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Date:Wednesday evening, August 31, 1949Place:Hong Kong
One can study the Bible alone privately, but he also can study it corporately with the brothers and sisters. The co-workers in particular should spend time together to study the Word corporately. Every time they do this, they should spend at least three hours together.
One of the ways to study the Bible is to take a portion of the Word and compile and translate it from scratch. In translating each word, one has to compare the existing Chinese versions word for word. We can consult the writings of a few Bible teachers: Dean Henry Alford's word study, Stephen's New Testament in Greek, Young's Concordance, Newberry's Bible published by the Brethren, and F. G. Grant's and J. N. Darby's expositions.
If we are not careful and serious in our study of the Word, we can easily build a message upon a wrong translation of a word. In Romans 1:1 Paul said that he was called by God to preach the gospel of God. In Philippians 1:16 he spoke of the defense of the gospel. In Galatians 1:6-9 he pointed out that those who preached a different gospel should be accursed. Therefore, we should never consider God's Word in a light way; neither should we consider that anyone can expound it at will or preach the gospel from it. Paul told Timothy that the church is the pillar and base of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15) and that this truth is concerning God's divine economy (1:4). The cross, life, faith, truth, and teachings are all included in the gospel of God, which is revealed in the Scripture. The gospel of God encompasses all of God's communications with man. Paul was separated for this gospel, yet he was only a slave. God keeps His enterprise under His own hand. This is the reason Romans 11:34 says, "Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has become His counselor?" God's gospel is God's entire divine enterprise. Paul was a slave in this enterprise. We are called by God to be slaves as well. Therefore, we should not be so presumptuous as to expound the truth by ourselves. If we do, we will become God's counselor.
The second way to study the Bible is by word study. We have to study every word and phrase in every passage carefully and thoroughly. Consider Romans 1:1. Expressions such as Christ Jesus, slave, called, apostle, separated, and the gospel of God require special attention. We have to find out how many times these expressions are used and under what circumstances they are used. We have to find the Scripture references and teachings behind these expressions and organize them a little. This will give us a basic and clear understanding of the use of these expressions. With the word separated, for example, we can note the process through which God separated Paul:
1) Separated at birth from his mother's womb (Gal. 1:15).
2) Separated to be a vessel at the time of salvation on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-19).
3) Separated for the work in Antioch (Acts 13:2).
In some cases, the expressions Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus are used interchangeably. However, we should not think that they are the same thing. This work is time consuming. Do not take any expression for granted. If we can dig into a few dozen of these expressions, we will have some foundation in the knowledge of the Bible.
The third way to study the Bible is by the way of synthesis. Through synthesis we can trace a line through the Bible. There is a central line in the divine revelation. God's revelation to man comes in many portions and in many ways (Heb. 1:1). It comes a little here and a little there. Every time God's revelation comes to us, it is more advanced than the previous times. Therefore, we have to study in the way of synthesis. We have to find the complete revelation of the entire Bible through synthesis. At the end of the Bible, God's revelation is fully completed.
In order to study this way, we have to acquaint ourselves with the divine arguments presented in the Bible. The Holy Spirit has His own line of argument. Paul said that one has to exercise his spirit as well as his understanding in discerning spiritual things (1 Cor. 14:15). Hebrews 5:14 says, "But solid food is for the full-grown, who because of practice have their faculties exercised for discriminating between both good and evil." In order to study the Bible, our faculties must be exercised. Only then will we be able to discriminate between good and evil. In Philippians Paul told us that he not only preached the gospel, but he was also given to the defense of the gospel. If a man is not properly trained in his understanding, he will be short of arguments and words as soon as he is challenged. The gospel was powerful in Paul, but in us it is poor. This is because our understanding is not fully exercised.
