Date: April 15, 1948, 6:30 p.m.Place: Hardoon Road, ShanghaiSpeaker: Watchman Nee
Brother Chang Yu-zhi: What is the relationship between submitting to the authority in the Body and personal submission before God? Is there a difference between individual leadings and leadings in the Body?
Brother Nee: Catholicism and Protestantism belong to two different systems. In Protestantism everyone is led individually by his own conscience. In Catholicism everything is governed absolutely by the church's leading. The Catholic Church thinks that all of God's leadings come through the church and that a man cannot come to God directly, but must come to Him through the church. The Protestants oppose this. They think that a man should follow God according to his free conscience. Protestantism rejected Catholicism, but in so doing, it brought in Sardis and paved the way for Laodicea. God wants His people to come out of Thyatira. He also wants His people to come out of Sardis.
In the Bible there are two instances where the matter of God's leading is covered. The first place is the first Epistle of John, which speaks of the leading of the anointing (2:27). The second place is the book of Hebrews, which speaks of the leading in the new covenant (10:10-12). The former emphasizes the knowledge of spiritual senses, whereas the latter emphasizes the knowledge of God's law. The new covenant teaches us to know God's law, whereas the anointing teaches us to know the way to serve God. Only when we live before God do we know His law. We make judgments concerning everything by the responses of the inner life, not by outward regulations. In the same principle we come to know what is of God and what is not of Him by the anointing, not by outward teachings.
We have to be careful to realize that these leadings concern only our knowledge of God before Him; they do not include all other kinds of leadings. If we are not careful and if we generalize these leadings to mean all kinds of leadings, concluding that all kinds of leadings come directly and independently from God, we will have a problem. First John and Hebrews are on the leading concerning the knowledge of God. As to the leading concerning the Lord's way on earth, we have to look at the book of Acts. The mistake of Catholicism lies in the fact that it not only holds a tight rein on the leading concerning the way of the church, but also takes over the leading of the individual consciences.
The book of Acts is a book on the leading concerning the way in the service. Only this book tells us the way the Holy Spirit led men in their works. This book speaks of the Lord's approving and His disapproving as well. In some places it says that the Holy Spirit said this and that, and in other places it says that Timothy and Titus were assigned to this and that place. In addition, the Epistles to Timothy and Titus are also epistles on the work, and they follow the same principle as Acts. From Acts and these Epistles we can see that there is the side of individual leading and there is the side of corporate leading. But the majority of the leadings there are corporate leadings. In Acts 2, when Peter stood up, the other eleven stood up with him. What Peter said became the words of all of them. He told the crowd to be baptized for the washing away of their sins. After his word, no one said anything more. John did not stand up and say, "Peter, save some room for me to speak.'' The failure of Catholicism lies in the fact that it does not give any place to the conscience and does not give any place to the reality of the Holy Spirit; the church becomes the highest monopolizing institution. The recovery of Protestantism is the recovery of the individual. However, because it is a recovery of the individual, anything that has to do with the leading of the way of the church is solved by committees, votes, and resolutions. However, real leading does not come through committees, resolutions, and debates, but in a spontaneous, unorchestrated, yet harmonious way. Where there is the reality of the Spirit, there will be no problem with the leading. The real leading is produced under the oneness of the Holy Spirit.
Acts tells us that when there was need among the churches in Samaria, Jerusalem sent men to help them (Acts 8:14). When the few brothers in the church in Antioch prayed, the Holy Spirit set apart two of them for His work. If it were up to us, we would have much consideration about the way to spread to Europe and the way to work. However, Acts shows us that it is not a matter of consideration, but a matter of the corporate leading.
At the time of Paul's conversion, even God's speaking to him was through the church. The Lord spoke to Paul not only directly, but through the members as well. Why did the Lord have to speak to Paul through others? If I have something to say to Brother Yu-zhi, I can say it to him directly; I do not have to convey it through another person. But here was Paul, who was zealous in serving God, who shed others' blood and thought that by so doing he was serving God. One day God cast a great light on him and turned his life around. Why would the Lord not speak to such a person directly? He sent others to speak to him instead. Moreover, He did not send Peter, John, or Philip; He sent Ananias. No one had heard of Ananias before that time or after that time. The Lord sent a seemingly ordinary believer to Paul. This shows us that leading is a matter of the Body.
