churchmeetings

Meeting According to the New Testament Pattern, Apart From the Traditions of Religion and Methods of Man

Many believers suppose that having a healthy personal relationship with Christ is good enough; why bother caring about how the church is built up? Many suppose that if Chrisitans can read the Word, have subjective experiences of Christ, preach the gospel, have fellowship with other Christians, and serve in a highly effective church organization, then it is good enough. Why even pay attention to how the church shall be built up?

Experiencing Christ as life and as everything indeed is crucial and fundamental, but with what way of the church we are building up the church is also crucial and cannot be overlooked, since this touches the heart desire of the Lord, the eternal purpose of God which is to have the church to express God's multifarious wisdom. Building up the church according to His words and the pattern He set in the New Testament books is what ultimately will satisfy God. God wants a church that is built according to the "pattern on the mount" (see Exodus 25:40), or else He cannot be satisfied. This means that the methods of man and traditions of religion not found in the Bible have no place in building up the church. Many of us the Christians "go to church" but do not even ask if the church practices today are as same as the practices of the church in the 1st century apostolic time. For example, if you contrast the one-man speaking ministry of today's organized Christianity with the meeting practices of I Corinthians 14, you would find that there a vast difference between today's church practices and the church practices in Apostle Paul's time. Due to the traditions of Romanism and Protestantism, the church practices nowadays, in general, have drifted from the apostolic church practices. as revealed in the New Testament, and if we simply compare the church and the church practices recorded in the New Testament (e.g., I Corinthians 14) with the church practices of many groups nowadays, we will find it difficult to reconcile many of the Christian groups today with the church and the church practices spoken of in the New Testament. Dear brothers and sisters, we need to come back to the beginning (i.e., 1st century), because in the beginning it was not so. In the beginning how Paul had instructed the believers to build up the church and to have Christian meetings, today likewise we shall follow the same instructions given by Paul as these instructions were followed in the 1st century. Just because we are living in the 21st century today does not mean that we do not have to practice the 1st century church practices instructed by the Apostle Paul. The way of the church is the Philadelphia way which is that "thou hast kept my word." (Rev. 3:8). The way of the church shall not be the Thyatira way (Romanism), the Sardis (Protestantism) way or the Laodicea (spiritual pride) way. [Please read the Way of the Church]

We shall feel free to have fellowship with any genuinely saved Christians (and need to do that), but to co-work together would depend on the building vision. Before committing oneself first to a work, building vision is what one shall make sure of. We know that our vision is Christ and the church (see the article on " The Eternal Purpose of God"). This vision calls for building up of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12) --- it is a matter of building up the church, but "let each man take heed how he builds upon it" (I Cor. 3:10). How we do the work of building up someday will be revealed by fire (I Cor. 3:13). Do we do the work of building up purely according to the New Testament words and pattern, outside of traditions of religion (Romanism and Protestantism) and outside of the methods of man? Or do we do the work of building up with a mixture of traditions of religion and with methods of man? We may think that pride and lust are flesh, without realizing that in serving God, the methods of man, however sincere and good-willed, are also flesh. Within any building work, any mixture of traditions of religion and methods of man eventually will be burned by fire (I Cor. 3:15), because traditions of religion and methods of man are neither gold, nor silver, nor precious stones. Only by following solely the Word of God can any building work remain after having passed through the testing fire. What we are instructed to do is to build the church solely according to the New Testament words and pattern, apart from traditions/influences/methods of religion.

We are not just talking about the very outward practices such as having church pews, church decorations, choir, and Christmas celebration, although we must say that the practices of having church pews, building decorations, choir, Christmas celebration are only from several hundred years of traditions of Romanism and Protestantism and are not found in the Word. The point is not so much on these outward matters (although these matters do touch on the matter of outward testimony of the church). But what we are really concerned about is in the area of building up of Body of Christ, the central area. Let us preface ourself below.

On chapter 10 of "Rethinking Our Work" (or "Rethinking Our Mission") and chapter 4 of "Church Affairs", Brother Watchman Nee pointed out the need to build up the church apart from traditions/influences/methods of Romanism and Protestantism. Specifically, Brother Nee pointed out that one-man ministry (Lord's Day message/sermon meeting) is not a church meeting according to the New Testament, but a tradition from Romanism and Protestantism. Speaking forth for God is not one man's business, but it should involve multiple saints according to I Corinthian 14. This matter is not just a matter of some outward church practices, but according to I Cor 14, it concerns very much with building up of church. And this is just one example (although a very important one). The whole point is --- what is our attitude? Do we practice the church life solely according to the New Testament words, or do we practice the church life with a mixture of traditions/methods of Romanism and Protestantism?

What did the Christian meeting look like in the first century? How did they build up the church in the apostolic time (i.e., 1st century). And what is the Christian meeting like today in Christianity? If we compare how most Christians are having Christian meetings today, with how they were having Christian meetings in the first century, we'll realize that there is a great gap between the two. Let's look at "prophesying" in I Corinthians 14 (both Darby and Nee stressed very much on this chapter as a way to build up the church.) A few points on prophesying:

1. Greek word definition of "Prophesying":

First a Greek word definition. Prophesying: "signifies the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God ... Though much of Old Testament prophecy was purely predictive..., prophesy is not necessarily, nor even primarily, fore-telling. .. the purpose .. was to edify, to comfort, and to encourage the believers, I Cor. 14:3.." (W. E Vine, "An expository Dictionary of New Testament Words")

[Note: Prophesying is by gift (I Cor. 14:1). Not all are prophets (I Cor. 12:29).

Yet all are encouraged to pursue it to prophesy (I Cor. 14:1, 14:31). Prophesying is not one man's business (I Cor. 14:29).]

