Day: June 5, 2022

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.

“I come quickly; hold fast what you have that no one take your crown” (3:11). The Lord says, “I come quickly”; therefore, this church is to continue until the Lord comes back. Thyatira is not gone, Sardis is not gone, and Philadelphia is not gone. “Hold fast what you have,” which is “My word” and “My name.” We should not forget the word of the Lord, and we should not put the Lord’s name to shame. “That no one take your crown.” All of Philadelphia have the crown already. In the other churches it is a problem of gaining the crown; here it is a problem of losing it. The Lord says that they already have the crown. In the whole Bible only one person knew he had the crown—Paul (2 Tim. 4:8). So also among the churches, only Philadelphia knows that she has the crown. Do not let any man take your crown; do not come out from Philadelphia and leave your position. Here it says to hold fast what you have that no man take it.

This tells us clearly that Philadelphia also has her own particular danger; otherwise, the Lord would not have given her such a warning. Moreover, this danger is quite real, which is why the Lord commands her in such a serious manner. What is her danger? Her danger lies in losing what she already has. So the Lord asks her to hold fast what she has. Her danger is not in failing to progress; rather, it is in retrogression. Those in Philadelphia are pleasing to the Lord because they love one another and are faithful to the Lord’s word and the Lord’s name. Their danger lies in losing this love and faithfulness. How dreadful! But in fact this is what has actually happened. After twenty years the brothers were divided. They were divided into two divisions: “Exclusive” and “Open,” and within the two divisions there are many sects. Therefore, in Philadelphia there is also the call to the overcomers.

What is the reason for this problem? We must be very careful and humble or else we will become involved in the same failure. I think any kind of division is due to the lack of love for one another; when love does not exist or is lacking, people pay attention to laws, stress procedures, and split hairs to find faults. Once love is in distress, people will also be proud of themselves and envious of others, which produces controversy and strife. The Holy Spirit is the strength of oneness, while the flesh is the strength of division. Unless the flesh is dealt with, division will occur sooner or later.

Furthermore, I believe the lack at that time was that the brothers did not see the “local” ground and boundary of the church. They clearly saw the sins of the church on the negative side, but on the positive side, they did not adequately see how the church should love one another and be of one accord on the ground and boundary of locality. The Roman Catholic Church pays attention to the oneness of a united church on this earth, while the Brethren paid attention to an idealistic oneness of a spiritual church in heaven. They did not see or did not see clearly enough that the love for one another in the epistles is the love for one another in the church in one locality; the oneness is the oneness of the church in one locality; the joining together is the joining together of the church in one locality; the edification is the edification of the church in a locality; and even the excommunication is the excommunication of the church in one locality. In any case, only these two kinds of people talk about the oneness of the church: The Roman Catholic Church speaks of the unity of all the churches on this earth, while the Brethren speak of the spiritual oneness in heaven. As a result, the former is but a oneness in outward appearance, while the latter is an idealistic oneness that is, in fact, divisive. Both have not noticed the oneness of each and every local church in each and every locality as recorded in the Bible.

I met a certain believer once on a train who asked me what kind of Christian I was. I replied that I was just a Christian. He said, “There is no such Christian in the world. Saying that you are a Christian means nothing; you have to say what kind of Christian you are in order for it to be meaningful.” I replied, “I am simply a man who is a Christian. Do you say that for a man to be a Christian means nothing? What kind of Christian would you say is meaningful? As for me, I can only be a Christian—nothing more.” That day we had a very good talk together.

I would like you to see one thing: The basic thought of many people is that the name of the Lord is not enough. Many think they need the name of a denomination; they think they must have another name in addition to the name of the Lord. Brothers, do not think that our attitude is too determined. The Lord said, “You…have not denied My name.” If my feeling is right, all other names are a shame to Him. This word “denied” is the same word used to describe Peter’s denial of the Lord. What kind of a Christian am I? I am a Christian. I do not want to be called by another name. Many do not want to honor the name of Christ and are not willing just to be called a Christian. But thank God, the prophecy of Philadelphia was fulfilled in the brothers. They no longer have any other distinguishing name. They are brothers; they are not “The Brethren Church.”

“Behold, I have put before you an opened door which no one can shut” (Rev. 3:8). The Lord speaks to the church in Philadelphia about the open door. Men often say that if you walk according to the Scriptures, the door will soon be shut; the most difficult hurdle to pass in submitting to the Lord is the shutting of the door. But here is indeed a promise: “Behold, I have put before you an opened door which no one can shut.” As far as the brothers are concerned, this is a fact. In the whole world, whether in Bible exposition or gospel preaching, no group of people has had the opportunities they have had. Whether in Europe, America, or Africa, it has all been like this. There is no need of men’s support, advertisement, propaganda, or contributions; they still have many opportunities to work, and the door for work is still open.

“Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, those who call themselves Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will cause them to come and fall prostrate before your feet and to know that I have loved you” (v. 9). We have already seen at least four things which have caused Christianity to become Judaism: the mediatorial priests, the laws of letters, the material temple, and the earthly promises. What does the Lord say? “I will cause them to come and fall prostrate before your feet.” Judaism is destroyed in the hands of the brothers. Everywhere in the whole world there is such a movement. Wherever they are, Judaism is defeated. Among those who really know God today, the principal strength of Judaism has become something of the past.

