From Scripture, we can see that the Church is a group of saved and regenerated people who gather together in the name of the Lord, to worship, to serve and to witness for Him. They have the Lord's presence with them as well as love and fellowship amongst themselves. These are the basic elements for a Church. With respect to the principle of spiritual life, the Church is the body of Christ. It is a gathering of Christians who have the life of Christ. Therefore the Church is a spiritual organization, rather than a visible building or a gathering place. Since it is a spiritual organization, its structure should be different from that of the world. Church organization should only follow the principles of Biblical teachings. As Christ is the Head of the Church, church administration must show respect and submission to the authority of Christ. Grasping this principle, Christians will interact harmoniously in their respective position, without unduly infringing the authority of Christ. The Church should value quality rather than quantity. As declared by our Lord: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matt 18:20). With the Lord’s presence as a seal, the identity of the church is then established. The preferences emphasized by the public today, such as an impressive building, an elaborate system or a massive attendance, are not required by the Scriptures, and the Church needs not imitate or pursue such ideals.
Our church started with a group of Christians who recognized the principle of serving God is “by the Spirit, not by the written code” (Rom 2:29), and that “the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23). We decided to gather together in one place to learn to walk according to His Word in order to please Him. We conduct regular Sunday worships, Bible studies, prayer meetings and gospel preaching. We hold our gatherings in a rented premise (Note 1), which lacks external attraction. Our sole desire is that the Lord could find in us a dwelling place for Himself, and that people are drawn to Him only. Although we have registered to become a legal organization, we are still young in spiritual practices. Church administration is therefore temporarily entrusted to several brothers who are responsible for overseeing the church and the execution of daily routines. It is the right and privilege of every Christian to serve the Lord. We believe that serving Him is based on life and not on status of church membership. Therefore we accept every true Christian who regularly attends our gatherings as a church member, with no emphasis on formal application or transference of membership. God has been bringing new members to us as well as new believers. Our earnest desire is that all the children of God will live an abundant life. They will love the Lord and walk in His Word, and fulfill the functions as church members, to live out corporately the testimony of the church.
Another Biblical principle we learn is that the Church does not need to attach to a worldly system. The Church is built by the Lord. It is an organization redeemed, accepted and commissioned by Him. Therefore each visible church retains its own individuality, and is directly and only responsible to the Lord. The strength of the church does not come from rank and power, but from the Lord who reigns and walks among the churches. Nevertheless, according to Biblical teachings, churches of fundamental belief are united spiritually, having only “one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God”, and “all reach unity in the faith” (Eph 4:13), and become one in Christ through the keeping of God. Therefore, churches should be communicating, helping, caring and serving one another. Together they stand, to combat and to bear burdens, caring and serving one another in the principle of brotherly love.
God’s work in us began with a group of Christians who gathered regularly and waited upon His guidance on the directions of witnessing and serving Him. We had Bible studies, prayers and sharing for a length of time. Gradually, the Lord gave us some understanding on the direction of church ministry. There were a few important points that we shared:
1. The goal of church ministry is to please our Lord and to please God, leading “to the praise of the glory of His grace” (Eph 1:6).
2. The pattern of the church is based on the Scriptures. We rely on the Holy Spirit to guard “the good deposit which was entrusted” to us (2 Tim 1:14).
3. We desire to pass on to the next generation “the pattern of sound teaching” which we have heard and learned, and to commit them “to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim 2:2).
4. We will follow the Lord’s commission to preach the gospel to fulfill God’s plan to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28:19).
Once the guidance of the Lord was clear, we decided not to build the work on a worldly foundation, or to rely on a worldly authority, but to trust in the Lord humbly and soberly, through prayer and supplication. And to this day the Lord has shown much grace towards this witnessing body.
After these years of pressing forward on this course, we have come up with some thoughts: Has the gospel been faithfully preached by us, that people may be truly saved? Do we realize that the outcome of the gospel is not only for the salvation of mankind, but also a proclamation of God’s victory that He may be glorified? Will our younger generation grow up to love God wholeheartedly? Have they received the sound doctrine and zealously hold fast to it, that they may be free from any human imposed systems and rituals? Have we constantly renewed our pursuit in God’s Word and Biblical principles? Are we “correctly handling the Word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15), and willing to pay the price in applying it? Do we treasure our freedom to believe and to serve God, not letting external practices or rites to restrict our privilege of serving Him with a pure conscience?
We sincerely hope that, in church service, we gradually learn to lessen the building up for ourselves. “He must become greater, I must become less” (John 3:30). Until the time when the glory and attribute of our Lord be manifested fully without any hindrance, then, in a small way, the Church might have brought certain satisfaction to God's heart.
Note 1: In 2005, we have purchased a church building for our meetings.