Two great mistakes are found in men today.
First, some people desire to have a church bigger than a city or a locality. They want to unite many churches in different localities and make them one big church, that is, bigger than a locality. They have never considered that there is not such a term like the church in China in the Scriptures. How many realize that the term the church in China is not scriptural? All of God’s children must understand that in the Scriptures there is not a united church that is greater than a locality.
It is “the churches of Galatia [a province]” (Gal. 1:2), not “the church of Galatia.”
It is “the churches of the Gentiles” (Rom. 16:4), not “the church of the Gentiles.”
It is “the churches...which are in Judea [a province]” (1 Thes. 2:14), not “the church in Judea.”
It is “the seven churches which are in Asia [a province]” (Rev. 1:4), not “the church in Asia.”
It is “the churches” in Syria and Cilicia [districts], not “the church” in Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:41).
Therefore, the boundary, the jurisdiction, of the church on the earth is limited to a locality. Even if we put two churches in two different localities together, they cannot be one church; they are still two churches. In the province of Asia, if we add up the churches as one plus one plus one plus one plus one plus one plus one, the result is not one church, but seven churches. In the whole province of Galatia, if all the churches in the different localities are added together, we still will not have the church in Galatia, but “the churches of Galatia.” Who can say that the church is over and above the locality? May God open our eyes so that we will not cause confusion to the testimony of God.
Second, some people desire to have a church smaller than the city or the locality. They want to divide one locality into many “churches,” many “assemblies,” or many “congregations.” Some euphemize these gatherings as “house churches.” But these are all of the same nature. They are divisions, the purpose of which is to establish men’s own sects according to the flesh. God’s children must discriminate between the house spoken of in the Bible and the house as it is conceived in human thought. In the Bible, when the house is equivalent to a locality or city, that house is called the church, like the church in Rome, the church in Colossae, the church in Laodicea, etc. But when the house is smaller than the locality or city, that house cannot be called the church, like the house meetings of the church in Jerusalem. This is very different from the house conceived in human thought, which is purposely made smaller than the locality or city, perpetuating the life of the sects or changing the sects into another form.
The brothers, therefore, must remember the teachings of the Bible:
It is “the church which was in Jerusalem” (Acts 8:1), not “the churches in Jerusalem.”
It is “the church...which is in Corinth” (1 Cor. 1:2), not “the four churches in Corinth.”
It is “the church in Laodicea” (Rev. 3:14; Col. 4:15-16), not “the two churches in Laodicea.”
There is “the church in Ephesus,” not “the churches in Ephesus.” There is “the church of the Thessalonians,” not “the churches of the Thessalonians.” There is “the church in Antioch,” not “the churches in Antioch.”
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