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Scripture Reading: Eph. 3:9-11; Matt. 16:18; 1 Tim. 3:15-16; Acts 15:2, 6, 22-23, 28; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17; Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-3
Prayer: Lord, we thank You that in this dark age You are bringing us into the light. While people are busy toiling in the world, You have separated us, even rescued us, from the world and put us into Your name. Lord, although our gathering is on earth, we sense that we are in the heavens, because the heavens are open to us and are even with us. Lord, You are with us in the heavens. We believe that You will speak to us. We ask You to unveil us to see Your mystery, which has been hidden throughout the ages and is still hidden to many today. Unveil us that we may see Your heart’s desire and know Your eternal will. O Lord, we also ask You to reveal to us in detail the plan, the economy, that You have had from eternity. We also ask that You would operate in our hearts accordingly. O Lord, may You cause each one of us to gain You, to gain Your good pleasure, and to gain the desire of Your heart so that we may be one spirit with You and even one heart and one entity with You.
Lord, we are Your many members, and You are our Head. We know that You have an intention for gathering us together. We treasure this time and know that You will fulfill Your desire and accomplish Your eternal purpose. Lord, give us Your word, light, and life supply. Shine on us and expose our true condition so that we may see You and see ourselves. Make our heart firm and do not let us go. Remove all our wickedness and all our shadows so that our inner being may be single and pure toward You. May our sky be clear, and may our mind and intention be upright and be a straight way through which You may freely pass. Lord, may we gain Your praise as those who are sincere, without any crookedness or guile.
In these few days make clear to us the words in Your heart and infuse us with Your intention, feeling, thought, and even utterance so that we may be one spirit with You. Fellowship with us in our fellowship, and speak to us in our speaking. Confirm the fact that You are one spirit with us, vindicate Your way, and in every aspect put Your enemy to shame on the earth. O Lord, may Your riches and preservation be with Your church so that You may gain the glory.
We pray for the tens of thousands of brothers and sisters on the island of Taiwan; we entrust them to You, commit them into Your hands, and ask You to visit them. May every saint be revived and strengthened inwardly, live an overcoming life, bear a good testimony for You, manifest his function in Your Body, and be building material in the church. We pray for them and also for ourselves. Lord, You are the One who walks in our midst. Our trust is in You; You are our hope. Furthermore, You are our blessing. All that we are depends on You. May You be everything in our midst and be the preeminent One in all things. May You gain the desire of Your heart, and may we obtain satisfaction in You. Amen.
By the Lord’s mercy we have been speaking concerning the new way for over three and a half years. In this period of time we have carried out many studies and experiments. Through these, we believe that we have arrived at a conclusion. We have experimented in every stage and step related to the practice of the new way, the way that is ordained by the Lord. We feel that now is the time for us to fellowship with all the churches regarding our various experiments. We hope that, by the Lord’s grace, through our discussion and review all the churches will accept the results that we have obtained.
All those serving the Lord, whether full-timers, elders, or co-workers, need to be clear regarding one matter: According to the revelation of the New Testament, there is a very crucial group of people. These people are the elders within a locality. In the New Testament the elders, as a group, are crucial in regard to the carrying out of God’s economy. Those who read the Bible usually pay much attention to the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. Similarly, in Christianity most people realize that there is a need for apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers, but few are aware of the importance of the elders. Before we were saved and even after we were saved and entered into the church life, we may have never dreamed that in God’s New Testament economy there is still a need for elders.
The carrying out of God’s New Testament economy in a particular place depends entirely upon the elders. This can be likened to the carrying out of the decree of a government. Whether such a decree can be carried out without hindrance depends almost entirely upon the local administration. If the local administration does not cooperate or has problems and difficulties in regard to the carrying out of the government’s decree, the government will surely fail. Regardless of how strong, good, capable, righteous, and proper the government is, if the decrees of that government cannot be carried out at the level of the local administration, all its efforts will be annulled and made void. Even if the failure to carry out the decree is unintentional and is due to the incapability and incompetence of the local administration, the result of the decree will still equal zero. Similarly, the position of the elders in God’s New Testament economy is exceedingly important.
The Bible reveals that the elders as a group are indispensable in the church life, and our experience also confirms this. When the elders are weak, the church is weak, and when the elders are strong, the church is also strong. Likewise, if the elders are spiritually rich, the church is spiritually rich; and if they are spiritually poor, the church is also spiritually poor. Hence, whether the “tide” of the church is high or low depends solely upon the elders. If the condition of the elders is high, the church will be high; if the condition of the elders is low, the church will be low. The condition of the elders is reflected in the church. This principle is ironclad.
