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Scripture Reading: Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:8
To spread the gospel is to preach the gospel. To preach the gospel is a very common, popular term among Christians. Concerning the preaching of the gospel in the Scripture Reading in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, I do not quote one verse but a section. Why? Because many today in Christianity have isolated the so-called preaching of the gospel from its context. They seem to make the preaching of the gospel something different from the proper preaching instructed, revealed, and ordained by the Lord. I want to quote all the context of these three verses regarding the gospel preaching in the first three synoptic Gospels and also fellowship concerning Acts 1:8.
Matthew 28:18-19 says, “Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,...Go therefore and disciple all the nations.” At this juncture Jesus came in resurrection. He had spent forty days with the disciples in His resurrection. At the end of those forty days He came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (v. 18). This simple sentence indicates that Jesus our Lord is not a simple person. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. He is now the Lord of the universe because He has been given the authority in the entire universe. At this time this One came in His resurrection, not in His flesh or in the natural form of a man in the flesh, to declare that all the authority both in heaven and on earth had been given to Him. Based upon this declaration He gave them the commandment: “Go therefore and disciple all the nations.” It is not just to preach the gospel to make them believers but to make them disciples. There is a big difference between believers and disciples. The word disciples in the English language is very much related to discipline. A believer may have little to do with any kind of discipline, but only discipline can create a disciple.
By this you can see that many Christians quote this verse in a shallow way, making others “heaven-goers” rather than disciples. To disciple the nations means to make them disciples, to make them persons who belong to God in Christ and who are disciplined all the time. This includes a lot. It is not merely to preach the gospel to save people but to bring in people through the gospel and to make them disciples through much discipline.
Many Christians argue about the matter of baptism in speaking about Matthew 28:19. Is this the baptism with water or the baptism with the Holy Spirit? If this is baptism with water, should the water be hot water, cold water, salt water, natural water, water in the pool, water in the river, water in the sea, water in the bathtub, or what kind of water? I read only one person’s writing that stressed being baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In his Word Studies of the New Testament Vincent gives a marvelous and excellent interpretation when he comes to Matthew 28:19. He says that the name denotes the person. The name is the sum total of the Divine Being, equivalent to His person. To baptize into the name means to baptize into the person. To baptize the disciples into the name of the Triune God means to baptize them into the person of the very Triune God.
Vincent also tells us about the small preposition into, not in. Into indicates a kind of union (see footnote 194 on Matthew 28, Recovery Version). Vincent gives us these good points, but few readers have ever practiced this. We should charge the full-timers to go out to preach the gospel by discipling “all the nations, baptizing them into...” The Lord Jesus did not say, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations and baptize...” There is no conjunction and, so discipling and baptizing are not two separate items. To “disciple all the nations, baptizing” means that to disciple is to baptize, to baptize is to disciple. Baptizing is a modifier modifying the predicate disciple, telling us how to disciple. By what way do we disciple them? By putting them into the Triune God.
We should train our young full-timers to realize that our way to go out is to disciple all the nations by baptizing them, or by putting them into the Triune God. In our gospel preaching we need to tell them who the Triune God is, who the Father is, who the Son is, and who the Spirit is. If we do not tell people about the Triune God, about the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, how could they realize that to be baptized is to be baptized into such a One? Many today make baptism just a ritual for people to enter into another religion. The Chinese regarded baptism as a ritual to take a Western religion. Their thought was that baptism was a kind of initiation for entering a new club. Most of the Chinese who were baptized had no idea about the Triune God.
In Matthew 28:20 there is another participle — teaching. Baptizing and teaching modify the predicate disciple. It is not so simple to go out to preach the gospel. To preach the gospel is not just to tell people that they are sinners, that Jesus is the Son of God who came to be their Savior, who died on the cross for their sins, and that when they believe in Him, they will be forgiven and go to heaven. This is too low.
We have to tell the listeners who the Triune God — the One into whom we intend to put them — is. Our preaching must have the intention to put the listeners into the Triune God. We have to tell them who the Triune God is; we have to tell them the substance of the Triune God. This is higher preaching. We have to use teachings as in verse 20: “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age.” The last part of the verse is a promise. If we do this kind of preaching, surely He will be with us, and we will enjoy His presence. He will be with us until the consummation of the age. This promise for us to enjoy is based upon the foregoing one and a half verses.
