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The ministry of the word refers to the messages that we give. In the past we paid much attention to the exercise of the brothers when they minister the word. For more than three, close to four, years I have observed and paid particular attention to the ministry of the word in the different localities. Many brothers still need to exercise when they minister the word. It is difficult to speak clearly concerning this in a few words. It seems as though there is no problem with the messages given from the podium. However, if we study our situation carefully, we will see that there is a big problem. Because of the shortage among us, I hope that we can gather all the serving ones together in the fall and spend some time to focus on the administration and building up of the church and on the ministry of the word. This shortage is especially evident in the church in Taipei. There is, therefore, a need to address these two matters.
The administration of the church and the ministry of the word are related. The ministry of the word is related to the administration of the church. It is difficult to build up a church if we administer but do not have an adequate supply of the word. The serious problems in the larger churches, especially the churches in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, are due to a weakness in the administration, the building up, of the church, and the ministry, the supply, of the word. It is difficult to say which is more important. Both are equally important.
The ministry of the word produces building materials. In order to build a house, we must have materials; without materials we cannot build a house. The materials for the building of the church are produced by the supply from the ministry of the word. We should not think that if we have three to five thousand saints, we have materials for the building up of the church. Without the proper ministry of the word, every saint will become a problem. The more saints there are, the more problems there will be. An increase in the number of saints does not mean that there are more materials. The amount of materials does not depend on the number of people but on the supply from the word. A rich supply is needed for the saints to become useful materials. Hence, the materials for the building up of the church come from the supply in the ministry of the word. When the supply is abundant and rich, there will be materials for the building up of the church. Without the supply from the ministry of the word, even if there is a multitude of brothers and sisters, we will sense a lack of materials for the building up of the church. We have many brothers and sisters, but we lack building materials because of a shortage in the ministry of the word. The supply from the word is the source that produces materials for the building up of the church.
The church in Taipei is a large local church, because it has many saints. Hence, all the serving ones in Taipei want to know how to build up the saints. However, because there is a weak supply from the word, there are many saints but no materials. In other words, many brothers and sisters cannot become building materials and be built up together, because there is a shortage in the supply. In order to have building materials for the church, there is the need for a rich supply in the ministry of the word. When there is a rich supply in the ministry of the word, the saints will not merely be brothers and sisters; they will become materials for the building up of the church.
The administration of the church can be considered the skill needed for building. Having materials does not necessarily mean that a house can be built. We need skill. There must not be a shortage in materials or in skill. If we do not have the proper skill, we will not be able to build even when the materials are prepared. For example, if we are not skilled in carpentry, masonry, or ironwork, we will not be able to build anything with materials such as wood, stones, bricks, cement, reinforced bars, glass, and steel rods. Therefore, we must see that on the one hand, the urgent need today is the supply from the ministry of the word, and on the other hand, it is the administration of the church. One concerns materials, and the other concerns skill.
The administration of the church includes governing and management. To govern requires people or things to be placed under authority. To manage means that people and things are not merely placed under authority but are directed in an orderly fashion so that their function is manifested.
Anyone who visits Hong Kong sees the governing and management of the British officials. They govern and manage land, transportation, traffic, and many other matters. As a result, many places that previously were inaccessible to the public are now accessible. Some places where the land was too high were made flat, and places that were low were filled in. For instance, they leveled a hill in Kowloon City and made a new runway for the airport on land that they reclaimed along the coast. In the past it was difficult for planes to take off and land at the airport in Hong Kong, because the airport, which is located at the foot of a hill, was affected by slight changes in the weather around the hill. The government leveled the hill in Kowloon and used the earth to reclaim and develop land along the coast. Moreover, the large rocks from the hill were used for construction. The land that was reclaimed was also used for a park, and portions were sold to individuals and businesses. This benefited the people.
This example shows that administration includes both governing and management. The elders in a local church should not only govern but also manage. A person who does not govern cannot manage; if he does not have the position and the authority to govern, he cannot manage. However, a person with the position to govern must also manage. We do not seem to have a problem governing the church, but we have a problem with management. The problems in a large local church may be the result of our not knowing how to manage. When we speak of perfecting the saints in these messages, we are emphasizing management, which covers many areas.
