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Today we want to speak concerning another matter related to the administration of the elders. It is the knowledge concerning boundaries. Perhaps you have never realized that the knowledge of boundaries would have much to do with the administration of the elders. You may not even understand what the word boundaries means. But I believe that after you have read through this chapter, you will become very clear.
First, let us consider the matter from the angle of God’s work. Whether it is in God’s creation or in God’s redemption, there are always clear boundaries. For example, Genesis 1 speaks of God’s creation. There the phrase according to their kind is often repeated. Although there are many kinds of plant life, yet each is according to its kind. Although there are many kinds of animal life, each is also according to its kind. Although all of them are all life, they are according to their kind. Whether it is the plant life or the animal life, each of them has its boundary. Whenever these boundaries are exceeded, confusion immediately follows. Therefore, when we come to Leviticus and Deuteronomy, in God’s commandments to His people there are many references to the question of boundaries. It is forbidden that two kinds of lives be mixed together. For example, God prohibited two kinds of seeds to be planted together in the same field. He also would not allow both an ox and an ass to bear the same yoke. He would not permit the wearing of clothing with two different fibers woven together. Also God forbade men to wear women’s clothing and women to wear men’s clothing. In the New Testament and especially in the Epistles, you can also find many teachings related to the matter of boundaries. Today we do not have the time to look into them. What we are doing here is only to bring out an issue, which is that in God’s work He has set up all kinds of boundaries. Whenever these boundaries are broken down, there will be confusion, and God’s work will be destroyed.
The administration of the church also has many boundaries. If such were not the case, there would be no need for administration, and there would be no need for men to take up responsibility. The Bible shows that in the church there are elders, deacons, and many other gifted persons. All the services must be in proper order and according to the proper principles, and everything should have its definite boundary. In order for us to administrate the church, we must have a very clear knowledge concerning the matter of boundaries. Now we will consider twelve different kinds of boundaries.
The elders in the church are the ones who conduct the administration of the church. They are the ones who govern, rule, administer, and conduct affairs. The function of the deacons in the church is in the nature of service. Their work is much like what is commonly spoken of as business affairs. Everything in the church should be proposed and decided by the elders, and all the business affairs in the church should be carried out and executed by the deacons. The boundary between these two things should be very clear. Otherwise, sometimes the elders will be doing the work of the deacons, and the deacons will be doing the work of the elders.
Certain things that should be done by the deacons are done by the elders. Thus, the elders have overstepped the functions of the deacons. Take, for instance, the matter of arranging the meeting hall. How should the hall be arranged? When should it be arranged? Proposals and decisions in these matters are for the elders to make. But when the hall is actually being arranged, the matter should be handed over to the deacons. If the elders have to be involved directly with this kind of arranging work, the elders have done the work of the deacons. On the one hand, such a thing puts the deacons out of a job. On the other hand, the more important works that the elders should have done are left undone. Hence, we see that this kind of practice is entirely a damage to the church.
On the other hand, the affairs of the church should be conducted and decided by the elders. But suppose the elders neglect their duties and leave it to the deacons to make decisions. The deacons do not represent the authority and do not know the condition of the whole church. When they make proposals regarding the church, this will affect the atmosphere of the church. The reason these abnormalities occur is that the elders are not clear about the matter of boundaries. Therefore, all proposals in the church must definitely be initiated by the elders, and as much as possible, all services in the church must be handed over to the deacons.
The elders must stay within their own boundaries. They must only do the things that are within their boundaries and must let the deacons do the things that should be done by the deacons. This is a difficult thing for the elders to do, because the elders will then have to be responsible to bring in some deacons. Many are of the disposition that since they can take care of the matters by themselves, it would be more convenient to do the things by themselves. In that way they could do things the way they want. It would be very inconvenient to bring along someone else in the work. Not only will they be restricted, but they will have to learn to be humble and to accept the dealings. This is why many times the elders simply take the shortcut and do the work themselves. When they do this once, twice, three times, four times, on and on, it becomes impossible for the deacons to be perfected.
