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 that member, an accumulation of real […]
All articles tagged "elders"
No Thought of Independence in the Bible
Recently the promotion of the independence, or autonomy, of a local church’s administration has reemerged. This mistaken concept is not new. For example, in the late 1980s some brothers pointed to earlier published statements referring to the administration of a local church being independent from that of other local churches and from workers, ignoring qualifiers […]
Genuine Local Churches, Part 1 – Neither Autonomous nor Independent
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 Scripture nor in the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. Some who promote this errant teaching try to draw a distinction […]
Genuine Local Churches, Part 2 – Following the Teaching and Leading of the Apostles
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 the first article in this series, is rooted in the mistaken thought that elders independently self-govern the affairs of a local church […]
Being Faithful to Our Brothers’ Complete Ministry Concerning the Practice of the Church (1)
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 is mysterious and very meaningful that God has arranged His Word in this way. Isaiah 28:13 says that God’s word is “rule […]
Being Faithful to Our Brothers’ Complete Ministry Concerning the Practice of the Church (2)
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 from Brother Witness Lee’s Truth Messages is used: Do apostles have authority? According to my knowledge of the New Testament, the apostles […]
On ‘Independent’ Administration
Words have power. On the one hand, they are the means by which God has chosen to communicate His self-revelation, the Bible, to man (Heb. 1:1, 3; 2 Pet. 1:21), the means by which the Lord imparts His life into us (John 6:63), and the means by which the Lord’s servants open the Scriptures (Neh. […]
A Historical Sketch of the Ministry’s Teaching on the Practice of the Church and Its Administration
Whenever we seek to understand a truth from the Bible, we must take care of the principle of “here a little, there a little” (Isa. 28:10) and of caring for, but not being limited to, the background of the words spoken. The principle of “here a little, there a little” means that no truth is […]
Leadership in the Lord’s Recovery, Part 1: The Lord’s Concept of Leadership versus Man’s Concept
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 the pattern revealed in the Bible. Without some kind of leadership, it is impossible for any group of people to work in a […]
Leadership in the Lord’s Recovery, Part 2: The Biblical Pattern of Leadership
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. However, God does not sanction this kind of leadership among His people because all leadership and authority is with God Himself and flows […]
Leadership in the Lord’s Recovery, Part 3: Applying 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 is practically carried out by God’s speaking through those who faithfully bring His speaking to His people. In the New Testament this speaking […]
Concerning the Boundary of a Local Church
The boundary of a local church is one of the basic principles upon which the practice of the Lord’s recovery is based. From the beginnings of the Lord’s recovery in China, it has been our practice to have one church with one eldership in a city. In 1934, after observing firsthand the confusion among Christian […]
The Elders Avoiding Entanglement in Right and Wrong
The elders in a local church must deal with all kinds of issues, including complicated situations involving the saints. A great temptation the elders face is becoming entangled in determinations of right and wrong in disputes between saints. The proper function of the elders is to shepherd all the saints and minister Christ as life […]
Properly Representing the Lord in the Exercise of Discipline
From time to time those who bear responsibility in the administration of a church must exercise a measure of discipline toward unruly members. The exercise of discipline takes as its goals restoring the erring members and protecting both the Lord’s testimony and the members of His Body. As with anything done in the Lord’s service, […]
Authority and Fellowship
God desires to establish His kingdom on the earth through a group of people who stand against all forms of rebellion and come absolutely under His authority. Establishing God’s authority over the earth is a great matter in the Bible, but fallen men have miscast divine authority according to natural human concepts and have even […]
A Balanced View of the Elders’ Authority
Every truth in the Bible has two sides that must be held in balance. This fact reflects the natural law in God’s creation, as Brother Witness Lee explained: According to the natural law in God’s creation, there is the law of balance. Nothing can exist without having two sides. For example, the earth exists because […]
The Ongoing Relationship between the Apostles and the Local Churches
To say that once a church is established the apostles, that is, the leading co-workers, should never “interfere” in that church’s affairs is inconsistent with the Bible and with the whole body of the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. This crucial matter relates to God’s administration and therefore to the headship of Christ, […]
Selected Ministry on the Apostles’ Ongoing Role in Established Churches
The Collected Works of Watchman Nee [CWWN], vol. 22: The Assembly Life & The Prayer Ministry of the Church p. 30: The books of Timothy tell us, “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses” (1 Tim. 5:19, KJV). In this matter, we should pay attention to two points. First, […]
Letter from the Co-workers, 3/26/20
In light of the current pandemic the co-workers in the Lord’s recovery released a letter on March 26, 2020, to the saints in all the churches in the Lord’s recovery throughout the earth. This letter provides a timely word of encouragement concerning the sufficiency of Christ and the need to exercise mutual fellowship and care, […]
Questions and Answers about Apostles and Co-workers
Who has the authority to appoint and remove elders? According to the New Testament, apostles, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, have the authority to appoint elders in the churches (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Acts 20:28) and to remove elders when the need arises. If an elder becomes a problem, an accusation against him can […]
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 children, young people, and college […]
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, or natural life is no longer […]
Some Questions and Answers Regarding Deputy Authority
Because the matter of deputy authority has been misrepresented and maligned, the following questions and answers seek to clarify what it is, what it is not, and the principles that govern it. Is deputy authority biblical? Deputy authority is not only biblical; it is a vital part of the divine revelation concerning God’s government among […]
Letter from the Co-workers, 7/5/19
A letter circulated in 2019 has become the subject of social media postings and emails that purport to expose wrongdoings, including abuses and cover-ups, among the churches in the Lord’s recovery. Despite the seriousness of such accusations, careful examination of the letter has shown it contains numerous factual errors and unproven allegations, as well as […]