2. Prophesying BUILDS UP the Church:

"But he who prophesies speaks building up and encouragement and consolations to men. ... he who prophesies BUILDS UP THE CHURCH." (I Cor. 14:3-4)

3. Prophesying is Not One Man's Business:

"What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up." (I Cor. 14:26)

"And as to prophets, two or three should speak, and the others judge" (I Cor. 14:29)

"For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be encouraged." (I Cor. 14:31)

4. The New Testament church meeting (not work meeting, but church meeting) shall be with mutuality, not one man preaching while the rest listening passively: "not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, .. but encouraging one another, and by so much the more as ye see the day drawing near." (Heb 10:25)

"What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up." (I Cor. 14:26)

"If therefore the whole assembly come together in one place, ... But if all prophesy, and some unbeliever or simple [person] come in, he is convicted of all, he is judged of all" (I Cor. 14: 23a, 24)

These verses show us what the New Testament church meeting was like back in the 1st century apostolic time. It is "each one has ...", "two or three should speak", and even "you can all prophesy one by one"; it is with mutuality with a view to building up each other, not one man preaching and the rest listening passively (this is from the tradition of Romanism and Protestantism, not a church meeting, as Brother Nee pointed out). Yes, there is a work meeting where one man preaches and the rest listen (see Acts where Peter spoke and the rest listened), but the church meeting is where "each one" participates in having a psalm, having a teaching, having a revelation, having a tongue, etc according to I Cor. 14:26.. (We need to make a distinction between work meeting and church meeting.) And this "each one having " is true "whenever you come together" (I Cor. 14:26), meaning not just on Friday night, but also on Sunday, Tuesday, whenever we come together, each one has. This is the New Testament pattern, whether we like it or not. Some may argue that this is not effective and will not work, but let us not worry about whether God's way will work. It is a wonder that some people, although being aware of what I Corinthians 14 says, nevertheless chose not to practice it, citing the reason that "having many prophesying does not work". Whether God's way work or not is not something that we have to worry about. What we need to worry about is whether we are obedient to God's way! Our call here is simply do what we are taught to do in the Word. (And by the way, back in Darby's time this (i.e., I Cor 14) worked out marvelously, as the ministry of the Word was most strong in that time in any period of the post-apostolic church history. God's way surely works!)

This matter of prophesying is just one example (although a very important one since prophesying builds up the church, which is the central area). The whole point is: what is our attitude? Do we practice the church life solely according to the New Testament words, or do we practice the church life with a mixture of traditions/methods of Romanism and Protestantism? Do we imitate the Protestant church and the Protestant ways to build up the church? Or shall we rather take the Philadelphia way? [For other crucial New Testament models, please read The Oneness of the Body of Christ.]

What about church denominations? In I Cor. 12: 27, Paul said, "You are the Body of Christ, and members in particular." This is the only membership known in the Scriptures for New Testament assembly: a member of the Body of Christ. I have no right to call myself any other name no matter how good it may sound. I Cor. 12:12 says, "For even as the Body is one and has many members, but all the members of the Body, being many, are one Body." There is only one Body of Christ, and there is no idea of divided sub-bodies (by bearing distinct church names) permitted in the Bible. There is simply no other membership mentioned in the Bible other than that "I am a member of this one Body of Christ". This is the ground of the oneness of the Body of Christ.

Let us backtrack a little about the definition of the word "church". The Greek word for "church" is ekklesia, which literally means "a called-out assembly". It is not a question of church building or a religious organization. Throughout centuries, people have attached religious meanings to ekklesia. It is easy for men to say that "hey, we need a name to distinguish us from some people so that people will know who we are" or "hey, we need an official chapel building" or "we need to have pews, a choir, a salaried pastor, a board of directors like they do". No we don't folks, because these things are not found in the Bible. What we have to follow is not what so-and-so organizations have done or what methods would draw more people coming to the church. What we have to follow is just exclusively what the Bible has taught. This shall be our attitude. Our boundary shall not go slightly one inch above the Bible, neither shall it be slightly one inch below the Bible. We need meet according to the New Testament pattern, outside of traditions of religion and methods of man.

The risen Lord said to the assembly (or church) in Philadelphia, the model church, in Rev. 3, "thou ... has kept my word, and hast not denied my name." Now suppose if I introduce practices from some systems of the world in order to make the meeting looks more like a substantial church organization, then I am really not keeping His word. Or if the church bears any name other than Christ's, then we really deny His name. If we, as the preparing Bride of Christ, took any name other than Christ's as the name for the church, then we are denying His name, which is offensive to Him. The whole idea of denominationalism is entirely unbiblical. We need to realize the unity of the Body of Christ and simplicity of Body of Christ. People can read that Bible, can see what God said, but would still close their eyes to it. They still go right ahead with their traditions not found in the Bible and hold on to their beloved churchy organization. It is so easy and natural for us human to do that. Lord, deliver us from that.

To what shall we be loyal? We emphasize that we should be loyal to the Scriptures, not to any church system. Yes, it costs something to follow just the New Testament principles. There may even be oppositions, but our responsibility is clear.

We are not qualified to condemn anyone. The author of this paper is just a small brother with many weaknesses. Our burden here is that may Lord's way of building up the church will catch us, not man's ways of building up. Building methods invented by man, however good-natured and good-willed, would not satisfy God, since they are not what God's specification says. In this age where traditions of religion and organizations of man are followed, building up the church according to God's specification (not man's), is not valued. We are aware that most Christians don't think about this and if they have thought about this, many chose to either ignore it or be compromised about it. Yet here let us say again that what we should take is the Philadelphia way, not the Sardis way or the Laodicea way.

However, in desiring to practice the church according to the New Testament pattern, while being spiritual weak, we acknowledge that we can only follow the New Testament pattern as closely as we can (especially the major items such as those directly related to building up of the church.) Even the splendor of the second temple can never be as great as the first temple of Solomon, so how much more shall we acknowledge that we might not be capable of practicing building up the church according to the New Testament pattern completely and exactly as it was in the first century. However, our attitude shall always be that of following the New Testament pattern as closely as possible.

