Our Forerunner

Hebrews 6:18-20 says that the believers “have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us, which we have as an anchor of the soul, both secure and firm, and entering into that which is within the veil, where the Forerunner, Jesus, is entered for us, become forever a High Priest according to the order of Melchisedec.” The Lord Jesus has entered the heavens as the Holy of Holies within the veil, and with Him is the heavenly haven for our refuge, which we can now enter in our spirit (Heb. 10:19). The anchor signifies that we are on a stormy sea and that without the anchor of hope we may shipwreck (1 Tim. 1:19). The entering is the entering into the heavens, the Holy of Holies within the veil today, where the Lord Jesus entered. Our hope, as a secure and firm anchor, has entered there, and we also may now enter in spirit.

The Lord as the Forerunner took the lead to pass through the stormy sea and enter the heavenly haven to be the High Priest for us according to the order of Melchisedec, the order of the priesthood that is in both humanity and divinity. As the Forerunner He has cut the way into glory.

In order to enter into the Holy of Holies within the veil as our Forerunner, the Lord Jesus fled everything. He fled His mother and His brothers (Matt. 12:46-50), and He fled Judaism, so that He entered “into that which is within the veil,” that is, into the presence of God, where He is now the Forerunner and High Priest to minister to us that we may be brought into glory. He is the Forerunner in glory; He is also the Captain leading us into the very place where He is as the Forerunner.

(Witness Lee, Conclusion of the New Testament, The (Msgs. 021-033), Chapter 9)

Watchman Nee on Constitution

Here is a quote from Watchman Nee that I bookmarked a few months ago. The more the truth is constituted into us, the more we attract others to pursue the truth! As this occurs, the Body of Christ will grow. 

This excerpt is precious to me. Enjoy...

The work of God's overcomer is to stand upon Christ's death so that others can gain life. The words of the Bible must first be realized by us before we can preach them. The light of the truth must first become life to us before it will become light to others. God makes His overcomers first see a truth and confirm such truth before He gains some others to obey this truth. Truth must first be constituted in us and become a part of our being. We ourselves must first have the experience of faith, prayer, and consecration before we can tell others what faith, prayer, and consecration are. Otherwise, we will only have the terms without the content. God wants us to go through death first after which He will give others life. We first must pass through the sufferings and the pain before others can have the life. The reason the church cannot gain the victory by crossing over to the good land is that there is a shortage of priests who will stand in the bottom of the Jordan. Those who stand in the bottom of the Jordan will create a seeking heart in others. If a truth is deeply constituted in us, it will attract others to pursue the truth. Today, many of God's truths need to be constituted in man. When we allow a truth to be constituted in us, we are allowing the Body of Christ to grow one more inch. The overcomers are those who receive life from above to supply the Body. 

Ministry Quote

Brother Witness Lee: In the last century many spiritual giants were raised up. But today it seems as if there are no such giants. I believe the reason for this is that God wants to bring in the ministry of the church and the service of the church. In China and even in the whole world, there seem to be no great evangelists being raised up. Not only are there no new ones being raised up, but the old ones are passing away. Some should not have passed away according to their age or their ministry, but they did pass away. This is probably because spiritual giants are a hindrance to producing the church ministry. Some so-called spiritual giants are not as prevailing as they used to be. Even among the co-workers now, there is always the sense of loneliness. Although the term coordination is not there, there is a cry for the reality of coordination.

Today the saints' heart toward service is very different. The situation today is like the spring blossoms after the early rain. Among the churches many people are seeking after the Lord. In the hospitals and on the campuses, many young ones are rising up. In Shanghai we see clear signs everywhere that the brothers and sisters have a desire to serve the Lord. On the one hand, we do not see spiritual giants being raised up. On the other hand, we see all the brothers and sisters in all the localities rising up. Even the little members are rising up to serve the Lord. This is the Lord's own work.

- Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Vol. 57: The Resumption of Watchman Nee's Ministry. 

Ministry Excerpt: Have I been built?

