Church A: In general, the saints here love the Lord but do not have a solid foundation and, therefore, greatly need guidance. Even the responsible ones for various services have not been perfected so that they can truly bear burdens in a practical way. Over the past year we have paid much attention to the gospel and have also done some edifying work, but the results have not been apparent. Overall, our problems can be grouped into three categories. First, because the spiritual weight of the leading brothers and sisters is inadequate, our impact is low, and we have little supply. The number of elders is insufficient—one lives far away, and another is busy with many affairs. Second, there are not enough deacons; some of the deacons do not even come to the meetings. This puts us in a difficult position. Moreover, most of the responsible ones in the small groups have been saved for only a short time; their foundation is shallow, and their pursuit in life is inadequate. Third, there are financial difficulties. The ceiling of the meeting hall is in need of constant repair this year, and the financial burden on the brothers and sisters has been very heavy.
Church B: Last year we focused on the aspect of service, but since the beginning of this year, we have turned our attention to the gospel. After preaching the gospel for a period of time, we will go back to the edification of the saints. Our problem is mainly related to an inadequate number of serving ones. In comparison to the brothers, the sisters are doing better. They go out to visit and take care of the sisters. Among the brothers, however, few are involved in the shepherding work. Hence, the condition of the service is relatively weak. This is a great problem. Furthermore, the shepherding in the schools is very difficult and weak. In short, the problems in this church may be put into three categories: an inadequate number of serving ones, insufficient learning on the part of the brothers, and not being clear concerning the way to go on. I also have many problems. My main problem is that I do not have sufficient knowledge of the truth. I feel that my motives are pure, but my knowledge is lacking, my faith is small, and my patience is short. For instance, I arranged for the brothers to take care of certain matters. When I saw that they were unable to carry out these matters properly, even after doing them over and over again, I could not bear it and did them myself.
Church C: The number of people is slowly increasing in the church here, and problems are also increasing. I have consecrated myself before the Lord and committed myself to the Lord so that I am in God’s hand. However, when God’s hand comes through the environment, I cannot bear it, and I reject it. In the past two years the Lord has used many things to tear me down. In the conference in Manila, one of Brother Lee’s messages regarding purity in motives touched me very much. I feel that in the matter of learning to serve the Lord, I am full of ambition, but I thank the Lord for showing me that being torn down is related to having pure motives.
The church here is actually quite immature. There are problems in the service because many of the brothers and sisters have been saved for only a short time. When saints from overseas come to visit us, it is easy for them to find the “altar” but not the “Ark.” In our service meetings, many opinions were expressed, and there was no mutual understanding; therefore, we had to stop. There was no way to go on. In terms of the outward service, we have gospel preaching, and we respect the leading of the apostles. Besides the various services in the church, every Lord’s Day afternoon we also go to prisons or to places where people gather, such as factories or hospitals, and do some gospel work to lead people to the Lord.
In terms of numbers, we have more than five hundred saints and as many as two hundred attending the Lord’s Day meeting. According to the human perspective, the outward tabernacle of the church looks good, but the spiritual weight within is lacking. In terms of spiritual pursuit, it is very difficult to bring the brothers and sisters into the reality of pursuing.
The church here also has a particularly large number of young people. We sympathize with their heavy load of schoolwork and thus have not led them properly. Recently, we spent four mornings in the young people’s meeting to speak to them about loving the Lord, consecration, the anointing, and the discipline of the Holy Spirit. We hope that they will exercise in these basic lessons. In addition, there are a number of saints serving in the military, and it is difficult to lead them because, even though they are zealous and love the Lord, their free time is limited.
Although we have four responsible brothers, in reality there are only three; one brother encountered some difficulties and has virtually stopped serving. Concerning the deacons, the number is relatively low, and concerning the responsible ones for the small groups, it is difficult to help them to rise up. The sisters are stronger than the brothers; regardless of wind, rain, or scorching sun, they carry out their visitation work steadily, persistently, and diligently. Most of the problems among our young people are related to making friends and to marriage. Unless we give them proper attention and shepherding, these matters will become great problems. Furthermore, if we are careless, some of our fellowship related to service will turn into mere friendships, which is a kind of leaven. These are our problems.
Church D: We have the same problems that the previous churches have. We emphasize the leading of the saints and edification in life and truth. We are from a small locality, but we have big problems. We feel deeply that our learning in the service does not carry much weight because we do not have any real exercise and experience. This is our lack. We are unable to render the saints any practical help in their problems because our learning is limited. Although we very much want the brothers and sisters to take the practical way, we are unable to achieve what is desired due to our own inadequacy.
Furthermore, our leading of the saints has no order, and we are short of the love of nursing mothers. A sanatorium with a total of three thousand beds in five different locations is nearby, and a few sisters work there. Some saints also are relatives of the patients, and there is a total of about two hundred saints meeting there. They normally take the bus to get there, and each way takes an average of one hour. Because the saints are very seeking, we go every week and give them some fellowship and leading. A nearby town with ten brothers and sisters has begun to have meetings. Another town has two Taiwanese brothers and sisters who are very seeking. They have invited us to preach the gospel. There are many opium addicts who are suffering very much and need our care. The more we go on, the more we feel a great need; however, inwardly we are worn down and cannot meet the need.
Regarding my personal problems, I am one who rarely admits defeat. Hence, I am full of ambition and hope that the church I am in will not be behind others. When many situations come up, I suffer within. The meetings are low, and I want to use some human methods to enable the meetings to have an atmosphere of God’s presence. This is my natural man. In terms of coordination, I feel somewhat pressured. I lose my temper easily, and I do not have any true learning. In terms of the truth, it seems that I have some understanding, but it is not deep, and in terms of my service, I also do not have a foundation. Concerning our service, we have a few who always serve, but we have been unable to perfect more saints to coordinate with us. Concerning edification, the saints have not grown much in life, and the spirit of the gospel is very weak. This is our true condition.