Search
Scripture Reading: Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:21; Col. 3:4, 10-11
We need to see what the Lord’s recovery is. We may be accustomed to speaking about the recovery, yet I am concerned that even those who have been in the church for many years do not adequately know what the Lord’s recovery is. We do not need to learn a complicated definition. The Lord’s recovery is simply the recovery of Christ. This simple definition is adequate because Christ is everything to us. Some may define the Lord’s recovery as the recovery of the genuine oneness, but genuine oneness is simply Christ Himself. Others may define the Lord’s recovery as the recovery of the proper church life, but the proper church life also is Christ. Thus, the Lord’s recovery is the recovery of Christ as everything to us.
God’s eternal purpose in His economy is to work Christ into His chosen people so that they may become the Body of Christ. To become the Body of Christ is to become a part of Christ. A person’s body is simply the main part of the person. A complete person is composed of a head and a body. Just as we cannot say that a person’s head is not the person, neither can we say that a person’s body is not the person. If neither the head nor the body is the person, there is no person. Every part of a person, even a little finger, is the person. Some may say that in order to be accurate, we must say that a finger is only a part of the person, not the person. This may seem logical, but if we follow this line of thought to its ultimate conclusion, we will see that it cannot be true. If we say that a person’s finger is not the person, we must also say that the hand is not the person, that the arm and shoulder are not the person, and so on until eventually there is nothing that is the person. Therefore, every part of a person is the person. We need to see that the Lord’s recovery is to recover Christ and that God’s eternal purpose in His economy is to work Christ, to dispense Christ, into our being to make us a part of Christ, the Body of Christ. We also need to see that the Body of Christ is simply Christ. The Head is Christ, and the Body also is Christ (1 Cor. 12:12).
The apostle Paul did not say, “To me, to live is Christ’s Body.” Rather, he said, “To me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21a). Like Paul, we should have the boldness to say this because Christ lives in us (Gal. 2:20) and is being formed in us until our being becomes Christ (4:19). Because Christ is our life (Col. 3:4), our person (vv. 10-11), our love, our kindness, our humility, our long-suffering, our holiness, our righteousness, and our everything, we are Christ. To us, to live is Christ. God’s intention is to work Christ into us and to make us a part of Christ.
To be a Christian is to be a Christ-man, a man of Christ. A steel chair is a chair made of steel; the whole chair is steel. Likewise, to be a Christian, a Christ-man, is to be Christ. Our whole being should be Christ. However, our daily living reveals that we are not entirely Christ; rather, we are partially a Christ-man and partially the old man. We may be a Christ-man in name, but we may not actually have very much of Christ in our being. This does not mean that we are not Christ when we are evil and that we are Christ when we are good. Only when we are living Christ are we genuinely Christ. We need Christ to be our love, our humility, our holiness, and everything positive to us. Negative things, such as our pride and our looseness, are Satan. All negative things are Satan, but not all positive things are Christ. Some love is Christ; some love is not Christ. If a young brother fights with his siblings, it is obvious that his fighting is not Christ. However, if the brother is kind to his siblings, his kindness also may not be Christ. I have seen many unbelieving young people behaving properly, but their good behavior is certainly not Christ. Evil things are not Christ; neither are good things necessarily Christ. Only Christ is Christ.
Christianity has Christ only in name and very little in reality. Instead of Christ, Christianity is composed mainly of four categories of things. The first category is concepts, doctrines, and teachings. The second category is certain ways, such as ways to preach the gospel. Many Christian groups use worldly music, dramas, movies, and other ways to preach the gospel. The third category is various activities and movements. The final category of things that compose today’s Christianity is organizations. If these four categories of things were removed from Christianity, there would be little left. This is the regrettable situation among God’s people today. Christ is altogether missing from Christianity (Rev. 3:20).
Near the end of his life A. W. Tozer, a faithful servant of the Lord in the Christian and Missionary Alliance, wrote an article entitled “The Waning Authority of Christ in the Churches.” In it he describes church boards discussing ways to work for the Lord and preach the gospel yet not giving Christ a place in their decisions. Tozer says that in Christianity today Christ is “little more than a beloved symbol.” Only the name of Christ, not His person, has a position in Christianity. There are many doctrines concerning Christ and many activities for the work of Christ, but Christ Himself is missing.
