Week One—Week Twenty-Four

Week One

The Mingled Spirit

The Mingled Spirit (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, open our eyes that we may know the mysterious things the same as You know them. Lord, cause us to consider our own spirit as important as You consider the heaven and the earth and make us live and work in our spirit.

Zech. 12:1 …Thus declares Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him….

The Spirit of Man Being Created by God Particularly

The spirit of man was created by God, in a particular sense, to complete God’s purpose in the creation of the heavens and the earth…Zechariah 12:1 says that God stretched forth the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him. Zechariah put these three things together: the heavens, the earth, and the spirit of man. The heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and man has a spirit for God. Thus, man is the center of God’s creation, and the center of man is his spirit.

The Human Spirit Being Ranked with the Heavens and the Earth

In the eyes of God there are three great things in this universe: the heavens, the earth, and man. In the universe God pays attention to the heavens, the earth, and the spirit of man.Therefore, do not despise yourself. You have a spirit within you, and your spirit is ranked with the heavens and the earth. The heavens are for the earth. Without the heavens, the earth could not survive. The things we enjoy on earth, such as sunshine and rain, come from the heavens. Furthermore, the earth is for man. Things brought forth by the earth, such as crops, are suitable to meet man’s needs for his survival. But the most precious thing in man is his spirit. The human spirit is for God; it is used to contain God. The heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and man is for God.

Christian Living Depending on the Spirit

When we were saved, everything regarding salvation happened in our spirit. After we have been saved, our progress in life before the Lord is also a matter in the spirit. Thus, the progress of a Christian is the growth of a Christian in the spirit. Christian living, work, and even prayer all depend on the spirit.

(The Spirit with Our Spirit, ch. 1; Spiritual Reality, ch. 1)

The Mingled Spirit (II)

Prayer:

O, dear Lord, thank you for keeping my breath and bringing me into a new day. Lord Jesus, empty and purify my heart. I confess that I am just a humble earthen vessel. I give this whole day to You.

Gen. 2:7 Jehovah God formed man with the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.

Our Spirit Being a Vessel to Contain God

Genesis tells us that God created man in His image and according to His likeness (1:26) because the purpose of God’s creation of man is that man would be a vessel to contain Him. … The reason God created man exactly the same as He is is so that He may put Himself into man. However, the process through which God puts Himself into man is not that simple, because God is too mysterious. God as Spirit cannot put Himself into man, unless man has a spirit. Thus, the Bible tells us that when God created man, He not only created man in His image, but He also created a spirit in man. How wonderful this is! God Himself … come into man, God created a spirit for man.

Using Our Spirit to Contact God

We cannot contact God with our body or by our mental consideration because God is Spirit. If we want to contact God, we must use our spirit (John 4:24) because the human spirit is the organ for man to contact God. This may be compared to the receiver in a radio, which is the part that receives the radio waves in the air. …When we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, we receive the Lord Jesus because the Lord’s name is just the Lord Himself. Furthermore, when we call on the Lord’s name, this Spirit enters into our spirit to regenerate and save us. Then the Lord Jesus becomes our life and everything to us in our spirit and thus becomes the real satisfaction within us.

(Spiritual Reality, ch. 1; The Subjective Experience of the Indwelling Christ, ch. 2)

The Mingled Spirit (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, this morning I call upon You with my spirit and seek you in my spirit. Please guide me concerning the things I should do and lead me concerning the way I should go that I may live in Your presence.

Rom. 8:16 The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.

The Spirit Being Mingled with Our Spirit to Become One Spirit

God is Spirit, and when we are saved, God as the Spirit enters into our spirit. …whenever we turn to our spirit and are in our spirit, we meet Him because He has been mingled with our spirit to become one spirit. When we turn to our spirit, we actually turn to Him as the Spirit. Our entire Christian living should be one that is lived out from the spirit.

Knowing the Spirit by Experience

What really is the spirit? It is hard for the mind to understand; we can know the spirit only by experience. For instance, many times our mind reasons out a certain matter, and our will is also in agreement, but deep within us there is something troubling us. That something is a mysterious thing, which is unexplainable, and that is the story of the spirit. Take another case: When a man is poor, all he needs is clothing, food, and shelter, and all he thinks about is how to make money. After he becomes rich and all these material necessities are fully supplied, then he feels … an emptiness deep within him. Then one day he calls, “O Lord Jesus!” It is then that he is satisfied within.

Calling “O Lord!” with Our Spirit

It is not by considering Him with our mind but by calling “O Lord!” with our spirit. Suppose your husband or your wife … provoking you to anger. This will stir up your mind to think, “How unreasonable this is! How can he do this to me?” Then your whole being will be usurped by the mind, and even though you pray, you will not be able to touch the Lord. Therefore, we must learn how to contact the Lord with our spirit. The Lord is Spirit. To contact Him, who is Spirit, we must use our spirit. He as the Spirit is in our spirit. In our spirit there is a mutual fellowship and a mingling of the two spirits.

(Spiritual Reality, ch. 7)

The Mingled Spirit (IV)

Prayer:

O,Lord Jesus, thisvery morning we turn to you and open ourselves to You from deep within. O, Lord Jesus, we are willing to stop ourselves and the activities of our soul to call on You from our deepest part that our whole being may become clear.

John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness.

God Is Spirit and That Those Who Worship Him Must Worship in Spirit

God is Spirit. Thus, in order for Him to enter into man, He had to create a spirit in man (Zech. 12:1). Man’s spirit is a vessel to contain God. The human spirit receives the Spirit of God and interacts with His Spirit, and the two become one (Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 6:17). Man’s contact with God are altogether not in the mind, emotion, or will but in the spirit. The Lord Jesus told us that God is Spirit and that those who worship Him must worship in spirit (John 4:24). Our worship of God does not depend on any outward place; it is the same here or there, inside or outside. What is crucial is our spirit. Because God is Spirit, we must contact Him in spirit.

Stopping the Activities of Our Soul and Calling on the Lord from Our Deepest Part

In order to contact God in spirit, sometimes we have to stop the activities of our body and our soul, and then we have to cry out to God and call on the Lord Jesus from our deepest part. If we do this, immediately there will be light within us. Whenever we stop the activities of our body and our soul, allow the Spirit to work in us, and call from our spirit, “O God! O Lord Jesus,” then, instead of being in our outward activities, we remain in our spirit, the innermost part of our being. At that moment, we know for sure that the existence of God is a reality.

(Spiritual Reality, ch. 5; The Subjective Experience of the Indwelling Christ, ch. 9)

The Mingled Spirit (V)

Prayer:

O, dear Lord, cover us, purify us, and anoint us. We’d like to exercise to be one spirit with You. Lord Jesus, anoint our lips that no corrupt word would proceed out of our mouth, and we would give grace to others. Amen!

1 Cor. 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

We Having Become One Spirit with the Lord

The Bible also tells us that as soon as we repent and believe in the Lord Jesus, His redeeming blood cleanses us from our sins and His Spirit enters our spirit. The Lord in whom we believe is the God who created the universe; He is the real and living One. This God who is Spirit has actually entered into us. …Therefore, 1 Corinthians 6:17 says that we have become one spirit with the Lord.

The Highest Christian Life

The highest Christian life is a life of the two spirits becoming one spirit. This surpasses ethics and morality. Today you and I do not merely have a conscience, the innate knowledge of good and the innate ability to do good, or the bright virtue, nor do we only have a created spirit. Within our created spirit we also have the Spirit of God, who is our Redeemer and who became the life-giving Spirit. Today I want to help everyone to practice living by this mingled spirit, that is, to practice being one spirit with the Lord.

Exercising to Be One Spirit with the Lord

Since the Lord is mingled with our spirit, and the two spirits have become one spirit, how do we need to exercise? We need to exercise in all our daily living and actions that the body will not be our starting point nor will the soul be our consideration, but that the spirit will be our center. We need to exercise according to this spirit. Are you going to argue with your wife? You must do it according to the spirit. Are you going to be angry? You must be angry according to the spirit. Some may then say that once we are according to the spirit, we will neither argue nor be angry; this is right. To be according to the spirit is simply to exercise the spirit.

(A Living of Mutual Abiding with the Lord in Spirit, ch. 5)

The Mingled Spirit (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, when we call on You in the morning, please make us not be an idle man. For the looseness will weaken us and cause us to backslide, and also cannot make us be burning in spirit. Lord, please strengthen us moment by moment! Amen!

2 Tim. 1:6-7 …fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you….For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of sobermindedness.

Spirit of Power, Love, and Sobermindedness

The spirit given to us by God is of power, of love, and of sobermindedness. Power belongs to our will. Love belongs to our emotion. Sobermindedness belongs to our mind. God has given us a spirit of these three things. Our will should be strong, full of power; our emotion should be loving, full of love; and our mind should be sober, full of sobermindedness.

Fanning Your Spirit into Flame

Our God-given spirit is what we must fan into flame…If you want to fan your spirit into flame, you need to open up your mouth, open up your heart, and open up your spirit. You need to open these three layers of your being. You have to use your mouth to say, “O Lord Jesus.” …Then you need to go even deeper by using your mouth with your heart and with your spirit to say, “O Lord Jesus.” This is to open up your spirit from deep within. Then the fire burns.

When We Say, “O Lord,” We Touch the Lord

To call on the Lord by saying, “O Lord” is a habit of exercising our spirit. To say “O Lord” as soon as you rise up in the morning makes a big difference. If you rise up in the morning without saying anything, you may pray in a routine way without really touching the Lord. This is because there is no exercise of your spirit. We have to build up a habit of saying, “O Lord.” When we say, “O Lord,” we touch the Lord.

(The Spirit with Our Spirit, ch. 8)

Week Two

Calling upon the Name of the Lord

Calling upon the Name of the Lord (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Your name is Yourself. You Yourself is beautiful, lovely, rich, and perfect. You deserve our calling, thanks, and praise. Lord Jesus, every morning we shall call upon You. We treasure You Yourself.

Rom. 10:13 For “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The Need of Calling upon the Name of the Lord

Why do we need to call on the name of the Lord? Men need to call on the name of the Lord in order to be saved. Suppose a particular person hears the gospel and begins to believe in the Lord. You can help him to be saved by having him pray to the Lord in a very quiet way, and I have seen many persons saved in this manner. However, if you would not only help him to pray, but also to call upon the name of the Lord, his experience of salvation would be much stronger. The first way, the way of praying quietly, does help people to be saved, but not so richly. The second way, the way of calling loudly, helps people to be saved in a richer and more thorough way.

Being Rescued from Trouble

Another reason for calling on the Lord is to be rescued from distress, and from sorrow and pain. People who have argued about calling on the Lord found themselves calling on Him when they were subject to a certain trouble or illness. When our lives are free from trouble, we will argue about calling on the Lord. However, when trouble comes, there will be no need for anyone to tell you to call on Him. You will call spontaneously. Calling on the Lord rescues us and delivers us. We need to call on the Lord when in distress and trouble.

When You Call, “O Lord Jesus!” He Comes

The Lord Jesus is real; therefore, when you call, He comes, and the One who comes is the Spirit. Do not think that calling upon the name of the Lord is a small matter; you cannot call upon the name of the Lord Jesus without any result. When you call, “O Lord Jesus!” He comes … Do you need redemption? Redemption is in Him. Do you need power? Power is in Him. Do you need life? Life is in Him. Do you need holiness and patience? Holiness and patience are in Him. He can supply whatever you need.

(Life-study of Genesis, msg. 25)

Calling upon the Name of the Lord (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, today You are near to us. You are in our heart and also in our mouth. We can enjoy all Your riches by calling upon Your name. Lord Jesus, lead us to call upon You any time and any where.

Rom. 10:12 for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him.

The Lord Being Rich to All Who Call upon Him

The way to enjoy the riches of the Lord is to call upon Him. The Lord is not only rich, but also near and available, because He is the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). As the Spirit, He is omnipresent. We may call on His name at any time and in any place. When we call on Him, He comes to us as the Spirit, and we enjoy His riches.

Weakness Being made Strong

The Lord is “rich to all who call upon Him”. It does not say that the Lord is rich to all who believe on Him, but to all who call upon Him. We need the calling. In your home you need the calling. In your kitchen you need the calling. In your office you need the calling. On the street you need the calling. When you are weak, you need the calling. You can say, “O Lord Jesus, I am weak. O Lord Jesus.” If you call in this way, you will become stronger.

Enjoying the Riches of Christ

If you are going to lose your temper, do not try to restrain it. Just call on the name of the Lord: “O Lord Jesus.” This calling on the name of the Lord Jesus will be a kind of power, a kind of authority, and this will chase away all the darkness. In any kind of situation, whether it is one of darkness or weakness, just call on the name of the Lord. By calling, “O Lord Jesus,” you will enjoy the riches of Christ. The Lord is rich to all who call upon Him. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now is the age for us to recover the practice of calling on the name of the Lord.

(Calling on the Name of the Lord, ch. 1; The Fulfillment of God’s Purpose by the Growth of Christ in Us, ch. 4)

Calling upon the Name of the Lord (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in the morning we come to call upon You and breathe You. You are our sunshine and air, and You are also our life, supply, and everything. May we all day long be filled with You through eating, drinking, and enjoying You.

1 Cor. 1:2 …to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours.

Christ Being “Theirs and Ours”

First Corinthians 1:2 tells us that the called saints are those who call upon the name of the Lord, and those who call upon the name of the Lord are the saints. The totality of these saints is the church. Therefore, our status and our position are that we are saints, those who call upon the name of the Lord. Paul says that Christ is “theirs and ours.” This means that Christ is the portion of all those who call upon His name.

When We Call on the Name of the Lord Jesus, He Becomes Ours

When we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, the One whom we have received, He becomes ours. This means that He becomes our portion, even our all-inclusive portion. As our portion, Christ is our life, our life supply, and everything to us. He is whatever we need: comfort, patience, righteousness, holiness, power. Then He becomes wisdom to us from God. This Christ who is our portion is both theirs and ours.

Calling on the Lord and Breathing the Lord

Our calling on the Lord is our breathing the Lord. However, our breathing includes drinking, and our drinking includes eating. When you call upon the Lord, at first it is like breathing. Then after you breathe for a while, you feel that there is living water in you springing up; thus, you drink the living water. As you continue to call, you also eat and are satisfied.

(Life-Study of 1 Corinthians, msg. 11)

Calling upon the Name of the Lord (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for putting the Holy Spirit in us. The Holy Spirit is You Yourself. Lord, keep our spirit clean and free. Let us pursue You with those who call on Your name out of a pure heart. Amen!

2 Tim. 2:22 But flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Calling on the Lord out of a Pure Heart

Timothy… should pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Righteousness is toward self, faith is toward God, and love is toward others. Peace is the consequence of these three virtues.

To call on the Lord out of a pure heart is to “name the name of the Lord” in our prayer and praise to Him. The Lord’s seekers must be those who call on His name. Today those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart are found in His recovery. Thank the Lord that we are with those who call on Him out of a pure heart.

Pursuing together with ‘Those Who Calling on the Lord out of a Pure Heart’

You must have such a life of fleeing and pursuing. However, when you endeavor to flee and pursue, you will find that you are not able to do so by yourself. …You need “those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” By yourself you are inadequate. The key is to be “with those.” As a young person you may be very strong, but your strength means nothing. The enemy, Satan, is stronger than you are, but under God’s sovereign provision, you have “those.” You must pursue “with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Calling on the Lord together with Companions

Young people need at least one companion. You must consider before the Lord whether you have a real companion in pursuing the Lord. Joshua could have said that Caleb was his companion. …The young people must look to the Lord to get four or five companions. Even the people in the world say that union is power. By myself I would not dare to do many things, but when I have four companions, I would dare to do anything.

(Life-Study of 2 Timothy, msg. 4; Fellowship with the Young People, ch. 1)

Calling upon the Name of the Lord (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I open to You in the early morning. Lord Jesus, lead us to call upon Your name in various ways: deeply calling, sweet calling, loudly calling, to draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. Amen!

Gen. 4:26 And to Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of Jehovah.

Calling on the Lord Beginning in the Third Generation of the Human Race

Calling on the Lord began in the third generation of the human race with Enosh, the son of Seth. The history of calling on the Lord’s name continued throughout the Bible with Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Job, Jabez, Samson, Samuel, David, Jonah, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Not only did the Old Testament saints call on the Lord, they even prophesied that others would call on His name.

To Call on Means to Call Out to, to Cry unto, to Cry Out

What is the meaning of calling on the name of the Lord? Some Christians think that calling on the Lord is the same as praying to Him. Yes, calling is a kind of prayer, but it is not merely praying. The Hebrew word for call means to call out to, to cry unto, to cry out. The Greek word for call means to invoke a person, to call a person by name. In other words, it is to call a person by naming him audibly. Although prayer may be silent, calling must be audible.

Drawing Water with Rejoicing from the Springs of Salvation

Isaiah also tells us that our calling on the Lord is our crying to Him. ” …for Jah Jehovah is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. Therefore you will draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation, and you will say in that day, Praise Jehovah; call upon His name…” (Isa. 12:2-6). How may God become our salvation, our strength, and our song? How can we draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation? The way is to call on His name, to praise the Lord, to sing a hymn, and to cry out and shout. All of these match the calling mentioned in verse 4!

(Calling on the Name of the Lord, ch. 1)

Calling upon the Name of the Lord (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I shall call on You every day. We are willing to live in Your grace every day. Cause us to gradually have more growth in your grace day by day. Amen!

Psa. 88:9 …I have called out to You, O Jehovah, every day; I have spread out my hands to You.

Spiritual Breathing and Spiritual Drinking

This kind of calling on the name of the Lord to receive the Spirit is not only spiritual breathing, but also spiritual drinking. When we call on the name of the Lord, we breathe Him in as the breath of life and we drink of Him as the water of life. The second stanza of hymn number seventy-three in our hymnal says, ‘Blessed Jesus! Mighty Savior! In Thy Name is all I need; Just to breathe the Name of Jesus, Is to drink of Life indeed.’

Practicing Calling on the Name of the Lord Daily and Hourly

Calling on the name of the Lord is not merely a doctrine. It is very practical. We need to practice it daily and hourly. We should never stop our spiritual breathing. We hope that many more of the Lord’s people, especially new believers, will begin the practice of calling on the Lord. Today, many Christians have found that they can know Him, that they can be brought into the power of His resurrection, that they can experience His spontaneous salvation, and that they can walk in oneness with Him by calling on His name. In any situation, at any time, call: “Lord Jesus, O Lord Jesus!” If you practice calling on His name, you will see that it is a wonderful way to enjoy the Lord’s riches.

Calling on the Lord Daily and throughout the Life

The Old Testament saints called on the Lord daily and throughout their entire life (Psa. 116:2). How about us? We should practice it more, calling on the Lord “out of a pure heart” and with “a pure lip”. If we practice this, we will certainly partake of the Lord’s riches and enjoy them. To call on the Lord is not only for salvation, but also for the enjoyment of the Lord with all His riches.

(Life-Study of Romans, msg. 23)

Week Three

The Judicial Redemption

The Judicial Redemption (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we come to You in the early morning. Add faith to us so that we may be justified because of simple faith. Thank you for Your free grace!

Rom. 3:24 Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.

Being Justified Freely through the Redemption of Christ

God has justified us freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ and through the faith of Jesus (3:24, 26). Since Christ has paid the price for our sins and has accomplished the full redemption to meet all of God’s requirements, God, in order for Him to be just, must justify us. On God’s side justification is by His righteousness; on our side justification is by His free grace as compared with justification by the work of the law. To be justified…is freely given by His grace.

The Need of Justification by Faith

What is justification? Justification is God’s action in approving people according to His standard of righteousness. His righteousness is the standard, not ours. Although we think we are righteous, our righteousness is only a quarter inch high. Regardless of how righteous we are or how righteous we think we are, our righteousness is just a fraction of an inch high. How high is God’s righteousness? It is unlimited!…We need justification by faith. Justification by faith before God means we are approved by God according to the standard of His righteousness.

Believing in Jesus Christ by His faith

We believe in Christ by His faith, not by our own. Christ is our faith. Never say that you cannot believe, for you can believe if you want to. Do not try to believe by yourself, because the more you try the less faith you have. Simply say, “O Lord Jesus, I love You. Lord Jesus, You are so good.” If you do this, you will have faith immediately. We believe in Jesus Christ by His faith, and out of this faith and to this faith the righteousness of God is revealed to all who believe.

(Life-Study of Romans, msg. 5)

The Judicial Redemption (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, cause us to know Your way of doing things. We believe that You love us, and even more, we believe Your righteousness. Thank you for giving Your salvation to us and letting us enjoy peace.

Rom. 3:22 Even the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ to all those who believe, for there is no distinction

God’s Righteousness Being God’s Way of Doing Things

What is God’s righteousness? God’s righteousness is God’s way of doing things. Love is God’s nature, holiness is God’s disposition, and glory is God’s own being. Righteousness, however, is God’s procedure, His way, and His method. Since God is righteous, He cannot love man merely according to His own love. …It is true that God saves man because He loves man. But He must do so in a way that is in agreement with His own righteousness, His own procedure, His own moral standard, His own way, His own method, His own dignity, and His own majesty.

The Salvation Being Righteous

One thing we have to know is that before the Lord Jesus died, it was unrighteous for God to forgive our sins, but after the Lord Jesus died, it would be equally unrighteous for God not to forgive our sins. …a redemption without blood is unrighteous. On the other hand, when one has the blood and is denied salvation, this is also unrighteous.

Learning to Trust More in God’s Righteousness than in His Love

How is God’s righteousness applied to us? God’s righteousness can first be applied in its giving us peace in our heart. …But now that God has given us His righteousness, we are at peace…. Peace cannot be obtained through love; peace can only be obtained through righteousness. Although in reality God’s love is reliable, from man’s point of view it is not as reliable as God’s righteousness. When a person first begins to trust in God, he should learn to trust more in His righteousness than in His love.

(The Gospel of God, Vol. 2, ch. 5)

The Judicial Redemption (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your love and grace, and thank You even more for Your righteousness. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. Because of Your righteousness, our sins are forgiven! Amen!

Psa. 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before Your face.

Righteousness and Justice Being the Foundation of Thy Throne

Both love and grace may change, but righteousness is solid and steadfast. God is free either to love us or not to love us. However, He is bound by His righteousness. Now that Christ has died to fulfill God’s righteous requirements,…Psalm 89:14 says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne” (Heb.). The very foundation of God’s throne is also the foundation of our salvation. Can the foundation of God’s throne be shaken? Certainly not. Likewise, the foundation of our salvation cannot be shaken, for this foundation is not love nor grace, but righteousness.

We Can Boldly Tell God

We can boldly tell God, “…God, I remind You of Your righteousness. Christ has died for my sins, and He is now at Your right hand as proof that You have received His payment of all my debts. According to Your righteousness, You have no choice except to save me. Christ has died, You have accepted His death and have resurrected Him from among the dead, and now You are legally bound to forgive me. …But now I stand before You not so much in love or in grace, but in Your righteousness. Now, no matter what my condition is, You must forgive me.”

Praying to God according to His Righteousness

Have you ever prayed to God in such a way? It pleases Him whenever someone prays like this. This is a prayer that appeals to God according to His righteousness. The gospel of Christ is the power of God because the righteousness of God is revealed in it.

(Life-Study of Romans, msg. 57)

The Judicial Redemption (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, as soon as I get up in the morning, I need Your forgiveness of my sins, because I am a sinner, full of sins. Lord, grant me a new beginning this day. Thank the Lord!

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God Being Faithful to Forgive Our Sins

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We might ask what God’s faithfulness is and what God’s righteousness is. God’s faithfulness refers to the words which He speaks, while God’s righteousness refers to the way in which He does things. In speaking God is faithful, and in acting God is righteous. Since He has said that He will forgive us our sins, He surely will forgive us our sins. Since He has said that He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness, He surely will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Since He sent His Son to die for our sins, He cannot help but cleanse and forgive us our sins. Therefore, if we confess our sins, we must, by taking hold of the covenant which He has made with us, expect Him to forgive and cleanse us.

Asking God for Forgiveness by Holding on to His Word

If we confess according to God’s Word, God will forgive us according to His covenant. Brothers and sisters, do we dare ask God by holding on to His Word, “O God, Your Word says that if we confess our sins, You will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”? We must realize that God has made a covenant with us so that we may speak to Him according to His covenant. He wants us to ask by faith that He fulfill what is in the covenant. We are not just asking God to show us mercy; we are claiming our portion according to the covenant. Praise God, even the forgiveness of sins is a part of the new covenant.

(The New Covenant, ch. 6)

The Judicial Redemption (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for shedding Your precious blood for us to accomplish the redemption so that we may be reconciled to God. Please continue to keep us walking on the way of peace today.

Rom. 5:10a For if we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.

Man Being an Enemy of God

Man needs to be reconciled to God because man is an enemy of God. Romans 5:10a says, “For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son.” This indicates that before man receives God’s salvation, in God’s eyes he is not only a sinner but also an enemy of God. Through the fall, man not only has fallen into sin, but he also has fallen under the authority of Satan (1 John 5:19). …Being hostile to God, he has also become an enemy of God. Therefore, man needs not only to be forgiven by God but also to be reconciled to God.

Christ Dying and Shedding His Blood

In order that we might be reconciled to Him, God accomplished a propitiatory way for us, which is the redemption of Christ. Christ died for our sins and shed His blood on the cross to accomplish redemption that we might be reconciled to God. Because the redemption of Christ has solved all the problems and removed all the barriers between us and God, and because it has satisfied the demand of God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory, we can turn back to God and be reconciled to Him, and God can also receive us and be pleased with us.

Walking toward God on the Way of Peace

The first result of our reconciliation to God is that we have peace toward God; that is, we are walking toward God on the way of peace. Formerly, as sinners we had no peace; neither did we know the way of peace (Rom. 3:17). Since we have been reconciled to God and have peace toward God, we are walking on the way of peace. This is an issue of our reconciliation to God.

(Truth Lessons, Level 1, Vol. 4, ch. 40)

The Judicial Redemption (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we take Your precious blood in the morning. Cleanse us. Sanctify us. This day keep us in the realm of holiness to live a holy life.

Heb. 13:12 Therefore also Jesus, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.

Sanctified Positionally Because of the Blood of Jesus

We are sanctified positionally because of the blood of Jesus. By His own blood the Lord Jesus has found an eternal redemption for us and has purchased us back to God (1 Cor. 6:20). Thus, He has sanctified us, making us distinct from the worldly people. Therefore, when we were purchased back by the Lord with His blood, we were sanctified in fact, in position; that is, in God’s eyes we were separated, sanctified, unto Him.

We Being Partakers of the Divine Holiness

The holy brothers are also partakers of the divine holiness (12:10). We are partakers of the divine holiness that is nothing less than the holy nature of God. When we are being sanctified, we are saturated into this holy nature of God. It is by this saturating way that we partake of the divine holiness.

