If we see this, we will worship the Lord. We will prostrate ourselves in the dust and admit that in God's view and according to His plan, there is no other group of people whose importance exceeds that of the elders. In the whole universe, the most important group of people is the elders. Why is this the case? It is because all the accomplishment of God's plan in the universe and the attainment of His desire hinge upon the elders in the church.

We say this not for the elders to be proud; rather it shows all of us the important position in which the grace of God has placed the elders. Those who are not in the position of elders should also consider highly the elders in the church. Today I say before the Lord that I always have a heart that respects the elders in all the churches. Every time I hear that a certain matter was decided by the elders, I have nothing more to say. I fully respect the decision of the elders. It does not matter how small a place is. As long as it is a decision by the elders there, we all have to learn to respect it. We have to know that this is to respect the greatest appointment of God in the universe. If we have the light, we will see that in the whole universe God has an appointment that is altogether divine and profound, which is the appointment of the elders in the church. This is a tremendous matter. From my experience I can tell the brothers and sisters that the blessing of God is right here. Even if the elders are not very good and their decisions are not very accurate, as long as we respect those decisions, the result will always be a blessing. It will be not only a blessing to us as individuals, but a blessing to the church, and the elders themselves will be perfected.

If the elders were not so important, it would not have been necessary for apostles such as Peter and James to be elders during their long stay in Jerusalem. It is because the elders are very important that the first group of "first class" apostles such as Peter, James, and John had to be elders in Jerusalem while they stayed there for a long time.

Never consider that the elders are lower or less important than the apostles. On the contrary, we should see that the key to the condition of the church is not with the apostles, but with the elders. If an apostle stays in a place for a long time, even he himself has to become one of the elders. The fulfillment of God's plan and desire for the church depends completely on the elders. The authority of the church is not in the hands of the apostles; the authority of the church is in the hands of the elders. Only the elders are the central figures of the church. In short, God's will in the whole universe hinges upon the church, and the center of the church is the elders. From this we can see the importance of the elders.