A Broad Heart, a Pioneering Spirit
In the summer of 1987, in order to coordinate with Brother Lee in completing the editing and translation of the Recovery Version of the New Testament, Taiwan Gospel Book Room called more than a hundred FTTT trainees to take part in the proofreading service, divided into the text group, the footnote group, the cross-reference group, the typesetting group, and so on. The hundred-some trainees all "entered the enclosure" at Hall One of the church in Taipei; their daily living and service were all within Hall One, almost completely cut off from the outside, until the task was finished and they could "leave the enclosure."
Those who finished their task early "came out" early, and those who finished late "came out" late; but every one of them was "in the enclosure" for at least a full month. During this time, the hundred-some trainees, in a limited space, were arranged in perfect order in all things—their living, their daily routine, their work and rest, and their service. The scene was not only full of authority and submission, but even more full of the joy and enjoyment in the Holy Spirit. I absolutely believe that, through that service, many of the trainees were gained more deeply by the Lord, so that their heart's desire to serve the Lord was made more certain and more firm. Yet few knew that Brother Wu was the unnamed worker who served behind the scenes in every detail.
Brother Lee required all the brothers and sisters serving in the FTTT to go to the various halls: first, to live the normal church life, and second, to take the lead in practicing the new way. I was arranged to go to the hall where Brother Wu was, and I saw with my own eyes that Brother Wu was truly a man full of humanity, one who served the church in love and shepherded all the saints.
The saints all loved to come to him to fellowship, especially the older saints. Whether their body was unwell, or their children had provoked them—whatever had happened in their home, great matters and small, they would come to him to fellowship. He always listened attentively and quietly, and then spoke a few words full of humanity, sympathy, and nourishment. They might not have been so-called very spiritual words, yet they could always cause those saints—whose brows were knit, whose faces were full of sorrow, or who were burning with anger—to be comforted, shepherded, and calmed, turning from grief and anger to joy and peace.
The new way is the God-ordained way, the way in which everyone serves and each one functions, with the goal of the work of the ministry and the building up of the Body of Christ. Because each person's gift is different, the church life, work, and service of many are confined to a small group or a small district, or to a large district or a hall, or only to one church or one locality; yet the scope of Brother Wu's service spanned several oceans. The Lord not only granted him all kinds of gifts and wisdom, but also gave him a broad heart and a pioneering spirit; and of course it lay also in his coordinating with the Lord, so that he was able to serve the saints throughout the whole earth.
In terms of Brother Lee's standard of service—"being a proper person, doing things, and doing the work"—Brother Wu's service was up to the standard. And in terms of Paul's Epistles, the "three to" books—First Timothy speaking of "God's economy for the church," Second Timothy of "the inoculation against the church's degradation," and Titus of "the maintenance of order in the church"—Brother Wu's service was also up to the standard. He served our generation in the divine love, light, holiness, and righteousness. He was a pattern to us not only in service, but even more in the maturity and expression of life.
May the Lord continue to bless His recovery, until He comes to take His bride! Amen!