And freedom should be queen;
7. Thou healing sun! Thou hope of man! I really love Thy ray. Oh, righteous Lord! oh, glorious King! I bow to Thee and pray: Oh, may Thou soon ascend Thy throne And quickly show Thy face; Thy heav'nly kingdom may Thou found And grant all men Thy grace. 8. The truth should triumph and be king, And freedom should be queen; But falsehood, which has rampant run, Head of the world is seen. We ask Thee, Truth, to quickly come And bring Thy light from heav'n; The foe be crushed and all Thy sons Into Thy bosom giv'n.
(Hymns, #960)
THE WELSH REVIVAL The Welsh revival was brought in through Evan Roberts. He was not educated at all; in fact, he was only a coal miner. Yet he brought in the greatest revival in the world—the Welsh revival. Wales was a big place, but Roberts worked mainly in one small chapel. He did not have complete sermons ready for delivery. His
speaking was only a few sentences. Sometimes he would pray a little, but the congregation would always leave weeping or leave dancing. Their meetings did not have a set time for opening and closing and were not held in fixed places. They met at any place and at any time. People could come in the middle of the night or in the early morning. Almost every family was revived, and prayer meetings were conducted in every household. No one knew who the preachers were. Sometimes one person would stand up and call a hymn. At other times someone would stand up and read a verse. Mrs. Penn-Lewis came from a Quaker background. She was a very strict person. Out of curiosity she joined these meetings. The scene she saw was a mess: Some mothers were nursing their babies; others were taking their meals. Some were praying, while others were singing. Outwardly, there was mayhem; the
whole place looked like a market. However, she testified that there was something inexplicable and mysterious in the atmosphere. It was very unusual. Outwardly the scene was very noisy, but inwardly these people were all one. This happened in 1903 and 1904. By 1909 some brothers visited them from England and were told by one of the local pastors, "We have fewer and fewer converts every year. During the last one or two years we have hardly converted anyone." The visitors asked if this meant that the revival had taken a step back. The pastor answered, "No, all the people here are converted already." Roberts was able to bring in such a great revival because he was a fully consecrated person. He was willing to give up everything and spare nothing. Today while we were singing this hymn, we touched the spirit of the author. It is a spirit unmatched in power in all the ages. The word presence is parousia in Greek. It refers to the Lord's descending, His manifestation. Although the Lord has not physically come again, we can bring His presence to our midst. This presence will bind us and restrict us; we will not dare be slothful. May all our walk and work be constrained and bound by His presence, and may we not deviate from this pathway in any way. THE APPOINTMENT OF DEACONS AND RESPONSIBLE ONES Presently, we have appointed eleven deacons and twenty-two responsible ones. We hope that these brothers and sisters will take up more responsibility in the five districts. From now on, our work has to pay special attention to the care and perfecting of the young brothers and sisters. In addition to these five districts, we have asked a few saints to open up their homes and make them a kind of fellowship station. We have also asked a few sisters to care for these homes like governesses or nursing mothers. They should spend time to talk to the young brothers and sisters, read the Bible together with them, or cook for them. THE NEED FOR TRAINING Presently, there is an immediate need for saints to migrate to all parts of China, but the condition of the saints here is far from ready. If they move now, they will just create problems for the churches in other localities. Therefore, we need to actively conduct more trainings. Do not underestimate the matter of migration. This is more serious than fighting a war, and the training that is required for such a move is more severe.
The first crucial thing to learn in this training is coordination. The next most important thing to learn is to be bold. The trainees have to learn to preach in the open air. They also have to learn to speak to unbelievers, to care for new believers, and to study the Bible.
