takes the lead among the apostles. For this reason you must learn to
2. Exercise your character. The Lord's servant needs a good character. A loose, lazy, or low character can damage and destroy one's work, even if he is gifted. B. Solution to problems. Every day during the training there was a meeting in which the trainees took turns testifying and asking questions. After each testimony Brother Nee would give a thorough judgment and correction according to each person's condition and need. On the one hand, he pointed out where the real problem was, and on the other hand, he laid out before each one the way of blessing. His words of judgment and direction were very much to the point, full of light, and sometimes stern and solemn. When he was finished, those who were judged prayed, and most of them repented and confessed with tears and weeping. IV. How to administer the church affairs. Brother Nee gave much fellowship on this matter. What he said can be summarized in seven points:
A. The offices in the church. The two offices are the deacons and the elders (overseers). B. How to serve. Service should be the service of the whole Body and not a one-man show. The church is the Body of Christ, and all the saved ones, as the members, must function. There are two aspects to the church service: the priestly service on the spiritual side, and the Levitical service on the business side. C. How to meet. The church should have the following kinds of meetings: gospel meetings, new beginners' meetings, prayer meetings, the Lord's table meeting, the meeting referred to in 1 Corinthians 14, sisters' meetings, and children's meetings. The local church need not maintain a message meeting on the Lord's Day. And it should definitely not establish the system of pastors. At any rate, the church should not follow after "the customs of the nations" (denominations). We must throw away the tradition and take the way of recovery. D. The relationship between the local church, the work, and the apostles.
1. The highest authority of the local church is the eldership. Elders are set up by apostles. The removal of elders is also up to the apostles; so the elders should listen to the apostles. 2. The apostles are responsible for the work, and the elders are responsible for the church. But within the region of the work, the apostles can also be elders. 3. When there is a problem between the churches, the apostles and elders should come together before the Lord to seek His mind, have fellowship, and resolve the matter, according to Acts 15. But at the same time we must not just practice the scriptural way; we must have the Spirit of the Scriptures. E. The matter of coordination among the workers. The workers must coordinate. To have coordination you must:
1. Know authority. In God's work there is the master builder who takes the lead among the apostles. For this reason you must learn to submit.