We can only synthesize topics that are similar in nature. Those that do not belong to the same group cannot be synthesized together. If we try to synthesize unrelated topics, we will confuse the truth. For example, the four Gospels record the earthly life, ministry, and words of the Lord Jesus. In reading His words, we have to differentiate between commandments and exhortations. We have to differentiate words of righteousness from words of grace (cf. Heb. 5:13). The Epistles were all written by the apostles under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, yet they are not all God's commandments. With God's Word, it is not simply a matter of taking it or leaving it. Paul did not have God's commandment, yet he still spoke God's word (1 Cor. 7:25, 40). Paul could do this because he had been constituted by God through many years. Although he argued and reasoned with the church in Corinth, his word still became a revelation to the church.
We cannot wander through the Word mindlessly. We have to follow a definite line. In reading Paul's Epistles, it is very important that we follow his divine arguments and capture his thoughts. The thoughts governing Paul at the time he wrote his Epistles are the thoughts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 7:40). If we gloss over everything indiscriminately, we will not understand what we have read even after studying it.
The problem with us today is that we are too poor in utterance. There should be an abundance of utterance in the church. In order to be rich in utterance, we have to spend time to study the Bible.
To study the Bible, one needs good translated versions and reference books. The Chinese Union Version is one of the seven best versions in the world. It is based on the best version of the Greek text. There are several versions that are good for comparison. Of the Chinese translations for reference, the best version is the Wen-Li Union Translation. In many cases, its translation of single-syllable expressions is better than that of the Chinese Union Version. Concerning the Lord's resurrection, it makes a distinction between resurrection, fu-hwo, and raising up, fu-chi. Another version which is also acceptable is the Joseph Shi translation. The translator was a converted Jew who aimed at providing a good translation for the Chinese. He studied Chinese and finished this version all by himself. It was published over twenty years ago. The expressions he used are not the best; they are somewhat awkward. But the translation is very accurate. Reference books can be read as one has the time. But we must exercise discretion in choosing which ones to read. Some expositional reference books are not that common, and they can be quite deep. For example, Darby's Synopsis of the Books of the Bible renders help to some but is a damage to others. The flow of the Holy Spirit is always advancing. Such reference books should be studied only with proper fellowship. This fellowship will provide the proper protection and safeguard.
Our main work lies in perfecting others. Paul said that we have to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom (Col. 3:16). He also said that we should present every man full-grown in Christ in all wisdom with much labor (1:28-29). After men are saved, we have to select some seeking and advanced ones to give them some perfecting. We have to bring them on until their problems are solved. We have to walk with them, go over the fifty-two lessons with them, and nurture and perfect them.
Let us learn from Paul's example. His ministry was not a general one; it was very specific. No ministry in the church should be general. Actually, there is no general ministry. There is only one unique ministry, the New Testament ministry (2 Cor. 3:6-11). God speaks in the church and to the church, but His speaking is not for everyone. In the New Testament there are general Epistles to all the churches, such as the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Epistles of Peter. There are also Epistles addressed to specific churches, such as the Epistle to the Ephesians and the Epistle to the Colossians. There are also Epistles to specific individuals, such as the Epistles to Timothy, the Epistle to Titus, and the Epistle to Philemon. Paul wrote not only Epistles but messages. These messages are ministry-oriented; they are for the fulfillment of the stewardship which God committed to him. Some words are for one group of people, while other words are for another group of people. Paul was all things to all men and spoke different things to different people (1 Cor. 9:20-22). Some letters were to be read to more than one church (Col. 4:16). Other letters were addressed to individuals. Some commandments were given to the whole church (1 Cor. 11:16). Other commandments were given to individuals. If one applies the scope wider than it was intended, problems may arise.
The new believers' edification must be closely supervised. If the co-workers are inwardly living and burdened, they can closely supervise the new ones. We must also train a group of more advanced ones to be assistant tutors. These tutors should also be under the supervision of the co-workers. They should follow the leading brothers, first to be edified themselves, and then to edify others. The way to monitor the new ones is to build up various levels of checks. There are leaders, co-workers, and then tutors. The leading ones should check on the co-workers. Each co-worker should check on five tutors, and each tutor should check on ten saints. In this way no one will be left out. You have to make the new believers' edification meeting very living. This is the life pulse of the church. I have often said to Brother Witness that our gospel will come to a standstill if the new believers' meeting is not living. When a new one is not properly edified after coming to the church, he will become a burden to the church. However, if the new believers' meeting is good, the church will be solid, and there will be the sustained impact of the gospel.
