Regarding the negative reactions to the matter of the ground of the church, we should have some understanding and be watchful. In spiritual warfare the enemy continually attacks the place where there has been a “military deployment.” In the past thirty years people have not opposed us for the gospel. In the East the gospel preached in many places is based upon our gospel. Most are preaching the gospel that we have preached. Neither are we wrong in regard to the truth. Just as we boast of the gospel, we also boast concerning the many truths that have been revealed through us. We are not wrong in edifying the saints with the truth. Many Christians believe that we have drawn away the seeking ones from the denominations. Actually, we have made seeking ones out of those who formerly were not seeking. In addition, we have not received any financial support from other groups. Even if we have, it has been an insignificant amount. For the past thirty years, we have been attacked fiercely, being accused and forsaken by other Christians. All this friction is due to the fact that we stand firmly on the ground of the church. In the past thirty years, this has been the very item that the enemy has constantly sought to defeat. We are determined to guard this truth. We must guard it. Moreover, if the Lord is merciful to us, we need to further strengthen this matter.
I told the brother from Hong Kong that when I began to serve the Lord over thirty years ago, I had doubts concerning Christianity. I saw in the Bible that the condition of Christianity was altogether improper. I also saw that the ground of Christianity was improper. The improper condition is an outward matter, but the improper ground is a deeper matter. Actually, it is the source of almost every problem in Christianity. The confusion and errors of Christianity are mostly due to the improper ground. For example, the church has become very worldly and very much according to the human will. Although this is a matter of condition, the condition is the result of an improper ground. The proper ground of the church is locality. If the believers all kept the ground of locality, the many denominations that exist today would no longer exist or be produced. The ground of locality requires that the believers pay the highest price, the price of being dealt with in their flesh and in their natural life.
Today there are many Christian groups because people are not willing to be restricted by locality. Many groups have appealing names, but these are only an expression of man’s desire. It may seem that these groups are only declaring that they love the Lord, are zealous for the Lord, preach the gospel, and are accomplishing a certain work. However, their organization becomes a support and a symbol of man acting according to his own will. If everyone saw that the expression of the church should be local and that it must be restricted by the local ground, all these groups would no longer exist. As a result, people would no longer only consider what satisfies their own desire but would act and walk in a proper way for the keeping of the oneness of the church.
I said this to the brother to show him that regardless of how proper his motive or how good his college work might be, he should not establish a students’ fellowship apart from the church. If his intention is to establish a students’ fellowship, he is intentionally seeking a kind of self-expression. To do so would indicate that he has not seen the ground of the church. If he saw the ground of the church, he would not dare to establish a students’ fellowship apart from such a ground.
A believer who has truly seen the ground and is willing to be restricted by this ground would never dare to do such a thing. Satan’s goal today is to annul the ground of locality in order to give people absolute freedom of action as a pretext to establish denominations. The only thing that can nullify this is the ground of the church. Once we speak concerning the ground of locality, no one has an excuse for doing whatever he desires. The ground of locality is a great restriction to our flesh, our private intentions, and our natural man.