Knowing the Commitment of the Minister (2)


	Knowing the Commitment of the Minister (2) Let the elders who take the lead well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and teaching - 1 Timothy 5:17. Charge those who are rich in the present age not to be high-minded, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches but on God, who affords us all things richly for our enjoyment - 1 Timothy 6:17. O Timothy, guard the deposit, turning away from profane, vain babblings and oppositions from what is falsely called knowledge - 1 Timothy 6:20. Recognizing the Commitment of the Lord Through the Constitution of the Riches into Us I believe that the serving ones among us not only lay hold on the Lord, but also understand the commitment that the Lord has given to us. One brother said he would not leave the recovery even though some might try to kill him. This kind of sentiment is very moving. But I would like to ask him, "During your time in the recovery, what do you give others?" The saints in the recovery should ask the elders and the leading brothers what it is that they give to the saints. When we have the vision of the recovery and live for the recovery, we should ask what we are able to give others. You have now been in this labor for three months. What do you minister in the meetings? Do you still work on your so-called three-minute prophecy? The purpose of the labor is to get you spiritually equipped. You are not here to learn how to perform. If you are concerned about a three-minute presentation every other week, seeking ways to make your presentation enjoyable and attractive, being consumed with this day and night, it indicates that your labor is not healthy. Brothers, you should allow the Lord's riches to be constituted into you - you should pursue the full knowledge of the divine Trinity, of God's economy, of the organic Body, of the divine dispensing, and of the high peak of the divine revelation. Furthermore, you should have the subjective experience of Christ. You should experience the work that Christ accomplished on the cross, live in the spirit, partake of the riches of the Triune God, and enjoy the Triune God subjectively. Finally, you should stand firm on the local ground, live in the local church, live for the building up of the church, exercise to prophesy, and be perfected. If you possess such knowledge, experience, and exercise, you will become constituted with the Lord's riches, and this constitution will then become your commitment. The Constitution Being the Reality of the Commitment A person who has a Ph.D. has become specialized. Others do not know what he knows, and yet he doesn't know what they know either. This is the essence of what it means to have a Ph.D. Since no one else knows his research, his research becomes his commitment. If he does well, he will be the expert in his field, and no one will be able to do what he does. This is the commitment that comes with a Ph.D. What really matters is not the degree, but the resulting commitment. In the Lord's recovery it is similar. Whether or not you can minister in the church life depends on your constitution, for the church is an organism. If you have the assurance that you are for the Lord and for the recovery, and if you are committed for the sake of the recovery, then you must ask yourself this sober question: How do I serve the church? What is it that I minister to the saints? During the time when Brother Lee was leading all the saints in Taipei to prophesy one by one, I walked with him one day. Suddenly he stopped and told me, "Titus, I am not against giving messages. The problem is that we have 21 halls in Taipei. Where can we find 21 brothers with a ministry?" Although Brother Lee asked us all to prophesy, he was not against giving messages. The problem is what is to be said in the message. If a brother is short of the riches of the truth, experience, and exercise, and if he has no constitution of the riches, then what will he say? There will be no real content to his message. The Constitution Being the Testimony of Our Assurance and the Substantiation of Our Commitment Our problem is not that we lack saints who are positive. There are many saints who are positively assured concerning the recovery. Our problem is not a matter of consecration, either. There are many saints who live for the recovery. The problem is that we are short of those who possess the constitution of the Lord's riches. Actually, even our assurance has gradually changed. Many now simply maintain a form of the church life. Today we need to strengthen our assurance and absoluteness, so that we are once again clear that our life is for God's economy. Gradually, through our consecration, the economy of God must become our commitment and the meaning of our life. If you desire to possess the divine commitment of the Lord's servant, then you must have the constitution of the riches that the Lord has given to us through those who have gone before. This process takes many years. You need to tell the Lord, "Grant me 20 years, Lord. I don't want to remain in my assurance or just shout about my so-called commitment. I desire to pursue and to be constituted with all the riches that You have delivered unto us." Not many in the recovery have this kind of desire today. Most of us are like the proverbial bear in a cornfield, dropping the ear he last picked as he reaches for the next one. We pick up one "ear" in one conference and another in the next training. We are picking and dropping at the same time, and eventually there is still only one "ear" left in our hand. Even that one we may not eat. We simply enjoy the excitement of the picking. Not many seek to know how the riches might be constituted into them. Most of the saints are continually waiting for the next conference to hear Brother Lee's newest utterance. Not many tell the Lord, "After Brother Lee's conferences and trainings, I desire to digest all the riches so that they can be constituted into me." On the one hand, the riches do come forth very rapidly. They are profound and are not easy to