According to the book of Deuteronomy there are two ways set forth for enjoying Christ. One could be called the personal, individual way, and the other the collective way. For instance, as far as the grain—the wheat and the barley—was concerned, all the people of Israel at any time and in any place could enjoy it. This is one way of enjoying the produce of the land. But some of the grain could not be enjoyed individually and separately. The tithe and firstfruits of the grain together with the tithes and firstfruits of all their harvest must be preserved and on a certain day brought to the priests chosen by God. They must be brought to the place where God’s habitation was located, the place where He put His name. At that place in the presence of God, these things were to be enjoyed together with all the children of God and with God Himself. This was the collective worship.
These two ways applied also to the cattle. If they desired to eat the meat of the flock or of the herd, they could slay the animals in any place and enjoy them. But they could not eat the firstborn; they could not eat the tithe. That must be kept and brought to the priest at the place where the Lord put His name, where the Lord made His habitation and where the Lord’s children met. On one hand, they could enjoy something of the riches and fullness of the good land in any place. Whenever and wherever they felt the need, they could do so. But on the other hand, there was a portion for which they had no choice and no liberty. They must take it to the place chosen by God to enjoy it together with His children. Thus, there were these two ways: the individual way and the collective way.
Now let us apply these principles. We as Christians may enjoy Christ anytime and anywhere by ourselves. But if we would enjoy Christ in a collective way with the Lord’s children, we have no choice; there is only one place to which we can go. To enjoy Him separately and individually is permissible anywhere—for this we have full liberty. But if we would enjoy Christ with the Lord’s people as worship to God, we must go to the very place chosen by God. This is an extremely vital matter, for it preserves the unity of the Lord’s children.
This principle is entirely contrary to the situation which prevails in today’s Christianity. How much confusion, complication, and division have been created by the violation of it! Consider the children of Israel. For generation after generation, through century after century, there was no division among them, for they had only one center for their worship. No one dared establish another. There was only one location for them to gather, one place for them to worship—the place which Jehovah chose out of all their tribes to put His name and His habitation. In all the land of Israel, Jerusalem was unique. It was the place appointed by the Lord to which all the people must come for collective worship to Him.
Let us read the Word of the Lord:
Deuteronomy 12:5-8: To the place which Jehovah your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name, to His habitation, shall you seek, and there shall you go. And there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices and your tithes and the heave offering of your hand and your vows and your freewill offerings and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; and there you shall eat before Jehovah your God...You shall not do according to all that we do here today, each man doing all that is right in his own eyes.
When we come into that land which is the all-inclusive Christ, we can no longer do what is right in our own eyes. We cannot meet with the Lord’s children for corporate worship in the places we choose. We must go to the place which the Lord has chosen, to that one center, that one ground of unity.* [*See chapter 4 of Further Talks on the Church Life by Watchman Nee, published by Living Stream Ministry.] How contrary is today’s situation! If there are nine or ten brothers in a certain place, it is so easy for them to say, “Come, let us form a new church.” And if two or three do not agree, they will say, “All right, you go and form your church.” And they will. Just in one locality it is rather difficult to count how many so-called churches there are. In Christianity today everyone acts as if he has the right to choose according to his own desire. The saying is popular and current, “Attend the church of your choice.” I would like to shout at the top of my voice to all the Lord’s children, “You have no choice!” On one hand, you have full liberty to enjoy Christ by yourself wherever you are, but when you gather with the Lord’s children to worship Him you have lost your liberty. The place where the Lord’s children gather must be the very place appointed by the Lord Himself. We must go to that place.
If you were an Israelite in the Old Testament times, you could not say to David or Solomon, “I am not happy with you. If you worship at Jerusalem, I will go to Bethlehem. I will set up another center of worship at Bethlehem.” But this is just what people are doing today. “We do not want to be where you are. If you are meeting on First Street, we will start a meeting on Second Street.” They even seek to justify what they are doing by quoting Matthew 18:20: “Where two or three are gathered together into My name, there am I in their midst.” They say, “What we are doing is quite scriptural. We are two or three meeting in the name of the Lord, and we are meeting on the ground of Christ.” A few months after beginning this meeting, some brothers in their midst will not feel happy there and will leave to set up yet another meeting. They will say, “If you can set up a meeting on Second Street, we can set up a meeting on Third Street.” What confusion this is! In such a situation, there is no limitation, there is no rule, and the divisions will be endless.
We must meet together with the children of God on the common ground of unity. You cannot say that this ground is too legal. We must be legal in such a way. You and I have to be limited by the rule of God. We have no right to set up another center for worship—it will only create a division among the Lord’s children. The only ground we can take and stand upon is the ground of unity. We can enjoy Christ anywhere by ourselves, but we absolutely cannot set up a meeting anywhere to enjoy Christ with other brothers and sisters as worship to God. Not one of us has any right to do this. We must all go to the very place which the Lord has appointed, where He has set His name and where His habitation is. In the whole universe the Lord’s Body, the Lord’s dwelling place, is only one; therefore, in every place there should only be one expression of it. This is a basic rule.
Brothers and sisters, read the book of Deuteronomy. The two rules for enjoying Christ in the land are clearly set forth. One pertains to your own personal enjoyment of the produce of the good land. You can do it anywhere and everywhere, whenever and wherever you please. The other rule is that if you would enjoy the produce of the good land together with the Lord’s people before God as worship, you have no choice, you have no right to follow your own inclinations and do what is right in your eyes. You must give up your own thoughts and say in fear and trembling, “Lord, where is the place that You have chosen? Let me know where You have put Your name, where Your habitation is. I will go there.” There you can enjoy Christ with all God’s children and with God Himself in His very presence.
If you would do this, I can assure you, you will be most pleasing to God. If otherwise, you will be against Him by increasing the division among His children. You must be exceedingly careful. I beg you to hearken to these words.
Christ is so full, so rich, and so living! We can enjoy Him anytime and all the time. It is not only permissible but proper that we seek to enjoy Him wherever we are. But we must remember the basic and strict rule, that if we would enjoy Him with the Lord’s people before God as worship, we cannot do as we like. We must be in fear and trembling in this matter!
Brothers and sisters, are you meeting now with God’s children in the place which He has appointed, in the place where He has put His name? I would advise you to stop and look to the Lord. Seek the Lord. Ask Him to show you the place He has chosen and tell Him you will go to that place. This is the right way for us to solve the problem of division among the Lord’s people today. There is no other way. May He be merciful to us.
The life in the land is a life full of the enjoyment of Christ, both personally and collectively with the Lord’s people. May we be diligent to labor upon Him, to have our hands filled with Him, and then come to the place which He has appointed, to the very ground of unity, to enjoy this rich and glorious Christ with God’s children and with God Himself.