The Orthodoxy of the Church

The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chap 9, Section 5 of 5

Posted on in Corporate Reading, The Orthodoxy of the Church

I do not know how you feel, but today there is one thing that makes me very happy: God did not cause me to be born during the age of Thyatira, a period of almost 1,400 years. God also did not cause me to be born in the age of Sardis. We are born in this age, the age of Philadelphia, which has existed just over a hundred years. The Lord put us in the age of Philadelphia that we may be Philadelphia. Today there are many overcomers in Laodicea, but they are but overcomers in Laodicea. In the entire history of the church, there has not been an opportunity that is better than ours.

“He who overcomes, him I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall by no means go out anymore” (Rev. 3:12). We must pay attention to the word “anymore,” which means to have gone out at least once. Among the brothers, eight out of ten have gone out before. The Lord’s promise here is, I feel, very wonderful. If a pillar in the temple of God goes out again, the temple will collapse. The following three names are special: “The name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem,…and My new name.” What is the meaning of a name? There is great meaning in a name. The name of God represents the glory of God. Besides Philadelphia, no other church has received the glory of God. The name of the city of God is New Jerusalem. In other words, Philadelphia accomplishes the plan of God. “My new name.” When the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, He received a new name, a name that is above all names (Phil. 2:9-11). Here the Lord reveals that of all the churches, He especially fixes His eyes on Philadelphia. Today we thank God; we were born in an age in which we can be Philadelphia. Although we were born in an age in which the condition of the church is exceedingly confusing, thank God, we can be those of Philadelphia.

Finally, please remember that the Lord speaks the same words seven times to the seven churches: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 3:22). We have to pay attention to this word. The Lord’s eyes are not only upon these seven churches; His eyes are also upon all the churches in the whole world, past and present, here and abroad. What the Lord says, He says to all the churches. The slackening condition found in the time of Ephesus is quite likely to occur in today’s Philadelphia. Although the time of Smyrna has passed away, it is quite possible that it may occur again today. It is often possible for the condition of every church to occur in one church. The church is not that simple. Those special conditions are but the main conditions within a certain period of time. It is possible that all the conditions may occur in the seven churches at the same time.

The Lord says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Two people were walking on the street, and one said, “Just a moment, I hear the sound of crickets.” His friend replied, “You are crazy; the cars in the street are making so much noise, we can hardly hear ourselves talking! How can you still hear the sound of crickets?” But he ran to the wall at the side of the street and told his friend to stand and listen. Sure enough, there was a cricket. His friend asked him how he could have possibly heard it. He replied, “Bankers can only hear the sound of money, and musicians can only hear the sound of music. I am an entomologist; my ear can hear the sound of insects.” The Lord tells us that he who has an ear and can hear the Lord’s word, let him hear. There are many who do not have ears and cannot hear the Lord’s word. If we have an ear, we must hear. Pray that God will grant us to walk in a straight way. In any situation, no matter what happens, we must choose the way of Philadelphia.

The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chap 9, Section 4 of 5

Posted on in Corporate Reading, The Orthodoxy of the Church

Brotherly love means that we must love all the brothers. If one has some weakness, that is another matter. I say that all the children of God must be baptized by immersion, but I cannot say that because one does not do it this way, he is not a brother. He is regenerated if he is immersed in water, and he is also regenerated if he is not immersed in water. We may regard his regeneration as the mistake of all mistakes, but my Father has begotten him. (The Lord forgive me for speaking in this way.) Indeed, when there is opportunity, we must read the Bible with him to let him know that the eunuch and Philip went down into the water and also that the Lord Jesus came out from the water (Acts 8:36-38; Matt. 3:16). Baptism in the Bible is man going down and man coming up, not just two fingers going down and coming up. But we cannot say that he is not a brother because he has not yet done this. The basis of being a brother is life, not baptism. Although we believe that baptism is right, we are not the Baptist Church. The basis of fellowship is the blood and the life of the Holy Spirit, not knowledge, not even the knowledge of the Bible. The only question is whether or not one has the life of God. If he has been regenerated, he is a brother. Loving one another is but to stand in this position. Whenever we bring in other things and add requirements, we are a sect. Consider the matter of the breaking of bread. Paul, a new believer, arrives in a certain place; someone has brought him there, and he really has a testimony. They know he is a brother, so he can break bread. There is absolutely no need for a second requirement. Does he believe that the great tribulation will last seven years? Is the rapture partial or whole? If we inquire of people in this way, we are basically wrong. If we only love the brothers who are the same as we are, we are sectarian, and this is contrary to the testimony of brotherly love. Thank God we are all brothers. Everyone redeemed by the precious blood is a brother. If something of ourselves comes out, it must be pride. Some say, “Only we are right; you brothers are all wrong.” But the bread must include all the right as well as all the wrong brothers.