understand. On the other hand, if you do not recognize the necessity of becoming constituted with them so that your assurance becomes your commitment, you will not be able to possess the reality of the commitment and thus substantiate your assurance. In Christianity, people identify with their denomination. Some feel they belong to the Lutheran Church or to the Baptist Church. Some say, "My father is a Presbyterian. My grandfather was a church elder. Our family has been Presbyterian for generations." He thus identifies himself with the Presbyterian Church. If we don't have the constitution of the riches of the ministry so that they become our commitment, eventually our identification with "the Lord's Recovery" will be no different from what is experienced by those in a denomination. As we listen to the speaking of the ministry with its riches, these riches must become our assurance. This will in turn bring in our consecration, and the riches will then become our constitution. Thus we will possess not only an assurance and an absolute consecration, but also a commitment. With this commitment, we will have the desire to pursue more riches. If we are in this kind of healthy cycle, we will become useful to the Lord, and we will have acquired the same commitment as the minister. Brother Lee's Pattern Brother Lee was not born a spiritual man. He also had to go through the process of being constituted. First, he had to acquire the assurance that he would walk this way all his life. Because of such an assurance he consecrated himself absolutely, and eventually his commitment took shape. From the time he received such an assurance to the time it became his commitment, he continuously partook of and enjoyed all the riches delivered to the church through the ages, especially those produced through Brother Nee. Brother Lee testified that whenever he could get a copy of something Brother Nee published (which wasn't that often, since Brother Nee produced perhaps but one journal a year), he would read and re-read it; he would study and re-study it. This is Brother Lee. He is firm in his assurance, and he is practical and rich in substantiating his commitment. Brother Nee once gave Brother Lee his set of Darby's Synopsis of the Books of the Bible. Brother Lee held it like a treasure, read it, studied it, and entered into it until he could attain to Brother Nee's appreciation of it. To substantiate such a commitment, we must become constituted with the riches of the Lord. Do not think that, simply because you threw away your degree, you are now following the Lord. Do not think that, simply because you gave up everything to serve Him full-time, you are now serving the Lord. No. Becoming a full-timer has to do with your assurance and your consecration. That is a good beginning. You cannot, however, stay in the stage of the assurance and consecration. Based upon your assurance and consecration, you must enjoy and partake of all the riches the Lord has given to us. As you enjoy and partake of the riches practically, these riches will be constituted into you and become your commitment. As a result, not only will you have the feeling that you are committed, but you will also have the reality of the commitment. When you contact Brother Lee or listen to his messages, he doesn't need to shout, "I have the commitment," for it is self-evident that he is a man with the reality of the commitment. When you read his messages, you can realize that his commitment is from the Lord. Not only does he have the commitment, but he also becomes the Lord's commitment. He is a man of the Lord's commitment. We need the Lord's mercy. Do not be too sure about your assurance. Your assurance is only the beginning, the first step. When you follow the Lord absolutely, you will have a sense of commitment, and your existence will have a purpose and a meaning. But you have to go beyond this, beyond your sense of commitment. You must pursue and live in the riches so that they become your constitution, the substantiation of your commitment. Avoiding Problems Caused by not Fully Understanding the Commitment of the Minister We must avoid problems that are caused by not fully understanding the commitment of the minister. The past turmoil was mainly caused by a lack of such understanding. In the 1950s, many brothers in Taiwan had opinions concerning Brother Lee. There were about 150 co-workers at that time. Only 80 were left after that turmoil. About 70 co-workers left us. I don't wish to judge them; only the Lord can examine our motives. Even now I need the Lord's examination when I am talking about being one with the ministry. It is hard to tell what was going on inside those brothers. On the one hand, they were not perfect. On the other hand, I don't think that originally they meant to rebel. That turmoil lasted a long time. The churches in Taiwan were in that situation for seven or eight years. No one knew how to deal with it. Brother Lee himself didn't deal with it right away, because of his love for those brothers. He endured them for seven or eight years. Looking back, we can see that the problem was due to their lack of understanding of the commitment from the Lord and the commitment of the minister. Around that time, someone excitedly told me, "Praise the Lord! The Lord showed us Ephesians, and now He is showing us Colossians. He showed us the church before, and now He is showing us Christ." This is the root of the problem. Isn't Christ the church? If you only see Christ without seeing the church, your Christ is not real. If you only see the church without seeing Christ, your church is not real. Christ is the church and the church is Christ. They cannot be divided. It is impossible for you to see the Body first and to see the Head later. It was evident that this brother did not have a clear understanding of our commitment. Not fully understanding the commitment of the minister was the cause of the turmoil. If we do not possess a clear understanding of the commitment of the minister, there will be turmoil after turmoil, hardship after hardship. Regardless