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Scripture Reading: Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23; Acts 15:41; Rom. 16:4; 2 Cor. 8:1; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 1:4; Matt. 18:17; 1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 2:22; Rev. 1:11; Titus 1:5; Acts 14:23; Phil. 1:1; Rom. 16:1; Acts 2:42; 1 John 1:3; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 1 Tim. 5:19-20; Matt. 20:25-28; 23:8-12; 1 Pet. 5:1-3; 1 Cor. 1:12-13; Acts 13:1; 1 Cor. 14:26, 29; Acts 14:4, 14; 21:8
In the previous chapters we covered the first three factors that are vital to the recovery of the church life. These factors are Christ, the Spirit, and the divine life. When we consider these three factors, we should become excited and stirred up in the spirit. In this chapter we come to the fourth factor that is vital to the recovery of the church life: the proper practice of the church life. Concerning this factor, we all need to be very calm, quiet, and sober. We need to consider this fourth factor with a sober mind. In this chapter I wish to present to you a very basic truth in the Bible. To learn the truths in the Bible we need to have a sober mind, a mind that is clear, transparent, and enlightened by the Lord. We need such a mind to study the truth in the Bible concerning the church. We need to study the truth concerning the church, not in a general way but in a very particular way. We need to especially learn the truth concerning the proper practice of the church life.
Most Christians would agree that they need the fellowship of a church. Actually, there are very few Christians who are not members of a church. Most Christians have a church, but the question is, do they have the proper church or an improper church? Today in every large city there are too many different so-called churches. In the city of Seoul, Korea, the Roman Catholic Church is very prominent. However, it is wrong to associate the word Roman with the church. In the Bible there is no Roman Church. Colossians 3:11 tells us that in the new man there is neither Greek nor Jew. Thus, there is no such thing as the Jewish Church or the Greek Church in the Bible. Furthermore, there is no Anglican Church, no Chinese Church, no Korean Church, no Presbyterian Church, no Baptist Church, and no Pentecostal Church. All these “churches” are improper because they are not scriptural, not according to God’s holy Word.
In order to know what is proper regarding the church, we need to study the Bible. I have been studying the Bible concerning the matter of the church since 1925. In this chapter I wish to present to you a brief outline of this matter. This brief, accurate, and clear outline is the cream of my nearly sixty years of study concerning the church. I am happy to present this outline to you. My desire is to impress you with the proper practice of the church life according to the Bible.
There is nothing wrong with the church itself, but the way that Christians practice the church life might be wrong. Out of all the different ways of practicing the church life among Christians today, it is difficult to find one that is right. To be right in the practice of the church life is to be according to the Bible. The proper practice of the church life is not according to culture, not according to society, not according to any kind of religious background, and not according to our imagination; it must be absolutely according to the holy Word of God.
The church that Christ is building is the universal church, not the church in a nation or the church in a city. In Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus said to Peter, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.” In this verse the Lord considered Himself as the rock (cf. v. 16). Christ Himself is the very rock upon which the church is built. The church in Matthew 16:18 is the universal church, the one church in the entire universe.
The universal church is the unique Body of Christ. According to Ephesians 1:22-23, Christ is the Head, and the church is His Body. Christ the Head has only one Body (4:4). It is abnormal for a head to have more than one body. If you saw a person with one head and two bodies, surely you would consider him a monster. In Christianity today, the unique Body of Christ has been divided into countless “bodies.” These bodies are the many so-called churches in existence around the globe. All the different “churches” claim that their Head is Christ. This means that the one Head, Christ, has many bodies. This is not only wrong, but this is grotesque. In the midst of today’s abnormal situation, we strongly affirm that the Body of Christ is uniquely one. There is one Head and one Body. Surely this one Body cannot be a particular local church. This one Body must be the universal church, the church as a whole. Christ as the Head is unique, and the universal church as the Body is also unique.
This one universal church, one Body, comprises all the local churches. There may be thousands of local churches, but together they constitute one universal church. Each local church is only a part of the universal church. The universal church is the unique Body of Christ, and all the local churches are simply the local expressions of that one Body.
The local churches compose the one universal church. Acts 15:41 speaks of the churches in Syria and Cilicia, and Romans 16:4 mentions the churches in the Gentile world. Second Corinthians 8:1 speaks of the churches in the province of Macedonia; Galatians 1:2, of the churches in the province of Galatia; and Revelation 1:4, of the churches in the province of Asia. According to Revelation 1:4, there were at least seven local churches in the one province of Asia. In the New Testament we can see many local churches, and together these local churches are considered as one universal church. Today in the Lord’s recovery there are nearly six hundred local churches on six continents. All these local churches together are just one universal church.