When you desire to follow the Lord in such a way, when you desire to love all the brothers, it does not mean that all the brothers will love you. You should realize this. Sardis came out from Thyatira. Although Sardis was following the will of the Lord, it is unavoidable that she would be hated by Rome. Likewise, just as Philadelphia came out from Sardis, the denominations will also be against you. Because they must maintain their organization, they will say that if you act in this way, you do not love your brothers. From their point of view, loving the brothers is equal to loving Sardis, as if loving the brothers and loving the denominations are not two different things. Those who have a motive to maintain the denominations will criticize your love as lacking because you are not building up their denominations. But you must be clear: Loving the brothers themselves and loving the denominations which these brothers love are two different things.

Moreover, we must realize that loving the whole church is simply based upon whether or not one is a brother; if one is a brother, we love him. This is loving the brothers. If we only love a part of all the brothers, then we are only loving the brothers who are within our circle. This kind of love for the brothers is not really love for the brothers, but love for division. If we do not abandon this love of sect, we cannot love the brothers. The love of sect is not only not right; it is positively wrong. Loving a sect is the greatest hindrance to loving the brothers. Unless a man rids himself of the love of sect, he cannot love the brothers. Yet a man who loves the brothers because he has no love of sect will be criticized by others as having no love. This is commonplace; do not think this is strange.

Let us bring up another point. Overcoming is spoken of in these epistles seven times. The Lord speaks to Ephesus: Repent. Overcoming depends on the discovery of the slackening of first love. The overcoming of Smyrna is nothing but the Lord’s words: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” In Pergamos the Lord is against the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans; therefore, whoever rejects the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans is an overcomer. In Thyatira there are still those who will not follow the teachings of Jezebel. The Lord says, “Hold fast until I come.” This is overcoming. The Lord does not ask them to rise to be a Luther. In Sardis there are a few who are living. Although Sardis has nothing complete in herself, the Lord says that whoever is clothed in a white garment is the overcomer. To Philadelphia, although she has trials and hardships, the Lord remarkably says to hold fast that which she has; she has already overcome. As for Laodicea, it is not enough to just have the objective side; she must walk with the Lord subjectively. All of the overcoming refers to the differences among the children of God. The promises for overcoming are given to the churches; therefore, there are two kinds of people in the churches, the overcomers and the defeated ones. The separating point is that God has a plan, a standard. Whoever attains to the standard of God is an overcomer; whoever does not attain to the standard is not an overcomer. An overcomer merely does what he should do. Many have a wrong concept, thinking that overcoming means to be especially good. But remember, overcoming is the minimum degree; overcoming is not to rise above the level, but to come up to the level. If you are able to attain to this standard, you are an overcomer. To fail means that you are not able to reach the plan of God and you fall below the level.

The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chap 9, Section 3 of 5

Posted on in Corporate Reading, The Orthodoxy of the Church

In this age God shows us four different churches. We may put it in this way: There are the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant churches, the brothers who love one another, and the Brethren Assemblies. The fourth one, the Brethren Assemblies, has fallen into the position of Laodicea. As far as this group is concerned, it has become a sect. I asked a certain brother, “Do you think I look like a brother?” He said, “Yes, you do, but in `your’ midst there still…” Immediately I replied, “Then what are `you’? Is it not enough for me to be a brother? All those who are redeemed by the blood are included in `us.'” If at any time there is a brother saved in Chungking, yet the church in Chungking says he is not a brother, then the church in Chungking has become a sect. A sect requires something more of a man who is a brother before they will call him a brother. Although they may not say that they are the Brethren Assembly, yet there is an invisible boundary placed there.

What kind of people are today’s Philadelphia? The church in every place may be Philadelphia, and it also may not be. Actually, there is no way for me to say which one is and which one is not. Perhaps the church in Chungking is Philadelphia and the church in K’un-ming is not. Perhaps Cheng-tu’s church is Philadelphia and Lan-chou’s is not. Today it has become a problem of locality, just as the seven epistles are for localities. We must reject the Roman Catholic Church, and we must leave the Protestant churches. On the negative side, we can eliminate these two; but on the positive side, are we Philadelphia or still Laodicea? It is easy to withdraw from the Roman Catholic Church, and it is also easy to withdraw from the Protestant churches; all we need to do is write a letter and walk out the front door. But whether or not we are Philadelphia remains a question. This depends on whether or not we have walked out the back door. Philadelphia may not fall back to Sardis, but she may fall into Laodicea. The Lord’s criticism of Laodicea is much stronger than His criticism of Sardis. The Lord wants us to learn to exalt His name, for where two or three are gathered together in the Lord’s name, there He is in their midst. But we should never exalt ourselves. Whoever claims to be Philadelphia no longer appears as Philadelphia.