This is a gospel that comprises the entire New Testament economy of God. To disciple the nations as one act needs two things to modify it. First, there is baptizing the people into the Triune God. Second, there is teaching them all the things that we have been taught. This is the New Testament economy of God, and the One who was speaking this was the One in resurrection to whom all authority in heaven and earth had been given. Putting all these things together, you could see a clear picture of the entire New Testament economy of God. This is the kind of gospel we have to go out to preach and by which we disciple the nations, putting our listeners into the Triune God.
Translators generally agree that the best manuscripts do not have Mark 16:9-20, but they also agree to leave this portion here. Verse 15 reads, “He said to them, Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all the creation.” The Chinese version renders to all the creation as “to all the people.” Of course, all the creation includes the people, but to all the people does not include all the creation. We have to realize that when we go out to preach the gospel of the New Testament economy of God concerning this all-inclusive person, the heaven and all the demons will be listening. Thus, we are not only preaching to human beings, but we are also preaching to all the creation. Christ’s redemption is not only for human beings but also for the entire creation. In Colossians 1:20 we are told that Christ’s redemption is for everything. Hebrews 2:9 tells us that He died to taste death on behalf of everything, not only for everyone but for everything of God’s creation because God’s entire creation was lost (see footnote 93 on Hebrews 2, Recovery Version). Therefore, it has to be redeemed, brought back through Christ’s redemption. When we preach such a gospel to human beings, we actually preach this gospel to all the creatures.
Mark 16:16-18 says, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it shall by no means harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well.” Verse 17 says that these signs, the following signs, will accompany those who believe, not those who preach. The one who believes will cast out demons, speak with new tongues, and pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it shall by no means harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well.
Of course, the last they refers to the sick — the sick will be well. This should be a part of our preaching, telling the ones who believe that they can do these few things. In the Lord’s name they can cast out demons, in the Lord’s name they will speak with new tongues, in the Lord’s name they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it shall by no means harm them. In the Lord’s name they will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well. We must exercise our faith. These are small and minor things compared with putting people into the Triune God. Tell them that after they believe, signs will follow them. As a new beginner, they need to exercise their faith to lay hands on the sick.
Most Christians think that the preachers, the evangelists, do all these miracles. The Lord did not say this. He said, “Those who believe.” We have to train the full-timers to go out this way. Tell the new believers that they are given the right to lay hands on the sick. This shows us that we should not take any portion of the Word for granted. We have to read and re-read it, reconsidering it word by word; then we will get something new.
In Luke 24:44 the Lord Jesus, as the One who was in resurrection and who had been given all authority in heaven and on earth, said to His disciples, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and Psalms concerning Me must be fulfilled.” The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms are the three sections of the entire Old Testament. The Savior’s word here unveils that the entire Old Testament was a revelation of Him, the all-inclusive Christ, who is the center of God’s New Testament economy.
Luke 24:45 says, “Then He opened their mind to understand the Scriptures.” This is why I charged those young full-timers to spend half a day to dwell in the Recovery Version, to study all the Scriptures. When we go out to preach the all-inclusive gospel, we must be equipped and qualified. Otherwise, we will be like many isolated Christian preachers. We need to understand the Scriptures, and also we need to pray, “Lord, open our understanding. Open our mind that we may be able to understand the Scriptures.”
Luke 24:46 says, “He said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise up from the dead on the third day.” We have to teach others concerning the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. This portion of the Word implies all the main things of God’s New Testament revelation.
Verse 47 continues the Lord’s word to the disciples: “And that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name.” His name implies a lot. You should tell people whose name this is. The name denotes a person. Who is the person? This requires you to tell all the aspects concerning Christ. You have to preach the all-inclusive Christ so that they may receive the forgiveness of sins. It is not forgiveness of sins alone, but it is the forgiveness of sins in His name. This is like baptizing into the name (Matt. 28:19). The name denotes the Triune God, and this name here denotes the all-inclusive Christ. Get yourself so familiar with all the aspects of the all-inclusive Christ. Otherwise, you can never preach an adequate gospel. Therefore, I insist on training the young full-timers for at least half a year so that they will have an adequate revelation concerning God’s New Testament economy and concerning the all-inclusive Christ.