Let us notice that even practicing the church according to the New Testament pattern is just the outward aspect of the church. Our center shall not be on the outward aspect of the church, as the outward aspect of the church is for testimony. The center of our work shall not depart from the inward aspect of the church which is to experience Christ as life and as the content of the church. Preaching experiencing Christ as life and bearing cross shall be the centerpiece of our work, yet at the same time, we shall take care of the outward aspect of the church as well to practice church according to the New Testament pattern outside of traditions of religion, methods of man, and spiritual pride for the testimony of the Lord. Let us take care of both inward and outward aspects of the church, and let us be balanced between "Christ and the church".

We shall note that practicing the church according to the New Testament pattern does not mean that we don't need to fellowship with brothers and sisters in the Protestant church. What we have problem with is the system of denominationalism and sectarianism, not brothers and sisters there. We shall have fellowship with them. We do not have to co-work with them, as this will depend on the building vision. But we still need their fellowship and their functions, and it is indeed a matter of need, not want. "The eye cannot say to the hand, I have not need of thee; or again, the head to the feet, I have not need of you there might be no division in the body, but that the members might have the same concern one for another." (I Cor. 12:21, 25) We need functions of all the brothers and sisters wherever they may be. The eye cannot say to the hand that I don't need you. Practicing the church according to the New Testament pattern shall not result in spiritual pride. We shall be careful not to condemn other Christian brothers and sisters (as we have NO qualifications to do so). We shall be careful not to lose brotherly love for them due to a critical or proud spirit. The history has shown that the greatest temptations for those who practice the church according to the New Testament pattern are pride and exaltation of man (the leader). Beware! Let us beware of pride and beware of following man or having/wanting man to follow us.

Not much time is left. Let us be obedient to the Lord's words and says.

TTJ (July, 2002)

The Way of the Church

Introduction

Revelation 2 and 3 show us what kind of church He condemns and what kind of church He approves. Only after we understood Revelation 2 and 3 then can we know what way of the church we shall take. Revelation 2 and 3 show us what kind of ways offend the Lord and what kind of way pleases the Lord. If we cannot understand Revelation 2 and 3, we cannot have the proper way of the church.

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, there are seven local churches in Asia Minor around A.D. 96. The seven epistles to these seven local churches describe the actual conditions of the seven churches in Asia Minor around A.D. 96. However, since the Book of Revelation is prophetic in nature, as it is a book of "the words of prophecy" (Rev. 1:3), many passages in Revelation have to be interpreted prophetically. Consequently, the situations of the seven churches existed near the end of the first century as recorded in Revelation 2 and 3 can be prophetic in nature, signifying prophetically the future development of the church after the book of Revelation. That is, the actual conditions of these seven churches in the first century actually predict the future development of the church in the next two thousands years. In the twenty first century today, since the church prophesies contained in Revelation 2 and 3 have been fulfilled (and continue to be fulfilled), we can in fact examine these two chapters in light of the church history.

In Revelation 1:11 the Lord commanded Apostle John to write to the seven churches, "saying, What thou seest write in a book, and send to the seven assemblies: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea". We now begin examining briefly each of these seven churches.

The Church in Ephesus

The first Epistle to the church in Ephesus represents the church at the end of the first century when Revelation was written. The situation of the church at that time was like that of Ephesus. "Ephesus" in Greek means "desired" which corresponds with the original condition of the church in apostolic time. Note that the Lord commended the church in Ephesus for hating the works of the Nicolaitans (Rev. 2:6). Nicolaitans in Greek is composed of two words: nikao means "to conquer" and laos means "the common people" or "laity". Thus Nicolaitan means "conquering the common people" and therefore refers to the clergy-laity system which divides an equal brotherhood (Matt. 23:8) into "priests" and "laity". Church in Ephesus hated the works of Nicolaitans which are also what the Lord hates. However, the Lord had one thing against the church in Ephesus --- "thou leavest thy first love" (this can be the warning for us today too.)

The Church in Smyrna

The second epistle to the church in Smyrna predicts the suffering church under the persecution of the Roman Empire from the latter part of the first century to the early part of the fourth century. In Greek, Smyrna means "bitterness" and is a form of myrrh. Therefore, Smyrna signifies suffering. Indeed, during this period, the history records ten great persecutions of the church by the Roman Empire [compare this with "Behold, the devil is about to cast of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days" (Rev. 2:10).] The epistle to church in Smyrna predicts the history of the church under persecution beginning with the Roman Caesar Nero in the second half of the first century and ending with Constantine the Great (the Caesar of the Roman Empire) when he brought the church into imperial favor in the beginning of the fourth century.

The Church in Pergamos

The third epistle to the church in Pergamos predicts the coming of the church married to the world from the time Constantine accepted Christianity as the state religion in the beginning of the fourth century (around A.D. 316) to the time the papal system was established in the latter part of the sixth century. In Greek, gamos means "marriage", and Pergamos means "twice married" which is a typical name for the professing Church which claims to be the bride of Christ but is marired to the world. That is, by being brought under imperial favor to become the state religion of the Roman Empire, the church thus was "married" to the world. In fact, the throne of Satan is there (Rev. 2:13) Teaching of the Nicolaitans was also practiced by Pergamos (Rev. 2:15). This marks the beginning of the degradation of the church.

The First Three Churches Have Passed

Notice the pattern thus far here: when the first church passed away, the second came; when the second passed away, the third came. The idea of the continuity of timeline is there. Of these seven churches, the first three churches have already passed away (since they do not have the promise of the second coming of the Lord), but the last four churches continue on until the Lord comes back (since they have the promise of the second coming of the Lord [see Rev. 2:25, 3:3, 3:11, 3:21]). In order to know our way as the children of God, we need to consider carefully the last four churches which will continue to exist on earth until the Lord comes back. We now will examine briefly the last four churches.

