Date: November 21, 1935, afternoonPlace: Chuenchow
Ephesians 4:11-12 speaks of four or five kinds of gifts. They are apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. The goal of these gifts is "for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry." These five kinds of gifts are for the purpose of perfecting the saints to participate in their ministries. The ministries of the believers are miscellaneous in nature, whereas the five gifts are specific — they are for the purpose of helping the believers fulfill their ministries. These gifts are the ministries for the believers' ministries. They are like the bank of the banks, or the central bank. Every bank conducts its own business. In addition, the central bank helps to facilitate transactions between various banks. These five ministries are also like the teachers of a teachers' college. Their goal is to produce teachers. Hence, they can be called the teachers of the teachers.
The job of the various ministries is to perfect the saints unto the work of the ministry. Hence, they are the ministries of ministries. Those who help others in this way should have at least one of these five gifts, or they can have all five gifts. If a man does not have any of these five gifts, he cannot have a part in these ministries of ministries because he cannot perfect others into their ministries. Of course, an ordinary believer can do the work of these five gifts even when he does not have God's calling. The result of his work is the same in nature as the work of those who have the calling for such ministries.
Matthew 25 tells us that the Lord distributed talents to the slaves. Some had five talents, some had two talents, and some had one talent. Every slave had at least one talent. According to the distribution of these talents, we can conclude that some slaves signify those who have ordinary gifts while other slaves signify those who have particular gifts. Those who received one talent received ordinary gifts, whereas those who received two or five talents received special gifts. "Prophecy" and "teaching" in Romans 12:6 and 7 refer to the gifts of prophets and teachers in Ephesians 4:11. The gift of apostleship in Ephesians 4 does not just refer to those who have physically seen the Lord face to face.
All the gifts in the church which do not belong to the five kinds spoken of in Ephesians 4 should submit themselves to these gifts. In this way, no one will be puffed up or become proud through his own gift. Ephesians 4:13 says, "Until we all arrive." This proves that the work of the preceding five ministries has been going on continuously. This work will go on until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith, at the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full grown man, and at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. It will go on until we are all joined to the Head, Christ. This means we still have apostles today. The condition in Ephesians 4:13-15 proves that the five gifts are still available and still exist. Verse 16 speaks of "every joint of the rich supply." Man's physiological organs can be divided into two categories. The first category is the consuming organs which consume energy, such as hands and legs. The second category is the supplying organs, such as the mouth, the ears, and the eyes; they receive things from outside the body. The five gifts mentioned above are joints of supply. Before the Lord, we must seek to supply other members. When others are supplied, we also receive the benefit. But if we are not one of these gifts, we will have nothing with which to supply others. In that case, it is better that we receive the supply from the gifted ones.
First Corinthians 12:28-30 speaks of nine kinds of gifts. The first three are apostles, prophets, and teachers. These three are the primary gifts. Then six secondary gifts are listed. The first three gifts are included in Ephesians 4; they are special gifts. The remaining six gifts are miraculous gifts. Throughout church history, many of the miraculous gifts have occasionally ceased in their operation. However, the five gifts in Ephesians 4 have never ceased in their operation. Through these five gifts, the church has been built up. These five gifts are particular gifts, whereas the rest are ordinary gifts.
Now we must ask: Who has these five gifts? We all have to settle this question before the Lord. If we are one of these gifts, we have to ask: What is my personal ministry? We have to ask because our ministry is intimately related to others. If we are not clear about our ministry, we will kick others' feet as we go along, and we will step on others' toes as we turn around. The ministry which God has assigned to every one of His workers has its own sphere. We can only work within the sphere that the Lord has assigned for our work. Whatever the sphere of our ministry may be, we have to work within that sphere. Of course, there are times when there are exceptions, when we can work beyond our own sphere.
Each person's ministry is related to the ministries of others. Some relationships require that we take the lead, while other relationships require that we submit. Once we are clear about our own sphere, we should work within our own sphere. Otherwise, we will come into conflict with others. Those who do not have a ministry should be careful and patient. They should wait on God and not act rashly. Disputes among co-workers are usually disputes concerning the ministries, rather than disputes concerning the gifts. Suppose a man is a concrete worker yet insists on doing the work of a carpenter. He may covet another person's portion, but he still cannot do what others can do. All ministries are assigned by the Lord, and all gifts are distributed by the Spirit. There should be a harmonious coordination between the workers and the churches. On the one hand, the workers should not give the churches a hard time. On the other hand, the churches should not frustrate the workers' work. The goal of the churches should be the increase of the work. Hence, the responsible brothers in the local churches should not hinder the work of the ministry or the work of the workers.
