12.In Christ (Chapter Forty-One)

12.In Christ (Chapter Forty-One)

《 Conferences, Messages, and Fellowship(Vol.2) 》

CONTENTS：

CONFERENCES, MESSAGES, AND FELLOWSHIP (2)

1. Preface SECTION FOUR: CONFERENCE IN AMOY, OCTOBER 1936 2. Foot-Washing (1) (Chapter Thirty-One) 3. The New Testament Prophet (Chapter Thirty-Two) 4. The Foremost Condition for Spiritual Progress (Chapter Thirty-Three) 5. How to Know God's Will (Chapter Thirty-Four) 6. On Assuming Headship in the Family (Chapter Thirty-Five) 7. Foot-Washing (2) (Chapter Thirty-Six) 8. Knowing Christ and the Power of His Resurrection (Chapter Thirty-Seven) 9. Talks (1) (Chapter Thirty-Eight) 10.The Flesh and the Work of God (Chapter Thirty-Nine) 11. Talks (2) (Chapter Forty) 12.In Christ (Chapter Forty-One) 13.In Adam and In Christ (Chapter Forty-Two) 14.Absolute Obedience (Chapter Forty-Three) 15.The Subjective Aspect of Being in Christ (Chapter Forty-Four) 16.The Iniquity of the Sanctuary (Chapter Forty-Five) 17.The Resurrection of Christ (Chapter Forty-Six) 18.Co-Workers' Meeting (Chapter Forty-Seven) 19.How to Be in Christ (Chapter Forty-Eight) SECTION FIVE: CONFERENCE IN FOOCHOW, DECEMBER 1936 20.Talks (1) (Chapter Forty-Nine) 21.God's Way of Accomplishing His Purpose in Creating Man (1) (Chapter Fifty) 22.God's Way of Accomplishing His Purpose in Creating Man (2) (Chapter Fifty-One) 23.The Blood of Christ (Chapter Fifty-Two)

24.The Cross of Christ (Chapter Fifty-Three) 25.The Life-Releasing Death of Christ (Chapter Fifty-Four) 26.Man-Made Victory (Chapter Fifty-Five) 27.The Characteristics of the Overcoming Life (Chapter Fifty-Six) 28.Brief Exposition on the Sections of Ephesians (Chapter Fifty-Seven) 29.How to Experience the Overcoming Life (1) (Chapter Fifty-Eight) 30.How to Experience the Overcoming Life (2) (Chapter Fifty-Nine) 31.Taking Up Our Cross (Chapter Sixty) 32.Talks (2) (Chapter Sixty-One) 33.Talks (3) (Chapter Sixty-Two) 34.Talks (4) (Chapter Sixty-Three)

PREFACE Volume 42 of The Collected Works contains two sections that include various messages given by Watchman Nee in 1936. Section Four is comprised of messages and fellowship given by Watchman Nee during a conference in Amoy in October 1936. The messages in the mornings were directed toward the workers and their work. The fellowship in the afternoon was divided into two groups: (1) free talks and (2) a series of meetings in which Watchman Nee gave his testimony (published as Watchman Nee's Testimony in Volume 26 of The Collected Works). "In Christ" was the subject of the evening meetings. The topics of all the meetings are listed below. In Section Four, however, the chapters are arranged chronologically in the order that the messages were delivered. MORNINGS: October 14: The New Testament Prophet October 15: How to Know God's Will October 16: Knowing Christ and the Power of His Resurrection October 17: The Flesh and the Work of God October 19: Absolute Obedience October 20: The Iniquity of the Sanctuary October 21: Co-workers' Meeting AFTERNOONS: October 15: On Assuming Headship in the Family October 16: Talks (1) October 17: Talks (2)

October 18: Watchman Nee's Testimony (1) October 20: Watchman Nee's Testimony (2) October 21: Watchman Nee's Testimony (3) EVENINGS: October 13: Foot-washing (1) October 14: The Foremost Condition for Spiritual Progress October 15: Foot-washing (2) October 17: In Christ October 18: In Adam and in Christ October 19: The Subjective Aspect of Being in Christ October 20: The Resurrection of Christ October 21:How to Be in Christ Section Five is comprised of messages and fellowship given by Watchman Nee during a conference in Foochow in December 1936. The topics of the messages include God's way of accomplishing His purpose and the overcoming life.

SECTION FOUR CONFERENCE IN AMOY, OCTOBER 1936 CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE FOOT-WASHING (1) Date: October 13, 1936, evening Place: Amoy Scripture Reading: John 13:1-17 During the past few days, I have been considering foot-washing in John 13. Some time ago when Brother Luk was in Shanghai we read this portion of the Word together. We felt that the most difficult aspect to understand was the Lord's word concerning the necessity of foot-washing. Our familiarity with this passage has not made it easier for us to understand its real meaning. At the same time, since there are so many interpretations of this passage already, it is difficult to receive new light. For this reason, we felt that it was necessary to thoroughly study this passage once more. However, we still did not understand it well because we were too familiar with the interpretation of this passage. Later, I set aside the interpretation that I knew and came to the Word in a fresh way, as if I had never read it before. Thank the Lord that He granted me some light, and this

chapter became a blessing to me. Last Lord's Day I spoke about it in Shanghai. Tonight I will speak some more about it. THE BACKGROUND OF THE LORD'S WASHING OF THE DISCIPLES' FEET This chapter speaks of the Lord's washing the disciples' feet and of His commandment for the disciples to wash each others' feet. First, we must ask: When did the Lord wash the disciples' feet and when did He charge the disciples to wash each others' feet? The Bible carefully records the history and the background of this incident. This information is very important. Let us consider this passage verse by verse. The Hour Having Come to Depart Out of This World unto the Father Verse 1 says, "Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come for Him to depart out of this world unto the Father..." The Lord's washing of the disciples' feet happened before the Passover. The Lord said that the "hour had come for Him to depart out of this world unto the Father." If I were to depart out of this world unto the Father tonight, what would I do? I might have to clear my debt with my co-workers or to the sisters, or I might have other important things to take care of. I would have to settle all the unsettled matters. If I know that I will not depart from this world for five years, I may postpone these things until later. But if I know that I am about to depart from this world, I will surely settle and conclude all of my important business. I would surely not be concerned with insignificant matters, such as asking a child to go to the store and buy me some candy or going to a movie. Instead, I would do crucial and necessary things. This was true of the Lord. Before He departed from the world unto the Father, He washed the feet of His disciples, that is, His students, and charged them to wash one another's feet. There were many things in this world that He could have done at that time, but He chose to wash the disciples' feet. This shows that foot-washing is a very crucial matter.

Having Loved His Own Who Were in the World, He Loved Them to the Uttermost The second part of verse 1 says, "Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the uttermost." If you do not love anyone in this world, you can allow many things to go unattended. If you have no relatives, friends, or children, you can die peacefully. But there were many whom the Lord loved. If I were close

to death and I had many loved ones, the final thing that I would do would be to give them my will. This is what man would do, but this was not what the Lord did. He washed the disciples' feet. The Lord loved His own who were in the world, and He washed their feet. He could do a thousand other things, but He did not. Instead, He chose to wash the disciples' feet. He did this because of His love. This makes the foot-washing a very wonderful matter. If the Lord had not loved His own who were in the world, foot-washing would not have been so wonderful. But foot-washing is very wonderful because the Lord did this to those whom He loved. The Lord, having loved His own who were in the world, loved them to the uttermost. Therefore, He washed their feet. This is an expression of the Lord's uttermost love. Satan Having Already Put into the Heart of Judas the Thought to Betray Jesus Verse 2 says, "And while supper was taking place, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, that he should betray Him." This was not a common occurrence. Here was a man who was going to betray the Lord, and the Lord knew this. He was facing a most difficult and critical situation. This is like a man who cannot leave his house even though he knows that it is going to collapse. Unlike many rich people in Shanghai, who give up their houses and move away when they collapse, he does not have any money and cannot move anywhere. What should he do? What would you do if there was a war in this place and the condition was critical? What would you do if you knew that danger was approaching in five minutes, that a bomb would fall or the enemy would arrive? Would you still be washing or shining your shoes? Of course not! We would not be doing insignificant things. Instead, we would be doing the most important things. During this critical juncture, the Lord washed the disciples' feet. What does this mean? Do you think that He was wrong to do this? Certainly not! Foot-washing must be a very important thing because it was done at the time when Judas was about to betray the Lord. The Father Having Given All into the Lord's Hands Verse 3 says, "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all into His hands..." This refers to His exaltation, glory, power, honor, crown, and enthronement. The Lord knew that He was to receive all these things. If you knew that you were about to be exalted and would receive glory, power, and honor, what would you do? You would surely do something that prepared you for your exaltation.

Perhaps you would refurnish your house to make room for guests and friends. You would do some crucial things that would match your new status. The Lord knew that He was about to depart from this world, and He knew that the Father had given all into His hands. Yet He washed the disciples' feet. This shows that foot-washing must be a very crucial thing in the eyes of the Lord. He Himself washed the disciples' feet, and He also charged the disciples to wash one another's feet. Hence, we must not pass by John 13 easily; we should not look at this chapter lightly. Before coming to the subject, I wanted to first consider the background behind the foot-washing. We have seen that this act was done when the Lord was about to depart out of this world to the Father. The Lord loved His own who were in the world to the uttermost; He knew that there was danger before Him because Judas was about to betray Him. He also knew that the Father had given all into His hands. Against this background, the Lord washed the disciples' feet and charged them to wash one another's feet.

THE MEANING OF FOOT-WASHING The Feet Touching the Earth, Which Signifies the World Now let us look at the meaning of foot-washing. We know that our feet touch the earth all the time. Our hands, head, and back do not have to touch the earth. But our feet come into contact with the earth all the time. We can say that as long as we are men, we have to touch the earth. As long as we live on this earth, we will come into contact with this earth. The head is for thinking, the hands are for working, the heart is for loving, the legs are for exercising, the back is for resting, and the feet are for contacting the earth. Here the Lord was not washing the hands. The Jews washed their hands before they ate. Yet the Lord washed the disciples' feet before they ate. He did not wash the head, the back, or the hands; He washed the feet. Why? This is a profound lesson, and I hope that I can express it adequately. Brothers, on this earth man is alienated from God because of sin. However, this problem is solved through the Lord's shed blood on the cross; the sins that we committed as a sinner have been washed away. After being saved and becoming a believer, the Lord's overcoming life enables us to overcome all sins. The judgment on sin was settled on the cross, and today the power of sin can be overcome through Him as the overcoming life within us. However, let me ask a question: Other than sin, is there anything else which

separates us from God? Those who are honest will say that there are many things which separate us from God. These things may not be sin, but there may be worldly elements that are produced through our contact with the world. The Defilement of the Feet Signifies Separation from God through Contact with the World, While Foot-washing Signifies the Recovery of Spiritual Freshness and Fellowship with the Lord Suppose this morning you had a quiet time before the Lord; you read the Word and prayed. The prayer time was sweet and the Lord's Word was precious. You felt that heaven was so close to earth that you could almost touch it with your hands. This was between five and seven o'clock in the morning. By eight o'clock, numerous affairs of the day began to occupy you. Some have to conduct their businesses; others have to teach at school or go to their offices. Some have to go to school, while others have to visit the sick, shop, clean the house, or do laundry. There are many things which are waiting to be done. When you read the Bible and prayed in the morning, you felt that heaven was very close. But as a businessman who spends three to six hours in your office doing many seemingly "proper" things (you may not have lied or sinned at all), are you still as close to God in the evening as you were in the morning? No, you are not. Students busy themselves in schoolwork at the schools, and housewives engage themselves in their household chores at home. Once a person occupies himself in these affairs, he feels as if heaven has moved away. It is no longer as close as it was in the morning. He may still be able to set aside some time to pray, but he has nothing to say. He can only touch the superficial letter of the Word; he can no longer touch the inward reality. When the prayer meeting comes, he may want to pray, but he is short of words. Even when he does manage to think of some words to say, his conscience bothers him. He may still shout hallelujah, and the words and sounds may still be the same, but the meaning and taste are different. He feels that something has separated him from God, but he cannot pinpoint any sin. It seems as if confession does not help the situation either. If he was separated from God through sin, he should deal with it through the application of the blood shed on the cross. But this does not seem to be a question of sin. He only feels somewhat dimmed and has lost the former brightness. There is the need of something else to deal with this problem. This is different from ordinary sins. What is needed is the foot-washing. What is foot-washing? It is dealing with everything apart from sin that separates us from God.

This happens to us all the time. We do not sin, but neither do we touch God. It is understandable when a person is separated from God through sin. But we do not know what to do when we have not sinned, yet cannot touch God. Thank the Lord that He has not only washed us of our sins, but washed our feet as well. This is not the washing of our hands; the hands signify the things we do. Whether or not we do things is our responsibility. This is not the washing of our head; the head signifies our thoughts. Whether or not we think certain things is our responsibility. This is not the washing of our backs. Whether or not we lie down is our responsibility. If our head, hands, or backs have a problem, we have sinned because the activities associated with these parts are under our control. Our feet however have no choice but to stand on the ground; this is something that is not up to us. What do the feet signify? The feet signify our contact with our family, business, and schools. These are unavoidable contacts in our daily life. As long as we are human beings and live in this world, we have to stand on the ground and touch the earth. This will continue until the day the Lord comes back to rapture us away. When Jacob was about to die, the Bible says that he gathered up his feet into his bed (Gen. 49:33). This meant that from that day on, he would no longer need to use his feet; he could go to his fathers. Before we go to our fathers, our feet are still on the ground; they are not gathered up into our bed. The feet signify our inevitable and non-sinful contact with the world. This contact is not sinful, yet it can separate us from God and make heaven less near to us and our prayers less sweet. While living on this earth, our feet are easily defiled. We have to use our feet whether we are standing up or sitting down. Of all the members of our body, the feet tire us out the most easily. I am not saying that the other parts of the body will not tire us out; but the feet tire us out most easily. In the same way, it is very easy for a spiritual man to become defiled. How many spiritual men sitting here tonight have feet that are defiled? I know that many of our feet have been defiled.

Now that you are clear about the significance of the feet, we have to go on to consider the meaning of defiled feet. Defiled feet are feet that have to be washed. It is not wrong for the feet to be defiled; this is something that is inevitable. This defilement has nothing to do with sin; sinning is something else. We are not talking about sin, we are talking about the things that separate us from God, the things that tire us out spiritually. This is having defiled feet. Suppose we come to the meeting and say something in an old and habitual way.

Although we have opened up our mouth, nothing is touching us inwardly. Or we may be reading the Bible and know what we are reading, yet we may have no feeling about what we have read. This is having defiled feet. We can summarize defiled feet with a few words—staleness in fellowship with the Lord. Clean feet, however, denote fresh fellowship with the Lord. One day someone said to me, "Mr. Nee, when I was in Chuenchow, I had a wonderful time. I felt that the Lord was very precious to me. But today all those feelings are gone. I still believe in the Lord, I still pray to the Lord, I still love Him, and I am still consecrated to Him. I have not lost any of these things. Yet I must admit that something within me is not the same as it was before." This is having defiled feet. A man defiles his feet through contact and communication with the world, and through working and conducting business in that realm. If you ask such a one if he has sinned, he may answer, "No." Outwardly he is the same as he was before, but inwardly he is different. He can still say that the Lord is precious and that he loves the Lord very much. However, this only describes his condition last year, the year before last, or five or ten years ago. How many can say today that they treasure the Lord and love the Lord as much as they did five or ten years ago? Many people have to say that they do not have the same feeling that they had a year ago. Their feet are defiled, and they have become weary. This is spiritual weariness; it is the loss of spiritual freshness and vitality. This is why the Lord says that we need foot-washing. What does foot-washing mean? It means recovering our former feelings, bringing us back to the freshness of life, and giving us fresh strength to treasure what we previously treasured. This is the meaning of foot-washing. Thank the Lord that He washes our feet all the time. Many times when we speak, our words do not match our inward feelings. Today many believers in Christ have become stagnant in their spiritual growth. They sing, praise, and pray reluctantly. Sometimes this is the result of sin, but many times this is not the result of any sin. They simply have defiled feet, and they have become spiritually enervated. We have to realize that the Lord wants us to be fresh all the time. This is why He says that He leads us to the green pastures (Psa. 23:2). We have a brother in Shanghai who is a manual laborer. He lost his job a few months ago but recently found another job. His work involves cutting grass. For every thousand catties [a Chinese unit of weight] of grass he cuts, he gets a dollar. After the grass is dried, it is bundled up into bundles of six hundred catties and sent to the dairy farms. He gets fifty cents a day for this. He cuts,

dries, and delivers all day long. Last month I met him while he was drying the grass and asked him about his job. He said, "I have to dry the grass and deliver it to the dairy farms. The farms store it in their barns and feed the cows with it in winter." I then said, "The dairy farmers feed the cows with yellow grass, but the Lord feeds us with green grass." The Lord wants us to be fresh; He wants us to be fresh every day. We may have been yellow yesterday, but we can be green again today. We may have been yellow this morning, but we can be green this afternoon. The Lord is fresh running water; He does not flow for five minutes and then stop. He flows continuously, daily, monthly, and yearly. There is not a minute in which He is short. He is always fresh, and He is constantly refreshing us. This is the life that the Lord is leading us to live. Here is power, joy, peace, and holiness. Only by living this way can we express the Lord's life. After the victory at Jericho, there is still the victory at Ai. After great victories, there are still small, daily victories. This should be our daily experience before the Lord. The Bible says that Saul was taller than any of the people from his shoulders and upward (1 Sam. 10:23). Yet God was not pleased with his reign. Eventually, God did not choose him. Instead, He chose David to be the king. The Bible does not indicate David's height; it merely says that he was ruddy and of a beautiful countenance (16:12). This implies freshness, like the freshness of a newborn baby whose face does not have any wrinkles; there is freshness and vitality. God wants our life to be fresh. Psalm 1 says that the blessed man is one who is like a tree planted beside streams of water, yielding fruit in its season, and whose foliage does not wither (v. 3). We have leaves, which are our outward conduct. We may be patient, meek, humble, and perfect in our conduct and virtues. But the question is whether this conduct and virtues are green or whether they are wilting and yellow. Are they fresh, or are they old? Leaves denote our conduct. If we are not under the fresh operation of the Holy Spirit, we will be doing the same things that we have done in the past. The result will surely not be green and fresh, but dry and old. A person may have risen at five o'clock in the morning yesterday. He may do the same thing today. But yesterday he felt God's presence very near to him, yet today he does not touch Him at all. Outwardly, he is doing the same thing, but inwardly the feeling is gone. The inward freshness is gone because the leaves have dried up like the things in Noah's ark that belonged to the old creation. They are not like the fresh olive branch that appeared after the flood receded. Such people are of little use to the Lord.

Creating a Thirst within Man for God Tonight I have a word specifically for the co-workers. We have to know why God has put us in the world. He has put us in the world so that our presence would create a hunger and thirst for righteousness in sinners, believers, and the world. In our work, we have to create a hunger within others. There must be an enigmatic freshness, power, nourishment, and supply within us that will drive others to seek after God by our presence. Others should have a desire to seek after God as a result of meeting us and speaking to us. If we always see others and communicate with them without creating a desire within them for God, it means that we have failed. If our reading of the Bible, prayer, service, and gospel preaching do not produce such a powerful hunger within man, our work has failed. Many who know Miss Barber can testify that she was very different from others. Whenever someone went to her and sat in front of her, spontaneously he would realize how much he was off. He would realize that he did not have what she had and would aspire for what she had. Fifteen years ago (1921) when I first became a Christian, I was very proud. I thought highly of myself because I was able to read one or two chapters of the Bible a day with some understanding. (Very few people are proud outwardly; most people are proud inwardly.) I went to her to tell her about this. After I prayed a few words with her, I saw my pride before she even opened her mouth to rebuke me. I knew that I did not have what she had. This is foot-washing. My feet were washed by her presence. I met God. Prior to that I was living outside of God, and I was old and dark. But once I came to her, I was refreshed and enlightened. I often felt that I was washed by her presence. We often have the same sensation—we feel that we are washed after talking to certain brothers. Our spiritual energy is revived; we can touch and feel God once more. This is foot-washing. A few days ago, I felt that my feet were defiled. At first I thought that I had sinned, and I proceeded to deal with my sins. But God was still very far from me. I felt that there was a separation between myself and God. I could do nothing about it. While I was praying I was secretly saying to myself, "You are just composing your prayer. This is not something from your heart." Later, I saw a sister who had been saved for only two or three months. She told me of her salvation experience and told me how she was persecuted by her family. She hoped that I would give her some help. When I heard this, I said, "Thank the Lord. When I came, my feet were defiled. But when I leave, my feet will be clean because your testimony has

washed away the oldness in my experiences." The book of Titus mentions the renewing of the Spirit (3:5). This is a very precious expression. We need the renewing of the Spirit so that we can always be spiritually fresh and invigorated. A bronze flower vase needs constant polishing to make it shine. If there is no polishing, there may not be any rust, but there will be a coating of dust and the vase will not shine. The same is true with us. We may not be sinful, but we may have a coating of dust that prevents us from shining. The Lord said to Peter, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me" (John 13:8). What does this mean? Having no part with the Lord does not mean perdition; it means having no part in the fresh fellowship of the Lord's life. If our feet are not washed, there will be a separation between us and the Lord, and we will not be able to enjoy the freshness of His life and the freshness of His supply. This is the meaning of having no part in the Lord. The Lord wants to wash our feet. Therefore we must be willing to be washed and renewed. Aspiring to Wash Others' Feet At the same time, we have to aspire to wash others' feet. However, we cannot wash others' feet unless we have the overcoming life and the Spirit's help to live out such a life. Some can wash others' feet, while others cannot. You may live with some for over a year and yet still not have your feet washed once. Washing requires that we live an overcoming life before the Lord. We have to be fresh all the time before we can wash others' feet. Who are the ones who need washing, and who are the ones who have to wash others' feet? The Lord said, "You also ought to wash one another's feet" (John 13:14). This tells us that we all need the washing. Those who were spiritually fresh but who have lost their freshness need the washing. Every one of us needs our feet washed, and every one of us needs to be prepared to wash others' feet. The Lord said, "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." Among all the services that Christians minister to one another, nothing is more crucial or more precious than footwashing. "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (v. 17). I love what Brother Yu has said many times: "The Bible today is more precious than the Bible yesterday." May we have fresh spiritual experiences every day. Romans 15:32 says, "I may refresh myself and rest with you." This is the result of footwashing.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO THE NEW TESTAMENT PROPHET Date: October 14, 1936, morning Place: Amoy Scripture Reading: Acts 21:4, 10-11; 1 Cor. 14:3-4 Today we want to see the first requirement of a worker. In order to see this we have to go back to the very beginning. First, let us consider the prophets in the Old Testament and their works. THE WORK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS As far as I can remember, the Old Testament prophets did three things. First, they prophesied, which means foretelling things which were about to happen. Many prophets did this. Second, they spoke for God, announcing God's will to men. Some prophets not only prophesied, they were also sent by God to certain men to do a particular thing—to announce God's will to those who were ignorant of it. Both the prophets and the priests were intermediaries between God and man. In the Old Testament men could not come to God directly to worship Him; all matters of worship had to be done through the priests (cf. 2 Chron. 26:18). However, the priests were not the only ones who came between God and man; the prophets were also intermediaries. The priests were intermediaries from man to God, whereas the prophets were intermediaries from God to man. God did not speak to man directly; He spoke through the prophets. The Pentateuch says that God spoke to Moses, who then spoke to the people and gave them the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were passed on to the Israelites through Moses. Third, the Old Testament prophets also exhorted and comforted men. These words of exhortation and comfort covered general principles. They were like the message we gave this morning—announcing to men that God is righteous and that we should serve Him in holiness and righteousness These are the works of the Old Testament prophets. They prophesied, they announced God's will to men, and they exhorted, comforted, and instructed men concerning general principles. THE WORK OF THE NEW TESTAMENT PROPHETS We must be clear about one very important matter. While there were three aspects to the work of the Old Testament prophets, there are fewer aspects to the work of New Testament prophets. The New Testament prophets only do the first and third aspect of the work of the Old Testament prophets; they do not participate in the second aspect of the work of the Old Testament prophets. If we

are not clear about this, we will be living according to the Old Testament even though we are in the New Testament age. The work of the New Testament prophets is to annul the second aspect of the work of the Old Testament prophets, which is to tell men what they should do. This was an important work of the Old Testament prophets, but the New Testament prophets do not do this. A New Testament believer prays, gives thanks, praises, or seeks after the Lord without the need of a prophet to act on his behalf. The greatest blessing for a New Testament believer is the ability to receive the leading of the Holy Spirit, as Hebrews 8:11 says, "And they shall by no means each teach his fellow citizen and each his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for all will know Me from the little one to the great one among them." We have many fellow citizens and brothers, but there is no need for them to teach us, saying, "Know the Lord." We have the Holy Spirit within us. The Spirit is our prophet today. In the Old Testament there was Nathan, Gad, and many other prophets, in addition to many "fellow citizens." But in the New Testament, we do not need all these "fellow citizens" to teach and guide us. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit has replaced the work of the Old Testament prophets. Today we have prophets in the church. Some can prophesy, while others can exhort and comfort. But we do not have personal prophets to come and tell us what we should do. If anyone comes to tell us to do this or that, he is not a prophet, but a sorcerer. It is true that Agabus and the four daughters of Philip were prophets, and they did prophesy (Acts 11:28; 21:8-11), but the main work of the New Testament prophets is preaching and speaking for God. New Testament prophets seldom prophesy; their main work is the preaching of the Word. First Corinthians 14 specifically mentions the work of the prophets. Verse 3 clearly says that the main work of the New Testament prophets is for building up, encouraging, and consoling men. It does not mention any foretelling of the future. This shows that foretelling is an incidental work; sometimes it is done by a few, but it is not the principal work. A prophet cannot give anyone personal guidance; this is the essence of the New Testament. In the New Testament there are no personal prophets. Everyone can know God directly and be led of God and know God's will directly. Do you have a prophet? I am ashamed that many people have considered me a prophet, that is, the kind of personal prophet mentioned above. The danger of a worker is to burden himself with the work of a prophet. When there are too many personal prophets, the proper place of the New Testament prophet is annulled. The New

Testament church does not need any spiritual giants to act as personal prophets to teach others what they should do. That is the work of the Holy Spirit, not the work of the prophets. The main work of the New Testament prophets is for building up, encouraging, and consoling men. This is the work that God's workers should do today.

THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A WORKER There are some minimum qualifications of a worker: (1) He must be a person living in the New Testament, and (2) he must be able to know God's will directly. Without these two qualifications, a man is not qualified to work for God. If you find yourself unable to give guidance to the brothers without the help of a prophet, and if you find yourself unable to know God's will or render help to the churches without the help of a prophet, you are not living in the New Testament. If something happens and you have to write letters, send cables, or make long distance calls to consult others, then in reality, you are consulting the prophets and damaging the New Testament. Many people do not understand the meaning of Acts 21. I did not understand it before either. However, during the past two or three months, it suddenly became clear to me. Paul did not go along with the pleading of the saints from Tyre. Was he following the leading of the Spirit or not? He wanted to go up to Jerusalem, but the disciples were moved by the Spirit to advise him not to go. Why would Paul not take their advice? Were the saints in Tyre wrong in speaking? The issue is not whether they were wrong. The issue is that they wanted to be New Testament prophets to Paul; they wanted to show Paul his personal path. This breaks the principle of the New Testament. Paul would rather take the wrong way and fail to know God's will than to allow a New Testament believer become his personal prophet. He would not allow a "fellow citizen" to become his prophet, because he knew that he was in the New Testament. Brothers, we are doing the same thing here. We can only speak about the general principles of the things of God. We cannot determine the personal path of others. We can exhort the brothers to be obedient, to not love the world, and to consecrate themselves. These are principles. But if I tell a brother to do a specific thing at six o'clock the next morning, I am doing something that is not found in the New Testament. In the New Testament, we can receive exhortations from men, but we cannot receive specific instructions from men. We can accept principles from men, but we cannot accept detailed injunctions from men. Today

we have the right to enjoy the New Testament blessing of the Holy Spirit. In everything that we do, we have to ask whether the Holy Spirit has first done an inward work within us, and whether we are doing this work as a result of the constraining of the Lord's love. If a worker is unable to know God's will directly, I would advise him not to be a worker. He is not qualified to be a co-worker because he is not even a Christian in a proper sense. A New Testament Christian must be able to know God's will directly. NOT BEING PERSONAL PROPHETS There are two very precious things in the New Testament. First, we can all be priests serving God in His presence. Second, the Holy Spirit is within us and we can know God's will. If we do not have the second thing, we are only Jews and outdated believers. The most important matter in the New Testament is that the Holy Spirit lives within the believers. When some among us receive the outpouring of the Spirit, they speak in tongues, prophesy, receive revelations, or experience many similar things. If a sister claimed that she had received a prophecy or a revelation, what would you do? Suppose something happened in your home. Would you go to this sister and inquire of her? Would you charge her to inform you of any revelation that she has received? If you did this, you would not only be relinquishing your New Testament right, but you would be opening the door to the deception of evil spirits. In the Old Testament there were the sorcerers, whose work was the same in principle as the work of the prophets. The prophets conveyed to men the will of God, whereas the sorcerers conveyed to men the will of evil spirits. Both were intermediaries. In the Old Testament, if a man claimed that he did not need a sorceress, he must have been an expert himself. However, in the New Testament, no prophet should occupy an intermediary position. Every believer can communicate with God directly. In the New Testament, as long as some "sorcerers" remain, the Holy Spirit will not convey God's word to man. If some brothers have some gifts of the Holy Spirit as a result of the outpouring, and if they tell you to do this and that, they are acting as Old Testament prophets and being an intermediary for you. You should not accept their words. The outpouring of the Spirit cannot replace the inner leading of the Spirit. Otherwise, an intermediary class of people will be produced and there will be "sorcerers." THE NEW TESTAMENT WAY Paul refused to take the word of the believers in Tyre in order to maintain the absolute authority of the New Testament. His going to Jerusalem was not a

question of right or wrong. He had to go no matter what would happen to him. It mattered little to him whether the believers of Tyre were speaking from the Spirit. The important thing was that Paul had to learn to know God's will within. This does not mean that others cannot know our pathway in the New Testament age. Others can know our path, but they cannot give us the direction. We can compare what we know with what others have said, but in the eyes of the Lord, we must know God by ourselves. We must understand His will by ourselves. We must be our own prophets, because the Holy Spirit is the Prophet. At the same time, we have to refuse to be prophets to others. We cannot tell others what they should do with their family affairs, what path they should follow, what things they should do, or how they should deal with the myriads of things in their daily life. We can only teach them the general principles of the Bible. If anyone comes and asks what they should do, we can answer, "This is the biblical teaching to me, but you have the Holy Spirit within, and you must seek for God's guidance." We have to commit every brother and sister to the hands of God; we have to commit them to the Holy Spirit. If a person is not clear about God's will, it is better that he not do anything. It pleases God the most when we act according to His will. As workers we are not here to act as prophets for others, telling them what they should do. We should not be teachers to many. Our work should be for the building up, consolation, and encouragement of others. We should give others the biblical principles, but they have the Holy Spirit within them, and they can seek after God by themselves. This is the main work of the New Testament prophets. May the Lord be merciful to us and direct us to walk in the New Testament path.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE THE FOREMOST CONDITION FOR SPIRITUAL PROGRESS Date: October 14, 1936, evening Place: Amoy Scripture Reading: Luke 1:53; 11:9-10; Phil. 3:7-12 HUNGER Before we were saved, we did not seek after God. The Bible says that God seeks after man. However, we began to seek after the Lord after we were saved. God gave us Christ in order that we might have eternal life; this is a work that was completed once for all. But after a man is saved, he will be of little use in God's

hands if he is still the same after a month or a year. If a man comes to the meeting today and he is the same way that he was before, he will not be of much use to the Lord. Why do some Christians advance while others always seem to remain the same? All spiritual progress depends on man's hunger. Luke 1:53 says that God has filled the hungry with good things. The Lord also said, "Ask and it shall be given to you" (11:9). The heavenly Father gives the Spirit to those who ask. In order for a Christian to advance spiritually, he must be hungry inwardly and constantly seeking. The first condition for spiritual growth in a Christian is hunger. I have already spoken about this last year in Chuenchow, but today I will say the same thing again. God's principle is to fill the hungry with good things and to send the rich away empty. Today if you come to the Lord empty and go away empty, it means that you are already too full and too rich. Tonight many co-workers have come from faraway places. I will ask the same question that I asked when we were in Chuenchow: "What are you coming here for?" A man can experience grace by chance, but spiritual progress does not come by accident. It is not something that one picks up along the way. Salvation may come by chance, but the power of the Spirit, a holy life, the power of God, and the overcoming life are not things that are obtained by chance. God will only give these things to those who seek for them; He will only give them to the hungry ones. PAYING THE PRICE I have met many people who deal with spiritual matters the same way that they deal with their salvation. They think that all they need to do is to hear about it. Actually there is a big difference between salvation and spiritual progress. The ten virgins in Matthew 25 do not have to buy oil for their lamps, but they have to buy oil for their vessels, which are not the same as their lamps. Regeneration is free, but spiritual progress comes with a price. In Revelation the Lord told the church in Laodicea to buy white garments and eyesalve from Him (3:18). In order to buy white garments and eyesalve, there is the need to pay a price. A holy living is something that is bought with a price; it does not come to us free. A proven faith is also something that is bought with a price. If you see a Christian making progress, you know that he must have paid a price. Let me ask a question tonight: What do you want before God, and have you ever paid a price in order to attain more? We must pay a great price before we can live in Christ, receive answers to our prayer, trust God for our living, and possess spiritual insight to see what others cannot see!

What does it mean for God to fill the hungry with good things? It means that the riches are reserved for those who want them. Suppose I give this hymnal to you. You may take it even though you may not care for it. In that case, you are not very concerned for the gift. But if I give you a sum of money, your response may be different; you may take it immediately. What does it mean to be hungry? Being hungry is being empty in your stomach. If you do not have anything in your stomach, you will surely crave something. I am not afraid of people committing sins. I am not afraid of the co-workers being too weak to save souls or having too hot a temper or too difficult a disposition. What I am afraid of is self-contentment, selfsatisfaction, and satisfaction with the things of the past. When you feel that you cannot make it, or when you are faced with great difficulties, that is the time you experience great turns. That is the time you make spiritual progress. However, I have not met many who are truly hungry. Let me ask one question: Since January of this year, how many of your prayers have been answered? You may find it difficult to answer my question. If a man is truly seeking for God and praying to God, yet does not receive any answer to his prayers, there must be something wrong with this person. He must have a problem somewhere. A brother may have a terrible temper. But as long as he will deal with God, God will give him grace and work on him to the point that he can live out the Lord's life. A person may know that he has some problem, but unless he asks in a hungry way, he will not be delivered from his problem. In order to have sustained progress before the Lord, we need a sustained hunger. The degree of our hunger determines the amount that we eat. Our experience of eating tells us that we eat when we are hungry; the hungrier we are, the more we eat. The same principle applies to the spiritual realm; one does not eat when he is full. Let me ask again: What do you want today? Are you hungry? If we are hungry and seeking, God will fill our hunger.

SEEKING FOR PRECIOUS THINGS Next, you must seek after precious things. If you ask questions such as who were the sons of God in Genesis 6, who was Cain's wife, or where will man go after he dies, you are treating spiritual matters as objects of curiosity. Some people are only interested in strange things. They are not interested in how Christ becomes our life or how one can overcome sin. There is no point in asking curious questions. In the past I received many such questions. I often put these letters aside and felt sorry for those who only pay attention to these strange

things. On the one hand, we have to be very hungry for the spiritual things, and on the other hand, we have to be delivered from all curiosity. We have to seek after things that are spiritually precious. If we are as indifferent toward God as we are today, we will be useless in His eyes. A PATTERN A few months before Miss Barber died, I went to see her and spoke with her for a long time. I wondered why this sister had such profound spiritual experiences. I wanted to know the reason for this. I asked her why the Lord had been so gracious to her. She answered, "I do not know. I only know that I have always been hungry and I have always been eating. Since I was nine, I have always been hungry; I have never been content before the Lord for these many years. I might have received grace and revelation yesterday, but today I say to God, `You have more, and I want more. I want more all the time.' I am forever hungry and yet at the same time forever satisfied." Her spiritual attainment was so deep that few have even scratched the surface of it. Last year I met a sister in her thirties. She was an ordinary woman, but her experience in the Lord was not ordinary at all. Her experience was something that others do not have. She told me that once she was bitter against a person; she prayed and prayed to the Lord until the bitterness went away from her. Yet after her bitterness was gone, she realized that there is a difference between not being bitter and positively loving someone. She felt that she could not love the other person yet, and she continued to pray. We often become satisfied as soon as we receive something. But this sister said, "Lord, what You have prepared for me in Your gospel is not this small. I want everything. I want all the provisions that are there in the gospel." This kind of "covetousness" for Christ or "jealousy" as described by Paul in 2 Corinthians 11 will bring satisfaction to a person. Some people are good at preaching the gospel and saving men. The Lord answers their prayers all the time. They also have good dispositions. Others may be exactly the opposite—they see all the virtues in others, but have none of them in themselves. Yet they are not desperate enough or concerned enough. Such ones will never make any progress. Spiritual stagnation is the result of indifference to one's own spiritual lack. Many brothers and sisters know about a couple who have rendered me much help in the past. I consider this couple to be forever hungry. I have known them for a long time. They have made much progress. When I met them the year before last, they were still very unclear about many things. (I do not mean that

they were evil; I mean that they were spiritually unclear.) Today they are still asking, seeking, wanting, and searching from place to place. Some brothers and sisters have criticized them for traveling so much, saying, "If you have Christ you have everything already." It is true that when we have Christ we have everything. However, there is an experiential side of having Christ as everything. For example, we can study geography and know the names of all the cities. We can know the locations of Kuling and Tsingtao, but we must personally visit Kuling and Tsingtao before we will know what these cities are like. While it is true that we have everything in Christ, we must also seek to have these things in our experience. I often pray to be as hungry as that couple. Before God we are beggars. Lazarus was a beggar all his life until he went to Abraham's bosom. In this respect we should never change our profession. Our prayer should have the capacity of George Müller. We should be like Charles Finney in the way we save men. We should never be satisfied with what we have. The Bible says that we should open our mouth wide, and God will fill it (Psa. 81:10). We must open our mouth wide before God will fill us abundantly. Some have opened their mouths, but they are not opened wide enough. We must open our mouth wide before God will fill it. God is waiting for us to open our mouth. Whenever we seek after Him in a hungry way, He will answer us immediately. If we are hungry, the filling of the Holy Spirit will come.

GOD USING CHRISTIANS TO ATTRACT MEN TO ASPIRE AFTER HIM Many people often say that they are not hungry. They are not hungry because there is no drawing power. The Song of Songs says, "Draw me, and we will run after thee" (1:4). How does the Lord draw men today? He draws men through other men. He works through us to draw men to Himself. If you are an experienced person and have received answers to prayers, God will use you to attract others to Himself. The way to attract others is to create a desire in them to seek after what we ourselves are seeking after. Every time I have gained some spiritual experience, I have gained it because others have gained it already and I longed after it, not because I suddenly discovered something in my reading of the Word or in prayer. Others have experienced the overcoming life, and I desire the same. Others have received the outpouring of the Spirit, and I desire the same. I receive my experience of the overcoming life and the outpouring of the Spirit through others' experiences.

When others draw me, I run after the Lord. Today very few people have the power to attract others. If we, as workers of the Lord, do not have the power to attract others and if we can only give others teachings, we will not be of much use to the Lord. Men may admire us and like us, but we have to ask if they have the desire for the life that we have before the Lord. It is possible for many people to admire us today, but the question is whether or not we can draw them to God's presence. Today God renders help to men through Christians. We may hear that So-and-so in Tientsin or So-and-so in Chefoo had a certain experience, and we may desire to have the same. This will create a hunger in us, and this hunger will induce us to seek after the same experience. COUNTING ALL THINGS AS REFUSE AND PRESSING TOWARDS CHRIST What are the outward marks of a man who is seeking? We can find some characteristics of a seeker from Philippians 3. Paul said that he had given up all things and counted them as refuse for the sake of gaining Christ. He told us that he had a mark set before him, and that he was forgetting the things which were behind and pursuing towards the goal that was set before him. I like the few words: "suffered the loss," "count them as refuse," and "pursue." If we want to pursue, we have to settle many things; we have to suffer the loss of all things and count them as refuse. Refuse is trash. Have you ever emptied out your trash? My New Testament may cost very little, yet I do not want to let go of it because I treasure it very much. However, it is easy for me to let go of the trash. One is not heartbroken when he throws out his trash. On the contrary, he is glad to get rid of it as soon as possible. When we put money into the offering box, we count it carefully before dropping it into the box. We do this because we treasure the money very much. The things of this world may be nothing but old rags to us, but to a trash collector, an old rag may mean quite a bit. It is trash to us, but it may be a valuable possession to them. God tells us that the things of this world are but an old rag. However, many people consider the things of this world as their enjoyment, right, and hope. If we see Christ, we will see that the things and objects of this world are nothing but trash. I doubt how many of us truly know what sin is. You may consider many things in your daily life to be good and right. But if you know what sin is, you will realize that these seemingly good and right things are wrong. Many husbands never consider that they have wronged their wives. Many children never consider that they have wronged their parents, and many people have never thought that they

were the ones who were wrong in their family. If you carefully consider, you will realize that many of your relationships are wrong. If you are not conscientious, you will not deal with these problems. But unless you deal with these problems, they will not go away, and it will be difficult for you to make any progress. In order to gain anything spiritually, you have to pay the price. If you are willing to pay the price, seek the Lord in everything, and be conscientious to deal with the problems, you will experience a genuine revival. But if you hold back, keep many things in your hand, and do not let go of them, you will not gain the Lord and nothing much will happen to you. For example, if you have too much money in your hands, you should dispose of it. In the Old Testament, the books of the law were lost after the temple was defiled. When the books were found again, the people read them and the priests went to the temple and cleansed it. When the temple was cleansed of all its defilements (cf. 2 Kings 22:8—23:25), God's glory filled the house once more. May we be willing to deal with all the defilements and uncleanness so that we can be filled with His life. How great, how rich, and how full are the provisions that God has prepared for us in Christ! Many people only know the Lord as their Savior. They do not know how much more the Lord can be to them. We pray too little. What God can give is far more than what we can ask or think. Is there anyone here who is willing to open his mouth wide to receive the riches of the Lord today? His riches are unsearchable. "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Psa. 81:10).

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR HOW TO KNOW GOD'S WILL Date: October 15, 1936, morning Place: Amoy THE PERSON RATHER THAN TECHNIQUES God's children can and should know God's will. The knowledge of God's will has to do with the person; it has nothing to do with techniques. When the Lord draws men to Himself, He draws some through their mind, others through their emotion, and still others through their will. Generally speaking, the least likely means for the Lord to draw men is the will. Many people love the truth of the Bible. They want to know more about these truths, and they hope that others will be edified by these truths. They study the Bible a great deal and know many things about Bible exposition. When they cannot interpret a passage, they feel frustrated. When they think they can interpret a passage, they feel happy. People like these

are touching the Bible with their mind. They are not necessarily living a proper Christian life. Of course, it is difficult to live a proper Christian life without a mind. But those who only have a mental understanding of doctrines are not necessarily those who live a proper Christian life. There is another group of Christians who are not very smart. They do not know much, but they are very zealous. They laugh and cry easily. They are rich in emotion. When they touch the Bible, they are easily moved to tears or laughter. They work only when they feel a burning within. In their zeal, they preach to whomever they see and do not stop even when their voices become hoarse. Wherever they go they carry an air of excitement, but when their zeal fades away, even ten persons could not move them an inch. These people have a strong soul. They can be stirred up quickly, and they can stir up many people when their hearts are burning. They can cry with others or laugh with others, but when the tide of excitement subsides, they cannot bring anyone to the Lord. They touch others with their emotion. When they are stirred up, they think highly of themselves. But when they become cold, they will not move at all. Such Christians cannot be of much use to the Lord. Suppose a man has a clear mind before the Lord, a proper emotion, good knowledge of the Bible, and zealousness in serving others. All of these things are wonderful, but if he has never been touched by the Lord, he cannot serve God in a proper way. He needs to be touched in his will. If a man's spirit is dead before God, he is totally useless in the eyes of God. The spirit must be regenerated. Thank the Lord that our spirit today is a new spirit, a regenerated spirit. This regenerated spirit is our inner man. Every Christian has received the same life from God in his spirit; there is no difference between him and others. The same Spirit who dwells in a weak brother also dwelt in Paul. As long as we are the Lord's, the new creation in our spirit is the same as in others. God is not a respecter of persons. However, when the inner man lives out the life of the Lord, there can be a big difference in the degree of expression. This difference has much to do with man's natural constitution. The mind, emotion, and will are the original and natural faculties of man. The Holy Spirit is within him, and his regenerated spirit has become the new man, the inner man. Yet he still has an outward man, the old man, the original man outside of him. This outward man belongs to sin. The old man has been dealt with on the cross, but the life of the old creation still remains. Since the inner new man can only be expressed through the outer man, the expressions and manifestations are different in

different persons. The inner life is frustrated by the outer man. Therefore, the outer man must be dealt with. Otherwise, there will always be obstacles that obstruct a man from serving the Lord.

THE OUTER MAN BEING DEALT WITH BY GOD In order for a saved and regenerated believer to live out the Lord's life, there are two steps that he has to take. The first is believing, which is receiving the new life. The second is consecrating himself, which means committing his outer man to the Lord to allow the new life within to be expressed. This is like a property consisting of a house and a plot of land around the house. We can assume that the house is the inner man and the plot around the house is the outer man. If the house belongs to a person, but the plot of land does not, there will be trouble. Consequently, as soon as a man believes, he should consecrate himself to the Lord. Consecration is committing one's outer man to the Lord so that it will belong to the Lord in the same way that the inner man belongs to the Lord. Many believers today are neither in nor out. When you ask if they are saved, they answer yes. They are saved, but their outer man has never been dealt with. Their inner life is frustrated from being expressed. Hence, we must not just believe in the Lord, stopping at salvation and regeneration. We must also consecrate our outer man to the Lord. If a man is willing to consecrate his mind, emotion, and will to the Lord in an absolute way, he will live out the Lord's life. The problem today is that many have consecrated themselves, yet their consecration is not absolute. They consecrate according to their own preference. They consecrate only when they want to, and they do not consecrate when they do not want to. Most people live in their mind and emotion, living for the satisfaction of their flesh. Many communicate with the Lord through their mind and emotion. Few communicate with the Lord according to their will. We can find many Christians who love the doctrines in the Bible. When someone expounds Matthew 24 or Revelation well, they love to flock around and listen. It does not take much effort to listen to a message and no price is involved. After they hear a good message, they happily return home, but nothing further happens. There are others who are very strong in their emotion. They are always actively working for the Lord. Of course, they are better than the ones without emotion, but they are so unstable that they are like the waves of the ocean. They may zealously prepare a sermon. After delivering the sermon, they may secretly consider in their heart how successful they were, how the people were touched, and how the

audience was persuaded. They may be so overjoyed that they cannot sleep that night. (Most people cannot go to sleep because of pain; but these cannot go to sleep because of joy.) They gratify themselves with the activities of the flesh. Although they are serving the Lord outwardly, in reality they are gratifying themselves. They have not committed their will fully to the Lord. They must consecrate their will absolutely to the Lord and be dealt with by Him. Before they can render genuine service to the Lord, they must also allow Him to control their mind and emotion so that they will not act according to their active mind or according to the impulse of their emotion. CONDITIONS FOR KNOWING GOD'S WILL I do not like to hear people asking how to know God's will. Every one of us should already be clear about this. God's will is revealed only to those who have consecrated their will to Him. He does not force us. He is always waiting for us to become willing. It does not matter much if a person knows God's will; it is more important that a person be willing to choose God's will. We have to say to the Lord, "Not according to my will, but according to Your will." When we lay down our selves, we will know God's will. Once in a sisters' meeting in Hangchow, two sisters asked me if God's will is based upon circumstance, upon the Bible, or upon other principles. When I heard this, my heart sank, and I answered in a harsh way (although my heart was not harsh), saying, "Knowing God's will is not a matter of method. You may have the right methods, and you may act faithfully according to these methods step by step, but you will still not know God's will." As I was speaking, my eyes were fixed on the two sisters. I then asked, "What kind of persons are you? Who are you? A person's knowledge of God's will has to do with that person himself. If a person is not right, no method will work. Can God reveal His will to persons like you? You do not have to ask many questions, and you do not have to ask God for methods. God can reveal His will in many ways; He can reveal it through the wind, the thunder, a child, or a donkey. You only need to ask whether persons like you are qualified to know God's will." In Genesis 18 when God was about to destroy the city of Sodom, He came to Abraham because He could not hide this matter from him. Abraham was a friend of God (James 2:23). He was not a slave of God, because a slave does not know the mind of the master; only a friend knows the mind of a friend (John 15:15). There was no barrier between Abraham and God. This is why God could not hide what He was about to do. Lot was Abraham's relative; he might have had a great deal of spiritual knowledge, but God did not speak with Lot. He only told

Abraham. It would be a joke if Lot came to me and asked, "How can I know God's will?" Abraham was qualified to know God's will, but Lot was not qualified. It would be useless even if Lot had all the knowledge. Lot was still Lot. Who are you? Are you Abraham or are you Lot? Many people today pay attention to the method of knowing God's will. There is a need of learning the methods, but one must be an Abraham to learn the methods. If a Lot is learning them, the best methods will not work because he is a person living in the world. He has not dealt with the world and his position. Today we must apply God's light to see if there are sins in us, great or small. Have we committed any unrighteousnesses? Do we owe anyone anything? Have we been loose in our conduct or wrong in our words, gestures, and attitudes? Are we still holding on to something? All of these big and small sins affect our ability to know God's will.

THE STARTING POINT IN KNOWING GOD'S WILL— ABSOLUTE CONSECRATION On the subject of knowing God's will, Paul said that we should not be foolish, but should understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph. 5:17). There is a starting point in knowing God's will, and there is a continuation in knowing His will. If one does not have a proper start, he cannot know God's will. But even if one has a proper start, he still cannot know God's will if he does not have a proper continuation. Was there one day in your life when you consecrated yourself absolutely to the Lord? I do not mean consecrating yourself to Him to be a preacher, but consecrating yourself to Him to do His will. You do not have to be concerned for what God's will is; you only have to consecrate yourself honestly to Him to do His will. You must realize that you should have a direct relationship to God's will; this relationship should not be affected by the brothers and sisters. If the Lord wants me to go to the east, I will go to the east. I will not be affected by any person, event, or thing. However, my eyes will not be set on the east, but on God Himself. The danger of God's workers today is the danger of making their work the center. We cannot build up any intimate relationship with the work, people, or any event. We must be directly related to God and set our eyes on Him alone. The seven Spirits in Revelation are sent forth into all the earth, but they do not have anything to do with the earth. The seven Spirits are before the throne of God (1:4; 5:6) and are related to God alone. We must consecrate ourselves fully to God at least once, for the carrying out of His will. This is the starting point in

our knowledge of His will. Without this starting point, we can never understand God's will properly. THE CONTINUATION IN KNOWING GOD'S WILL— DEALING WITH ALL HINDRANCES An absolute consecration is the starting point of knowing God's will. But if you want to advance in His will, you must deal with all the hindrances. If you have any stubbornness, jealousy, pride, or petty problems of a similar nature, you will be spiritually sick and unable to know God's will. If you want to stop your ear from hearing anything, there is no need to plug it with a rod or a desk; all you need is a little finger. The same principle applies in knowing God's will—a little hindrance will stop us from knowing His will. Once I was taking a walk with Miss Barber in a garden. After some time the two of us became tired, and we sat down on some chairs under a tree. She said, "There is a bright star in the sky, but I cannot see it because a leaf has blocked the view. Brother Nee, if someone comes and tells me many ways to see the star, I still could not see it even though the ways he said were good. The reason is that my position is wrong; I am standing on the wrong ground." The words she said that night are still fresh in my mind today. She explained that a little leaf could block the light of a big star. Many times, God's will is frustrated by very small things. When you seek after God's will again and again and are still unclear, you should not change the method, but change the person. If you find that you cannot know God's will, it means that there is some blockage between you and God. It may be that God has spoken to you already, but that you are unwilling to obey Him. You have to remove these hindrances. After you have dealt with these problems thoroughly, you will know God's will. In knowing God's will, we have to pay attention to the person rather than the methods. THE WAY TO KNOW GOD'S WILL DIFFERING ACCORDING TO THE PERSON The same method may not be applicable to every person. David volunteered to fight against Goliath, and Saul gave him his armor. Yet it did not fit David. He could not walk, and he took it off (1 Sam. 17:32, 38-39). When I was in Shanghai once, I gave Brother Luk my coat. It was too small for him. He did not feel comfortable in the coat, and it did not fit him. The same coat, however, fit my body very well. We can only wear something that is made according to our size. Based on man's different conditions, God has ordained different ways for man to know Him. With some the way is difficult and with others it is easy. But God has a

way for every man to know His will. For this reason, we do not have to search for a way. All we have to do is consecrate ourselves to the Lord, deal with all the hindrances, and maintain a proper relationship with Him. GOD'S WORKER MUST KNOW HIS WILL I have offended many brothers many times. When they ask me how one can know God's will, I always answer by saying that I do not like such questions. What a blessing it would be if we could consecrate our all to the Lord for the knowledge of His will. What are we? Even though the earth, the solar system, and the universe are vast and immense, they can never be compared with the will of God! What a glorious thing that a sinner, a man of dust, can know His will! Once a man knows God's will, he becomes higher than a mere creature. This is the goal of the New Testament. Those who do not know God's will are not even qualified to be called a Christian; they are wasting His provisions. Those who do not know God's will cannot do God's work. If a servant does not know the will of his master, how can he be a servant? It is possible for an unbeliever to be ignorant of God's will, but it is inexcusable for us to be ignorant of His will. A Christian must first be a friend of Christ—one who knows His will, before he can be a slave of Christ—one who serves Him. We have to ask ourselves, "Are we a friend of the Lord? Is there any barrier between us and the Lord, and do we know His will?" Only after we have become His friends can we be His servants to work for Him.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE ON ASSUMING HEADSHIP IN THE FAMILY Date: October 15, 1936, afternoon Place: Amoy SALVATION BEING A MATTER OF THE HOUSEHOLD The family occupies a special place in the Bible. God's selection has to do with a nation, and eternal life has to do with individuals, but salvation has to do with the household. ADAM HAVING LOST HIS HEADSHIP IN THE FAMILY The first household mentioned in the Bible is Noah's household. Although Adam had children, the Bible does not mention his household, because after Adam sinned in Genesis 3, he lost his position in his family. God had appointed Adam to be the head of his family, yet he lost his headship, and the first family was damaged. The brothers are the head of their households. It is not enough to be a

husband and father; he has to be the head. In Genesis 3 Adam lost his place as a husband and a head. If there was a family there at all, it was Eve and her family, because Eve became the head there. Of course, this was not according to God's arrangement. NOAH'S HOUSEHOLD Then God mentioned Noah's household. Those in his household were not particularly better than Adam. This family consisted of one pair on top and three pairs below. The Bible does not say much about Noah's wife and the three daughters-in-law. Of his three sons, however, one was good, one was partly good, and the third was bad. The question is not whether Noah's sons were good. The question is where Noah stood. With respect to the flood, God only dealt with Noah; He did not mention his wife, sons, or daughters-in-law. Noah represented his whole family. God said that Noah was just and perfect (Gen. 6:9) because he was able to assume the headship. When he was saved, his whole household was saved. The giving of eternal life is to individuals, but the unit of salvation is the household. If a family does not have a head, God deals with individuals. But when a family has a head, God deals with the head. If you are standing in the position of a head, God only needs to deal with you. It is an interesting thing that God divides the world into families. Today man has damaged God's arrangement—the family has been damaged. What is the situation today? Families are filled with rebellion—sons rebel against the father's authority, the wife rebels against the husband's authority, and servants rebel against the master's authority. The family is broken and the oneness is gone. Once the head does not stand firm as the head, the institution of the family is destroyed. In order for a family to please the Lord, the head must stand firm in his position as the head. If a family does not have a head, God can only deal with each individual in the family. Noah's household was the first family that God dealt with as a whole. God dealt with Noah's household in a different way than other households because Noah was able to assume the headship. What his wife and daughtersin-law did was an entirely different issue. Noah was able to assume the headship; he did not break down the institution of the family. I dare not say that the other seven had not sinned, but I can say that his family was not damaged. Everyone was under the authority of the head. This is why the whole household was saved even though God only called Noah. If we do not understand this, we cannot understand the meaning of Acts 16:31, which says, "Believe on the Lord

Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household." When we read this verse, individual faith and individual salvation come to our mind. Very often we change the unit and the numbers when our theology clashes with the Word of God. We consider something to be a heresy when it is actually God's Word. However, God's Word is very clear here. God grants salvation household by household. Of course, there must be a proper head to receive this salvation. Without a proper head, there cannot be household salvation. When a proper head is absent, the institution of the family is destroyed. If the wife, children, and daughters-in-law submit to the authority of the head of the house, the house will be saved.

THE UNIT OF SALVATION BEING THE HOUSEHOLD What does Acts 16:31 mean? Suppose you are the head of your house and you have believed in the Lord. You may say that the head has believed in the Lord. But in reality, more than just yourself have believed in the Lord; you have believed in the Lord on behalf of your whole household. When you believe in the Lord, you have two standings. The first is your personal stand before the Lord; as a sinner you have believed in the Lord. The second is your stand as a representative of the entire household; you have believed in the Lord on behalf of your whole family. You can declare that your household is a household of believers and that God is the God of your house. You are serving the Lord on behalf of your whole family. Do you remember Joshua's word? He said that he and his household (not just himself) would serve Jehovah (Josh. 24:15b). We are short of these kinds of heads today. Some may ask, "Does this mean that when the head of a household has believed in the Lord, that household is saved?" Yes, it does. Although everyone in the household has not received eternal life, they have all been saved positionally. The world sees this household as a saved household. Some time thereafter, every member of the household will also receive eternal life in experience, one by one. This is what it means to put the whole family in the position of salvation. The question is whether or not a family has a proper head who is assuming the proper headship. Whether or not the children are going along is a secondary concern. As long as the children are living in the house, and as long as you are the head of the house, you have made the choice for them already when you believe in the Lord. This is because the house is yours and not theirs. You are responsible for the house; they are not responsible for it. When you take such a

stand, others will follow; they will follow you to serve the Lord. This is a wonderful thing, and we can find many examples of it. When the head becomes a proper head, the whole household receives grace and is saved. THE PASSOVER LAMB BEING ONE PER HOUSEHOLD When the Israelites prepared the Passover lamb in the Old Testament, they prepared one for each household, not one for each member of the household. The Passover lamb was for the household, not for individuals. An individual did not kill a lamb; the household killed it. The blood was struck on the doorpost and side posts of the house, and the whole household was protected. The angel of destruction passed over the whole household and spared the whole house. This shows that the unit of God's salvation is the household. This is God's Word. When the head of the household chose the lamb, the whole household had no choice but to choose the lamb as well. Here we see that the Old Testament concept is centered around the household. GOD'S JUDGMENT EXECUTED ON HOUSEHOLDS Ahab's household in the Old Testament is another example. First Kings 21:22 says, "And [I] will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin." God dealt with the house of Ahab because Ahab offended God. The house of Jeroboam provides another example. First Kings 13:34 says, "And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth." Jeroboam set up the idols. God judged his whole household and cut it off from the face of the earth. Concerning the house of David, 2 Samuel 12:10-11 says, "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house." From these few instances we see that the household is not only the unit of God's salvation, but also the unit of God's judgment. God's judgment does not come to individuals, but to a house. The standing of the head is considered to be the standing of the whole household. Hence, we see the concept of the household clearly established in the Bible. God deals with man by households. The recipient of both salvation and judgment is the household.