Let us consider the title elder and the eldership. These two matters were first spoken of in the Old Testament. In Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, the record is mainly regarding individuals. Genesis speaks of eight great figures — Adam, Abel, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their history, however, does not reveal much regarding the corporate aspect of God’s people. Although this aspect is briefly touched upon in the record of the age of Noah, it is addressed in a superficial way. Noah was then followed by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Beginning with Jacob, the corporate aspect began to come into view more clearly. After Jacob, the record in Genesis no longer speaks of individuals; rather, it speaks of the twelve sons of Jacob becoming the twelve tribes of Israel and these twelve tribes becoming a nation. At this point the corporate aspect appears.
In Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament, the age of individuals becomes the age of a corporate body. Exodus speaks of the kingdom. Exodus 19:6 says, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests.” A kingdom surely refers to something corporate. Since a kingdom is a corporate body, it must have an administration. It cannot avoid the issue. Exodus not only says that God decreed the law but also speaks of a corporate body, a kingdom. Without a corporate body, a kingdom, there would be no need for the law. Hence, the law is necessary because a nation, a kingdom, is a corporate body that needs a government. The basis of this government is the law.
Throughout the six thousand years of human history, regardless of man’s experiences, changes, and studies, law has always been the foremost matter. Hence, in a kingdom there is a great need for law. In Exodus there is a kingdom involving the matters of law and administration. In human government there is often a legislative and executive branch. According to Exodus, the administration in the Old Testament depended upon a group of elders. The title elder first appears in Exodus 3:16. Chapter 24 later speaks of “seventy of the elders of Israel” (vv. 1, 9). Hence, a corporate body of elders, or an eldership, was formed in Exodus. Both the title elder and the eldership, a corporate body of elders, are first spoken of in the Old Testament.
Although elders are spoken of in the Old Testament, this does not mean that they cease to exist in the New Testament. Some teach that everything in the Old Testament comes to an end in the New Testament. Those who say this must be very careful; God is in the Old Testament, and God is also in the New Testament. Likewise, the heavens and the earth are in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Knowing the Bible is not an easy matter; one should not simply repeat what others say but must study the Bible carefully. The heavens, the earth, God, the promise of the gospel, and many other items are found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In Galatians 3:8 Paul clearly says that, even as far back as Abraham’s time, God announced the gospel to Abraham. God announced the gospel to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, saying that in Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed. This gospel did not cease to exist in the New Testament simply because it was preached in the Old Testament; on the contrary, this gospel is greatly developed and enriched in the New Testament. The promise God gave Abraham in the Old Testament is the basis of the gospel in the New Testament. Hence, the New Testament gospel did not begin with John the Baptist; rather, it began long ago in the Old Testament.
When we read the Bible, we must learn to know the principles and the facts and to see that God’s intention is consistent. From Genesis to Revelation, from eternity past to eternity future, God’s intention has been consistent and has never changed. Nevertheless, there are some particular considerations and needs that are reflected in the various procedures, dispensations, and ages. For this reason a door was opened for the law that was neither the front door nor the back door but a door added alongside (Rom. 5:20); this means that the law was not the starting point of God’s economy. Galatians 3:19 says that the law was added by God because of the transgressions of man. Nevertheless, God’s intention, from Adam to the New Jerusalem, has always been the same. I hope that those who read the Bible are able to see this point.
In the Old Testament God originally ordained for elders, not kings, to be the administrators. God’s desire was not that kings would take care of the administration among His people. Hence, the elders need to be careful. None of us should think that if we become an elder, we become a king. Once a person becomes a king, he is through; this is not what God desires. God is not seeking to have kings; rather, He desires to have elders. Among God’s people the elders must represent God to carry out His administration. God’s administration cannot be carried out according to the elders’ view; rather, it must be carried out according to the perpetual law of God, represented by the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament, which are firm and unalterable. In addition, God’s administrators must follow His instant, living revelation. Hence, there is not only the perpetual, written law but also living revelation.
The first thing spoken of in the Old Testament in regard to God’s administrative arrangement among His people is God’s kingdom. As soon as the kingdom and the people of God came into being, there were elders among them. These elders were not appointed in the same way as kings are appointed in a monarchy. The principle for the appointment of elders in the church is that elders must be “grown-up and older”; hence, it is a matter of life, growth, and maturity.
In God’s Old Testament economy God did not arrange for the elders to come directly into God’s presence in the Holy of Holies; rather, He wonderfully arranged for there to be another group of people — the priesthood. In the priesthood there was a high priest who, according to God’s Old Testament economy, entered into the Holy of Holies once a year to draw near to God. When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies, he wore two kinds of plates. One kind was the shoulder plates upon which were two onyx stones engraved with the names of the sons of Israel; six names were engraved on the one stone, and six names were engraved on the other stone (Exo. 28:9-10). This indicates that the high priest should bear God’s people on his shoulders.
