Clouds and Milky Way o'erspread,
CHAPTER EIGHT A SPECIAL TALK ON HANDING ONESELF OVER Date:Evening, February 2, 1950 Place:Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong The following hymn was written about a person, Dara, whose heart was most sincere and whose spirit was most pure towards the Lord. It speaks of the proper attitude a man of God should have towards the world. As we sing this song, we touch a spirit whose purity rarely has been found in the past five hundred years. As we learn to touch the Lord's Spirit with our spirit and as we turn our heart fully to the Lord as the writer did, we can lay aside every earthly possession.
1. Having seen the world's fair beauty, Lord, I would be blind once more, Lest I lose the loving Presence And Delight I knew before.
Having seen the world's fair beauty, Lord, I would be blind once more, Lest I lose the loving Presence And Delight I knew before. 2. Dawn and sunset, star and moonlight, I can see in paradise, But while here on earth His mercy For my blindness will suffice.
3. I no more would be delivered From my thorn, but look for grace, While within the veil His glory Shineth brightly on my face. 4. In the deep dark night, His beauty I by faith, not sight, may trace; He was ridiculed and hated, Yet I see His glorious face. 5. Sun and moonlight far surpassing, Clouds and Milky Way o'erspread, Is the glory all transcending Shining from His thorn-crowned head.
Five or six hundred years ago, there was a person by the name of Miss Bride who was greatly used by the Lord to perform miracles. She laid hands on Dara, and the little sister, who was born blind and who was then in her teens, recovered her sight. After Miss Bride prayed for her, her eyes were opened and everything around was new to her. She was very happy and greatly enjoyed the sight of the sun, the moon, the stars, and everything around her. After a few days, however, she went back to Miss Bride in great sorrow. When Miss Bride asked her what she wanted, she said she wanted someone to pray for her again. Miss Bride asked, "Do you have some other illness?" She answered, "Please pray for me to have my eyes blind again. The beautiful scenery is distracting me from the Lord." Later Miss Bride put Dara's words together in a poem and composed the above song. We can see that this is a song from the heart of one who is absolutely single for the Lord. It shows us the kind of attitude such a person has towards the world. Tonight we want to talk about the matter of handing oneself over. In order to serve the Lord, we have to hand ourselves over. First, we have to see the meaning of handing oneself over. Next, we need to see what we should do after we have handed ourselves over. Before this, however, let us first talk about the loss and recovery of the truth concerning handing oneself over.
THE LOSS AND RECOVERY OF THE TRUTH CONCERNING "HANDING OVER" The Degradation in Catholicism and the Loss of the Truth Roman Catholicism reached its zenith during the Middle Ages. During that time the truth expounded by the church became distorted; it became very different from the teaching found in the four Gospels and in Acts. In the four Gospels, while the Lord Jesus was on earth, He not only emphasized deliverance from sin but also emphasized deliverance from money (cf. Luke 16:19-24; 19:16-26). The Acts of the Apostles is a book on the teachings of the apostles. These teachings exhort men to flee from money, on the one hand, and from sin, on the other hand. The Christian foundation is built upon deliverance from these two things. If a man continues to live under the bondage of sin as a sinner, he cannot be a proper Christian. In the same way, if he continues to live under the bondage of money, he cannot be a proper Christian. In order to serve the Lord, a man must first be delivered from sin and money on the negative side. In the fourth century
the world was brought into the church. It was no longer poor; it became very rich. Within the church, there was a gradual turning away from the teachings taught by the Lord Jesus and the apostles at the beginning. The early church followed the teachings of the apostles and exhorted men to flee from both sin and money. It is ugly for a Christian to tolerate sin, but it is equally ugly for a Christian to tolerate money and the world. Yet after the first apostles passed away, the church gradually became relaxed in the matter of money. It still taught that Christians should not sin, but it allowed believers to keep their money. There was no end to the degradation. From that time onward, the trend has been ever downward. This went on until the Middle Ages. Since the sixth century, when the church developed into the system of Catholicism, there has been a toleration not only of money but of sin as well. Men began to accumulate wealth, yet spiritually they became extremely poor. Later the Catholic Church even came up with the teaching of purgatory. As long as a man had money, he could absolve himself from his sins by buying indulgences. To help finance the building of St. Peter's Cathedral, the pope greatly promoted the practice of selling indulgences, especially when he found out that little was coming in from the general offering. For example, those who had committed adultery could be absolved of their sin with four indulgences. Those who had murdered could be absolved of their sin with twelve, and those who had lied could be absolved of their sin with two. In this way society became corrupted, and there was much confusion. God's Recovery Work At man's darkest moment God began His recovery work. It began with Martin Luther, but this does not mean that only Luther made progress towards recovery. Among his contemporaries, there were others who saw the same thing. Luther was a representative of God's recovery work in that age. Nine hundred years after the degradation of the church, we see a new beginning in Protestantism. For the first time Christians were again expected to turn from sin. Since Luther's time God has been recovering His truths one by one. First, the church saw the need of turning away from sin. All the spiritual giants in church history, such as Moody, Spurgeon, and Finney, paid attention to turning men away from sin. They said that in order to receive salvation and become a Christian, one had to be sincere. He should not lie, debauch, or commit adultery. But the church has never been bold enough to proclaim, as the Lord Jesus proclaimed, that one should forsake everything to follow the Lord. I am not saying
that there have been no real followers of the Lord. Thank the Lord, there has never been an interruption in the line of true Christians. First, we have St. Francis of Assisi. He was the son of a rich man, but he sold all of his possessions and gave to the poor. He began to practice a life of voluntary poverty. Later in Moravia God raised up Count Zinzendorf. He was a nobleman, but he opened up his estate to receive saints from everywhere. The result was the establishment of the Moravian Brethren. After this there was Sister Eva, a German, who also took the way of voluntary poverty. In the last century the Brethren were raised up by God. Among them many truths were recovered. Many leading brothers among them, such as Darby and Kelly, practiced voluntary poverty. They forsook everything to follow the Lord. This is the reason the Lord could have a way through them. In 1922 when I was just saved, I saw this truth and I began to practice forsaking everything to follow the Lord.
The Lord's Recovery in China In the light of the entire history of the church, we can say that today is our day. In China many of God's children have risen up to take this way. More and more Christians are rising up and forsaking all. In the past the church did not have the courage to preach this truth. It did not have the boldness to tell men that they have to forsake everything to follow the Lord, that unless they forsook everything, they could not be proper Christians. In 1943 the Holy Spirit began a great work in Chefoo. Many brothers and sisters obeyed the move of the Holy Spirit and offered up everything for the Lord. Later Shanghai followed and then Foochow. I hope that today Hong Kong will follow. To be a Christian, one must be a Christian in accordance with the truth of the Bible. To serve the Lord, one has to be absolute; it is useless to be otherwise. In singing the hymn about Dara, we can sense the joy within her. The most foolish thing is to be a half-way Christian. Such a one does not have the joy of the world (John 15:19) or the joy of the Lord in his spirit. He wants to have a little of the world's joy and a little Christian joy. He is not absolute, and he does not grow. No One Can Be a Good Christian without Absolute Consecration Why must a child of God hand himself over completely and forsake everything? This is because this is the only way to be a proper Christian. Many people do not have many problems in other areas, but they have a problem with their consecration. Today many Christians have hundreds and thousands of problems.
Actually, the root of their problems is only one thing—a lack of consecration. If a Christian does not have a problem with his consecration before the Lord, he will not have a problem with anything else. THE MEANING OF HANDING ONESELF OVER— FORSAKING EVERYTHING AND BEING DELIVERED FROM THE POWER OF MAMMON What does it mean to hand oneself over? It means to forsake everything. Selling one's all is a matter of being delivered from the power and bondage of mammon. The Lord shows us in the Gospels that a man is bound not only by sin but by mammon as well. The Bible does not say that sin is versus God. Rather, it says that mammon is versus God. The Bible does not say that sin is man's god, but it does say that mammon is man's god. In Matthew 6 the Lord Jesus said that God and mammon are against one another. We cannot serve two gods. Either we serve God, or we serve mammon (v. 24). Nothing opposes God as much as mammon. Today mammon has gained many people in the world. Many people do not necessarily serve sin, but they serve mammon. We are Christians today. We cannot serve both God and mammon. A Christian must not only be saved from sin but also from the power of mammon. We should hand ourselves over. This means that we should consecrate everything. We should offer up everything for the Lord's use. This is the only way to be delivered from the control of mammon. Today we have two groups of people in the church here. One group has touched money. The other group consists of students who are still in school. The way to be free from the power of mammon is to sell all. We should get rid of the mammon in our pockets. Today the gospel has needs, the poor have needs, and the brothers and sisters have needs. All these needs are beckoning us to hand ourselves over. Handing ourselves over means to break the backbone of mammon within us. From now on, we should no longer be under the influence of mammon. Students may think that they have no problem with this word. The brothers and sisters who have touched money and who have learned some lessons about money have experienced the power of money. This word is not easy for them to take. Perhaps none of what we have now has come through unrighteous means. We did not sin or cheat. But we cannot free ourselves from its power as long as we allow mammon to remain. You may say that my words are too harsh and severe, but being a Christian requires one to be harsh. The
Lord told the disciples to forsake everything for His sake and for the gospel's sake (Mark 10:29). We have to go through the experience of thoroughly giving up everything at least once. After we have given up everything, God's blessing gradually will bring us into contact with mammon once again, and it will try to recover its power in us. This is the reason some of us have to deal with our possessions once every few years. We have to fear mammon as much as we fear sin. The Lord Jesus' cross delivered us from the judgment of sin, but we still sin and need to apply the Lord as our propitiation offering (1 John 1:7—2:2). Similarly, the problem of mammon is not solved forever once we have given up our all. After we have given up everything, we have to learn to deal with mammon continually. This will ensure that we have a way to go on before the Lord. We should not think that everything is settled once we have forsaken our all. It is only a beginning.
A THOROUGH LIQUIDATION, TERMINATION, AND DEALING Handing oneself over means to thoroughly give up everything. The emphasis is not only on the words give up everything but on the word thoroughly as well. Thorough means a clear-cut liquidation, termination, and dealing. Objects related to sin cannot be sold; they have to be burned or destroyed. Acts 19 speaks of Paul's work in Ephesus. Many who had practiced magic brought their books, put them in a pile, and burned them on account of the strong testimony. The value of the books was fifty thousand pieces of silver (v. 19). If Judas had been there, he would have been in rage, saying, "Why this waste? These books at least could be sold at twenty percent discount, and we could give forty thousand pieces of silver to the poor." The Holy Spirit wanted to burn them because these objects were related to sin. Sin was in them. They were offensive objects and, therefore, needed to be burned. A brother in Shanghai was in the business of selling comic books. He could earn seven thousand People's yen a day. He depended on this business for his living. His books were worth over eight hundred thousand People's yen. For many years he kept his occupation. When filling out the personal data card from the church, he would leave the "occupation" column blank. If anyone asked him about his occupation, he would dodge the question. One day the Lord touched him and would not let him go. He felt that he had to deal with this matter. He went to the brothers and spoke with them. He was willing to hand himself over, and he
asked the brothers and sisters to burn the books for him. When Brother Chang Yu-zhi heard this, he praised the brother and promised to burn the books for him. When I heard about it, I stopped him. I asked the brother to burn the books himself. This is like Abraham killing Isaac; he had to do it with his own hands. The young brothers and sisters who are in school have not yet touched mammon. I would say this to them: From now on keep yourself pure. You have to make up your mind not to touch or be defiled by many things. You have to separate yourselves from these things. You have to ask God to keep you pure and to grant you the grace to be blind to mammon. Today man's heart is open to mammon. But I hope that you can touch the hymn we sang earlier. I hope that you can maintain a pure heart and never fall to the power of mammon for the rest of your life. Do not wait until you have become rich to seek deliverance from mammon. In the Bible the Lord speaks of "the mammon of unrighteousness" (Luke 16:9). Its very nature is unrighteous. It is versus God, and it turns men away from God. You have to be saved from it just as you need to be saved from sin. Hating Mammon like Hating Sin In the past we put the blame on the co-workers, but the church should bear the blame as well. It did not have the boldness to speak as the Lord Jesus did concerning selling everything, forsaking all, and following Him. Being delivered from mammon is not just a simple act of handing oneself over. Some people do not have mammon in their hands, but they do have it in their heart. Actually, there is a greater love for mammon in many poor people. The Lord Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matt. 5:3), but many people are not poor in spirit. They crave mammon. They crave it because they do not have it. This proves that they have not been delivered from the power of mammon. In 1 Timothy 6:9-10 Paul said that those who intend to be rich and aspire after money have pierced themselves through with many pains. This word shows that those who desire to be rich are under the power of mammon. Today I hope that we all will advance step by step and be totally free from the power of mammon. We have to hate mammon as much as we hate sin. It is wrong for a Christian not to hate sin. Such a one is a fallen Christian. In the same way, when we find that we cannot hate mammon like we hate sin, we have fallen. We should be like the apostle Peter who said, "Silver and gold I do not possess, but what I have, this I give to you..." What he had was the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene (Acts 3:6). The early
church did not have silver or gold; it only had the name of the Lord Jesus. Today we have to go back to the very condition at the beginning. If we take a look at this generation, we can see that our age does not allow us to accumulate mammon. Christian poverty is a voluntary poverty that results from salvation. This was Zaccheus's experience (Luke 19:1-10). Many people are poor because of their environment or upbringing. Others become poor as a result of persecution or class struggle. These are not poor voluntarily. The last time I was in Shanghai, I saw many people who are poor outwardly but not inwardly. I also saw many brothers and sisters who once were rich but are now poor for the Lord. They are very happy. In the future the greatest suffering in hell will be the suffering of unfulfillment. In hell none of man's lusts will be fulfilled. This will be the greatest suffering. There still will be sin in hell, in fact, many sins (Rev. 21:8), but man will not be able to indulge himself or find satisfaction in his lusts. Today many people crave the riches of the world but cannot get them. They are not only suffering in this age; they also will suffer great chastisement when their soul goes through Hades's fire for their avarice. How unnecessary this is!
HOW TO DEAL WITH THE MONEY THAT HAS BEEN HANDED OVER What should we do with all the money that has been handed over? There are three ways to manage money that has been handed over. First, use it to spread the gospel, second, use it to help the poor, and third, spend it on the brothers and sisters in the church. For the Gospel Money that has been handed over should first be used in the spread of the gospel. In Matthew 19, after the episode with the young ruler, Peter asked the Lord about the reward he and the others would receive since they had forsaken everything for the gospel (Matt. 19:27; Mark 10:28). The Lord answered, "There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now at this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, with persecutions, and in the coming age, eternal life" (Mark 10:29-30). The Lord showed Peter that he would receive a hundredfold reward, but Peter had to be genuinely ready to forsake everything. Everything means everything, including houses and fields. Everything has to go because the Lord said that it is not only for His sake but for the gospel's sake.
When we forsake everything and hand over all, we should use the money first for the gospel. For the Poor The second use of our money is to take care of the poor around us. The Lord said that we have the poor with us always (John 12:8). In Matthew 19 the young ruler asked the Lord how he could inherit the kingdom. The Lord told him to sell all that he had and give to the poor. The Lord wanted him to dispose of his possessions and give them to the poor around him and then to follow Him (v. 21). St. Francis of Assisi saw this truth, and he sold all that he had and gave it to the poor. He vowed to live a poor life. Count Zinzendorf was a nobleman. He was very rich, but he opened up his estate to receive the believers. Helping the poor is a principle as well as a requirement in the Bible. The Lord always cares for the poor. However, the purpose of caring for the poor is not just for the sake of the poor themselves. The main purpose is to make us poor so that we can be free from the power of mammon. A Christian should not be an accumulator of mammon and wealth. He should only be one who is rich in faith, and one who enriches others (James 2:5; 2 Cor. 6:10). For the Brothers and Sisters Acts shows us the third way to use our money. We have to hand it over to God's household and to share it with other children of God (2:44). We are in the church, and there are many brothers and sisters around us. In order that they do not lack, we have to give away what we have in excess. The church has to be the household of faith. HANDING OVER OUR ENTIRE BEING TOGETHER WITH OUR POSSESSIONS Handing ourselves over does not merely mean offering up our whole person; it also means offering up all our possessions. We should not make the mistake of thinking that we only need to give our hearts to the Lord. Many people make the mistake of thinking that giving everything to the Lord means offering their heart to Him. Many people preach this way. They exhort men to give their hearts to the Lord, but they dare not preach on giving the body to the Lord. We have opened up a big back door if we cannot preach a total consecration, including ourselves and all that we have, instead of just pledging our heart to Him. The most practical consecration is one in which we give our bodies to the Lord. Romans 6:13 says that we have to present our members as weapons of righteousness to God. Romans 12:1 also says that we have to present our bodies a living sacrifice. In
both instances, the word body refers to the tangible physical body. If a man comes to us and says that he will give us his heart and hands, which would you take? I would choose the hands. The heart is too arbitrary; it is not easy to pin down. If we can lay hold of the body, we will know where the heart is.
WHERE THE TREASURE IS, THERE THE HEART IS We say that we are giving our heart to the Lord, yet our mammon is in the bank. First, let us consecrate the mammon in our bank, and then the heart will follow. Only the Lord can see our heart, because only He is the one who searches the inward parts and the hearts (Rev. 2:23). This is the reason the Lord said that where a man's treasure is, there is his heart also (Matt. 6:21). It is very easy for us to set our heart on the things above. All we have to do is to send our money there. It is impossible for our heart to be set on the things above while our mammon is in the bank below. Every man's heart is set on the earthly things because his mammon is on earth. The Lord never tries to eradicate the root of sin in us. Similarly, He never asks us to give up mammon to love God. He only says, "If your heart is truly after God, you have to place your mammon on God's side. If you bring your mammon to God, your heart will truly love God." The Lord does not ask us to give Him our heart, but He does ask us to bring Him our money. Our mammon must be deposited in heaven first before our heart will go to heaven. When we say that we want to hand ourselves over, we have to bring our heart and mammon to God at the same time. Let me shout this again: The Lord does not say that we should not love mammon and love God instead. Rather, He says that we should send our mammon to heaven. This is because our heart follows our mammon. Not only does the world's heart follow mammon, even a Christian's heart follows mammon. Our heart will always go where our mammon is. We should never think that only the world loves money and that Christians do not love money. There is not such a thing. A Christian can love money too. A Christian's heart is the same as the heart of someone in the world; both go after mammon. The only difference is that a Christian's mammon is in heaven. We are Christians, and we love the Lord. What should we do now? We should send our mammon to heaven. Spontaneously, our heart will follow. Man's heart always loves money. If a man says that he does not love mammon, he is deceiving himself. Men in the world put their mammon in one place, while a Christian puts
his in another place—heaven. This is the only difference between a Christian and a person in the world. We can feel our love for the Lord by offering up our mammon. Moreover, we should not just offer up what we have in excess. We have to offer until our heart hurts. When the heart hurts, we know that our heart has gone out to where our money is, and we will find joy. It will be easy for us to love God, and our love for Him will flow out. Let me repeat this: Where our treasure is, there is our heart also. Following this statement the Lord said that no man can serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). When the Lord says no man, He means no man. No man can serve two masters. If we want to serve God, our money has to go. I do not aspire to be anything in this world. I only aspire to gain God. Let me say this in a most respectful way: Our God can be bought with money. No one can accumulate mammon on earth yet have his heart in heaven. We should not fool ourselves. The matter of handing oneself over is not just an exercise of the heart. One has to hand over his person as well as his possessions. It is very easy to shift the heart, but it is not easy to shift material things. I want to emphasize this: It is useless to say that one offers up his heart without offering up his things at the same time. If our heart goes to the Lord, our things have to go to Him as well. Our heart is very arbitrary; it can turn back and forth. The Lord said that where our treasure is, there is our heart also. If my treasure is not with God, my heart cannot rest in Him. It will be in God one moment and in the world the next moment. The Lord says that no man can serve two masters at the same time. When He says no man, He means no man. What Does It Mean to Hand Over "All"? Perhaps some will ask to what extent we have to offer ourselves before we can say that we have handed over our "all." Whatever we have, we should offer it and hand it over to the church. When we really feel the hurt, we have handed over our "all." When a man truly hurts from his giving, he enjoys the greatest joy in giving. A man laughs when he is happy, but he also weeps when he is happy. The greatest happiness is a happiness that makes a man weep. This happiness has a special taste.