of how spiritual he is, every person has some limitation measured to him from the Lord. Therefore, our following the Lord cannot depend upon our own observation of the brothers who have labored before us. We cannot comment on the work of the Spirit based on our observation of such brothers. We must have the vision of the commitment that the Lord has revealed to us through the brothers, and we must live in that commitment. I would like to encourage you who desire to serve the Lord. You must have the assurance and the commitment. More than that, you must enter into the riches the Lord has given to us, including the riches in truth, in experience, and in exercise. It takes a lot of time and cannot be hurried. If you thought you could obtain all the riches in this ten-month training, you were too naïve. During these ten months I can only open the door and show you where the riches are. If the Lord is merciful, you will be able to perceive the riches and will desire to spend the rest of your life enjoying, partaking of, and experiencing them. If this is indeed your case, this ten-month labor has been worthwhile. Now we need to consider the problems caused by our not fully understanding the commitment of the minister. Problem #1: The Leading of the Administration Going Beyond the Reality of the Truth The New Testament ministry is of the Spirit and consists of nothing but life and truth. But when the truth is substantiated in the church life, it is related to administration. Leading and administration are needed in the church. However, if the leading of the administration goes beyond the reality of the truth, it will cause problems. Some brothers are short of the experience of life and of the equipping in the truth. Although they have been through many of Brother Lee's conferences and trainings, they do not have a clear understanding of the commitment of the minister. When they take the lead in the church, they focus on the administration rather than on the truth. As a result, the leading of the administration goes beyond the reality of the truth. What Brother Lee Says and What He Means Many brothers in the recovery like to lead the saints according to what Brother Lee says. Be careful. If you don't see that Brother Lee's ministry is a ministry of life and truth, and if you are not a spiritual person with the experience of life and the equipping in the truth, then the reality of the truth in your hand will become merely practices and orders. What Brother Lee says is not as important as what Brother Lee means. Not many really understand what Brother Lee means when he speaks. For instance, when he led us all to prophesy, everyone thought he was against giving messages. But one day he suddenly told me, "Titus, from now on you stay in Anaheim and give us a message every Lord's Day. Let us try to have 1,000 in the congregation after you preach for one year." I was shocked. We were just told that to preach was the custom of the nations and that everyone was tired of it. I was very distressed when he asked me to preach. Usually I am not distressed when Brother Lee asks me to do something, but I was distressed that time, though I dared not refuse him. I remember fellowshipping with two co-workers and asking for their advice. They were also shocked and didn't know what to do. I was relieved when Brother Lee called me the second day and told me that he didn't feel I had to carry this out. Here is my point: Why did Brother Lee ask me to preach when he had just told people not to? He seemed to be contradicting himself. According to my understanding, he wasn't being inconsistent. He knows that different people should exercise differently according to their portion. Not Replacing the Lord's Calling by Stirring People Up, and Not Trying to Produce the Flow of the Spirit through Administrative Means We are a peculiar people. We tend to turn a spiritual burden and the reality of the truth into something administrative by telling others, "The Lord's servant is telling us not to preach. We can only prophesy. Preaching is the custom of the nations." In our hands, spiritual burden and the reality of the truth become things to do. We are too busy with administration to care about truth. We have no idea what the truth of "the ministry of the Word" or "the minister's ministering" is. We only care about administrative orders and following the "flow," not realizing that what we give as directions should be something announced by the Spirit, and that the flow belongs to the sovereignty of the Spirit. Rarely have we seen those who have gone before us attempting to stir people up rather than encouraging them to follow the Lord's calling. We have not seen them try to produce the flow of the Spirit by means of administration. They have simply brought the spiritual burden and the reality of the truth to us again and again. We need to be careful. If we cannot receive the spiritual reality of the truth, the riches in our hand will become an administrative means or a way to do things. If we do not know the commitment of the minister, the spiritual riches and the spiritual leading will become administrative and will lose their value. One brother advised me, "Why don't you use Brother Lee's outline and simply speak your own burden? Then you won't have any trouble at all." In the church life we don't play politics, but we don't need to openly be revolutionaries either. Revolutionaries struggle against anyone who doesn't agree with them, and politicians appear to agree with the leading while privately opposing it. They always look for ways to do their own thing. We are neither revolutionaries nor politicians. We are those who follow the truth. We are one with Brother Lee's ministry, because his ministry is one with the ministry of the Lord Jesus. Brother Lee's ministry carries out the New Testament ministry. His burden, the riches of his ministry, and his leading are all based on the truth. Therefore, we should also walk according to the truth. Administrative Leading Being Based upon the Reality of the Truth I don't mean that we have