Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee

When we go back to the churches, we should help all of the saints to know the death of Christ in these seven statuses. At least we have to spend half a year to teach them, until everyone, old and young, great and small, can speak about them, and can understand the meaning of them. Only then will the situation be up to standard. We should speak about this, live this, and express this. This is the situation that we should have in every local church.

(Witness Lee, Mysteries, 35)

1 Timothy 1:4

Nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God’s ³economy, which is in faith.

1 Timothy 1:4³

The Greek word means household law, implying distribution (the base of this word is of the same origin as that for pasture in John 10:9, implying a distribution of the pasture to the flock). It denotes a household management, a household administration, a household government, and, derivatively, a dispensation, a plan, or an economy for administration (distribution); hence, it is also a household economy. God’s economy in faith is His household economy, His household administration (cf. note 101 in Eph. 1; Eph. 3:9), which is to dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen people that He may have a house to express Himself, which house is the church (3:15), the Body of Christ. The apostle’s ministry was centered on this economy of God (Col. 1:25; 1·Cor. 9:17), whereas the different teachings of the dissenting ones were used by God’s enemy to distract His people from this economy. In the administration and shepherding of a local church, this divine economy must be made fully clear to the saints. In the first chapter of this book the apostle Paul presented God’s economy in opposition to different teachings. God’s economy is in faith (v. 4), whereas the different teachings are based on the principle of the law and centered on the law (vv. 7-10). Hence, faith is versus the law, as dealt with in Gal. 3 (vv. 2, 5, 23-25). Any teaching that is based on the principle of the law and centered on the law is unhealthy (v. 10). Only God’s economy, which is in faith, in opposition to the teachings that are based on the principle of the law and centered on the law, is healthy and can make it possible for people to believe on Christ unto eternal life (v. 16) and to thus participate in God’s eternal plan, God’s economy, which is in faith. This is the gospel of glory with which the blessed God entrusted the apostle Paul (v. 11). If anyone thrusts away such faith and a good conscience, regarding the faith he becomes shipwrecked on a deep sea (v. 19).

(Witness Lee, Footnotes, 970-971)

1 Timothy 1:11

1Tim 1:11 According to the ¹gospel of the glory of the blessed God, with which I was entrusted.

1 Timothy 1:11¹

The gospel of the glory of the blessed God is an excellent expression. It refers to God’s economy, mentioned in v. 4. The gospel with which the apostle Paul was entrusted is the effulgence of the glory of the blessed God. By dispensing God’s life and nature in Christ into God’s chosen people, this gospel shines forth God’s glory, in which God is blessed among His people. This is the commission and ministry the apostle received of the Lord (v. 12). This gospel should be commonly taught and preached in a local church.

(Witness Lee, Footnotes, 972)

In 1 Timothy 1:3-4 Paul told Timothy to charge certain ones not to teach things other than God’s economy. This economy is in faith, not in the law. It does not dispensationally belong to the law in the Old Testament. But it altogether dispensationally belongs to the New Testament faith, which is the contents of the entire New Testament. The divine economy in faith must be made fully clear to the saints in the administration and shepherding of a local church.

(Witness Lee, Living In and with, 24)

In the practice of the church, although there are many local churches, they all take God’s eternal economy as their center to bear the unique testimony of Christ. They do not teach any doctrine that is unrelated to God’s economy and has nothing to do with the testimony of Christ. In 1 Timothy chapter one Paul wanted Timothy to remain in Ephesus to charge certain ones not to teach things that are different from God’s economy (vv. 3-4). In the practice of the church, we should not teach any doctrine that is unrelated to God’s economy and has nothing to do with the testimony of Christ. If we do, this will cause division.

(Witness Lee, Issue of the Union, 87)

On the one hand, the elders of the churches have the right and the position to carry out the local administration of the churches independently. On the other hand, all the churches should listen to the word that the apostles have received of God, which is the teaching of the New Testament.

(Witness Lee, Leadership, 36)

The apostles’ teaching includes two main and crucial items. These items are revealed in Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 14. Ephesians 4 speaks of one Body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father (vv. 4-6). Many Christians would agree with these seven “ones.” But many would not agree with the revelation in verses 11 through 16. These verses are also a part of the apostles’ teaching as a continuation of the seven “ones.” They tell us that all the gifted persons are for the perfecting of the saints. Who practices this today? These verses also speak concerning the oneness of the faith and the winds of teaching. They go on to speak about the Body building itself up through the joints of supply and through each one part operating according to its measure. The application and practice of these verses cannot be seen in Christianity.

First Corinthians 14 is also a part of the apostles’ teaching. This chapter reveals that the church meetings are meetings of mutuality, not meetings with one person speaking and the rest listening. All the attendants in the meeting should be speakers. Where can such a thing be seen today? Without the practice of Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 14, how could the Body of Christ be built up? We must hold and practice the entire teaching of the apostles, without selection according to our preference.

(Witness Lee, God-Ordained Way, 22)

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