A.　The Lord is longing for local churches to be built up on this earth today, for wherever a local church is built, there the glory of God will be manifested.

B.　God’s intention on the earth is to have the church built up in locality after locality; once the church was produced on the earth, the glory of God was expressed on the earth and filled the church.

II.　“And in the first month…; Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle”—Exo. 40:17-34:

A.　The glory of God was in heaven, but at that time; God’s glory immediately filled the tabernacle.

B.　From that time onward, the tabernacle became God’s dwelling place on earth, the place where God’s glory rested; and God Himself came to dwell among them and camp among them.

III.　When the Israelites came out of Egypt they brought away much treasure with them; and use it to construct the Tabernacle; but some of them went to construct a golden calf and was lost to God—Exo. 32:24:

A.　God caused the Egyptians to give the children of Israel gold and other precious things; this gold was to be used for building up the tabernacle; But before this gold was used for the building up of God’s dwelling place, Satan came in to usurp the gold and use it to make an idol—v. 24.

B.　God has given us many things; But before we use these things to worship and glorify God, the enemy tries to come in to usurp what God has given us and to waste it.

C.　The same material could be directed toward different objects; one object was an idol; the other object was the tabernacle; If we love the Lord to the uttermost, they would never have wasted the gold by using it for earrings; instead, they would have kept it for the Lord’s use.

IV.　“Each one as he has purposed in his heart, not out of sorrow or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver”—2 Cor. 9:7:

A.　God loves a cheerful giver; the Greek word translated cheerful may also be rendered hilarious or gleeful; in our giving we should be cheerful, gleeful, hilarious—Prov. 22:8.

B.　To serve in the church is to be loved by God as a cheerful giver—2 Cor. 9:7.

V.　“And my God will fill your every need according to His riches, in glory, in Christ Jesus”—Phil. 4:19:

A.　Our giving will not be in vain; Those who did care for God’s need all received a bountiful blessing.

B.　The more we give, the more we will see the Lord’s riches; if we are taking care of God’s need, God would give us a great blessing in filling every need of ours according to His riches.

VI.　“Now He who bountifully supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and cause the fruits of your righteousness to increase. You in everything are being enriched unto all liberality, which works out through us thanksgiving to God”—2 Cor. 9:10-11:

A.　We should sow more and in turn reap more; the goal is not to make ourselves rich; the result is the abounding of thanksgivings to God.

B.　If the saints in the Lord’s recovery are willing to give, the recovery will never be lacking in material supply; instead of lack, there will be abounding in thanksgiving to the Lord through many saints—Titus 3:13; Heb. 1:24.

Hymns 1254　This is the time for building the temple of the Lord

1

This is the time for building the temple of the Lord

That all the local churches may fully be restored.

’Tis not the time for our house while God’s house lieth waste—

O brothers, for God’s building, rise up, make haste!

Be strong, be strong, God’s dwelling place to build!

The Lord of hosts is with us, with His glory ’twill be filled!

Be strong, be strong, and work in one accord,

That all the nations may behold the temple of the Lord.

2

O hear, the Lord is speaking: Consider now your ways,

Ye sow and bring in little, for lacking is My praise.

Go up into the mountain, material to provide,

And build My house that I may be glorified.

3

Ye who are priests, ye remnant of Christians now obey—

The Lord Himself is with us, whatever men may say,

With spirits stirred and burning, now let us come to work;

May none his part with others in building shirk.

4

I’ll fill this house with glory, the Lord of hosts has said,

And the desire of nations will be exhibited.

Its glory will be greater than all that’s gone before,

And we will share this glory forevermore.

(Inner circulated among saints in Ontario)

WEEK 2—DAY 1

Eph. 3:21　To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen.

Matt. 6:33　But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

God’s eternal intention is to build for Himself a glorious dwelling place, a glorious church, among His saved ones through the life of His Son. Therefore, all the work that God is doing upon us who have been saved is for us to be built together to become a spiritual house in which He can live. (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 1, “The Vision of the Building of the Church,” ch. 2)

The ultimate goal of God is to have a group of saved persons in this age who stand on the ground of oneness in every locality, experiencing Christ as their life, being members one of another, and serving and coordinating together to build up the habitation of God, in which He may dwell for His rest and satisfaction and through which He may express Himself This is the glorious work that God desires to carry out on the dark and corrupted earth in this evil and adulterous generation. The accomplishment of this work will be a great shame to Satan, God’s enemy.

