The hymns we are using were first edited by Brother Nee, who selected them from ten thousand hymns used in Christianity. In the beginning the number of selected hymns was less than one hundred, and the number later increased to one hundred and thirty-three. In 1966 I felt that this number was not adequate; therefore, I added two hundred more, most of them emphasizing six categories: the Spirit, life, Christ, the church, prayer, and the reading of the Word.
Among those hymns related to Christ, the ones I like the best are hymn #501, “O glorious Christ, Savior mine”; hymn #499, “Oh, what a life! Oh, what a peace!”; and hymn #539, “O Lord, Thou art in me as life and everything to me!” After singing these hymns, I am full of enjoyment, touching the Spirit and receiving the life supply. Where can you find this kind of hymn among Christians today?
In this message we will look at a special topic that has not been covered before, that is, “The Nature and Characteristic of a Meeting of the Believers.”
Everything has its own nature and, therefore, its own characteristic. Nature is inward and characteristic is outward. A meeting of the believers also has its nature and characteristic. For example, Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.” The Brethren use this verse as the foundation of their meetings. They say that the Lutheran church meets in the name of Luther, the Methodist church meets in the name of John Wesley, and the Presbyterian church meets in the name of the elders. The Bible tells us not to meet in other names. Hence, today we meet in one unique name, that is, the name of Jesus Christ. The Brethren considered that the denominations were not scriptural; therefore, they forsook them and did not take any name. When we were raised up by the Lord, we also saw the light from the Brethren and did not take any name ourselves.
In 1938, I went back to Cheefoo from Tien Tsien. Each of seven denominations in Cheefoo selected a representative to invite me for dinner. They said to me at the table, “Brother Lee, we thank the Lord that He is using you greatly. Your preaching is very helpful. However, there is one thing that we disagree with. You have been speaking that the Body of Christ is one, that the church is one, and that all Christians should be one and should not be divided. We all agree with this truth. However, we cannot understand why you take the lead to create a division while you tell others not to make divisions. You took those who have accepted your teachings and formed another denomination. Your deeds do not match your words.”
I said, “You all are my elders. I have longed for this opportunity to discuss this matter with you. In chapter one of 1 Corinthians, Paul spoke to the Corinthians, saying, ‘Each of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Has Christ been divided?’ At that time, they were only divided into groups and not yet into the denominations of Paul, of Apollos, of Cephas, and of Christ. While they were still the church in Corinth, Paul rebuked them. If Paul were here today seeing so many denominations—the Presbyterian church, the Inner China group, the Baptist church, the Seventh Day Adventists, the Church of Christ—would Paul approve of this?”
They responded with sincerity, saying, “Of course, Paul would not have approved of this.” I replied, “If Paul would not approve of it, why are there still denominations here? In reading the Lord’s Word I saw the light, and I knew that I could not go to any denomination. At the same time, by the Lord’s grace I preached the gospel, and some were saved. Let me ask you, to which denomination should I bring them after they have believed in the Lord? I would not have peace in my conscience to bring the saved ones to places where I myself could not go. I have no other way but to rent a room and to meet with them. We do not have a name; we only have a place to meet. As we meet, we are waiting for you to put aside your denominations; then we will be one. You are representatives of different denominations. If you promise to take down the names of your denominations, I promise that I will go back immediately and tell the brothers, ‘Close the door! We will meet together with them.’” They answered, “It is impossible for us to do this.” I said, “Since you cannot do it, who will bear the responsibility of division? Truth is truth, and fact is fact; do you not obey the truth?” They were silent.
Praise the Lord, light is light, and truth is truth. From 1952 until now, I have been proclaiming this truth, from my home town of Cheefoo, to Chin-Dao, to Shanghai, to Taiwan, to Southeast Asia, to the United States, to South America, to Europe, and to Australia. Today I received a letter from Australia, saying, “Brother Lee, would you seek the Lord concerning your coming to Australia to have a conference with us? This will greatly benefit the Lord’s move in Australia.” This letter was signed by the leading brothers of twelve local churches in Australia. In Australia there are already twelve local churches. In Ghana, Africa, there are also a number of churches.
For thirty years I have been proclaiming the truth concerning the church. The more I proclaim this truth, the bolder I become. Throughout all these years I have never changed my tone. In 1949 I went to Taiwan under the arrangement of the work. At that time there were only two or three churches there. Altogether there were fewer than ninety churches, including the churches in Southeast Asia—in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Today, thirty-six years later, the Lord has raised up more than five hundred additional churches in six continents. Now there are over six hundred churches. We do not have mission boards; neither do we have missionaries, pastors, Bible colleges, or fund-raising programs. When I went to the United States of America I went empty-handed.