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Scripture Reading: Exo. 28:6-7, 9, 12, 15-21, 29-30; 2 Cor. 11:28-29; 7:3; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:1-3, 5-6
In His selection of men on earth, God first picked out one man. From this one man, a house was developed, and from the house, a nation was formed. The one man was Abraham, the house was the house of Jacob, and the nation was the nation of Israel. When there was one man, God appeared to him, spoke to him, and revealed Himself to him. When the man became a house, God appeared to the head of the house, spoke to him, and revealed Himself to him. After the Israelites were delivered from the bondage of slavery and after they turned back to God's authority, name, and administration to be the kingdom of God, the Bible shows us that God changed His method of revelation. He no longer spoke and appeared to individual men as He had before. Instead, He revealed Himself to His people and spoke with them according to a prescribed way.
What was this way? It was the breastplate of judgment. Through the breastplate of judgment, God revealed Himself and spoke to His people. In the past God had spoken to one man, but in speaking to a nation He spoke through one object: the breastplate of judgment. When God's chosen people became a nation, God changed His way of speaking. Whenever troubles and problems arose among God's people, they went to God and sought His guidance and revelation through the breastplate of judgment. I hope that the brothers and sisters will remember this. When you are alone, as Abraham was when he served the Lord by himself, God speaks to you alone. But when God's people are around you and you become one of God's people, you should remember that God's way of revelation changes.
This does not annul a man's personal communication with God, and it does not annul God's appearance and revelation to individuals. However, when you follow God as Abraham did, He speaks to you individually, appears to you individually, and gives you revelation individually. But when God's people are around you, something important happens. Even though your individual communication is not annulled, you are no longer alone. Instead, you are mingled with the people of God to become one being and one entity. Then God's revelation and His speaking are not directed toward you individually but toward the people of God. There is a change in God's method of speaking and revelation to His people. Brothers and sisters, we must see this in a clear way. We must see that we are mingled as one Body with all the saints. Under such circumstances, God reveals Himself and speaks and appears to man in a different way. If we have not seen this, our fellowship with the Lord may not be stopped, but our service to God will surely be off. If we want to serve the Lord and meet the need of God's children, we have to realize that God's appearance and revelation to individuals is different from His appearance and revelation to His corporate Body. Brothers and sisters, you have to realize that God's revelation to Abraham was by one way, and His revelation to the nation of Israel was by another way — the breastplate of judgment.
The high priest wore the breastplate when he went to God; it was placed on the ephod. The breastplate was square and folded into two layers; four rows of stones were set upon it. Each row had three stones, upon which were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Moreover, two stones were upon the shoulderpieces, with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel inscribed on them as well. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel represented the whole people of Israel, that is, they represented the people of God. When the high priest entered into the presence of God, he did not go in alone; he had the twelve tribes of Israel on his shoulders and upon his breast. The high priest is a type of the Lord Jesus. This speaks of the Lord shouldering us and embracing us upon His breast. When the high priest went into the tabernacle to fulfill his service to God, he had to put on the ephod. He had to have all of the Israelites upon his shoulders and had to come to God with all of them upon his breast.
When the Israelites encountered a problem that needed to be solved, the high priest had to put on the ephod and the breastplate and come into God's presence to seek His speaking and revelation. The breastplate was called the breastplate of judgment because from it man found his solutions. Moses asked God to appoint a man to rule over the congregation, and God answered, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom the Spirit is....And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, and he shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before Jehovah" (Num. 27:18, 21). When the Amalekites invaded Ziklag and took the women and the people captive, both great or small, David inquired of the Lord to see whether he should pursue after the troop, and the Lord said, "Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all" (1 Sam. 30:1-8, 18-19). This shows that after God's people grew from one man into a nation, God spoke to them through an instrument — the breastplate of judgment.
Within the breastplate of judgment there were the Urim and the Thummin. Urim in Hebrew means light, whereas Thummin in Hebrew means perfection. When the high priest went into God's presence with the breastplate, God's light shined and His will was fully manifested.
