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Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 14:33b; 2 Cor. 4:5; Rev. 1:1, 9; Matt. 23:11-12; 1 Pet. 5:1-3
First Corinthians 14:33b says, “As in all the churches of the saints.” The expression the churches of the saints is used only once in the New Testament. The expression the church of God is more common (1:2; 10:32). Nowhere in the New Testament do we hear of churches of the apostles or churches of the elders. This is because the churches do not belong to the apostles or the elders but only to God and the saints. There is a different concept among many Christians. Missionaries often refer to the churches that they establish as their churches. Some pastors consider that the churches they serve are their possessions. This is unscriptural. The churches do not belong to missionaries or pastors. We need to be purified from any consideration that a church we raise up or serve is our possession.
Because Paul had to vindicate his ministry, he often began his Epistles by saying, “Paul, an apostle” (e.g., 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1). However, this does not mean that Paul considered that, as an apostle, he was higher than the other believers. Second Corinthians 4:5 shows that Paul and the other apostles considered themselves to be merely slaves to serve the saints. When John wrote Revelation, he did not call himself an apostle, although he was the last of the original apostles still alive. Revelation 1:1 says, “The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him to show to His slaves the things that must quickly take place; and He made it known by signs, sending it by His angel to His slave John.” Verse 9 says, “I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus.” John only says that he is a slave and a brother. No matter how much the Lord uses the elders and co-workers, they must consider themselves only as slaves and brothers.
In Matthew 23:11-12 the Lord taught, “The greatest among you shall be your servant. And he who will exalt himself shall be humbled, and he who will humble himself shall be exalted.” We should not desire to be great. If we are great, we will be a servant. The more we serve as a slave, the greater we will be. The leading ones in the churches and those who serve in the work must be careful not to consider themselves to be higher or more important than others. If we consider ourselves to be higher than others, we have fallen into the snare of Satan, who rebelled against God because of his desire to be exalted (Isa. 14:13-14).
First Peter 5:1-2 says, “The elders among you I exhort, who am a fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory to be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion but willingly, according to God; not by seeking gain through base means but eagerly.” Base means “low,” and gain refers to money. Peter wrote this because some elders at his time had this kind of greediness. We should not have any thought of making money through the church; instead, we should be eager to help the saints and take care of their needs.
Verse 3 says, “Nor as lording it over your allotments but by becoming patterns of the flock.” The Greek word translated “allotments” means “lots, portions.” The churches being the elders’ allotments does not mean that the churches are their possessions. As the flock of God, the churches are God’s possession, but God has allotted them to the elders for their care. As elders, we should not lord it over the portions that God has assigned to us; instead, we should be examples to the flock. The elders should take the lead not by being lords but by being examples of how to care for and serve others. A flock of sheep always follows the first two or three sheep to move. Thus, the first few sheep are in the lead, walking ahead as the rest of the flock follows. The elders should take the lead in this way, going ahead as examples. Whenever the church needs to do something, the elders must do it first. This includes preaching the gospel, shepherding others, and carrying out the practical services. By establishing an example, the elders open the way for the rest of the saints to follow. The elders are the patterns of the flock.
According to the verses above, the apostles and the elders do not have exalted positions in the church. The apostles are slaves to the churches, serving the churches, and the elders should be patterns, not lords. The apostles and elders are simply brothers. In Matthew 23:8 the Lord said, “Do not be called Rabbi, for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.” Rabbi is a title of honor meaning “teacher, master.” The business office of the church should not be like a secular business office; the elders and the serving ones are not the bosses and employees. This will not be the situation if we are walking according to the spirit. We need to realize that in the church there is only one Head, Christ. If we are a deacon, deaconess, or elder in a local church, we are not the boss; we are nothing. The concept that some in the church service are bosses and that others are employees is worldly and fleshly.
