The vision of the church being Christ repels all kinds of concepts. If we all take Christ as everything, there will be no concepts. Nothing can banish our concepts but Christ. If we lack a clear vision of the church being Christ and of Christ being the unique constituent of the church, many concepts will gradually creep in. The Lord’s recovery has been in the United States for about sixteen years. In the first thirteen or fourteen years there were no concepts but only Christ as all. However, in the last few years certain concepts have subtly crept in to replace Christ and cause division.
One concept is related to going to movie theaters and playing sports. Some who have promoted these activities among the saints say that there is too much legality, religion, and bondage in the local churches. Several saints recently asked me if attending the Lord’s Day morning meeting is being religious and going to play sports is being liberated. Some think that they will have more life if they are “liberated”; they think that liberation is life. Life itself is a mystery, but the experience of life is always simple. It is wrong to complicate the way to experience life. Breathing is the most crucial thing for our existence, but it is very simple. The life necessities of breathing, eating, drinking, and sleeping are all simple. We should not be complicated by false concepts, such as the notion that attending movies or playing sports rather than attending the Lord’s Day morning meeting is liberation and will cause us to have more life. We need to be simple. We should simply consider whether or not we enjoy the Lord when we attend a movie or play sports. I do not believe that anyone who attends a church meeting rather than a movie or athletic activity will regret it or repent of it in eternity. What is right or wrong does not matter. We should not argue about concepts. Debates lead nowhere. We simply need to recognize the facts concerning which activities cause us to enjoy the Lord.
In a prayer meeting in a small locality a leading one recently said that it is possible for those who were born with a strong disposition not to smoke or drink but that the Lord forgives those who were born with a weak disposition because they cannot avoid these habits. We should never accept this kind of word. This kind of teaching will lead to the indulgence of lusts. We need to realize that regardless of how spiritual we might be, we are still in the flesh. I am an old man who has been saved for half a century, but I still do not trust my flesh. If I am only a little loose, many kinds of lusts will still come out of my flesh. Since the fall of man, God has ordained many restrictions to protect fallen human beings. The laws of the government, parental discipline, and self-control are God-ordained restrictions. We are still living in the old creation with our corrupted flesh. There are many opportunities for us to fall into the indulgence of lusts. Movies and sports will never cause us to enjoy Christ, but they may lead us into the indulgence of lusts.
The Bible says that the church is the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 1:2, 9; 12:17; 19:10; 20:4). If we go to movie theaters, we will lose the Lord’s testimony before our relatives, classmates, and colleagues. If our colleagues invite us to see a movie, we should testify to them, “Thank you, but because I am a follower of Jesus, I would never go to that kind of place.” They may appear to be offended, but deep within they will appreciate the fact that we are an honest and true follower of Jesus. We need to build up a strong testimony of Jesus. For the Lord’s sake, we cannot do many things that unbelievers can do. We may often pray, “Lord Jesus, I love You.” However, if we truly love the Lord, we will not go to a movie theater, for we cannot enjoy Him or build up His testimony by going to a theater. This is not a matter of right or wrong or of being loose or strict; it is a matter of fact. The testimony of Jesus will be torn down in the Lord’s recovery if the Lord’s recovery becomes as loose as Christianity. We all need to rise up to tell the Lord that we desire to be strict for the sake of His testimony. For the sake of the enjoyment of the Lord and the testimony of Jesus, we need the proper standing and environment. Our unique standing is Christ, and our unique environment also is Christ. We all need to take Christ as our unique standing and not bring in any foreign concepts. Our one standing and our one environment should be Christ.
Regardless of our age or background, the simple way to be proper according to the facts is not to be loose by going to movie theaters or athletic activities but to be one with Christ. Our unique way is Christ. This does not mean that we do not need to exercise. Actually, we need to exercise every day to keep our bodies healthy. Exercise exhausts our lusts, but many sports stir up our lusts. We can exercise and maintain a proper testimony by cleaning our home and caring for our lawn rather than participating in something worldly. This is my word of love. I am healthy even at my age because every day I exercise by cleaning and walking. While I walk, I talk to the Lord. I do not believe that we can talk to the Lord while playing sports. I had much exposure to sports as a young person. My school had volleyball, tennis, and soccer teams. I was on the soccer team, but one day after I was saved, I could not kick the ball when it came to me. It seemed that my foot would not work. Someone within was controlling me. I quit playing soccer that day and never played again. Nevertheless, I am still healthy today, and I have much enjoyment of the Lord. Therefore, I am qualified to be commissioned to speak for the Lord. I hope that we will all rise up to be the proper testimony of Jesus. We need to drop and cast away all worldly concepts. We should have only one concept, that is, Christ.