As saved ones, we all admit that once we were clay but that we have become stones because of the Lord’s salvation. However, it is not enough simply to be stones; we still need to be built. No doubt, we are living stones, but a question remains: “Have we been built?” This is a serious question. If we have been built, then we, as stones, cannot be independent. Instead, we need to be dealt with and joined together with other stones.

Brothers and sisters, we must ask ourselves, “Have I been built? Am I connected with others? Am I in coordination with others? Or am I a stone, independent and isolated?” 

Brothers and sisters, in these last days God intends to recover this matter. God wants to recover not only the ground and the testimony of the church but also the building of the church. Whoever receives grace and mercy will bow his head and say, “Lord, have mercy on me, and have mercy also on my brothers and sisters. Build in us.”

On this earth who is not toiling or burdened?

No introduction is necessary for these two paragraphs, except to say that I realized today how much I have been toiling this week. So many frustrating situations beckon us daily to heed those simple words, "Come to me..." These lines of ministry come from The God-man Living,  by Witness Lee. This is surely the highest exposition of the gospels I have ever read. Anyway, I'll be in a coffee shop for maybe the next 6 hours, studying for an IFRS exam and writing a memo for a tax research class.  This is just a quick study-sabbatical. Anyway, here's the quote...

Ministry Excerpt: Rivers of Living Water

Life and truth have one goal – the abundance of life. “I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly” (John 10:10). In order to have the abundance of life, we first must read the Bible to learn the doctrines in the Bible. Someone who does not read the Bible cannot be rich in life. Believers who read the Bible only when they feel inspired are spiritually starving; such ones cannot have the abundance of life. However, to read the Bible does not automatically cause us to have the abundance of life. We still need the doctrines to become truth to us. For this reason, the New Testament encourages us not mainly to know doctrines but to fully know and walk in the truth. The apostle John loved the saints in truthfulness (2 John 1; 3 John 1). Because the Christian life is a matter of truth, Christian love must also be a matter of truth. If we do not possess the truth and walk n the truth, we cannot love others in truthfulness. It is possible to love others in darkness, but when we know the truth and walk in the truth, we love the truth and walk in the light.

The main point we need to see is the way to turn doctrines to life, or put in other words, the way to have the abundance of life. John 7:38 says, “He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” The rivers of living water are different aspects of life, including love, patience, humility, and all the riches of Christ, but we need to see how to practice this, how to cause these aspects of life to flow out of us. These rivers of life flow out through the truth. Actually, ever river is a truth. If we do not speak, nothing can flow out. In order to speak, we must know the doctrines and possess the truth. We cannot speak concerning Christ as love or patience if we have no knowledge of the truth concerning the riches of Christ. In order for the riches of Christ to flow out of us as rivers of living water, we must have and speak the truth.

The way to have the abundance of life and to flow out the riches of life is the way of the truth. We first need to know the doctrines. Then as we are open to the Lord and pray much, the Spirit will come to enlighten the doctrines, and they will become truth, which brings light and life. The more truth we have, the more riches of Christ as life we enjoy. Eventually, we will have the abundance of life. The abundance of life is altogether in the truth. When we release the truth by speaking, that is the flowing out of the riches of life. In order to minister life to others, we must speak, and in order to speak, we must read the Bible and study the truth to learn the doctrines. Without the doctrines we cannot have the truth, and without the truth there is no light or life.

The truth is altogether a matter of speaking. Our God is a speaking God. Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “God, having spoken of old in many portions and in many ways to the fathers in the prophets, has at the last of these days spoken to us in the Son.” God’s speaking is first conveyed to us in the form of doctrines, which become the truth to us through the Spirit’s enlightening. The truth is the shining of light, which brings us life. This means that in order to have the abundance of life, we must know the truth.

(Witness Lee Basic Principles Concerning the Eldership, 108-109)

Amen or Amen?

"If we speak the truths of Bible to the young people, just as Paul spoke the truth, and tell them that the Triune God desires to dispense Himself into the tripartite man, I believe that their eyes will be opened. If we can speak logically and clearly, we will bring the heavens to the earth and the earth into the heavens, and they will be moved."