The church should not have any human organization or hierarchy. These secular elements are contrary to the nature of the church. Because we are under the influence of Christianity, religion, and culture, we tend to appreciate hierarchy. However, in the church there are no ranks or levels. All the saints are on the same level. This is why Paul says, “The churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33b). The elders are not higher than others. In a sense, the elders are lower than the other saints because the elders are slaves. It is ugly if an elder tries to be a lord or king to rule the church. If we walk according to the spirit, we will not behave as a king.
The elders should not merely assign tasks to other serving ones but should take the lead to carry out the services in order to establish a pattern. Some may think that cleaning the meeting hall is not the function of the elders. However, according to this concept, washing the feet of the disciples was not the function of the Son of God. As God’s anointed One, Christ came to accomplish redemption, but He did not use this status as a basis to command others to wash the disciples’ feet (John 13:5). Instead, He did this first in order to establish a pattern for the disciples to follow (vv. 14-15). Similarly, the elders should not use their eldership or their spiritual capacity as a basis to give orders to others.
This word may seem to be basic, or elementary, but if the elders consistently practice to be a pattern in all the services of the church, the church will be greatly built up and revived. A great revival came to the church in Chefoo in 1942, not through a conference but through my establishing a pattern in the practical service in the church. I did everything, including cleaning the restrooms and arranging the deacons’ office. Through that kind of service, the revival came in. I was not a boss but a slave working from morning to evening every day. I paused only for meals and a brief rest. If there was a meeting in the evening, I attended the meeting and functioned according to the need. If there was not a meeting, I continued to carry out the practical services until late at night. If the elders will be like this, the church will be uplifted. The church may be in a low condition because the elders are bossy. In the church life no one is on a throne. The church is the Body of Christ expressed as groups of believers who love the Lord and walk according to the spirit. There should be no position, rank, title, or ambition.
I labored full time in Chefoo for many years. However, when the Lord led me to move to another locality, I did not have to meet with the elders and serving ones in Chefoo to make arrangements and transfer things to them, because nothing was in my hand. Today I live in Anaheim, but the church in Anaheim is not my church. Nothing pertaining to the church is in my hand. The elders should never try to make the church in their locality their private possession. Everything pertaining to the church should be open to all the saints. The church does not belong to the elders; it is the church of the saints. The things of the church should not be kept secret or confidential by the elders. The church cannot be living or revived if it is the possession of an elder or if an elder considers himself to be the boss. No elder should make the final decisions alone.
The elders should not consider themselves to be higher than others, and they need to see that the church belongs to God and to all the saints. The elders are only brothers and slaves to serve and work for the saints. Nothing is their private possession. If an elder needs to move from his locality, he should not need to meet with the other serving ones to hand things over to them. This is not a demand or regulation but a crucial principle. In principle, all the affairs of the church should be open to all the saints, and all the saints should bear the responsibility for the church. The church belongs to the saints, and the elders are merely serving ones. If we apply this principle, the church will be revived.
In order for the Lord’s recovery to go on, we also need to see that the local churches are not only the believers who are meeting with us on the proper ground of oneness. The universal church is all the believers throughout time and space, and the local church is all the believers in a locality. Many genuine believers will remain in the denominations, but they are still part of the local churches. The term local church should not be capitalized to indicate any particular group or entity. Any group of believers who come together to worship God according to Scripture without any division is a local church.
We should not think that only those who come to our meetings are the local church. All the genuine believers in our city are the members of the church in our locality. Whether they come to our meetings does not determine whether they are members of the church. Some members of a family may not stay in the family’s home, but they are still counted as part of the family. Similarly, we must see that all the believers are our brothers and sisters in the Lord and are members of the church. Otherwise, we become sectarian. The denominations count only those who meet with them as their members. However, we do not consider that only those who meet with us are members of the local church. We believe that all the believers are members of the local churches. Whether or not they meet with us, we still consider them as our brothers and sisters. Brother Watchman Nee helped us to see this when I first went to Shanghai in 1933. He taught us that all the believers, including Roman Catholics who are truly saved, are our brothers and sisters.