HOW TO HAND OURSELVES OVER How do we forsake everything? How do we hand ourselves over? In the Gospels we only see individuals forsaking everything. They sold their all and gave it to the poor; they did not give it to the church. This is because, in a strict sense, the
church had not been established. In Acts the church was formed as a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. At this time the forsaking of all things became related to the church. At Pentecost there was a proper arrangement for everything that had been handed over to the church. The disciples sold their fields and possessions, and placed the proceeds at the feet of the apostles. The apostles then disposed of them and distributed them to everyone according to need (2:45). The church became involved. It was not a random selling; everything was done for the good of the church. The church has to be bold to speak, and it has to be bold to act. The apostolic churches did not teach about selling one's all. The disciples acted this way spontaneously. The result of this giving was a great revival. This pattern is recorded in the Bible. The church should now be bold to preach this, but it must back up this preaching with the proper arrangements. When the brothers and sisters hand themselves over, they should do so in coordination with the church. They should not follow the examples in the Gospels. It should not be a random and haphazard giving. Rather, the handing over should be done with much arrangement. Some have handed over their factory or business to the church, but the church cannot conduct business or run a factory. Therefore, under the church's direction, some businesses are returned to your hand. You must manage these businesses yourself, but you should feel that the boss has changed. The Lord through the church is now your boss, and you should not take any profit for your own use anymore. When we see the brothers and sisters hungry and lacking food, we have to take care of their needs more urgently than we take care of our business. If the brothers and sisters do not have daily necessities such as towels or toothbrushes at home, would we have the audacity to keep many of these items at home or, worse still, to display other useless objects around our house? The best thing for us to do is to ask the responsible brothers to come to our house and see if there are things that need to be given to the needy saints or see if there are things that need to be sold for the poor saints. Some brothers say that they have very little, but they are not the ones to judge whether they have much or little. Leave it to the church to decide this. We would rather overdo than not be enough. Even if we offer an item to the church and the church returns it to us, we will have the feeling that the item has been consecrated. This kind of handing ourselves over will give us a "joy of poverty." It will give us a joy that we have never tasted before, the joy of "not having." Many have tasted
the joy of "having," but when we hand everything over, we will taste the joy of "not having." It will be the same joy as the joy of "not having" sin. I hope that the brothers and sisters will all take this way. If sin does not go away, the gospel will not go out, and if money does not go away, the gospel will not go out either. Mammon must first go away before the gospel can go out. The going away of mammon is only a way for our love to go out. It is not easy for me to ask someone to consecrate his heart. It is, in fact, impossible to exhort anyone to just consecrate his heart. The heart can be offered up, but it can be taken back in an instant. Our heart is at our own disposal. It is not easy to tell a person to "love the Lord your God from your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole strength and with your whole mind" (Luke 10:27). We are here to urge ourselves to send away our mammon. When we do this, our heart spontaneously will go where our mammon is. Once we hand over everything, our heart will go out with it. If we do not first send our mammon to the kingdom, it will be hard for us to enter the kingdom. Luke 18:24 shows us that it is difficult for those who have riches to enter the kingdom. The Lord told the young ruler to send away his mammon. If he had sent his mammon away to heaven, he would have entered the kingdom spontaneously.
THE CONSECRATED ONES LEARNING TO COORDINATE IN THE CHURCH LIFE Let us talk a little about what one should do, how one should live, and how one should coordinate with others after he has consecrated himself. A man who has handed himself over naturally has questions concerning his dwelling, living, and employment. He will ask, "What should I do now that I have handed over all my possessions?" This is important because we have not only handed over our possessions, but ourselves, our very person, as well. We have to live for the gospel and for the church. From this point forward, where we live, the job we take, and the future we have must all be determined by the gospel. It is for the brothers and sisters' benefit that we tell them to sell their all. When they sell their all, they can coordinate in the church life, and they can live for the gospel. For example, a student who used to go to school for his own study, after selling his all, must go to school for the purpose of spreading the gospel. Perhaps his last term in school had only one goal—his own study, but now he has two goals. In the same principle, we are not living in Hong Kong for ourselves but for the sake of the gospel. If the church needs us to go to Sinkiang, we should be able to
respond and go. We do not wish to see personal choices here. We do not want to exercise personal freedom. Some Chekiang brothers and sisters have migrated from Hangchow to the YiYang region. The Communist Party commended us for this. Recently a group of brothers in Shanghai followed in their footsteps. They did not move there by choice but for the sake of the gospel. There are over two hundred people now living in straw tents. Some saints from the church in Chefoo moved to the northwest some time ago. A Christian lives on the earth for the Lord. Everything is for the Lord and for His gospel. We should be able to find more than just the Christians of past generations forsaking everything for the gospel. In the coming days, we also have to forsake everything for the gospel. Either we will not do it at all, or we must do it properly. We do not want unbelievers to laugh at us. For the sake of the prospering of the gospel, we are willing to go to any length. The responsible brothers have no interest in interfering with your personal business. This only adds to their burden of management. This is not something that we want to do, but we are forced to do it for the gospel's sake. Today there are still brothers and sisters in Shanghai who are ready to be sent to the northwest. They do not want the gospel to stop because of them. You have to do the same in Hong Kong. Today there are two million people in Hong Kong. This number will increase. Now we have only a hundred saved ones among us. Even a thousand is too few. If just a tenth of the population in Hong Kong was saved, we would have two hundred thousand people. That is far greater than a thousand people. Your heart must not be satisfied. It is a foolish thing to be satisfied with your present condition. The Lord desires that all men be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). May we all have God's desire. Our view must be enlarged. The Lord's commandment is that we go into all the world to preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15). If we have this heart, it will be easy for us to spread the gospel throughout Hong Kong. But first we need a group of brothers and sisters to hand themselves over in a thorough way. No one should have any reservation for himself. No one should fool himself. If we all do this, other brothers and sisters will be attracted to follow. The responsibility is on our shoulders. We have to rise up to consecrate ourselves first. Eventually, this consecration will spread to the whole church. Unless the whole church rises up to take this way, we will have problems in the church life sooner or later. Some will see the truth and sell their all, while others will not want to give up their possessions. How can there be one accord if this happens? We have to see that the Lord's requirement is high.
He requires that we forsake everything. The leading brothers must go on in a proper way and not have any reservations within. Only then will we be able to lead others on. You do not have to be afraid. Brother Qu, Brother Lee, and other elder leading brothers are walking ahead of you and taking the lead among you. You have to be led to the point where you realize that no further progress will come unless you sell your all. To be a Christian we have to act decisively. It is meaningless and senseless to be a half-way and indifferent Christian. Brother Witness Lee once said that the church's channels have to be dug deep before water will flow abundantly. We can say the same thing about consecration. The more we consecrate, the more the blessing will come, and the more we will see men saved. The more hesitation we have, the less useful we will be. In every place many saints have experienced this. Once a child of God hands over his all, the gospel breaks forth. When the disciples sold their all in Acts, God added to them daily those who were being saved (2:47). If there is not a single soul in Hong Kong who wavers, who is held back, who keeps his body and possessions, and who lives for himself and if everyone is willing to rise up to serve under the church's direction, I believe there will be great hope in Hong Kong.
WE HAVE TO BE THE LORD'S WAY I have wanted to say a word for many years. Before the Lord entered Jerusalem, many people broke branches and took off their garments and laid them on the street. Had they not done this, the Lord could not have entered Jerusalem. This does not mean that the branches and the garments are the way in and of themselves, but it does mean that these ones first had to break many branches and take off many garments to cover the way before the Lord could enter the city in His glory. The Lord rode into Jerusalem on a colt as a King. Some had to break branches, remove garments, and lay them on the street so that the Lord could pass over them. If the gospel is to go out, we have to consecrate ourselves to be the way. Today it is not enough to merely break branches and take away garments. Our very person has to be the way. If we have any reservations, if we hold back anything, or if we are unwilling to fall down, the Lord will have no way. The Lord must have a way through us before the gospel will have a way in the world. We must regard the gospel like chariots, horses, and colts, and we ourselves have to be the way. The gospel has to roll over us so that more people in the world will hear the gospel.
In this matter we have to be very desperate and violent. If we are desperate enough, we will spread the gospel throughout China no matter who is in control of the government. If the Lord has a way through us and the gospel has a way through us, it will be very easy for the gospel to spread throughout China. As long as something is for the Lord, we should not count the cost. We should not save anything from the Lord. For His sake, we should not spare anything. No spending is excessive when it is spent on the Lord and His gospel (John 12:7-8). We must have absolutely no reservation. We should not leave anything for the world. This world is very dangerous. We have to ask the Lord to keep us from touching the world. May the Lord be gracious to us, and may He grant us a way. In order to be a proper Christian we have to be violent and decisive. Those who do not consecrate themselves invariably go away in sorrow. The more absolute our consecration is, the more joy we will have. If we do not consecrate ourselves, even the life within us will rise up to protest against us. A PRAYER Lord, when we were blind, we did not see Your preciousness. When we were blind, we saw only the world; our eyes were filled only with mammon. Tonight we ask You to show us Your glory. May we be willing to drop everything and forsake everything on account of Your shining face on the throne. Lord, stir us up so that we will be more violent, desperate, and thorough, abandoning everything to follow You. May more people give themselves through our giving. Show the brothers and sisters that mammon and the world are hurting them; they do not help them. Lord, we do not belong to this world but to You. Just as You have shed Your blood on the cross for the gospel's sake, may more people shed their sweat for the gospel's sake. Perhaps some will even have to shed their blood for the gospel's sake. Since You have shed Your blood on the cross for the gospel's sake, may we suffer a little for Your sake, and may we shed our sweat and deny ourselves for the gospel's sake. Lord, may You turn the church around fully in the coming days. May the whole church be conquered and subdued. First gain the church in Hong Kong, and then spread the gospel through it. It seems that men do not know You today. It seems that You are hidden. But we deeply yearn for the day when the gospel will have a breakthrough from the church. Lord, we ask again: Reveal Your shining face to us. Teach us to forsake everything and to have a change in concept and valuation towards everything.
May we be blind to the world and to mammon, and may we have a high and glorious valuation of Yourself and Your gospel. Be merciful to us. Amen.
CHAPTER NINE FORSAKING EVERYTHING TO SERVE GOD Date:Evening, February 3, 1950 Place:Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong THE GLORY OF SERVING GOD Among God's children today, there is the thought that service to God is a favor to Him. Let me ask: Do we see the shining face on the throne? Unless we see God's glory on the throne, we cannot forsake everything. The world is lovely, and mammon is precious! Everyone is intensely interested in money; no one can forsake it. If we have seen His glory, however, we will be like Paul who regarded everything as refuse in comparison to the excellency of Christ (Phil. 3:8-9). Brother Ma, do you know the Lord? Brother Chu, do you feel that you have given yourself to the Lord's service too soon or too late? The world has only pain, bitterness, and regret to offer to men. It is more than worthwhile for a Christian to forsake the world to serve the Lord. We are here to speak about total consecration. Some feel that this is too much, but these ones have not seen the glory of serving God. They want to go back to the world at every turn. The Israelites who did not see the excellency of the promised land wanted to go back to Egypt at every turn. Once we sense the glory of serving the Lord, we will be able to lead many by the hand even though we may be young men ourselves. Paul was a young man when he was called Saul. He persecuted the church and thought that he was serving God. He asked for letters from the high priest to bind the believers. Yet God's glory came to him, and he fell down. Through this experience, he began to know the meaning of serving the Lord. Perhaps we consecrated ourselves with tears. Even while our tears were still wet, our heart was filled with joy. The deepest joy is the joy that is accompanied by tears. We should feel ashamed that we have not given Him enough. We should feel ashamed that we have not given Him the best. We can never give Him too much. This revelation alone will change the color of everything in our life. It will change our taste. We are not doing this to join a crowd. It is by God's grace that our offering is accepted. This is the meaning of knowing Him in resurrection. This is what motivated the early church to consecrate itself.
Some people think that they are doing God a favor when they drop a little money in the offering box. Little do they realize that it is God's mercy that our offering is accepted. I know two young brothers who are somewhat clever in worldly ways. Each of them has some small achievements. They are very proud. They think that their service to God is a favor to Him. I heard them say once, "I could have gained a high place in society, but I have given myself to serve God!" When I heard this, I said, "You are wrong. During the past two thousand years of church history, countless people who were better than you have given themselves to serve the Lord. They knew the preciousness and the glory of serving the Anointed One. They never felt that they had done themselves an injustice by serving God. On the contrary, they thanked God for His great mercy for sending down His fire to consume the service of a sinner like them. O blind ones, the day will come when the One to whom you offered yourselves in contempt will be exalted in glory as the Christ of God. Think carefully about who is doing whom a favor!" Even if we have to kneel, crawl, or prostrate ourselves before God, we have to plead for service. His acceptance of our consecration is His mercy and grace. Consecration is God's grace to us. It is God granting us a favor by accepting us. We have to bow down our head and say, like Mephibosheth, "What is your servant that you should look upon a dead dog like me?" (2 Sam. 9:8). God is so great. He is the Lord of the universe. What a wonder that creatures as lowly as we can serve Him. O proud ones who can boast in anything, you cannot boast in front of God; this is the wrong place for boasting. Let me illustrate my point with a story. I have a friend who is also a brother. During the war he was in Chungking. One day General Chiang invited him for a meal. He was very excited when telling me about the dinner, and he was very honored. Two months ago Mr. Mao wrote him a letter and asked him a question. He came and told me that General Chiang's dinner and Mr. Mao's letter were highlights in his life that he would never forget. Let me say that God is far greater than Mr. Mao and General Chiang. Are we doing Him a favor or is He doing us a favor by allowing us to serve Him? Everyone who knows God will prostrate himself in the dust and beg to give his all to God in adoration and worship. It is God's great love and mercy to allow us to serve Him. We should thank Him. We have not done Him a favor. It is a matter of Him receiving our consecration, not a matter of us being generous enough to give ourselves. The honor is on us, not on Him. Serving the Lord is our glory, a tremendous glory!
We hope that in these days many brothers and sisters will learn to press themselves against the Lord and say, "This is what little I have. Please send down Your fire to accept it." This is the time for us to forsake everything. It is inexcusable for any of our co-workers to have fear or to keep back anything. Anyone who tries to deceive or who has impure motives will be like Ananias and Sapphira. Our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). No man can deceive such a Lord. We have to offer up everything wholeheartedly and in all sincerity. We have to serve God with our whole soul and our whole mind.