Today if you have left the denominations and have seen the church, then only the Word of God can be the standard. Consider a brother who is born again. Can you say that he is not a brother? He is a brother if he knows the truth clearly, and he is still a brother if he does not know the truth clearly. If he stays at home he is my brother, and if he falls into the ditch by the street he is still my brother. If there is a problem, I can only blame my Father for begetting him. The special characteristic of Philadelphia is brotherly love—today this way is the only way for us to walk. But we should never have this kind of attitude: I love the brothers who are clear and the brothers who are lovable, but those who are not lovable I will not love. Whether he is clear or not, that is his business. We should never say, “You are a rebellious one.” What we see this year, we did not see last year. Perhaps next year he will also see what we have seen this year. While he reads the Bible, the Lord will also show him the light. God’s heart is great; so ours must also be great. We must learn to have a heart that is large enough to include all of God’s children. Whenever we say “we” and yet do not include all the children of God, we are the biggest sect, for we are not standing in the position of brotherly love but exalting ourselves. The way of Philadelphia is the way we must take. The difficulty lies in the fact that Philadelphia includes all the brothers, yet some are not able to include as much.

Let me give you an illustration: Before the war with Japan I went to K’un-ming. There was a brother there of the _______ Church who asked me to talk with him. He was a very good brother. When he saw me he said, “Do you remember that I asked you a question in Shanghai? You still have not answered how we can cooperate.” I said, “Brother, you have a _______ Church in which I have no part.” He said, “Right, but you need not worry about that; what I mean is that we can cooperate nicely before the Lord.” I said, “I have a church, and I am in it, Paul is in it, Peter is also in it, and so are John, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and Hudson Taylor. You too are in it. The church that I have is so great that all who are in Christ, whether great or small, are in it. You and I have a difference: I only build up one church; you wish to build up two churches. My work is only the church of Christ, not the _______ Church. If your aim is to build up the church of Christ and not the _______ Church, then I can absolutely cooperate with you.” Brothers and sisters, do you see the difference here? That brother’s love was not great enough. He stresses the church of Christ within the _______ Church. He is building up two churches. After I spoke he confessed that that was the first time he saw what it was all about. He held my hand and said that he hoped this question would not be raised again.

The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chap 9, Section 2 of 5

Posted on in Corporate Reading, The Orthodoxy of the Church

Regarding what we have seen concerning the things of the seven epistles, we must understand that we are arguing concerning the problem of the system. Please remember, all of the things in these seven epistles are related to the Lord. If we know the Lord, we will condemn God’s people who walk according to their own wishes; if we do not know the Lord sufficiently, we will tolerate their walk according to their own desire. Many times we can tolerate the condition of Christians because we are not faithful enough to Christ. Our lack of faithfulness to the Lord is due to the fact that we still do not have revelation to know the Lord who condemns this as sin. Oh, there are even times when we must choose between the Lord and His people as to whom we must serve.

We already know that the number seven is divided into three and four. After Ephesus, there is Smyrna, and after Smyrna there is Pergamos. These three are of one group, because they have all passed away. The latter four are also of one group. Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea are different from the first three. When Sardis is on this earth, Thyatira is on the earth; when Philadelphia is on this earth, Sardis is on the earth; and when Laodicea is on this earth, Philadelphia is also on the earth. In other words, the last four churches continue their days on the earth together. They do not begin at the same time, but they end at the same time.

The four churches before us today are very meaningful. When the Protestant churches appeared, the Roman Catholic Church had been present for more than a thousand years. When Philadelphia appeared, the Protestant churches had been present for more than three hundred years. When Laodicea appeared, Philadelphia had been present for several scores of years. We who are born in this age today are confronted with something very special: There are four different kinds of churches from which we may choose. If we were born before the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, we would have no other way but to be in the Roman Catholic Church. If we were born in the eighteenth century, we could choose to belong to either the Roman Catholic Church or the Protestant churches. In the following century, in 1825, Philadelphia appeared and the brothers rose up; so we would have had three to choose from. Then after 1840, Laodicea appeared. Today there are four different kinds of churches. In all four there are people who are saved—some are better, and some are worse. God put us in a time where there are four ways from which we can choose.

But the Lord also shows us His desire. His desire is not the Roman Catholic Church; this question is past. There is not the least necessity of praying whether or not I should be a disciple of the pope. Although this prophecy is placed in Revelation 2, the need to decide whether or not to choose it no longer exists. All those who study the Bible know that the problem of choosing the Roman Catholic Church is over. There is a difficulty in the fact that many brothers do not know that the problem of choosing the Protestant churches is also over. Does the Lord want us to be in Sardis? Strangely enough, many are rather satisfied to be in Sardis. But if we read the Word of God, the Lord will show us that He is not satisfied with Sardis. The Lord’s desire is Philadelphia. Of the seven epistles which we have seen, only Philadelphia is praised by the Lord. In the other epistles the Lord always gives some word of rebuke. Smyrna is better and has no rebuke, but neither does she have any praise. Philadelphia, however, is different. From beginning to end the Lord only praises her. Then you may ask whether we should join the movement of the brothers (as if this movement can be “joined”). Many people in the movement of the brothers have become Laodicea already. Then what should we do? Laodicea is also rejected by the Lord. If we are not careful, instead of catching up with Philadelphia, we will get into Laodicea.

