CHAPTER TEN

THE LORD’S PRESENT ADVANCE
IN HIS RECOVERY—CRUCIAL POINTS CONCERNING THE LIGHT AND REVELATION RECEIVED FROM THE LORD
IN THE LAST FOUR AND A HALF YEARS REGARDING THE WAY TO MEET
AND TO SERVE

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:1-6; Heb. 10:24-25; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Cor. 14:1, 3-5, 12, 24, 31, 39; Eph. 1:3-14, 19-23; 4:16, 4a, 30, 12; Rev. 1:5b-6; 5:9-10; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rom. 15:16

OUTLINE

1. Preaching the gospel and saving people by visitation—Luke 10:1-6.
2. Meeting in the new believers’ homes, nourishing and cherishing them, that our fruit may remain—Acts 5:42; John 15:16.
3. Teaching and perfecting the saints through the small group meetings unto the New Testament work of ministry unto the building up of the Body of Christ—Heb. 10:24-25; Eph. 4:11-12:
   1. In the small group meetings, the believers having mutual fellowship and intercession, mutual care and shepherding, mutual teaching and studying of the truth, and mutual instruction in the pursuit of the growth in the spiritual life, for the promotion of the preaching of the gospel, the care for the new ones, the conducting of the small group meetings, and all other kinds of service in the church life.
   2. The small group meetings being the main part of the life and service of the church.
4. Leading the saints to pursue and desire after prophesying in the church meetings, speaking for the Lord, speaking forth the Lord, supplying the Lord to others, and speaking and listening to one another in mutuality for the building up of the saints and the church— 1 Cor. 14:1, 3-5:
   1. This kind of prophesying being what every believer can and should do—1 Cor. 14:31, 24.
   2. This kind of prophesying being for the building up of the church, being the most excelling of all gifts, and being highly regarded and recommended by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14—1 Cor. 14:12, 39.
5. The church is an organism as a mingling of God and man produced by the processed Triune God in His divine Trinity—Eph. 1:3-14, 19-23:
   1. This organism is constituted organically rather than organizationally—Eph. 1:23.
   2. This organism is built up through the growth of the life of God, rather than by works in the hands of man—Eph. 4:16.
   3. This organism is one in the life of God, and does not permit any distinction or separation—Eph. 4:4a.
   4. All movements of this organism are led and promoted by the life which operates within it—Eph. 4:30.
6. The revelation of Ephesians 4:11-16 must be recovered:
   1. The gifts perfecting all the saints, that the latter may do the work of the New Testament ministry, for the building up of the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:12.
   2. The gifts being the joints of the supply in the Body of Christ, and the perfected saints being the each one parts that operate in their own measure in the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:16a.
   3. The gifts as the supplying ones forming the connecting structure for the Body of Christ, and every functioning member becoming the compacting constituent in this Body; the two added together causing the Body of Christ to be fitted, knit, and built up together—Eph. 4:16b.
7. The revelation of 1 Corinthians 14 must also be recovered following the recovery of Ephesians 4:11-16:
   1. The saints being perfected by the gifts should pursue and desire after prophesying, speaking for the Lord, speaking forth the Lord, and supplying others with the Lord, that the church may be built—1 Cor. 14:1, 3-5.
   2. This kind of prophesying which is for the building up of the church and which excels over all other gifts is a matter of speaking and listening in mutuality—1 Cor. 14:12, 24, 31.
   3. This kind of prophesying that is full of speaking and listening in mutuality stirs up the spiritual organic function of the members of the Body of Christ. It edifies the saints and builds up the church. It has hitherto been replaced by the sermon meetings of one man speaking and all listening, which kill the spiritual organic function of the members of the Body of Christ. Though this may edify the saints, it rarely builds up the church.
   4. For the recovery of this kind of prophesying which stirs up the spiritual organic function of the members of the Body of Christ, we must struggle and strive to overturn the sermon meetings which kill the spiritual organic function of the members of the Body of Christ.
8. The recovery of the New Testament priesthood of the gospel:
   1. All of the saved believers of God in the New Testament are priests. Together they become the universal priesthood—Rev. 1:5b-6; 5:9-10; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9.
   2. The main duty of the New Testament priests is to preach the gospel to lead sinners to be saved and to offer them up as spiritual sacrifices. This is why they are called the priests of the gospel—1 Pet. 2:9, 5; Rom. 15:16.
   3. The gospel preaching which depends on the speaking of one or two, though able to save sinners, kills the universal priesthood of the gospel which makes all the believers priests of the gospel in preaching the gospel individually, changing the nature of the universal gospel priesthood of all the believers to that of the exclusive gospel priesthood of a few believers, thus opposing God’s New Testament economy, and killing the spiritual function of all the believers as priests of the gospel.
9. Whether it be in the small group meeting, in the prophesying in the church meetings, in the preaching of the gospel by visiting people, or in the care for the new ones, the principle is the same, we must make all the saints the members of the Body of Christ, with everyone working, everyone functioning according to his measure, for the building up of the organic Body of Christ.

Prayer: Lord, we worship You. We offer You our deepest thanksgiving. Lord, we have to praise Your holy name. We thank You especially for giving us this day, that all the elders, co-workers, and trainees on this whole island can be gathered together. Lord, may You rend the heaven and come down upon us. Open up the heaven to us, and grant us a clear sky and a bright vision. Remove all the coverings and clouds. Lord, may we be open, heart to heart and spirit to spirit, to You and to one another. Lord, open the heaven, and open up Yourself. Remove for us all the powers of darkness and all the veils, that we would have no coverings whatsoever. Lord, may this place be joined to heaven, and may heaven be joined to earth.

Lord, speak to us and present to us clearly the way that You want to take and the recovery You want to accomplish in us. May this day be one as spoken of by Paul, where nothing is held back from us that concerns the counsel of God. Sanctify the two meetings in the morning and the afternoon. Lord, fill every meeting with Yourself. Move among us, that every one of us would feel in the depth of our being that this is Bethel, the place where heaven is joined to earth and God is revealed to man. Lord, this is the straight and proper path which we have consecrated ourselves to take, to turn to, to follow, and to walk in forever. It is the path of the righteous, which shines as the dawning of day until midday.

Lord, gain us. May You gain today what You have not gained during the past nineteen centuries. We would consecrate ourselves afresh, thoroughly, fully, corporately, unreservedly, and totally to You. In this last part of this century, may You accomplish what You have not accomplished. We are willing, ready, and in one accord for this. Lord, we are all here. We confess our smallness, weaknesses, shortcomings, and our many mistakes. We were born in mistakes. We are even mistake itself. But Lord, You are our salvation. We have You and possess You. Today we would give ourselves completely to You. You cooperate with us, and we are one spirit with You.

Lord, we ask again that You may complete what You have not completed in the last nineteen centuries. Whatever You have not recovered, whatever is left out, be it great or small, deep or high, may You recover it point by point among us. Not only may it be recovered today, but may it be recovered until You come, even until eternity, that You would gain what You are after.

Praise and thank You that Your desire was revealed to man over nineteen centuries ago. It has been written down clearly by Your servant, the Apostle Paul, and now every one of us can see, read, and understand. May You touch us, even touch the deepest part of our being, that no one among us would have any reservation, and that every one would be gained by You. Lord, glorify Your name. Shame Your enemy. Glorify Your people. Bless Your church and bless every saint, that all would be built up into a priesthood of the gospel. Amen!