1
Praise, praise ye the name of our Savior and God;
Declare, oh, declare ye His glories abroad;
Proclaim ye His mercy, from nation to nation,
Till the uttermost islands have heard His salvation.
Declare, oh, declare ye His glories abroad;
Proclaim ye His mercy, from nation to nation,
Till the uttermost islands have heard His salvation.
For His love floweth on, free and full as a river;
And His mercy endureth forever and ever.
And His mercy endureth forever and ever.
2
Praise, praise ye the Lamb, who for sinners was slain;
Who went down to the grave, and ascended again;
And who soon shall return, when these dark days are o'er,
To set up His kingdom, in glory and power.
Who went down to the grave, and ascended again;
And who soon shall return, when these dark days are o'er,
To set up His kingdom, in glory and power.
3
Then the heav'ns and the earth, and the sea shall rejoice;
The field and the forest shall lift their glad voice;
The sands of the desert shall flourish in green,
And Lebanon's glory be shed o'er the scene.
The field and the forest shall lift their glad voice;
The sands of the desert shall flourish in green,
And Lebanon's glory be shed o'er the scene.
4
Her bridal attire, and her festal array,
All nature shall see on that glorious day;
For her King cometh down with His people to reign,
And His presence shall bless her with glory in men.
All nature shall see on that glorious day;
For her King cometh down with His people to reign,
And His presence shall bless her with glory in men.
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THERE NEEDING TO BE A PLURALITY OF APOSTLES, PROPHETS, AND ELDERS
According to the Bible, there should always be a plurality of apostles, prophets, and elders. After calling His disciples, the Lord appointed twelve apostles (Matt. 10:2). Whenever the Lord sent out His disciples, He sent them two by two (Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1). The Lord never sent out an apostle alone. In Acts 13:2 Paul and Barnabas were sent out together as apostles. There is always a plurality in the apostleship. The same is true of the prophets and elders. There should always be several elders in a local church. The plurality in the apostleship, the prophethood, and the eldership is crucial because it helps prevent anyone from becoming a king among the churches.
There was no permanent leadership among the early apostles. Peter took the lead in Acts 2:14 , but in 15:13 James rose up to take the lead. This record shows that Peter was not the permanent, unique, official, or organizational leader. Instead, he was only a momentary leader; later, James became another momentary leader. If there is one apostle, prophet, or elder above the others, that one is a king, which is an insult to Christ’s headship and kingship.
The Lord has shown us that God does not want to have a human king in His administration. There was a king in the Old Testament, but that was against God’s desire. Thus, there is no king among God’s people in the New Testament age. It was the degradation among the children of Israel in the Old Testament that caused a king to come in. The desire of the children of Israel for a king was according to the custom of the nations, which is abominable in the eyes of God. We must be impressed that we should not have a king. We welcome the apostles, prophets, and elders, but we have only one king, who is our God, Savior, and Lord.
Basic Principles concerning the Eldership
Chapter 1 CWWL, 1978, vol. 3 (LSM)