The believers are living in the local churches. Actually, we cannot live directly in the universal church. It is impossible for us to live in the universal church without living in a local church. The Lord is building up the universal church, and each of us is living practically in a local church. In Matthew 18:17 the Lord said that if, as a believer, you have a problem with another believer, you should tell it to the church. Surely the church mentioned in this verse is not the universal church; it must be the church in the place where you are. If you are in Seoul and you have any problem, you should tell the problem to the church in Seoul. If you are in Pusan, you should go to the church in Pusan; if you are in Hong Kong, you should go to the church in Hong Kong; and if you are in New York, you should go to the church in New York. The church to which you should tell your problem is the local church.
The local churches are the local expressions of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 2:22). There is only one Body, but there are many expressions. Universally, all the churches are one Body, and locally, every local church is a local expression of that universal Body. A local church is not the Body; it is only a part of the Body. It is a local expression of the Body. The church in Seoul is not the entire Body; it is a part of the entire Body as the Body’s local expression.
All the local churches constitute the one Body of Christ (4:4). In Matthew 16:18 the Lord said, “I will build My church.” Here the church is in the singular number, indicating that it must be the universal church. But in the Acts and the Epistles, a number of times the Bible says “the churches”—the churches in Syria, the churches in Asia, the churches in Macedonia, and the churches in Galatia. How could the Bible refer first to one church and then to many churches? It is because the one church, the universal church, is the totality of all the churches, and all the churches are local constituents of the one universal church.
Now we need to consider what the genuine ground of the church is. The ground denotes the site on which a building is built. Every building is built upon a certain piece of land, and this land is the ground on which the building is constructed. The church has spread to many nations in Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia. In all the different nations the church is built upon the proper ground.
The proper ground for the building of the church is the ground of locality. When the church spread to Korea, it first came to Seoul. The church is now being built in Seoul. Thus, the city of Seoul has become its ground.
In the Bible the church does not bear any particular name. In this respect the church is like the moon. The moon does not have a particular name; its name is simply the moon. We do not name the moon the American moon, the Chinese moon, the Korean moon, or the German moon. There is only one moon, not many moons. However, we may speak of the moon in Seoul, the moon in Osaka, or the moon in Shanghai. This does not denote many moons but one moon appearing in different cities.
The city is the ground on which the church is built. Therefore, taking the city as the ground, we may denote the church according to the city (Rev. 1:11). For example, you may say that you are a member of the church in Seoul. Since my wife and I live in Anaheim, California, we are members of the church in Anaheim. Many of the saints attending this conference came from different cities. We use the names of these cities to denote the different local churches. Because of this, we may say that there are many churches. But actually, the many local churches are simply the one universal church appearing in many cities.
When the one moon is seen in Seoul, it is the moon in Seoul. When it appears in New York, it is the moon in New York. There is only one moon. The moon in America is the moon in Korea, and the moon in Korea is the moon in China. There is only one moon, but this one moon appears in different cities. Therefore, it is correct to speak of the moon in a certain city. It is the same with the church.
We may say that there are many churches, yet the many churches are still just one church. Are we all in different churches, or are we in just one church? The proper answer is that, locally speaking, we are in many churches, but universally speaking, we are all in one church. Are you in the local churches, or are you in the universal church? It is wise to answer, “I am in the universal church by being in a local church.” We are not in the Roman Church, the British Church, the American Church, or the Korean Church; we are in the universal church by being in the local churches. Since we are now in the city of Seoul, we should say that we are in the universal church by being in the church in Seoul. Although my wife and I reside in Anaheim, we should remember that during our stay with the saints in Seoul, we are not in the church in Anaheim but in the church in Seoul.
Now let me ask, of what church are you a member? The best answer is that you are a member of the universal church, which Jesus Christ is building, by being a member of a proper local church. While we are in Seoul, we are members of the universal church by being members of the church in Seoul. This is the proper practice of the church. We are members of the universal church by being members of one of the local churches. As long as we are members of a proper local church, we are members of the churches universally.
The ground of the church in Seoul is the city of Seoul. Therefore, in one city there can be only one church (Titus 1:5; cf. Acts 14:23). Furthermore, the city can never be divided; a city always remains one city. Thus, the ground of locality is permanently one. Just as the city cannot be divided, the church ground can never be divided. Since we do not have two cities in Seoul, we do not have two churches in Seoul. In Seoul there is only one city; hence, in Seoul there is only one church. This unique ground keeps the church in oneness.
