As an elderly man, I do not like to criticize or offend anyone. I prefer to love people and to be kind to them. However, when I contact God, I am burdened to speak concerning the situation in Christianity today. Christianity has mostly missed God’s mark. Where is there a church today that truly bears the testimony of Jesus? Christianity mainly cares for people’s salvation, joy, peace, and welfare—present and future. Because of this, if someone gives a message from the pulpit on the testimony of Jesus, he may be cast out. Many pastors, out of fear for their job, do not dare to speak concerning this. Due to this situation, fifty years ago the Lord was forced to go to the Far East, a heathen place, to find some young ones who did not care for their life but were charged with boldness to speak the truth to people.
This is not the age merely for people’s salvation, peace, joy, and welfare. This is the age for the testimony of Jesus Christ. The more we are only for salvation and joy, the less we will enjoy them, and if we are only for peace, peace will not come. Even some pastors fight with their wives, and their children are rebellious. Where is the genuine peace? Because people are only for themselves, they lose everything. True salvation comes when we are for His testimony. There is no need to focus on our salvation. If we care for the testimony of Jesus, we will certainly enjoy salvation. People could martyr Peter and Paul, but they could never take away the apostles’ enjoyment of salvation. Their enjoyment of salvation was secured by the testimony of Jesus.
We need to have a turn from our interest, salvation, peace, joy, and welfare. People in America may have better homes and cars than others have, but they do not have more peace, joy, salvation, or spiritual welfare. Today the Lord Jesus is seeking some people who will be for Him, some who will be bold and willing to say, “Lord Jesus, I do not care merely for my salvation from the lake of fire. I love You, and I want to be Your testimony.” Anyone who says this will certainly be saved from eternal perdition. Likewise, whoever says, “Lord Jesus, I care not for my joy but for Your testimony” will be the most joyful person. The most joyful people are those who are for the testimony of Jesus. If we are not for Jesus’ testimony, what kind of future can we have? Our future will only be one of getting old and weak and eventually being buried. There is no peace, joy, or welfare in this. We are not here for these things. We must be here for His testimony. We should say, “Lord Jesus, I do not care for my peace, my joy, my welfare, or my future. Lord, I care only for Your testimony here today.” This testimony of Jesus is the local church, the church in our locality.
Whenever we touch the local church, we truly have joy, peace, and everything. After I came to the United States from China, I told my relatives and friends in China, “America is a good country, but it is good only for us to have the church life. If you are not for the church life, do not come here. It will be a terrible place to you.” This country is the most sinful place, full of fornication, homosexuality, nightclubs, and many sinful things. There may be more evil here than in Sodom and Gomorrah. However, this is still the best place to have the church life. Here are all the modern conveniences, and people can make good wages simply by working in a trade. Many young Americans in the church life work only five days a week for eight hours a day, and then every evening they can come together to sing and praise the Lord. Some spend their entire Saturday and Lord’s Day “churching” in the church life. To them, being in America is wonderful. One hundred years ago, to sail from the west coast of America to China took six months, but today we can fly to Taiwan in one day and come back the next day. We can also talk to brothers throughout the country and even throughout the world by a long-distance telephone call. Likewise, all the highways and freeways are for the church life. However, if the young people in such a top, rich nation are not for the church life, they will miss the blessing and fall into the “flood” of television, dancing, nightclubs, skiing, and surfing in this country. Like Noah and his family, we are here in the “ark” enjoying the presence of the Lord. This is the church life.
However, we should not care merely for our own enjoyment in the church life. If we do, we are fallen. We are here not for our own enjoyment but for the testimony of Jesus. As long as we are for His testimony, He will be our joy, but if we are for our own joy, we will have no joy. The Lord’s testimony is our joy. Recently when I saw the young ones in a certain locality, I became very excited. They were so dear to me. I rejoiced so loudly that I had trouble with my voice afterward. Once when I was invited to speak to another small group, I spoke in a sad way, because everyone there was for himself; not one was for the Lord Jesus. That truly grieved my heart. On the contrary, I am very joyful to be with the churches in many localities. Sometimes my family cautions me to take care of my rest, but I cannot help myself. When I see the churches, I become excited. The church life is truly glorious because Jesus is testified here. The present revelation of God is not a mission or a work of preaching. It is to gain the testimony of Jesus in the church life.