To the Lord in prayer.
O heavenly Father, as we gather this afternoon in the name of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, we do worship Thee. We bow down before Thee, and we thank Thee for all the mercy, grace, and love that Thou hast bestowed upon us.
O our Father, we who were once Thine enemies—hopeless—yet Thou didst love us. Thou didst give us grace. Thou didst not only forgive our sins, but Thou didst call us Thine own children; and we are indeed Thy children.
Not only that, but Thou hast called us to serve Thee. Who are we that we may serve Thee, the great and living God? O our Father, it humbles us at the very thought that we, such as we are, have been called to serve Thee.
O our Father, we do come to Thee to tell Thee that we appreciate Thy mercy and grace. We acknowledge that we are but unprofitable servants at our best. O how we do look to Thee to enable us to serve Thee in a way that will be pleasing and satisfying to Thy heart.
Our Father, we just lay ourselves before Thee this afternoon. We pray that Thou wilt reveal Thy Word to us. May Thy Holy Spirit place us in whatever area of work God desires us to do, and grant us faithfulness to serve Thee.
O Lord, we do acknowledge that it is only by Thy grace that it is possible. We pray that, as we learn to serve Thee, we may be led into knowing how to serve Thee. We commit this time into Thy hands, in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
I would like to read just one verse from Acts 13:2.
As they were ministering to the Lord, and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
This session is supposed to be on leadership in the work. In the past two sessions, we considered the matter of leadership in the church. But today and tomorrow afternoon, God willing, we will consider leadership in the work.
This way of dividing the church and the work is really for the sake of clarity. They can be distinguished, but they cannot be separated; and they should not be totally separated. Yet their distinctions must be maintained.
When we talk about leadership in the church, probably we think more of leadership in the local church. We are not talking about leadership in the universal church, because when you talk about leadership in the universal church, you get into the work.
So, actually, when we talk about leadership in the church, we think more in terms of leadership in the local assembly. This leadership, as our brother has already mentioned, is represented by the elders.
Of course, what God really emphasizes is not the office; it is the function. The office is secondary. The function is primary.
Leadership in the church is represented by the elders, but it is not just the elders. Leadership in the church includes deacons and deaconesses. Aside from them, there may be other brothers and sisters who do not have any office in the church, yet are considered leaders in the church.
For instance, in Acts 15, after the council in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit, the apostles, and the elders wrote a letter to the churches among the Gentiles. When they sent that letter through Paul and Barnabas, they also sent two brothers with it: Judas and Silas.
We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves also shall tell you the same things by word of mouth.
—Acts 15:27
Who were Judas and Silas? In Acts 15:22, they are described as “Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren.” They were leaders in the church in Jerusalem, but they were not elders, nor were they deacons, so far as we know.
So, aside from the two offices in the local church, you find other brothers who may be leading brothers among the brethren. Silas and Judas were among them.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:12, Paul says:
But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
And to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work’s sake.
—1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
There will be those who somehow take the lead among the brothers. These brothers are to be regarded with honor because of their work.
Not only do you find leading brothers, but you even find sisters who are leaders in the church—leading sisters among the sisters. These may not be deaconesses, and yet they are leaders.
For instance, in Romans 16:1, Paul commends Phoebe, “our sister, who is a servant of the church that is at Cenchreae.” This does not necessarily mean that she was a deaconess. Probably Phoebe was more like a patroness in the church in Cenchreae, a leading sister there.
In the church in Rome there were a number of sisters who were leaders. Paul speaks of Mary, who “bestowed much labor” on the believers, and of Persis, “the beloved, who labored much in the Lord.” Priscilla was no doubt also a leading sister.
In Philippians 4, you find Euodia and Syntyche. Paul exhorts them to be of the same mind in the Lord and asks that they be helped, “for they labored with me in the gospel.” These two sisters were leading sisters in the church in Philippi.
In Colossae, Paul wrote to Philemon and mentioned “the sister Apphia” in Philemon 1:2. Most likely, she was a leading sister there. So, in the leadership of the church, you find elders, deacons, and deaconesses—those who have offices—and also other brothers and sisters who may not have any office, yet are considered leaders in the church.
Leadership in the church actually includes much more than the elders. The elders represent the leadership, but the leadership includes much more than just the elders.
