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Scripture Reading: Acts 1:4-5, 8; 13:1-4
The four points that we have spoken of in regard to our service—calling, vision, gifts, and ministry—are the “capital” of a Lord’s worker. Just as a businessman needs capital to do business and a teacher needs education to teach, we need these four points as our “capital” in our work for the Lord.
Ministry is the issue of the Spirit’s constitution. Ministry can be manifested only in a person who has experienced the constituting work of the Spirit. Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis knew the Lord in a deep way, and she was raised up to minister concerning the cross of Christ. Before Mrs. Penn-Lewis was raised up, there was hardly any book on the cross, despite there being over a thousand years of church history. When Mrs. Penn-Lewis came, she preached for at least a decade on our co-crucifixion with Christ on the cross. She founded a magazine called The Overcomer that spoke only of our co-crucifixion on the cross. She spoke on how the cross of Christ ended the old creation and the old man and accomplished God’s eternal will. The commission that she received before God was to preach the message of the cross. Her message, however, did not come merely from gifted utterance but from the deeper constitution of ministry in her being; she was the message of the cross. This shows that ministry comes out of the Spirit’s constitution over time.
We have no basis for boasting merely because we may have a gift. Instead, we should focus on the manifestation of ministry in us for the church. Through the constituting work of the Spirit, the operation of the Lord’s life in us over time will make us the message, and our message will become our ministry. Although I appreciate gifts in the church, I am more fearful of gifts without ministry. We must look to the Lord for His mercy so that we would experience His message-constituting life in order to manifest a ministry of life. We should not treasure the gift of giving a message more than ministry.
The example of Balaam’s donkey speaking human language in the Old Testament is helpful in understanding the limitation of gifts (Num. 22:28-30). Balaam’s donkey received the ability to speak a human language, but it was still a donkey. Even though it could speak a human language, the donkey did not become human. There was no change in its constitution.
Some people can speak concerning the cross in a clear and appealing way, but they lose control of their temper once they leave the podium. In contrast, Moses, as a genuine servant of God, not only spoke for God but also became a man of God, especially in his old age. Psalm 90 is entitled “A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.” Moses not only spoke God’s words, but he also was a man of God. God’s words were constituted into him over a period of several decades. He was a man, but God’s words were constituted in him. Consequently, when he was a hundred twenty years old, his speaking to the children of Israel did not come from gift but from ministry. His words were God’s words, and his blessings were God’s blessings. He not only spoke the word of God with his mouth, but his words manifested the work of God in his being. This is ministry. There must be ministry in the church; the church is strong only when ministry is manifested.
In addition to calling, vision, gifts, and ministry, the fifth important item in working for the Lord relates to the matter of leading. We must learn to be led. Those who serve the Lord must be led by the Lord, not by their own views, desires, and choices. All our actions must be according to the leading of the Lord. The matter of being led is a very particular aspect of service, and we must look at it carefully.
The Acts of the Apostles present a clear picture of how to work for God. Although many say that Acts speaks of how to receive the Holy Spirit, it presents another matter that is just as important as receiving the Holy Spirit—the matter of being led. In fact, the apostles received the Holy Spirit through the Lord’s leading. The Lord told the disciples not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit (1:4-5, 8). If the one hundred and twenty had left Jerusalem and returned to Galilee, they would not have received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They received the Holy Spirit by following the Lord’s leading. Thus, the foremost matter in Acts is not related to receiving the Holy Spirit but to being led.
Acts also shows that the Lord’s leading, especially His leading for the work, is rarely an individual matter; it is a corporate matter. The Lord did not tell only Peter to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to descend. The Lord told the disciples to wait together in Jerusalem; this is corporate. His leading was not for Peter, John, or Mary individually but to the hundred and twenty corporately.
There is a principle in the Bible that relates to the first mention of a matter; that is, the first mention of a matter establishes the principle of that matter. In Acts the first mention related to the Lord’s leading is corporate, not individual. Thus, in 2:14 we do not see individuals; instead, we see “Peter, standing with the eleven.” Furthermore, even though chapter 8 records Philip preaching the gospel by himself in Samaria, it also shows that part of the Spirit’s work was withheld until Peter and John went to pray and lay hands on the Samaritan believers (vv. 14-17). Only then did the Samaritans, who had heard and believed through Philip’s preaching, receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This shows that the Holy Spirit did not confirm the move of an individual, Philip, but rather, the corporate move of the church. Although Philip apparently was being led individually, his leading was associated with the move of the church.
When the flow of God’s work advances, people are not brought separately or individually into the flow. In Acts 13 God’s work flowed from Jerusalem to Antioch. Verse 2 says, “As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for Me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Although many are working in Christianity today, everyone is doing his own work. However, the apostles were not led separately but corporately in the flow of the Lord’s work. Peter was in this flow, John was in this flow, and Paul was in this flow. The move of those who were saved first as well as those who were saved later was in this flow. The flow that began in a corporate way in Acts 2 also flowed until it reached Antioch in chapter 13 in a corporate way. The flow seemed to turn and go westward. At that time five prophets and teachers in the church in Antioch were led in a corporate way (v. 1). They were not independent prophets and teachers; they were in the church, and their leading was the leading of the church. This speaks of the principle of a corporate leading in the work.
We need to remember this principle, especially when we are tempted to say, “I have a clear leading to work in a certain place.” There is a danger in being so certain; it is the danger of acting individualistically. We must ask ourselves whether we have received our leading individualistically or with those whom we serve with in the church. When the five prophets and teachers in the church in Antioch were praying together and fasting, the Holy Spirit charged them, saying, “Set apart for Me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (v. 2). This was a corporate leading. We need to ask ourselves whether or not we have been led in this way. There is a great difference between an individual leading and a leading that comes from the Lord through those with whom we are serving. In the matter of serving the Lord, an individual leading will cause us to act individualistically and do an individualistic work. In contrast, a corporate leading before the Lord will enable us to move in Christ with the church. The two leadings are quite different.
