I mentioned at the beginning that the key to meeting is speaking. When the Brethren were raised up by the Lord, their influence was mainly due to their speaking. During that period, although their understanding and experience were only up to a certain level, the power of their speaking was like dynamite. Brother Nee once said that during that period their revelation and light were like the pouring down of a waterfall. D. M. Panton also said that the strength of the Brethren movement was greater than that of the Reformation by Luther. However, we feel that the Lord is always going on. In every age, He has a leading for that age. As far as we are concerned, since 1949, I have had no more burden to preach the things of the Brethren period. All that I wrote were words concerning God’s economy, such as:
O what a miracle, my Lord,
That I’m in Thee and Thou in me,
That Thou and I are really one;
O what a wondrous mystery
(Hymns, #233)
Today we have changed the system. The revelation and light that the Lord has given us have advanced even more. We need to return to the Bible to recover the meeting revealed in 1 Corinthians 14, where the secret is altogether in speaking. Whether the Lord can have a way among us depends fully on our attitude towards the Lord’s word. Some have memorized the Scriptures thoroughly, but they cannot speak the Lord’s word. This is because they have not allowed the Lord’s word to enter into them and to occupy them. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom.” The Chinese Union Version translated the word “dwell” as “be kept.” This is similar to a man returning from the market with a lot of rice, flour, vegetables, meat, and all kinds of food yet merely keeping them; these foods are not related to the buyer of these goods. Some may have memorized a lot of Scriptures. But these Scriptures are just kept there, and have nothing to do with the one who memorized them. But what Paul meant is that the Lord’s word is a living Person. In other words, the Lord’s word is the Lord Himself. Hence, we have to let Him dwell in us. The word “let” is very meaningful. It is like our knocking on doors to preach the gospel. On the one hand, we like to go in; on the other hand, the ones behind the door have to let us in. Many times we have locked our doors tight and would not let the Lord come in. But as soon as we would give a crack for the Lord’s word, the Lord would come in.
The word “dwell” here in Greek has the sense of being at home, indwelling, and abiding. It has the same root as the word “make home” in Ephesians 3:17. This means that the Lord’s word must have full ground in us in order to operate and supply the riches of Christ to our inner man. To let the word of Christ dwell in us is different from providing hospitality to a guest for three to five days. Instead, it is like someone moving into a new house, settling down, and making home there. Every corner of this house is for his use and control. Only this can be considered as making home. When the Lord’s word enters into us, it must make home in us this way. We should let the Lord’s word be our Master, taking ground in us, occupying us, so that it can move freely in us. When you allow this living word, this living Person, to abide in you, to fill and occupy your whole being, and to move freely in you, you are taking in the Lord’s word. Some people have problems with their digestive systems; their stomachs are so damaged that nothing eaten can be digested. Whatever they eat is completely excreted. Although they eat food, the food does not have much to do with them. It is not digested and absorbed by them to become their elements. Hence, not only do we have to learn to receive the Lord’s word into us; we have to allow the word received to occupy a place in us, to be digested into us, to be one with us, and even to become our elements.
Many of you are memorizing two verses every morning. This is a good practice. But I am afraid after you have memorized dozens of verses, you still have nothing to speak in the meeting. Even though you have the words of the Bible, they cannot become the words out of your mouth because you have not digested and absorbed them. I hope that the words that we speak in the meetings are the words taken in and digested by us. For this, we must allow the word to rule, to occupy the proper place, and to operate freely in us, so that we would be fully taken over by it to become one with it. The word is the Lord Himself, and the Lord is the Spirit. Therefore, this word is the Spirit. In our experience it is very difficult to separate the word from the Spirit. In other words, when we receive the Lord’s word into us, this word becomes the Spirit. When this Spirit is spoken out from within us, it becomes the word. The Bible without is the Lord’s word; when we receive it into us, it becomes the Spirit. When the Spirit is expressed from within us, it becomes the word again. The word becomes the Spirit, and the Spirit becomes the word. By this cycling, the word will spontaneously become a part of your being. In this way, it will be very easy to speak when you come to the meeting.
Hence, not only do you have to practice speaking in the meetings, you must also in your daily life let the Lord’s word, which is a living Person, gain the ground in you, operate in you, and act freely in you. When you are one with the word, it will become the words that you can speak. This is like a person who after enjoying some beautiful scenery, has the view impressed into him, and upon returning, spontaneously has a lot to say. You full-timers have, so to speak, your own line of business. Your line of business is speaking. This is why we have to do our best to exercise ourselves in the enjoyment, experience, expression, and release of the Lord’s word.