Brothers and sisters, although the breastplate is something in the Old Testament and there are differences in outward form between the Old Testament and the New Testament, God works according to the same principle in both testaments. The things in the Old Testament are shadows, while the things in the New Testament are realities. Yet the New Testament realities are the same in principle as the things in the Old Testament. Therefore, God's way of revelation to His people is the same as His way of revelation to His children. When one, two, three, or five of God's children are humble and fearful before the Lord and when they discover some problems among God's children or His Word is not clear among them, what should they do? They have to learn to shoulder and embrace God's children and inquire for them before God. Paul was one who shouldered God's believers and had the churches of God on his heart (2 Cor. 11:28-29). When he went before God with a breastplate of judgment, God's light shined. He saw the one who sinned in Corinth, and he also comprehended the word of spiritual mystery which he wrote to the church in Ephesus. Why was Paul able to write and present God's way so clearly before the churches of God? He was not ignorant or unconcerned about the affairs of God's children, nor did he receive light in a cloister while praying as a hermit. This was not Paul's way. He had the churches of God and His children upon his shoulders and breast. He came to God with a fearful heart, and the Father of light shined on him and revealed the needs of the churches which he was shouldering and embracing. Therefore, his letter to the church in Corinth was what the church in Corinth needed, and his letter to the church in Ephesus was what the church in Ephesus needed. Paul wrote his letters to the churches according to the same principle as the high priest who sought God's light with the breastplate of judgment. The affairs of the churches of God were upon Paul's shoulders and upon his heart. Paul was not nonchalant about the affairs of the churches, nor did he pray mindlessly. He did not casually pray a few words and then write to the church in a particular place and then pray another casual prayer and write to another church. Paul did not do this, and no saint should do this. We have to understand the principle of bringing the Lord's saints into the presence of God. Paul brought the children of God with him as he looked to the Lord for many days. When he saw something in God's light, he wrote a letter based on that light. On another day he would see something else in God's light, and then write another letter based on that light. Brothers and sisters, in order to understand God's will and way for His people and for the church, there must be some who will shoulder God's children and embrace them, bring them into God's presence, read their condition in God's light, and then write down what they have received before the Lord. This is the way God reveals Himself to His children in the church.
The affairs of the church are decided by the principle of the breastplate of judgment. The experienced, God-fearing, and godly ones among God's people should shoulder and embrace His children and bring them to the Lord. They should read their condition in the light of God and make judgments accordingly. Decisions in the church are not made through the dictates of one or two men. This is not God's way. You may ask, "Did not the churches at the time of the apostles obey the apostles?" Yes, they did. But the apostles first brought the people of God to His presence and asked for His revelation. They did not dictate their orders like a pope.
The affairs of a church are not carried out by one or two men giving all the orders and the rest going along with the orders. Should the affairs then be decided by a vote of hands? No, that is not God's way either. Then what is the proper way? The elders in the church should bring the condition of the children of God to Him and inquire about them. The elders are the matured ones among God's children. Being advanced in years does not make a person an elder. Spiritual experience and condition distinguish one as an elder. An elder must be godly and know the condition of the brothers and sisters. When a problem or doubt arises in the church, a decision is not made by one person or by a vote of hands. The elders have to bring the condition of the brothers and sisters before the Lord; they have to go before the Lord with the saints' situations, discuss them, and seek common guidance for them. Although we cannot guarantee that the outcome will be a hundred percent right, we can say that it will be difficult for them to err. We have to remember that once God's people become a corporate entity, His method of revelation changes. Thereafter, God reveals Himself through His people; He places His heart's desire within His people. In fact, His speaking is His echo to His people. Before the elders speak, God has put something within the brothers and sisters already. When the elders bring the brothers and sisters to the Lord and read their condition, they see a message which God has revealed within the brothers and sisters. This message is the present need of God's children; it is also God's need among them. Only this kind of message will touch God; only this kind of message will touch the children of God, and only this kind of message will touch God within all of them. God reveals Himself through His children. Hence, decisions in the church are not made by a few people nor by a show of hands, but through a group of elders who uphold the people of God in His presence in a fearful way, asking God for His enlightening and revelation. This is the way that God guides His children in the church. The elders in the church should learn to know God's will and to understand the condition of His children and always have them in their hearts. Once a problem arises, they should bring His children to His light and read His mind concerning the solution to the problem. The Epistles in the New Testament were written according to this principle. The writers of the Epistles understood the mind of God and the condition of all the churches. Their hearts were with the affairs of the churches, and when they received some light from the Lord, they wrote it down. As a result, no word was wasted. These written words became God's revelation and His Word.
When we do not judge according to this principle, we fall into error eight or nine times out of ten. Often God's servants see light and truth through the brothers and sisters. God's servants often receive divine revelation through the ones with whom they have fellowship. Often we receive God's word when brothers and sisters are around us; when they are not around us, we do not have God's word. In deciding any matter in the church, we must follow this principle. In this way we will be preserved and not fall into error.
