Verse 7 says, “Remember the ones leading you, who have spoken to you the word of God, and considering the issue of their manner of life, imitate their faith.” This is essential in the church life. Verse 7 is a continuation of verses 5 and 6. Their “manner of life” here must refer to the way of life pursued by those ministers of the word of God—without love of money and being satisfied with their circumstances. Their “faith” must refer to the fact that they trusted in the Lord, who is their Helper, for their living. The word which they ministered and the life which they lived should all be Christ, and their faith should be the faith in Christ, of which Christ is both the Author and Perfecter (12:2). Such a manner of life and such a faith are surely worthy of imitation by the believers.
The ministers of the word of God should have a manner of life that issues in an example of faith for the church members, the receivers of the word of God, to imitate. Then the church members will not only receive the word they minister, but also imitate their faith expressed in their manner of life. Their manner of life should be that of trusting in the Lord for all their needs. How different this is from the worldly manner of life! As the believers consider the issue of the manner of life of those who minister the word of God to them, they will be influenced to imitate their faith in God.
Verse 16 says, “Do not be forgetful doing good and sharing with others, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” This verse speaks of doing good. This is not the good of good and evil; it is the good in God’s economy. Doing good according to God’s economy, which is a sacrifice well-pleasing to God, is according to God’s working within us (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:13), that is, according to the working of the law of life. Our outward doing good must be according to the inward working of the law of life.
Verse 16 also speaks of sharing with others. This is necessary for a proper church life. It is really improper if in the church some needy saints are not well cared for. This means that the sharing with others is absent or inadequate. Sharing with others is also a sacrifice well-pleasing to God. Its purpose is to supply the want of the needy saints for equality (2 Cor. 8:14-15). Those who have more than they need should share with those who have less than they need. When those who have more share with those who have less, there will be an equality among us. This is similar to the gathering of manna by the children of Israel in the wilderness. In those days, “He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack” (2 Cor. 8:15; Exo. 16:18). As a result, there was equality among the children of Israel.
Verse 17 says, “Obey the ones leading you and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who will give account, that they may do this with joy and not groaning, for this would be unprofitable to you.” I have heard of many so-called spiritual people who say that as long as we have the Spirit, we all are leading ones and we do not need anyone to lead us. They say that it is wrong to have leaders among us. According to them, having leading ones means to have an organization with a hierarchy and a pope. We must be balanced in this matter. We thank the Lord that in His recovery during the past fifty years there have always been the proper leading ones among the churches for the keeping of the order in God’s house.
In every household there are, in addition to the parents, the older brothers and sisters. Suppose there are six children in a family. Spontaneously, each one of them knows his order. When the oldest brother speaks, all the others listen to him. But if the third brother would presume to be the oldest brother, all the others would refuse to listen to him. If we would maintain a good order in the house of God, we must have the leading ones, and all the saints must obey them and submit to them. This is necessary for the building up of the church.
This matter of leadership, however, should not be too official. For example, in a family there is no need for the oldest child to say, “I am the number one child, and you all must realize that I am the leader of the children in this family. Since I have this position, I am God’s deputy authority.” I am sorry that the leaders of many Christian groups have utilized the book, Spiritual Authority, written by Brother Nee. They have used this book to build up their empire, saying, “I am the spiritual authority here. According to Watchman Nee’s book, you all must listen to me.” Some time ago, three young men came from a certain place to visit the elders of the church in Anaheim. They rebuked the elders, saying, “Are you elders? You don’t know how to be elders. We are elders.” These young men, all of whom were in their early twenties, were just boy elders, having been established by some self-appointed king. They were not true elders; they were actors.
If a brother is truly an elder, everyone will realize it, and he will have no need to assume any authority. If you are the oldest child in a family, all the other children realize this. There is no need to exercise yourself to assume authority. Rather, you should take loving care of your younger brothers and sisters. Likewise, the elders in the churches should not assume authority but take loving care of the saints. Elders, forget your authority. On their side, the saints must obey you and submit themselves to you. On your side, however, you should not assume authority. Nothing is uglier than assuming authority. We should simply be what we are without assuming anything. Nevertheless, in the house of God and for the building up of the Body of Christ, we must have a beautiful order among us.
Verses 18 and 19 say, “Pray for us, for we are persuaded that we have a good conscience, desiring in all things to conduct ourselves rightly. And I beseech you much more to do this that I may be restored to you more quickly.” Praying for the apostles is also an aspect of the church life. To pray for the apostles is not to pray in a personal and private way; it is to pray for the ministry and to participate in the Lord’s move for the fulfilling of God’s purpose. I thank God for the prayer meetings in Anaheim. Every week we spend a long time praying for the Lord’s move on earth and for the fulfilling of His purpose.
As we consider these ten virtues, we see that they are all necessary for the church life and should be practiced among us.