Barnabas and Saul received the Lord’s leading without any individual component. Five prophets and teachers were praying when the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me now Barnabas and Saul.” These five were part of both the larger circle of the believers in the church in Antioch and the smaller circle of the Lord’s work in the church. In both circles the five served together corporately.
May the Lord have mercy on us so that we may see this basic principle. Because Christianity has become degraded, there are many individual leadings, many individual works, and many individual actions. Christians who do not meet with us often misunderstand us and say that we are uncooperative, but the Lord knows that we desire to be one with other believers. When we consider various Christians, the most we can say is that they have a desire to be united. Our desire, however, is for more than just unity; we want oneness. The church is one; it is not united. There is a great difference.
When I was twenty-two years old, a pastor who was leading me talked about the federation of churches in Christianity. Although I was very young at the time, I received some light. I listened respectfully because I was the one being led. He said, “We in Christianity have formed a federation; those who could not get along before are now united.” I asked, “If the denominations need to be united, does this not prove that they are divided?” His countenance changed upon hearing this. Indeed, division cannot be eliminated by unity but by being one.
The United Nations is an example of unity. Delegates from various countries meet and discuss matters; some countries are totalitarian, and others are democratic. The end result of this union is that Britain is still Britain, France is still France, and America is still America. In Christianity unity means that the Methodist denomination, the Presbyterian denomination, the Lutheran denomination, and other denominations do not criticize each other, but each denomination still keeps their own things. There are, however, no independent entities in the Lord’s service; instead, everyone should be the same as their fellow serving ones in the Spirit. The church is one. The church is not an issue of unity but of oneness. If we need to be united, it proves that we have already formed independent entities.
We all know that the church is the Body of Christ and that the Body is one. If our physical body is not one, it means that some member has been “dislocated.” Likewise, the move, work, and service of the church must be one; anything less than this speaks of “dislocation.” Setting up a special group of our own is a matter to be accursed. We need to do only one thing—to set aside everything that is not of the Lord and not in accordance with the Bible. Even if others approve of such things, we should never approve. We want the way of the church, not our way; we want the ground of the church, not our ground. Anyone can stand on this ground if he so desires; the ground of the church is not something that we desire to monopolize.
In our service today, who follows whom? Our service is not a matter of you following me or of me following you; it is a matter of both of us desiring Christ with a pure heart and, consequently, of taking the way of loving the Lord together. By the Lord’s mercy, we can both be submissive within, accept help from others, and render help to others. This is our blessing; we are learning to be led together.
Some brothers and sisters are timid toward me and other responsible brothers, but we do not rule over the saints. By the Lord’s mercy and leading, we decide on certain matters and occasionally rebuke some misconduct. Each of us needs to learn to live before the Lord and not be afraid of the responsible brothers; we need to fear the Lord. Anything that is acceptable or fitting to the brothers and sisters can be done. There is no human organization or human authority among us; human authority should be accursed.
Some say that we have a very tight organization, but I do not see such an “organization.” Instead, a brother among us loves the Lord and follows Him by His mercy, while yet other brothers and sisters love the Lord and follow Him by His mercy. When everyone takes this way, there is a spontaneous oneness, and there is no need for any organization.
The leading for serving the Lord comes from living in the Lord and following the Spirit. However, when we take an individualistic way according to our own greed, lust, and purpose, there is an individualistic move that is outside this oneness.
Out of respect, brothers and sisters often ask me about the direction that they should take, but I only tell them to speak with the responsible brothers in their local church. We need to learn to live in the church. It is not possible for one person to truly know all things; this is a misconception. The true leading of the Lord is received together with our fellow serving ones in the church. Anything that is not received in this way is not accurate. Service is not an individual matter; it is carried out by brothers and sisters in the church. It may be hard for a brother to know how he should be led, but those who are serving together with him in the church will know. Next to the Lord, our fellow serving ones are the ones who are most clear about the direction that we should take in the service of the Lord. If they do not know about our situation, there must be a problem. However, if everyone is in one accord and serving the Lord in oneness, the brothers and sisters coordinating together will surely be clear concerning the Lord’s will and leading for their fellow serving ones. Thus, the Lord’s leading is received by those who are serving together in the Body, the church.
Question: A brother went to a certain place to work according to his personal leading, but only later was this confirmed by the church. Was his leading accurate?
Answer: This clearly shows that in the beginning there was some lack in his fellowship with the church because he only heeded his personal leading. However, once he heeded the church’s fellowship, the leading became a matter in the church.
Question: What is a normal experience of leading?
Answer: The basic requirement for the normal experience of leading is to live in the fellowship of the church. If we do not live in the fellowship of the church, it will be difficult for us to receive the leading in the fellowship of the church. It may take some brothers and sisters five years to understand this requirement. This requires that we be delivered from our own views, our own choices, and our own preferences. It requires that we be delivered from individualism and live in the fellowship of the church.
At the end of a discussion related to service, we often hear brothers and sisters say, “I will wait and see how the Lord leads.” This speaks of something positive but also of something negative. On the one hand, it shows that such persons fear the Lord very much and are not loose. On the other hand, it shows that there is a desire in them that must be weighed against the fellowship of their fellow serving ones. Often such ones return and say, “I do not think that it is the Lord’s will for me to do this.” Actually, the one who is unwilling is not the Lord but the brothers and sisters. There is hardly one saint out of ten who is truly being led by the Lord in this way, because the prerequisite to being led is to be willing to deal with oneself. Few fulfill this prerequisite.
