THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Church
Message Four—The Nature, Condition and Ground of a Local Church
Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 1:2; Rom. 16:16b; Eph. 4:3; Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rom. 16:1; Rev. 1:11
I. Considering the nature of a local church: the church of God, possessing the divine nature of God; the churches of Christ, being in the element of Christ—1 Cor. 1:2; Rom.16:16b:
A. The title “the church of God” denotes not only that the church belongs to God, but also that the church must have the nature of God—1 Cor. 1:2.
B. First we must realize that the church is the church of God; a local church must be a church of God, possessing the divine nature of God—1 Cor. 1:2.
C. Second, a local church must be a church of Christ, being in the element of Christ—Rom. 16:16b:
1. Every element has a nature, and the nature is the essence of the element.
2. Christ is the element of the church, and God is the nature of the church.
II. The condition of a local church may fluctuate and may differ from that of all the other local churches, just as the conditions of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 differed from one another—Rev. 2-3:
A. The church in Ephesus was in one condition, and the church in Smyrna was in another condition; all the seven churches were different in their conditions; although the conditions of the churches may differ, the ground of the local churches remains the same—Rev. 2:2-4; 9-10.
B. Because the condition of a church may fluctuate, our recognizing of a local church should be based upon its nature and ground and not upon its condition.
C. A local church is preserved from being divided by its ground, not by its condition—Eph. 4:3:
1. The condition of a certain church may be good, but that does not assure that the ground of that church is right.
2. A local church may be low in its condition, yet it is still a genuine local church as long as it keeps the genuine ground of the oneness of the Body.
3. On the other hand, a local church may be high in its condition, but it is a division, a local sect, as long as it does not care for the genuine ground of the oneness of the Body of Christ expressed in its locality.
III. The ground of a local church is the genuine oneness of the Body of Christ, that is, the oneness of the Spirit—Eph. 4:3:
A. The genuine oneness of the Body of Christ must be practiced with the unique ground of locality within the limit of the boundary and jurisdiction of the locality in which a church exists, that is, on the ground of locality—Deut. 12:5.
B. As the church in Jerusalem, the church in Antioch, the church in Cenchrea, the church in Corinth, and the seven churches in the seven cities in Asia; all these churches were on the local ground, the ground of locality—Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11.
C. The church is one; just as the church is one universally, the church is also one locally:
1. The nature of the church is one, and there is only one kind of church; the church is the Body of Christ, the dwelling place of God, so the church cannot be divided— Eph. 1:23; 2:21-22.
2. Not being divided on the basis of spiritual giants—1 Cor. 1:12-13; 4:6:
a. Some believers in the church in Corinth said, “I am of Paul,” others said, “I am of Apollos,” and yet others said, “I am of Cephas;” this indicates that they took spiritual giants as the basis for dividing themselves from others.
b. Martin Luther and John Wesley were both greatly used by the Lord, but they should not have become the basis for division.
3. Not being divided on the basis of the person who is instrumental to our salvation or edification—1 Cor. 3:3-8; 21-23:
a. We belong to only One—our Lord Jesus Christ.
b. Belonging to those through whom we were saved, by whom we were baptized, or from whom we received edification is condemned by the Holy Spirit.
4. Not being divided because of spiritual facts—1 Cor. 1:12-13:
a. In 1 Corinthians 1:12-13, the Holy Spirit not only condemned those who claimed to be of Paul, of Apollos, and of Cephas, but He also condemned those who claimed to be of Christ.
b. Although it is right to belong to Christ, it is not right to make this the basis of division.
c. Therefore, there is no reason that allows us to be divided from other believers. There is, however, nothing we can do if believers decide to divide themselves from us.
5. Not being divided because of differences in doctrinal views—Gal. 5:19-21; Rom. 14:1-6:
a. Not considering doctrinal views as the faith.
b. Practicing differently and being divided from others based on doctrine being fleshly—Gal. 5:19-21.
c. Receiving those who are weak in faith—Rom. 14:1-6.
d. The scriptures acknowledging doctrinal differences but not permitting division based on these differences—Titus 3:10.