There is a great problem today to which God’s children must pay attention. Since 1921 in China, the gospel has become clearer and clearer, those who were saved have increased more and more, and God has directed our attention increasingly to the truth of the church. We began to see that the church is entirely of God, only those who are saved can be in it, and only the words which God has ordained in the Bible are to be kept by the church. During that time none of us ever heard of the movement of the brothers. Not until 1927 did we begin to hear of this kind of work abroad. Through literature which we continually received, we knew there was a very great movement going on, filling all the countries in the world. The Reformation was just such a great movement. But on the other hand, we felt that many among them had fallen into the position of Laodicea. At that time we had a question: What does the Bible say? Should the children of God join a movement? The unity of Christians should be in Christ, not in a movement. So we spent more time to study the Bible. We became increasingly clear that that which is bigger than the locality is not the church, and that which is smaller than the locality is also not the church.

The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chap 9, Section 1 of 5

Posted on in Corporate Reading, The Orthodoxy of the Church

CHAPTER NINE

CONCLUSION

In the Old Testament there are very clear prophecies concerning Judah. (Israel had no prophecy. Israel rebelled against God during the time of Jeroboam, and it was the nation which perished first. Evidently, God was not pleased with Israel and rejected her. So Israel had no prophecy.) Judah’s prophecy continued through to the Lord Jesus—we can see this from the genealogy in Matthew 1. In the Old Testament there were many prophets whose work had no other purpose than to show us how things will be in the future. For example, Daniel prophesied concerning the condition of the nations. After Judah perished, Gentile nations would be raised up one by one in the following 2,500 years until the coming again of the Lord Jesus. Hence, well-known prophecies, such as those in Daniel 2, 7, 9, and 11, are very detailed concerning the Gentiles. In addition to the prophecies concerning Judah and the Gentiles, there is still the church of God in God’s plan. Where is the prophecy concerning the church? When we read the first seven Epistles by Paul, there are no prophecies. It seems as if there are some in Matthew 13, but they are not detailed enough and not sufficiently clear in reference to the church, because they refer to the outward appearance of the kingdom of the heavens. Therefore, we may say that only Revelation 2 and 3, the latter seven epistles, show us the prophecy of the church. Thus far, we have briefly studied through each one and have seen that each has been fulfilled. We have already seen the prophecies which the Lord has shown us and the fulfillment given by history. We thank God that the prophecies have already been fulfilled; it is therefore much easier for us to read the seven epistles according to their fulfillment.

Through these seven epistles the Lord desires to provide us with a guide on how to be overcomers. The Lord is especially telling us how we should behave in order to overcome, and so, through the fulfillment of these epistles, He shows us the way to be an overcomer on this earth. Therefore, this is related to the way in which each one of us walks.

As we look at these seven epistles together, we see that each epistle is divided into four sections. From the first epistle to the last they are all alike. First there is the name of the Lord Himself, then the condition of the church, then the reward to the overcomer, and finally the calling to those who have ears. In each epistle the Lord shows us who He is, what the condition of the church is, what He will give to the overcomer, and then He appeals to those who have an ear that they may hear. There is a calling to the overcomers in every church; each has its own special feature, and the Lord’s rewards to the overcomers are also different.

So we should learn that regardless of the condition the church, whenever any church has a problem, if we are faithful before the Lord, we will discover what we must do. The Lord shows us the way to deal with the problem. The Lord says He is the way, He is the reality, and He is the life (John 14:6). So no matter in which epistle and under what circumstances we are, the Lord does not want us to pay attention to the situation, however bad it may be; rather, He wants us to see who He is. Revelation recovers the seeing. Concerning the knowledge of the Lord, we see it by revelation just once. Once we see it, all failures pass away. We must see before God that the difficulty of the church is quite urgent. In this situation we cry for help, but the Lord says that only those who know Him have help. In each epistle the Lord makes one statement about who He is. Will such a Lord as He be able to deal with this situation?

As it is with the church, so it is with ourselves. In difficult circumstances, we must know the Lord who is contrary to our difficulty. Other problems are secondary. The solution to all problems depends on how much we know the Lord. Some are able to bear much, but some can bear only little. The strength to bear, whether much or little, depends on how much we know the Lord. Thus, at the beginning of each of the seven epistles, attention is given to who the Lord is. If a man does not know the Lord, he will not be able to know the church. Many are quite satisfied with the condition of the church today because they do not see. They have not seen who is sitting upon the throne, and they have not seen the different aspects of the glory of the Lord and His virtues. If we know the Lord, we will discover man’s sin and the church’s sin. The solution to the whole problem depends on how much we know the Lord. Those who only know a little of God have little revelation of God and are more tolerant with presumptuous things. But for each one who stands before the Lord, the Lord removes the toleration for that which is not according to His will. Once we receive revelation before the Lord, He removes everything that is not according to His will. Then we know that if we want to be holy, we will have the Lord; if we do not want to be holy, we will lose the fellowship of the Lord.

