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In these chapters we have seen that the Lord’s recovery today is concerned with two main items: the full experience of Christ in our spirit and the practical church life. In the more than half century since 1922, the enemy has not ceased to attack the Lord’s recovery. During the past years in the United States, the attacks have always been on two points—the Spirit and the ground of the church. The enemy has tried his best to defeat us regarding the Spirit for our experience and the church ground for our practice. Here we see the subtlety of the enemy. The points the enemy attacks are the crucial spots. If the enemy would attack any particular place, that spot must be vital. Therefore, we have been burdened to cover these two matters.
In this chapter I am burdened to cover the matters of the practical church life and the proper ground. There are many verses that we need to mention. In Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus said, “I will build My church.” The church here, which is built upon Christ as the rock, is the universal church. However, when the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 18:17, “Tell it to the church,” He was referring not to the universal church but to a local church to which we can go. First Corinthians 10:32 speaks of “the church of God,” and 1 Corinthians 11:16 speaks of “the churches of God.” Here we see the church, singular, and the churches, plural. In addition, we have some illustrations of the church: the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), the church in Antioch (13:1), the church in Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1), and the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2). Galatians 1:22 and 1 Thessalonians 2:14 both speak of the churches in Judea, that is, the churches in the Jewish territory of Judea. Furthermore, Romans 16:4 mentions “the churches of the Gentiles.” Hence, we first have the churches in the Jewish land and then the churches in the Gentile world. Acts 15:41 refers to the churches in Syria and Cilicia, two Gentile provinces of the ancient Roman Empire. In addition to Syria and Cilicia, the New Testament speaks of churches in three other provinces of the ancient Roman Empire: Asia, Galatia, and Macedonia. First Corinthians 16:19 speaks of “the churches of Asia”; Galatians 1:2 and 1 Corinthians 16:1 refer to “the churches of Galatia,” and 2 Corinthians 8:1, to “the churches of Macedonia.” In 1 Corinthians 4:17 we find the phrase everywhere in every church. Acts 14:23 says that the apostles appointed elders in every church. Romans 16:16 mentions “the churches of Christ,” and 1 Corinthians 14:33, “the churches of the saints.” Therefore, we have the churches of God, the churches of Christ, and the churches of the saints.
As we have pointed out several times, every truth in the Bible has two sides. This is also true with respect to the church. The church has two aspects: the universal aspect and the local aspect. Universally, the church is uniquely one. Locally, however, the church is expressed in many localities. Therefore, the one universal church becomes the many local churches. God is expressed in Christ, Christ is expressed in the church, and the church is expressed in the local churches. If there were no Christ, then God would not be practical to us. We would be like the Jews who hold the doctrine of God but who do not have Christ. As a result, God is merely a term to them; He is not practical. The practical God is the God expressed in Christ, because Christ is the practical expression of God. Apart from Christ and outside of Christ, no one can have God. But if you have Christ, then you have God. Where is Christ? Doctrinally speaking, you may answer, “Christ is in the heavens.” But if Christ were only in the heavens, how could we contact Him? In that case He would be doctrinal to us, but He would not be practical to us. Surely we must say that today Christ is in the church. Whenever you touch the church, you touch Christ. If you have the church, then you have Christ. By the word church, I do not mean a bungalow with a high tower and a bell; I mean the real church, which is the expression of Christ.
Although many Christians are talking about the church, we must ask them where their church is. Most Christians do not dare say that the church is in the Roman Catholic Church or in any of the denominations. Fifty years ago, they might have had the boldness to say this but not today, because the light of the truth is shining in the darkness, and eyes are being opened to see that Catholicism and the denominations certainly are not the church. Neither would anyone have the boldness to claim that a free group is the church. Free groups are free groups, not the church. An apple is an apple, and a peach is a peach. You cannot call a peach an apple, for everything must have its own name. The denominations are the denominations, the free groups are the free groups, and the church is the church. Therefore, we are still left with the question, where is the church?