Pursuing Holiness in Daily Walk

As holy brothers, we have to pursue holiness (12:14). On the one hand, we have been sanctified by the blood of Christ (10:29); on the other hand we have been regenerated with the holy nature of God (2 Pet. 1:4). Now as such sanctified holy ones, we should pursue holiness in our daily walk. Without holiness we shall not see the Lord. Without it, our fellowship with the Lord will be broken. We need a holy life in order to keep a continuing fellowship with the Lord that we may see Him all the time.

(Truth Lessons, Level 1, Vol. 4, ch. 38; Life-Study of Hebrews, msg. 14)

Week Four

The Organic Salvation

The Organic Salvation (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us a new day, and thank you more for giving us new life, divine life, and eternal life. We open ourselves to breathe in You!

John 1:13 Who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Not of the Will of the Flesh, But of God

To be born anew is not to be born again of our parents, but to be born of God the Spirit that we may have His divine life with His divine nature, a life with a nature absolutely different from our natural life with its nature.

Simply open yourself up, forgetting what you are, and from deep within your spirit, call on the name of the Lord Jesus, believing in Him. If you do this, immediately God the Spirit will touch your spirit. …God the Spirit will enter into your spirit and you will be regenerated.

In Order to Enter into the Kingdom of God, We Need to be Born Again

In John 3:5 the Lord said, “…unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” The Lord’s words here are a clear revelation that regeneration is the unique entrance into the kingdom of God. In order to enter into the kingdom of God, we need to be born again. There is no other way by which we can enter into the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the reign of God. It is a divine realm to be entered into, a realm which requires the divine life. Only the divine life can realize the divine things.

When We Were Regenerated, We Were Translated into the Kingdom of God

When we were regenerated, we were translated into the kingdom of God. Colossians 1:13 says that God “delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” We were translated by being regenerated and now we are in the kingdom of God. When we called on the name of the Lord, the divine Spirit came into us, regenerating us and causing us to be born into the kingdom of God.

(Life-Study of John, msg. 9)

The Organic Salvation (II)

Prayer:

Lord, what blessed people we are that we can have Your life. May Your life increase in us and sanctify us so that we may live out the holy nature.

Rom. 6:22 But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end, eternal life.

Being Sanctified Dispositionally That They May Partake of God’s Holy Nature

However, it is not sufficient to be separated and made holy unto God positionally. After we are sanctified positionally and reconciled to God, as we begin to pursue in life, we will sense something within us which is not our disposition but God’s nature. This nature within us deals thoroughly with our natural disposition, our peculiar disposition, and our temperament so that the divine nature becomes our disposition. This is to sanctify the believers dispositionally that they may partake of God’s holy nature and be one with God in this attribute of His.

Being Sanctified by the Holy Nature of the Lord

This is exactly my experience. After I was saved, because I loved the Lord and was growing in life, God’s holy nature continually carried out a sanctifying work in me. When I went to the department stores, I looked at one item, yet I could not wear it; I looked at another item and I could not use it. …Brothers, the yardstick for our living and our clothing is the divine nature within us. This divine nature of God within us is the yardstick for our living. Stanza 1 of Hymns, 841 says, “Thou art all my life, Lord, / In me Thou dost live; / With Thee all God’s fullness / Thou to me dost give. / By Thy holy nature/I am sanctified, …”

The Yardstick for Our Living Being the Inward Divine Nature

The yardstick for our living is not the outward regulations or laws but the inward divine nature. …Do we live and walk according to the holy nature of God or according to outward regulations? Today we do not need these outward regulations; we need only God’s holy nature, which is able to make us holy.

(The Organic Aspect of God’s Salvation, ch. 3)

The Organic Salvation(III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in this new day I consecrate myself to You. Please do the renewing work in my mind to enlighten me so that I may have deeper transformation this day.

Rom. 12:2 And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.

Not Being Fashioned according to This Age, but Being Transformed by the Renewing of the Mind

We should not be fashioned according to this age. This means that we should not be fashionable. Rather, we should be transformed by the renewing of the mind. …The renewing taught by Confucius and Mencius is merely to improve oneself or adjust oneself daily. In contrast, the renewing taught by the Scriptures is the renewing of the mind; it is altogether a matter related to the mind. The mind is our mentality, our philosophy, our religious concepts, our views concerning people and things, etc. We need to be renewed mainly in our mind.

The Renewing of the Mind Issuing in the Transformation in Spiritual Life

Such a renewing of the mind issues in the transformation of the believers in their spiritual life. Titus 3:5 refers to the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. The washing of regeneration washes away our old life; following this, the renewing of the Holy Spirit changes our mind. When our mind is renewed, our whole being is transformed. This is to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. …This is the saving that God renders to us in the organic aspect of His salvation.

The Way of Renewing Lying in Prayer and in Reading the Scriptures

The way of renewing lies in prayer and in reading the Scriptures, because for us to be renewed in our mind is for us to get rid of all our old concepts concerning the things of the human life and be made new again by the teaching of the holy Scriptures and the enlightening of the Holy Spirit. When you read the Bible and become familiar with it, the Holy Spirit will enlighten you and guide you. When the Holy Spirit comes to enlighten you while you thus pray and read the Word day by day, the mind in you is being changed from the old to the new. Your view is different and your being is renewed.

(The Organic Aspect of God’s Salvation, ch. 3)

The Organic Salvation (IV)

Prayer:

O Lord, grant us pure heart and clean spirit this morning. Remove all our veil. Lord, our eyes only behold You to let you infuse Yourself into us.

2 Cor. 3:18 But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.

Transformation Being the Metabolic Function

Transformation being not an outward change or correction, but the metabolic function of the life of God in the believers. Transformation is not to make some corrections from without; it is the function of metabolism from within and is manifested without.

If the believers are willing to grow in the divine life, the element of the divine life will increase in them and bring forth a metabolic change. Thus, their inward disposition will be transformed, and their outward image will also be transformed to be the same as the image of the Lord.

The Practical Way to Be Transformed Being by Being Renewed in Mind

The practical way for us to be transformed is by being renewed in our mind. Transformation takes place by the renewing of the mind. The mind is of major importance. Our whole being is under the influence of our mind. Whatever we do and however we behave are very much related to our mind. The mind takes the lead to direct at least ninety percent of the activities of our entire being. Therefore, if we want to be transformed from the natural form into the form of Christ, we need to be renewed in our mind.

The Need to Learn to Be Transformed, To Be Renewed in the Spirit of Our Mind

We all need to learn to be transformed, to be renewed in the spirit of our mind, and to deny ourselves. If we daily learn this lesson of denying ourselves practically and strictly, we will be occupied, filled, and saturated with the Lord. We will have the image of Christ. What an honor and glory this will be!

(The Organic Aspect of God’s Salvation, ch. 4; The Enjoyment of Christ for His Increase, ch. 3)

The Organic Salvation (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for creating us according Your image. We also have the reality of your life and nature to live out Your real image. Lord, today I shall be more like You.

Rom. 8:29 Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers.

Being Conformed to the Image of God’s Firstborn Son

To whom or to what are we to be conformed? We are to be conformed to the likeness of the Son of God. Today we urgently need to be conformed to the image of God’s firstborn Son. To be conformed to the image of God’s firstborn Son equals to live out His image. When we all live out His image, the world will see Christ as the Firstborn of God because all His brothers will be manifested here.

This Kind of Conformation Saving Us from Our Naturalness

This kind of conformation saves us from the expression of our natural life. When we experience being conformed to the image of Christ as the God-man, we will be persons who are in the death of Christ, under the death of the cross, being conformed to the image of Christ, not to the fashion or image of the world or of our natural life. In order to have such an expression, we must have the application of the cross. The cross terminates our natural man.

All Things Working Together for Good to Those Who Love God

Romans 8:28, which says that “God causes all things to work together for good to those…who are called according to the purpose,” unveils that it is by God causing all things to work together for our good that we are conformed to the image of the Son of God (v. 29) and are thus saved from the expression of our natural life. By His sovereignty God causes our environment to fulfill the purpose of His calling, that is, to conform us to the image of Christ as the firstborn Son of God. Our environment and our circumstances work together with the divine life within us for our conformation to the image of Christ.

(The Organic Aspect of God’s Salvation, ch. 5; To Be Saved in the Life of Christ as Revealed in Romans, ch. 5)

The Organic Salvation (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in this new day we enjoy Your fresh love. Praise You for such rich abundant love. In Your love we have no fear; in Your love we enjoy freedom.

Rom. 8:21 In hope that the creation itself will also be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

The Freedom of the Glory of the Children of God

In the entire universe there is nothing except vanity and corruption. This corruption is a kind of bondage, a slavery that binds the whole creation. Creation has been made subject to vanity in the hope that it will be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. One day the children of God will be glorified, brought into glory. With that glory there will be freedom, and that freedom will be a kingdom, sphere, or realm. The whole glory will be a kingdom, a sphere, into which we will be brought.

God Exercising His Glory to Transfigure Us

Why must God give us His glory? Because all His chosen ones are low, mean, and vile. Hence, He must exercise His glory to transfigure us. But what was in God’s heart originally? Love. Before God exercised His righteousness, holiness, and glory He loved us. Love was the fountain, love was the root, and love was the source of it all.

Love Being the Source of God’s Eternal Salvation

God loved us before He predestinated us, He loved us before He called us, He loved us before He justified us, and He loved us before He glorified us. Before everything and anything else He loved us. Our salvation originated with the love of God. Love is the source of all that God does for us, and this love is His heart. Love was the source of God’s eternal salvation which includes redemption, justification, reconciliation, sanctification, transformation, conformation, and glorification.

(Life-Study of Romans, msg. 19, 21)

Week Five

The Word of Life

The Word of Life (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us a new day, a new week, and a new beginning. In the morning we shall breathe in You and breathe in You as our life!

2 Tim. 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

The Bible Being God’s Word, It Being Also God’s Breathing out

The Bible is also God’s breath. It is the breathing out of God Himself. …The Bible is the word of God. It is not only the breathing out of God, but is God Himself breathed into the word. Thus, there is the element of God in this breathing out. Once you touch this breathing, you touch the element of God. For this reason …but we feel that we contact and touch God within.

To God Being a Matter of Breathing out; to Us Being a Matter of Breathing in

The Bible is God’s breathing out; that is, it is the breath breathed out by God. The Bible is God’s breathing. To God it is a matter of breathing out; to us it is a matter of breathing in. Through God’s breathing out and our breathing in, God’s word enters into us and becomes our life and life supply. Therefore, when we read the Bible, we must understand that the Bible is not merely black words on white paper, but it is the breathing out of God. It is full of spiritual breath. Therefore, we must not only understand the Bible with our mind, but we also must contact the word of the Bible with our spirit. Whenever we read the Bible we come to contact God.

Learning to Use our spirit to contact the Bible – God’s Breathing out

We do not read the Bible only for enlightenment, teaching, or instruction. There is something higher and deeper than all these. It is to touch God Himself in our inward parts. …We must learn to use our spirit to contact these words; we must touch God’s breathing out in the words and must touch His element in the words. When we have such a contact, not only will we feel that we are in the presence of God, and not only will we have touched God, but we also will feel that we have tasted God; God will become our enjoyment within.

(On Knowing the Bible, ch. 1; The Full Knowledge of the Word of God, ch. 1)

The Word of Life (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in the early morning we shall call upon You and absorb You the Spirit of life. Thank you for creating the spirit in us and that we have Your word outside of us that we can absorb You in the spirit.

John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life…; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

The Bible as the Lord’s Words Being Spirit and Being Life

In John 6:63 the Lord Jesus said, “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit.” The words of the Bible are not only letters but spirit. …Since the Lord’s words are spirit, we have to read them in spirit. In other words, we can only touch spiritual things with the spirit.

A Man with a Spirit Reading the Words of Spirit

The Bible is not only a book with words or letters printed on pages of paper. The very nature of the Bible is spirit. For this reason, everyone who reads this book must approach it with his spirit; it must be read with the spirit. The spirit that we are referring to is the spirit of every regenerated person. We call this spirit the “regenerated spirit.” …“The words which I have spoken…are spirit,” and “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The words in the Bible are spirit. The life which a man receives at the time of regeneration is spirit, and it takes a man with a spirit to read the words of spirit. Only then will the Bible shine within him, and only then will it become useful to him.

The Need to Have a Regenerated Spirit before He Can Touch God’s Word

God is Spirit. We know God today because we have a spirit. When some unbelievers argue with us, we may not match them in eloquence or wisdom, and we may not be able to tell them profound teachings, but we have the confidence that we know God because we are regenerated. We have a regenerated spirit, and we can touch God with this spirit. …In the same way, a man must have a regenerated spirit before he can touch God. He must have a regenerated spirit before he can touch God’s word.

(How to Study the Bible, ch. 1)

The Word of Life (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we need You! Our physical body needs physical food; however, the spirit in us needs spiritual food. Your word is our food.

Matt. 4:4 It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.”

The Bible as the Word of God Being the Bread of Our Life

We need to see that the Bible is the food God has given us. We read the Bible with the purpose of eating, drinking, absorbing, and breathing in God, because we know that the Bible is the Word of God. John 1 says that the Word of God is God Himself. God’s Word is God’s coming forth. When God is expressed and presented to us, we have the Word, the Bible. Since God wants to be our food, His expression and manifestation to man as the Word means that the Word is man’s food.

Man Not Living by Bread Alone

Man does not live by bread alone, because he is not composed of only a body; within man there is also a spirit. The physical body requires physical food, but man’s spirit requires a different type of food. …Hence, the Lord says that man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4). All the words that proceed out through the mouth of God are man’s spiritual food. For this reason, the prophet Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them” (Jer. 15:16).

Receiving Nourishment, Supply, and Life from the Word of God

Since God is food to man, the Bible as His breathed-out word must also be food to man. When we come to the Bible, we must eat and drink God as our food; we must breathe in God Himself and enjoy Him. If we read the Bible this way …We will receive nourishment, supply, and life from every word.

(How to Enjoy God and How to Practice the Enjoyment of God, ch. 13)

The Word of Life (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we come to Your word, but You must also be here! Through Your word we shall meet You, know You, and receive Your life supply.

John. 5:39 You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that testify concerning Me.

The Scriptures Testifying concerning Jesus Christ

To “search the Scriptures” may be separated from “come to Me.” The Jewish religionists searched the Scriptures, but were not willing to come to the Lord. These two should be kept together. Since the Scriptures testify concerning the Lord, they should not be separated from Him. We may contact the Scriptures and yet not contact the Lord. Only the Lord can give life. We should never separate the Scriptures from the Lord Himself.

The Need to Exercise the Spirit to Contact the Lord through the Scriptures

Whenever we search the Word, we must come to the Lord Himself. We must make searching the Word and touching the Lord one thing. Whenever we study the Bible, we must open our spirit to the Lord. While our eyes are reading the words and our mind is understanding them, our spirit must be exercised to contact the Lord through the Scriptures. Then we shall not only have the understanding of the black and white letters in our mentality, but also have the life in our spirit.

We Have to Say, “Lord Jesus, You Have to Be Here

When we come to the Bible, we must come to contact Him. We should not repeat the pitiful history of the Jewish people who researched the Scriptures because they thought there was life in them, yet would not come to the Lord Jesus. We should not contact the Bible without contacting the Lord. Whenever we open the Bible we have to say, “Lord Jesus, You have to be here. This is not merely a book, this is Your revelation. I don’t like to read this book without contacting You…” We need such a spirit to contact this living Word.

(Life-Study of John, msg. 14; Life-Study of Genesis, msg. 1)

The Word of Life (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in the morning we shall meet You and receive life. Thank You that Your word can be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Lord, lead us this day!

Psa. 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

There Being Light and Life in the Lord’s Word

In Psalm the psalmist says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet / And a light to my path.” One of the elements in the Lord’s word is light. When the Bible mentions light, it refers to the source of life. There is life only if there is light. Where there is darkness, there is death, but where there is brightness, there is life. Darkness brings in death, whereas light brings in life. The word of the Lord is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, bringing life along with it that we may receive a supply within.

The Supply in Our Spirit

Once you contact the Lord, He immediately becomes the supply to you in your spirit. When you are weak, He supports you. When you are depressed, He uplifts you. When you are sorrowful, He makes you joyful. When you are in pain, He gives you comfort. When you are thirsty, He satisfies and waters you. If you are short of wisdom, He will become your wisdom from within.

Contacting the Lord through His Word

Every day and every moment, we need to tell the Lord, “Lord, I love You, I want You, and I want to contact You through Your Word.” Then open the Bible, and whether it is morning, noon, or evening, you can contact Him and enjoy Him through His Word in this way. Even while waiting for a ride or riding in a car, you can also do some reading. In school or in the office, you can also use some free time to read a few verses. When you contact the Lord’s word, just with a few words by the spirit the Lord’s word will immediately enter into your spirit and touch your spirit. Then spontaneously you will pray.

(A Living of Mutual Abiding with the Lord in Spirit, ch. 7)

The Word of Life (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, grant us the longing as newborn babes to long for the milk of Your word. Lord, through Your word, give us nutrients and supply that by it we may grow. Cause us to gain Yourself in Your word.

1 Pet. 2:2 As newborn babes, long for the guileless milk of the word in order that by it you may grow unto salvation.

As Newborn Babes, Longing for the Milk of the Word

This means that we should long for the guileless milk of the word as a newborn babe longs for milk. This milk of the word is the word of the Bible. …This milk is not for teaching but for nourishing people. There are many nutrients in milk. When we drink milk, we are supplied with its many nutrients.

By Drinking the Milk of the Word, Spiritual Life Becoming Strong

By drinking the milk of the word, we grow in our spiritual life. …if you want your spiritual life to be strong, you must drink the milk of the word in the morning. Then in the evening before you go to bed, even though you may be tired and your body may not be able to bear it, you can still use a few minutes to go back to the verses you read in the morning to enjoy them, spontaneously praying, “Thank You, Lord, You have the words of eternal life.” In this way, you will not only sleep peacefully and sweetly, but you also will grow quickly in life. This is to contact the Lord through His word.

The Proper Way to Live with the Lord and Enjoy the Lord’s Life

This is to enjoy the Lord, which is also to drink the milk of the word. This will cause you to have all kinds of supply within for you to be enlightened, to be led, and to know how to live before the Lord. As a result, your life will grow. This is the proper way to live with the Lord and enjoy the Lord’s life, and this is also our normal Christian life.

(A Living of Mutual Abiding with the Lord in Spirit, ch. 7)

Week Six

Pray-reading the Word of God

Pray-reading the Word of God (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we come to read Your word in the early morning. Please teach us how to use our spirit to pray-read Your word to receive Your watering as our life supply.

Eph. 6:17-18 And receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God, …praying at every time in spirit….

Receiving the Word of God by Means of All Prayer and Petition

The Spirit is the word of God. Both the Spirit and the word are Christ. We need to receive the word of God by means of all prayer and petition. According to verses 17 and 18, we are to take the word of God by means of all prayer. These verses indicate that we may take the word by pray-reading, that is, by praying with the words of Scripture and over them, using the words of the Bible as our prayer to God.

Day by Day Being Watered through Pray-reading the Word of God

I can testify that to pray-read the word is better, higher, richer, and fuller than simply to read it. Day by day I am watered, filled, satisfied, enlivened, strengthened, nourished, and cherished through pray-reading the word of God. Furthermore, by pray-reading I am sanctified, purified, and transformed. Although I certainly would not impose pray-reading on others, I would never give it up. It is too sweet, too good. Simply by praying over John 1:1, for example, I am nourished, filled, and satisfied in the Lord.

Pray-reading Is Not Only Feasting; It Is Also a Way of Fighting

Pray-reading is a practical way to kill the negative elements within us. The more we take the word of God by means of all prayer in spirit, the more the negative things within us will be put to death. Thus, pray-reading is not only feasting; it is also a way of fighting. As we pray-read the word, the battle is raging as the negative elements in our being are slain. Eventually, the self, the worst foe of all, will be put to death. When the negative things in us are killed through pray-reading, the Lord is victorious. Because He is victorious, we are victorious also.

(Life-Study of Ephesians, msg. 97)

Pray-reading the Word of God (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we desire to be filled with Your word. Lord, grant us wisdom and let the word of Christ dwell in you richly to saturate our whole being.

Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.

The Word of Christ Dwelling in Us Richly

For the word of Christ to dwell in us richly means that it inhabits us, indwells us, in a rich way. This can be illustrated by eating. After we eat a meal, the food inhabits us in a rich way. The food contains many rich, nourishing elements. When we take this nourishing food into us and assimilate it, it indwells us richly. In like manner, for the word of Christ to dwell in us richly means that it inhabits us in the way of nourishment and enrichment.

The Riches of the Word Saturating Us

The more we take the Word by reading, pray-reading, and especially sing-reading, the more the riches of the Word will saturate us and make us one with the Lord. Then we shall do things not in our own name, but in the name of the Lord Jesus.

The Way to Live Christ Being to Take the Word by Exercising Spirit

The way to live Christ is to take the Word by exercising our spirit. It is not sufficient merely to use our mind to read the Word. We must also exercise our spirit by praying the Word and singing it. I hope that in the church meetings we shall spend more time singing the Word of God. Let us first read the Word and then pray-read it. Following this, let us sing the Word. Then we shall become thoroughly saturated with the riches of the Word.

(Life-Study of Philippians, msg. 37)

Pray-reading the Word of God (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we love You and love Your word. Your word is spirit and life. Strengthen us that we may use the spirit to absorb the abundant supply in Your word to enjoy Your riches.

Phil. 1:19 For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

The Bountiful Supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ

The bountiful supply of the Spirit is the unsearchable riches of Christ. Both the riches and the supply are embodied in the Word, in the Bible. If we would touch the unsearchable riches of Christ and partake of the bountiful supply of the Spirit, we must come to the Bible. God’s intention is to impart Himself to us and work Himself into us.

Exercising Our Spirit to Receive Spiritual Nourishment from the Word

By taking the Word in this way, we shall apply the all-inclusive Spirit to our inner being. By pray-reading we exercise our spirit to receive spiritual nourishment from the Word. Through this nourishment we grow in life. We are nourished with the words of faith and healthy teaching. If we take even as little as ten minutes to pray-read a portion of the Word, we shall receive nourishment. Furthermore, we shall experience the various elements of Christ’s riches.

The Best Way to Eat the Word is to Pray-Read

The best way to eat the Word is to pray-read. If we want to enjoy the bountiful supply of the Spirit, we need to eat the Word. We have pointed out that the bountiful supply of the Spirit is equal to the riches of Christ and that the riches of Christ are embodied in the Word. Therefore, to enjoy the riches we must pray-read the Word.

(Life-Study of Philippians, msg. 36)

Pray-reading the Word of God (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, please awaken me in whispering the early morning to open my ears. I shall call on You to breathe You in and also muse upon Your word.

Psa. 119:147 I anticipated the dawn and cried out; I hoped in Your words.

I Hoping in Thy Word

David said in Psalm, “I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.” The crying here is to call by saying “O Lord!” It is also to pray and to speak to the Lord. To cry unto the Lord is to call on Him and to speak to Him. …When you speak out all that you have, you are breathing out. When you take in the grace of the Lord, you are breathing in. We breathe out carbon dioxide, and we breathe in the oxygen from God. In this cycle, spontaneously we are cleansed within, and our whole being becomes healthy.

Treasuring Every Word of the Bible

If we have tasted the pray-reading, we will treasure every word of the Bible. If I had the time, I could pray-read Genesis 1:1 for a whole day. The more we pray, the tastier it becomes. …This kind of pray-reading will fully mingle the Lord’s word with our spirit. It will give our spirit the greatest exercise.

The Quickest Way to Receive the Lord’s Word Being to Pray-Read His Word

David said again, “Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word”. This shows us that in the experience of the Old Testament saints, there was the prayer, the hoping in the Lord’s word, and the meditation on the Lord’s word. Today, for us, the New Testament believers, the quickest way to receive the Lord’s word is not to meditate on His word; rather it is to pray-read His word. It is easy for the mind to receive the Lord’s word with its mental faculty. But in pray-reading the Lord’s word, there is the crying and the calling, and it will be spontaneous and natural to turn the Lord’s word into prayer.

(The Organic Practice of the New Way, ch. 4)

Pray-reading the Word of God (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, as soon as we get up in the morning, we first eat your word, to read and pray in the spirit to digest and assimilate Your word into us to become our enjoyment and supply.

Jer. 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them, And Your word became to me The gladness and joy of my heart, For I am called by Your name…

Thy Words Being Sweeter than Honey to My Mouth

Jeremiah said, “Your words were found and I ate them…”. To eat something is not merely to receive it, but to assimilate it. To assimilate is to receive something into you, digest it, and make it a part of yourself. …Jeremiah said, “Your word became to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart”. This is a kind of enjoyment. The Word, after being eaten, became a joy and also a rejoicing. God’s Word is an enjoyment; after it is taken into us and assimilated into our very being, it becomes joy within us and rejoicing without.

The Best Way to Eat the Lord Being Pray-reading

We pray by means of the Word of God and the Spirit of God to take in God Himself, who is in His words and in His Spirit. In this way, His words in us not only become a supply to us, but they also convict and teach us from deep within. This is the proper way to read the Lord’s Word. May the Lord give us grace and strength and lead us to practice this every day.

Reading and Praying, Praying and Reading

The more you use your spirit, the sharper your mind will be and the clearer and wiser your thoughts will become. Therefore, begin with your spirit; that is, touch the Lord from the deepest part of your being. Read and pray by means of His words. Just read and pray, pray and read, without trying too hard to be different or original or loud. When you are truly inspired, you may say, “Amen, O Lord, how good it is! How I praise You!” This kind of pray-reading will cause the word of God to be impressed into your whole being as your supply.

(Pray-Reading the Word; A Living of Mutual Abiding with the Lord in Spirit, ch. 6)

Pray-reading the Word of God (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us spiritual food to feed us. Your words are sweeter than honey to my mouth. Lord, let us pray-read Your word to meet You, enjoy You, and gain You!

Psa. 119:103 How sweet are Your words to my taste! Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Thy Words Being Sweeter than Honey to My Mouth

David said, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth”. The Word is indeed an enjoyment; it is even sweeter and more pleasant than honey to our taste. From these verses we realize that the Word of God is not only for us to learn, but even more for us to taste, to eat, to enjoy, and to digest. The Lord Jesus even speaks of God’s Word as spiritual food: “It is written, Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God is spiritual food to nourish us. This is the food by which we must live.

The Best to Eat the Lord Being Pray-reading

The Lord has given us the Spirit and the Bible for our enjoyment. The Spirit within us and the Bible outside of us are indispensable. It is best to mingle reading with praying and praying with reading when we eat and drink the Lord. …reading and praying are mingled to the extent that our reading is praying and our praying is reading. Within our reading is praying, and within our praying is reading. The two have become one, enabling us to touch, enjoy, and obtain God.