When the elders do the work of the deacons, they will neglect the work that they themselves should do. For example, they should know how to lead different kinds of people on in the church. They should know how to seize the opportunity to preach the gospel and to build up the saints. These are the things concerning which the elders should receive positive leadings from the Lord; they should plan and endeavor like those who are engaging in a business. It would be a great mistake if the elders neglect this aspect of the work and engage themselves in arranging chairs and tables, taking care of the cleaning, and trying to meet other practical needs.
For instance, the church here has over thirty separate district meetings. Under normal circumstances every district should be strong. Not only does this require the responsible ones in the districts to take up the leadership, but it requires the attention of the elders. The elders must study the condition of each district. How is the condition in this district and in that district? If the condition is not good, what is the reason? Is it because the supply in the word is weak? Is it because the administration or the coordination is not right? Is it because there are weaknesses in the services or in the gospel? Once they have found the reason, they have to render help according to the practical need. If one district is lacking in the supply of the word, those among the elders who are more outstanding in the ministry of the word should pick up the burden to render help and to strengthen the supply of the word. Perhaps another district is incompetent in handling their business affairs. Those among the elders who are good at service should go there to help them. The elders should spend the energy, strength, and time to strengthen the meetings in all the districts and to bring every one of the thirty or more districts up to the standard. These are the things the elders should do.
Take another example: In the church there are also the meetings in the different meeting halls. There are the Lord’s Day morning message meetings and the midweek Bible study meetings. The elders have to pay attention to the atmosphere of these meetings, the messages given in these meetings, the number in attendance, and the condition of attendance. All these things take time. As to the cleaning of the chairs and the tables, the elders need only to oversee generally. The work itself should be handed over to the deacons.
These are only examples. The elders should always take care of the big, high, important, developing, advancing, promoting, and building works within the church. As to the other affairs, they should only lay down some general guidelines and should hand them over to the deacons. This is the only way to effect a division of labor, and it is the only way to produce the manpower.
In the church one should see a beautiful picture of the elders learning to be the authority in humility and patience, teaching others and leading them on, while the deacons are learning to submit to authority, to be led, and to serve properly. Everyone should stay in their place, and everyone should function to the best of their capacity. This requires that the elders know the boundary between the two kinds of people.
The boundary between the elders and the other brothers and sisters is also an important matter. It is true that we all are God’s children; the elders are God’s children together with all the other brothers and sisters. From this point of view, there certainly is no boundary. But from another point of view, the ones functioning as elders bear the heavy responsibility of the church. As such, there is a boundary between responsibility and no responsibility. This does not mean that there is a hierarchy and a high place, as if the elders are higher than the others. To have such a feeling is ugly. The boundary we are talking about here is absolutely a matter of responsibility.
For example, concerning certain matters, the elders should only talk to other elders about them; it is not convenient for them to talk these things over with the other brothers and sisters, because there is a question of responsibility involved. The same is true within a family. A family may have eight or nine brothers and sisters. The oldest brother and sister of course help in taking the responsibility. From the standpoint of the children, all of them are the same; there is no boundary. But from the standpoint of family responsibility, the oldest brother and sister share in the responsibility of the family. Matters of responsibility are known to them only. They can talk among themselves, but they should set up a boundary between them and their younger brothers and sisters. This is true even with a unit as small as the family. How much more true it is with a place as great as the house of God. Surely the elders cannot discuss freely with the other brothers and sisters everything that they know. If they do this, they have no boundary, and the result could be quite damaging.
Not only to the other brothers and sisters but to the deacons, there is no need to confide many things. This is not to say that the church is divided into ranks. This is a question of responsibility and degree. There is a real need of consideration of boundary here.
Suppose a brother has difficulty with his wife at home. The matter can be brought up in the elders’ meeting, and the elders can discuss ways to help the situation. The elders can know about this, for they are the elders in the church, and they are responsible for caring for the brothers and sisters and shepherding them. But under different circumstances and with other brothers and sisters present, the elders should not bring up the matter, for if others know about it, it will be unfair to the couple involved. Here is the need for the boundary. In order to administrate a church properly, there is the need to distinguish these boundaries.