6. Not being divided because of differences in racial, nationality, and social rank—1 Cor. 12:13; Col. 3:11:
a. The fact that 1 Corinthians 12 and Colossians 3 say there cannot be Greeks or Jews means that there cannot be divisions based on race or nationality.
b. Although there are different social classes in society, there cannot be such a thing in the church.
7. Not being divided because of Spiritual Weakness or mistakes—Rev. 2-3:
a. In five of the seven epistles written to the seven local churches in Asia, the Lord rebuked the churches because of their weaknesses and mistakes.
b. However, because those five were local churches, the Lord did not ask anyone to leave.
Ministry Excerpts:
THE CHURCH EXISTING AS ONE IN THE UNIVERSE
There is only one church in the universe. There are not many churches in the universe; there is only one church. Since the source and production of the church are one, the existence of the church must also be one. According to the nature of the oneness of the church, the existence of the church in the universe must be one. According to the principle of the oneness of the church, the existence of the church in the universe should also be one. Therefore, the church is uniquely one in the universe; there is only one church. This is the aspect of the church emphasized in Ephesians 1:22-23.
THE CHURCH IN EACH LOCALITY BEING ONE
There is only one church in the universe, and there is only one church in each locality. Regardless of whether the city was Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), Antioch (13:1), Ephesus (Rev. 2:1), or Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2), there was only one church in it. There can be only one church, not two or more, in each locality. If there are two or more in one locality, the oneness of the church is immediately damaged. All the saints in the universe belong to the universal church. In the same principle, all the saints in one locality belong to the church in that locality. If the believers in one locality become divided and form two churches, the oneness of the church is damaged.
Regardless of the locality, there can be only one church. In Taipei there is one church, and in Tainan there is also one church. In Tokyo there is one church, and in New York City there is also one church. In a large locality there is one church, and in a small locality there is also one church. The church is one. However, in today’s situation there are so many “churches” that there is almost one on every corner. There can be an East Gate Church on one corner, and a Baptist Church on another corner, or there can be a Lutheran Church on this street and a Wesleyan Church on the next street. This can be compared to a “church” market. If we see the light concerning the oneness of the church, we will abhor this situation. Such a condition completely contradicts the oneness of the church by establishing more than one “church.”
In 1954 some believers went to Baguio in the Philippines. When a renowned preacher from China heard that we were coming, he left. Before leaving Baguio, he asked a brother whom he knew very well to ask me why we considered only ourselves to be the local church. I responded, as if jesting, and asked the brother to convey the following analogy to the preacher: “One day, Mrs. Chao saw Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Wang, and Mrs. Chang. Being jealous, they asked Mrs. Chao, ‘Why do you consider only yourself to be Mrs. Chao?’ Mrs. Chao replied, ‘Why do you even ask me such a question? Do you not call yourselves Mrs. Lee, Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Wang, and Mrs. Chang?’”
The one church has been divided. This is something very offensive to the Lord. It offends the Lord even more than immoral sins. The church that should be of Christ openly and shamelessly puts up a sign of Lutheran or of others. Oh, what a shame! This is the same as Mrs. Chao calling herself Mrs. Chang. Today the Protestant churches condemn the Roman Catholic Church, calling her a great harlot, but what about the Protestant churches? Are they a pure and chaste woman in the eyes of the Lord? Those who have light will painfully admit that the Protestant churches have also become harlots!
MANY LOCAL CHURCHES NOT BEING MANY KINDS OF CHURCHES
Although there are many local churches, there cannot be many kinds of churches. There is only one kind of church. “Many” is a matter of quantity, but “kind” is a matter of nature. For example, there are many churches in Taiwan. There is a church in Tainan, a church in Taipei, a church in Taichung, and a church in Kaohsiung. Since there are many localities, there are many churches. However, these churches cannot be many kinds of churches. Since the nature of the church is one, there can be many churches in many localities, but there cannot be many kinds of churches. The church in Taipei and the church in Tainan are of the same nature. However, today in many places there are not only many “churches” but many kinds of churches. This shows that the oneness of the church has been lost and that the nature of the oneness has been changed.
