When we have the begetting, the nourishing, and the teaching, we still need the building. What God wants is a corporate vessel, which is the church, the Body of Christ. We have paid much attention to this matter in the past. During the past two years we have also studied much concerning this. In the end, we see that there is one chapter in the Bible that talks about the building up of the church. It is 1 Corinthians chapter fourteen. It mentions the word “building” at least five times. This chapter deals with nothing other than prophesying. Only prophesying builds up the church. A few verses are particularly important. Verse 1 says, “Desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy.” Verses 3 and 4 say, “He who prophesies speaks to men for building up and encouragement and consolation....he who prophesies builds up the church.” Verse 12 says, “Since you are zealots of spiritual gifts, seek that you may abound to the building up of the church.” Verse 24 says, “But if all prophesy and some unbeliever or unlearned person enters, he is convicted by all, he is judged by all.” Verse 31 says, “For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all be encouraged.” From these verses, we see that the most important thing with our meeting is the prophesying, which is to speak for the Lord, to speak Him forth, and to speak the Lord into people. Through the speaking of the Lord’s word, the riches of Christ are released and are dispensed into all the attendants. Finally, verse 39 says, “Therefore, my brothers, desire earnestly to prophesy.” From this, we can see that this whole chapter is on prophesying from beginning to end.
Today in Christianity, this light has been lost. The result is that the Body of Christ is not built up. Even among us, there is not much building. The reason is that there is not this kind of prophesying. Hence, from now on, we must pay attention to this matter and must promote it. In order to prophesy, there are a few things which are indispensable. First, we must love the Lord and have fellowship with Him. We must live before the Lord and be a person who is joined to Him as one. Second, we must spend the effort to learn the truth. We need to read much of the Bible and the spiritual publications. The good thing is that this kind of books are abundant among us. Books like the Recovery Version of the Bible, the Truth Lessons, and the Life Lessons should be read much, the more the better. When you read them, you should allow the Lord’s word to saturate, fill, and penetrate your whole being, so that in the end, the words become your constitution. The Lord’s word will be mingled with you. It will even become you. Third, you must be flexible, walking according to the Spirit, and receiving instant and fresh inspiration all the time. Fourth, you should learn to have a heavenly, enlarged view, to know Christ and the church, and not to have your own opinions or view, but to have the view of God. When you study the word of God this way, with the experience of life, the inspiration of the Spirit, plus the spiritual light and view, it will be easy for you to prophesy for the Lord. Fifth, you should be prepared to prophesy in your daily life.
At present, many districts are practicing reading one chapter of the Bible each week. The chapter is divided into six portions with one portion each day to be used in the morning. In every portion, two verses are selected for pray-reading, together with some footnotes and passages from the Life-study Messages. The inspiration received during the daily enjoyment of the Lord is jotted down in brief. On Saturday, these points are put together and composed into a composition for prophesying. The next morning, it can be brought to the Lord’s Day morning meeting for prophesying. This method is very helpful. But it is not enough to depend only on this, because it can become merely a composition, a thesis, or an interpretation of the Bible, which does not have the nature of prophesying. The real prophesying is the outward expression of the indwelling God through the word of God. This happens when God is within you, and you are one with Him. It is not a doctrine. Rather, it is an inspiration. There is no self-opinion. Rather, there is the spiritual insight. Moreover, during the speaking, there should not be any banal or common speaking. While one is speaking, he should look to the Lord for fresh utterance and instant inspiration. This will greatly increase the spiritual nature of the prophesying and will make the prophesying filled with fresh revelation.
I hope that you will practice these five points: fellowshipping with the Lord to be one with Him, being saturated with the Lord’s word and being constituted by it, being living in the spirit to receive constant inspiration, being without self prejudice but with God’s view, and learning to speak with revelation using the fresh feelings and expressions. This is the best kind of prophesying. It is not merely a teaching or instruction based on others’ words. Nor is it merely some personal testimonies. In the church meetings, the highest speaking is the prophesying. Second to this is the teaching. The testimonies rank third.