2022 LORD’S MOVE TO ASIA (LMA) CONFERENCE
Message One
Propagating Aggressively in Unfavorable Environment
Scripture Reading: 2 Tim. 1:15; 2:9; Rev. 1:9-10; S. S. 4:8, 15; Dan. 11:32b; Phil. 3:13-14
I. Today, like Paul and John, we should not be bothered by the opposition and restriction in the environment; instead, we should turn to the Lord to see a clearer view of His economy—2 Tim. 1:15; Rev. 1:9-10:
A. Paul’s ministry was prevailing, but it met opposition, and eventually Paul was bound, put into prison, and ultimately martyred; humanly speaking, his ministry was terminated by his martyrdom; instead, God’s word was released through Paul in such an environment, and this word is still spreading today—2 Tim. 1:15.
B. John was exiled to the island of Patmos because he was faithful to God’s word and because he was for the testimony of Jesus; this island was in the middle of the ocean, with precipitous rocks and barrenness on all sides; under such circumstances, the glorious Christ revealed Himself to him and gave him new revelations—Rev. 1:9:
1. Although his body lost its freedom on the island of Patmos, his spirit was not bound; the island of Patmos could not block the heaven above his head; on the contrary, it brought his spirit in touch with heaven—v. 10.
2. John’s spirit was free and uninhibited by the surroundings; he had the life of ascension (Eph. 2:6); his spirit was neither bound nor stirred up by his soul, and he was able to fellowship freely with the Lord and receive fresh revelation.
II. We should not complain that the work has assigned us to a distant village and has never sent us to a good place; it is true that the work has made such an arrangement for us, but we should work on the barren land and turn it into a place that is as flourishing as Lebanon; wherever we go, we should have an enterprising spirit—1 Thes. 1:3; S. S. 4:8, 15; Dan. 11:32b:
A. In Matthew 25 the one-talented slave saw that the other slaves received either two talents or five talents; moreover, he considered that the environment was unfavorable; it seemed that the Lord did not arrange favorable circumstances for him; instead, the Lord wanted him to reap where He did not sow and gather where He did not winnow; the Lord does not bargain with us; we should work to the extent that we are able to reap where the Lord did not sow and gather where He did not winnow—vv. 14-30.
B. We need such an enterprising spirit so that whatever we do will be excellent; we need to say, “Lord, praise You; since You want me to reap, You need to be responsible for the reaping; even if I have to lay down my life, I would rise up against the environment”—1 Tim. 4:10; Phil. 3:13.
C. We must have a strong determination that anytime we go to a meeting, we must light a fire in that meeting; we need to be like Elijah, who called fire down from heaven even when the ground was covered with water (1 Kings 18:33-38); we all need this kind of attitude, this kind of spirit.
III. We should not allow any circumstance to quench our burden for the Lord’s work; we work even if the worst hardship befalls us; we work even if harsh poverty meets us; as long as we are clear that we are serving the Lord, we should charge forward without any fear—1 Tim. 1:7; Dan. 11:32b:
A. “Thirty-seven years ago, the situation in mainland China changed suddenly. At that time all the co-workers gathered together in Shanghai to prepare for the change. Brother Nee said specifically in that co-workers’ meeting that I should leave the country. Eventually, I was the only one who left; all the rest stayed behind for the Lord’s testimony.…Then suddenly I was sent to the small island of Taiwan.”
B. “When I first arrived in Taiwan, I did not know where I should meet.…When I returned to my dwelling, which was a small place with only two rooms, I fell on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I asked myself, ’What am I doing here in Taiwan?’…Everything around me was disappointing and discouraging.”
C. “However, since I was already in Taiwan, I reasoned, ’What can I say?’…So I took the train and visited Shin-ju, Taichung, Zhia-yi, Tainan, and Kaohsiung along the way. That visit gave me a burden. I felt that much could be done. When I returned, I fellowshipped with the brothers, and we decided to begin the work there.”
D. “Once we began our work, God’s blessing was there. We decided to preach the gospel, but the meeting place was not large enough.…We decided to contract some people to enclose it with bamboo fences, bricks, and wooden props. It provided a temporary overflow space for meeting. That space later became the “Workers’ Home.” This was how we began our work in Taiwan.”
E. Do not think that if we are rejected, we will have no more places to go; no matter how difficult the situation is, as long as we have the Lord’s presence, we can go against all odds; one characteristic of a Christian is that he can go against the tide and move forward by beholding the Lord’s face—Phil. 3:14; 1 Cor. 15:58.