OUR CONSECRATION SPEAKS OF OUR VALUATION OF THE LORD Our consecration speaks of our valuation of the Lord. The more we treasure the Lord, the more we will give our all to Him. We all have something that we treasure. Handing oneself over does not merely mean handing over treasures but handing over all. In the past the church was too timid; it only dared to ask the saints to offer their treasures. Today the church should no longer be timid. It has to proclaim boldly to the saints: "We have to offer up everything to the Lord. When we do not know Him, we only offer up our treasures. When we know His glory, we will say to Him, `Not only am I offering my past and present treasures; I am offering everything I will have in the future. Please accept them.' " If we try to hold anything back, our inner being will feel suffocated; we will not be comfortable unless we consecrate. Our consecration speaks of our valuation of the Lord. It shows how much we are willing to pay for the Lord. In Judas's eyes the Lord was worth only thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave (Matt. 26:15; Exo. 21:32). To the world, our Lord is a slave. It is willing to pay thirty pieces of silver for Him and no more. How much are we willing to pay? Allow me to tell a story. After the war all the brothers and sisters were struggling with a mean living. At that time a brother proposed marriage to a sister, and they became engaged. The brother came to me and said, "I am getting married. I have never asked anyone for anything in my whole life. Now I am asking for help for my wedding." He needed a large sum of money. I asked, "Presently, everyone is tight financially. Is not this sum a little too large?" He answered, "To me, it is too little." Of course, it was seven or eight times more than what other brothers would spend. He thought for a long while, and then answered me in a very emphatic way, "To me, nothing is too much to spend on her." I had nothing to say. I gave him what he asked for. Two months later, I found myself preaching
to him about selling all and offering everything to God. Thank God, he heard my words and did sell everything. Many times we feel that we are not doing enough even when we offer everything to God. We feel that we are not doing enough when we lay our all, our life, and even our blood on the altar. This is like the brother who loved his fiancée so much that nothing was too much to him. If we really treasure the Lord, nothing will be too much or too expensive to offer to Him. We would not be ashamed to pour out our most cherished and precious treasures on Him. He is worthy of our total abandonment. Is our valuation of Him so high that it transcends everything? ON BEING AN ABSOLUTE CHRISTIAN If we want to consecrate ourselves, we have to do it absolutely. We have to forsake everything to follow the Lord. One brother in Shanghai only had two dictionaries. These were his total possessions; he had nothing else. When he heard the message on forsaking all to follow the Lord, he went home and asked his father if there was anything in the house that belonged to him. His father answered that the two dictionaries were the only items. He took the two dictionaries and handed them over to the church. It is not a matter of consecrating more or less; it is a matter of consecrating one's all. When the poor widow offered up her two mites, the Lord's heart was touched (Luke 21:2). The Lord praised Mary's consecration and said that she had done what she could (Mark 14:8). For the gospel and God's house, we have to offer up everything. Either we do not become a Christian at all, or we have to be such a kind of Christian. We cannot hold back anything. This is what it means to be absolute. A brother in Shanghai once said, "It is getting harder and harder to be a Christian. When others slap our cheek, we have to turn the other cheek." Actually, this brother does not know the Lord. He does not know how to exult in Him. His only reaction is to grit his teeth. It is a suffering to him. If we turn our right cheek immediately to those who slap our left cheek, we will go home full of joy. But if we remain in ourselves, hesitating to strike back only because we think this is what a Christian should do and keeping our anger within, we will only suffer. Only those who abandon themselves in an absolute way will find joy. If both of our cheeks are slapped, we will exult in the Lord. We will feel that we have been given the honor to demonstrate the proper Christian standard and measure. We have to be a Christian absolutely. We should not only deny everything; we should deny ourselves. Once I was sick with tuberculosis. Even now I still have trouble with my heart. If we do not deny ourselves, we can never be happy. Today a brother
is here. Suppose we try to help him beyond our capacity. Suppose we help him until we hurt, until we start digging into our own necessities. When our hands become empty, we will kneel down and praise the Lord. We will not need to plead for God's mercy. Such a consecration will fill us with joy for a whole month. The Christian joy is not merely a joy on the surface but a joy in the heart. Brother Philip Luan was a very good giver. After he became a Christian, he closed down his tobacco factory. One brother tried to borrow a hundred dollars from him, but he only had twenty dollars. He went home, pawned the only blanket he had, a Russian-made one of top quality, and scraped together a hundred dollars to give to the brother. When his wife returned, she found that the blanket was gone. Brother Luan comforted her, saying, "We are giving it away to the Lord. We are the Lord's slaves. We are here to serve the Lord. It is only right that we offer up everything to Him." Paul testified to the Corinthians that though he was poor, he enriched many (2 Cor. 6:10). He also said that our Lord Jesus was rich but had become poor for our sake so that we would become rich because of His poverty (8:9). Our Lord denied Himself to make us rich. We can touch the same reality in the selfsacrifice of Paul. An absolute consecration will fill us with joy. We cannot say that it is wrong for Christians to have reservations, but we can say that a consecration with reservations invariably comes short. We have to be a Christian absolutely, definitely, and thoroughly. This is the only way to be filled with joy. This kind of joy is unknown to the Gentiles. I hope to see Christians in Hong Kong full of praises in their mouth and joy in their heart. The more absolute we are, the more we will be filled with joy inwardly. This is the reason the Bible always puts trials and joy together. I do not know what Paul's ordinary tone of voice was, but I do know that when he sang in the prison cell, even the prisoners and the angels inclined their ears (Acts 16:25). When a person willingly takes up the suffering of relinquishing all for the Lord, how great will be his joy and how lofty will be his tune! Perhaps he will suffer much ridicule from men. Perhaps even Christians will say to him, "I have been a Christian for thirty years. I have never done what you are doing. Perhaps you have a problem with your mind. Perhaps you have gone mad!" He has to answer them, saying, "Lovers of the Lord down through the ages have done this. Brethren in the last century like J. N. Darby, Sir Bennet, William Kelly, and many other leading brothers forsook their all within a single day. They gave up
everything to follow the Lord." Griffith Thomas praised the Brethren for being the best among all God's children in rightly dividing the truth. D. M. Panton said that the Brethren movement far exceeded the Reformation in its influence. It was a common practice among hundreds and thousands of these brothers to give up everything. Some gave up their nobility. Others gave up their position, their degree, or their possessions. Their consecration brought in the church's revival. From them we have inherited the knowledge and assurance of God's salvation, the judgment of sin, the truth about the position of the church, the practice of forsaking all to follow the Lord, and other things. Of course, we have gone on and have become clearer concerning certain things. The tide of the Spirit is forever onward. This is true not only of the truth concerning salvation and the position of the church but of the practice of forsaking all. What Brother Witness Lee did in Chefoo in 1943 was a strategic move of the Holy Spirit. It was a move of the Spirit, and no one could withstand it. All the brothers and sisters poured out their hearts and gave up their possessions, sometimes with tears and sometimes with laughter. As a result the truth was uplifted and recovered, and a revival was brought in. The work of the Holy Spirit was so strong that many brothers and sisters were compelled to offer their all. They could not have any peace otherwise.
THE WAY OF THE CHURCH TODAY Consecration is not only a personal matter. It is the way of the church today. We are clear about a person's individual position and his way, but how should the church go on? In the first century the apostles as a body forsook everything to serve the Lord. In the four Gospels the apostles dropped everything to follow the Lord individually. Then at the beginning of Acts three thousand and then five thousand people were saved. The church life began, and the believers followed the example of the apostles to forsake everything to follow the Lord. The whole church forsook everything (2:44-45; 4:32-35). Later the church became degraded. The clergy-laity system was formed, and the clergy monopolized all spiritual things. The laity, composed of secular men and women, became lax. However, the church did not lower its expectation concerning the apostles. It expected the clergy to suffer, to forsake all, and to deny the world. We all know that Catholicism forbids its priests from marrying. The less human they are, the more they are qualified to bear spiritual things. This is a wrong concept. Paul's word on presenting the body as a living sacrifice is for the whole Body (Rom.
12:1); it was not addressed to the apostles alone. Today everyone expects a preacher to be poor, and everyone expects the co-workers to suffer, but no one expects the ordinary believer to be the same. This, however, is not the truth of the Bible. It is a fallen concept of the church. When the church moves on and advances, it will find that forsaking everything is not the exclusive business of the apostles but a practice that belongs to all the believers. In the past many people have had the concept that the workers should be particularly poor and suffering, that they must forsake everything before they can be considered a servant of the Lord. Today we are welcoming everyone to join the co-workers' lot. In other words, we should take the way of life and the way of service of a worker; we should live and serve accordingly. This is the way the church has decided to take today. All of us should rise up and be workers. This means that all of us have to be servants of God. Our worldly occupation is only for maintaining our livelihood. We may have different occupations, but we are all servants of the Lord. Everything is offered up to the Lord and to the church. The church may assign you to be a businessman. A person cannot live two or three times above the standard of a co-worker just because he is a businessman. This is absolutely wrong. Just as we expect a co-worker to be frugal, we have to be frugal. We have to make a resolution never to buy anything carelessly. We have to save all we can and limit our spending. This applies to every brother who has handed himself over. In the past there might have been a difference between the co-workers and those who were not co-workers. We can no longer have this distinction. A minister of the word cannot keep back any word for himself. Similarly, a moneymaker cannot keep back any money for himself. Holding back the Lord's word and having reservations is a cheating in the Lord's ministry of the word. Paul, David, John, Daniel, Ezekiel, and others never hid the word in their ministry of God's word (cf. Acts 20:27; Col. 1:25). A minister of God's word has to share His word with the church. Similarly, those involved with the ministry of mammon should share their mammon with the church; they should not keep it for their own use. From now on we should save as much as possible and sell whatever we can sell, but we should not force unbelieving parents, wives, or husbands to go along. We can only practice this ourselves. Under all possible circumstances, we should save as much as we can save and sell as much as we can sell. I do not advise that we eat poorly on purpose; this will ruin our health. That is not wise. We should sell what we can sell but not deprive the body of its necessary
nutrition. We must take good care of our body. If we have the potential to use our body for another thirty years, we should use it for this time. It should not waste away in two or three years. Other than this consideration, we should save as much as we can save and give away as much as we can. Give up everything for the saints' and for the gospel's sake.
HOW TO SELL ONE'S ALL We must take time and place into consideration in selling our all. In the Gospels we find individuals practicing this. In Acts the saints sold their belongings themselves, placed the proceeds at the feet of the apostles, and put them at the disposal of the church. In reality they placed them before the seven deacons (Acts 6:3). Once the church comes in, there is the need of arrangements. But these arrangements are not made by natural men but by men of wisdom chosen by the Holy Spirit. With proper arrangements, things will not be handled rashly. The Holy Spirit will exercise His control in this matter. We request that you write down all that you have on a piece of paper and give it to the church. Let the church decide what to do. Some things need to be sold. Other things do not need to be sold. The church will make the decision. The church asks you to submit a list, not because it wants to claim the items on the list, but to facilitate the responsible brothers in making proper arrangements. You should not keep anything according to your choosing. If the brothers and sisters say that you should keep it, you should keep it. Your two hands have to be empty all the time. After you have handed your possessions over, if the church says that you should sell something, it will return the items to you and ask you to sell them. The teaching in Acts is that all the consecrated ones did the selling themselves. The teaching in the Gospels is also for every individual to do the selling himself. This act of selling affords a very good training to the seller; it is a great lesson to him. Let me give another illustration. A brother in Shanghai bought eight hundred mus (a measure of land, equal to approximately 733 square yards) of contiguous farmland in the course of ten years. He spent much time and energy acquiring it. When he handed himself over, he dealt with the land two and three plots at a time because he reckoned that he had acquired them two or three at a time. If I had been the one selling it for him, I would have disposed of the whole property all at once. I realized that this brother was still not firmly persuaded in his heart. He submitted his list of consecration, but his heart was not in it. I asked him to come to me, and I told him to sell his land. He could not part with it and
eventually decided to keep it. Eventually, all eight hundred mus were confiscated by the Communists. I am asking you to do the same thing now: Whatever you have built up with your own hands should be sold by your own hands. This is like Abraham being asked to slay his own son. This will teach you a very solid lesson. Today many people are like Nebuchadnezzar, who built the great city Babylon with his own hands. They dare not tear down their own building; they want to hand it over to God and let God tear it down. God will never do this, however. He wants us to tear it down ourselves. Abraham obeyed God and offered up Isaac. God wanted Abraham to slay Isaac with his own knife. Isaac was Abraham's son; God did not want to slay Isaac for him. A man does not have many chances in his life to learn such a lesson. One sister had a fondness for jewelry, such as pearls and bracelets. She handed them over to the church and asked the church to sell them for her. I told her that the church would not sell them for her but that she had to sell them herself. This was the only way she could be free from money and material possessions. From now on the church will not sell or auction things for the saints. When Brother Witness was preparing the building of the meeting hall in Shanghai, many sisters offered their diamonds, rings, jade, etc. Many brothers offered paintings and calligraphies which they had collected. A high price had been paid for these items. They were worth quite much at the time of their purchase, but they could not be sold for twenty percent of their value. Some could not be sold for more than a fiftieth of the purchase price. One diamond worth five thousand dollars was sold for less than five hundred dollars. Another item worth twelve hundred dollars was sold for only twenty dollars. The brothers and sisters who sold their jewelry and paintings began to realize how much they had wasted the money that God had blessed them with. This is the only way we can realize the rapid depreciation of worldly possessions. Only eternal things have eternal value. Only items that have been consecrated to God retain their value. Paintings and calligraphies quickly become cheap. We have to take up the knife and do the killing ourselves. Only by doing it ourselves will we realize how easily we are deceived. This will teach us a lesson to not be so foolish again. This is the only way we can learn. If we invest our hard-earned money into these objects again, we will be the most foolish people. When we hand ourselves over to God, we are building upon an unfailing and unfaltering foundation. Our spirit will no longer be bound, and we will transcend everything.
When we overcome the bondage of money and material things and we rise above the entanglement of everything, the whole church will rise up to preach the gospel. Now the workers are preaching. When that day comes, the church will be preaching and the church will be serving. There will no longer be just one or two persons serving as full-timers. The whole church will be the Lord's servants. That will be a glorious day. I hope that day will come soon.
HOW TO GO ON AFTER SELLING ONE'S ALL How should we serve in the church after we have sold our all? We have to submit to the careful arrangement of the older, leading brothers who make decisions under the control of the Holy Spirit. These brothers should also give clear advice concerning proper occupations. We want all the consecrated ones to be able to work together, even for the gospel migration. In the past our occupation was for our personal interest and livelihood. In the future we hope that we will offer up our occupation to God for the accomplishment of His gospel. We hope that we can say that any occupation is acceptable as long as it benefits the gospel. We have no choice of our own. We do not want to take our own way. Rather, we will go where the gospel goes. If we can do this, we can send some to Sinkiang province or to Tibet. If the whole church can send out five thousand, ten thousand, or even fifty thousand people, how much the Lord will bless His church! If everything we have is offered up for the gospel, the church, and the Lord's service, the Lord and the gospel will have a free way through the church. Brother Liu was a very good doctor. He and his wife were sent to Yi-Yang. They had a good place to live in Chung-Shan Hospital. When they arrived in Yi-Yang none of the walls of the saints' houses were made of solid material. They did not even have tiled roofs; many lived in tents. Brother Liu and his wife did the same. They did not have their own choice. His job at Chung-Shan Hospital was not bad, but for the sake of serving God, they chose to live in these unbearable conditions. Thousands of people throughout church history have forsaken everything for the sake of serving the Lord. Brother Liu and his wife gave up their good living and moved to Yi-Yang for one purpose only—to join the other brothers and sisters in serving our God. FORSAKING EVERYTHING TO SERVE OUR GOD I hope that no one in Hong Kong will hold back anything. I hope that everyone will be absolute and forsake everything to serve our God. We must be this kind of people before God will allow us to serve Him. We have to be clear about what we
are doing here. I do not believe there is another force as powerful in preaching the gospel as the whole Body rising up. Yet there are not many places where men dare to say that they will forsake everything to serve our God. Actually, no one wants to say such a thing. A man is willing to say such a word only after God has worked on him and dealt with him. Brother Witness, Sister Wang, and myself have considered this matter for many years. We dared not say this word because we felt that we had not been dealt with enough. Today we have not lost our sanity when we say such a word. The Lord has brought us to a point that we cannot hold back this word. We have to realize that we have to bear the responsibility for what we are saying here. Indeed, this is not something that we love to speak in ourselves. I know the consequence of saying such a thing. But this is the only way we can serve our God. No cheaper way will work. Let me say this again: Only those who have forsaken everything can serve our God. I know the serious responsibility I am bearing for saying such a word. Perhaps you would rather be a spectator in this meeting, but we have to fulfill our responsibility. I can only say what Paul said to Agrippa when he testified that he was not insane. He had not lost his mind. This is the way that God has put in front of us. If we take the way God has laid before us, the glorious church in Ephesians 4 and 5 will be before our eyes. May God open our eyes, and may such a glorious day be hastened through our absoluteness. PRAYERS Brother Weigh: Lord, in Hong Kong everything is loose, but everyone has a tight grip on mammon. Everyone is building up his Babylon and Jericho. These are the things the world boasts of. But You will destroy them all. How easy it is for us to follow the world. Unless You deal with all these things by Your mighty power, Your great glory, and Your love, we will have no way to go on. Lord, grant us the grace to willingly destroy what we have built and to give ourselves to You entirely for Your service. A sister: Lord, apart from the cleansing of Your blood, no one can be accepted by You. Unless we consecrate ourselves absolutely to You, we are not qualified to serve You. May Your glorious face on the throne attract us once more so that we can run after You. Brother Luk: Lord, grant us a persevering faithfulness. We want to put this word into practice immediately. We do not want to have any compromise from our head to our very toes.
Watchman Nee: Lord, do a work in Hong Kong as You have never done before. Clear out the situation here entirely. We want to give ourselves to You unconditionally and gloriously. We desire to consecrate ourselves to You absolutely and thoroughly. In the past we built up many things for ourselves. Work in us today to destroy them all. Clear out everything until nothing is left. Work on us again and again. Have a way among us and then have a way here in Hong Kong. May we see the whole Body rising up to serve in Hong Kong, and may many other places follow in its footsteps. We consecrate ourselves to You. We offer ourselves to You so that You will have a way to go on in the church. When You have a way to go on in the church, the gospel will have a way to go on in Hong Kong. Be merciful to us and be gracious to us. Send us the heavenly fire. Accept our offering so that Your gospel will have a free way among us. Amen.
CHAPTER TEN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HANDING ONESELF OVER AND THE BUILDING UP OF THE BODY OF CHRIST Date:Evening, February 4, 1950 Place:Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong HANDING ONESELF OVER FOR THE BUILDING UP OF THE GLORIOUS CHURCH, USHERING IN THE LORD'S SECOND COMING All servants of God as well as all Bible students pay much attention to the state of glory which the church must reach before the second coming of the Lord. If the church does not reach this state of glory, the Lord's coming will be delayed indefinitely. In Revelation 5 John saw a scroll in the hand of God; it was a sealed scroll. John knew that it was God's plan. God's plan could not be fulfilled unless the scroll was opened. At that juncture an angel proclaimed that no one was worthy to open the scroll or to break the seal, and John wept (vv. 1-4). We read the Bible often, and we know God's plan, but do you weep? Are we anxious for the fulfillment of God's plan? Of all the prophecies in the Bible, only two raise apprehensions within me. I do not know if you have ever been apprehensive about them. They are Ephesians 4 and 5. It seems as if these two chapters will never be fulfilled. Ephesians 4
speaks of the church being built up and growing into the full measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (v. 13). It seems very hard for the church to reach this state. But there is more. There is Ephesians 5. It seems that this chapter is not as hard to attain to as the previous one, but the requirement is certainly more stringent. In this chapter we are told that when the Lord comes back, the church will be without spot as far as its very nature is concerned and that it will also be without blemish. This means it will not have any mark from previous wounds and sicknesses. The church will also be blameless. Even if it is presented before all men and is subject to open scrutiny and criticism, no one will be able to find any fault (v. 27). The church will be so prepared that it will become absolutely blameless. I must ask the Lord to forgive me for saying this word: Today we can only look at the church with our eyes closed. Once we open our eyes, we will see many areas in which the church is not blameless. We can only give it a score of fifty out of a hundred. Some people are not willing to give it even a score of five. Moreover, the church will be without wrinkle. A wrinkle is a mark of oldness. There was a time when there was no wrinkle on our face, but now wrinkles have appeared. This means that we have grown old. After two thousand years the church must still be young; it must still not have any wrinkle. This is truly the hardest thing to achieve in the whole Bible. During the past five hundred years, there have been gradual recoveries in the church. The church was once steeped in idol worship; even images of God Himself were made. There were images of Christ, images of Mary, and images of God. Worshipping images means that the church tolerates sin; this is degradation. I have spent four to five years studying Ephesians 4 and 5. Every time I came across these passages, I shook my head and prayed, "Lord, this is impossible." I admitted that I could not climb that high; my heart could not believe what I read. The church was wonderful at the beginning; it was indeed powerful, but what about now? It seems as if it has become desolate. However, during the past two thousand years, the church has been advancing as well. From Catholicism to Protestantism, there was clearly a recovery in the revelation of God's Word. Truths were recovered, such as justification by faith, sanctification by faith, Christ as our life, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and others. Even teachings on faith and prayer were recovered. There was also the recovery of gifts, not to mention the recovery of the power of the Holy Spirit to cast out demons. But before 1923 no one knew the church. Preachers did not pay attention to the church; they only paid attention to revival meetings. One revival
meeting saw two thousand five hundred persons saved, but only sixty-six people were willing to be baptized. Many people thought that it was enough to be saved and to go to heaven; they did not think that it was necessary to be baptized. Everyone wanted to take the easy way. They did not pay attention to the matter of the kingdom. But thank the Lord that there were still some who were concerned about the matter of the church. This shows us that God has been taking the way of recovery. Why do we have to hand ourselves over? Why do we have to consecrate in an absolute way? It is because God's children must stand on His side before the church can move on to perfection. The church must pay the price to gain God's riches before Ephesians 4 and 5 can be realized and before the Lord can find a way to come back.
