After some days, we brought some to salvation. When they needed to be baptized, the practical problem came. Should they be baptized in the sea? Should they be baptized in the river? Or should they be baptized in a tub in a house? If only a dozen people in the meeting were to express their opinions, the discussion would go on until the end of the world. If some were given the opportunity to express their opinion, they would propose baptizing them in the river. Yet others would say that this is too troublesome, and that it is not a matter of form but a matter of spiritual reality, and as such, sprinkling is good enough. I do not have to go on. All of you brothers can realize that even with this small matter, if every brother and sister has a say, there will be no end of all the different kinds of discussion. What shall we do? Here again you see a practical problem.

How should we solve these practical problems? Among the people of the world, they can solve problems by councils, but in the church, we cannot do what they do. The people of the world can vote and contend with one another, but in the church we can never do this. It is unfortunate that in today's so-called Christianity, this is actually being practiced. This is indeed a disgrace! Some Christian organizations elect directors, deacons, and officials. Those who wish to be elected would then privately run for their office. Let me ask the brothers, "In God's church, can we tolerate such activity?" Absolutely not! Please remember, if we had an election, Paul, James, and John would all withdraw. Only Judas would come out to run. If that were the case, the church would be administered by a group of people like Judas. The more spiritual a person is and the more he knows the Lord, the more he is unwilling to win something for himself with his own hand. Therefore, the system of councils will not work in the church. Not only will elections be objectionable, but when brothers come together to discuss matters and there is a dispute, those who know God more will not want to contend; the more they know God, the more they will try to hold back their words. Not until others have finished talking will they give God a chance to speak. Therefore, it is clear that this way of election will not work. Not only can we not find such an example in the Bible, but our spirit senses no peace in doing this. How then can we solve this problem? Spontaneously, the matter of authority comes in.

Praise the Lord, though such leading and teaching was not among us at the very beginning, yet in fact the matter of authority was there. This was the way we began in North China and in South China. In the North, during the early days, I did see such a condition. There was neither a council nor a discussion; spontaneously, authority was there. For instance, with the arrangement of chairs, when the brothers and sisters came together, there was no discussion or contention; spontaneously some would begin to share their feeling about the matter. After this, one or two brothers who were the authority would say, "Good. We will arrange our chairs this way." Once they spoke, no one would say anything more. When it was time for a baptism, another opportunity was given to brothers and sisters to share their feeling. Some would say, "It is best to go to the river." Others would say, "The sea would be even better." Still others would say, "It is better to do it in a home." However, in the end, a brother would finally stand up to speak, "According to our present condition, we only need a pool at someone's home." By this time those who wanted to go to the sea would have nothing to say, and those who wanted to go to the river would also have nothing to say. Everyone would serve happily together in the baptismal service. You can see authority here. I mention these few examples to show you that without authority, everything would be in disorder. With authority, everything will be on the track.

Consider the church in Taipei. There are more than eight thousand brothers and sisters on our list. Regular attendance averages between two to three thousand. What is the way to manage such a large church? Here is fully the question of authority. I wish the brothers and sisters to see that to oversee a church, there is no way to avoid the question of authority. Once we reject authority, it is better to have no church at all; it is better for you to be a Christian by yourself and for me to be one by myself. If the time is convenient, we can be acquainted with one another as friends. You can share with me what you read from the Scriptures one day, and I can share with you what I read from the Scriptures another day. You can invite me for dinner, and I can invite you to lunch. We can have this kind of so-called fellowship. Without authority, our relationship can only come this far. If you want the church, however, there is no other way but to have administration. Once there is administration, immediately there is the matter of authority.

By this time, we should be clear that apart from the church, God's purpose can never be accomplished on earth. Apart from the church, it would be difficult for God's children to receive God's grace and enjoy His riches. In order to fulfill these matters, there must be the church; otherwise, all will come to nothing. I believe the brothers and sisters can realize this without my speaking further. We must have the church; hence, we must have administration. Certainly, what follows is that we must have authority. In order for the elders to administrate the church, there is no way to avoid authority. Once they forsake authority, immediately there is no administration, and hence no church.