If we want a local church to be built up, we must have a rich supply from the word and proper administration, which includes governing and management. The churches under our responsibility need to be governed and managed. Some localities are governed, but they do not seem to be managed. For example, the elders must make up the lack in the meetings. The elders should not govern the saints while neglecting the management of the meetings. They should be concerned if a meeting lacks content and not let a weakened situation continue.
Hong Kong was previously a deserted island with hills, valleys, and barely any roads. It was difficult for airplanes to take off and land and transportation was not convenient. Then Hong Kong was placed under the British administration. This is an example of how we need to administrate the church. We should not require a church to merely be put under the governing of the elders. Governing is for management. An elder should manage a meeting that is under his care. He should make up for what is lacking and strengthen what is weak. Our lack is management, not governing. In a family the parents cannot demand that the children be under their governing but not manage the children’s needs for clothing or food. If the parents do not manage the needs of the children, they are governing without management.
Under normal circumstances we should manage more than we govern. In the churches we need more management than governing. We must admit that we are weak in the matter of administration. However, our basic problem is our lack of the supply from the word. The supply from the word is a big lack among us. Let us consider the positive aspect of the ministry of the word.
The saints responsible for the district meetings should pay attention to supplying the word. A primary matter in society is to take care of the supply of food. This is the reason that every administration focuses on supplying people with food. If the people in a country are not fed, it is difficult to administrate that country. Similarly, if the children in a family are hungry and lack proper nutrition, there will be many problems. This also applies to the church. If the ministry of the word is weak, the saints will lack the supply from the word; they will come to the meetings hungry and leave hungry. The saints who are hungry will eventually stop attending the meetings and will backslide. Moreover, many problems will arise.
A person who is malnourished suffers from different kinds of diseases. In the same way, opinions, criticisms, judgments, and reasonings come in and produce a negative atmosphere when a church lacks the supply from the word. A rich supply of nutrients enables a person’s body to destroy germs so that diseases are swallowed up. Similarly, if there is a rich supply from the word, the negative speaking is swallowed up.
On the negative side, we can focus on the diseases in a person, but on the positive side, if we want a person to have normal growth, we have to give him adequate nutrition. A malnourished person cannot grow properly. Similarly, a church that does not have a rich supply from the word cannot develop, the function of the saints will not be manifested, and the various needs in the church will not be met. We need to see the importance of supplying the word. When there is a rich supply from the word, every problem will be terminated and every need will be met. Taking care of problems and needs depends on the supply of the word.
Diseases in the body are eliminated by the nutrients in the food a person eats. The proper growth and development of every part of a person depend on the nutrients in food. When there is a shortage of nutrients, the proper growth and development of the body stops, and germs that enter the body can cause diseases. Hence, it is useless to try and cure a disease if a person refuses to eat. Likewise, there will be no effect if we repeatedly attempt to solve the problems in a church when there is a shortage in the supply of the word. The problems in the church are not really problems; they are the result of a shortage in the supply of the word. As soon as there is a sufficient supply, the problems will spontaneously disappear, and there will spontaneously be the growth and building up. When we lack the supply of the word, everything becomes a demand, and the more demands that there are, the less likely that they will be met.
Therefore, those who serve in the ministry of the word must know that a church is weak when the supply of the word is weak, it is poor when the supply of the word is poor, and it has problems when there is a problem in the supply of the word. When there is a shortage in the word, a church cannot be built up in a good way, and materials will not be produced for the building. In our service in the church we should not complain about this or about that. We should not blame the brothers, sisters, elders, or deacons for the different problems. Our complaints will not solve the problems. If we give the church a “physical checkup,” we will see different germs that indicate a lack of nutrition. The root of the abnormal situations in the church is an inadequate supply from the word; the saints have not been given a sufficient supply of nutrients.
Children who do not eat well and are skinny and sickly are prone to suffer from different diseases. Instead of blaming the children for being sick, we should blame the parents who do not feed the children. If parents feed their children with sufficient nutrients, the children will be healthy and strong. As long as the children have enough nutritious food to eat, they will not be sick. This is an accurate illustration. If we want to solve the problems in the church, we should forget about everything and minister the word. As soon as there is a rich supply of the word, there will be many vitamins and nutrients supplied to the saints. As a result, the problems and diseases will be eliminated, and the church will be strong and healthy. The key is in the supply of the word.