The Church in Thyatira

The fourth epistle to the church in Thyatira depicts prophetically the Roman Catholicism, from the ordaining of the papal system in the latter part of the sixth century to the end of this age when Christ comes back (Rev. 2:25). Thyatira in Greek means "sacrifice of perfume" or "unceasing sacrifice" which can be seen in the continual Catholic Masses. Roman Catholicism is the church in apostasy, as verse 2:20 said "Jezebel teaches and leads astray my servants to commit fornication and eat of idol sacrifices." (This is in parallel with the woman who hid leaven in three measures of flour in Matthew 13 and the harlot in Rev. 17.) To worship the Virgin Mary is to commit spiritual fornication (we shall only worship God alone!) To worship the remains of martyrs and to pray to idols of Mary, Peter, Mark, Paul, martyrs, died persons canonized to be saints in fact explore "the depths of Satan" (Rev. 2:24) These are the practices of the Roman Catholicism. Thyatira (i.e., Romanism) marks another further degradation of the church.

The Church in Sardis

The fifth epistle to the church in Sardis predicts the Protestant Church, from the Reformation in the early part of the sixteenth century to Christ's coming back. Sardis in Greek means "the remains", "the remainder" or "the restoration". The 16th century Reformation was the Lord's reaction to the apostate Roman Catholic Church. Sardis came out of Thyatira, and prophetically (and now historically) this is seen in the Protestant church (Sardis) coming out of the Roman Catholic system (Thyatira). This reformed Protestant church (Sardis) will continue on until the Lord comes back (see Rev. 3:3). That is, the fifth church came out of the fourth church, despite that both churches will continue on until the Lord returns.

The condition of the church in Sardis was revealed in 3:1-2 "I know your works, that you have a name that you are living, and yet you are dead. Become watchful and establish the things which remain, which were about to die; for I have found none of your works completed before My God." Out of the degradation of the church which climaxed in Catholic Church apostasy and abomination, we see a reaction in Sardis. Sardis means "remains" or "those escaping". And the characteristic of Sardis is being "dead" (Rev. 3:1). Many have considered the reformed Protestant Church to be living, but the Lord says that she is dead. This is the Lord's evaluation of Sardis, so we must be careful not to take the Sardis way to build up the church.

During the 16th century Reformation, God gave men two things: an open Bible and the truth of the justification by faith. The Reformation itself was of God, and the great men (e.g., Martin Luther) who were used were the mighty instruments of the Holy Spirit. Luther was strong for justification by faith even at the cost of his life, as he stood against the pope, the greatest power on earth at that time. He declared that salvation is not by good works nor by the priests but by believing unto Jesus. This truly was a mighty work of the Holy Spirit!

Yet what was originally the work of the Holy Spirit soon took on an overtone of political reform when kings and rulers of many countries seized this opportunity to free themselves from the Roman yoke to become free nations (Roman Catholic Church was not only a religious power but also a political power, and the nations of Europe could no longer stand Roman power and oppression.) For this reason, Protestantism became a movement which combined the forces of the church with the political world to overturn Rome. At the beginning, many of God's people came out of the Roman Catholic Church for the sole purpose of leaving the fornication and idolatry of Rome. But later they rather naively accepted the help of political powers. The history records that Martin Luther became affiliated with the German government. This affiliation with the government was the source of the so-called state churches, or national churches such as Germany National Church, Swedish National Church, Danish National Church, Norwegian National Church, Anglican Church etc. According to the rule of a national church, the scope of the church is as comprehensive as that of the nation. In other words, it is not just that all believers are in the church, but that all citizens (whether saved or not saved) of that country may be baptized into the church. The spiritual state of being dead is readily seen here.

The early history of the Protestant church is basically that of the national churches, but its latter history is filled with records of dissenting churches. Out of these national churches characterized by the spiritual state of being dead, many believers came out. Many groups of so-called puritans were raised up. These puritan groups were formed by leaders who saw something concerning the truth. For example, some saw that the proper baptism was by immersion, which ushered in the formation of the Baptist Church. Some saw that the church shall be overseen by elders, which ushered in the formation of the Presbyterian church. There are many examples like these where people separated themselves into independent groups over disagreements of minor doctrines. Although there are outstanding Christians among the Protestant church, the Lord's evaluation given to Sardis in general is still being "dead": "you have a name that you are living, and yet you are dead. ... the things which remain, which were about to die;" (Rev. 3:1-2)

The Church in Philadelphia

Just as Sardis (Protestantism) came out of Thyatira (Catholicism), so did Philadelphia come out of Sardis (Protestantism). Both church in Sardis and church in Philadelphia will continue on until the Lord returns (Rev. 3:3, 3:11) Prophetically (and now historically), the church in Philadelphia signifies the recovered church in the early part of the nineteenth century (say, 1827) when the brothers were raised up by the Lord in England to practice the church outside of all denominational and divisive systems, to the second coming of the Lord. Philadelphia can also be applied to any local assembly that possesses the characteristics of Philadelphia. Just as the reformed church (Sardis) was a reaction to the apostate Roman Catholic Church (Thyatira), Philadelphia was a reaction to the dead Protestant church. Yes, Sardis is a restoration of the church, but Philadelphia is even a greater recovery than that of Sardis, although that the recovery of the brethrens in England last century is much less well known than Reformation which is famous in part because of its relationship with politics in terms of helping the European nations to overthrow the political power of Rome.

Of the seven churches, only two churches (Smyrna and Philadelphia) were not rebuked by the Lord, and of those two churches, only one, Philadelphia, was approved and praised. Roman Catholicism (Thyatira) was rebuked by the Lord. Protestantism (Sardis) was rebuked by the Lord. But Philadelphia by contrast was not rebuked but was praised by the Lord. Philadelphia is the Lord's appointed way of the church.

