Date: May 1, 1948, Saturday, 7:00 p.m.Place: Hardoon Road, Shanghai
It is a little too early for the co-workers to take the way of Antioch today. The principle of Antioch that we practiced before begins from Acts 13. In practice we have omitted chapters one through twelve; we have skipped the line of Jerusalem. Man thinks that the work of spreading the gospel from Jerusalem through Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth was done by the twelve apostles. But God's Word says that the apostles remained in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1). Jerusalem was the place where Peter worked, and Samaria was the place where Philip worked. When Philip reached Samaria, he gained the Samaritans. The Lord did say that the gospel is to be preached to the uttermost part of the earth, but He did not say that the same group of people would be doing this. Those who went to Samaria were one group, and those who go to the uttermost part of the earth are another group. When the apostles gained men in Jerusalem, they sent them out to Samaria. From Samaria the gospel will pass through other hands until it reaches the uttermost part of the earth. In the past we put the principle of Antioch into practice too early. Now is not the time to practice the principle of Antioch. Now is the time to practice the principle of Jerusalem.
Although we cannot say that we are absolutely clear today, when the few responsible brothers came together, we felt that we should begin our work from the coastal regions. From now until August can be considered as one phase of our work. During this phase all the workers in the whole nation will consolidate in Foochow and Shanghai. Brother Witness Lee will take up the responsibility in Shanghai, and Brother Chen Ke-san will take up the responsibility in Foochow.
In addition, we need to have training meetings. After August the work will concentrate on three areas: Tientsin, Tsingtao, and Canton. We will leave Hong Kong, Swatow, and Peking alone for the time being. We will initially establish a firm footing in the first three places. Tientsin is linked to Manchuria on the one hand, and to the Northwest on the other hand. Tsingtao will be particularly important to the Chiao-Chi railway line. Today the largest number of believers are in Fukien. Next is Shantung. From Tsingtao we can gain the whole province of Shantung. We hope to commit the whole area to the brothers in Tsingtao. The responsibility of the brothers in Shanghai is toward the west, in cities like Hankow and Chungking. The direction in Fukien is also toward the west. At the same time, Fukien should take care of Taiwan. The work in the provinces of Kwangtung and Kwangsi should begin from Canton. In the future, when Southeast Asia rises up, Hong Kong should also have a start. Presently, we cannot see that far. The gospel work is done in portions. The relay race is a very good illustration. One man takes one portion, and the next man takes another portion. This is like the students of Chiao-Tung University who ran from Nanking to Shanghai; every one of them ran a portion of the whole journey.
We admit that the principle of Antioch is still very necessary for the future, but the way we should take at present is the way of Jerusalem. The work is developed through the fruit gained in Jerusalem, not through the going out of the workers. Every believer should have his living centered on the gospel; his work, occupation, dwelling, and livelihood should all be for the gospel. The church should continually send out more people. After we finish the building of the meeting hall, in a month or so, it will not be difficult to see the number double. It is even possible to triple or quadruple our number in one year.
Our failure during the past years has been due to the absence of the vision of the Jerusalem principle. From 1937 we have been practicing the principle of Antioch. But only today, in 1948, have we begun to go back to the principle of Jerusalem.
We have to say something about the training in Foochow. Our work in the past had certain problems; we did not produce "standard'' Christians. Those who were saved among us in certain years bear certain kinds of resemblances. Those who were saved in certain other years bear certain other kinds of resemblances. Their resemblance is based on our knowledge of the truth during that period of time.
In addition, there are certain problems with the brothers who are speaking for the Lord; that is, none of them want to say the same thing twice. As a result, some brothers and sisters have been Christians for over eight or ten years, but they still do not know the basic truths. They think that such and such a chapel is just the same as the meeting place in Wen-teh Lane. They do not even recognize our own name! A Christian acts according to the principle of constitution. Hospitals, schools, and orphanages can be built at will. But a nation cannot be formed at will; it must have its ground and its constitution. Likewise, the church also has its ground and its constitution. We have not given the brothers and sisters the proper education. As a result, once they encounter some problems or once they are questioned by those in the denominations, they do not know how to give an answer, and they end up thinking that our responsible brothers are at odds with others.