F. When the missionaries came to China, they also faced trying situations; everywhere they went, they faced opposition and cold water; rocks were thrown at them, and some were even martyred; yet they were not discouraged; they pressed on and did not turn back for a moment; eventually, they opened the door of the gospel in that old, conservative land—Phil. 4:13-14; John 14:27.
G. We are not qualified to do the Lord’s work if our intention is to wait for all things to be ready before we preach the gospel; if we want to be in the Lord’s work, we must learn to strive even when there is nothing for us to work with—Dan. 11:32b; Phil. 4:13.
IV. We should not excuse ourselves, but should have an aggressive, bold, and daring spirit to carry out the Lord’s commission—”The secret to my work is that I do not know what difficulty is. I only know to give myself to work. I do not care for the result; I only care to labor diligently. You can say that my secret is simply to work. I do not care about the circumstances; I only care to work. For the past sixty years you can see the result of such work. As long as we work, there will be the result.”(The Ministry, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 14-15)
Ministry Excerpts:
NOT BEING BOTHERED
BY THE OPPOSITION AND RESTRICTION
IN THE ENVIRONMENT
BUT TURNING TO THE LORD
In 2 Timothy 1:15 Paul says, “This you know, that all who are in Asia turned away from me.” Paul’s word here meant that many in Asia who had formerly received his ministry now left and forsook his ministry. According to the record in the book of Acts, after Acts 12 there was a turn from Peter’s ministry to Paul’s (13:9-11) and from the Jewish region to the Gentile region (v. 46). Paul’s ministry was prevailing, but it met opposition, and eventually Paul was bound, put into prison, and ultimately martyred. Humanly speaking, his ministry was terminated by his martyrdom.
Of Paul’s fourteen Epistles, only six-I and 2 Corinthians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Galatians, and Romans-were written before he Was taken to Rome in bonds. The remaining eight were written during the time of his imprisonment. Without these eight Epistles, which Were the result of opposition, there would be a great lack in the Bible. God knew what kind of situation Paul needed in order for him to produce these crucial Epistles; thus, He allowed Paul to be opposed and imprisoned. However, even though Paul was imprisoned, the word of God was not bound (2 Tim. 2:9). Instead, God’s word was released through Paul in such an environment, and this word is still spreading today. (CWWL, 1982, vol. 1, “Releasing the Truth in the Midst of Opposition”)
Revelation 1:9 says, “I John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”…John was exiled to the island of Patmos because he was faithful to God’s word and because he was for the testimony of Jesus. This island was in the middle of the ocean, with precipitous rocks and barrenness on all sides. John was put in an uninhabited spot. Humanly speaking, this was lonely and pitiful! However, John did not murmur at all. He knew whom he was suffering for. Thank and praise God. Under such circumstances, the glorious Christ revealed Himself to him and gave him new revelations. The earth had diminished before John’s eyes, but heaven was opened to him!
…John’s spirit was free and uninhibited by the surroundings. He had the life of ascension (Eph. 2:6). His spirit was neither bound nor stirred up by his soul, and he was able to fellowship freely with the Lord and receive fresh revelation. Although his body lost its freedom on the island of Patmos, his spirit was not bound. The island of Patmos could not block the heaven above his head. On the contrary, it brought his spirit in touch with heaven. It is unfortunate that God’s children often misunderstand God’s ordained “Patmos.” (CWWN, vol. 34, “The Glorious Church,” msg. 1)
Today, like Paul and John, we should not be bothered by the opposition and restriction in the environment; instead, we should turn to the Lord to see a clearer view of His economy, to receive more of the governing vision in His Word, and to present the truth in a stronger way. In the midst of opposition, all the responsible ones in the churches need to take the lead to live such a life. The world situation has developed to such an extent that we are in the dark night. In such a situation the Lord needs a living testimony on the earth, and the shining of this testimony is most crucial. (CWWL, 1982, vol. 1, “Releasing the Truth in the Midst of Opposition”)
HAVING AN AGGRESSIVE, BOLD,
AND DARING SPIRIT
We must have a strong determination that anytime we go to a meeting, we must light a fire in that meeting. If we are shy and hesitating, we will only quench the fire, even quenching it quicker than any other person will. We will not be able to fire up anyone. We are all young people. If we want to work, we must work with enthusiasm and impact. We need to be like Elijah, who called fire down from heaven even when the ground was covered with water (1 Kings 18:33-38). We all need this kind of attitude, this kind of spirit.