The church as the Body of Christ is nothing other than Christ. Therefore, there is a desperate need today for a recovery of Christ as our everything. In the Lord’s recovery Christ is our only concept, doctrine, and teaching. Furthermore, Christ is our way. In John 14:6 the Lord said, “I am the way.” Christ, not rock music or dramas, is our way. Furthermore, Christ, not any kind of movement, is our activity. The church is not an organization. Rather, the church is an organism, the Body of Christ, which is Christ Himself. In the Lord’s recovery there is nothing but Christ. Colossians 3:10-11 says, “Put on the new man...where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.” In the new man, the church, Christ is all. Because Christ, as everything in the church, has been lost and missed in Christianity, the Lord has come in to recover this crucial matter. The Lord has a recovery in order to recover Christ as everything to the church.
Now that we have seen what the Lord’s recovery is in principle, let us apply this principle. Some illustrations may help us to understand the practical application of the Lord’s recovery being the recovery of Christ as everything to us.
In Christianity today gospel preaching is carried out by certain methods. These methods include rock music, dramas, and movies. However, the Bible does not give us a method to preach the gospel. Rather, the Bible likens gospel preaching to fruit-bearing. The Lord said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The branches of a vine bear fruit simply by living the vine, growing the vine, and producing the vine. As branches of Christ, we should preach Christ not by rock music, dramas, or any other method but by living Christ, growing Christ, and producing Christ. When the branches abide in the vine, the life-juice of the vine flows into the branches, resulting in an overflow of life from within the branches. This overflow becomes fruit. Fruit is simply the overflow, or outflow, of the inner life. Thus, the way to preach the gospel is not by any kind of activity but by a daily life of living Christ, growing Christ, and producing Christ.
Approximately twenty-five years ago a group of young people came from the United States to Taiwan to preach the gospel by playing basketball. A large number of Taiwanese young people were attracted to see the Americans play basketball, and perhaps a few were brought to Christ. Because today is the age of grace, anyone who believes in the Lord will be saved (3:16; Rom. 10:9). Salvation in the age of grace may be likened to rain coming through an opening in a roof. Regardless of who is under the roof, whether it is a band of bank robbers or a person with the highest morality, the rain will come in wherever there is an opening, but no rain will come in if there is no opening. In the age of grace, regardless of what ways are used to attract people to hear the gospel, people can be saved if they open to receive the Lord.
Suppose there are three young Christians who are zealous for the gospel. After praying they may begin to consider the best way to preach the gospel. One may say, “We need guitars.” Another may say, “We need trumpets.” The third one may say, “We need tambourines.” Eventually, they may decide that they need to have a band or an orchestra in order to attract a group of young people to hear the gospel. After preaching the gospel in this way on a Saturday and perhaps even bringing some to Christ, one of the three young Christians may go to a movie theater during the week. Another one may go to a bar, and the third one to a dance club. This may be their daily life. When the next Saturday comes, they may once again preach the gospel by using music to attract some young people. They may still be very zealous for gospel preaching. They may even bring some people they met at the theater, the bar, and the dance club to hear the gospel. The Bible says that everything is produced according to its kind (Gen. 1:11-12, 21, 24-25). However, these young Christians are not according to their kind. On one hand, they are Christian preachers; on the other hand, they are persons who visit defiling places. We cannot expect God to bestow His blessing upon this kind of situation.
A brother may speak often to his relatives and friends concerning the Lord’s recovery and the church, but if he goes to movie theaters and bars, his relatives and friends will look down on his living, and his testimony will spontaneously lose its impact. However, if the brother lives a Christian life with a high standard, pursuing only Christ, although his relatives and friends may outwardly criticize him as being religious or legalistic, deep in their heart they will admire him. Their conscience will testify that he is a genuine lover of Jesus and that his speaking is sincere. The Lord will use his living to touch their heart. Perhaps one year one of his relatives will turn to the Lord. The next year a schoolmate may turn to the Lord. The third year one of his friends may turn to the Lord. The rate of bearing one fruit per year is not too slow. If we all lived this way and brought one person to Christ per year, we would have a hundred percent increase every year. Moreover, most of those we gain in this way will become remaining fruit.
