Thirdly, in both chapters we have God's promise. God's promise to Abraham is repeated in His promise to Jacob. God's promise to Jacob in chapter twenty-eight was indefinite. In 28:14 God said, "Thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth." If I had been Jacob, I would have said, "Lord, I don't want my descendants to be dust. Instead of millions of particles of dust, I would rather have a few kings." Although God's promise in chapter twenty-eight speaks of dust, His promise in chapter thirty-five speaks of kings and nations (v. 11). A nation denotes a kingdom. God's promise in 35:11 is a repetition of His promise in 17:6. In both instances, He promised that nations and kings would come forth. In Jacob's dream at Bethel, God told him that his seed would be as dust. But now, in the actual experience at Bethel in chapter thirty-five, God's promise has advanced. Here, there is no mention of dust. Instead of dust there are nations with kings. The focus of the promise in this chapter is to be fruitful and multiply to bring forth nations with kings. Thus, Genesis 17 and 35 correspond to each other in three respects: in the revelation of the divine title, the all-sufficient God; in the changing of human names; and in the promise of multiplication for bringing forth nations with kings.

Now we can see the purpose of the title the all-sufficient God. The all-sufficient God is for the building of God's house. We all need to take in this word. The all-sufficient God is for the building of Bethel. God is all-sufficient for the church life, for the building of His house on earth. You cannot experience the all-sufficient God in an individualistic way. In order to experience the all-sufficient God, you must be in Bethel, in the house of God, in the church life.

This truth is proved by our experience. Before we came to the church life, many of us had some experience of God. But as we all can testify, we did not experience God as the all-sufficient One. Although I experienced God in various aspects, I did not experience Him as the all-sufficient One until I came into the church life. But after being in the church life for many years, I can say, "Hallelujah, what an experience of the all-sufficient God I have in the church life!" God is too all-sufficient to be experienced by just a few individual believers. As individuals, we are too limited. God's all-sufficiency requires a corporate body. We need the house in order to experience this aspect of Him.

Recently, we had a marvelous prayer meeting here in Anaheim. I believe that that meeting will stand as a memorial for eternity. All the utterances in the prayers were unique. In our prayers we prayed about the travailing woman and about the prevailing, victorious man-child. It was wonderful! We could never have prayer like this alone in our rooms; we must be in the church. Any local saints who missed that prayer meeting certainly missed a great deal. This is an experience, not of Elohim or of Jehovah, but of the all-sufficient God. In that prayer meeting I was above the third heaven enjoying the all-sufficient God. Only in the church life is it possible to realize the all-sufficiency of our God.

When I hear of the opposition from our critics, I do not feel hateful toward them; rather, I feel full of pity. How much they are missing! Their traditional religion is frustrating them and keeping them from God's up-to-date move. What an all-sufficient God we are experiencing in His present move! This is not a teaching or a doctrinal understanding; it is our experience of God in the church life. The all-sufficient God is revealed for the building of Bethel and He is experienced in the church life.

The New Testament interpretation of the Old Testament term "the house of God" is "the church." In 1 Timothy 3:15 Paul said, "But if I delay, 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." For us today, Bethel is not history; it is the church of the living God. The Bethel in the Old Testament is a type of the practical experience of the church life. What poverty there is in today's Christianity! Most Christians think of Bethel as past history. They do not realize that the church life today is Bethel. The reason that they do not understand this is that they do not have the church life. Praise the Lord that in the Lord's recovery we have the church life!

In the church life, our experience of the all-sufficient God is increasing day by day and even minute by minute. Our church life in Anaheim has greatly increased in the last two years. If you compare January, 1977 with January, 1975, you will see the difference. Surely, 1977 will be a great year in the Lord's recovery. In October of this year there will be in Taipei an international conference of the churches. Only the Lord knows what will happen at that time, or even next week. I believe that some very significant things are about to happen. The church life is marching on; it is advancing day and night. Many of us can testify that the church life has advanced since this afternoon. Hallelujah, the all-sufficient God is for the church life, today's Bethel!