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Scripture Reading: 1 Tim. 5:17; 3:2b; 1 Cor. 14:1, 4-5, 12, 31, 39a; 3:10, 12; Psa. 119:147-148; Lam. 3:22-24; 1 John 1:9; Acts 13:52; Rom. 8:4; Phil. 1:20-21a; 1 Thes. 5:17; 2 Tim. 4:2; Heb. 10:25; Phil. 1:19; 4:13
Prayer: Father, be gracious to us that we may treasure Your holy ministry and touch Your throne of grace with our spirit. Enable us not only to enter into the Holy of Holies but to remain and live in it in order to be able to pray for Your church and for the saints, to pray that we would take Your way, and to pray that we would be revived inwardly and gradually be enabled to live an overcoming life. Lord, grant us Your visitation so that we may not waste our time or squander Your grace but may become priests and living stones. O Lord, we want to enjoy You and to actively produce building materials for the building of Your church. In these days may You fulfill Your heart’s desire, which is also our heart’s desire. May You be glorified, may we be perfected, and may all of us be built up. Amen.
We all know that the elders in the church are crucial in God’s New Testament economy. In any place, as long as two brothers know how to be elders, even if there is not a single saved one in that place, within two years a church of twenty-five will surely be raised up. If several hundred brothers on the island of Taiwan are perfected and are truly able to fulfill the responsibility of elders, churches will be raised up wherever they go, regardless of whether believers are already there. As long as they stay in a locality for a period of time, a church will surely be raised up. Our past experience tells us that the workers are very useful for the raising up of churches, but it is difficult for them to stay in various places for the perfecting of the churches. Hence, there is a need for elders in a locality for the perfecting of the saints.
In the New Testament the first requirement for the elders is that they take the lead (1 Thes. 5:12; 1 Tim. 5:17). Many people can preach the gospel, preach the word, and edify others, but in regard to taking the lead, they are helpless. Taking the lead is not an easy matter. Many people know how to get to their destination, but they may not be able to tell others how to get there. For example, we may ask someone for directions to a certain place, and he may know the way to get there himself; nevertheless, when he points out the way to us, it is quite possible that he will point in another direction and provide an indirect route. We might even get lost. Therefore, it is not a small matter for someone to take the lead in a locality where saints have been raised up to meet as the church.
The second requirement for elders is to be apt to teach. Teaching is not easy; it requires labor in word and teaching (v. 17). The teaching required of the elders is not general but specialized; otherwise, there would not be the need for labor. For example, a person can easily speak a message for an hour without much need to labor; however, if he truly wants to release a burden and speak the truth into the saints, helping them to enter into the truth, there is the need for much labor.
When school teachers and college professors begin to teach others, even though they have previously taken many courses while in school, they must labor and study even more in order to collect the items that they have studied over the years and compile them into a set of teaching materials. In this way the teaching materials cover the main points and follow a definite sequence so that what is taught is presented clearly and logically. Such teachers are good teachers and are well liked by the students. If a teacher speaks aimlessly in the classroom, it is difficult for the students to follow. This teaching method does not last because it becomes unbearable for the students.
If the elders in the church want to teach the brothers and sisters, they must spend time and effort to labor in God’s word. Those who do not labor in the word are not able to teach, because they have nothing to teach. Hence, in the matter of teaching, the elders need to study teaching materials and teaching methods. They need to learn how to teach properly so that what they teach can be imparted into others.
When the elders actually teach the saints, they need to labor even more. The elders’ teaching of the saints is different from the brothers’ speaking from the podium. Those who speak from the podium need a certain degree of labor, but the elders’ teaching of the saints requires even more labor. A mother who teaches her children must labor abundantly. This is because it is not easy to teach the children in a manner that will cause them to listen, receive, understand, and endure to be educated. Though most mothers do not have this ability, some mothers are truly able to subdue their children without angering them but rather causing them to happily receive their teaching. We urgently need this kind of teaching.
The elders must realize that most of the saints in the church are a “hodgepodge.” They cannot be divided into different grades, such as first and second grade, as is done in an educational system. In the church it is impossible to divide the saints into different classes. Even in the training center this is not possible. The reason is that there are all kinds of people in the church. If we were to divide them into different classes, we would probably need several hundred different classes. This is impossible. The elders’ teaching of the saints is truly laborious.