Now we come to this matter of leadership in the work. First of all, we have to define what we mean by the work.
In Acts 13, we find that the Holy Spirit said, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” Here you see the word work.
The work there, of course, is apostolic work, because Barnabas and Saul were separated. They were prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch, and God separated them and sent them out to the work of establishing churches in many places. In doing that kind of work, they were called apostles.
So, by work, it means the work of establishing churches—the work of the apostles. The work is represented by the apostles.
But even though the work is represented by the apostles, apostles are not the only ones engaged in the work. In Ephesians 4:11, we read:
And He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
—Ephesians 4:11
It is true that apostolic work is to establish churches all over the world. But Christ, our Head, has given to the church not only some apostles, but also some prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers.
Not all are apostles. Yet these prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers are involved in the same work that the apostles represent. They are not doing another work. They are engaged in the same work, though they are not apostles.
Many years ago, most people in Christianity thought that apostles were limited to the first century, that we do not have apostles anymore. But during the last few decades, it seems that the pendulum has swung to the other extreme.
The word apostle in the original means “sent out.” The modern word for it is missionary. So somehow, it seems as if everyone who is sent out is an apostle, and people have begun to call themselves apostles because they feel they are sent out.
But not all who are sent out are apostles. Some may be prophets; some may be evangelists; some may be shepherds and teachers. Not all are apostles, though all may be engaged in the work.
The work is represented by the apostles, just as leadership in the church is represented by the elders. But there are other leaders in the church. In like manner, leadership in the work is represented by the apostles, but there are others involved in the work.
What, then, is the work?
Our Lord Jesus, in John 5, healed a man who had been infirm for thirty-eight years. He did it on the Sabbath day. The Jews said that He had violated the Sabbath, but our Lord Jesus answered:
My Father worketh even until now, and I work.
—John 5:17
The Father has been working, and the Son does the same work that the Father has been doing. The Son and the Father do one work.
God did the work of creation. He created the world, and on the sixth day He rested because the work was done. But after man fell, God came into the garden and asked Adam, “Where art thou?” From that time onward, God has been working. His Sabbath was broken.
God has been working ever since. He has never stopped working. When Christ came into this world, Christ worked; and whatever Christ worked, He was doing the same work that the Father had been doing.
As a matter of fact, God has only one work. God is not doing many works; God is doing only one work. It is the work of redemption. It is the work of recovery. God is working to bring all things back to His original purpose in creation.
That is the one work that God has been doing ever since the fall of man. It is the work in which our Lord Jesus was engaged while He was on earth. It is the work the Holy Spirit was sent to do on this earth. It is the same work that the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers were called to do.
God has only one work. It is very comprehensive and includes many aspects, yet the work is only one: God’s work.
That one work of God is to find a bride for the Son, to join the Body to the Head, and to create one new man—Christ as the Head and the church as the Body. That work is to build a temple, not with stones, but with living stones: a habitation for God in the Spirit.
The apostles are called to do the work of establishing churches because, by the building up of local churches, you have the universal church. That is the way Christ builds His church.
I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
—Matthew 16:18
How does He build it? He built it first in Jerusalem, then in Judea, then in Samaria, then in Antioch, then in Asia, then in Europe, then in Rome, and in every part of the world. By building these local churches, Christ builds His church upon the Rock.
Brothers and sisters, the problem today is that lots of people are working for God, but they may not be doing God’s work.
Lots of people are very active and very zealous. Lots of people probably spend themselves for the work which they consider to be God’s. But one day, if our eyes are opened, we may be surprised to see that many are working for God but are not working at God’s work.
One day many will come to the Lord and say, “Lord, Lord, did we not in Thy name cast out demons? Did we not in Thy name preach the gospel?” But the Lord will say, “I never knew you.” They were doing it according to their own will, not according to His will.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:9:
For we are God’s fellow-workers: ye are God’s husbandry, God’s building.
—1 Corinthians 3:9
Those who work the work of God are God’s fellow workers. The work they do is God’s husbandry and God’s building.
Not only the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers are involved in this work of God. There are other people too who are involved in this work. They may not be apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, or teachers, yet they are involved in God’s work.
For instance, Luke the physician was very much involved in God’s work. Yet he was a physician.