The high priest also wore another kind of plate, the breastplate, which hung upon the high priest’s garment. The garments of the high priest were very special. The most important garment was the ephod, which was similar to a vest. Bible translators have found it difficult to express this word with an equivalent in their own language; as a result, they simply transliterate the Hebrew word (v. 4). The ephod was a long vest worn over the robe of the priests. The ephod was attached to the breastplate, on which were twelve precious stones, each representing a tribe of Israel. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraved on the twelve precious stones. These names contained only eighteen of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Thus, according to the Hebrew alphabet, there was still a shortage of four letters. Hence, God instructed Moses to add another object — the Thummim, which means “perfecters, completers” (v. 30).
When this object was added, the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet were complete. The breastplate was similar to a typewriter. An English typewriter contains keys for the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet, and the combination of these letters is unlimited. They can be combined to form words, sentences, and even a composition. The breastplate was a spiritual typewriter worn on the breast of the high priest. Its being worn on the breast signifies care. The high priest cared for God’s people and carried them with him. The high priest needed to put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate (v. 30; Lev. 8:8). Some versions indicate that the Urim was a kind of illuminator and that the Thummim was an object upon which were inscribed four letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
When a problem arose among the children of Israel that could not be solved according to the Ten Commandments, the high priest would bring the breastplate before God to inquire of Him. In the process of inquiring, one of the letters or one of the names of the tribes would suddenly become dark. This can be likened to the telegraph, in which a message is sent letter by letter until eventually the entire sentence can be read. The breastplate along with the Urim and the Thummim were the Old Testament “telegraph.” Hence, the breastplate of the high priest was called the breastplate of judgment (Exo. 28:29). When there was a problem among God’s people, the high priest would receive a judgment from God by means of the breastplate and the Urim and the Thummim.
The elders carried out the administration among the children of Israel not only according to the set law but also by means of God’s instant revelation through the breastplate, the Urim, and the Thummim. The priests received the Ten Commandments and taught them to God’s people. They also brought the Urim and the Thummim into God’s presence to receive God’s instant revelation. These two kinds of ministry were both carried out by the priests. In the Old Testament there was an eldership related to carrying out God’s administration and a priesthood related to ministering God’s word. In the New Testament, however, these two bodies have become one. Every saved person in the New Testament is a priest (1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 1:6), and the elders are simply the more mature and experienced ones among the saints. They are both elders and priests.
An elder must be one who has rich experiences of life in regard to spiritual matters and must also be mature in life. Moreover, he must be a priest who draws near to God and has contact with God. Just as the high priest in the Old Testament was able to read the condition of the twelve tribes of Israel through the breastplate, an elder must know not only the law of God but also have the breastplate and be able to receive God’s instant revelation. This indicates that an elder must constantly draw near to God, bearing God’s people on his shoulders and embracing them on his breast in order to bring them into God’s light and read them like the letters of the alphabet. Sometimes a certain one may become dark, and later another one may become dark. In this way he can read God’s will for God’s people. This means that an elder must be one who is experienced in life and able to bear responsibility for God’s people. At the same time, he must have a heart that cares for God’s people and be a person who draws near to God, fellowships with God, is in the light of His countenance, and is able to read every member in the church according to God’s view. This will enable him to receive God’s instant revelation.
The principle is the same today. We have the set law, the New Testament, which is composed of twenty-seven books containing over two hundred chapters. The New Testament is quite comprehensive in its contents. Although it is so complete, some matters are still not spoken of in detail. They may be referred to in principle but not in detail. Hence, an elder must first read the New Testament carefully and understand the law of God. Moreover, an elder must be a New Testament priest. In the Old Testament elders and priests were separate; in the New Testament these two groups of people have become one. Today an elder must also be a priest, one who draws near to God. He not only needs to know the law of God, the entire New Testament; he also needs to bear God’s people on his shoulders, hold them in his bosom, draw near to God, and read the genuine condition of every saint by means of God’s light. Through this kind of reading, he will receive the revelation of God. This is what it means to be an elder. The principle seen in the Old Testament still applies in the New Testament.
Elders must first have experiences in life and be those who draw near to God. They need to not only understand the law of God but also see the revelation of God; moreover, they need to have a definite way to seek God for His instant revelation. The way is to bear all the saints on their shoulders and to embrace all the saints in their bosom. Sometimes when an elder encounters a great difficulty, he thinks that it would be better for him to quit and discontinue his service. This indicates that he has God’s people on his shoulders but not in his bosom. Such an elder will be unable to read God’s will. This is because the twenty-two letters are on the breast, not on the shoulders. To wear the letters on the breast is to love and care for the brothers and sisters and to remember them in one’s heart.
