Question: In recent days many religious activities and even many heretical and confusing things have happened in the church of God. How can we be watchful? What kind of attitude should we take?
Answer: This is a very important question. From the very beginning of the two thousand years of church history, the church has had these kinds of problems. The first occurrence of such a problem as recorded in the Bible is in Philippians 1, where Paul said, “Some preach Christ even because of envy and strife, and some also because of good will, these out of love...but the others announce Christ out of selfish ambition...What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truthfulness, Christ is announced; and in this I rejoice” (vv. 15-18). What Paul said does not mean that he approved of such a situation; rather, he showed that he was not walking on the way taken by his opposers.
Religious confusion has not come in only today; rather, when the church began two thousand years ago there was already confusion. Before the departure of the first generation of apostles, the situation of the church had already become corrupted because of human weakness. At that time, however, there was a group of people who were pure in heart in following the Lord; they had no problems and continued to follow the way taken by the apostles. On the other hand, those who had unclean hearts and impure motives had their own way apart from the Lord’s way. In taking their way, they used the name of Christ outwardly, called themselves the church, spread the gospel, and preached the truth, but they were not on the way of the apostles. This was the situation when the apostle Paul was still living on earth, and it has been like this in the two thousand years since.
In the beginning of the fourth century the church on the earth had evolved into the situation of the Roman Catholic Church. At that time the majority of Christians did not take the way ordained by the Lord. However, there were some who did not follow the Catholic Church. When we study church history, we may think that it was not until the time of Martin Luther, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, that the protests against the Catholic Church were initiated. In fact, as early as the fourth century, under the new Roman government there was already a group of believers who rose up to protest. These believers purely followed what was recorded in the New Testament and walked in the footsteps of the apostles. From then until now this line has not been broken. The purer and the more spiritual such believers were and the more closely they followed the apostles’ footsteps, the more they avoided making themselves known outwardly. Instead, they remained hidden. Sadly, man’s eye is usually directed toward the outward appearance and outward form. It is therefore natural for students of world history to pay attention only to the outward appearance when studying the history of Christianity. Because those who were pure in heart and who lived before the Lord were unwilling to make a name for themselves publicly, they have been overlooked by writers and historians in the world.
In Western Christian countries there are a great number of Christians in the denominations. However, the majority of them are nominal Christians; not many are genuinely saved. What then is a denomination? A denomination is a Christian organization that takes a name other than the Lord’s name. For example, a university student may be asked by a classmate, “Do you believe in Jesus?” If he answers, “Yes,” the next question to him may be, “Which group do you belong to?” This shows that the common concept in the world is that every Christian gathering should have a name. However, the problem is that once the church is denominated, it is in degradation. The church may not be degraded as far as the life within is concerned, but the fact that it has denominated itself shows that it has become degraded.
In every age in the past two thousand years there were many who loved and feared the Lord and who saw that they belonged only to Christ. As those who belong to Christ, at most we should call ourselves Christians. We should not call ourselves by the name of Wesley, nor should we call ourselves by the name of Luther; we should use only the name of Christ. We should not be denominated Christians. If we are denominated, we are wrong. In the last two thousand years there has always been a group of Christians who desire no other name but the name of Christ. If someone thinks that a name is only a small matter, I would ask such a one, “If others addressed your wife as Mrs. Lee although your surname is Wu, would you be happy? Or if she tells others that she is Mrs. Chang, would you not be angry?” A name is a great matter because it represents a person. If you show people your photograph, they may not know who you are, but once you give them your name, they immediately know who you are. Never think that it does not matter if we call ourselves the Wesleyan Church, the Episcopalian Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Lutheran Church, and so on. In the eyes of God this is very serious.
In the Bible a name is a great matter. Referring to the Lord’s name, Acts 4:12 says, “There is salvation in no other, for neither is there another name under heaven given among men in which we must be saved.” Romans 10:13 says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Matthew 18:20 says, “Where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.” John 14:14 says, “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” Hence, salvation is obtained in the Lord’s name, and the church is gathered into the Lord’s name. Furthermore, even baptism is involved with the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). By reading the New Testament, we can see that a name is a great matter.
In the Old Testament, Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of Jehovah is a strong tower; / The righteous man runs into it and is safe.” Deuteronomy 16:2 says, “You shall sacrifice the passover to Jehovah your God...in the place where Jehovah will choose to cause His name to dwell.” Isaiah 12:4 says, “Give thanks to Jehovah; call upon His name!” Thus, we desire no name other than the Lord’s name. We are saved in the Lord’s name, and we baptize people and gather into the Lord’s name. For this reason, when we were raised up in China over twenty years ago, our meetings were called meetings in the Lord’s name. Throughout the ages there have been many believers who have met in the Lord’s name. In 1828 the Lord raised up many Christians in England who met in no other name than the name of Christ. They were a group of hidden Christians. In 1850 they already had more than one hundred eighty meeting places in London. They have continued to meet in the same way to this day.
