Whenever the Bible speaks of the four living creatures, it is to show the kind of condition we should have before God in our service. In this chapter we will fellowship concerning the condition we should have in our service based on two items seen in Revelation 4 and Ezekiel 1, that is, the eyes of the four living creatures and the moving wheels.
Eyes are for seeing. Revelation 4:6-8 speaks of “four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind...around and within.” This means that the four living creatures are transparent on all sides and that they are able to see within, without, and all around. Ezekiel 1:15b and 18b-19a say, “I saw a wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures...And the rims of the four of them were full of eyes all around. And whenever the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them.” These verses show that the eyes of the four living creatures are upon the moving wheels, indicating that the four living creatures move by the wheels. Revelation shows that the four living creatures are full of eyes around and within, but Ezekiel says specifically that the rims of the wheels are full of eyes. Hence, the rims are the key to the move of the four living creatures. Their move is entirely dependent upon the turning of the rims. The turning rims being full of eyes mean that seeing and moving are altogether related. It is not possible for us to move without seeing.
The existence of the four living creatures, as recorded in the Bible, is a fact, and it is crucial that we see what the four living creatures symbolize spiritually and that we receive an impression of the four living creatures. The picture of the four living creatures is similar to an impressionistic painting; it illustrates the kind of service that God desires. When we read about these four living creatures, we need to see God’s intention. He desires that those who serve Him have eyes and that their eyes and their move be joined together.
The rims are on the outer part of the wheel and are full of eyes; therefore, when the wheels turn, the eyes also turn. This means that a person who serves God must first have eyes and then rims. In other words, he must be able to see, and then he can move. In the book of Ezekiel the wheels refer specifically to the move of the four living creatures. The wheels indicate the swiftness of their move (10:13). The greatest characteristic of these four living creatures is that their move is specific, swift, and agile (1:14).
The four living creatures go straight forward in four directions; they do not turn as they go (vv. 12, 17). Their move is straight and not crooked, yet they move in every direction. Even though they move straight forward, their move is not in only one direction but in four directions. In other words, if they move toward the east, they can still move toward the west, the north, or the south. Even though they do not turn, they are able to move in all four directions. This is a very particular matter.
These few points indicate how our service to God should be. The first point is concerning the eyes. A person who serves God cannot live in a foolish, confused, and blind way; instead, he should be bright, alert, and sharp. The Epistles written by the apostle Paul demonstrate that he was bright, alert, and sharp. He was like the four living creatures full of eyes around and within. As such, he could see the condition of the church in Antioch, the church in Corinth, the church in Ephesus, and the church in Colossae. He was able to see the threat to the church from teachings mixed with Greek philosophy (Col. 2:8); he was also able to see the danger of the believers being distracted from God’s economy by the preaching of the Judaizers (Gal. 1:6-9). Moreover, he was able to foresee problems related to the errors of some believers’ individual actions and the things that the leading ones needed to guard against before they actually occurred.
In Paul’s Epistles we do not see a person who adhered to routines and was inflexible; rather, we see a person who adapted quickly to changing circumstances. For instance, the Epistle to the Colossians is different from the Epistle to the Ephesians. The letter he wrote to the church in Ephesus fit their situation, and the letter he wrote to the church in Colossae fit their situation. He did not adhere to routines. Since the church is the Body of Christ, we cannot take care of it by adhering to routines; otherwise, we will be like a blind person trying to lead others. In Paul’s letters he spoke to Timothy in one way, to Titus in another way, and to Philemon in yet another way. The books of Romans, Hebrews, and Galatians are not all the same. These examples indicate that Paul was a person full of eyes. He was clear in matters concerning the saints and the church. It did not matter whether a situation was corporate or individual. He was full of insight into the matter. This is what it means for the four living creatures to be full of eyes around and within. In our service we must have eyes, and we must be alert. We must be wise, and we must understand people’s actual situations.
According to my observation, those of us who serve full time do not have the condition of the four living creatures. We may be able to see, but we can see only one aspect or one point. We cannot see all the aspects and all the points. We are not like the four living creatures, who are full of eyes and can see all sides. Such seeing is lacking in our service. Although it is good to abide by rules, we should not adhere to routines in our service.
Every serving one should learn to understand the timing and situations related to different matters. Many serving ones still do things step by step, sticking to old routines while being faithful in their service. This may be good, but it is not sufficient. We need to be full of eyes. We need to know the saints in the place we are serving, and we need to know their condition. We need to have a deep understanding of their actual situation. We should not rigidly hold on to the old things and old ways.
From practical experience, businessmen know that even though they made money yesterday by doing business in a certain way, they may lose money today by continuing in the same way. Farmers have the same experience. A farmer may have slept peacefully yesterday, but he may not be able to do so today. In northern China when the wheat is first ripening, there is no time to sleep. If the farmer delays the harvest by one day, much of the wheat will fall to the ground and be lost. Opportunity must be grasped. Some farmers may think that they can wait a few days once the wheat has ripened; however, much wheat will be lost. In order to seize an opportunity, we need to recognize the opportunity. We cannot simply continue to do the same thing every day. Neither can we do something one way in the springtime and do it the same way in the fall. It is good to follow proper routines, but we must also recognize opportunity. If we do something one way this year, we may not do it the same way next year. If we stick to a routine, we may suffer loss.
Consider what would happen if all the serving ones in the church in Taipei adhered to a routine. Surely the church’s condition would be dead. The church in Taipei has been established over a long period of time, and all the services have been arranged; hence, the most crucial need is to strengthen the spiritual side. First, the church needs the living word. Second, the church needs to be built in a living way. Third, the individual saints need to be built up spiritually. We cannot take care of these three needs in a routine way, because there is nothing routine in regard to these needs.