Training on the Study of the Bible We want to implement the following in the training for the study of the Bible: We will ask ten brothers to help the saints study the Bible. This does not mean that these ten are experts on the Bible. They are merely guides to lead the others into the right path. If anyone wants to dig deeper, they have to spend more time to study by themselves. We will first study Romans. We can use such commentaries as those by Moule, Darby, F. G. Grant, and F. L. Godet. We can also use Conybeare's paraphrase translation and writings by Kelly. We should also spend time to study the Interlinear Greek New Testament. These ten brothers should first study carefully at home. They can read through Romans in half an hour. The first time I studied Romans, I spent fifty-seven hours on it. Some may think that it is a waste of time to read through the whole book of Romans in one sitting, but I can only say that there are more words in a day's newspaper than in the entire book of Romans, yet many people can read through a newspaper in one sitting. Therefore, we should not complain about finishing Romans in one sitting. When we come together, the first thing we should do is study the meaning of the words in the text. One of the ten should be designated to study the English translations. The best version to use is the Revised Version. Do not use the King James Version. Next consult the Interlinear Greek New Testament and study the text word by word. We can also study the writings of Philip Schaff, the Greek concordance of Alfred Schmoller, and the Englishman's Greek Concordance of the New Testament. This will help us to rightly divide the truth. Never base a message on a word or expression which Paul did not use in the original language. If we do, we will twist the word as Peter said and bring destruction upon ourselves (2 Pet. 3:16). The best English reference is Dean Alford's Greek New Testament. There is a branch of research called "low criticism," which is somewhat similar to the textual research on Chinese classics that was prevalent during the Ming and Ching Dynasties. This method takes every word of the Bible and analyzes it carefully
according to the text. The best work in this field was done by Alford. His writing can be considered the representative in the field. If we have all these tools with us, we are quite complete as far as reference material is concerned. In the course of our study, we should spend much time discussing and fellowshipping among ourselves before making the appropriate judgments. We should not think that we can make proper judgments as long as we understand the original language and the meanings of the words. Proper judgment depends on the amount of light and revelation we receive from God. In this respect we must all humble ourselves and learn. Like Paul, we should say that we have not yet come to know as we ought to know (1 Cor. 8:2). In my early days in Foochow, I studied the Bible every morning with over forty young brothers. We spent three and a half hours each day but sometimes covered only two verses. Three or four were seminary students. After this kind of study, they began to know what the Bible is all about, and they readily admitted that they still had a long way to go. Here we are asking ten brothers to lead others to study the Bible. These ten will have to spend more time to study and fellowship. They can neither be ignorant nor proud. They should not think that they only need direct fellowship with the Lord. Our head and feet do not have direct communication with each other; they communicate through the other members. If we are a foot, we should not try to link up with the head directly. Instead we should learn to be restricted and learn to accept others' judgment. The church is the Body of Christ. Some of us may not need to read one reference book at all, while another may concentrate on just one reference book. We have to fellowship no matter what we do, and we have to coordinate together. Paul said that we should not despise prophecies (1 Thes. 5:20). This means that we have to respect the revelations that others have received. We have to honor the light that others have obtained. The Need for Training to Meet the Need From the beginning I have said that the ones who migrate have to be very strong. This is more serious than fighting a warfare. It would be terrible if we gave them a reed instead of arms for battle. We can only meet the need by going through strict training and by being equipped with the proper provisions. The leading brothers must exercise vigilance over the whole flock. We must equip them with the best supplies. We must study the Bible seriously according to the above method. We have to dig into a few reference books before we can understand
what studying the Bible really means and before we can train the other brothers and sisters to study in the same way.
THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S WORK There are still too few young brothers and sisters among us. Some of the children, relatives, and friends of our brothers and sisters are still not saved and in the church. The brothers and sisters who serve as the nursing mothers should consider and think carefully before the Lord. They have to pray to find out the way to help the young brothers and sisters around them and to provide them a place where they can speak and fellowship freely. At least once a week they should lead these young ones to have a Bible study during the day or pray with them. If the young ones have some problems or some physical illnesses, these ones should help them solve their problems and pray for them. In other words, all the nursing mothers should exercise much care over the young ones. Every house that is opened should provide the best care, and all the houses should help each other. The thirteen sisters should get together more often to discuss and pray. They have to provide a place for the young people to go to and a place for them to speak up. WORK IN THE DISTRICTS The bread-breaking meeting will be conducted in five districts; they will meet in five homes. Every district will be supervised by some responsible brothers. We have not assigned any other tasks to these brothers. If they are encumbered by other tasks, they will be too busy to exercise supervision over others; they will not have the time to visit or to get into the situations. The first work of the responsible ones is visitation. The main work of the church is visitation. If we cannot take care of the visitation in a proper way, we will be like a man whose nervous system has broken down; there will be no communication. There are several kinds of visitations, including gospel visitation, new believers' visitation, and special visitation. THE VISITATION WORK Gospel Visitation In gospel visitation we wrestle with Satan over men's souls; we try to snatch people out of Satan's hand. Of course, whoever pulls harder wins. If we have five hundred people who have signed up after a gospel meeting, we are not doing them any good by merely "sending their names to heaven" without visiting them
one by one. This is like going to someone's house and presenting a business card at the door without entering into the house at all. What good does this do? Satan is evil in many ways, but he has one virtue—he is not slothful in zeal. If we preach the gospel on the Lord's Day and a hundred people sign up and express their willingness to receive the Lord, we have to follow up with a second step. We have to arrange for saints to visit them immediately. Within a week, we have to arrange for a hundred to two hundred brothers and sisters to visit them. We must not just invite people to come to the gospel meetings; we must send brothers to make personal calls to these ones. We have to surround them and gain them at any cost. The more gospel meetings we have, the more visitation work we need. If visitation falls behind, our gospel will fail miserably. The failure of the gospel mainly lies in the lack of visitation. For the sake of efficiency, we will not centralize the arrangement of the visitation work. Instead, every district will take care of its own visitation. The responsible brothers of each district will make proper arrangements for this work. The period of time when a man is about to escape Satan's grip is the most dangerous time for him. If we visit him in that time and surround him, we will strengthen his faith. I believe that with the proper arrangement and the diligent visitation of the brothers and sisters, the number in the church will double in one to two months time. In one year our number can increase seven or eightfold. Someone once said that the sea is full of fish and the earth is full of people. This is absolutely right. Today two babies are born in China every five seconds. May our gospel match the increase in our population.