Today in a given city there may be many so-called churches. This may be likened to one city having many city halls. If a particular city has more than one city hall, this would mean that that city is divided. In any city there is only one city hall. This preserves the oneness of the city. A local church is built on the ground of its locality. This unique ground may be termed the ground of locality. The ground of locality is a protection to ensure that a church in a particular locality will always be preserved in oneness.
The ground of the church should not be merely local; it should also be universal. Locally, the ground of the church is the ground of locality; universally, the ground of the church is the genuine oneness. Christ has only one Body. The oneness of Christ’s Body is the universal ground of the church.
Suppose all the local churches in Korea are one with each other but are not one with the churches in other continents. If this were the case, the churches in Korea may have the local ground, the ground of locality, but they would not have the universal ground, the ground of the oneness of the Body. In the entire universe Christ has only one Body. All the local churches in the six continents—in North America, in South America, in Europe, in Africa, in Australia, and in Asia—are one Body. This is the universal ground of the genuine oneness.
The churches in England may say to the churches in Germany, “We are the churches in England, and you are the churches in Germany; therefore, don’t bother us.” Locally, they may be right, but universally, they are wrong. They may keep the local oneness, but they destroy the universal oneness. Locally, the ground of the church is the ground of locality, and universally, the ground of the church is the oneness of the universal Body of Christ. Hence, there is the local aspect of oneness, and there is also the universal aspect of oneness.
I hope that the young sisters will be clear about this and that they will teach their children, “Children, from my youth I have learned that the church should be one in two aspects: one in its locality and one in the universe.” The church is one locally, based upon its locality, the city, and it is one universally, based upon the one Body of Christ. This local and universal oneness is the genuine ground of the church.
At this point we need to consider another two items related to the proper practice of the church life: the local administration and the universal fellowship. In the proper church life the administration of the church is local, but the fellowship of the church is universal.
The administration of each local church is separate from the administrations of all other local churches. Furthermore, the administrations of all the local churches are on an equal level. In administration, no church is higher than another church, and no church is lower. In a country or nation there are different levels of government. The highest is the central government, and under the central government are the provincial, or state, governments and the city governments. This kind of government with different levels may be likened to a pyramid. The central government is the highest level, and the provincial and city governments are on lower levels.
But in the proper church life there is not such a thing. All the local churches are on one level. In the Roman Catholic Church the highest level of administration is in the Vatican. The pope is at the top, and around him are the cardinals. The pope exercises control over Roman Catholics in all the nations. All over the earth he has a number of archbishops. Under the archbishops there are the bishops, and under the bishops are the priests. This kind of governmental organization is a religious hierarchy. Such a hierarchy should be condemned. In the proper practice of the church life, all the churches on the whole earth are on one level. On the top there is only one throne, the throne of the Head, Christ, in the heavens. Only the Head is on the throne. Under the Head all the churches are on the same level.
Suppose the church in Seoul is the largest local church in Korea. Would it be right for the church in Seoul to control all the other churches in Korea? Suppose the church in Pusan is the second largest church in Korea. Would it be proper for the church in Pusan to be under the church in Seoul? Then, suppose there is a smaller church in the vicinity of Pusan. Would it be right for the church in Seoul, as the largest church, to control the church in Pusan, and for the church in Pusan to control the smaller church in the same vicinity? In answer to such questions I must say strongly that this kind of hierarchy and control is absolutely wrong.
In reference to the administration of the local churches, I have used two adjectives: separate and equal. The administration of the church in Seoul is separate from the administrations in Pusan and Geochang. The administrations of these churches are separate and equal. Even the administration of the smallest local church in Korea is equal with the administration of the church in Seoul. If I were an elder in the church in Seoul, I might consider that, since the church in Seoul is the largest, I should exercise some control over the smaller churches. The elders of the smaller churches may also consider that, since the church in Seoul is the largest and the oldest, they should surely submit to the elders in Seoul. In human eyes this may seem right, but in the practice of the proper church life, it is absolutely wrong.
Every local church has its own administration, and this administration is separate from all the others. It is also equal with all the others. Although the church in Seoul has been in existence for a number of years, and a much smaller church may have come into existence only two days ago, the administrations of these two churches are separate and on the same level. The administration of the church is local. No church, regardless of how large and mature it may be, should control another church.
Although the administration of the church is separate and equal locally, the fellowship of the church is one universally. In fellowship there is no separation. On this entire earth there is only one fellowship, and this fellowship is universally one. The fellowship of the church is one not merely in a particular nation but in the entire universe. There is not one fellowship in England, another fellowship in the United States, another fellowship in Germany, another fellowship in China, and another fellowship in Japan. In these nations there are separate churches in many cities, but there is only one fellowship in the entire universe.
