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Scripture Reading: Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; 1 Cor. 1:10-13; 11:19; Gal. 5:20; Titus 3:10
In the past chapters we have seen the eternal purpose of God, the expression of Christ, the expression of the church, the practicality of the church, and the oneness of the church. After the oneness we must see the ground of the church.
First of all, we must see the meaning of the term the ground of the church. When we say the ground, we do not mean the foundation. I am afraid that many people confuse these two words. The ground of the church is not the foundation.
Suppose we have a piece of land upon which we wish to put a house. This lot, or site, is what we call the ground. The ground is the very site where the building is placed. It is upon this piece of land that the foundation is laid and the building is erected. Most every building has a foundation, and the main part of the foundation of most buildings is underneath the ground. So there is the ground, and there is the foundation. The ground is the site upon which the house is built, and the foundation is the base of the house. These are two separate things.
First Corinthians 3:11 tells us that Christ is the only foundation. This means that Christ is the base of the building of the church. He is the foundation upon which the church is built. But if Christ is only the foundation, what is the ground? The ground must be the very place where we build the church with Christ as the foundation.
Suppose I place a vase upon a table. Then the table becomes the ground to hold the vase. But if I hold the vase in the air, it does not have a ground. If I put the vase upon a brother’s head, his head becomes the ground. If I hold it in my hand, then my hand becomes the ground. But neither his head nor my hand is the proper ground. The vase must be on the table; then it is on the proper ground, the place where it belongs.
It is possible to have the right thing on the wrong ground. It is something right but on the wrong ground. We must have the right thing, but we must also have the right thing on the right ground.
We know that in Jerusalem a temple was built according to the design revealed by God and with all the materials designated by God. Therefore, Jerusalem was the ground of the temple. Then one day the people of Israel were carried away to Egypt, Syria, and Babylon. Suppose they built a temple in the same design and with the same materials in these three places. The temple would be right, but it would be on the wrong ground. Then there would be four temples in the same design, with the same materials, and even with the same measurements. It would seem as if they were all right. But each would have a different ground. The three temples outside of Jerusalem would be the same as that in Jerusalem, but they would be on the wrong ground.
Now suppose the temple in Jerusalem, which was the one on the proper and unique ground, was destroyed, and the one built in its place in the recovery was somewhat smaller; it was not exactly the same as the original. But in Babylon a big temple was built exactly the same as the original one in Jerusalem. In other words, in Babylon there was a temple up to standard, but in Jerusalem the temple was below standard. In this kind of situation, to which temple should we go?
When we read Ezra and Nehemiah, we see the poor condition existing among those who returned to Jerusalem. Some of them even took heathen wives. There was very little spirituality among them. But Daniel was in Babylon, and he was a spiritual giant. Why should anyone go to Jerusalem to be with those poor, pitiful ones who took heathen wives? It seems that it would be much better to stay in Babylon with Daniel.
What would you do? Would you stay in Babylon with the spiritual prophet Daniel, or would you go back to Jerusalem with those poor ones? We all need clear discernment in this matter. There was real spirituality with Daniel, but Daniel was not in Babylon for Babylon. He opened his window toward Jerusalem and prayed three times a day (Dan. 6:10). He was so desirous to go back, but under God’s sovereignty he had to stay. He had to stay not for Babylon but for Jerusalem.
We also know that God’s glory was not in Babylon. His presence, in a sense, was there with some person or persons, but His glory was not there. It was not until the destroyed temple was rebuilt in Jerusalem, even though it was not up to standard, that the glory of God filled it (Hag. 2:7, 9). The glory was not in Babylon but in Jerusalem with a poor group of people. This was entirely due to the ground.
Do you think that the temple being rebuilt on the proper ground and the glory of God being manifested were due to the spiritual situation? Had the people’s condition changed? No, it had not changed. It was still the same. But because a building was erected on the proper ground, even though it was under the standard, the shekinah glory of God was manifested. This was not because the spirituality of the people had been greatly improved. That did not bring in God’s glory. It was simply due to the fact that they came back and rebuilt the temple on the proper ground. Though their situation and condition were poor, their standing and their ground were right. God honored the ground they took and upon which they built.
It was only a little over four hundred years following the return of the captives that the Lord Jesus was born. Was He born with the group that stayed with Daniel? No, the Lord Jesus was born to the poor returned group in Israel. When we read the four Gospels, we see how poor and pitiful the state of the Lord’s people was in Israel when the Lord was born. But the Lord Jesus came to this earth the first time through them because they were on the right ground.
Suppose that not one of the scattered Israelites had returned to Jerusalem. Instead, they all remained in Babylon, with some in Syria and Egypt. If so, could the Lord Jesus be born in the land of Israel? No, He could not come because the ground would not be available.
Now let me ask, What is the ground of the church? In principle we have seen the meaning of the ground and its importance, but we must apply it. What is the ground of the church? The ground of a certain thing is the very place where you put that thing. That is the ground. In other words, the ground of the church is the very place where the church is.
If a vase rests on a table, the ground of the vase is the table. Then what is the ground upon which the church stands? It is the city where the church is. The first church in the New Testament was in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1). It is very clear that the city of Jerusalem became the ground of that church.
