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Date:Thursday evening, February 9, 1950Place:Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
First, let us make some arrangements concerning the things the students have handed over. A few sisters have handed over some small jewelry. They should follow Peter's instruction and get permission from their parents before selling them. They should not be unrighteous in claiming their parents' goods as their own. At the same time, we have to realize that these things bring absolutely no profit to a Christian. We cannot bring these things to heaven. Once they have their parents' permission, they can sell them.
A young brother handed over more than two hundred books. I advise him not to buy any more books. It seems as if he has indulged himself in this habit. If he does not deal with his love for books, he will hand over what he has now, but he will buy more later.
In principle, you should pick out items that you are particularly fond of and dispose of them. This may hurt a little, but it will do tremendous good. In asking you to dispose of these things, you are being tested. You will see how much this hurts, and how deep it cuts. The more pain you feel, the more reluctant you will be to give them up, but this will build up your Christian character. In three or five years, you will have the constitution of the Holy Spirit, not just His life. The constitution of the Holy Spirit wroughts Christ into our whole being. Thus, we become one with Christ. Christ as our life is the basis of the Spirit's constitution; it enables Christ to live within us on our behalf. The constitution of the Holy Spirit is the maturity of this process; it enables Christ's disposition to become our disposition. This constitution work is like embroidery; it embroiders Christ into us. There may be pain, but Christ will be constituted into our being.
In regard to the other items, I will say a word on behalf of the church. The church is happy to return these things to you for your own use, but your feeling toward them should be different. When you look at them, you should realize that they are given to you by the church. Do not use them carelessly. A Christian must learn poverty while living on this earth. He has to learn to own nothing, to have nothing that he can call his own. We are heavenly citizens. On earth we are merely strangers and sojourners (Heb. 11:13). We should not settle down in this place.
We will ask the older brothers and sisters to make proper arrangements for your schooling. I hope that the church will have a detailed arrangement of the items that have been handed over.
Every Bible student has to agree that, according to the Bible, God has no intention for a Christian to engage in commerce. I believe all of you are clear that the first case of commerce was with the prince of Tyre. Ezekiel 28:16 says, "By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned." The word merchandise refers to a kind of free commerce. This is the first mention of commerce in the Bible. The last mention of commerce is with Babylon in Revelation 18. The prince of Tyre was the beginning of profiteering through trade. He was also the beginning of transgression. The prince of Tyre is a type of Satan. When we come to the great Babylon, we find the peak of development in commerce. Babylon's origin is Babel. The most severe judgment from God will be brought against Babylon because it will be the consummation of aggrandizement by trade and the epitome of sin. Revelation 13 speaks of the mark of the beast. Without the mark no one can trade (vv. 16-17). Hence, if pure commerce disappears, the mark of the beast will become useless. The more highly developed commerce becomes, the more useful the mark of the beast will be.
One of the fifty-two lessons that we released in Kuling for new believers deals with the proper occupation God has ordained for a Christian. It is an occupation in which one works with his own hands, producing and manufacturing by his own labor. It should not be a kind of pure trading. If the church does not engage in some mode of production, a Christian will not be able to find anything to do in the church, in which case he will have to go to outsiders for work. Because some brothers cannot find the right occupation in the church, they are forced to engage in pure commerce in the secular business world. Sometimes they are forced to lie and cheat. Soon their hearts become corrupted. In the future we have to do our best to help the brothers make the right choice; we have to show them the clear way. Perhaps some brothers should start some businesses and hire some brothers to work for them.
How should we manage a business to secure the Lord's blessing? According to Acts 2 and 4, we have to divide to all according to each one's need (2:45; 4:34). This sounds like a matter of simple arithmetic, but in order to register what everyone has handed over and what everyone needs, there are many works and numerous procedures. The "dividing" is a very complicated task. In Acts the apostles were too busy with the ministry of the word. They were forced to select seven men full of wisdom and the Spirit to be the deacons, and they assigned the work to them (6:2-4). There is the need not only of wisdom but of the fullness of life to carry out this work. If one only has wisdom but not the Holy Spirit, his arrangement will be like a "business plan" in the world.