Philadelphia in Greek means "brotherly love" ("phileo"="to love"; "adelphos="brother"). This is characteristic of the church in Philadelphia. Having high truths alone yet being short of brotherly love is not Philadelphia. The Lord also said to Philadelphia, "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an opened door, which no one can shut, because thou hast a little power, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." (Rev. 3:8). Therefore, there are three characteristics of the church in Philadelphia:

1. Brotherly Love.

2. Has kept My word.

3. Has not denied My name.

In the church in Philadelphia, they genuinely love each other. In the church in Philadelphia, there were no traditions of religion and methods of man, but there was only following of the New Testament words and pattern, as they kept the Lord's word to the uttermost. In all of church history, only in the era of Philadelphia (i.e., 19th century brothers in England) has the Word of God been so much understood. Only in Philadelphia does God's Word have its rightful place. In other times, people were compromised in accepting traditions and methods of man not found in the Bible, but the Philadelphia accepts nothing but the Word of God.

Furthermore, they have not denied the Lord's Name. Protestant churches since the time of Reformation may choose to call themselves by some preference of theirs such as doctrine or nationality. "We are the Lutheran Church", "I am a Lutheran", "We are the Wesleyan Church", or "I am a Wesleyan" etc. But the Lord Himself considers His name alone to be quite sufficient for His children. There is no need for many names, for names separate. The Lord's name alone is enough! Remember, the Lord is quite concerned about this matter. By labeling a congregation with a distinctive name (whether the name is based on a spiritual leader, on an emphasis of a certain biblical teaching, on nationality, on race, etc.), the spiritual unity is gone.

Denominating a church with a name has no place in the Body of Christ. For identification purpose, according to the New Testament, mere "the church in whatever locality" is good enough. For example, "the church in Jerusalem" (Acts 8:1), "the church which is at Cenchrea." (Rom. 16:1), "the church of God which is in Corinth" (I Cor. 1:2) etc. Ones shall not label themselves with a name that in fact belong to all the children of God, but in the simplicity of the New Testament, a local church shall merely be identified by the locality in which the assembly physically exists (i.e., one church in one city such as "the church in Jerusalem"). This is the pattern shown in the New Testament word, and the pattern in the New Testament is there for a reason, that is, so that we can follow the pattern.

While we do not condemn the brothers and sisters in denominations and sects (as we have no qualifications to do so, for we are not any "spiritually superior" than they are), we are instructed by the Bible to condemn the system of denominationalism and sectarianism, as it divides the church. The Philadelphia way rejects denominationalism and thereby does not deny His name. Furthermore, the Philadelphia way keeps His word only and does not follow the traditions of religion and methods of man not found in the Bible. This shall be our attitude and practices. The church in Philadelphia is after the Lord's own heart and therefore must be our way of the church.

However, the Lord does give His warning here. "I come quickly: hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown." (Rev. 3:11) This is the only warning to the church in Philadelphia. If those who are already in Philadelphia cannot keep what they already have, the Lord will take away their crown and raise up another group of people to become Philadelphia and give the crown to that group of people. What a warning to Philadelphia!

The Church In Laodicea

If Sardis came out of Thyatira, and if Philadelphia came out of Sardis, then Laodicea must came out of Philadelphia. If Philadelphia should fail, it will become Laodicea. Do not think Laodicea is the Protestant church, for this is represented by Sardis. The Protestant church can never be Laodicea, because it takes the fall of Philadelphia to become Laodicea. Sardis is an improvement over Thyatira. Philadelphia is an advancement over Sardis. Laodicea comes out of Philadelphia, but it is a step backward. Like Thyatira (Catholicism), Sardis (Protestantism), and Philadelphia (church according to the New Testament word and pattern), Laodicea will continue until the Lord comes back. Prophetically (and now historically), Laodicea was fulfilled by the Brethren in England from the latter part of the nineteenth century until the Lord's return, but Laodicea could be applied to any church in Philadelphia that has degraded.

Laodicea is composed of two words: "laos" which means "common people" (or "laymen", "laity"), and "dicea" which means "customs" or "opinions". The church has turned to the way of taking the opinions and customs of the common people. This is a degradation of church. Furthermore, the Lord said, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. Thus because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spew you out of my mouth." (Rev. 3:15-16) And in addition, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and am grown rich, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that *thou* art the wretched and the miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." (Rev. 3: 17). Hence, there are three characteristics of the church in Laodicea:

1. Taking the customs and opinions of common people.

2. Being neither cold nor hot.

3. Spiritual Pride in saying "I am rich and have need of nothing."

Let us notice that if one day those who are Philadelphia say that "we are rich and have grown rich and have need of nothing", they exude a Laodicean flavor. Laodicea is the proud Philadelphia. Likewise, if those who are Philadelphia become neither cold nor hot, they exude a Laodicean flavor too.

Select the Way of the Church For Yourself

Today these four ways of the church are presented before us: the Thyatira way (the Roman Catholic Church), the Sardis (the Protestant church) way, the Philadelphia (church according to the New Testament word and pattern, outside of influences of denominational church) way, or Laodicea (spiritual pride) way? Which church are you in? Shall I take the Thyatira or Sardis way to build up the church? Or shall I rather walk in the way of Philadelphia? Or was I once of Philadelphia but am now boasting how much spiritual riches I have? Since all these four churches continue on, we must choose the Philadelphia way while rejecting the Roman Catholic Church way, the Protestant Church way, and Laodicea way. For those churches which are already in the position of Philadelphia, do not be proud. The greatest temptation to the Philadelphian way is pride. The moment you are proud, you became Laodicea and are no longer Philadelphia.