Many times some co-workers asked me, “Brother Lee, what is the secret of your work?” I can say that the secret of my work is that I do not know what difficulty is. I know only to give myself to work. I do not care for the result; I care only to labor diligently. We can say that my secret is simply to work. I do not care about the circumstances; I care only to work. The result of this work during the past sixty years can be seen. As long as we work, there will be the result.
Thirty-seven years ago, the situation in mainland China changed suddenly. At that time all the co-workers gathered together in Shanghai to prepare for the change. Brother Nee said specifically in that co-workers’ meeting that I should leave the country. Eventually, I was the only one who left; all the rest stayed behind for the Lord’s testimony. At that time, Shanghai was the largest city in all of Southeast Asia. The church in Shanghai was the leading church among more than four hundred churches in the Lord’s recovery. Every week we published one periodical. All of this work was under my care. We even spent one hundred five thousand dollars (U.S.) to buy a piece of land and were prepared to build a three-thousand-seat meeting hall that would also accommodate two thousand people outside. Then suddenly I was sent to the small island of Taiwan.
When I first arrived in Taiwan, I did not know where I should meet. The brothers in Taipei invited me to speak on the Lord’s Day. When I went to the meeting place, I found out that it was a run-down house that occupied only a few square feet. As I entered the door, I had to take off my shoes. I was from north China; according to our custom it is impolite to take off one’s shoes. I had never taken off my shoes in public, but on that day I had to speak without my shoes on. I was afraid that I would not be able to deliver my message and that my spirit would be gone, but I went against my will and spoke. There were only a few dozen people sitting around in a scattered way. I groaned within. When I returned to my dwelling, which was a small place with only two rooms, I fell on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I asked myself, “What am I doing here in Taiwan?” As I looked at the pebbled streets outside the window and listened to the sound of the wooden clogs clattering on the road, I wondered what kind of work I could do there. I did not understand the native Taiwanese dialect, and everything around me was disappointing and discouraging.
However, since I was already in Taiwan, I reasoned, “What can I say?” The Chinese have a saying that when the goods arrive at the doorstep, the deal is done. Since I had already moved my “goods” to Taiwan, I had to “sell” them. If I did not sell my goods, they would spoil. After two months a thought came to me, and I believe that it was of the Lord. I asked myself, “Why don’t you take a trip along the railway route?” At that time there were a few hundred brothers and sisters in Taiwan who had just moved from mainland China. They were scattered in the few major cities along the railway route. So I took the train and visited Shin-ju, Taichung, Zhia-yi, Tainan, and Kaohsiung along the way. That visit gave me a burden. I felt that much could be done. When I returned, I fellowshipped with the brothers, and we decided to begin the work there.
I believe the senior co-workers among us remember that at the beginning of our work in Taiwan the first meeting hall in Taipei was only one-half the size of what it is today. The land was donated by two overseas Chinese brothers, and we erected a temporary canopy with wooden beams for our meetings. Once we began our work, God’s blessing was there. We decided to preach the gospel, but the meeting place was not large enough. The land across the street from the hall was an unassigned plot, and nothing was on it yet. We decided to contract some people to enclose it with bamboo fences, bricks, and wooden props. It provided a temporary overflow space for meeting. That space later became the “Workers’ Home.” This was how we began our work in Taiwan.
NOT ALLOWING ANY CIRCUMSTANCE
TO QUENCH OUR BURDEN FOR THE LORD’S WORK
We should not allow any circumstance to quench our burden for the Lord’s work. We work even if the worst hardship befalls us. We work even if harsh poverty meets us. As long as we are clear that we are serving the Lord, we should charge forward without any fear. Do not think that if we are rejected, we will have no more places to go. Do not say that it is impossible to have a home meeting that has only one believer because the rest of the household worships idols. This is to pour cold water on ourselves. This is to quench the fire. If we do that, it is no wonder that we cannot bring life into the situation. No matter how difficult the situation is, as long as we have the Lord’s presence, we can go against all odds. One characteristic of a Christian is that he can go against the tide and move forward by beholding the Lord’s face. When the missionaries came to China, they also faced trying situations. Everywhere they went, they faced opposition and cold water. Rocks were thrown at them, and some were even martyred. Yet they were not discouraged. They pressed on and did not turn back for a moment. Eventually, they opened the door of the gospel in that old, conservative land.
…I say this to show that we are not qualified to do the Lord’s work if our intention is to wait for all things to be ready before we preach the gospel. If we want to be in the Lord’s work, we must learn to strive even when there is nothing for us to work with. (CWWL, 1986, vol. 2, “Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 1: The Vision and Definite Steps for the Practice of the New Way,” ch. 8)