Visitation and Edification of New Believers The new believers' edification has to be done with proper arrangements as well. Once our gospel visitation is strengthened and the number of new believers increases, there is the need of proper edification and perfection. Otherwise, the church will be overburdened. If we do not have a good new believers' edification program in the first year, it will be harder to make it up in the second year. If a baby does not open his mouth the first year after his birth, it will be hard to open his mouth eight or ten years later. This same principle applies in the church. If a man does not open his mouth in the first year, he will remain dumb after ten or twenty years. Dumbness is a matter of habit. If we do not edify the new ones properly, we will add more burden to the church; many brothers and sisters will be brought into the church life in a muddled way.
This easily will bring in worldly elements and human opinions. If this is the case, case the more people we save, the less spiritual the church will become, and the more problems we will have. Every worker must be clear that he has a double responsibility. On the one hand, he has to push people through the gate. On the other hand, he has to lead them on the way. The goal of the new believers' meeting is to develop the proper habit and character in the new believers. Let me use myself as an example. When I was saved in 1919, I sometimes prayed twenty times a day and sometimes did not pray at all. I was very loose. The same could be said about my reading of the Bible. It was unstructured. When I was stirred up, I would read fifty or sixty chapters a day. When I was cold, I did not want to touch the Bible at all. It was only for conscience's sake that I would read one or two verses. I lived this way because I had not received good training and edification during the first year of my Christian life. The second year after being saved I went to Shanghai and met Miss Groves. She was a co-worker of Miss Barber. She asked me, "Do you read the Bible?" I was very clever, and I answered, "Yes." But she pressed further by asking, "How much?" I felt ashamed and dropped my head, saying, "Sometimes more, and sometimes less when I do not feel like reading." She testified, "From the time I was seven years old until now, I have memorized one verse a day. I am fifty-seven years old now. (She lived until well over seventy years old.) From the day that I became a Christian, I have never woken up after six o'clock." Her word pinned me down. During those few months, I was trained by her. This was a tremendous help to me in my later walk with the Lord. We have to do the same with the new believers. Sometimes we have to walk with them for a while or stand on the street corner and recite a verse with them before letting them go. We have to learn to pick up the proper habit. We can prepare a prayer list and pray for the new ones every day. We have to study the Bible and remind each other to do the same thing every day. Then we have to help the new ones to do the same. This kind of training helps all of us develop a habit of godliness. Reading the Bible and praying are not the only things that we should do; we have to help the new ones develop the habit of leading others to Christ. During the above mentioned period of time, I went to see Miss Groves every Saturday. She would ask me how many people I had saved that week. If I said that no one had been saved, she would say, "See, you have not saved anyone for a whole week. How many will you save this month? How many will you save this year?" The
leading brothers have to learn to pin down the young ones step by step. We have to tell them that if they do not run a straight course, the ones coming after them will follow their example and will not have a proper walk. Once we relax in the new believers' edification, the church will be full of worldly Christians. Hong Kong has over two million people. We can easily gain some people if we work. We must not allow the brothers and sisters to have a concept that they can sit back comfortably in the church life. The first year after I was saved, I brought a person to the Lord who was working as a cook for a Western missionary in Kuling. That was the result of preaching to him continuously for a few days on the mountain. I forgot his name and thought that no one would listen to me because I was just a boy. The first time I met Miss Groves, she asked, "You have been a Christian for a year. How many people have you saved?" I had been afraid that she would ask, and I lowered my head and said, "One." She said, "Do you have the audacity to tell me that you have saved only one?" She asked for the name of the person. I only knew that this one was a cook. She said again, "You only brought one to the Lord, and you don't know his name!" Later, she taught me how to deal with my sins. She taught me to make a prayer list and to persevere in prayer. Thank the Lord, in the second year I brought over sixty to the Lord. If we do not study the Bible conscientiously, we cannot be a proper Christian. Throughout church history, it has been commonly recognized that no one can know the Lord properly if he does not study the Word properly. Not only do the young ones have to study; even the older ones have to do the same. The older ones have to check with the younger ones about their reading, and the younger ones have to check with the older ones about their reading. I give the younger ones the authority to check with the older ones so that the older ones will not be lazy. This is the only way for the church to become strong. If a person develops the proper Christian habits at the beginning of his Christian life, it will be easy for him to go on as a Christian. Prayer, reading the Word, and leading men to salvation—these are things that we have to build up in a proper way. If we do, there will not be so many easygoing Christians. Once the number of easygoing Christians increases, the proper church service will disappear. Before we can go on in a proper way, we must build up these habits from the beginning. The fifty-two lessons for edifying new believers are the foundation. If you did not pick them up last year, you have to do so this year. We spoke about them in 1950. We still will speak about them in 1960. The subjects do not need to
change. There is no need for improvement, because there is no need for advancement with foundational work.