THE HEAD OF THE HOUSE BEARING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE Some may ask, "Does this mean that after the head of a household has believed in the Lord, his whole household will be saved regardless of what each member does?" No. The head has to bear the responsibility of every member of his household. Many have often remarked that there is no middle ground between salvation and perdition. But actually there is some middle ground. The Gentiles are in an absolute position—the position of perdition, and Christians are also in an absolute position—the position of salvation. In a Christian family, even though strictly speaking one cannot say that there is some middle ground, there do exist some neutral positions. This is because the children of Christian parents do have a closer standing than the Gentiles as far as receiving eternal life is concerned. I am not necessarily alluding to the family of pastors or those in the denominations, and I am not referring to those who are not assuming a genuine headship. I am referring to the children of those who are assuming genuine headship in the family. These children are standing on the ground of grace, and they are more apt to receive eternal life. Paul said that the children can be sanctified because of the faith of the parents (1 Cor. 7:14). Why are we saved today? We are saved because Christ has become our head. When we submit under Him, we are saved. In the same principle we must be the head to our children. The real issue is whether or not we are the head of our household. If we are the head, God will hold us responsible for our family. God has not demanded that we bear the responsibility of our brothers, but He demands that we bear the responsibility of our children. When we stand before the judgment seat, those without a family will only be judged for their own lives. Similarly, the sisters will only be judged for their own lives. But those who have a family and children will not be judged merely for their own lives, but for their household as well. Whether or not we have actually assumed the headship, God still considers us as the head of our family. This is the difference between the male and female in the family. The male bears the responsibility of his wife as well as the whole family. I know one brother in the Lord who is a real head in his family. Before his family believed in the Lord, he took the initiative to believe in the Lord. Without discussing the matter with his wife and children, he burned and removed every idolatrous thing in his house and then gathered his whole house together,

announcing, "Our whole family is going to believe in the Lord. Even if some of you do not want to believe, you are counted as having believed." What each individual in the family does is another issue. But the head of the family has the right to announce that his whole family is a believing family. The blood of the lamb was struck on the doorpost of the house, not on the doorpost of the rooms. Salvation comes to man with the household as the basic unit. In my observation, the brothers who are the proper head in their family always find their whole family saved. The only difference is in the timing; some in the family believe earlier while others believe later. But none in the family remains an unbeliever forever. It is always a household salvation; the whole family is saved eventually. All the brothers who are the head in their family should stand firm in this matter. First bring the whole family into a saved standing, and then every member will be saved one after another. At Princeton University there was a highly educated college professor who was also a good brother. He believed fully in the teaching of household salvation, and he declared to his sons that his whole family was to be a believing family. When the children were small, he gathered them together every day for family worship. Later, when the sons grew up, they left home and gave up their faith, turning to evil works. The colleagues of the professor mocked him, saying, "Your conviction is wrong." But he told his colleagues, "My sons have not become old yet. I believe that my whole family will eventually be saved." Later the father died, and the sons still were not saved. But twenty years later, the sons gradually were saved one after another. We have to believe in the Lord. If we have faith in this matter, our whole family will be saved even if it means waiting for a few years or a few decades.

NOT ALLOWING THE WIFE TO BE THE HEAD The reason I am speaking on this subject this afternoon is to show the brothers that they are the head of their household, and that God wants them to bear the responsibility of their house. We must not only be a good Christian, but must also be a good head. Those who do not have a family should first have the qualifications for being the head. Otherwise, they are not qualified to be a husband. Every father and husband must know how to deal with his own family. Once the male becomes loose in a family, the female will assume the headship. Our nation has a president and a vice-president. If the president does not do a proper job, the vice-president will have to take his place. Hence, husbands and

fathers must learn to assume the headship in the family. They cannot be too lazy or allow their wives to seize any opportunity to become the head. Every male must learn to be a strong head. They should not be cruel, heartless, or severe. But if God has charged them to be the head, they should be proper heads. It is good for husbands to love their wives. But if they love them so much that they allow them to become the head, they have gone beyond God's boundary. A question that may arise is what a husband should do when the wife does not abide in her place. The real issue is that the husband must assume the headship. If he does not assume the headship, the woman will naturally become the head. A woman becomes the head because the man has given her the ground. Is the ground in your family vacant or occupied? As long as you leave a little crack, the woman will try to assume the headship. No one is more desirous of assuming the headship than the woman. The first woman Eve tried to assume headship, and every woman born of Eve is the same as her. Mankind fell to its present condition as a result of Eve assuming the headship. Hence, a man has to stand firm on his ground and not allow the woman to assume an improper standing. DEALING WITH THE WIFE'S ASSUMING OF THE HEADSHIP Confessing the Sin of Neglecting to Be the Head What should a man do if he has given up the headship to a woman? First, before the Lord, he must know the reason that he has allowed her to become the head. He has to confess his sin of neglecting to be the head. It is a sin to instigate rebellion in a nation. It is a sin to be disobedient in the church, and it is a sin to relinquish the place of headship in the family. One must thoroughly deal with the Lord concerning such a sin and confess his sin. Finding the Reason That the Wife Assumed the Headship Second, a person has to find the area in which the woman has usurped his position. There can be many reasons for losing his headship. It can be caused by his decline in spiritual life, or his neglect of responsibility. I know of a family whose husband cannot be the head because he only knows to eat; he does not do anything. His wife supports him. As a result his wife spontaneously becomes the head. Another reason that a wife usurps the headship is because the husband cannot be trusted in his opinions. We do not allow some brothers to express their opinions in the church. But such ones think that while their opinions

are not accepted in the church, they probably can be accepted in their own family. Many people find that their opinions are unapproved and unacceptable outside their home, yet they try to impose them at home. Their wives cannot go along with their foolish opinions and naturally come up with their own ideas and assume the headship. A third reason that a wife assumes the headship is that the husband has sins which he has not confessed. Others may not know it, but the wife knows it and consequently despises the husband. If one does not have a clear confession, he cannot be the head in a clear way. There are specific reasons that a person cannot assume headship. It may be a difficult thing for a person to find the reason, but there is no alternative other than finding it and dealing with it thoroughly before the Lord. Only then will such a person be able to assume headship once again.

Being Firm in Attitude, Acting in Wisdom, and Earning Respect from the Wife Third, a person must pray much and ask God to give him strength. Paul told the Corinthians that women should not speak in the meetings, and that they should ask their husbands at home if they wanted to learn anything (1 Cor. 14:34-35). The husband refers to those who can assume headship. If your wife asks you something at home, are you able to answer her? Today many sisters are better than their husbands. If Paul were to write again today, I am afraid that he may have to tell the husbands to go home to ask their wives! If you are not proper before the Lord, you will not be able to act as a head in a proper way. One cannot force his way to be a head; one is a head spontaneously. You have to reclaim your lost position. You cannot say that you are not smart and therefore cannot be the head. You may not be as smart as your wife, but do you believe in James's promise? James said, "But if any one of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and does not reproach, and it will be given to him" (1:5). I fully believe that you will receive, but you have to ask of God. It is useless to put on an air of authority at home. You have to be firm in your attitude, meek in spirit, and act in wisdom so that you can earn your wife's respect. It hurts me to see many brothers losing their headship without knowing why they lost it. If you seek the Lord, you will find one interesting thing—there is a reason for every case of a loss of headship. After you have confessed your sins thoroughly and found the reasons for your failure, you should pray to recover your headship. Then you should call a family conference (of course, you have to

pray about it properly ahead of time) and confess to your wife saying, "During the past years, I have let you take over the headship. Please forgive my sin. From this point forward, I will no longer allow you to be the head." Then read what the Bible says about the matter of headship to her. Some women may not be able to take this; they may start arguing with their husbands. They may cry, refuse to eat, or smash objects around the house. They may lose their temper, but you cannot lose your temper. You cannot assume the headship with your temper. A head must be firm in attitude and meek in spirit. Your wife may cry or shout, but you should continue to smile at her. You have to deal with her with gentleness, but you have to apply the Lord's strength. You must not let this matter go. If she becomes agitated, you have to remain patient. No matter what she does, you cannot fight with her. Yet you must be firm in your attitude. As long as something should be done a certain way, insist that it be done in that way and never waver. Firmness is an expression of strength. Firmly Asserting One's Headship Unbelievers dominate their wives with their temper, arguments, or even threats. You do not need to do this, nor should you do this. Your wife may fight in many ways, but you have to exercise your strength to stand firm on your ground. She can scold you, but you have to continue to smile. At the same time, you cannot let your headship slip away through a moment of carelessness. You must never act according to your emotion. If your headship slips away through a moment of frivolity, it will be hard for you to regain it later. Every husband has to learn this lesson. Remember that you will not only be judged for your personal life, work, and sins at the judgment seat; you will also be judged for your wife and family. Therefore, you should never be loose and always bear in mind the judgment on that day. It is easy to allow the woman to be the head, and you may even suffer less vexation this way. But you will lose many blessings from the Lord. We have to carefully deal with the matter of the wife assuming the headship.

DEALING WITH CHILDREN Choosing God for the Children, and Not Provoking Them to Anger In a family, in addition to the wife, there is another group of people who are hard to deal with—the children. How should we deal with our children? First we have to choose God for them. Freedom of religion can be practiced only after they

have moved away from home. As long as they are at home, we have to choose their faith for them. We have to be firm in our attitude on the one hand and gentle on the other hand. The mistake that fathers often make toward their children is provoking them to anger. Ephesians 6:4 says that the fathers should not provoke their children to anger. As the head we have the authority, but we must not provoke our children to anger. Except for Colossians 3, this is the only place in the Bible that teaches how to be a father. It is easy to be a father foolishly, but exercising authority and firmly dealing with children is not that easy; the children can easily rebel. This is why we must learn. Being a Pattern, Nurturing Up the Children Ephesians 6:4 also mentions nurturing. This means bringing up someone. Suppose I asked Brother Wu to bring a letter to someone. This is different from sending a letter to someone. Bringing a letter is having a person go with a letter, whereas sending a letter is having the letter go without the person. Suppose you bring your son to Amoy. You are going together with your son. This is different from sending your son to Amoy. The Bible says that we should "bring up" our children with the Lord's Word. This means that the fathers have to take the lead in the teachings and the Word of God. Many fathers do not bring up their children; they hope that their children will not do certain things, yet they do the same things themselves. This is sending up; this is not bringing up. Asking your children to follow your teachings while not practicing them yourself will not work. You have to bring them up until they are grown up. You have to be their pattern. Whatever you want them to be, you must first be yourself. This is the way to deal with children. THE WAY TO DEAL WITH SLAVES Ephesians 6:5 goes on to deal with the question of the slaves. It says, "Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ." Whether or not a person is a believer, he is either a servant or a master. If you have an unbeliever as your master, you must obey him. If you have a brother as your master, you have a double responsibility towards him. On the one hand, you have to serve your Lord. On the other hand, you have to serve your brother who is your master. Many families find it difficult to hire brothers and sisters as servants. I would think that saints would do a better job than outsiders, but many brothers today would not hire believers to work for them. This is a shame. Those who are servants should serve their masters well. If I had to travel and needed a tent, I would

surely have bought it from Paul in Corinth. I would surely want his signature to be on the tent that I bought. If Paul could not make better tents than others, I would not read his epistles. His needlework had to be good and his craftsmanship excellent. This is the way the servants have to be; they must do a better job than those in the world could do. At the same time, masters must know how to be masters. They must be loving, gentle, and humble towards their servants, and they must honor them. They must be firm in their attitude. If the servants do something wrong, they must ask them to do it over again. If they let them get by one time, the servants will not do a good job the next time. Whether you are a master or a servant, you have to be one "from the soul," knowing that each one will receive back what he has done, whether he is a slave or a free man, and also knowing that both their Master and yours is in the heavens; there is no respect of persons with Him (vv. 8-9).

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX FOOT-WASHING (2) Date: October 15, 1936, evening Place: Amoy Scripture Reading: John 13:1-17 FOOT-WASHING BEING A NECESSITY In the Bible, foot-washing does not just refer to humility or to the washing away of our ordinary sins. It mainly refers to maintaining a fresh relationship between us and the Lord. There should be no barrier between us and the Lord. We cannot always practice the prayer of Matthew 6, shutting ourselves in our private room and praying with our doors shut. We need to go out and contact the things and people of this world. Therefore, it is inevitable that we will defile our feet. Our feet are defiled through our contact with the world, and this defilement becomes a barrier between us and God. This is why foot-washing is necessary. Footwashing has nothing to do with our conscience. The conscience is related to sin, and when there is sin, there is the need of the washing of the blood. Footwashing has to do with our spiritual vitality; it is for rekindling our spiritual vitality. Believers do not sin all the time. Yet every believer has times when he or she is spiritually enervated. This is why we all need footwashing for the recovery of our spiritual energy.

TAKING OFF THE SHOES SIGNIFYING ONE'S CONTACT WITH GOD'S HOLINESS In order to wash our feet, we must take off our shoes. In the Bible removing the shoes signifies one's contact with God's holiness. On Mount Horeb, Moses wanted to see the vision of the burning bush, but God said to him, "Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Exo. 3:5). Why did God ask Moses to take off his shoes? It was because he could not touch God's holiness directly unless he took off his shoes. Hence, removing the shoes signifies one's contact with God's holiness. There are two things that separate us from God. The first is sin, which is taken care of by the Lord's blood in washing us of our sins. The second are the things of this world, which are taken care of by the foot-washing. Today many people do not know how precious it is to have the Lord's presence all the time. These people must have the blood-washing in their conscience before they are qualified to speak about the foot-washing. My word tonight is for those whose conscience have been washed. Many times our conscience has been cleared, yet we still feel a separation between us and God. At such times there is the need of footwashing. Foot-washing sustains an intimate fellowship between us and the Lord. The Lord loves us, and He loves us to the uttermost. He gave Himself and shed His precious blood to redeem us from sin. But this is not all. His great love also constrains Him to wash our feet so that there will be no barrier between us and Him, and we can continually draw nigh to such a holy God and enjoy His fellowship. THE DEFILEMENT OF THE FEET SIGNIFYING SEPARATION FROM GOD AS A RESULT OF CONTACT WITH THE WORLD I have observed that many brothers have similar experiences. In the morning they draw near to God and enjoy a sweet fellowship with Him. Heaven is so near to them that they can almost touch it. However, they lose this inner taste by the time they go to work, especially in the afternoon. Even though they are able to repeat the same intimate words of fellowship which they uttered in the morning to the Lord, the taste is gone. Those who have been through this experience know the pain that it brings. Those who have never been through this experience do not know what we are talking about. If one sins, there are ways to deal with it. But if one falls into this condition, it is very difficult to deal with it. The defilement of the feet is not a sin. The Lord never said that our feet cannot be defiled. He

only said that those who have bathed have no need except to wash their feet, but are wholly clean (John 13:10). For a Christian to sin is abnormal, but for him to have feet that are defiled is normal. No one can avoid having his feet defiled. The barrier that comes from defiled feet is not a matter of sin, but the result of our normal contact with this world. In order to remove such a barrier, there is the need of foot-washing.

"WHAT I AM DOING YOU DO NOT KNOW NOW, BUT YOU WILL KNOW AFTER THESE THINGS" The Lord was determined to wash the disciples' feet because He wanted the disciples to be in His presence all the time. Peter was not without shortcomings, but he also had his good side. He would not do what he did not know. He asked questions whenever he did not understand. When it was Peter's turn, he refused to be washed and asked the Lord, "Do You wash my feet?" The Lord answered, "What I am doing you do not know now, but you will know after these things" (vv. 6-7). This is a helpful word for us. Today there are many things which we do not understand, but we still have to do them. Later, we may understand. We should not just do things that we understand and ignore the things that we do not understand. We must be humble, pliable, and willing to accept the Lord's work on us. It is a blessing to allow the Lord to work on us without understanding what it means. Peter said that the Lord should by no means wash his feet. Whether or not he understood what the Lord was doing, he thought in his heart that he could never allow the Lord to wash his feet. John purposely recorded the incident of foot-washing to show its spiritual significance. We can learn many precious lessons from this. Many times, we are like Peter. We do not allow the Lord to do anything that we do not understand. If we are willing to obey and to allow the Lord to work on us even when we do not fully understand, we will eventually understand what He is doing. We should be humble and pliable. We should not argue like Peter, saying, "You shall by no means wash my feet." "UNLESS I WASH YOU, YOU HAVE NO PART WITH ME" After Peter said this, the Lord said, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me" (v. 8). The Lord said "Unless I wash you"; He did not say, "Unless I wash your feet." Everyone who has a part with the Lord has been washed in His blood. Of course, the washing in this verse also includes the washing of the feet, because it was the Lord's answer to Peter's question. This word of the Lord means two things: on the one hand, it means that those who have not been

washed by His blood have no part with Him. On the other hand, it means that those whose feet have not been washed by Him cannot maintain a fellowship with Him. When a light bulb does not shine, it can either mean that something is wrong with the bulb or something is wrong with the light switch. One must first examine the bulb to see if it has burned out. If there is nothing wrong with the bulb, he must examine the switch. He may find that grease and dirt have gathered around the metal connectors and have prevented electricity from passing through which, in turn, causes the bulb to not shine. This is a picture of our relationship with the Lord. We think that if we are separated from the Lord, it means that we have committed some gross sins. Actually, a little separation is enough to separate us from God. Do we have a part in the Lord today? I am not asking if we are saved; I am asking if we have maintained our fellowship with the Lord. We might have said to the Lord in the past that Christ is ours. But can we say the same thing today? For example, last year we had a glorious time praying, praising, and thanking the Lord at the Lord's table in Chuenchow. But last week at the Lord's table meeting, was our prayer, praise, and thanksgiving as glorious as before? I believe many people would say that the taste was gone. If we cannot maintain a constant, fresh fellowship with the Lord, it proves that we need the foot-washing. Foot-washing is not for outward appearance, morality, or godliness; it is for maintaining the sweetness and freshness of our fellowship with God. "HE WHO IS BATHED HAS NO NEED EXCEPT TO WASH HIS FEET, BUT IS WHOLLY CLEAN" When Peter heard the Lord's declaration that he would have no part with Him unless he was washed, he changed his tone, saying, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head" (v. 9). Peter's refusal and his consent were both marks of a novice. He agreed to be washed, but he wanted not only his feet to be washed, but also his head and hands. However, the Lord had washed his head and hands already. There is no need to wash the head and hands again; once is enough. The feet, however, are different. They touch the earth every day. They are in contact with the earth and are defiled by the world every day. The Lord could not grant Peter's request. Hallelujah! Crucifixion is once for all. The shedding of the blood is once for all. Many people want to be saved once more. Like those in Hebrews 6, they want to renew their repentance, but this is crucifying the Son of God afresh.

Many times I have considered the matter of salvation. A few months ago, a preacher came and spoke with me. He asked, "Is salvation once for all or does it come to us many times?" I asked, "Have you received the grace of God?" He said, "Yes." I then asked, "Is the grace of God free or does it come with a price?" He answered, "It is free." Then I asked him to remember two things. First, something that is free does not require a price. It does not require a price now and does not require a price later. Once a price is involved, it becomes a loan. Today grace is free, but if grace asks for a price tomorrow, it is a loan and no longer free. Second, grace is given as a gift. The Jews think that they must have good works before they can be saved. This is like a cash transaction. But for Christians, we first receive grace and then have good works. Our salvation and forgiveness are free grace; they have nothing to do with our works. Once we are saved, we are saved forever. Once the Lord washes away our sins, we are washed forever. If we want the Lord to wash our sins a second time like Peter, He will not do it. There is only one baptism. In typology this means that there is only one washing of our sins. But foot-washing goes on continuously. Our feet walk in the wilderness of this world daily, and it is inevitable for our feet to be defiled. Footwashing allows us to have a sustained joy of salvation. Do we want to be as joyful as the day that we were saved? Many people think that this is impossible. However, the Lord wants us to have such a joy. This is why He washed the disciples' feet. Foot-washing returns to us the joy of the bath. The joy of the bath can be lost through the defilement of the feet. Only foot-washing can recover for us this joy of the bath.

"YOU ALSO OUGHT TO WASH ONE ANOTHER'S FEET" In verse 14 the Lord said, "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." The Lord washed the disciples' feet. Today He wants us to do the same thing. The washing of sins by the blood is God's work, whereas the washing of feet by the water is man's work. God has not charged us to wash the whole body; He only charges us to wash the feet. We cannot give others a bath, because we cannot redeem them from their sins; we cannot save anyone or cause anyone to perish. The work of salvation is God's work alone. Our only responsibility is to preach the gospel. At the same time, the Lord wants to wash man's feet today. This washing is an indirect washing. He washes us through the brothers and sisters. With what does He apply the

washing? We have mentioned previously that the Lord washed by pouring water into the basin. What does water signify? When the Lord died, blood and water flowed out of His side. The blood signifies the redemptive aspect of His death, whereas the water signifies the non-redemptive aspect of His death. The blood washes away our sins, whereas the water becomes the source of our new life. In the Bible water sometimes denotes death and sometimes denotes life in the Holy Spirit. This life is the new life that we received at the time of our salvation. This life comes out of death. The water in the basin signifies that the life is in the Holy Spirit. When we sin, we need to go to the Lord for our washing. But when our feet are defiled, we need to go to the brothers for our washing. The Lord said, "You also ought to wash one another's feet." This shows that the foot-washing is carried out by the brothers and sisters, that is, by the church. No one can say that he does not need his feet washed. "One another" includes all the believers in Christ. Not only you and I need the washing, Paul and John needed the washing also. Every believer, as long as he lives on this earth, will find his feet defiled. It is different in the case of sin. Many believers can completely overcome sin. But no one in this world can avoid having his feet defiled. HOW TO WASH ONE ANOTHER'S FEET How can we wash one another's feet? Suppose you have completed your day's work and feel tired. You cannot utter any praises from your mouth. In the evening when you come to the meeting, someone asks you to pray. Halfway through your prayer, you cannot go on, and you stop. You feel as if your prayer is nothing more than a composition. However, perhaps one brother in the meeting has a fresh spirit, and his prayer refreshes your spirit. Your spiritual energy is renewed. This is washing one another's feet. Many times when we come to the meeting, we find the saints' spirit weak and downtrodden. We pray and read the Word, but nothing seems to work. The reason for this is that everyone's feet are defiled, and there is no basin to wash the feet. It is as if something is quenching our spirits. If someone would stand up at this point and wash everyone's feet by offering a prayer or saying a few words, the whole meeting will be refreshed. Without the basin and without the foot-washing, everyone's spirit is bound. The same is true in our family life. A brother or sister may unexpectedly drop by your home and fellowship a short while or give a testimony, and everyone in the family is brought into the presence of God. Before that time there was a separation between them and God, but after such a simple conversation, all the separation

is gone. This is washing one another's feet. Those who do this are precious in the Lord's eyes. We should have an ambition before the Lord to wash others' feet. In order to wash others' feet, we must have the water, that is, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit and be in constant fellowship with the Lord. For this cause we must live in the Holy Spirit daily. Only then will we have the living water to wash others' feet. Every time we come to the meeting, we must have the living water to wash others' feet. We should never try to wash others' feet without water; that will only defile their feet even more. Those who cannot wash others' feet may still fellowship and communicate with God, but their spirits are definitely cold. Today the Lord does not wash anyone's feet directly. Instead, He charges us to wash one another's feet. We must all learn to be those who can wash one another's feet. "IF YOU KNOW THESE THINGS, BLESSED ARE YOU IF YOU DO THEM" In verse 15 the Lord said, "For I have given you an example so that you also may do even as I have done to you." The words "even as" mean to do exactly the same thing. Whatever the Lord did, we should do in exactly the same way. If we do this we will be blessed. Foot-washing is not only a thing in the spirit, but also an actual, outward practice. When the Lord washed the disciples' feet, He used a basin. We also must have our basin. If the Lord washed in a literal way, we should also wash in a literal way. The Lord was not merely performing a sign. He was actually washing with water. Since He washed literally, we should do the same; otherwise, we cannot express the spiritual reality behind it. When we are baptized, not only do we remember the spiritual significance, we also go into the water literally. The outward practice helps us to remember the inward, spiritual significance. Hence, on the one hand, we need to remember the inward, spiritual significance, and on the other hand, we need the outward practice. Foot-washing is a practice carried out in the family, not in the church. For example, 1 Timothy 5:10 mentions the widow receiving hospitality and washing the saints' feet. This, of course, was conducted in the home. We have to follow the Lord's example. We have to wash the feet of the saints physically with water and a basin on the one hand, and wash their feet spiritually for their renewal on the other hand. There is one further point. We should note the time the Lord washed the disciples' feet. He washed their feet before the Feast of the Passover. We know that the Passover signifies our bread-breaking meeting. Why are we not fresh in

our table meeting? It is because we have not washed our feet before coming to the Passover feast. If some can bring freshness to a bread-breaking meeting, they are remembering the Lord in a real way. What is the result of such footwashing? "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." The Lord blesses the foot-washing. This is something that is acceptable to the Lord and well pleasing to Him. If we do this, we will be blessed. May we all do what the Lord has done.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN KNOWING CHRIST AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION Date: October 16, 1936, afternoon Place: Amoy Scripture Reading: Acts 1:8; Phil. 3:10 KNOWING THE POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION FOR THE PURPOSE OF TESTIFYING FOR HIM The extent of the testimony we bear depends on the extent of our knowledge of Christ. No one can testify for the Lord without knowing Him. The extent of our knowledge of Christ determines the magnitude of the testimony we bear. Knowing Christ is knowing the power of His resurrection. When we know the power of His resurrection, we know Him. The knowledge of the power of His resurrection constitutes a major portion of our knowledge of Him. The power of the Holy Spirit is based upon resurrection. Without resurrection there cannot be the power of the Holy Spirit. We must know the power of Christ's resurrection before we can know Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit is for testifying for Christ, and the essence of our testimony is our knowledge of Him. The basis of our knowledge of Christ is the knowledge of the power of His resurrection. The essence of the power of the Holy Spirit is also the knowledge of the power of His resurrection. Only those who have received the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of resurrection can testify for the Lord. Those who do not know the power of resurrection are not qualified to bear His testimony. This morning I want to ask an important question: Who among us is qualified to be a worker of Christ? Who is qualified to bear His testimony? The question is whether or not we know Christ and whether or not we know the power of His resurrection. It is easy to have the power of the Spirit, but having the power of the Spirit is not the goal. As long as we know the power of Christ's resurrection, the

filling of the power of the Spirit will come spontaneously. The filling of the power of the Spirit is the result of knowing the power of Christ's resurrection. One should not consider the filling of the power of the Spirit to be the goal. Although it is good to be filled with the power of the Spirit, this is not our goal. When we know Christ, we will have a testimony and spontaneously have the power to testify. Once we know Christ and the power of His resurrection, our testimony for Him will become spontaneous. THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT BEING BASED ON THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION A testimony is not a doctrine; we cannot come up with a testimony from our mind. A testimony is also not a theology; it is not a biblical exposition of the gospel. We can only testify of the Christ whom we know. We cannot testify of Christ beyond what we know of Him. The measure of the Christ we know is the amount of the declaration we make before men and before God. It is impossible to have the power of witnessing in Acts 1:8 without the knowledge of Philippians 3:10. This can never happen. One must have the experience of Philippians 3:10 before he can have the power of Acts 1:8. Once we know Christ and the power of His resurrection, we will spontaneously testify for Christ and spontaneously have the power of the Holy Spirit. This may happen within a second. There is no need for us to exert any effort. In the twinkling of an eye, we will receive all these things. All these things are based on our knowledge of the power of resurrection.

THE QUALIFICATION OF THE LORD'S WORKER— THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST In southern Fukien, a few young brothers wanted to give up their jobs to work for the Lord. I asked them what they would say to others when they went out, what kind of Christ they would present to others, and what and how much Christ had done for them. I asked them to tell me how much knowledge they had of Christ and what kind of knowledge it was. We may only know a few things about Christ. We may only know that Christ is the Savior. If this is all we know, we could say nothing more than this. If this is what we are, we are not qualified to work for the Lord. We should never think that we can teach others just because we have a smart mind. Men lack life; they do not lack knowledge. Men lack the Holy Spirit; they do not lack words of wisdom and persuasion. Men lack life and the Spirit.

