The co-workers must have a turn. Every co-worker is like a beam and a pillar in a house. They are beams and pillars supporting the house. The entire house should not be supported by the co-workers. Rather, when a co-worker leaves a locality, there should be saints who have been raised up to replace him. However, even among the co-workers who have been serving for twenty years, it is difficult to find a locality where the service has been built up for the saints to carry out their function.
There is a group in the Philippines with a large membership. The founder of this group does not believe that the Lord Jesus is God. Nevertheless, because he thinks that the Lord Jesus was a man with excellent character and conduct, the members of this group are diligent in regard to maintaining good conduct. For example, the members in this group are excommunicated if they are loose in their marriage. Their meetings are proper, and their meeting place is respectable. I visited one of their chapels in Manila, and there were many people. The ushers are specially trained. One time at least four of their members, one a lawyer and another a medical doctor, came to debate with me concerning God. From our conversation I observed their character and their strictness. We may not match even ten percent of their standard. They have many members, yet every one of them is well behaved. Although we do not care for all their outward regulations, we can learn from their diligence. The lack among our co-workers is a lack in the word. If they were willing to spend time, make an effort, and diligently endeavor before the Lord, they would have a living word.
These are the three crucial points that we should focus on. First, the building up of the church services; second, the growth in life of the saints; and third, the supply of the word. The church services are maintained in an ordinary way. The number of serving ones in a locality does not increase. Furthermore, the condition of the saints in the divine life remains the same year after year. Hence, the co-workers are only maintaining the status quo at best. It is no wonder that the saints have not grown in life and that the churches have not advanced.
In the past when the co-workers went to various localities, they usually replaced the elders. The co-workers must not serve in this way anymore; rather, they should bring the elders along in the work. We must find out our weaknesses and our problems. Formerly, both the co-workers and the elders kept the services in their hands and were unwilling to hand them over to the saints. This must change. When we begin the work, we should lay a foundation of letting the saints function. As the saints learn to function, we should be less involved. Everything should be placed in their hands. Thus, the church affairs become the service of the saints. This is a great principle.
Furthermore, when we hand things over to the saints, we should watch from a distance. Our watching is not with a hope that the things would return to us, and we do not focus on mistakes that the saints might make. When we hand a certain matter over to a brother, we should watch him as if we were sitting next to him and teaching him to drive a car. We should not only explain things to him but also instruct him on how to do them. If he does not do a good job, we should encourage him so that he does not lose heart. If he loses heart, we should not lose heart. We should encourage him until he is strengthened. This has not been our practice in the past. Instead, it seems as if we have not put our whole heart into expanding the work. The more we were involved in various aspects of the service, the fewer the saints who served. In the end, there was only a small number of experienced “old timers,” and the other saints were idle. This has been a great problem in our work. Therefore, the co-workers and elders must learn to hand things over to the saints and also to watch and teach the saints as they serve until the saints are fully able to function.
Some co-workers seem very capable in the work, but their service is superficial; it is a work without the element of life. We do not care for this kind of work. Our work can be compared to tending an orchard. In order for the fruit trees to grow and bear fruit, some branches must be pruned or trimmed. But this is not the primary need. The primary need is to fertilize and water the orchard and to get rid of bugs. These are done with the expectation that the fruit trees will grow and bear fruit. Hence, there is growth, and there is also fruit-bearing.
Some co-workers can do a work that looks good, but their work is void of the divine life. Our work must have the element of life. Our meetings may seem “disorderly,” but there must be the element of life. We do not want to do a work that is without life. We want to do a work that has life, grows, and bears fruit. Only this kind of work will grow. Attractive messages are not useful without the element of life. We do not care for attractive messages. We care only that our messages have the effect of life and penetrate into the inner being of the saints. Growth in life does not depend on attractive messages. Growth in life depends on whether life is imparted into the saints and grows in them. If a co-worker gives messages full of the divine life, this life will continue to operate in the saints even after he leaves. Life takes care of its own growth.
We must change our concept and not repeat our mistakes so that our work can advance. If we do not deal with this problem, our work will not advance. If we pay attention to the fellowship in this message, we will be living. These points are basic. If the co-workers take heed to these points, the work will be effective.
In many localities the co-workers are replacing the elders and the deacons in their service. In other localities many things are blocked, and nothing is accomplished because the elders control the saints. Such situations should not exist among us. In our coordination we must stop directing the saints. Whenever there is something that needs to be done, we should hand the responsibility over to the saints and let them take care of it. We should not rely on directing the saints. For example, not many saints may volunteer to serve for a conference. The saints serve only when they are directed to serve. If no arrangements were made for them to serve, they would not serve. The co-workers are responsible to turn this situation. They should delegate all the services to the saints for their regular function.
The saints have the heart to set aside time for the meetings, and their tithing is substantial. However, the saints have not been perfected in the service. The saints who meet regularly do not exercise their function, we do not help them grow in life, and we do not supply them with the word. In the meetings the saints are only maintained. This is better than not having meetings. However, it is not adequate to only maintain the saints; we need to give them food. Every week we should give the saints a supply in the word. Sometimes the word should be simple, and sometimes it should be deep. Whether the message is simple or deep, we should always give a word that causes the saints to be enlivened, fed, and satisfied.
Recently, the elders in a locality asked for a method to meet the need of supplying the saints with life. I do not have any methods to give you. You should find a way. Find the reasons that the saints do not come to the meetings. This will be a great help to the church. Then address the problems so that the saints can meet. When the elders come together, they should not discuss matters but should spend time praying and seeking the reasons that hinder the saints from coming to the meetings and that hinder our bearing fruit. We do not bear fruit because we are idle, slothful, and not diligent. Hence, we must make a major turn. We should study this situation thoroughly.