In Matthew 25, the Lord repeated twice the word about participating in the joy of Christ in the kingdom. The Lord said the same word to the good slave who gained five talents from five and to the one who gained two talents from two: “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter into the joy of your lord” (vv. 21, 23). The reason for their reward was that they cared for others, bringing them to salvation and gaining them for the Lord. When the Lord comes, they will be rewarded by participating in the joy of Christ in the kingdom.
These ones who have given up the world to gain Christ are working to complete the New Testament ministry. The work of the New Testament ministry is first the building up of the church of God. The church of God is the pillar and base of the truth in a locality. Truth here refers to the real things concerning Christ and the church according to God’s New Testament economy. The church is the supporting pillar and holding base of all these realities. A local church today should hold, bear, and testify the truth of Christ and the church.
Those who are newly saved in the church have been saved recently out of the world; they do not know much about the truth. If you can speak some truth in the meeting, you will render them much help. The result is that the local church will become the pillar and base of the divine truth. Today we have the preaching of the gospel. We also have the home meetings, the small group meetings, and the district meetings. All these provide ample opportunity for you to minister the truth. If you would indeed give up the world to gain Christ and would take the burden of the building of the local church upon your shoulders, you have to learn the truth properly, grow in life, and speak the truth in the meetings. Not only should you speak the truth in the home meetings, the group meetings, and the district meetings; you need to speak the truth to your neighbors as well. The church is the pillar and base of the truth.
When a local church becomes the pillar and base of the truth, it becomes God’s manifestation in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16). First Corinthians 14:24-25 says that when all speak for the Lord in the meeting, if an unbeliever comes, he will be convicted to say that God is really among us. If our meetings are in such a condition, they will be God manifested in the flesh. The function of the local churches is to support the truth of God. It is also to express God in the different localities.
The building up of the Body of Christ is a very rich and profound subject. Due to the time, I can only point out a little bit. All six points in the outline are revelations from Ephesians 4:12-16. If the working saints can rise up, such a condition will be manifested in Taipei, that is, there will be a practical oneness seen. All the brothers and sisters will have no more opinions, because everyone will have grown in life. In a family, the most talkative ones are the young children. The same is true when a church is young. One would say something and another would say something else, and opinions are everywhere. By the gradual growth in life, everyone will arrive at the practical oneness-a oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God. By then, no one will need to say anything else. Everyone will be speaking about the faith and about Christ.
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