The Lord spoke further, “You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send forth the promise of My Father upon you; but as for you, stay in the city until you put on power from on high” (Luke 24:48-49). We have to claim the experience of putting on power from on high. This putting on power from on high transpired on the day of Pentecost. Today we do not need to wait for this, because the baptism in the Spirit has transpired. We even do not need to pray for this; however, we surely have to pray for our experience. This is why I stress so much that all the young full-timers going out must experience the baptism in the Spirit.
Acts 1:8, a very brief yet all-inclusive verse, says, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” We have to thank the Lord that the Holy Spirit has come upon us already. Now our need is to seek the very experience of this. Verse 8 does not say that “you shall be My preachers” but that “you shall be My witnesses.” You may preach something that you have never seen or experienced, but to witness is to be an eyewitness. You have seen the things, experienced the things, tasted the things, and enjoyed the things. All the full-timers need to be helped to know the Lord Jesus, to experience the all-inclusive Christ. Then they can go out to be His witnesses, not merely the preachers. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth is a good sequence and corresponds to our neighborhood, the surrounding places, the places at a distance, and the farthest places.
We must stress very much that every church must be a gospel-spreading and truth-teaching church. This is our commission. Every church and every saint should be such a one. Every full-timer, including the job-dropping one and the money-making one, must be one who preaches the gospel and teaches the truth in his neighborhood and among his relatives, classmates, friends, and colleagues. Our Jerusalem is our town, our city, our village. Then we go out to the surrounding places; then we go out to places at a distance; then we would even go to other states and other countries, even to the uttermost part of the earth. We must have such a spirit.
By seeing this we all could realize that we are far behind. Therefore, we have to endeavor to stir up all the churches to be this kind of church and all the saints to be this kind of person. By what way? By being in one accord. All the saints in one locality should be in one accord, all the churches in one country should be in one accord, and all the churches in all the countries around the globe should just be in one accord. We should have this one accord. We must claim this, insist on this, and require this. We do not agree that in the Lord’s recovery there would be another accord. It should just be in one accord, not by gimmicks but by prayer to receive more power of the Spirit. Our trust is in the Spirit and the Word.
We must stir up all the saints, whether job-dropping or money-making, to be such persons who preach the gospel and teach the truth, regardless of how busy they are. Regardless of how busy you might be as perhaps a bank manager, you still have the time to talk to your neighbors, your colleagues, your friends, relatives, in-laws, and cousins. There are a lot of persons in your “Jerusalem.” We have to train the saints, to remind them again and again, not just once for all. Preaching the gospel and teaching the truth include the one accord, much prayer, the power of the Spirit, and all the riches of the holy Word.
I hate to see the repetition of Christianity in the recovery. We should drop the different ways and different practices and take one way, the biblical way. This way is the way that is fully revealed and given as a pattern in the New Testament. I have the boldness to tell you that this is the proper leading because this is the way revealed and illustrated in the New Testament.
In 1950 Brother Nee brought a big revival to Hong Kong, and he asked me to be there. One morning in the conference of all the elders and co-workers during the time of revival, he brought me in and gave a word purposely, saying, “Witness, according to the authority that the Lord has given you, make arrangement for all the services of the elders, the deacons, and the co-workers.” After saying this, he stopped. Shortly after this, he left. That was the way he did things. Then one night he came back, and he asked me to give a testimony. I said, “No. As long as your presence is here, I quit. If you do not say anything, I will not say anything. If you sit there, I will sit there. If you want me to say something, you leave. Your presence is first.” I fully realized that in one car there cannot be two drivers. Who should be first? The first should be first. I was not first. I knew where I was and who I was. Today the problem among us is that most do not know where they are and who they are. We must hate that we would repeat the poor history of Christianity.
