Concerning the way as to how to serve in this particular age, we need first of all to understand the conditions of the Church in this age. With regard to this, there are generally two different schools of thought. One school considers the Church as progressive: for in each period of Church history there has been the recovery of some special truth such as justification by faith, sanctification, and so forth. The other school, including such Brethren as John Nelson Darby, regards the Church today in a state of ruin: for, say they, if we consider the Church life of the first century in her absolute consecration and her faithful adherence to the teaching of the apostles—such as is described in Acts 2 and 4; and if we consider as well how the saints are to be perfected till the body of Christ attains to the measure of the stature of Christ’s fullness as is enunciated by Paul in Ephesians 4; and if we then compare these spiritual phenomena and expectations of the early Church with the actual condition of the Church today, the difference is vast beyond the telling.
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