Often a mother gives others the feeling that she is more loving than the father, whereas the father usually gives others the feeling that he is stern and is often involved in discipline. Hence, when children face great matters in life, they usually listen to the mother, not the father. This is because only the mother bears the children on her shoulders and holds them in her bosom; a mother wears both the shoulder plates and the breastplate. I still remember when I first graduated from college and found a job that required proficiency in English, which was exactly what I had studied. Since the job was on an island some distance from my hometown, I had to prepare myself to leave home. At that time I was already an adult of more than twenty years, and I knew how to take the boat and find my way there. Nevertheless, my elderly mother still worried about me and hired a rickshaw in order to follow me to the pier. The boat could not be anchored along the shore because the water was too shallow; thus, a sampan carried the passengers to the boat. After my mother saw that both my luggage and I were properly taken care of, she stood on the bank and said to me, “A mother is anxious when her son goes on a journey, but a son does not worry when his mother goes on a journey.” Her words left me with a deep impression. She wanted me to know that her heart would follow me while I was far away. Mothers make wonderful priests because they not only bear their children on their shoulders but also hold them in their bosoms. When mothers enter into the presence of God to read the condition of their children, they become very clear about their children. The elders also should be like this.
Some elders are not like mothers. It seems that they are forced to be elders, and they feel deeply that it would be best if they could break away from being an elder. Sometimes not only do they have such a thought, but even those around them pour cold water on them, telling them that there is nothing good about being an elder and that it is full of troubles. Such elders serve under compulsion. Although they bear the saints on their shoulders, they do not have them in their hearts. Whether or not an elder is able to sleep peacefully when the church or a certain brother or sister is experiencing problems tests the manner in which he bears the saints. If he is able to sleep peacefully, there is no breastplate. If the breastplate is present, he will be unable to sleep peacefully. If we are bearing and holding the brothers and sisters, we will be wonderful priests, and in God’s light we will be able to read God’s leading concerning the brothers and sisters whom we hold in our heart. This is how God takes care of the administration of His people throughout the entire Bible.
In this administration priests expound the law and use the breastplate to receive God’s instant leading. However, the priests in the Old Testament did not have the eldership and thus could not administrate. In the same way, today not every saint can bear the responsibility of the administration. There were many priests in the Old Testament age, but there were not as many elders. This means that among the saints everyone is a priest, but only a few are elders. Therefore, brothers who are elders must see that in God’s New Testament economy the elders are a unique group of people. Every saved one should be a priest. Elders, on the contrary, are a minority. Only those who are mature in the experiences of life are qualified to be elders. Their maturity is not in regard to their physical life but in regard to their spiritual life. We must know that, spiritually speaking, not everyone is mature; only a small number are relatively mature. This is not an absolute matter but a relative matter. Even though it is a relative matter, only a small number of people are mature. For example, out of a hundred people, only a dozen may be relatively mature in life. Because others have not yet grown to the same extent, these ones begin to take the lead and serve. These are the elders.
Being a priest is not a matter of being young or mature; as long as a person is born into a priestly family, he is a priest. However, being an elder depends on how much one has grown in life. For instance, in the Old Testament, all those of the family of Aaron were born priests. However, not all were elders. In the entire tribe of Aaron, only a few were elders. Out of two or three million men, plus women and children, only seventy elders are spoken of in Exodus 24. Hence, in terms of the administration in God’s economy, the elders are the most important group. We can say this because there were more priests than elders in the Old Testament.
The condition is the same today. Every saved one in all the churches is a priest, yet there is a lack of elders. There is no requirement in regard to the life and age of a priest, but an elder must be mature and experienced in life.
Everyone is able to come before God to pray. For example, yesterday a brother was saved. As soon as he came out from the baptistery, he immediately prayed to God. As soon as he began praying, he began to function as a priest; nevertheless, he is not able to be an elder. To be an elder is a matter of growth in life within the local church. We may use another illustration. There may be twenty newly saved brothers and sisters in a newly established local church. Several months later there may be a need to appoint elders among them. At that time it will be necessary to see who among them has grown the most and who are the most mature. As far as the priesthood is concerned, everyone can be a priest, but as far as the eldership is concerned, only the most mature in life are qualified to be elders.
We need to be clear that the elders’ administration of the church is not merely organizational. In fact, it does not contain much element of organization; rather, the emphasis is on building. Moreover, this is not the building of a physical house but the building of the church, which is not an organization but an organic Body. If it were the building of an organization, it would be organizational, but the building of the Body is organic. The elders must see that they are not building an organization in their respective localities; rather, they are building an organic Body, which is altogether a matter of life. Wherever the elders of the churches are, whether in a church as big as Taipei or in a church as small as Tongshi, they must see that the churches that they are building are not merely an organization but an organism, a part of the Body of Christ.
