The Ministry, Vol. 03, No. 07


Book Description

In this issue of The Ministry, Brother Lee gives a summary of the fellowship concerning the practice of the new way under the Lord’s new leading from October 1984 to May 1986. At that time the Lord gave us a fresh leading in order to bring in an increase in number in all the localities and to spread His work over the whole earth. The Lord’s leading aims at a total deliverance of His recovery from the element, essence, background, environment, and tradition of Christianity. The first crucial element of the new way is the building up of the meetings in every believer’s home. Delivering the gospel, the truth, and the meetings to people’s homes is the best way to build the church locally in the Lord’s recovery and to bring in the spread and increase universally. The other two crucial elements of the new way are the teaching of the truth and keeping the Lord’s word as the center of all our various meetings. The next three messages are a continuation of the Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Hebrews given in the winter training of 1998. Message Nineteen shows clearly that the will of God is to have Christ as the replacement for all the offerings in the Old Testament so that we may enjoy Him as everything in living and practicing the Body life for the building up of the Body of Christ as the organism of the Triune God. Message Twenty reveals that Jesus is the Author of faith, the Originator, the Inaugurator, the source, and the cause of faith. The faith of the believers is actually not their own faith but Christ entering into them to be their faith. Our believing is our appreciation of Christ as a reaction to His attraction. Message Twenty-one shows us that faith is the unique way to enjoy Christ in His heavenly ministry and to experience all the bequests in the new testament. It is the unique way to carry out God’s New Testament economy. In the last section, we include two letters from Poland and Mexico, respectively, concerning the Lord’s move in these two countries.




Ministry Digest, Vol. 03, No. 07


Book Description

In this issue we will continue four lines of ministry. The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--contains chapters 1 through 4 of a new book, The Advance of the Lord's Recovery Today, which are in volume 4 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1989. These chapters cover the priesthood of the gospel in the New Testament and the organic building up of the Body of Christ. The second line--Words for New Believers--contains chapters 21 through 24 of Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 2, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1932–1949. These chapters cover topics related to obeying the sense of life, living in the fellowship of life, consecration, and dealing with sin. The third line--Maturing in Life--continues with chapters 7 through 10 of The Future of the Church, which are in volume 2 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1955. These chapters present a sketch of the prophecy of the seventy weeks in the book of Daniel, a discussion of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls, a review of various teachings concerning the rapture, and an overview of the significance of the numbers seven and twelve in the book of Revelation. The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--continues with chapters 14 through 17 of God's New Testament Economy, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1984. These chapters cover the Spirit as the blessing of the gospel, the Spirit of the Body and the bountiful Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of the practical Christian life, and the eternal Spirit of grace and the Spirit of envy.




The Ministry, Vol. 10, No. 07


Book Description

This issue of The Ministry presents the first nine messages given during the 2005 spring term of the full-time training in Anaheim, California. The general subject of this series of messages is "Noah, Daniel, and Job--Patterns of Living an Overcoming Life on the Line of Life to Fulfill the Economy of God." In order to see the significance and intrinsic revelation of these three men in the Old Testament, we need to consider Ezekiel 14:14 and 20 which says, "Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of it, they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness, declares the Lord Jehovah" and "Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the midst of it, as I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, they could not deliver even a son or daughter; they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness." The Triune God esteems these three men--Noah, Daniel, and Job--because they are patterns of living an overcoming life on the line of life to fulfill the economy of God. To present such patterns is the best way to foster, nurture, and cherish others in living a holy life for the church life and to promote, develop, and cultivate their growth in the divine life for the building up of the Body of Christ. We need such patterns of living an overcoming life. Last of all, we include a report concerning two recent trainings in West Africa.