The peak of the church life is when things are distributed to everyone according to his need. We should do our best to give away what we have. It is embarrassing for some brothers to have good things while others do not. It is a shame for me to have something while others do not. Please give me the liberty to say something. Let me relate my experience of handing myself over. There are things that I like to buy when I have a little money in my hand, but I always feel condemned when I have something and my co-workers do not. The first time I came to Hong Kong, I bought a Dilet shaver. This kind of shaver is very common today, but at that time it was a famous name brand, and it was quite valuable. I came from a small place and considered it worthwhile to pay a little extra for it. The second time I came to Hong Kong, I bought eight shavers of the same kind. I wanted to give them away to my co-workers. After I bought the shavers I realized that I could not go away without buying the blades too, and I bought eight blades as well. It makes me uneasy to think that I have something while the co-workers do not. At that time the church did not have the practice of handing over everything. It was not common to do such a thing then.
It is not good for us to have something while other brothers do not. It is somewhat of a shame. Although we cannot make every household the same, at least we need to have the same heart. I want everyone to have what I have. We need to develop this habit. Bringing the whole church into the practice of Acts 2 and 4 is not that simple; it takes a great many arrangements. However, we should always be moving in this direction step by step. We do not want to go to the extreme.
We need to make some arrangements for the co-workers to relieve them from anxiety over their own needs. We can consider each co-worker as one unit. Whether or not a worker is famous and whether he is great or small, we should count him as one unit. Spouse and children are counted as half a unit. Dependent parents are also counted as half a unit. I hope that the brothers who are managing businesses will do the same with the saints working under them.
During the past few months, the profit from the pharmaceutical factory in Chungking was distributed according to units. We could do this because all the workers were brothers and sisters and all of them had handed themselves over. Now the factory in Canton is going to do the same. All the employees in these factories receive the same remuneration because they are brothers and sisters, even though their position, rank, and responsibilities are different. From the manager to the cook, all receive the same treatment. We cannot do this with the Gentiles. If a corporation consists only of brothers and sisters and if every one of them has handed himself over, there is no problem in equalizing the remuneration. Otherwise, as soon as we practice such an equalization, some will become lazy.
The brothers and sisters who migrated to Yi-Yang are also practicing distribution according to each one's need. Some need to get married, and the rest make provision to give more. Some are sick, and the rest make provision to supply more clothing and daily necessities to them. For a few months, all of them had less than a dollar for pocket money. Some brothers work more than their assigned hours; they dare not be lazy. The other brothers step forward and volunteer to replace them. Every brother is concerned that the others would not become over-burdened. Laziness is nonexistent because there is brotherly love. Instead, everyone is afraid that others are doing too much. Everyone sacrifices beyond the point of just denying the self. If anyone thinks that he can be lazy and slothful as long as he has money, he is not acting like a Christian; he does not walk worthily of the name of a Christian.
When a brother and a sister get married, everyone pours out over and above what he can give. Everyone does everything he can to provide the new couple with a happy, new family. This testimony has won the approval of the local government. Originally the county government was very suspicious. They always sent Communist cadres to inspect us. Now they have passed a law to protect us. Visiting members within a radius of two hundred and fifty miles have told us that it would take them twelve years to catch up to what we are doing.
If a business only consists of brothers and sisters and if all have handed themselves over, this business should be conducted after the model of Yi-Yang. From top to bottom every worker should be treated the same. Every brother or sister is a unit. Equality is the only way to success and the way to practice genuine mutual love. Of course, some brothers who work as managers have outside needs which require special subsidy. The corporation can decide how much more they should receive. Except for this, the brothers and sisters should all live more or less on the same level. There should not be too big a gap. If the gap is too big, our practice will not be Christian-like. Every brother and sister should be treated equally, and everyone has to work diligently. If there is any excess, it should be spent on the gospel.
