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Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:13-16; 1 Cor. 12:14-17
The Chinese term for church readily conveys the meaning of the church as being a congregation. We cannot say that to understand the church as a congregation is wrong, but this concept is too human, natural, and religious. According to the human, natural, and religious concepts, the church is a human congregation related to a belief or a religion; it is a religious congregation. If we speak according to the scriptural utterance, however, the church is the house of God, or preferably the household, the family, of God. The house refers to mainly the dwelling place, and the household, the family, refers to the members of the house. This utterance gives the meaning of the church according to the Bible. First Timothy 3:15 speaks of the house of God, the church of the living God. The church as the house of God is both His dwelling place and His family.
This utterance is a little higher than the common concept, but it is not high enough. A higher view is that the church is the Body of Christ. This is very high, but it also is not high enough. From the time that the Brethren in England were raised up in the last century, all these aspects of the church have been made known. They saw that the church is the assembly of the called-out ones, that the church is the house of God, and that the church is the Body of Christ. But the Bible does not stop here in speaking about this matter of the church. There is still a higher utterance in the Bible, and that is that the church is the one new man, a man. You need to see now that the church is an assembly, a house, a Body, and a man.
In an assembly as a congregation we are all members. But what is required of the members of a congregation? They need to love one another: We are all in one congregation; as we are all members of this congregation, we should love one another. I have heard this kind of speaking from the time I was a young boy. In Christianity, most of the speaking is concerning the church being a group of people who are of the same persuasion. The Presbyterian Church, the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Episcopalian Church all say that each one is a member, so they must love one another.
When we advance a little, we say that the church is the house of God. The house is more intimate than a congregation or an assembly. Loving one another as members of a congregation is a far cry from loving one another as members of a household, a family. If I introduce someone as a member of my family, you know that the relationship here is much more intimate.
We would think that this is already good enough, but it is not high enough. When we advance further, we see that the church is the Body. In the Body it is a matter not of intimately loving one another but of being members one of another. Although there may be distinctions among the members, they absolutely cannot be separated. The hand and the arm are distinct, but they are inseparable. Two brothers are members of the same family and can play together when they are happy. But when they are not happy with each other, they separate; one goes to the beach at Keelung, and the other goes to Mount Ali. But the arm and the hand absolutely cannot separate. They cannot even go into two adjacent rooms separately, let alone go to two different places such as the beach and the mountain, because once they are separated, they are finished.
Ultimately, the Bible speaks of the church as the one new man. I cannot find any type that stands for the new man. In the Body we have the members; in the household we have the family members; in the assembly we have the assembly members. But what do we have in the man? The only thing is the person. In the new man there is nothing but the person. This level is so high that it cannot be higher, so strict that it cannot be stricter, and so intimate that it cannot be more intimate. All are one new man; this one new man has only one person, and this person is the Lord Jesus.
Dear brothers and sisters, I am looking to the Lord from the depths of my being that at this time when saints from all the six continents are meeting together here, we would all seize the opportunity to see the highest meaning of the church revealed in the Bible. The highest definition of the church in the Bible is the new man. On the cross the Lord slew the enmity and created both the Jewish and Gentile believers in Himself into one new man. Dear brothers and sisters, is this believable? Is this possible? Can all the believers on the earth, with respect to time from antiquity to the present and with respect to space from east to west and from north to south, possibly become one man? Humanly speaking, this is impossible. Many of us are married. We know that even two people as husband and wife cannot become one person. Even though the Bible says that the husband and wife should become one flesh, many times the husband is the husband and the wife is the wife; the two cannot become one. Now we want people from all six continents, people with different colors of skin — white, black, yellow, and brown — to become one. Humanly speaking, I may be the first not to believe; I simply cannot believe this. We cannot even be one as the assembly, let alone one as the new man. If we cannot be one as the assembly, it is really hard to say that we all can be the one new man.
In the past some people poured cold water on me and advised me not to believe what I believe. What do I believe? I believe that, first, the church is the assembly; second, the church is the house; third, the church is the Body; and, last, the highest aspect, the church is the new man. I believe this because the Bible says this. But some people with good intentions poured cold water on this, saying that this is impossible.
For example, in 1957 I released more than thirty messages here in Taipei concerning the ground of the church, and after releasing them I went to Manila. At that time there was a brother in Manila who was twenty years older than I; he was an old English missionary working there. One day I gave a message about the church today being the miniature of the New Jerusalem. After I released this message, this man came to me with his good intentions and said, “Brother Lee, you certainly are not speaking of today but of the future.” I had clearly stated that the church today is the miniature of the New Jerusalem. I had distinctly asserted that it is today, but he still came to say, “Brother Lee, you mean in the future, not today; it is impossible today.” Inwardly, I said, “You believe it is impossible, so for you it is impossible. But I believe it is possible.” Do you understand what I mean? When he spoke this word, I did not answer him; I just let it go.
