Young people, do not think that in just two years you will become a giant. No, like Joseph, you must wait until you are thirty years of age. The Bible is always consistent. For instance, the priests had to be thirty years old before they could enter into the full priesthood, and the Lord Jesus also began His ministry when He was thirty. Thus, in this matter also Joseph typified Christ. When he was thirty years of age, he was fully put into the ministry.

Some of you may think that this word about waiting until the age of thirty to be put into the full ministry is a contradiction of what I have said elsewhere regarding the elders of the church in Jerusalem probably being under the age of thirty. Yes, I did say that Peter, James, and John were probably between twenty-five and twenty-eight years of age when they became elders. However, we must pay attention to the principle, not to the literal figures regarding physical age. You may have a heart that is absolutely for the Lord, and you may have seen some visions. But do not think that you will be enthroned immediately. Instead, you must be prepared to be depreciated and confined. I am proud of the young brothers and sisters, many of whom are still teenagers. I am proud of the fact that they love the Lord so much and that they have seen certain things that most pastors have not seen. However, these young people must be ready not to be honored, but to be betrayed.

This was the experience of Brother Nee. Brother Nee was a very intelligent person. He was so keen in learning English and Chinese that his parents even hired a private teacher to instruct him in the Chinese classics. At the age of seventeen, he was saved and he began to love the Lord. Brother Nee wanted to attend a Bible school in Shanghai, founded for the training of young people by Dora Yu, the prevailing evangelist who had brought Brother Nee to the Lord. His mother, who also loved the Lord, agreed that he should go. Because both Brother Nee and his mother had been saved through the preaching of Dora Yu, they respected her very much. Although Brother Nee was an intelligent young man who eventually became the outstanding gift of this age to the church, he was rejected by Dora Yu, and after a period of time was sent home from Bible school. Brother Nee, who was very much seeking the Lord, was betrayed by the very one who had brought him to the Lord. Instead of appreciating his intelligence, Dora Yu depreciated him, misunderstood him, and rejected him. The reason he was sent home was an incident over an errand he was asked to take care of. It took him a longer time to take some mail from a suburb to the post office in downtown Shanghai than Dora Yu expected. Thinking that he was passing his time in amusement, Dora Yu sent him home to his mother. Thus, Brother Nee was rejected and misunderstood, that is, he was betrayed. However, Brother Nee was not discouraged. He left Shanghai, returned home, and went on to love the Lord all the more. He recognized that this experience was the Lord's dealing with him. Time after time, Brother Nee was betrayed.

Young people, be prepared for this. After you begin to seek the Lord, certain things will happen to you that seem unreasonable. Do not think that because you love the Lord and seek Him, everything will be glorious for you. No, sometimes you will be misunderstood, even by the brothers and sisters and the elders. Firstly you will be betrayed; then you will endure a period of confinement. We all need such confinement. Be assured, however, that wherever you will be, God's presence will be there with you.

Wherever you are, you will bring either life or death. To the cupbearer, Joseph brought life. In the cupbearer's dream we see a vine full of life. But to the baker, Joseph brought death, because the baker was devoured by birds. It is not an insignificant matter to be a Joseph, for wherever you go, people will either receive life or suffer death. Either they will go to Christ typified by the vine full of life, or they will be devoured by Satan, represented by the birds of the air. In 2 Corinthians 2:14 the Apostle Paul said, "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in the Christ, and manifests through us the savor of the knowledge of Him in every place." In verse 16 Paul says, "To the one a savor from death unto death, to the other a savor from life unto life." To the cupbearer, Joseph brought restoration. To the baker, Joseph brought execution. No matter who a person may be, if he contacts you, it will be either life or death to him. This is a very significant matter. This is the experience of Joseph.

Apparently as Joseph was in confinement, he was suffering. Actually, however, he was not suffering; he was learning valuable lessons and experiencing what was necessary for his enthronement. Without the lessons learned during confinement, how could Joseph, a young man, be enthroned in Egypt to rule over the whole country? It would have been impossible. Joseph was trained by his imprisonment. His confinement was truly an exercise for him. Young people, any confinement that you must undergo will be a training, an exercise, and a time of learning as a preparation for your enthronement. In order to come to the throne, you need to undergo the sufferings of betrayal and confinement. No one can skip over these sufferings. No ministry has ever been used by the Lord that has not passed through betrayal and imprisonment. Only by passing through betrayal and imprisonment shall we be qualified to ascend to the throne. After you have been trained through confinement, you will no longer be a youngster; rather, you will be a man qualified under God's training.

Do not think that Joseph was an exceptional case. No, Joseph's case is normal. You and I shall all be like him. Hallelujah for the vision! And hallelujah for the betrayal, for the confinement, and for all the lessons! Praise the Lord that we have the way to go on!