Brothers and sisters, which way are you traveling on? The way of the Philadelphia is markedly different from the way of Sardis. The Philadelpia way is the Philadelphia way, and the Sardis way is the Sardis way. The Bible makes a clear distinction between the two. If you want to walk in the Philadelphia way, then you should not attempt to walk in the Sardis way at the same time. However, this does not mean that we don't need the functions and fellowship of the brothers in the Protestant church (no, or else it is a spiritual pride). We definitely still need their functions and fellowship, as one member of the Body cannot say to the other member that "I don't need you" (I Cor. 12:21, 25). But as far as the way of the church and the way to build up the church is concerned, we shall not take the Sardis way. We shall take only the Philadelphia way which is to build up the church according to the New Testament word and pattern only, apart from those Protestant and Catholic traditions and methods of man not found in the Word. The way of the church cannot be Sardis (Protestant church) and cannot even be somewhere between Sardis and Philadelphia (Recovery), but it should be just Philadelphia. The Lord's way for us to build up the church is only one, Philadelphia. Philadelphia is God's appointed way of the church to please Him.

There are those who say that since the Lord is calling overcomers even in Thyatira, in Sarids, and in Laodicea, why bother come out of Thyatira, Sardis or Laodicea for Philadelphia? While the author readily acknowledges that the leading of the Holy Spirit varies from individual to individual such that a course of action which may be right for one person could well not be God's will for another, the author would like to remind the readers that only the way of Philadelphia will please the Lord, not Thytira, Sardis, or Laodicea. The priority here is what will please the Lord, not what we can be. Yes, we can be an overcomer in Laodicea or in Sardis, but why even be the second best or the third best when you can be Philadelphia and can please the Lord by taking the Philadelphia way? The reward given to the overcomers in Philadelphia is also most special: "He that overcomes, him will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more at all out; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven, from my God, and my new name." (Rev. 3:12) This section will end with a quote from Brother Nee:

"Today there is one thing that makes me very happy. I do not know how you feel. In the age of Thyatira, of almost one thousand four hundred years, God did not cause me to be born [then]. God also did not cause me to be born in the age of Sardis. We are born in this age, the age of Philadelphia, which has existed just over a hundred years. The Lord put us in Philadelphia that we may be Philadelphia. Frankly, there were many in the past, but none of them can be Philadelphia. Today in Laodicea there are many overcomers, but these are but the overcomers in Laodicea. In the entire history of the church, there has not been an opportunity that is better than ours today. ... The following three names are special: "The name of my God, and the name of the city of my God ... and mine own new name (Rev. 3:12) What is the meaning of a name? There is a great meaning in a name. The name of God represents the glory of God. Besides Philadelphia, no other church has received the glory of God. The name of the city of God is New Jerusalem. In other words, Philadelphia accomplishes the plan of God. And "mine own new name." You know, when the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven He received a new name, a name that is above all names (Phil. 2:9-11). So here the Lord reveals that of all the churches, He especially fixes His eyes on Philadelphia. Today we thank God; we are born in an age wherein we can be Philadelphia. ... The Lord says here: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." Two persons were walking on the street, and one said, "Just a moment, I hear the sound of crickets." His friend replied, "You are crazy; the cars in the street are making so much noise, we can hardly hear ourselves talking! How can you still hear the sound of crickets?" ... He replied, "Bankers can only hear the sound of money, musicians only the sound of music; I am an entomologist; my ear can hear the sound of insects." The Lord tells us that he that has an ear and can hear the Lord's Word, let him hear. ... If you have an ear, you must hear. Pray that God will grant us to walk in a straight way. In any situation, whatever betide we must choose the way of Philadelphia." (Orthodoxy of the Church, pp. 107-109, Watchman Nee)

TTJ (June, 2002)

References:

· Chapter on "The Way of the Church", "Lessons For New Believers", by Brother Watchman Nee, 1948.

· "The Orthodoxy of the Church", by Brother Watchman Nee, 1945.

· "Recovery Version"

· "The Synopsis of the Books of the Bible", by J N Darby.

The Eternal Purpose of God

Introduction

There is a common thread that links the whole Bible together, and this common thread is "the eternal purpose" (Eph. 3:11) of God. In the beginning of Genesis we have a couple, Adam and Eve, which signifies "Christ and the Church" (Gal 5:32). Toward the end of Revelation, we also have a couple, "Christ and the Church" (i.e., Christ and the "New Jerusalem" as the Bride of Christ). It is important that we detect this theme of "Christ and the Church" which is the eternal purpose of God throughout the entire Bible.

One obvious observation about this "eternal purpose" of God is that this purpose is eternal in that this purpose of God will never be changed. This eternal purpose of God has been so from the eternity past and will continue to be so now and in the eternity future. Indeed, if we are living our life in harmony with this eternal purpose of God, then we are living a life of eternal significance.

And with respect to this eternal purpose of God, God has His "good pleasure which He purposed in Himself" (Eph. 1:9). We must care for His good pleasure --- His good pleasure must become our good pleasure; His heart desire must become our heart desire.

In other words, we must work for what God wants. With regard to our Christian work and service, this eternal purpose of God must be our vision. This vision of eternal purpose of God (which is concerned with building up of the church, as we shall see later in this paper) must precede our building work and must guide our building work all the way without deviating from the vision. It might even be easy to start off with a clear sight of the vision, and yet as the work went on, the vision somewhat became lost or blurred (this has been the history of the church). From the beginning to the end, this vision must guide our work. From the beginning to the end, we must be able to say that "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19).

Additionally, this vision of "Christ and the Church" must be balanced. In addition, to carry out God' eternal purpose, we must build the church purely according to the New Testament pattern, outside of traditions of religion and methods of man not found in the New Testament. We shall expound these points later in the paper.

What the Eternal Purpose of God Is

We now begin to take a closer look at what the eternal purpose of God is.

To Have the Church to Express God's All-various Wisdom:

"in order that now to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the church the all-various wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Eph. 3:10-11) The church is for making known God's all-various wisdom to principalities and authorities in the heavenlies referring especially to Satan and his angels who rebelled against God. This is the eternal purpose of God. Note that phrase "eternal purpose" in the verse above.