(Witness Lee, Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord's Recovery, Book 3: The Future of the Lord's Recovery and the Building Up of the Organic Service)

how to choose between studying and serving

Well there's not much to say, except that these paragraphs really supplied me today. One week into grad school; it's already pretty rigorous. There's a lot more pressure than I expected. So this afternoon I dropped into the sofa and was considering how to allocate my time between recruiting events, classes, meetings, etc. But I was reminded of this chapter, and reading it again it was very helpful to me. There was something like Isaiah 40 taking place. Anyway, I don't usually post large block quotes, but I couldn't let this one escape. Please enjoy...

Only White Rice!

Sam, this is kind of sobering don't you think? 

In 1949 when I began the work in Taiwan, many Sunday churchgoers came into our midst to “worship.” At that time there were not many who came for the gospel; many came only to attend the “worship.” At a certain point, I had a feeling before the Lord that I needed to speak a strong word to them. Therefore, I said, “In our service to the Lord, we have no intention of developing into something big, nor do we want to limit the work of the Holy Spirit. Anyone who comes here to meet with us must have a heart that seeks only the Lord. In the way of illustration, we do not serve steamed buns or dumplings; we serve only white rice. When you come here, you must know what you want to eat. If you want to eat dumplings, there are dumpling stores elsewhere. If you want to eat steamed buns, there are places offering steamed buns elsewhere. Here, we have only white rice. If you have come here for steamed buns or dumplings, you have come to the wrong place.” The building of the church is not accomplished by attracting people in a natural way but by consecration. If we serve the Lord in various places but are unable to present the Lord’s loveliness, glory, and honor in order to gain their hearts for Him so that they follow Him willingly, then our work is in vain. (Witness Lee, Three Aspects of the Church: Book 1, The Meaning of the Church.)

Who was the first full-time co-worker...

Here's a fascinating perspective on service. It's from a book by Witness Lee, The History of God in His Union With Man. Have a look:

Have you ever realized that the first full-time co-worker was Abel? He raised up sacrifices for God's offering. This was his job, his work. This was also his kind of living. Abel was a person doing nothing on this earth but offering to God. Genesis 4:4 says that God had respect unto Abel and his offering. How good it was that Abel was a full-timer doing nothing but living for God! He was not in the line of good and evil. He was in the line of the tree of life, living for God and living to God.

Those of us who are serving the Lord full time should compare our full-time service with Abel's. When we compare ourselves with Abel, we probably need to say that we are part-timers, not full-timers. Abel was living a life that was absolutely for God. His living was for God, not for food, for eating. His elder brother Cain was the opposite. Cain was living for his daily necessity, for food. 

Abel lived on God in a spiritual sense, and he lived on what God did, on what God provided, in a physical sense. If we are full-timers we should live as Abel did. We should not live on anything worked out by ourselves. Cain was different from Abel because he lived on what he did. He was a farmer producing food for himself. Thus, we can see that it is not too much to say that Abel lived a Christian life. If we live the Christian life merely according to what the New Testament teaches, that is not adequate. We have to come back to the Old Testament to see the first typical full-timer for God—Abel.

The Bridge & Channel of God

A brother recommended this book to me during my last semester of college; I read it in three days. If any ministry book played had a significant role in my decision to attend the training, it was this one. I've purchased at least five (maybe six) copies and given many away to college students and fellow trainees. The first four chapters are messages given to college students; the sixth chapter is entitled, "Man Being the Bridge and Channel of God." This is an awesome chapter. Chapters 2 - 4 are Q&A sessions. One very helpful question reads, "What should I do if I have the heart to serve but am still in school and feel that my studies are a distraction?" Another student asks, "What is the difference between our thoughts and God's shining?" The final lines of Witness Lee's response reads:

We must emphasize again that the most important thing is our intention. If my intention is to fear the Lord and seek the Lord's way, even if I make a mistake, it will become right because my desire is to take the Lord's way. In terms of reasoning, this may be wrong, but in terms of principle, it is right...To be right in principle means that in our heart we want only God and that we therefore obey any feeling that comes from God. (p.49).