By this accomplishment God will show Satan that He is able to rescue a group of sinners out of Satan’s authority of darkness and build up His children, His saved ones, into a glorious church as His dwelling place for His expression on the Satan-usurped earth. This is what God intends to recover in the final stage of His work. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 4, “The Way of the Lord’s Recovery,” ch. 8)

In the end of Ephesians 3, he praised God for being glorified in the church and in Christ Jesus. Glory in verse 21 means that God is greatly released and expressed in the church; this is glory. God being glorified in the church means that He is fully expressed in the church. No matter what our present condition is, we should have the faith that the New Jerusalem will eventually be manifested. At that time, we will see that the glory of God illumines the city, and the lamp of the city is the Lamb; light shines forth from the lamp to illumine the entire city (Rev. 21:23). (CWWL, 1952, vol. 2, “How to Administrate the Church”, msg. 9)

There is one thing that greatly glorifies the Lord, which is the saints here have definitely grown. This growth is not personal or individualistic; it is a growth by all the saints being coordinated and built together. This is God’s blessing, and it is what He desires. His desire is to save a group of people, to work Himself into them, and to continually carry out the work of transformation in them until they can be coordinated together into one Body and be built together into a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5). Then God will have a dwelling place, and Christ will be expressed. This is what God is doing, and this is what Satan hates. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 4, “The Goal of God’s Economy,” ch. 4)

Matthew 6: 33 says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” We all need to spend our energy, our time, and our money for the church life. This is a glory to the Father, a shame to the enemy, and a great blessing to the people who live around us. If we are faithful and genuine toward the Lord, even the city where we live will be blessed through our faith. (CWWL, 1970, vol. 1, “Fulfilling God’s Purpose by Growing in Life and Functioning in Life to Build up the Church,” ch.7)

WEEK 2—DAY 2

Ezek. 10:4　And the glory of Jehovah rose up from the cherub to a place above the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of Jehovah.

Exo. 40:34　Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.

Immediately after the tabernacle of God was completed and raised up…that the glory of God filled the tabernacle (Exo. 40:34-38). That was perhaps the first time in history that God’s glory was physically manifested…The day the glory of God filled the tabernacle was truly a great moment, because God had gained a dwelling place on the earth. Suppose that there was a group of God’s children who were truly willing to learn to mutually coordinate in the life of God and to be joined with one another and built together to be the Body as God’s spiritual habitation so that God could rest in it. We would have to believe that wherever there was such a group of people, God Himself would be expressed and glorified among them! There is nothing on the earth that could be more glorious than this! (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 1, “The Vision of the Building of the Church”, msg. 5)

The tabernacle is a picture of the building up of the New Testament believers into God’s dwelling place on earth. After the Old Testament tabernacle was erected, it was filled with the glory of God. From that time onward, the tabernacle became God’s dwelling place on earth, the place where His glory rested. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “Truth Messages,” ch. 10)

God’s glory on this earth can only be manifested in and through His building. When the tabernacle was completely set up, God’s glory immediately filled His building. The glory of God was in heaven, but at that time it appeared on the earth in the tabernacle. This was only possible because of the building.

The Lord is longing for local churches to be built up on this earth today, for wherever a local church is built, there the glory of God will be manifested. The manifestation of God’s glory on earth today wholly depends on the building. The manifestation of God’s glory is the very expression of God. The building of God is this expression, the very image of God.

The tabernacle, and later the temple as an enlargement of the tabernacle, were built for the purpose of expressing God. They were both the image of God. The city, which came later, was the representation of God’s authority. We have seen that God’s intention in creating man was that man might express Him on this earth by having His image and represent Him on this earth by having His authority. Later in history, the temple in the image of God was for the expression of God, and the city with the authority of God was for the representation of God. In other words, the temple is the house of God, and the city is the kingdom of God. The glory of God filled the tabernacle and later the temple. This means that they became the very expression of God, the glorious image of God. God is expressed in and through His dwelling-place. Whenever and wherever a local church is built, God’s glory will be manifested on this earth. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 4, “The Vision of God’s Building,” ch. 9)

What is the story of the tabernacle and the temple? Simply speaking, it is a story of building. After the Israelites held the Passover, left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, and arrived at Mount Sinai and after they received the law of God and saw the heavenly pattern, the one thing they did together with one mind and with a united effort was to build the tabernacle. Among the children of Israel were men who worked in wood, bronze, silver, and gold, as well as weavers. They all worked in cooperation to build the tabernacle. On the first day of the first month of the second year, at the commencement of a new year, they raised up the tabernacle according to the command of God. At that time, the glory of God filled the tabernacle, and God Himself came to dwell among them. From that day on, God had a dwelling place or habitation on the earth, and He dwelt among the children of Israel. (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 1, “The Vision of the Building of the Church,” msg.3)