Special Visitation There are always special occasions which arise in the families of the brothers and sisters, such as marriages and funerals. All these occasions call for visitation and consolation. Special visitation includes receiving and sending off out-of-town visitors. Many brothers and sisters come to Hong Kong from other places for a week only. If they do not meet any brothers during their stay here, they will feel that this is a lonely and inhospitable place. They will feel that the church does not look like a church at all. If five brothers come to Hong Kong today, we have to visit them immediately. We have to find out if they have any difficulty in lodging or in finding direction. We have to find out which church they are from. By warming their heart we may set their whole church on fire. We should pay a visit to any brother or sister who is passing by. We should render them practical help, fellowship with them, and get to know their church. Some churches are over ten years behind others in terms of life and spiritual condition. If we establish good fellowship with the visiting brothers, and they receive our help, they will pass on the help to their church. In this way our visitation will be the same in effect as sending these ones out in a migration. The local brothers sometimes travel abroad. They may go to Canton, Swatow, or southeast Asia. When a brother leaves us, we often lose contact with him. When our brothers go away, we have to send them away like sending away missionaries. When a brother moves to another place, we must not only send him off with a letter of recommendation; we must assign a special person to correspond with him all the time. The letter of recommendation should only be the first letter regarding him; it should not be the last letter. The elders should write to the locality and inquire about his condition. After two weeks, they should write a third letter to follow up on the matter. Many times good brothers are lost as a result of moving to a new place. If the responsible brothers in the other localities are reminded again and again, they will know that the brothers in Hong Kong are persistent and that they should not ignore them. We should never allow a person to leave and become lost. Of course, this works the same way for brothers moving in from other localities; we cannot drop them. Some of the responsible brothers in the districts are too busy. They can assign other brothers and sisters to write and maintain correspondence with the
travelers. We can write to these travelers and tell them about the message covered during the last Lord's Day morning meeting. We should not let go until we know that our brothers and sisters are well established and settled. In this way we will be able to answer to the Lord. The elders have to make sure that the district's responsible brothers are faithful in the assignment of this work. The Closed Brethren in England do a marvelous work in this kind of visitation. Some of their brothers work as sailors. We know that sailors are just about the most unsettled kind of people on earth. But these brothers look for places to meet wherever they go. In Shanghai sailors looked us up often. Once a sailor knocked on my door late at night. I was surprised that he had my address. When asked about it, he told me that the responsible brothers from his locality had given it to him. These sailors came and went frequently. One time one of them was sick and stayed four months. He would come and visit me a few times a week. In the meetings he would sit in the last row. Sometimes he would read letters that he had received from brothers of his local assembly. The letters would keep him informed of what one brother had said and what another sister had prayed, etc. It seemed as if the whole church was following him wherever he went. THE LORD IS TAKING THE WAY OF THE CHURCH The church is advancing step by step. Today the Lord is taking the way of the church. This way requires the whole church to rise up to serve together. In fact, it is not enough for all the saints to rise up; they have to coordinate together. The church must never relax on these three kinds of visitations. They must be covered properly in the districts. When the whole congregation serves this way, the Body will be built up, and day by day the church will move closer to the glorious church spoken of in the Bible, and more and more it will be known as a spiritual church.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE FELLOWSHIP CONCERNING SERVICE (2) Date: Thursday evening, February 16, 1950 Place: Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong The hymn that we sang tonight tells us that the manifestation of God's glory enables us to consecrate ourselves. We all know that sin is evil and the world is attractive. It is impossible for us to drop the world by ourselves, but the Lord's glory enables us to drop it.
