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THE RECOVERY OF THE CHURCH

I. THE RECOVERY WITH THE PROTESTANT CHURCH— IN THE FIRST PART OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

We have seen the original condition of the church and how the church became degraded. Now we need to see the recovery of the church. We must realize that the original condition of the church on earth did not last long. The church was established around A.D. 30, but near the end of the first century, after only fifty or sixty years, when the apostle John was about to depart from this world, the church began to have a little degradation. At that time the desolation of the church was limited to its inward content; it remained more or less the same in its principle and ground. At the beginning of the second century, however, the degradation of the church in its principle set in; some of the basic principles began to go awry. In the first part of the fourth century, even though the church had existed on earth for only a little over two and a half centuries, the degradation became quite serious when the Roman Emperor Constantine accepted the Christian religion. Finally, in the fifth century, when the Roman Catholic Church was officially formed, it became the imperial religion of the Roman Empire in complete union with the world. It also unified the religious organization and produced the pope as the highest authority. At this stage it might be said that the degradation of the church was complete. Both in regard to its nature and principle or its testimony and ground, every aspect became completely degraded; nothing was left that had not become degraded. It could be said that the church at that time could no longer be considered the church. This situation of degradation continued for approximately one thousand years until the first part of the sixteenth century when Martin Luther brought in the Reformation. In these one thousand years, the church may be said to have been in a period of total darkness. Students of history know that this was also the darkest period in the history of Europe. History books contain a considerable record of the situation of darkness.

In the fifteenth century there were some people in the church who rose up to recover and to correct the situation. We all know that reformation of the church began formally with Martin Luther. The Reformation was brought in through Martin Luther. However, before Martin Luther, there were some who were quite enlightened and who rose up to speak for God in protest to degraded Christianity. Two of the most powerful ones were John Wycliffe on the British Isles and John Huss on the Continent. Both of them were very strong, and the light they received from the Bible was also quite clear. Before the time of Luther, they rose up and told people that the Roman Catholic Church was an apostate church, that she had left the revelation of God, and that her actions were completely against God; under her, they said, the church had become completely degraded. They gave numerous illustrations and released much light, and their words were received by many people. In their time, they laid a very good foundation for the Reformation.

In the first part of the sixteenth century, Martin Luther, who was still a monk in the Roman Catholic Church, was raised up by God. Once he stood up, many others responded, and the well-known Reformation in history exploded. At that time, the explosion of the Reformation not only had spiritual power, it also had political strength because the kings of European nations did not want to be controlled by the pope. They took the opportunity and joined the Reformation, hoping to gain political freedom. Therefore, the Reformation had a political element mixed into its nature; it was not a purely religious movement. Nevertheless, there were still many who came out of the Roman Catholic Church. Gradually, they formed the so-called Protestant churches of today. We may say that today’s Protestant churches are products of Luther’s Reformation.

From that time to the present, a period of almost four hundred years, Christianity has been divided into two great branches on the earth. One great branch is the Roman Catholic Church with the Greek Orthodox Church and a remainder of the sect of Nestorians. The other great branch is the Protestant church, which includes thousands of sects and denominations. The Reformation can be reckoned as the first step, or the first part, of the recovery. Now let us briefly look at the important points of this recovery from a spiritual perspective.

A. Recovering the Open Bible

First, the open Bible was recovered through the Reformation. When God gave the Bible to man, it was for everyone. But in the degradation of the church, the Bible was locked up under the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church did not allow believers to read the Bible themselves. The Scriptures were read only by the clergy, a group of people specialized in holy service. Sometimes they selected some portions from the Bible and explained them to the believers, but they never entrusted the believers with the whole Bible. Therefore, at that time the Bible was locked up; the word of God was sealed. In the Reformation the first thing Luther did was to open the Bible to the public. He released the Bible completely so that everyone had a Bible in their hands to read. This is the most worthy thing of the Reformation, and it is also the most beneficial thing to later generations. Some have said that justification by faith was the first thing recovered in Luther’s Reformation, but justification by faith is not the center of the Reformation. The most important item of the Reformation was the recovery of the open Bible. Luther’s recovery of justification by faith was based upon what he found in the open Bible. Therefore, the most precious item given to us by the Reformation was the open Bible. The second item was justification by faith, which was derived from the first.

Although the Bible was made available to the public, not much of it was opened up, interpreted. Opening the Bible to the public is one thing, but opening up the Bible is another. Reading the Bible is one thing, but reading it with light is another. In the Reformation, the Bible was opened to the public, but not much of the Bible was opened up. The Bible in black and white was placed before people to read, but not much light came out of their reading. Of course, this is not speaking absolutely but relatively.

Furthermore, even though some truths were opened up, they were not obeyed absolutely. There were certain truths which even Martin Luther did not obey. For example, after some achievements were made through the Reformation, the state churches still were produced. Although the Reformation rescued the church out of the Church of Rome, it did not rescue the church out of politics. Martin Luther saw this light from the Bible. He was clear concerning this, and he told people that the church’s fall into politics was a matter not according to the Scriptures. However, he also said that he did not have a way to reform this matter at that time and wished that others would rise up to do it at a later time. During that time there were other truths which were opened up but which were not kept. This is still the case with the Protestant churches produced by the Reformation; many truths in the Bible have been released, but they have not been obeyed diligently.

Therefore, in the Protestant churches, the Bible is still not the highest authority in many matters. For example, in today’s Protestant churches there is still the human headship and the resolutions of councils, which are frequently considered higher than the teachings of the Bible and thus have control over the churches. In many instances the opinions of their leaders and the resolutions of their councils are more authoritative than the teachings of the Bible. On many matters the teachings of the Bible are not the highest judgment; rather, the opinions of their leaders and the proposals of their councils are the final decisions. Therefore, even though the Bible has been unlocked, it seems as if there has not been much effect. It has not been opened up sufficiently, and what has been opened up has not been honored sufficiently. This is the situation regarding the recovery of the Bible in the Protestant churches.

B. Not Separated from the World

Second, the Protestant church was not separated from the world. The beginning of the Protestant church was the formation of various state churches; thus, the church fell into the hands of political governments. Therefore, the Protestant church was not freed from the world; it was still, in principle, the same as the Roman Catholic Church which was mixed with the Roman Empire.

Later, Protestants produced the so-called private churches, such as the Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Wesleyan Church. Although these were not state churches and seemed to be outside of politics, they still had many elements and practices that were linked to the world. These situations continue to the present time. Therefore, the Protestant church is still mixed with the world, similar to a boat being in the water and water also being in the boat. The Protestant church did not have a thorough reform in this matter.