(Pray-Reading the Word; How to Enjoy God and How to Practice the Enjoyment of God, ch. 14)

Week Seven

The Revelation of the Triune God

The Revelation of the Triune God (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we call upon Your name in the morning. Your name is above every name; Your name have the ingredient of the Triune God to dispense the Triune God into us.

Matt. 28:19 Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Baptizing into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

The Lord says in Matthew 28:19, “Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The Lord here clearly speaks of Three—the Father, Son, and Spirit. But when He speaks here of the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, the name which is used is in the singular number in the original text. This means that though the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are three, yet the name is one. It is really mysterious—one name for Three. This, of course, is what is meant by the expression three-one, or triune.

One God Yet Having the Matter of the Three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit

Is the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, as spoken by the Lord here, the name Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit? It is difficult to answer. All we can say is that the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” This name includes the Three—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and tells us that God is triune. Although God is only one, yet there is the matter of the Three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

“Tasting” the Triune God in Experience

We need the proper experience of the Triune God. From the “taste” in our experience we know the things concerning the Trinity. For example, how do you know whether sugar tastes sweet or bitter? The way to know is to taste a little of it. The taste will teach you whether it is bitter or sweet. In a similar way, our experience, our taste, of the Triune God will teach us concerning Him.

(Truth Lessons, Level 1, Vol. 1, ch. 2; Life-Study of 1 John, msg. 21)

The Revelation of the Triune God (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in this new day You are our beginning. Praise You that You are the unique God in the universe, that You are Triune, and that the God we can enjoy. How wonderful!

1 Cor. 8:4 …there is no God but one.

God Being Uniquely One

The Scriptures in many instances and in many ways tell us that God is uniquely one. Both in the Old Testament and in the New, there are many passages which clearly and definitely tell us that God is only one. First Corinthians 8:4 says, “There is no God but one,” and Isaiah 45:5 says, “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me.” These repeated declarations of God strongly prove that God is uniquely one.

There Being No God besides Me

In these passages God repeatedly says, “There is no God besides me.” He does not say, “There is no God besides us,” but, “There is no God besides me.” Me is singular, only one. These repeated declarations of God strongly prove that God is uniquely one.

The Triune God Being for Us to Enjoy

The Bible reveals that God is triune. This is a revelation of great importance. God is uniquely one, and His name is Jehovah; yet this God is also triune—He is the Father, Son, and Spirit. This is a mystery; in fact, it is a mystery of mysteries. Small and finite as we are, we human beings cannot understand it thoroughly; even less can we define it in a full way. …Nevertheless, we can receive and enjoy this mysterious God. We cannot understand, but we can enjoy! In former days men had no knowledge of vitamins, though they greatly enjoyed their benefit. The Triune God is not for us to understand, but to enjoy.

(Truth Lessons, Level 1, Vol. 1, ch. 2)

The Revelation of the Triune God (III)

Prayer:

O, How wonderful! The Father, the Son, and the spirit are one God. Although they are three but one and all eternal! How glorious! This God is my enjoyment in me.

Matt. 3:16-17 And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him. And behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight.

Here Being a Picture of the Divine Trinity

Verse 17 says, “And behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I delight.” While the descending of the Spirit was the anointing of Christ, the speaking of the Father was a testimony to Him as the beloved Son. Here is a picture of the divine Trinity: the Son went up from the water, the Spirit descended upon the Son, and the Father spoke concerning the Son. This proves that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit exist simultaneously. This is for the accomplishment of God’s economy.

All Three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—Being Eternal

Isaiah 9:6 contains the expression “the everlasting Father.” Hence, the Father is eternal.

The Son also is eternal. Hebrews 1:12 says concerning the Son, “You are the same, and Your years shall not fail.” Hebrews 7:3 also says that the Son has no beginning of days nor end of life, which means that He is eternal.

The Spirit also is eternal because Hebrews 9:14 speaks of “the eternal Spirit.” …all Three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—are eternal.

Receiving and Enjoying This Mysterious One

The Scriptures clearly reveal to us that all Three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—are God. This does not mean, however, that They are three Gods. We have already seen that the Scriptures tell us clearly and definitely that God is only one. Although there are three—the Father, Son, and Spirit—yet the Three are not three Gods, but one. This is really a mystery! It is unsearchable! But praise the Lord, we can simply receive and enjoy this mysterious One according to what the Scriptures have said!

(Life-Study of Matthew, msg. 10; Truth Lessons, Level 1, Vol. 1, ch. 2)

The Revelation of the Triune God (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You that You, the last Adam, became the life-giving Spirit so that we may enjoy You so conveniently. Cause us exercise more to be united with You in the spirit.

1 Cor. 15:45b …the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.

The Son (the Last Adam) Becoming the Life-giving Spirit

The last Adam, of course, is the incarnated Lord Jesus, and the life-giving Spirit, of course, is the Holy Spirit. There can never be another life-giving Spirit besides the Holy Spirit. Therefore, this verse also tells us clearly that the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit. The Lord was made flesh and became the last Adam, and later, after death and resurrection, He became the life-giving Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Lord Jesus, and the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit.

Unto Us a Son is Given and His Name Shall be Called the Mighty God

Isaiah 9:6 says, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…and his name shall be called…The mighty God, The everlasting Father.” In this verse, the mighty God matches the child, and the everlasting Father matches the Son. Yes, He is a child, yet He is the mighty God. The child who was born in the manger of Bethlehem was the mighty God. Just as the child and the mighty God are one, so also the Son and the everlasting Father are one. The Son is the eternal Father.

The Lord Being the Holy Spirit

Second Corinthians 3:17 says, “And the Lord is the Spirit.” The “Lord” spoken of here, of course, is the Lord Jesus, and the Spirit, of course, is the Holy Spirit. Does this not clearly and definitely tell us that the Lord Jesus is the Holy Spirit? Our Lord is the Holy Spirit. He is the Father, and He is also the Spirit. He is everything!

(Truth Lessons, Level 1, Vol. 1, ch. 2)

The Revelation of the Triune God (V)

Prayer:

O, Lord, though mysterious, You are the Spirit of reality to enter into us and be with us that we may know You, experience You, and enjoy You as the reality. Thank the Lord!

John 14:16-17 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, …but you know Him, because He abides with you and shall be in you.

The Spirit of Reality Being with You Forever

This promise concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit in chapters fourteen and sixteen was not fulfilled on the day of Pentecost but in the evening of the day of resurrection, in chapter twenty, when the Lord came to them with the Spirit, breathed into them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This was the Holy Spirit of life, the Spirit who came into the disciples as life. This is the first aspect of the work of the Spirit.

The Triune God Working Himself into Those Who Believe into the Son

This section shows us that the Spirit is the transfiguration of the Son to be the reality of the Son, coming to abide with the disciples and to be in them. His being in the disciples is the Son in them. Therefore, the Spirit is the reaching and entering in of the Son. This indicates that the Son and the Spirit are also one. …The Three are just one God, who was manifested from the source to come among men and who reached the disciples to enter into them. This signifies that God is triune for the purpose of working Himself into those who believe into the Son to be their life and everything and to become their divine enjoyment.

He Being the Spirit of Reality and Within Us as the Reality

Now we must see what the Spirit is to us when He comes into us. As we have seen, He is the Spirit of life to be life to us (Rom. 8:2). Second, He is the Spirit of reality. He is within us as the reality. Reality is not merely doctrine. The Spirit is the reality of all that God and Christ are. God is love, but without the Spirit of reality within us we do not have the reality of love. …All that God and Christ are is in the Holy Spirit as the divine reality to us.

(Life Lessons, Vol. 1, ch. 7; The Work of the Holy Spirit, ch. 1)

The Revelation of the Triune God (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, how wonderful is it that we receive Your dispensing! Thank You that You are the Triune God so that we may enjoy Your dispensing as our everything! Amen!

Rom. 9:23 In order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory.

The Triune God Filling Our Vessel

When we speak of the dispensation of the Triune God, we mean that God distributes Himself to us and then dispenses Himself into our being just as the juice is dispensed from the container into those who drink it. In His dispensation, God actually enters into our being, fills our vessel, and becomes one with us. This is the dispensation of the Triune God for the fulfillment of His purpose.

God Wanting to Dispense Himself into Us

For God to dispense Himself into His chosen people, He must be triune; that is, He must be God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. …the Trinity of the Godhead is not for theology, but for dispensing. God does not desire to exist alone. He longs to dispense Himself into men created, chosen, and called by Him. Hallelujah, we are those men, and God wants to dispense Himself into us!

Enjoying the Triune God as Our All

Second Corinthians 13:14 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Here three things are mentioned: grace, love, and fellowship. This sets forth the reason why God is triune: it is thus that He can dispense Himself into us, work Himself into us for us to enjoy, and be our all. This can be confirmed by our experience.

(Life-Study of Romans, msg. 60; Truth Lessons, Level 1, Vol. 1, ch. 2)

Week Eight

The Move of the Triune God

The Move of the Triune God (I)

Prayer:

O, Lord Jesus, as God of loveYou are my shepherd, always feeding me and having mercy on me. I lack nothing in You. This morning I enjoy again Your shepherding.

Psa. 23:1-2 Jehovah is my Shepherd; I will lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside waters of rest.

Jehovah Being My Shepherd

We can see Jehovah as the Triune God in this psalm. Psalm 23:1 says, “Jehovah is my Shepherd.” Christ is our Shepherd and we are His flock. The church in the Bible is called a flock. In John 10 the Lord said that He was the good Shepherd who would collect the sheep from Israel and from the Gentiles to form them into one flock, which is the church (1 Pet. 5:2).

The Resurrected Christ Shepherding Us

The resurrected Christ shepherds us first in the initial stage of enjoyment in green pastures and at waters of rest. Because He is our Shepherd, we will lack nothing. Right after we were saved, we entered into this first stage of enjoyment. In John 21 the Lord Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. When Peter said that he did love the Lord, the Lord charged him to feed His lambs. We need to be like nursing mothers to cherish and feed the little ones under our care (1 Thes. 2:7). Right after a child is delivered, a mother feeds the child so he can grow.

He Leading Us to Waters of Rest

He also leads us to waters of rest. The green pastures are Christ, and the waters of rest are the Spirit. The Spirit is the restful waters. When we go to take care of the new ones, we must not only feed them with Christ but also help them to drink of the Spirit. We must help them to call on the name of the Lord and to pray. This is to help them to drink the Spirit by exercising their spirit.

(Life-Study of Psalms, msg. 11)

The Move of the Triune God (II)

Prayer:

O, Lord, in the early morning awaken our soul that we may revive. New dawn, new revival. Gain our three parts—spirit, soul, and body so that we the whole being walk on the path of righteousness.

Psa. 23:3 He restores my soul; He guides me on the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

He Restoring My Soul

This is the second stage of revival and transformation on the paths of righteousness. To restore our soul is to revive us. Restoring also includes renewing and transforming. This corresponds with the New Testament teaching in Romans 12:2 which says that we need to be transformed by the renewing of the mind, which is the leading part of our soul. Christ in His shepherding restores—revives and transforms—our soul.

He Guiding Me on the Paths of Righteousness for His Name’s Sake

He guides us (to walk according to the spirit) on the paths of righteousness (to fulfill the requirement of righteousness—Rom. 8:4). Righteousness can be fulfilled only by those who walk according to their spirit. We have three parts—body, soul, and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23). We should not do things according to our body, because it is full of lusts. We should not do things according to our soul, because it is full of opinions. Instead, we should do things according to our spirit. When we walk according to the spirit, we fulfill the righteous requirement of the law.

The Resurrected Christ Being Our Paths

The resurrected Christ today is our paths. In order to be a proper sister or a proper brother, we need Christ as our paths, as our way. …Righteousness is to be right with people before God according to His righteous and strict requirements. We must admit that we are short of the paths to be right. We have to take the paths of righteousness by being restored—revived and transformed—in our soul. We must be proper and balanced in our mind, our emotion, and our will. Otherwise, we cannot be righteous; we cannot be right with man and with God.

(Life-Study of Psalms, msg. 11)

The Move of the Triune God (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, our life has valleys but we have Your presence, protection, and guidance. Your presence is our comfort, salvation, and power of support.

Psa. 23:4 Even though I walk Through the valley of the shadow of death, I do not fear evil, For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, They comfort me.

Even though I Walking Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

We human beings cannot avoid having troubles as we live on this earth. A husband’s wife who takes care of him and the children may suddenly become so ill that she is unable to walk. Then this brother gets into the valley, which is under a shadow and full of death. Some saints may have children who are crippled. This brings these saints into the valley. …his spirit will not allow him to withdraw. He has to stay in the valley to suffer. These are examples of the valley of the shadow of death.

The Pneumatic Christ Being with Us

The third stage is the stage of the experience of the presence of the resurrected pneumatic Christ through the valley of the shadow of death. Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we do not fear evil, for the pneumatic Christ is with us (2 Tim. 4:22). This means that we experience His presence. For Him to be with us is for us to enjoy His presence. His presence is a comfort, a rescue, and a sustaining power to us when we are walking in the valley of the shadow of death.

Experiencing the Lord’s Protection and Guiding in the Valley

In the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord’s rod and His staff—His protection, His guidance, and His sustenance—comfort us. The rod is for protection. If a wolf comes, the shepherd uses his rod to protect the flock. The staff is for training, for direction, for guidance, and also for sustenance. The Lord has the rod to protect us, and He has the staff to train us, to instruct us, to guide us, and to sustain us. We experience the Lord’s protection and guiding in the valley of the shadow of death.

(Life-Study of Psalms, msg. 11)

The Move of the Triune God (IV)

Prayer:

O, Lord, deepen and uplift our enjoyment of You. Thank you for anointing us so that my cup runs over and that we may triumph in the presence of my adversaries.

Psa. 23:5 You spread a table before me In the presence of my adversaries; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.

You Spreading a Table before Me in the Presence of My Adversaries

Now we come to the fourth stage of the deeper and higher enjoyment of the resurrected Christ. The Lord spreads a table—a feast—before us in the presence of our adversaries. The Lord’s table is a feast. Every Lord’s Day when we come to His table to take the feast, it is always in the presence of our adversaries. Every day is a fighting day to us. We Christians have to fight. …We need to fight the battle in the Lord all week long before we come to the Lord’s table. Then we will be able to have a rich enjoyment of the Lord as our feast at His table.

The Deeper and Higher Enjoyment of the Resurrected Christ

In the fourth stage of the deeper and higher enjoyment of the resurrected Christ, the Lord anoints our head with oil (of exultant joy—Heb. 1:9); our cup runs over. To anoint the head is to anoint the whole body. Psalm 133 speaks of the ointment upon the head spreading down to the skirts of the garments. No doubt, this is the anointing of the compound, life-giving Spirit in Christ’s resurrection. All the riches of Christ’s being and doing are compounded together in this anointing compound ointment.

The Triune God—the Son as the Feast, the Spirit as the Anointing Oil, and the Father as the Source of Blessing

The Bible uses the word cup to indicate blessing. The cup of blessing runs over. Psalm 23:5 speaks of the table, the feast, which is Christ with His riches for our enjoyment. Then there is the anointing oil, which is the Spirit. Then there is the cup of blessing, which refers to the Father. The Father is the blessing, even the source of blessing. Thus, in verse five there is the Triune God—the Son as the feast, the Spirit as the anointing oil, and the Father as the source of blessing.

(Life-Study of Psalms, msg. 11)

The Move of the Triune God (V)

Prayer:

O, Lord, Praise Your lovingkindness. You have abundant lovingkindness and the lovingkindness will follow us all the days of my life for the length of my days. Make us those who enjoy You. Amen!

Psa. 23:6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me All the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of Jehovah For the length of my days.

The Lifelong Enjoyment of the Divine Goodness and Kindness

Psalm 23:6 speaks of the fifth stage of the lifelong enjoyment of the divine goodness and kindness in the house of Jehovah. Surely goodness and kindness will follow us all the days of our life (in the present age). Goodness refers to the grace of Christ, kindness refers to the love of the Father, and follow refers to the fellowship of the Spirit. Second Corinthians 13:14 reveals the move of the Triune God for us to enjoy all His riches. The grace of the Son, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Spirit are with us. This is the fifth stage of our enjoyment of the Triune God in Psalm 23. …In the church meetings, in God’s house, we can enjoy the divine goodness (the grace of Christ) and the divine kindness (the love of God) following us (in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit) all the days of our life.

Dwelling in the House of Jehovah for the Length of My Days

Eventually, this enjoyment will usher us into the house of God. We will dwell in the house of Jehovah for the length of our days (in the present age and in the coming age and in eternity). …Today we are in the church. If we are overcomers, we will be in the kingdom of one thousand years in the New Jerusalem. Eventually, in eternity we will be in the New Jerusalem with all of the chosen and redeemed saints. God’s house is our dwelling place where we enjoy the Triune God—the Son’s grace, the Father’s love, and the Spirit’s fellowship. Today we enjoy the Triune God in the church, and in the future we will enjoy Him in the New Jerusalem.

(Life-Study of Psalms, msg. 11)

The Move of the Triune God (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, give us the experience of You that I should have at the beginning of this day, we wants to experience, enjoy You, and have the enjoyment of the grace of Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Spirit.

2 Cor. 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Partaking of the Riches of Christ and Enjoying Them

The book of 2 Corinthians ends with a blessing: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all”. Paul here was telling the saints that they could partake of the riches of Christ and enjoy them. The grace of Christ issues out of the love of God. This means that the love of God is the source of the grace of Christ, and that the grace of Christ is the expression of the love of God. Furthermore, this grace is in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the grace of Christ with the love of God becomes our enjoyment. This enjoyment is just what we need today.

The Riches of Christ Being Dispensed into Us

If we all experience and enjoy the riches of Christ, we shall have much to speak concerning Christ whenever we come together. As we fellowship with others in the Lord, we shall speak of what Christ is to us. We shall not speak about doctrine or gifts, but about the genuine experience of Christ and the real enjoyment of the riches of Christ. The more the riches of Christ are dispensed into us, the more we shall be sanctified and metabolically transformed.

The Daily Experience and Enjoyment of the Triune God

In our experience today, He is the Spirit as the reality of the Son with the Father to be our life for our enjoyment. Realizing that He is such a wonderful One, we do not care for dead doctrines, vain religion, or meaningless rituals. Our concern is to have the daily experience and enjoyment of the Triune God.

(Life-Study of Ephesians, msg. 83; Life-Study of 1 John, msg. 32)

Week Nine

The Economy of God

The Economy of God (I)

Prayer:

O, Lord Jesus, praise You as the God with economy and plan. Cause our beginning of a week and beginning of a day to be joined to Your economy. What a wonderful beginning!

1 Tim. 1:4 …which produce questionings rather than God’s economy, which is in faith.

In Greek the words “God’s dispensation” Meaning Household Law

In Greek the words “God’s dispensation” in 1:4 means household law, implying distribution (the base of this word is of the same origin as that for pasture in John 10:9, implying a distribution of the pasture to the flock). It denotes a household management, a household administration, a household government, and, derivatively, a dispensation, a plan, or an economy for administration (distribution); hence, it is also a household economy.

God’s Dispensation Being His Household Economy

God’s dispensation is His household economy. According to the Bible, God does not first want to have a kingdom. Rather, He first wants a house, a family. Once He has a family, His family will spontaneously become His kingdom. If He is not able to secure a family, a household, a house, He will not be able to have a kingdom. Thus, God’s dispensation is first a matter of His household economy, or family economy. Second, God’s dispensation is His household administration to dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen people that He might have a house, a household, the church, the Body of Christ, to express Himself.

This Economy Being the Economy in Faith

When people hear of the grace of God in the preaching of the gospel, something rises up within them to appreciate what they have heard. The grace presented to them becomes in them the faith by which they believe. Spontaneously they begin to appreciate God, Christ, and the Spirit. They appreciate what Christ has done in accomplishing redemption. This appreciation is faith. Faith comes when they begin to appreciate what they hear in the gospel.

(Life-Study of 1 Timothy, msg. 1; Life-Study of Galatians, msg. 14)

The Economy of God (II)

Prayer:

O, Lord Jesus, thank You who are the dispensing God. This morning we open to You. Please dispense Yourself into us more and more. Amen!

Eph. 3:8 To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel.

“To Announce” Meaning to Distribute

God’s plan is accomplished through His dispensing. The divine dispensing consummates God’s economy, God’s plan. Ephesians 3:8-9 reveal God’s dispensing. Paul received grace to announce the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel. “To announce” means to distribute. Paul’s distributing of the riches of Christ to the believers was according to God’s economy. This is the apostleship to carry out God’s economy.

Dispensing Meaning to Be Assimilated into Us to Become Us

I use the word dispensing in the sense of food being eaten, digested, and assimilated into our being. Eventually, when the element of the food we have eaten is assimilated into our being, that food becomes us. Dispensing is not just to distribute. It means that the things we take in have been assimilated into us to become us.

The Trinity Being for Our Experience

The Trinity is for our experience, but if the Trinity could not be dispensed into us, how could we experience Him? Food is for our enjoyment, but if we could not eat, digest, and assimilate it into our body, how could we enjoy it? The food must be dispensed into our body so that we can enjoy it.

(The Central Line of the Divine Revelation, ch. 4)

The Economy of God (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, praise that You are the word. Thank You that You as the word became the flesh to bring God among people and into us. We shall enjoy the grace and reality of You the word.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us…, full of grace and reality.

The First Step of God to Dispense Himself to Men——Becoming Flesh

In order to accomplish the economy of working Himself into man, God has to pass through the means of dispensing. Hence, God’s dispensing is for God’s economy. In order to dispense Himself to man, the first step God took was to become flesh and be a man. When He was in the flesh, on the one hand, He was the Lamb of God who took away man’s sin.

The Second Step—Becoming the Life-giving Spirit

The second step God took in order to dispense Himself to man was to become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). These two steps contain two “becomes.” The Lord first became flesh, and then He became the life-giving Spirit. His becoming flesh was for the accomplishing of redemption and the releasing of God’s life. His becoming the life-giving Spirit was for the dispensing of Himself as the Spirit into man to be man’s life.

Not a Matter of Right or Wrong, But a Matter of God’s Economy and Dispensing

If it were a matter of right and wrong, then even Paul could be condemned by the Corinthians. They accused Paul of being crafty and taking them by guile, saying that he indemnified himself by sending Titus to receive the collection for the poor Jewish saints (2 Cor. 12:16). But Paul said that he would not examine himself by the standard of right and wrong. He said that though he was conscious of nothing against himself, he was not justified by this. He would not judge anything before the time, but would wait until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each one from God. Paul did not care if others judged him as right or wrong; he was a person who was for God’s economy.

(The Economy and Dispensing of God, ch. 2)

The Economy of God (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, how wonderful is it that we are even the children of God and that Your life is even in us! O, Lord, cause us to live out the life of the children of God!

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been manifested what we will be. We know that if He is manifested, we will be like Him because we will see Him even as He is.

He Will Make Us Exactly Like Him

God’s desire is to work in us to the extent that we are as honorable and glorious as He is; we have His life and nature but we have no share in His Godhead. Now He is doing a transforming and conforming work within us; in the future He will come again to glorify our body. The Bible says clearly that we do not know what we will be, but one thing we know is that at His coming back we will be like Him because He will make us exactly like Him (1 John 3:2). Of course, we do not participate in His Godhead to become the object of worship; this is the difference between us and Him.

We Being God in Life and Nature but Not in Godhead

God is God, and He Himself has begotten us as His children. Whatever anything is born of, that is what it is. We cannot say that when sheep beget sheep, the old sheep are sheep but the little sheep are not sheep. Since God has begotten us, we are the children of God. Furthermore, 1 John 3 says that God will work on us to such an extent that we will be like Him completely (v. 2). From the day God created man, this has been the purpose of God. Hence, what He created was man, yet He created man with the image of God. Adam was created with God’s image and likeness. Then God set man before the tree of life, meaning that He wanted man, who had God’s image, to receive God as his life. As a result, if a man who has received God as his life is not God, then what is he? But the Lord also shows us clearly that we are God in life and nature but not in Godhead.

(The Economy and Dispensing of God, ch. 5; The High Peak of the Vision and the Reality of the Body of Christ, ch. 1)

The Economy of God (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, praise that You are the mystery of God, being God manifested on man, passing through many processes to become the life-giving Spirit. May more people know You the mystery!

1 Tim. 3:16 And confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.

Seven Great Matters in God’s Economy

There are seven great matters in God’s economy. The first five matters are the five steps of God’s economy, which are incarnation, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension. These five steps bring in the sixth great matter, which is a great issue—the church, which is the Body of Christ, the house of God, the kingdom of God, and the counterpart of Christ. Hence, this great issue is of five aspects: the church, the Body, the house of God, the kingdom of God, and the counterpart. This issue with five aspects has a consummation—the New Jerusalem; this is the seventh great matter. We must clearly see these seven great matters in God’s economy.

Enjoying Grace as Our Inner Supply

If we experience the grace in God’s economy, there will be a consummation—the organic Body of Christ. Christ to us is grace; as such, He comes into us to be our life and person. He not only lives in us but also lives with us. Moreover, He wants us to live along with Him. This is to enjoy grace as our inner supply. Such an enjoyment of grace spontaneously produces a result. When we live Christ and magnify Christ, we become the living members, organic members, of Christ, and we all are organically joined as an organism, which is the church. This organism grows continually, and ultimately there will be a consummation—the New Jerusalem.

(The Governing and Controlling Vision in the Bible, ch. 4; The Law and Grace of God in His Economy, ch. 4)

The Economy of God (VI)

Prayer:

O, Lord, praise that You as energizing God. Reveal more Your economy to us this morning. We are willing to cooperate with You and move with You. Amen!

Ezek. 1:15-16 And as I watched the living creatures, I saw a wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, for each of their four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship were like the sight of beryl. And the four of them had one likeness; that is, their appearance and their workmanship were as it were a wheel within a wheel.

God’s Economy Being Likened to a Great Wheel; this Wheel Having Been Continually Moving

In Ezekiel 1 God’s economy is likened to a great wheel (vv. 15-21). The hub of this great wheel signifies Christ as the center of God’s economy, and the rim signifies Christ’s counterpart, the church, which consummates in the New Jerusalem. The many believers as the members of Christ are the spokes of the hub spreading to the rim, to the Body of Christ consummating in the New Jerusalem. This great wheel is not just the economy of God but also the moving of the economy of God. From Genesis 1 until the present, this wheel has been continually moving. The move of God’s economy has never stopped, and today this great wheel has reached us.

The Fulfillment of God’s Economy Requiring Our Cooperation

We need to be impressed with the fact that the fulfillment of God’s economy requires our cooperation. To cooperate with God means to be bound together with God. We may use a three-legged race as an illustration. The runners in such a race must run in pairs, with each partner having one leg bound to one of his partner’s legs. In order for the partners to run, they must cooperate with each other and not move independently. This is a picture of the proper Christian life. To be a Christian is to be bound together with Christ and to have one living with Him by one life.