Any church that is a genuine local church standing on the ground of oneness and recognizing the other local churches as churches in one fellowship is a church, regardless of whether or not that church accepts the present new way. If a church chooses not to practice the new way, that church does not cease to be a church. To practice this would be sectarian. We do not practice this. We practice the all-inclusive church life.
We realize that if the Lord is to go on to make His recovery prevailing, there is no other way but this present move. However, if a church meeting properly would not take this present new way, then we still respect them as a proper church. We would still keep the fellowship with them, even though they do not feel the need of the new way. Even if they would oppose, we would not reject them. When they say that they are no longer a church in the recovery, however, then that is them cutting off the fellowship, not us. Do not cut off any church that would not be agreeable to the present new move. If a church opposes a little and yet still recognizes all the other churches on this globe for the fellowship in the Body, we would not only recognize but also respect and regard them as a genuine church among the many local churches. We not only like to, but we also will try our best to maintain proper fellowship with them. Do not be sectarian.
I do not like the promotion of tongue-speaking, but I do not reject the genuine tongue-speaking. If anyone would still speak in tongues, that is quite all right. However, for the good of the Lord’s recovery and for the good of so many saints, I would ask them to please not promote it. I have the experience, the right, and the position to say this because I saw and experienced the damage that tongue-speaking causes.
The present tongue-speakers cannot deny that there are false prophesies as well as a lot of other false things. Therefore, I do not like to see a promotion of tongue-speaking in the Lord’s recovery. But I do not like to practice sectarianism or be narrow. We will still receive the brothers who speak in tongues, yet we will beg them not to promote it. Not only with tongue-speaking but with other items, our attitude is the same. As long as something is not sinful or immoral, we do not reject it. Yet if something is not so profitable to the church life, we would beg the saints not to promote it. We do not reject, and we like to exercise restraint. We would use the way of begging and fellowshipping. We would not give anyone a command to stop their promotion. We like to go to them, sit down with them, and in a loving way with a very humble spirit fellowship about these things, hoping that they would realize the real situation. The real profit for everyone concerned may be that they would exercise some restriction to their promotion.
We also do not like to form parties. I do not like to hear some say, “Brother Lee, I stand with you.” I do not like anyone to stand with me in order to have a party. I have been in the Lord’s recovery for over half a century. Many can testify for me that in the Far East, on mainland China, in Taiwan, and in this country, I never tried to make anyone side with me to make a party. Do not make parties. It may be okay to be “the three hundred of Gideon,” but do not form a party. The three hundred with Gideon still loved the children of Israel and fought the battle for them. They never considered themselves as a separate party. That would have been a division. We do not agree with division. We must have a proper attitude and a good spirit toward all the brothers and the sisters. Whether they would take this new way or not, we do not change our attitude. Our attitude must be a loving attitude. We must simply be faithful to what we have seen and fight the battle.
Regarding the building of a new training center in Taiwan at Linkou, I am a little concerned that you may go to an extreme in your zeal, thinking that you all should quit your job, give up your family and the church, and just go to Linkou. Please do not do things that way. You still have to take care of your job and your church. We realize that what is going on in Linkou is something of the Lord. Securing that property and completing the accompanying project have very much to do with the Lord’s recovery. It will bring in a lot of benefits not only for Taiwan but also for His move on the whole earth.
It is altogether needed that all the churches around the globe would share in the financial support. This I encourage you to do but not by forgetting about the local needs. This is not right. We have to be moderate in all things. All the time we have to be balanced and restricted. We are encouraged and excited in many ways, yet we are moderate and balanced. Exercise your wisdom by observing the situation not only in your own locality but also for the Lord’s recovery on the whole globe. Based upon this kind of view, I believe that the Lord, the Spirit, will lead you to participate in the financial support to a certain extent. I cannot give you the extent. Only the Lord would lead you. This financial support is not only needed, but also it is a nice thing, a beauty in the Lord’s recovery. Suppose all the churches in Brazil would send seven hundred dollars to that project. How beautiful it would be! How good it would be if all the churches in Spain would send something. That would be marvelous! It would be a beauty. I would like to see this, but I do not like to see you forgetting everything and putting everything, even every drop of blood and every penny, into Linkou. I reject that. I say no to that. Do not go the crazy way.