The Chinese have a saying that a single statement may cause a nation to rise or to fall. This shows the serious effect of words. Words can save a person’s life or destroy a person. Words can also cause a country to rise or to fall. Likewise, the building up or the tearing down of a church depends on the ministry of the word. The brothers serving in the ministry of the word must realize the importance of their responsibility. If we minister the word in a poor way, the church will suffer loss, but if we serve well, the church will benefit. Hence, whether the church suffers loss or is benefited depends on us. One day we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account to the Lord. The Lord will surely question us concerning this matter.
The brothers who minister the word must not blame the saints or the church for not doing well. Instead, we must bear the blame and admit that the problems are a result of a deficiency in our ministry of the word. We must not shirk our responsibility. We may blame the church, but when another co-worker, who can supply the church with a strong ministry in the word, comes, the condition of the church will change. The ministry of the word causes the saints to rise up. It is wrong for a mother to beat and scold her children because they are thin and sickly in appearance. The condition of the children is the result of poor nutrients. A mother may think that she gives her children sufficient nutrients, but the food she prepares tastes like medicine. She may think that the food is nutritious, but to the children it tastes like bitter medicine. Similarly, the speaking brothers may feel that the message they give is rich, but the saints do not receive a supply. The brothers may blame the saints and even rebuke them for their lack of comprehension. However, the saints do not eat, because the brothers prepare only “bitter medicine.” Therefore, we should not blame the “children” for being thin and sickly. We should rather make sure that the food we give them has flavor. We must understand that the root of the problems in the local churches is related to the ministry of the word.
If the word of the gospel is properly preached, crowds of people will repent and be saved, but if the word is not properly preached, few people will be saved. Therefore, the word that is spoken makes a difference. This applies to the word spoken to sinners and to the word spoken to the believers. Therefore, we must pay attention to the ministry of the word.
The word that we are referring to is the word of ministry spoken from the podium, not the common words spoken in the world. The brothers who serve in the ministry of the word must grasp a basic principle—the word that they minister must be God. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John does not begin the sentence with the Word was God; he first says, “The Word was with God,” and then “the Word was God.” The spoken word must be with God so that the saints receive God. Oftentimes when we listen to a message, the word that is spoken is not God and does not have the presence of God. Such words are empty and can be idle talk.
The words spoken by the brothers must cause the saints to see God. The Lord Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life...the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (6:63). The words released through the ministry of the word should always be the utterance of God, and they should be spirit and life. The apostles wrote the Epistles according to this principle. For example, sometimes the apostle Paul spoke his own words, but he felt that God was in his words (1 Cor. 7:10, 12, 25, 40). This is what makes the Bible special and proves that the Bible is God’s Word. Most people are afraid to speak about themselves, but much of what Paul said was concerning himself. It seems that Paul in his Epistles spoke more about himself than about the Lord Jesus. He never mentioned where the Lord Jesus was born, but he gave a clear account of his own background. While most people today dare not speak about themselves, Paul spoke about himself, particularly in the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians. However, as we read the words concerning Paul, we sense God. Paul even says that it is necessary, not expedient, for him to boast and that he boasted like a foolish man (2 Cor. 12:1; 11:16-17). In these words Paul did not speak about God, the Lord, or the Spirit. However, when we read them, we sense God, because Paul spoke forth God. Even though Paul spoke concerning himself, his words conveyed God.
It is possible for us to say “God” or “Lord” in every sentence but have nothing of God when we speak. What Paul said was full of the element of God. Hence, when we read Paul’s words, we touch God. Paul’s words are God, the Spirit, and life. If we want our words to convey God, the Spirit, and life, our words must pass through God and be in God.
The brothers who minister the word must not merely collect some points from reference books. If our speaking consists of only what we collect from reference books, the words that we speak will not come from our experience of God and will not pass through God. This does not mean that reference books are useless, nor does it mean that we should not use them, but the words that we speak must pass through God, and they must have the element of the experience of God.
