Forget about trying to be a leader. Paul said that he was "less than the least of all saints" (Eph. 3:8). He considered himself smaller than the smallest. We need to be like him. Some are struggling for power, for leadership, in the church among the Christians. That is shameful. To want to be a leader is not a glory or a boast; it is a shame. In the Gentile world, to be in power is a remarkable thing. But in the church to struggle to be in power is shameful.

I know the story. I am as human as you are. Furthermore, I have passed through your age. Today young people like to have the leadership. You should not have this attitude: "If I am a leader in this, I am for it. If not, I am not for it." If any one of you is like this, you are through. Do not try to be a leader. Instead, by His mercy and grace, just be a member built with others in the church. You all need to be built up together.

Today the worldly people say that union is power. But we say that the building up is power. If you are built up with others, whatever you do will be for the producing of the church life. If not, whatever you do will be for the separating, the dividing, of the Body. What the Lord needs today is a built-up church. He needs a group of members who are built up together so that they can go not only to preach the gospel but also to produce the built-up church life.

The real communal life is a built-up life, a life in which you are built up as one. This is where we have the power. This power is not just to convince others or just to bring others to Christ, but to produce the local churches. In our work there should be nothing personal or individualistic. All the time our work is from the church, for the church, and back to the church.

Do not try to do a quick work. The more you try to be quick, the more you will be slowed down. By His grace and mercy, just be built up together with others. We need to pray, "O Lord, I do not need anything but the building. Grant me to be built up with others, Lord. O Lord, I need the building. I need the oneness." We need to have the realization that we are one and take action to go and disciple the nations.

We have seen that man is the meaning of the universe, that Christ is the meaning of the human life, that the church is the expression of Christ, and that the real communal life is the church life. When we have the communal life in reality, the building up of the church, we are qualified to go. You need to be built up and then you can go. Wherever you go, there will be a church produced and established. Go from the church and come back to the church. Throughout all the places where you travel, churches will be established. This is the Lord's purpose.