In recent years, God has raised up many brothers and sisters in various places. As a result of seeing the truth concerning the church, they have gathered together to meet in the Lord’s name. They have left human organizations and things that are apart from the Bible, and they have come together to serve the Lord with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. For this, we have to thank the Lord.
Although these scattered brothers who are meeting in the Lord’s name have seen much concerning human organizations, they do not have, as yet, a deep enough understanding of the Body of Christ. Although they have given up things that should not be in the church, they have not fully lived out the proper living of the Body of Christ. They have dealt with negative things in a thorough way, but they are not thorough with the positive things yet.
Presently, the urgent need of all those who meet in the Lord’s name is the truth concerning the practical living of the Body of Christ on earth. The purpose of the publication of this book, The Assembly Life, is to meet this need.
This book is a record of a Bible study conducted by Brother Watchman Nee with the local brothers who were meeting in Shanghai after the Third Overcomer Conference in January of this year (together with some out-of-town brothers who stayed behind after the conference). What is covered mainly deals with the practical aspect of our living. The questions and answers are especially appropriate and useful.
The book is divided into four chapters. The first chapter is on the authority in the church. It can be considered as a chapter on the administration of the church. It shows us that God’s church is not without organization on earth; it has organization, yet its organization is unlike that of human organizations today. In the church of God, there is no individual freedom and no possibility of independent movement. If ever an organization is firm and strict, it must be the church. God does not want His children to move freely on earth; He rules over His church through the authority He establishes in the church. We should leave human organizations, but at the same time, we should submit to the God-appointed authority. It is right for us to depart from human organizations, but it is wrong for us to overturn the authority that God has established. Yet it is very difficult for us to keep our position and submit to authority. Many people can submit to God, but they cannot submit to the God-appointed authority. However, only those who can submit to the authority appointed by God can submit to God. Whoever does not remain in his position is unlawful, and whoever does not submit to authority is lawless.
The second chapter is on the practice of fellowship. This chapter shows us that there is only one fellowship in the Body of Christ. This matter is very much neglected by the churches today. Many people think that as long as they leave the improper fellowship, the denominations, they have been perfected. Yet if a man only departs from improper things but does not acquire proper things, he has not been perfected. Moreover, unless we return to the proper and unique fellowship of the Body of Christ, all of our fellowship is improper, and our leaving of the denominations merely adds more improper fellowship. All of our fellowship must be the fellowship of the Body of Christ rather than only some local fellowship. We must be able to link up with all the assemblies in the whole world who are meeting in the name of the Lord, instead of practicing a fellowship that is merely bound by a locality. It is true that church affairs should be local, but the fellowship of the church should not be simply local. The fellowship of the church is not local but universal. There should not only be fellowship between individuals, but there should also be fellowship among assemblies.
The third chapter is on the way to meet. This chapter can be considered as a kind of spiritual home education. It shows us the common knowledge a brother or a sister should have concerning various kinds of meetings in a local assembly. Although spiritual things cannot be taught, there must be proper teachings before there can be a proper living. A proper living comes out of proper teachings.
The fourth chapter is on the boundary of a local assembly. This chapter deals with the delineation of the boundary of a local assembly. The Bible shows us that God has appointed the city as the unit of a church. The boundary of a local church is determined by the boundary of the city to which it belongs. This God-ordained way maintains the balance in the fellowship of the assemblies in the various places, and it avoids much trouble and confusion. We should not randomly choose from among the few assemblies around us and freely meet there. Rather, we should decide on the place to meet based on the locality in which we belong. If we are in one city, we should not meet with an assembly in another city. Even if the place of meeting in the other city is closer than the place of meeting in our own city, we should still meet in our own city, rather than the other city. If this is not our practice, the fellowship among all the assemblies will not be balanced, and confusion will result. God does not want us to have freedom of movement. Even in the matter of choosing where to meet, God does not allow us to have a fleshly preference and choice.
May God bless this book so that it becomes the light of life to God’s children everywhere, not ordinances in letters. “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen.”
Witness Lee
Shanghai
September 10, 1934