The Ministry, Vol. 09, No. 07


Book Description

This is a special combined issue (July/August 2005) of The Ministry. It contains a complete record of the messages given in Anaheim, California, during the 2005 Summer Training on the Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Song of Songs 7--8. Ten messages were given on 1 and 2 Thessalonians and two messages were given on Song of Songs 7--8. The relationship between these books is remarkable: At an intrinsic level, the crystals in Song of Songs 7--8 interface beautifully with those in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In Song of Songs 7 we see the type of the deified lover of the Lord becoming His co-worker, working with Him for His Body. This matches what is revealed in 1 Thessalonians concerning Paul and the brothers as patterns [1:5]...Song of Songs 8 expresses in type the longing of the lover of the Lord to be raptured, hoping to be transfigured and praying for the Lord to make haste to come. This matches, in spirit, what is revealed particularly in 1 Thessalonians, which ends every chapter with the mention of the Lord's coming back (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:15-17; 5:23). The crucial truth and burden embodied in these twelve messages may be summarized in two sets of statements. The first set of four statements concerns the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians: (1) we need to see a vision of the church in God the Father with His life and nature and in the Lord Jesus Christ with all He is and has done; (2) faith as the nature and strength of the work, love as the motivation for and characteristic of labor, and hope as the source of endurance are the structure of a holy life for the church life; (3) to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls us into His kingdom and glory, is to live God and express God in our daily living by walking according to the mingled spirit; and (4) in order to live a holy life for the church life, we need to cooperate with God's operation to establish our heart blameless in holiness and to sanctify us wholly, with our spirit, soul, and body preserved complete. The second set of two statements concerns Song of Songs 7--8: (1) as we become the same as Christ in life, nature, expression, and function, we are qualified to work with Him for His Body; (2) as we trust in the Lord helplessly, depend on Him as our love and strength, and listen to His speaking, our hope is to be raptured through the redemption of our body, and our prayer is--"Come, Lord Jesus!" We include reports concerning the Lord's move in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, and concerning the need for a property in London. The Announcements section contains dates and locations for upcoming Living Stream Ministry trainings and conferences.




The Ministry, Vol. 12, No. 07


Book Description

This issue of The Ministry contains a complete record of the twelve messages given during the 2008 summer training on the "Crystallization-study of the Gospel of Luke," held June 30--July 5, in Anaheim, California. The crucial truth and burden embodied in these twelve messages may be summarized in the following two sets of statements: The highest standard of morality is the living of the Lord Jesus as the Man-Savior, whose life was a composition of God with the divine attributes and man with the human virtues to be the basic factor for His dynamic salvation. The Man-Savior's God-man living constituted a prototype for the reproduction of the God-man in the believers, who are reborn of the pneumatic Christ in their spirit and transformed by the pneumatic Christ in their soul. In order to be one with the Man-Savior in His God-man living, we need to sit at His feet and listen to His word so that we may be infused with His life for the expression of God and with His desire for our service to God unto the building of God. By praying ourselves into God, we are empowered in Christ to repudiate ourselves, renounce our material possessions, and follow the Man-Savior so that we may live in the reality of the economy of God to become rich toward God for the kingdom of God. We need to be today's ministers and witnesses by living and proclaiming the gospel--Christ as the jubilee of grace--for the accomplishing of God's eternal economy. If we lose our soul-life in this age and do not preserve it by lingering in the earthly and material things, we may participate in the rapture of the overcomers and stand before the Son of Man on Mount Zion. These messages are being published immediately following the training in order that they may benefit the saints who are participating in the many video trainings that are held throughout the earth.




The Ministry, Vol. 04, No. 07


Book Description

In this issue of The Ministry, we continue to see that what the Bible reveals is not the improvement of our behavior but the salvation of God. Man’s salvation is God Himself; that is, God saves us not only by His power and His work but also by coming into us to be our salvation. Since God as our salvation comes to us freely by grace, we should not bring anything to Him except an empty heart. If we come to God, we should put ourselves aside, contact Him, let Him do everything according to the law of the Spirit of life, and give thanks and offer praises to Him. Then, as a result, we become one with Him, and what we live out will be something not of ourselves but of God’s nature. We have also included the first six messages of the Crystallization-study of Revelation held in the winter of 1999 in Long Beach, California. Message One covers two crystals: the temple with the ark and the principle of the man-child. The temple with the ark governs what is unveiled in Revelation 12—22 and relates to God’s expression through His building. The principle of the man-child is that God will choose a group of overcomers who will attain to His purpose and fulfill His demand. Message Two indicates strongly that the book of Revelation is a book on the overcomers, the man-child, God’s dispensational instrument to bring Christ’s kingdom to the earth. Message Three, concerning the firstfruits, the harvest, and the late overcomers, gives a complete view of the coming rapture. To be raptured is to be taken into the Lord’s presence; in order to be taken into the Lord’s presence, we must be in His presence today. Message Four unveils the source and essence of Babylon the Great—religious and material, and Message Five reveals the principle of Babylon. Message Six presents the marriage of the Lamb as the issue of the completion of God’s New Testament economy. Last of all, we include reports concerning the Lord’s continuing move through the radio broadcast in London, England and a recent conference in Stockholm, Sweden.