Only those who genuinely know Christ can enliven others, and only they can impart spirit and life to others. Today we may wonder who is qualified to be the Lord's worker, and what are the conditions for being one. Very often men think that as long as a person can speak well, can expound the Bible well, and has a clear mind, he can be a worker of the Lord. We think that these are the ones who can save others and be God's workers. However, a real worker of the Lord does not rest his qualifications on eloquence or knowledge of Bible exposition but on his history and experience before the Lord and his knowledge of the Lord. We should not assume that as long as a man can preach and lead others to repentance he is qualified to work for the Lord. The question is how much Christ we know. After we share what we have, how much do we have left? We claim that we know Christ, but when the Christ we know is preached, how much of Him do we still have within us? I am afraid that when many speak about what they know of Christ, nothing more is left within them. They have no Christ other than what they have released from the pulpit. This is a shallow life; this is not the testimony of one who knows Christ. No doubt we know that Christ is the Savior. But other than that, what else do we know? If we have been working for the Lord for a long time and can only say one or two things about Him, we are not of much use. The knowledge of Christ as Savior is the minimum requirement of every Christian; it is not a special experience. We must advance farther and acquire experience that others have not acquired before we can lead others on. If we do not have a deep knowledge of the Lord, what use will all the Bible expositions serve? One brother came to Shanghai and wanted to work for the Lord, but I sent him home. He said to me once, "You have asked Brothers So-and-so (he mentioned three names) to preach. Please give me an opportunity to preach. If the three of them can do it, why can't I do it? You can listen to me. I can speak just as well as they did." I said, "You are smarter than the three of them, and you preach well. You are familiar with the Bible, and others like to listen to you. But you lack one thing which they have—they know a Christ whom you do not know. They have much experience, but you only have your experience of salvation." Please remember that eloquence, the ability to preach, scriptural knowledge, and skill in Bible exposition alone is not enough to make a person a worker of the Lord. A worker of the Lord must have his foundation based on the knowledge of Christ. You may be able to speak much, but such speaking is not a testimony for Christ.

A testimony for Christ is that which speaks to others the Christ whom you have known and experienced. I know of a pastor in this area who preaches to others but has not experienced regeneration. He can speak to others about the doctrine of regeneration. He studied in a seminary and received much education in Bible teachings. He can tell others how a sinner can be saved, but he only wants theology; he does not want Christ. Many churches invite him to preach, and he can deliver many good sermons. But let me ask: If he were speaking on the podium now and you were listening to him, what would you feel? You may wish that he would be saved first. His message may be good, but he cannot say that Christ is his Savior. Such a person is useless in the hands of God. I cannot say that we are free from such danger among us. It is vain to merely preach the teaching of the cross. We have to realize that knowing the cross of Christ is knowing Christ. What man needs is not the doctrine of salvation, but salvation. What he needs is not the teaching of overcoming, but the overcoming life. What he needs is not the teaching about meekness, but meekness. What he needs is not the teaching of Christ's resurrection and ascension, but the power of His resurrection and ascension. A man can preach about the filling of the Holy Spirit, self-discipline, and self-denial, but what is the real purpose of these teachings? Some people can only preach a doctrine, while others have the experience of what they are preaching. One is a theologian in a Christian institution, while the other is a witness of Christ. If you can only deliver sermons, but cannot testify of Christ, you will not be of much use. Suppose a brother or sister from the countryside comes into our midst today. He may not have much knowledge and may not be that clear in his logic; he may only know how to trust in the Lord and experience Him as his victory. In talking to him, we may have to help him in the doctrine or prophetic interpretation of the verses he quotes. We may tell him about the doctrine of dispensationalism, the meaning of different words according to the original language, or the meaning of grace, the law, and the kingdom. But apart from all this knowledge, what experience do we have? What testimonies can we give? Can we give such a good brother further instructions? We may tell him that when he prays he has to pray in the name of the Lord. We may tell him that he needs faith, or that he needs to confess his sins, but God may already have been answering his prayers five or ten times a day. We may know the teaching concerning prayer, but he may have more experience of prayer in a day than we have in a year. We think

that we are qualified to be a worker and that he is not. We think that we can do this and that and he cannot, because we are qualified in so many things. However, his spiritual insight before the Lord may be much deeper than ours. We know the teachings about Christ, but he knows the living Christ. The basis of our testimony for Christ is our knowledge of Christ Himself. Without a knowledge of Christ, we cannot be a witness of Christ. This does not mean that biblical teachings, ideas, and eloquence are bad and unnecessary. They are good and helpful. Nevertheless, our indispensable need is the knowledge of Christ; this is our goal. It does not matter much if we cannot speak that clearly about the blood. What is important is the experience of the blood cleansing our conscience. It does not matter much if we cannot speak about the teaching of the cross. What is important is the experience of the cross. We are witnesses of Christ; we are not teachers of doctrines about Christ.

A HISTORY OF KNOWING CHRIST Those who know Christ surely have a history of the knowledge of Christ. If you do not have a history of the knowledge of Christ, you cannot say that you know Christ. If you have to teach others about bearing the cross, can you relate to others the reality of bearing the cross? If you have to speak to others about the power of resurrection, do you have the experience of the power of resurrection? You can tell others about humility, but do you have the humility that is different from your natural disposition and that comes from the power of resurrection? When you speak to others about patience, do you have the experience? Were you an impatient person who experienced the power of resurrection changing you and making you patient? You may be able to speak about the doctrine of resurrection and ascension, but do you have a testimony that you are transcendent and untouched by the things of the earth? If you do not have such a testimony, you cannot preach such a truth. If you do not know Christ, you are not qualified to be a witness of Christ. Friends, I am not mocking you; I am pleading with you. If your experience of Christ is not deep enough, you are not qualified to be a worker of the Lord. When I was in Shanghai, many brothers came from various localities to learn some lessons. Many of them think that they can be preachers after they return home. They think that they have learned about the way to meet. They think that they know all about the breaking of bread, baptism, and the laying on of hands. They think that they are ready to return once they have learned these things and

are able to speak about them. They think that all they need is a little knowledge about the Bible and the ability to speak about it. You must realize that there is not such a thing. You may know all the teachings, but can you speak to others about the things that have gone on between you and Christ? Can you speak about your experience of Christ? You have to see that only the Christ you have experienced will supply and render help to others. Three hundred years ago, there was a famous theologian called Bengal who had a few students. At that time, theologians were different from those of today; they took only a few students. One student studied the book of Romans under Bengal. He was told to study nothing but Romans for a period of time. One day the student came to him as he was reading a book and said, "I have discovered the doctrine of sin in the book of Romans." When Bengal heard this, he jumped up in surprise, and said, "You have discovered only the doctrine of sin in the book of Romans. Have you not discovered sin within yourself and in your daily life?" If we do not find sin in ourselves, and if all that we know is the doctrine of sin in the book of Romans, and then tell others to hate sin, deal with sin, and not live by the flesh, what good will this do? If we have never been freed from the power of sin, how can we free others? We are after something concrete, not a doctrine. Let me tell you a secret: If you listen to a man's preaching and find nothing behind his words, you can ignore his preaching. Every time we stand up to speak, we should dispense something concrete and real to others; we cannot merely give others some doctrines. The only things that will work are the real things that are behind the doctrines. Doctrines alone amount to nothing. DEATH AND RESURRECTION Paul said in Philippians 3 that we have to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. Why did Paul not say the power of the cross? Why did he only say the power of resurrection? This is because the cross is a negative death, a termination and an end. However, resurrection is something positive; it is a life that is raised from death, a regaining after a termination. Resurrection is something that has come out of death; it is something beyond the natural realm. It is what is perfected through death. Has your eloquence passed through death? Death will not make your mouth lose its ability to function, but it will terminate the activity of your mouth, and in resurrection you will regain this activity. Have your thoughts passed through the terminating death and returned to you from God in resurrection? Is your work in the realm of ordinary living, or is it in the realm of

resurrection? The realm of ordinary living is the natural realm, whereas the realm of resurrection is what is perfected through death. The realm of ordinary living is what we have inherited from our parents, whereas the realm of resurrection is what we receive from God. What is resurrection? It is that which has passed through death and which has come out of death. Resurrection is that which has been perfected by death and is reinstated. For example, you may have wisdom, eloquence, and natural attraction. You have to say to the Lord, "I will not employ these things. I will not claim these things for my own glory. I am willing to go through death and resurrection and to give these things up in death so that I can claim them back from God's hand." The experience of resurrection is letting go of everything that is natural through death, not trusting in them any longer, and not glorying in them. It is as if you are dead—your hands are dead, your eloquence is dead, and your natural attraction is dead. Everything that you have is gone, and you cannot do anything anymore. After some time, perhaps three days, three months, or three years (no one knows how long it will be), God comes in again, and your eloquence is returned to you, your wisdom is returned to you, and your attraction comes back. However, even though you have regained these things, they have changed. Your natural goodness and everything you naturally have are no longer yours; a cross now separates you from these things. You dare not use these things any longer, leaving them instead to the Lord to be employed according to His pleasure. These things are no longer your own; instead, you recognize them as God's. This kind of loss through death and gaining in return is what resurrection is all about. Luke 15 says, "Because this son of mine was dead and lives again; he was lost and has been found" (v. 24). Resurrection is being lost and found again. How much of yourself has been lost? I know many people who desire to work for the Lord. I would ask them a most honest question: "Are you lost? Have you lost what you think the Lord can use?" We have to know that natural goodness can never come into the Lord's service. We have to lose these things in death. It is a blessing to lose in death, for then you will begin to know resurrection. In our daily life, whenever we die and live again, we have another experience of death and resurrection. The experience of death and resurrection is a cycle; it puts everything in Adam, both good and bad, through death, and gives it back to us in Christ. The process of death and regaining puts us on the ground of resurrection, and qualifies us to express the power of the Spirit. I like the story of

Matthias. Many people think that the story of Matthias was nothing more than a process of making up the number of the apostles. Actually there is more to it. Acts 1 records that Judas lost his allotted portion among the apostles and had gone to his own place. The disciples had to choose from among the men who accompanied them during the time that the Lord Jesus went in and went out among them, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which the Lord was taken up from them. They had to choose one of these to be a witness of His resurrection with them (vv. 16-22). This means that one had to be chosen from among those who had been with the Lord from the time of John's preaching of repentance and the Lord's baptism, that is, the beginning of the Lord's work, to the time of His death and resurrection. The one who was chosen had to be a witness and wait together with them in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Spirit. The apostles who waited in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Spirit did not go out to work right away. They remained in Jerusalem. They were able to remain in Jerusalem because there was a history and background between them and the Lord already. Only those who have had such a history and background can receive the power of the Holy Spirit to be a witness of the resurrection of Christ. The only kind of people who can be witnesses for Christ are those who know Him and know the power of His resurrection. Please remember that everyone who desires to be a witness for Christ must know what it means to lose in death and regain in resurrection. Only those who have a history with Christ, who have experienced His death and resurrection, and who know the power of His resurrection are qualified to be a witness for the Lord. May the Lord be merciful to us.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT TALKS (1) Date: October 16, 1936, afternoon Place: Amoy PERSONAL LIGHT AND CORPORATE LIGHT God's light for men has two aspects. The first is the personal aspect and the second is the corporate aspect. In the Old Testament, the light in the temple was not a common kind of light. It was the light of the lampstand, which was not supposed to go out at any time. The light of the lampstand typifies Christ Himself. In the Old Testament all personal light was temporary in nature; it passed away

after a while. But the light in the temple was shining all the time. Our meeting today is the temple, and in this temple there is the need for permanent light. The Bible is full of allusions to the temple as a type of the meeting of the saints. Ephesians 2 says that the church is the dwelling place of God in spirit. First Corinthians 3 says that we are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Every time the saints gather together there is a spiritual house, and everyone is a stone built up as a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5). Today when the saints are gathered together, they become the temple. Therefore, when we come together, we should expect a light that we would not ordinarily receive. It is hard for an individual to see any light. But when he comes together with others and they become a temple, the light comes. The church today is like the temple; it is the place where God shines His light in an intensified way. THE LORD PERSONALLY APPEARING TO PAUL Question: Why did God personally appear to Paul in Acts 9? Answer: Pentecost did not fully consummate until Acts 10. Prior to chapter ten, Pentecost had come to the Jews, but it had not come to the house of Cornelius. Paul had the Damascus experience because the church had not fully come into existence yet. Before the church fully came into existence, Paul could not have accepted anything unless it was through God's direct appearing. God saved him, but He could not use him as an individual. Paul had contacted many church members and had persecuted them by putting those who called on the Lord in every place in chains. This is why God had to shine His light on him. Today God uses ordinary means, not supernatural means, to accomplish His works. He appeared to Paul in an extraordinary way because He needed to subdue him and bring him into submission. In spite of this, He told him to enter into the city, and that someone in the city would find him and tell him what he should do (9:6). The Lord sent Ananias to tell him two things. First, Paul was told to rise up and be baptized, washing away his sins (22:16). Second, Paul was told that God had called him to be a witness among the Gentiles, bearing His name (9:15). When Paul obeyed, he received his salvation. In the New Testament, the normal way is to receive the gospel from men, but Paul received his salvation directly from the Lord. As a consequence, when he wrote the book of Galatians, he proclaimed that it pleased God to reveal His Son in him (1:16). This is the revelation of the New Testament. This revealing could have happened at the time Ananias was talking to him. In any case, Paul had the experience on the way to Damascus in

Acts 9 because the New Testament church was not yet fully formed at that time and the baptism of the Holy Spirit was not fully consummated. SUBMISSION AND OBEDIENCE Question: How do you explain Peter's word that younger men should be subject to the elders? Answer: Peter said in his first Epistle that younger men should be subject to the elders, and that we all should gird ourselves with humility toward one another (5:5). Peter did not say that the younger should obey the elders, but that the younger should be subject, or should submit, to the elders. Obedience is a matter of conduct, whereas submission is a matter of attitude. We can only obey the Lord, yet we should submit to one another. Submission is a question of the heart, whereas obedience is a question of conduct and action. We often obey a person without submitting to him. Submission is being one with others in attitude. It is to not oppose. Today we find many wives who would obey, but few who would submit. Many women do what a wife is supposed to do, but they murmur quite a bit. This is obedience, but this is not submission. How many times has a wife obeyed out of submission? One brother did not obey his father's order because the order contradicted his faith. He told his father, "I wish I could obey you. I wish I could do what you said and obey, but I cannot disobey God. Please forgive me." The son was gentle, yet he could not obey his father because his father's word contradicted his faith. Paul told the slaves to obey their masters, but he told the wives to submit to rather than obey their husbands (Eph. 6:5; 5:22). A woman can do many things, but she should be in subjection to her husband. Good citizens must be subject to those who are above them. Peter said, "Be subject to every human institution for the Lord's sake, whether to a king as being supreme..." (1 Pet. 2:13). Peter did not say to obey, but to be subject to or to submit. Submission is not opposing. Among the brothers, the younger should submit to the elders. If a matter is in harmony with God's will, we can do it, but we cannot do it if it is not in harmony with God's will. This is submission, not obedience. A meek spirit is a submissive spirit. If we can distinguish between submission and obedience, we will avoid many problems.

GOD IS SPIRIT Question: What does it mean to say that God is Spirit?

Answer: God is Spirit, but this does not mean that all spirits are God. This is like saying that Brother Luk is a man, but this does not mean that all men are Brother Luk. MATTHEW 5:28 Question: What does Matthew 5:28 mean? Answer: Matthew 5:28 says, "Every one who looks at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." It does not say "every one who sees," but "every one who looks." Seeing is unintentional, whereas looking is intentional. There is a difference between seeing a person on the street and looking at him. Seeing him is unintentional, but looking at him is intentional. It is a sin to look at a woman for the purpose of lusting after her. Today the temptation of looking at a woman on the street is great because many women do not dress or walk properly. This can be a constant temptation to sin. While one is walking on the street, he naturally sees many women, but there is no need to consciously look at them. Seeing women is unavoidable, but looking at them involves the will. The first glance is unintentional, but the second look is intentional; it constitutes adultery in the heart. You cannot stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop it from building a nest on your head. The first glance does not involve the will; it is unintentional. The second glance, however, involves the will; it is intentional and constitutes a sin. DEALING WITH THE THOUGHTS Question: How can we overcome our thoughts? Answer: Satan knows us more than we know ourselves. Our words and actions originate from our thoughts. Many people say that their words are unintentional. Actually, however, everything we say is intentional, but the intention may be hidden in the heart. Thoughts that exist within will eventually be expressed in words (Matt. 12:34-35). If a Christian cannot control his thoughts, he has failed already. There are very few believers who have overcome their thoughts. Every temptation must first be translated into a thought before it will lodge itself in a person. In order to reject temptations, we must first reject the thoughts. How can we overcome our thoughts? First, we must, as Romans 8:6 says, set the mind positively on the things of the spirit. Second, we have to reject all wandering thoughts. If we do not reject wandering thoughts, they will eventually become sinful thoughts. Our thoughts are prone to wander when we pray, but at other times they wander also. A brother asked me what he should do when he found his thoughts straying and when he was unable to concentrate as he

prayed. I asked whether his thoughts wandered all over the world when he was not praying. He admitted that they did. This is where the problem lies. If our thoughts are always wandering, it will be hard to keep our thoughts from straying and to concentrate in prayer. In order to deal with wandering thoughts, we first have to ask the Lord to cover our thoughts with His precious blood. We should apply the weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6. Many people do not wear any helmet on their head. As a result their thoughts tend to wander. Our whole body needs to be equipped, but we need more on our head than on any other part. A helmet cannot be used as a weapon, but it can protect the head from attacks. However, there is another problem. Some say, "The more I reject wandering thoughts, the more they come and the more confused I become. What should I do?" When this happens, we must not be discouraged. Remember that Satan will not persist. When Moses went to Pharaoh, there were two Egyptian magicians (2 Tim. 3:8). Aaron turned a staff into a snake, and the two magicians did the same thing. Aaron turned water into blood, and they did the same. Aaron caused frogs to come to the land of Egypt, and they did the same. But when Aaron struck the dust and turned it into lice, they could not do the same thing. Satan's temptations do not last long. If we persist and are not discouraged, Satan will soon be stripped of his power.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE THE FLESH AND THE WORK OF GOD Date: October 17, 1936, morning Place: Amoy THREE GREAT ENEMIES OF GOD'S PEOPLE In the history of the Israelites, God's people had three main enemies: the Egyptians, the Philistines, and the Amalekites. The world is signified by Egypt; the power of darkness, who is Satan, is signified by the Philistines; and the flesh is signified by the Amalekites. The Triune God has a triune enemy who frustrates His people from following Him. Outside of God's people, there is the world, under them there is Satan, and within them there is the flesh. These three enemies work together to frustrate God's work among His people. Egypt typifies the world that binds us; it signifies the worldly living and everything that occupies us and causes us not to serve God. The Philistines typify the authority of darkness, the power of Satan, which frustrates us and disturbs us. The Amalekites typify our flesh. Outwardly speaking, the Amalekites were not as

menacing as the Egyptians and the Philistines. They opposed the Israelites who had left Egypt and would not allow them to enter Canaan. The Amalekites cooperated with the Egyptians and the Philistines to stop the Israelites from entering Canaan. This typifies the work of the flesh in us, frustrating us from fully entering into the heavenly position to enjoy God's salvation. These are the three most damaging enemies that attack our Christian life on earth today. First, the world takes away our love of the Father (1 John 2:15). The world is versus the Father. Second, Satan causes us to rebel against Christ's authority. First John 3:8 says that the Son of God was manifested for the purpose of destroying the works of the devil. Hence, Satan is versus Christ. Third, the flesh lusts against the Spirit within us (Gal. 5:17). Hence, the flesh is versus the Holy Spirit. We can see that the triune enemy is versus our Triune God. The world is versus the Father, Satan is versus Christ, and the flesh is versus the Holy Spirit. The trouble today is that many Christians love the world and are bound by the world; they do not want to leave Egypt. There are also Christians who do not realize their heavenly position, which is their Canaan. They have never heard of the ascended place of Christ nor experienced it. Thus they are blocked from entering Canaan. Victory over the world is the initial stage of the Christian life, while the heavenly position in Christ signifies the highest peak of the Christian living. This morning we will not speak about the world or Satan. Our emphasis will be on the problem of the flesh. The flesh is manifested not only in our personal lives, but many times in God's work as well. If it were only manifested in our personal lives, the matter would not be that serious. But when it is manifested in God's work, the glory of God will suffer great loss. WHAT IS THE FLESH? How does the flesh manifest itself in the work of God? First, we must know what the flesh is. Once we know what the flesh is, we will know how it is manifested in the work of God. We can know what the flesh is from the Bible. Simply put, everything that originates from the natural life is of the flesh. The flesh is what we have acquired from our natural life; it is what we have inherited and what we possess from birth. Anything that does not come as a result of our regeneration is the flesh. It does not matter how much and what kind it is, as long as it does not originate from our regeneration, it is the flesh. How do we know this? The answer is in John 3:6. The Lord said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Thank God that everyone who is sitting

here today has had these two births already. We were all born of the flesh, and we have all been born of the Spirit. These two births often occur twenty to fifty years apart. That which is born of the flesh means that which we received when we came out of our mother's womb. That which is born of the Spirit means that which we received when we were regenerated. There is a time difference between these two occurrences. The birth of the flesh happens first, and the birth of the Spirit happens later. The Lord Jesus said, "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." A regenerated person inherits every spiritual thing that can be inherited at the time of his regeneration. Only after the Spirit begets the spirit are there spiritual things. Do you want to know what is of the Spirit? It is not difficult to know this. All you have to do is to find out what you have received since your regeneration. Then you will know what is of the Spirit. If you set aside all the new things you received from the Spirit's regeneration, the flesh would be all that was left. What does the flesh include? It includes everything that is in the natural realm and everything that you had originally. There are two aspects to the flesh, one is filthy and the other is clean. One is sinful and the other good. Before a man is regenerated, not only does he commit sins, but he commits "goodness" as well. Many non-Christians have good works, but according to God, these good works are not of the Holy Spirit, because they are not born of the Spirit. God wants to remove not only all of man's sins, but all of his goodness as well. Anything that is not from the Spirit, whether good or bad, is rejected by God and must be removed. God only wants that which comes from the Spirit. He does not ask if something is good or evil; He only asks if such a thing is from the Spirit or the flesh. He does not ask about the nature of a thing; He only asks where it comes from. Anything that comes from the flesh is of the flesh. It is easy for man to see the evil and sinful part of the flesh. But it is difficult to discern the good part of the flesh. We must therefore pay particular attention to the good part of the flesh.

THE GOOD PART OF THE FLESH The Wisdom of the Flesh There are two aspects to the good part of the flesh. First, there is the wisdom of the flesh. Second, there is the power of the flesh. Let us first consider the wisdom of the flesh. Many fleshly persons can do many things beside committing sins. They have a good mind that is capable of thinking and scheming. They can be quick to understand and apt to speak. This is the wisdom of the flesh. This

wisdom was with us before we were regenerated. Since we have believed in the Lord and have been baptized, these things should be condemned. However, after we are saved, we try to serve Him in His work. We want to do everything for His sake, and we try to please Him by testifying for Him. Spontaneously, we apply the wisdom that we formerly employed in our business to God's work. The wisdom that we used to apply to our studies, our business, and our managing of human relationships is now applied to the work of God. We may think that it was wrong to use our wisdom in the world, but right to use it in God's work. I did not realize this truth until I had been in the Lord's work for six or seven years. One day I read John 3:6 which says, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." I understood then that whatever is born of the flesh is the flesh no matter where it is applied. Another passage that is in Romans 8 says, "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (v. 8). This verse does not say that the evil of the flesh does not please God. It says that the flesh—as long as it is the flesh—cannot please God. Then I read the Lord's Word in John 6:63 which says, "The flesh profits nothing." It profits nothing whether it is the good flesh or the bad flesh. Only the Lord's word to us is not flesh; it is spirit and life, and only His words can give life. Other than that which is from the new life and the spirit, everything else is from the flesh and is useless. In God's work, the only wisdom we can apply is spiritual wisdom. We can only work according to God's will. We often read the Bible the same way that we read an ordinary book. But God will destroy the wisdom of man. He has chosen the foolish things in this world to put to shame those who are wise (1 Cor. 1:27). In the spiritual journey, the wise do not have any advantage over the foolish. One does not become more spiritual because he is more wise. There is not such a thing. A wise and thoughtful person is the same as a foolish person when it comes to spiritual matters—both need faith. The wise one may understand things quicker, but this does not mean that he can acquire the spiritual realities faster. He must have faith, obedience, and consecration in the same way that the foolish one does, before he can acquire spiritual things. In order to receive spiritual things, there are no shortcuts; believing, obeying, and consecrating are the only way. The Power of the Flesh Let us come back to the first aspect of the goodness of the flesh—natural strength or the power of the flesh. Many people are powerful in preaching; they have natural attraction, organizational skills, and management skills. They think

that these make them good helpers to God's work. But the power of attraction in preaching and leadership, the ability to save souls, organizational and management skills, and a talent for design and methodology do not add anything to God's work. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; when it sins it is the flesh, and when it applies itself to God's work it is still the flesh. A Chinese is always a Chinese whether he is in England or in China. The place may change, but the person does not change. The evil flesh is abominable in God's eyes, but the good flesh is equally abominable in God's eyes. The flesh cannot please God when it sins, and it equally cannot please God when it applies itself to God's work. The flesh is useless in combating sin, and it is equally useless in doing God's work. Thank God that He has brought all men down to the same level. No one is "taller" than anyone else. Nothing in the old creation can be brought into the new creation. Nothing in Adam can render any help to anything in Christ. Everything in the old creation, whether power or wisdom, is useless in the building up of the new creation. It is a great mistake for God's worker to think that a man with eloquence, intelligence, articulation, and ability would be a big catch if he ever was saved. He thinks that such a man would be greatly used by the Lord and does not realize that the only things that a man can consecrate to the Lord are things from the first Adam. Do you think that the things of the first Adam can ever render any help to the second Adam? Suppose you see a country person who is poor in words, thoughts, and writings. You preach the gospel to him and he is saved. Suppose another man, who is young, educated, eloquent, and intelligent, is also saved. What would you think of these two persons? You may think that there is considerable hope for the young, educated man because he has a good background. You may think that there is not much hope for the country person, but that the young man is a good piece of material. However, what kind of material is he? He is material destined for hell! Where does such material come from? It comes from the flesh, and it deserves nothing but the fire. Everything that he originally has is the flesh and is abominable. That which is born of the flesh is the flesh, and it has nothing to do with God's work.

SPIRITUAL PROGRESS HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH FLESHLY POWER AND WISDOM Some have asked: "Why is it that some advance so quickly while others advance so slowly? Why is it that some even do not advance at all?" The difference does

not lie in their background or in what each one originally had. The difference lies in whether or not a man has exercised faith to receive Christ. The more a man believes, the more he advances. The less a man believes, the less he advances. This is the same as saying that a man will have eternal life if he believes, and that he will perish if he does not believe. There is no difference between being "good" material or "bad" material. A man who is evil by nature is the same kind of material after he is saved as any other person. His degree of advancement depends strictly on the amount of his faith, consecration, and obedience. Everything depends on Christ, not on our natural goodness or shortcomings. Natural goodness and shortcomings do not hinder us or help us in any way. Hallelujah! Before the Lord, everything that is from ourselves is useless. May the Lord break us and show us that everything that originates from the self is useless. "APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING" I love John 15:5 which says, "Apart from Me you can do nothing." Prior to 1927, I did not believe this verse. I had read the Gospel of John over one hundred times, and I had read chapter fifteen perhaps over two hundred times. Every time I came to the words "apart from Me you can do nothing," I could not believe it. I thought that I could still do so many things apart from the Lord, and I even experienced His blessings in doing these things. How could I say that apart from Him I could do nothing? When I read this in 1926, I prayed, "Lord, I cannot believe this verse, because I can still do many things without You." At that time I was very good at preaching and drew considerable attention to myself; many people were saved. I could say, "Apart from You I can do a lot!" One day the Lord showed me that apart from Him everything I did was sin. To be able to do nothing apart from Him means that I cannot do what the Lord wants me to do. I may be able to do something apart from Him, but what I can do is not what He wants. On that day the scales fell off from my eyes. I saw that we can only trust in the Lord for the accomplishment of spiritual works and all that He wants us to do. Apart from Him, we can only do things that we want to do, not the things that God wants us to do. They are not God's work. From that day forward, I began to learn to trust in the Lord in everything. Although I still trust in myself many times, I feel ashamed whenever I do. That was a big turning point in my life. I saw that all of God's work is in Christ, and that apart from Him, anything that I did was sin. Apart

from Christ, all works are sin. Anything that originates from the flesh is empowered and energized by the flesh, and God hates the power of the flesh. Those who are serving the Lord and working for Him must ask what it is that we judge and condemn today. Do we only judge and condemn common sins? Have we judged our wisdom and power? Have we judged the good part of our flesh? All those who have judged their flesh will no longer be proud of themselves. A man who has judged his flesh will feel ashamed when he is proud. Once our flesh is judged, all the glory will go to God and not to us. It will not be related to us any longer. This is the way to serve the Lord.