What is the use of reference books? Good reference books contain some light. An example is Andrew Murray’s The Spirit of Christ. This is a valuable reference book because Andrew Murray was enlightened and saw the truth concerning abiding in Christ. When we read this book, however, we should not treat it as a reference book. In order to speak it to others, we need to pass through God. Otherwise, we are those who “buy and sell goods”; we have not passed through God, and we have no experience that comes out of God.
This does not mean that we should not read reference books. However, instead of merely quoting a book, we should bring the content—what the author saw and experienced—to God. Then the content will become our vision and experience. We need to see what the author saw and experience what the author experienced. Then the book is not merely a reference book. We read reference books because we want to see what others saw and experience what they experienced. Then we will have something that is in God and has passed through God; their vision will become our vision, and their experience, our experience. This is the primary purpose of reference books.
Reference books also help us study the meaning of words and phrases. If we do not thoroughly understand the original language, it is difficult to determine the proper translation of some words and phrases. Hence, we can consult reference books written by people who understand the language. In this respect reference books are useful, and we should use them. However, the words and phrases that we study should help us in our utterance.
Reference books can help us with our utterance. Sometimes the authors have good utterance. However, we should not accept everything that is in a reference book. For example, Madame Guyon spoke about “being lost in God.” This is good utterance, but it is not sufficiently high or clear. It seems as though Madame Guyon used these words to mean being blended and mingled with God. When we say that we are lost in God, it implies that we no longer exist. However, according to our experience, we are mingled with God, not lost in God. Therefore, reference books should merely be used for consultation. We should not quote everything that is written. The reference books that we read should inspire us to develop our phrases and utterances.
Our use of reference books can be compared to a commander in chief who consults his advisers for their opinions in order to develop a strategy. Sometimes these opinions give us good ideas. If we do not read or consult reference books, we limit ourselves. The reference books that we consult can be helpful in improving our understanding.
Hence, we should not wait until we are about to give a message to consult a reference book. Rather, we should read reference books regularly in order to gain a resource of material. For example, the books concerning fellowship between man and God by Andrew Murray, Madame Guyon, and Mrs. Penn-Lewis have their own characteristics. We therefore should not wait until we are about to speak on fellowship with God before we consult these reference books. The proper way is to read these books on a regular basis and store what we read within us. Then when we are ready to give a message on fellowship with God, there will be a foundation within us, because we have consulted with what others have written. We should use what they have written as reference material, but we should not quote everything. This is the way to use reference books.
Furthermore, when we use reference books, we must not rely on their expositions of the Bible. We should never think that we can quote someone merely because he expounded a verse in a good way. If we do, our speaking will not be the word of the ministry, because it did not pass through God and does not have the Spirit of God. Rather, our speaking is borrowed. Whether we give messages or lead others to study the Bible, this is an inappropriate way to use reference books. The words that we speak must pass through God and must be in God. We can consult what others write in order to understand the meaning of phrases and words in the Bible, and the light that others receive from the Bible may inspire us. However, what we speak must be in God, and it must pass through God. The words that we speak must also be spirit and life. We can be helped in our utterance without quoting everything we read. We need to study, learn, and consider what others write. Then we will be more advanced and higher.
I received much help from the writings of Mr. J. N. Darby. There is a statement in his writings that I believe is a great word, even though some people may consider it insignificant. He said that the Psalms are the expressions, feelings, and impressions of godly men. Most people would think this is an ordinary word. In Darby’s Synopsis of the Books of the Bible he commented on all one hundred fifty psalms. Many important statements can be found in his comments. However, except for the statement of the Psalms being the expressions, feelings, and impressions of godly men, I consider his comments to be ordinary. The Psalms are the expressions and feelings of godly men. I was helped by this crucial word because it opened up the book of Psalms to me.
In the Life-study training on the book of Psalms in 1956, I strongly disagreed with one of Darby’s interpretations. Darby said that Christ is the One who meditates on the law of Jehovah day and night, but I cannot agree with this interpretation. Psalm 1 is the speaking of a godly person who has the law as his background. In Psalm 2 there is another person who lives before God and who, through the Spirit of God, speaks something that is contrary to Psalm 1. Instead of regarding the law, this person exalts the Son of God. I did not agree with Darby’s view regarding Psalm 1, but I agree with Darby’s statement that the Psalms are the expressions and feelings of godly men. The contents of these expressions, however, require much discernment.
