Furthermore, we must not allow our disposition to prejudice us toward others. This is a problem that is very damaging. It is a great problem for a co-worker to like one type of saint and dislike another type of saint. We should not like or dislike anyone. We must transcend our personal feelings, and we must spend time to observe the saints. It is wrong for us to like a saint who suits our disposition. If I do not like talkative people, I can easily like a saint who does not speak much, whether or not he functions. However, there may be a talkative saint who does not suit my disposition but whose function has been manifested. Which saint should I spend time to perfect? I should perfect both. One of the co-workers often said that there is no one for him to perfect. Actually, there are saints whom he can work on, but they just are not according to his disposition. He thinks that they are not qualified; therefore, he puts them aside and will not perfect them. This is a basic problem among the co-workers.
Perfecting the saints and producing useful ones are the responsibility of both the co-workers and the elders. The co-workers, the elders, and the responsible ones in the districts and the other serving saints must not be afraid of the trouble or difficulties involved in perfecting the saints. They must also transcend their feelings by teaching and accommodating the saints. Without such a spirit we can do nothing. It is wrong to think that no one is useful. Wherever we are, we must work to the extent that even the saints who seemingly have no capacity become useful. We must make use of every kind of material; we must perfect the saints. We must coordinate, use the environment, and produce useful saints.
In some places the co-workers and elders are capable, but they work as though the saints cannot be perfected. This is a big problem. We must not allow such a situation to continue. We should let the saints serve. Some of these saints will even do a better job than what we have done. It is intolerable for us to hold the saints down. In particular, the co-workers and elders should never be so careless as to hold the saints down. Even if we are capable, we should train others and not hold them down. In the work and in the church we are not measured by whether or not we are capable; we are measured by how many useful ones we are able to produce. The standard of success does not depend on our ability to do a certain thing. The standard is determined by how many useful ones we can produce. My ability to serve is not the standard; the standard is whether I can perfect another saint to do better than me. This requires that we learn our lessons.
The work and the church are progressing very slowly because we do not serve with the saints in order to teach them. Furthermore, we seldom coordinate with others. Those who have some capacity are passive, and they yield to others. The position of the senior elders and the co-workers is not the important issue. Our concept must be changed, and the system must be changed. The senior elders will continue to serve as elders, but they should not limit or hinder the other saints. Moreover, the middle-aged saints should be brought into the eldership to assist the senior elders. This would be very good. We must not keep things in our hand. We must be willing to hand things over to other saints and to teach them. Then those who are younger will be raised up by the Lord to be useful. Concerning this point, our concept must change, and our system must change. This is not just a matter of having a new way of doing things. It is altogether a matter of changing our concept. When both the co-workers and the elders begin to perfect the saints, our coordination will become effective. May the Lord have mercy on us.