To Head Up All Things in Christ

"Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in himself for [the] administration of the fullness of times to head up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth; " (Eph 1: 9,10) Eventually, at the fullness of times (i.e., after the fullness of ages including the age of grace and the millennium age), Christ will head up the whole universe, and then God can be expressed universally.

What is "Church"?

From Eph. 3:10-11 quoted above, we see that the purpose of God is to have the church to express God's all-various wisdom. Since church is the focal point here, let us backtrack a little to cover some basic points regarding what "church is": In Greek, church is "ecclesia" (ek = "out of", kaleo = "to call") Therefore, the church is the "called out ones". So church is NOT any physical chapel building (unfortunately physical religious building has become the most common concept of "church" nowadays, but such is not the definition in the New Testament). According to Bible, the church is the ones (i.e., believers) called out from the world.

"Church ... which is His Body" (Eph. 1:23) Church is the Body of Christ, and Christ is the Head (Col. 1:18)

"Husbands, love your own wives, even as the Christ also loved the church" (Eph. 5:25) Church is (or will be) the bride of Christ (Rev. 21:2,9).

Church has the universal aspect (e.g., Matt. 16:18) as well as the local aspect (e.g., Rev. 1:11).

Church is the Fullness of God to Express God Corporately

Furthermore, church is God's expression and testimony in that church is "the fullness" of God: "... the church, which is his body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all:." (Eph. 1:22b, 23) In the verse above, note that the church is the "fullness of Him" "Fullness" denotes expression and testimony. "Until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at [the] full-grown man, at [the] measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ." (Eph. 4:13) Fullness is a true expression and glory. When a person has his body full-grown, then he has an expression, since the fullness of his body is his expression. Likewise, when Christ has His Body (the church) full grown, then Christ has an expression since the fullness of His Body (the full-grown church) is His expression. Fullness here refers to the expression and the testimony. This is the eternal purpose of God which is to grow the church to be Christ's fullness to express God's all-various wisdom.

The Body Needs to Be Built Up to Be His Fullness to Express Him

However, before becoming the fullness in Eph. 4:13 (see the verse above), the Body needs to be built up. Eph. 4:12 says "for the perfecting of the saints; with a view to the work of the ministry, with a view to the building up of the Body of Christ." (Eph. 4:12) For this purpose, there exists THE ministry that is concerned with the building up of the Body of Christ, the church. In Eph. 4:12 (see above), from the grammar, we can see that "the work of the ministry" is equal to "the building up of the Body of Christ". In fact, the very focus of God's work today is on THE ministry which is building up of the Body of Christ. Brother Watchman Nee wrote,

"Building up of the Body of Christ is the work of God today, occupying an exceedingly great position among all the works of God. God's works today center on this; He especially paid attention to the building up of the Body of Christ. ... We are not saying that God has no other works today ..., but we are merely saying that the works of God regard the building up of the Body of Christ as the main work." ("Rethinking our Mission", chapter 1, Brother Watchman Nee) We need to build up the church so that the church can arrive at the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ, and this very fullness will express God ultimately to carry out God's eternal purpose.

Church is God's Heart Desire

In the Old Testament, God's heart desire is for Jerusalem/Zion (a type of the church; see the explanations below). Likewise, in the New Testament, God's heart desire is the church which is the New Jerusalem (cf. Rev. 21:2; Heb. 12:22; Gal. 4:26). In the New Testament, God's heart desire is to build up the church (Eph. 4:12) for us to be the glorious church (Eph. 5:27) to express Him (Eph. 3:10).

Zion and Jerusalem Signify the Church.

Zion, a mountain, is geographically a part of Jerusalem, and is referred to as "city of God" in Psalms 87:2-3:"

Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion more than all the habitations of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah. (Psalms 87:2-3) Heavenly Jerusalem is also referred to as "city of living God":

"but ye have come to mount Zion; and to [the] city of [the] living God, heavenly Jerusalem; ... and to [the] assembly of the firstborn [who are] registered in heaven." (Hebrews 12: 22-23) That is, note that both Zion and heavenly Jerusalem are mentioned as "city of [living] God" in the Bible. This shows that Zion may signify the church, as heavenly Jerusalem (or the "New Jerusalem") signifies the church (see Rev. 21:2 quoted below): "And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev. 21:2)] Since New Jerusalem, "city of living God", signifies the church, Zion, "city of God", may also signify the church. In addition, Zion may signify the church in that Zion is God's dwelling place, just as the church is also God's dwelling place: "For Jehovah hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His dwelling: This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it." (Psa. 132: 14) "In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Eph. 2: 22) Note in the two verses above that both Zion and the church are mentioned as the dwelling place of God. Zion therefore may signify church.

God's Heart Desire Is the Church.

"Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy." (Zech. 1:14) God in fact is extremely jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. God's eyes today are on the church, the heavenly Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem. God in His eternal purpose wants the church to express His all-various wisdom. This is God's heart desire, and therefore shall be our heart desire too.

"unto Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen." (Eph. 3:21) From the verse above, we see that God is not only glorified in Christ but also in the church! God wants the church, and so any work that is not up to this cannot match what God wants.

"Christ and the Church" --- Our Vision

Note that the eternal purpose of God involves both Christ and the Church. Indeed, "This mystery is great, but I speak as to Christ and the church." (Eph. 5:32) Eph. 1:9, with regard to the eternal purpose of God, speaks of "the mystery of His will". Yes, the mystery now is unveiled, and this mystery with regard to God's eternal purpose is great and is about "Christ and the church". "Christ and the church" shall be our vision.

God wants the church to experience Christ as the center and as everything so that the very Christ that the church experienced can be the content of the church (i.e., the fullness). When the church experiences all the riches of Christ with all the members built up together, the church becomes the fullness of Christ to express Christ.

Centrality and Universality of Christ.

"Christ is all and in all". (Col 3:11) In this verse, we see the centrality and universality of Christ. That is, Christ is the center of our life and Christ is our everything. God's intention is to make Christ to be our center and Christ to be everything to us. Indeed, "He is the Head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that He might have the first place in all things." (Col. 1:18) Christ must have the first place in all things.