Therefore, we should limit our use of reference books to the ways that we have described. We should not accept everything indiscriminately. There will be problems if we rely excessively on reference books. Even the book The Spirit of Christ by Andrew Murray will be dead letters if we merely quote it. The words that we speak must pass through God and must be in God.
The light that others receive can inspire us, and we can be helped with the meaning of words and with our utterance, but we must never take what others say as ours. What we speak must pass through God and must be in God. The usefulness of reference books depends upon how we use them. If we do not know how to properly use them, we will be led into a forest filled with trees of the knowledge of good and evil. We may feel that the trees are good, but the fruit that they bear is called knowledge. If we are controlled by the vision of Genesis 2 and know how to properly use reference books, we will realize that most reference books are trees of knowledge that are full of all kinds of opinions.
In summary, we need to learn how to use reference books. These books can give us good impressions. We should never blindly receive what others write; otherwise, we will be led into a forest of trees of the knowledge of good and evil. We can use the books for reference, but we should not quote them blindly. In addition, before we give a message, we may fellowship with a young brother who seemingly speaks nonsense. But our utterance is improved by the fellowship.
Most of the expositions of the Bible that were written over the past two thousand years have not been much help to us. They were merely references. Most books on exposition are related to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Few books are related to the tree of life. Besides Darby, F. W. Grant was a great expositor of the Bible among the Brethren. But many of the expositions in his book The Numerical Bible are on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; they focus on knowledge, not life. This does not mean that his expositions are useless. Whether a reference book is beneficial depends on how it is used. Reference books should be used as a source of reference. We should not quote them in their entirety; otherwise, the issue will not be life. We have to grasp this principle. The words that we speak must be spirit and life. If we keep this principle, we can use reference books.
Some brothers like to use Bible handbooks, which give information related to history or geography, but they are not of much value. What we can give the brothers and sisters from these books is worse than the carob pods that the prodigal son in Luke 15 ate; it is useless. Some brothers say that since we do not know the background of the Bible, we can use a Bible handbook to learn, for example, where the book of Ephesians was written, where the city of Ephesus was located, and what its population was. This information is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When we eat of this tree, our eyes are opened, but we do not touch God. There is no loss if we do not know this information. On the contrary, if we know these things, we will suffer loss, because when we speak on the book of Ephesians, we will tell people only about the size of the city of Ephesus and how large its population was. What is the benefit of having such information? If we needed to know these things, God would have written about them in His Word. Since He did not write about them, why do we need to spend time on them?
It is possible not to know where the book of Ephesians was written but still supply the saints. We can say that according to the riches of His glory, God is strengthening the saints through His Spirit into their inner man that Christ may make His home in their hearts that they may be filled unto all the fullness of God (3:16-19). Even if what we say seems a little confusing, we need to transfuse Christ into the saints. We can say that Christ wants to make His home in our hearts through faith so that we may be filled unto all the fullness of God and even become the fullness of God. We can also say that God is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us (v. 20). This is what we need to say to the saints when we speak on the book of Ephesians. There is no need to speak about the size of the city, its population, or who the governor was. In my youth I also liked to read Bible handbooks; however, one day I threw them away. There is more than enough of value in the Word of God than we can understand.
The word that we minister must not be knowledge, doctrine, or even explanation. It must be the utterance of God. If we keep this principle, we can use numerous reference books.
I never saw anyone use reference books as much as Brother Nee. Before Brother Nee spoke on the Gospel of Matthew, he consulted almost all the commentaries on Matthew. However, he never gave a message that came from a book. He often said that there was nothing in the reference books. Everything depends on whether we know how to use these books. For example, a young brother may not give a clear word concerning prayer, but what he says can draw out words from within us. Then when we speak, we are able to use the words of the brother and minister a clear word concerning prayer. We use what the brother said as reference material. If we use everything in a reference book, what we minister will not pass through God.
The brothers who minister the word must speak a word that is spirit and life, has passed through God, and is in God. We must keep this basic principle in the ministry of the word.
