Brotherly Fellowship in Love

A month ago, as the serving ones in the literature service, we were informed of the situation of a serving one who was distracted from his main service due to pressure from his family and his financial burden. Having confirmed from certain brothers, we had a fellowship with the brother involved, and fellowshipped with him in love to not be distracted but stay focused on his main service which is his portion alloted to him by the Lord. Later, we felt good to keep the fellowship in record and wrote a mail.

Meanwhile, I took the matter before the Lord and let the Lord lead and do whatever He felt best. I would not give my opinion anymore, but simply accepted the Lord’s sovereignty. But deep within my being, as I prayed for the brother I was confirmed by the Lord that everything will be alright. I trusted the Lord’s word. A brother drafted the mail and I just added the Bible verses and then sent to the concerned brother, praying and trusting that the Lord would preserve him.

Dear Brother A,

In continuation to our fellowship yesterday over the phone, we write this email to put in writing the points we fellowshipped for your careful consideration.

As we told you, we came to know through some of the brothers who joined the leading brothers’ training in C______ last weekend that you have recently entered into a multi-level marketing business involving digital currency. When we checked with you about this yesterday, you responded that this is completely a legal business with prospects of earning very high profits within a short time and that the burden is to earn money to repay the home loan and to buy Bibles/New Testaments/books from Amana and distribute them to tens of thousands of seekers for free or at subsidized rates. This sounds very logical. We honor your burden and your heart but disagree with the way you think it should be carried out. As serving ones in Amana, our function is to labor in the translation and distribution of the ministry literature. We need to keep ourselves strictly in this lane of our function. There are other saints to whom the Lord has measured the function of having a job or doing a business in order to labor in the world, plunder it, and offer for the needs of His move. As you know well, Amana does not involve itself in any other business and Amana expects all its full-time serving ones to also follow suit. Brothers who called us to inform us about this told us that as a full-time serving one in Amana, your engaging in business and approaching saints for the same is causing confusion among the churches and affecting the saints. Saints see you as a representative of Amana. So, as we mentioned yesterday, do not let these business prospects entangle you. Please stop this with immediate effect and focus exclusively on your function of distributing the ministry literature. The Lord will provide for the needs of the literature service. Who knows, the Lord might burden saints in the coming days to offer for Bibles for I like Bibles for A. Regarding your personal needs, as we told you yesterday, you may fellowship with us and we will definitely consider if anything can be done from Amana's side.

On a more personal note, we, as your brothers, urge you, brother, not to be enticed by easy money. To us, it sounds like a trap. Read the footnotes on the Ephah vessel and the woman sitting within the Ephah vessel. Also, search the ministry for pure commerce and study what the Bible says about trade. In Messages for Building Up New Believers (2) from CWWN, vol. 49, Brother Nee says the following. Please take time to read this carefully.

No brother engaging in pure commerce can be a responsible brother, for such a person can never be fully delivered from money. Our way is becoming clearer and clearer. God’s children must be fully delivered from the power of mammon. This is the only way for them to serve God and for the church to have a way to go on....

The more we work and produce, the more God will bless. The worst thing that can happen to us is that our brothers and sisters simply make a great deal of money. Nothing could be worse than this.....

We hope that all the new believers will earn their living by their own labor. We hope that they will not make money by taking in with one hand and taking out with the other. Our principle is to increase the abundance of the land, not the money in the world. If we do this, the money we receive will be clean, and when we offer it to God, it will be acceptable to Him. Every dollar will end up in a good place. Suppose a brother makes a basket and sells it and then offers the money to the Lord. This is much better than another brother who buys ten baskets, sells them, and then offers up his profit to the Lord. The amount of money offered may be the same, but the nature of the money is different. We hope that many brothers and sisters will see this principle. We must either labor with our hands or we must produce something. Both are according to the proper principles. I cannot forbid anyone from going into the business of pure commerce, but I would advise everyone to try his best to avoid pure commerce. This occupation will always drag a Christian down. We hope that the new believers among us will please the Lord in their choice of occupations.

As brothers, as we fellowshipped with you yesterday, please consider these verses carefully:

But godliness with contentment is great gain;

For we have brought nothing into the world, because neither can we carry anything out.

But having food and covering, with these we will be content.

But those who intend to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin.

For the love of money is a root of all evils, because of which some, aspiring after money, have been led away from the faith and pierced themselves through with many pains.

But you, O man of God, flee these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, meekness.

Fight the good fight of the faith; lay hold on the eternal life, to which you were called and have confessed the good confession before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:6-12

We need you and your service, brother. May the Lord bless you with the longevity of very faithful service to Him.

Your brothers,

SS and PR

Today, a month later, I received the confirmation from this brother that he would continue to serve the Lord as he has been doing so and requested prayers for His service and his function.

The Lord is sovereign. Prayers works and the Lord is always the Victor!