Paul is a typical example of serving; we can see all of these ten points in Paul. In his fourteen Epistles, he clearly speaks of these ten points.
First, in Galatians 1:15-16 he says that he served God because it pleased God “to reveal His Son in me that I might announce Him as the gospel among the Gentiles.” He served God in such a way because God revealed His Son in him so that he might announce Christ among the Gentiles. He announced the Son of God. He did not announce Christianity or any particular doctrines, but only Christ. Paul announced the living Christ whom God had revealed in him, not knowledge or doctrine.
In the church many brothers and sisters serve the Lord merely out of zeal or diligence, but not out of a revelation of Christ. Some people may be stirred up by their zeal but will not receive Christ through these serving ones if they do not have such a revelation. Although a serving one may believe in the Lord, he must have a clear and specific revelation concerning Christ. Paul not only announced Christ, but in Ephesians 3:8 God charged him “to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” In Galatians he says that God revealed Christ in him; in Ephesians he says that God made known to him the mystery of Christ (3:3-4). Hence, for the administration of the church, we must have a revelation of Christ.
In our preaching of the gospel, we must have a revelation of Christ. Without such a revelation, our gospel preaching will persuade people merely to join a religion and believe in some teachings. There is a hymn that says, “Rescue the perishing, / Care for the dying, / Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; / Weep o’er the erring one, / Lift up the fallen, / Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save” (Hymns, #921). We cannot say that this hymn is wrong, but we need to remember that our gospel preaching is not merely to rescue sinners; rather, it is to dispense the Christ whom we have seen to others. If we do not have a revelation, a vision, of Christ, our preaching will persuade others only to join a religion and believe in some teachings. Without revelation, we cannot cause others to see Christ; without vision, we cannot dispense Christ into others. When we preach the gospel, we must have a revelation; we must be like Paul, who received revelation from God and then announced Christ among the Gentiles.
Second, in Colossians 3:4 Paul speaks of “Christ our life,” indicating that he lived in God together with Christ. Third, to those who tried to work out the law by themselves, he says, “I...have died to law that I might live to God...and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:19-20). He realized that he needed to live in Christ. Fourth, Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (v. 20). This means that he realized that all that he had was terminated on the cross. Fifth, in Galatians 6:14 he says, “The world has been crucified to me and I to the world.” This means that he knew that he was terminated, and that he lived in Christ. With respect to the cross, Paul was finished; he no longer lived according to his former self. Not only did Paul feel this way, but even those in the world saw him in this way. Sixth, in Galatians 4:19 he says, “I travail again in birth until Christ is formed in you.” Paul’s unique goal was to dispense Christ into others so that Christ could increase in them.
Seventh, in 1 Corinthians 2:2 Paul says, “I did not...know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and this One crucified.” At that time there were many problems in the church in Corinth; some of the saints were fleshy, some were fleshly, and some had sinned. Paul did not expect those who were cold to become more fervent or those who were wrong to improve; rather, he had only one hope, the hope that Christ would increase in them. Among the believers in Corinth, some were fervent toward the Jewish religion, some sought signs, some sought philosophical knowledge, and some even sought spiritual gifts, but Paul preached Christ crucified. He did not care about gifts and signs; he hoped only for the increase of Christ in them.
Eighth, in 2 Corinthians 4:12, Paul says, “Death operates in us, but life in you.” Paul saw that the result of his work could only be Christ and life. If he saw that the result of others’ work was not Christ, he would write to admonish and adjust them (1 Cor. 4:14). The unique purpose of his fourteen Epistles was to bring man into Christ and to cause the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ to grow in the church (Eph. 4:13). This was his only expectation. Ninth, Paul prayed for all these matters (Rom. 1:9; Eph. 1:16; Col. 1:9; 1 Thes. 1:2). Tenth, he believed that God was able to do above all that he asked or thought (Eph. 3:20).
Paul’s Epistles take these ten points as the center. In fact, these ten points can be summed up in one point—Christ. He saw Christ. He announced Christ. His work was Christ. He prayed Christ. His faith was Christ. And the result of his work, all the more, was Christ. From beginning to end, Christ was central. Christ passed through Paul and reached all those whom he served; that is, Christ was produced in them.
These ten points show how to administrate the church, but these ten points cannot be merely written on paper and become “Ten Commandments.” We should not be people of the Old Testament; we should be people of the New Testament, allowing the Holy Spirit to inscribe these ten points onto the tablets of our heart so that we may live in them. This is the administration of the church, the service in the church; this is the purpose of our visiting people, preaching the gospel, and edifying others. All the elders, deacons, and those who serve in the church should follow this pattern.