NOT CHANGING GOD'S WILL, NOT LOWERING HIS STANDARD In order to be a servant of God and in order to serve Him, we have to uphold His will. We cannot change God's will, and we cannot lower His standard for the church. A person from a denomination once said, "The Bible does not say explicitly that we should not smoke. Therefore, believers can smoke, and even pastors can smoke." But if Gentiles consider smoking bad for them, how will they feel when they see Christians smoke? No matter how we view the matter, when a Christian smokes, it places him in a lower position than the Gentiles; it is a step backward. Suppose Brother Chan and Brother Chow are both smoking in the meeting today. It will be hard for some brothers and sisters to fellowship with them. The smokers may feel that they are actually better than others in many areas, but as long as some brothers and sisters think that it is wrong to smoke, the smokers will have to stop if they want to keep their fellowship with them. Everyone wants to take the easy way. This is the reason some people opt for sprinkling instead of immersion. The sprinkled ones should realize that there are those who consider sprinkling to be contrary to the Lord's commandment and that continuing in their way stops everyone from being perfected. Smoking and baptism are examples only. If we tolerate many sins or teachings, we will open a back door for sinful and fleshly ones to come in, while placing a stumbling block before seeking ones. Many people do not believe in miracles and are even afraid of them. Many other people, however, have experienced God's answer to their prayers. If we say that miracles ceased with the apostles, we can satisfy some who are weak in faith, but there are still many in the world who have faith. Our
word will become a stumbling block to their perfection in God. In other words, we cannot change any commandment that God has ordained in the Bible. Selling one's all to follow the Lord is an ordained way that God has revealed in His Word. But in China during the past one hundred years, no one dared to say such a thing except for the "Jesus Family" (Je-Su-Chia-Ting). No one dared to talk about forsaking all to follow the Lord. When we preach the gospel to others today, do we tell them that they can be rich and at the same time live a Christian life? We have pursued perfection in the past, and we have obeyed the Lord in many things. Why should we come short in this one thing? Can we be victorious in many things yet fail in this one thing? A few years ago when I was in Shanghai, a member of a denominational church came to me. He wanted to argue about baptism. He gave me many reasons for not practicing immersion. In the end the only reason he gave was that it was inconvenient to immerse people and that there was no need to insist on it. I said, "This is the Lord's ordination. We cannot respond to Him by saying that it is optional." Later we changed the subject to foot-washing. He asked me, "Do you practice foot-washing? Do you break bread to remember the Lord every Lord's Day?" I said that we practice foot-washing and break bread every Lord's Day. In the end he asked, "Do you sell all to follow the Lord?" I said reluctantly, "We do." We cannot leave one thing undone; we cannot say that there is one thing that we do not have to do. If there is one thing not done, we cannot be a proper testimony for the Lord. Today God is taking the way of recovery in China. His eyes are on Ephesians 4 and 5. Paul did not shrink back from speaking all the counsels of God. If we do not shrink back from doing all of God's will, He will have a way among us. I will repeat Brother Witness's word: The deeper the channel is, the more the water flows. Wherever the channel runs deepest, there the water gathers. Water never flows to the shallow places. Today we can only speak for those who are most desirous of obeying the Lord. We cannot speak for those who do not want to obey or who are thinking of taking the easy way. We have to speak for those who want to pay the price, who want to take God's way today. If we make allowance for those who do not have a heart for the Lord in everything, we might as well be the YMCA. Why call ourselves the church? If we want to call ourselves the church, we cannot skip any commandment of the Lord. If God finds another church that is absolute for His will, He can easily set us aside. Our failure is a small thing, but our failure can delay God. It is easy for God to raise up other people, but that would take a
dozen or so years or even a few decades. In order to give God a way to accomplish His will, we have no alternative but to give our all. We do not have the right to change His commands. Among all the commandments of God, one commandment says that we should be delivered from mammon. We should not be bound by mammon. If God says that we should forsake everything, we have to follow. We are His slaves; we dare not change His will. We are not qualified to change His will. As slaves we have to carry out whatever God says. Where our treasure is, there our heart is also. We cannot serve Him and mammon at the same time. Therefore we have to send our money to heaven. It is impossible for our treasure to be in heaven and for our heart to remain on earth. God's will is the most crucial thing to us who are His slaves. We have to try to understand His will fully, and we have to strive to meet His demand with no reservation.
THE CHURCH'S PREPARATION FOR THE LORD'S RETURN The Need for Maturity There is a strong link between the readiness of the church and the Lord's second coming. We fully believe that this is the time for the church to prepare itself. In order for God's children to be reaped, they must first mature (Mark 4:29). D. M. Panton illustrates this by the picture of the harvest. The day of harvest is not determined by the farmer but by the crop. The farmer does not set a date for harvesting with no regard whatsoever for the ripeness of the crop. The crop must mature before the harvest can come. Similarly, the day of rapture is determined by the church, not by the Lord. It is a very definite day. If the church is not mature, the harvest will not come. Forsaking Everything to Meet the Lord's Demand We bear a heavy responsibility today for the maturity of the church. For many years we strove for perfection. If you and I neglect our responsibility today, I do not know how long we will delay the Lord. Let me say a strong word: If we want to follow the Lord, we must tell Him that we will forsake everything to follow Him. If we have any reservation at all, we will lose our joy and power. The power of the early church was in the poverty of the apostles. The degradation of the church today is in its abundance of rich people. If we drop everything to meet the Lord's demand today, our eyes will be opened to a glory that has never before been seen. Concerning God's will, we should not shrink from anything, and we should not question or withhold anything. What God wants today is not ours, that is,
what we have; He wants us. He wants us to offer ourselves to Him, to give ourselves to His gospel, to His will, and to the gaining of sinners' souls. Brother Witness often says that as soon as money leaves the church, souls are added from the world. One consecration is not good enough; we need to continue the practice of forsaking. We may say that we have given up everything without reservation, but according to God we still may have many reservations. We do not know of them because His light has not touched us yet. If we are willing to be continually under His light, He will shine on us again and again, and we will have to drop something further. Whenever there is new light, we have to obey. This is the way to meet the requirement of maturity. During the past two years, I have been very happy. I feel that Ephesians 4 and 5 are very close to us; they are no longer so far away. They are not a hard yoke to us; they have become an easy burden. In a very short while, the Lord will gain the glorious church, but the glory will be experienced only by some. Others will miss it because they have cared too much for themselves. If we all come up to this standard, it will be easy for God to do His work. I wish that all of us here tonight would become desperate. I wish all of us would give our all. May we all pray to the Lord, "Do not pass me by. Do not leave me here. Just as You have made others partakers, make me a partaker. You are not a respector of persons; do not leave me behind. Just as You have granted others the grace to catch up, grant me the same grace."
HANDING OVER EVERYTHING, SERVING THE LORD IN COORDINATION Handing ourselves over does not necessarily mean that we will become poor. Handing over everything is different from merely living in poverty. When we hand ourselves over to God, we are not only giving Him our money but our time and future as well. The cheapest and most shallow consecration is the consecration of the heart. Heart consecration alone does not cause any pain. If we have not offered up our time, body, and future, we may say that we have consecrated everything, but in reality everything is still in our own hands. The young people may say that they have consecrated themselves, but their consecration has not touched their education or their future occupation at all. Today when you hand yourselves over, the church may send you with five or ten other saints to a school where there are no believers at all. You will not only study in the school
but also bring people to the church. If some do this, perhaps fifteen or even a hundred people will be saved by the end of a term. In the church in Shanghai, some have handed themselves over, and they have been sent to study at Nanking Central University. In the coming days every consecrated one will need a change in his future and occupation. He will go to school for God; his education will be merely a sideline. When you hand yourselves over to serve the Lord, you have to learn to work in coordination, not alone. In particular, you have to learn to accept the arrangement made for your occupation. A brother may be working alone in a company or business, and you may be assigned to join him. You should not ask how much money you will make. You should ask how you can take care of the gospel there. You have to take all the colleagues at work as your gospel prospects, and you have to preach in coordination with the other brother. When you take up a job as a consecrated one, it is not for the sake of making a living. If it is, you are no different than the people in the world. Your real occupation is to serve God. Everyone from ten to eighty years old should make his service the center of everything. If the whole church is mobilized this way, I believe the gospel will surely saturate Hong Kong and even all of China. Therefore, handing yourselves over does not result in doing your own thing. It does not mean coming on the Lord's Day and dropping some money into the offering box. Handing yourselves over has everything to do with your future, your occupation, and your coordination. The Acts of the Apostles shows us that the church suffered great persecutions after chapter seven. The nascent church was formed as a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. When persecution comes, the normal thing would be for all the believers to scatter, but the apostles were not scattered. Only the disciples were scattered. While they scattered, they preached the gospel as they moved (8:1-4). This indicates that the church made a decision; both the apostles' staying and the disciples' leaving were for the gospel. Before Acts 7 there was the practice of handing over everything. By chapter eight there was a wellorganized preaching of the gospel. This is the reason the number of believers in Jerusalem eventually reached tens of thousands in Acts 21. This is the church. The church exists on earth for the gospel. Hence, no brother or sister can live loosely or be a Christian carelessly. Everyone has to hand himself over and preach the gospel in coordination. For example, Brother Ku was once the manager of Shin-Yi Dye Factory. One day the brothers went to him and told him
that everyone felt he should no longer remain in his job. He prayed about it and felt that he should leave. He was making a good living as a manager. Now his salary is only one-fifth of what it used to be, but he has become very useful in the gospel. He has a good testimony before the brothers and sisters. He is no longer giving himself to his factory but to serving God. Handing ourselves over should result in a fundamental change in our being. We are no longer individual Christians. Instead, we serve the Lord in coordination with all the brothers and sisters. Not only has our past been consecrated and dealt with, even our future has been consecrated and dealt with. This is all for the sake of breaking open a way for the gospel to spread through us. In the past we preached the gospel when we felt like it, but we turned away from the brothers when we grew cold and disinterested. Whether we were working or not, we were doing everything as individuals. But now that we have handed ourselves over, we can no longer act individualistically; we must serve in coordination. Some brothers and sisters are studying at Catholic schools. I advise you to depart from them according to the Lord's command (Rev. 18:4). Do not be defiled by the unclean things (2 Cor. 6:17). However, if many of you brothers and sisters are together at the same school, and if you all have a strong spirit to preach the gospel and to bring others to salvation, I have no objection for your staying. However, you have to be clear. You should not be there only for your education, and you should not say that there is no need to change schools as long as you study the Bible, pray, and come to the meetings. Once you have handed yourselves over, you have to know God's will and arrangement every step of the way. You have to serve in coordination with the brothers and sisters. You cannot go to a school merely for the sake of your education.
THE WHOLE CHURCH RISING UP TO PREACH THE GOSPEL If we hand over our all and waste ourselves on the gospel, succeeding generations will have a way to go on. Our gospel is not an isolated call of individual voices but a concerted work in which we all consecrate ourselves to coordinate and pray together in one accord. If we do this, all the problems will go away. Otherwise, the first question that comes to mind will be, "What will be my remuneration?" In the future, I hope that we will ask instead, "How will this job give me an opportunity for the gospel?" I hope that we will all consecrate ourselves for the gospel. In this matter we cannot be sloppy. The whole church
has to come solemnly and seriously to God and ask for His mercy. We confess that in the past we have not paid enough attention to the lost souls. If we are so exercised in planning and managing worldly affairs, how can we be so sloppy in preaching the gospel? This is wrong. In the past too many people have cared only for enjoying the benefit of the gospel. In the coming days I hope that many will want to share this benefit with others. In the last century only missionaries were involved in the gospel preaching in China. During the last fifty years, we saw the need and effectiveness of the church preaching the gospel. No matter how much we tried, however, only a minority of the saints were involved; the rest did not do anything. Today we need everyone to give up everything. We all need to separate ourselves for the gospel. If we do this, we will see the whole church rising up to preach the gospel. There will not be just three or five individual preachers; the whole church will be preaching. The gospel will spread throughout China. No sacrifice is in vain as long as we can gain men's souls. The entire world cannot match the value of one human soul (Matt. 16:26). In the future the selection of all our occupations has to revolve around the gospel and the church. As long as something is good for the gospel, it is worth paying any price for. Miss Hann was a nurse supervisor, but she decided to move to YiYang. Brother Liu is an internist, but he also moved to Yi-Yang. Humanly speaking, Yi-Yang is a wasteland for good nurses and doctors. But it is not a waste at all. Our going is different. A good nurse and a good doctor care for the gospel and for souls. What good does it do if you heal a person's body but allow his soul to go the way of destruction? We are not asking you to hand over your possessions as the first thing. We are asking you to first hand over your future, your job, and your work. When you hand yourselves over, you are not handing yourselves over to me; I cannot bear that responsibility. You are handing yourselves over for the gospel. Perhaps ten or twenty years from now, the responsible brothers will tell you to leave Hong Kong to go to another place for the gospel. You have to say, "Amen. Since the whole church has this feeling, I am willing to go. If other children of God call me to go to another place, I am willing to go there as well." The church must live before God and know His will. It has to pray about many things and wait on God. The church cannot be sloppy; it has to trust in God. You should give yourself to Hong Kong first, and then you can give yourself to other places. One day you will be able to send men to the mainland. The entire Southeast Asia lies before you.
God has a free way in Shanghai already. He will also have a free way in Hong Kong. Hangchow handed itself over, and Yi-Yang was brought forth. If Hong Kong hands itself over, I do not know what will be brought forth in Southeast Asia. Presently, the immediate need is for a big meeting hall. We should not think that as long as we can meet in two sessions on the Lord's Day, we have solved all the problems. God's blessing is related to our capacity. If we have a meeting hall that will hold a thousand people, we have to believe that God will send us the people; they will fill up the hall. Perhaps after you gain this first meeting hall, five other or nine other halls will follow. Once we hand ourselves over, we will see God's great blessings. Perhaps we still do not realize how great a hindrance we are to the Lord! When God's grace and mercy break out, blessings will flow everywhere in the church, and all the problems will go away. In order for the whole church to rise up to serve, we have to cut off the wasted hours in our occupation. If we hold back anything, the church's prayer will not be effective, and souls will not be added to us. If we are desperate, God will have a way. Do not be afraid of problems. Whatever the price may be, we have to charge forward. Please forgive me for saying what I am saying. I hope this word will not hurt anyone's feelings. You have to come together to pray much. May the Lord give all of us no peace. May He not let us go easily. May the Lord be merciful to us. May none of us go on carelessly. May all of us be very clear about what we are doing; that is, may we know the reason we are doing what we are doing and to what extent we should do it. May God encourage us to give all that we are and all that we have to the gospel. I believe one day the church will reach the standard of the first apostles. Then the day of the Lord will be near.
CHAPTER ELEVEN A TALK WITH CO-WORKERS (2) Date:February 5, 1950 Place:Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong ONE Doing things with all sincerity and honesty does not necessarily mean that this is obeying God's will, nor does this necessarily please the Lord. For example, a
husband may want his wife to prepare a bowl of porridge for him. All he needs is a bowl of porridge, but his wife may prepare eggs with fried rice because she is worried that her husband does not have enough to eat. She has a good heart, but she is not acting according to her husband's will. The most sober thought that a Christian faces is that he can follow the Spirit, but he can also grieve the Spirit. If he is led by the Spirit, he will know God's will. The only reason that a Christian does not know God's will is that he is grieving the Spirit. TWO Selling one's all has to do with what we want to do; it has nothing to do with whether or not the Spirit is willing. In Acts 5 Peter told Ananias, "While it remained, was it not your own? And when it was sold, was it not under your authority?" (v. 4). This shows that selling one's all is entirely in one's own hand; it is not a demand of the church or of the Holy Spirit. Of course, the Holy Spirit moves in man, but the final decision is man's. THREE Different members of our body have different functions. Some act quickly; others act slowly. Some are manifest in their function; others are hidden in their function. Some members are outward; while others are inward. These different functions are adapted to different feelings and reactions. In order to touch God, to serve Him, and to understand His will, we have to exercise our hidden, spiritual organs. The purpose of handing ourselves over is to be dealt with in our very person; it is to make us sensitive in our spiritual feelings. The purpose of handing ourselves over is not to show others how absolute we are. The conscience is a spiritual organ; it is also the first function that manifests itself in our Christian service. Paul said that he served God in his spirit, that is, in a pure conscience (Rom. 1:9; 2 Tim. 1:3). The purpose of handing ourselves over is to have a pure conscience so that we can serve God in all sincerity.
CHAPTER TWELVE HANDING OURSELVES OVER FOR THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL BY THE WHOLE BODY Date:Monday, February 6, 1950 Place:Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong THE CHURCH BEING GOD'S GOAL AS WELL AS HIS MEANS Christians are God's goal, but they are also God's means. Today, we also have to see clearly that the church is God's goal as well His means. Ordinarily, if an object is a goal it cannot be a means, and if it is a means it cannot be a goal. However, God makes His goal and His means one and the same. What do we mean when we say that Christians are God's goal? God's goal is to redeem us. Once God redeems us, He has reached His goal. It is God's intention and goal that we be saved, but God does not stop there. He wants to use us to save others. First, we are God's goal, then we should place ourselves in His hand and allow Him to use us to save others. In this way we become God's means. To God, we are His goal, and to the world, we are His means. If God does not use us, He will have no way to spread the gospel. Today every one of us can say that we are God's goal. We have no argument about this. The issue today is that God wants us also to be His means. Do you have a problem with this? God can use many people to be His goal but not many people can be His means. Although they are saved, God cannot get through in them. As a result, He cannot reach His goal in others. When the early apostles forsook everything to follow the Lord, their goal was not to go to heaven, but to bring others to the same salvation. They were not only God's goal but also God's means to bring others to salvation. God used other men to gain us and to accomplish His goal in us. Today we should do the same. God first made us the goal and then the means. Do we want to be God's means? God wants to use us in such a way that He can promptly say, "I want to save a certain person, and he only needs to come in contact with you." How many people today can say that they are God's means? If God finds any reservation, any frustration, or any blockage in us, He cannot reach His goal of saving others through us. As a result, many sinners will not receive any blessing from us; they will not hear the gospel from us nor will they be saved through us.
