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Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman Need. The Reason for Local Government Watchman Nee and Witness Lee point out that the reason for the God-ordained local government of a local church is that by it the unique oneness of the Body of Christ is preserved and the right of Christ as Head of the Church is not infringed upon. Titus 1:5 For this cause I left you in Crete, that you might set in order the things which I have begun that remain and appoint elders in 1every city, as I directed you: Titus 1:51 These words, compared with every church in Acts 14:23, indicates not only that the jurisdiction of a local church is the city in which it is located but also that in one city there should be only one church. The eldership of a local church should cover the entire city in which that church is located. Such a unique presbytery in a city preserves the unique oneness of the Body of Christ from damage. One city should have only one church with one presbytery. This practice is illustrated, beyond any question or doubt, by the clear pattern in the New Testament (Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rom. 16:1; 1·Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11) and is an absolute prerequisite for the maintaining of proper order in a local church. Because of this, the first thing the apostle charged Titus to do in setting things in order was to appoint elders in every city. (Witness Lee, Footnotes, 1011-1012) Every church is locally governed and is directly responsible to God, not to any other church or organization. A local church is the highest Christian institution on earth. There is none above it to whom appeal can be made. A local church is the lowest scriptural unit, but it is also the highest scriptural organization. Scripture warrants no centralization in Rome which could give Rome authority over other local churches. This is God’s safeguard against any infringement of the rights of His Son. Christ is the Head of the Church, and there is no other head in heaven or on earth. (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 2, Vol. 30, 65) e. Composition of a Local Church Meeting The meetings of a local church, Witness Lee and Watchman Nee observe, should be composed of three kinds of people—elders, deacons, and brothers and sisters—which form just one group. According to the Bible, every meeting should have three kinds of people. First, there are believers in the church. This is the basic group in a meeting. There is, at least, this first kind in every church. Second, there are those who serve in the material things. All of their responsibilities relate to business affairs, such as helping the brothers and sisters to do things, managing the arrangement and affairs concerning the meeting, etc. The Bible calls these people deacons, of whom some are brothers and some are sisters. Third, in addition to the above two kinds, there are a few brothers whose responsibilities are to take care of the main activities in the meetings, such as taking the lead in the meetings, making decisions, corresponding with those outside the church, and caring for the saints. The Bible calls these people elders. (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 1, Vol. 11, 865-866) In a place like Philippi, for example, you can see that there were elders, deacons, and brothers and sisters in the church. Philippians 1:1 says very clearly, ``To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.'' In other words, this letter was written to all the believers, the overseers, and the deacons in the church. This is the arrangement within a general local church: There are overseers, deacons, and brothers and sisters. (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 3, Vol. 51, 131) "Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons" (Phil. 1:1). In not a single scriptural church do we find any mention of a "minister" controlling its affairs; such a position is always occupied by a group of local elders. And nowhere do we get a clearer or more comprehensive presentation of the personnel of a church than in the verse just quoted from the Philippian letter. The church consists of all the saints, the overseers, and the deacons. The deacons are the men appointed to serve tables (Acts 6:2-6), that is, those who care exclusively for the business side of things. The overseers are the elders, who take the oversight of all church matters. (Acts 20:17, 28, and Titus 1:5, 7 make this quite clear.) And besides the overseers and the deacons, there are all the saints. These three classes comprise the entire church, and no other class of person can be introduced into any church without making it an unscriptural organization. (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 2, Vol. 30, 164) Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, 2with the overseers and deacons: Philippians 1:12 Here it is not the saints…and the overseers and deacons; rather, it is the saints…with the overseers and deacons. This is highly significant in that it indicates that in the local church the saints, the overseers, and the deacons are not three groups. The church has only one group, composed of all the saints (including the overseers and deacons), who are the components of a local church. This indicates further that in any locality there should be just one church with one group of people, comprising all the saints in that locality. (Witness Lee, Footnote, Recovery Version, 895) | ||||