(Life-Study of Joshua, msg. 2; Life-Study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msg.1)

Week Ten

Consecration to Love the Lord

Consecration to Love the Lord (I)

Prayer:

O, Lord, in the morning we shall say to you, “I love You!” Lord, it is You who love us first and put love in us so that we may love You with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind!

Matt. 22:37-38 And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the great and first commandment.

Loving God Being Unique to Christianity

We ought to love God. No other religion speaks of loving God like ours. Loving God is unique to Christianity. However, loving God requires all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. This is the first commandment. No matter where it is placed, this commandment is always the first. This is also the greatest. Today we must praise God for commanding us to love Him. God not only wants us to believe in Him, but also to love Him.

Loving God Being Related to the Moving of Life

God’s Word shows us that loving God is related to the moving of life. The experience of many saints indicates that God first plants life into us, then touches our emotion with love. In the Gospel of John the emphasis is upon faith and also upon love. This gospel says that he who believes has eternal life. Faith means to receive the life into us, while love means to let the life flow out. Only faith can let the life come in, and only love can let the life flow out.

O My God, I Want to Love You with All My Heart

Therefore, we need to allow this love to reach our heart and flow into our emotion, mind, and will. We need to lift up our heads and say: “O my God, I want to love You with all my heart; I want to love You with all my soul; I want to love You with all my understanding; I want to love You with all my strength!”

(CWWN, Vol. 18, Note on Scriptural Messages, ch. 12; The New Covenant, ch. 7)

Consecration to Love the Lord (II)

Prayer:

O, Lord, thank You for buying us with a price. Cause us to know that we no longer belong to ourselves but belong wholly to You. Lord Jesus, this morning we consecrate ourselves to You!

1 Cor. 6:20 For you have been bought with a price…

The Basis of Consecration—God’s Purchase

The first main point is the basis of consecration. On what basis must we consecrate ourselves to God? On what basis does God require us to consecrate ourselves to Him? We need to have a basis for whatever we do. …When God, therefore, demands that we consecrate ourselves to Him, it cannot be without a basis. In this matter, He has a very solid basis, that is, His purchase. He has already bought us. He can, therefore, demand that we consecrate ourselves to Him.

God Using His Precious Blood to Buy Us That We May Belong to Him

First Corinthians 6:20 says: “Ye were bought with a price.” God has bought us with none other than the precious blood shed by His beloved Son on the cross (1 Pet. 1:19). How great “a price” is this precious blood! God used this precious blood as the price to buy us, that we may belong to Him.

Willingly Consecrating Ourselves to Him

Therefore, no one can be God’s servant without being conscious of it. We have to consecrate ourselves before we can be His slaves. This consecration is a matter of our own voluntary choice. God does not force us, nor does Paul force us. He exhorted us and beseeched us. God will not force us at all. He wants us to willingly consecrate ourselves to Him.

(The Experience of Life, ch. 3; The Overcoming Life, ch. 11)

Consecration to Love the Lord (III)

Prayer:

O, Lord, the reason why we can love You is that Your love constrains us and floods us. Lord, constrain us more, and we also consecrate ourselves more to You. Amen!

2 Cor. 5:14 For the love of Christ constrains us because we have judged this, that One died for all, therefore all died.

The Love of Christ Constraining Us

The motive of consecration is the love of God. Whenever the Holy Spirit sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts, we will naturally be willing to become the prisoners of love and consecrate ourselves to God. Second Corinthians 5:14-15 says: “For the love of Christ constraineth us (constraineth in the original has the meaning of the rushing of waters)…and He died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again.” In other words, these verses tell us that the dying love of Christ is like the rushing of great waters toward us, impelling us to consecrate ourselves to God and to live for Him beyond our own control.

Our Feelings Having Been Touched by the Love of God

If our consecration has love as its motive, if our feelings have been touched by the love of God, the constraint of this love will cause us to consecrate ourselves willingly to God. This consecration will then be sweet and intense. So it is in a true consecration to God. When we touch the love of God and see that He truly is lovely, we will then consecrate ourselves to Him.

Following the Lord in the Way of Consecration

One day, when the Spirit sheds this love abroad in our hearts, we too will have such intense consecration. Even after we have consecrated ourselves and have followed the Lord in the way of consecration, we need unceasingly the constraint of His love in order that we may touch its sweetness. In the way of consecration one often suffers pain and loss, and only those who frequently touch the love of the Lord can find sweetness in their pain.

(The Experience of life, ch. 3)

Consecration to Love the Lord (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in the morning we consecrate ourselves again to You. Lord, we shall please You and present our whole being. Lord, please receive our consecration. Amen!

Rom. 12:1 I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

Presenting Bodies a Living Sacrifice, Holy, Well Pleasing to God

This verse shows us that the meaning of consecration is to be a “sacrifice.” A sacrifice, therefore, is none other than a thing which is set apart for God and laid on the altar, with a change in position and a change in usage. Whether it is a bullock or a ram, whether it is fine flour or oil, once it is offered as a sacrifice, it leaves the hands of the offerer and can no longer be used for his own advantage and enjoyment. All the sacrifices on the altar belong to God and are for His use and enjoyment. To put it simply, to be a sacrifice means to be offered to God for His use.

Consecrating Ourselves to Actually be a Sacrifice unto God

Since the meaning of consecration is to offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice for God’s satisfaction, we should ask ourselves this question: Since our consecration, how much of our actual living and actual experiences have proved that we have indeed laid ourselves on the altar to be a sacrifice for God? All this, because we have already offered ourselves to God and have been laid on the altar. We are already a consecrated people. We should be able to say continually to God, “O God, I have no choice; I have already consecrated myself to Thee; I am in Thy hand.” Whenever anything happens to us, we must express ourselves in this way to God. We must remain thus in God’s hand and actually be a sacrifice unto God. Only this is the true meaning of consecration.

(The Experience of Life, ch. 3)

Consecration to Love the Lord (V)

Prayer:

O, Lord, You are really worthy of gaining our best love. We can’t love You too much. Lord, we confess that our love to You is not sufficient. Cause us to love You much more and to spend our love on You.

Luke 14:9 Truly I say to you, Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done shall also be told as a memorial of her.

Loving Lord as Mary Did

“A woman came [Mary—John 12:3], having an alabaster flask of ointment, of very costly pure nard.” Pure nard is precious enough, whereas a very costly, pure nard is unmatched in excellence. This very costly, pure nard was inside an alabaster flask. The alabaster flask was also very precious. Not only was Mary offering to the Lord a costly ointment, but the flask that contained the ointment was also very precious. We can offer to the Lord only what is most precious.

Pouring the Ointment over His Head

“And poured it over His head.” When she did this, the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment (John 12:3). Not only was the house filled with the fragrance then; even now as we read this passage, we can sense the fragrance! Even the house we are meeting in right now seems to be filled with fragrance! This love to the Lord and this consecration to Him indeed is a fragrance that has lasted until now and will last until eternity.

It is a Noble Deed to Be Spent on Him

The Lord was opposed to the disciples’ concept, who thought that such an anointing and consecration to Him was a waste. The Lord said that it was a noble deed and not a waste. It is a noble deed to love Him too much, to obey Him too much, and to be spent on Him too much; it is not a waste. It is a noble deed to love Him to the extent that we forget about the criticism of those who are older in the Lord. It is a noble deed to love Him to the extent that we forget about the need of the poor outside. It is not a waste. It is a noble deed to love Him to the extent that we waste everything on Him. This is not a waste.

(Loving God, ch. 5)

Consecration to Love the Lord (VI)

Prayer:

O, Lord, we love You! Although we haven’t seen You, we can feel Your love. Lord, may Your love and Your joy fill us!

1 Pet. 1:8 Whom having not seen, you love; into whom though not seeing Him at present, yet believing, you exult with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.

Whom Having Not Seen, You Love

Referring to the Lord Jesus, Peter goes on to say in verse 8, “Whom having not seen, you love.” It is a wonder and a mystery that the believers love One whom they have not seen. We love Him whom we have not seen because of believing, because of the very faith which has been infused into us through hearing the living word (Gal. 3:2). Hence, this faith is under the testing, the proving, in verse 7.

Joy Unspeakable and Full of Glory

According to verse 8, the believers “exult with unspeakable and glorified joy.” Glorified joy is joy immersed in glory; hence, it is full of glory, that is, full of the Lord expressed. The King James Version adopts the rendering “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” We also have a song in our hymnal that says, “It is joy unspeakable and full of glory” (Hymns, 1153). Actually, Peter does not mean that we are full of glory. On the contrary, he speaks of a glorified joy. We exult with a joy that is immersed in glory. This joy is immersed in the Lord as glory; thus, it is full of the expression of the Lord.

Being a Passionate Lover of the Lord Jesus

First Peter 1:8 says, “Whom having not seen, you love; into whom though not seeing Him at present, yet believing, you exult with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.” This verse says that we love Him because we believe in Him. What is born out of this love through believing? It is joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. Finally, brothers and sisters, I wish to repeat what that old believer said to the departing young man: “May you be a passionate lover of the Lord Jesus!”

(CWWN, Notes on Scriptural Messages (3), A Noble Deed)

Week Eleven

Knowing Christ

Knowing Christ (I)

Prayer:

O, Lord Jesus, as soon as we get up in the early morning, we praise You. Praise that You are the embodiment of God. The life of God hides in You! You are God blessed forever. Amen!

Rom. 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and out of whom, as regards what is according to flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Christ as God over All Blessed Forever

Paul says that Christ is “over all, God blessed forever.” When Paul came to this point in his writing, he was so filled with the glorious Person of Christ that he poured out what was in his heart—“Christ is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” We all have to be deeply impressed with and fully realize and appreciate the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ is the very God who is over all and blessed forever. Even the young people among us need to experience Christ in His pure and everlasting divine nature. Then they will give the impression to others at school or in the neighborhood that they possess something weighty and valuable.

Gold Signifying Christ’s Divine Nature

Gold signifies Christ’s divine nature and it is pure and everlasting. In Jesus, the Nazarene, there was the divine nature, although this “gold” was concealed within Him. We need to experience Christ’s hidden divine nature. For example, in all that a brother does as a husband, father, or employee he should have Christ’s divine nature hidden within him.

Experiencing Christ in His Pure and Everlasting Divine Nature

In their speech and behavior they will convey the impression that they have something admirable within. I thank the Lord that many of our young people do bear such a testimony.

(Life-Study of Romans, msg. 22; Life-Study of Exodus, msg. 82)

Knowing Christ (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we love You. We need You! Thank You that You as God become man and become the lamb of God to remove our sin.

1 Tim. 2:5 For there is one God and one Mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

The Human Living of Christ Jesus

In the Gospel of John we are told that the Lord is the Word of God, that this Word is God Himself, and that one day He became a man (John 1:14). We see the Lord on this earth acting, living, walking, working, and doing things exactly as a man. Although He performed miracles, His life was a human life, His walk a human walk. Sometimes He was hungry, sometimes thirsty. Once He asked a woman for some water to drink. Sometimes He felt tired (John 4:6), and sometimes He even wept. He was one hundred percent a man! Yet, in this man—in His life, His walk, His work—God was manifested. This is what God still desires today; He desires to be manifested through humanity.

Christ as the Son of Man Being the Greatest Cherishing to Us

Christ as the Son of Man became the Lamb of God to take away our sin (John 1:29)—cherishing. If God had never become a man, He could not have become the Lamb. The One who is the Lamb is the Son of Man with humanity. It was only in humanity that God could accomplish redemption for us by dying on the cross. Our sin is the most troublesome thing to all of us, but Christ became the Lamb of God to die for us, to accomplish redemption for us, to take all our sins away. This is the greatest cherishing to us to make us happy and restful.

(The Four Major Steps of Christ, ch. 1; The Vital Groups, ch. 9)

Knowing Christ (III)

Prayer:

O, Lord Jesus, we shall praise You again. Praise You that You are God becoming the likeness of man. We shall receive You more to let You more enter into me. Amen!

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.

A Virgin Shall Be with Child, and Shall Bring forth a Son

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:21, 23). On the one hand, as a man, He is Jesus. But on the other hand, as God, He is Emmanuel, God with us.

The Principle of Incarnation Being God Coming into Man

The principle of incarnation is God coming into man. This is something that is truly of the Spirit and that requires the Holy Spirit to thoroughly shine in us so that it may become our inward vision. The incarnation of the Lord is to bring God into man. Before the Lord Jesus was born, God could not enter into man because He had not been incarnated. God’s entering into man began with the incarnation of the Lord Jesus.

Incarnation Happening Once Again

Incarnation began with the birth of the Lord Jesus, but did incarnation stop at that time? The answer is no. Not only was the birth of the Lord Jesus incarnation, but every time someone is saved, that is also incarnation. When you and I repented and believed in the Lord, we received the Lord Jesus into us. That was incarnation happening once again.

(The Wonderful Christ in the Canon of the New Testament, ch. 1; Spiritual Reality, ch. 12)

Knowing Christ (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, cleanse us with Your blood in the morning. Thank You for bearing our sin on the cross to redeem us so that we may live because of You. Amen!

1 Pet. 2:24 Who Himself bore up our sins in His body on the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose bruise you were healed.

Christ Being Crucified on the Cross

After thirty-three and a half years, He went to the cross to be crucified to accomplish the redemption in God’s eternal plan. This is the third great thing He did, solving, once and for all, the problem of everything that God had condemned in the universe, such as Satan, sin, the world, the flesh, the old man, and the old creation. He did this for God and for those who are chosen by God, who will eternally inherit His salvation.

All Problems Being Solved at the Cross

We must realize that this all-inclusive death of Christ on the cross is the settlement of all the problems in the universe between God and His creation. The problems of Satan, sin, sickness, death, the world, and the fallen human nature—all problems—were solved at the cross.

The Cross Being Exceedingly Meaningful Both to God and to Ourselves

The cross is exceedingly meaningful both to God and to ourselves. Can we not go and say to the Lord, “Lord, now I am clear. All things of the old creation have been put to an end. All problems—sin and sins, sickness and death, Satan and his evil forces, the world, my sinful nature, and even the ordinances of the law—have been settled once and for all on the cross. Praise the Lord!”

(Life Lessons, Vol. 1, ch. 8; The Four Major Steps of Christ, ch. 2)

Knowing Christ (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us a new day! This day we shall live with You and walk with You. Keep us always being joined to You and dwelling in You. Amen!

1 Cor. 15:3-4 For I delivered to you, first of all, that which also I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He has been raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Christ Rising Up from Death

Acts 2:24 says that it was not possible for the Lord to be held by death. The Lord is both God and resurrection, possessing the indestructible life (Heb. 7:16). Because He is such an ever-living One, death is not able to hold Him. He delivered Himself to death, but death had no way to detain Him; rather, death was defeated by Him, and He rose up from it.

We Being Raised Up in Christ Too

We were dead in Christ, and we were raised up in Him too. Christ’s history is our experience. He was in death, and we were in Him. Now He is in resurrection, and praise the Lord, so are we!

Simply by Taking Christ as life

How should we deal with people? Simply by taking Christ as life! Christ is risen to be our life. May we realize this positively in our daily lives. Listening or reading is not enough. We must put this into practice. We must take Christ as our life for every occasion. How very real and practical it is! If we do this, we will very quickly be filled with Him in our spirit (Eph. 5:18). We will be full of Christ and our whole being will be saturated with the Spirit. The Lord is seeking this kind of people today. To live by Christ is true spirituality!

(Life-Study of Acts, msg. 10; The Four Major Steps of Christ, ch. 3)

Knowing Christ (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, this new day thank You again for dying for us. Praise Your resurrection and ascension. Lord, bring us also into the realm of resurrection and up to the heaven. Amen!

Acts 1:11 Who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you beheld Him going into heaven.

Christ Resurrecting and Ascending

Later, Christ resurrected and ascended, and by the resurrection and ascension man was brought into God. Therefore, after the ascension there is a man in the heavens. At the time Stephen was stoned to death, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Son of Man at the right hand of God. That man in the heavens was not only in heaven but also in God. Stephen saw a man in God. By the incarnation there was a man on this earth with God in Him.

Christ Having Solving All the Problems in the Heavens and on the Earth

Hebrews 2:14 tells us that through death He destroyed him—the devil—who has the might of death. By His death Christ defeated all the foes. Then by His resurrection He disarmed them. After this, while He was ascending to the heavens, He was leading a train of defeated foes. Do you realize this? Christ has disarmed and captured all the capturing power, and He has defeated all the foes. He has solved all the problems in the heavens and on the earth.

A Real Release and Delivery to Us

The meaning of the ascension is that man has been brought into God to complete the mingling of God and man. Incarnation brought God into man, but this is only half of the mingling of God and man. When Christ ascended to the heavens, He brought man into God. By this, the mingling is now complete. Everything has been accomplished. Everything has been done on both the negative and positive sides. If our eyes are opened to see all these things, this will be a real release and delivery to us.

(Functioning in Life as Gifts Given to the Body of Christ, ch. 5)

Week Twelve

Experiencing Christ

Experiencing Christ (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we treasure You, the most precious one in the universe. This day lead us to know more about You riches and experience more of You infinity. Amen!

Phil. 3:8 But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ.

The Experiential Christ

For centuries, the subjective Christ has been ignored by the believers. Many devoted Christians have directed their love to the objective Christ. They believe in Him, respect Him, exalt Him, and take Him as the object of their worship. However, in many cases, they regard Him as One who is far away in heaven. Although they may love Him, they may not experience Him abiding in them. They may work diligently for Christ, but not realize that Christ is not only in heaven, but also dwelling within them.

The Subjective Christ in Our Experience

The New Testament reveals Christ in two aspects: first, the objective aspect, Christ resurrected and ascended to be the Lord of all.(Acts 2:36) Today He is our High Priest in the heavens interceding for us.(Hebrews 4:14) One day He will come back from the heavens. Second, the subjective aspect, Christ resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit to enter into the believers’ spirit to become their life and to transform them.(Corinthians 3:18) Finally, He will be magnified in us, so that for us to live is Christ.

Experiencing Christ by Faith

Our experience of Christ is by faith. We sometimes think that because Christ lives in us, we should be strong. When we feel that we are weak, we question whether or not Christ is really living in us. Christ is great, immense, and vast.

(New Life Lessons, vol. 2, ch. 4)

Experiencing Christ (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we come close to You in this morning. Let You have the first place in our whole being. Let You operate freely on us that we may live you out.

Phil. 1:20-21 …as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Magnifying Christ and Living Him

In this book we are charged to magnify Christ and to live Him. To magnify Christ is not only to express Him; it is to express Christ by causing Him to be enlarged. We should magnify Christ by living Him in a practical way day by day. Our daily living should be a living that lives Christ. Certain ethical teachings encourage people to live by particular virtues. The book of Philippians, however, does not charge us to live according to ethics or virtues; it charges us to live according to Christ. Christ must be everything in our daily living. He must be even such virtues as humility and kindness.

Christ Also Becoming His Living

Before Paul was saved, his life was centered around the law, and he lived the law. But after he was converted to Christ and was regenerated, he began to live Christ. Christ became not only Paul’s life, but also his living. Eventually, according to his experience, Paul could declare that to him to live was Christ.

Magnifying Christ in Our Daily Living

In our daily living we also should magnify Christ, making Him great in the eyes of others. Where you work or go to school people may look down on Christ. They may ridicule Him and take His name in vain, in violation of the third commandment. Therefore, you need to let others see Christ not in a small way, but in the way of enlargement, of magnification.

(Life-Study of Philippians, msg. 1, 6)

Experiencing Christ (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in the morning we present our love to You and give our heart to You. May You gain our mind, emotion, will, and our whole being this day.

Phil. 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

Christ As the Pattern within Us

In 2:5-8 Paul presents Christ as our pattern. This pattern is not only objective, but also subjective. However, when I was young, I was taught only about the objective aspect of Christ as our pattern. I was told that in His life on earth Christ set up a pattern and that we should follow in His footsteps. Having established the pattern for us, Christ is now in heaven praying that we shall follow Him faithfully.

This Pattern Being Subjective

As our pattern Christ is in heaven. He has been exalted to the highest peak in the universe, where God is. This is related to the objective aspect of the pattern. However, if Christ were only in the third heaven objectively, how could we take Him as our pattern today? How could we, who are on earth, follow One who has been exalted and who is now in heaven? It would be impossible. In order for us to take Christ as our pattern, this pattern must be subjective.

Our Mind Being Occupied with Christ and Saturated with Him

In 2:2 Paul tells the saints to think the same thing and the one thing. To think the same thing is to have our minds occupied with Christ and saturated with Him. Our mind should be occupied by Christ not merely in an objective, doctrinal way, but in a subjective, experiential way, in the way of allowing Christ to spread from our spirit into our mind and to take full possession of our mind, even to saturate our mind with His.

(Life-Study of Philippians, msg. 10)

Experiencing Christ (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I give this new day to Your hand. Keep us that this day is a day of enjoying You. Cause us to forget yesterday, forget good and bad, and only seek You.

Phil. 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not account of myself to have laid hold; but one thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal for the prize to which God in Christ Jesus has called me upward.

The Goal Being the Fullest Enjoyment and Gain of Christ

Paul was pursuing toward the goal for the prize. Christ is both the goal and the prize. The goal is the fullest enjoyment and gain of Christ, and the prize is the uttermost enjoyment of Christ in the millennial kingdom as a reward to the victorious runners of the New Testament race. In order to reach the goal for the prize, Paul was exercised to forget the things which are behind and to stretch forward to the things which are before. This is the way to gain Christ by pursuing Him.

Having Not Already Obtained and Having Not Yet Been Perfected

Even though Paul was a matured saint and a very experienced apostle, he tells us that he had not already obtained and had not yet been perfected. He did not regard himself as one who had obtained the full enjoyment of Christ or the full maturity in life. He, of course, had obtained the common salvation by the common faith (1 Tim. 1:14-16), but he was still pursuing Christ in order to gain Him.

The Way to Pursue Christ: Forgetting the Things Which Are Behind and Stretching Forward to the Things Which Are Before

The first aspect of the way to pursue Christ is that we do not consider ourselves to have gained. Following this, we need to do one thing: forget the things which are behind and stretch forward to the things which are before. The goal toward which we are pursuing is the full enjoyment of Christ, and the prize is the extra enjoyment of Christ. I believe this extra portion of the enjoyment of Christ will be in the millennial kingdom. In the millennial kingdom the overcomers will enjoy Christ in an extraordinary way.

(Life-Study of Philippians, msg. 23)

Experiencing Christ (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in the morning we take refuge in You. Empower us this day, supply us, and keep us dwelling in You to enjoy You as our power. Amen!

Phil. 4:13 I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.

Christ Being the One Who Empowers Us

Christ is the One who empowers us. The word empowers here and the word power in Ephesians 1:19 come from the same Greek word for dynamic or dynamo. Christ as the source of all power is inexhaustible; His power is unlimitedly great.

He Having Bountiful Supply

He “who empowers me” is Christ, who is also the Spirit of Jesus Christ with a bountiful supply, as mentioned in Philippians 1:19. The Spirit of Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ Himself. He supplies and enables us to live out the things that are true, dignified with a bountiful supply, righteous, pure, lovely, and well spoken of, as well as any virtue and any praise. All we need is just to be in Him, and He will empower us to live out these virtues.

Once Christ Begins to Operate in Us, We Are Empowered

Today there are many toys that are electrically powered. For example, there is a toy dog that has batteries installed in it. If the switch is not turned on, the dog cannot move, but when the switch is turned on, the dog begins jumping around. The electricity from the batteries is what empowers the dog. Likewise, without Christ operating in us, we do not have the driving force. When the power of Christ’s resurrection operates in us, we are made alive and empowered. Christ is the resurrected One. Once the resurrection power begins to operate in us, it enables us to break through death and transcend everything.

(The Subjective Experience of the Indwelling Christ, chs. 5, 8)

Experiencing Christ (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we consecrate this day to You. Guard our hearts and our thoughts. Fill us with Your peace and joy. You are the fountain of our joy. Amen!

Phil. 4:12 I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack.

I Having Learned the Secret

In 4:12 Paul says, “I have learned the secret.” To do the things spoken of in chapter four requires the divine life. Paul had learned the secret of being able to do all things in the One who empowered him. In verse 4 he exhorts us to rejoice in the Lord always. We may think that it is easy to rejoice in the Lord. Actually, rejoicing in Him requires the out-resurrection. In order to rejoice in the Lord we need to be in Him as the One who empowers us.

If Something Negative Happens to Us, We Need Not Be Troubled

If we are truly one with the Lord in our experience and something negative happens to us, we need not be anxious or troubled. If we are not one with the Lord in a practical way, virtually every person, every matter, and every thing will bother us. We may be disturbed by our husband or wife or by our children. When we are not one with the Lord, nothing will be satisfactory to us. For example, apart from the Lord, no job is satisfying.

The Secret of Satisfaction Being to Be One with Christ

The secret of satisfaction is to be one with Christ. When we are one with the Lord, we can be satisfied with our circumstances, and we can be forbearing with everyone, every thing, and every matter. Only when we are one with Christ can we be forbearing to the uttermost and be satisfied in all situations.

(Life-Study of Philippians，msgs. 56, 62)

Week Thirteen

The Body of Christ

The Body of Christ (I)

Prayer:

O, Lord Jesus, this morning fan our spirit into flame that we may together with saints enter into the mingled spirit. Thank You for giving us so many members to constitute Your Body!

Rom. 12:5 So we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

In Talking about the Body of Christ, We Being All Included, Both You and I

We human beings with our organic bodies are born into being from parents who are human beings like us. This birth is our origin. The Body of Christ is a totality of all the members of Christ, and we are the members in His Body. Therefore, in talking about the Body of Christ, we are all included, both you and I. When I speak about the Body of Christ, I am speaking concerning you and also concerning myself.

No Member Must Be Disconnected from the Body

Now that we have obtained this life, we are no longer individual persons, but members of the Body of Christ. Hence, we must not be disconnected from the Body. No member must be disconnected from the Body; once disconnected, the members are finished. Today every one of us is a member, a member of the Body of Christ. This Body of Christ is the church.

The Need to Be in the Body Whatever We Do

All of us have life, but if we say that each one of us has been joined to the church, it is not so accurate. The real significance is that we have become the members of the Body of Christ, possessing the same one life and needing one another. This is to be members one of another. Therefore, whatever we do must be in the Body, joined to the Body, and regulated by the Body, because we are one Body. This is a wonderful matter.

(A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, ch. 1)

The Body of Christ (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we love You. Thank You for calling us to separate us from the world. Bless us that this day is a day of separation in order for us to live a life of separation.

Matt. 16:18b …and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

The Church Being a Called-Out Congregation

The church is firstly an ekklesia. This Greek word denotes a called-out congregation. In ancient times when the city called its citizens together for a gathering, that congregation was an ekklesia. The New Testament, beginning with the Lord Jesus in Matthew 16, uses this word to denote the church (v. 18). The church is a congregation called out by God unto Himself.

