The majority of Christians today do not have the church life. Those who do not have the church life may stay home in the evening to watch television. However, we who practice the church life have a rule, and that rule is to attend the church meetings. To us, to attend the church meetings is a rule. Another rule is found in Philippians 3, that is, to pursue Christ. In verses 12 and 16 Paul made the pursuing of Christ a rule. This rule is for the church life. If we do not live Christ and pursue Christ, it will be difficult for us to have the church life. We are strict in pursuing Christ so that we may gain Him to live the church life.

Every human being has two aspects to his living—his common, daily life and his business life. A person who operates a business or has a job must go to the office every morning by a certain specified time. Thus, he must keep the rule, the regulation, of rising early every morning. Furthermore, he must go to the office five days a week. Then, on Saturday morning he is free to remain in bed for a longer time. On Saturday he still lives his life, but he does not live it for his job. Rather, he lives a common, daily life. Thus, every person must live two kinds of lives, one for his ordinary daily life and another for his job, for his purpose, his goal.

We Christians also should have two kinds of walks. The first is the general walk in our daily Christian life. Things such as overcoming our temper are included in this kind of walk. The second is a walk according to rules, a walk in line, in an orderly, regulated manner. This kind of walk includes things such as attending the church meetings and speaking in the meetings for the church life. In our Christian life people may realize that, because we are a Christian, we would not lose our temper. This is the testimony of our general, daily walk. People may know us also as those who attend the church meetings on the Lord's Day morning and on other nights of the week. This is the testimony of our walk according to rules.

In Galatians 6:15-16 Paul said, "For neither is circumcision anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation is what matters. And as many as walk by this rule, peace be upon them and mercy, even upon the Israel of God." To live a new creation by walking according to the rule of the new creation is the second kind of walk, the walk by rules. We have been regenerated to be a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17); hence, we must walk by the rule, by the regulation, of a new creation. Because we are a new creation, and because we have a goal, a purpose, there are certain things that we would not do. The new creation is just the church life, the Body of Christ.

To have a goal, a purpose, requires us to live a life by rules. However, the second aspect of the Christian walk must be supported by the first. If we do not live the first kind of walk, we cannot have the second. If we are a loose person, a busybody who gossips all the time, we will not be able to live a life that is for the church. Our walk for a purpose, for a goal, must be supported by our general, daily walk.