WEEK 2—DAY 3

Exo. 12:36　And Jehovah gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

In Exodus Jehovah charged Moses to tell the children of Israel that before they left Egypt, they should ask the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold and clothing. In this way, when they went out of Egypt, they plundered the Egyptians’ material possessions (3:22; 12:35-36). Some think that this seems to depict God as a robber. Actually, all things are God’s, and He has the authority over all things. However, He Himself would not do things directly. Rather, He asked His people, the children of Israel, to plunder Egypt of its material possessions. Today in our work we should produce not only people but also material possessions for the Lord’s sake. What the children of Israel plundered can be considered as the righteous wages that they deserved for their long-term labor as slaves in Egypt. Moreover, the material possessions that they gained were for the building up of the tabernacle. This signifies that we should labor in the world and then use what we have gained through our labor for the building up of God’s dwelling place. (CWWL, 1986, vol. 3, “The Practice of Preaching the Gospel by Door-knocking,” ch. 1)

God has given us many things not for self-beautification, but for us to worship God and glorify Him. But before we use these things to worship and glorify God, the enemy tries to come in to usurp what God has given us and to waste it.

Idolatry is Satan’s usurping of what God has given us in order to make it a waste. In Exodus 32 the children of Israel wasted much of the gold that had been given to them by God…God defeated the Egyptians, and they gave gold to the people of Israel. But before this gold was used for the building up of God’s dwelling place, Satan came in to usurp the gold and use it to make an idol. Actually, before the calf was made, Satan had already usurped the gold so that it might be used to make earrings. If the children of Israel had loved the Lord to the uttermost, they would never have wasted the gold by using it for earrings. Instead, they would have kept it for the Lord’s use. (Life-study of Exodus, msg. 173)

The essence of the world is money. Whenever you touch money you touch the world. The question arises, How can we take a thing which we know assuredly to be of the world, and yet not become involved with the world system? How can we handle and do business with money, that most worldly of worldly things, and not, in doing so, become implicated with Satan? Still more to the point, since nothing can be done today without paying for it, how is it possible for us to take money, that thing which is a supreme factor in building up the kingdom of antichrist, and use it to build up the kingdom of Christ?

The widow who dropped her mite into the temple treasury did something so acceptable to the Lord that she received from him special commendation. What in fact she did was just this: she took something out of the kingdom of Satan and contributed it to the kingdom of God. And Jesus approved. So how, let us ask ourselves, is such a transfer made? How is it possible to take money, which in its character is essentially unrighteous, and with it build up the kingdom of God? How can you make sure that all connection between the world and the money in your pocket has been severed? Do you dare to say that none of the money in your possession figures in Satan’s books?

Here, then, is a vital question for each one of us to answer: Does the money I am touching today represent shekels of the sanctuary or the mammon of unrighteousness? Whenever I receive a dollar, or whenever I earn a dollar, let me make sure that that dollar is instantly converted from world currency into the currency of the sanctuary. Money can be our destruction, but money can also be our protection. Do not despise money; its value is too real for that. It can be of great account to the Lord. If you yourself come heart and soul out of the world, then you can, if God so wills it, bring many precious things out of the world with you. When the Israelites came out of Egypt they brought away much treasure with them. They spoiled the Egyptians, and the spoil they carried away with them went to construct the Tabernacle. Some too, we recall, went to construct a golden calf and was lost to God. But when God’s people left Egypt the Tabernacle, at least in its materials, left Egypt with them. Egyptian gold, silver, copper, linen-all was converted and contributed to the sanctuary of God. (CWWN, vol. 39, “Love Not The World,” ch. 11)

WEEK 2—DAY 4

2 Cor. 9:7　Each one as he has purposed in his heart, not out of sorrow or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

1 Tim. 6:18-19　To do good, to be rich in good works, to be ready to distribute, to be ones willing to share; Laying away for themselves a good foundation as a treasure for the future, that they may lay hold on that which is really life.

In 2 Cor. 9:7 Paul says, “Each one as he has purposed in his heart, not out of sorrow or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.” This comes from Proverbs 22:9, where the Septuagint reads, “God loves a cheerful and liberal man.” The Greek word rendered cheerful also means hilarious, gleeful.