Many, finding it difficult to answer this question, may reply, “The church is heavenly and spiritual, and all Christians are in it.” This sounds good, and I have heard it time and time again. In the past, people who spoke with me did not dare say that the church is in Catholicism, in denominations, or in the free groups. They had been enlightened to see that none of these things is the church. Therefore, they said, “The church includes every saved one, so it must be heavenly and spiritual; it is not on earth.” But I want something practical. Do not talk about money if you do not have even one dollar. I would rather you give me a dollar, than talk vainly to me about a million dollars. Therefore, with those who say that the church is merely heavenly and spiritual, I always pose this question: “Where is your church? You say that the church includes every saved one. Are you not a saved one? I am certain that you are a dear brother. According to your definition of the church, every saved one is in the church. Where is your church right now?” As I speak to them in this frank manner, they dare not say, “My church is the Methodist ‘church.’” In ordinary conversation they might say that they go to the Methodist “church,” but when it comes to the truth concerning the church, no one dares to talk like this. Anyone who talks in this way would immediately lose his case. Deep within, they know that neither the Methodist denomination nor any other denomination is the church. Finding it difficult to answer my question in a definite way, many have said, “Brother Lee, the church is heavenly and spiritual. But we are still in the flesh on earth. Although we are saved and belong to the church, the church is not here today. It is impossible to have something so heavenly and spiritual on earth today. We must wait until we go to heaven. Then we will all be spiritual, and we will be practically in the church.” My answer to this is very simple: “Brother, if this is the case, then let us no longer talk about the church. What is the use in doing so? According to your definition, there can be no church on earth today but only in heaven in the future.” After hearing this, they have said, “Oh, I don’t mean that.” Then I responded, “Please tell me what you mean by saying that the church is heavenly and spiritual and that it cannot be found among humans on earth. Doesn’t this mean that there is no church on earth today? You have said that the church includes all the believers. Since this includes you, please tell me where the church is. I don’t want doctrine. I’m like a hungry person who wants something to eat. I’m not asking for a fancy dinner. Just give me a slice of bread. You say that the church is heavenly. That is the nature of the church. But where is the church located? Brother, by your own word, it is clear that, speaking in a practical way, you are not in the church. If you were in the church in a practical way, you could immediately tell me where the church is. You could say, ‘This is the church where I am.’ Brother, we must be practical.”
Do not be cheated by today’s Christianity. In Christianity there is a great deal of vain talk, especially regarding the church, but little of this talk is practical. According to the revelation of the New Testament, the church, the Body of Christ, is expressed in the local churches. If you do not have the local church, you do not have the church. God is expressed in Christ, Christ is expressed in the church, and the church is expressed in the local churches.
Read the New Testament again. The first mention of the church is in Matthew 16:18, where the Lord said, “I will build My church.” As we have already pointed out, this is the universal church. The last mention of the church is in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 1:11 we read of seven local churches in seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Here the church is not universal but local. Instead of giving us teaching regarding the church, the Bible gives us illustrations of seven local churches in seven specific cities. All the names of these cities are given in one verse. By this we see that every local church is equal in jurisdiction to a city. The letter to the church at Ephesus is a letter to the city of Ephesus. Thus, the church in Revelation is not the universal church but the city church, a local church. God’s intention is to produce the church through Christ and to have it experienced in a practical way and expressed in the local churches. In the New Testament two points are very clear: that the church is practical in the local churches, and that every local church must equal the city where the church is. In other words, every locality must have just one church.
This is similar to God’s governing principle in marriage, the principle of one wife for one husband. If a husband has more than one wife, that is fornication, confusion. Just as every husband should have one wife, so every city should have just one church. If a city has more than one church, that is spiritual fornication and confusion. As the Body of Christ, the church is uniquely one in the whole universe. When this church is expressed in any particular city, it must be uniquely one in that city. If it is not uniquely one in each locality, there will be division and spiritual fornication. If a man has several other women in addition to his wife, those women are concubines. Only the proper one is his wife. The others are women related to that man, but they are not wives; they are only concubines. Likewise, every city, as a “husband,” must have one church. Concerning this truth, there is not a shadow of doubt in the Bible. The clear truth in the Bible is one city, one church.