In France also there was a group of Christians who did not publicize themselves; they simply loved the Lord purely, were dealt with by the Lord, submitted themselves to one another, and lived absolutely in the Lord. Because they had little outward organization, the world paid no attention to them. Thirty years ago God began this work also among the brothers in China. Some brothers were raised up, saw this light, and took this way. Today by the Lord’s mercy we are willing to take this way. Because we are taking this way, there are many aspects in which we differ from formal Christianity, causing others to think that we are somewhat peculiar. This is because Christianity has given the world the wrong concept.
How can we know the way of the Lord’s testimony, and what should our attitude be toward those who take another way? On the surface, others have pastors and we do not, and others have a name for their fellowship and we do not. However, these things cannot be considered as the basis for distinguishing between the two ways. The basis comprises only three points. First, there is the question of name. We must first ask other Christians if they take a name other than the name of Christ. As long as they have a name other than Christ’s, the life in these Christians is questionable. In terms of life, their way of service is certainly not the way of the Lord’s testimony. This is like a Mrs. Hwang putting a sign outside her door that reads “Chang Residence.” How could this maintain the family identity of the Hwang family? No matter how she explains herself, at the very least the sign on her door is wrong. If we have this light, we will see that many Christian activities are problematic. I hope that the brothers and sisters will be clear regarding this matter. The moment we have another name among us, we are taking the wrong way. Although this is an outward matter, we should not pass over it lightly.
Second, there is the question of truth. What is the question of truth? It means that we must accept the entire Bible; we cannot accept anything more or anything less than the Bible. We accept both the Old Testament and the New Testament, and we accept all the words of the Bible, including every sentence, verse, and chapter. We do not desire more or less. To have more is heretical, and to have less is to be lacking. When we examine a Christian group, first we must use the name as a test, and second we must use the Bible as a test. We need to find out whether what the group advocates is more than the Bible or less than the Bible. For instance, if the Presbyterian denomination insists on the practice of baptism by sprinkling, this is something less than what is in the Bible. In terms of the Bible, the Presbyterian churches do not measure up; in terms of themselves, they have added something more. Hence, we must measure ourselves according to the truth itself and see whether we fall short of it or go beyond it.
We must never focus only on a single truth. For example, the Baptist denomination emphasizes baptism, taking baptism as its base. It is the same with other denominations, such as the holiness churches and the Pentecostal churches. We recognize that there are such things as the spiritual gifts, baptism, and holiness, but we should not emphasize these matters more than others. For example, we practice the breaking of bread, yet we do not call ourselves the “Church of Bread Breaking.” We call one another brothers and sisters, yet we do not call ourselves the “Church of Brothers and Sisters.” Although it is right to practice these things, we must not emphasize them more than other truths. We must emphasize the truths in the entire Bible equally.
Among Christians today, problems that arise include the gifts and the truth. Hence, we cannot emphasize anything that is less than the truth in the Bible, nor can we emphasize anything that is more than the truth in the Bible. Neither can we uplift any particular truth in the Bible.
Third, besides the matters of name and truth, there is the question of fellowship. Our fellowship is in the Lord. As long as a person is saved, we can fellowship with him, regardless of whether he meets with the Presbyterian denomination, the Baptist denomination, or any other denomination. As long as he belongs to Christ, we should fellowship with him in the Lord. However, this kind of fellowship can be only in the Lord. Therefore, we cannot receive nominal Christians to break bread with us. In many so-called Christian groups there are only a small number of people who are genuinely saved. Conversely, we cannot participate in their so-called Holy Communion. Since they do not have the life of Christ, we cannot partake of their bread, nor can we say that their so-called communion is in Christ.
We have seen three bases of examination—the name, the truth, and the fellowship. Suppose there is a group of Christians that does not have a special name, that accepts every truth in the Bible, and that receives only those who are saved and does not receive those who are not yet saved. Would this not be enough? No, there is still the question of whether this group is the unique expression of the church in that locality. Once a local church has been established in a particular locality, others cannot come along later and set up another local church in the same locality that is independent from the first. According to the truth, there is only one church in the universe. Therefore, no matter where it appears, there can be only one expression of the church in a particular locality. To have a second expression of the church in a locality is wrong. Hence, after we examine the three basic items of name, truth, and fellowship, we must still investigate the matter of the unique expression of the church on the ground of locality.
For example, when you go to Kaohsiung, you may find a group of brothers and sisters meeting there. You may find that they are proper with respect to the matters of name, truth, and fellowship and that they are the first ones to meet there as the expression of the church standing on the ground of locality. At the same time, they have fellowship with the other local churches. This is sufficient. Their immaturity or even their weaknesses are not ground for us to deny them. I hope that we would all be clear that the first three items to examine involve a group’s footsteps, whereas the last item to examine involves their uniqueness as the church’s expression. If they are a true local church, they are a group of people who belong to the locality and to Christ; they serve there and recognize all those who serve in this way elsewhere and have fellowship with them. Therefore, they are those who take the Lord’s way.
