The fellowship of life in the Body of Christ is a most precious and vital matter (1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor. 13:14; Acts 2:42; 1 John 1:1-7). We should grieve whenever a brother or sister loses that fellowship for whatever reason, whether it be the church’s discipline exercised on...
Turmoils and Problems in the Church
How we should deal with turmoils and problems that arise in the churches and what we can learn from them.
When Problems Arise in the Local Churches: Avoiding Two Errors
When problems arise in the local churches, there is a tendency among some to ask, “If this ministry and the local churches are really a recovery of the Lord, how could such things happen?” To answer this question, we need to consider the record of the New Testament concerning...
Coming to the Lord’s Table
The Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread, and having given thanks, He broke it and said, This is My body, which is given for you; this do unto the remembrance of Me. Similarly also the cup after they had dined, saying, This...
Magnifying Christ in the Midst of Turmoil
The book of Philippians shows us the great need that believers have in times of turmoil. The church in Philippi was a very good church that participated with the apostle Paul in the furtherance of the gospel (Phil. 1:5-7; 4:14-19). However, it had two problems—Judaizers who sought to bring...
Forgiveness and the Building Up of the Body of Christ
The Bible says that we are to forgive one another as God in Christ forgave us (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13). This is a crucial factor in practicing the church life for the building up of the Body of Christ and thus merits our attention in these days. Practicing Forgiveness...
Concerning Turmoils
Some saints are troubled when turmoils happen. They feel that if the local churches are part of God’s move today and under His blessing, such things should not occur. This view, however, does not match the Bible, which records turmoil after turmoil among God’s people. The book of Numbers...
Handling Allegations of Abuse
Developing, updating, and implementing policies to handle a variety of issues, including deterrence strategies and response practices related to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse or harassment, has been an ongoing process among the local churches. Similar efforts are ongoing among those who take the lead in extra-local work among...
The Proper Way to Deal with Problems in the Church
Because the church is composed of redeemed sinners who are in the process of transformation, it is inevitable that there will be problems among the saints. No one can say that they no longer have sin or that they have been transformed to the extent that their flesh, self,...