CHAPTER THREE

A WORD OF FAREWELL

OUTLINE

REMEMBER: THE CHURCH IS ALWAYS ONE
UNIVERSALLY AND LOCALLY!

1. One with the church—John 17:11, 21-23.
2. Submissive to the leading ones—Heb. 13:17.
3. Loving all the saints—John 13:34.
4. Coordinating with all the members in one spirit—Phil. 1:27a.
5. No labeling.
6. No formality.
7. No legality.
8. Burning in spirit and fanning into flame the gift of God—Rom. 12:11; 2 Tim. 1:6.
9. Not carrying out a "work."
10. But living a daily life of:
    1. Seeking and saving sinners—Luke 10:2, 6; John 15:16.
    2. Cherishing and nourishing the new believers—1 Thes. 2:7; John 21:15.
    3. Teaching and perfecting the saints, by informal group meetings, to build up the Body—1 Thes. 2:11; Eph. 4:12.
    4. Prophesying, speaking for and speaking forth the Lord, in the church meetings, to build up the church—1 Cor. 14:3-5.
11. Avoiding discord (cf. Phil. 4:2), separation (cf. Acts 15:37-39), and division (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10).
12. Striving together with the saints with one soul in the faith of the gospel—Phil. 1:27b.

This morning I wish to speak a word of farewell to all of the dear trainees who are with us. I have collected a number of crucial thoughts and grouped them together for this meeting. Before we begin our fellowship, I want to impress you with a crucial word, that is, REMEMBER: THE CHURCH IS ALWAYS ONE UNIVERSALLY AND LOCALLY. Regardless of time and space, we must not forget that the church of God, the church of Christ, is always one universally and locally.

This morning we want to mention twelve points that we must take care of all the time. The most important point is that we must be one with the church (John 17:11, 21-23). There are many local churches today. Just in the United States alone, there may be close to one hundred forty local churches. Every church is different from the others. The churches should not be different, but just as differences do exist among human beings on this earth, so the church cannot stay away from spontaneous, automatic differences. If you stay in a particular church for a period of time, you will get used to it. Then when you move to another church, you may notice a little difference. This might appear somewhat strange to you and may be a cause of trouble. Many of you have been here for two terms, and some have been with us for more than six terms including Taipei, Irving, and Anaheim. The training not only has its own atmosphere, but it also bears a very particular flavor. Because of the environment of the training in the classrooms, dining room, and corporate living in the dormitories for many months, something may be built up within you. Then when you return to the church that has sent you and is still supporting you, you might feel quite strange there. You may not feel so smooth about some things. You cannot avoid these things. However, you must remember that in spite of all the differences, the church is still one. I do not use the word churches, but church, because in our eyes there are churches, but in the Lord's eyes there is only one church, His unique Body. The church is always one universally and locally. If you keep this in mind, you will not be a factor of separation, discord, or division. That is wrong. So you must try your best to avoid that. Therefore, if you are careless about these twelve points, you will make trouble for others, for the church, and for yourselves.