The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chap 8, Section 4 of 4

Posted on in Corporate Reading, The Orthodoxy of the Church

The Lord also speaks of buying “eyesalve to anoint your eyes that you may see” (Rev. 3:18). Buy eyesalve to anoint your eyes—this is the revelation of the Holy Spirit. You must have the revelation of the Holy Spirit; then you can be counted as seeing. On the contrary, knowing too much doctrine may result in the decrease of the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Doctrine is the transmission of thought from one to another; yet the spiritual eyes have not seen. Many people are walking in the light of others. Many elderly brothers speak in this way, so you speak in this way. Today you say, “So-and-so told me”; if there were no “So-and-so” to tell you, you would not know what to do. You receive doctrine from man’s teaching, not from the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus says that this will not work; you must have the revelation of the Holy Spirit. I cannot write a letter to a friend asking him to listen to the gospel for me so that I can be saved. Likewise, anything received from the hands of man is finished when it comes to us; it has nothing to do with God. According to the Bible, this is blindness. Without touching the Holy Spirit, you cannot deal with spiritual things. It is not a matter of how much you have heard. Many times it is merely an increase in doctrine, an increase in knowledge, yet without seeing anything before God. So you must learn one thing before God—you have to buy eyesalve. Only seeing by myself is really seeing. Seeing is the basis of what has already been gained and is the basis of seeing again.

“As many as I love I rebuke and discipline; be zealous therefore and repent” (v. 19). The words spoken previously are rebukes. But the Lord shows us that He rebukes and chastens in this manner because He loves. Therefore, be zealous. What should we do? Repent. First, we must repent. Repentance is not just an individual matter; the church also must repent.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me” (v. 20). There is quite a lot in this statement. What kind of door is this door? Many use this verse to preach the gospel. It is all right to borrow this verse for the preaching of the gospel; it is all right to lend this verse to the sinners; but it must not be borrowed too long without returning it. This verse is a verse for the children of God. It does not refer to the Lord knocking at the heart of a sinner; this door is the door of the church. Because the door here is singular, the Lord is referring to the church. It is indeed strange that the Lord is the Head of the church, or shall we say the origin of the church, yet He is standing outside the door of the church! “Behold, I stand at the door”! This is really a terrible condition. If the Lord is outside the door of the church, what kind of church is this?

The Lord says, “Behold”! The Lord says this to the whole church. The door is the door of the church. “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door..” These two words—”if anyone”—show that the opening of the door is an individual matter. In the Bible there are two lines in regard to the truth. One line is the line of the Holy Spirit, and the other line is the line of Christ; one is subjective, and the other is objective; one concerns experience, and the other concerns the faith. If someone pays too much attention to the objective truth, then he can be seen mounting the clouds and riding the mists, which is impractical. If he constantly stands on the subjective side, excessively stressing the inner working of the Holy Spirit, then he will look continuously inward and become dissatisfied. Everyone who is seeking the Lord must be balanced by both truths. One shows me that I am perfect in Christ, and the other shows me that the inner working of the Holy Spirit causes me to become perfect. The greatest failure of the Brethren was their excessive stress on the objective truth and neglect of the subjective truth. Philadelphia failed and became Laodicea. Her failure was due to too much objective truth. This does not mean that there was nothing at all of the inner working of the Holy Spirit, but generally speaking, there was too much of the objective aspect with too little of the subjective. If you open the door, “I will come in.” This means that the objective becomes the subjective; that is, He will change what you have of the objective into the subjective. In John 15:4 the Lord speaks of both aspects: “Abide in Me and I in you.” In Revelation 3:20 the Lord says, “I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.” If you open the door, He will dine with you. This is fellowship and this also is joy. Then you will have an intimate fellowship with the Lord as well as the joy that springs from such fellowship.

“He who overcomes, to him I will give to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne” (v. 21). Among the promises given to the overcomers in the seven churches, many say this is the best. Although some like the other promises to the overcomers, many have told me that the Lord’s promise to Laodicea excels them all. In the previous promises to the overcomers the Lord did not say anything concerning Himself. But here the Lord says that if you overcome, you will dine with Me. Since you have passed through all kinds of overcoming, you can sit with My Father on the throne. You must overcome so that you can sit with the Lord on His throne. The overcomer here has an exceedingly high promise because the church age is ending. The overcomer is waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, the throne is here.

