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The Governing Principles of the Practice of the Local Church
4. In the Holy Spirit
Watchman Nee
teaches in Further Talks on the Church Life that from beginning to ending the church has only one power, one
authority, and one life, which is the Holy Spirit, for the unhindered expression
of His mind, desire, and will. He expands on this thought in the following
passage:
Today, let me bring out two matters; both must exist
before there can be the church. The New Testament clearly shows us two basic
requirements: first, the authority of the Holy Spirit; and second, the
boundary of locality. We must realize that where there is not the Holy Spirit,
there is not the church. The church is absolutely not Witness Lee, Chang
Yu-zhi, or Yu Cheng-hwa; the church must only be the Holy Spirit. In other
words, the church from beginning to end can only have one authority, one
power, and one life, which is the Holy Spirit. There is only one life of the
Holy Spirit, only one power of the Holy Spirit, and only one authority of the
Holy Spirit. For example, there are many elderly brothers here today. Brother
Du may say, “Since I have been in the church for twenty years, I may make a
proposal or initiate something.” This is something extra coming out as a
frustration. When Brother Du is expressed, the Holy Spirit is not here and the
church is not here as well. Please remember that wherever the Holy Spirit is
not, the church is not. The church is the place through which the Spirit of
the Lord may express His desires without any hindrance. As the Lord used the
body given to Him by Mary when He was on this earth, so He in the Holy Spirit
uses the church today. The church in its highest state is the Body of Christ.
In other words, only that which is able to express the mind of the Holy Spirit
can be called the church.
When the whole church is under the authority of the
Holy Spirit, it is like the Lord’s own body given to Him by Mary when He was
on this earth. He can speak, listen, and walk as He wishes. The body which
Mary prepared for the Lord could not have been more appropriate. His body
cooperated with Him to such an extent that it was as if such a body did not
exist at all and that the Lord Himself was acting alone. It was so harmonious,
so united, so free of problems and conflicts. His hands were never unavailable
when they were needed, His eyes never malfunctioned when they were called upon
to see, His tongue was never tied when it needed to speak, and His mind was
never absent when it needed to think. The church likewise can reach such a
level that it is as if it does not exist at all and that Christ is acting
alone. The Lord can exercise Himself spontaneously and pass through such an
outlet freely. It can be in such harmony, such oneness, and such spontaneity
that it is as if the Lord is not passing through it at all. The authority of
the Holy Spirit passes through the church so freely and harmoniously that it
is as if He has not passed through the church at all. When the authority of
the Holy Spirit is able to operate so completely, there is the church.
Whenever there is resistance or hindrance, that is not the church. Whenever
the Holy Spirit cannot move, whenever individuals stand out, there is some
problem and the church is damaged. In such a case, it can no longer be
considered the church.
(Watchman Nee, Further Talks, 11-18)
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