God does not have many means on earth today. If He wants to save fifty thousand people here in Hong Kong, He does not rely on fifty thousand isolated means. No, God does not work separately one by one. He has established the church and has baptized everyone into one Spirit. The many members have become one new man, one Body. They can no longer be separated; they are all fitly joined together. When we were saved, we were saved individually one by one. When we spread out as God's means, however, we spread out as the Body. When we were saved we became living stones. When we spread out, we are coordinated as a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5). In other words, God's means is the corporate Christian—the church, not the individual Christians. Let me say a direct word to you tonight. What is the church? In order to save the world, God has instituted a body, an organization, or you may say a group of people, and has made it the very means whereby He saves the world. Our sole purpose of living on this earth is for the gospel. We do not save a few souls here and there when we feel like it. God joins all the believers together into a harmonious whole, like a body, and uses it to preach the gospel and to save others.
THE GOSPEL BEING THE CHURCH'S ONLY COMMISSION AND PROFESSION The church has only one commission on this earth—to live for the gospel. Please do not take this word in a light way. The church does not exist on this earth for any other purpose. It does not exist for jobs, education, or its own future. The church exists for the gospel of God, but how many brothers and sisters remember that they do not live for their business, family, living, and future, but for the gospel? When we were saved, God gave us not only a new life but also a new profession, which is the preaching of His gospel. On the day we were saved, not only did our old life die, but our old profession died as well. The basic problem with many brothers and sisters is that though their life has changed, their professions have not changed; they are still pursuing their former resolves. They want to be ahead of others, earning fame and riches. Some young people have not yet entered a profession, yet they are already dreaming of the day when they will be a great doctor or a famous engineer. If a Christian does not experience a change in his profession, he cannot become God's means. This is the reason we want the brothers and sisters to hand themselves over. We can call this a handing over, or we can call this consecration. We are for the fact, not
the terminology. The Bible says that every saved person is changed in his life as well as his profession; he has become a preacher of the gospel. Many of the co-workers have the wrong concept that some people are specially called by God to be workers. Some of us think that we change our profession because we have acquired some kind of gift, but this is wrong. The Bible does talk about different gifts, but the Bible does not say that Christians have different professions. We have the same life, and we have the same profession. I have searched through the whole Bible. I cannot find one case where a person has a new life but does not change his profession. We may think that it is enough for our life to change, but this is wrong. Our profession must change as well. When I was saved, I became God's goal. When I changed my profession, I became God's means. I, my very person, became His way. The profession that God assigns for a Christian is dedicated entirely to the gospel. God has not only given us a new life; He wants to use us as His means to save others. The Bible shows us that God did not give this new profession—the proclamation of the gospel—to individuals only. The spreading of the gospel cannot be achieved by one man alone. God's commandment concerning the spreading of the gospel is for the whole church. Please remember that in sending out the disciples for the gospel work, the Lord did not say "go," singular, but "go," plural (Matt. 28:19). In the Gospels the Lord sent the disciples out two by two (Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1). When there were more people, He sent out groups of more than two. For example, in Acts we see Peter and John and we also see Paul and Barnabas. In Samaria we see Peter and John (8:14), but in the visit to the house of Cornelius in Caesarea, we see Peter with six other disciples (10:23-24; 11:12). More than two joined him. In Antioch the first apostles who went out were Paul and Barnabas (13:2-3). Later many others joined them (15:39-40). The church exists on this earth for the gospel. I would like to consider one question with the brothers and sisters today: What is the church? What should the church be likened to? The church is the means of God; it is God's means to reach the world with the gospel. Protestantism has given us good as well as bad examples during the past one hundred and forty or fifty years. It drew men's attention to the revivalists or evangelists. It sent many people to foreign lands, but these efforts can be likened to the garment hawkers on the streets of Chungking or Shanghai during the war: Everyone was selling his own wares. The result was isolated cases of revival. The Bible, however, does not show us a scattered preaching of the gospel. The Bible says that the
whole church gives itself to the Lord for the gospel. The church is God's means; individuals here and there are not God's means. The church spreads the gospel, not one or two individuals doing isolated evangelistic work. What is the place of the church in God's plan? In God's plan, the entire church on earth is God's way, His means. The church exists on earth for the gospel. The church has only one profession—the spreading of the gospel. Every Christian receives a new profession after he is regenerated—preaching the gospel. It is not a matter of individuals preaching the gospel in an isolated fashion, but the church preaching the gospel in coordination. We do not need to talk about this matter to those who are not saved. Once we are saved, we have to see clearly that God has changed our profession. We are not to serve individually. We all have only one profession now, which is to preach the gospel. In the past, Protestantism only encouraged men toward a kind of individual and isolated evangelism. It was good, but not good enough. Today God's way is for the whole Body to rise up in one accord to preach the gospel. For this, the church must coordinate together before it can preach the gospel. Without coordination, it cannot preach the gospel.
SELLING ONE'S ALL—IMPOSSIBLE WITH MAN BUT POSSIBLE WITH GOD In Luke 18 the Lord told the young ruler that he had to sell his all to follow Him before he could inherit eternal life. The young man thought the requirement was too high, and he left in sorrow. After this the Lord told the disciples that it is difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom (vv. 1825). Let me explain this a little more in detail. Not only is a camel too big; even a mouse is too big to go through. The real issue here is that entrance into the kingdom is hard not only for a rich man but for any man who depends on himself. Only God can do this work. During the past two thousand years, thank God, many camels have passed through the needle's eye. The mistake of the young ruler was in trying to do it by himself. His mistake was not in loving his riches but in his thought that God could not do it because he himself could not do it. We all love money; none of us can give up everything. If God becomes the source of our faith, however, even a camel can go through the needle's eye. This is the gospel. We think that it is impossible with man, but we have forgotten that it is possible with God. No man can go through the eye of a needle; no man can hand
himself over, but God does not say that we have to do it by ourselves. He says that we can do it by Him. If we call on Him for help, even a camel can go through the needle's eye. We know that we cannot do it, but it is wrong to think that God cannot do it. It is true that everyone loves money and that no one is willing to forsake everything. However, what is impossible with man is possible with God. This is the reason we find Zaccheus in Luke 19. We know that it is easy for a young man to become excited. When he is burning, he can throw away his money easily, but an old man has handled money for many years; he knows what money can bring him. It is hard to change an old man. Mammon is like opium; if we only take a little of it, we can drop it easily, but if we take a great deal of it, it will be hard to shake the addiction. The more we take, the harder it is to be free from it. The Lord said to Zaccheus that He would go into his house that very day. Most people would object to such a move and think, "Lord, You are an outsider from another town. You do not know Zaccheus. You have been fooled by him." But the Lord ignored such thoughts (vv. 1-7). To everyone's surprise, Zaccheus stood up and said, "Behold, the half of my possessions, Lord, I give to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore four times as much" (v. 8). Zaccheus only caught a glimpse of the Lord's glory, and everything he had was gone. He saw one glimpse of Christ, and he forsook everything to follow Him that same day. This is surely a camel going through the eye of a needle. When the Lord saw what Zaccheus had done, He said, "Today salvation has come to this house" (v. 9). If Zaccheus had tried to do it by himself, he would not have succeeded, but salvation came to his house, and he did it. In comparing verse 5 with verse 9, we can see that salvation refers to the Lord Jesus. The young man in chapter eighteen had his eyes set on man. This was the reason he could not go through the eye of the needle. The old man in chapter nineteen set his eyes on the salvation of the Lord Jesus. This is the reason he was able to go through the eye of the needle. It is impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, but during the past two thousand years, countless numbers of people have done this, emerging from the other side to serve the Lord. If a man truly wants to follow the Lord and truly trusts in the Lord, the Lord will enable him go through the eye of the needle.
THE WHOLE CHURCH ENGAGING IN THE GOSPEL ENTERPRISE
Zaccheus's story is in the first half of Luke 19. In the second half, we see God's kingdom being likened to a man of noble birth who charged his ten slaves to do business. In the first half of Luke 19, we find the money being stripped away. In the second half of the chapter we find the Lord putting the money back in our hand and charging us to do business. He did not give to one or two slaves, but to ten. Ten signifies perfection; it refers to all the slaves. In other words, the entire church is involved in the business of the Lord's gospel. The Lord used the parable of a man doing business to show us the kind of work the church is doing on earth today. The church is in the gospel enterprise business. We have only one kind of merchandise in this business—the gospel. The gospel is our goods. All ten slaves should be involved in this enterprise, and they should work in one accord. Some brothers may be in the fabric business. Others may be in the soap manufacturing business. In reality, however, everyone is in the same gospel business. God does not call ten unrelated merchants to do different "retail" gospel enterprises; He wants the whole church to be involved in one gospel enterprise. His heart is not for many retail businesses. The Lord wants the whole church to be in His gospel business. Whoever does not join this work will be disciplined. As long as one among the ten has a different opinion or adopts a different way, he will receive the Lord's rebuke (Luke 19:2026). There was something basically wrong with our work in the past. We claimed that we were serving as the Body, but in reality each one was taking his own way. Each person was doing what was right in his own eyes. We preached the gospel a little when we had the time. When our conscience bothered us, we preached a little to ease our conscience. We can no longer go on in this way. The whole Body has to give itself to the gospel enterprise. In order to be involved in this gospel enterprise, on the negative side, we have to be free from our own little centers. In the past we were concerned only with our own job and our own living. Now we have to be delivered from this realm. Moreover, we have to hand over everything that we have because where our treasure is, there is our heart as well. If we say that our heart is in heaven but our treasure remains on earth, then we should say to the Lord, "Your Word is not trustworthy!" Is our heart or the Lord's Word more trustworthy? Our treasure must first go to heaven before our heart can be there. The Lord said that no man can serve two masters. The Lord wants us to be free from our material possessions because He wants our hearts to be truly in heaven on the one hand, and He wants us to invest the treasure that we have offered up in the gospel enterprise
on the other hand. If we do not put in our share of the investment, the gospel enterprise cannot take off. If we are only concerned about our own investment, our own mammon, while allowing the gospel enterprise to go unattended, the gospel will never spread out over the earth. For every business there must first be the investment. From the first day that we are saved, we have to flee from money and forsake everything for the gospel. On the positive side, we have to offer up our very person. The forsaking of everything is not a deep lesson; it is a make-up lesson. As soon as a man is saved, he should offer up himself (Rom. 6:6, 12-14). In the past we did not have a good consecration. This is the reason we have to make up now. Handing over oneself is offering up one's very person, to be followed by his job and all his possessions. Whether we are a student or an office worker, we have to offer up our occupation and put it at the gospel's disposal. Some brothers and sisters have to change their occupation. In the past they were for their own living. Now they have to be for the gospel. Their occupation is no longer their top priority. The gospel should not rank behind other occupations in importance. Rather, secular occupations should be behind the gospel in importance. Perhaps some brothers and sisters should change their occupation. In the coming days all the brothers and sisters have to lay their future aside. They should coordinate together. Even where we live should be decided by the gospel; we should not choose a city simply because we want to escape from war. Some moved to Hong Kong for the sake of escape, but we are here for the gospel. In Acts 8 the disciples preached the gospel while they were running away from the persecution. Escape was the secondary issue. We have over two hundred brothers and sisters who have migrated to Yi-Yang. Outwardly, they can give many reasons for going. Actually, everything they do is secondary. These brothers and sisters banded themselves together into one community only for the purpose of spreading the gospel. One must be this kind of Christian before he can live a happy life. The most unhappy person is one who is neither hot nor cold. He cannot love the world, but he finds it difficult to give up the world. He knows he should not remain a weak Christian, and he feels condemned when he takes a step toward the world. The Lord calls such a Christian salt that has lost its taste (Matt. 5:13). Today we can say that we are starting a shareholding company or a cooperative. Everyone has handed over his money to the company, and everyone is engaged in the production of the company. From now on, we will no longer seek the world, fame,
or our own profession. We are here only for the gospel enterprise. Ten or twenty years from now, when worldly goods become worthless, our business will be booming. When the entire church rises up to preach the gospel, the Lord's coming will be near; He will be at the door. If we cannot do this, we will delay the Lord's coming for a long time. Hence, when we hand ourselves over, we are not handing over just our money, but our occupation, our dwelling, our time, and our future. We will do everything that is beneficial to the gospel.
THE WHOLE BODY COORDINATING TOGETHER TO PREACH THE GOSPEL Today the Lord's way is for the whole church to coordinate together to preach the gospel. God does not want to take the way of individuals; He wants the corporate service of the whole church. When I was young I had many dreams and ambitions. I wanted to be a famous person of some sort. After I was saved, I saw that Paul was ambitious to please the Lord (2 Cor. 5:9). I also wanted to please the Lord by becoming an evangelist or a revivalist. Eventually, I saw that the Lord's desire in this end time is that we be coordinated together. His desire is for the whole church to rise up to preach the gospel together. In the past perhaps we had the ambition to be an evangelist, but the Lord's intention is not for us to be zealous for the gospel by ourselves; His intention is for the whole church to rise up to preach the gospel together. Today the Lord wants the church to preach the gospel. If the church preaches the gospel, the gospel will spread throughout Hong Kong. If we offer up everything, it will not be hard to save everyone. Therefore, we have to hand over our all and put everything under His direction through the church. Whatever our position may be, our goal is for the "enterprise" to prosper, not for us to become rich individually. This is the responsibility of everyone. The whole Body has to rise up to bear the testimony of the gospel, to do the work of preaching. It is most unfortunate today that some people want to be independent servants; they want to take the individual way. Let me repeat that the service the Lord wants is church service. The evangelism the Lord wants is church evangelism. This is the reason we have to work in coordination and in one accord. Hong Kong is a highly developed commercial city. It is hard to spread the gospel in such a place, but if we offer up ourselves to the Lord together, it will be easy to spread the gospel throughout this city. I admit that Hong Kong is a loose place, a difficult place, but when the church rises up to preach the gospel, anyone can be saved easily. Who can withstand the
preaching of the whole church? It is hard for individuals to preach the gospel alone. It is much easier for the whole church to rise up to preach. I hope that no one will misunderstand this, and I hope that no one will take his own way. We expect that everyone will hand himself over. We hope that not only our money, our occupation, and our future but our very person will be consecrated. Our primary occupation is the gospel; everything else is secondary. For two thousand years, the Lord has never changed His standard concerning His followers. He has never broadened the way of the gospel; He has never allowed anyone to have his own freedom to come and go. It is fallen Christian preachers who have changed the standard of the Lord. The Lord never said that a man can spend six days to love mammon and make money and then come to a worship service on Sunday. Today the church has to be recovered to its first state. We must not only offer up our money in a passive way; we must live for the gospel and the Lord in an active way. The requirement of the gospel is high. The Lord has given us everything, and today His demand is for our everything. He has shed His blood and given His life for the gospel. If we only take the passive way, it will be hard for us to follow His footsteps. We have to break through in the positive direction. This is the way to go on. If we have any reservation or passivity in us, we will not be able to go on. May the Lord be merciful to us. PRAYER Brother Weigh: Lord, we confess that we have been loose in Your service for many years. We have not been absolute. May Your great love grant us mercy and grace. Lord, You have sacrificed Your life and blood to accomplish salvation. Today we cannot be so light and easy with the gospel. May You gain our very person and possessions. Do not let any one of us go. May none of us be a spectator, a bystander, or an observer. May all of us here bear the responsibility of not allowing ourselves to be loose. May we all follow Your footsteps in an aggressive way. Gain us completely and have a free way among us. Amen.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN HOW TO HANDLE THE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN HANDED OVER Date:Tuesday, February 7, 1950 Place:Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong PRAYER
Brother Weigh: Lord, You are the Head of the church. The church is Your Body. We pray that the church will receive something from You as the Head. May Your Body feel what the Head feels. May it be directed by the Head and receive supply from the Head. May each member in the Body receive the same rich supply from the Head. Lord, in ourselves we can do nothing. May Your anointing be with us, and may Your church speak the right things and make the right decisions. May the church be under Your full control. Amen. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHURCH ON EARTH BEING THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL Watchman Nee: The gospel is a work that the Lord has assigned to the church. The church exists on the earth for the gospel. The entire New Testament shows us clearly that the responsibility of the church is to preach the gospel. Last night we went one step further and saw that the preaching of the gospel by the church means that the preaching is not done by just a few people. We do not preach when we are hot and stop when we are cold. It is not a preaching in which each person takes turns being burning and preaching by himself. The whole church has to rise up to preach in coordination. Evangelism is a matter of the whole church. The whole church has to further the gospel of God in one accord. The church has the responsibility of joining hands together to preach the gospel. The church is the Body of Christ; it is always active. Therefore, the gospel should always be moving; there must not be any lull. In the early church, we find men who handed themselves over. Today we should see men doing the same thing, not just in ones and twos, but as a whole. Everyone has to offer up himself as well as his all. If only a few offer up themselves, or worse still, if none offer up themselves as in the past, the gospel will never reach the uttermost part of the earth. DEALING WITH THE ITEMS THAT WERE HANDED OVER Tonight we will address the brothers and sisters who have handed themselves over. We are not going to give a message. Instead, we would like to have a talk with you. We want to say something on the negative side as well as something on the positive side. Presently, we have a good number of saints who have handed themselves over. I hope that you can testify to the other brothers and sisters how you have willingly forsaken everything to follow the Lord. We want to make suitable arrangements concerning the items that have been handed over. We want to do this according to the Lord's heart. We do not want to make mistakes with the things that have been handed over. We hope that we can
make proper arrangements. We should address two matters—first the things that have been handed over and then the very persons who have handed themselves over, including what to do with their future. There are two groups of people among those who have handed themselves over. One group is the brothers and sisters who have been holding a job in the world for a number of years. The other group is the young brothers and sisters who are still in school and have not touched many of the things of the world yet. A man goes through only a limited number of crises in his lifetime. If he fails to gain something beneficial through these crises, he will stumble and falter before the Lord. We will make some arrangements concerning their future. Our hope is that they will be brought into coordination and that their way ahead will be straight. Tonight we will deal with the items that have been handed over. Sister Cheng Sister Cheng is a student. On her consecration slip she consecrated her whole life to the Lord. In the items that were handed over, she included three U.S. dollars and a few dresses. Sister Cheng, you are living with your parents at home. Do they have a problem with your consecration? God does not want us to steal or rob for Him. The heaven, the earth, and everything therein are His. He does not need us to give Him anything. Whatever is in your house that you do not have a full right to dispose of should not be offered to God. Even if you are giving these things to God, He will not take them. Concerning your personal clothing, you should go home and discuss this matter with your parents. You can sell one or two of them and give the money to the poor. You have handed over your belongings to the church. Now the church hands them back to you to be placed under your trust. These things are no longer yours.
