Once I met a sister in the Lord. As soon as I met her, I knew that she had a quick disposition. She acted and spoke quickly; she was quick to rebuke others and quick to write letters. Thank the Lord, however, that there were probably one hundred letters in her wastepaper basket which had never been mailed. Because of the earthen vessel, she would write the letters, but the letters in the wastepaper basket proved that she also had the treasure. The treasure was in the earthen vessel. When one saw her, he knew her. She was this kind of person by nature, but one could also see the Lord in her. Sometimes we see a person suffering under trials. But we also see the riches he possesses. This is the treasure in the earthen vessel.

I hope we would see something before the Lord. Today God is not requiring or expecting abstract things. Some brothers ask me why they are so weak. I say that weakness does not matter at all; they will become strong. One brother asked me what he should do after having done a terrible job. I told him that it was not a problem because the important thing is that God puts this treasure into us. We do not need to pretend, by fixing up the earthen vessel. We do not need to cultivate a certain tone or style. Everything comes from God. The treasure can be expressed from within us, the earthen vessels.

I had a conversation with the deacons this last Lord's Day. Many of them said that they were praying for a certain family member, a certain sickness, or a certain matter. I asked them how it was going. They each told me that they believed God would heal their illnesses or save their sons and spouses. They were all very confident, so confident that they did not have the slightest doubt. But we should wait and see. The sick ones are still ill, the sons and spouses are still unrepentant, and the difficult matters still remain. Their kind of faith belongs to the angels, not to earthen vessels. Their faith is too abstract; it is too good. No one in the world has such great faith.

One brother came to tell me that he was learning to believe in God. He dared not say what the outcome would be. Perhaps it would turn out all right, but even if it did not, he would still believe. He prayed to God the day before, and God gave him His promise. He knew that God had answered his prayer, but for some reason he began to doubt when he got up that morning. He prayed again, but he did not know what to do. As he was walking on the road, he began to doubt again, but he did not know what to do. I told him that his doubts were unimportant. True faith cannot be killed by doubts. In fact, real faith looks better when it is surrounded by doubt. I know what I am saying. I hope you will not misunderstand me; I do not want you to go out and doubt. The main point is that our human, earthen vessel is joined to God's treasure. There is not just the latter.

I like reading about the prayer of the early church for Peter to be freed from the hands of evil men. God heard their prayer. When Peter returned to the house and knocked on the door, they said that it must be his angel (Acts 12:12-15). Do we see that this is faith, real faith? God heard the prayers, but human weakness was in it. We do not see them doing anything to hide their weaknesses. Some people today have greater faith than those in the house of Mary and Mark. They are so certain that God will send an angel and break the lock on the prison doors. Perhaps they are like those in the examples we gave on the Lord's Day. If the wind blows, they say it is Peter knocking. If the rain strikes the house, they say Peter is knocking. These people have such great faith, but what they believe does not happen. Let me say frankly: This kind of Christian can only do things by himself and cheat a group of gullible people. Those who know God will say that there is an earthen vessel in Christianity. In Christianity the treasure is in earthen vessels. Human doubt is really an abomination, and it is sin. Nothing that comes from the earthen vessel alone can be accepted. The crucial matter is not the earthen vessel, but the fact that a treasure has been placed in it. We do not need to improve or fix the earthen vessel. The treasure has been placed into the vessel.

Many times we have the assurance that God has heard our prayer. During the moments when we feel that our faith is strongest, we may also sense the presence of doubts. When we hear God's voice most clearly, we will also hear the devil's voice. In this kind of situation, I thank and praise God for the faith He has given us. This faith cannot change; it is still present. Before God we can see that the treasure is all the time expressed through the earthen vessel. God's glory is manifested through the earthen vessel.

Many Christians have a life and walk that are all too artificial; they do not express the treasure. These ones only have human endeavor, performance, and outward behavior. A normal Christian life, however, is one in which one may doubt even in the moments of his greatest assurance. It is one in which one finds himself inwardly weak even in the moments of his greatest strength, inwardly fearful in the midst of real courage before God, and inwardly doubting in the moments of exhilarating joy. This kind of paradox proves that the treasure is in the earthen vessel.