I especially want to mention another point. There are persons such as Paul who bear considerable responsibility but are not from a particular locality. Timothy, Titus, Silas, and Luke were known to the churches only in later times, but not in the beginning. All those who are in the position of Paul need to learn the principle that “these hands have ministered to my needs and to those who are with me” (Acts 20:34). No brother can be a leader in the work and yet be miserly in matters of money. In China I know two or three brothers who were quite useful in God’s hands in the beginning, and yet they cannot be conceived of as leaders among the brothers in the matter of money. They were only able to receive. They were only able to live by faith, but they did not know how to give by faith. Therefore, before the Lord, they never had a way to lead other servants of God to go forward. I also knew a sister who had a deep knowledge of God. She was very godly and could lead people, but she did not have the faith to supply others. Those who are learning to be like Paul may not have attained to Paul’s standing, but if their names are especially known to the churches, they need to care for those whose names are not known to the churches. You need to know that your income is not just for you alone but also for those who are with you. If you keep the income for yourself, a time will come when you will be manifested to be unworthy to lead your co-workers. If you cause those younger co-workers to receive less money than you, what shall they do? This is clearly a failure of those who would stand in the position of Paul.
Therefore, all those who are the leaders among the co-workers in various localities and who are known to the churches must have the habit of giving, especially giving to those who are with them. You have to see that the Lord’s supply to you is not just for you personally, but also for your co-workers. As long as the money is held tightly in your hands, you will be put outside of your work sooner or later. The gifts that God has given you cannot replace the gifts that you give to others. If you are foolish, you will think that since God gave to you, you are able to serve the church. This is wrong. You need to give to others; then you can serve the church. Therefore, I hope that the brothers who are like Paul would learn to give to other brothers so that they can have a proper living. The elderly brothers in every locality should also learn to give to their co-workers from the offerings they receive. Do not care just for your own needs but for those of your co-workers as well.
How should a brother who is a leading one distribute money to his co-workers? Suppose a brother has eight or ten co-workers in Canton. How should he distribute money to them? I think that the principle in the Bible is to give according to each one’s need and not according to each one’s gift. Many times the brothers in the church give money to a brother because of his gift in the work. We cannot support a brother who is useful in the work according to his spiritual gift; we have to support him according to his need. The brothers may be wrong, but we should not be wrong, because we are leading ones in the work. Therefore, we should be more knowledgeable than they.
For this reason, in normal times the brothers who bear responsibility in the work should make a list of the brothers in the work in their area. This does not mean that they have something formal, but rather that the responsible brothers need to have the number. They need to have a list of names, including the number of their children and how many are in school. There is a difference between a single person and one with children. We cannot make arrangements on a moment’s notice. We know that the burdens of some brothers are light, those of some brothers are heavy, and those of others are very heavy. If we have such a list in our hands, then when money is put into our hands for the work in our region, we will know how to support them according to their need. This does not mean that there is something formal among us. But the responsible brothers should learn to be aware of how many brothers are in the work in this region and how great their needs are. When money comes into our hands, we can then distribute according to our own needs and their needs.
At one time in Foochow, I helped a brother compile a list of the co-workers in that region. In Shanghai I also helped a brother do this. My point is that the needs of many brothers can be met by doing this.
However, if the Lord does not send money, we still have to look to God. We cannot bear the responsibility for anyone. No one bears the responsibility for us, and neither can we bear the responsibility for them. But when there is money to distribute, it is not according to one’s ministry, but according to one’s need. In this way meeting the needs of the co-workers will be with equality. We cannot give to them formally; they themselves have to learn to look to God. Other churches or brothers from different localities can give to them on their own. When we have extra, we can distribute it to those who are with us in that region. When there is income in our region, we can distribute it according to the need. I hope that we can take care of the financial matters properly among us. God will gain the glory in this matter.