THINGS TO PAY ATTENTION TO IN THE VISITATION WORK Concerning visitation we have a few more things to say. Not Gossiping In visiting others it is best to restrict the conversation to spiritual things. We should not be loose in our talk. Those who are talkative should pay special attention to this point. It is bad enough to speak loosely at home. The consequence of loose speaking is much greater when visiting others on behalf of the church! In visiting others, we have to maintain the church's purity. We have to deal with nit-picking, criticism, and slandering as soon as they surface. The purpose of making visitations is to build up others, not to tear them down. Therefore, we must not be loose in our conversation. We should not get into right and wrong, and we should not argue. Not Assuming the Place of a Teacher In making gospel visitations, it is inevitable that there will be some who have a problem with believing, even though they have put down their name and shown an interest in the gospel. In visiting them, we have to adopt the attitude of a learner. We should not visit them by assuming the air of a teacher. If we go as a teacher, the result will not be good. It does not take many doctrines to get a person saved. One grain of wheat can bear many grains. In the same way, one seed of the Word is enough to save a person; one does not need many doctrines for salvation. As long as there is life, there will be sprouting and growth. Some brothers continue to bring many people to the Lord through just one sentence of God or even half a sentence of God. The preaching of the gospel depends not on the preponderance of doctrines but on the impartation of life to others. First Giving Our Own Testimony My suggestion is that the first time we visit someone, we should tell them our spiritual age and condition. We can testify, saying, "I was more or less the same as you. Although I have believed in the Lord for many years, I was unclear about many things when I first believed. Only now am I learning to serve. I may not be clear about many things, but there are one or two things that I am very clear about: My sins are forgiven, and I have joy and peace through my faith in the Lord." Once we testify to them in this way, they will be stirred up to seek the joy that we have. When they are in darkness, they rejoice in their sin, but once they come under the light, they will grieve over their sin. Touching the Heart Rather Than the Head
Next, we can say, "The church realizes that you have put down your name and expressed a desire to receive the Lord. It is sending me to come and visit." This will touch their heart. We have to seize the opportunity to contact them and touch their heart. We should not try to touch their head. After the heart is turned to the Lord, the head will pose no problem at all. Our visitation will give the new ones an impression that the church cares for them, that it takes an interest in the affairs of their soul. If they ask any question, we can defer it in a gracious way. We should not pay too much attention to their mind, but we should pay much attention to the reaction in their heart and spirit. Deferring to the Right Ones When We Cannot Help Them After we have made a few visits, we should evaluate whether or not we are able to help them to get through. If we cannot, we should ask the responsible brothers to send one or two others. If they cannot help the new ones to get through, then perhaps the responsible brothers should visit them.
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEACONS Tonight we will consider the responsibilities and services of the deacons. The work of the deacons is absolutely different from that of the elders. The elders oversee with the eyes; their main responsibility does not lie in doing the work themselves. However, the deacons have to work with their hands. They also must involve the brothers and sisters in the work. The word deacon is diakonos in Greek; it means a serving one. In English it is translated as servant, minister, or deacon. A deacon does not propose any plans to the brothers and sisters. The elders do the planning, while the deacons work together to carry out the assignment by taking the lead among the brothers. When a church is strong, the elders take care of the overseeing and the deacons take care of the execution. The deacons should work more than the saints. The basic principle of service for the elders is oversight, while the basic principle of service for the deacons is implementation. Hence, the deacons have to understand the elders. In other words, they have to understand God's will through the elders. The biblical principle is not to do anything rashly or impulsively; we have to make good arrangements ahead of time. When the deacons encounter something, they should not tackle it right away. Instead, they should first think and consider carefully before the Lord. In carrying out the task, they should not work alone but should ask the brothers and sisters to watch them and learn from them.
In distributing the bread to the five thousand, the Lord asked the disciples to sit the crowd down in groups of fifties and hundreds. At that time no one knew the reason for doing this, but at Pentecost three thousand people were saved, and had to be baptized. If the disciples had not been trained by the Lord to face such a large crowd, they would not have known what to do. If they did not know what to do with a hundred and fifty-three fish (John 21:6, 11), how could they know what to do with three thousand people? It is harder to deal with men than with fish. When a man believes in the Lord, we do not consider our job to be finished and then ask him to go home. In the Gospels the Lord trained the disciples to take care of practical affairs. He fed a multitude twice, one of five thousand people and another of four thousand (Mark 6:30-44; 8:1-9). In both cases he asked the crowd to first sit down. The crowds were divided into groups of fifties and hundreds. If they remained standing, they would bump into each other easily; fifty can easily become seventy-five, and a hundred can easily become seventy-five. Human beings move around, and when their legs are free they do not tend to remain still, but once they sit down, they are not mobile and do not move easily. Perhaps the disciples divided the three thousand into thirty groups. This would be much easier to handle than a mob of three thousand. Whether it was the feeding of the multitude or baptism, arrangements brought in order and avoided confusion. THE PROPER WAY FOR THE DEACONS TO CONDUCT BUSINESS Actual Practice Sessions We can identify three basic steps or principles for management from the way the Lord trained the disciples to conduct business. First, we should provide sessions for the brothers and sisters to have a chance to do some actual practice. The Lord believed in practice sessions. This is the reason He took the lead to train the disciples this way. In Acts we see that all the believers had everything in common. They distributed to each according to the need. Actually, the Lord had trained the disciples to do this already. This was the reason the disciples were able to carry this out later. The deacons should never be afraid of trouble. They should take the lead to show the brothers and sisters how to do things first. Consider how we set up our chairs in Shanghai. Sometimes some saints set up the chairs in such a way that no one can sit down. The chairs must be spaced far enough apart, and there must be enough chairs. There are skills to doing the
work. One does not pick up such a skill the first time. The deacons have to provide opportunity for the brothers and sisters to have actual practice. I always attach one condition to officiating a marriage ceremony: The involved parties have to come together the day before the marriage and make a trial run to get things right. Otherwise, they can ask someone else to officiate the ceremony; I will have no part in it. We will know how to act only by having a trial run. Otherwise, the wedding procession music may play five times and the bride still may not be ready. The Gentiles will think that we are too sloppy, and they will laugh at us. Once a sister, Miss Kingston, observed the order in our wedding meeting and remarked, "It's too bad that I am so old. Otherwise, I would surely be married at Wen-teh Lane and let you officiate my wedding. Your way is right. If we do not have proper order, we will not glorify the Lord."
