The leadership in the New Testament ministry is the leadership of the controlling vision of God’s eternal economy – and not the leadership of a controlling person; we need to see a clear, increasing, and complete vision of God’s economy so that we may be kept in the church life.
In the New Testament, leadership is not as the world perceives it; leadership according to God’s concept is not upon one person but a group of people, and it is the ministry, the teaching, that gives the leadership.
Sadly to say, however, there is something in each one of us that causes us to desire to be first.
Just as James and John went to the Lord Jesus and requested, in front of all the disciples, to sit at the Lord’s left and right hand when He returns with His kingdom, so in each one of us there’s a desire to be first.
We may receive an email with some details related to the practical matters to be taken care of in the church life, and we may be just on the CC: list, and not even the first one on that list. And this may bother us.
Even as sisters, some may be assigned to do certain things, and others may think to themselves, Why was I not assigned to do this, are they better than me?
But the Lord Jesus came as our Savior, Leader, Shepherd, and Teacher, and He served us; He came not to be served but to serve.
He served us and gave His life as a ransom for many, asking nothing in return.
He did not desire to be great or to be first; He simply served us as a slave. This is what leadership is.
If we want to be first, if we want to be part of those who take the lead, we need to serve the saints.
Leadership is shaped by growth in life and is an issue of the need; if there’s no need for leadership, then leadership does not need to be manifested.
Even more, as we see with the apostles and the elders in the New Testament, leadership is not in the person but in their ministry, in their teaching.
When someone teaches the New Testament economy of God, he takes the lead and has the leadership.
However, if any leading one speaks things that are different from God’s economy, the leadership needs to adjust this one so that they do not speak anything except God’s New Testament economy.
God’s delegated authority in the leading ones in the New Testament is not the person but the ministry, their teaching, and this authority is for building up.
Most times such authority does not need to be exercised, but when differing teachings come in, when division creeps in, or when sinful conduct is manifested, the Lord is expressed through His delegated authority.
Being under the Leadership of the Controlling Vision of God’s Eternal Economy, not the Leadership of a Controlling Person
What is the leadership that we are under today in the church life in the Lord’s recovery?
It is not brother this or brother that, nor is it this particular leader or that leader. It is the revelation of God’s eternal economy.
Our preaching of the gospel and our teaching of the truth have to be restricted under the leadership by the revelation of God’s New Testament economy.
If anyone among us begins to stress, teach, or promote anything that is contrary to or different from God’s eternal economy, the leadership needs to be exercised to restrict this, so that no confusion would come in.
![If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you...To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel And to enlighten all [that they may see] what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things. Eph. 3:2, 8-9](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/If-indeed-you-have-heard-of-the-stewardship-of-the-grace-of-God-which-was-given-to-me-for-you-683x1024.webp?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you...To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel And to enlighten all [that they may see] what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things. Eph. 3:2, 8-9")
Paul testified in Ats 26:19 in front of the king that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
He saw a vision of Christ and the church at the time that he was converted, and this vision never left him.
He preached this, taught this, wrote about this, and lived this; he was fully under the heavenly vision of God’s eternal economy, and this became a governing and controlling vision to him.
The leadership in the New Testament ministry is the leadership of the controlling vision of God’s eternal economy and not the leadership of a controlling person.
God’s eternal economy was unveiled through the apostles, but because the believers lost the proper understanding of it, there’s a need for it to be recovered by the Lord.
Who today knows what is God’s eternal economy? Paul said we should only teach this, but who knows what it is?
God’s eternal economy is His household administration to dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen people so that He may have a house to express Himself, which house is the church, the Body of Christ (Eph. 3:2, 8-9; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; 3:15; Eph. 1:10; 2:21-22; 1 Pet. 4:10).
Because the economy of God was lost, misunderstood, and completely set aside by Christians throughout the ages, it needs to be recovered; God needs to recover the governing and controlling vision of God’s eternal economy among us and in us.
Recovery means the restoration or return to a normal condition after damage or loss has been incurred.
God has an original intention and standard, as revealed in the Scriptures, but because damage or a loss has been incurred, there’s the need for restoration or return to the normal condition.
Recovery means that we go back to God’s original intention and standard as revealed in the Bible, which is according to the present advance of His recovery of the contents of God’s eternal economy.
Our leadership in the church today is the governing and controlling vision of God’s eternal economy.
The only thing we speak of, emphasize, and teach is this.