Brothers and sisters, do you feel that this subject does not interest you? You have to realize that this is not just a matter of procedure. There are some spiritual lessons to be learned here, and you can see the need of the breaking of the cross here. If you want to live according to the principles mentioned above, you need the breaking of the cross. If a church does not take the dealing of the cross daily, God has no way to speak to this church. Elders, apostles, old, and young alike have to welcome the breaking of the cross. Only then can God speak clearly. The elders in particular must take the dealing of the cross. Every move and word of the elders affect the brothers and sisters. They should not only read the condition of the brothers and sisters but also bring their affairs before the Father of light, pray over them again and again, and discuss them thoroughly before they make any decision. This is a crucial principle, one that is against your concepts. Among God's children, however, the elders are not the only ones who should keep this principle; God is inside the youngest brother and sister as well, and they can still affect — revealing or obscuring — God's will among His children. Therefore, every brother and sister have to learn to be restricted by God in what they do and say. They have to learn to be broken by the cross. If every brother and sister behave this way in a certain place, that place will become the place where God speaks the most.
No one should despise another one in the church. A brother may have bothered you again and again, but even his opinion must not be despised. If you trample his opinion under your feet, one day you will be sorry. Brothers and sisters, this word comes from the mouth of those who have learned this lesson through much suffering. You should not despise anyone, and you should not look down upon anyone. You have to bring even their complaints and attacks before the Lord and read them, and you must bear them upon your shoulder and inquire of God for them. You cannot be arrogant. David took others' rebukes to the Lord and read them before the Lord. Brothers and sisters, do not presume that those who agree with you are the only ones who know God's will. It is often your opposers who make you understand God's will. If there is anything that can keep you from faltering in your footsteps, this principle is the only one. If you do not want to offend God's heart or the brothers' and sisters' hearts, you have to live according to this principle in an absolute way. Only this principle will drive away your prejudice and your view, and only this principle will allow you to read the mind of the brothers and sisters before the Lord. The words you find will be the word that God intends to speak to His children. Only this principle will allow God to unveil His heart to His children, and only this principle will satisfy the heart in heaven as well as the hearts on earth.
Suppose a few elders in the church decide on a matter and carry it out accordingly. Another brother may not feel right about it, yet he dares not say anything rashly because of his fear of the Lord. What is the result of this? The result is that the organic function of the Body of Christ is stifled through this decision. Then what is the right way? Before a matter is carried out, God must first operate among His children. Before the elders try to carry out a matter, they should first bring the condition of the brothers before the Lord. Whatever comes out of such a reading will strike a sweet cord and a nod of approval in everyone. The elders should seek God's will according to this principle. Otherwise, a decision may end up being contrary to God's operation within His children, and the announcement of the decision will not bring about an echo within His children. God's Spirit will not vindicate this matter within His children. As a result, the organic function of the Body of Christ will be obstructed. If the elders would read the condition of God's children under His light and do this thoroughly before making any decision, the decision would produce an echo within His children; it would bring anointing to His children and motivate His children. If they do not do this, the organic function of the Body of Christ will stop. Brothers and sisters, we must ask God to deliver us. We need not only the structure of the Body of Christ but also the organic operation of the Body of Christ. Only then will the function of the Body be manifested. This principle applies to every brother and sister; everyone has to realize this principle.
There is another thing I would like to point out — the matter of authority. What is authority? Superficially speaking, authority is based on position; whoever has position has authority. According to the Bible, this also appears to be the case, but actually, this is not the case. Authority is not mainly a matter of position; it is primarily a matter of life. When the people of Israel saw the budding rod of Aaron, they acknowledged his authority. Without resurrection life, authority is useless. Authority in the church is not mainly a matter of position but a matter of life. You do not become an authority by others' election, and no one can claim authority based solely on his position in the church. David submitted to the authority of Saul because he feared God, but Saul was rejected by God because he rebelled against Him. He had only the position of a king, not the life of a king. God did not vindicate his authority. This was not a case of David rebelling against the authority, but a case of God not vindicating it. God cast Saul down and set him aside. The authority of the church is a matter of life. The amount of authority one has depends on the degree to which the resurrection life of God lives within him. The more he gives up God's resurrection life, the more gives up his authority. The Bible says that the elders should not lord it over the flock but should be a pattern to the flock. A pattern is an expression of life. It is wrong to put on a sober expression and assert that one is an elder and that he has authority. If anyone among us demands submission in a pretentious way, others have to put a big question mark on his authority. In the church all the brothers and sisters have to learn to humble themselves and submit to one another. Authority is a matter of living out the proper pattern in love. Only this will cause God's children to submit from their hearts. May the Lord be merciful to us and give us some excellent patterns.