It is said that when a person has a profession before being called into the work, and becomes completely involved in the work, he may no longer be called by his profession. He may be called Luke the evangelist. But Scripture continues to call him “Luke, the beloved physician.”
In other words, he carried on his profession. He never ceased to be a practicing physician. Yet Luke the physician was Paul’s companion, very much involved in the work. He was even called to write one of the Gospels and to give us the history of the early church in Acts.
Then, of course, we have Aquila and Priscilla. They were tentmakers, yet you find in the history of the church how God used this couple. Though they were tentmakers, they were closely associated with the Apostle Paul and deeply involved in the work of God.
The church in Ephesus began in their home. The church in Rome also met in their home. They were used by God in a very mighty way.
If you look carefully, you may find that Priscilla was involved in God’s work even more than her husband Aquila. That may be why, when viewed from the standpoint of the work, the Holy Spirit sometimes puts Priscilla before Aquila. But when Scripture speaks of order, it is Aquila and Priscilla. Her greater involvement in the work did not set aside God’s order.
We have already mentioned Euodia and Syntyche, who labored with Paul in the gospel. We also have Tertius, Paul’s secretary. Paul usually did not write his own letters, except that he signed them at the end. He dictated, and someone wrote for him.
The letter to the Galatians appears to have been written by Paul’s own hand, and he said, “See with how large letters I write unto you with mine own hand.” Probably he had poor eyesight. But Tertius was one of the scribes who was with Paul, helping him write the letters. He too was involved in God’s work.
You also find Gaius. He was not only Paul’s host, but he was also host to the whole church. He opened his home for hospitality. He received Paul, entertained Paul, and received the church. He was very much involved in God’s work.
So, in Scripture, you find not only apostles and those called by God to the ministry of the Word, but also other brothers and sisters. They may not be apostles or ministers of the Word. Some even continue in their profession, yet are very much involved in the work of God.
As a matter of fact, without such people, the work of God would suffer and may not be done.
Even when our Lord Jesus was on earth, He called twelve disciples to be apostles. These twelve traveled with Him to help Him in His work. But in Luke 8, you find some sisters who traveled with Him and supported Christ, ministering to Him and to the apostles.
These sisters were very much involved in the work of Christ. Without their ministry, the work would suffer.
Just as in the church, leadership in the work is represented by the apostles. But there are many other brothers and sisters who are involved in the work and in its leadership. I hope we will make this very clear.
The work and the church must be distinguished, but they cannot be completely separated.
The work is represented by the apostles, and the church is represented by the elders. Again, what God really emphasizes is not the title; it is the function.
I personally do believe there are apostles today. But I am very apprehensive about this matter of apostles because many who are not apostles proclaim themselves apostles. So I would rather not emphasize the title.
We use the word apostle, but remember that it represents a function. Basically, it does not emphasize the title. Whether you have the title of an apostle or not, that really does not matter.
If a person goes around saying, “I am an apostle,” I doubt whether he is. But if a person is functioning as an apostle, people are coming to Christ, and churches are being built, then even though he may not have the title, I believe heaven recognizes him as such.
We use the word apostle for the sake of convenience, just as we use the word elder. Whether someone is appointed to an office does not finally matter. If he is an elder in function, he is an elder because he is divinely appointed.
The apostles are engaged in a work that is wider than a locality. The work of an apostle is not limited to one city; it includes a number of cities, an area, or a region.
The twelve apostles in Jerusalem were not working only in Jerusalem, but in all Judea and even Samaria. Peter went to Caesarea. Paul and those who labored with him were not limited to Antioch; their work spread throughout Asia and crossed into Europe.
The work of the apostles is wider than a locality, but the church is limited to a locality. The church in Jerusalem includes all believers residing in Jerusalem. The elders of the church in Jerusalem oversee the flock in Jerusalem. Their authority and jurisdiction are limited to Jerusalem.
The elders in Jerusalem cannot control the church in Samaria. They are elders only in the church in Jerusalem. The church in Samaria has its own elders.
The apostles, however, have a work, jurisdiction, and spiritual authority extending beyond a locality. Their work extends over the region in which God has placed them.
Some people think that if God has called them to be apostles, they can go all over the world and exercise apostolic authority. But could Paul come to Jerusalem and say, “I am an apostle; therefore, I am going to change this and change that”? No.