We must see that the church is one; just as the church is one universally, the church is also one locally. Although there are many churches in different localities, the nature of these churches is one; they are of the same kind. (Lessons for New Believers, lsn. 15)
THE NATURE
The Church of God, Possessing the Divine Nature of God
Concerning the nature of a local church, first we must realize that the church is the church of God (1 Cor. 1:2). A local church must be a church of God, possessing the divine nature of God. The title “the church of God” denotes not only that the church belongs to God, but also that the church must have the nature of God.
The Churches of Christ, Being in the Element of Christ
Second, the churches are the churches of Christ (Rom. 16:16b). A local church must be a church of Christ, being in the element of Christ. Every element has a nature, and the nature is the essence of the element. Christ is the element of the church, and God is the nature of the church. God is in Christ; this indicates that the nature is in the element. A local church must possess the divine nature of God and be in the element of Christ.
THE GROUND
The Genuine Oneness of the Body of Christ—the Oneness of the Spirit
The ground of a local church is the genuine oneness of the Body of Christ, that is, the oneness of the Spirit. Ephesians 4:3 charges us to be diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit. The oneness of the Spirit is the oneness of the Body of Christ, which is the basic element of the unique ground of a local church.
In the Limit of the Boundary and Jurisdiction of a Locality—
the Ground of Locality
The genuine oneness of the Body of Christ must be practiced with the unique ground of locality within the limit of the boundary and jurisdiction of the locality in which a church exists, that is, on the ground of locality, as with the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), the church in Antioch (Acts 13:1), the church in Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1), the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2), and the seven churches in the seven cities in Asia (Rev. 1:11). All these churches were on the local ground, the ground of locality.
THE CONDITION
The condition of a local church may fluctuate and may differ from that of all the other local churches, just as the conditions of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 differed from one another. The church in Ephesus was in one condition, and the church in Smyrna was in another condition. All the seven churches were different in their conditions. However, although the conditions of the churches may differ, the ground of the local churches remains the same. Because the condition of a church may fluctuate, our recognizing of a local church should be based upon its nature and ground and not upon its condition.
A local church is preserved from being divided by its ground, not by its condition. The unique ground—the unique oneness of the Body of Christ, plus the unique ground of locality—preserves a church from being divided. The condition of a certain church may be good, but that does not assure that the ground of that church is right. A local church may be low in its condition, yet it is still a genuine local church as long as it keeps the genuine ground of the oneness of the Body. On the other hand, a local church may be high in its condition, but it is a division, a local sect, as long as it does not care for the genuine ground of the oneness of the Body of Christ expressed in its locality. We may use marriage as an illustration of this principle. The ground of a marriage is the chastity of the wife. As long as a wife is chaste, she has a proper standing, even though her character may be rough. She may not be loving or kind—this is her condition—but this does not annul the ground of her marriage. However, if her husband’s name is Smith, and she begins to call herself Mrs. Jones, even if she is loving, kind, humble, and submissive toward her husband, her calling herself Mrs. Jones annuls the ground of her marriage. A wife’s base in her marriage is her chastity. In Revelation 3:8 the Lord praised the church in Philadelphia for not denying His name. It is a terrible thing for a wife to deny her husband’s name. That annuls the base of their marriage. Regardless of how good a wife may be in character or in daily life, if she denies her husband’s name, she has lost her base in the marriage life. The ground of a local church is the very base upon which we recognize that church. We recognize a church not because its condition is according to our preference. Our recognizing of a church depends upon its ground, and this ground is composed of two things: the oneness of the Body and the locality in which the church exists. Concerning the ground of locality, the principle in the New Testament is “one city, one church.” In a particular city there should not be more than one church. The condition of a local church can change, and sometimes it does change; but the ground of a local church should remain unchanged permanently.
In the past two years, some have left the genuine local churches and have begun to meet in a divisive way. They may say that they are not a division but are simply a group meeting of the church. However, these are not genuine group meetings but sectarian divisions, because they do not care for the oneness of the Body or for the ground of locality. (A Brief Presentation of the Lord’s Recovery, ch. 2)