C. Forsaking Idols

Third, the Protestant church forsook idols. Generally speaking, it is true that the Protestant church forsook idols outwardly. It is not easy to find an idol in any of the Protestant groups. This may be considered as a strong recovery with the Protestant church.

D. Not Eliminating the Intermediary Class

Fourth, the Protestant church did not eliminate the intermediary class. We all know about the intermediary class. For example, the system of priests in the Roman Catholic Church is an intermediary class. They exclusively handle things related to the service and worship of God, and the rest of the believers occupy themselves with worldly affairs. We have already pointed out that this is very much against the principle of the New Testament. The New Testament shows that every saved one is a priest, and as such, everyone can approach God and serve God directly without relying on an intermediary. But the deformed church brought the priestly system, the intermediary class, of the Old Testament into the church in the New Testament. The Roman Catholic Church has a priestly system. Protestant churches, even though they reject the priestly system, have produced other systems which in principle and nature are not much different. The state churches have a clerical system, the clergy, and sometimes those who belong to the clergy are called priests; the private churches have the pastoral system.

We are all too familiar with the term pastor; we know that a pastor is one who specifically handles spiritual affairs. Therefore, pastors also constitute an intermediary class. I often met this kind of problem myself. In actuality I am not a pastor, and among us there is no pastor, but frequently people addressed me as “Pastor Lee.” They called me “Pastor Lee” because they considered me to be someone who handles spiritual matters, someone who specializes in this line. It is as if being a pastor is a profession. Today if someone wants to be a medical doctor, he goes to study in a medical school; if he wants to be a lawyer, he goes to a law school; and if he wants to be a pastor, he goes to a theological school. After one has finished his training in a theological school, he can be a pastor. This is the common view. Once I heard a brother utter a humorous statement that when someone is sick, he looks for a doctor; when he has a lawsuit, he looks for a lawyer; and when he wants to worship God, he looks for a pastor. This makes service to God merely a profession among other professions. This is altogether against the principle and teaching of the New Testament. In the New Testament we do not need to look for a pastor in order to serve God. Every saved one can draw near to God and serve God directly; there is no need for a group of believers who specialize in this line and do everything for others. However, the priestly system in the Roman Catholic Church, the clerical system in the state churches, and the pastoral system in the private churches are all an intermediary class in principle. This matter is most offensive to God, and it hurts the church. It is quite damaging to the Body of Christ because it is God’s intention and desire that all of His children would serve and worship Him directly and that all the saved ones would be members of the Body of Christ with each one fulfilling his function. Today, however, in the so-called churches, an intermediary class has been created to serve God so that a few are taking the place of all the believers in the service to God. In this way the functions of all the believers as members of the Body are annulled. This also damages the Body of Christ and causes the church to become degraded. The intermediary class as an element of degradation was not removed from the Protestant churches; it only changed in appearance a little.

E. Having Even More Divisions

Because of the Roman Catholic Church’s promotion of the unification of all the churches around the globe, the church did not have divisions on the surface. But when the Protestant church began, there was a division into numerous state churches according to distinctions of nations and national boundaries. Later, due to the promotion of different truths, the adoption of different policies and systems, and the holding of different spiritual giants in high respect, the church was further divided into many private churches. As a result, the Protestant church presently is divided into approximately two thousand denominations and sects. The Protestant church did not have a recovery in this respect; instead, it caused an even worse degradation of the church.

F. Not Putting Away the Organization for Unification

The various denominations of the Protestant church also established respective headquarters for unification. Almost every denomination has regional centers and general headquarters above the local congregations. The lowest level is the local congregation, the highest level is the general headquarters, and in the middle are regional centers. All of these forms of organization rob the Holy Spirit of His authority and usurp the headship of Christ in the church.

G. Not Allowing Christ to Have Absolute Position Nor Allowing the Holy Spirit to Have Absolute Authority

In summary, although the Protestant church was much improved in comparison to the Roman Catholic Church, it did not have a thorough recovery—it did not allow Christ to have the absolute position or the Holy Spirit to have the absolute authority. In the Protestant state churches, either the head of the nation or the highest bishop is considered as the highest authority. In the Protestant private churches, their councils are considered as the highest authority. The Bible, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are all neglected; all decisions are made according to the decisions of councils. This causes Christ to lose His position and the Holy Spirit to lose His authority in the church. The above points briefly describe the situation of recovery with the Protestant church.

II. THE RECOVERY WITH THE MORAVIAN BRETHREN IN UNITY— IN THE EARLY PART OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

Although the Reformation was a great recovery of the church, only a small part was recovered; a great number of important matters of the church were still not recovered. Therefore, after another two hundred years, in the early part of the eighteenth century, God had a further recovery with the Moravian brethren. The Moravian brethren originally lived in Moravia, but they suffered persecution because of their love for the Lord with a pure heart. Eventually, they escaped to Bohemia. In the early part of the eighteenth century, they brought in a great revival there. This revival was a strong recovery, and it was much more serious than the recovery through the Reformation. It recovered nearly ninety percent of what needed to be recovered in the church. To a great extent these brethren returned to the original condition of the church in its nature, in its principle, in its testimony, and in its ground. Let us briefly cover the important points of this recovery.

A. Obeying the Lord’s Word— the Bible

First, the Moravian brethren not only had the Bible in their hands, but they also obeyed the words of the Bible. Their living, work, meeting, and worship were all according to the teaching of the Bible. Therefore, at that time the Bible was quite illuminating. They were much more advanced on this point than the Protestants.

B. Separated from the World

Second, they were truly freed, separated, from the world. They did not mix themselves with politics. They were citizens of a nation, but on matters related to the worship of God they did not mix with politics. This time, the matter of the church being separated from the world was recovered considerably. It could be likened to the boat being on the sea but the sea water not coming into the boat.

C. Not Defiled by Idols

Third, they were absolutely not defiled by idols. Concerning this matter, they were much more absolute than the Protestants.

D. Removing Distinctions in Rank and Stressing the Fellowship and Coordination of the Brethren

Fourth, they removed distinctions in rank. Thank the Lord, when these Moravian brethren were raised up, distinctions in rank in the church were eliminated. They scorned rank and forsook organization; instead, they stressed the fellowship and coordination among themselves as brothers. Brother Zinzendorf, a leading one among them, once said that if he gave up fellowship with the brethren, he would not know where to find the church. What a marvelous realization! To him, the reality of the church was in the fellowship and coordination of the brethren. They paid attention to this point; therefore, their service was strong and living. This is evident in history.

