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Scripture Reading: Titus 2:14; Philem. 1-25
Following the two books to Timothy, there is still the need of the short Epistle to Titus. Apparently this book is nearly the same as 1 and 2 Timothy although it is not as complete, but it is still part of the Holy Scriptures. What then is the purpose of Paul’s letter to Titus? It is a principle that with all important matters and main points in the Scriptures, there is the need of confirmation. The book of Titus is a repetition of Paul’s Epistles to Timothy to serve as confirmation that at least two young co-workers of the apostle Paul received the same kind of instruction.
The principle in the Scriptures is that a testimony must be borne by at least two or three witnesses. Therefore, after the two books of Timothy, there is the book to Titus. Not only do these books confirm each other, but the two recipients, Timothy and Titus, also could confirm each other. After the apostle Paul passed away, these two young co-workers were still alive. If only one of them had received instruction from Paul, there would not be a testimony or confirmation for that instruction. However, because there were two persons who received the same instruction, if someone rose up to argue and dispute an issue, Timothy and Titus could be a strong confirmation for one another and for the instructions themselves.
Nevertheless, there is at least one matter found in Titus that is not mentioned in the Epistles to Timothy. Verse 14 of chapter 2 says, “Who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify to Himself a particular people as His unique possession, zealous of good works.” A particular people is a special term in the New Testament. We should be particular not only in the inner life but also in our church practice. We should not follow the system of the world, and we should not make the practice of the church life a common thing that fits our human concept. Both our Christian walk and our practice of the church must be particular.
To be particular is to be different from the common way. Because we are a particular people living on the earth, our walk, our worship, and our service to God must not be common, according to the common system or on the common course. Of course, there is no need to be purposely peculiar, but if we go on not according to the traditional teachings but according to the Lord’s inner, living guidance, we will automatically be different from the common worldly system. No matter how good the worldly system is, it is still according to the course of this age, and as such, it is no doubt of Satan. Our walk and our church practice, however, must be out from God. God must be the source, the nature, and the origin of our particular walk, life, and practice. Whatever we have must be something of God and one hundred percent different from the worldly system and contradictory to the course of this age. The worldly system, the course of the age, are of the devil, but we are following the inner guidance of the Lord; therefore, we are spontaneously different.
We must try our best not to be influenced by the Christianity that we have seen. For nearly two thousand years Christianity has been drifting away from God’s particular divine nature. Therefore, we should not trust in the things of Christianity. We should put a big question mark on them. We must lay these things aside and come back to the Lord and to His Word, to study His Word and seek His guidance in all things. If possible, we should practice the church life outside of so-called Christianity. The only things in which we should be the same as Christianity are those things that are entirely from the Spirit and from the Lord’s Word. We must go along not with tradition but with the inner guidance and the teaching of the Scriptures.
By the Lord’s sovereignty, the short book of Philemon comes at the end of the section on the practice of the church life. The significance of this book is that for the practice of the church life we need to keep brotherly love. Although other portions of the Scriptures teach us about brotherly love and loving one another, Philemon serves as an illustration, an example, of brotherly love. In the practice of the church life, the proper brotherly love is a real test. If we do not have the genuine brotherly love, we are spiritually dead. The proper, real, and true brotherly love is the test of whether we are living or dead. This is a love that surpasses ordinary human love in society.
In this book there are two persons. One is the master, Philemon, who has the full right of ownership of his slave, Onesimus. Unlike today in America, at Paul’s time there was a custom that people could buy a person as a slave. The master who purchased a slave had the right to do anything with him, including to put the slave to death. That was not illegal; the law gave him the right to do so. Onesimus was a slave who was owned by Philemon, a wealthy brother. However, Onesimus had run away from his master, and according to the custom in those times, an escaped slave could be put to death. For this reason Onesimus was put into prison, but while he was in prison, he met Paul, the messenger of the Lord. This means that he met the Lord, because in this book Paul represents the Lord Himself. As a result, Onesimus was saved (v. 10). Following this, Paul sent him back to his master, Philemon, and entreated Philemon to treat Onesimus as a beloved brother (vv. 12-16). From this time forward Philemon would have Onesimus no longer as a slave but as a brother.
This is an illustration of brotherly love that surpasses all the practices in human society. Hence, in the church life we must have such a brotherly love. The principle in Philemon is that in the practice of the church there must be a brotherly love that overcomes all the differences in human society. If brotherly love can overcome the difference in social rank between a slave and a master, then it is able to overcome all the differences in human society. The differences and ranks in human society must not be brought into the practice of the church life. In the church practice all the differences in society are excluded.