Again in the same year, 1957, after the release of the messages on the ground of the church, we all saw the matter of “one locality, one church.” Therefore, the elders of the church in Taipei suggested that we do our best to be open and fellowship with the three or four other groups, which may be called “free groups,” that were meeting in Taipei in the Lord’s name. Since they were not in religion and were nondenominational, why would they not come and meet together with us in the city of Taipei to become the one testimony? All the elders agreed and sent two or three representatives to visit these few Christian groups to invite their representatives to come for fellowship. One day all the representatives from these groups came to the elders’ room in hall one in Taipei, and I was also present. The elders said to the representatives of these groups, “We would really like to ask that we all be one.” Our elders even made such an offer: “You may think that we have too many people and too much power so that once you and we become one, you will be swallowed up. Therefore, before the Lord, we are willing to give up our responsibilities as elders and turn them over to you, as long as you are willing to get rid of all your differing matters. First, you will be the elders instead of us. Second, we will give you the deed to the property.” We can say that we laid everything out on the table. The number of attendants in these three or four groups added together did not equal one fourth of our number, nor could their property be compared to ours, because we had a great deal of property. Yet the elders were willing and happy to give up their positions and responsibilities as elders and let the elders of the one united church preside over the church affairs. At this point they had nothing to say. What was there left to say? They were all silent for a moment, then someone said, “Brothers, this is good, but we would still like to meet in our own meetings.” Once this leader said this, everyone followed him to say the same thing.
I absolutely believe that from that time on, their criticizing mouths were sealed. We would have given them everything, and all that we asked for in return was the oneness. In the end, however, they still said that although it was good, they would rather meet in their own meetings. During this time a brother from among them opened his mouth and said, “When you speak of fallen Christianity, you always denounce others for being fallen.” I immediately answered, “Brother, if today’s Christianity is not fallen, then what is fallen? Fallen Christianity refers not only to others but also to us. If we are fallen, then we too are fallen Christianity. Today it is not a matter of denouncing or not denouncing. The question today is whether or not we are standing on a fallen ground.” I am telling you this to testify to you that the concept in today’s fallen Christianity is that the church today is not able to come up to the standard. They think it is impossible.
I can also tell you that when I go to Europe or America, I frequently meet Christians with whom I sit down and fellowship. When we speak of the truth and reach a conclusion, they cannot deny that this is the truth. But they say, “Even though this is the truth, there is no way to practice it today, so we can only wait for that day.” Sometimes I have asked them, “When will that day be?” They are unable to say when that day will be. I have said, “After the church age is over, it will be the kingdom age, and we will not be able to practice the church in the kingdom age. After the kingdom age is over, it will be the New Jerusalem, and in the New Jerusalem we will not need to practice the church. So when exactly will the day be when we will have the practice of the church?” They were unable to answer me and could only say, “It is true that the Bible says so, but it is impossible today.”
I would like to ask you, brothers and sisters, do you believe that it is possible today, or do you believe that it is impossible? I have already said that I am the first to say that according to the natural concept it is impossible; according to the Lord’s Word, however, I am the first to believe that it is possible. Previously, in America I could not say that the situation was possible, but I can testify that today for the most part it is possible, and this possibility is being manifested. Yet there are some opposers who criticize, saying, “Why do you listen only to that one man? You receive anything Brother Lee says, and you feel that anything not spoken by Brother Lee has a problem. How can all of you be so foolish as to follow that little Chinaman?” You can see how pitiful today’s Christianity truly is. When I first went to America, I told those criticizing brothers about this testimony, and they said it was impossible. After more than ten years, the possibility is being manifested, but they are still unwilling to give in. Furthermore, they begin to criticize and condemn us by saying that the people in the Lord’s recovery are foolish to follow a man. Sometimes when I hear what the opposers say, it makes me want to laugh. I tell them, “Why don’t you be this way? It won’t hurt you to try!” Some said, “I cannot do it.” Then I said, “We thank and praise the Lord that there are some who can.” Brothers and sisters, do you think this is something done by man? No, this is not man’s doing.
At this time I have a burden and hope that you all will see the vision that all the churches on the entire earth will be the one new man; this is definitely possible. Our Lord never speaks anything in vain; He will certainly do everything according to what He has spoken, and whatever He has spoken will come to pass. He has said that there will be one new man, so there will be one new man. It was not accomplished in the last century, nor has it been accomplished in this century, but there will be a century in which it will come to pass. It was not done yesterday, and maybe it will not be done today, but it will definitely happen tomorrow. Do not forget that He is the Lord. His word will never return void. Men, Satan, and all the demons can only prolong the time, but they cannot make His word void. The Lord said that the church is the new man, so the church eventually has to be the new man.