E. Endeavoring to Keep the Oneness by Abandoning Differences in Doctrinal Views

They also endeavored to keep the oneness by abandoning differences in doctrinal views. At that time, at least four different groups were meeting together: Moravian brethren, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Calvinists. These four groups were quite different from one another in their doctrinal views. At the beginning they argued so seriously that they were almost divided. Then Zinzendorf proposed that all of them make a contract in which they would agree to lay aside their doctrinal differences and pay attention only to the points that were similar among them. Because they were people who loved the Lord with pure hearts, being the so-called puritans in history, they accepted Zinzendorf’s proposal and signed the contract in May 1727. From that time on they laid aside all the differences and focused on the similarities. Later the Holy Spirit continued to work so that even the doctrinal differences were completely eliminated. In this way they became absolutely one. Hence, they greatly experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and after three or four years, they went in groups to foreign lands for the spread of the gospel in an unprecedented way.

F. Removing Formal Organization for Unification

In this recovery, they also removed formal organization for unification. They did not have a head church and branch churches. Formal organization was completely removed from their midst.

G. Allowing Christ to Be the Head and the Holy Spirit to Rule among Them

In such a situation, the Moravian brethren allowed Christ to be the Head and allowed the Holy Spirit to rule among them. The recovery among them might be considered quite complete. All who read church history admit that the recovery among this group of Moravian brethren was the first serious recovery of the church since the first group of the apostles. This was a tremendous recovery.

III. THE RECOVERY WITH THE BRETHREN— IN THE EARLY PART OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

Although the recovery with the Moravian brethren was quite strong, God did not stop there; instead, He continued to take the way of recovery. Approximately a hundred years after this great recovery, God had another strong recovery with the so-called Brethren. This recovery began in England in the early part of the nineteenth century, formally in 1828. This recovery was even stronger. Readers of the Bible who have the light all acknowledge that this recovery was the fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecy concerning Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13). The name Philadelphia means “brotherly love.” When the Brethren were raised up, they were truly a “Philadelphia”; a situation of brotherly love was recovered and manifested among them. This recovery was very thorough, and it might be said that what needed to be recovered in the church was recovered completely. Every item related to the church was restored to its original condition. It was truly pleasing to the Lord. Here we can cover only the main points of this recovery briefly.

A. Absolutely Obeying the Lord’s Word— the Bible Becoming an Opened Book

First, they obeyed the Lord’s word absolutely. At that time the Bible in their hands was truly an opened book, a shining book. Many important truths were released at that time. The Brethren released almost all of the biblical and orthodox truths preached in Christianity for the past one hundred years, from the truth of the gospel to the deepest truths. What a tremendous matter!

For example, before the Brethren were raised up, even though the truth concerning justification by faith was recovered, the truth of the gospel was not clear, and there was no assurance of salvation. The Brethren started from this point and released the light of the truth. Other truths were discovered by the Brethren, including the truths concerning the second coming of the Lord Jesus and the church. Biblical truths flowed out from them like torrents, and we are still being helped by them. Many famous Bible teachers in church history were brothers in their midst, such as J. N. Darby, J. G. Bellett, C. H. Mackintosh (who wrote Notes on the Pentateuch), and William Kelly. These brothers knew the Bible and opened up the Bible book by book. At their time the Bible was completely opened up. This fulfilled what the Lord said to the church in Philadelphia: “You have a little power and have kept My word” (Rev. 3:8). When the Brethren were raised up, they kept the Lord’s word. This is the reason that thel ight of the Lord’s word was especially shining among them. To this day there is still much light among the Brethren.

B. Absolutely Separated from the World and Absolutely Forsaking Idols

Furthermore, their separation from the world and forsaking of idols was thorough and absolute. At that time, many among them were persons with titles of nobility, and they respectfully returned the titles to the royal family. They were reluctant even in the matter of taking pictures. They would not have their pictures taken unless it was absolutely necessary. Mr. Darby was the weightiest among them, yet it is difficult to find a picture of him. He felt that this kind of thing inevitably had the smell of the world and carried the flavor of idols as well. He did not want to have his picture looked at and adored by others. Here we can see that their separation from the world and forsaking of idols was absolute!

C. Absolutely Eliminating Hierarchy and Being Brothers Together and Members One of Another with Special Emphasis on Mutual Love and Fellowship

It was not until the time of the Brethren that the hierarchy in the church was truly and thoroughly eliminated. They were brothers together. Among them, they called each other brother in their preaching; when shaking hands they called each other brother; in their conversation they also called each other brother. They always addressed each other as brothers. When people first went into their midst, it seems as if they could not hear anything else; they only heard “brother.” Based on this particular characteristic, outsiders called them the “Brethren,” since they did not have a special name. This term Brethren was translated into Chinese as “Brethren church,” but actually in English it is simply “Brethren.”

Concerning the elimination of hierarchy among them, I can tell you a little story. Many people have heard of George Müller, who founded an orphanage; he was also one of the Brethren. At the Lord’s table, he always sat on the last row of seats, as if to say, “I am the same as all the brothers; why should I sit at the front?” By this we can see that they paid attention to being brothers to one another. They thoroughly eliminated hierarchy.

Let me tell another story regarding the Brethren. During World War I, England and Germany were bitter opponents. Because many British people were killed by the Germans, they hated the Germans. After the war ended and the peace treaty was signed, the Brethren in England felt that some of them should go and visit the brethren in Germany. Thus, they went, and the brethren in Germany greatly welcomed them. In one of the meetings, a brother in Germany stood up and said, “We really thank and praise the Lord that some of the brethren of England have come to visit us.” After he finished, a brother from England stood up and corrected him, saying, “We are not brothers of England but brothers from England.” Dear brothers and sisters, how sweet it was! All of the flavor of the world, all of the element of idols, and all the things related to the hierarchy were completely removed from their midst. They were purely before God as brothers and as fellow members of the Body of Christ, paying attention especially to mutual love and fellowship. Even today their mutual love and fellowship are still very strong. Although I have not personally observed their situation, others have described it to me thoroughly, and it is truly a tremendous scene of mutual love and fellowship.

D. Absolutely Eliminating Sectarianism and Maintaining the Testimony of Oneness

In the beginning the Brethren absolutely eliminated sectarianism and maintained the testimony of oneness. The matter of leaving the denominations began with them. In the beginning many of them were believers who came out of denominations. They came together to maintain the testimony of the oneness of the church. This point also was stressed very much among them.

E. Absolutely Freed from Any Organization

The Brethren were freed from organization. They had no branch churches or headquarters.

F. Completely Allowing Christ to Be the Head and the Holy Spirit to Rule among Them

The Brethren absolutely allowed Christ to be the Head and the Holy Spirit to rule among them because they were freed from any form of organization. In the first thirty years of their history, their situation was truly wonderful. If we read their history and letters, we must say that Christ was truly their Head and the Holy Spirit was truly their authority. They returned to the original condition of the church.