Rather than gimmicks, dramas, or rock music, we need a proper testimony in our living. Moreover, we need to love the Lord with our whole being, live Christ, and unceasingly pray. This is the way of the Lord’s recovery, the recovery of Christ in an absolute way. We need to be clear that in the Lord’s recovery we do not accept anything other than Christ. We have no ways and no concepts but only Christ. We have no method to preach the gospel; we only live Christ, pray, love Christ, and love others. Through the testimony of our daily living, many of our relatives, friends, neighbors, classmates, and colleagues will eventually turn to the Lord. Then the church, which is a lampstand shining over the dark worldly society (Rev. 1:12, 20), will increase. This is the Lord’s way of fruit-bearing. If instead of the Lord’s way we take the low way of joining unbelievers in worldly activities in order to preach the gospel to them, even our gospel contacts will inwardly criticize us and mock us. We must maintain the standard of having a proper testimony by living Christ.
Some brothers and sisters are crazy lovers of Jesus. They do not care for movies, bars, or dancing; they care only for Christ. Day and night they do nothing but pursue Christ. At home, at school, and everywhere they care only for Christ. As branches in the vine, they do nothing but live the vine. As branches of Christ, we should do nothing but live Christ.
Another Christian may try to discourage such crazy lovers of Jesus, saying, “You do not need to be so religious, caring for nothing but Christ all the time. To go to the Lord’s Day morning meeting every week is to be religious. It is better to stay in bed.” Such speaking has been heard even in some local churches. Some even say, “The more you sleep in the morning, the more spiritual you will become.” Others say, “You do not need to be so legal. You are bound by a legality to not go to the movies. Not all movies are bad; some movies are very good. You need to be liberated to go to the good movies.” If someone speaks to us in this way, we need to be clear that this person is sent not by God but by God’s enemy. Both going to the Lord’s Day morning meeting and not going may be legalities. We should not care for either legality; rather, we should care only for Christ. However, it is doubtful that we can receive more of Christ by sleeping in on the Lord’s Day morning. If we care only for Christ, we will rise up early in the morning to contact the Lord and prepare to meet with His church. Likewise, if we care only for Christ, we will see that we certainly cannot receive more of Christ by going to a movie. Attending sporting events may not be sinful, but our experience tells us that we do not receive more of Christ by going to sporting events. We should not care for whether something is legal or not. We should not care for any particular ways or concepts. We should care only for Christ. We need to go only where we can receive more of Christ, and we need to take only the way by which we will receive more of Christ.
Some young people recently asked me concerning a certain kind of speaking they heard. Some saints told them not to go to movies, but others said, “Do not be so legal; go to the movies.” Some also told them not to be religious by always coming to the Lord’s Day morning meeting, but others told them that they needed to come. I explained to the young people, “Religion is to serve or worship God without Christ.” In other words, anything we do for God apart from Christ is religion. Anything that has Christ in it is not religion. To go to a Lord’s Day morning meeting without Christ is religion, but to stay home on the Lord’s Day morning to try to be spiritual or liberated without Christ also is religion. What matters is not whether we go to the meeting or stay home but whether we do all things with Christ. It is not a matter of what we should or should not do; it is a matter of Christ.
When we contact Christ, live Christ, grow Christ, and produce Christ, Christ surely will not lead us to a theater, a bar, or a dancing club. However, we cannot assume that Christ is in a certain thing simply because it is practiced in the church life. If we shout in the meetings without Christ, our shouting is not the Lord’s recovery. If our singing is void of Christ, our singing is only a musical activity, not the Lord’s recovery. Every bit of everything in the Lord’s recovery must be Christ. We do not care for any way or any concept; we care only for Christ.
If a brother is weak, he may occasionally slip into a theater to see a movie, but he should not promote this activity. We should preach only Christ, not our private life and certainly not our weaknesses. Going to movies is a sign of weakness in one’s Christian life. I believe that a saint who is strong in life would refrain from going to a movie theater, even if only to avoid the appearance of sin. We may go to a movie out of weakness, but we should never promote this, make this a teaching, or bring this into the church as a practice, telling others that to go to the movies is a liberation. I know of many young people who have been influenced by this kind of teaching. In our conscience we know that this is not liberation but looseness. We need to realize that any kind of looseness may lead to the indulgence of lust.