The Bible separates the workers from the churches. The work of the workers is upon the apostles' shoulders, whereas the responsibilities of the churches are on the elders' shoulders. The apostles are for all the churches, while the elders are for one church. Peter was an apostle as well as an elder. He was an apostle to the churches, but at the same time, he was an elder in Jerusalem. On the one hand, he served in the local church as an elder. On the other hand, he worked among the churches as an apostle. Both the local ministries and the workers' ministries are ministries, which in the original language is diaconia, translated also as deacons. When a meeting is first raised up, there may not be suitable brothers who can act as responsible ones. Some among them may have to temporarily pick up various responsibilities. At a certain point when the number becomes bigger, men who are more suitable than the temporary ones may become manifest. The temporary ones should then step aside and yield their work to the brothers with more manifested gifts. A responsible brother of a church should not only be gifted, but should also have a good name, be filled with the Spirit, and be full of wisdom.
The New Testament shows us that different people have different ministries. Apollos had a ministry, and Silas had a ministry. Apollos, Silas, Timothy, Epaphroditus, Titus, Mark, and Luke all had their own ministries. Paul could direct some of them, but he could not direct others. In the matter of directing others, the directing one and the directed ones must mutually agree to such a relationship. We cannot act as the denominations, in which the power of the organization is above the ministers. Whatever the organization directs the ministers to do, they have to obey. But this is not God's way. God wants to see mutual submission among the gifted ones. True authority comes from a profound work of the cross. Those who are directing others must also be persons who can be directed by others. Paul was no exception. He sent for Timothy and Titus, but he also submitted to the brothers' sending. If a believer has a problem submitting to others, we must first ask if his fellowship with God has broken down. It matters little if we agree on certain ways. If we submit, we have to submit from our heart. God desires to see us submitting to one another.
Some have thought that being free from the denominations is the same as being free from authority. Actually, freedom from the denominations only frees us from man's authority. We are still under the Lord's authority. In our daily lives and work, God has appointed many representative authorities for us to learn submission. If a man says that he cannot find any authority to submit to, something must be wrong with such a person. When a family gathers together we surely find all kinds of authorities. The parents are the authority to children, grandparents are the authority to parents, and older brothers and sisters are the authority to younger brothers and sisters. When we are at home, we have to submit to authority. When we are away from home, the policemen on the streets are our authority, and we have to submit to them. We cannot overturn their authority just because we do not feel like submitting to them.
If a responsible brother of an assembly wants to know if he should be a responsible one, the best way is for him to ask others whether they feel he should be a responsible one. The other brothers need not be political. If a responsible brother is doing a good job, he can go on. Otherwise, he should resign.
When something arises in an assembly that is beyond human control, the church should exercise its authority to pray and ask the Lord to intervene. If a work in a locality is carried out according to the Lord's will, His throne will support and be behind such a work. This is like the British embassy in China. It is here to represent England, and the ambassador executes the move of the British throne. If anyone kills an ambassador, it is an insult to the whole of England. In the same way, if an assembly in a locality is a representative and testimony of the Lord, His authority will be behind this assembly. If necessary, the responsible ones should exercise the Lord's authority to stop all the frustrating elements.
We have to help people to know that the church is where God's authority lies today. It is the place where the Lord's throne is established. Anyone who comes to the church should know the authority of the church. The workers are the representatives of the Lord, and they have the authority of the Lord with them. First Thessalonians 5:12 and Hebrews 13:7 and 17 indicate that the workers should receive double honor and that others should submit to them. We must read these passages to the brothers again and again. We should let them know that there is authority in the church, and that we should obey and honor such authority.
A brother, who was a stone mason, once stood up in a meeting and asked everyone to read John 17. He did this because he liked John 17. As soon as he said this, George Müller stood up and said, "I can read this for everybody." When he said this, everyone stopped. Although everyone can speak in a meeting, not everyone who speaks can edify others.
The principle of prophesying is to speak that which touches one's inner being. Moreover, the words spoken must be for the building up of others. The principle of tongue-speaking is speaking when one is touched, yet not edifying others with such speaking. If a man is touched in his own heart, he is acting in the principle of speaking in tongues if his word does not touch others. The word in 1 Corinthians 14:2-19 is very important. It says that if a man is touched by anything, what he is touched by must also touch others. Only then can he speak in the meeting because only then will his word build up the church. If something does not build up others, one should not speak. This is the basic principle of speaking in the meetings.