IV. THE FAILURE OF THE BRETHREN— BEGINNING NOT LONG AFTER THEIR RECOVERY

Even though the Brethren had a good recovery at the beginning, it was not maintained for very long. It is not easy to maintain a high peak or a high water level for a long time. In the first twenty or thirty years after the Brethren began in 1828, they had the original condition of the church. Regrettably, this situation did not last long. Around 1850, after they had met for approximately twenty years, some problems arose among them which led to their failure.

What kind of problems arose among them? In the beginning they forsook sectarianism and left the denominations. When they began to meet in various places, there was one assembly in one locality. There was no problem. After a while, many of the Christians in the Protestant denominations admired their situation and wanted to join their meetings, but they could not break away from their denominations and wanted instead to meet with both groups. When these ones came into their midst, the brothers among the Brethren had different attitudes toward them. One group of brothers held the view that they should not accept Christians who were meeting with both groups. They seemed to say, “Although these Christians are brothers, they have not left the sects, the denominations. Therefore, they are ‘evil companions’ and cannot be accepted. If they want to be received by us, they need to leave the denominations because denominations are wrong. We can receive them only when they have completely left the denominations.” Another group of brothers, however, had a different opinion and seemed to say, “This should not be so. Although these Christians are still remaining in the denominations, this sin is not sufficient for us to cut them off from the fellowship of the church. We can only say that they have made a mistake, but we cannot reject them.” Thus, there was a split among the Brethren into two large groups. The group that did not agree with receiving Christians who were still joined to a denomination was strict in this matter and later became known as the exclusive Brethren. The group that was in favor of receiving such Christians was more lenient and later became known as the open Brethren. Thus, the division among the Brethren began; not only was one locality divided from another, but brothers in the same locality were also divided into an exclusive and an open group.

After a while, the Brethren became more and more sophisticated in their study of the truths, and they became increasingly different in their views. At the same time, they also had many differences in their opinions and practices concerning meeting and service. In response, they said that those with different opinions were preaching “evil doctrines” and should not remain in the group. Thus, the Brethren further splintered into many small groups. These divisions took place among the exclusive Brethren and also among the open Brethren. The exclusive Brethren were divided mainly because of arguments concerning doctrines, and the open Brethren were divided mainly because of differences in opinions. Furthermore, the open Brethren had a particular characteristic of not quarreling when they had a difference in opinion; rather, they adopted a seemingly civil way of simply leaving and setting up another assembly. In this way they could boast that they never fought with each other. In actuality, they did fight; it only looked as if they did not fight because they would leave and set up another assembly. As a result, there could be several open Brethren assemblies in a locality. This was regrettable. As a result of so many divisions, they lost both the nature of oneness and the ground of oneness.

On one hand, the Brethren were divided into many small assemblies in a locality; this was not according to the principle of one city, one church, and it also damaged the ground of the oneness of the church in a locality. On the other hand, they also went beyond the boundary of a locality and joined with brothers in various localities who shared the same opinions and same views, thereby producing an “extra-local” union. This also damaged the local nature and ground of the church. These two practices—having an “extra-local” union and having many assemblies in one locality—completely damaged the orthodox oneness of the church on the local ground. When the Brethren deviated in this manner, they failed. This caused the high level of the recovery among the Brethren to decline.

V. THE RECOVERY IN THE EAST— BEGINNING FROM 1922

What we have seen above is in regard to the Lord’s recovery in the Western world. Now we need to speak a little concerning the Lord’s recovery in the East. I believe that some of the brothers and sisters who are meeting with us might have a feeling that our gatherings are somewhat different from other Christian organizations. Sometimes outsiders also have some questions regarding us, asking, “What kind of Christians are they? How is their situation different from other Christian organizations?” Even some brothers and sisters have asked, “Where did we come from? How did we become what we are today?” Now I will speak a little concerning our story, which is also the story of the Lord’s recovery in the East.

A. Accepting the Lord’s Word—the Bible— as the Highest Authority

Most Chinese who are over fifty years old are aware of the fact that approximately thirty or forty years ago Chinese society experienced a great reform. In particular, the young people were infused with many new thoughts. They received a new kind of education, and they were stirred up to exert their effort to bring blessings to the country and to improve society. The Lord also worked on many of these young people, causing them to be saved and seriously gained by the Lord. This was really something of the Lord. Throughout the country, from the south to the north, many like this were saved in many places.

After their salvation these young brothers began to analyze the situation of Christianity. They classified the things in Christianity into three categories: the Lord Himself, the Lord’s Word—the Bible and the gospel, and the system, organization, regulations, and practices in Christianity. Concerning the first two categories, which are the Lord and the Lord’s Word, they had no problems at all. They thanked the Lord that He brought these two things to the East through the brothers from the West. However, concerning practical Christianity, that is, the Christianity before their eyes, they had a big question. They questioned everything in Christianity, including the system, the organization, the various names, the articles of faith, and the practices. They questioned every item by asking, “Is this right? What is the basis for this? What is the principle, the standard?” They said, “We must study the Bible, we must acknowledge that the Bible has the highest authority, and we must decide everything according to the Bible.” At that time, their slogan was that “the Bible is the highest court.” They decided every matter by bringing it to the Bible. Therefore, they spent a great deal of effort to study the Bible in a serious way. Not only did they study the Bible in a general way, they also studied specific topics.

For instance, because they saw that Christianity was divided into many denominations and sects, they put a question mark on this and asked, “Are denominations and sects according to the Bible? Do they have a place in the Bible?” Then they read through the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, specifically to study the matter of denominations and sects. As a result, they saw that denominations were not found in the Bible and that sects were condemned by the Bible. Later they noticed that every denomination had a special name, such as Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist. Hence, they also asked, “Are these names according to the Bible? Do they have a foundation in the Bible?” Then they carefully studied all the portions in the New Testament which spoke of names. Eventually, they concluded that we should belong to and exalt only one name—the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Being designated by any name or exalting any name other than the name of the Lord is not according to the Bible.

When they looked at the pastoral system, they again went to the Bible to study this matter. As a result, they obtained an answer which negated it. When they saw the layers of organization in Christianity with general headquarters, regional centers, and local congregations, they again asked, “Are these organizations in Christianity according to the Bible?” They went to the Bible to specifically study this matter and again obtained an answer that negated this point.

I do not need to go into all of these matters in detail. They put a question mark on every matter, great or small, including baptism by immersion or by sprinkling and the distribution of the bread by a pastor at holy communions; they ascertained an answer from the Bible one by one. Most of their conclusions were negative.