no need for administrative leading anymore. Administrative leading is still needed in the church, but it must be based on the reality of the truth. For example, when the elders heard the message that all can prophesy, they went back and encouraged the saints to prophesy in the meetings. This is an administrative leading. But we still must ask: Does the leading have the reality of the truth? Does it have the reality of prophesying? Now we have the same administrative leading in many localities, but we are short of that truth which is the reality of prophesying. In the meetings some just read their notes, some tell stories, and what others are doing, no one can tell. We seem to feel that, as long as people are speaking in the meetings, they are prophesying. Prophesying is a truth in the Bible. However, our practice of "all can prophesy" can easily become an administrative emphasis without the reality of the truth. If the saints do not walk according to the truth, do not live in life, do not exercise to prophesy, do not learn to speak the riches of the Lord, and do not live in the presence of the Lord, it becomes useless merely to change our way of meeting. We may have thought that this is following Brother Lee's leading and that we are in the flow, but this is an instance in which the administration goes beyond the truth. Brothers, by doing this we are cheating ourselves. This is putting new wine into old wineskins and patching an old garment with untreated cloth (Matt. 9:16-17). There is no question about the necessity of administrative leadership in the church. If an elder doesn't lead, he is not qualified to be an elder. However, the elders cannot deny the reality of the spiritual truth in such a way that administrative leadings and practices are all that are left. According to Brother Lee, this is to walk in an old way under the guise of the new way. One day Brother Lee told us that the word usually used for "church" in Chinese was not that good. It was translated as "the teaching gathering." He said we should change it to "the called ones gathering." One brother in the meeting stood up and said, "From now on, we will ask the saints not to use the term 'the teaching gathering,' but 'the called ones gathering.'" Immediately Brother Lee stood up and told that brother, "Do not correct what people say. You must help them to know the truth." In other words, if we just ask the saints to use another term without helping them to see the truth, it will merely cause problems in the church. The administrative leading can produce effects instantly. But only the teaching and ministering of the truth can bring the saints into the reality of the truth. Administrative Leading Not Achieving the Reality of the Truth Take head covering for example. I fully agree that the sisters should have their heads covered in the meetings. But we shouldn't have a "head-covering congregation," where no sister is allowed in the meeting without a head covering. This is something of administrative leading. No one can benefit from this administrative regulation except those who sell head coverings. The truth is not being upheld. Such a church does not have the reality of head covering. When sisters are at home, they may still rebuke their husbands and criticize the elders. They don't become submissive just because they have their heads covered in the meetings. Many brothers would say that no one criticizes them more than their wives. Their wives have more to say than their bosses. Will the sisters regain their place and know how to behave simply by having their hair covered? Administrative regulation cannot help people to have the reality of the truth. One day I was in a Lord's table meeting in one locality. They passed many little cups instead of one cup. I didn't take the cup, and the elders were very concerned. After the meeting they came to ask me why. Later, the Lord enlightened me concerning my arrogance. If I were to go to a new place, I would not dare to refuse the cup, since I might offend their conscience. It was because I was well acquainted with this church that I behaved differently. I should not, however, have taken the way of administration. I should have taken the cup and told them, based on the truth, that there is only one cup in the Bible. We should pass one cup and allow the saints to pour from it into their cups. It is not proper to pass many cups. I still feel sorry for the saints and the church in that locality. I should not have gone there and treated the saints in such an administrative manner. Building Up the Church according to Life and Truth Brother Lee received the commitment from the Lord to build up the local churches. He didn't carry it out in the way of administration. He didn't ask the churches to follow him by waving the flag of "the Apostle Lee." He traveled from place to place ministering, caring for the churches, and perfecting the saints. He builds up the church according to life and truth. The help he gives us is also according to life and truth. I have never received a call from him to talk about the administration of the churches. Only once did he ask me what happened in Chicago during the storm there in the seventies. I didn't want to tell him how ugly it was. I said nothing, but simply wept. How could I tell him that a leading brother stood on a chair and rebuked the saints? Why did such a thing happen in the church? It was because a group of brothers desired to reach a spiritual goal by means of administration. It is not easy to be one with the ministry. We have been following Brother Lee's ministry for years. It is not easy to prevent administrative leading from going beyond the reality of the truth. This is not an easy test for us. Now we often hear people talking about who is in the flow and who is not. We should be careful about this kind of talk, for we might unconsciously take some administrative way as being the flow of the Spirit. Administration cannot replace truth. Administrative leading cannot go beyond the reality of the truth. Otherwise it will cause problems in the church.