From now on, every business and every organization need proper arrangements to go on in coordination. No one should live in luxury while others suffer in poverty. If we have more, we are in excess, while those who have less are in want. If the households with an excess take the lead to make their resources available, the poor in the church will be given proper care. There will be few who need special care, and their needs will be covered easily. The church will behave like the church. If we hold on to our own things and care only for ourselves without any concern for others, we can never live the life of the Body of Christ, and we can never express it in our living.
Equality does not make us lazy. It allows us to share our excess. Suppose twenty brothers in a locality go into business together. All twenty have handed themselves over and join themselves to the business on that basis. The proceeds of the work of these twenty people are split up according to the number of units. These twenty people may each receive double the amount that other units receive. For example, ordinarily each unit may receive two loads of rice, but these ones may receive four loads of rice. They take in more, but they also give away more for the Lord's use. Actually, the amount they retain does not increase; they still take two loads of rice as others do. The extra two loads are sent to other places, to saints who have needs. In addition, by working this way, these brothers also supervise each others' production.
I am speaking the truth here. If the Lord is gracious to us, all of our businesses will support each other in the future; all the units will strengthen each other, and the work of migration will be greatly enhanced. This kind of migration is the church preaching the gospel. On the one hand, we must take care of the local needs. On the other hand, we must take care of the needs of other places.
The brothers in Tsingtao are planning to migrate to the northwest. In order for the church to rise up to preach the gospel, all the brothers and sisters have to endeavor for the gospel and for the work, not for themselves. All the working saints should consecrate themselves for the gospel. When the brothers and sisters who hold jobs join the coordination, the preaching will be prevailing, and the gospel will spread throughout China in a few years.
The province of Chekiang alone has over three hundred churches. The total number of local churches in the other parts of China combined do not match the number in Chekiang. With so many churches and so many brothers and sisters in one province, many should hand themselves over. This handing over will greatly increase the power of the gospel.
Brothers who are holding one kind of job should coordinate with other brothers who are holding similar jobs; they should preach the gospel together. Around Sar-Di by the city of Hangchow there are six to eight hundred brothers. The amount they handed over last year is only enough to supply the need of the one hundred brothers who migrated to Yi-Yang. When one migrates to a new place, he is starting everything afresh. He needs to have food and clothing before he can engage in farming. In over ten counties around Yi-Yang, the footsteps of the gospel have been planted by our brothers. Some churches have sprung up in a few areas already. They market the produce of the land, the livestock of their farm, and the fabric they produce from their own weaving. They coordinate together for the gospel while selling their products on the side. Shanghai is supporting Yi-Yang as well; more men are migrating there now. In the near future, some will move there from Nanchang. Perhaps in the future Nanchang will head up Yi-Yang.
We should never despise the wisdom of the simple villagers. Among the leading brothers in Yi-Yang, no one has graduated from high school; everyone has received only a primary education. However, they all have a burning heart for the Lord, and they all have handed themselves over. Generally speaking, all of them are full of wisdom. They have wisdom in their service. Their judgments are sound, and they are rich in experience. According to my observation, many so-called wise brothers in China cannot match them. Their judgments leave no room for criticism. One can only lower his head and worship the Lord, saying, "Lord, You are in our midst." If their judgments were not so wise, they would not have been so successful. They conduct business and do everything in an orderly fashion.
Now a few dozen brothers and sisters from Shanghai are getting ready to migrate to Yi-Yang. There are not just one or two people preaching the gospel there, but the whole church is working together in coordination on the basis of its consecration. The gospel is weak today among us because brothers and sisters have a selfish motive; they use the mammon they have in their hand for their own business with the view of making money for themselves. Their business is not for the gospel, and they have not handed themselves over. If no Christian lives for himself, and if everyone lives for the Lord and the gospel, the gospel will spread from province to province all over China.
Let me fellowship a little concerning the principle of selling our possessions. Suppose a brother has a piece of real estate. I hope that he can hand it over and sell it. Any real estate that is left in an unproductive state is useless. Moreover, real estate is not doing well today. It is better to sell it and use the proceeds to start a business that engages in a form of production. I hope the responsible brothers will make good and proper arrangements for this matter.