Thus, they could no longer accept or remain in the status quo of Christianity. They cared for the Lord and the Bible but not for deformed, organized Christianity. Therefore, they began to leave the denominations. From approximately 1922 to 1934, for over ten years, from the south to the north, Christians throughout China enthusiastically responded to the matter of leaving the denominations. These Christians were mainly the young people spoken of earlier, who were both capable and quite clear concerning the Lord’s salvation and who intensely loved the Lord, feared the Lord, and diligently read the Bible. Gradually, they communicated with one another and had fellowship through correspondence. Spontaneously, they converged and became one flow. By 1935 small meetings had been raised up in many important cities from Kwangtung Province, the most southern region of China, to Heilungkiang Province, the most northern part. They were started by people who loved the Lord with a pure heart in various localities and who left the sectarian groups and erroneous denominations of organized Christianity. They gathered together for the worship of the Lord in a pure and simple way.

Let me give an example to show how absolute and simple they were at that time. In the city of Tsinan, capital of Shangtung Province, there is the famous Chilu University, established jointly by the Presbyterians and some other denominations. Thus, it was a Christian university with regular Christian worship services, a university chaplain, and a number of professors who were also Presbyterian missionaries. Around 1931, a group of students were saved. They truly loved the Lord and loved to study the Bible. In their reading of the Word, like all other seeking Christians, they realized that Christianity at that time was deformed and that the denomination before their eyes was not scriptural. So they left the denomination and would no longer go to the university chapel. But where could these believers go to meet? Surprisingly, they held their first Lord’s table at a cemetery in a desolate place outside of the city of Tsinan. In that cemetery there were graves with a stone table in front for placing offerings. The young brothers used the stone table as the table for the breaking of bread. They placed the bread and the cup on the stone table; then they all sat on the ground around the table and sang hymns and gave praises to the Lord. In this way they broke the bread. Someone told me that in their meeting they truly touched the presence of the Lord; they truly touched heaven. This was the beginning of the church in Tsinan.

The church in Foochow also started when a group of young students saw that denominations were wrong and would not go back to them. They wanted to have a new beginning, to have a pure meeting not according to Western traditions but simply according to the Bible. So they came together to meet. At first they met in a brother’s home. Later when the number of people increased, they needed to rent another place for their meeting. Because they were poor students, where could they get money to rent a house? They also read from the Bible that it was not acceptable to ask for donations and that the proper way was to rely on God, to believe in God. Therefore, they prayed before the Lord in simplicity. They kept praying until a young brother took off his jacket and secretly offered it to a responsible brother to be sold to pay for the rent. The responsible brother then asked in the meeting if someone would buy the jacket for eight dollars. Please listen to this lovely story. There were only a few saints, but upon hearing the announcement, some were touched. One sister said to another sister beside her, “Look at that brother over there. His clothing is so lightweight. I am thinking of buying the jacket to give it to him, but I have only four dollars.” The other sister said, “I also have four dollars. Let us buy the jacket together.” Thus, they combined their money and bought the jacket for eight dollars. Then they gave it to that brother, not knowing that he had offered the jacket originally. In this way they had a few dollars and were able to rent a place to meet.

From these examples we can see that the recovery at that time was pure, without any background, any motive, or any connection or involvement with organized Christianity. Furthermore, and most importantly, they accepted the Word of God absolutely, taking the Bible as their highest authority. They took the Bible as the yardstick to carefully measure every matter, including matters such as how to serve God and how to live their life. It did not matter to them what anyone said concerning a particular matter; they wanted to know what the Bible said. Consequently, at that time, there were many arguments in regard to the Bible.

For example, once a church in northern China needed lights in the meeting hall. In order to be scriptural, the brothers began to ask concerning the kind of lights that should be installed in the meeting hall. Some were against using electric lights because electric lights could not be found in the Bible. Others suggested, “We should use oil lamps because they are scriptural. In the Bible the lamp contains oil, and it has symbolic meaning. The church is a lampstand, and the oil within it is the Holy Spirit.” This kind of talk sounds somewhat childish today, but it shows how earnest they were in their hearts to let the Lord speak.

They also had a thorough discussion concerning baptism by immersion and baptism by sprinkling. Eventually, they concluded that baptism by immersion was the biblical way. Then they discussed whether a believer should be baptized in natural water or in man-made water and whether one should be baptized in the river, the sea, or a pool. They also discussed whether baptism should be in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit or in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Another example concerned head covering for sisters. This matter was vigorously debated among them. Should the sisters wear head coverings? What should be the color and style of the covering? Should it be white or black or another color? Should it be a large piece of cloth or a hat? These questions were thoroughly debated. Even matters such as whether the sisters could open their mouths and pray in the meetings and whether they could stand up and give testimonies were vigorously argued and thoroughly debated. I cannot speak too much on these.

Brothers and sisters, we must know that many of our practices today were found approximately twenty or thirty years ago through a thorough study of the Bible and a great deal of discussion. Therefore, when we began to meet, it was something completely new, something that came out of the Bible. We did not care for the Christianity that was behind us. From that day onward we cast away all of organized Christianity. We cared for the Lord and for the Bible; we did not care for deformed Christianity. Our desire was to find the pattern in the Bible and to see what the church was and what it meant to be Christians.

From that time, there was a new beginning for the church in the East. Among other things, the primary item of the recovery was the return to the Lord’s Word—the Bible. Oh, at that time the Lord’s Word was truly precious! We were young people who loved the Lord’s Word; we felt that the Lord’s Word was truly as sweet as honey and as precious as gold (Psa. 19:9-10). We also studied the Bible well. When everyone sat down to debate a question, one person would quote the Bible, and I would quote the Bible as well; everyone was according to the Bible, but we were all very humble also. When we discovered that what I saw was not right and was a little off, I would accept the proper view immediately without any further word. When we realized that what another saw was not right and that I had seen something more accurate, he would accept my view without a further word. Most of the issues were not decided according to our views. Instead, we would simply say, “This is according to the Lord’s will. Because this is what the Word says, this is what we have decided.” At the beginning of the recovery among us, our respect and obedience to the Lord’s Word was our strongest point.

B. Being Freed from All Sects and Denominations and Recovering the Oneness of the Church

When we rose up to take the way of the Lord’s recovery by absolutely obeying the word of God, we read from the Word that the situation of division into sects and denominations is not right; it is not according to the Bible. Therefore, we all left our respective sects and denominations. In 1932, when we began to meet as the church in Chefoo, Shantung Province, there were eleven brothers present for the first three Lord’s table meetings. These eleven brothers came from at least six or eight denominations. This shows how prevailing was the matter of leaving the denominations. At that time we truly had a spirit of oneness. We did not care that one brother was baptized by immersion and another was baptized by sprinkling. We also did not care that one brother was from the China Inland Mission, another from the Presbyterian Church, and still another from the Chinese Christian Church. When we sat around the Lord’s table, it was seldom that we did not shed tears. We all felt grateful to the Lord that even though we were previously divided by the denominations, we were now breaking the Lord’s bread together to testify of the oneness of the church. This may be considered the second point of the recovery among us.