GOD CHOOSING THE FOOLISH AND THE WEAK THINGS OF THE WORLD Who can advance more—those with wisdom or those with power? Actually, neither fleshly strength nor fleshly weakness can help a person to advance. In order to advance, a person has to be seeking, hungry, and consecrated. In order to know whether a person is advancing or backsliding, there is no need to consider the wisdom or power of his flesh. All we have to do is consider his faith, prayer, consecration, and obedience. Saul was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward, yet God did not choose him. David was an ordinary man, yet God chose him. God chooses those whom the world despises. First Corinthians 1:27-28 mentions five kinds of people who are qualified to be chosen by God. They are the foolish, the weak, the lowborn, the despised, and those who are not. How many people believe this word? Do you really believe this word? I am afraid when some find themselves less intelligent than others, they become discouraged and say to God, "It is useless to choose me. That man is better; he is more useful." Yet God has not chosen him; He has chosen you. You may not believe this, but it matters little whether or not you believe this. As long as God's Word has said it, it is so. God has chosen the foolish things and the weak things of this world, in order to put the wise and the strong to shame. Last year two brothers came to me in Shanghai. One was slow in thought and the other was slow in words. Both felt called and chosen by the Lord to serve Him, but neither dared to answer His call. One said that his mind was too slow. It took him a long time to understand what would take others only five minutes to understand. The other said that his words were not coherent. They asked if there was any way to improve their eloquence and their mind. I looked at them and said, "As far as I am concerned, both of you are very qualified. No one among us

is as qualified as the two of you." They asked why I would say this, and I answered, "The Bible says that God has chosen the foolish things. He has not chosen those who are eloquent or quick in their mind. If you are too good, God cannot use you. God can only use you if you are not that good. He chooses those who have not." I continued, "You two should stand before the world and testify of the power of God. Show the world that wisdom and eloquence are useless. If you are somewhat intelligent, you could not testify in this way for the Lord. But the very fact that you have no wisdom or eloquence qualifies you to prove to the world that God has not chosen the eloquent ones." The law of God was given by Moses. But he did not have any eloquence; his brother was the eloquent one. Yet God chose his brother to be the priest to speak to God, and chose him to give the law and speak to the Israelites. Aaron was eloquent, but God told him to remain in the tabernacle and pray. Moses was not eloquent, yet God told him to speak the law in front of the people. This is the wisdom of God. From this we see that natural wisdom and power account for nothing in the work of God. REJECTING THE POWER OF THE FLESH IN GOD'S WORK Some may say, "Paul was eloquent, and he was intelligent. Why then did God choose him?" Actually Paul was not used by God because of his natural virtues. He was physically weak and did not speak with persuasive words of wisdom. I admit that Paul was intelligent. But you must remember that Paul's wisdom was put under the cross of Christ. He said that he was determined not to know anything among the Corinthians except Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). A wise man has to do one more thing than a foolish man—he has to reject his own wisdom and power. God does not need man's wisdom or power. As we said yesterday, we have to lose everything in death. The flesh must be dealt with. God is seeking in China for a group of men who would know their flesh. Those who do not know their flesh are not qualified to be God's workers. I am not discouraging men from giving up their jobs to serve the Lord. I am not saying that it is difficult to find men who would want to work for the Lord. I have met dozens of men every year who have a heart to serve the Lord. But I find very few who will condemn their flesh. Many people want to work for God, but they do not realize that God does not want the old creation; He wants the new creation. We must learn to deny our flesh. In working for the Lord, the crucial point is not the result, but the source. Does something originate from the flesh or from the Spirit? The value of a work is not judged by its result, but by its source. A work

does not become more valuable because it produces good result. The value of a work depends on its source. In evaluating a piece of work, one should ask whether it was done by himself or by God. I am ashamed to admit that after I work, even though there are often good results and men receive help, I have to confess to the Lord because it is I, rather than God, who has been doing it. God is leading us day by day to stop our work so that we will realize that we cannot accomplish God's work and that only God Himself can accomplish His work. SMITING ALL THE AMALEKITES Finally, let me remind you of one thing: First Samuel says that God charged the Israelites to smite all the Amalekites and not to spare them (15:3). He is asking us to do the same thing today—to smite all the flesh. This is God's firm stand. One day He will lead you to the point where you will thoroughly hate everything that is of the flesh. There is a definite date when we were saved. There is a definite date when we overcome. There is a definite date when we receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In the same way, there is a definite date when we realize that we are completely useless, and we condemn ourselves and deal with our flesh in a thorough way. Perhaps this day has not come yet. But when that day comes, we will see that everything of the natural life must be smitten; nothing can remain. Sinful things need to be smitten; so do excellent things. Bad things need to be removed; so do good things. Useful things need to be removed; so do useless things. Nothing of ourselves should remain. That day will be the day of our salvation. That day will be the day when we can truly serve the Lord and work for Him. Prayer: Lord, we confess the sin of being successful in our work. We confess the sin of all our endeavors. Lord, we confess the sin of doing everything according to ourselves. We ask that You calibrate our work according to the light of Your judgment seat.

CHAPTER FORTY TALKS (2) Date: October 17, 1936, afternoon Place: In the dormitory, Kulangsu, Amoy A LIFE IN THE EMOTION VERSUS A LIFE IN THE SPIRIT The Christian life should not have any period of spiritual coldness. However, in order to teach us the function of faith and the will, in the practical experience of

our spiritual life, God often allows spiritual depression to come to us. When our faith is put to the test, the outward, burning sensations may be gone, but we should not be discouraged. A Christian life is full of joy during times of abundance, and it is at least full of peace during other times. It is wonderful to have special joy and happiness, but it is not abnormal if one does not have these feelings some of the time. When these feelings are gone, an inward peace should be sustained. It is not necessary for us to constantly feel a sense of enlightenment and joy. It is more important to be without barrier or burden in our spirit and to have no nagging feeling that God is far from us. If there are such barriers, they must be removed. On the one hand, it is easy to develop barriers between us and God. These barriers can be removed, and the way to remove them is by foot-washing. On the other hand, there is nothing unusual about not having third-heaven, supernatural feelings of elation. We should not seek for these supernatural experiences all the time. The first time you pass through a big crisis, you may have some supernatural sensations. If you have such an experience, you should thank the Lord. But such an experience will not last for long. For example, when you were first saved, when you first experienced the overcoming life, or when you first consecrated yourself, you may have been extremely exuberant. But these feelings do not remain with you forever. On the one hand, we have to remove all barriers in our fellowship with the Lord, and on the other hand, we have to live by faith when this special joy is absent. Special and extraordinary joy is like the over-intoxication of wine, whereas the freshness of life is like the invigoration of spiritual energy. The Bible says, "Always rejoice" (1 Thes. 5:16). This is a matter of the will, because this is God's commandment. For example, when you get up in the morning, your heart may not be full of joy. When you read this verse, you should exercise your will to rejoice. The same is true when the Bible says, "Be strong." You can respond to God's Word by saying, "Today I will be strong." God's commandment requires only man's "amen." Once you hear God's word and you turn it into an "amen," you will receive what you said "amen" to. If you say, "Lord, I thank and praise You. I will rejoice," you will immediately have the experience of joy. Every kind of emotion in your life is sustained by the will. Other aspects of your life may require other things. Sometimes we feel cold and sometimes we feel hot when we pray. None of these feelings matter. As long as we are clear within, and as long as we have a little

revelation in the depth of our being concerning God's will, we should pray. Although many of our prayers seem to be "cold" and "indifferent," God often answers our "cold" and "indifferent" prayers. I often pray in a "cold" way for an hour to two, but I know that God answers my "hot" prayers as well as my "cold" prayers. Our submission to God's will is not based on our inward coldness or hotness, but on our obedience. We have to pray to do God's will, and it does not matter whether or not we have the knowledge or the feeling. God does not necessarily answer our zealous prayers. Yet I know that God has answered my "cold" prayers many times. THE INWARD LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT The greatest blessing of the New Testament is that man can know God's will inwardly. A brother once asked, "Can I do a certain thing? I cannot find a clear answer from the Bible, and I have asked many people. Some say that I can do it, while others say that I should not." I said, "Let us put aside what the Bible says for now. Do you have the Holy Spirit within?" He said, "Yes." I then said, "Since the Holy Spirit is within you, is He not able to instruct you in anything?" Many times, it is not the Spirit who fails to instruct us, but we who fail to seek His leading. We have not looked to Him, but have instead sought help from others. In doing a certain thing, we may have thought through the whole process and have the right doctrine and consent of everyone backing us up, but it is still possible to be wrong. We have to believe that the Spirit never forsakes His duty. He resides within us for the purpose of instructing us. Personally, I believe that even when we do not read the Bible, the Spirit will still instruct us. (I am not saying that we should not read the Bible. I am saying that we have to take care of the inner voice.) One of my sisters was saved about three months ago. Two months ago, she had an experience. My brother-in-law took her to a holy communion in the denominations. Before she was saved, she did not feel anything when she went. After she was saved, she was uneasy when she joined the communion. She thought, "The Bible has not said anything about this. Why do I not have the peace?" Later, she found that there were unsaved ones among them taking the communion. When she tried to go again, she again had no peace. She tried to give herself an excuse, saying, "I am taking the communion for myself. Others are responsible for their own conduct." She took the communion again, but after she returned home, she felt very uneasy again. Although she had many reasons, the leading of the Spirit within would not go along with her. She knew that she

had done the wrong thing. When she read the Word and prayed, the Lord showed her that it was wrong for her to partake of that kind of communion. Later, my brother-in-law got into a big argument with her and accused her, saying, "You have just been fooled by your brother." When I heard this, I told him, "I have never spoken with my sister about this matter. I had the same feeling when I was praying for her. She was following the leading of the Spirit." We cannot follow our own thoughts and reasons; we should follow the small voice of the Spirit within.

A RELEASED, UNBOUND, AND TRANSCENDENT SPIRIT IN THE MEETING Question: What should we do when we are depressed in the meeting? Answer: You should have a released spirit in the meeting. If your spirit is oppressed by some kind of burden, you will not be able to release others from a bound spirit. If you are conducting a meeting, and you are pressed down by some burden, it will be impossible for you to set the spirit of the congregation free. A weighed-down spirit cannot express the Holy Spirit. Only a released spirit can express the Holy Spirit. When you come to the meeting, your spirit must be released and must be without any burden. Only then will the meeting receive your help. My shoulder can only bear one burden at a time; it cannot bear two burdens at the same time. My shoulders must be empty before I can take up another burden. If a man comes to the meeting with a burden already, you cannot give him another burden. A worker should not wait until he comes to the meeting before he unloads his burden. If you come to a meeting with a burden, you must learn to give your burden to the Lord. If there are burdens that you cannot put away, burdens that are inexplicable and hard to pinpoint, you have to push them away with your will. The words that come out of a Christian's mouth are very powerful; they can be like the orders in an army. You can tell God, "I want this burden removed. I repudiate this burden." Not only should you pray, but you must also declare to God, the angels, Satan, the evil spirits, and to everything. You must declare and command the burden to go away in the name of the Lord. When you open your mouth to repudiate it, the burden will drop. Sometimes you may be depressed even though nothing is apparently suppressing you. Your spirit is debilitated. At these times you have to lift up your own spirit. This kind of depression of the spirit is not caused by anything outside of you; rather, your spirit is suppressed by your own feeling of coldness. A

depressed spirit is different from a burdened spirit. A depressed spirit has no particular burden; it has sagged because of the coldness surrounding it. Under such circumstances, one should not deny the condition with the will, but stir up the spirit with the will. The best way to stir up the spirit is to praise. Praise can bring a person to the throne. You have to exercise your faith to lift up your spirit. You have to say to God, "Although I am surrounded by darkness, I will still praise You. Although my spirit is vacillating, You are on the throne and You never waver." If you refuse to believe in the environment and instead give praises to God, your spirit will be lifted up to the heavenlies. When a spirit is depressed and cannot be freed, it is sometimes very effective to practice foot-washing. If a brother who is burning in spirit comes to you while you are cold, he will have the power to wash your feet, and your spirit will be lifted up by him. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DECLARATION Question: Sometimes I worry and do not have the peace. Prayer does not work at such times, yet my declaration does. Why is this? Answer: One day when the Lord was going on His journey, He became hungry. He saw a fig tree from a distance, but the tree did not have any fruit. What did the Lord do? He said to the tree: "May no one eat fruit from you forever!" (Mark 11:14). The next day the disciples found the Lord's word fulfilled—the tree had withered from its roots. Why did the tree wither from its roots within a day? When the disciples saw this, they realized the power in the Lord's word, and they told the Lord what had happened. The Lord told them to have faith in God, and that those with faith could ask whatever they will and God would give it to them. Those who have faith can even ask a mountain to be removed and God will do it for them. Mark 11:23 is not an ordinary prayer, but a declaration. The Lord did not say, "Whoever kneels down to pray..." He told them to declare. He said, "Whoever says to this mountain..." Praying to God is not dealing with the mountain, but saying directly to the mountain, "Be taken up and cast into the sea." Here the Lord did not say that we would receive an answer according to what we pray, but according to what we say. We often pray for God to remove everything that hinders, frustrates, and bars us from pressing forward, things such as anxiety, worries, and sufferings. Sometimes God will answer such prayers. But many times such prayers avail little. The Lord wants you to say to the "mountain," "I oppose and reject in the name of the Lord everything that suppresses and frustrates me." You must

declare and give command. The Lord did not say to the disciples, "Dear disciples, we must pray and ask God to dry up the tree." He did not do this. He gave a command. Many troubles and sicknesses can only be driven away by such commands; they are like the marching orders that a general gives to his soldiers. These kind of words are declarations of authority. In the book of Acts, the apostles exercised this key. Peter and John saw the lame man at the door of the temple which was called Beautiful, and they said to the lame man, "In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene rise up and walk" (3:6). They cast out demons by speaking directly to them and casting them out in the name of the Lord (16:18). This is declaring with authority. With some things you have to pray. With other things you have to declare. If you practice this, you will save yourself much trouble. The way to reject unwanted thoughts is also by declaring one's stand. When you reject Satan's thoughts in the name of the Lord, Satan can do nothing but flee away. Both Peter and James told us to withstand the devil (1 Pet. 5:9; James 4:7). This is withstanding the attack of Satan. You do not have to pray for the demons to go away; instead, declare and command them to go away in the name of the Lord. There are certain conditions which we must fulfill before we can do things in the name of the Lord. Being in the name of the Lord means having a part in the Lord and being granted all the rights that come from the redemption of His blood. If we have such a faith, our speaking in His name will be effective. In Acts some men tried to cast out demons in the name of the Lord (19:13). Although the words were right, the name of Jesus had nothing to do with them and did not produce any effect on them. It is not the words we say that makes our declaration effective, but the union with this name through faith that makes the declaration effective. The Lord is the Christ, and we are Christians. When we are one with Him, His power will flow to us. No formula will work. The only thing that will work is faith.

ONE'S DAILY LIFE AFTER PASSING THROUGH THE GATE OF VICTORY After we have passed through the gate of victory, we must continually abide in Christ. Abiding is remaining, and abiding in Christ means that we remain in Christ. To abide in Christ is to consider ourselves in Christ and not in ourselves. If we consider ourselves in ourselves, we will only see ourselves. We will overcome the first time when we look to Christ as our victory. Thereafter we must

continue to look to Christ as our victory. We can only have the overcoming life when we are in Christ, and we can only continue to live an overcoming life when we are in Christ. HOW TO DEAL WITH SPIRITUAL PROBLEMS In the meetings, there are often people who speak improper words. The workers should exhort these ones. The way to deal with spiritual problems is not to deal with the problems alone—that is the way of the law. In order to deal with spiritual problems, one must first find out the cause. For example, a brother who speaks improper words all the time may not be speaking those things consciously; his problem may be elsewhere. Chinese medicine does not deal only with the head when the head hurts; one must consider the body as a whole, because the cause of the illness may be elsewhere. Some brothers have problems with their conduct because they are sick in their spiritual life. In order to change their conduct, they must first change their whole being. It is useless to only change their conduct. Hence, in helping others, we should not try to change their conduct; we should look for the sickness within them and help them to find out the root cause. CONCERNING FAITH Faith is a wonderful thing; it substantiates spiritual things and accomplishes God's Word. Satan only works in the environment and can only attack God's Word from the outside; he cannot attack God directly. God's Word demands our faith. For example, God's Word may say, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31). Satan will tell a person that this is not necessarily so. Some brothers face hardships and oppositions at home. The way to deal with them is not by enduring the unbelief of the family members. Of course, I do not mean that one should allow his family to go on worshipping idols. The way to deal with them is to stand firmly on the promise of God and declare to Satan that one's household shall be saved. However, if one does not have the faith, he will be afraid, change God's Word, and say that His promises are not effectual. Satan will then sing and rejoice. This shows us that we fail only when we do not stand on God's Word. Satan is most afraid of us holding on to God's Word and dealing with him according to it. Hence, we have to stand on God's Word with firm faith. Even if the environment changes, we will not change. If we do this, Satan can do nothing to us. He can stir up adverse environments, but we believe that God's Word is true and unchanging. We can say to Satan, "Do all you can. Let us see what God's Word will do."

The first thing Satan does in deceiving us is to produce an environment that is opposite to God's Word. The second thing he will do is to tell us that God's promise is not real. He will base his words on the environment he has created. Once I was sick. I prayed and God promised that He would heal me. I had the faith for the healing, but after three weeks, the sickness became worse. Then Satan came and tempted me, saying, "What good is your faith? Your illness is still here." When I prayed again, God rebuked me, saying, "Why are you still praying? I have told you that I will heal you. Why do you still have to pray?" I immediately began to praise. I said, "God, I cannot sleep, and I feel much pain. Satan is troubling me all over. Yet I praise You because Your Word is true. I do not care if I suffer. Only Your Word counts; only it is trustworthy. The environment is just Satan's performance. You alone are faithful and trustworthy." I began to sing Hymn #778 on my bed. That was the best singing I ever experienced in my life. The words in stanza two were particularly precious: "For God delights when faith can praise /Though dark the night and long." Later the Lord did heal me. Satan's work produces only one result—doubting God's Word, that is, making men wonder whether or not it is true. Outward conditions are not real. If you listen to Satan and look at the adverse environment, you will think that God's Word is not true. But if you stand on God's Word by faith, you will not fear. Faith does not require any proof or evidence. When a person has good credit in business, he does not need a guarantee. Only those who do not have good credit need a guarantee. Satan does not have good credit. This is why he asks for a guarantee for everything. He has to furnish facts to guarantee everything he says. The facts he furnishes are often the environments he creates. This is not the way our God works. Our God has very good credit. He does not need any fact, and He does not need any guarantee. His Word alone counts. What can guarantee the words of the Bible? The Bible only uses a few words to tell us the facts about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and ascension, etc. The Bible does not need any guarantee. Today we can commit our spirit, soul, and body to God because we have the word of the Bible. We can give up all things for the Lord because we have the word of the Bible. The Bible produces faith in us. Those whose eyes are set on the environment will not change any fact. But those who praise by faith will see fruitful results.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE IN CHRIST Date: October 17, 1936, evening Place: Kulangsu, Amoy Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 1:30a; Eph. 1:3 Our messages during the past few evenings have been fragmentary in nature. Beginning from tonight they will be more systematic. I hope that in the next few days, I can impress you deeply with the matter of being in Christ. The words in Christ are very simple, but their significance is profound. Without being in Christ, there is no gospel and there is no church. If there is not such a thing as being in Christ, there is not even Christianity, and there is certainly no redemption and salvation. Everything that God has done is done in Christ and not in man. Everything that God has accomplished within us is done in Christ. GOD NOT DEALING WITH INDIVIDUALS Tonight is an introductory word. Following this, every evening we will see a little more about being in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says that God "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ." We may think that God is redundant and cumbersome by adding the words "in Christ" after the words "every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies." It seems unnecessary to do this. Why does God's Word say this? If we understand this, we will understand Christianity. We also will understand God's plan of redemption and how His work is accomplished in the Bible. In God's plan of redemption, He does not deal with man individually. The Bible shows us that God does not deal with the world as individuals, but as a corporate whole. God does not ask how many sins and evils you have committed. He only asks if you are in Adam. Man pays attention to individual sins, but God has included the world in one man—Adam. We can find out what we are from this man. If he did not have a problem, we would not have any problem, and if he has a problem, we have a problem, because we are in him. THERE BEING ONLY TWO MEN IN THE EYES OF GOD According to the principle of the Scripture, there are only two men in the world. The Bible says that Adam was the first man—the first Adam. Christ is the second man—the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45). Some may ask, "What about all the men who were between these two men? There are obviously many men in this world. Why does the Bible only speak of two men?" This is because in God's eyes everyone is included in these two men. Other than these two men, there is not a third man;

there is no other man. You are either in Adam or in Christ. Adam is like a big man. Once you are born, you are born into this big Adam, and when you believe in the Lord and are regenerated, you are transferred into Christ. IN ADAM I once saw a picture of a woman with a big skirt and under her skirt were many small children. God views us the same way. We are human beings in Adam. God has put the whole human race into Adam. We can include the children in the parents, and the parents in the grandparents. Each successive generation is included in the preceding generation. This goes on all the way back to Adam. In this way we see that everyone is in Adam. Today we see that we come from Adam. Strictly speaking, we are still in Adam. Whatever Adam did on that day, we did the same. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, we sinned as well. What Adam did we also did. What does it mean to be in Adam? I can explain this with an illustration. When I was in Kaifeng, a person asked me what it means to be in Adam and asked me to give him an illustration. I answered, "The Chinese say that our ancestor is Hwang-ti. Once Hwang-ti fought with Tzi-you and killed him. Suppose at that time that Tzi-you was not killed, but that Hwang-ti had been killed instead. If that had happened, would there still be the Chinese race today?" He answered, "Of course not." I said, "Why would there no longer be a Chinese race when Hwangti died?" He answered, "Because if Hwang-ti had died, we would have all died." I argued, "Hwang-ti's death was his business. Our life has nothing to do with him!" He said, "No. We all came from Hwang-ti. If Hwang-ti had died, we all would have died as well." Have you seen this? Tzi-you would not need to kill all of us. All he would have to do would be to kill Hwang-ti, and all of us who come after him would be gone. This is the way the Bible sees Adam. We do not have to commit sins in ourselves. Everyone who is born of Adam has sinned. Adam's experience is our experience. First Corinthians 15 says that in Adam we all died. When Adam died, the whole world died with him. You do not need to search your personal history. As long as you are in Adam, his experience has become your history.

GOD'S WORK OF REDEMPTION BEING IN CHRIST God saves us according to the same principle. We are saved in Christ. How could the Lord die on our behalf and save us? Individually speaking, we were saved when we believed in the Lord. But corporately speaking, we were all

condemned in Christ. For example, here is a chalk box. We can say that this is a picture of us in Christ on the cross. I do not have to throw the pieces of chalk into the sea one by one. As long as I throw the chalk box into the sea, all the chalk will be in the sea. The chalk will be wherever the chalk box is. In the same way, we are now in Christ. All of His experiences have become our experiences. He was judged on the cross, He was crucified, and He resurrected and ascended. We have also been judged, crucified, resurrected, and ascended because we are in Him. All of His experiences have now become ours. In Christ, God sees us as Christ, having the same experiences that Christ had. This is God's work of redemption. HOW TO BE IN CHRIST Someone asked how we can be in Christ, and I answered, "If Watchman Nee, weighing only one hundred and fifty pounds, has the strength to put the chalk into the chalk box, is it too hard for God, who is the creator of the universe and millions of times stronger than me, to put us into Christ?" Please read 1 Corinthians 1:30. Of whom are we in Christ? Of God! We are in Christ. But we do not know how we got into Christ, in the same way that the pieces of chalk are in the chalk box, but do not know how they got in. However, as long as the chalk is in the box, whatever happens to the box will happen to the chalk. I do not know how I got into Christ. I only know that God has put me into Christ. Whatever Christ has passed through, I also have passed through. You must realize one thing: God's work of redemption does not deal with you as an individual; He only deals with Christ. Today God has set up two great camps in this world—the camp of Christ and the camp of Adam. Man has a choice to be either in Adam or in Christ. If you are in Adam, your end is perdition. If you are in Christ, your end is salvation. God did not do anything outside of Adam. In the same way He is not doing anything outside of Christ. Someone once asked me, "Do you think I will go to hell?" I answered, "You are quite qualified to go to hell." He answered, "But I am such a good man. Will I still have to go to hell?" I said, "You were already qualified a long time ago. I do not have to ask whether you are good or bad as an individual. I only ask if you are in Christ or in Adam. You do not have to steal, murder, or commit any gross sins. As long as you are in Adam, you are qualified to go to hell." I remember one wonderful passage of the Bible in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a difficult book. The apostle who wrote this book was trying to prove to us that Christ is higher than Moses, Joshua, the angels in the Old Testament, and Aaron. He

compared Christ with many people. One of the comparisons he made was of Christ as the High Priest and Aaron as the high priest. How did the apostle prove that Christ is higher? He said that Christ is a priest according to the order of Melchisedec; His priesthood is derived from Melchisedec. Aaron was a high priest, but his priesthood was derived from Levi. Aaron had an ancestor, who was Abraham. One day Abraham went to war. After he won, he gave one tenth of what he took to Melchisedec, from whose order Christ's priesthood was derived. This proves that Aaron is less than Christ. Aaron was the descendant of Levi, Levi was the son of Jacob, Jacob was the son of Isaac, and Isaac was the son of Abraham. Abraham offered one tenth of what he took to Melchisedec. When Abraham offered one tenth to Melchisedec, Isaac was in Abraham's loin. Jacob and Levi were even smaller, but they were within Abraham as well. Hence, they also offered one tenth through Abraham to Melchisedec. Consequently, Christ, whose priesthood is after the order of Melchisedec, is surely greater than Aaron, whose priesthood is after the order of Levi. INHERITING ALL OF GOD'S SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN CHRIST Once I talked to a few college students who majored in biology. I told them that according to the Bible, the father's age is less than the son's age, and the son is older than the father. This is because the source of life extends all the way to the first ancestor. By the time the line of life reaches the father, it may already be six thousand years old. Suppose his son is thirty years old. It means that his life is now six thousand plus thirty years old. Does this not therefore mean that the son's age is greater than that of the father? Just as Adam's life was in us, the life of Christ is now in us. When we received the life of Adam, we became a part of Adam. Today the same is true about being in Christ. When we are in Christ and receive the life of Christ, we become a part of Christ. Everything in Christ becomes ours. This is God's way of salvation as revealed in the Bible. Some may pose a question: If this is the case, why do we still need to have individual pursuit? Does this mean that we no longer need to seek after holiness and victory? Please remember that if you want to be holy and perfect, you have to view yourself according to God's view. Forget for the moment whether or not you have sinned. All that matters is being in Christ. Whether or not you are good, whether or not you have the overcoming life, and whatever way you are going does not matter. As long as you are in the box, everything that the box passes

through will become your experience. This is the gospel. This is why we say that the gospel is free. It is free because it has nothing to do with us. As long as we are in Christ, everything becomes ours. Ephesians 1:3 mentions every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. All of these are ours when we are in Christ. When we are in Christ, God cannot hold back anything from us. When we are in Christ, God cannot withhold any spiritual blessings from us. God cannot withhold them because He has already put them into Christ. God can choose not to put us into Christ, but as soon as He puts us into Christ, He cannot withhold any spiritual blessings from us. We lack nothing in Christ. God is not satisfied with giving us nine things when there are ten things in Christ. Everything that is in Christ is ours. This is God's work. Whether it is salvation, the overcoming life, power, the way, or anything else, we have them all as long as we are in Christ. It does not make any difference even if you are the chiefest of all sinners. God has put you into Christ. When Christ died on the cross, God's punishment on Christ became your punishment, and His judgment upon Christ became your judgment. Your sins are all forgiven in Christ. God has no way to take back what He has done even if you commit more sins. This is based not only on God's grace, but also on His righteousness. Romans is a book on grace and righteousness, whereas Ephesians is on God's grace. There is a difference of timing between the two. It is God's grace for Him to work in Christ. If God did not put man into Christ, man would have no way to help himself. It is God's grace that we can be in Christ. After God put man into Christ, He judged the man who is in Christ. Today you are saved. However, you are saved not only because of God's grace, but because of God's righteousness as well. Can God judge us again after He has judged Christ? No! After He has judged Christ, He has to justify us, because we are in Christ. God is righteous, and He has to recognize everything that Christ has done. After we become a Christian, everything depends on seeing what it means to be in Christ. After we see the meaning of being in Christ, we will enjoy great blessings.

BEHOLDING CHRIST AND NOT OURSELVES I do not have time to go into detail concerning the matter of being in Christ. There are countless spiritual blessings in Christ such as holiness, victory, power, spirituality, faith, spiritual progress, humility, endurance, and love. Every spiritual blessing that you can imagine is in Christ. The worst kind of Christians are those

who look inward instead of outward. If you search within yourself to see whether or not there is holiness, I can tell you the answer right now—you will find no goodness within. God has saved us. But we often forget that God has saved us in Christ. We often think, "I am saved. But why is my temper still so bad? Why am I still so proud? Why is there still so much uncleanness in me?" You wish you could overcome, and you begin to consider yourself to see whether you have endurance, humility, holiness, etc. Please remember that as soon as you look within, you will not find any endurance, humility, or holiness. On the contrary, you will find uncleanness, temper, pride, and all kinds of sins. Why is this? It is because you have forgotten that God's way of salvation is in Christ, not in yourself. Humility is in Christ. Endurance is in Christ. Holiness is in Christ. Everything is in Christ. In yourself you are always unclean and defiled. But when you live in Christ, you have everything. When you live in yourself, nothing will change. BEING JOINED TO CHRIST, AND ENJOYING EVERYTHING IN HIM Never think that God is doing something within you independently. What is within you is still uncleanness, evilness, unholiness, and pride. God's grace is not bestowed upon you, but upon Christ. When you are joined to Christ, everything of Christ will be transmitted into you. When you are cut off from Christ, all of your filthiness will come back. This is like connecting a pipe to clean water; the result is clean water. But if you connect a pipe to dirty water, the result is dirty water. After you are saved, you think that you should at least be better than before. You think that your old Adam will gradually change. But God has to prove to you that this is not possible. No, there is not such a thing! As long as you are in old Adam you will still be unclean. Only Christ can make you different. Only when you are in Christ will there be any change. How does a lamp shine? The lamp does not shine by itself. It shines when an electrical current passes through it. The same is true with Christians. All virtues and power, as well as the fruit of the Spirit, are found in Christ. As long as you are joined to Christ, you will have all of these. This is the same as saying that electricity is in the power plant. When the lamp is joined to the power plant, it shines. Being in Christ is being joined to Christ and being related to Him. When this happens, His power and His everything will be transmitted to you. It is not wrong to say that the lamp is shining. But strictly speaking, it is not the lamp that is shining, but the electricity shining through the lamp. The lamp overcomes darkness with the light of electricity.

