NOT BEING PROUD OR JEALOUS,
BUT PRESERVING THE ONENESS AND
WORKING FOR THE LORD’S RECOVERY
I must remind you of one thing. In serving the Lord, there is no need to show yourselves off. Do not think that you are now better than others. You should also not expect others to follow you. To do this is a shame. The wisest thing to do is to try your best to learn from others. This is like the Lord’s word in Luke 8:18 which says, "For whoever has, it shall be given to him." If you are not willing to learn from others, you will have less and less, but if you are willing to learn continually, the Lord’s work will have a bright future with you. Even if you have indeed learned something, do not have any intention of showing yourselves off or of feeling proud about yourselves. Moreover, you should not be jealous of others when they have learned more or have done better. What I know I will teach to others. What I cannot do, others can do. Not only should I not be jealous, I also should learn from them. This is the right way. In this way the oneness among us can be preserved, and there will be the one accord among us. Otherwise, the oneness will be gone, and there will be division.
In addition, if there is any blessing in your work, never think that you are the only one who can do it, and that everyone around you has to come to you. You should never do this. Even if others come in this way, you should not take them in. It is all right if they come seeking to fellowship and to learn, but you must not give others the impression that you know more than they do, and that only you can teach. This must be avoided at all cost. You must be clear that what we are doing is the building up of the church. A good method is not the foundation of the building up of the church. Our foundation is Christ Himself. We are not here for others to follow us. Rather, we are here to build up others into the church.
For this reason, I advise you not to prefer some and despise others. Do not try to be particularly close to anyone. It is right to receive help, but this should not result in any special affiliation. This has always been my attitude. It is enough for you to receive what benefits you. You must never go so far as to say that you are following a certain person. All the gifts are given by the Head to His Body. Moreover, every member has his specialty. We should all learn from one another. May we be those who can truly help others, and may others receive help from us, but we must never hope that others will follow us.
Every one of us has to learn to do one thing, which is to do the proper and "orthodox" work. We should not do a deviating work. Whatever we do, our work is not ours, but the work of the Lord’s recovery. Everything is done for and towards the Lord’s recovery. Nothing is done for and towards ourselves.
We have a general plan that by the summer of 1993, all the ones sent out to the villages for the evangelization work will be called back. In other words, we hope that by then all of the hundred churches will have become self-sufficient. By then, if some of you decide not to be full-timers anymore, you can get jobs and live in the church life in your localities. Some may pursue more education or go to school abroad. All of these things can be done, and I do encourage you to do this. If some decide to stay in Taipei to continue to serve the Lord, they can go to work on the campuses in order to gain new ones by the new way, to preach the gospel, to bring others to salvation, to nourish them, and to establish group meetings. At the same time, I hope that in the next two or three years some can be sent abroad, first to the United States, and then to other places, spreading from there. This is our general goal. May the Lord lead us.
(A message given by Brother Witness Lee in Taipei, Taiwan on October 21, 1990)
(The Vision of the Divine Dispensing and Guidelines for the Practice of the New Way, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee)