The Need to Assemble and Meet in Order to Have a Congregation

Because the church has the status of the assembly, the ekklesia, we need to gather together. We must assemble and meet in order to have a congregation for God to work and move among us. When God’s called out ones meet together, this is the church. Without such a gathering together of the believers in a locality, there is no practical church life.

We Having Been Called by God Out of the World

Because the church as the assembly is separated from the world, we may say that the church is composed of the real Hebrews. The root of the word “Hebrew” (Gen. 14:13) means “to pass over”; it especially means to pass over a river from one region to another and from one side to another. Hence, the word Hebrew denotes a river crosser, one who crosses a river. The church is composed of the believers who, as real Hebrews, have been called by God out of the world and have “crossed the river” from one realm to another. Now as believers in Christ we are the called out ones, the assembly, the congregation called out by God, the ekklesia in opposition to the world, which is on the other side of the river we have crossed.

(The Basic Revelation in the Holy Scriptures, ch. 5; Conclusion of the New Testament, Vol. 7, msg. 207)

The Body of Christ (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in the morning we praise You! Praise Your Body, and praise Your church. Keep us in Your Body, and keep us in Your church. Amen!

Matt. 16:18a And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church…

Not Only Must We Know Christ; We Must Know the Church As Well

The Lord asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). This time he did not say foolish things; his sky was clear, without clouds. He received the revelation and saw that according to His ministry, the Lord Jesus is God’s Anointed for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, and that according to His person, He is the Son of God, the embodiment of God. Here Peter uttered some stunning words. Immediately the Lord told him that this was not revealed to him by man but by God the Father. Furthermore, the Lord said, “On this rock I will build My church” (v. 18). In this word the Lord showed Peter that it is not enough just to know Him as the Christ; Peter must also know that upon Him He will build the church. Christ is only the Head; He needs a Body, which is the church, to be His match. The Head and the Body cannot be divided; Christ and the church is a great mystery (Eph. 5:32). Not only must we know Christ; we must know the church as well.

The Need to Have the Consciousness of the Body

In the church life …Some Christians are like butterflies; they act independently. Others are like bees; they live and move together. The butterfly flies from flower to flower, going its own sweet way; but the bee works for the hive. The butterfly lives and works individually, but the bee has a body-consciousness. We should all be like bees, having the consciousness of the Body so that we can live together with other members in the Body of Christ. Wherever there is Body-revelation, there is Body-consciousness, and wherever there is Body-consciousness, individual thought and action are automatically ruled out.

(The Economy of God and the Building up of the Body of Christ, msg. 5; The mystery of Christ, msg. 3)

The Body of Christ (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we love You, and we love Your church! Lord, thank You for giving us the church life. How sweet, joyful, satisfied, and delighted are we! Lord, continue keeping us!

Rev. 1:5 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace…

The Local Churches Being the Local Expressions of the Body of Christ

The local churches are the local expressions of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 2:22). There is only one Body, but there are many expressions. Universally, all the churches are one Body, and locally, every local church is a local expression of that universal Body. A local church is not the Body; it is only a part of the Body. It is a local expression of the Body. The church in Seoul is not the entire Body; it is a part of the entire Body as the Body’s local expression.

All the Local Churches Constituting the One Body of Christ

All the local churches constitute the one Body of Christ (Eph. 4:4). In the Acts and the Epistles, a number of times the Bible says “the churches”—the churches in Syria, the churches in Asia, the churches in Macedonia, and the churches in Galatia. How could the Bible refer first to one church and then to many churches? It is because the one church, the universal church, is the totality of all the churches, and all the churches are local constituents of the one universal church.

The Believers Living in the Local Churches

The believers are living in the local churches. Actually, we cannot live directly in the universal church. It is impossible for us to live in the universal church without living in a local church. The Lord is building up the universal church, and each of us is living practically in a local church.

(Vital Factors for the Recovery of the Church Life, ch. 4)

The Body of Christ (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us a new day. How blessed are we that wherever we are, we can find Your church. Lord, keep us in Your church.

Rev. 1:11 Saying, What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.

The Church Not Bearing Any Particular Name

In the Bible the church does not bear any particular name. In this respect, the church is like the moon. The moon does not have a particular name; its name is simply the moon. We do not name the moon the American moon, the Chinese moon, the Korean moon, or the German moon. There is only one moon, not many moons. However, we may speak of the moon in Seoul, the moon in Osaka, or the moon in Shanghai. This does not denote many moons, but one moon appearing in different cities.

The Ground of Locality—One City, One Church

The city is the ground on which the church is built. Therefore, taking the city as the ground, we may denote the church according to the city (Rev. 1:11). For example, you may say that you are a member of the church in Seoul. Since my wife and I live in Anaheim, California, we are members of the church in Anaheim.

The Expression of the Church in Each Locality Must Be One

God ordained the church to be expressed in a very simple way. Where there is a gathering of people in a locality, we have to preach the gospel to them. Then some of them will be separated by the Lord’s salvation, and these separated ones need to come together as the expression of the church in that community, in that locality. The church is expressed on this earth in localities, and where there is an expression of the church, that expression must be one.

(Vital Factors for the Recovery of the Church Life, ch. 4; Basic Principles for the Practice of the Church Life, ch. 2)

The Body of Christ (VI)

Prayer:

O, Lord Jesus, in the early morning I call upon You. Lord, praise You that You are the fountain of the water of life. Lord, we call upon You and You will quench our thirst. Thank the Lord! Amen!

1 Cor. 12:13 For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.

The Need to Be This One Body

so we should all, regardless of our races, nationalities, and social ranks, be this one Body. Christ is the life and constituent of this Body, and the Spirit is the reality of Christ. It is in this one Spirit that we were all baptized into this one living Body to express Christ.

The Flow Being in the Body

I appreciate Paul’s word in 12:13: “In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…and were all given to drink one Spirit.” Where can we drink one Spirit? We drink the Spirit in the Body. If we were not in the Body, there would not be any flow. There would be nothing to drink. The flow is in the Body. According to the book of Revelation, in eternity the flow will be in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1-2). Today, the flow, the river, is in the Body. In one Spirit we have all been baptized into one Body to drink one Spirit.

In the Church Life in the Lord’s Recovery, We Being in the Flow

Many of us can testify that before we came into the church life in the Lord’s recovery, we were either in a dry, parched land or in a marshy land. There may have been some water in this marshy land, but it was not good for drinking. But in the church life in the Lord’s recovery, we are drinking the Spirit every day, even all the time. We are not only at a fountain—we are in the flow. How I appreciate this verse telling us that we have been baptized into one Body to drink! In one Spirit we have been baptized into one Body to drink the one Spirit.

(Life-Study Of First Corinthians，msg. 58)

Chapter Fourteen

The Meeting Life

The Meeting Life (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us a new day, a new beginning. Keep our life this day, and also keep us living in the church and enjoying each other with saints.

Heb. 10:25 Not abandoning our own assembling together, as the custom with some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more as you see the day drawing near.

The Meetings Being God’s Ordination for the Believers

Here the assembling of ourselves together refers to our Christian meetings. God has ordained the way in which every living thing in the universe should exist. God?s ordination is the very law by which a particular species lives. If the living thing obeys that law, it will survive and be blessed. God is the same toward us who have believed in Christ. God?s ordination for us, which becomes our law of existence and blessing, is the meetings. As water is to the fish, and air to the birds, so are the meetings to the Christians. As the fish must live in the water and the birds must exist in the air, so the Christians must maintain their spiritual existence and living by the meetings.

The Need to Meet, and the Meetings Being Crucial to Us

What is mentioned here shows us that meetings can cause us to consider one another for inciting to love and to exhort one another for good works. This causes us to have spiritual fellowship with the saints to receive the life supply from them. Thus, we must not forsake the meetings, and so much the more as we know that the Lord will soon come back. Our Christian life is not like the life of a butterfly, which does well on its own; our life is like the sheep’s life, requiring that we flock together and live a meeting life. Consequently, we need to meet, and the meetings are crucial to us.

(Life Lessons, vol. 2, msg. 14)

The Meeting Life (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You are the lamb of God and also our good shepherd. We also became Your sheep. Gather us as one flock unto one shepherd.

John 10:16 And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must lead them also, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd.

The Meeting Being the Requires of Our Spiritual Life

Every kind of life has its own characteristic, and usually, many characteristics. The spiritual life we believers have received, being the life of God in us, also possesses many characteristics. For example, the hatred for sin and the separation from sin are characteristics of this life. The desire to draw near to God and the willingness to serve Him are also its characteristics. One of the many characteristics of our spiritual life is to flock together, to meet together. John 10:3 and 16 show us that since we are saved, we are the Lord?s sheep. The characteristic of the sheep’s life is to flock together and to dislike isolation from the other sheep. Hence, the Bible says that we are not only the Lord’s sheep, but even more, His flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). In order to be a sheep which shares in the blessing of the flock, we must meet together with the flock. The characteristic of the spiritual’ sheep life within us requires this of us.

Meeting in His Name and His Presence Bringing Us Enlightenment, Grace, Supply

Here the Lord especially promised that wherever two or three of us who belong to Him are gathered together into His name, that is, meet in His name, He is in our midst. When we meet in His name, we enjoy His presence in a special way. His very presence undoubtedly brings us enlightenment, grace, supply, and all kinds of blessing. How precious this is! What a blessing this is! We can only enjoy such rich blessing by meeting together.

(Life Lessons, vol. 2, msg. 14)

The Meeting Life (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, as soon as we get up in the morning, we shall contact You, fellowship with You, and read Your word. May Your word dwell in us richly to be our enjoyment. Amen!

Col. 3:16b …teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.

The Way of Meeting as Revealed in the Bible Being One that Enlivens People

The way of meeting as revealed in the Bible is one that enlivens people. It revives man’s spirit and develops the organic function in man. It develops from within man the initial gift received from God. This initial gift is the divine life of God, which is capable of growing within us in the same way that the life within a baby will grow. When this life grows, the functions of life are developed from within the baby gradually, causing the baby to see, to hear, to speak, to work with his hands, and to walk with his feet.

Everyone Being Revived and Developing the Organic Function

I hope these words will give you a deep impression that you will have a new beginning and be revived from within: those who did not taste the Lord before will now be able to taste the Lord, those who did not enter into the Lord’s words before can now enter in. In this way, your spirit will be strong, and you will be rich in the enjoyment of the Lord’s word. Then when you come to the meetings, you will speak the Lord’s word. Strictly speaking, the Lord’s word does not start in the meeting. It starts from the time you wake up in the morning. You should speak to the Lord, and you should pray-read the word of the Lord. By the time you go to work and meet your colleagues, or when you go to school and meet your classmates, you should speak the word of the Lord at any time. During the day, whenever you meet someone, you should speak the word of the Lord. Do this until the evening when you come to the meeting.

Enjoying the Triune God through the Bible Daily

Within us, we all have the vigorous life of the Lord, which is the Triune God. Also, we have a living Bible in our hands. As long as our spirits are living and bubbling, and as long as we enjoy the Triune God through the Bible daily, we will surely be able to practice the new way.

(Words of Training for the New Way, Vol. 2, msg. 20)

The Meeting Life (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in the morning we breathe in You. Thank you for giving us fresh grace. Cause us not to be individual but to fully gain Your grace together with all the saints.

Matt. 18:20 For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.

The Corporate Grace Being in the Meeting

God’s Word says, “Not abandoning our own assembling together” (Heb. 10:25). Why should we not abandon the assembling together? Because God dispenses His grace to us through the assembling together. God’s grace to man can be divided into two categories—personal and corporate. God gives us not only personal grace but also corporate grace. This corporate grace can be found only in the assembling together or the meetings.

Never Substituting Meetings with “Self-Taught” Pursuits

If we do not meet with others, the most we can have is individual grace; we will miss a great part of the corporate grace. God will only give us corporate grace in the meeting. If we do not meet with others, we will not receive this grace. This is why the Bible charges us not to abandon our assembling together. One outstanding characteristic of the church is that it meets. A Christian can never substitute meetings with “self-taught” pursuits. God has a category of grace reserved for the meetings only. If we do not meet with others, that portion of corporate grace will not be available to us.

The Commandment Being Not to Abandon “Our Own Assembling Together”

In the Old Testament God commanded the Israelites to meet. In many places in the Bible they are called the congregation. That they were called a congregation meant they had to meet together. When we come to the New Testament, the revelation is even clearer. We have the clear commandment not to abandon “our own assembling together.” God is not that interested in individuals being “self-taught.” We must assemble ourselves together before we can receive His corporate grace.

(Messages for Building Up New Believers, ch. 12)

The Meeting Life (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in the morning we are separated unto You as our beginning of this day. Cause us also to know that Your day—the Lord’s Day—should be holy onto You. Amen.

Acts 20:7 And on the first day of the week, when we gathered together to break bread, Paul conversed with them since he was to go forth on the next day; and he extended his message until midnight.

The Lord’s Day Having to Be Sanctified

The Bible refers to this day as the first day of the week. Revelation 1:10 calls this day “the Lord’s Day.” We must respect the first day of the week as a memorial of the Lord’s resurrection. We should consider this day as a day of the Lord and for the Lord. on the first day of each week…… the early saints met together. Today the best day for the Christians to meet together is the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day.

The Need to Consider the First Day of the Week as a Day for the Lord

Today the whole world takes Sunday not mainly for worship but for pleasures, for sports, and for all kinds of entertainment. This is more evil than idol worship, but this tide has flooded many Christians. Many Christians not only refer to the Lord’s Day as Sunday, but also consider Sunday as a day of pleasure and entertainment. We, however, should consider the first day of the week as a day for the Lord.

The Need to Exult and Rejoice on This Day in Order to Testify of the Lord’s Resurrection

On this day we should exult and rejoice in it because the Lord resurrected on this day. He began the new creation on this day, and He made us the new creation on this day. Therefore, this day is a day when we should exult and rejoice in order to testify of the Lord’s resurrection. We should not be quiet and sad with no resemblance to a person in the resurrected new creation.

(Basic Lessons on Service, lsn. 2; Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, ch. 50)

The Meeting Life (VI)

Prayer:

O, Lord Jesus, grant us longing for the meeting. Let us enjoy the meeting and get supply in the meeting, and also cause us to function in the meeting. Amen!

Acts 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and announcing the gospel of Jesus as the Christ.

The Church Life Depending Eighty Percent upon the Group Meetings

[In fact,] the church life depends eighty percent upon the group meetings. The group meetings as a part of the God-ordained way are clearly unveiled in the New Testament. The church came into existence on the day of Pentecost. According to Acts 2:46, the newly saved believers immediately began to meet in their homes. Acts 2:46 uses the phrase from house to house. According to the Greek, this phrase means that the believers met by houses, taking the house as the basic unit for their meeting. This implies that wherever there was a home of a believer, there was a meeting. The number of homes was the same as the number of the believers’ meetings. Thus, the New Testament indicates that each one of us should have a meeting in our home. Of course, these home meetings should not be just with our own family; they should also include others.

Heaven and Earth Passing Away, But Not Skipping the Small Group Meeting

“Heaven and earth can pass away, but the small group meeting must not be skipped.” We can forget about eating and sleeping, but we cannot forget about the small group meeting. If there is a meeting, none of us should miss it. If we are in a meeting, we must read something, and if we read something, we will also speak it. If we speak in the meeting, we will also pray, and if we pray, we will also give a testimony. We must consider the small group meeting to be more important than anything else. Each one of us should attend a small group meeting every week. There is no exception even if we are not feeling well. There are fifty-two weeks in a year, and the small group should meet every week. If we practice this, I guarantee that we will grow in life, and we will shine. Furthermore, we will have the rich truths to supply others at any time. In this way, the Lord will have an outlet.

(Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, msg. 2; Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, msg. 13)

Week Fifteen

Knowing the Holy Spirit

Knowing the Holy Spirit (I)

Prayer:

O Lord, thank You for being with us everyday. Let us be full of you in this day! We open to you. Fill us with your spirit.

Matt. 28:19 Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Being the Third Person of the Triune God

You must also receive the Holy Spirit, be filled with the Spirit, and be baptized in the Spirit. As the third person of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit is the very transmission of God to you. In order to receive Christ, to receive God, you have to receive the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit Being the Very Consummation of the Triune God

The Holy Spirit today is the very consummation of the Triune God. He has gone through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection. Now He is the life-giving Spirit as the consummation of the Triune God. In John 16:15 the Lord Jesus tells us that all that the Father has has been given to Him. Now all that He is and has is fully realized in the Spirit. Hence, the Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God, and this consummated Holy Spirit is ready. Today in the whole universe this consummated Holy Spirit is ready for God’s seekers to open up and receive Him.

Today the Holy Spirit is Waiting for You, So You Have to Open Yourself

Today the Holy Spirit is waiting for you, so you have to open yourself. After you thoroughly repent, make a thorough confession of sins, make a prevailing confession of Christ before men, and are willing to be baptized, you have the ground to claim the infilling and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. When we preach the gospel, we have to preach to such an extent that we tell people, “You are entitled to receive the Holy Spirit.” Simply take my word and put it into practice. I believe the Holy Spirit will honor you and honor your practice.

(Preaching the Gospel in the Way of Life, ch. 7; The Home Meetings, ch. 2)

Knowing the Holy Spirit (II)

Prayer:

O Lord, we really thank You. You are our savior, the resurrected Christ, the life giving spirit, dwelling within us. Be with us all the days.

1 Cor. 15:3-4 For I delivered to you, first of all, that which also I received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He has been raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

In Resurrection, He becoming the Spirit

The Bible says that Christ went into death for three days, but He did not remain there. On the third day He resurrected spiritually and physically (1 Cor. 15:3-4). The abundant witnesses to His resurrection, who saw and talked and walked with Him, are a strong testimony to a historical fact that has remained unshaken for the past two thousand years (1 Cor. 15:5-7). Socrates died; Napoleon died; Alexander the Great died; Karl Marx died; and Mohammed, Buddha, and Confucius all died. But Jesus Christ is alive! His tomb is an empty tomb, and He lives within the spirits of millions of people today.

He Breathed into Them and Said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”

The best way to understand the Spirit is by way of illustration. Consider the air around you. It is everywhere and is available to everyone. Whether you are in the East or in the West, in a closed room or at the marketplace, the air is always with you. The Bible compares the Spirit to air. In fact, the word for Spirit in Greek is pneuma, which can also be translated “breath” or “wind.” On the evening of the Lord’s resurrection, He came to His disciples and did something rather strange to them: He breathed into them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. The divine breath that He breathed into the disciples was just Himself in resurrection as the life-giving Spirit.

Today, He can Dwell within All Those Who Believe in Him

After His resurrection He could say that He would be with His disciples “all the days until the consummation of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Today, our Christ is not limited by time and space. He can dwell within all those who believe in Him.

(Christ is Spirit and Life）

Knowing the Holy Spirit (III)

Prayer:

O Lord, we treasure Your presence, Your spirit, Your blood and Your word. Lord, thank You. You are so rich, so victorious and so refreshing.

1Tim. 4:22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

The Lord Jesus Christ Being with Our Spirit

When a person believes in the Lord Jesus, the Spirit comes into this person and lives within him. Second Timothy 4:22 says that the Lord Jesus Christ is with our spirit. We do not need to go to heaven to find God, and we do not need to make any pilgrimage on earth to touch Him. The most holy place is now in our spirit. When electricity is installed in a house, all that a person has to do is to turn on the switch.

The Spirit as the Current of the Heavenly Electricity Applying All That God is to Us

The Spirit as the current of the heavenly electricity applies all that God is to us. Through the Spirit we have love, light, truth, joy, power, and all the attributes of God. If we do not have the Spirit in us, our lives will be full of darkness, weakness, and suffocation. But the Spirit applies the Triune God to us and makes our life meaningful and full.

Whenever we Call on the Lord’s Name, Our Spirits are “Switched On”

Yet the most necessary thing is not to be outwardly good or religious. It is foolish for anyone to clean his lamps or adorn his television set without applying electricity to them. The only thing that matters is to apply electricity to the appliances.

Today, the Spirit is “installed” in this universe—Christ has accomplished all the work, and as the life-giving Spirit, He is now everywhere. Whenever we call on the Lord’s name, our spirits are “switched on,” and we can experience all that God is.

(Christ is Spirit and Life)

Knowing the Holy Spirit (IV)

Prayer:

O Lord Jesus, empty us. Cause us to be poor in our spirit that we can receive new things from You. Lord, fill us up with Your word, Your spirit and Your life.

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the holy thing which is born will be called the Son of God.

The First Divine Title Used for the Spirit in the New Testament Being the Holy Spirit

The first divine title used for the Spirit in the New Testament is the Holy Spirit. According to the Greek text, the title translated as the Holy Spirit may be in two forms: the Spirit the Holy or the Holy Spirit. According to my understanding, this means that in the New Testament age, the very God who is the Spirit is “the Holy.” God is a Spirit and this Spirit now is totally “the Holy.” We are now in an age in which God Himself as the Spirit is “the Holy” to make man not only separated unto Him but also one with Him.

In Order for God to Become a Man So that Man Could Become God, There Being the Need of the Holy Spirit

The beginning of the New Testament gives us a record of two conceptions. One was the conception of John the Baptist and the other was the conception of the Lord Jesus in God’s incarnation to be a man in the flesh (Luke 1:30-36; Matt. 1:18-20). With these two conceptions, the New Testament uses the particular title the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is used in the New Testament due to the change of the age. In order for God to become a man so that man could become God, there was the need of the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament was an age of figures and types, but the New Testament is the time of fulfillment, the age of reality, in which God became a man by being begotten of the Holy Spirit into humanity (Matt. 1:18, 20).

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit Even from His Mother’s Womb

Luke 1:15 says concerning John the Baptist, “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” The preparing of the way for the Savior’s coming required that His forerunner, John the Baptist, be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, so that he could separate the people unto God from all things other than God, making them holy unto Him for His purpose.

(The Spirit with Our Spirit, ch. 2)

Knowing the Holy Spirit (V)

Prayer:

O Lord, we really thank You that we can come to You through Your word and Your spirit. How abundant and plentiful are You to us. Lord, we thank You. You are the word of life, and also You are the life-giving spirit.

1 Cor. 15:45b …the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.

Through and in His Resurrection Christ as the Last Adam Becoming the Life-giving Spirit

For Jesus to be glorified was for Him to be resurrected (Luke 24:26). Before Christ was resurrected, the Spirit who would flow into the believers and flow out of them as rivers of living water was not yet. His being glorified may be likened to the blossoming of a flower. When the flower blossoms, that is its glorification. Jesus was glorified in resurrection. The Spirit flowing into and out of the believers as rivers of living water would not come into being until after Jesus’ resurrection. It was through the resurrection and after the resurrection of Jesus, that the Spirit became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b) to enter into the believers and flow out of them as rivers of living water.

The Triune God Flowing out from Our Innermost Being as Rivers of Living Water

Hebrews 10 reveals that the death of Christ opened the way, a new and living way, so that we can go into the Holy of Holies to partake of God as the tree of life (vv. 19-20). In His death He fulfilled all the requirements of God’s glory, holiness, and righteousness; then in resurrection He changed in form to be the life-giving Spirit. This was absolutely for the organic union between God and man— to bring God into man and to bring man into God in His resurrection. Today we can take the tree of life and drink the water of life so that the Triune God can flow out from our innermost being as rivers of living water.

(The Spirit with Our Spirit, chs. 2, 3)

Knowing the Holy Spirit (VI)

Prayer:

Lord, we extol You. We admit You are the speaking One Who was sent by God. You give us the spirit, which is the bountiful Spirit, the all-inclusive Spirit, the life-giving Spirit, the in-dwelling Spirit and also the unmeasurable Spirit. Hallelujah!

John 7:39 But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

He Being Now the All-inclusive Spirit of Jesus Christ

When the Spirit was the Spirit of God, He had only the divine element. When He became the Spirit of Jesus Christ through Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, He had both the divine and human element, with all the essence and reality of the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ. Hence, He is now the all-inclusive Spirit of Jesus Christ as the living water for us to receive.

The Spirit Being Such an All-inclusive Spirit

We may use the illustration of a glass of pure water into which many other ingredients are added. The pure water passes through one stage, and the milk is added. It passes through other stages in which honey, tea, and salt are added. Eventually, it becomes an all-inclusive drink. Before the pure water passed all these stations, such a wonderful drink was “not yet,” although the pure water in the glass was there already. Now it is an all-inclusive drink. Likewise, the Spirit promised by the Lord Jesus in ch. 7…is such an all-inclusive Spirit that gives us the flow of the rivers of water of life.

In This Spirit Being All That We Need

Sometimes when a child needs medicine, his wise mother will hide the medicine in a drink. When the child takes the drink, he gets the medicine. There is medicine in the all-inclusive Spirit. This medicine is the killing death of Christ that is in the Holy Spirit today. That killing effect today is in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. As this Spirit moves within us, the killing effect of the cross penetrates into our being. He will kill every negative element in our being. Furthermore, in this all-inclusive drink there is the nourishing ingredient. In this Spirit is all that we need.

(Life-study of John, msg. 18)

Week Sixteen

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit (I)

Prayer:

Lord, we give every place to You. May You have the first place within us. Fill us up that we all can be builded up to become the fullness of God, the expression of God in this age.

Eph. 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissoluteness, but be filled in spirit.

Not Being Drunk But Being Filled in Spirit

The human spirit is more important than the human body. This is why Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissoluteness, but be filled in spirit.” To be drunk with wine is to be filled in the body. Here it says that we should not be filled with wine in our body but that we should be filled in spirit. We need to be filled with Christ unto all the fullness of God (1:23; 3:19). Today all the riches of Christ are included in the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17). To be filled in our spirit is to be filled with the essential Spirit. The essential Spirit is the life-giving Spirit,

Calling on the Lord the First Thing before Getting out of Bed

There is a difference between calling on the Lord the first thing before getting out of bed, and getting out of bed without calling. You need to call on the Lord in this way in the morning. Then during the whole day, you need to practice speaking the Lord. When there is no one with you, you should call on the Lord Jesus; when there are others with you, you should speak the Lord Jesus to them. Eventually, what you breathe is the Lord Jesus, and what you speak is also the Lord Jesus. Then you will definitely be filled with the Triune God who is the Spirit.

Practicing to Be Filled with the Spirit by Calling on the Lord and Speaking the Lord All the Day Long

I hope that you will start practicing in this way from today on. You should begin with calling on the Lord before getting out of bed, and then during the day, either call on the Lord or speak the Lord. As soon as you call on the Lord’s name, the Spirit is with you; as soon as you speak the Lord’s word, the Spirit will be with you even more. Romans 12:11 says that we have to be burning and hot in the spirit. When you call on the Lord as soon as you get up in the morning, you will be hot in your spirit. When you call a few more times, you will become burning in your spirit. If you will also speak the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit will fill you within. This is a very normal matter. This should be our normal daily living.

(Vessels Useful to the Lord, ch. 7; Words of Training for the New Way, Vol. 1, msg. 9)

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit (II)

Prayer:

Lord, we praise You that You and we are the two spirits mingled together to be one spirit. Bless us that we can have You as our life and may have it abundantly.