John's ministry is on God's house, Peter's ministry is on God's kingdom, and Paul's ministry is on God's church. With Paul we see that he touched something from the first day on — the oneness of the Lord with His church. The Head is one with the members, and the members are one with each other. Paul learned these two lessons from the beginning. He saw the life of the Body from the first day. This is why he was able to drop his self and accept the commission of the work, and why he was later able to commission others in the work. This shows us that God's speaking is not directed toward individuals, but toward the whole Body.
We have to ask God to do one thing today: If a person rejects the leading in the Body, he will be deprived of all leadings. The Lord's leading in the work is manifested in the Body. If we pay our attention to our individual ways, we will miss God's leading. Whether it is the work or the services, everything is carried out in the Body. An individual can do something, but what he does is different from what the Body can do. The work of an individual is fragmentary and not related to God's move. The works whose basis is the individual are either empty or unsubstantial. If a man stands on the right ground, he has the right works to do. If he does not stand on the right ground, his works are empty even if he does some works. A man can be very busy, but in God's eyes, he can be very idle. An idle person is not one with nothing to do. An idle person is one whose work does not count in the Lord's eyes. When I have no part in God's work and God does not recognize what I do and when I am only busy doing my own works instead, I am an idle person. A man can be very busy and still miss the Lord and see Him pass him by.
In God's work we have to learn to accept the corporate leadings. I am not saying that there are no longer individual leadings of the Lord, nor am I saying that corporate leadings can never be wrong. It is impossible for corporate leadings to always be right; there are times when they can be wrong. But we can ask ourselves whether we have leadings in our individual works, and whether we have ever made any mistakes in those leadings. It is possible for individual leadings to be wrong, and it is equally possible for corporate leadings to be wrong. But proportionally speaking, the decision of ten men ahead of me is surely better than my own decision. We have to learn to be a receiving vessel before the Lord. We should accept the judgment of the brothers ahead of us and take their judgments as our own judgments. We should take others' judgments and be able to have others take our judgments. If you know that a young one has done something that you know is wrong, and if through the lack of learning the proper lesson, you dare not speak to him, you are allowing him to perpetuate his mistakes. If I want to go to Taiwan today and eight or ten brothers say that I should go to Tsingtao, I should submit to their judgment.
Sometimes an individual may feel very strongly and convincingly about something, and the feeling may differ from that of the Body. However, though feelings may differ, the spirit must not differ. I am here to do God's will, and you are also here to do God's will. When everyone is here to do God's will, there will not be a difference in our spirit. If you complain or are angry, your spirit is wrong, and your emotions are also wrong. If you say, "Why not ask me to go to other places? Why, of all places, should I go to Tsingtao?'', your spirit is not right. If you say that you are going to be a preacher and your father insists that you apply for a job in the Customs Department, you cannot argue with him or lose your temper by breaking dishes and cups around the house. Although you cannot take his suggestion, you still have to say to him, "Father, I would very much like to take your advice. But I cannot obey you, because there is no way that I can be the same as you are.'' If your spirit is wrong, the result will not be pleasant. Not only does your spirit have to be the same; it has to be right.
In the church the brothers who are in authority should learn to pray together. The basic principle of service in the church is the one accord. In the Bible there is no such thing as the minority going along with the majority; there is only the one accord. One can gather a few dozen saints to fellowship and pray together. If a group of people fasts and prays together in the church, they will surely speak the same thing. It is all right for a person to have some feelings of his own. But if he does not have the absolute confidence that what he has is of the Lord, it is better for him to submit to others' feelings.
There is a strong relationship between a person's spiritual journey and the leading of the Holy Spirit. There is a need for the leading of the Body because an individual's spiritual journey can be shortened with the leading of the Body. If a brother is left to himself, he may stumble for ten years before he can come up with something. But through the Body he may acquire the same thing in one evening. If the brother will take the judgment of the Body, he will save much time. The use of authority in the church is for the purpose of reducing the mistakes and shortening the journeys.