It is difficult for brothers or sisters who have a high position in human society to practice brotherly love. If a brother is a president or a king, it may be difficult for him to properly practice being a brother in the church. Therefore, it is better not to be a president or a king. According to the history of the church throughout the centuries, bringing social rank into the practice of the church has been a great problem. When differences of rank in human society are brought into the practice of the church, the nature of the church is changed. This damages and spoils the proper practice of the church life. This is the very reason that the book of Philemon is found at the end of this section of the New Testament. In the proper practice of the church we can never neglect brotherly love.
We must shut the door of the church to all social rank in human society. There is no place in the church for the “uniforms” of social rank. We should not come to the church with the “uniform” of an admiral, a marshal, or a medical doctor. To bring these things into the church will damage the church life. How much we have the reality of the church life is tested by our brotherly love. This is not a small or easy matter. If someone attains to a high office, he will see the difficulty it causes; it will be hard for him to come down from his “throne.”
Even in the United States the problem of social rank is serious. Formerly, I thought that in America all people had the same status. Recently, however, an officer in the armed forces told me that it is not easy for him to contact enlisted men, because they do not have the same rank. It is also difficult for the wife of an officer to come down off her “throne” to talk with the wife of an enlisted man. This also is due to the difference in rank. One Christian brother told me that while he was serving in the air force, he had the burden to open his home to fellow soldiers who were brothers, but his wife would not agree. She said that to do this would lower his status. Wives such as this want to maintain their social rank. In this respect the United States may be better than other countries, but even in this country there is the problem of social rank.
We must overcome this problem by the inner life. We need to receive the Lord’s demand to receive Onesimus. Even a slave can become a dear brother to us. However, if we feel that we are different from such a brother, if it is hard to humble ourselves to sit with him, we must be reminded that we are wrong. We should sit alongside such a brother just as we would sit with the apostle Paul. We need to realize that regardless of his rank, he is our dear brother. In the practice of the church life, we need to learn this basic principle, which will correct, adjust, and balance us. Therefore, Philemon is not a book of teaching; it is a book of instruction, instructing us how to treat our brothers who are of lower social rank in human society.
As we have seen, the thirteen books from Romans to Philemon are the definition of the Body of Christ. In this definition there are the aspect of teaching and the aspect of instruction, the side of life and the side of practice. It seems that these books are complete. Why then is there the need to have another group of eight Epistles: Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, John’s three Epistles, and Jude? The first group of thirteen Epistles were all written by one apostle, Paul, giving us a full definition of the Body of the universal man, the church, on the two sides of life and practice. The latter group, however, was written by a composition of writers, including Paul, James, Peter, John, and Jude. These books are not, strictly speaking, directly related to the definition of the church. Rather, they are supplementary in nature.
The first book of this group is Hebrews, which shows us the difference between Christ and Judaism. There is the need of this book to help Christians, especially the Jewish Christians, know the position of the Old Testament and Judaism. This supplementary book makes it very clear that the things in the Old Testament and Judaism are types and shadows. The body, the reality, is Christ Himself. When the reality comes, there is no need to hold on to the shadows, the types; we should put them away. The Old Testament is simply a type of Christ, and because Christ, the reality, has come, the type must be put away. This is the purpose of the book of Hebrews.
The book of James is also a supplement, showing us the relationship between faith and works. It adjusts the wrong concept concerning faith, telling us that the proper, living faith must be followed and proved by works and should produce works. This balance and adjustment in our understanding of faith is very important in the Christian life.
Without the proper help, we may read 1 and 2 Peter for a long time without knowing what they are about. The subject of these books is important yet mysterious and hard to perceive. The concepts of suffering, the cross, and judgment are found in these two books, but this is not the central thought. Rather, these two books reveal the mysterious, divine government of God. Many of the sufferings that we experience are due to God’s government, and judgment is also related to God’s government. Because God governs, He judges. In the first thirteen Epistles, Paul does not deal with this point very much, so there is the need for 1 and 2 Peter as a supplement. We can see the government of God in every chapter of these books.
Many of our circumstances come from God’s government. According to God’s government, we must abide by certain rules. If we do not keep these rules, we will suffer. We can compare this to the government in the United States. If we do not obey the laws and regulations of the federal and state governments, we will have trouble. When we drive a car, we have to drive according to the traffic regulations. To get a traffic ticket after neglecting a stop sign is a matter of government. In the same way, as the children of God we need to keep the rules and the regulations of the divine government.