The Bible shows that the elders are appointed by the apostles. The apostles are the workers. But we must know clearly that not all the workers are apostles. If we consider it this way, it is very dangerous. It would be terrible if all it takes to become an apostle and therefore to be qualified to appoint elders is for a person to be a full-time worker. Hence, there is a difference between one worker and another. Some are commissioned, as the apostles were. Others may not have the apostolic commission. Therefore, there must also be a distinction in the relationship between the elders and the workers. With some workers, you can consider them as apostles and can take their leadership. Some other workers are young and are just learning to serve the Lord. They should still be under the leading of the elders. There is a further distinction of boundary here. If one is not clear about this boundary, there will also be confusion in the church.
There is also a boundary between the elders and their relatives and even their family. Almost all the elders have a wife and children. Some elders have parents who are still living. With every family, there are relatives. The elders must know clearly the boundary between them and their relatives.
I have spoken of this matter on more than one occasion in the past. Whenever I have the opportunity, I will point out this matter. In some localities where some brothers function as elders, they also drag their wives in as elders. Some even drag their children and parents in as elders. For them, when a person becomes an elder, his whole family become elders. Perhaps you may say, “What are you talking about?” For instance, a certain Brother Chang may be functioning as an elder. One day after coming home from an elders’ meeting, upon entering his door, his wife may ask him, “What was discussed at the elders’ meeting today?” Brother Chang may say, “Oh, it was terrible! We talked about a divorce case!” Immediately, his son may ask, “Who is the brother?” The elder may reply, “It is Brother So-and-so.” His daughter may continue, “Oh, then what will ever happen to his wife?” I tell you, within less than half an hour after the elders’ meeting where the divorce case was discussed, Brother Chang’s entire family are contributing their opinions about the case already. Before eight o’clock at night, when the son goes to the tutorial class, all the brothers in the son’s class also know about it. Before the next morning all the young brothers and sisters know about it. Perhaps Sister Chang would go to a sisters’ meeting that evening. After the meeting she would grab the sisters and say, “Sisters, we must all pray. How terrible! Brother So-and-so wants to divorce his wife!” Although they may all have good intentions in their hearts, they will stir up a storm and will make the situation a mess. For Brother Chang to do this is for him to make his whole family the elders. This will bring in an unbearable burden upon the church.
Brothers, suppose Brother Chang knows the boundary between the elders and their families. After the elders’ meeting, when he goes home and his wife asks him about the elders’ meeting, he can gently tell her, “You are not an elder; the elders’ meeting is not a matter for you to take care of.” This is to have the boundary. In order to manage the church well, this boundary must be clearly drawn. Otherwise, within a year many rumors will abound in the church, and these rumors will all come from the elders.
I wish to say this before God with a good conscience; I have no intention to be critical. In some places the situation is simply unbearable. On the one hand, in the overseeing service of the church, the sisters are strictly kept outside the door. Yet on the other hand, the elders who serve in the church bring all the matters of the church to their wives, to the extent that the wives are even interfering with the affairs of the church. This is absolutely an abnormal situation. I can say solemnly that there is no way for such a church to avoid confusion, because there is no clear boundary between the elders and their families.
The elders must also be able to discern the timing of events. Some things can be done at a certain time. But if the time is changed, the same things cannot be done any longer. Some words can be spoken in one kind of meeting, but in another meeting, such words cannot be released. You cannot say that because a matter is announced in the prayer meeting, it can therefore be released in the preaching meeting as well. No. Here is a boundary of timing. In everything related to the elders, they have to maintain the boundary of timing. If a matter is not done at a certain time, it can no longer be done. You have to learn to consider the matter of timing. In order for the elders to manage a church well, they have to keep to the boundary of timing.
For instance, in the situation we just mentioned, that of a couple about to have a divorce, when the elders hear about it, they may want to visit them and to help them. But when should they do it? Please remember that the timing is very important. The elders must study whether the matter has become open yet, and whether they can visit the couple in a proper way. Perhaps they should wait for another week and should watch the development of events. If there is no adequate consideration of the boundary of timing, the couple may be damaged. The elders must draw clearly the boundary of time so that when they go, it will be just the right time.
