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Date: Thursday evening, February 16, 1950Place: Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
The hymn that we sang tonight tells us that the manifestation of God's glory enables us to consecrate ourselves. We all know that sin is evil and the world is attractive. It is impossible for us to drop the world by ourselves, but the Lord's glory enables us to drop it.
Concerning visitation we have a few more things to say.
In visiting others it is best to restrict the conversation to spiritual things. We should not be loose in our talk. Those who are talkative should pay special attention to this point. It is bad enough to speak loosely at home. The consequence of loose speaking is much greater when visiting others on behalf of the church! In visiting others, we have to maintain the church's purity. We have to deal with nit-picking, criticism, and slandering as soon as they surface. The purpose of making visitations is to build up others, not to tear them down. Therefore, we must not be loose in our conversation. We should not get into right and wrong, and we should not argue.
In making gospel visitations, it is inevitable that there will be some who have a problem with believing, even though they have put down their name and shown an interest in the gospel. In visiting them, we have to adopt the attitude of a learner. We should not visit them by assuming the air of a teacher. If we go as a teacher, the result will not be good. It does not take many doctrines to get a person saved. One grain of wheat can bear many grains. In the same way, one seed of the Word is enough to save a person; one does not need many doctrines for salvation. As long as there is life, there will be sprouting and growth. Some brothers continue to bring many people to the Lord through just one sentence of God or even half a sentence of God. The preaching of the gospel depends not on the preponderance of doctrines but on the impartation of life to others.
My suggestion is that the first time we visit someone, we should tell them our spiritual age and condition. We can testify, saying, "I was more or less the same as you. Although I have believed in the Lord for many years, I was unclear about many things when I first believed. Only now am I learning to serve. I may not be clear about many things, but there are one or two things that I am very clear about: My sins are forgiven, and I have joy and peace through my faith in the Lord." Once we testify to them in this way, they will be stirred up to seek the joy that we have. When they are in darkness, they rejoice in their sin, but once they come under the light, they will grieve over their sin.
Next, we can say, "The church realizes that you have put down your name and expressed a desire to receive the Lord. It is sending me to come and visit." This will touch their heart. We have to seize the opportunity to contact them and touch their heart. We should not try to touch their head. After the heart is turned to the Lord, the head will pose no problem at all. Our visitation will give the new ones an impression that the church cares for them, that it takes an interest in the affairs of their soul. If they ask any question, we can defer it in a gracious way. We should not pay too much attention to their mind, but we should pay much attention to the reaction in their heart and spirit.
After we have made a few visits, we should evaluate whether or not we are able to help them to get through. If we cannot, we should ask the responsible brothers to send one or two others. If they cannot help the new ones to get through, then perhaps the responsible brothers should visit them.
Tonight we will consider the responsibilities and services of the deacons. The work of the deacons is absolutely different from that of the elders. The elders oversee with the eyes; their main responsibility does not lie in doing the work themselves. However, the deacons have to work with their hands. They also must involve the brothers and sisters in the work. The word deacon is diakonos in Greek; it means a serving one. In English it is translated as servant, minister, or deacon. A deacon does not propose any plans to the brothers and sisters. The elders do the planning, while the deacons work together to carry out the assignment by taking the lead among the brothers. When a church is strong, the elders take care of the overseeing and the deacons take care of the execution. The deacons should work more than the saints. The basic principle of service for the elders is oversight, while the basic principle of service for the deacons is implementation. Hence, the deacons have to understand the elders. In other words, they have to understand God's will through the elders.
The biblical principle is not to do anything rashly or impulsively; we have to make good arrangements ahead of time. When the deacons encounter something, they should not tackle it right away. Instead, they should first think and consider carefully before the Lord. In carrying out the task, they should not work alone but should ask the brothers and sisters to watch them and learn from them.
In distributing the bread to the five thousand, the Lord asked the disciples to sit the crowd down in groups of fifties and hundreds. At that time no one knew the reason for doing this, but at Pentecost three thousand people were saved, and had to be baptized. If the disciples had not been trained by the Lord to face such a large crowd, they would not have known what to do. If they did not know what to do with a hundred and fifty-three fish (John 21:6, 11), how could they know what to do with three thousand people? It is harder to deal with men than with fish. When a man believes in the Lord, we do not consider our job to be finished and then ask him to go home. In the Gospels the Lord trained the disciples to take care of practical affairs. He fed a multitude twice, one of five thousand people and another of four thousand (Mark 6:30-44; 8:1-9). In both cases he asked the crowd to first sit down. The crowds were divided into groups of fifties and hundreds. If they remained standing, they would bump into each other easily; fifty can easily become seventy-five, and a hundred can easily become seventy-five. Human beings move around, and when their legs are free they do not tend to remain still, but once they sit down, they are not mobile and do not move easily. Perhaps the disciples divided the three thousand into thirty groups. This would be much easier to handle than a mob of three thousand. Whether it was the feeding of the multitude or baptism, arrangements brought in order and avoided confusion.