Finding the Way The second point about management is that we have to find the way. Consider again the example of the Lord feeding the multitude. He did not charge the disciples to tell the crowd, "Just come and eat." What would they do when the crowd came? Nor did He ask the multitude to come to Him one by one to get their bread. If He had done this, the first one would have taken half a minute and the second would have taken a minute. By the time the last one stood in line, four or five hours would have passed. The Lord's way was to divide the crowd into groups of hundreds and fifties. He gave the bread to the twelve disciples, who in turn passed it on to the groups. This is the meaning of finding the way to manage things. Making Assignments and Distributing the Work In managing affairs one has to find the proper way. In dealing with people one has to make proper assignments. We have to distribute the work to the brothers and sisters. We should not allow any one of them to be idle. In distributing the bread, the Lord called all twelve disciples to Him. He gave bread to all twelve. In this way all thirty or fifty groups were taken care of properly. The deacons have to do the same. They have to know how to distribute the work in their hand. They have to know how to assign men to do different tasks. If one does one thing and another does another, the work will be finished in a short time. There will be no confusion in the church if we have trial runs, come up with the right way, and make the proper assignments in every situation. The elders have to help the brothers in all the districts do this. Never act rashly. Rash action only
brings bad results which do not glorify the Lord. The deacons have to be careful and diligent in their service in the church. The church is the house of God; it is not the laboratory of the saints. If we practice all these points, the church will reap the benefit. If we learn our lesson well in the preaching of the gospel, we will become very useful for the migration. Even if we remain in our locality, we will become useful in managing affairs. I sincerely hope that a hundred people will migrate from Hong Kong to Chungking. Chungking is a strategic place for the gospel. The gospel must go out, and we must learn to do things the right way. We must not only know how to do things ourselves, but we must help the brothers and sisters do the same, until their work is as good as God's. We all have to exercise and train ourselves this way. This is not a matter of a day's zeal; we have to learn to do this patiently day by day. I hope that the brothers and sisters in Hong Kong will be ahead of those in other places. We have to use every day to the fullest. Every day we have to learn something new and gain something new before God. Our theology is different from others' theology. They learn it in the seminary, outside the church. Our theology is in the church. We are learning to work "in Christ," while they are being perfected in doctrine and procedure only. ASSIGNMENT OF WORK FOR THE DEACONS Managing Finances The first time the deacons are spoken of is in Acts 6. There we are told that there was a problem of supply, yet the apostles considered it unfitting for them to forsake the word of God to take care of food. They selected seven men of good reputation, who were filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom, to manage this matter (vv. 1-6). These seven deacons took care of the distribution of food. The brothers who worked as apostles then devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. Here we see that deacons are responsible for the business affairs. Management of food means management of finances. It means distributing to each according to his need and making sure that no one is in want. The first work of the deacons in the church is to manage the finances. We ask two brothers to manage the finances, and another two brothers and sisters to do the bookkeeping. Managing finances does not mean taking over the finances. The deacons have to work in a proper way under the supervision of the elders. In particular, special
designated funds must not be used arbitrarily; the elders must be the ones who make the decisions.