The building of an organization is organizational, whereas the building of the Body is organic. For instance, when a carpenter makes a table, he uses many pieces of wood. He cuts, polishes, and then nails them together to make a table. To be a carpenter is easy. An apprentice can learn to do it well in three to five years. However, the study of the human body is not like this, because the human body is not easy to understand. Medical doctors are aware of how complicated and troublesome the human body is. Hence, some medical doctors focus their studies on the ear, nose, and throat; some focus on the blood; and some, on the eyes. These people spend their whole life studying yet still cannot thoroughly understand the human body.
Recently, I needed eye surgery for a cataract. Soon after the surgery I began to experience a retinal detachment. My doctor became worried and immediately called another specialist for advice. Puzzled, I asked my doctor, “Are you not an ophthalmologist?” “Yes,” he replied, “but there are different kinds of specialists in ophthalmology. Some ophthalmologists specialize in treating retinal detachments.” Since my doctor was a surgeon who specialized in cataracts, he was not able to handle the problem of a retinal detachment. This shows that organic matters are complicated and difficult.
In the church life we always complain about the elders, saying that this one does not do something well and that another one does not lead well. As time goes by, however, we murmur less because we develop sympathy for them. Today people of all ages go to see doctors. Those who are younger nitpick and more easily blame the doctor for being ignorant in regard to a particular matter. When older people visit their doctors, however, they are not as likely to become angry because they know that their bodies are truly difficult to manage and cannot easily be understood.
A person may go to see a doctor because a tumor has developed in his body or a certain part has developed in a wrong way, but the doctor may not be able to tell him exactly what to do. In regard to an organism such as the human body, doctors may spend their entire life studying yet never fully understand it. Likewise, it is difficult for the elders to administrate the church, because the church is an organism, not an organization.
Let us turn again to the example of the table. If a table is missing a corner, the carpenter will have to consider how to patch the missing corner. If he does not patch the missing corner, the table may have a missing corner until the world comes to an end. Our human body, however, is quite different. If a certain part of our body is injured or hurt, within a week it may grow and be healed naturally. A corner of a table that has been cut off will never grow back no matter how long we wait. This is because it is something organized. In contrast, our human body can grow and naturally heal itself after a period of time because it is organic. Therefore, we must believe in the organic nature and functions of our body.
The condition of the church is also organic. When we lead the brothers and sisters, we need to rely on the organic capability within them. A brother or sister may fall, but we should not be too worried. He or she may rise up again next year. An experienced elder will surely say Amen to this word. In the church life we sometimes see brothers who are in a healthy condition and have a bright spiritual future; however, two years later such a brother may fall quite terribly. At the same time there may be another brother in whom people have little hope, but after two years he may make the most progress and become the most promising one. Therefore, when we serve the saints, it is difficult to know them accurately according to their behavior; rather, we need to pay attention to the development of the organic capability within them.
In the matter of leading people to salvation, it may be difficult for us to know whether a person has touched the Spirit. We know a person must touch the Spirit in order to be saved. Once he touches the Spirit, he is enlivened. However, we may not know the signs that indicate that salvation has occurred. We may only know to preach the Lord Jesus to people and to baptize them after they believe into the Lord, receive Him, and pray to Him, but we may not know if they have touched the Spirit. Sometimes we have seen a person who seems to experience a dynamic salvation; once he is saved, he removes all the idols from his house. It is really wonderful. Who would have thought that after half a year he would buy another idol and bring it into his home. We may then ask him to remove it, but he may be stubbornly unwilling and insist on keeping it. At such a time we may become totally disappointed. However, three years later he may burn the idol and have an even stronger dealing than the previous one. There have been cases like this.
When we serve the church, we need to realize that the church is an organism. In serving, the greatest need is to avoid interrogating people. For example, after a brother is baptized, we should not constantly try to find out whether he has been regenerated. In Matthew 13:24-30 the Lord Jesus spoke a parable regarding the sowing of seed in a field. A man sowed good seed, wheat, in his field, but in the end tares were manifested, apparently without reason. When the seed was sown, it was pure, genuine seed, yet tares appeared after the sowing. Some may have thought that birds brought in the tares, and others may have said that the wind blew tares from one field into another field. However, these considerations are not reasonable. In His reply to the disciples, the Lord Jesus said, “An enemy has done this” (v. 28). Experts say that there is absolutely no way to distinguish wheat from tares at the time of sowing. The two look exactly the same. Once they grow and produce fruit, they are the same height and have the same form, but the fruit of the wheat is golden yellow and that of the tares is black. Only at the time of the harvest are people able to distinguish between the two; nevertheless, it is too late.
In the same way, at the time of baptism we have absolutely no way to know who among the newly saved ones may be tares. It is difficult to discern. Hence, we should not hastily jump to a conclusion; rather, we should pray. When we preach the gospel, we need to have the Spirit, power, and the life supply. As to whether or not people have actually been regenerated, we can only give the matter to the Lord. If we think that someone has not been saved, we can give him a nutritious “shot” by ministering life to him the following day. Even if he is a false one, after receiving our ministering several times, he will become a genuine one.