Paul told the Corinthian believers, “If to others I am not an apostle, yet at least I am to you.” They were in Christ because God had used Paul to bring them into the church.
Even apostolic authority is spiritual in nature. It extends beyond the locality, but it is limited to the region and measure God has assigned to a person in the work. When Paul came to Jerusalem, he was a brother in the church there, and he listened to what the elders told him to do.
The apostles are responsible for the work beyond city limits, but they should not be directly responsible for the administration of a local church.
When apostles go into a virgin field, as Paul and Barnabas did, they go from city to city preaching the gospel. The Spirit of God works, people come to the Lord, and churches are raised up.
When they return, they recognize and confirm elders in the churches God used them to build. It is really the Holy Spirit who appoints elders; the apostles only recognize and confirm what the Holy Spirit has done.
Before a church is established, it is still in the work and in the hands of the apostles. At that time, the apostles oversee the things there. But as soon as a church is established, and brothers are manifested by the Holy Spirit to take responsibility for the local church, the apostles should step back.
They should not interfere with the administration or government of the local assembly. If apostles continue to interfere with the government of the local assembly, that assembly loses its independence. The apostles would control all the churches they built, and it would become a system.
Apostles, as leaders in the work, are responsible for the work, but they are not directly responsible for the church God has raised up. In like manner, elders are responsible for the church in which God has raised them up, but they are not directly responsible for the work to which God has called the apostles.
If elders try to control the apostles, then the church controls the work. Scripture is very clear: there is an area called the work and an area called the church. In the area of the work, the apostles are responsible. In the area of the church, the elders are responsible. They work together.
Neither can be directly responsible for the other. There is always a spiritual relationship. The apostles have spiritual authority, but not administrative or governmental authority over a church.
Even in Corinth, which was raised up through Paul’s ministry, when there was sin in their midst Paul could not simply say, “I cast that man out of the assembly.” He could not do that. He could only urge them to do it.
Paul used spiritual authority and influence to help, exhort, and encourage them, so that the elders would rise up to deal with the situation. Thank God they did, and the man repented and was recovered. Then Paul encouraged them to show love to him because he had repented.
This is spiritual authority. There is nothing physical or governmental about it. This maintains the independence of the local assembly.
At the same time, the assembly cannot control the work. If a church is in a proper spiritual condition, it should be concerned about God’s work—not only in its own locality, but all over the world.
The church should support the work of the apostles, not because of a physical obligation, but because of a spiritual relationship.
Likewise, apostles do not simply leave churches after they have been established and have nothing more to do with them. They still have a fatherly or motherly heart toward the churches.
When Paul heard what had happened in the churches of Galatia, it hurt him deeply. He wrote to them, scolded them, argued with them, and pleaded with them. He said that he was in travail again for them. That is the relationship.
The work and the church are distinguishable and should be distinguished, yet you cannot separate them. They work together.
What we need to clarify again is this: Who are our fellow workers? Who are the workers?
I am afraid there is a common concept. I have to say that when I was first called to engage in the work, I had this misunderstanding. We think that those who are in the work—those who are fellow workers—must meet certain outward conditions.
First, we think that they should not have a profession or a job. If you still have a job, you are not in the work. To be in the work, you must be full-time and cannot engage in any other job.
Second, we think that you must live by faith. You should not receive any salary. You must live by faith, trusting God to supply all your needs. If you have no secular job and live by faith, then you are considered a fellow worker engaged in the work.
If this is true, then Paul is disqualified—one of the greatest workers in the work is disqualified. Why? Because, though Paul was so much engaged in the work, from time to time he still went back to making tents.
Yet Paul was not called Paul the tentmaker; he was called Paul the apostle. What is the difference?
Other people made tents and were called tentmakers. But Paul made tents and was called Paul the apostle. Why? Because he made tents to help fulfill his apostolic work. He did not make tents merely to make tents; he made tents in order to fulfill his apostolic function.
When he was in Corinth, he made tents because of the condition of the believers there. He wanted to teach them a lesson. He worked with his own hands and refused their support because he wanted them to have the gospel freely.