Caring for the Students Schooling is a very important matter to the young people. We have to learn to take care of their education. Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. This is the reason God could reveal to him "the pattern on the mountain" (Acts 7:20-22; Exo. 25:8-9). However, had he not been taught by his mother from his youth, he would not have known that he was one of God's people, a people of promise (Exo. 2:1-10). We have assigned six deacons to specifically take care of this matter, and we have asked two sisters to head up this work. If possible, try not to study in a Catholic school. The Lord's commandment is to come out of her and to be separated from her. We should not think that we can be broad in this matter. Even if it means delaying a school term, we have to help such ones to change schools. No brother or sister should study in a school alone. There should at least be two. It is better to have more than five or six. Putting a person in a school is like putting his head in the mouth of a lion; it is hard to tell a lion not to close its mouth. We should not presume that every brother and sister is a Daniel. If we do not want to fall into a well, it is best to stay away and not loiter around it. The deacons must also care for the young people and perfect them in every way. They have to be like Miss Groves, checking with them about their gospel work on the campus and their persistence in the study of the Bible. We have to train them to do things properly and nurture them in their consecration. In this way they will gospelize their school. What does it matter if they delay their graduation for half a year for the sake of the gospel? We are going to school for the sake of preaching the gospel. What difference does it make if they graduate half a year sooner or later? We have to put this goal before them. The young ones have to go to school faithfully. If they do not study well, their parents will be critical. They should do everything for the gospel's sake. This is true not only with their schools but with their friends as well. They should make friends for the sake of the gospel, putting down the names of their friends and classmates in a prayer list and praying for them every day. They have to work on a few at a time. For example, they may concentrate on two persons for two months, praying for them every day. Whenever the opportunity arises, they
should bring them to a gospel meeting. If they are faithful, I believe they will gain school after school in a short time. They have to spend time to pray and to seek the Lord, not being loose in any of these matters. The brothers who serve as the elders have to supervise the deacons. The church is full of activities, but we must not neglect the care and perfection of men just because of busy activities. We have to pray and consider everything carefully before the Lord. I hope that from now on the church in Hong Kong will preach the gospel in one accord. CONCERNING THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO ARE IN BUSINESS Many brothers and sisters have handed over everything. In the future when they have needs, we have to remember them. The items that they have handed over are very useful to the migration. It costs a great deal of money to move a group of people to Yi-Yang. Some items are worth little here because there is no demand for them. But in Yi-Yang they cost a great deal of money. We should not "kill the chicken to get the egg." The brothers and sisters should still manage their business properly, but they have to be touched to such an extent that "the money disappears while the person remains." This means that the person is captured by the Lord while the money is released. Statistics all over the world prove that the amount of money spent on the gospel determines the number of souls saved. I hope that the brothers and sisters will manage their business well so that they can offer up the money they earn to gain more people. Presently, we have eleven brothers who are quite successful in their business. I hope that they will continue to manage their business. What they earn above their needs should be offered up as much as possible. In the future when we have more migrations, the money will be useful to help the migrating ones. Some from Tsingtao are ready to migrate, but there is not enough money to support their move. I sincerely hope that their lack can be made up from here. We have to make proper arrangements for all the brothers who are in business and who have handed themselves over. Our occupation is for the gospel. The goal of a business is to make money. Once we have money we can send it out for the gospel. The brothers who have incomes and who are holding jobs should no longer seek to earn money for themselves; they should be for the gospel, and they should seek to open up more opportunities for spreading the gospel. In the same way, the students should go to school for the gospel's sake. The purpose of our job is to sustain our living; but it is also to propagate the
gospel. Whatever kind of business we do, we need to pray much and look to the Lord to make provisions beyond our plans. The motive of our taking up an occupation should be for the gospel.
LEARNING SKILLS THAT WILL HELP US IN MIGRATIONS Migration requires training. The brothers and sisters must be able to study the Bible, manage practical affairs, and preach the gospel. In particular, the young brothers also need a vocational skill. This skill has to fit the requirements of the government everywhere. We cannot move an ordinary wage earner into the interior of China, because this does not fit the requirements of the local government. The church in the inland regions cannot support us, and we become a burden to them instead. If we have some special skill, we will not only support ourselves when we move inland, but we will be able to support others as well. Those who are migrating should know some Bible truths. They should be able to manage practical affairs, and they should be able to preach the gospel. But they must also be able to sustain themselves with a living. Shanghai shortly will move another group to Yi-Yang. Two hundred people have signed up already, but we can only choose thirty among them for the move. In Yi-Yang saints go for months without a single dollar of pocket money to spare. This is the reason everyone has to have a skill and be able to support himself. In choosing an occupation, we should not have the concept that some jobs are noble while others are lowly. The age has changed. The young brothers and sisters in particular should change their concept. Do not be ashamed of being a manual laborer. On the contrary, all of us have to learn to be manual laborers. When the need of migration arises and we have the desire, the church can send us, and it will be easy for us to coordinate with others. If possible, I hope that some will go to the university to study medicine. Today there is a great need for doctors and nurses everywhere. There are too many doctors and nurses in the cities, but there is a shortage in the villages. There is a need for doctors and nurses all over China from the north to the south. In the future, professional people like doctors, nurses, and chemists will be welcomed everywhere. Some brothers in Shanghai are starting a dye factory and desperately need chemical technicians. Perhaps some pharmacists can go back to school to learn something more about medicine. The dye factory can also train some specially skilled workers and dye technicians. Yi-Yang can buy four or six mills and provide jobs for the brothers and sisters.