Many sufferings come because of the divine government. Many times we suffer because we are wrong; we are violating the regulations and laws of God’s government. In the universe today there is such a thing as the government of God. Whether or not people respect it, the government of God is still here. We all must learn this. The entire contents of these two books prove to us that even today, before the manifestation of the kingdom, during this age of rebellion on the earth among mankind, and even among Christians, God still has His government.
The most significant verse in 1 Peter is found in 4:17, which says, “It is time for the judgment to begin from the house of God; and if first from us, what will be the end of those who disobey the gospel of God?” This refers to the government of God. The supplement of 1 and 2 Peter tells us that we, the people of God, must realize that there is a divine government in the universe. We should not be ignorant or foolish; we must respect God’s government today.
The three Epistles of John are a supplement concerning the fellowship in the divine family, a point that was not thoroughly covered in the definition of the Body of Christ given in the first thirteen Epistles. John’s three Epistles show us how God’s children fellowship with the Father and with one another in the Father’s family. The word fellowship is the most important word in these three books. In 1 John 1 the eternal life is preached and ministered to us (vv. 1-3). When we receive the eternal life, the issue is fellowship with one another and with the Father and His Son.
The short book of Jude is a supplement to deal with apostasy, which was not dealt with in the first thirteen Epistles.
Five matters — Judaism, works and faith, the government of God, the divine fellowship, and apostasy — are all dealt with in these last eight Epistles. In total, there are twenty-one Epistles. Thirteen of these define the Body of the universal man, and the remaining eight are a supplement to make us clear about the above five matters. Without these eight books, we still have a full definition of the church, the nature of the church, the fellowship of the church, the responsibility of the church, and the practice of the church life. However, we are not clear about the position of Judaism and the Old Testament. Neither do we know the relationship between faith and works, God’s government in the universe, the divine fellowship in God’s family, and apostasy. Because this supplement of eight books is added to the Epistles, every matter is covered, and there are no unanswered questions.
Following these eight books, there is Revelation as the ultimate consummation and conclusion of the New Testament and the entire Scriptures. This long book of twenty-two chapters speaks clearly about three main points. The first main point is found in the first three chapters, which present the vision of the local churches existing on the earth to be the golden lampstands as the testimony of Jesus. This is the accomplishment of God’s eternal intention and purpose.
The third main point is found in the last two chapters, chapters 21 and 22. Here we have a picture of the work of God for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose, which consummates in a building. In nature, in principle, and in nearly every aspect, this building is exactly the same as the golden lampstands in chapters 1 through 3. The local churches are the local lampstands, and this building is a universal lampstand. The entire city of New Jerusalem is a great golden lampstand; Christ, the Lamb, is the lamp on this stand; and God in Christ is the light (21:23). This is the great, universal, unique, and ultimate lampstand. Whereas all the local churches are the golden lampstands in time, the great, universal, unique lampstand is in eternity. In eternity there will be one unique lampstand in the entire universe, but in time on this earth today in each locality of human society, there is a golden lampstand. The local lampstands are the same in nature, in life, in function, and in almost every aspect as the unique, great, universal lampstand.
At the two ends of Revelation there are the first and third main points. Then from chapters 4 through 20 there is a long section containing God’s judgment. This is the second main point. God judges all things which do not correspond with the unique lampstand. After the Lord accomplished redemption, He ascended to the heavens; it is at this time that God’s judgment began. Revelation 4 through 20 is a long record starting from the time of the Lord’s ascension until the time of His second coming. This period of time is a dispensation of not only the gospel but of judgment. On the one hand, throughout the past two thousand years God has been propagating the gospel to the fallen race, but on the other hand, He has constantly been judging.
One of the first items of God’s judgment was the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. God sent the army of Titus, the prince of the Roman Empire, to destroy that Jewish city, because the system of Judaism, although it was religious and good, did not correspond with the lampstands. With this viewpoint, we can understand the history both of the church and of the world. Century after century God has judged those things that do not correspond to His church. The Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, and even the British Empire were judged by God because they did not correspond with the lampstand. Therefore, we should be warned and reminded that everything we have must correspond to the testimony of the church.
Today God is using even the communist governments to judge certain things, but I have the full assurance that one day God will turn around and judge communism. This is similar to what He did in the Old Testament. God used Assyria and Babylon to judge other nations, including Israel, but afterward He turned around and judged these empires.