Once again I say that, after mentioning the universal church in Matthew 16:18, the Lord in Matthew 18:17 turned to the matter of the local church, the church to which we can go to have our problems solved. Following this, in Acts, the church is mentioned in relation to a locality, for example, the church in Jerusalem and the church in Antioch. In Romans 16:1 we read of the church in Cenchrea, and in 1 Corinthians 1:2 of the church in Corinth. Acts 14:23 says that the apostles appointed elders in every church, and Titus 1:5 says that elders were appointed in every city. Because the church equals the city, the elders of the church are the elders of the city. In any one city there should be just one eldership. As we have already pointed out, in the last book of the Bible the churches are mentioned in relation to localities. What John saw, he wrote in a book and sent it to seven churches in seven cities. Sending the book to the seven churches was equal to sending it to the seven cities where the churches were (Rev. 1:11). This is the clear revelation of the Bible. The church in the universe is one, but this church must be expressed practically on earth in the localities where the saints are. In every locality there should be just one church, just as every husband should have just one wife.
But look at the situation today. One “husband” may have many “wives.” When I first visited the city of Las Vegas, I saw a sign near the city limits giving the population, approximately ninety thousand, and also boasting that in Las Vegas there were more than ninety so-called churches. In other words, there was a “church” for every thousand people. It seems that the gambling city of Las Vegas wanted to have the reputation of being a city filled with “churches.” But they were actually boasting of their spiritual fornication and of their confusion. If you were a Christian in Las Vegas, to which of these ninety “churches” would you go? If you did not attend any of them, would you establish another one, the ninety-first? This is division, and division means confusion. In the eyes of God, confusion is fornication. Fornication means that the saints are not related to one another according to God’s governing regulation. Whenever a man is related to a woman apart from the restriction of God’s governing principle, that is fornication. This fornication produces confusion, and confusion means division. Today the entire situation of Christianity is a matter of division. Who can deny this?
Consider the situation in Orange County, especially in Anaheim. People have told me that Anaheim is famous for three things—for schools, parks, and “churches.” In the eyes of God, these “churches” are not churches but confusions, fornications. Perhaps some will say to us, “What about your coming to Anaheim? Did you not add another to the present number? Is this not a further addition to the confusion? You say that we are divisions and that you are the church. You are too proud in saying this. Are we not Christians also? Then how can you say that we are not the church?” We need to answer this question very carefully so that our eyes might be opened fully. When we say that we are the church and not a division, others accuse us of being a cult. They say, “The local churches claim that they are the church and that all others are not the church. Doesn’t this mean that they are a cult?” On this matter we need light. Some of you, being under the influence of these accusations, may say to yourself, “Aren’t we all Christians? Why then do we say that we are the church and that they are divisions, not churches? Perhaps it is not fair to say this. Maybe Brother Lee has gone to an extreme. Perhaps some of those outside the church are better Christians than we are. For instance, they may pray more than we do and be more godly in their daily living. Many of them are gentle, nice, meek, and kind. But some of us are sloppy and rather loose. How can we fairly say that we are the church and that they are not?” I have often been confronted with this kind of talk.
Let us consider a wife, properly married to her husband. Later, her husband becomes related to five other women. Suppose that the first one, the proper wife, is rather crude but that the second is kind, the third quiet, the fourth diligent, the fifth generous, and the sixth loving and spiritual. All these other women are much better in certain respects than the wife. But tell me, among these six, who is the true wife—the nice one? the quiet one? the diligent one? the generous one? the spiritual one? The answer to all this is, “No!” The first one, although she is crude, is the genuine wife. On what basis do we say that she is the proper wife? The basis is not what she is but where she stands. The question to ask is this: Is her position that of a wife or that of a concubine? If her position is that of a concubine, no matter how good she is, she is not the wife, because she does not have the position of the wife. If one of the other five women would go to a law court, no judge would ever say, “Because you are nice and kind, I recognize you as the proper wife.” No, the judge would render his decision according to who had the right position, the basic ground. Therefore, the first woman, although she does not possess the virtues of the others, would be recognized as the true wife.
