We all must bear the burden to pray that the Lord would raise up more brothers to participate in the ministry so that every region would be adequately cared for. The brothers who are now bearing the ministry need to pray to seek the Lord’s leading concerning which region to care for. The brothers who bear the ministry should care for several churches. They must allow the elders to bear the burden of the local building so that they can spend more time to minister to all the churches in a region. This is not a small thing. We need to pray that the situation of the ministry in every region would become normal, but we should not do anything in ourselves to try to change the situation. No human hand can make the situation normal. We need to pray much for ourselves and others. This is our practical and urgent need.
I have a burden to help the churches in Southern California while I am living in Anaheim, but my primary burden is to release the Life-studies. I also have a burden to visit the churches in the United States and Canada. Many churches in other countries have invited me to visit them, but despite my heart for them, because of the practical situation, I do not feel that it is the Lord’s leading for me to travel abroad presently. I feel that I must leave the ministry in other countries to others, who can care for them with the help of the Life-study messages. This has already been taking place and working well. Because I still feel that the United States is strategic for the Lord’s recovery on the whole earth today, I am burdened to strengthen the churches here. However, my main burden is to release the word—to finish the Life-studies of the New Testament books along with the Recovery Version of the New Testament. I also have a burden and ask the saints to pray that the Lord would give me the time to finish the Life-studies of the Pentateuch. If I can finish these two sets of Life-studies, my present burden will be discharged, and they will be a rich supply to all the churches on the earth.
Question: In our local church two saints who were poisoned and who left during the recent turmoil have indicated that they would like to return to the meetings and have fellowship with the church. However, there is some indication that they still do not want to receive the ministry. How should we leading brothers approach this?
Answer: The leading brothers first need to make it clear to the saints that there are no conditions or terms for coming into the church life. All those who are saved are members of the church, and as long as they are not living in sin, they can meet with the church. Receiving the ministry is not a condition for someone to be in the church life. This subtle concept may damage the saints’ appetite for the ministry.
Question: If a local church needs an elder to serve full time but cannot afford to support him, should they ask other churches to help them financially?
Answer: We must see clearly that the elders are local. If there is a need and a burden for an elder to serve the church full time, the elder and the church should pray much to see whether this is the Lord’s leading. The financial support for a full-time serving one depends on the Lord’s leading and our faith. To make an arrangement with other churches in order to guarantee financial assistance is somewhat organizational. If the Lord leads us to do something, He will send the supply to take care of the needs. Therefore, we need to learn to seek the Lord’s leading and exercise our faith.
Question: The first local church on a certain Spanish-speaking island was established four years ago. Some came and told us that because the “flow” of the churches was in English, we had to do everything in English. As a result, many seeking ones who spoke only Spanish came but left after a short time. After those who insisted on English left, the Lord gave us the burden to begin using Spanish, and the church has been growing greatly. Can you say something concerning uniformity among the churches?
Answer: We must learn the basic lesson to never try to force outward uniformity among the churches. We may practice pray-reading and benefit from it, but if we visit a church that does not practice pray-reading, we should not talk about it. It is more profitable to simply meet with them in their way and have sweet fellowship. Fellowship requires the participation of two sides. On our side, we should not insist on pray-reading, and on their side, if they know that we practice pray-reading, they should open to us in a learning spirit. Neither side should feel unhappy. Both should receive and be open to one another, and neither should insist or be offended or stumbled. This is a basic principle of fellowship.
In the same principle, if we live in a locality in which some saints do not agree with pray-reading, we should not insist on pray-reading in the meetings. Instead, we pray-read only in our private life and family life. In order to keep the fellowship, we should not insist in such a situation. We can and should fellowship with others who have different outward practices. When we visit another locality, we need to take their way in order to have fellowship with them. We need to learn to receive others and be open to others. However, if we visit another locality and learn from them, we should not insist on anything new when we return to our locality. This is interference, and it may damage the churches in the Lord’s recovery.
We must learn to keep a sweet fellowship by not touching the differences among the churches. As long as a group is a genuine local church, that is good enough. Of course, we cannot tolerate idolatry or immorality, but we do not need to condemn things that are not sinful in the eyes of the Lord. We need to respect each local church and give each church full liberty so that we can have fellowship. We help others not by correction but by ministering life to them. To correct others is not life. Even if we visit a church that is worldly, we should only minister life to them. Life will help them to forsake their worldliness. To expect all the churches to be uniform is altogether wrong. This will cause many problems, and it does not correspond with the principles in the Bible. We should visit other local churches, not to interfere or correct but only to fellowship and minister life. This will help the churches to go on in a peaceful situation.
Among the churches there should not be an improper coordination that brings in hierarchical organization and human headship. Coordination often implies organization and activity. For the churches to have fellowship is normal, but to coordinate in the way of organizing nearby churches is an improper activity. Fellowship among the churches and fellowship among the saints are the healthy flow of life, like the flow of the blood in our body. Proper fellowship among believers is always profitable. Accordingly, it is normal for the elders in nearby churches to come together to fellowship. However, for such elders to coordinate may be a snare that causes the churches to fall into organization, which we must avoid. All the churches are autonomous and on the same level. If the Lord so leads, we may come together to fellowship, but we must avoid hierarchical organization and human headship not only among the churches but also within each local church.
Question: There are a number of nearby churches in a particular area. One locality is larger than the others, and the others join the larger locality for certain meetings to receive the ministry. These churches also coordinate regarding the children’s work. Are these instances of improper organization?
Answer: If our intention is simply to come together to receive the ministry, that is perfectly all right. The gathering of the churches for this purpose gives more impact to the ministry. However, we should make it clear to all the saints that such a meeting is not for organization but only for the ministry of the word. Concerning the children’s work, it also depends on our attitude and intention. We should not be legal about the autonomy of the local churches, but we should try to avoid organization and human headship. In areas where several localities are close to one another, the churches need to come together sometimes, but we must practice this in a proper way. The normal relationship among the churches is one of fellowship in which all the churches are autonomous and respect one another.
Prayer: Lord, we worship You for Your mercy and grace. We thank You that we are in Your recovery because of Your mercy and grace. Lord, we have learned that we cannot trust in anything but Your mercy and grace. Your mercy and grace are all that we need. Lord, thank You that You have mercy on whomever You desire to have mercy. We ask You for further mercy. It is Your mercy that has kept us and Your mercy that will bring us on and cause us to grow in life.