C. Abandoning All Rank and Systems and Recovering the Position of All the Saints Being Brothers to One Another

At that time we also abandoned rank and systems and recovered the position of all the saints being brothers to one another. At that time, calling each other brother was very sweet. Previously in the Christian denominations in China, the believers called each other chiaoyu, meaning “religious friend.” Thus, they would say “Chiaoyu Chang,” “Chiaoyu Lee,” or “Chiaoyu Liu”; they never used the intimate term brother. However, at that time we changed and called each other brother. When we met, we called each other brother; it was sweet and intimate. Furthermore, we rejected all rank; we had no pastors, no priests, and even more, no bishops. We abandoned the priestly system in the Roman Catholic Church, the clergy system in the state churches, and the pastoral system in the private churches. We lived together before the Lord as brothers under the leading of the Holy Spirit.

D. Being Separated from the World and Staying Away from Idols

We practiced two more points, that is, being separated from the world and staying away from idols. We were completely separated from the world, and we stayed far away from idols. We absolutely did not want to have any part in anything contaminated by the world and idols.

E. Completely Taking Christ as the Head and Allowing the Holy Spirit to Rule

As a result, we completely took Christ as the Head and allowed the Holy Spirit to rule among us. All intermediary classes and all forms of organization were eliminated. Every believer, and every church as well, lived directly before Christ, the Head, and allowed the Holy Spirit to govern and direct in all matters.

F. Taking the Locality as the Boundary of the Church— Each Locality Having Only One Church

In 1933 and 1934 we clearly saw a crucial matter—the principle of the church taking a locality as its boundary. At that time, in many places there were brothers who rose up to meet together, but there was a question concerning the boundary of each of these meetings. How should the boundary be delimited? Concerning this matter, a certain brother, after spending much effort in studying the Bible, found that the church takes a locality as its ground and boundary; that is, he saw the light of one locality, one church. In Jerusalem there was one church, in Antioch there was one church, and in Ephesus there was one church. In a large city the church was one; also in a small city the church was one. The church in a large city did not divide into several churches; also the churches in several smaller cities did not unite to form one church. There was only one church in a large city such as Jerusalem, and there was also only one church in a small city such as Thessalonica. In every case, there was one locality, one church.

Based on this principle, from 1934 onward, no matter how large or how small a city is, we have taken the way of having only one church. On one hand, this prevents division and confusion; on the other hand, it also prevents “extra-local” unions. If one locality were united with another locality, it would cause Christ to lose His position and the Holy Spirit to lose His authority. This is not pleasing to the Lord, and it is most offensive to the Lord. According to the teaching of the Bible, the church in each locality should live directly before the Lord and be responsible to the Head, Christ. There should be no superior church, no head church, and no federation. All local churches, whether large or small, are equal. The lowest church is the local church; the highest church is also the local church. There is only one class of churches; there is not a second class. When there is a ranking system among the churches, the church on a higher level becomes the head and the authority of a church on a lower level, thereby usurping the position of Christ and encroaching on the authority of the Holy Spirit. Because we saw this clear light from the Bible, the churches in various localities absolutely would not form a union. No locality can control another locality; rather, every locality allows Christ to be the Head and the Holy Spirit to exercise His authority. On the other hand, all the churches love one another, fellowship with one another, minister to one another, and help one another in the Lord. This is something spiritual and of love; it is not organizational or formal.

G. The Church’s Administration Being Local and Its Fellowship Being Universal

Because we saw the preceding item, we all kept one principle: the administration of the church is local, and the fellowship of the church is universal. From the Word of God we clearly saw that the church in each locality has its own administration and is independent of the other churches. Each local church has its own eldership and its own administration. The administration of the church cannot go beyond the locality; once it goes beyond the local boundary, it causes the church to lose its local nature. Thus, the churches in all the localities will not be able to live directly before Christ, the Head. The fellowship of the church should not only be local; rather, it should also be universal because it is the fellowship of the Body of Christ. A local church should have fellowship with all the other churches; otherwise, it will be a sect. Because we have spoken sufficiently regarding this matter in previous chapters, we do not need to speak more regarding it now.

H. Not Having Any Organization for Unification but Having Only the Spiritual Fellowship

We also clearly saw that churches in different localities should not have an organization for unification, because the administration of the church is local. All churches should be directly under the ruling of Christ, the Head, and should directly obey the authority of the Holy Spirit. There should be no regional centers or general headquarters acting as higher churches to rule over other churches. Although the churches should have mutual fellowship, this fellowship should be spiritual, not organizational. Therefore, from the beginning we kept this matter—the church should not have any organization for unification but should have only spiritual fellowship.

I. Emphasizing the Universal Priesthood

In addition, we also emphasized the universal priesthood; that is, we stressed the fact that every believer is a priest. In Judaism, the majority of the people are laymen, and only a few are priests. The Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches adopted the Judaic system; thus, they also have a small number of people who are clergy, including priests and pastors, and the majority of the people are laity, the common believers. With a distinction between clergy and laity, most of the members of the Body of Christ have lost their function, and many believers are not able to worship and serve God directly. This is absolutely against the Bible. Therefore, from the beginning we recovered the universal priesthood of the believers. All brothers and sisters are children of God, members of the Body of Christ, and priests to God; not only so, all can approach God and serve God directly. When we are in the bread-breaking meeting, any of the brothers, even newly baptized brothers and young ones, can give the blessing and distribute the bread and the cup if they have the leading. This is not like the denominations, where these things can be done only by pastors, and it is not like the Roman Catholic Church, where they can be performed only by so-called priests. In our midst, there is no intermediary class that monopolizes the spiritual services; instead, we can all serve God directly.

J. Emphasizing the Body’s Coordination in Service

We also emphasized the Body’s coordination in service, exhorting all the saints to keep the principle of the Body by serving together in coordination instead of serving independently. In preaching the gospel, for example, there is not only one person doing the work; rather, all the brothers and sisters coordinate together to do the work. Some may give the message, some may lead the singing, some may invite people to come, some may serve as ushers, some may sit with the guests, some may converse with the new ones, some may lead the new ones to pray, and some may follow up by visiting the new ones. All these tasks are done in coordination. We kept this principle in all our services; no one monopolized the service. Even though there are a few responsible brothers, they are only taking the lead and overseeing. The entire service is in the hands of the brothers and sisters.