I would encourage you to spend much time to study two books we have put out: Further Talks on the Church Life and The Practical Expression of the Church. In addition I would ask you to study the messages given along this line printed in The Stream. These materials clarify the true situation and expose the subtlety of the enemy. I can assure you that what the Lord has given us as the ministry in His recovery has been thoroughly considered. Whatever we minister is carefully weighed. Furthermore, all these things have been practiced in China for years. Hence, we have the complete assurance that what we are doing here is of the Lord and that this is the Lord’s recovery.
Do not be influenced by any subtle talk. If you encounter criticisms that you cannot answer, refer them to the elders, and we shall deal with these criticisms together. Our critics accuse us regarding two main items—the Trinity and the church. Therefore, we all must know the truth regarding these two matters. We must know the situation and have the proper weapons to fight the battle.
Suppose you meet someone who accuses us of being a cult and of being heretical. Do not be offended by him or lose your patience. Rather, remain open and ask him to give you all the points and definitions. The more he gives you, the better. Take down all the points and, with others, pray and fellowship concerning them. Perhaps at some time the Lord will give you the opportunity to help that one come to a proper understanding of what heresy is.
Many Christians know that heresy refers to something negative, but not many know the real meaning of heresy. In these days I have been burdened to put out a tract on the subject of the true meaning of heresy. If you consult a dictionary, you will discover that heresy is an anglicized Greek word—a Greek word brought over into the English language. Do you know what heresy is? To know what heresy is, we must go to the New Testament and understand the meaning and usage of this word in the Greek language. We cannot derive the meaning of the word heresy simply by studying a lexicon. We must know both the meaning of the Greek word and its usage in the New Testament. The Greek word hairesis is used nine times in the New Testament (Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5, 14; 26:5; 28:22; 1 Cor. 11:19; Gal. 5:20; 2 Pet. 2:1). The adjective form, hairetikos, is found in Titus 3:10. In most of the occurrences of the word hairesis the meaning is “sect.” For example, Acts 5:17 speaks of “the sect (hairesis) of the Sadducees.” In Acts 24:5 Paul was accused of being “a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” Here, a small number from the Jewish religion followed Jesus to form another group, which was considered by others as a sect. Paul uses the word hairesis strongly in Galatians 5:20, ranking sects with works of the flesh, such as fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, and sorcery. Immediately before speaking of sects, Paul mentions “enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, divisions.” Hence, outbursts of anger, factions, divisions, and sects are related to each other. First we have outbursts of anger, then factions, and after factions we have divisions. Following these are sects. This means that if we strive and fight with others, the result will be divisions that issue in sects. Thus, in this verse Darby translates hairesis as “schools of opinion.” To have a school of opinion means to hold an opinion that causes you to be separated and divided from others and to form into a sect.
The word hairesis is also used in 2 Peter 2:1, which says, “There arose also false prophets among the people, as also among you there will be false teachers, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them.” According to this verse, heresy is a teaching that leads you away from the faith in the Lord. Therefore, considering all the nine occurrences of this word in the New Testament, we may say that heresy first means the causing of divisions that form sects in the Body of Christ, and second it means the holding of a teaching that seduces people and leads them away from the Lord, the Savior. Therefore, to set up a division that issues in a sect and to seduce people away from the Lord are both heresy.
Once we are clear about the meaning of heresy according to the New Testament, we can help others realize that they cannot so lightly accuse us of being heretical. If anyone forms a division that issues in a sect, he is heretical. Furthermore, if anyone does not believe that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God incarnated to be a man, that He was crucified on the cross for our sins, shedding His blood to redeem us, and that He was resurrected and is now in the heavens as well as in us to be our life, then whatever he teaches regarding Christ must also be heretical. We can tell all the opposers that we believe in the Lord Jesus according to the Bible. We hold to all the crucial points: that He is the Son of God, that He became a man, that He died for our sins, that He shed His blood for our redemption, that He was resurrected, that He is now in the heavens, that He is also in us to be our life, and that He is coming back to meet us. Since we believe all this, no one who is fair can condemn us as heretical. It is absolutely unfair to do this. Nevertheless, some may still say, “You damage the person of Christ by teaching that He is the Father as well as the Son.” This brings us back, once again, to the matter of the Trinity.