There are many basic lessons that we have to pass on to the saints. Those who have been saved in recent years may be clear concerning salvation, but they are not clear concerning the gospel. Our understanding of subjects such as the gospel, the law, death, sin, righteousness, and grace is different from that of others. We have fought the battle over these truths already. These are the inheritance of the church, and we cannot lose them. For the brothers and sisters, we may have to prepare fifty or more lessons. We have to educate the brothers and sisters with these lessons. I hope that many brothers and sisters among us will receive the same teachings.
In addition to these lessons, there are other basic lessons. For example, we should know how to make recompense, what to do when a person is caused to stumble, how to receive answers to prayers, how to study the Bible, what kind of attitude a Christian should take toward money, and how to choose an occupation. In these matters the co-workers must first be trained, and then they can communicate these matters to others. These truths must be something living in us before they can be communicated to others in a living way. This is what I mean by the relay race.
We have divided the whole of Shanghai into thirteen districts, and we have started perfecting meetings in every district. Every Friday we conduct some perfecting meetings. Each week of the fifty-two weeks of the year, we speak on one subject. In one year's time we will return to the first subject. We will not change these subjects. Although the responsible ones do not take the roll, they should know who is there and who is not there. Suppose you are saved in the twentieth week. You will join the others in the perfecting meetings right away. By the nineteenth week of the following year, you will have completed one cycle. In doing this work, every worker must be living before the Lord and must be full of life. Otherwise, the truth will become something dead with him. If it becomes dead, we will end up with another Common Prayer Book. We do not wish to see this. Although the subjects may be the same, the life can be different, and the power can be different. By the summer of this year, over thirty of our co-workers will have to be trained in this matter.
We also need a full recovery in our literature work. There are four magazines that need to be recovered. The first is The Christian, and we ask Brother Witness Lee to be responsible for it. The second is The Present Testimony, and we ask Brother Yu Cheng-hwa to be responsible for it. The third is The Glad Tidings, and we ask Brother Stephen Kaung to be responsible for it. The fourth is The Open Door, and I myself will be responsible for it. In addition, we need some gospel tracts, and we will ask Brother Chang Yu-zhi to be responsible for them. There is urgent need in the publication of books, and the cost will run up to a few hundred millions or even a billion dollars [in war-inflated local currency].
We expect to see the whole church rising up to preach the gospel and all the brothers and sisters serving God together, rather than three or five people serving by themselves. The works that the church has to do include: first, the preaching of the gospel, which should not just be the responsibility of those who are giving the messages; second, there is the gospel visitation, which is conducted in the homes; third, there is the visitation of the new believers; fourth, there is the perfecting of the new believers; and fifth, there is the care for the poor.
The first kind of service is the preaching of the gospel. The brothers responsible for the preaching of the gospel should promote the gospel work in all the districts, schools, and other places. These few brothers should not just be responsible for the preaching itself but should be responsible for mobilizing others to preach the gospel. Whether or not our work can be successful depends not only on how well the responsible brothers are serving, but on how much the other brothers and sisters are serving. Today in Christianity there are no priests; there are only pastors. But among us we have to put all the one-talented ones to use. When all the one- talented ones rise up, we will have the church. If we replace their functions, we are wrong. The right thing to do is to help them along in their work.
At the same time, if you are a person who is not serious and who is loose and irresponsible, you cannot serve God. You cannot serve God in a careless or negligent way. I am not hired by the church; I am not receiving the church's salary. I am not a hireling. I am here to serve God. As such, I cannot be negligent. Others may have to sleep on the floor in order to get their work done. I have to be more desperate than they are; I have to sleep under the floor. If a man cannot be negligent in serving the earthly things, how much more must he not be negligent in serving God? We are not here for money. In order to serve the Lord, we cannot ask anyone for anything, not even a bowl of rice. We serve because we love the Lord.