When I was ten years old, I saw an electric lamp for the first time. At that time I marveled at it very much. It was clearly a lamp, but how could it suddenly light up? I waited until it had shined for two hours. Then I moved it to a dark room, thinking that it would continue to shine. However, it stopped shining as soon as I moved it away. The lamp went dark. It did not have any light in itself; it was dark in itself. It shined only when it was in contact with the power station. We were all in darkness. But when we were put into Christ, we began to shine, and we began to be patient and humble. Yet we forget that the reason these things exist is because we are in Christ. After having been a Christian for a few years, we begin to think that these things are ours. Little do we realize that once we are separated from Christ, we have nothing. CHRIST AND NOT I First John 5 says that God has given His life to us in Christ. He has not given His life to us independent of Christ. Suppose I wrap a piece of iron in some paper. When I take the paper, I take the iron as well. "He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life" (5:12). Apart from Christ, we cannot have anything. Nothing is given to us independently. Everything is given to us in Christ. If we know and believe this fact, we will be so happy that we will not go to sleep tonight. It is of God that we are in Christ; we have no part in this work. Everything is Christ and not us. When we see this, we will realize that there is no hope in us at all. We cannot change at all, and we cannot improve at all. Just as a lamp cannot shine when it is not connected to electricity, we have nothing in ourselves when we are cut off from Christ. If there is any difference or change in us today, it is not because we have changed in ourselves. Everything is in Christ and everything depends on Christ. It is all of Christ, not of us. This is God's way of salvation.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO IN ADAM AND IN CHRIST Date: October 18, 1936, evening Place: Kulangsu Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 5:17 OUR INHERITANCE IN ADAM The Power to Sin God's way of redemption is wonderful. Man thinks that he has to do something before he can be saved, but God does not want us to do anything in order to be

redeemed. God does not do anything in man; He does everything in Christ. Satan's work was concentrated in Adam, whereas God's work is consummated in Christ. We have to understand one thing before we can know God's salvation. Do you know how man sins? Does he have to make up his mind to sin? Friends, what do you have to do to lose your temper? Do you have to think about it for a night, saying, "I will lose my temper tomorrow. Tonight I do not have the strength to lose it; I am too weak. I wish I could lose my temper tomorrow. I will make up my mind to lose my temper tomorrow"? Is there such a thing? No! One does not need to make up his mind to lose his temper. There is no need to exert any effort for he can lose his temper effortlessly. There is no effort involved in committing sins; it only takes effort to try to not sin. We can illustrate this by considering light and darkness. The electrical power company helps us to remove darkness by supplying us with light. But it is interesting that there is no darkness company. We need to pay for light, but there is no need to pay for darkness; it comes by itself. If you need some darkness in your home, do you have to buy it from a darkness company? No, darkness comes spontaneously; there is no need to exert any effort. However, if you want the light, you will need to exert some effort; you will need to pay a price. In the same way, there is no need to exert any effort to sin. But it takes much effort to try to not sin. The Nature of Sin Man does not need to pray, make up his mind, or exert any effort to sin. He sins easily. There is no need to prepare for it; it comes spontaneously. Why does a man not need to try to sin? Why is it so easy for man to sin? It is because to sin is natural. Doing good is not easy; it is not natural. Why is it so unnatural for man to do good? The Bible clearly tells us that man has the Adamic nature in him, and the Adamic nature is a sinful nature. Romans 5:12 says, "Through one man sin entered into the world." Sin came in through Adam. Those who are in Adam have inherited his Adamic sinful nature. This is why it is so natural for us to sin. Satan wants to see the whole world sin. But if he induced every individual to sin one by one, it would take too much time. What did he do? He put the poison in the "fountainhead." Consequently, everyone who drinks the water will die. He put the poison in Adam. After Adam sinned, everyone who belongs to Adam spontaneously sins. It does not take any effort for me to sin today; I do not have to think about it or make up my mind to do it. As long as I am related to Adam

and belong to him, I spontaneously sin. Hence, I have inherited the Adamic nature and power of sin. Inheriting Everything that Adam Had For this reason, we should not be surprised by what we do. Since the world has such a relationship with Adam, it is natural for the whole world to sin. It is most natural for us to sin. If we want to lose our temper, we can do it in two seconds; there is no need to consciously try. We have inherited the power, mind, and mentality to sin. Because we are in Adam, we inherited everything in Adam. All of Adam becomes all of us. We have nothing; Adam has everything. We are born of him and belong to him. It is as if Adam wrote a will for us and gave us all his inheritance. We do not have to learn to commit Adam's sins; we commit the same sins and have inherited the same sins. The Bible says that everything we have is inherited from Adam. What does it mean to inherit something? How does an inheritance pass from one person to another? Suppose you are a father and have earned and saved a great deal of money. You have a son that you love very much, and you bequeath all your money to him. The money has not been earned by your son; it was earned by you through hard work. Now you bequeath all of this money to your son. This is an inheritance, and this is what Adam did. He bequeathed everything to us. We can say that Adam bequeathed much "grace" upon us; there is no need for us to do anything to receive it. Christ has bestowed grace upon us, and it is free. Adam has bestowed sin upon us as a kind of "grace"; it is also free. Everyone who is born of Adam has received from him the free "grace" to sin. Hence, we are all sinners today. No one needs to make up his mind to sin, yet everyone sins. We were born sinners, and we sin spontaneously and effortlessly in this world. Sinning is natural as well as habitual for us. This is our inheritance in Adam. He made us a sinner free of charge. When we are in him, he freely bequeaths to us his power and nature to sin.

SALVATION IN CHRIST The Principle Being the Same in Christ as in Adam God's salvation works the same way as the free gift that Adam gave to us in making us sinners. God's salvation in Christ is the same in principle as our being sinners in Adam. When we are in Adam, there is no need for us to do anything to inherit his sinful nature and power. When we are in Christ, there is no need for us to make up our mind, do anything, or come up with anything to receive salvation.

As long as we are in Christ, God's salvation comes to us unconditionally, freely, and unreservedly. As long as we are in Christ, everything of Christ becomes ours. There is no need for us to exert any strength or to think or make up our mind to do anything. The situation is exactly the same as when we were in Adam. This is grace. I sin because the life of Adam is in me. In the same way, I am good, righteous, and holy because I am in Christ and the life of Christ is in me. There is no need for me to exert any strength of my own. Only one condition is crucial—we must be in Christ. The gospel annuls our previous relationship in Adam. Our relationship with Christ today is just the same as our relationship with Adam previously. Friends, what grace our God has bestowed upon us! I can say with joy and happiness that we can enjoy everything there is in Christ. In Christ we can partake of all that Christ can do and all that He has. This kind of participation does not require any effort of our own; it comes naturally. As long as we are in Christ, it is ours. This is just like sinning without any effort when we were in Adam. In Christ there is no place for any effort of our own; we can be humble, patient, meek, holy, and transcendent over all things. As long as we are in Christ, we can do all these things and we can have all these things. Becoming a New Creation in Christ Let us see what the Bible says about this matter. Please read 2 Corinthians 5:17. Does it say, "If anyone does good, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, they have become new"? No! The Bible does not say this. It does not say that only those who make up their mind and strive to do good are transferred from the old creation to the new. Rather, it says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." There is no other condition. It is not a matter of what we are, how we make up our minds, or how hard we strive to change ourselves into a new creation. It says that as long as we are in Christ, we are a new creation. Nevertheless, we all constantly think about how we can become a new creation. We try to improve ourselves, changing a little today and a little tomorrow, gradually working ourselves into a new creation. Even though we are not humble in our heart, we think that we can start at least by being humble with our words. We try to speak to others in a humble way. Or we may try to practice holiness by first being holy with our words and then holy with our thoughts. We think that although we are evil today, we can change for the better and gradually make ourselves holy. We hope that this will one day change us into a new creation. It is difficult for us to say how long we will need for such a change, but

we think that it may take ten or twenty years, or perhaps even a lifetime. But please read the Word of God: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." Being a new creation has nothing to do with us. As long as we are in Christ, we are a new creation. During my gospel meetings in Kaifeng, the younger brother of a magistrate came to me and said, "I admit that I have sinned. But no matter what you say, I still believe in Buddhism and in self-enlightenment. I have studied Buddhism for a few years, not in the superstitious ways, but by a philosophical approach and by seeking after peace of mind and contentment of life. Yet the more I study and the harder I try, the less peace of mind I have; it seems that turmoil is always within me. I have been practicing this for a few years, but have not made much progress, but I intend to spend another thirty years to continue my pursuit, and I hope that I will succeed eventually. According to what you have said, a man can become a new man within a day. Once he is in Christ, he becomes a new man. How can this be? I have studied many religious books and found that the Christian way is the fastest way. But you are very bold. Your way is even faster than the Christian way. How can this be?" I did not give him too much of an explanation, I only told him to go home and try it out. At the next meeting, he came and said, "Your method is fast. The next time you have a baptism, please tell me about it. I want to be baptized." Everything that is in Christ happens fast; there is no need to improve or adjust ourselves slowly. All the virtues are in Christ; they do not become ours by self-improvement, nor are they manufactured. As long as we are in Christ, we have all the virtues. Does a lamp need to pray for a few hours, make resolutions, or strive before it can shine? No. All it needs is to be connected to electricity and it will shine. There is no light in the lamp itself; all it does is allow light to shine through it. The same is true with a Christian; he cannot accomplish anything through selfenlightenment, struggling, or conjectures. All he has to do is to touch Christ—the "electrical power source." Regeneration, sanctification, and power are all in Christ; they have nothing to do with changing ourselves. The overcoming life, holiness, humility, etc., are all Christ. When we are in Christ, we have all of these. We have to say, "Thank Christ that it is not I. All the glory goes to Christ. Everything is done by Christ; it is not done by me. I receive everything in Christ." The only condition is being in Christ; there is no other condition. As long as we are in Christ, we are a new creation, and the old creation has passed away.

The question is: Are you in Adam or are you in Christ? Sinning or overcoming, perishing or having eternal life have nothing to do with us. It all depends on which man we are in. This is God's way of salvation; it is the way described in the Bible. God saves us by putting us into Christ. In dealing with Christ, He has dealt with everything. Do you still remember the illustration of the chalk box and the chalk? Wherever the chalk box is, there is the chalk. The destiny of the chalk box is the destiny of the chalk. The pieces of chalk do not have to ask what will happen to them. All they have to ask is what will happen to the chalk box. This is our relationship with Christ; we do not have to ask about ourselves; we only need to ask about Christ. As long as we are in Christ, whatever Christ is becomes ours.

No Condemnation in Christ We have to read two more verses. Romans 8:1-2 says, "There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death." These two verses describe the kind of people who are not under condemnation. We think that those who have repented, who are righteous, and who are doing good are not condemned. But God says that those who are in Christ are not condemned. As long as a person is in Christ, that is good enough; there is no need to do anything anymore. Those who are in Christ are not condemned. There is no other condition. Why is a person no longer condemned when he is in Christ? It is because when Christ was judged on the cross, he was judged in Christ as well. The judgment that Christ went through became his judgment. Christ's experience on the cross became his experience. In Christ we are no longer condemned. The words no longer imply that there is not a second time. Christ was judged and condemned on the cross. We are in Christ, and Christ has borne our judgment. This is good enough, and there cannot be any further condemnation in Adam. If I borrow one hundred dollars and return it later, my creditor cannot demand one hundred dollars any longer. Since we have been terminated on Christ's cross once, we have been judged already, and now there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ. I am not as bold as others may think. I used to think about what would happen to me if I were to go to hell. A few times when I was sick, I feared for what would happen if I went to hell then. Today I believe that God has judged and punished me once and for all in Christ. I am very happy today, because I am no longer condemned in Christ. Brother Lui is a businessman. If anyone owes him money,

and he collects what is owed at the end of the year, he would not go and ask for more money later. This is what all honest people do in this world. Thank God that our debt has been paid by Christ on the cross, and God can no longer come to us for payment. No Longer Impotent in Christ Those who borrow feel intimated by their creditors, and those who have not borrowed can be afraid to borrow. Suppose you only earned one dollar a month, and the dollar is only good for one meal. What can you do except borrow? This is like a believer who realizes that his sins are forgiven, but at the same time always worries that he will sin again. What should he do? A Greek scholar wrote thirty years ago that the word condemnation in Romans 8:1 has two meanings in Greek. It has a legal meaning and a general meaning. In the legal context it means condemnation, but in the general context it does not mean condemnation, but encumbrance or impotence. Hence this verse means that those who are in Christ are no longer condemned and are no longer impotent! In Adam we were impotent to withstand sin; we were crippled. We were impotent in respect to many sins and unable to overcome them. We made resolutions, prayed, and struggled, but we still failed. None of these ways worked. But now we are made potent in Christ. Christ is strong. Everyone who is in Christ is no longer impotent, but has become potent. The question is not whether we have power in ourselves. The question is how much has been transmitted into us from Christ. When we are in Christ we receive everything from Christ. The whole issue therefore rests on whether or not we are in Christ. The Freedom of the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus Why are we no longer condemned in Christ? Why are we no longer impotent? Verse 2 provides an explanation: "For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death." The word "for" indicates that verse 2 is preceded by something in verse 1. The word "for" explains and relates to the things mentioned in verse 1. Hence, verse 2 gives the reason for verse 1. Verse 2 mentions a law. What is a law? A law is a rule that never changes; it is something that always remains the same. The Chinese government has a law which says that whoever murders will be executed. This is a law. It does not matter if Chang or Lee or anyone else murders; he will always be executed. The law of gravity is also a law. Every object that falls will fall toward the ground. It does not matter if the object falls today or tomorrow; it does not matter if it falls in

Nanking or Peking. As long as you let go of an object, it will fall to the ground. This is what is meant by a law. This verse says that sin is a law. This means that sin always acts the same way. Man always sins. No matter who he is, he always sins. He will sin today, and he will sin tomorrow. Suppose I have a quick temper. If I lose my temper easily at Mr. Chen and lose my temper easily at anyone who is similar to Mr. Chen, this means that similar temptations produce similar results. Everyone is proud and everyone has a temper. When the right temptation comes, everyone falls to pride and temper. Similar conditions produce similar sins every time. We seldom commit new sins. Most of the time we have our private sins which we are fond of committing. This shows that sin is a law. Every sin we commit is a familiar sin. We may have struggled with them for years already, yet we repeatedly commit the same sin or sins. It is easy for us to know that we sin. But do we realize that sin is a law? Sin is not just a conduct, but a law. This verse also mentions the law of death. What is death? The biblical definition of death is extreme weakness. If a man is sick, you know that you should give him a word of comfort. However, you do not have the strength to do it; this is the law of death. You know that you should be holy, righteous, and patient. However, you cannot make it; this is the law of death. Everyone who is sitting here today is bound by the law of sin and of death. Every time you fall, you fall because of the same sins, and every time you fail, you fail in the same things. You may commit sins that others do not commit, and you may not be able to do things that others can do. But every person has his own version of the law of sin and of death. There is a way to overcome the law of sin and of death; it is by the law of the Spirit of life. The law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death. Only Christ is not bound by the law of sin and of death. I have in my hand a copy of the New Testament. Although it is not moving, it has a constant tendency to fall. It has not fallen, however, because there is an opposite force holding it up. The force of my three fingers has stopped it from falling. Gravity is a force; it pulls the book downward. My fingers are another force; they keep the book from falling. Hence, I can say that my fingers have freed this book from the law of gravity. My hand is the "savior" to this book. The same is true with the Lord's salvation in us; He holds back the power of sin with the Holy Spirit. Although my fingers are small, they can withstand the great force of gravity. Does this book need to make up its mind, struggle, or hope not to fall? No. My three fingers have prevented it from falling. The same is true with our salvation. We do

not have to do anything. As long as we are in Christ, the law of the Spirit of life will free us from the law of sin and of death. The work of deliverance from perdition has nothing to do with us. In the same way, freedom from sin is accomplished only in Christ. When we are in Christ, we can overcome all sin. Everything is accomplished in Christ. EVERYTHING BEING IN CHRIST I thank God that I am saved, forgiven, justified, and have eternal life. None of these things originate from myself; they are all given to me in Christ. This is why the Lord said that He is the Beginning and the End (Rev. 22:13). Thank God that I am in Christ. Around me, in front of me, and behind me there is just Christ. Christ occupies everything. Christ, Christ, Christ, everything is Christ. What are we? If we have anything, it is because we are in Christ. Last night I spoke on the meaning of being in Christ. Tonight I spoke on overcoming sin in Christ. I do not know how to make this more clear to you. We are completely useless in ourselves. Everything is Christ, Christ, Christ. Christ is everything, and everything is in Christ.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE Date: October 19, 1936, morning Place: Kulangsu Scripture Reading: 1 Sam. 15:9 GOD WANTS HIS WILL AND NOTHING ELSE In Deuteronomy 25, God ordered the Israelites to blot out the memory of Amalek (v. 19). But in 1 Samuel 15, when the Israelites killed the Amalekites, they spared Agag the king of the Amalekites. They also spared the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good; they did not utterly destroy them. In dealing with the Amalekites, the people of God exercised their discernment; they killed some and spared some. God charged them to kill everything, but they wanted to spare the best ones. Among the oxen, sheep, camels, and donkeys of the Amalekites, there may have been a distinction between the strong and the weak or the great and the small. But in God's eyes there was no difference. He ordered all of them to be killed and nothing to be spared. This means that the Amalekites along with all they had were rejected. However, the Israelites seemed to have a better discernment than God. They divided the sheep and oxen of the Amalekites into those which were good and

those which were weak. They spared the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and good things; they killed only the weak and worthless ones. Man often thinks that he is smarter than God and that he has more wisdom than God. He thinks that it is even possible for God to be wrong, and that He is not always economical. "Why should I set aside all that I have learned throughout the years, including my eloquence, wisdom, and ability?" Man is concerned with profit, economy, value, and result. But God does not care for these things. There is only one thing that He takes pleasure in—His own will. Other than His will, God has no pleasure in anything. We think that it would have been a waste to kill the oxen, sheep, and Agag. Real submission is always a waste to the fleshly man. Have others ever considered that you have been wasted? Have you ever felt that you wasted yourself? Perhaps you have never felt a sense of waste. This is because you are too full. You will have a sense of waste only after you have set your flesh aside. If your self is fully utilized, and if you are full of natural elements, you will not have a sense of waste. If the oxen and sheep are saved, where is the waste? There is the sense of waste only when all the oxen and sheep have been killed. When the oxen and the sheep are spared and the flesh has not suffered any loss, there is no room to speak of waste. There is the sense of waste only when the flesh is set aside and rejected by God. When the flesh can do something, but is nevertheless stripped of the opportunity of exhibiting itself, there is the sense of waste. When an opportunity for exhibition is present, it is impossible to talk of waste! The day before yesterday we mentioned that a worker must have God's view before he can work for God. If a person's view is earthly and he serves by the flesh, he may be very competent in what he can do, yet the nature of his work is wrong and far from being noble in God's eyes. The Israelites spared Agag and the best of the sheep and oxen because they could not find a justification for killing them. They thought that the sheep, oxen, and Agag were useful. It was too much of a waste to kill all of these good things. The problem with the Israelites was that they did not see God's will. They considered these things according to their natural concept and had pity on them. They were not willing to blot the Amalekites and everything they had out of their memory according to God's word.

THE NEED OF GOD'S REVELATION FOR SEEING THE EVIL OF THE FLESH

During the past two days, I have been considering one thing: God has to give us revelation. If we do not have revelation from God to see His will, we will justify things according to our concepts. We will consider that something is reasonable when we think that it is good and justified. As a consequence, we often do not hate what God hates and cannot sympathize with God. We should not despise such a word. If we have not dealt with this matter in a serious way before the Lord, we cannot engage ourselves in His work, because we are not qualified to do so. Even if we have done something, it will not be registered in the heavens. We need to ask God for a thorough and shattering revelation to see what He sees. When our eyes are opened, we will see how evil are the Amalekites; we will not treasure even the best of the sheep, the oxen, or Agag. We will realize that everything that issues from the flesh is useless. If we have not seen the evil of the goodness of the flesh, we have not yet seen God's revelation, and we are still not clear concerning what is spiritual. We have listened to so many teachings and have learned so many things. We may agree that the flesh should be removed, but the question is whether or not we truly hate the flesh. We have to know the flesh, and we have to hate it to the extent that we want to kill it. Only then can we say that we have seen the revelation. Sparing the flesh is an expression of the lack of light concerning the flesh. If we see what God sees, we will judge as God judges and reject what God rejects. Ten or twenty years ago when you were still a sinner, did you realize that you were an evil person? No. Not only were you without this realization, but you even boasted with a bold conscience that you were better than your neighbors and that there were few in this world who were as good as you. Today you know that you are a sinner. When others ask if you have sinned, you say yes. But even though you say this with your mouth, you may not realize in your heart how evil you really are. What does it mean to be void of God's light? Being void of God's light is to fail to see what God sees. A man who does not see what God sees is one who is without His light. If you do not know that you are a sinner, you do not have God's light. If someone tells you now that you are without any sin, you will not dare agree with this because you have seen a little of what God sees. You have the light of God, and you readily admit that you have sinned. In God's work, cutting away the flesh has much to do with God's light. I am not saying that the goodness of the flesh cannot render man some help. But if we have God's light, we will see that God even rejects the goodness of the flesh. God says that the energy of the flesh, as well as the natural power of attraction,

eloquence, ability, and wisdom of the flesh are useless in His work. In God's work we must not stop short of hating the fleshly energy. We must deny the goodness of the flesh in the same way that we deny the weakness of the flesh. Most people know that sin is evil and that it should be removed. But they think secretly in their heart: "Do I have to lay down my wisdom, eloquence, and power too?" Those who ask such questions are void of God's light. I know a few workers of the Lord who are very useful in God's hand. They have all experienced intense light. You may be afraid of God's light, but there are some who are not afraid of it. They want to experience God's intensified enlightening because they realize that even the best of themselves and their flesh is under God's curse and cannot be employed in God's work. How many of us have ever been enlightened by the Lord in such a strong way? We have to pray and ask God to give us a thorough revelation so that we will see what we do not understand. If we know how hopeless we are, we will repent in ashes. PAYING ANY PRICE TO OBEY GOD Samuel charged Saul to smite the Amalekites. Samuel was representing God. In 1 Samuel 15:13, Saul said to Samuel, "Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord." He thought that he had obeyed in everything. He felt that he had killed the weak sheep, oxen, and all the Amalekites, sparing only the best of the sheep, oxen, and King Agag. He thought that these were inconsequential. My brothers, can there ever be a time when obedience to God is economical? Obedience is not an economical move. Saul thought that it was enough for him to kill the weak sheep, oxen, and the Amalekites, and that his obedience was good and perfect enough. He wanted to save some things. He thought that he had removed all the evil things, that enough of the Amalekites had been killed, and that he had obeyed Jehovah's commandment! But in verse 14, Samuel said, "What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" Saul said that he had fully obeyed the Lord's commandment. But where did the sound of the sheep, the oxen, and Agag come from? Saul was enraged. Those few sheep and oxen were too stupid. They could bleat and low any other time. It is often not up to us when the sheep bleat and the oxen low. They bleat and low at exactly the wrong time. They were innocent! They bleated and lowed at the wrong time! We can imagine the scene. Saul was about to say, "Blessed be thou...," when the sheep bleated and the oxen lowed. He was about to say, "I have performed the commandment

of the Lord...," when the sound of the bleating and lowing came again. After he finished his speech, the bleating and lowing cut in again. Then Samuel asked where the sound was coming from. Perfect submission would not have resulted in any noise!

LIFE OR POLITICS Two things are outwardly similar but inwardly different: one is a thorough and inward realization of the corruption of the flesh, and the other is an outward and political performance. One is of life, and the other is a matter of politics. Life comes from within; one acts genuinely according to what is within him. Politics is intentional and artificial. A Christian should walk by life and not by politics. I wish to mention one brother. I hope I am not criticizing him. I can only say that I have never met any person who is as obnoxious about his flesh as he is. I have told him many times that his trust in his eloquence and power and the results of his work were nothing but an expression of himself. These things were not of God, and God was not pleased with them. He might be wiser, more eloquent, and more powerful than others, but none of these things could be employed in God's work. I spoke to him frankly, and he did not reject me. He said, "Brother Nee, I agree that my virtues such as eloquence, wisdom, and power are corrupt. You are right." He fully agreed with my words. He said the same thing from the first year I met him until the third year. Every time I spoke to him, he accepted my words patiently, humbly, and willingly. But he was only being political; it was not life. Politics is artificial; it does not come from within. How do I know that he was being political and not in life? If something is political, there will be bleating and lowing. Once you hear bleating, lowing, and the sound of Agag, you know that it is politics and not life. Saul said that he had kept God's word. If he had, there would not have been any bleating or lowing sound. If it is something political, one will have to control the sound and muzzle the bleating and lowing when it is time to be quiet. If you hear any bleating or lowing, you can be sure that something political is being carried on. If the flesh can still plead for mercy, it means that one only has an intentional performance; it is not life, and it is not a genuine dealing of the flesh. In spiritual matters, a man can only deceive himself; he cannot deceive others. You can only cheat yourself; you cannot cheat anyone else. Neither God nor the brothers, the sisters, or the world can be deceived by you. Even Satan will not be deceived by you. A man can only cheat himself. Saul might have thought that no

one heard the bleating and lowing. Actually, the whole world heard it. Yet he still thought that he had kept the sound from everyone. The brother that I just mentioned did not need anyone to point out his flesh. While he was speaking, his flesh spontaneously was exposed. One can never hide the sound of the sheep, oxen, and Agag from the ears of others. Although a man may not say anything outwardly, the inward sound will expose him. Sometimes when you tell others to deal with their flesh, natural wisdom, eloquence, and power, they may think in their hearts that they are not that bad. They may not say it with their mouth, but they cannot hide what is in their heart. There is a big difference between a person who has been judged and one who has never been judged. If a person has not been genuinely dealt with in his flesh, he may pretend outwardly that he has been dealt with, but the sheep and oxen which he has spared will inform others that his performance is not real. In spiritual matters, nothing can be hidden from God. The sheep and oxen will expose what is in man. This was Saul's history. GOOD INTENTIONS CANNOT REPLACE GOD'S WILL In verse 15, Saul told Samuel the reason he had spared the best of the sheep and the oxen. He wanted to offer them to the Lord. This shows how we are prone to spare good things for God in the hope that we can please Him. It is a good intention to spare good things to offer to God. But good intentions can become a substitute for God's will. Whatever God says must be done. Today we have to deal with this matter once and for all. We have to see that good intentions can never be compared with God's will. God's will does not need man's hand to adjust it. He knows what He wants and what He likes. His commandment speaks of His heart. We should not try to change His desire by our good heart. I have a brother who works for me in my house. He is a very good cook. I have told others that he is a bad servant and a terrible employee. Why do I say this? I say this because this brother thinks he knows more than I do. He thinks he knows my stomach better than I do. Once I asked him to cook noodles. I waited for a long time, but he still did not come. Later, I found that he was cooking porridge instead. I wanted noodles, but he was preparing porridge. He thought that porridge was better for me than noodles. Since he had cooked it, I had no choice but to eat it. Man can compromise a little, but our God will not compromise. If I am the master and I want noodles, I should only be served noodles. If I say noodles, I mean noodles. This brother loves me and cares for me, but he is only qualified to be my master. He is not qualified to be my servant.

He has his own ideas, and he thinks that his ideas are better than mine. He does not work according to my instructions. Hence, we have to see that our good heart can never replace or amend God's commandment. We should never think that we can be God's counselors. He is the Lord, and we are but the slaves who take orders from Him obediently. We should not try to do anything for God out of our good heart. Such good hearts often contradict God's commandments, because they are nothing but an indication of the existence of the flesh.

