In these first few messages, we are first considering the person of an elder. After this, we will consider the principle of administration in the church. I want to repeat soberly to the brothers and sisters that whether a matter is carried out in a good way or in a poor way depends absolutely on the person. Eighty to ninety percent of the success of a work depends on the person, the remaining ten to twenty percent on the method and principle. Therefore, the main problem in overseeing the church is the person. Today we will speak about character.
Character and habits are closely related. To speak of character is almost the same as to speak of habits. During the training in 1953, we stressed heavily the matter of character. Later at the training in Manila we spoke again on character with a few additional points. There were altogether thirty points, composed of ten groups with three points in each group. We have said that character differs from nature. Nature comes completely from the hereditary traits; it comes by birth. Character does not come only by birth; there is the question of habits also.
From our experience, a strict analysis of character shows that it is developed from our hereditary nature plus our habits. When we add habits to the nature received at birth, we have the fixed character of a person. However, within the character, the percentage of habit is higher than that of nature. Perhaps sixty to seventy percent of character is habit, and thirty to forty percent is nature. For example, two baby boys may be born of the same Chinese parents. But the older one may be brought into a Western family from birth and brought up and educated there, while the younger one may be born in China and raised up in a Chinese family. When they both grow up, the elder brother will fully manifest the Western character, while the younger will fully manifest the Chinese character. I believe all of you will accept this fact. Therefore, although character contains the element of nature, it is mostly developed from habits. Some are born slow; others are born quick. This is a difference in the hereditary nature. But some are slow by habit, and others are quick by habit. The difference is developed mostly from habits. The character we are speaking of is primarily related to our habits.
No one is ever free from the influence of his character in his walk and conduct. The walk and conduct of every person is definitely restricted by his character. This is inevitable. Of course, when a person is not broken, it is very difficult for him to be spiritual. If his heart has not been dealt with severely, it will not be sufficiently large, honest, and upright. All these surely will affect his walk. But there is one more point: no matter what kind of walk a person may have, he can never go beyond the boundary of his character. Everyone is restricted by his character. If it is your character to be a quick person, you cannot but work hastily. If your character is slow, you cannot but work at a slow pace. If your character is careless, you could never be serious in your work. If your character is inaccurate, you could never give a message with accuracy. This is absolutely true. Not only does character control the whole person as the heart does, but it is a person's whole world; it is his realm, and even his sphere. It is impossible for anyone to act outside of this realm. No matter how anyone walks and behaves, there is no way for him to go beyond the realm of his own character.
Therefore, experience has shown us that in order for the elders to be a true profit to the church, their character must be carefully considered. We all know that the demands upon a person's character increase as his undertaking becomes more lofty. If you are a man pulling a rickshaw or a man cleaning the street, the consideration of character is not so important. But if you undertake to do something higher, such as being a physician or a professor, then the demand for character becomes higher. Today, those brothers who are elders in the church and who oversee God's house are engaged in the highest undertaking in the universe. As such, they must pay full attention to the matter of character.
In this chapter we can only deal with a few points of character that are directly related to the administration of the elders. If you neglect these few points, no matter how well you pray and how spiritual you are, I can conclude that you will be ineffective as an elder; the situation of the church will be helpless under your hand. These few points are: thoroughness, diligence, steadfastness, concern for others, and being accommodating. Let us consider these points one by one.