In verse 9 Paul speaks of righteousness abiding forever. Generous giving is, on the one hand, a blessing to the receivers, and, on the other hand, righteousness in the eyes of both God and man. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 48)

We should not be sorrowful in giving. Instead, we should be joyful. If we are sorrowful in giving, it may be better not to give anything. Furthermore, our giving should not be of necessity. The Greek word rendered necessity here is the same as that used in chapter six. It means that we are pressed into something, forced into it. To give out of necessity indicates that giving is a calamity to us. We should not give because we are forced; neither should we give if we feel that giving is a calamity. In the thought of some, giving material possessions is like suffering a calamity. Giving should certainly not be like this with us. As Paul says in this verse, God loves a cheerful giver. The Greek word translated cheerful may also be rendered hilarious or gleeful. In our giving we should be cheerful, gleeful, hilarious. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 49)

1 Timothy concludes with 6:16. However, in verses 17 through 19 Paul gives an additional charge to the rich. Verse 17 says, “Charge those who are rich in the present age not to be high-minded, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God Who affords us all things richly for our enjoyment.” This word may be regarded as a supplement to 6:7-10.

Verses 18 and 19 continue, “To do good, to be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying away for themselves as a treasure a good foundation for the future, that they may lay hold on that which is really life.” Doing good here refers to the ready distribution of material things to the needy and the willing communication with such needs. To be rich in good works is to be rich according to God’s pleasure (Eph.2:10), not only in material things. The expression “a good foundation for the future” refers to the next age (compared with the present age in verse 17), the kingdom age, when the overcoming saints will enjoy the Lord’s reward. For this we all need to lay a good foundation in the present age as a treasure for us to enjoy in the future. Those who are rich in this age should use their riches in such a way that they lay away as a treasure a good foundation for the future.

In verse 19 Paul charges Timothy to encourage the rich to “lay hold on that which is really life.” This life is the eternal life referred to in verse 12. Material riches are for the human natural life in this age, which is temporal and hence not real. If we do good with material things, we accomplish something for the real life, laying away a treasure for our enjoyment in the eternal life in the next age. This requires us to lay hold on God’s eternal life, which is the real life. Otherwise, we shall lay hold on our human natural life in laying away a treasure of material riches for a life in this age, a life that is not real. We should care for the eternal life rather than for the natural life. (Life-study of 1 Timothy, msg. 12)

Lord has blessed us greatly in material supply. Today the assets and income of most of the saints far exceed their need. The question is whether or not we are truly for the Lord. Have we truly consecrated our all to the Lord? When we all put our shoulders together, we can build a city. When everyone gives a hand, we can lift many things easily. If everyone puts in his share, we will more than meet our needs. (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. 16)

WEEK 2—DAY 5

Phil. 4:18-19　The things from you, a sweet-smelling savor, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will fill your every need according to His riches, in glory, in Christ Jesus.

Train the saints who love the Lord so much. It is regrettable that in the past they did not receive the adequate education or instruction in this matter. The more they would spend for the Lord, the more they have the blessing spoken of in Philippians 4:19. Give this verse to all the dear ones who love the Lord and are full-time to make money and to give. This verse is a great blessing. Quite often when I receive a gift from a dear saint, I quote this verse as a conclusion to my letter of acknowledgment: “My God shall fill every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Because you are taking care of God’s need, God would give you a great blessing in filling every need of yours according to His riches. I have seen in the past that those who did care for God’s need all received a bountiful blessing. The saints’ giving will not be in vain. The more they give, the more they will see the Lord’s riches. (CWWL, 1986, vol. 1, “Elders’ Training, Book 8: The Life Pulse of the Lord’s Present Move,” ch. 2)

It is merely a low practice to give ten percent. God is not a beggar; do not treat Him as one. You should honor Him as the very bountiful Giver who affords you all the riches. All your riches come from Him. It was and still is up to Him whether you will be rich or not. It is not according to your plan of what you should do and have. You simply must labor day and night. He then will follow your labor to bless you, not for your enterprise, but for the spreading of His kingdom. (CWWL, 1986, vol. 1, “Elders’ Training, Book 8: The Life Pulse of the Lord’s Present Move,” ch.9)

Man thinks he earns all of his money by his own effort. Little does he realize that he will earn nothing but trouble unless he operates according to God’s principle. As believers we should live on earth by looking to God for everything. Without God’s mercy, we cannot pass our days. The apostle told us not to trust in the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who affords us all things richly for our enjoyment (1 Tim. 6:17). Riches are uncertain. Only God who sits on the throne is eternally secure. It is true that we have problems, but we have the Lord, and He can take care of all our needs. (CWWN, vol. 61, “Matured Leadings in the Lord’s Recovery (1),” msg. 6)

In Luke 16:12 the Lord goes on to say, “And if you have not become faithful in that which belongs to another, who will give to you that which is your own?” It is not God’s intent in His New Testament economy for the New Testament believers to care for material possessions. Though the material things in this world were created by God and belong to Him (1Chron.29:14, 16), they have been corrupted by man’s fall (Rom.8:20-21) and usurped by Satan the evil one (1John5:19). Hence, they belong to fallen man and are unrighteous (Luke16:9). While God does supply the believers with their daily necessities from the material things of this age (Matt.6:31-33) and commits to them as His stewards a portion of these material goods for their exercise and learning that He may prove them in this age, none of these goods should be considered theirs until the restitution of all things in the next age (Acts3:21). Not till then will the believers inherit the world (Rom.4:13) and have an abiding possession (Heb.10:34) for themselves. In this age they should exercise to be faithful in the temporary material things God has given them so that they may learn faithfulness toward their eternal possession in the coming age.