These words are very encouraging and practical. Here's another paragraph I highlighted:

Every one of us should consider what kind of person we want to be. Do we want to be a half-saved person, a "gray" Christian, or a Christian who loves the Lord absolutely?" Everyone in the world knows that the most absolute ones are the most profitable ones...If we desire to be worldly people, we should be worldly people absolutely; if we desire to be Christians, we should be Christians absolutely. Those who are wishy-washy are the least profitable and the lowest. No matter what we do, we must be absolute in doing it. The only requirement for a Christian is absoluteness. We should either not follow the Lord or follow Him absolutely. To be a Christian we must be absolute. (p.41).

Selah...

"Everything depends on God's mercy"

That is the title of the first message given by Watchman Nee during the resumption of his ministry in September, 1947. I probably need to read this message again....

It can be found here: Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Vol. 57: The Resumption of Watchman Nee's Ministry, ch.1. And is also available online at www.ministrybooks.com.

Quotes of the Week

"It is true that we face difficulties in our work. But whenever we encounter problems and difficulties in the work, such as opposition and rejection, we discover whom we are really serving, what is the center of our service, and for what we serve. This was the problem between Paul and Barnabas. During times of trial, the attraction of the work, the natural human elements, and our own inclinations drop away; our work begins to be purified. Our service must not be based on natural attraction, human affinity, our own inclinations, the attraction of the brothers and sisters, or the work itself. It must be only based on God."

- Watchman Nee

Quote of the Week

"I would like to say a word to the young people who have the heart to serve the Lord full-time. I must tell you that hardships await you and that there is no future for you on earth. You will have nothing earthly on which to rely for your security and for your human living. You may feel that you will be very useful to God, but in the end you will be ashes. Everyone wants to be somebody, but if you would serve the Lord Jesus full-time, you must prepare yourself to be nobody, even to be ashes. Are you willing to be burned? To be burned to ashes is a matter not of enjoyment but of suffering. The destiny of a full-timer is a life of suffering. What is offered to God as a burnt offering must be on the place of burning, not on the place of anything glorious or high. Eventually, the outcome of such a life, a life of suffering, a life without a future and without security, will be a heap of ashes." 

- Witness Lee, Life-study of Leviticus.

Bible & Ministry Reading Project

It is likely that this plan is overly-ambitious, but I'm going to attempt a creative Bible & ministry reading schedule. The idea is that each day you read 1 chapter of the Bible, 1 Life-study message, and 1 chapter in a ministry book. So here goes...

I'm currently reading 1 John w/ footnotes; with the help of the Read His Word website. This aspect of the schedule is simple. It involves reading just the verses in the morning, and coming back to read the footnotes later in the day. Whether we do a whole chapter a day or less is insignificant. My main priority is that each morning begin with a nourishing time in the Word. And ReadHisWord.com is helpful because I want to set deadlines and (attempt to) keep them.

For a few months I've been reading through the Life-study of Hebrews, by Witness Lee. Today I'm slated to read message forty-four (that's 44) regarding our coming forward to the Holy of Holies rather than shrinking back to Judaism - which actually is surprisingly relevant to our Christian living today. Anyway, the idea with the Life-study reading is nothing too fancy, just read, highlight, underline, enjoy, etc. The days of outlining Life-study messages (often on a Monday) are now just a treasured memory.

The real highlight of this schedule is the daily ministry reading rotation. This may turn out to be overwhelming, but I consider it nothing more than a solution to a daunting, even life-threatening issue (i.e., which ministry books to read and where to begin). So each day (Monday - *Friday) receives a ministry book assignment based on five, okay, maybe six categories:

1. High Peak books

2. Witness Lee classics

2. God-ordained Way messages

3. Watchman Nee classics

4. Ministry of the Word Magazine

5. Secular reading (give me a break)

6. *Whatever I want to read

Okay sure, there could obviously be overlap between these categories. Strictly speaking they are not mutually exclusive; a book I consider as a "Witness Lee classic" could possibly be a high peak book or a GOW book, but I'm making the rules, not you. 

