Date: April 11, 1948, Lord's Day afternoonPlace: Hardoon Road, Shanghai
Concerning the question of the desolation of the church, we must first consider the way of the church on earth. The way of the church on earth can be seen from the history of the tabernacle in the Old Testament. The tabernacle in the Old Testament was set up by God. The purpose of the tabernacle was for God to dwell with His people Israel (Exo. 25:8). There are many basic differences between the temple and the tabernacle. In the beginning God dwelt in the tabernacle. After the temple was finished, God began to dwell in the temple (1 Kings 9:3). Both the tabernacle and the temple typify God's dwelling among men. The two appear to be repetitions in type. Actually, they are not repetitions. In the past many people have written books concerning the tabernacle as a type. But few books have been written concerning the temple as a type. Actually, both are types of the church. Yet there are some basic differences between the two.
The tabernacle was built in the wilderness under the direction of Moses and Aaron. The temple was prepared by David and completed by Solomon in Jerusalem. The tabernacle did not have a floor. It had a cover and curtains. When a person entered the tabernacle, his feet touched the sand on the ground, reminding him that the tabernacle was something transitory and movable. This is why it was called the tabernacle, or "the tent of meeting.''
The temple had many similarities to the tabernacle. In the tabernacle, there were gold, silver, brass, and iron. In the temple there were the wood and the stones. The stones were a crucial material. In the New Testament the Lord called Peter, Cephas (John 1:42). The word Cephas means a stone. In the tabernacle there was no stone. Stones are immovable; they signify stability and solidarity. The tabernacle was designed for the wilderness; it was transitory in nature. The temple was designed for the kingdom; it was eternal in nature. David represents the Lord, and Solomon represents the Holy Spirit. The meaning of Solomon is the One who brings in peace. God sent the Holy Spirit of peace to build up the temple. David is a type of the incarnated Christ, and Solomon is a type of the Holy Spirit.
In the Bible there are always two aspects to God's habitation. On the one hand, it is transitory and wandering, typified by the tabernacle. The tabernacle moved as the people traveled along. Sometimes it was in Elim. At other times it was in Kadesh-barnea. Sometimes it was in the land of supply. At other times it was in the land of bitter water. However, the tabernacle itself did not change with a change of location. Wherever the Israelites pitched their tents, there was the tabernacle. Hence, the tabernacle typifies God's church on earth, or His church in the localities. In Shanghai there is the church, because in Shanghai there are God's people. Whenever God's people come together, there is the church. When they are separated, there is no church. This is the aspect of the church as typified by the tabernacle.
The temple was different from the tabernacle. The temple was established on the threshingfloor of Ornan (2 Chron. 3:1) and built with stones. It was built for the kingdom. It was the center of the life of the people of Israel. The temple was unique, eternal, and solid, and it could not be divided. Even when the nation was divided politically, the temple could not be divided. There could be only one temple.
From this we see that, on the one hand, the church appears in different localities. Yet the spiritual reality of the church is still one Body. It is unique and eternal. These are the two pictures of the church.
The visible church today is the tabernacle; it is already in ruins. At the same time, the temple is not yet manifested. In God's eyes the church described in Ephesians 2 as God's habitation in the Holy Spirit is a fact. But in actuality the church has not been fully manifested yet; it is still in its progressing stage. In 1924 we spoke of the history of the ark. The ark of the covenant was always advancing. First, it passed through the river Jordan. Then it reached Shiloh (Josh. 18:1). At the time the Israelites went to war with the Philistines, the two sons of Eli had sinned and Eli himself had become foolish and corrupt. He well knew the reason the Israelites were defeated. Yet he still tried to use the ark to fight for them with the hope that they would win the victory through the ark. But the Israelites failed. The ark was captured to the land of the Philistines, and it remained in the house of Dagon (1 Sam. 5:2). Later, God brought in a curse, and the Philistines returned the ark on a cart drawn by cows (chs. 4—6).
At that time Samuel was raised up to fulfill his ministry. He was still a child and was girded with a small ephod (2:18). Here was a minister who was set apart for the kingdom. The ark represents Christ. Wherever the ark was, there was the presence of Christ. The ark was known as the ark of the testimony. It was the center of God's testimony. Without the ark, the tabernacle was empty. The tabernacle was meaningful only when it had the ark inside it. After the ark was taken away from the tabernacle in Shiloh (4:17), it never returned to the tabernacle. It continued to wander, until it was received into the temple when the temple was finished (1 Kings 8:1-11). Before David, there was Saul. At that time Shiloh had already been rejected. The ark did not return to the tabernacle, but remained in the house of Obed-edom until the time of David (2 Sam. 6:10), when David welcomed the ark into Jerusalem (vv. 12-15). Jeremiah 7:12 and 14 speak of how God dealt with Shiloh, and Psalm 78:60 and 1 Samuel 4:3 speak of how the ark had left the tabernacle. Second Chronicles 5 speaks of how the ark was returned to the temple. God did not deal with Shiloh in the way of burning it down with fire, nor in the way of destroying the people there, but by removing the ark. Having a tabernacle without an ark — this is judgment, desolation, and punishment. Shiloh had the outward form of the tabernacle only; the ark was no longer there. It is like Christianity having only the name of the church, but the central testimony of the church has been lost, and God's testimony has been removed.