OBEDIENCE BEING BETTER THAN SACRIFICE, AND HEARKENING THAN THE FAT OF RAMS Verse 22 is very precious. This word is too good. Samuel said, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." The fat of rams adds sweet aroma to the sacrifices and delights the Lord. A sacrifice is a loss to us and a gain to God. When a man offers a sacrifice, he loses something. Putting a sacrifice on the altar is a loss; it is to sacrifice oneself in order that God would gain something. A sacrifice is for man to suffer, to deny himself, and to give his best to the Lord. Yet God said that no sacrifice can replace obedience, and no work can replace our hearkening. The problem with us is that we can do everything but obey. Man thinks that he can offer up sacrifices that are better than obedience. Yet God treasures obedience and hearkening. Even if we can do many works for God, and even if we can sacrifice, labor, suffer, and deny ourselves, none of these things can replace obedience and hearkening. Many people work laboriously and unceasingly in order to replace obedience with sacrifices. They think that as long as they work unceasingly and continuously, they can make up for their lack in obedience. The only thing they will not do is to stop and obey. Such ones can never hope to please God. I know only one thing—nothing can replace obedience. Ten years ago I was with Miss Barber on a hill in Pai-Ya-Tan. We spent three hours walking together. On our way back I asked, "Many people say that you like to hike. Is that true?" She asked, "What do they say?" I said, "They say that they see you hiking all the time." She said, "It is easy for me to stop hiking. I have been away from England for over ten years, and I do not intend to go back. I intend to die here. Every day I like to take a little walk. I prayed about it and became clear that this is what the Lord wants me to do. It would be easy for me

to avoid this criticism of my hiking, but if this is what God wants me to do, it would be hard for man to stop me from doing it." I noticed that Miss Barber had better food than many unbelievers, and I mentioned this to her. She said, "My friend, it is not a question of eating well or not eating well. It is just as easy for me to eat well as to not eat well. But I pray over every dollar that I spend on my food every month. God takes responsibility for my food and for how good it is; I am not responsible for it." God's will is better than our sacrifice. We may think that sacrifice and sufferings are good. We may think that everything will be all right as long as we offer good things to God. But what does God say? Our mind does not need to worry about what to do for God. All we have to do is to obey His commandment. "YET NOT AS I WILL, BUT AS YOU WILL" Before the Lord's departure from the world, He prayed the last night in the garden of Gethsemane. Many people think that the Lord was sorrowful and that His sweat became like great drops of blood because His flesh was weak and He was afraid of the cup. No! Listen to what the Lord said: "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will" (Matt. 26:39). The Lord asked that the cup be removed from Him if it were possible. Yet He prayed that it would not be according as He willed but as the Father willed. The Lord could ask for the cup to be removed from Him, but He could not ask for God's will to be removed. He could ask for the passing away of the cup of the cross, but He could not ask for the passing away of God's will. The Lord was not dealing with the matter of crucifixion but with the matter of God's will. He desired to be one with God's will. It was all right with Him whether or not the cup was taken away. All He asked for was God's will. Many times we pay attention only to the bitter cup; we think that suffering is always good and that sacrifice and labor are always good. Yet the cup is good only when it is linked to God's will. If the cup is separated from God's will, the cup has no value to it. After the Lord was clear that God's will was for Him to take the cup, He took it willingly. Before the Lord was clear that the cup was God's will, He could pray for the cup to go away. But when He was clear that it was God's will, He took it without any hesitation. We must live for God's will, not for the sacrifices. May the Lord shine on us thoroughly so that we realize that nothing of us will ever please God. Only that which is done according to God's commandment will please God. Do not think that everything will be all right as long as we live for Him, consecrate to Him, and suffer for His sake. We must ask if this living, consecration, and suffering are

God's will. The Amalekites, the sheep, the oxen, and Agag are all useless on God's altar. The sacrifice which God wants on the altar must be something that God Himself designates. Everything else is the flesh and only deserves to die; it is not worthy to be put on the altar. May the Lord open our eyes to see that we can offend the Lord not only in sinful things, but also in offering sacrifices. May the Lord forbid us from offering what He has not designated, and may He direct us to do only that which is according to His will.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR THE SUBJECTIVE ASPECT OF BEING IN CHRIST Date: October 19, 1936, evening Place: Kulangsu Scripture Reading: Rom. 6:3-11 OUT OF ADAM AND INTO CHRIST God's salvation is wonderful. However, He did not do anything in us to accomplish His salvation; everything was done in Christ. Christ has accomplished everything for us. The only way for man to be saved is to be in Christ. We do not need to ask God to do anything in us. As long as we are in Christ, everything that Christ has accomplished will be realized in us. This is God's way of salvation. Let me ask a question: How did we enter into Christ? It is God who has put us into Christ. Strictly speaking, we must come out of Adam before we can get into Christ. For example, I must get out of this room before I can go into the next room. We must have an exit before we can have an entry. First, we get out of Adam, and then we get into Christ. GETTING INTO ADAM THROUGH BIRTH AND GETTING OUT OF ADAM THROUGH DEATH In order to know how to get out of Adam, we must first know how we got into Adam. John 3:6 says, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." Who are the ones who are in the flesh? They are those who are born of the flesh. As soon as we were born, we were in Adam. The life which we inherited from our parents is an Adamic life. After so many generations, the human life is still the Adamic life. Since we entered Adam through birth, how do we get out of Adam? Suppose I entered this room facing the east. In order to go out, I only need to turn around and walk toward the west. Since we entered Adam through birth, we have no other exit except through death. Once we die, we terminate our standing in

Adam. Thank God that He has delivered us out of Adam by bringing us through death. DEATH BEING THE ONLY WAY TO GET OUT OF ADAM In Adam we can do nothing but sin. Death is the grand deliverance by which we are delivered from the bondage of sin. A man may be bound by many things, but everything is over as soon as he dies. The same principle applies in the spiritual realm. Romans 6:7 says, "For he who has died is justified from sin." After a man has died, he can no longer sin; consequently, he is free from sin. A dead man is one whose thoughts, will, temper, and evil deeds are dead. There was a man in Australia who was sentenced to death. He committed such serious crimes that the judge handed down one hundred and eighty verdicts of death against him. However, he only needed to die once. Then he could sin no more. A man can be a drug addict, robber, murderer, or hardened criminal, but everything is over as soon as he dies. He will no longer sin. The biblical principle is the same. Once a Christian dies, everything is over with him. The way we enter Adam is through birth, and the way we exit Adam is through death. Once we die, we are delivered from Adam's sins. We have the way now. But how can we take this way? We are born into Adam and have become a part of him. Today if we want to get out of Adam, we have to die. Once we die, we will be delivered from Adam. But how can we die? How can we be freed from Adam? The way to salvation is death, the way to victory is death, and the way to be freed from Adam is also death. The question today is, how can we die? How can we back up this "car" to its original place? Can we die by ourselves? No. There is no way for us to die by ourselves. The way of death has been prepared by God. When we believe in Him, we die in Christ and are freed from Adam. Hallelujah! How wonderful it is to be in Christ! When we are in Christ, we die.

IT BEING GOD'S WORK THAT WE DIE IN CHRIST It is God's work that we died in Christ. When Christ was crucified on the cross, God put us into Him. We died with Him and in Him. For example, there is chalk in this chalk box. When I throw the box into the sea, the chalk will go into the sea as well. Wherever the box is, the chalk is there as well. In the same way, God has put us into Christ. All the experiences of Christ have now become our experiences. Romans 6:6 says that our old man has been crucified with Him on the cross. The last part of 2 Corinthians 5:14 says that One died for all, therefore

all died. We died in Christ. God's Word says that when One died, all died because all are in Christ. When Christ died, all died in Him. There is no way for all not to die. This death is in Christ, not in ourselves. When we die, we cannot lose our temper or sin anymore. This is God's way of salvation. THE EYES OF FAITH The second time I was in Kaifeng, I told everyone that when a man dies, he is delivered from sin. One lady, a Mrs. Yan, came to me and said, "The Bible says that I have died. In my daily life, however, it does not seem that I have died." Then she asked, "Mr. Nee, how can I really die? If I can be assured that I am really dead, I will be delivered from sin." I told her, "We died in Christ. In ourselves we are still alive and living. If you abide in Christ, you will be dead all the time, but as soon as you live in yourself, you will not be dead. The death that God has accomplished, the death that He has created, is in Christ. If you look at yourself, you will not die. Never look at yourself in yourself. You have to exercise your eyes of faith and consider yourself dead in Christ. When you do this, you will die. God's work is not done in you, but in Christ. If you remain in Christ all the time, all that Christ is and has done will flow into you." A lamp cannot shine by itself. It shines when electricity passes through it. We cannot control our temper by ourselves. But when we are in Christ, we will be patient spontaneously. Some people seek for death while they are alive. We seek for life through death. I have said that we should exercise our eyes of faith and view ourselves as dead in Christ. We are not the object of our faith; the object of our faith is Christ. If I, Watchman Nee, look at myself, I will not find death. But Watchman Nee has long been dead in Christ. There is no need for me to die anymore. Thank God that we are dead in Christ. Many Christians fail on this very point. They seek for death in themselves but never find it. When we search within ourselves to see whether we have died, we will find that we are still living in ourselves. In fact, we will find that we are very much alive. Death is something that can only be found in Christ; it can never be found in us. It is a marvelous thing that man can live in two realms. We were in Adam, but God has put us into Christ. Yet in our daily life, it is possible for us to return to Adam. This is our problem. Many Christians fail because they continue to look inward. As a result they continue to live in themselves. One sister has much experience in the Lord. When others asked her about the secret to the Christian life, she answered, "If you want to experience the

overcoming life all the time and remain victorious, you must never consider yourself outside of Christ. Whenever you consider yourself outside of Christ, you will be the same as you were before you were saved. When you look within, you are exercising your feeling and trying to see with your own eyes. But when you look at Christ, you are exercising your faith and seeing with God's eyes." THE MEANING OF BAPTISM What else should we do after we die? After a man dies, the first thing to do is to bury him. This is the biblical meaning of baptism; baptism is a kind of burial. Yesterday, six people were baptized. This means that six people were buried. A man must first die before he can be buried. We bury a man because we believe that he has died. One woman's husband died, and she would not let others put him into a coffin for three days and three nights. She said that she was afraid her husband would suffocate in the coffin. She did not believe that her husband had really died. Would you bury a man if you did not believe that he had died? No. If I have not died, I surely would not allow others to bury me. Baptism is the acknowledgment of our position in Christ. It is to believe that we have been crucified with Christ. Everything of Christ has become ours, because everyone who believes in the Son of God is in Him. After you believe and have the faith that you have died in Him, what should you do to show that you have died? You should be baptized. Baptism is our declaration that we are in Christ and that we have died with Him. Through this act of burial, we acknowledge this fact. DELIVERED FROM ADAM'S COMMUNITY INTO CHRIST'S COMMUNITY A Christian must go through the station of "death" before he can be delivered from Adam, and he must go through the station of "birth" before he can enter into Christ. Between these two stations, there is a "pontoon bridge" called "burial," which is signified by our baptism. This bridge brings us from the side of Adam to the side of Christ. Baptism is joined to Adam on one end and to Christ on the other end. On one side, we say to Adam, "Farewell forever. I have left you behind and have nothing more to do with you." On the other side, we enter into Christ and begin a new life in Him. The Bible shows us the perfect arrangement God has made for us: In Christ. This enables us to leave the community of Adam and enter the community of Christ. These two communities are separated by a grave. When a man dies, we put him into a coffin and bury him. No water in this world can wash away our sins, but the Lord's shed blood has washed us of all our sins. Through the water of baptism

we can now testify, "I have been delivered from Adam through death. I am now in Christ through burial. In Christ I have been washed of my sins, and I am saved."

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE THE INIQUITY OF THE SANCTUARY Date: October 20, 1936, morning Place: Kulangsu Scripture Reading: Num. 18:1-32 THE INIQUITY OF THE SANCTUARY God's Word shows us that some sins are committed before man, while others are committed before God. Some sins are committed against ordinary laws, while others are iniquities committed against the sanctuary. In short, there are sins committed in our daily life and sins committed in the work. The book of Numbers shows us that the sins of the priests were iniquities committed against the sanctuary. Using today's terminology, they are sins committed in God's work. Most people only commit sins in their daily life, but a worker of the Lord can commit an additional kind of sin. Most sins are common sins, but a worker of the Lord can commit some special sins—sins in God's work. We have to pay special attention to this matter. A sin pertaining to the work may not necessarily involve such things as pride or jealousy. When the flesh is manifested, when the self-will is exposed, and when one speaks rashly or makes suggestions rashly, one often commits the special sin that pertains to the work. Those who do not engage themselves in God's work will not commit the iniquity of the sanctuary. But those who work for the Lord are liable of committing the iniquity of the sanctuary in addition to all the other common sins. Sinning in the work means offending God in His holiness, glory, and sovereignty. In God's work, everything that is incompatible with God's will is a sin and is an iniquity of the sanctuary. I have often said to others as well as to myself that there are three very important considerations in God's work which we should never forget. First, the initiation of God's work must be according to His will. Second, the advance of God's work must be according to His power, not our own power. Third, the result of God's work must be for His glory. If we fail in any of these three points, we have committed an iniquity against the sanctuary. No work can be initiated by ourselves, no work can be carried out by our own strength, and no work should result in our own glory.

THE INITIATION OF THE WORK BEING OF GOD AND NOT OF US In the meetings the sisters have their heads covered with respect to the brothers. This signifies that everyone is covered before Christ. He is the Lord, and only He is the Head. Only He is worthy to be the Lord of all, and only He is worthy to initiate any work. In God's work, no decision should be made through the discussion of two or three brothers. The result and worth of a work, whether or not it is spiritual and pleasing to God, depend not on the amount of work that has been done, but on how much of the work is initiated by ourselves and how much is initiated by God. The less we initiate, the more spiritual, worthwhile, and acceptable it is to God. I thank God that I do not have to initiate anything. He arranges everything. I do not have to be responsible for coming up with anything. We often think that we should do this or that, but God has His own agenda. We do not have to be His counselor. We only need to do His will and find out if something is according to His will. We do not have to worry about the result. The initiation of God's work must be His will and His will alone. We have no right to initiate anything. God's will must be the unique beginning of all His works. I would like to ask the local responsible brothers a question: In your locality, do you embark on a work just because this is what many people want or because it is a logical thing that produces good results? Or do you do it because you know that it is God's will? Brothers, to initiate anything rashly is to commit an iniquity against the sanctuary. In spiritual things there is no ground for your own proposals or directions. God does not need you to be His head. In the book of Job God said to Job, "Who is this who darkens counsel/By words without knowledge?.../I will ask of you, and you shall inform Me" (38:2-3). Every time I read this, I laugh within myself. Man likes to be God's counselor. But God does not hire any counselors. Paul said, "Who has become His counselor?" (Rom. 11:34). I am afraid the co-workers have not been as serious about the work in the sanctuary as they should have been. Perhaps you were quite careful at the beginning, but today you have become quite careless and loose. Those who have a little more authority speak more and dominate more. Those who have just entered the Lord's work may be more careful than those who have been working for eight or ten years. The book of Numbers shows us the distinction between holy things and common things. We should not fall into unholiness through touching something in a common way. Many things are holy and not common. Have you ever baptized

someone? The first time you baptized someone, you were probably quite serious. But after five or ten times, it becomes common to you. There is nothing new in the sanctuary. The priests changed the showbread, dressed the lamp, and burned the incense. They did the same things day after day and year after year. But if they were just a little bit careless, they would have committed the iniquity of the sanctuary and died. Therefore, no priest could consider his work a common thing. The first time a worker has to give a message, he is very serious. But after he speaks a few more times, it becomes a common thing to him. Many have said to me, "You seem to be prepared all the time." But I can testify that every time I read the New Testament, I feel as if I have never read it before, and every time I speak, I feel as if it is the first time I have ever spoken. Brothers, we cannot consider any of God's work as a common thing. Whether or not we are fresh to others depends on whether spiritual things are fresh to us. Take the example of the breaking of bread. The first time we have to bless the bread we are solemnly aware of its significance. We are very careful before the Lord, and we are truly like the priests. Subconsciously, God's power and His Spirit come upon us. But gradually, we become more relaxed. Our spiritual feeling is not as strong as before, and we have little spirit for prayer and worship. A person may realize that God has not given him the power and the anointing at a particular time; however, he may think that since he has done it before, he can do the same thing today. In this way he loses his spiritual freshness and the power of life. There are three results or punishments for the iniquity of the sanctuary. First, there is a loss of the power of life; a man becomes stale. Second, there is the experience of spiritual death; there may even be sicknesses or physical death. God does not allow those who sin this way to continue. Third, there will be the judgment at the judgment seat. I have the deep sense that at the judgment seat no sin will be greater than the iniquity of the sanctuary. Brothers, we have to take this matter seriously. We cannot initiate the work. A man can only be satisfied when his desires are met. In the same way, God can only be satisfied when His will is fulfilled. We have no other choice than to do God's will. We cannot replace God's will with anything else. All the sacrifices in the world cannot replace God's will. Men may think that their work is better than God's will and that His will may be wrong, but please remember that God does not need any counselors. He only wants us to do His will. We may have done a lot of things for God, but no matter how much we have done, the only thing that counts is God's will.

THE ADVANCE OF GOD'S WORK BEING BY GOD'S POWER AND NOT OUR POWER The advance of God's work can only be carried out by His power. We can only accomplish God's will and purpose by means of His power. In order to accomplish God's will, not only must the beginning be of God, the process of carrying it out must also be according to His will. We can never fulfill God's will by our own ability. Once I went to Hong Kong with three hundred dollars in my pocket. I had to cross the harbor from Kowloon to Hong Kong, which cost five cents. I asked a man to give me change, and he said that my money was no good. I showed him the three hundred dollars, but he insisted that my money was useless. He then told me that in Hong Kong only Hong Kong currency is accepted. This is like the Chinese Customs Department which accepts only currency issued by the Chinese Central Bank. The same kind of relationship exists between God's will and His power. It does not matter how much "money" you have in your pocket, you cannot buy anything in God's kingdom with it. Only God's power—God's "money"—will be accepted. Even after a man knows God's will, there is still the danger that he will try to accomplish it by his own power, ideas, charisma, or eloquence. Abraham's begetting of Ishmael is one example. This is where the problem lies. The starting point and final goal of a work may be according to God, but the means and power that a man uses to accomplish His will are of great significance. Every worker of the Lord must check with himself about the means that he uses to accomplish God's will. The goal of a work must be spiritual. But the method and means by which we reach God's goal must also be spiritual. Otherwise, we will commit the iniquity of the sanctuary by bringing the flesh into the sanctuary. God said, "The stranger who comes near shall be put to death" (Num. 18:7). The accomplishment of God's work has nothing to do with our power. The question is not how much we have done, but whether we have done something according to God's power. A brother said, "Only that which is from heaven can go back to heaven." A sister also said, "If the Lord comes, we can go home." Let me ask whether we will be going home or visiting as a guest when we go to the Lord. The answer lies in whether or not we come from the Lord. If I came from the Lord, my return would be like going home. Otherwise, it would be like a visitation. I cannot say that I am returning to Amoy, because Amoy is not my home. If we are to return to heaven, we must first come from heaven. If a man derives his strength from Adam, he

can only return to Adam; he can never return to God. A worker must remember that God's work can only be accomplished by God's power. Otherwise, no work can please God. THE RESULT OF GOD'S WORK BEING FOR GOD'S GLORY AND NOT FOR OUR GLORY The initiation of God's work is His will and the advance of His work is His power. These two things have nothing to do with us. In the same principle, the result of God's work is God's glory, not our glory. After I preached in a place, a brother came to me and said, "Brother Nee, you spoke so well tonight! Are you proud of it?" I did not answer him immediately, because no one had ever asked me such a question before. I thought about it, and asked myself if I was proud of my speaking. Then I answered him, saying, "I have never thought about this question before. Perhaps I am very proud, but I have never thought of it." That evening I learned that as long as we are only for God's will and glory, we will never think of usurping His glory. If we have the thought of usurping His glory, we will surely have a problem with the first and second point. One thing which may be superfluous can be brought up at this point. Why does God not allow man to be saved by works (Eph. 2:8-9)? What is the purpose of God monopolizing the work of salvation? The purpose is that God wants to have all the glory. The amount of work one does determines the amount of glory he receives. God does not want us to share His glory. Therefore, He does not allow us to do anything. This is why He has chosen the ones who are weak, foolish, and depised by the world for His work. First Corinthians 1:29 says, "So that no flesh may boast before God." God does not wish to see us getting the glory. He can give everything to man. He is even willing to give His Son to man. But He will not give His glory to man. We can only enter into the Lord's glory. We may be very poor and weak, but as soon as we render a little help to some brothers and sisters and as soon as we save a few people, we begin to steal God's glory. Stealing His glory is committing the iniquity of the sanctuary. It is very easy for us to commit the sin of stealing the Lord's glory. None of us wants to be a thief. However, stealing God's glory is the act of a thief. God requires that we not only remove outward, evil acts, but also that we do not steal His glory. God is the God of all goodness, and we are men of all evil. We can only say that all goodness is found in Him alone. Stealing God's glory is committing the iniquity of the sanctuary. The showbread, lampstand, and incense altar are all Christ. Other than Christ, there is nothing in the sanctuary. God does

not want us to have any glory of our own in the sanctuary. If a man enters the Holy of Holies, he should only see the ark, which is Christ, and the cherubim above the ark, which represent God's glory. Everything that we see in the tabernacle is related to God's glory. The temple was filled with God's glory. In it we see only Christ; we do not even see the sacrifices. The question today is who is qualified to share God's glory. Last year God might have called some brothers to His work. He might have given you the experience of the outpouring of the Spirit, and you might have received the overcoming life. During the past year, I have heard that many have worked for the Lord in a wonderful way, but I am afraid that some will begin to become proud. I am afraid that when some have more spiritual knowledge and experience, they will also increase in spiritual pride. They have not yet seen God's will and glory. Therefore, they still work by themselves and seek their own glory. Please listen to the Bible. It says that God "rejects" (1 Sam. 15:23), and "resists" the proud (1 Pet. 5:5). It is difficult to find stronger words than these in the Bible. The word reject means to be finished with someone, whereas resist is a word that is used against Satan. There is nothing more abominable in the eyes of God and nothing more evil in His work than pride. We have no ground to stand on other than being in dust and ashes. In this world, everyone under Satan's deception is a proud person. A proud person does not know himself; those who know themselves will not be deceived. When we come before God, we have to realize that everything we have is unclean. Unless the Lord's blood covers me constantly, I dare not work for Him. In fact, I cannot even be a Christian if I do not have the covering of His blood. What do you have that is not from the Lord's grace? Do you think that you are better than others in any way? Are you holier than others in any way? If God exposed everything within you, you would find out how much uncleanness there is within. During the past few days we talked about the excommunication of a certain brother. Every time we came to God, we came with fear and trembling. Had it not been for the Lord's grace, we would have been worse than our brother is. We are under God's grace today. We cannot enter into God's glory yet. We have to wait for the time of resurrection before we can obtain God's glory. Today we can only remain humble and useless like Lazarus the beggar, who was always begging under the table. We can only be those who receive and accept grace in true humility before His face.

It is unfortunate that those who partake of God's work can commit the iniquity of the sanctuary. How evil is the sin against the sanctuary! If you read Numbers 18, you will see that the punishment for sins committed in the sanctuary was primarily death. The sin of coming near to the sanctuary results in death (vv. 1-7). The sin against the sanctuary does not need to go through man's judgment; God judges it directly. Those who come near to the sanctuary die immediately; there is no need for the priests to judge it. Ordinary sins must pass through the priests' judgment, but the iniquity of the sanctuary is a direct offense against God, and God judges it directly. Many sins offend God indirectly, but the iniquity of the sanctuary is a direct offense against God. This is because the sanctuary belongs to God and the iniquity of the sanctuary is an infringement on God's glory and on God Himself. This is a very serious matter; I can only speak of it under the precious blood. I ask for the Lord's forgiveness, and I also ask for the brothers' forgiveness.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST Date: October 20, 1936, evening Place: Kulangsu Scripture Reading: Rom. 6:11; 1 Pet. 1:3; John 12:24, 33; Gal. 3:28 During the past three evenings, we have seen the matter of being in Christ. Last night we saw one thing that is accomplished in Christ—death. Christ has died on the cross, and those who are in Christ have also died. We do not have to die ourselves; there is no need for us to seek to die or to think of ways to die. In Christ we are all dead. Through the death of Christ, those who are in Him are dead already. We have a brother who was an officer in the army. He told me that if anyone retreated during a battle and ran away from the army, he would be executed immediately. He talked about this with the other officers. The military law was stricter than any civil law, and many soldiers could not take it. The officers were cruel and constantly harassing them. Yet once a soldier dies, he is free from the authority of the officers, and the officers can no longer do anything to him. An officer can abuse a soldier only to the point of death, after which the officer can do nothing more. The same principle is involved with our being in Christ. Adam's sin dominates us. Through sin Satan often harasses and overpowers us. But once we die in Christ, we are free from its domination.

This is God's way of dealing with our problems on the negative side. But what has He done for us on the positive side? God has appointed Adam to be the head of the human race. After Adam fell, everyone became a sinner by birth, because everyone is in Adam. How can God deliver us out of sin? His way of salvation is to appoint a new Head—Christ. Christ is the Head of the new human race, just as Adam was the head of the old human race. God has put us into Christ. We become persons in Christ, just as we were persons in Adam. Man is never independent; either he is in Adam or in Christ. If he is not in Christ, he is in Adam. There is only one man in heaven, and there is only one man in hell. As we are sitting here today, we should ask ourselves whether we are in Adam or in Christ. We must realize that we leave Adam and enter into Christ through His death. The resurrection of Christ is the beginning of everything in the new creation. It is interesting to note that the Bible never tells us to believe in the death of Christ. It only tells us to believe in His resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15:14, Paul said, "And if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is vain; your faith is vain also." The death of Christ takes care of the negative things; it terminates everything in the old creation. The resurrection of Christ is positive; through resurrection we receive a new life. We are delivered from sin and enabled to serve God. When Christ resurrected, those who died in Him were also resurrected. They became a new man in God's eyes through the new life they received. REGENERATED THROUGH THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST First Peter 1:3 mentions a very wonderful thing. It says that we have been regenerated through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Many people in the church today talk about regeneration, but they do not understand how regeneration occurs. Many say that we have been regenerated through the cross. But Peter said that we have been regenerated through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We have been regenerated through Christ's resurrection. In other words, if Christ had not resurrected, we would not have been regenerated. When Christ died and resurrected, we died and resurrected with Him as well (Eph. 2:6), and we received His life into us. Regeneration brings us the life of Christ. This life was imparted to us at the time of Christ's resurrection. He first had to die before He could resurrect. If He had not died, He could not have resurrected and would not have been able to impart His life to us.

Thank the Lord that He has died and lived again. Therefore, He can dispense His life to us. We need to consider Christ's death and resurrection before we can understand the overcoming life that we have received in Christ. When the Lord was on earth, He spoke of the parable of the wheat. This is recorded in John 12:24. The Lord said that if a grain of wheat does not fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. But if it dies, it bears many grains. Verse 33 shows clearly that the death of the grain of wheat, as mentioned by the Lord, refers to His death. A grain of wheat is different from a grain of sand. A grain of wheat has life, whereas sand does not have life. But if the grain of wheat does not fall into the ground and die, it will remain as grain even after millions of years. The Lord Jesus as the grain of wheat fell into Bethlehem and died at Golgotha. Then He resurrected, and in resurrection He regenerated us, giving us the same life as His. If Christ had not left heaven to come to earth, there would only be one person, Himself, today. The Bible says that Christ is God's only begotten Son (1:18). This means that He is the unique Son. God loves His only begotten Son, but He wants to have many sons (Heb. 2:10). He desires to see His only begotten Son become the firstborn Son so that He can have many sons. In the Gospel of John, Christ is God's only begotten Son. But in Romans 8 and Hebrews 2, He has become God's firstborn Son. We cannot call a person a firstborn son and an only begotten son at the same time. Being a firstborn son means that there are other sons to follow, but being the only begotten son means that there are no more sons. Yet God wants His only begotten Son to become the firstborn Son. How can Christ as the only begotten Son of God become God's firstborn Son? If the only begotten Son remained in heaven all the time, there would forever be an only begotten Son. In order for Him to become the firstborn Son, there is a need for Him to "fall" from heaven to the earth. One day Christ "fell" from heaven to Bethlehem and later died. There are two aspects to His death: the first is the redemptive aspect, which is for the purpose of taking away our sins. The second is the non-redemptive aspect, which is for the purpose of releasing His life.

GOD'S LIFE BEING RELEASED THROUGH DEATH Let us read Luke 12:49. This is the deepest verse in the Gospel of Luke. The Lord said, "I have come." He does not mention anything about redemption. He merely came "to cast fire on the earth, and how I wish that it were already

kindled!" This verse speaks of a fire being cast on the earth. This means that the fire is not from the earth, but from heaven and from God. Fire signifies the life in the Spirit. The Lord came to cast fire on the earth, that is, to release God's life to the earth. Following this the Lord said, "But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am pressed until it is accomplished!" (v. 50). The word "pressed" in Greek means "bound" and "confined." The Lord was saying that He came to release the life of God. Yet He was still in the flesh and could not release such a life. He felt bound and confined. Because of His flesh, God's life could not be released; His life was limited by the flesh. This is why He felt bound and confined. The Lord spoke of a baptism which He had to be baptized with, which was not yet fulfilled. Since He had already been baptized in chapter three, why did He say that He had another baptism to be baptized with? We must note that the Lord did not say that He had not been baptized. He was saying that there was a baptism that had not yet been accomplished. "Baptism" in this verse clearly refers to His death on the cross (Mark 10:38). The death of Christ was His great release. If Christ had not died, the divine life within Him would have been imprisoned and bound. But once He died, the divine life was released and ready to be received by man. This is what He wished to see. The phrase in Jesus is not in the Bible. The Bible only says "in Christ." We cannot be in Jesus, because Jesus was a man. He was God's only begotten Son, and we have no part in Him. No one can be in Jesus of Nazareth. But one day this man who was in the flesh, this individual man, was crucified on the cross. Although His flesh died, this death released His life. When He resurrected from the dead, He became Christ Jesus; He became the One whom we can get into. When we are in Christ, we receive His life; we die and are raised up together with Him. This is what Christ's resurrection has accomplished. Let us now turn back to John 12:24. The grain of wheat in this verse refers to Christ, the only Begotten of God. When Christ died, the grain of wheat died. The shell of the grain was broken, and the life of the grain was released. After some time, the one grain became many grains. All the grains come from the one grain. Originally, there was only one grain. Now it has become many grains. The one grain becomes many grains by falling to the ground to die. Christ, the one Man, died; His body was broken, and His life was released. In resurrection, the one grain becomes us; we become the many grains. Our life has its origin in Christ, the one grain. Our life is derived from Christ. In this way, we know what it means

for Christ to be the Head and for us to be His members. Although this life is in us today, this life comes from Christ. This is the process through which Christ regenerated us. HAVING THE SAME LIFE The Lord was first the only begotten Son. After His death and resurrection, He brought forth many grains and became God's firstborn Son. As the many grains, we have now become God's many sons. On the day of resurrection the Lord said to Mary, "I ascend to My Father and your Father" (John 20:17). The Lord could not have said this three days before. But on the day of resurrection, He could say this. Before His death, He did not have such a relationship with us, but through His death and resurrection, He released His life to us. We have all received the same life and become the sons of God. Before our regeneration, we were different in Adam in many ways. Now in Christ we become the same. We have the same life and share the same nature. A NEW MAN IN CHRIST Outwardly, baptism appears to be a very simple matter. But we must never consider it as being that simple. Through baptism, everything is buried. The end of Galatians 3 says that those who are baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There cannot be Jew or Greek, slave or free man, male or female; we are all one in Christ Jesus (vv. 27-28). For many years Communism has tried unsuccessfully to abolish all class distinctions. Even if it can abolish the father-son relationship, there are the other relationships that cannot be abolished. But in Christ, all distinctions, including nationality, sex, and class are abolished. In Christ we have all become one. Please remember that our becoming one has everything to do with the baptism in verse 27. We were buried in the water when we acknowledged that our old man had died and that this old man and all that he possessed had been crucified with Christ. When we entered the water, we entered as a person in Adam. But when we came out of the water, we came out as a Christian in Christ. When we came out of the water, all of our differences in Adam were left behind in the baptismal water and buried. We now have Christ as our life; we have all become Christians, and we can now be one.