Suppose some brothers are sharing a business with unbelievers or family members. If they want to hand themselves over, they have to work hard to separate their assets from the assets of others. Be generous in splitting the assets. If one is in a joint venture with others, he can buy the others' shares and then sell it. In selling real estate, a person may not get the full price of the land, in which case we can help them to dispose of the land. We would rather take a loss than have our money locked in the land.
Hong Kong is rich because it is linked to Swatow. A great part of the investment in Hong Kong comes from Swatow. If we go into business at all, there are a few things we can consider. The first is cotton spinning. Some can try this. Starting a business this way helps Swatow indirectly. The capital is retained in Hong Kong and does not need to return to Swatow. Some can try this in Manila. The shipbuilding industry is in existence already. Presently, it is somewhat unprofitable. Some are doing it with a view to the future; they are waiting for better days to come. We have to carefully consider this matter. Should we wait, or should we sell such a business and come back to it later? We should have much fellowship and prayer before making any decision.
One brother is starting a very large fabric manufacturing company. Some time ago I heard that some brothers were starting a fabric company which both spins and weaves. I think that spinning is too much for us; it takes a considerable amount of capital to handle spinning and weaving together. But weaving is easier; it does not take much capital. We can hire brothers and sisters for the weaving work. A few of our brothers can dye; they are more skillful than others in this trade. If we manufacture our own dye, we can help many brothers and sisters from other places to learn the trade. Weaving is convenient; it can be done anywhere and at any time. A weaving machine costs approximately three hundred dollars. We can put one in the living room and two in the bedroom. This does not violate local ordinances, because it does not require an office. In this way, we can do our own dyeing and even sell our goods locally. Alternatively, we can form some kind of cooperative and sell our product together.
If the cost of traveling is not a problem, we can ask many out-of-town brothers and sisters to come to Hong Kong to learn such skills. We can recruit twenty people from Hangchow, Peking, Tsingtao, Foochow, and Swatow. In the beginning they can be apprentices. In a year or two, we can buy off the unbelievers' shares and work with brothers and sisters. In this way we will not need to be yoked with unbelievers. Tonight I am touching this matter in brief. There is not enough time. Perhaps we can have a more detailed discussion later. I hope that we all will understand the proper principle to exercise such matters before the Lord.
In making judgments concerning the saints' handing themselves over, we have to be accurate. Otherwise, there will be undesirable consequences. Some brothers handed themselves over in another place already. We should not dictate their pathway for them.
From now on, all the arrangements we make should be centered around the church. In other words, they should be centered around the Lord and the gospel. The schooling of the young people also should be done in coordination. We do not expect all of you to quit work, but some should change jobs and work with the brothers and sisters. Others can be scattered among unbelievers and strive to gain more of them. If we all practice this, the Lord will bless us.
If the things that you handed over should be sold, you should dispose of them as quickly as possible. If not, you will get into trouble. One brother started out as an officer in the navy. Later he was promoted to be a commander and then an admiral. He owned much land and had a nice house. It was built at the cost of sixty thousand gold dollars. He loved antiques, and he kept a great deal of precious metals and antiques in the house. I exhorted him to sell his things. Even if he had to discount his house by ten percent, he could still get back fifty thousand gold dollars for it. He was reluctant to give up these things. As a result of this delay, his house has been turned into the headquarters of the Communist government. He could not take one article from his house, and he did not get a single dollar back of what he had put into it. During these few days, I hope you will gather together and make suitable arrangements for the things that the brothers and sisters have offered up. In this way the church will not suffer any loss.
Finally, I would like to say that during the past few days I have had a deep feeling that our handing over of ourselves opens the way for us to love the Lord. If a man does not hand over himself, he can never succeed in loving the Lord. Mr. F. B. Meyer was a person very experienced in the matter of consecration. One young sister consecrated herself over ten times at the age of twelve. She kept saying that she consecrated her heart to the Lord, but there was no breakthrough. She said to Mr. Meyer, "I do not know why I fail all the time. Whenever I pray and give my heart to the Lord, I still feel as if it is with me." Mr. Meyer answered, "Tell the Lord that you cannot give your heart to Him, and ask Him to take it away instead."