We can identify three basic steps or principles for management from the way the Lord trained the disciples to conduct business. First, we should provide sessions for the brothers and sisters to have a chance to do some actual practice. The Lord believed in practice sessions. This is the reason He took the lead to train the disciples this way. In Acts we see that all the believers had everything in common. They distributed to each according to the need. Actually, the Lord had trained the disciples to do this already. This was the reason the disciples were able to carry this out later. The deacons should never be afraid of trouble. They should take the lead to show the brothers and sisters how to do things first. Consider how we set up our chairs in Shanghai. Sometimes some saints set up the chairs in such a way that no one can sit down. The chairs must be spaced far enough apart, and there must be enough chairs. There are skills to doing the work. One does not pick up such a skill the first time. The deacons have to provide opportunity for the brothers and sisters to have actual practice.
I always attach one condition to officiating a marriage ceremony: The involved parties have to come together the day before the marriage and make a trial run to get things right. Otherwise, they can ask someone else to officiate the ceremony; I will have no part in it. We will know how to act only by having a trial run. Otherwise, the wedding procession music may play five times and the bride still may not be ready. The Gentiles will think that we are too sloppy, and they will laugh at us. Once a sister, Miss Kingston, observed the order in our wedding meeting and remarked, "It's too bad that I am so old. Otherwise, I would surely be married at Wen-teh Lane and let you officiate my wedding. Your way is right. If we do not have proper order, we will not glorify the Lord."
The second point about management is that we have to find the way. Consider again the example of the Lord feeding the multitude. He did not charge the disciples to tell the crowd, "Just come and eat." What would they do when the crowd came? Nor did He ask the multitude to come to Him one by one to get their bread. If He had done this, the first one would have taken half a minute and the second would have taken a minute. By the time the last one stood in line, four or five hours would have passed. The Lord's way was to divide the crowd into groups of hundreds and fifties. He gave the bread to the twelve disciples, who in turn passed it on to the groups. This is the meaning of finding the way to manage things.
In managing affairs one has to find the proper way. In dealing with people one has to make proper assignments. We have to distribute the work to the brothers and sisters. We should not allow any one of them to be idle. In distributing the bread, the Lord called all twelve disciples to Him. He gave bread to all twelve. In this way all thirty or fifty groups were taken care of properly. The deacons have to do the same. They have to know how to distribute the work in their hand. They have to know how to assign men to do different tasks. If one does one thing and another does another, the work will be finished in a short time.
There will be no confusion in the church if we have trial runs, come up with the right way, and make the proper assignments in every situation. The elders have to help the brothers in all the districts do this. Never act rashly. Rash action only brings bad results which do not glorify the Lord. The deacons have to be careful and diligent in their service in the church. The church is the house of God; it is not the laboratory of the saints.
If we practice all these points, the church will reap the benefit. If we learn our lesson well in the preaching of the gospel, we will become very useful for the migration. Even if we remain in our locality, we will become useful in managing affairs. I sincerely hope that a hundred people will migrate from Hong Kong to Chungking. Chungking is a strategic place for the gospel. The gospel must go out, and we must learn to do things the right way. We must not only know how to do things ourselves, but we must help the brothers and sisters do the same, until their work is as good as God's.
We all have to exercise and train ourselves this way. This is not a matter of a day's zeal; we have to learn to do this patiently day by day. I hope that the brothers and sisters in Hong Kong will be ahead of those in other places. We have to use every day to the fullest. Every day we have to learn something new and gain something new before God. Our theology is different from others' theology. They learn it in the seminary, outside the church. Our theology is in the church. We are learning to work "in Christ," while they are being perfected in doctrine and procedure only.
The first time the deacons are spoken of is in Acts 6. There we are told that there was a problem of supply, yet the apostles considered it unfitting for them to forsake the word of God to take care of food. They selected seven men of good reputation, who were filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom, to manage this matter (vv. 1-6). These seven deacons took care of the distribution of food. The brothers who worked as apostles then devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. Here we see that deacons are responsible for the business affairs. Management of food means management of finances. It means distributing to each according to his need and making sure that no one is in want. The first work of the deacons in the church is to manage the finances. We ask two brothers to manage the finances, and another two brothers and sisters to do the bookkeeping.
Managing finances does not mean taking over the finances. The deacons have to work in a proper way under the supervision of the elders. In particular, special designated funds must not be used arbitrarily; the elders must be the ones who make the decisions.