Every week we should have a gospel meeting, and every brother and sister should invite people to come to this meeting. This should be the responsibility of all the members. Never allow the brothers and sisters to develop the habit of asking what the meeting that night is about. If it is going to be a gospel meeting, do not let them say, "All right. I will go home and sleep.'' You have to say to such brothers, "No. Now that you realize it is a gospel meeting, you have to rise up immediately, because you have a part in this meeting.''
The responsibility of visiting the new believers is quite heavy. If the church assigns a certain brother to visit someone, this brother should take the one who introduced the new one to the church along with him. As soon as a person is saved, he should be baptized. Many people were quite alive when they first believed, but after waiting a while to be baptized, they became dead. As soon as a person believes, he should be baptized. If he is baptized and something happens later, he will not feel so free to deny his faith.
In arranging the visitation we should divide up the city into districts according to the map. Once the time is ripe and there is a certain number of ones desiring to be baptized, we should baptize them. If we do this, we will double our investments in a short time. No other period of time affords as much opportunity as today for the work to go on. If the whole church rises up, there will be no place to hold the blessings. Within one to two months a thousand people were saved in Foochow. When the whole church is involved in this kind of work, everyone who comes into the church will be up to the proper standard. Everyone who is born this way will be an eight- to nine-pound baby; no one will be a twelve-ounce baby that has to be kept in an incubator.
I must speak a frank word to you. You have to speak honest words to others. In the past a certain person may have been loose, and you may have let it go. But you cannot do that any longer. If a person does not do his job, you cannot let him go; you have to compel him to work. After he has agreed to work, you still have to ask, "Why are you so loose? Why would you not be careful in taking care of the things of God? You need to learn. Who told you to hand over yourself to be a child of God in the first place? As long as you are His child, you have to serve, and you have to serve in a conscientious way.''
We have to conduct the new believers' meetings in the districts. This is because many live too far away and cannot otherwise attend this meeting. Presently, we consider everyone to be a new believer, and we are giving make-up lessons to all. Among the brothers we have selected twenty to do the teaching work in the thirteen districts. The subjects covered in the thirteen districts are the same, and their contents are the same. This meeting is set up specifically for the perfecting of the new believers.
The ones who are responsible for visiting the new believers should go out on Friday evening to give make-up lessons to those who were absent the previous week. In giving the make-up lessons, you have to do a detailed job. Then a person will receive the same teachings, whether or not he comes to the meeting. For example, Brother Cheng may give a message for two hours with sweat all over him. After he finishes, he still has to go to the home of a brother who is absent from the meeting to give him a make-up lesson. Someone may say, "Brother Cheng has put in so much effort to give his message already. When others do not come to the meeting, he still has to spend time to give make-up lessons.'' By saying this, the one who has been absent from the meeting will say, "That is not right. Next time I think I have to come to the meeting.''
This kind of work is most definite and fine. Everywhere we go, we will find out right away the things that are wrong with that place, and we will be able to make up the lack. If we practice this, our work will not be as confused and uncoordinated as it is today.
There are three kinds of people among us: first, sinners; second, new believers; and third, the poor. The church is never free from having a relationship with the poor people. If anyone feels happy about offering money to the Lord but unhappy about giving money to the poor, he is wrong. It is wrong to leave the ointment in the alabaster box; we should offer it up to the Lord. It is right for us to take care of the Lord and His work first. But after the alabaster box is poured out, the Bible tells us to sell everything we have and give it to the poor. Caring for the poor is also a commandment of the Lord (Luke 12:33).
In church history we see that whenever there was a revival, there was the practice of caring for the poor. Strictly speaking, it is a small thing for a poor person to eat more or eat less, to have more clothing or less clothing. But it is a serious thing for a Christian to become narrow in his heart. If you want to spend all your money and do not want it to become a hindrance to you, the way is very simple; all you have to do is catch the time of a church revival and go to the Lord and offer up all you have. If you do this, your money will not become a hindrance any longer.
Caring for the poor is not just the work of the church at the time of revival; it is also the normal work of the church. It is part of a Christian's daily life. We hope that the brothers and sisters would go home and bring back what they have to the church. We want everything, new and old. We have brothers and sisters who can wash, sew, and mend these things, and who can distribute them. Every time the church receives some money from the offering box, it should set aside a certain amount for the poor. We need one brother and one sister who are designated for this relief work. It is good if some can give good messages. But if you cannot give a good message, it is equally good if you can give away your belongings.