In addition to knowing how to take the lead and teach, the third requirement for the elders is that they need to know how to “care for the church” (3:5). Care for is an excellent translation; the elders should not merely manage but care for the church. To manage is easy, but to care for a matter is not so easy. It may be quite easy for a brother to manage a brothers’ house, but it is not easy for him to care for the brothers’ house. To manage the brothers’ house, he needs only to ask the brothers to wake up at 5:30 A.M., have morning watch at 6:00 A.M., and go to bed at 10:30 P.M. This is to manage the brothers’ house; however, to care for the brothers is more troublesome. To do so properly, he may need to wait at the door for the brothers to come home in order to find out why they have come home so late at night. This requires both time and energy. To care for someone is to look after him, to serve him, be concerned for him, teach him what to do, and give him what he does not have. This depicts how the elders should care for the church.
The fourth requirement for the elders is that they need to take heed. Acts 20:28 says, “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock.” One is able to walk and move freely in an empty meeting hall; he can also jump, run, or even roll around. However, if the meeting hall is well furnished with tables, desks, and chairs, it is not that easy for people to walk around. If they are not careful, they will stumble, cause others to stumble, or even break the windows. Thus, Paul says that the elders need to take heed to themselves and to all the flock. This shows that the responsibility of the elders is not simple; it encompasses many aspects.
The fifth requirement for an elder is to know how to shepherd (John 21:16; Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). Shepherding includes teaching (Eph. 4:11). Shepherding may seem to be relatively easy and involve merely feeding children milk; in reality, it is not easy because shepherding is not merely to feed people. It also includes providing them with warmth. In other words, the shepherding one must provide tender care so that the one being cared for has a feeling of warmth. A brother may be discouraged to the uttermost, but when we talk to him and supply him with life, his heart is comforted and his inner being is warmed up. This is shepherding.
A brother may have a problem with another person, and he may have been wronged. In this situation he needs our shepherding very much. If we are able to speak something appropriate to him and minister life to him, our shepherding will calm him down. This is not easy. Sometimes we genuinely desire to comfort others, and we may think that we are comforting them, but the outcome may be exactly the opposite. If we accuse them, we will make them feel even worse. We must know that the saints have a certain kind of respect toward the elders. Hence, if an elder is not able to speak something appropriate and give people a feeling of warmth but rather speaks something inappropriate, the saints will feel even more that they have been wronged. A brother once told an elder that if he were to be wronged by a brother or sister, he would be able to bear it, but if he were to be wronged by an elder, it would be difficult for him to bear. Shepherding the saints is not an easy matter.
On the negative side, an elder must not lord it over the saints (1 Pet. 5:3). In Greek, to lord over is to be someone’s master. If an elder thinks that he is a kind of master, puts on airs, and lets people know that he is an elder and that everyone must listen to him, his eldership is utterly annulled. In the Bible the Lord taught that among us we have no masters except One (Matt. 20:26-27). This means that none can be a master over others. Among us, we are slaves to one another. Even the elders should be slaves to the brothers and sisters. We may be familiar with the saying that every ruler is a servant of the people. Even a president calls himself a servant of the people. When he meets with the common people, he should not put on the airs of a president. If he puts on the airs of a president, he is not a good president. A good president always feels that he is lower than the common people and that the common people are the true masters of the nation; he is but a public servant to these masters. This concept is undoubtedly influenced by the Bible.
In the church life, however, there are always some who misunderstand the meaning of the word elder. Consequently, they overly revere the elders. This is not proper. All the elders must remember that they are not higher than the brothers and sisters; among us there is no such thing as the “airs” of an elder. It is said that in a certain locality, the brothers and sisters tremble when they knock on the door of the elders’ room; this is wrong. We should not create such an atmosphere for the elders. If there is such an atmosphere, even if the church has increased into many districts, it cannot be built up. Moreover, even if it is built up, the building up will not last. We all need to pay attention to this matter.
The elders, moreover, must be patterns to all the saints. First Peter 5:3b speaks of “becoming patterns of the flock.” For the elders to become patterns of the flock implies that elders are also sheep, except that they are the head sheep. As such, they need to be patterns. In New Zealand many flocks of sheep can be seen, and the wonderful thing about those sheep is that they all follow the sheep at the front, proceeding in two lines. The first two sheep are the head sheep. When the head sheep stop, the rest of the sheep also stop, when the head sheep turn right, all the sheep turn right, and when the head sheep turn left, all the sheep turn left. They do not need any command. The flock single-heartedly follows the head sheep. It is the same in the church life. The brothers and sisters simply follow the elders. If the head sheep, representing the elders, do not move forward but instead try to drive the sheep from the rear, the sheep will not know where to go. It is unreasonable and illogical for the head sheep to lead in this way.
