Question: Can you give us some instructions on the principle of administrating the church in the aspects of life and practice?
Answer: In the aspect of life or practice, we must firmly grasp the principle of the Body. For example, if the feet cannot “take in” a message, then the mouth must fellowship with the feet after it has taken in the message. When a message is released in the church, strictly speaking, the number who hear it is not as important as the number who take it in. We do not need to pay attention to the number of people who listen to a message but to the people who receive it. In order for something to be received by the Body, it is sufficient for a representative member of the Body to receive it. As long as a representative member of the Body receives it, the entire Body receives it.
Question: When life increases, does the weightiness of the church also increase?
Answer: When life increases, the weightiness of the church also increases; the weightiness of the church is the life of Christ.
Question: When the number of saved ones increases, does the measure of the stature of the church also increase?
Answer: No; for example, consider a glass of sweetened water. In order to increase the element of sugar, we must add more sugar into the water. Nothing is gained by adding more water instead of more sugar. In the same way, the increase of the measure of the stature of the church does not depend on the increase of the number of believers; rather, it depends on the increase of Christ. When Christ increases, the measure of the stature of the church increases. Many times, however, when we have only a little amount of sugar, we try to add more water, and in the end, the taste of the sugar is gone. Without the increase of Christ, no matter how much we preach the gospel, the flavor of Christ in the church will eventually be lost. An increase in the number of believers does not produce an increase in the measure of the stature of the church.
Often there is an increase in the number of saved ones in the church, but there is no increase of Christ; consequently, there is no expression of fullness in the church. A certain local church may preach the gospel, for example. Before preaching, there was some flavor of Christ, but after adding “two buckets of water” by beating drums and striking gongs, the flavor can be “diluted.” With more drum-beating and gong-striking, “two more buckets of water” can be added, but in the end, there may be no flavor of Christ. If there is no addition of “sugar” and the church continues to preach the gospel, three or five thousand people may be brought in, but we will be able to give them only “plain water.” The increase of Christ does not depend upon the number of saved ones but upon us, the serving ones. The measure of Christ in the saints is according to the measure of Christ that has been ministered from us to them. There is no heavenly “sugar refinery” that pours down sugar from heaven. Instead, Christ must dwell in us richly in order to flow out richly. All of the flowing out of Christ’s life is through His Body. Therefore, we must administrate the church properly; otherwise, the more we preach the gospel, the more the flavor of Christ will decrease in the church. If there is no addition of “sugar” but only a continual addition of “water,” the flavor of Christ will be lost. This does not mean that we should not preach the gospel; rather, we must positively receive Christ and be filled with Christ to allow Christ as the “sugar” to increase in us continually.
Question: How can we outwardly distinguish godliness from mystery?
Answer: Godliness means that we, God’s creatures, have God’s nature within and express God’s image without. Having God’s life and nature within and God’s expression without is godliness. Mystery refers to the fact that the Creator is mingled with His creatures. This is truly a wonderful fact. However, it is a mystery because it is incomprehensible to unbelievers. Seemingly, godliness is outward, and mystery is inward; actually, godliness is not only outward but also inward. If godliness was merely outward, it would be a godliness only in appearance, not in reality.
God enters into us; this is a mystery. We have God within and God’s expression without; this is godliness. For instance, electricity is in an electric lamp, and the electric lamp shines because of the electricity; this is godliness. In 1927 in Tsingtao there was an elderly sister from the countryside who, upon seeing the shining of an electric lamp, was so astonished that she asked the host for a few lamps to bring home. Electricity was a mystery to her. But the fact that electricity was in the lamp and expressed through the lamp can be compared to godliness. We may use another example. During the great persecution of the Roman Empire, the persecuted ones were truly godly because God was manifested through them. Unbelievers, however, did not understand and thought that they were too mysterious. When they saw people like Perpetua and Felicitas, they felt that they were too mysterious. Perpetua and Felicitas disregarded their fathers’ persuasion, their children’s crying, and their husbands’ imploring, and were not frightened by any threatenings; rather, their faces were radiant. When the unbelievers saw them, they were like the country woman who marveled at the shining of the electric lamps.
Question: What is the difference between administrating a large church and administrating a small church?
Answer: Strictly speaking, there is not much difference. In both cases, before God we must know Christ, live in Christ, be filled with Christ, and allow Christ to occupy us. As we serve in the church, we need to always minister Christ to others. Regardless of whether we serve one person or a hundred people, we need to minister Christ to them; there is no difference. Whether one person receives our help or one hundred people receive our help, it is the same; there must be the increase of Christ. This is like the glass of sweetened water with a certain amount of sugar in it. If we pour half of the water into another glass, the amount of sugar will still be the same; even if we pour the water into ten glasses, the amount of sugar will still be the same. Hence, those who know the Lord do not care for the number of people with whom they work; working among many people is the same as working among a few people. Although Paul was imprisoned, he was not at all ashamed; rather, Christ was magnified in him as always and even more. Everything depends on how much Christ we have.
The measure of Christ that we have is the measure of Christ that we can give people. Whether it is one person, ten people, or one hundred people, it does not matter. If we know Christ, we will dispense Christ. Our work and service in the church should not focus on the number of people but on whether Christ is dispensed into them and whether Christ increases in them. There is no difference between one person receiving our help and ten people receiving our help. But there is a difference between people receiving our help and people not receiving our help. One person listening to our preaching is no different than ten people listening to our preaching. What matters is that the Body receives it. This is like a vaccination. A vaccine may be injected into a capillary, but it flows through the entire body. If we want to inject a ten milliliter dose of vaccine, we do not have to inject a one milliliter dose ten times; one ten milliliter dose is enough.
Question: According to what you said, is there a need only for spiritual giants in the church? How do we hold to truth in love?
Answer: There is no such thing as so-called spiritual giants in the church. Do you think that Paul was a spiritual giant? If Paul was a spiritual giant, it would be awful because he would have been a monster in the Body of Christ. Paul was a member who functioned very much in the Body of Christ. We may use this illustration. Our mouth takes in all of our food, but we cannot say that our mouth is a “spiritual giant.” It is strange that even though our mouth takes in all of our food, it does not grow bigger; rather, our thighs grow quite much.
We must bear in mind that the member who receives the most also supplies the most. Our stomach receives the most, but it also supplies the most. If Paul withheld all the riches of Christ he had received, he would have become a great monster. Paul was a great receiving vessel, but he was also a great supplying vessel. Even today, he is still supplying us. Therefore, the one who receives is the one who also supplies.
We must hold to truth in love. Many people love the Lord, but they do not hold to truth. On the other hand, everyone who holds to truth must love the Lord. To hold to truth is to live in Christ, not outside of Christ. Many people, although they love the Lord, live outside of Christ. Hence, we should not consider loving the Lord and holding to truth in love as the same thing. A person may love the Lord, but he may love not according to Christ but according to himself. Did Martha love the Lord? She loved the Lord very much. But sadly, instead of holding to truth, she acted apart from the Lord. Even though she loved the Lord, she did not hold to truth. Mary, however, was one who held to truth in love. She not only loved the Lord, but she held to truth. We need to learn to love the Lord and to hold to truth in love, that is, to love according to Christ.