not the temple of God. We are the temple of God. God does not dwell in the building we meet in. He dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:21-22; 1 Pet. 2:5).
Finally, dear brother! We do not talk about these matters because we naturally like to be critical of others, repudiate the errors of others, or be contentious about words. Moreover, we do not leave the denominations because we are proud and arrogant in our natural selves, wanting to be leaders and not willing to be restricted by others; nor is it because we are naturally stubborn and like to be individuals away from the crowd. The reason we speak about the error of denominations and leave them is because denominations are condemned by God; they are the fruit of the flesh, and they are of the old man. We leave the denominations because the flesh and the old man have already been crucified on the cross (Gal. 5:24; Rom. 6:6), because God wants us to put off the old man (Eph. 4:22), and because we want to please God, to deal with the flesh, and put off the old man. If we leave the denominations because we have argued with someone, or if we only leave the denominations and do not deal with the flesh or put off the old man, it is worthless before God! If we leave the denominations because we want to put on the new man, deal with the flesh, and put off the old man to pursue the riches of spiritual life and to manifest the Body of Christ, then that is very precious before God! May God bless us. I bless you with peace!
Your brother in Christ,Witness Lee for Watchman NeeFebruary 4, 1934
Our sister Miao Yun Chun met with the sisters in Nan Shu Chou for twenty days last month and the beginning of this month. The first eight days were for preaching the gospel. More than thirty were clearly saved. The last twelve days continued with teaching Bible Studies for Beginners. More than twenty attended to be taught. Nineteen received the truth, believed, and obeyed.
A conference was scheduled for sisters beginning on April 14. There was gospel preaching in the mornings, and the sisters had fellowship in the afternoons. Although there were only between twenty and thirty who came to the conference, some repented and gained life.
Two brothers, Chang Kuang Jung and Chou Hsin Yi, are now in Tsinan. This month (April) the meeting moved to 1 Nan Chieh Chia, Kan Shih Ch'iao, Nan Kuan, Tsinan.
Our brother Stephen Kaung preached the gospel a number of times at the Anglo-Chinese Girls' School. Thank the Lord, some have been clearly saved. The meetings in Soochow have been greatly attacked by opposers over the past month. Our brothers and sisters can only endure the many misunderstandings and slanderings. The Lord is the Victor! Recently, the wind and the waves have become much calmer. Furthermore, there is a group of Western missionaries who can understand our brothers and sisters even though they themselves cannot walk the same way together with them. Our two sisters (Tso and Ku) do not know about the future. Presently, the director of the Gospel Hospital and the Western missionary board are doing their best to try to keep them.
(1) Whoever has any news of the work, the difficulties, things to pray for, or other news, please send them as often as possible.
(2) All news should in principle be detailed, true, clear, and edifying. It does not matter whether it is short, long, in common language, or in classical Chinese.
(3) If someone sends you a personal letter that mentions news of a local church, please send it to us so that the brothers in all the localities can know the condition of the Lord's work.
(4) If there is an announcement about meetings or the work, we are willing to print it.
(5) The responsible brothers in each locality should take care not to give this publication to those who do not meet with us. It is best that we do not give this publication to any brothers who do not walk together with us.
(6) Please send all news to: Editor, Collection of Newsletters, P.O. Box 323, Shanghai.
ShanghaiMay 2, 1934