Wherever we go we form large cooperative farms. This matches the land reform policy of the government. In addition to farming, we can also do some small scale ranching. Concrete workers, carpenters, and accountants are also good professions. These professions or skills can be very useful to the migration. Hence, we should not study a subject that does not support long term employment. I hope that the twelve leading brothers here will spend time to get into this matter. Our job should be permanent in its usefulness, and it should be good for coordination with others. Some saints in Chefoo have migrated to the northwest. That can be considered the first migration of the church. Yi-Yang is our second migration. In the future there will be more and more migrations. All the migrants should be able to sustain their living by working with their two hands. Today we should never choose a job that is easy. May the Lord grant the brothers and sisters the grace to offer up everything in an absolute way. May we prepare ourselves for the migration. We should not wait until a migration comes to discover that we cannot do anything. THE WORK OF MIGRATION EVERYWHERE AND THE CENTERS The centers of our work in the coming days include: Shanghai for Kiangsu province, Swatow for the Hakka dialect region, and Ch'ang-ch'un for Manchuria. In the future, six or seven co-workers will go to Ch'ang-ch'un. Presently there are sixty assemblies in Manchuria, and about twenty to thirty of them need men. The co-workers will be leaving next week. The provinces of Hopeh, Shuiyuen, and Chahar have Peking as their center. K'un-ming will oversee the province of Yunnan. There are many Miao natives in Yunnan. Most of them are populated around the Nu River. There is the need for people to give themselves to care for these ones. Presently, we do not have any work in Kwaichow; there is the need of some positive pioneering. The northwest is centered in Lanchow, which takes care of Sinkiang and Tsinghai also. Presently, there are three assemblies in Tsinghai. In the future some will need to migrate to Lanchow. Presently, the province of Shensi cannot be under Lanchow; it can have Sian as its center. The "ministry house" that is set up now is for training the young brothers and sisters in Bible study. The work of migration in Shanghai is going on smoothly. Some have migrated to Nanchang. Therefore, we can set up a region in Nanchang now.
The work of migration in all these places requires financial support. We hope that the amount of work and the amount of money offered can match one another. When we told you to sell some of your possessions the last time, half of those proceeds should be left in Hong Kong for the purchase of the meeting hall. The other half should be given to the responsible brothers and distributed to the above mentioned places. Let the money you have offered be sent to other places and let it work for the furtherance of the gospel. A WORD OF CLARIFICATION I must say a word of clarification here. In a sense it is redundant to say this, but I will speak of it in passing for the sake of those who want to be clear about everything. This is not the greatest thing to say, and many of you can say this for me, but the list of places that we just spoke of does not include Kuling. The Lord forgives me for boasting. From the first day until now, Kuling has not received any income from anyone. Hong Kong offered a little sum once, and Swatow also offered once, but it was used for food expenses in Kuling; these offerings were not designated for the work. We will only accept the offering of those who have passed through the training in Kuling. This is not a narrowness of heart on my part. I simply do not want to give others an opportunity for criticism. Since 1934 I have not received any offering from the churches. It was only two weeks ago that I first received an offering of fifty dollars, but I have transferred it to those who are in need of food. If I relax my standing, the Lord's work will suffer a setback. I make this declaration because I want to be honest to you. I have to maintain my standing as a worker of the Lord. It is not a matter of being too proud to bow my head to receive offerings from others. I want to maintain the honor of a worker of God. I do this to make sure that my mouth is not shut up. This is my standing, and this is Kuling's standing. I have not allowed any of my co-workers to touch one penny of the work's money. Brother Witness is here. Please excuse me for saying this word to you: Any attack on him is an attack on me. If Brother Witness makes a mistake in anything, it is my mistake. Many people have offered us very cheap criticism, but in the end they will not move a little finger of their own. It is wrong for us to love money. It is wrong for us to love the world. Please forgive me for saying "a foolish word." I say this to show you that the sincerity of Christ is in me. No one can stop me from boasting this way. My word is not to lower my own standard. In every place our co-workers have to do the same; they should not do this only in Hong Kong. I expect our testimony to be above the criticism of the
fault finders. I want to show that all the criticisms are untrue. The reason there is so much criticism is that some people love money. This is the reason they made up all the slander. We have to know that our co-workers are laboring with a burden on their shoulders. This is a little word of clarification from me to those who are listening as bystanders here. May the Lord be merciful in regard to what I have just said.