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Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee
Every bread-breaking meeting should have two sections, because there are two parts to our salvation. In the first part of our salvation, we discovered that we were sinners, destined for judgment and death. But the Lord had mercy on us. He came to this earth and died for us. The Lord saved us and shed His blood to forgive us. Our sins were forgiven once we accepted the Lord Jesus’ blood. This is the first part of our salvation. But salvation does not stop here. After we are saved, the Lord Jesus becomes ours and we belong to Him. He brings us before God and makes His Father our Father. The Holy Spirit within also teaches us to cry, “Abba, Father!” (Rom. 8:14-16). This is the second part of salvation. In other words, the first section of salvation has to do with the Lord, and the second section has to do with the Father. In the first section we are forgiven. In the second section we are accepted by God. When we are saved, we become related to the Lord; this is the first part of the story. In the second part we become related to God. We approach the Lord from the position of being a sinner, and through Him we come to the Father. First we meet the Lord, and then we meet the Father. This is why the Bible says, “Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who confesses the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:23). Salvation has to do with the Son; it is something to do with the Lord. Salvation also has to do with the Father; this is something that has to do with God. No one can come to the Father except through the Son. First we have to come to the Lord. First we must come to the cross to receive forgiveness, to have the righteous One take the place of the unrighteous, before we can be brought by the Lord to the Father. Hence, we do not come to the Father to receive salvation. Rather, we come to the Son to obtain salvation. Then we come to the Father. First we are forgiven, then we are accepted. We must see this clearly.
The bread-breaking meeting is for remembering the Lord. Since the Lord’s salvation consists of two parts, the bread-breaking meeting should also have two parts. Before breaking the bread, we remember the Son. After breaking the bread, we turn our attention to the Father. The part before breaking the bread is for the Lord, and the part after breaking the bread is for God.
When we come to the Lord, we find out that we were sinners. We were sons of disobedience, sons of wrath under God’s judgment. We had no way to save ourselves. But because the Lord Jesus shed His blood for our redemption, we can come before the Lord to receive His life. When we were sinners, we came to the Lord. When we saw how our sins were forgiven, we also came to Him. Hence, during the first part of the bread-breaking meeting, all our hymns, thanksgiving, and praises should be directed toward the Lord.
When we come to the Lord, we should offer thanksgiving and praises to Him. Strictly speaking, we should not do anything other than offer thanksgiving and praises. It is improper to petition for anything in this meeting. We cannot ask the Lord to shed His blood for us. This has already been accomplished; there is no longer any need to ask for this. We just have to praise and give thanks. Whether it is through praying or singing, we should only thank and praise Him. Thanksgiving is directed at the Lord’s work, while praise is directed at the Lord Himself. We give thanks for what He has done, and we praise Him for what He is. At the beginning there is more thanksgiving. But gradually we turn to praise. As we give thanks we also praise. We see what a wonderful work He has done for us, and we also see what a wonderful Savior He is. After we have offered up enough thanksgiving, we should begin to praise. When our praise reaches the peak, then is the time for us to break bread.
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