When Solomon became king, he went to Gibeon to pray for wisdom in the tabernacle. Later, when he received the wisdom, he went to the ark (1 Kings 3:15). However, according to 1 Kings 3:4 and 2 Chronicles 1:3, the Gibeonites still made sacrifices and sought for God at the tabernacle. But from the day Solomon left the tabernacle, he never went back. Although in Gibeon there was still the outward, human worship, those who had received wisdom would never go back to the tabernacle. Those who had received wisdom went with the ark.
The church on earth today is one. Those who are in the church are men who are separated from the world. Under normal circumstances every brother and sister should be serving God; this should be their proper occupation. Every one should be a consecrated one, and everyone should have everything in common. Under such a proper living, the gifted ministries such as the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers, as listed in Ephesians 4, are produced. Although these gifted ones are scattered in different places, they are still in the same church. This is like the electric current being one, yet transmitted throughout many places. Although the intensity of light may be different from one house to the other, the electricity itself is one. The light expressed in different places is different, but the nature of the electricity is the same. It is the same with the church. Although the churches in various localities are different as far as their localities are concerned, there is nevertheless only one church. The church exists for the testimony of oneness. When we say the "local church,'' our emphasis is the church, not the localness. The life that all the churches possess is a life of oneness. For this reason all the churches should be one among themselves. Although there were the manifested churches in Corinth, Ephesus, and other places, they were all one church. This is the normal situation.
However, when the church became desolate, conditions changed. At the time of Paul the church was already falling into desolation. Paul said in the book of Philippians that "all seek their own things, not the things of Christ Jesus'' (2:21). In 2 Timothy he said that all who were in Asia had turned away from him and his ministry (1:15). The descriptions in Peter's Epistles are no exception; they all mention the desolation of the church toward the end of the apostles' time. On the one hand, Peter spoke in his first Epistle of the church as a spiritual house or a spiritual temple (2:5). On the other hand, Peter also spoke of the condition of degradation. John's Epistles spoke of the coming of antichrist and of apostasy in teachings (1 John 2:18; 4:3; 2 John 7). These are the conditions of the end times. In Revelation 2 and 3 we see that the churches had become so desolate that the Lord could no longer write to the churches; He could only write to the messengers of the churches. The letter to Ephesus in Revelation 2 can be considered as "The Second Epistle to the Ephesians.'' There the church had forsaken its original condition and had drifted farther and farther away.
What we see today is merely a collection of human methods, doctrines, opinions, criticisms, and quibbles. Amidst the desolation of the church, we need to learn to exercise judgment. It is true that among all the denominations in Christianity, there are God's people who are still performing worship to God. We have to admit that there are still sacrifices. But the ark is no longer there. There is no more testimony. The only thing that is left is an outward tabernacle. When God's tabernacle has become desolate, His eyes are turned to the temple. Today we who are learning to follow the Lord have to make a choice between the tabernacle and the temple. Some like to follow what is on hand, what is visible, and what is available everywhere. Yet those who want to follow God have to choose the ark and go on with it.
The position that we should take should be one of spiritual reality, that is, the position typified by the temple. Today the church is the habitation of the Holy Spirit. In this church there is God's authority and the desire of God's heart. There is also the authority of the kingdom of the heavens. The Lord has given the church the authority of the kingdom of the heavens. As such, we can enjoy the power of the coming age in the church today. In the Old Testament the temple and the kingdom are linked together; the temple is the most crucial element in the kingdom. In the same way the church as the temple is linked to the power of the coming kingdom. This is where our way lies today. On the one hand, we have to leave the outward tabernacle, and on the other hand, we have to seek after God's testimony. God has pronounced very clear judgment on the outward failures. His judgment is His removal of the ark. Before God, being without the ark is a shame. On the one hand, we have to leave the tabernacle, and on the other hand, we have to seek after God's testimony.
