It is one thing to see these matters; it is another thing to apply them. Suppose two genuine Christian brothers, who both have a background in religion, come together for fellowship. One asks the other what church he goes to. By asking this question he proves that he is in Babylon. Why must we ask others what church they attend? Is it not good enough that they are dear brothers in the Lord? But Christians today are constantly asking questions such as: What church do you go to? Have you been baptized by immersion or have you been sprinkled? Do you speak in tongues? What is your view concerning the rapture—pre-tribulation, post-tribulation, or partial? What about eternal security? All these questions are Babylonian. Christians have been divided again and again simply by doctrinal questions like these. We are not divided by God or by Christ. We have one Christ, one God, and one Holy Spirit. Our faith and our hope are also one (Eph. 4:4-6). But we definitely are not one in doctrine. If we talk about God and Christ, we are one. But if we talk about doctrine, we shall be divided immediately. Do not ask divisive questions. If you do, you are being Babylonian. Asking questions such as these implies that you are being divisive.
In 1 Corinthians 1:10 Paul says, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you.” This word is simple, but it is very difficult to practice. All Christians should speak the same thing. But this certainly is not the practice of today’s Christianity, for nearly everyone speaks something different. In verse 12 of the same chapter Paul says, “Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.” This verse is a clear example of not speaking the same thing. Those who do not speak the same thing are divisive. Look at today’s Christianity. One says, “I am a Presbyterian,” another says, “I am a Lutheran,” and yet another says, “I am an Episcopalian.” But in verse 13 Paul asks this question: “Is Christ divided?” When we all speak the same thing, we are one. When someone asks which church you belong to, you should say, “Brother, your question is divisive. By asking this question you are being Babylonian. Whether you realize it or not, we are for Christ, and Christ is everything to us.”
In Romans 15:5 and 6 Paul says, “Now the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one accord and with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We all must be likeminded according to Christ, having one mind and one mouth. Among today’s Christians there are numerous minds and mouths. We must not be like this. To have many minds and many mouths is to be divisive, to be Babylonian. The only way to be saved from this kind of Babylonianism is to turn to the spirit, where there is unity, and care only for Christ. Christ is everything; He is all in all.
However, Christ should not be a mere doctrine to us; we must experience Him and live by Him, with Him, and in Him. Christ must be the good land on which we labor day by day until we have a harvest. We need to learn how to enjoy Christ, how to eat Him, how to offer Him to God, and how to share Him with others. If we do all this, we shall be filled with Christ, infused with Christ, and saturated with Christ. The result will be that we have one mind, the mind of Christ, and one mouth, a mouth that speaks Christ. We should be those who know nothing but Christ and the church. We must live by Christ, live in Christ, live with Christ, work on Christ, grow Christ, reap Christ, harvest Christ, present Christ to God, serve Christ to others, and enjoy Christ in our homes and in the meetings. Oh, how much we need to care for Christ!
If we are all like this, we shall surely be likeminded. There will not be an American mind, a German mind, a Chinese mind, a male mind, or a female mind. There will just be one mind—the mind of Christ. We all shall be likeminded, not according to theology or doctrine, but according to Christ. Therefore, we shall have only one mouth, and we shall no longer ask people what church they go to. Instead, we shall ask questions such as, “How much of Christ have you eaten today? What have you gained of Christ today?” Learn to ask questions like this. We know nothing but Christ, we preach nothing but Christ, we teach nothing but Christ, we minister nothing but Christ, and we share nothing but Christ. We care for Christ and Christ alone. Christ is all and in all. He is the Lamb, the unleavened bread, the bitter herbs, the manna, the living water, the good land, the wheat, the barley, the wine, the figs, the pomegranates, the olives, the honey, and the milk. Christ is the mountain, the stone, and the brass. Because we care only for Christ, we have just one mind and one mouth.
Do not ask any more divisive, Babylonian questions. For example, to ask whether the meetings should be loud or quiet is to raise a Babylonian question. Learn to ask questions without being Babylonian. As far as loudness or quietness is concerned, you should say, “Brother, please tell me by what way I can release Christ. Can I release Him by being noisy or by being quiet?” This is an excellent question, and it is not Babylonian. I would answer this question in this way: “Brother, release Christ by any means. If you can release Christ by being quiet, then be quiet. But if you need to be noisy in order to release Him, then feel free to be noisy.”
Another question that has been asked is the question of long hair or short hair. To ask whether your hair should be long or short is to ask a Babylonian question. Those who insist on short hair will have a short-hair church, and those who insist on long hair will have a long-hair church. This will produce two new divisions, the long-hair division and the short-hair division. The question regarding the length of hair is divisive. Instead of asking a question about hair in a divisive manner, we should ask the question like this: “Brother, by what way can I release Christ more, with long hair or with short hair?” If you ask the question like this, you are not being Babylonian because you care only for releasing Christ. If this question were asked of me, I would say, “I don’t care about long hair or short hair. Forget about the length of your hair. If you can release more of Christ by having your hair long, then let your hair be long. But if you can release more of Him by having your hair short, then cut it short. The answer to the question does not depend on my opinion; it depends on the release of Christ.”
Another question concerns the length of sisters’ skirts. Some sisters have asked me how long their skirts should be. I replied, “What do you mean? How long is long, and how short is short? You must go to Christ and ask Him this question. If you can gain more of Christ by wearing a long skirt, then wear a long one. If a short skirt will enable you to gain more of Christ, then wear a short one. But if wearing a short skirt will not help you to gain more of Christ, then do not wear a short skirt. The length of your skirt must not be according to my opinion; it must be according to Christ.” Have you ever heard this kind of answer before? It is the answer according to Christ. It is not a matter of long hair or short hair, of long skirts or short skirts. It is absolutely a matter of Christ. We do not need to talk about hair or skirts. We need only to talk about Christ. Day by day, we should speak of Christ for the church. This is the kernel of the Bible.
Christianity has caused people to deviate from this central line of Christ and the church to matters such as foot washing, head covering, and all kinds of divisive doctrines. In today’s Christianity there is very little talk about Christ. Rather, most of the talk concerns other things. Thus, we need to come back to the unity, to the Spirit, to Christ, and to the church. If we do this, we shall all speak the same thing, and that will be Christ and the church.