This is a training. I would like to present all the situations to you, so that you will know where you are, what you are doing, and what your goal is. We who serve the Lord must learn the lesson not to react to any outward circumstances. You must not react to the dealing of the older ones. You must not react to the dealing of those of your own age. You must not react to the dealing of the middle-aged sisters. No matter who is dealing with you and in what aspect, your secret is not to react. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He was like a deaf person, not hearing the slandering of man and not reacting to slandering words. If you react, you will be affected, and your small group will not be able to meet after a few times.
We who serve the Lord would all like to be welcomed. We hope others would be nice to us and honor us. The real situation, however, is exactly the opposite. Before you were serving the Lord, others may have considered you to be quite good. Once you serve the Lord, others will have a lot of criticisms about you. Psychologically, the brothers and sisters may admire you for giving up your future and consecrating everything to the Lord at such a young age, yet on the other hand they would scrutinize you to see how you do. The best thing to do at this time is not to react, but to be deaf and blind. Do not react when others treat you well. Do not react when others treat you poorly. Do not react when others exalt you, and do not react when others trample you under their feet. The first lesson for us full-time serving ones is not to react.
The second lesson we need to learn is to supply others. We need to supply others with truth and life. In brief, we need to supply others with Christ. Whether we are attending the group meetings, the home meetings, or the district meetings, we have to do this. The Apostle Paul served the Lord according to this principle: it was not his concern to be welcomed by others or to be exalted by them. Therefore, he did not care about others’ contempt or indifference. His heart had only one desire: to supply others with Christ and to receive a supply from them. We who are serving the Lord today should be the same. You go to the meetings to supply others and to be supplied by them. You should receive from whoever can supply you, no matter who he is. If you do this, the group meetings will surely be successful. The older saints, the younger saints, and the middle-aged sisters will all receive a supply from you. You must learn this.
Now let me come back to point out your shortcomings and weaknesses. When you young people speak, often you do not consider your own status and position. When you hear something from me, you go out and speak the same thing. As a result, many times you cause trouble. This is because you are not I. Moreover, my words are spoken with various considerations. Sometimes it is also difficult for me to give a message. I am a straightforward person. Some words I need to say. But when you young ones hear them, you go out and repeat them. This is very inappropriate. You need to know that the church in Taipei is a large church today. There are all kinds of people here. We need to be careful about our words and our conduct. As to a rebuke from the brothers and sisters, the best way to handle it is not to react. At the same time, we need to learn more, pray more, contact the Lord and have fellowship with Him more. We need to give more ground to the Spirit that we may be filled with Him; for only in the Spirit is there the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and the wisdom of Christ. I hope that these things would become your practice during the time of your training. Take care of the home meetings, and at the same time practice these things.
I have also heard that with some teams, the members cannot coordinate together. If the members of the same team cannot coordinate together, how can you take care of the groups? This time, our arrangement of the groups includes all the elders, co-workers, full-timers, and trainees. The majority of your work as full-timers is to care for the home meetings with a view to the group meetings. Therefore, you will encounter all the lessons that I have just mentioned. What each group should do, and what materials should be used in the meetings are details that can be left to the fellowship of the leading ones in the district meetings. When you leading ones come together, surely there will be opinions. It is not easy for all to be in one accord. Here are many lessons that are hard to learn. But we have the Lord, the killing of the cross, and the resurrection life. By these we can keep the oneness of the Body of Christ. In this oneness, we can live and work together.
A message given by Brother Witness Lee in Taipei on November 19, 1987.