1 Cor. 12:13 For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.

The Spirit’s Inward Filling Being More Precious Than His Outward Filling

There are two aspects of the Spirit’s filling. One aspect is the outward filling of the Spirit. This aspect is of power and is economical. The other aspect is the inward filling of the Spirit. This aspect is of life and is essential.

The inward filling of the Spirit is different from the outward filling of the Spirit. The outward filling of the Spirit is far less precious than the inward filling of the Spirit. Hence, after the book of Acts the word for outward filling is not used in the twenty-two Epistles from Romans to Revelation. Instead, inward filling is emphasized.

To Be Baptized Being to Be filled Outwardly, and to Drink Being to Be Filled Inwardly

In 1 Corinthians 12:13, which says, “For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body…and were all given to drink one Spirit.” Here the conjunction and indicates that to be baptized and to drink are two matters. To be baptized is to be filled outwardly, and to drink is to be filled inwardly.

In the Morning the Skin Encompassing the Water; at Night the Water Encompassing the Skin

I stayed in Shanghai after the second World War. From time to time I ministered in Nanking. At that time there was a saying in the region around the lower Yangtze River. The saying was, “In the morning the skin encompasses the water; at night the water encompasses the skin.” When a person drinks tea in the tea house in the morning, his skin “encompasses” the water. When he goes to take a bath at night, the water encompasses the skin. They believed that if one practiced this, he would surely be healthy. After I heard this saying, I found it to be very good and meaningful. The skin encompassing the water is a picture of the inward filling, and the water encompassing the skin is a picture of the outward filling. If you want to be a healthy Christian, you have to be revived every morning. This is the skin encompassing the water. You also need to receive the outward filling of the Spirit when you go out to labor for the Lord at night. This is the water encompassing the skin.

(Vessels Useful to the Lord, ch. 7)

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit (III)

Prayer:

Lord, we thank You that You gather us into Your dear name. Lord, in this name we have Your presence. In this name, we enjoy You as the life-giving Spirit, the all-inclusive Spirit.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, even as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth.

The Need for the Outpoured Spirit

We need to realize these facts, but we also must sense our need for them. We may realize that the Holy Spirit is ours, but do we need the Holy Spirit to be power to us? If we feel we do not need the Spirit, even if we have Him, we will not apply Him. We may have a large store of food, but if we are not hungry, we will not use it. Do we sense the need for the Holy Spirit as power? We must deal with our need, and we must deal with our indifference.

Realizing that the Work of the Spirit Has Been Accomplished

Then we can realize that the work of the Spirit has been accomplished, and the Spirit has been given. The entire, all-inclusive Holy Spirit is ours. However, only when we realize our need do we exercise our faith to apply the Spirit.

The first thing we must be clear about is that all things have been accomplished. Christ has died, resurrected, and ascended. Sins have been dealt with, and the Spirit has been given as life and poured down as power. We have repented, believed in the Lord, and have been baptized. Now all these things are ours.

Exercising Our Faith to Apply the Spirit

If we realize that all these are ours and we sense the need for them, we will apply them and enjoy them by faith. There is no need to pray that the Lord give us the Holy Spirit or pour Him out; He has been given and poured out already. All that remains is for us to realize what the Lord has accomplished, to realize that the Holy Spirit has been given, and to realize our need.

(The Work of the Holy Spirit, ch. 5)

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit (IV)

Prayer:

Lord, cleanse us with Your precious blood. Cause us to have a pure conscience and a clear spirit. Grant us with what we need step by step.

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, Repent and each one of you be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

To Repent Being to Have a Change of Mind with Regret for the Past and a Turn for the Future

On the negative side, to repent not only of sins and wrongdoings but also to repent of the world and its corruption that usurp and corrupt people whom God made for Himself and to repent of our God-forsaking life in the past. On the positive side, to repent is to turn to God in every way and in every thing for fulfilling His purpose in creating mankind.

To Confess Being to Empty Yourself out

When you have a time with the Lord to confess, do not seek any feeling; just confess and pray thoroughly. To confess is to empty yourself out, and to pray is to receive the Lord into you. Hence, confession plus prayer is a breathing out and a breathing in. We breathe out our sins and breathe in God Himself. A. B. Simpson wrote a hymn that says, “I am breathing out my sorrow, / Breathing out my sin; / I am breathing, breathing, breathing, / All Thy fulness in” (Hymns, 255). Through continuous confession we breathe out our filthiness until all of our uncleanness is gone, and as we breathe out, we also breathe in. As we breathe out our sins, we breathe in God Himself.

If We Want to Be Filled With the Holy Spirit, We Must Pray and Confess Every Day

We experience regeneration and salvation once for all, but we need to repent and confess our sins day by day throughout our whole life. For example, consider our washing of our hands. We do not wash our hands once after we are born and then have no need to wash them again. Rather, we have to wash our hands many times a day throughout our lifetime. Another example is breathing. We cannot cease breathing just because we took a deep breath once. Rather, we have to breathe unceasingly to preserve our life. Breathing is like our prayer, and hand-washing is like our confession. If we want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we must pray and confess every day.

(Conclusion of the New Testament, Vol. 5, msg. 119; Vessels Useful to the Lord, chs. 7, 10)

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit (V)

Prayer:

Lord, strengthen us. Seven-fold intensifily pour out Yourself upon us. Lord, come to touch us, and speak to us that we can become one spirit with you.

Rom. 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, but be burning in spirit, serving the Lord.

The Secrets of Maintaining the Filling of the Holy Spirit－Not Quenching the Spirit

After we have been filled with the Holy Spirit, we still have to do a few things to maintain the filling. First, we should not quench the Spirit (1 Thes. 5:19). The Spirit causes us to be burning in spirit (Rom. 12:11) and also causes us to fan into flame the gift which is in us (2 Tim. 1:6).

Not Grieving the Holy Spirit

Second, we should not grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). To grieve the Holy Spirit is to displease Him and to not walk according to Him in our daily living (Rom. 8:4). How do we know when the Holy Spirit is grieved? We can know by our living. If we are not joyful in our Christian life, this is a sign that the Holy Spirit is grieving in us. It is because the Holy Spirit is grieving in us that we are not joyful. If we are joyful, this indicates that the Holy Spirit in us is also joyful. A sister testified that she once had prayed to the extent that her whole being was refreshed, light-hearted, and so full of joy. This is proof that the Holy Spirit in her was joyful.

Not Walking According to the Flesh But According to the Spirit

Third, on the positive side, we must obey the Holy Spirit. In Acts 5 Peter said, “The Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him” (v. 32). This shows that the Holy Spirit is for us to obey. Obedience is the way and the requirement for us to enjoy the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:4 says, “Do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.” This is the way to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the requirement for maintaining a life of being filled with the Holy Spirit. We should not only study these verses but also put them into practice in our daily life.

(Vessels Useful to the Lord, ch. 10)

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit (VI)

Prayer:

O, our God, our Lord, we really worship you, extol you and praise you. You are the ever-lasting new God, forever new, never having grown old. Renew us always and daily.

Titus 3:5 Not out of works in righteousness which we did but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.

The Renewing of the Holy Spirit Being the Reviving of the Holy Spirit

Titus 3:5 speaks of “the renewing of the Holy Spirit,” which takes place within us. The Holy Spirit is doing a renewing work in us. To renew is to revive. Hence, the renewing of the Holy Spirit is the reviving of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit within us is to renew us, that is, to revive us, after we are saved. This is what the Holy Spirit is doing in us.

Our Inner Man Being Renewed Day by Day and This Being revival

All the problems that come upon us destroy our outer man, but they cause our inner man to be renewed day by day. This is revival. The renewing of the Holy Spirit in Titus 3:5 refers to what takes place within us.

Experiencing a Spiritual Revival

Once one firecracker explodes, it can kindle the others. If I am open, I can burn someone else until he is open, and then he can burn me. As a result, we will have a genuine revival. Both lingering in our past experiences and remaining closed will result in death. The more we linger in our past experiences and remain closed, the more deadened we will be. We must learn to be open. Even if we are skeptical, we should still practice to be open in every occasion. Then the unlimited supply will gush up from within us, and we will experience a spiritual revival.

(The Law of Revival, ch. 2)

Week Seventeen

Serving the Lord

Serving the Lord (I)

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your mercy. We cannot only believe into you but also can serve you as the great God. Lord, we are willing to give myself to you for your use.

Rom. 12:1 I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

The Motive for Serving the Lord Being the Inward Love for the Lord

Believers do not serve the Lord because of outward encouragement or pressure from man. We serve the Lord out of the inward motivation of our love for the Lord. Our love for the Lord inwardly compels us to serve the Lord. It urges us to serve Him. Our love for the Lord makes us unable not to serve the Lord.

The Slave Who Loved His Master in the Old Testament

We love the Lord, so we must serve the Lord. This is typified in the Old Testament by the slave who loved his master. Although the slave could have been free and did not need to continue to serve as a slave, he did not want to go out free because of his love for his master. He willingly remained as a slave to serve the master whom he loved. This is our motive in serving the Lord. We become His servants and serve Him willingly because of our love for Him.

This Deep Love Being Our Motivation to Serve Him, and It Making It Impossible for Us Not to Serve Him

The Lord’s love for us produces our love for Him, making it impossible for us not to love Him. Therefore, the Lord’s love causes us to love Him and serve Him. For this reason Paul exhorted the believers through the compassions of God to present their bodies a living sacrifice in service to Him. The compassions of God, the love of God, encourage us to love Him and serve Him. We serve Him because His love encourages us and stirs up a love within us for Him. This deep love is our motivation to serve Him, and it makes it impossible for us not to serve Him.

(Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Vol. 3, ch. 29)

Serving the Lord (II)

Prayer:

Lord, gain my life today that I can not only live before You but also live to You! Lord, gain my life wholly for You and for Your pleasure. Amen.

Rom. 14:7-8 For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself; For whether we live, we live to the Lord, and whether we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore whether we live or we die, we are the Lord’s.

The Real Meaning of Being Full-time Being to Live to Him

The real meaning of being full-time is to live to Him. To go full-time does not mean to drop your job and become a preacher. It does not mean that you give up your business and become one who preaches the gospel or who labors in the word all the time. A full-timer is one who lives to the Lord. Who should be such a one? Every believer, without one exception. As long as you are a believer, you have to realize you should be one living to Him. We have to live to Him because He is ours and we are His. To live to Him is based upon the fact that we are His. Not only is He ours, but we also are His. To be full-time means that you live to the Lord. You do not live for Him but to Him. This is a great privilege.

Whatever Our Profession, We Should Serve the Lord and Preach the Gospel

We should consider our occupation only as something that we do on the side. Our focus should be on serving the Lord and preaching the gospel. Regardless of whether we are doctors, teachers, businessmen, or laborers, our career or job should be for serving the Lord and preaching the gospel. Doctors should serve the Lord and preach the gospel while practicing medicine. Teachers should serve the Lord and preach the gospel while teaching. Whatever our profession, we should serve the Lord and preach the gospel. Each of us should consider serving the Lord and preaching the gospel as our primary occupation and our careers and jobs as secondary occupations. This is the living of a normal Christian. This is the only way to live to the Lord and to serve Him.

(Elders’ Training, Book 08, ch. 8; Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Vol. 3, ch. 29)

Serving the Lord (III)

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for bringing the transformation to my life that I can forsake the things usurping me to come before You, the true and living God. Lord, I want to serve You.

1Thes. 1:9 For they themselves report concerning us what kind of entrance we had toward you and how you turned to God from the idols to serve a living and true God

Everyone Who Belongs to God Being a Servant of God

Presently, among God’s children there seems to be a common phenomenon that only a certain group of people are serving. However, God’s Word says that everyone who belongs to God is a servant of God. When the Israelites were in Egypt serving as slaves, they did not have any freedom. God delivered them out of Egypt and through the Red Sea for the purpose of serving Him in the wilderness (Exo. 3:18).

God’s New Testament Economy Being to Have All His Redeemed People to Be His Priests

As revealed in the New Testament, God’s desire is that all who have been redeemed in Christ should be His priests. This is spoken of not only in Revelation, but also in 1 Peter. First Peter 2:5 says, “Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (lit.). Moreover, 1 Peter 2:9 says that the believers are a royal priesthood. This reveals that God’s New Testament economy is to have all His redeemed people to be His priests.

If a Person is Saved, He Should Become a Priest to Serve God,

According to the New Testament, the goal of God’s salvation is to make all those who believe in Christ priests of God. Therefore, if a person is saved but fails to become a priest to serve God, he cannot fulfill God’s purpose or satisfy His desire. In the last book of the New Testament, Revelation, we see that the redeemed ones are all priests of God.

(Messages Given During the Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry, msg. 18; Life-Study of Exodus, msg. 137)

Serving the Lord (IV)

Prayer:

Lord, in this new day gain my heart and my spirit that I may be able to be burning in my spirit and that my whole being can be for You to serve You, the living God!

Rom. 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers.

God Whom I Serve in My Spirit

In 1:9 Paul said, “For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son.” The place to serve God is not the mind; it is our spirit. People rarely say “my spirit.” They speak of their heart, their soul, their mind, their emotion, and their will, but not of their spirit. However, Paul was a person who served God in his spirit. We need to develop the habit of saying “my spirit” or “our spirit.”

Burning in Spirit, Serving the Lord as a Slave

“Burning in spirit, serving the Lord as a slave” (Rom. 12:1, 2, 11). Our entire being is of three parts: spirit, soul, and body. To serve the Lord with our whole being means that the spirit, soul, and body all participate in the service to the Lord. First, we must present our bodies to the Lord; second, the mind, the main part of our soul, must be renewed and transformed; third, our spirit must be burning. Thus, all three parts of our being participate in serving the Lord.

Using Our Spirit in All Things

We need to speak more about our spirit, turn to our spirit, and use our spirit in all things. The reason certain ones do not pray or function in the meetings is that they do not exercise their spirit. Many seem to leave their spirit at home when they come to the meetings. How different they are from Paul, who could attend a church meeting in his spirit even when he was not physically present (1 Cor. 5:3). We do not function in the meetings because we do not exercise our spirit.

(Life-Study Of Romans, msg. 56; Life Lessons, Vol. 2, ch. 23)

Serving the Lord (V)

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us the new life that I, because of this life, can be together with saints, not only to enjoy You and even more to coordinate to serve You!

1 Cor. 12:20-21 But now the members are many, but the body one. And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Service and Coordination in the Body

1 Cor. 12:14-21 Here we are shown that to serve the Lord as members of the Body of Christ, we must coordinate with the saints and not act independently in the Body of Christ, which is the church. This is also a qualification regarding how we should serve the Lord.

The Life within Us Being the Life of the Body

The church is the Body of Christ, and Christ is the Head of the church. The life that we receive from Him makes us His Body. Therefore, the life within us is the life of the Body, and we all have this life. If we live in this life, we will not only abide in Him, being joined to and fellowshipping with Him, but we will also be joined and knit together with all the saints. Then the Body, building up of itself in love. The Body will be built up.

The Life of Christ Requiring Us to Coordinate with All the Saints in the Service

A person who truly lives in the life of Christ is in the Body of Christ, the church. He is joined and knit together with all the members in a coordinated service. The life of Christ within us is the life of His Body, and it causes us to grow into His Body. If we act independently according to our own opinion in our service, our living will be in ourselves. However, if we live in the life of Christ, we will not act independently in our service to the Lord. The life of Christ requires us to coordinate with all the saints in the service in His Body—the church.

（Life Lessons, Vol. 2, ch. 23；Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Vol. 3, ch. 29）

Serving the Lord (VI)

Prayer:

Lord, give me a will that is absolute for You and make me serve You faithfully! Lord, even more give me a spirit of wisdom that I may know Your intention to serve You in Your intention!

Matt. 25:21 His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.

Participating in the Lord’s Joy in the Kingdom as a Positive Reward

The kingdom reward will be enjoyed in the coming kingdom. Both Matthew 25:21 and 23 say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” According to the context of Matthew, to enter into the Lord’s joy is to enter into the coming kingdom. The faithful servants will participate in the Lord’s joy in the kingdom as a positive reward.

If We Do Not Serve Him According to His Will, We Will Receive Many Lashes

“And that slave who knew his lord’s will, and did not prepare or do according to his will, will receive many lashes” (Luke 12:47). The Lord’s word here clearly and seriously tells us that if we who are the Lord’s slaves do not serve Him according to His will, when He comes we will receive many lashes.

The Reward for Serving the Lord Being Blessed to Sit at the Feast

“If anyone serves Me [the Lord Jesus]…the Father [God] will honor him” (John 12:26).For our service to the Lord, we shall be honored by the Father. What a reward this is! Luke 12:37 This verse says that when the Lord comes back, the slaves who have been watchful to serve the Lord will be blessed to sit at the feast and will enjoy the Lord’s serving. This is also a great reward from the Lord to those who serve Him.

(The life-Studyof Hebrews, msg. 46; Life Lessons, Vol. 2, ch.23)

Week Eighteen

Preaching the Gospel

Preaching the Gospel (I)

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the good news of great joy You have announced to us! Even more, thank You for giving us the commission of preaching the gospel! Please make us be wise to cooperat with Your move in this matter!

Rom. 10:15b …As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the news of good things!

Rise! Preach the gospel Now! Rescue the Fallen!

Rise! Preach the gospel now!

Rescue the fallen!

Lo, millions perishing daily in pain!

Quench not your heart of love,

Count not possessions:

Rise! Preach the gospel while moments remain!

Rise! Preach the gospel now!

Rescue the fallen!

Your heart of love for them,

can you restrain?

I Believe God that it Shall Be So, Even in the Way in Which it Has Been Spoken to Me

As those who are separated by the Lord for Himself, believers cannot love the world. If they love the world, they will suffer. If they do not love the world, they will be blessed. For the gospel’s sake, Paul became an ambassador in a chain. While he was held as a prisoner on a ship, the Lord sent an angel to him, who said, “You must stand before Caesar…God has granted you all those who are sailing with you” (Acts 27:24). Thus, Paul became the one who reigned over them. Therefore, Paul was able boldly to say to them, “And now I advise you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship…For I believe God that it shall be so, even in the way in which it has been spoken to me” (vv. 22-25). In the end, everything happened according to what Paul had said.

The Need to Be Those Who Are Wise to Cooperate with the Lord

We need to be those who are wise to cooperate with the Lord. If you seek your own success or your own gain, you will not gain what you want. But if you give up the world and give yourself wholly for the Lord and His gospel, the world will be for you. Paul clearly told us that “all things are yours” and “you are Christ’s” (1 Cor. 3:21, 23). We believers should clearly see this.

(Hymns, 1358; Rising Up to Preach the Gospel, ch. 1)

Preaching the Gospel (II)

Prayer:

Lord, this whole day gain my living that I may not live for anything else, but merely for Your gospel! Lord, cause me to share this good gospel with others! Amen!

1 Cor. 9:23 And I do all things for the sake of the gospel that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Our Goal Being the Gospel

My intention is to impress you that in the universe and today on this earth there is something called the gospel which we are reminded and commanded to live for. The Lord commanded us to live for this gospel uniquely. What are we living on this earth for? Do we live for our profession or for our job to make a lot of money? What is man living for? Poor human society has so much activity but no goal. Do we have a goal? Our goal is the gospel, and our gospel is the Triune God processed to be the very Spirit within us as our salvation, as our life, as our life supply, and as our all-inclusive enjoyment.

What a Wonder to Live Uniquely for Such a Gospel

What a wonder and what a glory to live uniquely for such a gospel. I have been living uniquely for this gospel for over fifty years. Hallelujah for this! It is worth it!

Knocking on Doors Two or Three Hours a Week Being First

But knocking on doors two or three hours a week is first. Let us all do this first. Then if there is any time left, go out a second time for two or three hours. We must live uniquely for the gospel. If you are faithful to the Lord by living uniquely for His gospel, the Lord will bless. He will bless your job or your business. He will take care of you. He will fulfill His promise in Matthew 6:33. If you seek His kingdom and His righteousness, He will give you His kingdom and His righteousness with an addition of all your daily necessities.

(Being Desperate and Living Uniquely for the Gospel, ch. 3)

Preaching the Gospel (III)

Prayer:

Lord, open my heart that I may see the treasure of the gospel much more and even more see how blessed is to preach the gospel for You! Make me not be ashamed of the gospel, even more zealously preach the gospel!

Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes,…

This Sense of Shame Coming from the Devil

This sense of shame comes from the devil, Satan. In Romans 1:16 Paul said that he was “not ashamed of the gospel.” Satan wants every believer to be ashamed of speaking to people concerning the Lord Jesus. The young people are the “best soldiers” in the churches. They must be strong in spirit. When they feel ashamed of the gospel, they should use their strong spirit to say, “Get behind me, Satan. You will not have any ground in me; instead, I will call on the Lord’s name.”

Not Being Ashamed of the Gospel and of the Lord Jesus

If we are not ashamed of the gospel and of the Lord Jesus, we will overcome our weaknesses and our problems. If we are ashamed of the Lord Jesus and of the gospel, the enemy has a hold on us. Hence, I exhort the young brothers and sisters to deal with this problem of being ashamed of the gospel.

Fellowshipping with the Lord, Being Filled with the Lord, and Being on Earth as in Heaven

We must ask the Lord to fill every part of our being for the sake of the gospel.

(The Meaning of Human Life and a Proper Consecration, ch. 10)

Preaching the Gospel (IV)

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for ordaining us to go forth to bear fruit, and even more to make our fruit remain!…!

John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and I set you that you should go forth and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain,…

The Lord Setting Us to Go Forth and Bear Fruit and That Our Fruit Should Remain

In this verse [John 15:16] there are some words which are quite crucial. The first word is “appointed.” We did not choose ourselves, but He chose us. We have no choice in the matter of being a branch of Christ, the vine, because He caught us. He chose us and appointed us to bear fruit. To bear fruit is the Lord’s appointment, His assignment. He did not assign us to do anything else. He appointed us to bear fruit. The Lord charged us to go forth and bear fruit. Can a branch go? The branches of a physical tree do not go. But we are not only living branches, but also movable branches. We have to go. This indicates that we have to reach people.

The Seriousness of Not Bearing Fruit

Are you happy to remain in a barren situation for years? Second Peter indicates that it is possible for us to be idle and unfruitful, barren. Suppose tomorrow morning the Lord comes back. Then according to His word in Matthew 25, you will have to give Him an account of what you have been doing.

Setting up a Home Meeting in New Believers’ Home

The Lord has shown us the way for our fruit to remain. We do not just go out to reach people by knocking on their doors and bringing them into the Triune God through their believing and baptism. After this, we immediately set up a home meeting in their home. To set up a home meeting is to set up a shelter to protect this new babe.

(Being Desperate and Living Uniquely for the Gospel, ch. 3)

Preaching the Gospel (V)

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your commandment that we go forth to preach the gospel not by ourselves, but go forth with Your authority! Lord, praise You that You have the authority to save people! Hallelujah!

Matt. 28:19 Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Going with the Authority of Christ

In Matthew 28 the same Lord in His resurrection told us that He had received all authority in heaven and on earth, and this is now ours; so we must go to make some interest. He not only gave us the capital, the talent, but He also gave us all authority in heaven and on earth. We have no excuse. We have to go to produce interest, to bring forth fruit. He has given us His Spirit, His life, Himself as our talent, and His authority in heaven and on earth as our portion.

Exercising the Authority We Have Been Given

To go to knock on doors means that you command the door to open. Sometimes you have to say, “Door, I knock; you open.” When the man is there, give the commandment, not verbally but silently—”Man, listen to me. Let me in.” While you are reading The Mystery of Human Life, tell the angels and demons that you are reading to this one with the authority of the ascended Christ. Many trainees in Taipei experienced this. They were surprised that the people were like lambs.

When You Go Out like This, All the Demons Will Flee

In a Buddhist home, after the parents got baptized, with the little children standing by, they said to the idols of Buddha, “Buddha, we have Jesus now. We don’t want you, and we don’t need you. You have to go.” Then the parents did away with the idols in the children’s presence. This is wonderful!

(Being Desperate and Living Uniquely for the Gospel, chs. 2, 3)

Preaching the Gospel (VI)

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us the commission that I should “proclaim the word”! Lord, equip us with Your word that we may speak this precious Christ to others!

2 Tim. 4:2 Proclaim the word; be ready in season and out of season; convict, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching.

Proclaiming the Word; Being Ready in Season and Out of Season

We should not say that it is winter and that we need to wait for spring to sow the seed. Rather, we are peculiar farmers; to us every day is for sowing the seed and for reaping the harvest. “In season” is when we have the opportunity, and “out of season” is when we do not have an opportunity. Whether or not we have the opportunity, we need to be ready.

The Need to Be Ready at Any Time and in Any Place

To “be ready” means being urgent, attentive, and on the alert. We can compare this kind of readiness to instant tea or coffee. Whenever we need some tea or coffee, it can be ready instantly. We need to be “instant” preachers, ready without need of further preparation. We should be ready at any time and in any place. We are ready at the supermarket, the bus station, the office, and the classroom. We must not say that we are not ready or that there are no opportunities. Every occasion—spring, summer, fall, and winter—is the time for us to be ready.

This Being Not the Religious Way of Preaching but the Proper Christian Living

This is not the religious way of preaching. This is the proper Christian living. There is no other way to take. We need to have this kind of gospel living. We should not say that this is not the right place, the right time, or the right person for the gospel. Every place is the right place, every time is the right time, and every person is the right person. We must be instant, ready, urgent, and attentive in season and out of season.

(The Normal Way of Fruit-bearing and Shepherding for the Building Up of the Church, ch. 6)

Week Nineteen

The Truth of the Church

The Truth of the Church (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, this morning cause me to open my mouth wide in Your presence to enjoy You as my food. I am willing to come to receive You and absorb Your riches to become Your fullness!

Eph. 1:23 Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

The Church Being the Body of Christ

The subject of the book of Ephesians is the church. Ephesians covers seven aspects of the church, the first of which is the church as the Body of Christ, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. In order for a living person to be complete, he must have a body as his expression. The Body of Christ is the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

This Body Being the Fullness of Him Who Fills All in All

The body of a person is simply the fullness of that person, and this fullness is his expression. As I speak, I move with my body. In this way, my being is expressed through my body. Likewise, the church is the Body of Christ, and this Body is the fullness of Him who fills all in all. How profound this is! The whole universe is filled with Christ. As the One who fills all in all, Christ is exceedingly great. Such a great Person needs a great Body. This Body is the church. Hence, the church is the Body of Christ, His fullness.

Enjoying the Riches of Christ to Become the Fullness of Christ

The riches of Christ are all the items of what Christ is. When we digest and assimilate into our being the riches of Christ, these riches become part of us, and we become the fullness of Christ. Thus, the church is the Body of Christ, the fullness of the universally great Person who fills all in all. This is the first item or aspect of what the church is.