K. Emphasizing the Practical Church Service

We also emphasized the practical church service. In all aspects of our service we did not want merely a theory; we also wanted the practice. In matters such as how to meet, how to serve in coordination, how to preach the gospel, how to give a testimony, how to speak for God, how to visit the brothers and sisters, and how to fellowship with them, we paid much attention to practically carrying these out and rendered practical guidance to the saints.

All the items mentioned above are the crucial points of the Lord’s recovery in the East. The situation among us is completely different from that of traditional Protestant churches and that of the Roman Catholic Church. In summary, we can depict the degradation and the recovery of the church with a simple chart. In this simple chart we can see that the original church was on a straight line; then the Roman Catholic Church deviated from this line. The church was recovered to a certain extent by the Protestant Reformation, but not fully. There was a further step of recovery by the Moravian brethren in unity. Subsequently, the recovery among the Brethren brought the church back to the straight line. Later, however, the Brethren had some problems, and there was a deviation from the line again. We dare not say that all of them deviated, but some of them definitely deviated; this is difficult to show on the diagram. Today we must humbly acknowledge that the Lord’s recovery in the East has brought the church back to the straight line.

VI. OUR PRESENT PRACTICE AND ATTITUDE

Finally, we need to consider our practice and attitude today. This will enable us to understand our ground, be clear concerning our practice, and know our way. Even now, without saying anything regarding the outsiders who are not clear concerning us, many newly saved brothers and sisters among us are not clear. Thus, people have many misconceptions concerning us. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to speak clearly concerning our practice and attitude. I believe that this will make many matters clearer. I also hope that after the brothers and sisters listen to these words, they will be careful not to speak inaccurate words or words that misrepresent us when speaking to others. Because today’s Christianity is complicated, we must be accurate in our speaking and in our testimony

A. Our Practice

Let us first look at our practice. First, we emphasize the testimony of the church in reality as the fullness of Christ, which is filled with Christ, full of the presence of Christ, and thereby expresses Christ. This is our primary emphasis. Our desire is that in the meetings and among the brothers and sisters, we will be full of the measure of Christ, full of the presence of Christ, and full of the expression of Christ. This is the testimony of the reality of the church. At the same time, we also emphasize the ground of the church in practicality. Thus, we have an outward ground that matches the inward testimony, just as in the Old Testament the outward tabernacle matched the inward Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was the Ark of the Testimony of God; as such, it was God’s center. But the Ark needed a tabernacle in which it could be placed. Likewise, Christ as the testimony of God is the center of God, but He also needs the outward ground of the church to match and support Him.

Second, we have returned to the proper ground of the church, the original ground of the church, the ground of oneness. The ground of today’s Christianity is not the original ground of the church, because it has been divided. Look at the church in Jerusalem in the beginning; it was in oneness, and it was one. But today in Taipei the church has been divided. This means that the ground of the oneness of the church has been lost. Therefore, we absolutely believe that we must leave the divisions and return to the ground of oneness. According to Old Testament typology, the ground of oneness is Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the place where the temple of God was built, where the testimony of God was set up, where the name of God was placed, and where God was worshipped by His people. In Jeroboam’s time, even though the nation of Israel was divided into two, there was still only one place for the worship of God; the people of Israel still had to go to Jerusalem to worship God. Jeroboam set up Bethel and told the people to worship God there (1 Kings 12:26-30). This, however, was never recognized by God. For God, there was only one place, only one ground. The meaning of this type is that the church has only one ground—the ground of oneness. The church absolutely should not be divided. The church must return to the ground of oneness and not remain on any of the grounds of division of organized Christianity. All of the grounds of denominations, being divisive, are not according to the Bible; therefore, we should leave them. These divisive grounds, like Babylon, bring the children of God into captivity. Just as the people of Israel needed to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:3, 5; 7:7-9; Neh. 2:11), we also need to leave the divisive grounds and return to the ground of oneness.

Today there are also some free scattered groups of Christians, some of whom meet in their home and some of whom meet in schools or other places; they consider themselves a small “church.” These groups are not sufficiently according to the Bible. Although these groups seem to be nonsectarian and appear to have left organized Christianity, they still have not returned to the ground of oneness. This is similar to some of the people of Israel in the Old Testament who left Babylon yet wandered in many places between Babylon and Jerusalem, rather than returning to Jerusalem. These small free groups also must see the ground of the oneness of the church. All of the believers, wherever we are, must be one and not divided. Since we are saved and all belong to the Lord, we should be one; oneness is our ground. In a given locality there should be only one group of Christians, not several groups; there should be only one church, not several churches. The church is one; oneness is the ground of the church. Therefore, we would not remain on any ground of organized Christianity, which is the ground of division. Neither would we wander in the ground of the free groups, which is the ground of scattering. Instead, we have returned to the original ground of the church, which is the ground of oneness.

Third, it is not our desire to set up any so-called meetings of “ours” in different places; rather, our desire is to meet and serve the Lord together on the ground of the oneness of the church with all those who have forsaken divisions. It is not our desire to make ourselves a special sect and promote ourselves. Rather, our desire is to be with the brothers and sisters who stand on the proper ground, who are neither divisive nor sectarian, and who meet and serve the Lord together on the ground of the oneness of the church.

Fourth, we desire to have fellowship with all the brothers and sisters in the denominations, even those in the Roman Catholic Church. As long as they are saved, as long as they are brothers and sisters in the Lord, regardless of their denomination, we will fellowship with them. On the other hand, we absolutely will not have any part in those denominations or groups. We will fellowship with the brothers and sisters, but we will not take part in their divisions. The brothers and sisters are lovable, but the divisions are detestable. Whereas the brothers and sisters belong to the Lord, the divisions are rejected and condemned by the Lord. Therefore, we will fellowship with individual brothers and sisters, but we will not take part in any organized group outside of the ground of the local church, outside of the ground of oneness. In other words, we do not want to have a part in the Roman Catholic Church or in any Protestant denominations; we do not want to take part in any so-called Christian fellowships or in any Bible-study classes; we do not want to take part in any revival societies or in any evangelistic missions. These are organizations outside the ground of the locality of the church; they have forsaken the ground of the oneness of the church. Therefore, we do not want to take part in any of them. We acknowledge, however, that within these organizations there are many genuinely saved ones. Therefore, we like to have contact and fellowship with them. In brief, in regard to saved individuals, we will contact them; in regard to the Christian organizations, we will not have any part in them.