If the elders would practice these points in taking the lead, teaching, rendering care, taking heed, shepherding the saints, and not lording it over them or putting on airs, the church will surely be strong and rich. If the elders take the lead in all things, whether visiting people, knocking on doors, preaching the gospel, having home meetings, having small group meetings, or having morning revival, sooner or later their pattern will spread and become a help to all the churches.
The living of the elders is a pattern. If the elders do not practice certain things, it will be difficult for the saints to practice them. For example, if the elders are not punctual in attending the meetings, it will not be easy for them to encourage the brothers and sisters to come to the meetings on time. In fact, this may leave the saints with the impression that the elders exercise special privileges to come to the meetings whenever they want, while expecting the saints to come early. This will cause resentment in the saints’ spirits. Hence, all the elders must set an example by their own actions. This kind of leading is the best. When the saints recognize the elders as the head sheep, they will simply follow the elders however the elders lead them.
If some elders are willing to practice and learn in this way, even if there are only two such brothers, they will be able to raise up churches wherever they go. The new way given to us by the Lord is simple and easy. The Lord may lead some of us to go out two by two. To do so, we do not need to serve full time. One of us may be a teacher, and another may be an office employee. If we are not occupied by our jobs and do not seek many possessions, desiring to lead a proper life, we will be able to use our evenings, weekends, and holidays to visit people by door-knocking. We can begin from where we live. We can tell our neighbors that we live nearby and would like to visit them, get to know them, and speak with them about the gospel. If we do this, I believe that we will be able to quickly bring someone to salvation, perhaps in two hours. This is not difficult.
If we all go out in this way and gain one person a week, we will be able to gain fifty-two people in a year. These fifty-two people have friends and relatives, and soon these fifty-two may bring in another fifty-two. At the end of the year, there may be as many as one hundred people. Those saved in this way will naturally do the same thing that we do, because they will see this pattern from the time they are saved. Furthermore, every time we meet with them, we should let them know that we are neither pastors nor preachers. We are no different from them. We are simply teachers and employees who come together to meet. We can choose a hymn to sing, and they also can choose a hymn to sing. We can then introduce our hymnal to them and select a portion to read from the Bible. Whatever we do, they can do, and they can even do it more than us. We must bring people to take the new way from the time they are saved; nevertheless, we do not need to emphasize to them that it is a new way, because this may stir up unnecessary debates. We should simply tell them that this is the Lord’s way in which we should all walk.
Today if we read the Bible to people, they will sense that the truth in it is solid and logical, that it contains neither myths nor strange legends but rather the most proper and most orthodox truths. When we read these high truths to people, they will see what the Bible says concerning God’s will, honoring one’s parents, and the true God. This will open people’s eyes. In Taiwan everyone is seeking the philosophy of human life. If we spread forth the truths that are in our hands, some people will surely receive them.
When we contact people, we do not need to speak regarding any profound doctrine; we only need to speak the “straight” truth, that is, to speak the truth by cutting it straight. When we open the Bible, we may read a portion from Proverbs, Psalms, or the Gospels, all of which are good and profitable to people. After reading with them, we need to ask them how they feel about what we have read and let them share what they have gained.
We often have an erroneous concept that what we speak is too deep and that people cannot understand it when they first hear it. Of course, it is relatively easy to give people “candy,” but if we speak “candied” truths to those who are educated and have some position in society, we insult them. When we go out, we should properly present the philosophy of human life to people. In this way they will feel respected and be interested in what we say. This is easy for us to do.
If there is no spread or multiplication in a church, this indicates that there must be a reason; hence, we must have a problem. The problem is that we are too influenced by our background and our old ways and are thus unable to “jump” out of them. From now on, we must leave our old ways. For example, there are many different ways to preach the gospel and even to speak to the newly saved ones. In short, all these responsibilities rest on the elders. The elders must be the first to change their concepts and come out of the old ways.
Although not every one of us is an elder, the principle is the same. We must realize that we cannot serve according to the old ways. Especially those who have joined the full-time training need not consider too much but should simply advance step by step. Even in the world, as long as a proper person takes the proper way, he will surely have a bright future. In high school he needs to study properly. Then when he goes on to college, he needs to continue to study properly and endeavor to finish his education. Afterward, when he takes a job, he needs to work diligently. Whoever takes such a proper way will surely have a promising future.