The principle of service in the church is that all the one-talented ones have to rise up. But as soon as they rise up, the flesh rises up also. Hence, in order for the church to become the church, all the one-talented ones have to rise up. However, in order to deal with the flesh, there must also be the exercise of authority. Here the only solution is for man to listen and obey. If you think that something is right, you should obey. If you think that something is not right, you should nevertheless obey. Everyone should rise up, and everyone should learn obedience. After a church has its authority established, there is still the need for the one-talented ones to rise up. Without the one-talented ones, there is no church. At the same time, without authority there will be confusion in the church. The problem with the Catholic Church is that the one-talented ones have not risen up. However, most of the people in the church are one-talented ones. Today the church has fallen into desolation because the one-talented ones are buried. If all the one talents are dug out and everyone is submissive, the authority in the church will be able to deal with the flesh.
There was a brother in Foochow who could be considered the very "incarnation of opinion.'' He was very zealous toward the gospel. It was right that his one talent be put to use, but the church could not let him do whatever he liked. At the same time, the church had to give him the opportunity to serve. At any rate a person must learn to obey. We may not see the result today, but in eight or ten years we will see the result. Having authority alone is empty; having the one-talented ones alone is disorderly. But when the one talents are added to authority, we have the church. Under these circumstances, what could have only been accomplished in ten years can now be accomplished overnight. The brother that I mentioned earlier was later dealt with. He responded by saying that he would quit and would move back to his hometown. I said, "Brother, you cannot do this. You still have to serve. However, you must serve according to the way the church tells you.''
One's submitting to authority is his inheriting the riches that lie in the authority. If a man truly learns to drop the self, he will have no problem with the matter of submission.
The kind of service that is in the Holy Spirit is found only in the Body. In 1 and 2 Timothy and in Acts, we see the matter of the Body. Paul told Titus to remain in Crete (Titus 1:5), and he told Timothy to come to him before winter (2 Tim. 4:21). Paul did not ask them to go and pray; he only told them directly where to go. Today God's move is carried out through the Body. Our service is also under the direction of the Body.
In the beginning God created a garden, and He went to the garden to look for man (Gen. 3:9). After man sinned, God no longer had a place of rest. Noah's dove was not able to find a resting place over the entire condemned earth (Gen. 8:9). God did not have a place of rest. This is why He later built the tabernacle. The tabernacle is God's resting place. The tabernacle brought in the temple. Later, the temple was judged, and not one stone was found on top of another. Then the church was brought in. Ephesians 2 says that the church is the dwelling place of God. Today God dwells in the church (1 Tim. 3:15). In the Old Testament the light was in the Holy of Holies. There was no lamp or sunlight in the Holy of Holies. Yet there was light because God was there. In the same principle, if you want to receive light today, you have to come to the church. It is a strange thing for a person to be able to come to the church yet not receive any light. If a man is outside the church, he can remain in darkness. But once he comes into the church, he will see light.
Let me ask the co-workers a question: Do you receive more light when you read the Bible by yourselves or when you meet in the church? Do you understand the Scriptures more by staying in your room or when you speak on the platform? What one person cannot see clearly by himself, he will see clearly when he is with the brothers. You may think that what you have received comes from your own mind. But have you ever given more thought to the matter? All revelations come from the light. Only when there is the light can there be the revelations (Psa. 36:9). Today there is abundant light in the church. This is why we have to see that it is impossible for us to be an individual Christian.
Brother Witness Lee: What is the difference and relationship between the coordination in the Body, the coordination among the co-workers, and the coordination among the brothers and sisters? Is coordination merely a matter of following the ministers, or is there something else?
Brother Nee: For all the time that the church has been on this earth, God never asks man to direct the church. God never asks a few more advanced ones to direct a church. The services in a local church are the result of the assignment of the Holy Spirit. We may think that the brothers who have good behavior and who have some gifts in addition are the best candidates for services. But actually, things often work out exactly the opposite. Those who appear to be qualified do not have the gifts, and those who do not appear to be qualified have the gifts. Although some do not appear to be qualified, others are saved through them. The ones who appear to be qualified, on the contrary, cannot bring others to salvation. Sometimes, the Lord would do something that leaves one bewildered as to what to make of it.
We have to realize that today the gifts are not under our control. Moreover, we cannot even ask for the gifts. Everything depends on the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11). Man is unable to do anything; he can only submit to the works of the Lord. When God wanted Saul of Tarsus, He chose Saul of Tarsus. Today our concept is that Paul is our dear brother. But if you were to ask the people in Jerusalem at that time, everyone would have told you that they were afraid of Saul. Even those in Tarsus were afraid of him. Others never imagined that Saul would be saved. Even Saul himself did not imagine that he would be saved. Today we have to see the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit. Everything is under His sovereignty. Those who do not learn to submit under the Holy Spirit will never do a good work.