Even in Ephesus, where he was for three years, he called the elders and said, in effect, “Look at my hands.” We are told that in those days tentmakers used a strong dye that stained and even corroded the hands. Yet Paul could raise his hands and say, “With these two hands, I supported myself and my fellow workers.” Beautiful hands! With those two hands, he fulfilled his apostleship.
Brothers and sisters, let us remember: it is not a matter of finances. Who does not live by faith? Even if you have a job, you live by faith, because tomorrow you may not have it.
All believers live by faith—by the faithfulness of God. We all live by faith, not just those who serve God. Everybody should serve God. It is not a matter of finance or profession. These are secondary.
What is primary is this: Have you given yourself totally to God and to His work?
All who have given themselves wholly to God and to His work are fellow workers, whether they are apostles, evangelists, elders, deacons, leaders in the church, physicians, tentmakers, scribes, or hosts.
Anyone who has given himself or herself to God and to His work is a fellow worker. We are all engaged in the work of God in many ways, but we are doing the same work.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, you can be involved. The only condition is: Do you give yourself wholly to God and to His work? Sometimes, for His work’s sake, you may have to labor with your hands. But when you labor with your hands, it is for His work, not for your livelihood.
Finally, there are a few things necessary for one who is engaged in the work of God. As our brother said on Monday afternoon, there are many overlapping principles between leadership in the church and leadership in the work.
First of all, to be involved in the work, you need the call.
We are called to believe, we are called to follow, and we are called to serve. These three calls are actually one.
We are called to believe. In Matthew 11, the Lord said:
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
—Matthew 11:28
That is a call to believe—a call to come. We are all called to come, and thank God we have come. But after we have come, the Lord Jesus says, “Follow me.”
We are all called to follow Him. That is to say, we are not only called to be believers, but we are called to be disciples of Christ. To be a disciple of Christ is a calling, and everyone who believes has been called. But not everyone responds to that call.
You may be satisfied with responding to the call to come, but Christ is never satisfied if you do not respond to the call to follow.
Suppose you respond to the call to believe and also to the call to follow. Then you will find that you are called to serve; you are called to the work.
Remember the parable in which the owner of the vineyard went out early in the morning and found people standing in the marketplace. He agreed with them and sent them into the vineyard. Later, he found others still standing idle and sent them into the work. Even at the last hour, there were people standing there, and he said, “Why stand ye here all the day idle?” They replied, “Because no man hath hired us.” He said, “Go ye also into the vineyard.”
In a general sense, we are all called to the work.
If you have not responded to the call to believe, then you cannot truly follow. A scribe came to the Lord and said, “Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.” The Lord said to him:
The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.
—Matthew 8:20
Why did the Lord discourage him? Because he had not yet come as a believer. If he was not a believer, how could he be a disciple? The Lord would disciple only those who believed in Him.
Then a disciple came and said, “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.” The Lord said, “Follow me; and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” Why? Because he was already a believer.
Only among the disciples did the Lord call apostles to be with Him and to be sent out by Him. So the principle is that there must be a calling. You must hear the call to come, hear the call to follow and follow, and then hear the call to serve.
Even though the call comes to all, when it comes it is very specific. Some are called to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some shepherds and teachers, some physicians, some scribes, and some hosts. But there is a divine calling.
With that divine calling, there is a commitment. Out of that commitment, the work begins. There is nothing nebulous about it.
You feel the call of God, and when the call comes, you know what part of the work God wants you to be involved in. You have a commitment to the Lord, and you receive enabling from the Holy Spirit to fulfill your calling.
This is not something that comes from men. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 1:1:
Paul, an apostle (not from men, neither through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead).
—Galatians 1:1
Every one of us who is really engaged in the work must receive that calling from God. It is a divine appointment, and therefore it demands total commitment.
Second: vision. Everyone who is called to the work of God must see what the work is.
The problem today is that many are working, but they do not know what they are doing. Even if they know what they are doing, they may not know what God is doing.
We need vision. We must see what God’s work is.
Moses could not begin to do the work of God until he saw that vision in the wilderness. He had a sense of calling. Somehow, his mother must have instilled in him a sense of destiny, a sense of calling, while he was still nursing at her breast.
Moses was conscious of his calling, but he had no vision. He tried to fulfill his calling on his own, and it was a total failure. Then he saw the burning bush and the Angel of the Lord in the midst of the burning bush.