Some may think that if they take the Lord’s way to serve Him full time, they will surely starve because no one will take care of their daily necessities. In fact, when they have only a little need, the supply is not evident; nevertheless, when they truly have needs, the supply will come from different directions. They may even have a surplus to share with others. Hence, we can all be at peace. The Lord is responsible for our needs.
Now we will see the proper pursuit of the elders.
The elders need to advance and abound in the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 5:17b). If we want to pursue the truth today, the simple way is to properly study the Life-studies. Many have dropped their jobs, forsaken the world, and joined the full-time training. In the training, during a twenty-four hour day, apart from eating, resting, and sleeping, the trainees spend all their time pursuing the truth. Although there are teachers in the training center who teach courses, they cannot read the Life-studies for the trainees; the trainees must study and enter into the Life-studies for themselves.
Let me use myself as an example. I did not graduate from a university or receive any kind of diploma, but, may the Lord’s blood cover me, I have been able to take charge of the translation work of the Recovery Version of the New Testament. At times I found that a word was not according to the original language, and my helpers would then verify whether it was so. In such cases they would find that it was truly so. I came to know all these things because I have many dictionaries from which I have learned many things. It can be said that I have acquired much knowledge without being taught. Today all the full-time trainees have the best opportunity in the training. In a twenty-four hour day, other than doing some community work in the evening, they can take advantage of the rest of their time. If they can read six hours a day, they can read through the Life-studies in a little more than a year. This is real pursuing.
Through the literature work in the Western world, not including the Far East, over six hundred churches have been raised up in the past twenty years. These approximately six hundred churches were first established in North America, then in Mexico, Central America, South America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. I have never been to some of these places, and others I have visited only once; nevertheless, these churches have been raised up mainly through the literature. The literature work began in Taipei. At that time my family lived in a Japanese-style flat that was less than 300 square feet: the front section was about 150 square feet and the rear section was about 100 square feet and the corridor was another 40 square feet. I asked someone to build a small kitchen and bathroom in the backyard using wooden boards. It was in this kind of environment that I began the literature work. I began by working on the sixty topics of Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures.
Today the scale of the literature work is quite large. There are two stations in the United States: one in Anaheim, California, and the other in Irving, Texas. Books are currently published in over ten languages, including French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Portuguese. These books are distributed to six continents, supplying over one thousand churches. In 1973, because of the increasing number of attendants at the conferences held in Los Angeles, at times exceeding three thousand, we decided to begin to have trainings in 1974. Everyone who registers for the training is required to give a donation. This serves the purpose of providing a better estimation of our budget for the arrangement of various aspects of the work.
Concerning this point, I learned the lesson from Brother Nee’s practice. At the beginning, when he published The Present Testimony, he did it by faith; that is, the number of issues he published depended on the offerings he received. If there were not many offerings, he would wait. Hence, sometimes nothing was put out for two years, and at other times two issues were put out in a single year. When the offerings came, he would put out an issue, and when the offerings did not come, he waited. This made it difficult to work and to spread. For instance, if persons are hired for the publication work, but later no offering comes, do those who are hired stay or leave? This is a problem in the service. Hence, when he published The Christian, Brother Nee had the subscribers pay a dollar per year, which was to be used by the work. Our trainings are carried out according to this same principle. This is a little fellowship related to the spread of the literature work.
In pursuing the knowledge of the truth, no one should say that there is no opportunity; in particular, the trainees should not feel that there are not enough teachers. Everyone can enter into the Life-study messages. Even if there are some portions that you do not understand, you can all come together to discuss and learn from one another. Thus, you will be able to find a way. If you become well versed in all the twelve hundred plus Life-study messages, you will be an outstanding person in regard to the knowledge of the Bible. On the other hand, we need to see that everywhere there is the urgent need of the ministry of the word. Therefore, we need to all be filled and equipped with the truth contained in the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. Not only so, one by one we need to practice to speak the truth. We now have an excellent opportunity. In Taipei alone, there are several dozen districts. Every district provides the opportunity to speak and is waiting for the ministry of the word. There are currently several hundred people in the training, and they can all go to different districts to minister life according to what they have learned. There is no need to give lengthy messages. To speak for five to ten minutes is sufficient. If we do this, the meetings in these districts will be immediately enriched.