In everything there is the consideration of timing. Even when a brother is sick or has developed a problem with the church or has been enticed by some sins, you cannot take a brother and visit him right away after you hear the news. You cannot do this. You have to consider the time factor. You must find out what the most suitable time is. For some things the right time has passed, and there is nothing that can be done any longer. You should not try to do anything, or else the result will be even worse. You can only ask for the Lord’s forgiveness for your dullness, that you have not caught the proper time. Sometimes, it is not right to do anything yet; you have to wait for a few days, or a period of time, and watch the development or the result, before you can make any contact.
If an elder indeed has a heart to shepherd God’s flock and to build up Christ’s Body, he will see the importance of timing. It is like a physician who is preparing to operate on his patient; there is a question of timing involved. Any elder who cannot draw a boundary in the matter of timing will most certainly be unable to manage the church. Therefore, the elders must also consider the matter of timing.
Not only is there a boundary of time; there is a boundary of place also. A boundary implies a distinction. The elders can do certain things in one place but not in another. They can speak certain words in one setting but not when the setting is changed. This is not being diplomatic; neither is it being deceitful. This is absolutely a distinction pertaining to a boundary.
Strictly speaking, only in the elders’ meeting can the elders speak openly and freely, without reservation and without concealment, about things pertaining to the brothers and sisters, the church, and the testimony of the Lord. Other than this, all the elders have to consider all the boundaries and must draw a clear line across all the boundaries. The elders cannot share the things discussed in an elders’ meeting with the deacons. They cannot discuss these things with the other brothers and sisters, much less with their families. Only in this way can the elders feel free to discuss the matters concerning the brothers and sisters in the elders’ meeting. Otherwise, it would do injustice to the brothers and sisters. In the elders’ meetings, anything related to the church and to the Lord’s testimony can be discussed. But when the setting is changed and the place changed, the same things cannot be discussed. This is the consideration of place.
The elders must also recognize the boundary of business affairs. There are certain matters that the elders cannot touch. Once they touch them, they trespass the boundary. There are other matters that the elders must look into because they are within the jurisdiction of the elders. I often receive letters from brothers and sisters out of town. When I read them, I felt that they surely have a good heart and are surely for the Lord, for His work, and even the more for His church. But the way the letters were written tells me that they really do not recognize any boundary. They mix all the relationships up together and do not have any clear-cut distinction. This would easily cause trouble in the church.
The church is something long-lasting. It does not exist today and disappear tomorrow. It does not appear for a while and then subside in an instant. The church will be here on earth all the time. If the Lord delays His return, perhaps she will still be here in fifty or eighty years’ time. If a person becomes an elder at the age of forty or fifty, he will at least be an elder for another ten to twenty years. If you cannot distinguish the boundary of business affairs, in time all kinds of confusion will result. Therefore, you must constantly learn to draw a clear boundary line in all business affairs.
Please remember that the clearer you draw the boundary line, the more solid the church’s unity and coordination will be. Only then will the building of the church be properly brought onto the right track. Because the elders have learned proper lessons in drawing the boundaries in time, place, and business, they will know whose business each matter is. Whenever certain things come to their attention, they can immediately say, “This is the brothers’ business. Let us not touch it for now.” Some other matters may come to the elders, and they can draw a clear line immediately, saying, “This is the sisters’ business. Again, we should not touch it for now.” Still, when other things come to the elders, they can quickly draw the line and say, “This has to do with the Lord’s work; it has to do with the ministry,” or, “This has to do with the co-workers.” Only when you clearly draw the line in business affairs can you know what things are within the boundary of the elders. Only then will you be able to divide and to discern all things according to the boundary of the truth. You will be able to tell whether a matter has contradicted the truth or whether it is within the boundary of the truth. In this way you will know whether or not you should touch a matter. Otherwise, you will always be doing what you should not do. All these things have to do with your understanding.