We need to see that spiritual supply and spiritual building up are what the saints lack the most. I have been to several meetings in different districts. Every meeting I went to gave me a feeling of famine. The dishes on the dinner table were nothing but leftovers, without many nutrients. I am afraid that the church is suffering from hunger. If a person is hungry, he will easily become sick. Please remember that life always swallows up death. Whenever life is gone, death will surface, and the most serious death comes from human opinions and human views. Whenever there is a lack of God’s word, God’s opinion and God’s view will be torn down. None of the meetings I attended were able to satisfy people with the word; instead, all the meetings gave people a sense of hunger. The brothers and sisters who came to those meetings must have felt hungry, because they came to the meeting but were not supplied.
It is pitiful if we, as full-time serving ones, can sit in that kind of meeting and still be at peace, have no burden, adhere to routines, and think that we have fulfilled our duty. Such an attitude indicates that we are serving blindly; that is, we cannot see the need, our eyes are not bright, and we do not know how to seize the opportunity. Presently we are not lacking in serving ones, but even though we have so many serving ones, the supply is obviously short.
As full-time serving ones, we have more time, and we have received more perfecting in life and truth than most saints. If we cannot supply the ministry of the word, how can we expect other brothers and sisters to rise up and function? We can never shirk the responsibility of ministering the word. This responsibility is ours. However, among all the full-time serving ones in Taipei, not many have received the burden to minister the word to the saints. Most of the serving ones are doing their jobs in a regular way and feel that it is good enough to be faithful to what they do. In the eyes of the saints, however, this is absolutely not enough.
When I sit among the full-time serving ones in a meeting, I often feel sorrowful, not because they have done something offensive but because they have not given the saints food. Nevertheless, the full-time serving ones sit there and are peaceful meeting after meeting. Inevitably, a question arises within me concerning whether their inward being is bright and sharp. If the apostle Paul were to observe such a situation, he would have said something. None of us should go to prayer meetings, bread-breaking meetings, and fellowship meetings and watch the time and the meeting go by tastelessly yet inwardly have no feeling. This is an indication that we have no eyes. If we were full of eyes, we would feel that this situation cannot continue.
We must receive the burden to pray to the Lord and be dealt with by Him. If we are in a certain district meeting, we should take responsibility for the meeting in that district. Nobody else can carry the load. If we do not bear it, who will? We need to bring in food and water to give the saints the nutrients that they need. This has to do with our inward feeling and our eyes. We cannot sit around indifferently and be at peace. After all, we have eyes and can see. Even though it is painful to be a person with eyes, feelings, and a keen sense, we cannot be without these items in our service. We should not be able to tolerate seeing the saints come to the meeting but not receive a supply. We cannot say, “I have done all that I am supposed to do. The elders arranged for me to serve in a certain matter, and I am serving accordingly. They assigned me a message, and I gave it. It is not my business how the saints receive it.” We cannot have such a transcendent attitude, considering that this is only God’s business, not our own. We must learn to be sharp and not live a life of ease.
According to the statistics of the last several weeks, there were approximately sixty saints coming to each of the district meetings. If over the next few weeks, the numbers begin to gradually drop, this will indicate that the saints are not receiving the supply. After four or five meetings many may stop coming altogether. We should not be insensitive to such a situation. If we are insensitive, we are like a piece of brick or wood without any light. We need to sharpen our senses in the meetings. We should not sit in comfort. All of us need to pray and to endeavor to deal with the problem of our spiritual famine. Such a problem is not the business of only a small number of elders or co-workers; it is the business of all of us. The most dangerous thing facing the church at the present time is a lack of food. The saints are suffering from hunger, from famine. They are poor and weak. We cannot imagine the kind of problems such a situation will generate. This is a serious problem.
The serving ones cannot be persons without eyes and feelings. Even if we must set aside our other responsibilities and deal only with the present famine, it is necessary to do this. According to my observation of the present famine, we still have sufficient health to protect us, but I am concerned that we may become weak to the extent that all kinds of sicknesses will surface. We need to see that the great need in the church is to nourish the saints.
Whenever the saints come to a meeting, they are coming to a feast in order to eat and receive a supply. As serving ones, we should consider what we are offering on the table and whether the food is sufficiently nutritious. We need to consider whether or not there is sufficient food and drink in the meeting. We must have feelings in regard to this matter. We cannot allow the meetings to continue in the present manner. We should not think that this is the elders’ or other people’s business. We should have the feeling that it is our responsibility if the saints are suffering from hunger.
The serving ones should prepare food for the saints and supply them with food. At present this is the greatest need. We need to learn how to supply food and how to seize the opportunity to use our time to prepare the food. If we do not know how to seize this opportunity, even if we had more time, we would not be able to meet the need of this famine. Our situation now is one of famine. In regard to the building up of the saints, the ministry of the word, visitation, and spiritual supply, we are in the midst of a famine. We are short in all of these aspects.
If we look at the statistics of attendance, we will see that our service is questionable. This is because there is not an adequate supply for the saints. We have adhered to routines and affected the saints negatively. The church in Taipei has fallen into such a serious famine that we should focus on this one thing. We need to see that there is a spiritual famine here. We should supply the saints with the ministry of the word. This is a most urgent need. It cannot wait and must be done aggressively. In every meeting we need to supply the saints with the ministry of the word.
Before a table meeting on the Lord’s Day, those responsible for the districts as well as the full-time serving ones must pray to the Lord Jesus, saying, “Lord, we cannot let the saints go home hungry.” If we have the feeling that we cannot let the saints go home hungry, this means that our eyes are sharp, that we are “full of eyes around and within.” We must have feelings regarding the things that we see. If our eyes are sharp, our sharp eyes will control us in our move. We must have a sharp feeling and then move by following the eyes that are upon the rims of the wheels.