Following the last fellowship, I have some more unfinished words within me for you.
To begin with, I would like to tell all the trainees, and especially the young brothers and sisters, that man generally has a wrong concept about the Lord’s work. He thinks that all works that are of the Lord will definitely prosper. This thought indeed has scriptural support, and in many cases it is indeed so. However, it does not mean that there will be no problem or attack in the process.
Let us first see the Lord Jesus’ example. He was God; yet He became a man and lived on earth as a man. When He was thirty years of age, He came out to fulfill His ministry and to do God’s work. On the one hand, we do see success with Him, but it was not always “sunshine without clouds or storms,” as most people think. Once He and the disciples got on a boat, and He said to His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake; and they launched out” (Luke 8:22). A short time later, a storm came with winds and waves. We know that there were fallen angels in the winds and evil spirits in the waves. The fallen angels in the air and evil spirits in the water worked together to prevent the Lord from going across. It was only a short journey, but the storm was quite fierce. Concerning the Lord’s work during His thirty-three and a half years on earth, there were indeed successes, but there were often winds and waves as well. There was hardly a place where there was no storm, and there was hardly a step taken without encountering resistance. The Pharisees were always following Jesus closely, seeking to ensnare Him in His talk and even to conspire against Him.
Eventually, He was betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. He was handed over to be judged, scourged, mocked, and crucified. When He was on the cross, people still jeered at Him, saying, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” and again, “He saved others; himself he cannot save!” (Matt. 27:40, 42). From man’s point of view, He failed. Actually, He was victorious. Through death He destroyed the Devil, who had the might of death. Moreover, He resurrected from the dead, overcoming death and Hades.
After the Lord resurrected and ascended, the apostles continued His ministry and propagated God’s work on earth. They won the first battle on the first day, the day of Pentecost. As soon as Peter started preaching the gospel, three thousand were saved and baptized. From that day, the Lord added daily those who should be saved. Nevertheless, the preaching of the apostles was not without difficulties or resistance. Later, James was martyred, and Peter was imprisoned. When Paul came, not only did he suffer much outward affliction and persecution, but he encountered troubles among his co-workers as well. As we have seen, first there was Barnabas, who disputed with Paul and left because of personal matters. Then there was Apollos. Paul advised him to go to Corinth to help when Paul was bearing the burden of the problem in Corinth, yet he absolutely would not go. Finally, in Paul’s last Epistle, 2 Timothy, he said that all in Asia had left him and his ministry (1:15). Among those who left Paul was the church in Ephesus, where Paul had worked for three years. Moreover, Alexander the coppersmith did many evil things to him (4:14). His co-worker Demas loved the world and left him as well (4:10).
Paul’s life-long service, just as he said himself, was of glory and dishonor, of evil and good report (2 Cor. 6:8). He was always in the triumphant procession of Christ, spreading the fragrance of Christ everywhere (2:14-15). He was also often delivered unto death and became the ambassador in a chain (4:11; Eph. 6:20). When he was in Ephesus, a great and effective door was opened to him. However, there were many opposers also (1 Cor. 16:9). In his last trip, he was transferred from Jerusalem to Rome as a prisoner. While he was expecting to be martyred for his Master, he wrote 2 Timothy. From man’s viewpoint, he was martyred. From God’s viewpoint, he was offered to God as a drink offering (4:6).