Paul did not receive his authority through his commission. A commission by itself does not give a person authority. Only when the Holy Spirit gives man authority will he have the authority. Paul told the Corinthians that they were his letters of commendation (2 Cor. 3:2). Where there is the gift, there is the ministry. Where there is the ministry, there is the authority. This point cannot be argued. Paul received the gift and became the minister. Therefore, he could exercise authority over others. He did not need any commendation other than this authority.
We often say, "Lord, You are the Head of the church.'' This is easy to say, but it is not easy to be realized. Every work is initiated by the Lord; only He can raise up the gifts. All that the responsible ones are doing is cooperating with Him. If a man tries to act according to his self-will today, the church should exercise some kind of arrangement. This arrangement is for the purpose of dealing with his flesh. An arrangement should not be considered as the appointment of a gift. Because there is the flesh, there is the need for some arrangement. Such arrangement is for the purpose of frustrating, subduing, and restricting the flesh. All works that originate from self-will cannot come into the church. The revival of the church does not come through man's arrangements, but through the sovereign operation of the Holy Spirit. Without the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit, any commendation, commission, or authorization is useless. The most it will do is to add a few signatures to the letter of recommendation.
We have to see that if the one-talented ones do not rise up to serve, there is no way for the church to go on. The priesthood is a universal priesthood. This is the greatest recovery of this century. Many people think that the matter of service is the work of a few people, but true service involves the whole Body. As long as this matter is not fully recovered, we have to go on speaking.
The priests serve God. Those who serve God are called priests. They may do many other works, but none of those works can be considered true service. Only one thing is true service, and that is dwelling in the temple. In the Old Testament there was the tabernacle. After the tabernacle there was the temple. Within the temple there was the dwelling of the priests. The book of Psalms speaks of the matter of dwelling in the house of Jehovah seven or eight times. The work of the priests was to go to God on behalf of men and to go to men on behalf of God. In order for God to be among men, to dwell with men, and to find rest among men, He has to have priests. God will find a resting place only when He secures priests.
The Holy Place and the priesthood were the twofold requirements of God. The work of the priests was to serve God, and the Holy Place was the dwelling place for the priests; it was also the dwelling place of God. Melchisedec was a priest of God. But he was alone, and he could not satisfy God. God wanted a kingdom of priests. This is why He called out a people and brought them through the Red Sea into the wilderness. The purpose was to secure for Himself a kingdom of priests (Exo. 19:6). In God's eyes God's people and the priesthood were one and the same. God desired that the whole nation of Israel be a priesthood. As long as a person was one of His people, he should have been a priest. This is why Moses told Pharaoh, "Let my people go, that they may serve me'' (Exo. 8:1; 9:1). Every one of God's people was there to serve God. As such, every one of them should have been a priest.
The law is God's testimony. What the law gives to man is what man should give to God. The law is God's testimony for Himself. Whatever God says to man, man should say the same thing to God. The law says that the children of Israel should be a kingdom of priests. Yet before the law was passed to the hands of the Israelites, while it was still in the hands of Moses, the Israelites had fallen and worshipped the golden calf. After Moses came down from the mountain, he ordered all the men to kill their own brothers and sisters. The Levites did according to Moses' word and killed over three thousand people. As a result, God chose the tribe of Levi to be priests (Exo. 32:1-28; Deut. 33:8-10). Originally, Israel was to be a kingdom of priests. Now only one out of twelve tribes was to be the priests. From that time on, no one had the right to be priests except the tribe of Levi. In the book of Judges, even when men had money, they could only hire the Levites as priests; they themselves could not be priests. In the Old Testament one king tried to be a priest and was smitten with leprosy (2 Chron. 26:16-20). All who serve according to their own will, will be smitten. Serving God is both a privilege and a right.
What the Israelites lost has been regained by the church today. God desires that the church be the kingdom of priests. Peter said that we are a holy priesthood and a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5). In Revelation the apostle John said that we are all priests (1:6). All the gold and silver are for the temple and the tabernacle; they are not for the golden calf. No one should worship a calf, not even the golden calf. A man has to learn to execute God's judgment and to deal with the golden calf. Only by this dealing will the real service be produced, and only then will the "Levites'' rise up.