There is also a boundary between the churches. True, all the local churches are in the Lord, and they should all fellowship with one another and do their best to help each other. But once a problem occurs, there is still the need to clearly draw the boundary. You must distinguish clearly whether a matter belongs to one local church or to another local church. Some elders are too good in their hearts. They feel that since they are not far from a church in their suburbs, they should help the other church, and they go ahead and make decisions for that church. This may be done out of a good heart, but often it damages matters. Do not consider this as unimportant. We must always learn to draw the boundary clearly. If this matter belongs to another church, even if it seems troublesome, we must still turn it over to them, informing their responsible ones of it and allowing them to take care of the matter. Although there should be fellowship between the churches and although they should help one another in the Lord, yet the boundary between the churches must be clear.
The boundary between the church and the work is a big subject. During the two thousand years of church history, there are two problems that have never been truly solved: one is the problem of receiving people, and the other is the relationship between the church and the work. How should we receive a person to be a brother? This problem still is not solved today. At the same time, the boundary between the church and the work is also a difficult problem; there are too many considerations involved, and it is difficult to distinguish them clearly.
However, if we return to the Scriptures without any personal subjective feeling or background of Christianity and if we read the Word of God with a sober mind and an enlightened spirit, we will see that the boundary between the church and the work is very clear. On the one hand, the church encompasses everything; all the workers, including the apostle Paul, are in the church. When Paul went to Corinth, he was a brother in the church in Corinth. When he went to Ephesus, he was a brother in the church in Ephesus. When he went to Antioch, he was a brother in the church in Antioch. It was a different matter that he had a gift and could exercise and supply others. As a brother, he was a member of the church. Yet, on the other hand, as an apostle, he was a worker, and he was responsible for a part of the Lord’s work. As such, his standing was altogether beyond the jurisdiction of the church. Otherwise, if the workers and the work were completely under the church, it would become possible for the church to have workers and to send out workers and direct them or to initiate a work. This would altogether be beyond the teaching of the Scriptures. Therefore, we can see that as a brother, a worker is in the church, but as one who is commissioned by the Lord, he is apart from the jurisdiction of the church.
On the one hand, all the work everywhere is for the church. The workers are either there to establish a church or there to edify and build up the churches. On the other hand, all churches everywhere should submit to the Lord’s work. The churches should pray for the work and supply and fellowship with the work in financial matters. But one thing must be very clear — all the work of outreach is absolutely and one hundred percent in the hand of the worker and not in the hand of any local church. Any local church can only be responsible for the work in its own locality. For instance, in a certain locality the gospel work, the work of edifying the saints, and the work of visitation and teaching are all the responsibility of the local church. All workers who go there to work should submit to that local church. But the work of outreach, of pioneering, does not belong to any local church. The church in Taipei cannot send a brother to the church in Shindien to edify the church there. The Lord has not given the church the ground to do such a work. Only the commissioned apostles and the Lord’s workers have the ground to do such a work of outreach. Works of outreach are in the hands of the workers. This is the relationship between the church and the work. If we know this, we will have a clear boundary when dealing with certain matters. Only then can we say such a matter belongs to the church and such a matter belongs to the workers and the work.
Sometimes an elderly or a considerably experienced co-worker may come to your place. The elders must be clear whether or not he is coming simply as a brother. Whether or not he has a gift to exercise here, and whether or not he has the burden or the leading to work here is a different issue. It is a fact that the administration of a local church is still in the hands of the elders. No worker, no matter how experienced or spiritually advanced he is, can be a substitute for the elders to bear the responsibility of the church.
In some places, because the elders are not clear about this boundary, when an elderly co-worker comes to the church, they would quickly hand over all their responsibilities. It is as if they are saying, “You are older, and you know how to take the lead; please take up the responsibility of leadership.” Please understand that this is not an accurate concept. The apostle Paul never acted in this way. None of the apostles have ever acted in this way. It is a different matter if an apostle has the Lord’s leading and stays for a longer time in a needy place, and then he also becomes an elder in that local church. But he can never take over the responsibility of the church in the position of an apostle and in the qualification of a worker. He can at most put himself as one of the elders and coordinate with the other elders in the qualification of an elder to bear together the responsibility of that local church. If the elders can learn to understand this boundary, the church will surely receive a great benefit.