NO JEWS OR GREEKS Paul mentioned Jews and Greeks in Galatians 3 because the Jews were a proud people. They considered all Gentiles to be dogs and pigs. If you were to give money to the poor among the Jews, they would not take it. They considered

themselves to be the only people who were chosen of God. Their racial consciousness was extremely strong. It was impossible to make Jews and Greeks one. But after they believed in Christ and received Him, they entered into the baptismal water. The part that distinguished Jews as Jews could not come out; only the part which is Christ could come out. Baptism is a test; it shows whether a person is in Christ or not. Do you still hold onto your national distinctions? Do you still hold onto the distinction between slaves and free men? At the time of the Roman Empire, slaves did not have any freedom. There was a vast difference between slaves and free men. Yet all those who are baptized into Christ have become one in Christ. There are no more distinctions between the nationalities and races and between slaves and free men. NO SLAVES OR FREE MEN In Shanghai a brother works for me as my cook. At home I call him by his name, but in the meetings I call him a brother. Once I asked him to come to me. He said, "Mr. Nee..." I interrupted him and said, "In Christ there cannot be servants and masters. You should not call me, `Mister'; you should call me, `Brother.'" There was a sister in Shanghai who had an unsaved husband. The winter before last, they decided to pray to the Lord. The wife prayed first, and then the husband also prayed and became a member in the Lord. I told the husband when he was baptized that from the time they were married until this day, they were husband and wife; however, from this night forward, their relationship in Adam was terminated. They had become one in Christ. Once I met a brother in Canada, and I asked if his father was saved. He told me that his father was a brother and that they had become one in Christ. In another meeting, I had to stand up to introduce my uncle, and I called him my brother. In a family, there are different family ties. But in Christ and in the church, there are no family ties. We have all become one in Christ. I have often said that we call our children our children at home, but in the church we call them our brothers and sisters. In Kaifeng, Honan province, many government officials believe in the Lord. I was invited once to preach to them. When a local brother introduced them to me one by one, he addressed them as Officer So-and-so. I turned around and told him that we have all been saved from Adam into Christ and that we were all brothers. Two of the brothers were heads of some government departments. Some time ago they came to Shanghai and had a meal with the brothers. A brother was about to address them as Officer So-and-so, but when he saw me, he corrected himself immediately and said, "I am sorry. I made a mistake. They are Brother

So-and-so." Hallelujah! Through death we have been delivered from Adam, and through resurrection, we have entered into Christ. In Christ we are all God's sons and dear brothers to one another. NO MALE OR FEMALE In Christ there is also no distinction between male and female. The Bible only speaks of God's sons. Sisters, what are you? Through God's only begotten Son, you have all become sons. In the flesh you are female, but you have received the life of God's Son. This life is the life of the Son. Therefore, even the sisters are sons. A brother once said that the brothers should be called male brothers and the sisters female brothers. This is right. Second Corinthians 6:18 says that we are sons and daughters of God, but this portion is not talking about our relationship in Christ. Hence, there is no contradiction between that portion of the word and Galatians 3:28. We are all sons of God in Christ, and there cannot be male or female. This is a glorious fact.

RECKONING OURSELVES DEAD IN CHRIST Since this is the case, what should our attitude be today? Romans 6:11 provides the best answer. This verse says that we should reckon ourselves dead to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus. If the words "in Christ Jesus" were taken away from this verse, there would not be any Christian faith. Many people believe that being a Christian is a matter of "counting everything from yesterday as being dead and everything from today as being alive." But the death and life we talk about are in Christ. I have read Romans 6:11 many times and have spoken on it many times, but often I forget the words "in Christ." If we are not in Christ, we can never reckon ourselves dead, and we cannot die. We die in Christ, not in ourselves. We should say to the Lord, "In myself I am still not dead; I am still alive to sin. Today I still want to sin. But thank You because You have said that I am dead in Christ. I do not believe in myself; I believe that I am dead in Christ. I believe that I am dead in Christ already!" This is faith. Death comes by faith, not by works. We should not seek to die or try to die when temptations come. No! We are dead when we are in Christ. We have died in Christ, and God has crucified us in Christ. When we are in ourselves, we are alive, but when we are in Christ, we are dead. Our death in Christ is not something that will happen tomorrow or something that is happening today. Our death in Christ is an accomplished fact. We died in Christ long ago. This is an accomplished fact.

RECKONING OURSELVES LIVING TO GOD IN CHRIST JESUS On the one hand, Romans 6:11 says that we should reckon ourselves dead to sin. This is the negative side of our being in Christ. On the other hand, it says that we should reckon ourselves living to God in Christ Jesus. This is the positive side of our being in Christ. First we die in Christ, then we are made alive in Christ. When we are made alive, we bear the fruit of the Spirit, which are the various virtues. Yet we cannot live out these virtues by ourselves; we can only live them out as we live by the life of God. If we live by the life of God, we will spontaneously overcome sin and bear the fruit of the Spirit. There is no need to pray much. It is better to praise instead. When temptations come and Satan tells us that we are still living in ourselves and that we have not died, we should say to him that we are no longer in ourselves, that we are in Christ, and that we are alive unto God in Christ. VICTORY BEING IN CHRIST A victorious life does not depend on the so-called reckoning. We overcome when we are in Christ. We may do a wonderful job of reckoning when we are in the meetings. But when we go home, it would not work to try to continue to reckon in ourselves. Victory can only be found in Christ. Let me illustrate this by the example of the lamp. A lamp shines when it comes in contact with electricity. The source of the lamp is the electrical power plant. A lamp shines as long as it is in touch with electricity. The lamp cannot shine in itself; it shines because it is connected to the electrical power plant. Furthermore, consider the difference between the Shanghai electric street trolley and the automobile. Neither the trolley nor the automobile can move by themselves. A trolley moves when it is in contact with electricity, whereas a car moves by the power of combustion. It is possible for the power of a car to run out. When the fuel runs out, the car will not run. However, our life is not like an automobile with a limited supply of fuel. Our life works in the principle of the trolley. As long as we are connected to Christ, all the riches of Christ will be transmitted to us continuously. There is no need to worry if the supply will run out. The whole matter today is whether or not we are willing to be in Christ. If there are unsaved friends in the audience here, you only need to enter into Christ and to be joined to Him. All of His riches will flow into you. This is God's grace; you do not have to do anything, yet you can receive everything.

Death is a termination; it is negative. It terminates our life in Adam and buries everything that is old. Resurrection is the beginning of the new life; it is positive and initiates our new life in Christ. In Christ's resurrection, we receive His life. Hence, we die in Christ and also resurrect in Christ. Both death and resurrection are in Christ. Everything is in Christ.

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN CO-WORKERS' MEETING Date: October 21, 1936, morning Place: Amoy (Editor's Note: This chapter is an excerpt of notes from a co-workers' meeting. Most of the notes were reports by different co-workers concerning the work in various places. Only the portions containing Watchman Nee's words of fellowship, his answers to questions, and related portions of the meeting pertinent to his fellowship have been included.) Brother Kuo asked: Presently, I am a responsible brother in my locality. If the Lord delays and no mature ones move to our locality, should we try to produce responsible brothers out of our own locality? Brother Nee answered: The elders of each local assembly must bear the responsibility of edifying the brothers in their own locality. We find this in Paul's Epistles to Timothy and the book of Hebrews. Those who think that they are able to work and only trust in themselves will not have the blessing of the Lord on their work. A man must be dealt with by the Lord to the extent that he no longer acts by his own strength, but acts solely by God's strength. He must learn to continually trust in God. When he does, God will use him. When Moses first volunteered to work for God, he appeared to be very strong. God had to do something to force him out of Egypt, and he became a shepherd in the wilderness at Sinai. Later, when he acknowledged that he could do nothing, God came in to call him to His work. Natural ability cannot be our capital for spiritual work. In the eyes of God, a Christian is one who does not look at himself. He does not become disappointed by looking at his own weaknesses, nor proud by looking at his own strengths. A worker of God must not look at himself. He must not look at his weaknesses or his strengths. God can use a donkey to utter human words, and you are better than a donkey. This is a fact. What is impossible with man is possible with God. We must learn not to look at ourselves.

If you want to work for God, you must seriously seek for light, revelation, and gift from Him. One brother in Shanghai sought for the power of the Holy Spirit again and again, but was not able to obtain it. Later, he asked a few brothers and sisters to pray for him. He said, "Some gifts are designed especially for some people. Lord, Your Spirit can work through a donkey, and I believe that You can use me also." Soon after this he experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. Some have asked Andrew Murray about humility. Many people think that considering oneself to be small is being humble, and considering oneself great is being proud. But Andrew Murray answered that humility is not considering oneself at all, whereas being proud is considering oneself. Brother Chung asked: I feel that I need to go to Fu-ching. Brother Nee answered: Are you clear that this is the Lord's will? Brother Chung answered: I have prayed and asked the Lord about it. Brother Nee answered: It is not enough to say that you have made a telephone call. You must receive an answer to your call. Many people know that they should pray when something happens. But after they pray, they do not know whether God has answered their prayer. Not only must we pray, we must also receive definite revelation from the Lord and be clear of His leading. Brother Chung should also learn to join ranks with others and go on together. One must not be strong-willed; rather, he must cooperate and work together with others. Brother Jin-shiu Han fellowshipped: Brother Nee has spoken on the iniquity of the sanctuary. I received much help from that message. I want to consecrate myself to God to enable Him to deal with me more. I hope to go to Shanghai to receive more training. Brother Nee's fellowship: If you want the Lord to enlighten you, you must have a determination to overturn all the wrong things that you have built up in the past. Many sins need to be dealt with. You have to ask the Lord to give you the light to remove all the wrong things. No one can say that he has dealt with his sins for the last time. It is not enough to just confess your sins before men. Before the Lord, you must condemn yourself and hate yourself for your sins. You must go through a clearinghouse experience with respect to your sins once in a while. If a brother has not experienced this for two or three months, he is probably not right with the Lord.

[Brother Yau-yee Wang explained how the Lord had been leading him in the work. He related two great crises he had encountered: (1) his ulceration of blood, and (2) his encounter with bandits.] Brother Nee's fellowship: If you are clear about the Lord's leading within, you should not be influenced by outward circumstances. Whether or not the environment works against you is not a reliable sign. The most important thing is whether or not there is the anointing within. If you are clear about the Lord's leading within, nothing should shake you. Some things require the Lord's guidance only once, and the matter is settled forever. Other things require His guidance again and again. For example, the matter of marriage is a once-for-all decision. But regarding where you should eat, either in a restaurant or at home, there is no one-time rule. Brother Teng fellowshipped: We have over ten people at the bread-breaking table meeting. There are more at the message meetings, about seventy to eighty people. Even when the attendance is low, we still have fifty to sixty. Brother Nee's word: Please render the brothers some training right away. There is no need to ask brothers from other localities to come to help you. Moreover, you have to teach the young brothers to submit to the elderly ones. Brother Ke Lien-min's fellowship: I feel that I am too young and need more training. I will go to Pu-Tien to join Brother Tsai in his work. I feel that a young one must follow an elderly one. Otherwise, he will suffer great loss spiritually. Brother Nee's word: Faith is not making sure that every outward thing is safe and sound before doing anything. Faith is related to one's inward condition. If one is on the right path inwardly, he should go according to the Lord's leading. After George Müller started his first orphanage, someone told him not to move too fast. But God's way is higher than our way. Later, he quickly started a second and a third orphanage. While he was starting the first, he encountered many difficulties. But he did not care for any of them, because he was clear that he was following the Lord's leading. Man's word could not influence him, nor could the environment change him. The Acts of the Apostles is a book of "acting," not a book of "sitting." The workers of the Lord should not remain in one place. We should follow the Lord's leading to work in other places. For example, the workers in Shanghai should go to other places and leave the responsibility of the church in Shanghai to the local brothers. When the workers return, they may find the local condition better than before.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT HOW TO BE IN CHRIST Date: October 21, 1936, evening Place: Kulangsu Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 1:30; John 3:16; Heb. 11:1; Rom. 6:3, 11 During the past four evenings, we have seen the biblical meaning of being "in Christ." The opposite of being in Christ is being in Adam. First, we spoke on the life and nature of two great communities—the community of Adam and the community of Christ. Next, we saw that we need to move out of the community of Adam and into the community of Christ. This is our salvation and regeneration, which gives us a new beginning and leads to our life in Christ. We also saw how we moved out of the first community and into the second community, that is, out of Adam and into Christ. We saw that God did not work individually on men. All other religions work on men individually. But Christ's salvation is not accomplished through human ways; it is God's own work in and through Christ. A Christian is one who is joined to Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and who partakes of all that Christ has. Although we are poor in ourselves, we are joined to Christ. Everything of Christ flows to us. We do not have to do anything. When God put us into Christ, He became everything to us. This is the gospel. Of course, we need to emphasize the truth in our messages. However, after we have presented the truth, we must also present the way to practice the truth. Some can tell me that Amoy is very good, but in the end they must also tell me how to get to Amoy. Tonight we will consider the way we can be in Christ. IT BEING OF GOD THAT WE ARE IN CHRIST The first half of 1 Corinthians 1:30 says, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus." Being "of Him" means to originate from God. At the time the Lord died on the cross, we were put into Christ already. This is God's work. During the first evening, I spoke of putting chalk into a chalk box and throwing it into the sea. If an ordinary person like me, who is five feet eleven inches and one hundred forty pounds, has the power to do this, how much more power does God, the Creator of the universe, have in putting us into Christ? God has done this and unveiled it to us in the Bible. We do not know how He did it; we only have to believe it. BELIEVING INTO CHRIST It is of God that we are in Christ Jesus. Since this is the case, what do we have to do? We have said that God has put us into Christ. But how can we obtain this

blessing? There is one book in the New Testament that tells us how we receive life in Christ—the Gospel of John. The most familiar verse in John is 3:16. It says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life." Many unbelievers have criticized the church for not exhorting people to do good and for not teaching people other things; it only does one thing—it asks people to believe. Actually, the Bible does not ask people to just believe; it asks people to believe into Christ. The Bible does not say that we should believe a thing, like believing some news published in the newspaper. The Bible says that when a man believes, he believes into Christ. Through believing, we become one with Christ. To be one with Christ means to be in Christ. On the one hand, it is of God that we are in Christ. On the other hand, we have to believe into Him.

THE DEFINITION OF FAITH Let us now find out what faith is. The most important matter in the Bible is faith. Perhaps the faith that we know of is not the faith that the Bible speaks about. The Bible mentions faith several hundred times. But the only place that gives a definition to faith is Hebrews 11:1. This verse says, "Now faith is the substantiation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." The word "substantiation" is not a noun in Greek, but a verb that is turned into a noun. It can be translated as "substantiating." Most English translations render this word as "substance." Only J. N. Darby's translation renders it as "substantiating." In Chinese there is no comparable word for it. Human beings are made with a physical body. How can we relate to the material world around us? We relate to it through our five senses. If a man is deprived of the five senses, he will not know anything about the physical universe. The world is full of physical objects of all sizes and forms, each having its own shade, color, and shape. These objects are realized through our eyes. When sight is transmitted into us, we know that all these objects exist in the world. Colors are outside of us, but they are transmitted into us through the eyes. These colors are the substance that the Bible speaks of. The eyes substantiate the colors of objects. In the same way, faith substantiates the substances that are in the spiritual world. We may talk to a blind man about colors, and there may be all kinds of colors in this world, but to him there is no color. This does not mean that there is no color in the world. It only means that a blind man does not have the faculty to substantiate the colors that objects possess.

Today God wants the things that He has accomplished in Christ to be substantiated in us. This is a function of faith. Faith is a kind of substantiating; it reveals the substance that is in the spiritual world. Discussing spiritual things with a person who does not have any faith is like a painter discussing color with a blind man. The blind man may deny the existence of any color. This does not mean, however, that there are no pictures or colors in the world. It merely means that the blind man lacks the proper faculty to substantiate the colors. What are the spiritual things in Christ to you? Is my speaking to you like the painter speaking to the blind man about his painting? I hope not. The question is not whether there is a spiritual world. The question is whether or not there is an organ to realize the things in the spiritual world. Although a blind man cannot see with his eyes, he can hear with his ears. If I speak to a blind man about color, and he tries to listen with his eyes, he will not hear anything. You may laugh at this thought. It is ridiculous because the man has used the wrong organ to substantiate colors. Every organ and faculty in the human body has its special functions. The only organ that will substantiate spiritual things is faith. It is wrong to try to substantiate spiritual things with one's feelings. Why does faith substantiate or make spiritual things real? It is because Christ has accomplished everything. God has put everything into Christ. In the spiritual world, God does not need you to create "colors" and "shapes"; He has finished everything. All you have to do is exercise your spiritual eyes, that is, your faith, to substantiate them. The faith that the Bible speaks of is a faculty that substantiates spiritual things. A question may arise in our actual experience. You may say, "You have said that I have died, but I do not feel as if I have died. I feel as if I have not died. I still have many sins, and I am still very much alive!" Please remember that our physical eyes can only substantiate physical things. Only faith can substantiate spiritual things. Faith is acknowledging that whatever God says is true. If we look at ourselves and try to feel something in ourselves, we will only substantiate the things in Adam. Why are we not able to substantiate the things that are in Christ? It is because we have used the wrong organ. We are seeing with our physical eyes, and we are feeling with our feelings. We are not exercising faith.

BELIEVING IN GOD'S WORD You may ask, "What should I believe now that you have told me to believe?" How does faith work in reality? Please remember that our faith is based on God's

Word. Believing in God's Word means that when God says in His Word that certain things have been accomplished, we believe that they have been accomplished. A missionary once asked me, "What is the difference between God's Word and His work?" I was shaking his hand and I had my gloves on. I explained that God's work is like the hand, while His Word is like the glove. When someone holds my glove, he is holding my hand. In the same way, when we hold onto God's Word, we hold onto His work. When I explained it in this way, he became clear. All we have to do is to hold onto God's Word; His work is in His Word. If the hand is not in the glove, it would be useless for anyone to shake the glove. But God's work is now in His Word. We should say to the Lord, "You have said that Your work is accomplished. I believe in what You said." If God's Word says it, we should also say it. God's Word says that our sins are forgiven in Christ. We should respond by saying that our sins are forgiven in Him. God's Word says that our sins have been judged in Christ. We should respond by saying that our sins have been judged in Christ. God's Word says that the old man has died. We should respond by saying that our old man has died. God's Word says that we have received a new life. We should respond by saying that we have received a new life. If we do this, everything in Christ will be ours. John 15 says that the Lord is the vine and the Christians are the branches. To outsiders this may not seem like anything sensational, but to a Christian this is a revolutionizing fact. All the sap in the vine flows into the branches. The fruit, leaves, and branches all derive their growth from the tree. A Christian is a branch on Christ the vine. He does not need to struggle to grow leaves or bear fruit. All he has to do is remain in the vine. However, many Christians feel that they do not look like a branch. They pray and ask to become a branch. These prayers are absolutely useless. We are branches already, and there is no need for us to pray to become a branch. We only need to see that we are branches. If we see that we are branches, we will no longer pray to be one, but will acknowledge that we are one already. This is the meaning of faith. BELIEVING IN WHAT GOD HAS DONE RATHER THAN IN WHAT HE WILL DO Once I was very sick, and I prayed to the Lord: "Heal me, Lord. The doctors can do nothing about me now. Please heal me." I had seen many promises of God in the Bible prior to this. But the Lord spoke to me through one word. "He Himself took away our infirmities and bore our diseases" (Matt. 8:17). At first I prayed for the Lord to bear my disease. Then He gave me a promise, but my illness was still

there. I prayed again and the Lord rebuked me and showed me that this was wrong. He opened my eyes, and I saw that He had already borne my disease. When I believed in this word, I did not pray any longer; instead, I began to praise Him for bearing my disease even though outwardly everything was still the same and the illness was still with me. Faith is not believing in what God will do; it is believing in what God has done. It is not believing that God will heal me, but that He has healed me. The Bible does not mention faith as something belonging to the future. Faith is believing in what God has done in Christ. When we believe in what God has done and accept His accomplished facts, we have genuine faith. STANDING ON GOD'S WORD There was another time when I was sick. I asked the Lord to heal me, and He told me that the Holy Spirit is living in me and will give life to my mortal body (Rom. 8:11). I knew that the Lord had healed me, yet I could not go to sleep that night. The fever was high and the condition was worse than before. Satan came to me and said, "You say that God has healed you. But look at yourself, your temperature is very high and you cannot sleep. You say that you are healed, but your sufferings are worse than before. How can you say that God has healed you? This is not true." I thought that perhaps I was wrong. But then I realized that this was nothing more than a mood that came from Satan, and I began to ignore it. I told Satan, "God said that He has healed me. My temperature may be high, and I may still feel pain and be unable to go to sleep, but none of these conditions are trustworthy. There is only one thing which is real in this world— God's Word. All pains and problems are false. Only God's Word is real." After I said this, I fell asleep within a few minutes. Satan may say, "Look at yourself! You are so filthy within." You have to tell him, "Yes, I am filthy in myself. But I am in Christ, and everything in Christ is clean." If you stand on God's side, Satan will be defeated immediately. In reading the Bible, we have to pay attention to two matters—being in Adam and being in Christ. There is a great difference between these two things. They have a great deal to do with the way we live our Christian life, and we must deal with these two matters properly. When our life does not match the biblical description of being in Christ, we have to stand on God's Word. We must not trust in our feelings or consider our conditions. We have to stand on God's Word and believe in His Word. If we do this, He will lead us into all the riches that are in Christ.

SECTION FIVE CONFERENCE IN FOOCHOW, DECEMBER 1936 CHAPTER FORTY-NINE TALKS (1) Date: December 12, 1936, evening Place: In front of the Foochow Gospel Hospital Dr. Wu asked: How can we love our enemies? Sometimes I treat a certain person well, but he is evil to me in return. What should I do? Answer: You have to know that you can never love your enemies by yourself. You will always hate your enemies. You should never think that you can love your enemies. It is not surprising at all to hear you say that you cannot love your enemies. On the contrary, it would be a surprise if you had said that you can love your enemies. The Lord did not give the teaching on the mount for men to keep, but for them to break. Neither did God give the law to men for them to keep, but for them to break. God gave so many commandments to men and the Lord spoke the teachings on the mount in order to show men that they cannot make it. Only one person can keep the law—Christ. Only Christ can meet God's demands; only He can keep God's commandments. There are two salvations in the Bible. One relates to the Lord dying on the cross for us. The other relates to the Lord living within us and for us. The Lord tells us that we can never carry out the commandments in Matthew 5 through 7 by ourselves. Only the One who is living within us can fulfill His commandments for us. In 5:16 the Lord said, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens." This shows that the good works are done by God and not by men. This is why men glorify God. If Mr. Chu delivers a good message, there is no reason that men should give glory to me. If they glorified me, that would be the greatest joke on earth. Men glorify the Father for our good works because good works originate from God Himself and not from us. With man this is impossible. But with God nothing is impossible. Thank God that His Son can love enemies. If you receive the Lord into your heart and allow Him to love your enemies, there will no longer be a problem. Mrs. Zia asked: How can we know God's will?

Answer: If you walk according to your own will throughout the year and only inquire of God in moments of life and death, it will be difficult for you to know God's will. If you want to know God's will, you must first make the matter of doing His will your lifelong goal. Then you will know God's will. Understanding God's will does not depend on a method but on the person involved. No method will work. You should ask whether a person like yourself can know God's will. Psalm 32:9 says, "Do not be like a horse or like a mule, without understanding;/Whose trappings consist of bit and bridle to constrain them,/Else they do not come near you." We can speak to those whom we know well with our eyes, but to those whom we do not know well, we can only speak with our mouth. If we know God well, He will speak to us with His eyes. Hence, we have to learn to have a very intimate relationship with the Lord and not allow any barrier to exist between us and the Lord. If we fulfill these conditions, it will be easy for us to know His will. Philippians 2 says that we should have the mind of Christ Jesus. In order to know God's will, we must also have the mind of the Lord. Having His mind means that there is no barrier between us and the Lord; it means allowing no sin to remain between us and the Lord. Those who do not have the Lord's mind will not have God's will in them either. We have to learn to always follow the Lord's leading within. There are two aspects to the Lord's leading. The first is the inner urging, and the second is the inner forbidding. We must learn to follow both kinds of leadings. It is impossible to know God's will without being familiar with these two aspects. If you have learned your lesson well, the Lord will reveal His will to you and show you what to do when problems arise. But if you do not have the mind of Christ Jesus, you will never have the outward leading of God's will. When problems arise, you must not only deal with symptoms, you must deal with the root. Your whole being needs to experience a thorough turn. You must have the mind of the Lord. You must draw near to Him, and there must not be any barrier between you and the Lord. If you do this, you will know God's will. Sister Tzi-mei asked: Sometimes I feel clear that something is according to the Lord's will, yet circumstantially there are obstacles. What should I do? Answer: If you are certain that something is according to the Lord's will, but there is authority above you, such as your parents or husband, forcing you to act otherwise, you should still submit to them. There was a man from the China Inland Mission who wanted to come to China for the gospel, but his parents would not allow him. He submitted to his parents eventually. If something is

according to God's will, He will be responsible for working out the necessary environment. No one can receive God's blessing without submitting to authority. If you first submit and then ask God to deal with the other person, you will see the other person change. Except for those with authority, you should ignore any obstacle that comes from man or things. When the obstacle is from man or things, you should obey God's will alone. During the First World War, a company of soldiers was ordered to defend a hill. There was no military justification for defending it, but the soldiers took the order and defended it. Within two hours, the whole company was killed. Whether a decision is right or wrong is not our business. Our duty is only to ask if something is according to God's will. If it is, it is our responsibility to carry it out. It is God's responsibility to take care of the result of our obedience to His will.

Question: What is the difference between submission and obedience? Answer: Submission is a question of attitude, whereas obedience is a question of conduct. A wife has to submit to her husband. But if an unbelieving husband asks his wife to burn incense to idols, the wife should submit and yet should not obey. In this case, submitting means being meek and yielding in her attitude, while not obeying means not doing what her husband asks. If an unbelieving husband asks a believing wife to go to a dance with him, the wife can say, "I wish I could go with you, but I am really sorry that I cannot." One does not have to obey in such matters, but there should still be submission. In some matters we can only submit; we cannot obey. However, in our attitude we should always be pliable and meek. We have to ask ourselves whether we are pliable and meek. How is our spirit? This is a big question. At times we cannot obey in our conduct, but we should always be meek and submissive in our attitude. If you can obey an order from the civil government, you should obey it. If it is something that you cannot obey, you should at least be submissive to it. If the authority comes and confiscates your possessions when you do not obey, you should smile and not resist. In regard to your parents, you must obey as well as submit. It would be marvelous if brothers and sisters would submit to one another in the church today. If there is submission in the family, many problems will be avoided. If something is wrong, you must not become angry. Man's wrath does not accomplish God's righteousness. Even if you cannot obey, you must still be submissive. You should submit to one another. Your attitude towards one another should be gentle; your voice should not be brazen as a metal bell. If a

family has only "hard bones," without any "soft flesh" and if the children do not submit to their parents and the wife does not submit to the husband, there will not be joy and harmony in the family. I have been invited as a guest to many homes, but it is difficult to find peace and harmony in many of them because they do not know what submission is. May the Lord be gracious to us to grant us a spirit of submission. In order to have a submissive spirit, a person must be dealt with by the Lord's cross. It is not easy to be without blame. We often do a proper work with an improper attitude. Moses rebuked the children of Israel as being a rebellious people (Num. 20:10). His mistake was in his attitude, whereas the mistake of the children of Israel was in their conduct. We should learn to be blameless in our attitude every day, and we should learn submission in everything. Question: What should we do about the Weekly Memorial Service [i.e., in memory of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China]? Answer: The Bible does not say that we cannot attend such functions, but the Bible forbids anyone bowing down or paying homage to anything (Exo. 20:4-5). We have to honor the civil laws, and we have to be submissive in our attitude (cf. Dan. 3:16-21). Question: Should we salute the flag? Answer: Our flag has a symbol of a blue sky with a white sun; it is an image of heavenly bodies. Therefore, it is wrong to salute to such a symbol. The previous flag was in the shape of five-color strips; it had nothing to do with religion. Therefore, it would not have been acting contrary to the Scripture when we saluted that flag. Question: When Naaman accompanied his master to worship the gods in the temple, he bowed down on his knees. Later, he confessed to Elisha and asked for God's forgiveness. Elisha told him to go in peace (2 Kings 5:17-19). Why was Naaman not guilty for bowing to the idols? Answer: Naaman's bowing to the idols was a question of duty. When his master bowed to the idols, he bent forward to give him a hand. As a result, he also bowed to the idols. His bowing had nothing to do with idols. Of course, we should stay away from any resemblance of sin. The most unsafe people in this world are those who live next to the city walls. If you want to be safe, you should not live near the border of a country. Otherwise, when the enemy comes, you will be the first one to be hit. If you want to be safe, it is better to live far from the border. The worst thing for a Christian to do is to be a borderline person. It is always to

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