ONE MOVE THROUGH ONE MINISTRY TO PRODUCE ONE BODY TO BEAR ONE TESTIMONY
I must testify that I really treasure the Lord’s one move through the one ministry to produce the one Body of Christ to bear the one testimony of Jesus, which is of God’s New Testament economy. The more I consider this point, the more I feel that this is marvelous and excellent that we could have such a reality on the earth today.
Today’s world has become so small. It is nearly like one big city in the ancient times. In the ancient times, if you lived in a big city, you might not have heard the news of what happened in your city two or three days before. Today, however, whatever happens all over the earth is made known to us within even less than a few hours by telephone, television, and radio. We can fly all over the earth in a matter of hours.
Because the earth today is so small, this is the golden time for the Lord’s lovers to bear His one testimony, the testimony of the one Body of Christ. Here on this earth people can see such a testimony among people of all nationalities and races over the entire globe. Wherever you go, these people speak the same thing, minister the same thing, do the same thing, and bear the same testimony. If you go to Japan, Hong Kong, London, India, Israel, or Africa, you can see the same testimony.
Just to keep such a wonderful testimony is more important than anything. Even if I were a great Bible teacher and could teach the Bible to throngs of people, this work is not as worthwhile as keeping such a testimony. Even if I could do a great evangelical work and bring hundreds of people to the Lord, this is not as worthwhile as keeping such a testimony. I hope our eyes could be opened to thoroughly see what is more valuable. If our vision is so clear, we will be rescued from being distracted by any smaller points. To center on how to meet or on any kind of work is altogether not as worthwhile as keeping such a testimony. I do believe that the Lord’s blessing is really here. Many of us can testify that when we touch things other than this testimony, the anointing is not with us that much. However, whenever we touch this testimony, we experience a living, rich anointing and there is a “jumping” within us. This is a strong proof that what the Lord wants today is such a testimony. He has been seeking such a testimony for two thousand years, and this is the real revelation that the New Testament bears and conveys to us.
We must stress again and again that God’s New Testament economy by His New Testament ministry is wonderful. I do not want to convince you, but I want to present such a vision to you. You compare. Here is a big diamond and a wristwatch for you to chose from. Would you rather have the diamond or the wristwatch? A wristwatch is not bad, but it cannot be compared to a diamond. Why are we so foolish to treasure the wristwatch and neglect the diamond?
I am so thankful to the Lord that He caught me in 1932. I cannot deny that I saw something from that year onward. I would never regret that I took this way and have been taking this way for over half a century. I am so glad. As a brother among you I want to tell you that my heart is for nothing except this one testimony. I do not care for position, I do not care for rank, and I do not care for anything; my heart is only for this one testimony. I have labored and worked for this. When I was in the small town of Chefoo in China, I labored for this one testimony. When I was in the biggest city in all of China, Shanghai, I labored in the same way. When I went to Taiwan, which was a rather “primitive island” when we were there thirty-five years ago, I labored for this one testimony. I labored and labored and labored, and the Lord blessed it. Then I came to the United States, which is the top country on this earth. I labored in the same way for the one Body of Christ to bear the one testimony of Jesus. Why have I labored all these years? I was caught by a vision. I cannot deny this. Many times my wife and children, because they loved me and cared for my health, tried to slow me down. However, they knew that they could not hold me back, and they became subdued. Instead, they helped me in the Lord’s work. This is wonderful!
What a mercy that we could be in such a testimony around this globe with different races and with all nationalities. If some of your friends or relatives would visit from five to ten churches around this globe and behold such a testimony, they would turn this way. They would be shocked by such a testimony. They would say, “We have never seen such a thing. In Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, Taipei, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Dallas, Cleveland, and New York we saw the same thing. What is this?” This is the unique testimony of Jesus. In the United States, which is the top country of the so-called Christianity, strictly speaking, there has never been such a testimony of Jesus. The Christian testimony today is division, confusions, different kinds of teachings, debates, fightings, and denominations. This is what the worldly people see concerning Christianity. If we would be faithful to the Lord throughout the fifty states of the United States, wherever people would go to visit us they would see the same thing—the unique testimony of Jesus. This is wonderful!
(Elders' Training, Book 04: Other Crucial Matters Concerning the Practice of the Lord's Recovery, Chapter 3, by Witness Lee)