The distinction between the church and the denominations is also a big subject. I will just say a frank word: In Christianity, there are a few things that can give us a headache. One such thing is the saying that all churches are more or less the same. In some places, even the elders in the church say such a thing. Whenever I hear this, I would say to these ones bluntly, “If they are more or less the same, why do you come here to be an elder?” They may say, “This is the Lord’s leading, and it is the arrangement of the brothers. I cannot decline. But to me everything is more or less the same.” Oh, brothers, an elder can never say “more or less the same”! If the answer is yes, say yes. If the answer is no, say no. Never say “more or less the same.” If they are more or less the same, we should not be starting another group in addition to so many groups. The elders among us who bear responsibility in the various local churches must say that the difference is too great. What is a church, and what is a denomination? Here is a great boundary.
Some find it very hard to take such a word. When they hear it, they feel uncomfortable. But I want to say humbly to the brothers and sisters that all those who find it hard to hear such a word are those who suffer loss. If you cannot distinguish the church from the denominations, you yourself will be the first one to suffer. The suffering of the church will be secondary.
We can never acknowledge that any denomination is the church. We can only acknowledge that within those denominations there are our brothers and sisters, who are part of the church. They are elements of the church. They are members of the Body of Christ. But we cannot acknowledge that any denomination is the church. Otherwise, you will find it extremely difficult to take the lead in the church. I hope all the responsible brothers in all the local churches are clear about this matter. I also hope that no one who is confused about this matter will be appointed as an elder, because this will cause difficulty in the administration in the future. We can say that very many problems originate from this matter. In order to administrate the church, we must have a distinction here. Today we can all distinguish the difference between the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches, but we should not stop at this distinction only. We should distinguish also the difference between the various denominations and the churches that the Lord has established in each locality on earth. Either we do not talk about the administration of the church, or we must have a very clear boundary in this matter.
There is still another boundary we should know, the boundary of the truth. The matter of boundary is absolutely related to knowledge. The elders should have considerable knowledge regarding the truth. They must be able to draw a boundary on all truth. In this way it will be very easy to find out the heresies and the wrong teachings.
The ones responsible for administration in the church do not necessarily need to use all the truth, but they need to know all the truth. It is like the pursuit of knowledge: some knowledge is for application, whereas other knowledge is to be used at some later date. The same is true with the understanding of the truth. What we use daily to supply the brothers and sisters and to apply in the church may only be a few very practical and spiritual items that are full of life; we may not need to use the other items in the same way. However, we still need to know about them, and we should keep them there for later use.
We know that nothing of what God has created is simple. Man is of course not simple, for he is composed of skin and flesh on the outside and muscle and bone on the inside. In addition, there are the inward parts, the heart and the lungs, and many other parts. Even a watermelon is quite involved. When we eat a watermelon, we do not necessarily eat the whole thing. We do not eat the rind, we do not eat the seeds, and we do not eat the tissues in the meat. But the watermelon still needs these things. Without the seeds and the rind, the meat cannot grow. But what is useful is only the meat of the watermelon. The elders must know the truth in such a way. They must know the truth in all aspects. Although they will use only certain aspects of the truth and will not use much of the other aspects, they should still keep them there. The latter will render a certain help and safeguard to our application. Therefore, all who administrate the church must know the truth in many aspects.
Classification is the prerequisite to the knowledge of any matter or to the truth. Regardless of what matter or truth we want to know, we must first classify it. You may not understand something at the beginning, but once you classify it, it will become clear. For instance, suppose a man gives a message today. How would you classify this message? Once you classify it, you will understand it. When you can really classify the truth, you will truly know whether or not a message is helpful to the brothers and sisters. You can also decide whether or not such a message can be accepted. Hence, this is absolutely related to the administration of the church.
