The Church
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father; just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
John 17:20-23
Why has Christianity spread all over the world? Because Jesus' sacrificial spirit is the mind of the providence, and that is the basic spirit of God's providence -- that is, to make oneself a sacrifice for other people. Christianity has received much persecution, but the more it received persecution, the more it prospered. Jesus did not leave any ideology like Marxism, but by the spirit alone he made such great effects in the world.
People of the world are dying and desperately suffering. If they are your brothers and sisters, then you have to reach out to them and cry out for them. True Christians should be willing to sacrifice their own lives for the salvation of the world and all humankind. Many Christians are seeking for their own personal salvation; they are crying out for "my salvation" and "my heaven." This is contrary to God's truth and contrary to God's ideal. We should steadfastly give, love, sacrifice, and live for the sake of others.
Jesus' Standard of Goodness
January, 1985
Why is Christianity today divided into numerous denominations? It is because people have impeded the Christian spirit that teaches us to love our enemies. The Christian spirit that teaches us to love our brethren has been forgotten.
From a perspective centering on Jesus, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, the Holiness Church, and all other denominations are brothers to each other.
God's Fatherland
September 19, 1999
We frequently hear that the church is the body of Christ. Does this mean that those buildings of wood or stone are the body of Jesus? What is the body of Jesus? Not the building but the people of the congregation are the body of Christ. When Jesus was crucified 2,000 years ago, Jesus' body was in the position of the people. Ever since the crucifixion, Jesus’ body has been represented by the people who have united spiritually with Jesus. All through the New Testament Age believers in Jesus have served in the position of the body of Christ.
If the believers are the body of Christ, then could there be more than one church? There are many different denominations and kinds of Christianity, which indicates that Jesus' body has been divided up. This is not acceptable in the sight of God. When we see the current situation from the viewpoint of God and Jesus Christ, the existence of so many denominations in the name of Christ is heartbreaking. It is just as though Jesus' body itself had been torn apart. The heart of Jesus Christ is grieved when he sees that his own body has been so shamefully divided. Christianity today is in the position of Jesus' body, but when there is one mind, how can there be 1,000 bodies? There should be one mind and one body....
Jesus wanted to give his inheritance to the Christian world, to his brethren. He wanted to give each Christian the conviction, "God is my God, and mankind are my brothers. This land belongs to me and I am responsible to God to re-create it in God's way" Those people who are denominational and sectarian leaders and only interested in promoting their own sectarian purposes are outrageous. We should inherit Jesus' philosophy and ideology instead. Denominationalism is just a roadblock for God. We need to break away all the barriers of sectarianism if we are to really reach the people.
Living Sacrifice
May 8, 1977
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