(Life-Study of Ephesians, msg. 1)

The Truth of the Church (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I give this new day to You that Your new life may have more growth. Thank You that You destroy him who has the might of death and create the one new man as well.

Eph. 2:15 Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.

The Church Being One New Man

The third man in the Bible is the church, the corporate one new man. The book of Ephesians shows that the church as the Body of Christ is a man. Chapter 2:14-15 tell us He might create both Jewish and Gentile believers in Himself into one new man. This proves that the one new man is not an individual but a corporate man. Enmity refers to the law of the commandments in ordinances, and both refers to Jewish and Gentile believers. Christ abolished the law of the commandments in ordinances on the cross, that is, the enmity between men

The Church Being Also a Person with Christ as Its Person

According to verse 16, He created the two in Himself so that He “might reconcile both in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity by it.” This shows that the new man is the church as the one Body of Christ. This new man is not merely an assembly or a body; the church is a man.

What is the difference between a man and a body? Being a man is related to one’s person and personality, whereas a body is merely an organ that serves as a vessel. On the one hand, the church is a vessel; on the other hand, the church is a person with a personality.

The Way That the Lord Leads Us Being Practical as Well as Simple: Eating, Drinking, and Enjoying the Lord

The way that the Lord leads us is practical as well as simple,[that is,] eating, drinking, and enjoying the Lord. As a result, we will see the reality of all the saints being the one new man. We are a part of this new man, and we can apprehend what the breadth and length and height and depth are only with all the saints When we enjoy Him, we are filled unto all the fullness of God (v. 19), which is the expression of all God’s riches. This is the role of the third man—the church as the one new man—in the Bible.

(The Four Men in the Bible, ch. 3)

The Truth of the Church (III)

Prayer:

O, Lord, we need You everyday and Your salvation as well! Thank You for bringing us into the kingdom of the Son of Your beloved. We are willing to live the kingdom life with the reality of the kingdom.

Eph. 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

All the Believers Being Citizens of God’s Kingdom

The term “fellow citizens” indicates the kingdom of God. All the believers, both Jewish and Gentile, are citizens of God’s kingdom, which is a sphere wherein God exercises His authority. As long as anyone is a believer, he is a citizen of the kingdom of God. This citizenship involves rights and responsibilities, two things that always go together. We enjoy the rights of the kingdom, and we bear the responsibilities of the kingdom.

Only When We Have Our Being Altogether in Our Spirit, We Are in the Kingdom of God

Although the church today is God’s kingdom, we are in the kingdom in reality only when we live and walk in spirit. Whenever we behave according to the old man or live in the flesh or the self, we, in a practical way, are out of God’s kingdom. Only when we live, walk, behave, and have our being altogether in our spirit, not in our natural man, are we in the kingdom of God and, in reality, are the kingdom of God.

Living the Kingdom Life in the Church

Living the kingdom life in the church also requires that we live joyfully to God in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of joy. If we are not joyful, this indicates that we are not in the Holy Spirit. If we are truly living the kingdom life, we shall be joyful with God, praising Him. Whenever we live righteously toward ourselves and peacefully toward others, we shall live joyfully to God in the Holy Spirit. Such a living is the kingdom of God as the living of the church.

(Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 209)

The Truth of the Church (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for begetting me in Your big family. Not only do we have you as Father, we also have many brothers and sisters. We’d like to be built together into a dwelling place.

Eph. 2:21-22 In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.

The Church Being God’s House

The church is God’s house (1 Tim. 3:15), and this house is our family and home. As members of the household of God, we are God’s family, even God’s house. All believers have been born of God into His house to enjoy His riches. The Greek word rendered “house” in 1 Timothy 3:15 may also be translated household. The household, the family, of God is the house of God. The house and the household are one thing—the assembly of the believers (Eph. 2:19).

This House as the Dwelling Place of the Living God

The reality of this house as the dwelling place of the living God is in our spirit. God is our Father, and we, the believers in Christ, are His children. Being His children, we are the “folks” of God’s family. Therefore, Ephesians 2:19 says that we are “members of the household of God.” The Greek word for “household” here refers both to the house, the dwelling place, and to the household, the family. Ephesians 2 reveals the household as the habitation of God. Verse 19 mentions the household, while verse 22 says that we are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. The household is the dwelling place, the habitation.

Living in the Church Meaning That We Live in the Dwelling Place of God and in the Family of God

Physically speaking, a household cannot be the dwelling place of a father. However, spiritually speaking, God’s children are His family and also His dwelling place. God’s habitation is built with His children. Hence, the family is the dwelling place. We are both God’s family and God’s house. Corporately, we, the believers, are the house of God and the folks of God, His dwelling place and His family. Therefore, to say that we live in the church means that we live in the dwelling place of God and in the family of God.

(Conclusion of the New Testament, Vol. 6; msg. 161)

The Truth of the Church (V)

Prayer:

O, Lord, in this beautiful morning, we come near to You again. Thank You giving us Your holy word. I want to receive the nourishment and washing from You that I may become Your holy wife without blemish.

Eph. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for he.

The Church Being the Bride of Christ

In Ephesians 5 we have the church as the bride of Christ. Christ gave Himself on the cross not just for you and me individually, but for the church. When we think about Christ’s death, we usually consider only ourselves individually. Yes, Christ loved us and died on the cross for each one of us, but His death was mainly for the church.

Christ Also Nourishing and Cherishing the Church

Christ also nourishes and cherishes the church (v. 29). To nourish is to feed. To cherish is to embrace with loving care, full of warmth, like a mother holding her child in her bosom. Christ treats His church in this nourishing and cherishing way.

That He Might Sanctify Her, Cleansing Her by the Washing of the Water in the Word

One day Brother Nee was speaking about Bible reading. A certain sister told him that she had a poor memory and forgot everything she read in the Word. She asked Brother Nee what was the purpose for her to go on reading the Bible. In his answer, Brother Nee spoke of the way women in China wash rice in a willow basket. They dip the basket in and out of the water a number of times. Every time they take the basket out of the water, all the water flows out of the basket. Nevertheless, although the basket retains no water, both the basket and the rice are washed. He then applied this illustration to the reading of the Word. Although we may not retain anything of what we read, we are washed by it nonetheless, and we are cleansed.

(The Basic Revelation in the Holy Scriptures, ch. 5; Life-Study of Ephesians, msg. 54)

The Truth of the Church (VI)

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, please awaken me in the morning. Give us a sober mind and a strong spirit. Lord, make us be Your fighters to deal with Your enemy.

Eph. 6:11-12b Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil, For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh.

The Church Being the Warrior

Finally, Ephesians 6 reveals that the church is the warrior, a corporate fighter. An army is composed of many soldiers, but a warrior is simply one person. The church is the new man, and this new man is a warrior. The whole armor of God spoken of in chapter six is not for the individual Christian, but for the whole church as the new man. As the warrior, the church deals with God’s enemy and defeats him.

Dealing with God’s Enemy and Defeating Him

Not only must God’s eternal purpose be fulfilled and the desire of Christ’s heart be satisfied, but God’s enemy must be defeated. For this, the church must be a warrior. Even in the Song of Songs we see that as the seeking one enjoys the Lord’s presence, the fighting is going on. Therefore, we walk according to truth and by grace, we live in love and light, and we fight to subdue the satanic will. Our walk is for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, our living is for the satisfaction of Christ, and our fighting is for the defeat of God’s enemy. Hence, for these three things the church must be the new man, the Bride, and the warrior.

In Order to Fight the Spiritual Warfare, We Should Put On the Whole Armor of God

In order to fight the spiritual warfare, we should experience Christ as the constituents of the divine armor and be empowered in Christ and in the might of His strength. As the corporate warrior we should be inwardly empowered with Christ as the heavenly dynamo and outwardly clothed with Christ as the constituents of God’s armor.

(Life-Study of Ephesians, msgs. 1，63; Conclusion of the New Testament, Vol. 11; msg. 344)

Week Twenty

The Practice of the Church

The Practice of the Church (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, strengthen us in this new day. Let our heart open to You that You may make Your home and reign. Cause us to be able to be built up for Your testimony of oneness.

1 Tim.3:15 But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth.

The Universal Body of Christ Being the Universal House of God and the Kingdom of God As Well

First, the church as the universal Body of Christ is the universal house of God and also the kingdom of God (Eph. 1:23; Matt. 16:18). These three—the Body of Christ, the house of God, and the kingdom of God—are just one. The Body of Christ is the house of God, and the house of God is the kingdom of God.

Appearing in Various Cities as Local Churches

The universal Body of Christ is the house of God, that is, the kingdom of God, appearing in various cities as local churches. The Bible shows us that one city should have only one church for the sake of keeping the oneness and preventing division (Acts 8:1). Deuteronomy 12:5-18 clearly tells us that when the Israelites arrived in the good land, they could not choose a place of worship as they liked. They needed to go to the place where God had placed His name, which was the place where God would build His dwelling place.

In the Old Testament God chose Jerusalem. Hence, although the twelve tribes of Israel were scattered throughout the land of Israel, all their males had to go up to Jerusalem three times a year to worship God there. No one dared to set up another worship center besides Jerusalem.

One City Having Only One Church in Order to Keep the Oneness and Prevent Division

Today the practice of the church that God desires is the same as this in principle, that is, one city having only one church for the keeping of the oneness. One cannot say that he is not satisfied with the church in a certain locality and then start another meeting on the next street with a few of his more intimate brothers. Because Christianity is not willing to be restricted by one city having only one church, today’s situation has become confused and divided.

(The Issue of the Union of the Consummated Spirit of the Triune God and the Regenerated Spirit of the Believers, msg. 6)

The Practice of the Church (II)

Prayer:

O, Lord, lead us to eat You as food this morning. We need Your word as a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Lead me to know Your economy to live a life of righteousness and joy.

Rom. 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

There Should Not Be Any Hierarchy-Religious Organization or System of Rank

In the practice of the church, although there are the apostles who establish the churches, and within each church there are elders who manage the church and deacons who serve the church, besides the order of these holy services, there should not be any hierarchy—religious organization or system of rank (1 Cor. 9:1-3).

Take God’s Eternal Economy as Their Center to Bear the Unique Testimony of Christ

In the practice of the church, although there are many local churches, they all take God’s eternal economy as their center to bear the unique testimony of Christ. They do not teach any doctrine that is unrelated to God’s economy and has nothing to do with the testimony of Christ. (1 Tim.1:3-4 )

There Should Be Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit as the Reality of the Kingdom of God in These Local Churches

In the practice of the church there should be righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit in the local churches as the reality of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the sphere in which God exercises His authority so that He may express His glory for the fulfillment of His purpose. In such a kingdom, what matters is not eating and drinking but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Righteousness denotes that which is right and proper. Thus, we will have joy in the Holy Spirit and, in particular, before God. In this way, we will be filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:52) and will live out righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, which are the reality of the kingdom of God. This proves that the normal church life is the kingdom of God on the earth today.

(The Issue of the Union of the Consummated Spirit of the Triune God and the Regenerated Spirit of the Believers, msg. 6)

The Practice of the Church (III)

Prayer:

O, God, thank You to choose us. How blessed are we that we may know and gain You. Lord, we are also Your Body. We are willing to be joined and mingled as one in Your Body.

Eph. 4:3 Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.

The Genuine Oneness of the Body of Christ—the Oneness of the Spirit

The ground of a local church is the genuine oneness of the Body of Christ, that is, the oneness of the Spirit. Ephesians 4:3 charges us to be diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit. The oneness of the Spirit is the oneness of the Body of Christ, which is the basic element of the unique ground of a local church.

The Limit of the Boundary and Jurisdiction of a Locality—the Ground of Locality

The genuine oneness of the Body of Christ must be practiced with the unique ground of locality within the limit of the boundary and jurisdiction of the locality in which a church exists, that is, on the ground of locality, as with the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), the church in Antioch, the church in Cenchrea, the church in Corinth, and the seven churches in the seven cities in Asia (Rev. 1:11). All these churches were on the local ground, the ground of locality.

Our Recognizing of a Local Church Should Be Based Upon Its Nature and Ground and Not upon Its Condition

The condition of a local church may fluctuate and may differ from that of all the other local churches, just as the conditions of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 differed from one another. The church in Ephesus was in one condition, and the church in Smyrna was in another condition. All the seven churches were different in their conditions. However, although the conditions of the churches may differ, the ground of the local churches remains the same. Because the condition of a church may fluctuate, our recognizing of a local church should be based upon its nature and ground and not upon its condition.

(Elders’ Training, Book 10, ch. 7)

The Practice of the Church (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for this new day. Cleanse us again with Your precious blood. Lord, let us know Your Body. Keep us in the fellowship of Your Body.

1 Cor. 12:12-13 For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ…For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, and were all given to drink one Spirit.

The Fellowship of the Body of Christ

We need to see in a brief way the fellowship of the Body of Christ. In our physical body there is a current of blood, which we may call the circulation of the blood. This current, or this circulation, is going on continuously in our physical body. If this circulation, or this current of blood, were to stop for only a few minutes, we would die. Thus, it is the circulation of our blood that keeps us alive. The health of our body depends on the circulation of our blood. We may say that this circulation is the fellowship of our body.

The Body of Christ Being Uniquely One Universally

The Body of Christ is uniquely one universally. Individually, we are members of the Body of Christ, and all the local churches are parts of this one unique Body of Christ. As those who are in the Body, we need to realize that we are one with all the saints in the entire universe. Ephesians 4:4-6 depicts a oneness that is universal: In these verses we can see that the Triune God is mingled with the Body. The Body mentioned here is not local; rather, it is universal. This is the universal oneness of the Body of Christ.

To Keep the Universal Oneness of the Body of Christ

This is because we still have the circulation of the “blood,” the circulation of the Spirit. If we did not have this circulation, we would be spiritually dead. As long as we have life, regardless of how weak we may be, we have this oneness. It is the possession of every believer. What we need, then, is just to keep this oneness. When we keep this oneness, we are in the unique fellowship of the Lord’s recovery.

(Elders’ Training, Book 11, ch. 7)

The Practice of the Church (V)

Prayer:

Lord, we are willing to open our mouth, our spirit, and our heart. Lord, let us in Your name speak the same thing and be attuned in the same mind.

1 Cor.1:10 Now I beseech you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion.

The following three key elements are the factors which cause the Christians (not counting the nominal ones) to be divided, to be constituted as sects.

Special Creeds

The common faith of true Christians is unique. It includes the Triune God, the person and work of Christ, that is, the being of Christ and the doings of Christ, and the divine authority of the Bible. Besides these truths of our fundamental faith, to consider other matters to be the Christian faith (such as the method of baptism of the Baptist denomination, the system of church administration of the Presbyterian denomination, the tongue-speaking of the Pentecostal denomination, the head covering and foot washing of other groups, or general doctrines such as the time and number of raptures, the interpretation of prophecies, and the understanding of certain parts of the Scriptures) and to make them special creeds is to label something new in order to be different and will result in sects.

Special Fellowships

With the existence of special creeds, Christians will be divided into different groups, having special fellowships in their different circles outside of the believers’ common fellowship. Such special fellowships cause those believers who practice them to be constituted as sects separate from the believers in general.

Special Names

Special creeds not only lead to special fellowships, but they also produce special names, such as the name of a certain denomination or a certain church. These special names, in a more tangible way, cause those who so label themselves to be constituted into named sects, resulting in denominations.

(Life Lessons, Vol. 2, ch. 13)

The Practice of the Church (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, gain us today that we may love You more and gain You more. Lord, also cause us to love Your church more.

Eph. 4:4-6 One Body and one Spirit,…One Lord, one faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

The Body of Christ Being Unique

Since Christ is not divided, neither should Christians who belong to Christ be divided into sects. Even the more, since the Body of Christ is unique, Christians who are members of this unique Body should not divide it into many different sects. We should only want the unique Body of Christ, not the many man-made sects. In this Body of Christ, there is only one Spirit; also, His Body has only one Lord, that is, one Head. Furthermore, all the members of His Body are regenerated by one God and Father, and they are indwelt by Him.

Endeavoring to Keep the Oneness of the Body of Christ

If we believers would live in this Spirit and walk according to this Spirit, the oneness of the Body of Christ would be kept. Otherwise, that oneness would be broken. In the status of one imprisoned because of the church, the Apostle Paul beseeched us in Ephesians 4:2-3 to keep this oneness with such virtues as lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, bearing in love, and the uniting bond of peace, that our walk may be worthy of our calling. God’s calling is that we would be members of the Body of Christ. If our walk damages and hurts the oneness of the Body of Christ, it is not worthy of God’s calling. Therefore, we must endeavor to live in the Body of Christ to keep the oneness of the Body, not participating in any divisions, sects, or denominations.

(Life Lessons, Vol. 2, ch. 13)

Week Twenty-One

God-Ordained Way

God-Ordained Way (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You to bring us into a new week. We need You. We are willing to be joined to Your economy. Please open Yourself to dispense Yourself.

1 Tim. 1:4 Nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God’s economy, which is in faith.

God-ordained Way Being the Way God-ordained to Practice the New Testament Economy

The Lord’s new way is a dream that we all need to be brought into. I have been dreaming this dream, and my burden is to bring you into this dream. We all have to bear the responsibility and the burden to bring this dream to the whole earth. If we are faithful by the Lord’s mercy to practice the New Testament economy according to the God-ordained way, we will see the fulfillment of this dream.

In order for us to practice the New Testament economy, we need to see the divine economy. This economy is clearly revealed in the holy Word (Eph. 1:10). The center of the entire New Testament is God’s divine economy. God’s economy is God’s plan, His divine arrangement, to dispense Himself into His chosen people.

Our Going Out to Visit People by Knocking on Their Doors being for this Economy

When we go out, we must hold on to the concept and deep feeling that we are going out to visit people for God’s economy. Without knocking on people’s doors, it would be hard for us to seek the sons of peace for God’s eternal economy (Luke 10:3-6). God’s eternal economy involves and includes millions of sons of peace. These sons of peace need us to go to visit them in their homes. We go to knock on people’s doors by having ourselves linked to the divine economy, linked to eternity, linked to the heavenlies. We need a clear vision and deep impression concerning God’s economy, which involves the completion of Christ and the propagation of the pneumatic Christ for the producing of the church (Eph. 3:6-11).

(The God-Ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, ch. 1)

God-Ordained Way (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, please dispense Yourself again to us in the new day. Please let us receive new supply from You. Lord, please open our eyes to enter into Your dream of the new way.

Acts 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and announcing the gospel of Jesus as the Christ.

The Success of the New Way Depending on Bringing the Church to the Homes and Bringing the Saints into the Truth

The burden in this message is first to bring the church to the homes, and second to bring the saints into the truth. If we can achieve these two points, the new way will succeed, the gospelization of Taiwan will be realized, and there will be a bright future in the Lord’s recovery.

If the Church Is to Prosper Today, the Homes Need to Rise Up

A nation is not built upon a school or a club; its foundation is the homes. Without the homes a nation cannot exist. In the same way, if the church is to prosper today, the homes need to rise up. If the homes in the church are strong, the church will have a good prospect and a bright future. This is the new way revealed to us in the Bible.

Delivering Meetings to the Homes

Therefore, the problem with non-meeting saints is that we do not deliver the meetings to their homes. We bear the responsibility. I hope we will all have a change in concept. Instead of dragging the saints and forcing them to come to a meeting, we should bring the meeting to their homes. Suppose we invite someone to our home for a meal. If he cannot come, we should deliver the food to him so that he can at least taste the food. I cannot guarantee that the non-meeting saints will be revived immediately, but if the brothers and sisters are willing to coordinate with one another to deliver the meeting to the homes, at least there is a great possibility for them to begin meeting again.

(Crucial Words of the Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 1, msgs. 6, 10)

God-Ordained Way (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, every morning cause us to turn to You. Cause us to return to the first love to You. Lord, also let us love people with Your love and bring Your love to others.

Matt. 28:19 Go therefore and disciple all the nations…

Four Steps in the Organic Practice of the New Way—Begetting, Nourishing, Teaching, and Building

Begetting—Gaining People by Knocking on Doors

The service that God ordains for us in His New Testament economy is first to “Go therefore and disciple all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). The meaning of the word “go” is very extensive. When you go, surely you have to visit people. After our prolonged study, we have discovered that to visit people by knocking on their doors is the most effective way to carry out the going.

The Lord Jesus Himself Being Such a Pattern

In the Gospels, the Lord Jesus Himself was such a pattern. He desired to preach the gospel to us, the sinners, but, instead of sitting in heaven and bidding us to go there, He came down from heaven to us. He came first to seek and then to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). He also sent out twelve disciples to pass through village after village to announce the gospel and heal the sick everywhere (9:1-6). Afterward, He also appointed seventy disciples and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to come, to find the sons of peace and reap His harvest (10:1-6).

Visiting Them and Preach the Gospel to Them

We should knock more on what we call the “warm doors.” Everyone has friends and relatives. You should put the people you know on a list, and you should visit them and preach the gospel to them after careful arrangement and proper telephone appointment. You can also ask the new ones to give you their business cards, with a few words on them to their friends and relatives, explaining that you are a devout Christian desiring to visit them. After such arrangements, the three of you can set out together.

(The Organic Practice of the New Way, ch. 1; The Church Life in the Lord’s Recovery Today, ch. 2)

God-Ordained Way (IV)

Prayer:

O, Lord, we are willing to present praises and thanks. Our heart rejoice and our spirit leap. We treasure and love You from deep within. Lord, may You shepherd our new ones to become their supply and satisfaction.

1 Thes. 2:7 But we were gentle in your midst, as a nursing mother would cherish her own children.

Nourishing—Caring in the Home Meetings

After visiting people, preaching the gospel to them, and bringing them to salvation, you should care for them in the home meetings. This is like a mother who has just given birth to a baby; she has to nurse the baby. All the mothers know that it is very easy for a child to die during the first three months after he is born. The mother must care for the baby carefully and cautiously. After three months, the condition is more stable.

Setting Up Meetings in the New Ones’ Homes

After leading people to salvation through door-knocking, we should immediately set up a meeting in their home. This is to nourish them after begetting them. We must “strike while the iron is hot.” We should not wait a week before going back to visit a new believer. Rather, after three days we should go back and teach him to read the Bible. After another three days we should teach him to sing hymns. It is best to visit a new believer ten times during the first month. This is the way to make him stable. After the first month, we can visit him once a week for half a year. This will establish him. Within the first six months we need to teach him how to call on the Lord’s name, to speak for the Lord, to testify, to read the Bible, and to receive light from the Lord. We should not bring him to the meeting hall or to the Lord’s Day meetings. Rather, we need to set up a meeting in his home. We should gather his family, his spouse and children, together and help them to function in the meeting. We may even ask the little ones to pray and to sing.

(The Organic Practice of the New Way, ch. 1; The Proper Way for Believers to Meet and to Serve, ch. 5)

God-Ordained Way (V)

Prayer:

Lord, You mercy is rich and Your grace abound. We look to Your rich mercy and abundant grace. Besides this, we have no way. Lord, we need You.

1 Tim. 4:11 Charge and teach these things.

Teaching—Instructing and Perfecting in the Small Group Meetings

According to our experience and learning and based upon the clear revelation in the New Testament, the proper group meetings should consist of two sections. The first section should include fellowship, intercession, mutual care, and shepherding, and the second section should carry out the perfecting of the saints through teaching.

The Goal of the Group Meeting Being to Perfect the Saints

The goal of the group meeting is to perfect the saints. Without teaching, it is impossible to reach this goal. In a group meeting, the best way to teach is to ask. Even if we have a burden to teach and exhort others concerning a particular matter, we should not release our burden directly. Rather, we should turn our teaching into a question. Once we ask a question, all the attendants in the meeting will have the obligation to say something, and they will all become teachers. The best way to learn something thoroughly is to teach it. Often we can learn more by teaching than by listening.

The Key of the Small Group Meetings Being to Be Organic

The content of the meeting should be of the following items only: the first is fellowship; the second is prayer; the third is mutual care; the fourth is the teaching of the truth; the fifth is the pursuit of life; and the sixth is the mutual encouragement and teaching, and the preaching of the gospel by going out to visit people. Every time the small group comes together, whatever it does, the content should be one of these six things. Some may arrive early. They can begin praising or praying, or interceding for the ones that are sick, or giving testimonies of healing, thus caring for one another. Perhaps some may ask about the significance of the Lord’s Table. Every attendant should speak a little. In a few minutes, the truth will be made clear.

(The Practice of the Group Meetings, ch. 6; The Organic Practice of the New Way, ch. 1)

God-Ordained Way (VI)

Prayer:

Lord, please come to every one of us. Touch our heart in us. Open our spirit that we may have wisdom to understand Your word and also to speak Your word.

1 Cor. 14:31 For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be encouraged.

Building—Prophesying in the District Meetings

To prophesy is to speak for the Lord and to speak forth the Lord. It is to supply Christ to others. This is the main work in the church meetings. The whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 14 talks about prophesying. It promotes, uplifts, recommends, and encourages prophesying. Verse 1 says, “Pursue love, and desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy.” In the end, verse 39 says, “Therefore, my brothers, desire earnestly to prophesy.” Once you prophesy, you excel (v. 12), and the meeting becomes rich. Verse 31 says, “For you can all prophesy one by one.” Everyone can do it. No one is unable to do it.

There Being a Practical and Simple Way in Order That Everyone Can Prophesy

In order that everyone can prophesy, there is a practical and simple way, which is to have every saint revived every morning. Every week, divide up a chapter of the Bible into six portions, and read one portion each morning, picking out two verses in it for pray-reading. Then write down the inspiration and response every day. On Saturday evening, pray-read over the inspirations that are written, and compose a paragraph from them for prophesying. Preferably, you should help the brothers and sisters to improve a little on these compositions so that the content will be concise. You should also tell them that these compositions are simply memos. During the district meetings, they should not read from them. Rather they should speak them out as in ordinary speakings. During the speaking, if they have further inspiration, they should add a few words to them. In this way, the saints will pick up the boldness in the meetings and will be able to speak for the Lord.

(The Organic Practice of the New Way, ch. 1)

Week Twenty-Two

Morning Revival

Morning Revival (I)

Prayer:

Lord, we love You. We need You. Praise You that You are light as the rising sun visiting us from on high. Lord, please renew us and revive us.

Prov. 4:18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, Which shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

Being Revived Every Morning to Be Renewed Day By Day

In Matthew 13:43 the overcomers are likened to the sun shining forth in the kingdom of their Father. The sun rises afresh every morning. If we are to be the overcomers, the sun, we must also rise up every morning to be revived by the Lord. Proverbs 4:18 says, “But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (ASV). We should follow the sun to be revived and to have a new start every morning. Our path is like the dawning light that shines more and more until the full day. I like Paul’s expression in 2 Corinthians 4:16—“day by day.” The Christian life does not only have one day. We are being renewed day by day. This means that day after day we have to be revived by the Lord.