What is God's testimony? In the Old Testament God ordered Moses to make two tables of stones, which were called the tables of the law. The Ten Commandments were engraved on these stones. The tables of the law were also called the tables of testimony (Exo. 34:29). The ark that God commanded Moses to make was a type of Christ. Above the ark was the mercy seat. Within the ark was the law. However, God did not call the ark the ark of the law, but the ark of the testimony (25:22). Hence, the law is God's testimony.
The law is God's demand on man's conduct. How then can it be God's testimony? On the one hand, we have to realize that God's testimony is the response of God's demand on man. On the other hand, God's demand is simply God's testimony. Where there are the divine demands, there is the divine testimony. Whatever demands God puts on man today, they attest to God and testify of God. They testify of God's glory, His holiness, and all that He is. The law declares God's demands, and the mercy seat bestows God's grace to man. The testimony is from man to God, and grace is from God to man. When God's glory is satisfied, there is the mercy seat. We have to know that the Ten Commandments do not refer to the dead laws, but to God's demand on man. This demand is itself a testimony, in which God testifies of Himself. The law maintains God's testimony, and it testifies for God. God has to explain His demands to man, and this explanation is God's testimony. Psalm 119 repeatedly describes God's law as His testimony. When a man keeps God's law, he is keeping God's testimony. Every time the word testimony is used in Psalm 119, it refers to the law.
Today the outward church has become weakened and has failed. It has lost the testimony of God and is not able to meet God's demand. For this reason, there is disunity, divisions, denominations, and sects. God demands that man submit, but man cannot meet this demand. As a result the testimony is lost, and division is produced. Although every revivalist comes along and builds a tabernacle, there is no ark of testimony in it. Even when there is a mercy seat, there is no ark. A man can go to different places to conduct conferences. However, he is merely moving the tabernacle from one place to another. He is merely maintaining a mercy seat without an ark. Although the ark is not there, the mercy seat is nevertheless put up. This is what men are doing today — replacing God's testimony with man's need. Whenever man's need replaces God's testimony, degradation begins and problems arise. What then is the way for our work today?
God has His specific demands; He wants man to learn coordination. God not only requires that man be delivered from sin, the world, and the flesh; He also asks that man be delivered from his individualism. With regard to the knowledge of the Body of Christ, man's problem lies in the fact that from the first day he has been taught the wrong things. Since the Reformation, man has thought that he can be a Christian individually, that he can be sanctified individually, justified individually, and work and serve God individually. From the very beginning this realization has been wrong, and the way a person takes subsequent to this is also wrong. Man thinks that as soon as he believes in the Lord, he only has to be zealous, to consecrate himself, and to give up everything. However, a man must realize that he is not only a man of unclean lips, but that he also dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips (Isa. 6:5). While it is wrong to have unclean lips individually, it is equally wrong to dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips.
If we lay a good foundation today, the situation will change drastically within twenty or thirty years. We must see that a person cannot be a proper Christian individually; he must follow the footsteps of the flock, and he must never hold on to any form of individualism. After a person is saved, he must immediately be brought to see that he belongs to the Body. Being joined to the Body is the meaning of the laying on of hands. When a new believer is joined to the Body through the laying on of hands, he can no longer be an individual Christian.
We must be brought to a point where we acknowledge the limitation of the individual. This word is easy for the young ones, but it is difficult for those with considerable gifts. However, we must see that even members as great as the hands and the feet are but hands and feet only; they must accept the other members before they can become complete. We must recognize our own limitations. Problems arise in the church because some people think that they are all-inclusive; they want to do everything by themselves. However, the hand can only be the hand. It cannot see, and it cannot hear. It has to accept the seeing and the hearing of others before it can enjoy the riches. It does not matter how great a gift I am; in many areas I have to accept the supply of others. Some can only be cells. Surely they need others. The question is whether or not they would ask others to help them. Their basic need is to acknowledge their own limitations. They have to acknowledge that they cannot see, speak, or hear.
We have to clearly identify our own limitations. We may not know something, but there are others in the church who will know. The fact that I do not know something does not mean that everyone else does not know about it. I have to live by others. I may not be able to walk, but others can walk. Never think that we can preach the Head without preaching the Body. The more we depend on the Lord, the more we will realize that we have to depend on the members. If we do not accept our own limitations, we will never find the way that others have opened up already. As long as the question of limitation is not resolved, we can never advance. What we have individually is very little. We should not think that we are so capable or clever, and we should not think that we will never be wrong and that others are always wrong. We all have to humble ourselves and be delivered from our pride and our individualism to receive the supply from others. Those who are accustomed to their cleverness and who think highly of themselves should make a turn and have a change. This is the first point.