Voluntary Poverty for the Gospel's Sake More than one student is sitting here. I will say something to the young people as a whole. In all the Gospels God requires that we love the sinners and the poor from the bottom of our hearts. This is the reason the Lord said in Luke 4:18 that the poor have the gospel preached to them. In this world there are many poor people. We are not as poor as those who are genuinely poor. In the past we could say that we were the middle class, but there are not many people who now belong to the middle class anymore. There are many people who are much poorer than us. As we preach the gospel to them, we will find a great difference between us and them. This will make our preaching ineffective. A Christian must
learn to take the way of voluntary poverty before he can preach the gospel effectively. We have to volunteer to become poor. We have to volunteer to forsake everything. Please remember that our Lord Jesus was rich but was made poor for our sake (2 Cor. 8:9). When our Lord came to preach the gospel, He became poor. If we do not become poor, we cannot preach the gospel. Today you are becoming poor for the first time for the Lord's sake. This is a sanctifying time for you. Tonight you are standing on new ground. Building Up a Character of Giving A problem with human beings is our tendency to build up our preferences. The children of the devil walk according the desires of their heart (Eph. 2:3), but, as Christians, we have to learn to break down what we once cherished. We have to learn to give up what our heart loves. People in the world are worried that they have not taken enough from the world, but we must learn to drop what we love. We want to build up a proper Christian character gradually. If we continually drop what we love, we will become more like a Christian. In order to build up a Christian character, we have to learn to give up everything for the Lord at a young age. We have to learn to say, "I give this and that up because I love the Lord." We have to give away things again and again. While we are young, we should learn to not act according to our preference. Learn to give everything away. Only this kind of people will be able to preach the gospel. Learning to Buffet the Body When we go to the villages, we have to dress like the villagers. Do not say anything about their filthiness or lowliness. We should be able to live in the cities as well as in the villages. If we cannot stand the villages, we are loving ourselves too much. We have disqualified ourselves from the gospel. In order to preach the gospel, we have to learn to deny ourselves. Some people dare not touch the tea offered to them in the villages. They wash and rinse the bowls that are offered to them. Such ones cannot preach the gospel. The Lord cannot use anyone who is selfish or self-loving. If we think that living in the villages will wear us out, we should move back to our original place; there is no need to stay there reluctantly and claim that we are preaching the gospel for the Lord's sake. We have to learn to live in a lowly way. Budgeting Our Need and Offering Up the Rest Those who are living by their parents' income should learn to do one thing: They should find out before the Lord how much they actually need every month. They have to find out how much they need for pocket money and how much they need
for food and for other uses. They must make an accurate calculation. From our youth we have to decide for ourselves the maximum amount we can spend. Before we spend any money, reckon carefully. While we are students, we should learn to budget every item of our expenses and then offer up the excess. There should be such a covenant between us and the Lord. If our parents give us more, we should offer it to the church for the gospel work in inland regions or for the poor. Sister Bau All of your things are returned to you for your own use. We believe that your consecration before the Lord has been accepted by Him. However, if there are any items which your heart cherishes, you should give one or two of them to other sisters. This is for your own good. If you have extra clothing, you can ask the church to help you to send them to Yi-Yang or Kuling. There are over thirteen hundred brothers and sisters everywhere who are in need. Sister Yang The two watches that you handed over can be given to younger sisters. Find out who does not have a watch and give these to them. If any item is a cherished object, you should give it to a faraway place. Everything you have in your house should be things that you need. If you do not need something, do not develop a habit of buying it. I say this because none of the things you consecrated are particularly valuable. The church is handing these things back to you. You should do your best to keep this principle month by month. Do not spend easily. Always buy only what you need.
John Wesley's Example in Spending The first year John Wesley served the Lord, his total spending was ninety-eight pounds. Ten years later he was still spending ninety-eight pounds a year. Thirty years later it was still ninety-eight pounds. By the time of his death, he was still spending the same amount. In his latter years he was able to offer thousands of pounds every year. He learned this habit from his early days when he spent less than a hundred pounds a year. His heart was fully for the spread of the gospel. He is our good pattern. Sister Chan Among the items that you have handed over are seven skirts. Is this not too much to give them all away? If you only have seven skirts, I hope that you would give away the one you most loved. That is all you need to do. I do not wish to see
you giving away too much. Handing ourselves over is for the purpose that others will not be in want. But if that will leave us in want, then the time for handing over has not yet come. Saving Everything We Can for the Gospel We are the most generous people in the world because we can give away everything. At the same time, we are the most thrifty people in the world. We will not buy anything that we do not need. After we have offered up everything, we may be asked to take it back from the hand of the church, but the feeling should be completely different. Previously we were the master. Now we belong to the Lord, and our money belongs to Him. We dare not randomly spend any longer. If a servant uses his master's money carelessly, others will report to the master that he is wasting and squandering his master's money. Of course, all of us have different standards of living, but we should always do our best to save our money for the Lord and for the gospel. Sister Nee When I was young, I was full of cravings. I wished that I could possess everything in this world. But today this craving is gone, because the Lord has satisfied my heart. My taste towards the world has changed. Others are taking in the things of the world like hungry men. I am taking them in like a filled man. This is where the difference lies. Paul said to the Corinthians that those who use the things of the world should be as though they do not abuse them (1 Cor. 7:31). A Christian is not one who shuns the things of the world. Rather, he uses them as though he is not abusing them. Sister Yang All the items on your list can be given away. Let me say a word to the young brothers and sisters: You have to put a limit on your spending. Spend only what you need to spend. Do not waste anything. If you are making or knitting a dress, learn to make a few more and give away one or two of them. Never be negligent in this matter. You have to learn to say to yourself, "I am a servant of the Lord. My possessions should only be enough for my own use. Anything that I have in excess I should give away." Of course, you have to have your mother's permission. Please remember that today is the day you are making a vow before the Lord. If your parents do not approve of your vow, they can overturn it. Their silence, however, can be considered as their consent (cf. Num. 30:3-5). In addition to learning to hand over your all, you have to learn to submit to your parents. In this way you can give a good testimony to the gospel.
Brother Yu I read your list yesterday. Many young brothers and sisters loved the Lord very much when they were students, but when they started to work they became different. In my youth in Fukien, sixty-six brothers and sisters were baptized. Later, I corresponded with Mr. D. M. Panton. In my first letter to him, he told me that Miss M. E. Barber had written to him and had told him that it would be a miracle if six out of the sixty-six remained after ten years. At that time I could not take this word. I thought that these sixty-six brothers and sisters were not ordinary people; they were the pride of their generation. Today, when I count, I find that only four, not six, remain of the sixty-six. At that time we were all poor students, but we did our best to save. By saving ten cents, we could print a hundred gospel tracts. By saving a dollar, we could print a thousand tracts. However, in looking back, I can see that many of them were poor involuntarily; they were forced to take this way. Once they took up a job and earned some money, their thought turned to their own replenishment. The more they acquired things of this world, the more they wanted to acquire. The more they took in the world, the more they wanted to take in. It is like an opium addiction; the more one takes, the more he is addicted. In the end he is unable to quit. You have to learn to consecrate yourself voluntarily from the bottom of your heart; no one should force you to do it.
Miss Lei There are a few items which you have handed over. In addition you have two rings and a lapel pin. It is good that you have handed over your jewelry, but take care that you do not buy any more again. A Christian should not have any gold or silver, except that used for dental fillings of his teeth. He should be like Peter, who said that we should not have for our adorning any jewelry, but should have instead for adornment a meek and quiet spirit (1 Pet. 3:3-4). The Principle of Selling or Giving Away the Offered Goods The principle the church exercises concerning consecrated items is to return them to you for you to sell them. The church will not do the selling and giving away for you. This is because the church wants to stay away from criticism or slander. The church can find a place for you to sell your things, or it can inform you where there are needs and who has needs. But the church will not do the selling or giving away for you. You have to do the selling and giving away
yourself. When I return to you the things and ask you to sell them yourself, I am showing you where the things have gone. This is to prevent Satan from bothering you or lying to you one day by giving you the thought that the church has cheated you. Paul said that we should exercise foresight for what is honorable in the sight of man (2 Cor. 8:21). I hope that we will all be clear about this principle. Brother Sun Mr. Sun is also here with us. Brother Sun has given a short testimony concerning how the Lord led him to hand over himself the first and second time. The first time was in Foochow. One day a certain Brother Hsieh asked him, "Shanghai is having a revival because all the brothers and sisters have handed themselves over. What would you say to that?" At that time he felt that those engaged in business could never be ready for the rapture. It so happened that, during that period of time, there was a seven-day conference in Foochow, and the truth and practice of handing oneself over was released. The second night he stood up and declared that he would sell everything to follow the Lord. Thank God it has been two years since he made that commitment. He testified that because of that first consecration, the Lord began a revival in him. Later, in his escape from the war, he was enlightened a second time on his journey. He confessed his sin on a ship, saying, "Lord, I have not been faithful in the service of Your house. I still have many possessions." At that time, the ships in front of and behind him were bombed, and between one hundred to two hundred people were killed. Yet he was preserved. He had thought of escaping to Taiwan. But in order to avoid further bombing, he decided to change his course and come to Hong Kong instead. Now he has a car shop. He is willing to hand himself over once more. He has forty bicycles, forty-five tires, twenty rolls of fabric, two pieces of land in Nanping, and ten cars. In addition, he has thirty-five cars and two taels of gold in Taiwan. He wants to hand over all these things. I believe that in principle all these things need to be dealt with. If a Christian has a piece of land or a shop, it is best that he does not rent it out to others. The two pieces of land in Nanping can be sold. The golden necklace and the rings can also be sold. According to the principle of the Bible, we should not have any silver or gold (Acts 3:6). As for your trading business, after some time you can join the brothers in Fukien and go into a trading business together. But time does not allow us to be in trading for too long. If the Lord is willing, you can try to start some small manufacturing business. A Christian should earn by producing something. God does not want us to be in the employment of pure trading. Paul
made tents; he did not engage himself in wholesale tent trading. Pure commerce easily corrupts Christian character. I hope that you will stay away from pure commerce, and involve yourself in some form of production instead. A COVENANT OF CAREFUL SPENDING There is another thing of which I would like to remind the brothers who are in business. I believe we should learn from John Wesley, who had a holy, secret covenant with the Lord. Between you and God there should be a careful pact as to how much you can spend. A Christian's spending habit should be according to God's measure of spending. To increase spending based on increased income is not the Christian way of living. The church does not want to say anything about a man's standard of living. It will not decide what this secret covenant between you and God should be. I am not an extreme person. I do not want to say any extreme things, but presently, in the midst of all the turmoil of war, many people do not have enough to eat. How can we live peacefully in excess? This corrupts Christian character. Between us and God there should be a crucial and secret covenant. This will limit us from careless spending. We will not dare to buy anything capriciously. John Wesley kept his secret covenant with the Lord all his years. As soon as his spending reached a certain point, he would freeze his spending. All the brothers in business should learn to do the same. They should say, "My standard of living will only go up to a certain point, after which I will have to freeze it. I will only allow it to reach that point, beyond which I will not do anything." Many people will have to make this decision before the Lord. Whether the standard should be higher or lower should be decided by each individual's amount of consecration before the Lord. Do not compare yourself with others. But do not set the standard too low, unless that is a standard with which God has enlightened you. Always follow the Lord's leading, not your own choices. Once you have made the decision, do your best to abide by that secret covenant. You should abide by it for ten years, twenty years, or thirty years. In this way we can give away everything for the Lord. The brothers and sisters who are in school should decide for themselves how much they should spend a month on miscellaneous items. They do not have to let their parents know about this amount. If their parents give them more, they can offer it up for the gospel. There are things that they have control over and that occupy their heart. They should select one or two cherished items of these
things and give these away. In this way they will learn not to love mammon and the things of this world.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN A FELLOWSHIP WITH YOUNG BROTHERS AND SISTERS Date: Wednesday, February 8, 1950 Place: Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong It is a glory to the Lord to see young people being saved and coordinating in the church life for the gospel. The book of Numbers shows us that those who are over twenty years of age are qualified to fight, while those who are between thirty and fifty years old are qualified to serve and work within the tabernacle (1:3; 4:3). This shows us that the young people are particularly precious in God's eyes. Here I would like to mention several frequent causes of failure among young brothers and sisters. Then I will point out how they should serve before the Lord. FREQUENT CAUSES OF FAILURE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE First, let us consider the frequent causes that lead to failure among young people. We can look at three areas: 1) travel, 2) marriage, and 3) occupation. Travel Travel includes moving, changing schools, and taking trips. After a young person is saved, he is generally under the protection of the church and his family. This is very good. His normal sphere of activity is around his school and home, but when he has to go away for an extended period of time, he should take care of all the pitfalls along the way. He has to clearly identify all the traps and must guard himself from falling into them. It is wonderful to stay at home. Day by day he can learn to contact God. He can find the right place to study the Bible and to pray. On a trip, however, he can easily take in loose thoughts if he is not careful. If he does not move around, nothing will happen, but once he moves around, he will find that his journey becomes an opportunity for him to indulge in sin. He will see many new things and new sights, meet many new people, and come in contact with many new customs and habits. This kind of travel subconsciously opens the door for relaxation to come in within him. He will dare to do many things which he would ordinarily not dare to do. He will dare to visit places which he would ordinarily not dare to visit. I want to mention this matter to the young people in particular because most old people like to remain and settle in their old places,
while young people like changes. Very often, however, they get into trouble when changing places. During the past twenty or thirty years, I can remember many young brothers and sisters who fell because of changing places. Therefore, we must not be quick and loose in changing places. We have to ask the Lord to preserve us with His grace. We have to apply ourselves to good habits now so that we will be able to maintain these habits when the changes come. Whatever we do, it is best to keep the principle of two by two. This is a good pattern that the Lord Jesus left for us (Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1). We should do everything in coordination, always with two people and perhaps with three or four. We need companions while we are going through changes. This will keep us in the Body. If we go to any place alone, we are going as an individual. But if two go together, we are not going as two individuals, but as the move of our local church. Do not underestimate any change or move. Many experiences in our human life are triggered by little changes in our environment. This is true in the case of sisters choosing a school. It is very unsafe for anyone to choose a school that is not being attended by another saint. If you want to go to a new school, it is best to find one with at least two saints in it. Many young people fall into snares by acting independently. For your own protection and for the protection of others, find some companions whenever you make a move. In this matter, you have to remember before the Lord that consecrating yourself does not merely mean offering up material possessions, but being coordinated together, acting in the principle of the Body, and acting upon the ground of the church.
Marriage The second matter is marriage. Before speaking about this, let me relate some facts to you. Marriage is a very important matter. In looking back over the past thirty years, I realize that marriage has brought about greater changes to young people than travel. Before you are married, your parents treat you as a child; you do not have many responsibilities, and you do not have to take care of a family. Many Christians enter marriage without a proper concept and a readiness for responsibility. As a result, they fail in their Christian life. Marriage and family are the beginning and source of God's blessing. At the same time, you have to remember that they are also the beginning and source of looseness. When a man is single, it is easy for him to serve the Lord zealously, but once he is married, he enters a new world. Changes begin to come, and he
begins to relax. Marriage is a blessing from God; it is also the beginning of human happiness. At the same time, you have to remember that marriage is also the beginning of relaxation for many people. For this reason, you have to have the proper attitude before and after marriage. You should have only one aim for getting married—to serve together with your spouse, which is always better than serving alone. In looking for the right person to marry, the first condition is that you both have to like each other, and your dispositions should match. Each should be able to bear the other's weaknesses and shortcomings. You should not be distracted by other factors before you are married. Pay attention to whether or not you can coordinate together in spiritual service. Second, after you are married, you always experience a psychological change. This change is many times greater than the change that accompanies travel. Once you are married, there is a pit right next to your house; you have to prepare for days of danger. During the first two or three months, do your best to control your mind; do not allow it to become loose. After the first two or three months, the danger is less acute. You must always maintain your balance psychologically. You have to learn to control yourself in your psychology. Third, never despise your spouse before the Lord. Many brothers and sisters discover after they are married that some characteristics of their spouse are intolerable; they despise these characteristics. At such times, you have to learn to worship God. Do not become agitated in your mind. Always remember that God has given you a "match," not a "sweetheart." You have to learn to serve in coordination with your spouse, and not nit-pick or rebuke. Occupation The third frequent cause of failure among young people is their choice of occupation. When a young person begins a career, his first month's salary must be treated with great care. When the first month's salary falls into your hand, whatever its amount, you sense power rising within your mind. There is nothing in this world which cannot be bought with money. Some can even buy the human soul with money. Once you have money, there will be many things you want to buy. This is a great, psychological change and a temptation for dissipation. Therefore, I exhort you to learn to guard against the power of money. You should be conscious only of the power of the Christian life. Always remember that we live on this earth for the gospel, for coordination with other brothers and sisters, and for serving the Lord.
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MATERIAL GOODS AND MONEY When these three things occur, many people become loose and dissipated. Actually, all three have to do with money and material possessions. In travel, one is always tempted to buy special things. After marriage, money is a means of pursuing a couple's happiness. When a man does not have a job, he is careful about the money he receives from his parents, but once he starts earning his own money, he begins to act according to his own preferences and forgets the vow he made before the Lord. Man always seeks to exchange material things for his own and others' happiness. He is always inclined to act according to what pleases his heart. As a result, the more he acquires, the less he is satisfied. His interest and concern will be sucked into the material things. Month after month, he will plan more purchases. With these three things, the first few months are the most dangerous period. If you do not handle these changes properly, you will fail miserably. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OVERSEERS The elders and the older brothers in the church bear a great responsibility over these young brothers and sisters. You have to change their attitude toward money. Every time they reach a turning point, you have to remind them. The fathers and the co-workers in the church are the overseers. The work of the overseers is to exercise oversight. This means they have to perch on high to observe how others act. Before anything happens to a person, you have to see clearly, accurately, adequately, and far-sightedly. You have to anticipate the changes that will happen to a young person and intercede for him, exhort him, and teach him ahead of time.