“Because you have kept the word of My endurance” (v. 10). This is connected with Revelation 1:9, which speaks of John being a “fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus.” “Endurance” is used as a noun. Today is the time of Christ’s endurance. Today the Lord meets many who scorn Him, but He endures. His word today is the word of endurance. Here He has no reputation; He is a lowly person, still a Nazarene, still the son of a carpenter. When we follow the Lord, He says that we should keep the word of His endurance.

“I also will keep you out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth” (3:10). We can use Chungking for an illustration: To say that I will keep you from the bombing means that you will still be in Chungking, but that you will be kept from the bombing. If I say I will keep you from the hour, that means that before that hour you will have just left for Ch’eng-tu. When the whole world is being tried (we all know that this refers to the great tribulation), we will not meet the tribulation. Before that hour arrives, we will have been raptured already. In the whole Bible there are only two passages which speak of the promise of rapture: Luke 21:36 and Revelation 3:10. Today we must follow the Lord, not live loosely, learn to walk in the way of Philadelphia, and ask the Lord to deliver us from all the trials to come.

Paul says that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female (Gal. 3:28). The church does not stand on distinction but on brotherly love.

In Revelation 3:7, as in the beginning of the other epistles, the Lord refers to Himself: “These things says the Holy One, the true One, the One who has the key of David, the One who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens.” Holiness is His life; He Himself is holiness. He is the truth before God; He is God’s reality, and God’s reality is Christ. His hand holds the key. Here I would ask you to note one thing: When Sardis stood to witness for the Lord, there were the rulers of this world who helped her fight the battle. The fighting went on in the continent of Europe for scores of years and then in Great Britain for scores of years. But what about the movement of the brothers? There was no power at their back for support. What could they do? The Lord said that He holds the key of David, which means the authority. (The Bible calls David a king.) It is not a matter of force of arms, it is not a matter of advertising, but it is a matter of opening the door. There was a certain newspaper editor in Great Britain who said, “I never thought there were so many brothers, and I never knew these people could grow so fast.” By traveling around the world, you will discover that in every place there are many brothers. Although some know the teachings in a deeper way and some shallowly, the position of the brothers is still the same. Seeing this, we should thank the Lord. The Lord says that He is the One who “opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens.”

“I know your works…because you have a little power” (v. 8). When we reach this point, our thoughts spontaneously return to the time of Zerubbabel’s return, of which a certain prophet said, “For who has despised the day of small things?” (Zech. 4:10). Do not despise the day of small things, that is, the day of building the temple. In the Scriptures there is a very great type of the church—the temple. When David reigned as king, the people of God were united. Later, they were divided into the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel. The children of God began to be divided, and at the same time idolatry and fornication commenced. As a result they were captured and taken to Babylon. Everyone acknowledges that the captivity in Babylon is a type of Thyatira—the Roman Catholic Church. Since the Bible makes Babylon a type of Rome, the church also has a Babylonian captivity. What did the people of God do when they returned from their captivity? They returned rather weakly, group by group, and built the temple. It seems that they were a type of the movement of the brothers. There were many elderly Jews who had seen the old temple. When they saw with their own eyes the laying of the foundation of the temple, they wept with a loud voice, for the temple was far inferior in glory compared to the temple in Solomon’s time. Yet God spoke through the minor prophet, saying that they should not despise the day of small things, for it was the day of recovery. The Lord says similar words to Philadelphia: “You have a little power.” When compared with the days of Pentecost, the testimony of the church in the world today is that this is the day of small things.

“You…have kept My word and have not denied My name” (Rev. 3:8). The Lord acknowledges them for two things: not denying the name of the Lord and not denying the word of the Lord. There has never been an age in church history in which there were men who knew the Word of God as much as the brothers. The light was like the downpour of a great torrential flood. When I was in Shanghai one night, I met a certain brother who said he was a cook on a boat. I spoke with him at length. I am afraid that very few missionaries know the Word of God as well as He. Indeed, this is one of their outstanding characteristics—they know the Word of God. Even if you meet the simplest one among them, he will be clearer than many missionaries.

The Lord also said, “You…have not denied My name.” Since 1825 the brothers said that they could only be called Christians. If you ask them who they are, they will say, “I am a Christian.” But if you ask someone of the Methodist Church, he will say, “I am a Methodist.” If you meet one from the Friends Church, he will say, “I belong to the Friends Church.” Someone from the Lutheran Church will reply, “I am a Lutheran.” Someone from the Baptist Church will say, “I am a Baptist.” Besides Christ, men still call themselves by many other names. But the children of God have only one name with which to call themselves. The Lord Jesus said, “Ask in My name,” and “Gathered into My name” (John 16:26; Matt. 18:20). We can only have the Lord’s name. Whitefield said, “Let all other names be abandoned; let only the name of Christ be exalted.” These brothers rose up to do just that. The Lord’s prophecy says the same thing, that is, that they honored the name of the Lord. The name of Christ is their center. They hear this word in their midst quite often: “Is the name of Christ not enough to separate us from the world? Is it not sufficient simply to bear the name of the Lord?”