Then the church spread from Jerusalem to Antioch. Since there was now a church at Antioch (13:1), spontaneously the city of Antioch became the ground of the church there. Then the church spread from Antioch to Ephesus, Corinth, and many other cities. All the cities where the church spread became the ground upon which the church stood. This is the unique ground of the genuine oneness. This is the local ground, or the ground of locality.
Suppose that in Corinth some of the believers who liked Apollos were to build an Apollonian church, and those of Peter were to build a Petrine church. Then there would be a church of Apollos and a church of Peter. Then suppose those of Paul were to build up a Pauline church, and even some would say that they were of Christ, so they would build up a “church of Christ.” Then, there would be four churches in the one city of Corinth, and all of these four churches would claim, declare, and proclaim that Christ is their foundation. The Apollonian church is built on Christ, the Petrine church is built on Christ, the Pauline church is built on Christ, and, of course, the “church of Christ” is also built on Christ. All four different kinds of churches claim to have Christ as their foundation. Their foundation may be the same, but their grounds are absolutely different. They are all built on different grounds. One has the Apollonian ground, one has the Petrine ground, one has the Pauline ground, and one even says that Christ is its ground. What are these grounds? We must be clear that they are all divisive. Only Corinth is the right ground. The ground of locality is the one unique and uniting ground upon which the church can be built. The unique, proper ground of the church is the locality where the church is.
Today we have the same thing in a city such as Los Angeles. There is a church built upon the Presbyterian ground, a church built upon the Baptist ground, a church built upon the Methodist ground, and so many kinds of “churches” built upon so many kinds of grounds. In one city there are many kinds of “churches” because they are on so many different kinds of grounds. All of these grounds are divisive.
We must be clear that the ground of the church is the very locality where the church is. When we go to Jerusalem, we must go to the church in Jerusalem. When we go to Antioch, we must go to the church in Antioch. Then the divisions are gone. When we go to a certain city, we must go to the church in that city.
But the big problem is this: Suppose I like sprinkling, and the church in the city where I go practices immersion. What should I do? The usual thing that happens is that I will talk with the saints there, argue with them, and eventually start a new “church” that practices sprinkling. Then upon what is my “church” built? It is unquestionably built upon the ground of sprinkling. I have built it upon something which I believe is right, but it is built upon the wrong ground. It is not built upon the ground of locality, but on the ground of sprinkling.
Then someone else who practices speaking in tongues goes to the same city. But the church in that city does not practice tongues either. So eventually he does the same thing and builds a “tongue-speaking church.” The ground of his “church” is speaking in tongues. But tongues should not be the ground upon which a church is built. It must be built upon the ground of locality. This is today’s pitiful situation. Perhaps someone else also goes to the same place to build up a “church” of head covering. So there is another division. The tongue should not be the ground of the church; neither should head covering.
I believe we can see all the different grounds of divisions. This is why we must give up all of these things. When we go to a place, as long as the church there is on the proper ground, we must be one with her. She may be weak, and she may need much improvement, yet she is still the church on the proper ground. If we go there, we must meet with her. We have no right and no standing to establish another thing. Whether she sprinkles or not, whether she practices speaking in tongues or not, whether she has head covering or not, we still must go along with her, because she is the church on the proper ground.
We must not hold to any doctrine, but simply cleave to the abundance of Christ’s life. Regardless of what the church in a certain place practices, we must simply minister Christ to her. We must not care for the doctrines, but only for the rich supply of Christ to be ministered to her.
Perhaps the saints there would not even take pray-reading. Still we must minister Christ to them. Since they do not like pray-reading, we had better not speak with them about it, but be so strong in our spirit. Whenever we open our mouth in the meetings, the whole church will be subdued. We will pray, we will testify, and we will contact the saints in a living way. There is no need to fight for anything. As long as there is a church on the proper ground, we must be built up with her. She may not be so spiritual, but we do not care for that. We must only be on fire and burning in the spirit. Then we will burn others.
We must be so full of life—that is all. We must not bring anything to any place, and we must not stand for anything but Christ and the church on the proper ground. If we are full of Christ and so strong in the spirit, nothing can stop us from burning others. Eventually, the whole church in that place will be burnt by us.
We must learn to keep the ground and not to stand for anything else. As long as there is nothing sinful in the church where we are, we must go along with her. Then we should simply minister Christ to the people. We must never cause division, but always minister Christ.
We really need to be delivered from all our doctrines. We must be for nothing but Christ and the church. As long as the church is on the proper ground, regardless of how poor and weak she is, we must be one with her. Then we will never be divisive.
Some may say that the principle of one church in one city is right, but it is not applicable today. Today it is impossible, they may say, for all the saints in one locality to come together as one church. But regardless of the confusion, we must still keep and apply the principle. The majority of Christians will not take the proper ground, but the Lord will still raise up a remnant to stand on the ground of oneness. Whatever the Lord has ordained can never be abandoned. Regardless of all the failure in the past and in the present, the Lord will still accomplish it. It may be on a smaller scale, but the principle is still the same.
We do believe that in these last days the Lord will work out the local church on a smaller scale. Some seeking ones will be brought together to take the ground of oneness and testify thereon to the whole universe that they are one in Christ, regardless of their varying backgrounds. This will be a real glory to the Lord and shame to the enemy.