This is the reason that we needed to change the system. The old way kept us in death for too long. Many among us have been elders for years, yet I wonder what we have been doing. The present condition of the brothers and sisters is more or less the same as it was five years ago. In the old way we did not render the proper leading to the brothers and sisters. As a result, not much progress was made. Should we now give the elders an examination? Those who are qualified will remain, and we will have to consider what to do with those who are not qualified. Whatever the case, there must also be a way for the elders to make progress.
In the Lord’s work we must be right toward God, toward others, and toward ourselves. If I meet with the brothers and sisters for seven years and they remain the same, I am not right toward myself. Hence, we must all rise up to enter into the truth. If we would pay attention to the aspect of truth as well as to the aspect of life, we will be very useful. From now on, regardless of where we are and who we are, whether working saints or housewives, whether students or business people, whether full-time serving ones, elders, or co-workers, we must all pursue the truth.
First, we need to pursue the Life-studies. There are over twelve hundred Life-study messages. No matter how busy the elders may be, they need to spend at least ten minutes each day to read the Life-studies. In this way they can finish a message in three days. In one year they will have read at least one hundred and twenty messages, which is one-tenth of the twelve hundred messages. If they read in this way for ten consecutive years, they will be able to finish all the Life-studies. If we enter into the Life-studies in such a way, the elders will definitely be different. Every one of them will be able to speak for the Lord and minister life.
Some of the elders’ children may already be serving full time, while their fathers, the elders, are still not able to stand up to speak for the Lord. This is not acceptable. If this is the case, I must condemn my work because it has not helped them. I know that they love the Lord, but they have not received the proper help in the matter of taking the lead. Much of my fellowship may offend them, but my intention is to give them the proper leading, hoping that from now on, if they continue to be elders, they will begin to read the Life-studies for at least ten minutes a day. In this way they will be able to stand up to speak and minister to the saints in the small groups and district meetings.
Every aspect of Taiwan is improving; only the church has not made progress and has not undergone any change. We need to wake up and pray to the Lord: “O Lord, I am willing to change. I do not want to take the old way. I want to take the new way. Lord, although I do not know how to change, I pray that You would have mercy on me; I want to change.” The elders need to wake up; otherwise, why should they bother to continue being elders? This does not mean that I am urging the elders to resign; rather, I am asking them to improve and make progress. They need to pray: “Lord, I have been an elder in this meeting hall for ten years, but what have I actually accomplished?” Of course, the elders in every locality have the accomplishment of standing for the Lord’s testimony by maintaining a certain situation. We need to worship the Lord for this. Nevertheless, when we speak of engaging in warfare and going forward, they are utterly helpless. There are two reasons for this: a shortage in truth and an inadequacy in life. If the elders are rich in truth and have an adequate measure of life, they will be useful and be a blessing to the church.
My heart aches whenever I speak regarding this matter. If there were no church in this place, I would knock on the doors of my relatives. After saving one, I would take him with me to go out to knock on more doors. In this way I am sure that a church would be raised up within a few weeks. Not only so, at the end of the year there would be at least sixty, if not one hundred, saints in this church. I am sure of this. As long as we are willing to move, we will be able to accomplish something, but if we are not willing to move, we will not have any assurance of accomplishing anything. The attitude of “not moving” is fatal.
We have reached the stage where we should sit down and speak a frank word as to what we should do from now on. If we feel that the new way is right, we should put our whole being into it; if we do not feel that it is right, the old way is still there, and we can easily return to it. However, if we want to take the new way, we must have a change in our attitude, intention, concept, and motive. Our inner being must completely change. If we do not change, we will not be able to take the new way. The first thing we need to change is our pursuit of the truth. I surely sympathize with the brothers because they all have jobs and are very busy; however, no matter how busy they are, they need to set aside at least ten minutes a day to pursue the truth.
Second, we all need to have a daily revival before the Lord. According to the principle of God’s creation, when the day dawns, it does not stay bright forever; it remains bright for twelve hours at most. There are twelve hours in the night to provide us time for respite, consideration, and reflection so that we can consider whether the day was a success or a failure and hope that tomorrow morning will be a new day, a new beginning. The Bible says that God’s lovingkindness and compassions are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-24). Every morning Jehovah God is our new portion that rises with the sun. His compassions are always new. We should all have a new beginning before God every morning, a beginning that is different from the past. We should forget yesterday and have a new beginning today. Today is a new revival, and every morning we need to have a revived living.