And God’s economy encompasses everything that God has done, is doing, and will do, so it is vast and all-inclusive.
In the church life in the Lord’s recovery, we have God’s new way, which is that all the members of the Body are properly related to the Head and can function in their measure, and everyone can exercise their spirit to speak in the meetings.
But if anyone speaks something against God’s economy or teaches things that are contrary to this, the leadership needs to be exercised, and such one needs to be corrected.
We thank the Lord that today we’re not under any controlling brother or sister but under the controlling vision of God’s eternal economy.
We are under the controlling vision of God’s eternal economy today, not under any controlling person or group of persons.
This ministry is not of a single person – it is the unique New Testament ministry, and we all have a part in this ministry.
Yes, there are some brothers who may release some messages and impart certain burdens and teachings, but we all have a part in this ministry.
We all need to be under the governing and controlling vision of God’s eternal economy, and we need to exercise our function to do our part in this ministry.
When we go to visit people in their homes for the gospel, when we speak the gospel to our friends, when we visit the new ones to shepherd them, when we have home meetings and enjoy Christ together, and when we have group meetings for mutual perfecting and teaching, we practice our portion of the unique ministry of the New Testament.
May the Lord show us that the leadership in the church life is not the leadership of a single person who is controlling people in the Lord’s recovery but the controlling vision of the God-given revelation.
Such revelation restricts us, directs us, and controls us so that any confusion and division would be avoided.
Lord Jesus, grant us to have a clear, controlling vision of God’s eternal economy so that we may be directed, guided, preserved, and restricted in the way of the Lord in the church life. May we see that the leadership in the New Testament ministry is not the leadership of a controlling person or group of persons but the controlling vision of God’s eternal economy! Hallelujah, the economy of God can be revealed to us in spirit and we can be governed and controlled by this vision! Amen, Lord, we do not want to be disobedient to the heavenly vision. We want to see how God has a household administration to dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen people so that He may have a house to express Himself! Hallelujah for God’s economy! We want to speak this economy, live in this economy, and teach only the economy of God for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ!
To Serve God Today, we need to have a Clear and Complete Vision of God’s Economy from Genesis to Revelation
![Even as I exhorted you, when I was going into Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus in order that you might charge certain ones not to teach different things Nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God's economy, which is in faith. 1 Tim. 1:3-4 But if I delay, [I write] that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. 1 Tim. 3:15](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Even-as-I-exhorted-you-when-I-was-going-into-Macedonia-to-remain-in-Ephesus-in-order-that-you-might-charge-certain-ones-not-to-teach-different-things-683x1024.webp?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "Even as I exhorted you, when I was going into Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus in order that you might charge certain ones not to teach different things Nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God's economy, which is in faith. 1 Tim. 1:3-4 But if I delay, [I write] that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. 1 Tim. 3:15")
We in the Lord’s recovery need to have a clear vision of God’s eternal economy so that this vision would govern, control, and direct us in our daily living, our Christian life, our church life, and our life of serving the Lord.
If we do not have a clear, controlling vision of God’s eternal economy, it is easy to cast off any restraint (Prov. 29:18).
Today we are those who serve the Lord, and our service needs to be according to the clear and complete vision of God’s economy from Genesis to Revelation.
In order for us to serve God today, our vision must extend all the way from the first vision of God creating Adam in Genesis to the ultimate vision of the manifestation of the church, the New Jerusalem.
There are many snippets or pictures of this vision in the Old Testament, and there’s the reality of this vision in the New Testament.
We need to know both the pictures, types, and figures in the Old Testament and the reality and fulfilment in the New Testament.
This vision of God’s eternal economy can be likened to the River Scene at the Qingming Festival, the scroll that gives us a picture of life around that river at a particular moment in time.
That scroll is long, and it contains picture after picture of aspect after aspect and setting after setting, all focused on what was going on at that time around that river.
If you see just a few portions of that scroll, you may think you see so much, for there are many details, but you did not see the full picture; you still need to see more.
We need to have a clear and complete vision of God’s economy today.
If we only see the matter of God’s redemption and salvation, which is amazing, deep, thorough, and so sweet, this doesn’t mean we saw everything; we need to see more, even see all the way to the New Jerusalem.
We in the church life have our “river scene”, the scroll of God’s eternal economy, which we need to pay attention to and dive into so that we see a clear and complete vision.
