If a local church does not have God’s throne, His authority, we cannot see His fullness, His mingling, or His expression. Even if we see liveliness and excitement in a local church, God’s authority will be absent. The young ones may not submit to the elderly ones, and the elderly ones have not learned to submit to God’s authority. The result is that everyone serves in his excitement and fervency. Although we can touch liveliness and enthusiasm, we cannot touch Christ and God because they do not have God’s throne and God’s authority among them. Their love for one another is in the emotion, not in God’s authority, and their fervent service is of the will, not of God’s authority. However, there are some local churches that have truly been blessed. They have been dealt with by God; hence, they have God’s leading, and they submit to God’s authority. Their love for one another is under God’s restriction, ruling, and authority. Even their enthusiasm and diligence are under God’s authority, being restricted and ruled by God.
We often see brothers and sisters loving with a love that is fervent but wild. Their love is neither restricted nor controlled; instead of being under God’s authority, it is like a wild horse. They fear nothing and care about nothing when they love others in this way. When we try to help them, they may respond, “What is wrong with loving the brothers and sisters?” Hence, we need to show them that their love is wild, that it does not have God’s authority. In the same principle, we cannot conduct ourselves like unrestrained and unruly wild horses in our service, whether we are preaching the gospel, visiting people, or even cleaning the hall. The service we render by our natural man is the flesh. This service is of Ishmael—it is wild like an ass (Gen. 16:12); it is not of Isaac, not of grace. Although such service is eager, it does not have authority; it is unrestrained and unruly. In the matter of material offerings, we should also submit ourselves to God’s throne and authority.
Suppose there is an educated, wealthy sister, holding a high position, who employs servants at home. But when she hears the announcement about cleaning the meeting hall, she comes to clean the hall because she loves the Lord very much. Although this is good, we need to see whether she has God’s authority. If she is a person who is restricted by God and knows authority, she can accept any arrangement the responsible brother assigns to her when she comes to clean. If she is not like this, when the responsible brother for the cleaning tells her to wipe the windows a certain way, she will become upset and murmur within: “I came here to wipe the windows because I really love the Lord, and I want to show that I am quite good. Why are you criticizing the way I wipe the windows?” Maybe her inward reluctance is not expressed initially, but when the responsible brother points out her mistakes more sternly, she will be unable to take it and will not come back to serve.
On the one hand, all the elders and responsible brothers should allow the saints to serve the Lord freely; on the other hand, all the serving ones should realize that service is a matter of authority, not of right and wrong. It is an uncomely sight when a person fervently loves the Lord yet is unwilling to submit to God’s authority. The most comely sight in the house of God is to see God’s throne and God’s rule. The sisters cleaning the windows should be under God’s throne, and the elders taking the lead should also be under God’s throne. A local church is not for elders to make decisions but for God to exercise His authority; it is not a matter of the elders’ position but a matter of God’s throne.
In all that we do and in all of our service we should ask ourselves, “Is God’s throne really in this? Do I recognize God’s authority? Is this according to my opinion or according to God’s authority? Am I enthroning God or myself?” The church is the fullness of Christ, having Christ as the content to express God. The central key to the church being the fullness of Christ is the presence of God’s throne. Wherever there is God’s throne, there is God’s content and expression. Only God’s throne and authority are eternal. Man’s enthusiasm, excitement, piety, and diligence will pass away; ultimately, everything is vanity.
Certain brothers and sisters are seemingly of one mind, praying together and saying Amen to each other when they come together; they seem quite joyful. However, they are full of leaven or honey, as spoken of in the Old Testament; they do not have God’s authority. Without God’s authority only human excitement and liveliness can be expressed. When one prays, sooner or later another will shake his head in disagreement, and when one sings in praise to the Lord, sooner or later another will purse his lips in displeasure. Some “cultured” brothers and sisters neither shake their heads nor purse their lips; instead, they simply remain silent to show their inner displeasure. Thus, the initial atmosphere of one accord among them will disappear. Therefore, we need to know whether our being of the same mind and our having the same taste are according to God’s throne. Whatever is not according to God’s throne requires only time to be exposed.
Sometimes two sisters are especially close to each other, which causes another sister to become jealous. A fourth sister may sympathize with the jealous sister and take sides with her. This forms two parties that are against each other. This is an issue of enthusiasm and service without God’s throne and authority. In preaching the gospel and in the meetings of the church, we must not merely have activity and discussion without God’s throne and authority. The main factor that causes God’s fullness to decrease among us is the absence of God’s throne. If we desire to bring in the fullness of God, the unique key is the throne of God.