We should not excuse ourselves by saying that we are weak. We may be weak, but the Lord is not weak. First John 4:4 says, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” In addition, Paul says, “I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me” (Phil. 4:13). In Philippians 1:19 he also speaks of “the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” The promises are available, the Spirit of Jesus Christ is within us, and the One who empowers us is with us; these are all for us to apply.
Every morning when we come to the Lord’s word, we need to tell the Lord, “Amen, Lord. This is Your word. I read Your word not only in the morning but also in the evening. Lord, I do not have to wait until the morning to be revived; I want to be revived in the evening.” We should have this kind of attitude and have such a transaction with the Lord; we should not remain in our old way. May the Lord have mercy on us.
The elders should also earnestly desire and practice to prophesy (1 Cor. 14:1, 31, 39). If we desire earnestly to prophesy and speak for God, there will be an outward manifestation. Prophesying requires our continual practice. Take myself as an example; I have neither attended a seminary nor passed through the training, as some of us have; nevertheless, I learned my speaking posture and gestures by practicing in front of a large mirror on my mother’s dresser. Every day I practiced my articulation, my bearing, and other aspects related to prophesying. Sometimes I went to the seashore to exercise my spirit. I always endeavored to practice. Every one of us, especially the young people, should have the attitude and spirit that although we do not know how to speak for the Lord today, we will learn to do so in a month, and that in two months we will be able to speak even better. We should not remain as elders and co-workers yet be unable to speak year after year. We must learn to speak in a way that is both appealing and weighty. This requires that we exercise to touch the Lord in spirit and continually enter into the Holy of Holies to touch God’s throne of grace. This should not be an empty saying; it should be our living.
Some elders are relatively young; it is not appropriate for them to continue to serve as elders according to the old way. If they truly desire to be elders, they must endeavor to change. History shows that Christianity has propagated the most within the past four to five hundred years. Today in Taiwan, however, Buddhism is greatly propagated; their books can be found everywhere, in big streets and in small alleys. Yet look at ourselves. It seems that we can sleep and eat peacefully while letting the days pass by. Few among us care for the gospel and even for the truth. All the aggressive activities of other religions should be a warning to us that we are losing out to them on the island of Taiwan. I hope that we can all receive this word. Today whether we are elders or co-workers, we must realize that this is our common obligation.
We should not remain in the old way; rather, we should endeavor to advance and not try to find an excuse for ourselves. We must rise up, whether willingly, reluctantly, or under compulsion. Perhaps some will say that this involves too much of man’s endeavor and is too much out of the flesh, but we should ask, “Do you mean to say that remaining quiet, unmoved, and unchanged is to be spiritual and not fleshly?” Spirituality always leads to a result. In Matthew 12:33 the Lord Jesus said, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for by the fruit the tree is known.” At present, we do not have much fruit; what can we say?
Inwardly, I have a painful and heavy burden. Those who need to confess their sins should rise up to confess them, those who need to repent should rise up to repent, those who are still asleep should wake up, and those who still want to take the old way should no longer think about it. We must all rise up and endeavor to take the new way. We have been damaged by the old way for long enough. The elders and co-workers must be on the alert, rise up, pursue the truth earnestly, and bear fruit so that their function can be manifested. Moreover, they need to desire earnestly that they may prophesy and exercise to practice prophesying.
To practice prophesying is to excel in the exercise of gifts (1 Cor. 14:12). Since we earnestly desire to be spiritual, we must seek that we may excel in the gifts for the building up of the church. In doing so, we must not seek the inferior gifts, such as speaking in tongues, which are not profitable for the building of the church; rather, we must seek earnestly the gifts that build up the church. This is to excel. In order to excel in such a way, we must steep ourselves in the truth and delve deeper into the truth.
We need to read the Life-studies every day for ten minutes. When we read, we need to be prepared to minister something for three to five minutes in the district meeting on the coming Lord’s Day. We should not speak aimlessly; rather, we should share what we have enjoyed in our reading of the Life-studies over the past six days. In this way the meetings will surely be different from in the past. The purpose of the change in system is so that everyone would rise up and stop sleeping peacefully when they sense that there is a need. Many have slept peacefully year after year, behaving as if there is no difference between the old system and the new system. We all need to rise up to encourage one another and not blame one another. The responsibility lies with us. We have no reason to blame others; we need to be responsible before the Lord. We all need to ask the Lord how we can function properly.