Second, not only do we have to acknowledge our own limitations; we have to know submission. In the Body of Christ, ministry means authority. Whoever can hear and speak is the authority. If a member can see, he is the authority. His ability to see is his authority. If a member can hear, his ability to hear is the authority. If you want to hear something, you have to submit to him. Either you walk blindly, or you have to submit to the eyes for your seeing. There is no one in the church who does not have to submit to someone; everyone has to submit to those assigned by God. The problem today is that many brothers and sisters think that the supply others have received will not work in them. They think that they have to receive something directly from God. Man thinks that he can do without man's preaching, but God's commandments come through His ministers. For this reason, we must learn to submit.
A minister cannot speak in a loose way, nor can he demand that others submit to him all the time without himself being first dealt with by the Lord. God will never entrust His authority to such people. If a man naturally wants to put his hands on others' business, God will not be able to use such a person. Man has to be like God, who does not like to control everything. If God wanted to control everything, He could have removed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or He could have put a fence around the tower of Babel. He could have removed the fiery sword from the cherubim. But God would not do such things. He does not like to interfere with the liberty of others. Man has to make his own choices. Some brothers and sisters like to interfere with others' affairs. But God has no interest in such things. He never forces anyone to believe. He says, "Every one who believes...would have eternal life'' (John 3:16). Every one who receives has eternal life. He does not force man to believe. If a man has been dealt with by God to such a degree that he no longer likes to interfere with others' business, God will entrust His authority to such a one.
A man should not have a desire to interfere with another member in the Body. If a man has been taught by God, he will have no desire to interfere with others' affairs. He will also gladly seek advice from others concerning his own affairs. If we practice this, a beautiful Body life will be realized when thousands of members come together, each having no desire to interfere with others' business while gladly seeking advice from others. If we do this, we will be balanced. God has no desire for us to be busybodies.
We have to be a person who has learned the lessons, and we have to reject and restrict all forms of individualism. On the one hand, we have to accept limitations. On the other hand, we have to learn submission. It is a joyful thing to pursue after submission. Today, in the whole world, in all the nations, and among all the societies there are all kinds of opinions, voices, expressions, and arguments. This is why all organizations have their rules. When they conduct meetings, some are given permission to ask questions whereas others are given permission to answer. Those who speak cannot go on beyond a certain number of minutes. This proves that an individual has to be limited by the group even in the world. Of course, this limitation is an artificial one, not one that is done in submission.
The first sin of man was rebellion, lawlessness, and the overthrowing of authority. Satan's fall and rebellion were caused by his uplifting of himself to be above God. If we submit ourselves to God's authority today, we will have the proper testimony. We have to realize that not everyone has the authority and not everyone has the word of God. The testimony of the Body today has nothing to do with numbers; it is a matter of being in the Body. It is a matter of being willing to submit to the arrangement of the Head, as opposed to being free to make one's own choices and decisions. As a member of the Body, we cannot make any decision on our own. Christ has an immeasurably vast deposit in the church today. If we are in a receiving position, we will surely become very rich. If we insist on receiving only from God without receiving from the Body, we will become very poor. This is not a doctrine but a fact. Not only is the thing we have our own, but what the brothers and sisters have is also ours. In many matters other brothers and sisters have a clear discernment, but we do not have discernment. As such, we have to accept the discernment of the brothers and sisters. Some people know God's Word. Some can discern the truth. We should gladly receive their discernment and judgment. What we do not know, someone else will know. If we will not receive from others, probably we will end up fifty years from now having the same as what we have now.
It is a strange thing that we have to exhort the brothers and sisters to receive from others. On the one hand, men say that they are poor and weak. On the other hand, they are not willing to receive riches from others. Is this not strange? How rich are the ministries that God has raised up in the church today! Yet we are still in hunger. This is because we emphasize our own individualism too much. A man has to learn to bow down his head and to receive supply from others.
Receiving the laying on of hands means accepting the judgment of the church. It means that we are willing to submit to the authority that God has put upon a person. We are responsible for handing ourselves over. In the Old Testament, when men laid their hands on the heads of the goats, it meant that they were willing to hand the goats over to the priests. If they wanted to keep the goats, they should not lay their hands on the goats, because they were not willing to hand the goats over. The Bible says that a man has to come to the altar willingly and offer his sacrifices willingly. God wants man to hand himself over in a voluntary way. The Acts of the Apostles records the matter of baptism; it also records the matter of the laying on of hands. The laying on of hands signifies the acceptance of the authority of the church. Today man sees that baptism is a separation of the believers from the worldly system. But he does not see that the laying on of hands is an acceptance of God's authority that He establishes in the church. When a man refuses authority, confusion results. If a man is willing to hand himself over to the serving ones, it will become easy for the serving ones to do their job.