The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chap 8, Section 3 of 4

Posted on in Corporate Reading, The Orthodoxy of the Church

“And do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (v. 17). What they say is really quite true: I am wealthy and have become rich and have need of nothing! Indeed, they are marvelous before God. They have reason to boast. We acknowledge that there are many things in their midst of which they may boast. But it is better to leave this to the feeling of others and not to feel it ourselves; let others know about it, not ourselves. It would indeed be good if others say so; but if we say so, it is not good. Spiritual things must not be boasted of. If one boasts of his riches concerning worldly things, the money will not fly away nor will the amount decrease; but spiritual things vanish away when you boast of them. When a person says he is strong, then that strength is gone. The face of Moses shone, yet he himself was not aware of it. Whoever knows that his face is shining will lose the shining of his face. If you do not know you are growing, you are blessed. There are many who are so clear about their own condition, but on the contrary they have nothing. If you have spiritual authority, that is all right, but if you know you have spiritual authority, that is not all right. The Laodiceans are too clear in the estimate of themselves; they have too much. In God’s eyes they are blind, poor, and naked. That is why we must learn the lesson. Laodicea is too clear regarding her richness. We hope that we will grow, yet we do not want to know it ourselves.

The Lord said, “You are wretched.” The word “wretched” here is the same as the word “wretched” used by Paul in Romans 7:24. The Lord is saying that they are just like Paul in Romans 7: On the spiritual side they are wretched, they are embarrassed, they are not like this and not like that, and in the Lord’s eyes they are miserable. Following this, the Lord points out three reasons why they are wretched and miserable: They are poor, they are blind, and they are naked.

Concerning poverty, the Lord said, “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire that you may be rich” (Rev. 3:18). Although they are rich in doctrines, the Lord sees them as still being poor. They must have living faith; otherwise, God’s Word is useless to them. Their failure, their weakness, is due to the fact that their faith is gone. Peter says that gold proved by fire is faith on trial (1 Pet. 1:7). In days when the word given forth is poor, you must pray. When the word increases, you must have faith that mingles with the words you have heard. You must pass through all manner of trials so that the words which you have heard will be useful in a practical way. Thus, you must buy gold tried in the fire. You must learn to trust even while in tribulation; then you will really be rich.

Moreover, the Lord says, “And white garments that you may be clothed and that the shame of your nakedness may not be manifested” (Rev. 3:18). We have already mentioned that the “white garment” refers to behavior. The “white garment” here is the same as the white garment spoken of in several other places in Revelation. God’s purpose is that they should have no contamination, just as the garment is white. God wants them to walk continuously before Him. It is impossible to be naked before God. In the Old Testament no man could approach God without being clothed. When the priests went to the altar, their nakedness was not to be discovered. Second Corinthians 5:3 says, “If indeed, being clothed, we will not be found naked.” But here it is not a matter of being clothed or unclothed, but a matter of whether or not the garment is white. The Lord Jesus says, “And whoever gives to one of these little ones only a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward” (Matt. 10:42). This is the white garment. We may treat others with a feast, yet it may not be “white.” If we do it just for the sake of maintaining the glory of our group, that cannot be counted; if it springs from a motive that is even meaner than this, there is even a lesser reason for it to be counted. It is not clean enough. The Lord desires that we have a clean purpose and a clean motive to work for Him. There are many activities and many motives in which we sense many impurities once we touch them; they are not white. “That the shame of your nakedness may not be manifested.” When we walk before God, we should not be shameful.

The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chap 8, Section 2 of 4

Posted on in Corporate Reading, The Orthodoxy of the Church

Here the Lord speaks of Himself as “the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14). The Lord is Amen. Amen means all right; it means “so let it be.” Thus, He will fulfill everything, and nothing will be in vain. The Lord Jesus testified of the work of God on the earth. Among the many beings and things created by God, the Lord is the Head.

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spew you out of My mouth” (vv. 15-16). Sardis is living in name, but dead in reality; Laodicea is neither hot nor cold. To Ephesus the Lord said, “I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place” (2:5). To Laodicea He said, “I am about to spew you out of My mouth.” The Lord will not use them again; they are no longer the amen. The problem is that they are neither cold nor hot. They are filled with knowledge, yet lacking in power. When they were hot, they were Philadelphia; but now they are colder than before. Once Philadelphia falls, she becomes Laodicea. Only the people of Philadelphia can fall to such an extent.

“Because you say, I am wealthy and have become rich and have need of nothing” (3:17). I have mentioned already that the movement of the brothers is far more significant than the Reformation. The Reformation was but a reformation in quantity, while the movement of the brothers was a reformation in quality, recovering the original substance of the church. This power is really great. But because these brothers were stronger than others in conduct and in truth to the point that even a cook among them knew more than a missionary in the Protestant churches, they became proud. “You are all incompetent; only we are competent,” was their attitude. No one was competent in the Protestant churches. The famous Scofield went to the brothers to be taught. Gypsy Smith, so widely known, went into their midst to obtain profit, taking their doctrines to preach. All workers, students, preachers, and believers received help and light from them. We do not know how many more received help from their books. Many must acknowledge in their hearts that in the entire world, no one can teach the Bible as well as the brothers. As a result some of them became proud. “Our students are the teachers of others,” they say. Although they are greatly opposed, some are self-declared heroes. The most evident result is that some became self-satisfied. Some brothers do have brotherly love and seek the good of others, while others have nothing but knowledge. Therefore, it was inevitable that they become self-exalted and conceited. The Lord shows us that a proud Philadelphia is Laodicea, and Laodicea is a fallen Philadelphia. Consequently, in many places the meetings in their midst have trouble with their behavior and teaching. The special feature of Laodicea is spiritual pride. As far as the historical side is concerned, the Lord has fulfilled this for us.