We should do our best to mobilize everyone for the work of edifying believers. If the work of the church is carried out by all the members, the church will find itself going on in a proper way. But if we are the only ones who are working, and no one else is perfected to work with us, sooner or later we will be exhausted even if we have the proper way. The more the saints are involved in the work of edifying the new ones, the more the church will be revived. If only a few are working, these few will be overburdened to the point of exhaustion. I have tried visiting over thirty people a day. Such exertion can kill a man inwardly. Some may say that they cannot take care of anyone. They may say that they are not capable. But even if they cannot do it, they still have to do it. It is better to do something than to do nothing. Although one may encounter many difficulties, the more he learns, the more he will find the key. Two months ago, Foochow was facing some real difficulties. Some were dead, and others were immobile, but others have experienced a genuine change.
Gospel visitation is also an important work of the church. We have to pay attention to a number of points: How do we knock on others' doors? What should be our attitude when we meet others? How should we conduct ourselves in our speaking? How should we respond to different kinds of people? How should we respond when we have the answer, and how should we respond when we do not have the answer? What should our manner be? How long should we stay in someone's home? (It should be half an hour at the most.) The responsible brothers have to consider these things. When we meet the gospel friends, we can say, "I am coming to you on behalf of the church; the church cares for you and has heard that you have believed in the Lord Jesus. We are very happy about it. The church has sent me to visit you." The visiting ones do not necessarily have to pass on any teaching; they can simply give their own testimonies. If the friends have some problems, there is no need to answer everything. Just say, "I myself have believed in the Lord for only two months. I am also a learner." If many people can rise up to do this work, there will be less idle ones in the church (cf. Matt. 20:1-10).
For visitation, there is the need of training. The trainers and the leaders must pray and consider much. Before assigning brothers and sisters to the visitation work, they should seek the Lord. They should know how to lead the saints in this work. When they encounter difficulties, they should fellowship, pray, and seek solutions. The same is true with the overseers. If the visitation work is done in a hurry and if the visitors are not exercised before the Lord, it will be easy to offend others. It may even cause problems. However, if it is conducted in a careful way, everything will be covered adequately.
The brothers have to bear responsibility for carrying out the above points. You have to consider much before the Lord and pray much before making any assignment. You have to be strict before the Lord. If you are strict, you will not be careless. You have to present all the things before the Lord one by one. If you want to work at all, you have to work properly, systematically, and in a dedicated way. Do not be loose. Do not think that any way is just as good as another as long as it is done by the spirit. This is wrong. In addition to exercising your spirit, you have to work according to the right principles. The most important principle in the work is not being slothful in zeal. Those who are slothful will not accomplish anything. I hope that none of you will be slothful. If God grants mercy and adds more people, you will feel that twenty-four hours are not enough to do your work.
Every week you have to schedule a meeting for business affairs. This meeting is harder to conduct than a message meeting. Sometimes one does not know how he can release his burden through the fellowship. If the burden remains locked up inside, it becomes a condemnation to the conscience. If there are too many affairs to take care of in such a meeting, the burden becomes correspondingly heavy. For this reason you have to come together to pray first. You have to open up your spirit to cast your care on God. Your spirit has to be unfettered. Then you must consider carefully and think through everything before God before discussing it. The meeting for business affairs should be separated from the meeting for Bible study. Do not mix the two things together. They must be separate. Do everything with a single heart. A man is limited in his mental capacity. Even the combined effort and energy of a few people are limited. This is the reason you must work with singleness of heart. You must study the Bible with singleness of heart, and you must fellowship about business affairs with singleness of heart. If you mix these two things together, you will accomplish nothing.
In addition to these meetings, there is sometimes the need to have a meeting for evangelists. Before and after every such gospel meeting, there is the need of thorough prayer, fellowship, and evaluation. If you do this, the church will become powerful in the gospel.
