Affirming, Confirming, and Following Closely this Unique New Testament Ministry
The work of the New Testament ministry is to accomplish God’s eternal purpose, which is for the fulfillment of God’s New Testament economy for the church, to build up the Body of Christ. However, throughout the centuries, the church has deviated from God’s economy and has become degraded. Therefore, the church must be recovered according to God’s original heart’s desire and standard as revealed in the Bible. Brother Witness Lee received this work of the New Testament ministry from Brother Watchman Nee and brought it to the western world, the United States.
Brother Witness Lee (李常受弟兄) exhorts us, “The only way that can preserve us in the recovery is the unique ministry.…Therefore, the only way that we can be preserved, in the eternal oneness is to teach the same thing, God’s economy. This kind of teaching is called the New Testament Ministry, the ministry of the new covenant. The ministry of the new covenant is to minister only the processed Triune God to be dispensed into His chosen people as their life and life supply to produce members of Christ to form the Body to express the Triune God. This is the New Testament economy. To teach anything, even good things and scriptural things, that is even a little apart from God’s New Testament economy will still issue in division, and that will be very much used by the subtle one, the evil one. We must, therefore, be on the alert.” (Elder’s Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision)
Brother Abraham Chang (張湘澤弟兄) was a very crucial co-worker from the churches in Tai-wan, who saw the preciousness and importance of this ministry in the Lord’s recovery. Starting from 1974, Brother Chang encouraged the Taiwanese co-workers to attend the semi-annual Life Studies training in Anaheim. In 1975, responding to the encouragement from Brother Abraham Chang, Brother Chi-Cheng Liu (劉治成弟兄) and three other responsible brothers from the church in Taichung began to attend the Summer Training on the Life Studies in Anaheim. Brother Abraham Chang often fellowshipped with the churches in Taiwan about the importance of following this ministry closely. He had a very strong burden to bring the New Testament ministry of Brother Lee, especially the semi-annual training of the Life Studies, to the churches in Taiwan.
During the summer of 1981, Brother Abraham Chang brought Brother Paul Wu (吳有成弟兄) to Anaheim to join the Summer Training. In 1982, Brother Paul Wu began to serve in the Taiwan Gospel Book Room as a job-keeping full-timer. In 1985, Brother Wu let go of his career and began to serve the Lord full-time. Beginning from the Winter Training of 1985, Brother Wu also encouraged the Taiwanese co-workers to come to the Winter Training. After Brother Abraham Chang was taken by the Lord in 1986, Brother Paul Wu received this burden to take the lead in following this ministry closely.
In 1984 Brother Witness Lee returned to Taiwan to study the New Way and began the retranslation of the Old and New Testament of the Recovery Version in Chinese. In 1990 Brother Lee fellowshipped with a few brothers, that when translating the Bible directly from the original language into Chinese, there is a special characteristic in Second Corinthians 8:2, “That in much proving of affliction the abundance of their joy and the depth of their poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.” He mentioned this to see if the Chinese translation is accurate based on the word, “abounded (匯溢).” The Chinese Recovery Version says, “就是在患難中受大試驗的時候，他們充盈的喜樂，和極深的貧困，匯溢出豐厚的慷慨。” In the Union Version, “就是他們在患難中受大試煉的時候，仍有滿足的快樂，在極窮之間還格外顯出他們樂捐的厚恩,” the word “匯溢” is missed and not translated.
The church in Cerritos was established through Brother Lee’s burden for the Mandarin work. Brother Abraham Chang also joined with Brother Lee’s burden for the Mandarin work of the New Testament Ministry. Furthermore, the church in Cerritos began through Brother Abraham Chang, but it was Brother Paul Wu who strengthened its development. In 1983, Brother Lee started the first Chinese speaking meeting in North America, which was in Cerritos. Due to the geographic location of Cerritos, a fifteen-minute drive to the meeting hall in Anaheim, it became the first stopping point for the Taiwanese saints who came for the training in Anaheim. To this day, the co-workers and saints from Taiwan continue to follow the ministry closely and join the PSRP of the Lord’s words, from 6:30 am till noon, in Cerritos during the semi-annual training. Serving nearly 600 saints three meals a day, for seven days, the brothers and sisters in Cerritos participate in the enjoyment of grace with the saints. As stated in Second Corinthians 8:2, we have the provision of this rich ministry. We also have the riches brought here by the saints from the Far East, along with the meal services provided by the saints in Cerritos. These “abounded (匯溢) unto the riches of liberality” and has caused the church in Cerritos to receive grace. Together, we affirm, confirm, and follow this unique New Testament ministry.
Brother Abraham Chang and Brother Paul Wu continued steadfastly in the fellowship of the New Testament ministry. Through their leading, the testimony of the oneness in the Body of Christ was manifested among the churches in Taiwan, Far East, and North America. Under the Lord’s sovereign authority, Brother Paul Wu has gone to be with the Lord and now has rested his labor on earth. He was a gift given by God to His church, the Body of Christ, and a channel of supply to His Body. His steadfastness in following the New Testament ministry was a wonderful pattern for all the churches and the saints. We will truly miss him.
Brother Abraham Ho, Isaac Liu, and Jerry Chi from the church in Cerritos
March 11, 2020
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