Category: Series
Some have taught that any fellowship or intervention by the apostles or any fellowship of concern from other local churches is improper interference in a church’s local administration; this has no basis in … Continue reading Genuine Local Churches, Part 1 – Neither Autonomous nor Independent
The teaching of the autonomy of the local churches claims that apostles who touch the affairs of a local church improperly interfere in that church’s local administration. This error, which was covered in … Continue reading Genuine Local Churches, Part 2 – Following the Teaching and Leading of the Apostles
Isaiah 28:13a contains an important principle in knowing the revelation of the Bible. It shows that any truth in the Bible cannot be understood from a single passage. As Witness Lee explained: It … Continue reading Being Faithful to Our Brothers’ Complete Ministry Concerning the Practice of the Church (1)
A different teaching has recently been circulated that says that those who function as apostles have no standing to touch the administration of a local church. To buttress that claim the following quote … Continue reading Being Faithful to Our Brothers’ Complete Ministry Concerning the Practice of the Church (2)
The Lord’s Concept of Leadership Versus Man’s Concept In this three-part series we will examine the matter of leadership among the local churches in the Lord’s recovery and how it conforms to … Continue reading Leadership in the Lord’s Recovery, Part 1: The Lord’s Concept of Leadership versus Man’s Concept
In the previous article we saw that man’s concept of leadership and authority is directly opposite to the Lord’s concept. For the natural man leadership is an organizational, hierarchical, and prestigious matter. … Continue reading Leadership in the Lord’s Recovery, Part 2: The Biblical Pattern of Leadership
As we have seen, God’s intention is that He, the unique source of authority, would lead His people directly. No person, organization, or system should usurp God’s leadership over His people, which … Continue reading Leadership in the Lord’s Recovery, Part 3: Applying the Biblical Pattern of Leadership
The New Testament presents the church as universally one in its existence and locally one in its manifestation (Eph. 1:22-23; Acts 13:1). Yet Christians today are divided among a plethora of denominations and … Continue reading Assailing the Ground of Oneness (7): The Identifying Characteristics of a Genuine Local Church and the Forbidden Grounds of Division According to the Scriptures
The story of Cain and Abel, the first two sons of Adam and Eve, establishes an important principle that the worship of God should not be according to man’s thought but according to … Continue reading Assailing the Ground of Oneness (5): God’s Choice versus Doing What Is Right in Our Own Eyes
Matthew 18:20 contains a wonderful promise: “For where two or three are gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.” However, some have misused this verse to discount the need for … Continue reading Assailing the Ground of Oneness (6): The Ground of the Church Being for the Building Up of the Body of Christ
Much confusion and debate exist among Christians surrounding the definition, formation, purpose, and function of the church. In fact, the pattern of Christians meeting together in local churches is entirely consistent throughout the … Continue reading Assailing the Ground of Oneness (1): The Genuine Ground of the Church According to the Teaching and Practice of the New Testament
This three-part article will address the relationship between those who meet in the local churches and fellow believers, the denominations and free groups to which they may belong, and their work. If we … Continue reading Our Attitude toward Other Christians and Their Work, Part 1: Maintaining the Oneness with Fellow Believers
In the first article of this series we saw the imperative of preserving the oneness of the Body of Christ and avoiding divisiveness on our part at all costs. Our attitude toward other … Continue reading Our Attitude toward Other Christians and Their Work, Part 2: The Vision of the Lord’s Recovery Being Contrary to Today’s Christianity
In addition to our attitude toward other Christians and toward the denominations (parts 1 and 2 of this series), we need to consider our attitude toward others’ work, and more specifically, toward the … Continue reading Our Attitude toward Other Christians and Their Work, Part 3: Not Entangling the Work of the Lord’s Recovery with Others’ Work
Ephesians 4 speaks of one Spirit and one Body and of our need to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace (vv. 3-6). Some Christians ask whether the … Continue reading Assailing the Ground of Oneness (2): Diligently Keeping the Oneness Requiring a Local Ground
“House churches,” in which believers meet in a house as a separate, independent unit of administration, are a popular means of circumventing the biblical pattern of keeping the oneness of the unique Body … Continue reading Assailing the Ground of Oneness (4): Are “House Churches” Biblical?
Some have argued that the church in Jerusalem was a regional church, that is, a single church that has jurisdiction over an area much broader than the boundary of a city. But how … Continue reading Assailing the Ground of Oneness (3): Was the Church in Jerusalem a “Regional” Church?