So each of these categories will correspond to a day of the week. There could possibly be significance to the matching of day and category (like a delicate wine and cheese pairing, if you will). For example, if you select the Ministry Magazine that matches your HWMR it may fit well on Saturday as you begin to compose your prophesy. A GOW book might be fun to read on Friday. You could read it before your home meeting to figure out what to do, or after the home meeting to figure out what you did wrong. Of if you're slick you might just start your week in the GOW.

Obviously these pairings need more consideration and thorough prayer. Each day this week (starting tonight) I'll have a post to introduce the "book of the day" and explain why it was selected. If you are lucky there may even be a frameable (spelling?) quote or tasty excerpt. Stay tuned...


*Saturday is still under consideration,

Quote from Watchman Nee

Brothers and sisters, you need to aspire to be ministers of life to others. Do not ever be disappointed that you are not as eloquent as others, or that you do not have as much Bible knowledge as others. As long as you live in life, you will be able to supply life to other members. Some people begin to pray in the prayer meeting right after they are saved. Their prayers may be very awkward, but when others touch them, they receive light and supply. Yet after these ones have been Christians for a period of time, the life supply in them becomes less and less. Having lived the Christian life for a few years, they pick up much knowledge and many doctrines, yet there is a lack of the supply of life. The supply of life is not a matter of knowledge but a matter of freshness. It is better to have less knowledge and less doctrine than it is to lose the supply of life. We should ask the Lord to deliver us from our inability to supply life and should pray that we live before Him in a genuine way. If we live before the Lord and are in touch with life, we will supply others with life and wash their feet every time we contact them. They will receive the freshness of life and be recovered spiritually.

You can read the rest here.

Prayer

"A prayer life is a life that revolts against our natural being" fellowship concerning the urgent need of the vital groups, ch11

Life and Building as Portrayed in the Song of Songs

"Give yourself to love the Lord. No other way is so prevailing, and no other way is so safe, so rich, and so full of enjoyment. Just love Him. Do not care for anything else. Teachings, doctrines, gifts, and power do not mean much. We must continually tell the Lord, “Lord, keep me in Your love! Attract me with Yourself! Keep me all the time in Your loving presence!” If we will pray in this way, we will see what love we will have toward the Lord and what kind of life we will live. We will simply live by the Lord Himself. As long as we love Him from the deepest part of our being, everything will be all right. If we need wisdom, He will be the wisdom to us. If we need power, He will be the power. If we need the proper and adequate knowledge, He will even be that to us. Whatever we need, He is. Do not try to get anything else; just look to Him that He would reveal His love to you. Song of Songs 1:4 says, “Draw me, we will run after thee.” We must ask the Lord to draw us, and then others will run after Him with us. To take Him as our life, we must love Him in such a way."

something to think about

"The kingdom of God is the Lord Jesus, the Savior, as the seed of life sown into His believers, God's chosen people, and developing into a realm which God may rule as His kingdom in His divine life. Its entrance is regeneration, and it development is the believer's growth in the divine life. The kingdom of God is the church life today, in which the faithful believers live, and it will develop into the coming kingdom as an inheritance reward to the overcoming saints in the millennium. Eventually, it will consummate in the New Jerusalem as the eternal kingdom of God, an eternal realm of the eternal blessing of God's eternal life for all God's redeemed to enjoy in the new heaven and new earth for eternity. " Life-Study of Acts, Message 22; p.183

An Excerpt

According to [Acts] 4:33, great grace was upon all the believers. The law makes demands upon man according to what God is, but grace supplies man with what God is to meet what God demands. Actually, grace is God Himself enjoyed by man. Grace is the resurrected Christ becoming the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) to bring the processed God in resurrection into us to be our life and life supply so that we may live in resurrection. Therefore, grace is the Triune God becoming life and everything to us.

Witness Lee, Life-Study of Acts: Message Seventeen.