In America there are several thousand brothers and sisters. If the devil comes and says, “You Christians are not one!” I certainly have the assurance that these few thousand brothers and sisters in America would all stand up to say, “We are one! We are not merely one assembly, one household, and one Body; we are also one man!” Brothers and sisters, can you now all say together, “We are one new man”? You can. Yes, we are one new man.
I absolutely believe that this conference and training are symbolic. In the past we had international conferences, but in none were all the continents represented. At this time, however, all the continents are represented; this is of the Lord. This is a symbol that henceforth the Lord wants to raise up the churches of His recovery in all the cities, towns, and localities on the earth and make them all into one new man. Please consider: Can you believe this or not? It does not matter whether or not you can believe; the Lord’s word is faithful. This is not my invention or my creation or my imagination; this is what the Lord has said in His Word. He has slain the enmity on the cross, creating the two in Himself into one new man. I believe that before the Lord returns this will be fulfilled.
Now, dear brothers and sisters, you and I have all seen that this is not just a matter of being united, nor is it merely to say that we all stand on the ground of one locality with one church, and therefore we are one. This morning we all must see that we are one new man and that the churches in all the localities on earth are one new man. We are not simply one assembly, nor are we merely one household, nor are we even merely one Body; we are one new man. In the assembly there is a distinction among the members, in the family there is a distinction among the members, and in the Body there is also a distinction among the members. In the new man, however, there is no distinction. In the Body we are members one of another, in the family we are brothers and sisters as family members one of another, and in the assembly we are also members one of another. In the new man, however, there is nothing of mutuality. In the new man there is only one matter, the person.
Dear brothers and sisters, I would like to ask you again, do you believe this is possible? I believe it! I believe it because this is not my dream or imagination; this is what I have found out in reading God’s Word. He has created the two in Himself into one new man. Brothers and sisters from Africa, America, Germany, and Australia, do you believe this? You do believe it! Brothers and sisters from Japan, do you believe it? You also believe it! Brothers and sisters from Manila, do you believe that all the saints on the entire earth can be one new man? You believe it! O Lord! One new man! I believe that the one new man is possible. This is possible; the Bible tells me so, and we must believe what it says. Since the Bible says this is so, it will definitely be fulfilled. God has said it is so, so it will be fulfilled accordingly.
In God’s view, one thousand years is not much different from two thousand years. To God, time is not a problem. If we do not accomplish this for Him between 1970 and 1980, He will wait for the period from 1980 to 1990. If we still do not give Him the opportunity, He will wait for the time between 1990 and 2000. No matter what, this new man must appear. I am not afraid that you do not believe, but I do hope that you all would believe because this will be a blessing to you. If you do not believe, then one day God will carry it out with another group of people after you. I believe that one day there will be a new man on the earth. That will be a glorious day.
I believe that all the advances of civilization and technology, such as the train, the automobile, the airplane, the telegraph, and even the telephone, are for this new man. The things that happen in the churches in Ghana, Africa, can be known immediately by the churches in every other locality. The new technological inventions have already shrunk the earth in the matter of distance. I believe that in the future the distances will be reduced even more. Today if I want to make a long-distance phone call to America, all I need is modern telecommunication equipment to be able to dial directly from Taipei. Twenty years ago if we wanted to make a long-distance phone call, we had to make a trip to the Telegraph Bureau. Now all I need to do is dial from my home, and the operator will connect me. One day, however, we will not even need the operator; I will be able to dial your number directly from my home. I believe that these things are not merely for the world; all these things are for the church. There is definitely the possibility that the saints in all the localities in all their environmental circumstances will become the one new man.
Now we must come to see how we can become the one new man. It is not by any method, ordinance, or organization. It is not by any of these. Ephesians 4:13-16 is a very short passage in the Bible, but the entire secret is contained here. The secret that all the saints on the entire earth will become the one new man depends first on holding to truth in love. Do not take this word lightly. Is the practice of head covering the truth, the reality? Everyone must see that head covering in itself is not the truth. Behind head covering there is a truth, and that is that Christ is our Head with His headship. Sisters, do not hold to the head covering you are wearing. I do not oppose your wearing it; when you are praying, you should wear a head covering, but this is not the truth, the reality. The reality is that Christ is the Head with the headship, and this is the truth we hold to.