According to the book of Revelation, God is seeking after only one thing — the Body of Christ, the church, the lampstand as the testimony of Jesus. Anything that does not correspond to this, God will judge and burn with fire. Eventually, everything that does not correspond to the church will be burned in the lake of fire. On the contrary, all things that correspond to the testimony of the church will be in the New Jerusalem. There are only two issues for all things: the lake of fire and the New Jerusalem.
What we have seen thus far of a general sketch of the New Testament should be considered as a training. You must now spend several years to try to put what you have seen into practice.
In addition, you must never put demands on any person, church, or group according to what you have received. To put demands on others or on the church is not a help; rather, it is a great damage. If you want to make demands, make demands on yourself. Do not say to others, “Now my eyes are opened. We have been trained in a certain way, but you don’t have this. Therefore, the church here is too poor.” Demanding never helps the situation. The right thing to do is to supply and minister.
The training meetings are completely different from the church meetings. It is a problem when some do not differentiate the two kinds of meetings. The one who conducts a training has the ground to say certain things to the trainees, but you do not have the same ground with others. If you speak things in the same way as in a training meeting, you may damage the situation. Therefore, do not treat other people as trainees. You may treat only yourself as a trainee. This is a serious matter. On the mainland of China, some brothers after being trained became a great help to the local churches, but others went back to their localities and became a big damage. They treated the church as their trainees, and they made demands on the church. This is wrong. You are not trained to make people your trainees. Rather, you are trained to grow, to minister, and to supply something from the Lord. You are trained even to suffer loss for others.
In addition, whenever you make a demand, you are tempted to criticize. You may realize the true situation with others, but do not criticize them. Do not believe in yourself too much when you see the situation, because your realization about it may not be correct. Apparently a person’s situation is of one kind, but in actuality it may be of another kind, so it is foolish to discern things too fast. Be careful in speaking about a situation. Just consider how easy it is for others to misunderstand you. In the same way, you may feel that a certain brother is not right, but before the Lord he may be very right. Therefore, we must be careful.
After we are trained, our eyes are opened to a certain extent, and it is easy for us to discern things according to our new understanding. As a result, we are tempted first to criticize others and then to cause divisions. This is one hundred percent wrong. Never go to a place or remain in your place to discern things according to your training and then criticize and make divisions. If you do this, you will never be a help to the church. Rather, you will damage it.
Learn to be humble, faithful, and honest, and always do your best not to contradict. Always do your best to minister help to others in a quiet way without contradicting. In this way you will supply nourishment, solid food, to the Body. The Body needs this. There is no need to adjust others. If there is something wrong in the Body, the supply will take care of it spontaneously. The supply is like a dose of medicine. If you administer the dose, the medicine will eventually get into the Body. Then if there is a germ, some element in the medicine will kill it unconsciously.
In the past I have said that you must be aggressive, and that is right. However, I now advise you to not be a troublemaker in the church. This is very important. As those who have been trained, we must be careful.
Lastly, you may stress certain matters, but do not force them on others. When people are ready to receive something, take the opportunity to minister something, but if they are not ready, you should not go too fast. Simply pray and wait. You must be strong, but do not be forceful. Go along with the situation and wait for the Lord. If what you do is of the Lord, He will prepare the way. When He prepares the proper situation, that is the time to minister something.
Remember that the expression of the church in a locality must be unique. Therefore, we all need to keep the oneness, and in order to keep the oneness you must learn not to damage or make trouble. Rather, always minister something positive of life, something of Christ, and let it work in people to deal with the negative things.
I beg you to keep these few matters in mind. This will help you and help the local churches wherever you are and wherever you go. Always learn to be a help to the church and never to create trouble. Because the local expression of the church is one, you have no other way to take. You cannot act independently or outside the local expression. Whether or not you are happy with a local church, you must go along with it. Learn to submit yourself to the present situation of the local church where you are. May the Lord be merciful to us. We all must learn to be wise and humble, and we must do our best to be a real help.
In my heart I am truly burdened for the church in three matters. First, we must know the inner life, that is, know Christ in a living way. Second, we must have the proper church life so that Christ may be exalted and expressed. Third, we need to preach the gospel, to do our best to bring unbelievers to the Lord, to win their souls at any cost, spending ourselves and being willing to sacrifice everything that we have. We must endeavor by the mercy and grace of the Lord to care equally for these three things. This is the right way. There is no need to care for mere doctrines, teachings, or other matters. We should care mainly for the above three matters.
