The Apostle Paul was very clear about ordinances, and he knew the futility of debating whether certain practices are right or wrong. During his time, there was a heated debate about circumcision. No doubt many said that Paul was not scriptural because he discontinued this practice. In Galatians 6:15 Paul uttered a very significant word related to this controversy: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation” (Gk.). Paul realized that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision had anything to do with God’s economy. The only thing that avails as far as God’s economy is concerned is a new creation in Christ. To be a new creation is to have Christ wrought into our being.
Applying this principle to our situation today, we see that the crucial question is not what we do about chair-shaking, tongues-speaking, or pray-reading. It is altogether a matter of Christ wrought into us and making His home in our hearts. As in the time of Paul, the only thing that avails is a new creation in Christ Jesus.
We need to recognize the fact that God uses many different ways to bring people to Himself. Some may criticize the practice of speaking in tongues, but many believers have been helped by this. In like manner, certain saints in Taiwan are helped by shaking chairs. Who are we to condemn them for this or insist that they discontinue this practice? If certain ones desire to speak in tongues, we should not stop them. The same holds true of pray-reading or of any other practice, as long as it is not sinful. The church must be all-inclusive, receiving all genuine believers in Christ. Only in this way can we preserve the oneness.
To see the matter of one city, one church, is good, but it is not adequate. If we do not deal with our ordinances, we shall eventually be divided by our opinions or practices. Christ should be our only source. We should not allow anything of our background or culture to be our source. Otherwise, we shall bring in different ordinances according to our various backgrounds and cultures. Christ, not our ordinances, is the source of the church life.
If we did not love the Lord, division would not present such a serious problem, for we would probably all be distracted by worldly endeavors. But because we love the Lord, we also love the Bible and care for the truth of the Bible. As a result, disputes may arise concerning doctrine. Such disputes may lead further to division. In that case, we would repeat the history of divisive Christianity.
In the Lord’s recovery we need to be brought out of every kind of division and return to the genuine oneness. However, if we see only the ground of oneness but not this matter of the ordinances, our oneness will not be secure. Rather, we may be in danger of again becoming sectarian or divisive. We may attempt to impose a particular practice on others in the church. To do this is to have ordinances. The church meetings must be general; they must not specialize in certain practices. If someone desires to speak in tongues, he should be free to do so. However, he should not try to make speaking in tongues the focal point of the meeting. Our oneness does not consist in practices; it is in Christ as everything. Insistence on certain practices damages our oneness. We should give the saints liberty without insisting on any particular practice. Then the oneness will be preserved.
As long as the saints in a locality are for the Lord and are standing on the proper ground of the church, we should be one with them. Instead of imposing any practice on them, we should minister the riches of Christ. What we need is to be strengthened into our inner man and filled with the riches of Christ unto all the fullness of God. Then instead of trying to adjust others or to correct them, we shall minister Christ to them. The Holy Spirit will always honor what is of Christ. If we supply Christ to others, the Spirit will honor this, and they will be helped. In this way we shall practice the church life in a proper way, free from the damage caused by ordinances.