Going Out He Was a Worker; Coming Back He Was Family
We had the privilege of living the church life together with Brother Wu like a family. He was undoubtedly the elder, and we the juniors. Going out he was a worker; coming back he was family. We saw that he was never slack toward the church life because of the busyness of the work. He attended every meeting, asked about everything, told all he knew and held nothing back; in serving us he always gave everything; the precious and rich spiritual heritage of the Lord's recovery throughout Taiwan, accumulated in him over several decades, was thus, bit by bit, without leaving a trace, in an incomparably natural way, handed down and committed, becoming a blessing uniquely ours and beyond words. By his pattern, he taught the serving ones:
The Church Is the House of God
The church is the house of God, and the meeting hall is the place where the family lives and gathers. The affairs of the meeting hall are family affairs, and family affairs should be shared by the family together, so that the saints will have a feeling for the church and the meeting hall. Whatever the meals, the cleaning, the repairs, the duty shifts, the arranging, the hospitality—matters great and small should all be served by the saints' own hands and not delegated to outsiders. In addition, caring for the dear ones in God's house must be practical, caring for and supplying their relief, and cherishing the poor and sick members. Every New Year's Eve there must be a love feast for the whole meeting hall, with each family bringing dishes to gather together, never forgetting the single and elderly saints and the sojourners from overseas. The church life has many people coming and going; we cannot ignore one another. The mature and the elderly need to practice caring lovingly for the young and the children, and the young saints are to learn to greet and serve the elders. Remembering the saints' names and their families is the minimum requirement.
Meetings Have a High Standard
The church meetings must maintain a high standard. The saints should value each gathering, arrive early, be seated from the front rows, and leave no empty seats. In the meeting, be focused and do not move around; the spirit is to be exercised and released, the prayers are to link up and coordinate, and everyone is to function. If a meeting has a set dismissal time, it must keep to time and not drag on. There must be concentrated morning revival in the meeting hall every day; service meetings should have a sign-in roll call; and there must be a preparation meeting before the Lord's Day meeting. The Lord's Day is the Lord's and ought to be wholly separated, whether for meetings or for action, completely belonging to the Lord.
Church Service Stresses Discipline
Those who serve the church must lay it out even more than the saints who hold jobs, must use time better, and must require more of themselves. In service, learn to be positive, do not fear matters or shrink from them, do not avoid responsibility, do not be negative and passive, and absolutely do not muddle through. The serving ones are to be diligent, to take the initiative to find things to do, and to have a spirit willing to shoulder heavy burdens. Coordination stresses discipline; in corporate action one must not be late. Fellowship about everything, not fearing the trouble. In handling money, one must be especially strict; in using money, neither stingy nor wasteful; never careless with details, expressing a high-quality testimony, so that the saints can entrust, outsiders are impressed, and God is glorified.
The Church Life Stresses Content
The church life must take the truth and life as its content; the gospel must be widely spread, and the Lord's word must fill us. The group meetings have a fixed progress of pursuit, and the prayer meetings are to read the service-perfecting messages, so that the saints are continually equipped and progress. All who have a heart to pursue should attend the full course of the winter and summer on-site trainings, raising the level of the truth in the church life. The church in the Lord's recovery is a church that reads the Bible, a church that speaks the truth.
Finally: a little after five in the afternoon of Wednesday, March 4, after Brother Wu, with all his heart and strength, finished his last day of service in this life in the Xinji Building, just as he was about to go downstairs to return home, sitting in a chair, he lifted his head and asked in a faint but clear voice: "Do we still have a meeting tonight?"… "There is no meeting; please rest well."
"But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth." (1 Tim. 3:15) Thank the brother for serving with a poured-out life. Thank the Lord.