CONCERNING SCHOOLS Trying the Best to Not Study in Catholic Schools The brothers and sisters who are in school should try their best to not attend Catholic schools. The Lord's intention is that we do not touch the Catholic Church at all. He has no intention that we change its religion. A Christian does not have this responsibility. In Revelation 2 and 18, the Lord does not charge His believers to call those in the Catholic Church to repentance. Instead, He charges the many sons of God to separate themselves from it and to not defile themselves with its sins. The church in Thyatira in Revelation 2 and the great Babylon in chapter eighteen signify the Catholic Church. It is clear that Christians have no
responsibility to change Catholicism. Their responsibility is to depart from it. God hates to see His people worshipping idols. Idolatry is a great sin in the Bible. Every king in the books of Kings was judged according to whether or not he had gone in "the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sin by which he caused Israel to sin" (1 Kings 16:26), which was idolatry. The first and second of the Ten Commandments deal with idols (Exo. 20:3-6). God hates Catholicism. No sin of idolatry is greater than that practiced in Catholicism. It has made idols out of the Lord Jesus and God. There is also Mary; it has made an idol of the mother of Jesus and has made her a god. Catholics are among some of the hardest people in this world to get saved. If any of you are studying in a Catholic school, please go home and discuss this with your parents. See if you can change schools before the next term. If you cannot do it this next term, try the next one. You must have the desire to cut off any relationship with Catholicism. Of course, if the present situation does not allow you to change schools, do your best to refrain from its worship. You have to find three or four companions and fellowship together often. Never try to argue with your teachers. All you need to do is turn away from them. The Catholic Jesuits start schools everywhere. Their intention is to gain people through education. If you look into the situation, you will notice that they never stand on the street to preach the gospel. If you study in their schools, however, you will pick up the Catholic religion after three or five years. You may say that many nuns in the Catholic Church are quite good and quite compassionate. But please remember, they are not approved by God, no matter how good they are, as long as they do not forsake idolatry. The Principle Governing the Selection of Schools In selecting a school, you have to choose one that is being attended by at least one or two brothers and sisters. This does not mean that the Lord will not bless the preaching of a single brother or sister; he or she may bring many to salvation. In the majority of cases, a single brother is swallowed up by his surroundings. Ultimately, the church has to search for him after he becomes lost. It is rare for one brother to break through in one school, but it is common for one school to swallow up one brother. The young people must go to school in coordination. I believe many of you brothers will be elders and deacons in the future. Therefore, you have to exercise great care and deliberation in your actions. Do not study in a school by yourself. The Principle Governing the Selection of a Career
Some of you have decided to stop at a high school education. These ones have to learn to work with their hands. In the future you have to find a job that gives you more freedom so that you can devote time to serve the Lord. Perhaps you can work under other brothers and sisters who are running a business. In any case, your time must be free. You must not be a slave to mammon. In this way you will not neglect the government's mandate on contribution to production since you will be working with your hands. At the same time, you can devote much time to serve the Lord as well as offering up your earnings for His use. Concerning Daily Necessities Some of you have too many possessions. You should learn to give some of them to the poor and be moderate in buying what you need. This does not necessarily mean that you have to be thrifty in everything. For example, if you need a coat, you can buy a good one. There are many material things which we cannot be without; we should just find those that satisfy our needs. If we buy impulsively, we will want more when we see a better one. In the beginning a simple matter like choosing the right coat can become a problem; when we walk into a department store and see thirty or fifty different colors of the same merchandise, we will want more. There are many styles, and our heart will want one of each. There is no limit to our lust for possessions.
CONCERNING HANDING ONESELF OVER Taking Care of Others' Needs In Shanghai I told some Communist members that Christians are saved in an inward way. We give up the world, but not because of outward coercion. We are not like the people in the world who become poor after their material goods are confiscated; we voluntarily free ourselves from the bondage of material things. Tomorrow night I hope you will prepare a list and bring the pocket money your parents have allotted to you. Find the minimum amount that you need to spend, then hand over the rest. I hope everyone will be faithful to do what they should. There are twenty-seven to twenty-eight assemblies in northern Kiangsu. During the past eight months, none of the brothers and sisters there had the chance to even get a bowl of rice. The more fortunate ones ate bean cakes, while the less fortunate ones ate grass and tree bark. Since I know the situation in all the places, I feel grieved and even angry when I see some brothers and sisters caring only for themselves and having no thought of saving. Please forgive me for saying this. In Hong Kong bean cakes are sold to Taiwan for fertilizer, but in
northern Kiangsu only the most well off can afford to eat bean cakes. I do not know how you can eat your rice in peace when you hear this. This situation is happening not only in northern Kiangsu. In one or two months, more than half of the brothers and sisters in the church in Nanking will have nothing to eat. I pray that God will free us from all kinds of considerations over so many things. I pray that we will only hand ourselves over. We should let other brothers remember our own needs. Paul told the churches in Asia who had supplied the lack of other churches that these churches eventually would fill up their lack as well (2 Cor. 8:14). The brothers and sisters never imagined that they would face what they are facing today. In the same way, we never know what we will face tomorrow. I hope that we will remember them as brothers. I hope that we will hand ourselves over to fill up their lack. Before you handed yourselves over, I spoke with reservation. But now that you have handed yourselves over, I do not have any reservation; I am not afraid of suspicion. Some of you may have the thought of helping these ones, but think that you have too little. Please do not calculate what you can do, because you are not the only one who has handed yourself over. When you hand yourself over, you are not doing it to please man, but to please the Lord. In the Principle of Coordination Today God is taking the way of the church. Everything should be done in the principle of coordination. My heart rejoices to see that, under God's grace, we can coordinate together, not only in preaching the gospel but in offering up our money and time. We should not choose our field of study carelessly as we did before. Rather, we should choose subjects that are related to businesses that the saints have and concentrate on these professions. In the coming days, these professions will afford us an unfettered occupation to support ourselves. After three or five years, many brothers and sisters will be prepared to be sent to other places in China for the gospel. First, we should gospelize the strategic places, and then we should move out to the surrounding towns and villages. How different is this kind of preaching from the individual preaching of one or two persons that we experienced in the past! Presently, there are over five hundred assemblies in China. We have close to seventy thousand brothers and sisters. If we pool our efforts together for the gospel enterprise, instead of working independently here and there, this will create a great impact! In the past our co-workers did not like to work in coordination. Now they have to learn the lesson of coordination. They should
take the lead in this matter, but this work does not belong to the co-workers alone; everyone has a part in it. We should not think that we only have to offer a little money or material goods. This work is the responsibility of all of us. If the Lord is gracious to us, I hope that many brothers will rise up, including older ones, and forsake everything to serve in coordination in the church.
The Whole Body Preaching the Gospel Presently, the highest interest the bank pays is forty-five percent. If we can have a fifty percent increase in our gospel, every brother and sister will bring in half a person in a month. This means that every two months we will bring in one person. In two months there will be one hundred forty thousand saints in China. In four months we will have two hundred eighty thousand saints. This means that in a few years' time, the gospel will spread throughout all the big cities in China. If our preaching is isolated, we will never meet the need of the gospel in today's world. The whole church has to rise up to preach in coordination. May the Lord ignite the flame in China, and may it grow and spread. May the church be as absolute as the early church in preaching the gospel. This fire will then spread to the West. We can procrastinate no longer. If we do not take this way, our independent gospel work will not get us very far in ten or twenty more years. In 1928 there were four hundred thousand Protestant communicants. By 1948 the number only increased to four hundred eighty thousand. In 1928 there were eight hundred thousand Catholics. By 1948 the number increased to 2.3 million. What are we Protestants doing? Why has our number increased so slowly? This is truly our shame! Today the Chinese population grows at the rate of two persons every five seconds. The number that we bring in cannot even match the rate of birth in China. Protestantism has been in China for over one hundred twenty years. After a century and a half of preaching, our number is still only five hundred thousand. Of this number, many are nominal members. When we compare ourselves with the early church, we cannot help but be ashamed! It is indeed foolish for God's children to not give themselves in a desperate way in this age. Please forgive me for saying a seemingly angry word. We all think that the present political climate makes it hard for the church to preach the gospel, but how do we know that this situation is not sovereignly arranged by God? How do we know that this is not for the purpose of turning the church to the Lord's will? What the Lord could not gain through His calling, perhaps He is gaining through the environment. If the Lord cannot move His children through
love, He can turn them through chastening. The rebuking rod often will do what the voice of love cannot do. If we do not learn to coordinate together for the gospel in the present situation, God may allow the devil's hand to move further, and the situation of the church may worsen still. Consecration and Coordination Our consecration must be specific. The more specific our consecration is, the better it is. Consecration of the heart is an abstract thing. We can say that our heart is consecrated, but in actuality, our heart may still be with us. Our heart can only be truly on the altar when our entire body and our possessions are on the altar. Romans 12 is the clearest, most absolute, accurate, and definite passage in the entire Bible on consecration, and it speaks of coordination at the end of the chapter. If a man is not willing to consecrate himself, how can he be coordinated with others? We should not think that we are consecrating when we offer up a little money and material goods. Consecration means offering up our entire person. Only this will bring us into coordination with the brothers and sisters. If we hold back anything for ourselves, we are merely practicing a kind of individualism. If we are so individualistic, how can we coordinate with others? In order to coordinate with others, we have to deny ourselves and live in peace with all men, if possible (v. 18). Many people, however, drop their countenance, become angry, or murmur over a little money. They argue and squabble until their faces turn red over what belongs to them. When we hand over everything, it is easy for us to coordinate with the brothers and sisters. Coordination is spontaneous. When the church in Foochow handed itself over, its number multiplied manyfold. Chuenchow had been meeting with the same number (around ninety) for many years. A few months ago the leading brothers handed themselves over, and within a month the number increased by ninety-six. Now there are ninety-nine candidates who are preparing to be baptized. There are still four hundred others waiting to be interviewed. Handing ourselves over will afford the brothers and sisters a way to get into the gospel business in one accord. Many people are willing to put their whole heart into a secular business but are very indifferent about the gospel. They work mindlessly and do not apply any seriousness to the work. We can only give our whole heart to the work when we have handed ourselves over.
Handing Oneself Over Bringing in the Power of Explosion I hope that one day we can break open Hong Kong with explosive power. We do not have to wait for a big co-worker to come to do the job. We have to hand ourselves and all we have over and coordinate together to preach the gospel in oneness. No one should be for himself. Everyone should offer up everything for the gospel. Let me shout this into our ears: We cannot crave one single thread in this world, while asking the other brothers and sisters to give up the world or to see the vanity of this world. We cannot love money ourselves, while telling them to love the Lord. If we do not hand ourselves over, we cannot demand others to sacrifice their life. Perhaps some will feel that this is a bit too extreme, but in this matter, it does not hurt to be extreme. We have been extreme in many things in our life. Should we be careful to stay within the bounds when it comes to our consecration to the Lord? If we have never been extreme once, we will never be able to lead others to do the same. Making Friends with Mammon We must not hesitate in handing ourselves over. Once we procrastinate, our mind will come under the attack of Satan. Some may think that we are mad when we hand over our possessions. Actually, this is not madness; this is the gospel. The demand of the gospel is so great that it calls for our very life. In this world only two kinds of people are willing to give up their possessions. The first are the mad and insane. The second are those who sacrifice for love. We hand ourselves over because we love the Lord. We do not care about criticism. We only care for the Lord's commands. If we do not uphold this truth, we will end up suffering. Always remember the Lord's word that we have to make friends with the mammon of unrighteousness (Luke 16:9). Once we hand ourselves over, we will have a share when the church gains people through the gospel. We will be blessed. If we do not hand ourselves over, we will not have a share even if the church gains many people. Today the Lord's timing is ripe. Whether or not we are actually doing the preaching, we will have a share in the Lord's work as long as we hand ourselves over. Thank the Lord. Once the gospel breaks out, we will see the Lord's blessing. Perhaps when that day comes we will no longer be here, but our offering will still be here. Today brothers everywhere are adding their share to the work. I hope that we all will join them. Once this flame is ignited, it will never go out. I hope that the flame in Hong Kong never goes out.
Handing Over Being the Responsibility of Every Brother and Sister Handing over oneself is not just a responsibility of the co-workers. It is a responsibility that is on all of our shoulders. We have gathered too much for ourselves, yet our eyes are always on the purse of the co-workers. Criticism and gossip about this and that co-worker often come to my ears. I have to say a word for the co-workers. These workers are God's workers; they are not your workers. If you can be God's counselor, you can manage the co-workers' purses. If I say this word to the co-workers, it is not worth much, but it is good for you. If all of us, young and old, will consecrate our all, the cheap way with us in the past will be gone once and for all. We have to make up our mind to have a share in the gospel of the church. We have to hand over our occupation, our time, and our money for the gospel. This is the only way to bring in the power. The Lord will not be satisfied until we preach the gospel this way. The only thing that will satisfy the Lord is for the entire Body to be consecrated. The only thing that will satisfy us is this very same thing. Our handing over will satisfy the Lord, and it will satisfy us. Time is short. The Lord's coming is near, yet the responsibility of the gospel is still great. Many places in China still have not heard the gospel. If the church does not rise up together to preach the gospel, the Lord will delay His coming. I hope that from this day forward we will drop all dissenting thoughts. Let us abandon all care for ourselves. We should have only one profession—preaching the gospel. We should have only one goal—letting all sinners hear the gospel. If we do this, it will not be difficult to gospelize Hong Kong and all of China. CONCLUSION The handing over that we are speaking about is more demanding than just offering up all of our possessions. Handing ourselves over means offering up our entire being, including our time and occupation, for the coordination. Our eyes are not set on our wealth. Our God is not a poor God. He is the God of everything. We expect the Body to rise up to preach the gospel; the church should rise up to preach the gospel. When the church rises up to preach the gospel, we will be perpetually short of meeting halls. One meeting hall will not be enough; even ten meeting halls will not be enough. Today we are seeing the light. It is not a matter of eight or ten being called to forsake everything to preach the gospel by themselves. All the brothers and sisters have to rise up to preach
the gospel together. Today this fire has started. I hope none of us will run away from this fire. PRAYER Brother Weigh: Lord, some of us have come to Hong Kong as travelers. Some have come as refugees. We have become loose because we have been greatly influenced by the Babylonian environment around us here in Hong Kong. For all these years the church has not been absolute enough to rise up to preach the gospel together. Forgive us and grant us the grace. Lord, You have come to cast a fire upon the earth. You said this when there was a baptism awaiting You; Your spirit was pressed! You have gone through that baptism, and Your life has been released. The fire has been released, and it has been burning during the past centuries. Today in China this fire has started in Chefoo, Shanghai, Foochow, and Chuenchow. Now we ask that You start this fire in Hong Kong. Start it within all the brothers and sisters. May Your love and mercy continue their great work. Today, we have to catch up with You or else we will be cast aside. May Your great love and mercy enable us to catch up. Amen.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN A FELLOWSHIP WITH THE WORKING SAINTS Date:Thursday evening, February 9, 1950 Place:Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong DISPOSITION OF ITEMS OFFERED BY THE STUDENTS First, let us make some arrangements concerning the things the students have handed over. A few sisters have handed over some small jewelry. They should follow Peter's instruction and get permission from their parents before selling them. They should not be unrighteous in claiming their parents' goods as their own. At the same time, we have to realize that these things bring absolutely no profit to a Christian. We cannot bring these things to heaven. Once they have their parents' permission, they can sell them. A young brother handed over more than two hundred books. I advise him not to buy any more books. It seems as if he has indulged himself in this habit. If he does not deal with his love for books, he will hand over what he has now, but he will buy more later. In principle, you should pick out items that you are particularly fond of and dispose of them. This may hurt a little, but it will do tremendous good. In asking
you to dispose of these things, you are being tested. You will see how much this hurts, and how deep it cuts. The more pain you feel, the more reluctant you will be to give them up, but this will build up your Christian character. In three or five years, you will have the constitution of the Holy Spirit, not just His life. The constitution of the Holy Spirit wroughts Christ into our whole being. Thus, we become one with Christ. Christ as our life is the basis of the Spirit's constitution; it enables Christ to live within us on our behalf. The constitution of the Holy Spirit is the maturity of this process; it enables Christ's disposition to become our disposition. This constitution work is like embroidery; it embroiders Christ into us. There may be pain, but Christ will be constituted into our being. In regard to the other items, I will say a word on behalf of the church. The church is happy to return these things to you for your own use, but your feeling toward them should be different. When you look at them, you should realize that they are given to you by the church. Do not use them carelessly. A Christian must learn poverty while living on this earth. He has to learn to own nothing, to have nothing that he can call his own. We are heavenly citizens. On earth we are merely strangers and sojourners (Heb. 11:13). We should not settle down in this place. We will ask the older brothers and sisters to make proper arrangements for your schooling. I hope that the church will have a detailed arrangement of the items that have been handed over. A FELLOWSHIP WITH THE WORKING SAINTS Not Being Involved in Pure Commerce Every Bible student has to agree that, according to the Bible, God has no intention for a Christian to engage in commerce. I believe all of you are clear that the first case of commerce was with the prince of Tyre. Ezekiel 28:16 says, "By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned." The word merchandise refers to a kind of free commerce. This is the first mention of commerce in the Bible. The last mention of commerce is with Babylon in Revelation 18. The prince of Tyre was the beginning of profiteering through trade. He was also the beginning of transgression. The prince of Tyre is a type of Satan. When we come to the great Babylon, we find the peak of development in commerce. Babylon's origin is Babel. The most severe judgment from God will be brought against Babylon because it will be the consummation of aggrandizement by trade and the epitome of sin. Revelation 13 speaks of the mark of the beast. Without the mark no one can trade (vv. 16-17). Hence, if pure commerce disappears, the mark of the beast will become useless.
The more highly developed commerce becomes, the more useful the mark of the beast will be. One of the fifty-two lessons that we released in Kuling for new believers deals with the proper occupation God has ordained for a Christian. It is an occupation in which one works with his own hands, producing and manufacturing by his own labor. It should not be a kind of pure trading. If the church does not engage in some mode of production, a Christian will not be able to find anything to do in the church, in which case he will have to go to outsiders for work. Because some brothers cannot find the right occupation in the church, they are forced to engage in pure commerce in the secular business world. Sometimes they are forced to lie and cheat. Soon their hearts become corrupted. In the future we have to do our best to help the brothers make the right choice; we have to show them the clear way. Perhaps some brothers should start some businesses and hire some brothers to work for them.