If the elders cannot draw the line on the truth, the church will be put in jeopardy in receiving the supply of the ministry of the word. Of course, with a small place like the one we have in Taiwan today, everyone is in fellowship with each other, and the situation is easier to handle. But in other places it would be rather difficult. When everyone is separated one from another by great distances, and every place has to be responsible for itself, how should the church decide which ministry of the word and which ministers of the word it should take? This requires the elders to be able to draw the boundary concerning the truth. You cannot say, “Oh, since he is a preacher and what he says is based on the Scriptures, we can accept it.” No. You must classify what he preaches and draw the boundary on it. You must ascertain the category his message comes under and define its boundary. If you can draw the boundary and classify this way, you will be able to tell right away if the message is dangerous or helpful. This is a great safeguard to the church that you are administrating.
In some places the condition of the church grieves me very much. The reason is that the responsible ones do not know how to draw the boundary in the truth and do not classify the truth. The church invites people to preach and teach in a loose way. The result is complete confusion, destruction, and division. These are big considerations in the administration of the elders.
There is another boundary that needs to be strictly kept. That is the boundary between the brothers and the sisters. This is also a great boundary. There is one thing we must admit: While Christians live on earth today, the place where they have the most opportunity to contact the opposite sex is the church. Between the brothers and sisters, they meet in the meetings, in the service, in the gospel preaching, and in their witnessing work. For this reason in their administration of the church, the elders must draw a boundary between the brothers and the sisters. This is not a boundary of separation but a boundary of distinction. This boundary must never be removed or annulled. Whenever you annul this boundary, you will involve yourselves in immense trouble.
In Christianity there are some zealous ones with little spiritual experience who suggest: “We are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. Since we are all spiritual, we do not need to distinguish the brothers from the sisters.” I want to tell the brothers and sisters that I have seen the fruit from such a concept. I have heard even more about such things. They bring untold problems to the church. In some places it is the elders who are reaping and eating their own fruit because the elders themselves have led the church this way. Their way of administration is to cause the brothers and sisters not to have any boundary. This is altogether wrong.
While we live on this earth and in our flesh, in no way can you believe that the boundary between men and women can be abolished; there is no such thing. This is the devil’s teaching. In some places some teach that we are all spiritual and that to talk about the boundary between male and female is to have defiled thoughts. Some almost condemn me by saying that it is because my thoughts are filthy and unclean that I am talking about the boundary between the brothers and the sisters. No. Even if thousands of people would rise up to say that my thoughts are unclean, I will still stand up to tell you that you need a boundary between the brothers and the sisters. The elders in every locality must set up a firm boundary between the brothers and the sisters; they should never remove it.
Galatians 3 says that in Christ there is no more distinction between male and female (v. 28). But 1 Corinthians 11 and 14 say that in the church we must still distinguish the boundary between male and female. There is no distinction between male and female in Christ, but there is still the distinction between male and female in the church. If in the church we make no distinction between male and female, then Paul is actually contradicting himself in 1 Corinthians 11 and 14, because there he clearly says that brothers do not have to cover their heads when they pray but that the sisters do. In addition, the sisters should not speak in the meeting. You can see that there is still a distinction between male and female in the church.
Some have checked with me in a serious way: “Brother Lee, why does the church not come up to the standard of the age? In most social gatherings today, men and women sit together. Why do the men and women sit separately in the church meetings?” Dear brothers and sisters, you cannot deny that David loved the Lord more than you do and was more spiritual than you are. But even David could fall. How much more can we fall also? Today we are still in the old creation, and it is still possible for us to fall. God has not removed the boundary between male and female in the church. When you and I administrate the church, we must not give the impression that we are all in the Lord and that it makes no difference whether we are brothers or sisters. This indifference is detrimental and must never be permitted. We must learn to draw a boundary here.
Now I have presented to you these twelve boundaries. If the elders know how to draw these boundaries, their administration of the church will be stable, clear, and proper. You will be able to bring all kinds of people and things onto the right track. In this way the church will have the real administration and building.