What we are able to build at Linkou depends upon the Lord’s leading and how much cooperation all the churches will render to that project. In principle, we will hire the experienced contractors to do the foundation work and the framework for us. We could not do these two parts by ourselves due to safety factors. We must have a solid foundation properly laid by the experts. We have to spend a lot of money for this. We will do the rest by ourselves. We need a lot of manpower. By then we may have over five hundred young full-timers, of whom at least half will be brothers. We could use the sisters for painting and other projects. The full-timers will do the rest of the work in order that they may learn how to build meeting halls for the spreading of the church life in different villages. Then after this no hall will be contracted to anybody. All the young workers will go out to build the halls for themselves and by themselves. This is our intention. There is surely the need of a lot of experienced ones from the United States to go to Taiwan. The Chinese young people need some instructions. We need at least fifty foremen to take the lead. I think all the foremen should be from the United States. All the brothers who go will be there to be the foremen taking the lead in every part of the construction process. Do not go to Linkou in a rush. Go there by much fellowship and much prayer. Your action should not damage your local church at all. However, it may delay and it will delay. This is unavoidable. The delay is worthwhile because we are going to carry out a big project for the move of the Lord today on the earth. Pray for this.
I received a long letter of twenty-seven pages on the morning of our final day of fellowship in this elders’ training. The first page is the contents of the letter, and all the rest of the twenty-six pages are signatures. All the signatures are designated from the different churches. After reading the contents, I am so grateful to the four hundred and nineteen brothers who signed it. The contents of this letter follow, along with my letter of response to the brothers who signed it.
February 21, 1986 Anaheim, California
Dear Brother Lee,
After hearing your fellowship in this elders’ training, we all agree to have a new start in the Lord’s recovery. For this, we all agree to be in one accord and to carry out this new move of the Lord solely through prayer, the Spirit, and the Word. We further agree to practice the recovery one in: teaching, practice, thinking, speaking, essence, appearance, and expression.
We repudiate all differences among the churches, and all indifference toward the ministry, the ministry office, and the other churches. We agree that the church in our place be identical with all the local churches throughout the earth.
We also agree to follow your leading as the one who has brought us God’s New Testament economy and has led us into its practice. We agree that this leading is indispensable to our oneness and acknowledge the one trumpet in the Lord’s ministry and the one wise master builder among us.
We further agree to practice the church life in our locality absolutely in a new way: to build the church in, through, and based upon home meetings; to lead every member to get used to functioning without any idea to depend on any giant speakers; to teach all the saints to know the basic truths in an educational way that they may teach others for the spreading of the truth; to build up the saints in the growth in life that they may minister life to others, shepherd each other, and take care of the backsliding ones; to lead all the saints to preach the gospel in every possible way; to avoid leadership as much as possible; and to have home gatherings for nurturing the saints in life and big meetings for educating the saints in truths.
We agree that all the preceding points are the clear and definite teaching of the Bible according to God’s New Testament economy.
Finally, we agree that the success of this new move is our responsibility and will rise up to labor and endeavor with our whole being, looking to the Lord for His mercy and grace that we would be faithful to the end.
Your brothers for the Lord’s recovery
April 11, 1986
The Brothers attending the February 1986 Elders’ Training
Dear Brothers:
Thank you for your letter dated February 21, 1986 with the list of signatures. I feel very sorry that I could not have time to acknowledge, with appreciation, what you have expressed in your letter and through your signatures until now.
Being one with the ministry is a crucial matter, and its effects are exceedingly serious. Its proper definition is not to follow any man, any doctrine or any movement, but is to be one with the Lord’s move today according to the Lord’s vision, without any intrinsic element of exalting any person or promoting any work. May the Lord be merciful and gracious to us, that this action would not be misunderstood or misapplied by anyone in a way that would give the enemy Satan ground for utilization, thus frustrating the Lord’s move today, but rather that this action could be properly used by the Lord to swallow up all the germs of discord which have been existing, even among us, for quite a time in the past. May the Lord remember your kind wishes for me and bless your labors in Him.
Your brother in Christ, Witness Lee