We can meet Philadelphia today, and we can also meet Laodicea. Both are quite alike in their position as the church. The difference is that Philadelphia has love while Laodicea has pride. There is no difference in outward appearance; the only difference is that Laodicea is a proud Philadelphia. I do not wish to relate many things concerning them. I will just give you some illustrations. A brother among them once said, “Is there anything spiritual that cannot be found among us?” A certain brother, after seeing a new magazine, said, “What new thing can it give us? Is there anything that we do not have?” He returned the magazine without reading it any further. Another brother said, “Since the Lord has given us the greatest light, we should be satisfied; if we read what others have written it is a waste of time.” Another said, “What do others have that we do not have?” And still another said, “What others have, we have, but what we have, others may not have.” When we hear this kind of talk, we should immediately recall what the Lord says regarding those who say, “I am rich.” Oh, how careful we must be that we may not become Laodicea!

On an island in the Atlantic Ocean, there was a hurricane which destroyed many houses, including the homes and meeting halls of the brothers. Within a few hours brothers from all over the world sent them more than two hundred thousand pounds sterling, the relief reaching them more swiftly than that of the government. In their midst there is really brotherly love, but there are also those who have become proud. The Protestant churches are not qualified to become Laodicea. Sardis herself acknowledges that she has nothing. I have been working for more than twenty years, yet I have never met a missionary or pastor in the denominations who claims that they have the spiritual things. They always say they are inadequate. The failing and weak Protestant churches are Sardis, not Laodicea. Only Laodicea has the special feature of spiritual pride. The Protestant churches have many sins, but spiritual pride is not their outstanding sin. Only the fallen brothers would say, “I am wealthy and have become rich and have need of nothing.” Only fallen Philadelphia can become Laodicea. As to wealth of spirituality, Sardis knows quite well that she has nothing. They often say, “We are not zealous enough; our zealous members have run away.” Richness is the condition of Philadelphia, while boasting of their richness is the distinguishing mark of Laodicea. Only Laodicea can boast. A person who departs from the position of Philadelphia cannot go back to Sardis. Asking a brother to go back to Sardis is an impossibility; he can only go on to be Laodicea. Laodicea also does not continue the line of the orthodoxy of the apostles. She goes beyond the line of the apostles. They are those who have vain knowledge; they have no life and are self-satisfied, self-exalted, and conceited.

The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chap 8, Section 1 of 4

Posted on in Corporate Reading, The Orthodoxy of the Church

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE CHURCH IN LAODICEA

Scripture Reading: Rev. 3:14-22

Now we will speak of the last church. We have seen the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant churches, and the movement of the brothers. Among these, God has chosen the movement of the brothers. Thyatira entirely failed. Although Sardis was better than Thyatira, the Lord still rebuked them. Only Philadelphia did not receive a word of rebuke. The Lord’s promise is in Philadelphia. (But Philadelphia also has a calling for overcomers.) If it were up to us, we would have stopped with Philadelphia and written nothing more. However, in these churches the Lord prophesies concerning the condition of the church; therefore, it is necessary to take a step further to Laodicea, with which everyone is most familiar. If you asked which church Laodicea refers to, many could not answer. Many of God’s children are not clear concerning Laodicea. Some think of learning lessons from her as individuals; some consider her as referring to the general, desolate condition of the church. But the Lord is speaking prophecy here.

Laodicea, just like the other churches, has special meaning in her name. It is composed of two words: laos, meaning “laymen” (laity or common people), and dicea, which may be translated as “customs” or “opinions.” So Laodicea means the customs of the laymen or the opinions of the common people. Here we see very clearly the meaning—the church has already failed. The church has turned to the pattern of taking the opinions and customs of the laymen. In Philadelphia we see brothers and love for one another. But here we see laymen, opinions, and customs.

Please remember one thing: If the children of God do not stand in the position of Philadelphia, they will fall and fail. However, they cannot return to Sardis. Once a person has seen the truth of the brothers, he can no longer go back to the Protestant churches, even if he wants to. Since he is not able to stand firmly in Philadelphia, he retrogresses from Philadelphia to become, as here, Laodicea. That which came out from the Roman Catholic Church is called the Protestant church; that which came out from the Protestant churches is called the brothers; and that which goes forth from Philadelphia is called Laodicea. Sardis comes out of Thyatira, and Philadelphia comes out of Sardis; likewise, Laodicea goes out of Philadelphia. God’s children today have a misunderstanding; that is, whenever they see a certain denominational church, the condition of which is wrong, they say that that is Laodicea. That is wrong. A wrong denominational church is Sardis, not Laodicea. The different denominations are the Protestant churches. The denominations are not qualified to become Laodicea. Only failing Philadelphia can become Laodicea. The condition of Laodicea is not the condition of Sardis. Only that which has tasted the goodness of Philadelphia and is now fallen is Laodicea. That which actually does not have much is Sardis. That which does not keep the spiritual riches in the Holy Spirit becomes Laodicea.