Question: If there is a church that is standing on the proper ground as the unique expression of the church in their locality but has no fellowship with other local churches, what should we do?
Answer: This is a very serious problem. If a group comes to a place first, does not have any peculiar name, faith, or fellowship, and yet rejects all Christians besides themselves, this kind of situation indicates that they are an independent sect in that locality. On one hand, the Bible shows that after a church appears in a locality, the administration of that local church must be maintained from that time forward. For example, neither the church in Tainan nor the church in Taichung can interfere with the administration of the church in Taipei. On the other hand, no local church is independent. If any local church is independent, it is a local sect. For example, if a certain local church one day decides to change their meeting hall, they are not required to send an announcement to the church in Taipei. However, they should not think that since they are not required to send an announcement, they are independent. If they consider themselves independent, they become a sect by declaring their independence from all the other churches. If a church did this, there would apparently be more than one church in the universe. However, if every local church recognizes the local churches elsewhere and fellowships with them, there remains only one church in the universe, and none of the local churches will be a local sect. Hence, in addition to determining whether a group of believers was the first to meet as the local church in a particular locality, one must also consider the fellowship of that local church with other churches.
Question: If a certain group that meets as a local church passes the tests of name, truth, and fellowship, yet because they did not realize that there were already other believers meeting on the ground of locality in their city, they began meeting separately as the church, what shall we do if we go to that city?
Answer: If some brothers in a city are pure in motive but are unaware of others who are also serving in a pure way just as they are in another part of that city and therefore fail to fellowship with them, one cannot say that these brothers are wrong. However, if after learning about the others, these brothers still refuse to fellowship with them but insist on standing on an independent ground, they are wrong. There is a difference between not having fellowship and not wanting fellowship. Logically, if the brothers are pure in motive, the Holy Spirit within them will urge them to have fellowship with all who are standing on the ground of the church. If there is a group of believers serving God in Taipei and they are aware that other believers like them are also serving God in Taipei and yet refuse to fellowship with those believers, they would be a sect. If they go so far as to declare that they are independent locally, they are no doubt sectarian.
We all admit that the church is a great test and trial. Suppose you make a suggestion in Taipei, and it is rejected by the elders. It would be wrong for you to say, “Forget it; I am leaving. I already learned all these matters when I was in Shanghai, so I will go and set up another church myself. You are doing something big, and I am going to do something smaller, but it will be exactly the same as what you are doing. You do not have a name, neither do I; you follow the Bible, I will do the same; I will recognize all the churches, including yours, even though I am actually not happy with you.” No matter how right you are, how good your ideas are, or how effective your methods are, the ground has already been taken by others. You cannot deny the fact; you simply cannot remove the ground from under their feet. They are rightfully the church; perhaps they are short of sight and experience, but they are still the church. They are already the church standing on the ground of locality. Hence, your speaking is not only wrong but is also full of the self. The church is truly a great test to man.
To desire to be free is to be in the self. From man’s perspective, being free with no outside interference may be all right. From God’s viewpoint, however, this is not acceptable. In the universe there is only one church, and in this one church there should be no human preferences; there should be only God’s preference, God’s perspective, and God’s view. Hence, whether or not a person can live in the church depends entirely on whether he can be broken by God. For instance, the brothers and sisters in the church in Taipei have received my help very much and accepted almost all my suggestions and ideas. After some time, however, if the brothers were to change their attitude and completely ignore my ideas, what should I do? Is it all right for me to go elsewhere and establish another “church”? If I were to do that, I would become sectarian, and it would also prove that I am an unbroken person and that I am building up myself.
If one day the brothers in Taipei were to reject my opinions, I would have nothing to say. Whenever I came to Taipei, I would still have to meet, break bread, and serve with them. Whatever opportunity the brothers would give me, I would simply take it. If they would reject my ideas, that would not be a problem to me. If they would not allow me to speak in the fellowship meetings, that would be up to them. Even if the Lord were to lead me to work in Kaohsiung, whenever I returned to Taipei, I would still need to come to worship and serve in the church there. It would not be permissible for me to establish another meeting simply because my opinions were different from others’; this would be sectarian. Perhaps some of the brothers and sisters in Taipei would fight for me, saying, “How can the brothers treat Brother Lee this way? Brother Lee, since they abandoned you, let us all go elsewhere to release the light in the Bible properly.” Please realize that no one who truly knows the Lord would do anything before Him to cause division in the church and damage the ground of the church. There should never be such a thing. Because I have learned this lesson, I would definitely tell these brothers and sisters, “No matter what, we must recognize the church. Their ground is still correct, and you must be at peace in serving and meeting together with them. This is the church; we cannot take the lead to establish another church.” Whether or not the brothers and sisters agree with me is an insignificant matter.