Living a Life of Morning Revival and Daily Victory

A vital matter that is crucial to the practice of the church life in the new way is our living a life of morning revival and daily victory. To be revived is simply to be touched by the Lord anew. We stress that this should be a morning revival based upon God’s natural law. Every twenty-four hours there is a morning to begin the new day. The sun rises anew every morning, and we also must rise up every morning. Therefore, it is good for us to go to bed earlier at night so that we can rise up earlier in the morning. Every morning we should get up, make our bed, and then spend some time with the Lord. If we can give the Lord ten minutes in the morning before doing anything else, surely we will be revived. If we normally get up at six o’clock, we should get up at five fifty. Then we could have ten minutes to contact the Lord and be revived.

(The Exercise and Practice of the God-Ordained Way, msg. 28)

Morning Revival (II)

Prayer:

Lord, we are just here, opening in Your presence and waiting for You. You can do many things among us. Lord, please renew us every day.

1 Cor. 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart; but though our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day.

The Renewal in the Inner Life

The revival that I am talking about is not the kind of revival commonly known in Christianity. It is not something sudden, brought about by days of prayer and fasting and accompanied by extraordinary events, resulting in a general excitement. The revival that I am talking about is the renewing described in the New Testament. Second Corinthians 4:16 says, “…though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” The renewal here is a revival. Every day we need a renewal, and this renewal has to be refreshed day by day. What we need today is this kind of renewal in the inner life as opposed to a renewal in outward actions or expression. God has set up a natural law that the rising of the sun affords a new beginning and a fresh renewal every day for everything, whether plant, animal, or human being. The same is true with our Christian life. Every morning we should allow the Lord Jesus, our Sun, to rise up in us so that we can be renewed. This is the revival that I am talking about.

The New Way Starting from Our Personal Revival—kneeling down before the Lord Every Day, Calling on Him, Coming near to Him, and Enjoying His Word

we all have to rise up and endeavor to take this new way. Whether we are participating in the home meetings, the small group meetings, or the district meetings, we have to start from ourselves—we must be those who are revived. It is not difficult to be revived. As long as we kneel down before the Lord every day, call on Him, come near to Him, enjoy His word, and live and walk in the spirit.

(A Timely Trumpeting and the Present Need, msg. 4; Being Up-to-date for the Rebuilding of the Temple, msg. 12)

Morning Revival (III)

Prayer:

Lord, please not only speak to us but, through Your rich word, dispense Yourself into us. We are willing to gain You in it that Your ingredient may increase in us.

2 Cor. 3:18 But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.

Revival Bringing in Transformation

This daily revival brings transformation with it. Romans 12:2 says, “Be transformed by the renewing of the mind.” Second Corinthians 3:18 says, “We all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.” The more we behold Him, the more we reflect the glory of the Lord and the more we are transformed into the image of the Lord from one stage of glory to another. This transformation is from the Lord Spirit. There is not just a revival, but a transformation as well. Hence, to have a revival that is renewed daily is to have a transformation that is fresh daily. If we remain in this transformation our whole life, we will grow in the life of the Lord until we are matured. This kind of revival, renewal, and transformation is what we all need today.

The First Step in the Exercise of the Spirit—Calling On the Name of the Lord

Not only do the New Testament saints call on the name of the Lord. Even the ancient psalmists in the Old Testament called on the Lord as well. David said in Psalm 119:147, “I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word.” The crying here is to call by saying “O Lord!” It is also to pray and to speak to the Lord. To cry unto the Lord is to call on Him and to speak to Him. The calling plus the speaking to the Lord is like a man’s deep breathing. When you speak out all that you have, you are breathing out. When you take in the grace of the Lord, you are breathing in. In this cycle, spontaneously we are cleansed within, and our whole being becomes healthy.

(A Timely Trumpeting and the Present Need, msg. 4; The Organic Practice of the New Way, msg. 4)

Morning Revival (IV)

Prayer:

Lord, we praise You as the speaking God. You spoke in the days of old. Today we also have Your word in our hand. You are the Spirit, still speaking! Today we find Your words and we eat them.

Psa. 119:147 I anticipated the dawn and cried out; I hoped in Your words.

The Second Step in the Exercise of the Spirit—Pray-reading the Lord’s Word

After this crying, David said that he “hoped in thy word.” In hoping in the Lord’s word, it is better that we do not speak, lest we interrupt the Lord’s speaking. David said again, “Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word” (v. 148). This shows us that in the experience of the Old Testament saints, there was the prayer, the hoping in the Lord’s word, and the meditation on the Lord’s word. Today, for us, the New Testament believers, the quickest way to receive the Lord’s word is not to meditate on His word; rather it is to pray-read His word. But in pray-reading the Lord’s word, there is the crying and the calling, and it will be spontaneous and natural to turn the Lord’s word into prayer.

A Private Time to Meet with the Lord

we all need a time to contact the Lord alone. We all need a private time to meet with the Lord. During this time alone with the Lord, we should not bring with us anyone or anything. When we go to the Lord early in the morning, we should go to Him alone. We need to leave even our husband or wife behind. Some brothers have the practice of taking their wives with them wherever they go. This practice is good. However, when it is time to meet with the Lord on the mountaintop, a brother should leave his wife at the foot of the mountain. When we meet with the Lord in this way, we need to forget everything and everyone. Forget your possessions, your education, your occupation, your future. Go to the Lord alone without anyone or anything.

(The Organic Practice of the New Way, ch. 4; Life-Study of Exodus, msg.178)

Morning Revival (V)

Prayer:

Lord, we thank You. We are gained by Your mercy and grace to become those who seek You and pursue You. We praise Your name, speak about You, dispense You to others!

2 Tim. 2:22 But flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Having Morning Revival with Companions

Second Timothy 2:22 charges us to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. These items are the Lord Jesus Himself, so to pursue these things means to pursue Christ. Christ is our righteousness. Christ is our faith. Christ is our love. Christ is our peace. Our practice of living the life of a God-man is a constitution of Christ as righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Paul charged Timothy to pursue Christ as these items by calling on the name of the Lord. This calling is not just by yourself but with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. The principle for the saints in both the Old and New Testaments is that they should be grouped together. In order to experience genuine overcoming, sanctification, and spirituality, we must pursue with the brothers and sisters. Hence, even our spiritual pursuit should be corporate, not individualistic.

The Outflow of a Renewed Life—Caring for Others

In this revived and renewed living, we will spontaneously care for others, and we will spontaneously share with others the Christ whom we enjoy and the Savior whom we have received. In this way, others will be able to enjoy with us the portion that God has given to us. You could even save your time by arranging to have a ten minute morning watch with each of them. The telephone may be used for this purpose. Within one hour, you could contact three persons in the morning. You could contact the same three persons every morning to pray-read with them, fellowship with them, and enjoy Christ with them in a very brief way.

(The Organic Practice of the New Way，msg. 4; Elders’ Training, Book 11, ch. 9)

Morning Revival (VI)

Prayer:

Lord, we declare again that You are the Lord, You are the Sovereign Master, and even more You are the Overcomer. We are here following You, We consecrate again ourselves to You to live overcoming life.

Rom. 12:1 I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

A Life of Consecration Daily Being an Overcoming Daily Life

After such a revival, we should live a life of consecration daily. In such a living, we fellowship with the Lord, walk with Him, and abide in Him, and thus become one spirit with Him and live Him out. This is an overcoming living. After the morning revival, we must exercise to keep ourselves in the spirit throughout the day. We must do and say things in our spirit. This is to be overcoming and victorious. Throughout the day, there will be a lot of failures because we are so fragile, unstable, untrustworthy, and not very steadfast. We may ascend very strongly early in the morning, but by ten o’clock in the morning we may already be down. We do not have to remain down. We can always exercise our spirit to come back to the Lord. Then we should continue to practice remaining in our spirit the rest of the day. This is to have the morning revival and the overcoming daily living.

Helping the New Ones to Have the Same Kind of Exercise

We should not only exercise to have such a life and living ourselves, but we should also help each of our new ones to have the same kind of life and living. We have discovered that a very convenient way to help the new ones get revived every morning is to have some time with them over the telephone each morning. It is best to make an appointment with them before calling them. Because of the convenience of calling the new ones by telephone, if we rise up a little earlier each morning, there is the way to take care of as many as three persons very easily.

(The Exercise and Practice of the God-Ordained Way, msg. 29)

Week Twenty-Three

The Truth of the Kingdom

The Truth of the Kingdom (I)

Prayer:

O, Lord Jesus! Thank You for saving me and bringing me to learn the truth of the kingdom. O, Lord, please open the eyes of my heart that I may understand and enjoy Your word.

Rom. 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The Reality of the Kingdom of the Heavens Being the Proper Church Life

According to Matthew, there are three aspects concerning the kingdom of the heavens: the reality, the appearance, and the manifestation. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the inward contents of the kingdom of the heavens in its heavenly and spiritual nature, as revealed by the new King on the mountain in chapters five, six, and seven. The appearance of the kingdom of the heavens is the outward state of the kingdom of the heavens in name, as revealed by the King on the seashore in chapter thirteen. The manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens is the practical coming of the kingdom of the heavens in power, as unveiled by the King on the Mount of Olives in chapters twenty-four and twenty-five. Both the reality and the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens are with the church today. The reality of the kingdom of the heavens is the proper church life (Rom. 14:17).

Living out Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit Being the Reality of the Kingdom of God

The kingdom of God is the sphere in which God exercises His authority so that He may express His glory for the fulfillment of His purpose. In such a kingdom, what matters is not eating and drinking but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Righteousness denotes that which is right and proper. Those who live in the kingdom of God should be right and proper toward others, toward things, and toward God; with them there should be nothing erroneous, improper, crooked, slanted, or biased. This requires that they be strict in dealing with themselves. Peace is the fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11 and note). It characterizes the relationship that those who live in the kingdom of God should have with others and with God. If we are righteous, right, and proper toward others, toward things, and toward God, we will have a peaceful relationship with others and with God. Thus, we will have joy in the Holy Spirit and, in particular, before God. In this way, we will be filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:52) and will live out righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, which are the reality of the kingdom of God.

(Life-Study of Matthew, msg. 13; The Issue of the Union of the Consummated Spirit of the Triune God and the Regenerated Spirit of the Believers, msg. 6)

The Truth of the Kingdom (II)

Prayer:

O, Lord Jesus! I open to You again. Please cleanse me and also help me to know more about the reality of the kingdom, and learn and exercise the proper church life.

Matt. 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.

The Kingdom of the Heavens Being a Spiritual Matter, Not a Material One

The spirit in verse 3 refers not to the Spirit of God, but to our human spirit, the deepest part of our being, the organ for us to contact God and realize spiritual things. To be poor in spirit does not mean to have a poor spirit. Our spirit should never be poor. To have a poor spirit would be pitiful. But if we are poor in our spirit, we are blessed. To be poor in spirit is not only to be humble, but also to be emptied in our spirit, in the depth of our being, not holding on to the old things of the old dispensation, but unloaded to receive the new things, the things of the kingdom of the heavens. We need to be poor, emptied, unloaded, in this part of our being so that we may realize and possess the kingdom of the heavens. This implies that the kingdom of the heavens is a spiritual matter, not a material one.

Our Spirit Must Be Emptied of Everything

When the Lord Jesus came preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near” (4:17), not many could receive His word because their spirit was filled with other things. The best drink was being offered, but their vessel was already filled. Thus, they were not thirsty. When our spirit is filled, we have no capacity in our vessel for even the best drink. Therefore, when the Lord spoke to the disciples on the mountain, the opening word of His decree was that we must be poor in spirit, that our spirit must be emptied of everything.

We all need to heed the Lord’s word about being poor in our spirit and say, “Lord, unload me. Empty my spirit. I don’t want to store anything in my spirit. Lord, I want the full capacity in my spirit to be available to You.”

(Life-Study of Matthew, msg. 13)

The Truth of the Kingdom (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus! I love You! I need You! Cleanse me! Fill me! O, Lord! I not only love You but also love Your church, love brothers and sisters, and love the church life!

Matt. 13:44 The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid, and in his joy goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

The Kingdom Hidden on God’s Created Earth

The treasure hidden in the field must consist of gold or precious stones, the materials for the building of the church and the New Jerusalem (1 Cor. 3:12; Rev. 21:18-20). Since the church is the practical kingdom today, and since the New Jerusalem will be the kingdom in manifestation in the coming age, the treasure hidden in the field must signify the kingdom hidden on God’s created earth.

Christ Redeeming the Earth Created by God

when He came out to minister, declaring, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” When the Jews’ rejection of the Lord reached its peak, He forsook them. From that time onward, He hid the treasure. Then He went to the cross to buy not only the treasure, but also the field, and He thereby redeemed the earth created by God.

We Having the Treasure, the Kingdom, and the Proper Human Life

On this new earth we have the treasure, the kingdom, and the proper human life. Even today, this treasure is no longer hidden; it is on the surface of the earth. To the worldly people and to the unbelieving Jews, this treasure is hidden within the earth. Praise the Lord that we have such a treasure in the renewed earth! None of the outsiders or unbelievers understands this. Sometimes they say, “We don’t understand those people. We don’t know what they are doing. However, we realize that they are good people.” This is the treasure, the evidence that we are living a proper human life on the God-created and Christ-redeemed earth.

(Life-Study of Matthew, msg. 39)

The Truth of the Kingdom (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, by Your precious blood I come again to Your presence. O, Lord, shine upon me and sanctify me! Lead me to seek the best in the church life!

Matt. 13:24 Another parable He set before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man sowing good seed in his field.

The Outward Appearance of the Kingdom Being Called Christendom

This parable discloses that not long after the establishment of the kingdom by the building of the church, the situation of the kingdom of the heavens changed. It was established with the sons of the kingdom, the wheat. But the sons of the evil one, the tares, grew up to alter the situation. Hence, a difference has arisen between the kingdom of the heavens and its outward appearance. Whereas the sons of the kingdom, the wheat, constitute the kingdom, the sons of the evil one, the tares, have formed the outward appearance of the kingdom, which today is called Christendom.

When the Lord Jesus came, He did not sow tares; He sowed only wheat… While the Lord’s slaves were sleeping, the enemy, the evil one, Satan, came in to sow another seed, the seed of the tares… In the early part of the fourth century Constantine the Great made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. At that time tens of thousands of false believers came into Christianity… This has continued until the present. In Christendom there are millions of so-called Christians, but so many of them are not real believers.

The Need to Be Real and Normal Believers, Real Sons of the Kingdom

Thus, there are four classes of people: the normal believers, the abnormal believers, the false believers, and the worldly people… We would not stand with the world nor be a part of Christendom. Furthermore, we would not be real yet abnormal believers. Rather, we want to be real and normal believers, real sons of the kingdom who live according to the constitution of the kingdom of the heavens. We would grow Christ by living a life according to the constitution.

(Life-Study of Matthew，msg. 37)

The Truth of the Kingdom (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You to let me know the reality and the appearance of the kingdom. O, Lord, lead me to move forward. Let me see Your glory, my hope.

Matt. 13:43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

The Manifestation of the Kingdom Being in the Heavenly Part

The third aspect of the kingdom, the manifestation, is in the heavenly part, the upper part, of the millennium. The lower part, the earthly part, is the Messianic kingdom, the kingdom of the Messiah, but the heavenly part is the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. This heavenly part in 13:43 is also called the kingdom of the Father, whereas the earthly part is called in Matthew 13:41 the kingdom of the Son of Man. Therefore, the kingdom of the Son is the kingdom of the Messiah, and the kingdom of the Father is the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.

The Righteous Shall Shine Forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of Their Father

When the Lord Jesus comes back, where will you be? If we have endured unto the end, that is, have kept ourselves in the spirit until the end, we shall be saved and shall be in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, the heavenly part of the millennium. Those who are there will rule with Christ. According to 13:43, they will “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” This is the real barn where all the wheat will shine over the nations. That shining will be the ruling, the reigning as kings.

We Would Grow Christ by Living a Life According to the Constitution of the Kingdom

We would grow Christ by living a life according to the constitution. Whatever we grow will be the multiplication which is the constituent of the kingdom of the heavens. Therefore, today we are not only in the reality—we are the reality. Then when the Lord Jesus, the King, comes again, we shall be in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, shining over the world to reign as Christ’s co-kings and enjoying the

(Life-Study of Matthew，msg. 37)

The Truth of the Kingdom (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, cleanse me. Strengthen me to my spirit. I am willing to meet You in Your word. Lord, keep shining upon me with the word of the kingdom. Sanctify me!

Rev. 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Being Priests of God and of Christ and Reigning with Him for a Thousand Years

The overcomers will be priests to contact God and co-kings with Christ to reign over the nations in the millennium (2:26-27; 12:5). As priests they will bring man in his need to God and minister God to man, and as kings they will bring God in His authority to man and represent God to shepherd man. This is a reward to them. The believers who are defeated in this age will forfeit this reward. However, after being dealt with by the Lord in the millennium, they will participate in the service of God and in the kingship in the new heaven and the new earth for eternity (22:3-5).

The Need to Meet the Need of Both God and Man, Bringing Man to God and God to Man

Today the proper Christians bring man and man’s need to God and Christ, and they also minister God and Christ to man. Also, they bring God’s authority to man and represent God to man. As we share in the upper section of the millennium, we shall be both priests and kings. We shall meet the need of both God and man, bringing man to God and God to man. Through our priesthood and kingship both God and man will be fully satisfied. We shall be a priestly and kingly people, a people far beyond anything of the second death. In this realm, there will be no weakness, no sickness, no trouble, and no hardship. How wonderful this will be!

(Life-Study of Revelation, msg. 56)

Week Twenty-Four

The Second Coming of Christ

The Second Coming of Christ (I)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Thank You for bringing me to see Your second coming. I long for Your second coming. O, Lord, shine upon me that we may live in the light of Your second coming and Your desire.

Matt. 24:32 But learn the parable from the fig tree: as soon as its branch has become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near.

The Fig Tree as a Symbol of the Restoration of Israel

The fig tree is a symbol of the nation of Israel. Because Israel was stubborn and rebellious and had no fruit that could satisfy God, she was rejected by God. In A.D. 70, Titus, the Roman prince, brought with him a great army to destroy Jerusalem and the temple, as prophesied by the Lord when He said, “A stone shall by no means be left upon a stone which shall not be thrown down”. From that time, the children of Israel were scattered among the nations. Not only did their nation fall, but even their homeland was lost. Humanly speaking, there was truly no hope for the nation of Israel to be reformed. However, the Bible contains a prophecy saying that one day the cursed and dried up fig tree would become tender and put forth leaves.

In 1948 …the nation of Israel had been restored! …The fig tree truly had “become tender.” Then, after another nineteen years, in 1967, during the six-day war, Israel seized Jerusalem; that was the fig tree “putting forth leaves.” …the summer was near, right at the door; it would not be long before the full restoration of the nation of Israel would take place.

The Need to Be Those Who Love and Serve the Lord

By studying the prophecies in the Bible and checking with the world situation today, we know that the day of the Lord’s coming is very near …The crucial question today is this: Do we want to bury ourselves in the world or put ourselves in the Lord’s hand? …In the few remaining days, we should get ourselves ready. Let us be those who love and serve the Lord, who are revived and are overcoming every day, and who let the world go and are waiting with all our heart for the Lord’s coming.

(The Up-to-Date Presentation of the God-Ordained Way and the Signs Concerning the Coming of Christ, ch. 6)

The Second Coming of Christ (II)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I open to You. Please shine upon me, cleanse me, and supply me with the Spirit of life. I long for Your manifestation and expect Your second coming.

Matt. 24:15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him who reads understand).

The Rebuilding of the Temple

Matthew 24:15, the holy place in which Antichrist’s image will stand refers to the sanctuary within the temple and the abomination refers to the image of Antichrist as an idol. In other words, the idol will remain in the temple for three and a half years until Christ will destroy Antichrist by the manifestation of His coming. Therefore, first the temple will have to be rebuilt; then the children of Israel will be able to worship God and offer sacrifices to Him, and Antichrist will be able to set up his image.

Since A.D. 70, when Titus destroyed the temple, the temple has never been rebuilt. Israel has regained Jerusalem and is actively making preparations for the rebuilding of the temple. All the materials that will be needed for the rebuilding of the temple and all the utensils needed for the sacrifices have been prepared according to what is recorded in the Bible. Now they are waiting for the suitable time to come, and the rebuilding of the temple will be completed.

Giving Heed to the Prophetic Word

After we have seen and are clear about all these prophecies, we need to be watchful and to give heed to the prophetic word as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts. Prior to His open appearing as the sun, the Lord will appear as the morning star in the darkest hour of the night to those who are longing for His appearing. The prophetic word of the Scripture, as the shining lamp to the believers, conveys spiritual light to shine in their darkness, guiding them to enter into a bright day until the day of the Lord’s appearing.

(The Up-to-Date Presentation of the God-Ordained Way and the Signs Concerning the Coming of Christ, ch. 6)

The Second Coming of Christ (III)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for telling me Your second coming. May You often remind me that I may more and more come close to You, love You, and desire and wait for Your second coming.

2 Thes. 2:4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or an object of worship, so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth, saying that he is God.

Antichrist Must First Appear

This shows us that before the consummation of the age, Antichrist must first appear; …Antichrist will come from one of the Gentile nations around the Mediterranean Sea. He will have the support of ten kings, and they will unite to form a great empire, which will be the revived Roman Empire. He will make a covenant with Israel for seven years and permit them to freely worship God. After three and a half years, …Antichrist will break the covenant and begin to persecute the Israelites and the Christians. He will also set up his image in the temple, until the complete destruction that is determined will be poured out upon the desolator, that is, upon Antichrist.

The Restoration of the Roman Empire

Today, this last week is not yet manifested because the Roman Empire is not yet revived; but as we observe the world situation, it seems that the restoration of the Roman Empire will take place soon. …the entire situation in Europe is pushing toward the direction prophesied in the Bible for the restoration of the Roman Empire. When that time comes, Antichrist will appear.

The Need to Be Watchful and Ready

Before the consummation of this age, Antichrist will come out to be the Caesar of the revived Roman Empire. He will make a seven-year covenant with the children of Israel, and that will be the beginning of the last week. Thus, if anyone should say, “Behold, here is the Christ!” or, “There is the Christ!” we will not be deceived. However, neither should we become slothful, thinking that, since the Lord is delaying His coming, we can eat and drink and become drunken. We need to be watchful and ready that we may prevail to escape all these things which are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.

(The Up-to-Date Presentation of the God-Ordained Way and the Signs Concerning the Coming of Christ, ch. 6)

The Second Coming of Christ (IV)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus! By Your blood, I come again to Your presence. Lord, through the prophecy of sign of Your second coming, help me watch and prepare myself that I may mature in life soon.

Matt. 24:21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until now, nor shall by any means ever occur.

The Second Half of the Last Week Being the Period of the Great Tribulation

The second half of the last week, the last three and a half years of this age, is the period of the great tribulation,… It will be “the hour of trial which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth” (Rev. 3:10). This great tribulation will come from three directions—from God, from Antichrist, and from Satan—upon all those dwelling on the face of all the earth (Luke 21:35). At that time God will judge the entire universe with supernatural calamities, so that the earth will not be suitable for man’s existence. …Furthermore, Satan will be cast out of heaven to the earth by the overcomers, and knowing that he has a short time, he will collaborate with Antichrist, and the two will do their best to destroy and injure the human race, and they will severely persecute the Jews and the Christians (Rev. 12:7-13, 17). However, for the preservation of His people, God will limit the time of the great tribulation to only three and a half years; otherwise, no flesh would be saved.

Being Watchful and at Every Time Beseeching That We May Prevail

The Lord also reminded us to take heed to ourselves and to be watchful, at every time beseeching, lest our hearts be weighed down with dissipation (or debauchery) and drunkenness and anxieties of life, and that the day of the great tribulation come upon us suddenly as a snare; for it will come in upon all those dwelling on the face of all the earth. We should guard our hearts and give all the room to the Lord that we may prevail to escape all these things and to stand before the Son of Man.

(The Up-to-Date Presentation of the God-Ordained Way and the Signs Concerning the Coming of Christ, chs. 6-7)

The Second Coming of Christ (V)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for letting knew Your second coming little by little. Lord, have mercy on me. Let this word keep operating on me that I may be careful to watch to wait for Your coming.

Matt. 24:40-41 At that time two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left.

The Rapture of the Overcomers

Before the great tribulation, the overcomers will be raptured, …while the worldly people are befuddled by material things, with no sense of the coming judgment, some of the sober and watchful believers will be taken away. To the befuddled and senseless people, this should be a sign of Christ’s coming. Therefore, we should take heed to ourselves, lest at some time our hearts be weighed down with debauchery and drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and we miss the rapture and become like Lot’s wife.

At that time, the earth will become a place that is terribly unsuitable for man’s living. The supernatural calamities and Antichrist’s persecution will cause the believers on earth to suffer great afflictions; but God will keep and nourish them. At the end of the great tribulation, the majority of the believers, including the resurrected ones and the remaining ones, will be raptured to the air at the Lord’s coming (parousia). Then, Christ will suddenly appear in an open way to the earth, like the flashing of lightning.

The Need to Prepare Ourselves

To attain maturity is not an overnight matter. Therefore, for His coming we must prepare ourselves, love Him, and grow in Him, that at His appearing we may be mature to be raptured and receive the reward.

(The Up-to-Date Presentation of the God-Ordained Way and the Signs Concerning the Coming of Christ, chs. 6-7)

The Second Coming of Christ (VI)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You to bring me to the last lesson concerning Your second coming. Lord, I believe that You come quickly! Come, Lord Jesus.

Rev. 22:20 He who testifies these things says, Yes, I come quickly. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Loving the Lord’s Appearing

Since we know that the Lord’s second coming is so precious, we should love the Lord’s appearing. The Bible concludes with “Come, Lord Jesus!”. From the record in the New Testament, it is not difficult to discover that in their hearts the apostles firmly believed that the Lord would come quickly, and they also lived a life in preparation for the Lord’s second coming.

Awaiting the Lord’s Coming

In Luke 12 the Lord gave a parable concerning a rich man who endeavored to lay up wealth for himself so that his soul might enjoy itself and be merry. But God said to him, “Senseless one, this night they are requiring your soul from you”. Every “today” that we have is truly the Lord’s grace. Therefore, as long as we have today, as long as we still have breath, we should love the Lord and His appearing, await the Lord’s coming, and always take His coming as an encouragement.

Have a Living That Loves the Lord’s Appearing

In 2 Timothy 4:1 Paul said to Timothy, “I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is about to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom.” This is an exhortation from Paul immediately before his martyrdom. He said …at the judgment seat he would be awarded the crown of righteousness, which would be awarded to all those who have loved His appearing. He reminded Timothy, and also us, by the Lord’s judgment and kingdom that we should have a living that loves the Lord’s appearing. This will cause us not to be discouraged, not to backslide, not to become weak, but to remain faithful to the end.

(The Up-to-Date Presentation of the God-Ordained Way and the Signs Concerning the Coming of Christ, ch. 7)