What kind of a fall then is this? Beginning with Ephesus we see abnormality in the midst of normality. In Pergamos we see the teaching of Balaam. In Thyatira we see Jezebel; the mediatorial class has its root there. Sardis gives us an open Bible, but Sardis herself creates another mediatorial class. In Philadelphia we see only brothers; the class that conquers the laity no longer exists. Everyone comes back to the word of the Lord to obey the Lord’s word and to obey what the Holy Spirit has spoken through the word of the Lord. But one day, by not standing in the position of brothers who receive the discipline of the Holy Spirit and by falling from the position of brothers to that of laymen, Laodicea appears. In Sardis the authority lies in the hands of the pastoral system. In Philadelphia the authority lies in the hands of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit exercises authority through the word and the name, and all are brothers loving one another. Now in Laodicea it is neither the Holy Spirit exercising the authority nor the pastoral system, but the laymen. What do we mean by laymen exercising authority? We mean exercising the authority of the majority. The opinion of the majority is the accepted opinion; as long as the majority is in favor, it is all right. This is Laodicea. In other words it is not the fathers who rule, nor the pastors, nor the Holy Spirit, but the opinion of the majority that counts. Here it is not brothers, but men. Laodicea does not stand in the position of brothers; rather, it is men who are according to the will of the flesh. Everyone raises the hand, and that is all. We must know the will of God and look at Philadelphia according to the will of God. Whenever there is no brotherly love but only the opinions of men according to the flesh, you meet Laodicea.

The Orthodoxy of the Church, Chap 7, Section 9 of 9

Posted on in Corporate Reading, The Orthodoxy of the Church

Since the Brethren did not pay enough attention to the fact that the church has the locality as her boundary, the “Exclusive Brethren” demanded unified action throughout in every place, resulting in breaking the boundary of locality and falling into the error of the united church; while the “Open Brethren” demanded independent administration of every meeting, the result of which is that there are many places that have many churches in one locality, thus falling into the error of the Congregational Church, which makes each congregation an independent unit. The “Exclusive Brethren” exceed the boundary of locality, while the “Open Brethren” are smaller than the boundary of locality. They forget that in the Bible there is one and only one church in every locality. The words spoken in the Bible to the church are spoken to this kind of church. Strangely enough, today’s inclination is to change the words spoken in the Bible to the local church to words spoken to the spiritual church. Moreover, when some brothers set up the church, they set up a church that is smaller than the locality—the “house” church is a case in point. But in the Bible there is no “United Church” of the churches everywhere; neither are there churches of the congregations and meetings in one locality as independent churches. One church for several localities or several churches in one locality—both are not ordained of God. God’s Word clearly reveals that one locality can have only one church, and there can only be one church in one locality. To have one church in several localities demands a unity which the Bible does not demand; to have several churches in one locality divides the oneness which the Bible demands.

The difficulty of the Brethren in those days was that they were not clear enough regarding the teaching in the Bible on locality. The result is that since those who have the “United Church” type of unity are united with brothers in other places, they are not afraid to be divided from brothers in the same locality. Similarly, those who take the meeting as a unit and who have no problem with the brothers in the same meeting are not afraid to be divided with the brothers who are in other meetings in the same locality. Because they have not realized the importance of the teachings in the Bible concerning the locality, divisions have resulted in both cases. The Lord does not demand the impractical unity of all places. The Lord also does not permit taking one meeting as the boundary of unity—that is too free; it is licentious, having no restriction or lesson. With just one word of disagreement, another meeting is formed immediately with three to five as a group, and this is counted as oneness. There can only be one kind of oneness in a locality. What a restriction to those with fleshly license!

The movement of the brothers is still in progress, and the light of “locality” is clearer and clearer. To what extent the Lord will work we do not know. We can only wait for history; then we will be clear. If our consecration to the Lord is absolute and we ourselves are humble, it may be that we will receive mercy to be kept from error.

“He who overcomes, him I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall by no means go out anymore, and I will write upon him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven from My God, and My new name” (Rev. 3:12). During the time of Philadelphia there have been many cases of excommunicating the brothers. But here they can no longer be excommunicated; they will be a pillar in the temple of God. If the pillar is removed, the temple cannot stand. Philadelphia makes the temple of God stand. There are three names written on the overcomer—the name of God, the name of the New Jerusalem, and the Lord’s new name. God’s eternal plan is accomplished. The people in Philadelphia return to the Lord and satisfy Him.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (v. 13). Please remember, God has not kept His heart’s desire in secret; God has put the way very clearly before us.