In fact, Christ not only shall have the first place in our Christian life, but Christ must be everything in our life, as "Christ is all". Today we may be pursuing virtues such as patience, humility, wisdom etc. However, where is Christ? How much Christ is there? Our patience, our humility, our wisdom etc. must be Christ. Our patience, humility, wisdom, etc. must not be something of our natural life but shall be Christ Himself. When we experience Christ, then Christ becomes our patience, humility, wisdom etc. The key is to turn to Christ and experience Christ as everything; Christ "is all" (Col. 3:11a).

Christ is also "in all". In our daily life, we can find Christ in all things of our life. For example, we can gain Christ in our family life (e.g., the way we talk to our spouse), in our work life, in the church life etc., we shall bring all of our situations (whether big or small) before Christ and ask Christ to guide us in all these matters. We shall have fellowship and transactions with Christ (even on a moment-by-moment basis) in every details of our life so that we can know Him more. That is, we can gain Christ even from all the details of our daily life by dealing with Him and being dealt with by Him in all things. Christ is "in all" (Col. 3:11b)

Indeed, building is a matter of life. Building is about the matter of gaining the life of Christ to be our life and content. When the church experiences the all-inclusive Christ in this way, Christ becomes the content of the church. We, the church, are "partakers of the divine nature" (II Peter 1:4), and the more we contact Christ, the more we shall be "like Him" (I John 3:2). He must increase; we must decrease.

Transformed to Be the Building Materials.

We experience Christ not so that we are spiritual individually, but rather we experience Christ to be transformed to be the building materials for the building up of the church. We are transformed to be gold, precious stones, and pearl for God to build His house, the New Jerusalem:

"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And the building of its wall [was] jasper; and the city pure gold, like pure glass: the foundations of the wall of the city [were] adorned with every precious stone ... And the twelve gates, twelve pearls..." (Rev. 21: 2, 18, 19a, 21a)

When we experience Christ, we are being transformed to be gold (the divine nature of God), the precious stones (the result of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit), and pearl (the result of experiencing the death and resurrection of Christ). We become the building materials for God's building as His dwelling place, the church. Indeed, "yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (I Peter 2:5)

May we be transformed to be the building materials for God's spiritual house.

Built Up Together To Be His Dwelling Place.

Having the building materials themselves is one thing, but to actually placing all the building materials together to form a building is another thing. Indeed, the matter of building is a corporate matter. No real building can take place unless all the building materials are fitted and connected together. Togetherness among the building materials needs to be there in order for building up to happen:

"In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Eph. 2: 22) Notice it said "being built together" to be His dwelling place. The real building involves being built together. In the Body life, individualism has the no place, as "together", "fitted" and "connected" are the key words for building up: "from whom the whole body, fitted together, and connected by every joint of supply, according to [the] working in [its] measure of each one part, works for itself the increase of the body to its self-building up in love." (Eph. 4:16) Every member of the Body must be built up together. We need Christian meeting and the church life to be built up together. (And each one must function in order that the church can be built up.) May we be built up together this way to be His fullness for His expression and testimony.

Must Build According to The New Testament Pattern, Outside of Traditions of Religion and Methods of Man In the matter of building the tabernacle (a type of building up of the church), Moses was shown the pattern of the tabernacle in the mount before Moses could actually build the tabernacle on earth. (Ex. 25:40) We can only build up the church according to what the Word says, not according to our natural opinions and methods. The New Testament is our final authority in terms of being "the pattern in the mount" to guide our building up the church. The traditions of religion, however good-natured and effective, if not found in the New Testament, have no place in building up the church. This vision calls for building up of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12). Yes, it is a matter of building up the church, but "let each man take heed how he builds upon it" (I Cor. 3:10). How we do the work of building up someday will be revealed by fire (I Cor. 3:13). How do we do the work of building up the church? Do we do the work of building up purely according to the New Testament pattern, outside of traditions of religion and methods of man not found in the Bible (e.g., traditions and methods of Romanism and Protestantism not found in the Bible or in some cases even contrary to the Bible)? Or do we do the work of building up with a mixture of traditions of religion and with methods of man? Within any building work, any mixture of traditions of religion and methods of man not found in the New Testament eventually will be burned by fire (I Cor. 3:15), because traditions of religion and methods of man are neither gold, nor silver, nor precious stones. Only by following solely the New Testament words and pattern can any building work remain after passing through the testing fire.

Vision Must Must Be Balanced

The vision of "Christ and the Church" must be balanced. We need to experience Christ as everything, but we also need to build up the church according to the New Testament pattern. Conversely, yes, we need to build up the church according to the New Testament pattern, but we also need to experience Christ as life. These two aspects (i.e., "Christ" and "the Church") must be balanced, or else deviation will result. We may be zealous about having church life practices according to the New Testament way as far as the outward testimony and outward practical expressions are concerned, but we may not experience Christ as our life and everything. This will be out of balance, since not before long death will rule over. And conversely, we may emphasize experiencing Christ as life and experiencing the cross a lot but do not properly take care of building up of the church solely according to the New Testament words and pattern. In this case we are out of balance too, since the outward testimony of the church now suffers as a result. In sum, "Christ and the Church" must be balanced, and this is our vision.

Conclusion

God's eternal purpose is to build up His church to be His fullness to express God's all-various wisdom. May His purpose becomes our purpose; His heart desire becomes our heart desires. May we enjoy Christ as our center and enjoy Christ as our everything with a view that we can be transformed to become the building materials to be built up together. May this vision of "Christ and the Church" guide our work. May we do the work of the ministry to build up the church as His dwelling place to express Him corporately to fulfill His eternal purpose. Last but not least, may we do such work of building up the church purely according to the New Testament words and pattern, outside of traditions of religion and outside of the methods of man. Amen.

TJ (March, 2002)