This fellowship is called the fellowship of the apostles. Acts 2:42 says that the three thousand who believed in the Lord Jesus and became the members of the church on the day of Pentecost continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles. In the church both the fellowship and the teaching should be one universally. In all the churches we should teach only one thing—Jesus Christ as the Spirit to be our life for the producing of the church. This is the teaching of the apostles. If a different teaching comes in, we must reject it (1 Tim. 1:3-4). We accept only one kind of teaching, the teaching of the apostles, and have only one fellowship, the apostles’ fellowship.
In the early days all the believers continued in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship. This fellowship of the apostles is with the Father and with the Son. First John 1:3 says, “That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” The apostles’ fellowship is with the Father and with the Son. This means that it is with the Triune God. Around the globe there is only one Christian fellowship—the fellowship of the apostles with the Triune God.
This fellowship is expressed at the Lord’s table. When we eat the bread, we participate in the fellowship of the body of Christ, and when we drink the cup, we participate in the fellowship of the Lord’s blood (1 Cor. 10:16). The Lord’s body and blood are unique, and the fellowship of Christ’s body and blood is also unique. By partaking of the one bread, we have become the mystical Body of Christ (v. 17). Therefore, this universal fellowship is the fellowship of the Body of Christ. It is the fellowship passed on to us by the apostles. Hence, it is the apostles’ fellowship, and this fellowship is with the Triune God. Such a fellowship must be universal. In administration the churches are separate locally, but in fellowship they are united to be one universally.
The apostleship is universal. When Paul and Barnabas were in the church at Antioch, they were not apostles but prophets and teachers (Acts 13:1). However, when they went out to preach the gospel to establish the churches, they were the sent ones. A sent one is simply an apostle. They were prophets and teachers in the local church in Antioch, but by being sent out in the ministry, they became apostles to establish the churches.
Since it is the apostles who appoint the elders, the apostles are above the elders (14:23). Because all the elders in the local churches are established and appointed by the apostles, the apostles are over the elders.
The eldership is local, and it is under the apostleship. First Timothy 5:19-20 indicates that an accusation against an elder should be made to the apostles. This shows that the elders are under the apostles.
The government of the church is very simple. The apostles go out and preach the gospel to establish the churches. Then they select the more mature believers and appoint them to be elders to shepherd, to take care of, a local church. The elders should take care of the churches according to the apostles’ teaching. Because all the churches are established by the apostles, and the elders are selected and appointed in different localities by the apostles, in taking care of the churches, all the elders should take the word of the apostles.
The elders should not lord it over the believers. Instead, the elders should be patterns, examples, taking the lead to love the Lord, to seek after the truth, to grow in life, and to serve in the church (Matt. 20:25-28; 1 Pet. 5:1-3). They should not think that as elders, they are rulers over the believers. This kind of concept is wrong. In Matthew 23:8-12 the Lord Jesus said that all the believers are on the same level. We all are brothers, including the elders. Among us there should be no lord except the Lord. We have only one Lord, and we have only one Leader. This unique Leader, the Lord Jesus, is our Guide, our Instructor, and our Director. The elders are not lords governing the believers; all the elders are still only brothers. They should set themselves up as a pattern, as an example, to take the lead in loving the Lord, in seeking after the truth, in growing in life, in preaching the gospel, and in serving in the churches. This is the right way.
The ground of locality is the outward expression of oneness (1 Cor. 1:12-13). As we all are meeting in Seoul, the city of Seoul is our ground. But this is merely the outward oneness. The inward reality of oneness is the Spirit (Eph. 4:4). We must have the Spirit moving in us, living in us, and working through us. Outwardly, we have the ground of locality to keep the oneness; inwardly, we live by the Spirit for the oneness of the Body. If we have only the ground of locality without the Spirit, we have something merely outward with no inward reality. We need to have both the outward ground of locality and the inward reality of the Spirit.
In the local churches there are only prophets and teachers (Acts 13:1); there are no apostles and no evangelists (cf. 14:4, 14; 21:8). All the believers should be gospel preachers, but some members in the Body do have a particular gift to preach the gospel. These are called the evangelists. The apostles and the evangelists are universal and are for all the churches. But the prophets and the teachers are local. Therefore, in 1 Corinthians 14, a chapter concerning the local meetings of the church, the prophets and teachers are mentioned (vv. 26, 29), but the apostles and evangelists are not. The apostles and evangelists are universal. They travel from city to city preaching the gospel to establish the churches.
In this chapter I have presented a brief outline concerning the proper church and the proper practice of the church life. As Christians, we all should be in such a proper church, and we should participate in such a proper practice of the church life.