What the churches are practicing today in all the localities is a big failure. The co-workers do not have the adequate understanding. In the bread-breaking meeting, we can say that everyone opens his mouth and prays. But in the matter of service, we have not seen everyone serving. We do not have every brother and sister becoming a priest. In the meetings the only thing that everyone can do is sing. It is true that the priests sang in the Holy Place, but that was not the only service. Today not everyone is serving. Only when the priests and the people become one entity is there the church. Our service today is only the service of three or five people; it is not the service of the whole Body. We have become the Jewish nation of today, with only one tribe serving, while the other eleven tribes rely on the service of the Levites. Other than the "Levites,'' no one else is qualified to serve any longer. Yet God's desire is that the whole Body would serve.
My co-worker brothers, no matter how prevailing your ministry is, how many gifts you have, and how useful and strong you are, as long as you replace others' service, you are a Nicolaitan! Not only do you have nothing to boast of; you have to confess your sin instead. Personal godliness does nothing to build up the church; it actually tears down the church. The way of the work, the proper way, is to help every brother and sister do the work himself or herself. It is not a matter of much service or little service. It is a matter of everyone serving. Unless we are all serving together, we are not the church. This is our way today. It has to be the church that is working. It has to be the church that is preaching the gospel. It has to be the church that is saving souls. No matter how well we work, as long as we are replacing others, we are one of the Nicolaitans. With us there is only the ministry; there is no church. Even if we are a so-called spiritual giant or a revival evangelist, if we do not bring in the service of the whole Body, whatever we do, we are failures.
The gospel is our occupation. Everything else is done on the side. We have to take the gospel as our center. Our occupation is only to keep ourselves alive and to sustain our body to live on this earth; the purpose of our occupation is for the gospel. The real preaching of the gospel is done by the whole Body. The preaching of the gospel by three or five cannot be considered the real preaching. We need the whole Body, that is, everyone, to preach the gospel. If the brothers and sisters see that the church is a Body, they will no longer be individualistic. The most blessed and happy thing is to give oneself to the gospel. Only when our money is with God will we be joyful. Many people may have too many material riches with them. This is why they are not happy. If they would lose some of what they have, their joy would increase. This is a great matter. The matter is not whether one's occupation is high or low. The matter concerns what we are here for. Some work in their jobs, while others take care of their families at home. But everyone has to give his all for the gospel.
I heard what Brother Witness Lee has done in Chefoo. I also heard what he has done in Shanghai. All these works are good. But I would add one thing: In the matter of consecration, everyone must have a part. Everyone has to hand himself over. If every brother and sister hands himself or herself over, the next generation will not need such a word. By that time, as soon as a person is saved, he will hand himself over and be consecrated.
Why do we baptize people? What is the meaning of baptism? Baptism means that we come under the name of the Lord. When a person comes out of the water, he should know that henceforth he no longer belongs to the world. Rather, he belongs to the Lord. Baptism separates a person from the world. We need the "handing over'' as the make-up lesson only because the baptism of many people was not up to the standard at the beginning.
In the future, when we preach the gospel, there will be no need to put up big advertisements or propaganda. Men will hear and see the gospel. They will see that everyone is serving. If there are three thousand people, all three thousand will be coordinated together. Everyone will be working, and everyone will be serving, but no one will be murmuring.
Brothers, how should we answer God's call? In the old days men tried to usurp the priesthood. Today the priesthood is in our hands already. Are we going to cast it aside? What the Israelites lost was lost; they could no longer recover it. Are we going to make the service of God something cheap in our hands? For some, service to God is a matter of doing God a favor. But we have to see that for God to allow us to serve Him is His grace and favor on us. When a man does not see the glory of serving the Lord, he calculates everything. But when he sees the glory of serving Him, he will kneel before God to beg for this service. Recently, the newspaper said that China Textile Corporation is issuing new shares. When the stock market is up, everyone wants to buy. As long as they have money, they put it into the market. Do we see the glory of serving God today? Those who see it will surely give their all for it.
Those who are standing far off do not know God's grace. Those who know God's grace and know themselves do not count the cost... [Note: At this juncture, before the above words were finished, some brothers broke down in tears. Sister Pearl Wang also broke down in tears.]
Brother Witness Lee's concluding prayer: It is not that we can give You much. It is what You want of us. May You grant us a more absolute, thorough, and serious service. Amen.