Schooling is a very important matter to the young people. We have to learn to take care of their education. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. This is the reason God could reveal to him "the pattern on the mountain" (Acts 7:20-22; Exo. 25:8-9). However, had he not been taught by his mother from his youth, he would not have known that he was one of God's people, a people of promise (Exo. 2:1-10). We have assigned six deacons to specifically take care of this matter, and we have asked two sisters to head up this work.
If possible, try not to study in a Catholic school. The Lord's commandment is to come out of her and to be separated from her. We should not think that we can be broad in this matter. Even if it means delaying a school term, we have to help such ones to change schools.
No brother or sister should study in a school alone. There should at least be two. It is better to have more than five or six. Putting a person in a school is like putting his head in the mouth of a lion; it is hard to tell a lion not to close its mouth. We should not presume that every brother and sister is a Daniel. If we do not want to fall into a well, it is best to stay away and not loiter around it.
The deacons must also care for the young people and perfect them in every way. They have to be like Miss Groves, checking with them about their gospel work on the campus and their persistence in the study of the Bible. We have to train them to do things properly and nurture them in their consecration. In this way they will gospelize their school. What does it matter if they delay their graduation for half a year for the sake of the gospel? We are going to school for the sake of preaching the gospel. What difference does it make if they graduate half a year sooner or later? We have to put this goal before them.
The young ones have to go to school faithfully. If they do not study well, their parents will be critical. They should do everything for the gospel's sake. This is true not only with their schools but with their friends as well. They should make friends for the sake of the gospel, putting down the names of their friends and classmates in a prayer list and praying for them every day. They have to work on a few at a time. For example, they may concentrate on two persons for two months, praying for them every day. Whenever the opportunity arises, they should bring them to a gospel meeting. If they are faithful, I believe they will gain school after school in a short time. They have to spend time to pray and to seek the Lord, not being loose in any of these matters.
The brothers who serve as the elders have to supervise the deacons. The church is full of activities, but we must not neglect the care and perfection of men just because of busy activities. We have to pray and consider everything carefully before the Lord. I hope that from now on the church in Hong Kong will preach the gospel in one accord.
Many brothers and sisters have handed over everything. In the future when they have needs, we have to remember them. The items that they have handed over are very useful to the migration. It costs a great deal of money to move a group of people to Yi-Yang. Some items are worth little here because there is no demand for them. But in Yi-Yang they cost a great deal of money. We should not "kill the chicken to get the egg." The brothers and sisters should still manage their business properly, but they have to be touched to such an extent that "the money disappears while the person remains." This means that the person is captured by the Lord while the money is released. Statistics all over the world prove that the amount of money spent on the gospel determines the number of souls saved. I hope that the brothers and sisters will manage their business well so that they can offer up the money they earn to gain more people.
Presently, we have eleven brothers who are quite successful in their business. I hope that they will continue to manage their business. What they earn above their needs should be offered up as much as possible. In the future when we have more migrations, the money will be useful to help the migrating ones. Some from Tsingtao are ready to migrate, but there is not enough money to support their move. I sincerely hope that their lack can be made up from here. We have to make proper arrangements for all the brothers who are in business and who have handed themselves over. Our occupation is for the gospel.
The goal of a business is to make money. Once we have money we can send it out for the gospel. The brothers who have incomes and who are holding jobs should no longer seek to earn money for themselves; they should be for the gospel, and they should seek to open up more opportunities for spreading the gospel. In the same way, the students should go to school for the gospel's sake. The purpose of our job is to sustain our living; but it is also to propagate the gospel. Whatever kind of business we do, we need to pray much and look to the Lord to make provisions beyond our plans. The motive of our taking up an occupation should be for the gospel.
Migration requires training. The brothers and sisters must be able to study the Bible, manage practical affairs, and preach the gospel. In particular, the young brothers also need a vocational skill. This skill has to fit the requirements of the government everywhere. We cannot move an ordinary wage earner into the interior of China, because this does not fit the requirements of the local government. The church in the inland regions cannot support us, and we become a burden to them instead. If we have some special skill, we will not only support ourselves when we move inland, but we will be able to support others as well. Those who are migrating should know some Bible truths. They should be able to manage practical affairs, and they should be able to preach the gospel. But they must also be able to sustain themselves with a living. Shanghai shortly will move another group to Yi-Yang. Two hundred people have signed up already, but we can only choose thirty among them for the move. In Yi-Yang saints go for months without a single dollar of pocket money to spare. This is the reason everyone has to have a skill and be able to support himself.