When we practice prophesying, we must bear in mind that to prophesy is to speak for the Lord and to speak forth the Lord.
We all need to see that prophesying is for the building up of the church, the building up of the Body of Christ (vv. 4-5).
The first thing the elders need to pursue is that they may advance and abound in the knowledge of the truth. The second thing they need to pursue is the growth in life unto maturity; they must first have the experiences of life themselves.
The elders not only need to pursue the growth in life; they also need to be able to minister to others.
Our former condition was that not much gold, silver, and precious stones were produced. If all the churches in every locality want to produce gold, silver, and precious stones, the elders must be the first in whom gold, silver, and precious stones are produced. These materials will be produced from the knowledge of the truth and the growth in life; these are the basic factors. Only these two factors — the knowledge of the truth and the growth in life — are able to produce gold, silver, and precious stones (3:10, 12). Both are indispensable. In order to produce gold, silver, and precious stones, both truth and life are needed.
Throughout history the revivals brought in by the Pentecostal movement were all short-lived because of the shortage of life. Fifty years ago we too promoted this kind of revival, but because of the experience we have gained in the past fifty years, in addition to seeing the lack of influence left from those revivals, we now have a greater realization of the importance of life. We truly need a revival, but this revival must be lasting. If a person lives on the earth for only twenty years, his existence is not that significant, but if a person lives up to eighty years, his existence is more significant. In other words, only something that lasts is significant. What we ask of God is a lasting revival, that is, one that follows God’s law of creation, in which there is a new beginning every morning like that of the dawning of the day. Only this kind of revival is meaningful. We need to be revived every morning.
Moreover, we need to confess our sins every day, not only once but many times. This may be compared to washing our hands. We wash our hands every day, not once but many times. A brother who is a medical doctor said that he washes his hands over twenty times a day because he contacts at least ten patients a day. He washes his hands before and after he contacts each patient. If a doctor does not want to get sick, he needs to wash his hands frequently.
No matter how perfect a person may think himself to be, if he does not confess his sins, his living is a failure. If he lives an overcoming life, there will be the confession of sins every day. We have failures, shortcomings, and are negligent throughout the day; we are not that upright and righteous. There are many sins that we need to confess. Experience tells us that after our hands have been washed, they become contaminated within five minutes. This contamination is not from without but secreted from within. This contamination requires our cleansing. For example, when someone picks up a clean cup, he will find that after a while the handle of the cup becomes oily; this is due to the oil secreted from his hand. We need to realize that we are filthy. When we live for an hour, there is an hour of filth. Our source is unclean. As long as we live, we are unclean. Hence, we need to confess and constantly ask for the Lord’s cleansing. The degree to which we confess our sins is the degree to which we are forgiven, cleansed, and able to receive the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 119:147-148 speaks of a seeker of the Lord rising up, seeking Him, and having fellowship with the Lord in His word before the night watches. Lamentations 3 also says that God’s grace, compassions, lovingkindness, and presence are new every morning and that we should enjoy Him as our portion (vv. 22-24).
In our living, we need to confess our sins to the Lord and receive the infilling of the Spirit (1 John 1:9; Acts 13:52).
Moreover, in our daily life we need to walk according to the spirit in order to magnify Christ and live Christ (Rom. 8:4; Phil. 1:20-21a).
Christians often ask, “How can we pray unceasingly?” To pray unceasingly is to call on the Lord without ceasing. We can pray unceasingly by calling on the Lord unceasingly, regardless of time, place, or what person or matter we are facing (1 Thes. 5:17).
We should not be so spiritual as to think that when we preach Christ, we need to consider whether or not it is the opportune time; this is not right. Paul says, “Proclaim the word; be ready in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2). This means that regardless of what time it is, we can speak of the Lord and preach Him to others.
Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not abandoning our own assembling together...but exhorting one another; and so much the more as you see the day drawing near.”
If we desire to fulfill the aforementioned points, we cannot do so by ourselves. We can do so only by the bountiful supply of the Spirit and the empowering of the Lord (Phil. 1:19; 4:13).
The purpose of this fellowship is to pour out my concern; I hope that all of us will realize that this is a critical moment. May the Lord be merciful to us and cause us to have a reconsideration and a new beginning. We truly do not desire to be the same as before but seek to advance according to the new way.