The principle in the work is the same. The co-workers in all the places should first hand themselves over and place themselves under the Head and be directed by the Head. Only then can the Lord do something, and only then will the work have a way to go on. We hope that in these days the Lord will at least give us a way to go on.
Henceforth, we have to accept the judgment of the Body. All major decisions and directions must be placed in the hands of the Body. If we do this, we will have life, power, and direction. Otherwise, there will be rebellion and insubordination. If we hand ourselves over, we will surely feel an "amen'' and a sweet sense within us.
In the past the situation in Foochow has been one of confusion. The meetings there became a little kingdom by themselves. The saints were closed and would not fellowship with others. Their hearts were not broad enough and did not include all the believers; they did not see the unique Body of Christ. The manifestation of the Body in the future will be determined by the nature of the testimony of the local churches today. The local churches are the models of the coming universal church. This is like an architect designing a house: first he builds a model. Although the model is not very big, it represents in nature what will be built. First Corinthians 12 speaks of the universal Body on the one hand and the Body life in the local churches on the other hand.
In our work we must find an outlet for the Lord. We are not lacking power today, but we are lacking an outlet for the Lord. The problem among us is that the co-workers have not properly handed themselves over. Although there is a little power, this power is not great. A three-dimensional cup can hold a lot of water. But a flat piece of glass or a broken cup cannot hold any water. Because our work has been "flat,'' we have lost many blessings. The tabernacle and the temple in the Old Testament both typify the church in the New Testament, the Body of Christ. Only when this Body becomes a "three-dimensional" Body can it be a vessel of God. Only then can it contain God's riches and be a strong and powerful testimony for the Lord.
Not only should the co-workers do this, but the brothers and sisters should also consecrate themselves fully in this way. No matter where he or she is, every brother and sister should be a servant of God. All of us need a specific declaration; we should count the cost and hand ourselves over.
The gospel spread from Jerusalem to Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. This is God's way. If a man starts working from the ends of the earth, he is taking the wrong direction. We must work from the center to the circumference. At the same time, it would be equally wrong if all the believers were to remain in Jerusalem, because the intention of the Lord was that the gospel would be preached to the ends of the earth. For this reason, the Lord scattered the believers by raising up persecution in the environment. However, it was not wrong for the apostles to remain in Jerusalem. There still needed to be apostles and elders in Jerusalem, because Jerusalem was a center of testimony. In addition, Antioch was also a center of testimony. The problem today is that we do not have a Jerusalem and we do not have an Antioch. All we have is simply local churches.
In the Bible there was definitely a Jerusalem and an Antioch. This is what needs to be recovered among us in these days. Our work today does not seem to have a Jerusalem. In 1937 we saw the ground of the church, but we did not see the light concerning Jerusalem. Nevertheless, we somehow felt then that the work should not belong to a locality. Thank God that He has led us on. What we have seen today is much more than what we saw then. We cannot change any part of God's Word, and we cannot skip any part of His Word. We should never forget that in the Bible there is still a church in Jerusalem.
Because our light was not adequate in the past, we suffered losses. From now on we must have a fresh start. If we do not do this, the work will belong to the local church again, and the Lord will have no way to go on among us.
Brother Witness Lee: Between 1940 and 1943, by the mercy of the Lord, we did quite a work in Chefoo, Shantung. During those few years many souls were saved, and many consecrated themselves. Of the brothers and sisters who were in Chefoo, ninety percent consecrated themselves. Later, the migration started. Over one hundred people migrated to the northwest of China, and a few dozen migrated to Manchuria. Ninety-five percent of the traveling expenses of these migrating ones were taken care of by the church. In the first three years after we began to have the testimony in Chefoo, about one hundred fifty brothers and sisters joined us in the bread-breaking meeting. This stirred up a great deal of jealousy. When the war started, the Japanese began to persecute me. A dozen or more people in Christianity also began to join hands to attack me. The Japanese put me into prison for a month. After I was released from prison, I was not free from their hands. I was not the only one who was restricted; many other brothers and sisters also lost their freedom. At that time the Lord prepared a way for me: I became ill and incurred tuberculosis of the lungs, and I had to rest for a year. During this period I experienced many trials, and I was pressed on all sides. It was not until 1944 that I began to stand up to do a little speaking to the saints. I have spent half of my life in Chefoo. In October 1944 the Lord arranged for me to leave Chefoo to go to Tsingtao. At that time I told the brothers and sisters that I had to go to take a rest. In this way I left Chefoo, and I have never gone back.