As one who has been serving the Lord and the churches for more than half a century, I can testify that any Christian group whose members give faithfully and consistently ten percent of their income will have money in abundance. Statistics concerning church finance prove this. Certain groups require their members to pledge ten percent of their income, and these groups always have money in abundance. The point here is not that we make a legal requirement of giving ten percent of our income. The point is that those who faithfully give a tithe of their income never lack for money. (Life-study of Luke, msg. 36)

WEEK 2—DAY 6

2 Cor. 9:10-11　Now He who bountifully supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and cause the fruits of your righteousness to increase. You in everything are being enriched unto all liberality, which works out through us thanksgiving to God.

Second Corinthians 9:6-10 also contains great promises of God. Here Paul says, “Take note of this: He who sows sparingly shall also sparingly reap; and he who sows with blessings shall also with blessings reap; each one as he has purposed in his heart, not out of sorrow or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound unto you, that, in everything always having all sufficiency, you may abound unto every good work; even as it is written, ‘He has scattered abroad; he has given to the poor; his righteousness abides forever.’ Now He who bountifully supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and cause the fruits of your righteousness to increase.” In this passage we see at least two great promises. On the one hand, if we sow with blessings, we will reap with blessings, for God will bountifully supply seed to us. On the other hand, if we sow sparingly, we will reap sparingly. Consequently, we will be unable to enjoy the generous divine nature within us and to see God’s blessing in His generosity. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 389)

In 9:6 Paul says, “But this: he who sows sparingly, sparingly also shall reap; and he who sows with blessings, with blessings also shall reap.” Literally, the Greek word rendered “with” means upon. The blessings here are first bountiful givings as blessings to others, and then bountiful harvests as blessings from God. It is a natural law ordained by God that if we sow sparingly, we shall also reap sparingly, but if we sow with blessings, we shall also reap with blessings.

From the children of Israel’s experience of gathering manna in the wilderness, we learn that our income is actually a kind of manna. The supply of manna did not depend on the gathering by the children of Israel. On the contrary, it depended on God’s raining. If God had not sent down the manna, how could the children of Israel have gathered anything? Their gathering of manna was altogether dependent upon God’s raining of the manna. The principle is the same with your income. You may think that your income depends on your working or on your job. But who gave you that job? The job was provided by God.

On the one hand, He sends the manna. On the other hand, He supplies the seed for sowing and the bread for food. If we have a deep realization of this, we shall not worry about our future. The Lord Jesus said, “Do not be anxious for tomorrow” (Matt.6:34).…We should take care of God’s need and His purpose. He then will take care of our future. Our future is not under our own care; it is under the care of our Father. It is not according to our gathering, but according to God’s raining of manna. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 12)

Consecration is a sowing. The result of sowing is not loss but gain—multiplied gain. If we sow one seed, we will reap thirty, sixty, or even one hundredfold. Therefore, in order to gain we must first sow our seed. If we want to reap, we must sow. Only consecration can give us a rich harvest. A person who is not consecrated cannot see God’s riches, but praise the Lord, a truly consecrated person cannot help but express God’s riches. Although he is not as rich as many worldly people, he is always a channel of transmission flowing out God’s riches and enriching many (6:10). This should be our condition. We should let everything flow out so that God’s riches can flow in. We should sow everything to bring in the abundant harvest of God’s riches.

We should not save up, shut up, or withhold. We must flow out, sow, and consecrate. Consecration is always the way to bring in God’s blessing. The more we consecrate, the more we bring in God’s blessing. The degree of God’s blessing depends on the degree of our consecration. When we withhold ourselves and what we have, we block the path for God’s blessing. What we put forth and give up for the Lord, the gospel, the church, and sinners may seemingly empty our hands to the point of having nothing, but something great will flow in and out of us. This is true in regard to spiritual things even more than material things. Oh, the way of consecration not only brings in God’s blessing but even more, God Himself! May we all take this way. May we all consecrate. (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 3, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, vol. 1” topic 23)