We need to see that the church is an organism and that everyone in the church is directly a part of this organism. Hence, when we serve the church, we need to deal with people as part of an organism. If we see that a certain brother or sister is not comely, we should not be disappointed. Perhaps a year later he or she will grow a little more, and there will be more hope. Some people, after being baptized, do not exercise spiritually or come to the meetings. Yet one day, for an unknown reason, they begin to be zealous and attend all the meetings. Some people, on the contrary, meet regularly after they are first saved, but one day, because of an offense from an elder, they stop coming. We probably have encountered all these cases. The church is truly an organism that requires us to deal with it in an organic way. God’s New Testament economy is to build up an organism, that is, the Body of Christ (Eph. 3:3-11; Matt. 16:18).
The church is God manifested in the flesh. Regardless of whether a church is strong or weak, in principle it is still God manifested in the flesh. This unique entity by which God is manifested in the flesh is composed of a pillar and a base, that is, the pillar and base of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15-16). In other words, this unique entity upholds the truth in the universe. The only thing in the universe that is real is God Himself. This is to say that only the things pertaining to God and belonging to God, such as God’s redemption and God’s plan, are the reality, the truth, of the universe.
The truth is recorded in the Bible and upheld by the church. Even if a church is the weakest church, she is still a manifestation of God in the flesh. As such an entity, she upholds the truth in the universe, for the church is the pillar and base of the truth. Strictly speaking, elders must spend much time to study and know the Bible, thereby allowing the truth to enter into them. They must do so because they are elders in local churches, and every local church is a unit that upholds the truth of God. Thus, the elders must apprehend, understand, and know the truth. Only by all of us practicing this can we match God’s desire.
Acts 15 reveals the importance of the elders in the administration of a local church (vv. 2, 6, 22-23). At that time nearly every church on earth encountered great turmoil because of those who were zealous for Judaism. Although these ones believed in the Lord, they continued to teach people to keep the law and to be circumcised. They were very strong in promoting these teachings; thus, they became a problem in the churches throughout Jewish and Gentile lands (v. 1). At that time Paul, Barnabas, and some others were sent to Jerusalem (v. 2), which was the source of the problem, that is, the place where the problem began. The Bible says that when they arrived in Jerusalem, out of the tens of thousands of Christians, they discussed the matter with the apostles and elders (v. 2). This clearly demonstrates the importance of the elders. Indeed, the elders are as important as the apostles. Just as the apostles are important, the elders are equally important; elders function in cooperation with the apostles.
Those serving as elders should learn to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Acts 15 presents such a picture. Although the elders should cooperate with the apostles, both the apostles and the elders need to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit (v. 28) in their mutual cooperation. The elders need to see the importance of their position. On one hand, they must learn to cooperate with the apostles. If they refuse to cooperate with the apostles, their administration will disintegrate. On the other hand, if the apostles and elders do not follow the Holy Spirit, their administration will be paralyzed. Hence, the elders must always cooperate with the apostles, and both of them must follow the Holy Spirit. Only in such a situation can the administration be complete and whole, being neither disintegrated nor paralyzed.
If the elders do not cooperate with the apostles, the administration of the church will disintegrate, and if the elders do not follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, the administration of the church will become paralyzed. Hence, the elders occupy an important position in the church. Moreover, the importance of their position is mainly in regard to two aspects — they must cooperate with the apostles, and they must follow the Holy Spirit.
Some elders would neither cooperate with the apostles nor follow the Holy Spirit; instead, they try to do things according to their own views and ideas. This is dangerous. When they do this, the importance of the eldership is lost. We have already seen that the importance of the eldership lies in their cooperation with the apostles and in their walking with the Holy Spirit and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. When they function in this way, their administration is worthwhile. This is because the apostles bring in the apostles’ teaching, and the Holy Spirit carries out the apostles’ teaching through the elders among the local churches. Hence, the elders must cooperate with the apostles and follow the Holy Spirit.
The elders are those who care for the church (1 Tim. 3:5). An elder must have a good testimony in his living (vv. 2-3, 7) and be watchful. It is not good if he is careless or if he makes mistakes. These affect his testimony. Since he cares for and takes the lead in the local church, he is one on whom every eye gazes and at whom every finger points. This means that as soon as he makes a mistake, people will see it and know it. If you are an ordinary brother, people will not pay much attention to you; however, if you become a leading one or a serving one in the church, people will begin to notice you. Thus, the elders must be watchful in regard to their living and have a good testimony before men.
An elder, as a head sheep, leads the saints by walking in front. Hence, 1 Timothy 5:17 says that a proper elder should “take the lead well.”
