In order to bear the responsibility in this complicated situation, we must live by faith in God. First Kings 7:19 says, "And the capitals that were upon the top of the pillars in the porch were of lily work" (Heb.). The lily signifies a life of faith in God. Firstly, we must condemn ourselves, realizing that we are fallen, incapable, unqualified, and that we are nothing. Then we must live by faith in God, not by what we are or by what we can do. We must be a lily existing by what God is to us, not by what we are (Matt. 6:28, 30). Our living on earth today depends upon Him. How can we possibly bear the responsibility in the intermixed and complicated church life? In ourselves, we are incapable of doing this, but we can do so if we live by faith in God. It is not I, but Christ who lives in me—this is the lily. It is not I who bear the responsibility—it is He who bears it. I live, not by myself, but by Him, and I minister, not by myself, but by Him. If you sisters are mothers in the church life, you must say, "I am not a mother in the church by myself, but by Him." In Song of Songs 2:1 and 2 the seeker says, "I am the lily of the valley." Then the Lord replies, "As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters."
What earthly architect would have designed a brass pillar bearing brass capitals with lily work on the top of them? Humanly speaking, this is not meaningful, but spiritually speaking, it is very significant. On the one hand, we are the condemned and judged brass; on the other hand, we are the living lilies. The brass means, "Not I," and the lily means, "But Christ." Those who are lilies can say, "The life that I now live, I live by the faith of Jesus Christ." By all this we can realize that we are lilies bearing an impossible responsibility in an intermixed and complicated situation full of checkerwork and chainwork. The elders should not say, "Lord, take these complications away." Rather, they should expect more complications. I am quite certain that the more you pray for the complications to be reduced, the more complications there will be. All the checkerwork is the base, the bed, in which the lilies grow.
According to the context, the chainwork, being wreaths, was a form of decoration. But this decoration is filled with complications. When you come to my home, do not expect everything there to be clear and simple. If you stay with me for a while, you will find many complications and complaints. But all this is the beauty of my family, for it is a wreath, a crown. Every elder expects the church life to be clear-cut like a Chinese bean cake where every piece is cut square and neat. They want everything in the church to be accurate and fine. The only place like this is the cemetery. The proper church life, like the church life in Anaheim, is a net of checkerwork and a wreath of chainwork. This is the place where the elders bear the responsibility in full. This cannot be understood simply by studying the passage, but by interpreting this portion of the Word in the light of our experience.