I would like to speak to the brothers a little more concerning the problem of the church. The church must have both the authority of the Spirit and the ground of locality. The ground of locality, however, is not a simple matter, because a church still needs content. Without content, it still cannot be regarded as a local church. Being correct in name is a very important matter, but being correct in name does not necessarily mean that there is no problem. This is the reason I would like to see from the Bible, together with you, several requirements of a church in a locality. Just saying that we are standing on the ground of locality is not enough. In order to say that a church is standing on the ground of locality, it should fulfill certain requirements and conditions and should have a certain content. If none of these requirements and conditions are met, we are still not standing on the ground of locality.
First, if a church is really standing on the ground of locality as set forth in the Bible, she must receive all whom the Lord has received. Romans 15:7 says, “Therefore receive one another, as Christ also received you to the glory of God.” Here we see one thing: The receiving of a Christian is based upon the receiving of Christ-that is, we should receive one another as Christ has received us. In other words, we cannot refuse those whom Christ has received. If a sinner has been received by Christ, we must receive him as a brother. If we do not receive a man whom Christ has received, immediately we are a sect, not the church.
What is a church? A church receives all whom Christ has received in one locality. God is not as concerned with those who live in Shanghai receiving the brothers in Nanking or Chungking as He is about them receiving the brothers in their locality. We must receive all whom Christ has received. If we want to determine whether or not the church in Tientsin is a church, all we have to do is see whether or not it receives all those who are saved in Tientsin. Suppose the brothers in Tientsin want to be selective; they only want to receive a certain type of people who have been received by Christ and not another type of people who also have been received by Christ. Then that is not the church. We cannot say that we receive those who are the same as us, while we do not receive those who are not the same as us. We cannot fail to receive one whom the Lord has received for any reason; otherwise, we are not the church.
“Him who is weak in faith receive,...for God has received him” (Rom. 14:1, 3). Suppose someone is a vegetarian. We may consider that he is very weak. However, the basis for receiving is whether or not God has received him, not whether he is strong or weak. Perhaps he is a weak brother, but we still must receive him. God already has received him without regard for his strength or weakness; therefore, we must receive him as well. The fundamental fellowship of a church in a locality is based upon the fellowship of God. We must receive a brother whom God has received. We cannot have any reason to refuse him; otherwise, we are a sect, not a church. The church in a locality is based on a receiving that is as broad as God and also as strict as God: Whomever God receives, we receive; whomever God does not receive, we do not receive. The universal church receives all whom God has received in the whole world; a local church receives all whom God has received in a locality. No matter how different a brother is from us or how far short he is of our standard, there is only one requirement for us to receive him-that is, has God received him? If God has received him, we must receive him. Therefore, a local church-we must be very clear about this-must take the life of Christ and faith in God as the basis for receiving believers. Apart from this we do not have any other demands. If we make other demands as certain requirements, we are a sect just like any other sect. A sect is condemned and is therefore a very serious matter.
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