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Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman NeeThe pattern of the church given in the apostolic age for establishing elders is as follows: God first raises up people to be elders in a local church, then He appoints the ones He has raised up through the apostles so that they can be elders to govern that local church. Today in the time of the desolation of the church, we know that there are no more apostles, but we have seen workers who fulfill a small portion of the work of the apostles. They preach the gospel in every place and establish assemblies. We also confess that in the assemblies which stand on the ground of the church today, God will raise up men like elders who can govern the assemblies in the various places. When men like elders are raised up in the local assemblies, the workers, who participate to a limited extent in the work of the apostles, should designate them among the brothers, according to the principle of the early apostles appointing elders. The appointed ones should then bear the responsibility of the elders in that local assembly and govern that local assembly. This is necessary, right, and according to the principle of the Bible. (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 2, Vol. 26, 410-411) In other words, the authority for the appointment of the elders is with the apostles, and the authority for the removal of the elders is also with the apostles. A local church cannot expel an elder; rather, the apostles need to bear the responsibility of removing elders. This is the reason why the letter of accusation by two or three was sent to Timothy. (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 3, Vol. 51, 143) There is another aspect to the apostles’ relationship with a local church, which Brother Nee talked to us about, in 1 Timothy 5. First Timothy 5:19-20 says, “Against an elder do not receive an accusation, except based upon the mouth of two or three witnesses. The ones who sin reprove before all that the rest also may have fear.” Timothy was charged by the apostle Paul to receive an accusation against an elder. This indicates that the apostles have authority to deal with the elders even after they have been appointed by the apostles to be elders. If there is a problem among the elders, this case should go to the apostles, and the apostles have to judge. The apostles have the authority to rebuke a sinful elder in front of others. The apostles’ hands should be off of the church in its administration, but this does not mean that the apostles have absolutely nothing to do with a local church after its elders have been established. (Witness Lee, Leadership, 34) The entire book of 1 Corinthians is a “bothering book.” The writing apostle bothered the church in Corinth. The entire book may be considered a commandment to the local church. First Corinthians 11:34 says, “If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, that you may not come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.” Even after charging the church to take care of so many things, Paul says that he will set in order the remaining matters when he comes. We need to come back to the Word. The Word is our highest authority, our constitution. This verse tells us that some things were not set in order by the apostle Paul. In his Epistle to the church in Corinth, many things were set in order by Paul’s charges, such as the matters of marriage, the eating of things sacrificed to idols, head covering, the Lord’s supper, etc. Paul charged the Corinthians to deal with at least eleven problems in his fellowship with them. He charged the church to do many things. As the apostle he did not have the position to administrate the church, but he did have the position, right, and responsibility to charge the elders to do it. (Witness Lee, Leadership, 35) If you appoint elders in a locality, you cannot assume that once you have appointed them your job is done. You also cannot assume that you can let them go on by themselves since all of the responsibilities are in their hands, that is, let them make mistakes by themselves. Rather, after you have appointed elders in a locality, you need to observe how they go on, and you need to help them. In many things you need to teach them and watch them. Only then can you again appoint, arrange, and teach elders in another place. Otherwise, a local church is at a standstill once it is set up. Here is a group of people who have never taken care of the affairs of the church. Although they have some spiritual experience, they do not know how to handle the affairs of the church. It would be strange to expect such inexperienced ones not to make mistakes. (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 3, Vol. 51, 8-9) All of us who are elders and co-workers must endeavor. We must learn from the Apostle Paul who labored day and night and who served the Lord with tears (Acts 20:31, 19). Paul indicated in his Epistles to both Timothy and Titus that they had to stay to teach and train the elders. In Brother Nee’s book Church Affairs, he points out that after the elders are established, they need to be perfected by the apostles who established them (pp. 14-21). He points out that there is the need to show the elders how to do the work. (Witness Lee, Eldership (1), 122) | ||||