Fifth, we are willing to tolerate any view concerning doctrine and any opinion concerning system, no matter how different they are from ours, as long as they do not hurt the fundamental faith. It does not matter that we are in favor of baptism by immersion and others are in favor of baptism by sprinkling; we will tolerate this because it does not hurt the faith. It also does not matter that we like to practice head covering and others dislike the practice, because this also does not hurt the faith. With regard to all such different opinions and different views, we are willing to tolerate them. The only thing that we will not tolerate is the matter of division. It is absolutely unacceptable to us. In the church there can be different opinions, but there absolutely should not be any divisions because of differences in opinions.

Sixth, there may be saved ones who belong to a Christian organization and who hold different opinions. If they are willing to not be divided, we are willing to stand with them on the ground of the oneness of the church to meet and serve the Lord together regardless of the opinions they hold. We do not want to be divided from any who are saved; rather, we want to be one with those who are saved, but they must remove and forsake division. As long as they do not have the principle, element, condition, and ground of division, then in the Lord we are willing to be joined with these saved ones to serve the Lord. Even if there are differences in opinion and understanding concerning doctrine and system, we are willing to receive these believers as long as these differences do not hurt the faith of salvation.

Seventh, we receive all believers with different views, except those who meet the conditions for removal from fellowship. As long as a person is saved and in his conduct and living does not have any of the sins worthy of removal, as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 5, we will receive him even if he holds different views. We will receive even saved ones in the Roman Catholic Church, because we are all in the Lord. We should be one and not be divided.

Eighth, we allow the Holy Spirit to bear the real responsibility of spiritual fellowship. There are some who are saved and who have no sin worthy of removal, yet they do not live in the Holy Spirit, receive the ruling of the Holy Spirit, or deal with their flesh, and they may even love the world. We cannot reject them because of these things; we must receive them. But this does not mean that once we receive such a believer, he is immediately brought into spiritual fellowship. We do not bear the responsibility of spiritual fellowship. This is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. We bear only an outward responsibility; the actual responsibility is with the Holy Spirit. Whether or not we receive someone is based upon whether he is saved and whether he has any sin which would cause one to be removed. This is altogether an outward matter. If he has been saved and has no sins which would cause him to be removed, regardless of what opinion he has and to what sect or denomination he belongs, we will receive him. This is an outward acknowledgment. But in actuality, whether he is in fellowship with the Lord, whether he is living before the Lord, none of us can decide; we can only leave these matters to the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we may receive someone, but it is possible that he is not in fellowship with the Lord. Simply because we have received him does not mean that his fellowship with the Lord is no longer a problem. Even if we approve him, the Holy Spirit may not approve him. We can bear only the outward responsibility and let the Holy Spirit bear the actual responsibility.

B. Our Attitude

Now let us look at our attitude. First, we are not the Roman Catholic Church, nor are we the Protestant church. We do not recognize the Roman Catholic Church, nor do we recognize the Protestant church. These two large divisions have greatly deviated from the Bible and are not according to the Bible. They have lost the ground and the testimony of the church; they have also lost the principle and nature of the church. It is not an easy matter for us to say these words publicly. We know that it may hurt people’s feelings and arouse their resentment. However, for the sake of the truth, we must speak honestly. In regard to these two great divisions, we neither recognize them nor take part in them. We do not want to be people who belong to the Roman Catholic Church or people who belong to the Protestant church.

Second, we are not the so-called Brethren, either exclusive or open. Although we have been helped by the Brethren in many matters and resemble them in many respects, we are not the Brethren in the East; we are neither exclusive Brethren nor open Brethren.

Third, we are not a small free group that has left the Roman Catholic Church or the Protestant church. Small free groups do not have the definite ground of the church and are scattered everywhere. A group might be formed by a professor who leads a group of students to meet together, which then becomes a small “church.” Another group might be formed by a few believers meeting together because they share the same ambition and purpose, and this meeting also becomes a small “church.” Some small “churches” meet in the homes; other small “churches” meet in the alleys. They all say that they are nondenominational and that they do not belong to any organization of organized Christianity. But they are small groups which are scattered; we are not like this. We believe that the church has a definite ground. The ground of the church is oneness, and this oneness is expressed in a locality. This ground is definite. No matter what locality is involved, there should be only the ground of oneness. All the nondenominational brothers and sisters should come to this ground; all should be together in oneness to bear the testimony of the oneness of the church.

Fourth, we meet with the churches in different localities, and as such, we stand on the ground of the church, the ground of oneness, in our respective localities, serving in coordination according to the principle and by the nature of the local church to live out the proper life of the Body of Christ for the expression of the life of Christ as the testimony of the church. I repeat, we are (1) meeting in the local churches, (2) standing on the ground of the local church, (3) serving in coordination, (4) according to the principle of the local church, (5) by the nature of the local church, (6) to live out the proper life of the Body of Christ, (7) for the expression of the life of Christ, and (8) as the testimony of the church. These eight points are the nature and goal of our meetings.

Fifth, we acknowledge that the saved ones in any denomination and sect (including the Roman Catholic Church) are our brothers in the Lord and members of the Body of Christ. But we also believe that they have lost the ground of the church. They belong to the church, but their ground is not the ground of the church. The brothers and sisters in the denominations and the saved ones in the Roman Catholic Church all belong to the church, but they are not standing on the ground of the church. Who would acknowledge that the ground of the Roman Catholic Church is the ground of the church? The Roman Catholic Church has lost and damaged the ground of the church; the ground of the Roman Catholic Church is her particular ground, not the ground of the church. Nevertheless, within the Roman Catholic Church there are some truly saved ones! There are even some who love the Lord and who are spiritual. Although they belong to the church, they are not on the ground of the church. They are on the wrong ground. Similarly, within the Protestant churches there are many saved and spiritual ones, but they are not on the ground of the church.

I feel that many people have an unfair attitude; they do not recognize the Roman Catholic Church, but they recognize the Protestant church. However, in principle, is the Protestant church completely free of the errors of the Roman Catholic Church? The Protestant church also has the errors of the Roman Catholic Church; the difference is only in degree. In principle, both have lost the ground of the church. Therefore, just as we do not recognize the ground of the Roman Catholic Church, we do not recognize the ground of the Protestant church. We acknowledge, however, that there are saved ones in both the Roman Catholic and Protestant church and that there are also pious, spiritual persons and lovers of the Lord. We acknowledge these ones as our brothers and sisters; they all belong to the church. However, they are standing on the wrong ground. We deeply and earnestly hope that they would receive the Lord’s grace and leading to leave these wrong grounds. It is not sufficient to be right only in their person; their ground also must be right. They need to return to the ground of the oneness of the church, that is, the ground of locality of the church, to bear the testimony of the church in oneness together with us for the Lord.