We have to learn to be those who are led away to the lowly. If the ones who receive our help are saved, that is an additional blessing. But even if they are not saved, you will still receive the benefit. All the things in the brothers' and sisters' homes that they do not need should be sent away to the church. If your house is cleared of all these things, you may end up having fewer burdens to bear. Some people may have their backs bent over by the burden of these things.
We need to make some announcements concerning the arrangement of personnel. First, we hope that the following brothers and sisters will bear the responsibility of the gospel work...Second, we hope that the following brothers and sisters will bear the responsibility of the gospel visitation work...Third, we hope that the following brothers and sisters will bear the responsibility of the new believers' meetings...Fourth, we hope that the following brothers and sisters will bear the responsibility of the visitation of the new believers. ..Fifth, we hope that the following brothers and sisters will bear the responsibility of caring for the poor...If there are other arrangements, we will notify the brothers and sisters through printed circular letters.
We still have some announcements to make concerning other matters. For the brothers who are holding jobs and the students who are still in school, we ask that they would not drop their present occupation. When you receive some light from the Lord, we hope that you will make adjustments according to the light you receive.
Concerning money, we need to make some public announcements. If we preach the gospel well and if all the brothers and sisters are coordinated together, our homes, our occupations, and our money will all be for the gospel. The responsible brothers will help the saints make proper arrangements for the possessions that they have handed over. Some money should be retained for one's own use, while other money should circulate. We hope that we will not need to spend too much time to ask how the brothers and sisters spend their money. In this matter much of the responsibility rests with the individuals. The church does not want to touch this matter too much. If the brothers and sisters are too much off the mark, some should remind them a little about the proper way. The kind of living each one maintains before the Lord should be determined by each person's own standard. The church cannot make such a decision for the brothers and sisters.
Concerning the offering of material riches, we hope that part of what the brothers and sisters put into the offering box will be used for local expenses and part for the caring for the poor. In addition, the brothers and sisters have to learn to follow the Lord's guidance in giving personal gifts to individuals. The money that is set aside for the work can be dropped into the offering box that is set apart for the work. If everyone gives up all his excess, those who gather much will not have excess, and those who gather little will not have want.
We expect every worker to exercise faith before the Lord. We do not want to distribute money to the co-workers that is designated for the work, thus making the work suffer through the lack of money. However, we do not want to see any excess in money, and we do not want to see the work falling behind the supply. We hope to see the work and money going up in proportion to one another. We want the brothers and sisters to do their best to be frugal. We hope that no one will try to save up his money for future use. Every time we receive some income, we have to give, and we should not worry about our future.
Presently, the fund for the work in Shanghai is under the management of Brother Witness Lee and Brother Tang Shou-ling. The fund for the work in Foochow is under the management of Brother Chen Ke-san and Chan Si-wen. In all other places, we will not receive money for the work. For example, if the brothers in Chefoo or Tsingtao want to offer something for the work, they should send it to either of the two places we mentioned.
There is one thing we would like the saints from out of town to pay attention to: You have been receiving and acknowledging co-workers on our behalf for a long time. This practice has given us much trouble. If someone comes to your place to work, please ask him to show you the letter of recommendation from us. In the past you have acknowledged some co-workers whom we find it hard to acknowledge. In the New Testament Paul also spoke of the matter of a recommendation letter (2 Cor. 3:1-3). Today, not only is there the need for recommendations in matters related to the church; there is the need for recommendations in matters related to the work as well. If a letter only recommends a certain person as a brother, you have to treat him as a brother. If he is also a co-worker, there should be a separate recommendation letter to recommend him as a co-worker.
May the Lord cause all of us to do our best to stand firm in our own position. Whether a person is making money or is engaged in spiritual services, he should offer up everything he has. We hope that we will do a proper job before the Lord in all these matters, and we hope that we will see God's blessings.