Let me say this: Our heart cannot go to Him, because it is stuck in the world and in its treasures, the mammon. This is the reason our mouth can say as much as we want about loving the Lord but our heart will not follow. If we send our treasures and our mammon to the Lord, our heart will follow. We cannot control our heart, and we cannot consecrate ourselves. The Lord said that where our treasure is, there is our heart also (Matt. 6:21). How do we consecrate? There is no need to deal with the heart, just deal with the treasure. When we give the Lord our treasure, our heart will go to Him. The happiest experience on earth is when our heart goes to the Lord. We can jump up and sing, "Hallelujah!" A Christian suffers when his heart cannot love the Lord. In order for our heart to love the Lord, we must not pay attention only to our heart, but to our treasure. Once we hand over our treasure, our heart will surely follow. We can only love the Lord when we hand over ourselves.
From the day we hand ourselves over, not only do we love the Lord, but we begin to truly love the brothers and sisters. If we have not handed ourselves over, we can only give what we have in excess to others; we cannot love the brothers and sisters. When we hand over everything, the Lord breaks our shell of self-love. We are delivered from our own little domain and begin to practice brotherly love. We become one who is good at giving. Once we see something we have that others do not, we feel uneasy and want to give it up as well.
I can testify to you honestly that Brother Philip Luan was a brother who handed himself over long ago. He sold everything he had. He was a strong person. He offered up many of his possessions the day after he was saved. He terminated many relationships. He even closed his tobacco factory. Originally, he was known as the king of tobacco in Manchuria. Every factory under him was very large. He had twenty-seven companies and over a hundred retail branches. However, he closed all these businesses a day or two after he believed in the Lord. He paid all the debts he owed, but he forgave all the debts that others owed him. Later, when Brother Luan came to Hong Kong, he went through severe trials financially. He had been a rich man in his own place, but he volunteered to take the way of poverty. He did more than just love the Lord. Many people can testify that he loved the brothers and sisters. Perhaps his speaking could not match that of Brother Witness, but he was a person who was absolutely free from self. God saved many people and perfected many others through him. Here we see a brother who was free from mammon. He loved the Lord and the brothers and sisters. No one who is constantly calculating can love the brothers.
Finally, handing ourselves over enables us to love not only the Lord and the saints but sinners as well. Before we hand ourselves over, we always count our money and consider it more precious than the human soul; we do not believe that a sinner is worth more than the whole world. But after we hand ourselves over, we feel that every soul is precious. It is worthwhile to spend the riches of the whole world in exchange for a single soul. The Lord asked, "What shall a man be profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul-life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul-life?" (Matt. 16:26). When we fearfully hold on to our money, all the souls in the world mean little to us. We argue over three or five dollars while allowing a soul to go to hell. When we let go of our money, our heart will love all the sinners in this world. During the past two or three years, I have had the deep feeling that we can never treasure what is true unless we cast away what is false.
Only those who are truly delivered from the power of mammon can love the Lord, the brothers, and sinners. If mammon continues to have a hold on us, our love for the Lord is false, our love for the brothers is false, and our love for sinners does not exist. It is nothing but doctrine, good only for deceiving and mollifying ourselves. We will have love and joy only after we have handed ourselves over. Christ will be precious to us only after we have done this. Only then will the church and all the brothers and sisters be precious to us. When we walk on the street, we will feel that every soul is precious and every sinner lovable. While we are waiting for the bus to come, we will have a different feeling when we see the crowds passing by. Even if some argue and fight in front of us, we will still love them and treasure their souls. When we see someone engaged in a brawl, we will pray earnestly for him. Others may consider him a demon, but we will find his soul very precious.
There is only one thing in the world that takes away our love for the Lord, for the saints, and for sinners — mammon. Once mammon goes away, our senses will be clear, our eyes will be opened, our minds will see, and our judgments will be right. May God grant us this kind of seeing.
