Although I have expounded all twenty-seven books of the New Testament during the past twelve years, and although my exposition has been printed and published in volumes totaling over 10,000 pages, I am afraid that it is difficult to find one in a hundred among us who has come to a full knowledge of these truths. If we have not learned these truths and have no deposit within us, then when the time comes to speak, we will have no words; we will have nothing to say. This deposit was mentioned by Paul in 2 Timothy 1:13-14. There he charged Timothy to hold the pattern of healthy words which Timothy heard from him, and he entreated him to guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit.
We all know that it is not enough for a young person to receive an education from textbooks alone. Other than the textbooks, he still must read many other books. The more books he reads, the more deposit he will have. If we do not read the Bible every day, we will have no deposit within us. I hope that you would read carefully through the books and Life-study messages that we have published. Read them every day and everywhere. You do not need to spend too long each time in reading them. Just spend five to ten minutes each time. Gradually, you will accumulate a great deal. Any page is good for reading. I am happy when I see that the brothers in Texas have their homes filled with Life-study messages. They have Life-study messages on the coffee table in the living room, on the counter in the kitchen, by the sink, and on the dresser in the bedroom. You can simply pick up any message and receive the supply and the nourishment.
We all desire that the Lord would have a way in His recovery, and we all desire to grow in life and be filled with the Lord within. In order to have this, we must read the Lord’s word. We must let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. The word “let” is very appropriate here. It implies that the Lord is knocking at the door, and that His word is waiting at the door. We need to let the Lord and His word come in.
Everyone who believes in and loves the Lord treasures the word of the Bible. But many times we do not understand it. Either we do not understand the meaning of the words, or we fail to grasp their content. I have put together my experience of over fifty years and expounded in detail every book of the New Testament. My purpose in doing this is to unlock the riches in these books. Now the Bible is here, and the Life-study messages are here. The word of the Lord is waiting outside the door. Let this word of Christ come in and make its home richly in you.
How can we make the small group meetings rich, strong, fresh, and living? After much investigation, I found out that for many, to use the Bible alone is not sufficient to unlock its riches; there is the need for the Life-study messages to serve as an aid. We treasure the Bible, but the words of the Bible must be opened up before we can receive light from the Bible. The same is true of the food that we eat. For example, wheat must first be ground into powder and kneaded into dough or made into noodles before it can be consumed by us. In the small group meetings, not only do we need to put before others the Bible; we need to put before them the books that explain the Bible in a most simple and clear way. The Life-study messages are not meant to replace the Bible. Rather, they are meant to help people to unlock the Bible, and to supply them with spiritual life and nourishment.
If we love the Lord and His recovery, we should follow His leading. In the present stage, the Lord’s leading is the recovery of the small group meetings in the homes. This is the way of meeting that was initiated by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:46). After many centuries, all the other ways have been proven to be unfruitful. Only meeting in the homes affords the Lord a way. For this reason the Lord is recovering this way of meeting among us.
Every brother and sister who meets with us in the Lord’s recovery should pursue the way of the small group meetings. You will do this if you love the Lord and His recovery. As we have said in other occasions, “The heavens may pass away, and the earth may be removed, but the small group meetings should never be forsaken.” Whenever you come to a small group meeting, do not come in a loose way. Rather, prepare yourself. Come with prayer and with the deposit which you have picked up in your daily life. Everyone must come with his loins girded and his mind refreshed. Leave all the oldness and forms behind. Open your mouth, release your spirit, exercise faith, and demonstrate the power. In this way the small group meetings will surely be rich, strong, fresh, living, attractive, and able to support people. May we all strive in this matter, and may we all learn and practice together, so that the Lord may have a way among us.