III. Being Up-To-Date in Following the Lord by Knowing the Local Churches

The Bible provides ample evidence that the way God is moving in the New Testament age is by establishing local churches throughout the earth (Acts 8:1; 13:1; 14:23; Titus 1:5; 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11). Witness Lee therefore exhorts those who desire to follow the Lord to know and take the way that God has ordained and bequeathed to His believers, the way of the local churches.

My burden is that we all must see the last book of the Bible. Revelation tells us about the local churches, not the one Church in the heavens. To know God is not adequate. To know Christ is also not adequate. Even to know the church is not adequate. We must go on to know the churches which are local. If we are up-to-date in following the Lord, we will realize that today is the day of the local churches. In the last age of God’s dispensation, and in the last book of His Scripture, the main thing is the local churches.

I must repeat again that if we are up-to-date with the Lord, we must be in a local church. The last book of the Bible is written to the local churches. If we are not in the local churches, we are not in a position, and thus not entitled to receive this book.

We all know that the books of the Bible are part of the divine Will given to us. It is a title deed, a testament, a will. And the last part of this will is given to the local churches. If we are not in the local churches, we do not have the position to inherit this part of the will. But praise the Lord, if we get into the local churches, we are entitled to this part! The Book of Revelation was written to the local churches; so only in the local churches are we in the position to inherit this book; if we have nothing to do with the local churches, we have nothing to do with this book. We must be brought up to this book! (23-24)

Witness Lee advises us to be up-to-date with the Lord by knowing and participating in the local churches. We are exhorted not to fall short of this final bequest of our divine inheritance. Since the book of Revelation was written to the local churches, we must be in them in order to receive this provision of the divine Will.