Likewise, with regard to the matter of baptism, neither sprinkling nor immersion is the reality; the truth is that we have been buried and raised up together with Christ. We must hold to this truth in love. All the outward ordinances and methods are not the reality. You should never argue over the method, but you should hold to truth in love. Simply stated, the truth is Christ. Holding to truth is holding to Christ.
Next, we must grow up into Christ in all things. Brothers and sisters, regardless of whether you are from Africa or Australia and regardless of whether you are white, yellow, or black, we all must grow up into Christ in all things. Here all things means every single thing, whether big or small; we must grow up into Christ in all things. Even today there are still many things in which we are not in Christ but are outside of Christ. We need to grow up into Christ in all things, both big and small. You have Christ in you, but there are still many things in you that have not grown up into Christ. This is entirely a matter of the Spirit. To grow up into Christ is to grow up into the Spirit. Your speaking must be in the Spirit; your actions, your adornment, and your attire must all be in the Spirit; your dealings with others, your managing of affairs, and the way you treat people must be in the Spirit. You need to get into the Spirit in all things.
We need to hold to Christ as the truth and grow into Christ, the life-giving Spirit, in all things. This will make us the new man. If we grow up into Christ in all things, then in Christ there will not be this kind of person or that kind of person. There will not be any kind of person but Christ, who is all and in all. This is the new man. When we hold to Christ as the truth in love and grow up into Him in all things, then we will no longer be many different kinds of people. When we grow up into Christ in all things, we all will be just one in Christ. This is the one new man.
Verse 16 continues by saying that the whole Body is from Him and out of Him, something that comes out from Him. If you have never grown up into Him, then you could never come out from Him. Verse 15 says that we must grow up into Him in all things, and verse 16 says that all the Body comes from Him and out of Him. Brothers and sisters, we must see that in all the localities we are doing only one thing, and that is to minister Christ and to pray that others may hold to Christ as the truth in love and grow up into Him in all things. Eventually, there will not be this kind of people or that kind of people, but there will be only Christ. This is the new man. When we grow up into Christ in this way, spontaneously we will allow Christ to be the person. Christ as the person is not individual or local but universal.
The churches in our different localities do not have strict rules to regulate us to be the same and to make us all do the same thing. However, because the brothers and sisters in every place all hold to Christ as truth in love and grow up into Him in all things, the result is that we all spontaneously take Christ as the person. If you grow up into Christ in all things, then He is your person. If all the brothers and sisters in all six continents take Christ as the person, then spontaneously all the brothers and sisters on the earth in His recovery will be the one new man.
When that happens, even though we all are many, when we speak, it will be with one mouth because we will all speak the same thing. You will not have to teach me something first, and also I will not have to tell you anything; yet we will speak the same thing.
A sister from Anaheim testified that when she first came to Los Angeles in 1969 and was invited to the brothers’ houses and sisters’ houses, they were speaking the same thing in all the different houses. She thought this was very strange. She wondered that maybe those who were in the one house had phoned beforehand those who were in the other house in order to know what to speak. Later, she realized that that was not possible. The day will come when even the angels and the demons will be surprised that you in Africa are speaking exactly the same thing as those in Australia. Although we are many, our mouth is one.
Once when I spoke about having one heart and one mouth, I asked, “Whose mouth is this?” Someone said very softly, “It is your own.” This is wrong; this understanding is wrong. Having one heart and one mouth means that even though we are many and all are speaking, we all speak the same thing. Some say it in Spanish, some in Portuguese, some in Italian, some in English, some in French, some in the southern Fukien dialect, and some in the Shantung dialect. We all are speaking in many languages and with many accents, but we are speaking one thing. This is what it means to have one mouth.
If the Lord allows, I truly hope that you all will go out to travel to Ghana, Brazil, Germany, and Italy to take a look; after seeing these localities, you will inwardly worship the Lord because you will see that in the entire earth there is one new man with one heart and one mouth speaking the same thing. Who taught them this? It is not a matter of their being taught but a matter of their growth. This thing cannot be taught; rather, it comes from growth. I believe that this is absolutely possible.
I do not know where the next international conference will be, but I do know that in that day the manifestation of the new man will be higher and more intensified. I definitely believe that the Lord’s word will not return to Him void and that His word will accomplish His heart’s desire on the earth. Since God has released this word in this training, He will definitely not allow this word to return to Him void. When you go back to your localities, you will certainly live in this word. How will you live? By holding to truth, to reality, in love and by growing up into Christ the Head in all things, that is, by taking Him as your person. The result, regardless of whether it is in Australia, Africa, America, Asia, or Europe, will be that without any planning in advance we will all speak the same thing and have the same expression. How glorious! This is the one new man.