In choosing an occupation, we should not have the concept that some jobs are noble while others are lowly. The age has changed. The young brothers and sisters in particular should change their concept. Do not be ashamed of being a manual laborer. On the contrary, all of us have to learn to be manual laborers. When the need of migration arises and we have the desire, the church can send us, and it will be easy for us to coordinate with others. If possible, I hope that some will go to the university to study medicine. Today there is a great need for doctors and nurses everywhere. There are too many doctors and nurses in the cities, but there is a shortage in the villages. There is a need for doctors and nurses all over China from the north to the south. In the future, professional people like doctors, nurses, and chemists will be welcomed everywhere. Some brothers in Shanghai are starting a dye factory and desperately need chemical technicians. Perhaps some pharmacists can go back to school to learn something more about medicine. The dye factory can also train some specially skilled workers and dye technicians. Yi-Yang can buy four or six mills and provide jobs for the brothers and sisters.
Wherever we go we form large cooperative farms. This matches the land reform policy of the government. In addition to farming, we can also do some small scale ranching. Concrete workers, carpenters, and accountants are also good professions. These professions or skills can be very useful to the migration. Hence, we should not study a subject that does not support long term employment. I hope that the twelve leading brothers here will spend time to get into this matter. Our job should be permanent in its usefulness, and it should be good for coordination with others.
Some saints in Chefoo have migrated to the northwest. That can be considered the first migration of the church. Yi-Yang is our second migration. In the future there will be more and more migrations. All the migrants should be able to sustain their living by working with their two hands. Today we should never choose a job that is easy. May the Lord grant the brothers and sisters the grace to offer up everything in an absolute way. May we prepare ourselves for the migration. We should not wait until a migration comes to discover that we cannot do anything.
The centers of our work in the coming days include: Shanghai for Kiangsu province, Swatow for the Hakka dialect region, and Ch'ang-ch'un for Manchuria. In the future, six or seven co-workers will go to Ch'ang-ch'un. Presently there are sixty assemblies in Manchuria, and about twenty to thirty of them need men. The co-workers will be leaving next week.
The provinces of Hopeh, Shuiyuen, and Chahar have Peking as their center. K'un-ming will oversee the province of Yunnan. There are many Miao natives in Yunnan. Most of them are populated around the Nu River. There is the need for people to give themselves to care for these ones. Presently, we do not have any work in Kwaichow; there is the need of some positive pioneering. The northwest is centered in Lanchow, which takes care of Sinkiang and Tsinghai also. Presently, there are three assemblies in Tsinghai. In the future some will need to migrate to Lanchow. Presently, the province of Shensi cannot be under Lanchow; it can have Sian as its center. The "ministry house" that is set up now is for training the young brothers and sisters in Bible study. The work of migration in Shanghai is going on smoothly. Some have migrated to Nanchang. Therefore, we can set up a region in Nanchang now.
The work of migration in all these places requires financial support. We hope that the amount of work and the amount of money offered can match one another. When we told you to sell some of your possessions the last time, half of those proceeds should be left in Hong Kong for the purchase of the meeting hall. The other half should be given to the responsible brothers and distributed to the above mentioned places. Let the money you have offered be sent to other places and let it work for the furtherance of the gospel.
I must say a word of clarification here. In a sense it is redundant to say this, but I will speak of it in passing for the sake of those who want to be clear about everything. This is not the greatest thing to say, and many of you can say this for me, but the list of places that we just spoke of does not include Kuling. The Lord forgives me for boasting. From the first day until now, Kuling has not received any income from anyone. Hong Kong offered a little sum once, and Swatow also offered once, but it was used for food expenses in Kuling; these offerings were not designated for the work. We will only accept the offering of those who have passed through the training in Kuling. This is not a narrowness of heart on my part. I simply do not want to give others an opportunity for criticism. Since 1934 I have not received any offering from the churches. It was only two weeks ago that I first received an offering of fifty dollars, but I have transferred it to those who are in need of food.
If I relax my standing, the Lord's work will suffer a setback. I make this declaration because I want to be honest to you. I have to maintain my standing as a worker of the Lord. It is not a matter of being too proud to bow my head to receive offerings from others. I want to maintain the honor of a worker of God. I do this to make sure that my mouth is not shut up. This is my standing, and this is Kuling's standing. I have not allowed any of my co-workers to touch one penny of the work's money. Brother Witness is here. Please excuse me for saying this word to you: Any attack on him is an attack on me. If Brother Witness makes a mistake in anything, it is my mistake. Many people have offered us very cheap criticism, but in the end they will not move a little finger of their own. It is wrong for us to love money. It is wrong for us to love the world. Please forgive me for saying "a foolish word." I say this to show you that the sincerity of Christ is in me. No one can stop me from boasting this way. My word is not to lower my own standard. In every place our co-workers have to do the same; they should not do this only in Hong Kong. I expect our testimony to be above the criticism of the fault finders. I want to show that all the criticisms are untrue. The reason there is so much criticism is that some people love money. This is the reason they made up all the slander. We have to know that our co-workers are laboring with a burden on their shoulders. This is a little word of clarification from me to those who are listening as bystanders here. May the Lord be merciful in regard to what I have just said.