A dissenting concept is held by some who say that the church should not meet in large general meetings. They think that it is better to have small family-style meetings in the homes. Concepts always damage. We should not care about the kind of meetings we have; we should care only for Christ. If we would like to have some saints meet in our home, and if we have the assurance that Christ is in this, we should simply do it. However, we should not promote it. If we promote it, we will make trouble. Everyone has different opinions. Certain kinds of meetings suit certain people’s personal preferences. To insist on meeting in a certain way is to mix Christ with our preference or taste. In a meeting that we have insisted on according to our taste, our conscience will tell us that our enjoyment of Christ is not pure. If we would bring all things to the Lord and pray without insisting on anything, I believe that the Lord will tell us, “You may have this kind of meeting, but do not insist on it.” We need to consider whether our motive is pure. If our motive is purely for Christ without our preference, any kind of meeting is good. The Lord’s recovery is not to recover big meetings or to recover small meetings. All the ways and concepts must be buried. In the Lord’s recovery we care only for Christ. We care only for wherever, whenever, and however we can receive more of Christ and minister Christ to others, not for our concepts, opinions, or personal tastes. Everything must be Christ.
Everyone prefers his way, but no way is the right way. Only Christ is right. Our purpose is not to recover a certain way of meeting. We should not care for any way of meeting; we should care only for whether Christ is in our meeting. This is the major object. If we drop our teachings, our concepts, our ways, and our activities, we will have the genuine oneness. If some insist on having a certain kind of meeting according to their concept, this will cause division. We should not hold on to any concept. If some brothers feel to meet in their homes, we should not oppose them, but neither should they impose or promote their kind of meeting. To promote our concept only causes trouble.
A brother may not be eloquent, but his awkward speaking in a meeting may be full of Christ. Another brother who is very eloquent may capture the attention of the whole congregation after only two sentences, but there may not be much of Christ in his speaking. Rather, his speaking may be full of his personal influence and impact. Regrettably, many saints prefer the speaking of an eloquent brother because it is full of excitement. We need to see that such speaking without Christ is vanity. We may experience excitement during such speaking, but when we go home, nothing goes with us. However, after listening to an awkward brother speak for a few minutes, something of Christ may be wrought into us. Even if we shake our head at his poor words, we can never shake away the Christ he ministers into us. Years later, the Christ ministered through this awkward brother will still be in us. The Lord’s recovery is not concepts, ways, doctrines, practices, eloquence, or activities, but only Christ.
I enjoy hearing beautiful singing in the meetings, but if we care mainly for the music in a meeting, we have fallen back to the condition of degraded Christianity. I would rather hear simple singing that is full of Christ, singing that is sincere and with the exercise of the spirit. The Lord’s recovery is not the recovery of good singing, good meetings, shouting, or excitement. The Lord’s recovery is the recovery purely, wholly, and uniquely of Christ. Everything must be Christ. We should not care for beautiful musical voices or instruments. If we care for the proper singing from our spirit, even if our voices are off-key, our singing is still precious to the Lord.
The Lord’s recovery today is absolutely different from Christianity. Christianity is composed of various concepts, ways, activities, and organizations. In the Lord’s recovery we do not have any concepts, ways, activities, or organizations; instead, all we have is Christ. Every “letter” and every “word” of our “language” is Christ. We have nothing but Christ. We do not care for different ways of meeting, singing, or releasing our spirit. We care only for Christ. In the church life Christ is all and in all (Col. 3:10-11). By the Lord’s mercy and grace we need to drop all our concepts. We should not bring in any concept, whether good or bad, right or wrong. We must keep only Christ so that we may come together to have the church life as a living testimony of Jesus shining in this dark society. This is the Lord’s recovery.
Throughout the past fifty years of the Lord’s recovery, we have never promoted any way. We care only for a living person, Christ. Christ is our singing and our way to meet. He is the gospel and also our way to preach the gospel. Christ is our life, our living, and our conversation. Christ is everything in our Christian life and church life. The Lord’s recovery is the recovery of Christ as everything to us so that we may have the proper church life and the genuine oneness, both of which are simply Christ Himself. Only when we live Christ and drop all the different teachings and concepts can we have the genuine oneness, which is the very Christ whom we are living. I hope that this word will help us to be clear concerning the Lord’s recovery.