We say that Christ is the Father and the Spirit because of Isaiah 9:6, 1 Corinthians 15:45, and 2 Corinthians 3:17. We believe whatever the Bible says. Although others may not agree with us, it is not fair to condemn us for believing what the Bible says. Therefore, the difference between us and others is not a matter of heresy but of different interpretations, of different opinions. They follow the traditional teaching concerning the Trinity, and we believe in the pure word of the Bible. Hence, there is a discrepancy. If others say that we are heretical, then how about them? It may turn out that the very ones who accuse us of being heretical are themselves heretical. However, because they are dear brothers, we do not wish to condemn them. In like manner, we ask them not to condemn us. If you fellowship with others in this way, you may be able to help them see that it is neither right nor fair to accuse anyone who believes what the Bible reveals concerning Christ of being heretical. Furthermore, you may need to show them that many fundamental teachers, including some who helped to formulate the orthodox creed at the Council of Nicaea, were condemned at one time for being modalistic and at another time for being tritheistic. They were condemned because, as they defended the truth against the heresy of tritheism, on occasion they appeared to be modalists; and as they defended the truth against Sabellianism, a form of modalism, they appeared to be following tritheism. However, the whole of Christianity would not condemn these noted teachers as heretics, for they were honest in believing both aspects of the revelation of the Triune God in the Bible.
We believe that the Son is the Father and also that the Lord is the Spirit. But we still believe the other side of the Triune God—that all three of the Godhead exist at the same time and that among Them there is a real coinherence for eternity. Although we cannot reconcile these two aspects of the Trinity, we absolutely believe them both. Therefore, it is not fair to accuse us of being heretical. Rather, our opposers are in danger of being heretical because they place too much stress on the side of the three and neglect the side of the one. This brings them to the verge of the heresy of tritheism.
You need to present the matter to the critics in this way. Perhaps, while maintaining a good attitude toward them, you will be able to give them some further education and to clear up the sky concerning the truth. Truth is truth, fact is fact, and falsehood is falsehood. As long as we stand with the Bible and as long as we have a spirit to be one with the Lord, eventually the situation will be cleared up, and the sky concerning the truth will be clear. Whether or not others accept the truth is their responsibility. We are not responsible for that. Our burden today is for the Lord’s recovery. Do not be deceived or distracted by the opposers. Take down all their points and fellowship concerning them. Study and learn the truth with them. I believe that we all shall be helped by this and that the Lord will gain more ground for His recovery.
With respect to the church, we have no title. The term local church is not our title. When we speak of the church in Anaheim, the church in Los Angeles, and the church in Hong Kong, it is the same as saying the moon in Anaheim, the moon in Los Angeles, and the moon in Hong Kong. The phrase the moon in Hong Kong is not the title of the moon; it is simply a description of the moon. Likewise, the church in Anaheim is not our title; it is our description. When the moon appears in Taipei, it is called “the moon in Taipei,” and when the moon appears over Paris, it is called “the moon in Paris.” The words local church are simply a term describing the nature of the church. Today we are not standing merely for the universal church but also for the local church. The nature of the church not only has the universal aspect but also the local aspect. Therefore, we need to make it clear that the words local church are not a title. Never say, “I attend the local church on Ball Road in Anaheim.” To make the words local church a title is to turn us into a local church sect and to cause us to become a local church denomination. We do not practice any sectarian church but the local church. When people ask you to share with them about the church, patiently explain to them that we have no title whatever. We are simply the church. When we are in Anaheim, we are the church in Anaheim; when we are in New York, we are the church in New York; and when we are in Stuttgart, we are the church in Stuttgart. In whatever locality we find ourselves, we are simply the local church there. We have nothing to do with anything denominational.
