A fellowship concerning the work

  I would like to fellowship some concerning our work and service.

The work in Kwangtung and Kwangsi

  Canton is the center of Kwangtung and Kwangsi provinces. A great need exists there, but there are not enough workers in Canton. Moreover, it is easy for Canton to be affected by the “customs of the nations.” The general atmosphere of the south is more relaxed and loose. Subconsciously, this looseness creeps into the church. Therefore, the workers who are in south China have to be strict and firm in their character; they have to bring in an atmosphere of strictness and firmness.

Seizing the opportunity

  In working for the Lord, we have to learn to seize opportunities, and opportunities are contained in time. The Lord Jesus said to the disciples, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:4-5). The Lord has entrusted the gospel work in the whole of China into our hands. We are presented with an unprecedented opportunity for our work. We have to seize this opportunity. In 1919 the Soviet Union seized power, but it did not start persecuting Christians until 1929. Before that time the believers seized the opportunity to preach the gospel, and they gained many. The Soviet Union did not return to a policy of freedom of religion until around 1940. Although the Christians lost much time during these eleven years, they had a firm foundation because they had seized the opportunity during the previous eleven years. We have to do the same thing today. We should do a day’s work when there is a day provided to us. We should try our best to gain as many people as possible.

The principle of the center of work

  We have seen clearly that the line of work began from Acts 1. In Acts 1 all the apostles gathered together in Jerusalem. By chapter eight the disciples had suffered great persecutions and were scattered. But the apostles remained in Jerusalem. They went out only when there was a need. After they worked, they returned to Jerusalem. Therefore, Jerusalem was a center of the work. All the apostles remained in this center, and all of them served in one accord. Today we have to follow the same principle. If we have twenty workers, there will not be a center of the work unless these twenty gather together in one place. If every apostle works separately, it would be easy for each one to dominate over his own locality.

Not receiving co-workers lightly

  We have to be very careful not to receive a co-worker lightly. There must be an official letter of recommendation. Some brothers have joined us from the denominations. They can give messages and may be quite eloquent, yet it is possible that they will criticize our work as soon as they step off the platform. This will destroy our work. We hope that all the co-workers will be co-laborers in one accord, and that they will all see God’s way today.

  It is easy to come up to Kuling Mountain, but it is not that easy to go back down. I hope that you will have genuine growth through this training, and I hope that you will no longer recognize anyone according to the flesh. After you leave the mountain, you have to raise up a group of people wherever you are and train them to serve the Lord together. You have to perfect them to do what you can do and even to do better than what you can do. In selecting people, do not consider just outward factors; you have to consider their spiritual condition. You must give them the special kind of food they need. You have to feed them and perfect them. The best place to start is with the new ones. They are not as subjective, and it is easier to perfect them. Some people are soft outwardly but hard inwardly. These ones may never have admitted their mistakes to God or to man. Such ones are useless in the hand of the Lord, even if they are very clever and gifted.

  The principle of work is to do everything to perfect the brothers and to build up some leading ones. You are not going to the different places to be “resident pastors.” Never fall into the Protestant practice of the pastoral system. Never grab the meetings and the services and put them into your own pocket. Every locality should produce its own people. You should perfect at least eight or ten people to serve together and to manage the church together with you. You have to perfect all the brothers and sisters so that they can all serve. Brother Witness Lee’s virtue lies in his ability to perfect the saints and to usher them all into the service. In order to perfect and lead, you have to be a pattern to them. For this reason, you have to sanctify yourself. Do not be loose.

  Brother Witness Lee says that the more we dig the channels, the deeper the water will flow. Water flows to the deepest places. If our digging is too shallow, water will flow elsewhere. God’s blessing depends on our capacity. I hope that we will all dig deeply and dig thoroughly.

  The church must not only preach the gospel but must also conduct new believers’ trainings. If we do not catch up with this second phase of the work, our gospel work will come to a standstill in a year, and it will not be easy to conduct make-up lessons. It is hard to have make-up lessons with the older ones. We have to start early. We have to try our best to bring saints up to the proper standard while they have a heart for this.

  The ministry should not interfere with the local churches. In fact, the ministry is for the local churches. In terms of material supply, a worker should not ask for anything from a locality. He should not covet a thread or a needle. If a local church does not receive my ministry, I can only withdraw from it. We should not try to impose our ministry on others.

  Another point worth noting is that our church meetings should not be too long. Our messages should not be too long, and our prayers should not be too long. Once they are long, they lose the impact, and our spirit becomes weak. Kuling is an exception. When messages or prayers become long, our spirit becomes worn out, and it is hard for it to be released. Unless we are constrained by necessity, our messages should be only forty-five to sixty minutes long. There are many long Epistles in the Bible, but it is best if our messages on the platform are short.

  The training on the mountain is only a beginning for you. It sets the basis for you to receive further training in many areas. After you leave the mountain, there are richer and deeper lessons you have to learn. The most important thing to learn is to exercise accurate judgment. It is a pity to make mistakes in your actions, but it is a greater pity to make mistakes in your judgments. In this matter, you have to learn to free yourself from individualism. Only then will you be able to pick up accurate judgments. On the one hand, you have to be enlightened within. On the other hand, you have to touch God’s mind by going to Him together with the brothers. What does the Lord want you to do in coordination with the other brothers? Even though other co-workers may not be with you, this asking will save you from acting according to your own will. Brother Witness has good judgment because he has learned his lesson this way.