With that vision and that knowledge, he was able to fulfill his calling in spite of all the difficulties, failures, and problems. That vision kept him from deviating to the right or to the left.
Look at Paul. To the very end, he said:
Wherefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.
—Acts 26:19
He saw the heavenly vision, and that vision governed the life and ministry of Paul. It enabled him to go through all the sufferings and tribulations. Even if all Asia left him, he would still be obedient to that vision.
Brothers and sisters, that is what we need. We need the heavenly vision. Of course, people may have this vision or that vision, but over and above all such visions there must be the heavenly vision that tells us what God is doing.
That vision reveals the nature of God’s work. It shows you that it is God who does the work. No one can do God’s work but God Himself. You are called to cooperate, but actually He is doing it in and through you. It is not you who are doing it.
You need a vision to guide you, to make you, to give you direction, patience, and longsuffering.
Lots of people are working faithfully. Lots of people feel called to work for God. Lots of people are gifted and faithfully exercise their gifts. But the question is: Is it God’s work, or are they building up their own works? That is a lack of vision.
When Paul saw God’s work, he was not building up his own kingdom or his own work. The same was true of the other apostles.
A vision without a task makes a visionary.
A task without a vision is drudgery.
A vision with a task makes a missionary.
Third: faithfulness.
In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, Paul says:
Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
—1 Corinthians 4:1-2
Faithfulness is an important quality in a worker. Not cleverness. Cleverness can sometimes become a real problem, and often does. But faithfulness is what is required of a steward, a worker.
Of course, you cannot be faithful if you do not see and do not know. You do not know whom to be faithful to or what to be faithful to. Paul mentions again and again that God counted him faithful. He was faithful to God, and because he was faithful, God used him.
Faithfulness means faith and love, diligence and obedience.
Some people cannot be trusted. You give a task to them, and they promise to do it, but they never do it—or they leave it half done. That is unfaithfulness.
God is looking for faithful men and women upon whose shoulders He can trust this tremendous work.
Finally, as our brother has already mentioned, humility.
God giveth grace to the humble, but resisteth the proud.
—James 4:6
We cannot serve God with our own strength. It is with grace that we serve. But if we are not humble, we will not have that grace.
The danger of leadership is this: if God uses you, and it seems that your work is prosperous and successful and has the blessing of the Lord, there is a danger of becoming proud, authoritarian, arrogant, and self-confident.
That has been the destruction of many workers in the church and in the work.
May the Lord keep us humble. After we have finished the work, may we come back and say, “Lord, we are but unprofitable servants.”
After all, He does the work. We are just instruments, channels—that is all. There is nothing to be proud of. We are only further humbled that people such as we are, He can use and will use. That makes us humbler.
Humility is required of a worker.
So, brothers and sisters, this afternoon we have just laid a kind of outline before you. I want to encourage all the brothers and sisters that all of us can be engaged in the work, just as all of us are engaged in the church.
But how? There are certain conditions. If you fulfill these conditions, you are fit in God’s hand, and He can use you. Shall we pray?
Our heavenly Father, how we praise and thank Thee that Thou hast called us to be Thy church, even to be sons and daughters, that we may be conformed to the image of Christ.
O how we praise and thank Thee that Thou hast also called us to work together with Thee for that work which Thou hast before Thee. O our Father, it humbles us so much. We are not worthy even to be called Thy children.
We are far less worthy to be called Thy fellow workers, to work together with God. O Lord, do not allow us to touch Thy work with the hand of the flesh.
May the work of the cross work deeply in us, that as we engage in Thy work, it is because Thou hast first worked in us.
O Lord, we do desire to see Thy work quickly done and finished, that Thou mayest rest and we may rest in Thee. In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
Now, God willing, tomorrow afternoon will be a time for questions and answers, and it will be within the scope of leadership in the work.
If any brothers or sisters have real questions or real problems—hopefully not hypothetical, but real problems—and feel that these would be helpful to other brothers and sisters, we hope that you will write them on paper and give them to whoever shares the meeting tonight.
Then we can gather these questions, and, God willing, tomorrow we will try to share on them. If there is time, we may have some open time after the questions are answered, and anyone who wishes to ask something at that time may do so.