An elder should be apt to teach (3:2b). According to the testimony of the churches in various localities, I am afraid that we are inadequate in this matter. With such an inadequacy, the churches will not only become paralyzed but will fail to bear rich fruit. The growth of a local church and its rich fruit depends entirely on the elders’ ability to teach. An elder is like someone who teaches in a family. If a mother merely sends her children to school and does not have the ability to teach them at home, her children will be lacking in their education. The education of a child does not depend merely on the instruction received from the teachers at school; even more, it depends upon the guidance received at home, especially from the mother. If a mother knows how to teach her children, one can be sure that their education will be carried out in a good way. Therefore, elders should be apt to teach.
Regarding this aspect, the elders need to read more, especially the Bible and the Life-studies. There is a great need to read the Life-studies. Within the Life-studies there are over twelve hundred messages, each message containing an average of ten pages. Therefore, the twelve hundred messages have a total of approximately twelve thousand pages. The elders need to enter into the Life-studies. If they take the lead to read, the brothers and sisters will follow. It is not appropriate for the elders to ask the brothers and sisters to read if they themselves do not read. If this is the case, the elders will not be able to answer the saints properly when they have questions in regard to their reading. However, if the elders read the Life-studies, they will be able to find a way to teach and instruct the saints. This is similar to mothers who tutor their children at home. In order for a mother to tutor her children in mathematics, she must know mathematics herself. Moreover, the Life-studies can truly supply the brothers and sisters, give them light, and provide them with the life supply.
I am concerned that though there are many spiritual publications among us, not many brothers and sisters dive into them. It seems that in their living, there is only one book — the Bible — which they may read when they have time and set aside when they run out of time. When they have enough time, they also attend the meetings of the church. If this is the case, the church cannot be strong, and it will not bear rich fruit. We all know that fruit is produced out of the riches of life. If a life has no richness, it cannot bear rich fruit. Hence, the elders need to take the lead to learn the truth. They need to read the Bible more, especially the New Testament.
There is one more matter that needs our attention; that is, when we begin to read the Life-studies, we should not expect to read eight or ten messages per day. This will cause spiritual indigestion. It is best to read half a message per day. At this pace it will take only six to seven years to finish the twelve hundred messages. Although this way may seem slow, we must remember that it is better to be afraid of standing still than of being slow. If all the elders spend the next six years to read the Life-studies, I believe that they will begin to reap the benefit within half a year, and their gain over the long term will be tremendous. May we redeem the time and enter into all these riches.
Furthermore, if all the churches read the Life-studies, the churches will become “scholarly spiritual families.” The newly saved ones among us will then be influenced and edified by this practice and enter into the Life-studies with us. In this way the church will surely become strong. The rulers of nations know that for a nation to be strong, there must be a strong system of education. The reason that Taiwan is so strong and promising is due to its fundamental education. If the government in Taiwan had not promoted a strong system of education for the past forty years, Taiwan would be incapable and incompetent in everything. The reason that Taiwan can accomplish so much and reach such a high standard is due to its high level of education. On the contrary, if Taiwan did not have such a high standard of education, it would never be able to accomplish anything.
If the church wants to be strong, it should not expect to have a Pentecostal-style revival. Such revivals can be likened to rain showers. There may be a rain shower in the morning, but the roads dry up by the afternoon. There have been revivals in the church in the past, but they came quickly and left quickly. We do not want this kind of revival. It is like a rain shower that has no lasting benefit. Neither should we rely on chance, thinking that since we have now taken the new way and have changed the system, all things will be revived. If we do not see results for several years, we may assume that the new way does not work and does not bear results. In fact, it is not that the new way does not yield results but that everything has its timing. We know that a farmer does not sow today and reap tomorrow. It is not that fast. To grow a fruit tree, a farmer needs to spend a few years cultivating it in a proper way; then in due time it will bear fruit. However, if the tree is not cultivated properly, it will never bear fruit.
We should not think that once we change the system, we will have an immediate success. The purpose of changing the system is simply to find a way. For instance, Chinese males used to have long plaited hair and wear Chinese-style clothing. Now, because of the influence of the West, they feel that it is not so convenient to wear that kind of hairstyle and have that style of clothing; thus, they keep their hair short and wear Western-style clothing. This has become part of their daily living. In the same way, our hope in regard to changing the system is not that our numbers will immediately be doubled, from ten thousand to twenty thousand and then from twenty thousand to forty thousand; rather, our hope is to bring in a way that we can all enter into and that will eventually become our living.
In this kind of living, the first and foremost emphasis is that the elders need to take the lead to learn and speak the truth in the churches. In other words, every elder needs to learn to speak in the church according to the truth. This is different from speaking in a home. To speak in a meeting, we must speak loudly and with the proper cadence so that people can understand us; this is related to teaching. Of course, in prophesying, it is not merely a matter of the voice. We also need to have the mind of a prophet; that is, we need to receive more light, revelation, and supply from the Life-studies. In addition, we need to learn to develop the proper utterance so that we may freely apply what is spoken of in the Life-studies and be able to minister words of supply. This will change our atmosphere. In this way the church will surely become strong and rich.