Our river scene begins from Adam’s vision of the tree of life in the garden of Eden, and it extends all the way to the New Jerusalem with the tree of life.
The last scene in this scroll is the New Jerusalem; after that, there’s nothing more to see.
We need to dive into the truth, read the Bible, pray over God’s word, and get into the ministry that opens up the word of God so that our vision of God’s eternal economy would be enlarged, refreshed, renewed, and up-to-date.
And we need to closely follow this vision; such a vision is our leadership. We are under the leadership of the controlling vision of God’s eterna
l economy.
We do not follow a man. We receive many benefits from some of the Lord’s ministers such as Peter, John, and Paul from the early apostles, and Martin Luther, Zinzendorf, John Wesley, the Brethren, Watchman Nee, and Witness Lee. But they are not our “leaders”; they do not exercise control over us.
We need to be right in following others; we need to follow not a person but a vision.
People change, but the vision never changes, for the vision is of God and from God.
We follow not this person or that person but the vision that they see and follow.
Our leadership in the church life is the governing and controlling vision of God’s eternal economy. It is very wrong for us to say that we follow a certain person; we follow the vision that belongs to the present age.
The vision in this age is the all-inclusive, all-encompassing vision of God’s eternal economy from Genesis to Revelation, as revealed in the Bible, the word of God.
May we give ourselves to the Lord to be under the hearing of faith day by day so that the vision of God’s economy may be refreshed and renewed in us.
Lord Jesus, we want to see a clear and complete vision of God’s economy and follow this vision for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ. Save us from following a man. Save us from being controlled or governed by a particular person. May a clear, controlling vision of God’s economy direct our hearts, our minds, our living, and our serving! Amen, Lord, we give ourselves to read the Bible, pray over God’s word, and be filled with the living word of God. May we have the vision of this age and remain under this vision until the Lord returns. Grant us to see the consummate vision of the age. May our vision stretch from Genesis to Revelation to include all the aspects of God’s eternal economy! Amen, Lord, may this vision be refreshed in us day by day until You return and we come back with You to end this age and bring in the age of the kingdom!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by Ricky Acosta in the message for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1987, vol. 2, “The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy,” pp. 453-456, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther (2022 winter training), week 10, entitled, The Central and Crucial Point of the Recovery Books of Ezra and Nehemiah — the Proper and Adequate Leadership in the Lord’s Recovery.
- Further reading on this topic:
– Being obedient to the heavenly vision of the eternal economy of God, pdf outline via, the church in New York City.
– The Way of Blending and the Leadership in the Ministry in the Lord’s Recovery Today, via, a faithful word.
– Is Living Stream Ministry the headquarters of the local churches? Do the local churches have a leader? Read more via, Living to Him to find out.
– The Divine Trinity in the divine economy, an article by Kerry S. Robichaux in, Affirmation and Critique.
– Who is Jesus of Nazareth? This is the question of questions. Read more at, Holding to Truth to find out.
– Does Living Stream Ministry control the local churches in the Lord’s recovery? Read more at, Living to Him, to find out.
– The Governing and Controlling Vision of God’s Economy in Faith, pdf morning revival via, the church in Regina.
– God’s economy – to be one with man and to make man His organism, a portion from, The Overcomers, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee.
– What is God’s economy? Read more via, Amana Trust articles to find out.
– A brief summary of the economy of God, a portion from, Enjoying the Riches of Christ for the Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee.
– Did You Know God Has an Economy? Read more via, Bibles for America blog.
– The Economy of God – By Witness Lee, free book available at, Rhema Books. - Hymns on this topic:
– God has called us for His purpose, / His economy so glorious, / For which He was fully processed; / Consummated now is He! / As the Spirit, He indwells us; / As our God allotted portion, / Working out His full salvation, / Making us the same as He is. / Oh, may a clear, controlling vision of / The Lord’s economy direct my heart, / And burn in me until my spirit’s wholly set afire! / With spirit strong and active we’ll press on / To consummate God’s goal— / New Jerusalem, Hallelujah! (Song on, God has called us for His purpose, stanza 1 and chorus)
– God’s intention in this universe is with humanity, / So the Lord became the Spirit just with man to mingled be. / We rejoice that we can all partake of His economy. / Yes, mingling is the way. (Hymns #1199 stanza 1)
– God’s eternal economy / Is to make man the same as He is / In life and nature but not in the Godhead / And to make Himself one with man / And man one with Him, / Thus to be enlarged / And expanded in His expression, / That all His divine, / That all His divine attributes / May be expressed in human virtues. (Song on, God’s economy is His plan to dispense Himself, stanza 2)
About aGodMan
Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1987, vol. 2, “The God-ordained way to Practice the New Testament Economy,” pp. 453-456
In the church life today we don’t follow a person, nor do we have a controlling person who governs us.
