The administration of God’s New Testament economy is simply the move of God on the earth today. In the New Testament not only does God reveal to us His New Testament economy, but He also shows us step by step the administration of that economy by means of both clear words and patterns of practice.
Unfortunately, due to the degradation of the church in the last two thousand years, the church followed after man’s desires and became mixed with the world so that the clear revelation and pattern of the administration of God’s New Testament economy became completely obscured. We were born with such a background of confusion and were also affected by the confusing situation and atmosphere of Christianity. Although the Lord brought us into His recovery over sixty years ago, it has not been easy for us to be freed from this kind of confusing situation. The practices in Christianity with its confusion fit in with the worldly taste and with man’s natural inclination. Therefore, after a person believes in the Lord and becomes a Christian, without any special effort he spontaneously comes under that atmosphere and inclination and is unable to be freed from the confusing situation of Christianity.
For more than sixty years, our burden has been the matter of Christ and the church in God’s economy. We have published many messages concerning the great mystery of Christ and the church. However, every time we testify for God according to this mystery, there is a big conflict between us and Christianity over the matter of the church practice, that is, the matter of the administration of God’s New Testament economy. The opposition, resistance, and slandering have risen up from this point. All the weaknesses among us are also due to the confusions and mistakes in the church practice. These confusions and mistakes have suppressed and even killed the spiritual life of many saints. They have also hindered and weakened the increase and spread of the church so that the church has been in a half-dormant condition.
I hope that all the brothers and sisters can put aside their backgrounds and circumstances, and all the influences they have been under as well. We need to come together to the pure Word of God to see what is the administration of God’s New Testament economy.
The New Testament shows us that the purpose of the Lord in saving sinners is to obtain a builded church. In Matthew 16:16, after Peter received the revelation from the Father to recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Lord Jesus spoke to him, saying, “And I also say to you...on this rock I will build My church” (v. 8). The Lord Jesus shows us here that it is not enough to know Him as the Christ and the Son of the living God, but we also need to know the church which He will build “on this rock.” This rock does not merely refer to Christ, but it also refers to the revelation concerning Christ. Christ will build the church according to this revelation.
In Acts the Lord Jesus had gained a group of followers among whom were apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers (Eph. 4:11). They were raised up by Christ, produced through the death and resurrection of Christ, and appointed by Christ in the Holy Spirit. Christ gave these persons as gifts to the church for its building up. These were the ones who preached the gospel on the earth and brought people to be saved that they might receive the life of God. They also taught them the truth that they might know God, His heart’s desire, His plan, His purpose, and all the spiritual matters which are related to God’s New Testament economy. Then in each locality they built up this group of believers who had been saved and nurtured in the truth. On the one hand, as to the universal aspect, this group of believers is the one Body of Christ, which is God’s unique church on the earth. On the other hand, this unique church is expressed through groups of believers in many localities. The churches which are expressed in each locality are the local churches. The number of localities determines the number of local churches. Therefore, regarding the church, there are two aspects, the universal aspect and the local aspect. The universal church is mysterious and abstract; hence, it is relatively simple. But the local church is manifest and exists before our eyes. None of us who are in the church can be separated from the local church. Therefore, there must be God’s administration in the local churches.