We always hope that there will be a church in every town and village; however, we do not have enough full-time serving ones to work in every place. Hence, there is a need for the brothers in the different localities, that is, the elders in the local churches, to do this themselves. For this reason they bear a great and extremely important responsibility to learn the truth and to be apt to teach.
The elders should not only be apt to teach; they must also labor in word and teaching (1 Tim. 5:17b). There are two aspects in regard to laboring in the word: on one hand, you need to learn; on the other hand, you need to teach. A person who teaches at school, whether as a university professor or as an elementary-school teacher, knows that when he was a student, his learning was limited because he did not need to teach others. Since becoming a teacher, he needs to study, learn thoroughly, and be well prepared. For instance, if he needs to teach a class tomorrow, he will need to review and study today. He will also have to decide what to teach first and what to teach later. As a result, his teaching will be systematic and effective; otherwise, his teaching will be disorderly. Hence, teaching requires labor.
A person who has not labored should not expect to know anything concerning the truth, let alone teach others. One who knows the truth and can teach others must have labored in word and teaching. Many who work for the Lord can testify that the most painful thing in the service is to release a message. One who speaks for the Lord often needs to rest for two hours after speaking a message in order to recover. This is because speaking is strenuous, consuming both mind and energy; it is most laborious but most effective.
If the parents do not know how to teach their children, the children will certainly suffer in their education. When they make mistakes, the parents should not immediately become angry at them; rather, the parents need to explain the matter and instruct their children unceasingly. This way of teaching is certainly beneficial. This is the same in the church. As long as the elders take the lead well, are apt to teach, and labor in word and teaching, the church will surely be strong and rich, and the result will also be rich.
The elders need to not only teach but also shepherd people. To shepherd people is to nourish people, to render some supply, to cherish them, and to help them and teach them to solve their problems (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2).
As elders, we should not lord it over others and give them the feeling that because we are elders, they must obey what we say as if we were kings. This is absolutely not acceptable. First Peter 5:3 says that an elder should be a pattern. In the church there are some who may not want to read the Bible. The elders should not blame them; rather, they should first ask whether they themselves read the Bible. If the elders read and enter into the Bible, the saints will be able to tell and will follow the elders in reading and entering into it. Hence, it is a matter of being a pattern. We should not lord it over others; instead, we should be the head sheep, the patterns, among the flock. Only this way is proper.
The last point is an encouragement to all the elders, which is that those who aspire to the overseership desire a good work. In this regard, there is a need for some explanation. Everyone within any group has ambition and the desire to have a position to take the lead. If this is the case among us, it is not right. If some, however, desire to serve as elders for the building up of the local churches and for the benefit of God’s children and desire to truly have this kind of function and capacity, then their desire is not merely a matter of position but of function. Those who desire this function are approved and praiseworthy. Paul says that they desire a good work (1 Tim. 3:1).
I hope that the Lord will speak to each one of us so that we may see that the most necessary and crucial persons in God’s economy on the earth today are the elders. This is not just a matter of position or reputation but of bearing an important responsibility. Such a responsibility requires that the elders bear all the brothers and sisters on their shoulders, embrace them with their hearts, and bring them before God in order to “read” them and seek God’s leading for them. They then need to be the head sheep, the leading ones, the patterns among the saints. Moreover, they need to teach the saints, spend much time learning and teaching the truth of God, and labor in teaching. In this way all the churches will be strong and rich over the long term.
The church can hardly become rich and strong if there is no teaching or leading from the elders and if the church relies only on special fellowships or conferences given by a few full-time serving ones every few months. This may be compared to opening a school. A school can be successful if it formally divides up the classes and hires teachers to teach systematically day after day. The school may at times invite some renowned person to give a speech, but such activities, though helpful, are not the main reason for a school’s success. If a school has a good curriculum and the teachers are serious in their teaching, the school will still be strong and successful, even if no one of renown ever gives a speech to the students.
We do not need much help from the outside because we have the Bible, a Bible that has been opened to us, and many spiritual publications. As long as we spend the time, we will be able to enter into all these riches. Furthermore, we can practice and learn to speak for the Lord. As long as we practice and continue to labor in teaching and leading, the church will surely grow.
In regard to the number of those attending the Lord’s Day meeting, we have not experienced much increase for the past twenty years. On one hand, we thank the Lord for His preservation, yet on the other hand, we should not be satisfied. Twenty years is not a short period of time, yet we have not had much progress or propagation. This is our responsibility, and we are all accountable.