Leadership is the governing and controlling vision of God’s eternal economy which encompasses everything from genesis to revelation.
Amen Lord Jesus.
O thank you Lord for granting our brother Paul a heavenly vision and revealing to him the mystery of Christ. We now are constrained to follow this vision and no individual man to build up the body of Christ unto the New Jerusalem.
Hallelujah! 😃
Brother we need to have a vision which controls, restricts and governs us.
We also need to be under the leadership of the one God given revelation in the ministry and follow those who bring us under this ministry and bring the ministry to us of God’s New testament economy
Brother, I’m so impressed that we are governed by a heavenly vision which is the vision of God’s eternal economy which encompasses Genesis to Revelation!
Amen brother. We should not be governed by the present situation or traditional practice.
Our whole being should be under the restriction & control of the revelation of God’s New Testament economy.
If we all believe in and are faithful to the heavenly vision, we will be saved from the confusion & division that everyone is drowning in.
We have to pray continually that God would keep the vision living & fresh in us, and that we will never fail to appreciate the unique New Testament economy of God which is our one & only true salvation.
Today we are not following a man but a vision – a vision of God’s eternal economy – in which God is dispensing Himself, in Christ, into His chosen and redeemed people to produce the church, the House of God – His dwelling place – for His expression which consummates in the New Jerusalem! Hallelujah!
For this there is the need for the recovery of Christ as everything to us, the recovery of the oneness of the Body of Christ and the recovery of the function of all the members of the Body.
Praise the Lord.
Such a vision must govern and control us so that, we do not cast of restraint but, like the apostle Paul remain obedient to it.
Enjoy the audio version of the agodman.com article entitled, We are under the Leadership of the Controlling Vision of God’s Eternal Economy (based on the HWMR on, the Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther – week 10 day 4).
The article is online at https://bit.ly/LeadershipIstheVision
Amen! This sharing reminds me of the song,
1. God has called us for His purpose,
His economy so glorious,
For which He was fully processed;
Consummated now is He!
As the Spirit, He indwells us;
As our God allotted portion,
Working out His full salvation,
Making us the same as He is.
Chorus:
Oh, may a clear, controlling vision of
The Lord’s economy direct my heart,
And burn in me until my spirit’s wholly set afire!
With spirit strong and active we’ll press on
To consummate God’s goal—
New Jerusalem, Hallelujah!
2. Jesus lived the God-man pattern,
Set the way for us to follow,
He denied His natural man and
Was obedient unto death,
Once He was the only God-man;
Now we are His duplication.
As the many grains we’re blended
As His corporate reproduction.
3. Living out His resurrection,
Dying to the flesh and soul-life.
Living by the mingled spirit,
Natural man we will deny.
Now we’re living in the Body,
Every day we’re overcoming,
Striving for the peak of Zion,
Watching for our Lord’s appearing.
4. God and man will have one living,
Always in the mingled spirit;
We two are incorporated
One organic entity!
This the vision of the ages
Will control our daily living
That the Lord may have His Body
Shining as the holy city.
You can see it in full via Hymnal.net, and here are some saints singing it online:
Ameeen!!!!!
The Lord’s recovery is not under the leadership of one controlling person but the leadership of the controlling vision in the one ministry.
It is this all inclusive, all inheriting vision that leads us, restricts us, and controls us.
Dear brother, In the Lord’s recovery we do have some leadership but not the leadership of one controlling person.
Instead, we have the leadership of one controlling revelation in the one ministry through those who bring in the revelation of the ministry…
The revelation in the Lord’s recovery controls us and restricts us. Hallelujah!
The leadership in the Lord’s recovery is the leadership of the God-given revelation that restricts us, directs us, and controls us so that confusion and division can be avoided.
• Prov. 20:27 The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, searching all the innermost parts of the inner being. Rev. 4:5 …There were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
• Lee, Witness. The Holy Word for Morning Revival – Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, Vol. 01 . Living Stream Ministry. Kindle Edition.
Today we don’t follow anyone, we only follow the lead of Christ who is the head of the Body!