The Fire Appears Only
Upon the Altar of Death
I remember the most recent occasion, when he visited the church in SZ and spoke especially of certain testimonies concerning the service. He said that the brothers in the church must be faithful, and also prudent, being faithful and prudent stewards of God. There are three matters of service to be carried out well: first, to serve out the people in the church; second, to serve out the material things in the church; and third, to serve out the administration of the church.
Concerning serving out the people, Brother Wu fellowshipped about how those brothers in the propagation put themselves in, how they were sent by the Lord, and how in a practical way they faithfully lived for the Lord. Wherever they served, they never complained, and they labored greatly; therefore, places that had no harvest came to have a harvest.
Concerning serving out the material things, it is that the serving brothers must be "able" to rescue people out of the usurpation of mammon and join them to God's economy. This is by ministering Christ to people, and also by the brothers laboring and managing in people's situations.
Concerning serving out the administration of the church, it is that God has His economy in the church, with government, supply, building, and coordination; there is the need for the church to have its structure and its administration, and the brothers need to be joined to God's economy and to have heavenly wisdom.
Every time, Brother Wu would tell us that the day of the Lord's coming is very, very near, and he charged us that we must labor and serve faithfully. In his service, in his love, in his labor, in the word of the Lord, in coordination, and especially in the core service of the church, he encouraged us. After every fellowship, the brothers received much supply and help from him.
He said that to walk the Lord's pathway, we need to have the vision, the seeing; we need, in the New Testament ministry, to lay down our life. Today we all must see this vision that inherits the past, meets the need of the age, and consummates everything; we all must walk in the ministry of the age and become persons under grace.
Brother Wu's body was so frail, yet still he was so busy, spending his whole being. He truly was a pattern of the Lord's servant, with the spirit of a martyr within him. On one hand, it was the Lord's grace; on the other hand, it was also the manifestation of the Lord's glory!
Brother Wu's labor let us see what God can indeed do, what He desires to do, and what He is able to accomplish in this age in a person who loves Him! He paid no regard to his own weariness; had he regarded himself, he would have halted his hurried steps. He worked together with the Lord, faithfully laying down his portion, every day as though racing against time, in pure faithfulness forgetting life and death, fully consecrating himself, spending himself for God's economy. This cannot but remind me of Hymn 462:
The pathway of the cross calls for sacrifice,
To offer everything to God,
To lay all upon the altar of death—
There the fire will appear.
This is the pathway of the cross! Are you willing to walk it?
Have you ever borne the cross for your Lord?
You who have consecrated everything to God!
Are you wholly chaste toward Him?
May the Lord place the spirit that stirred up Brother Wu upon us as well, that our whole life may also be worthy of the glory of this ministry, for the reality of the one new man.