The mind that is set on the spirit needs to be renewed and transformed because it is old. Therefore, we need to listen to messages and read the Bible, because listening to messages and reading the Scriptures can transform our mind. For example, someone may have a concept that to be personally spiritual is sufficient. He has fellowship with the Lord, and he also sets his mind on the spirit, but he thinks that it is all right as long as he pursues to be spiritual individually. This concept limits the Spirit’s operation. Therefore, he needs to continue listening to messages and reading the Scriptures without subjectivity, so that the mind may be renewed. In this way he gradually feels that his previous concept was wrong because what God wants is not individual spirituality but the Body. When there is such a turn in his thinking, this is called renewing. Once this renewing occurs, the Spirit within is able to operate further. Therefore, there is the need for the word, both of the messages and the Scriptures, to change our mind, our concept.
When I went to Shanghai for the first time in 1933, I noticed that the sisters dared not to open their mouth in the meetings, because at that time there was the concept that 1 Corinthians 14 charges the sisters to be silent in the meetings. One day Brother Nee came to fellowship with me. He said that he had a feeling that when the sisters do not pray in the meetings, it is as if the church is paralyzed. But since 1 Corinthians 14 says that the sisters should be silent, he did not know what to do. Later he fellowshipped with some elderly co-workers and had a breakthrough in this matter. From then on the sisters began to break their silence and pray in the meetings.
In 1963 in Los Angeles, one day after the meeting a brother who was meeting somewhere else sought me out specially to argue. He said. “Brother Lee, your group claims that your meetings are altogether according to the Bible, but I feel that you are hardly according to the Bible. You ask the sisters to pray vocally, but the Scripture clearly says the sisters should be silent.” I said, “Brother, do the sisters sing hymns in your meetings?” He said, “They do.” Then I said, “That means your sisters are not silent either. Therefore, you are also acting contrary to the Bible. Brother, it is not simple to know the Scriptures. If you study 1 Corinthians 14 carefully, you will see that the sisters’ being silent means that they should not teach in the meetings as teachers. How can it be God’s intention that the sisters should not make any sound, not even sounds of praise, in the meetings!”
By this you can see that this is a matter of concept. If our concept is not turned around, then it is hard for the Lord’s Spirit to operate without hindrance. Therefore, we have to get rid of not only our old concepts and old views concerning the world, but we also have to abandon our opinions concerning spiritual matters. We need to turn and study more of the Lord’s words in the Bible so that our mind may be renewed and transformed.
Now you can see the three stages of the mind. The first stage is an independent mind, the second stage is a dependent mind, and the third stage is a transformed mind. After these three stages, our mind becomes a spiritual mind, which is fit for the Lord’s use.
Finally, your spirit needs to be burning and hot. The mind should be dependent and renewed, and the spirit should be burning. When your spirit is burning, the Holy Spirit is rejoicing. The joy in the Holy Spirit comes from this. At this point, there is the service, and there is also the living. This is the essence, the marrow, of Romans.
Brothers and sisters, I have outlined only the crucial points, hoping that you will dig into these points yourselves. You have to speak these matters and help the brothers and sisters know that the book of Romans shows us a redeeming Christ and that this redeeming Christ became the Spirit of life to carry out the subjective salvation in us. This subjective salvation includes five major steps: setting free, sanctification, transformation, conformation, and blending for building. Furthermore, this Spirit of life dwells in our spirit, and we need to cooperate with Him. First, our mind, which represents us, must be set on the spirit. Second, our mind must be renewed by the Lord’s word. In this way we do not have our own view, nor will we be influenced by others. Instead, we do everything according to the Word; whatever the Word says, that is what we do. Praise and thank the Lord, this is sufficient. The result of this is that we are burning in spirit. I dare to guarantee you that your spirit within will be burning. If the brothers are all in this, and you also help the saints in various localities to be in this way, then the churches will be burning. This will be a true revival.
The burning in Romans 12:11 and the joy in 14:17 are the normal living and service of a Christian. Rejoicing is our living, and burning is our service. This is the story in the spirit. Consequently, the one Body is manifested.
This is not to say that all Christians are like this. Even in the age of the apostles, not every Christian took the way of the apostles. If you read Philippians, clearly there were some who did not take the way of the apostles and yet they also preached Christ. Today you cannot possibly ask all Christians to take the same way you are taking. This is not a responsibility we can bear. The responsibility we can bear is to know that this redeeming Christ who became the Spirit of life lives in our spirit to carry out His subjective salvation of life in us, and that we should cooperate with Him by always setting our mind on the spirit and letting His word illuminate our mind, thereby transforming it. Thus, He can get through and spread in us, and our spirit becomes burning while the Holy Spirit also is rejoicing. In this way we are blended and coordinated with a group of brothers and sisters. Toward those who are weaker and those who are ignorant, we just sympathize with them, love them, and try our best to care for them without any discrimination. However, with those who know this way we have to be blended and coordinated in love to serve as one Body, and at the same time, with all the brothers and sisters we would widely preach the gospel for the building up of the church of God. This is the way that is pleasing to God, and this is the way we want to take today.
Home | First | Prev | Next