Furthermore, I told the brother that our Lord’s table is absolutely open. We do not refuse any saved one who wants to break bread with us—regardless of his background, the ground he stands on, or his current involvements. We must receive and break bread with anyone whom God has received, that is, every believer, unless he has committed a gross sin that God condemns. Nevertheless, we feel that since the Lord has commissioned and raised us up to bear a particular testimony we cannot open the responsibility for the ground to everyone. Only those who are willing to bear the same testimony can bear responsibility among us.
Suppose there is a big family that consists of twenty to thirty people. In such a family there may be a one-year-old as well as a thirty-year-old. Some members may be foolish, and some may be intelligent. Regardless of the condition of a family member, the family is always open to him and cannot cast him out. He may choose to stay or leave; that is his business. However, the responsibility for the family cannot be opened to everyone in the family. Being a family member is one thing, whereas bearing responsibility for the family is another thing. Likewise, partaking of the Lord’s table is one thing, whereas bearing responsibility within the church is another thing. If people condemn us, saying that we are an exclusive sect, because we do not allow others to bear responsibility for the church, this is a word of slander. However, since they already condemn us, what can we say? Anything we say will stir up a futile debate. Nevertheless, we cannot be so open in the matter of responsibility simply because of their words. If we were to open the responsibility, this would only cause things to become murky. As God’s servants, we seek only to please God, not men (Gal. 1:10; 1 Thes. 2:4).
Regardless of the kind of view a brother holds, he may come and break bread with us. If he wants to do any kind of work apart from us, we will not interfere, because it is his personal business. However, if another comes and breaks bread with us, while openly or secretly doing another kind of work among us, we cannot agree with that. We will tell him, “Brother, we have no control over what you do outside of us. You may come to break bread with us; nevertheless, if you come here to work and teach differently than we do, we will not agree.” In the church we do not quarrel; nevertheless, we sow only one kind of seed in our field. We do not allow two kinds of seed to be sown in our field (Deut. 22:9). Anyone is free to sow any kind of seed outside of our field. That is his business. However, if he wants to sow a different kind of seed in our field, we will not allow him to do so. This is our business, and we will interfere. Of course, we hope that people will not interfere with what we are doing and will give us this freedom.
As a result of our conversation, I feel that this brother is not bad and that he does not have an impure motive. He merely lacks light. He is similar to most believers who care only for the building of the universal church and not for the building of the local church. The work they do certainly results in some amount of building, but at the same time, their work also tears down. This brother’s student fellowship is the same. If one cares only for the work, he must admit that even the Catholic Church has done a considerable amount of work. The Catholic Church causes people to know the Lord’s name and believe in the Savior; we cannot deny this. However, the Catholic Church cares only for the work, not for the Lord’s testimony. This practice has also entered into Protestantism. This is not the Lord’s intention. We should not care only for the spread of the Lord’s work while neglecting the Lord’s testimony. The practice of today’s Christianity is to take care of spreading the Lord’s work, while it tears down His testimony. In contrast, it would be wonderful if Christian workers were willing to carry out their work while taking care of the Lord’s testimony.
The reason we have some amount of spread and success is that we have not departed from the Lord’s way, we stand firm for the Lord’s testimony, and we take care of the Lord’s work on the proper ground. If, like many Christian workers, we did not take care of the Lord’s way and the Lord’s testimony, caring only for the result of the work, we too would not have much spread. Sadly, those who commend us for our spread condemn the factor of our spread, that is, the ground of the church. Although they appreciate our achievement in regard to the spread, they attempt to tear down the factor of our spread.
This may be likened to appreciating and enjoying our tea, while attempting to break our teapot and teacups. These ones think that our tea is excellent, yet they believe that our teapot should be destroyed. If they believe in the Lord’s blessing, they should also take care of the Lord’s testimony as we do. If they do so, their work will spread in an unlimited way. However, whenever human opinions enter, truths are distorted and facts are twisted. This shows that man’s wisdom and opinion cannot compare to the Lord’s blessing and mercy. Men may try to grasp every opportunity to work for the Lord, but little do they know that they kill the opportunity for the Lord to bless them and to come in and show mercy. If men were willing to care only for the Lord’s testimony rather than the result of a work, I believe that the opportunity to work for the Lord would be unlimited; the result and blessing would be immeasurable and boundless.
By the Lord’s mercy we would rather have the foolishness of God than the wisdom of man (1 Cor. 1:25). Since we labor together, I will not hide anything from you. What would our condition and the result of our work be today, if from the time the Lord’s recovery came to Taiwan, we had taken care of only the work and had joined ourselves with others in their practices? Would we have the blessing that we see today? I absolutely do not believe so. The results we have today are all due to our stressing the ground of the church and not yielding or compromising regarding this matter.
I increasingly feel that I must stress this matter in a solid way so that the co-workers and the brothers and sisters will have no confusion or doubt concerning it. The ground of the church is for the Lord’s step-by-step recovery today. The Lord’s recovery is continually advancing. Through Robert Pearsall Smith He recovered the matter of consecration unto holiness. Following this, through Andrew Murray the Lord recovered the matter of fellowshipping by abiding in the Lord. Then through Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis He recovered the matter of identification with Christ’s crucifixion. Through T. Austin-Sparks He continued and recovered the truth concerning His resurrection. He did not stop at the recovery of the truth concerning resurrection; rather, He advanced to recover the ground of the church. Because the Lord had no way to go on in the West, He was compelled to come to the East to recover this truth.