If some new brothers come to a city, they may look at those brothers meeting on the proper ground and notice that they do not speak in tongues. Because of this, the new brothers may decide to have a separate meeting in their home where they can speak in tongues. Their meeting in the home becomes a tongues-speaking meeting. Then gradually they may bring more into this meeting, still claiming that they are not a denomination. In fact, however, they are a small sect. We have no right to do this. If we do, we will create a division, another small “circle,” not being limited by the Lord’s ordination and decision.
A number of brothers may be meeting together outside all the “circles,” but gradually three or four may feel unhappy with the others and the meetings. They may feel that they can do something better, so they start to meet separately. In this way, these three or four create another small division. What then shall we do if we do not feel happy with the other brothers? The only thing to do is to learn the lessons of the cross and of limitation. We all have to be limited.
There is already an American embassy in Tokyo. Suppose that when two men go to the embassy, the people there are not polite. Can those men start another embassy? Can they go back to their apartment and put a sign over it that says, “American Embassy”? If they do, they will be in trouble with the American government. They have no right to do that. How pitiful it is today, however. Wherever Christians go, they feel that they have the right, the liberty, the freedom, to do whatever they can. Today it is too easy to disagree with others and start a church in one’s own home. It is easier than opening a new store. We cannot do this, and we have no right to do this. This is revealed by the type of the meeting in oneness in Deuteronomy 12. There was only one unique place appointed by God at which to worship the Lord (vv. 5-6, 11, 13-14). It was by that unique, appointed place that the oneness of the people of Israel was kept. One ground, one center, and one place kept the oneness.
Some may say that this concept is very good but too difficult to practice if there are thousands of believers in many meetings in one city. In actuality, this is not difficult. In a large city such as Los Angeles, there is one bank called The Bank of America. This one bank, however, may have up to one hundred branch offices. In the same way, there can be many meetings in one city, yet all the meetings are of one church, which is still the church in Los Angeles. Recently some brothers among us went to Taipei and saw the situation there. On the Lord’s Day in Taipei there are up to forty meetings for the Lord’s table, all meeting at the same time in the same city. All these home meetings, however, are of the one church in Taipei. If someone goes to Taipei, he may attend home meeting number one or home meeting number forty, but he is still attending the same church. There is no division there; rather, there is the oneness.
By this oneness there is the impact. If the fifty states of the United States were divided, the impact, the strength, and the power of this country would be lost. Why is the United States so strong today? It is because of the oneness. With the oneness there is the impact. Oh, how subtle the enemy is to divide the children of the Lord again and again! How weak the situation is today. There is no impact, and there is no learning of the lessons. If we keep the oneness, we will learn the lesson to recognize that each believer is our brother, and if we learn the lessons of the cross and of limitation, we will have the impact.
The ground of the church is not a small matter. It saves, keeps, and safeguards us, and it closes the back door for divisions. Regardless of whether or not we feel happy with someone, we have to meet with him on the proper ground. There is no other way and no other choice. There is only one choice, which is God’s choice.
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