The Ministry, Vol. 03, No. 05


Book Description

In this issue of The Ministry, we include a message by Brother Lee to the co-workers, elders, and full-timers in Taipei concerning the practice of the new way. Because the homes of the saints are the life pulse in the practice of the new way, we need to endeavor with all the energy, strength, and time that the Lord has given us to recover a proper atmosphere in the homes. The first thing we must do is to make every saint’s home a home for meeting. Then we must learn the proper way to meet in the homes. We need to help every attendee to function, and we should use the proper materials in the meetings. In particular, however, we need to prepare for the meetings by praying and thoroughly confessing before the Lord so that we may be beside ourselves in the exercise and release of our spirit. Only by being “crazy” in spirit can we conduct a meeting properly and make it come alive. The next three messages in this issue are a continuation of the Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Hebrews and were given in the winter training of 1998 in Anaheim. Message Thirteen stresses the great turn from the realm of Christ’s earthly ministry to His heavenly ministry. Message Fourteen presents the definition and enactment of the new covenant, and Message Fifteen shows the execution and application of this new covenant. Last of all, we include several reports from conferences in England, France, Kyrgyzstan, and Holland.




The Ministry, Vol. 03, No. 08


Book Description

In this issue of The Ministry, Brother Lee speaks about some of the practical steps in implementing the new way, particularly in relation to the gospelization of Taiwan. This is an unprecedented task and a glorious enterprise. For a purpose like this, there is the need of a schedule and a plan. As long as we are human beings, we need schedules and budgets. In the Gospels and Acts, we find that both the Lord and the disciples worked with plans and arrangements. In His move on the earth, the Lord had not only a schedule but also an itinerary, according to which He carried out His New Testament service and fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. Our plan is to visit the communities and campuses and build up the home meetings through prayer, the full-time service of one out of twenty saints, and the financial support from the remaining nineteen. The next three messages conclude the Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Hebrews given in the winter training of 1998. Message Twenty-two focuses on the crystals concerning the church in the book of Hebrews, which include the church as the living composition of the many sons of God, a corporate partnership with Christ, the house of God, the Sabbath rest, the new covenant and the heavenly New Jerusalem, the unshakable kingdom, and God’s flock. Message Twenty-three stresses the crucial matter of the Christian life being a race; we must run this race to receive the prize, the incorruptible crown, which the Lord will award to His overcoming saints who win the race. Message Twenty-four shows us that the goal and ultimate conclusion of the book of Hebrews is that we would enter within the veil and go outside the camp. The more we are in our spirit, enjoying the heavenly Christ, the more we will come outside the camp of religion, following the suffering Jesus. In the last section, we include a report from Armenia and Slovakia.




The Ministry, Vol. 03, No. 01


Book Description

In this issue of The Ministry, we continue the series of messages concerning the God-ordained way as the present practice in God’s economy. In this message, Brother Lee provides some of the details concerning the practice of the home meetings and small group meetings. In laboring to care for the home meetings, we must learn to minister God’s word at every opportune time, giving “injections” to fight the adverse environments and to supply nutrition in order for the saints to grow. When we labor diligently with perseverance to speak the Lord’s word and care for the meetings in the homes, His Spirit will follow our labor and our words with His work, and there will surely be positive results. The next three messages are a continuation of messages given in the full-time training in Anaheim in the fall of 1997 concerning the grafted life. Message Four presents how God created man in such a way that he would be similar to Him in life so that based upon this similarity he could become intrinsically one with Him. Message Five stresses the fact that God’s judicial redemption is the glorious procedure by which and through which we were grafted into Christ through believing into Him. Message Six gives a further word concerning the matter of God’s judicial redemption for our experience of God’s organic salvation in the grafted life. In the following section we include a portion of the memorial meeting for our beloved Brother Howard Higashi, who was unexpectedly taken away to be with the Lord on November 27, 1998. A message is also included which was given by Brother Howard in the full-time training in Anaheim concerning the gospel, in which he shares his own testimony of receiving the Lord. Our dear Brother Howard was a faithful worker, a steadfast pursuer, and a fervent lover of Christ from the beginning of his salvation in the Lord’s recovery thirty years ago until his going to be with the Lord. He is one of the Lord’s overcomers in this present age. Last of all, we include reports concerning the Lord’s move in Europe and in the southern Philippines.




The Ministry, Vol. 11, No. 07


Book Description

This issue of The Ministry contains a complete record of the eight messages given during the International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones in Anaheim, California, held March 30--April 1, 2007. The general subject of the training was "Shepherding the Church of God as a Slave of God," which comes from Acts 20:28, where Paul charges the elders to "shepherd the church of God, which He obtained through His own blood." This is also our charge. Paul says that God purchased the church with His own blood and that we need to shepherd the church of God. In verse 19 Paul said that he served "the Lord as a slave with all humility and tears and trials." This is the pattern that we should follow. We need to shepherd the church of God as a slave of God, serving the Lord with all humility in all trials and even with tears so that we could be dispensing stewards of the grace of God for the building up of the Body. We also include a report concerning the 2007 European Young People's Conference held in Male Ciche, Poland.