The Principle of Managing a Business How should we manage a business to secure the Lord's blessing? According to Acts 2 and 4, we have to divide to all according to each one's need (2:45; 4:34). This sounds like a matter of simple arithmetic, but in order to register what everyone has handed over and what everyone needs, there are many works and numerous procedures. The "dividing" is a very complicated task. In Acts the apostles were too busy with the ministry of the word. They were forced to select seven men full of wisdom and the Spirit to be the deacons, and they assigned the work to them (6:2-4). There is the need not only of wisdom but of the fullness of life to carry out this work. If one only has wisdom but not the Holy Spirit, his arrangement will be like a "business plan" in the world. The Habit of Living in Equality The peak of the church life is when things are distributed to everyone according to his need. We should do our best to give away what we have. It is embarrassing for some brothers to have good things while others do not. It is a shame for me to have something while others do not. Please give me the liberty to say something. Let me relate my experience of handing myself over. There are things that I like to buy when I have a little money in my hand, but I always feel condemned when I have something and my co-workers do not. The first time I came to Hong Kong, I bought a Dilet shaver. This kind of shaver is very common today, but at that time it was a famous name brand, and it was quite valuable. I
came from a small place and considered it worthwhile to pay a little extra for it. The second time I came to Hong Kong, I bought eight shavers of the same kind. I wanted to give them away to my co-workers. After I bought the shavers I realized that I could not go away without buying the blades too, and I bought eight blades as well. It makes me uneasy to think that I have something while the co-workers do not. At that time the church did not have the practice of handing over everything. It was not common to do such a thing then. It is not good for us to have something while other brothers do not. It is somewhat of a shame. Although we cannot make every household the same, at least we need to have the same heart. I want everyone to have what I have. We need to develop this habit. Bringing the whole church into the practice of Acts 2 and 4 is not that simple; it takes a great many arrangements. However, we should always be moving in this direction step by step. We do not want to go to the extreme. Arrangements for the Co-workers We need to make some arrangements for the co-workers to relieve them from anxiety over their own needs. We can consider each co-worker as one unit. Whether or not a worker is famous and whether he is great or small, we should count him as one unit. Spouse and children are counted as half a unit. Dependent parents are also counted as half a unit. I hope that the brothers who are managing businesses will do the same with the saints working under them. Practicing Equality in One's Business During the past few months, the profit from the pharmaceutical factory in Chungking was distributed according to units. We could do this because all the workers were brothers and sisters and all of them had handed themselves over. Now the factory in Canton is going to do the same. All the employees in these factories receive the same remuneration because they are brothers and sisters, even though their position, rank, and responsibilities are different. From the manager to the cook, all receive the same treatment. We cannot do this with the Gentiles. If a corporation consists only of brothers and sisters and if every one of them has handed himself over, there is no problem in equalizing the remuneration. Otherwise, as soon as we practice such an equalization, some will become lazy. The brothers and sisters who migrated to Yi-Yang are also practicing distribution according to each one's need. Some need to get married, and the rest make provision to give more. Some are sick, and the rest make provision to supply
more clothing and daily necessities to them. For a few months, all of them had less than a dollar for pocket money. Some brothers work more than their assigned hours; they dare not be lazy. The other brothers step forward and volunteer to replace them. Every brother is concerned that the others would not become over-burdened. Laziness is nonexistent because there is brotherly love. Instead, everyone is afraid that others are doing too much. Everyone sacrifices beyond the point of just denying the self. If anyone thinks that he can be lazy and slothful as long as he has money, he is not acting like a Christian; he does not walk worthily of the name of a Christian. When a brother and a sister get married, everyone pours out over and above what he can give. Everyone does everything he can to provide the new couple with a happy, new family. This testimony has won the approval of the local government. Originally the county government was very suspicious. They always sent Communist cadres to inspect us. Now they have passed a law to protect us. Visiting members within a radius of two hundred and fifty miles have told us that it would take them twelve years to catch up to what we are doing. If a business only consists of brothers and sisters and if all have handed themselves over, this business should be conducted after the model of Yi-Yang. From top to bottom every worker should be treated the same. Every brother or sister is a unit. Equality is the only way to success and the way to practice genuine mutual love. Of course, some brothers who work as managers have outside needs which require special subsidy. The corporation can decide how much more they should receive. Except for this, the brothers and sisters should all live more or less on the same level. There should not be too big a gap. If the gap is too big, our practice will not be Christian-like. Every brother and sister should be treated equally, and everyone has to work diligently. If there is any excess, it should be spent on the gospel. From now on, every business and every organization need proper arrangements to go on in coordination. No one should live in luxury while others suffer in poverty. If we have more, we are in excess, while those who have less are in want. If the households with an excess take the lead to make their resources available, the poor in the church will be given proper care. There will be few who need special care, and their needs will be covered easily. The church will behave like the church. If we hold on to our own things and care only for ourselves without any concern for others, we can never live the life of the Body of Christ, and we can never express it in our living.
Equality does not make us lazy. It allows us to share our excess. Suppose twenty brothers in a locality go into business together. All twenty have handed themselves over and join themselves to the business on that basis. The proceeds of the work of these twenty people are split up according to the number of units. These twenty people may each receive double the amount that other units receive. For example, ordinarily each unit may receive two loads of rice, but these ones may receive four loads of rice. They take in more, but they also give away more for the Lord's use. Actually, the amount they retain does not increase; they still take two loads of rice as others do. The extra two loads are sent to other places, to saints who have needs. In addition, by working this way, these brothers also supervise each others' production. I am speaking the truth here. If the Lord is gracious to us, all of our businesses will support each other in the future; all the units will strengthen each other, and the work of migration will be greatly enhanced. This kind of migration is the church preaching the gospel. On the one hand, we must take care of the local needs. On the other hand, we must take care of the needs of other places. The brothers in Tsingtao are planning to migrate to the northwest. In order for the church to rise up to preach the gospel, all the brothers and sisters have to endeavor for the gospel and for the work, not for themselves. All the working saints should consecrate themselves for the gospel. When the brothers and sisters who hold jobs join the coordination, the preaching will be prevailing, and the gospel will spread throughout China in a few years. The province of Chekiang alone has over three hundred churches. The total number of local churches in the other parts of China combined do not match the number in Chekiang. With so many churches and so many brothers and sisters in one province, many should hand themselves over. This handing over will greatly increase the power of the gospel.
The Working Saints Coordinating to Preach the Gospel Brothers who are holding one kind of job should coordinate with other brothers who are holding similar jobs; they should preach the gospel together. Around Sar-Di by the city of Hangchow there are six to eight hundred brothers. The amount they handed over last year is only enough to supply the need of the one hundred brothers who migrated to Yi-Yang. When one migrates to a new place, he is starting everything afresh. He needs to have food and clothing before he
can engage in farming. In over ten counties around Yi-Yang, the footsteps of the gospel have been planted by our brothers. Some churches have sprung up in a few areas already. They market the produce of the land, the livestock of their farm, and the fabric they produce from their own weaving. They coordinate together for the gospel while selling their products on the side. Shanghai is supporting Yi-Yang as well; more men are migrating there now. In the near future, some will move there from Nanchang. Perhaps in the future Nanchang will head up Yi-Yang. We should never despise the wisdom of the simple villagers. Among the leading brothers in Yi-Yang, no one has graduated from high school; everyone has received only a primary education. However, they all have a burning heart for the Lord, and they all have handed themselves over. Generally speaking, all of them are full of wisdom. They have wisdom in their service. Their judgments are sound, and they are rich in experience. According to my observation, many socalled wise brothers in China cannot match them. Their judgments leave no room for criticism. One can only lower his head and worship the Lord, saying, "Lord, You are in our midst." If their judgments were not so wise, they would not have been so successful. They conduct business and do everything in an orderly fashion. Now a few dozen brothers and sisters from Shanghai are getting ready to migrate to Yi-Yang. There are not just one or two people preaching the gospel there, but the whole church is working together in coordination on the basis of its consecration. The gospel is weak today among us because brothers and sisters have a selfish motive; they use the mammon they have in their hand for their own business with the view of making money for themselves. Their business is not for the gospel, and they have not handed themselves over. If no Christian lives for himself, and if everyone lives for the Lord and the gospel, the gospel will spread from province to province all over China. The Principle of Selling Let me fellowship a little concerning the principle of selling our possessions. Suppose a brother has a piece of real estate. I hope that he can hand it over and sell it. Any real estate that is left in an unproductive state is useless. Moreover, real estate is not doing well today. It is better to sell it and use the proceeds to start a business that engages in a form of production. I hope the responsible brothers will make good and proper arrangements for this matter.
Suppose some brothers are sharing a business with unbelievers or family members. If they want to hand themselves over, they have to work hard to separate their assets from the assets of others. Be generous in splitting the assets. If one is in a joint venture with others, he can buy the others' shares and then sell it. In selling real estate, a person may not get the full price of the land, in which case we can help them to dispose of the land. We would rather take a loss than have our money locked in the land. Possible Businesses That One Can Consider Hong Kong is rich because it is linked to Swatow. A great part of the investment in Hong Kong comes from Swatow. If we go into business at all, there are a few things we can consider. The first is cotton spinning. Some can try this. Starting a business this way helps Swatow indirectly. The capital is retained in Hong Kong and does not need to return to Swatow. Some can try this in Manila. The shipbuilding industry is in existence already. Presently, it is somewhat unprofitable. Some are doing it with a view to the future; they are waiting for better days to come. We have to carefully consider this matter. Should we wait, or should we sell such a business and come back to it later? We should have much fellowship and prayer before making any decision. One brother is starting a very large fabric manufacturing company. Some time ago I heard that some brothers were starting a fabric company which both spins and weaves. I think that spinning is too much for us; it takes a considerable amount of capital to handle spinning and weaving together. But weaving is easier; it does not take much capital. We can hire brothers and sisters for the weaving work. A few of our brothers can dye; they are more skillful than others in this trade. If we manufacture our own dye, we can help many brothers and sisters from other places to learn the trade. Weaving is convenient; it can be done anywhere and at any time. A weaving machine costs approximately three hundred dollars. We can put one in the living room and two in the bedroom. This does not violate local ordinances, because it does not require an office. In this way, we can do our own dyeing and even sell our goods locally. Alternatively, we can form some kind of cooperative and sell our product together. If the cost of traveling is not a problem, we can ask many out-of-town brothers and sisters to come to Hong Kong to learn such skills. We can recruit twenty people from Hangchow, Peking, Tsingtao, Foochow, and Swatow. In the beginning they can be apprentices. In a year or two, we can buy off the unbelievers' shares and work with brothers and sisters. In this way we will not
need to be yoked with unbelievers. Tonight I am touching this matter in brief. There is not enough time. Perhaps we can have a more detailed discussion later. I hope that we all will understand the proper principle to exercise such matters before the Lord.
A FEW THINGS TO NOTE IN HANDING ONESELF OVER In making judgments concerning the saints' handing themselves over, we have to be accurate. Otherwise, there will be undesirable consequences. Some brothers handed themselves over in another place already. We should not dictate their pathway for them. From now on, all the arrangements we make should be centered around the church. In other words, they should be centered around the Lord and the gospel. The schooling of the young people also should be done in coordination. We do not expect all of you to quit work, but some should change jobs and work with the brothers and sisters. Others can be scattered among unbelievers and strive to gain more of them. If we all practice this, the Lord will bless us. If the things that you handed over should be sold, you should dispose of them as quickly as possible. If not, you will get into trouble. One brother started out as an officer in the navy. Later he was promoted to be a commander and then an admiral. He owned much land and had a nice house. It was built at the cost of sixty thousand gold dollars. He loved antiques, and he kept a great deal of precious metals and antiques in the house. I exhorted him to sell his things. Even if he had to discount his house by ten percent, he could still get back fifty thousand gold dollars for it. He was reluctant to give up these things. As a result of this delay, his house has been turned into the headquarters of the Communist government. He could not take one article from his house, and he did not get a single dollar back of what he had put into it. During these few days, I hope you will gather together and make suitable arrangements for the things that the brothers and sisters have offered up. In this way the church will not suffer any loss. HANDING OURSELVES OVER OPENING THE WAY FOR US TO LOVE THE LORD Finally, I would like to say that during the past few days I have had a deep feeling that our handing over of ourselves opens the way for us to love the Lord. If a man does not hand over himself, he can never succeed in loving the Lord. Mr. F. B. Meyer was a person very experienced in the matter of consecration. One young
sister consecrated herself over ten times at the age of twelve. She kept saying that she consecrated her heart to the Lord, but there was no breakthrough. She said to Mr. Meyer, "I do not know why I fail all the time. Whenever I pray and give my heart to the Lord, I still feel as if it is with me." Mr. Meyer answered, "Tell the Lord that you cannot give your heart to Him, and ask Him to take it away instead." Let me say this: Our heart cannot go to Him, because it is stuck in the world and in its treasures, the mammon. This is the reason our mouth can say as much as we want about loving the Lord but our heart will not follow. If we send our treasures and our mammon to the Lord, our heart will follow. We cannot control our heart, and we cannot consecrate ourselves. The Lord said that where our treasure is, there is our heart also (Matt. 6:21). How do we consecrate? There is no need to deal with the heart, just deal with the treasure. When we give the Lord our treasure, our heart will go to Him. The happiest experience on earth is when our heart goes to the Lord. We can jump up and sing, "Hallelujah!" A Christian suffers when his heart cannot love the Lord. In order for our heart to love the Lord, we must not pay attention only to our heart, but to our treasure. Once we hand over our treasure, our heart will surely follow. We can only love the Lord when we hand over ourselves. HANDING OURSELVES OVER OPENING THE WAY FOR US TO LOVE THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS From the day we hand ourselves over, not only do we love the Lord, but we begin to truly love the brothers and sisters. If we have not handed ourselves over, we can only give what we have in excess to others; we cannot love the brothers and sisters. When we hand over everything, the Lord breaks our shell of self-love. We are delivered from our own little domain and begin to practice brotherly love. We become one who is good at giving. Once we see something we have that others do not, we feel uneasy and want to give it up as well. I can testify to you honestly that Brother Philip Luan was a brother who handed himself over long ago. He sold everything he had. He was a strong person. He offered up many of his possessions the day after he was saved. He terminated many relationships. He even closed his tobacco factory. Originally, he was known as the king of tobacco in Manchuria. Every factory under him was very large. He had twenty-seven companies and over a hundred retail branches. However, he closed all these businesses a day or two after he believed in the
Lord. He paid all the debts he owed, but he forgave all the debts that others owed him. Later, when Brother Luan came to Hong Kong, he went through severe trials financially. He had been a rich man in his own place, but he volunteered to take the way of poverty. He did more than just love the Lord. Many people can testify that he loved the brothers and sisters. Perhaps his speaking could not match that of Brother Witness, but he was a person who was absolutely free from self. God saved many people and perfected many others through him. Here we see a brother who was free from mammon. He loved the Lord and the brothers and sisters. No one who is constantly calculating can love the brothers. HANDING OURSELVES OVER OPENING THE WAY FOR US TO LOVE SINNERS Finally, handing ourselves over enables us to love not only the Lord and the saints but sinners as well. Before we hand ourselves over, we always count our money and consider it more precious than the human soul; we do not believe that a sinner is worth more than the whole world. But after we hand ourselves over, we feel that every soul is precious. It is worthwhile to spend the riches of the whole world in exchange for a single soul. The Lord asked, "What shall a man be profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul-life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul-life?" (Matt. 16:26). When we fearfully hold on to our money, all the souls in the world mean little to us. We argue over three or five dollars while allowing a soul to go to hell. When we let go of our money, our heart will love all the sinners in this world. During the past two or three years, I have had the deep feeling that we can never treasure what is true unless we cast away what is false. Only those who are truly delivered from the power of mammon can love the Lord, the brothers, and sinners. If mammon continues to have a hold on us, our love for the Lord is false, our love for the brothers is false, and our love for sinners does not exist. It is nothing but doctrine, good only for deceiving and mollifying ourselves. We will have love and joy only after we have handed ourselves over. Christ will be precious to us only after we have done this. Only then will the church and all the brothers and sisters be precious to us. When we walk on the street, we will feel that every soul is precious and every sinner lovable. While we are waiting for the bus to come, we will have a different feeling when we see the crowds passing by. Even if some argue and fight in front of us, we will still love them and treasure their souls. When we see someone engaged in a brawl, we
will pray earnestly for him. Others may consider him a demon, but we will find his soul very precious. There is only one thing in the world that takes away our love for the Lord, for the saints, and for sinners—mammon. Once mammon goes away, our senses will be clear, our eyes will be opened, our minds will see, and our judgments will be right. May God grant us this kind of seeing.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN CONSECRATION AS REVEALED IN ROMANS 12 Date: Friday evening, February 10, 1950 Place: Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong Scripture Reading: Rom. 12:1-5 INTRODUCTION In Paul's Epistle to the Romans, the first fifteen verses of chapter one are an introduction. The first section of his letter begins from verse 16 and goes through the end of chapter eleven. Chapter twelve begins the second section. In chapters one to eight of the first section, Paul shows us the riches we have obtained in Christ. In chapters nine through eleven, a contrast is made between the riches we have received and the riches the Israelites once received. From chapter twelve onward, Paul begins to exhort us to do something. In the first eight chapters, he repeatedly tells us what Christ has done for us and what the Spirit has done for us. He does not emphasize what we as Christians should do. In the first eleven chapters, Paul speaks of what the Triune God has accomplished for us. Since God has done so much, we should do something also. If we do not do anything in return, we are being unreasonable and ungrateful. At the very beginning of chapter twelve, Paul uses the word therefore. This indicates that he is continuing his previous discussion and relating it to what a believer should do. He says that we should present our bodies a living sacrifice to God. We may not be able to do much, but the least we can do is present our bodies a living sacrifice. At the minimum, a Christian must see what Christ has done for him and what the Holy Spirit has done for him. Chapters one through seven tell us what Christ has done for us. Chapter eight tells us what the Holy Spirit has done for us. Chapters nine through eleven tell us what God's sovereignty and authority have done for us. In chapter twelve Paul tells us that all these works are based on God's
compassion. The words compassion and mercy are the same word in the original language. God's compassion is the same as His love and mercy. PRESENTING OUR BODIES THROUGH THE COMPASSIONS OF GOD Paul says that since God loves us so much and is so merciful and gracious to us, we should consecrate ourselves. Anyone who wants to serve God must first touch His mercy and grace. If a man has not seen God's love and mercy, he will feel that it is a hard task to present his body to do something for God; he will feel that this is harder than making bricks for Pharaoh. Once a man sees God's mercy, however, it is a reasonable thing for him to present his body. The first reaction of a man who has obtained mercy from God is consecration. Once a man touches God's love and mercy, he no longer can live for himself. Before he receives mercy and light, his possessions, his life, and his self are most precious to him. Once he touches God's love and mercy, however, he no longer treasures these things. Once we experience God's mercy, we will look back at ourselves under God's great shining and ask Him, "What should I do? What do You want from me?" THE POWER OF CONSECRATION COMES FROM GOD'S SHINING Before Paul believed in the Lord, he was a persecutor of the Lord's disciples. He obtained letters from the high priest to put into bondage those who called on the name of the Lord (Acts 9:1-2, 14). How proud and arrogant he was when he was riding on his horse to Damascus! Just as he was about to enter Damascus, a light from heaven shone on him, and he was struck down. Such a proud and arrogant person never would have consecrated himself if he had not touched God's great love and mercy. But as soon as the light shone, he no longer could sit comfortably; he had to come down from his throne. Paul immediately asked, "What shall I do, Lord?" (22:10). If we have not touched God's mercy, consecration is the hardest thing on earth. Everyone in the world loves himself; there is no one who does not treasure his own life and possessions. However, consecration is easy once we are brought before God's great love and compassion.
CONSECRATION NOT A REPAYMENT BUT A RESPONSE TO GOD'S WORK
During the past two thousand years, countless numbers of people have consecrated themselves to God. In one sense we may say that they were paying back in gratitude what they owed, but it is hard to say that there was any paying back at all, because they all felt that they were unworthy of the Lord. What they had consecrated were worthless items when compared with what they had received. Brother Lan once said that we are like beggars; it is actually a joke to say that we are offering anything to God. Psalm 116:12 also says, "What shall I return to Jehovah for all His benefits toward me?" Many people have the thought of paying back, but they dare not say this with their mouth. They can only say, "God, under Your great and unmatched grace, I should at least offer up myself to You." Romans 12 is a most special chapter in all the Epistles. It tells us that the beginning of the Christian work is consecration. Chapters one through eleven tell us the great things God that has done for us. In chapter twelve, we bow down and say to Him, "I offer myself to You." THE CONSECRATION OF THE BODY BEING THE MOST PRACTICAL AND SPECIFIC CONSECRATION Paul was very wise. He charged us to present our bodies, not our hearts. In order to be specific, practical, and thorough in our consecration, we have to present our bodies. The consecration of the heart is very abstract. The heart is a strange thing. It can be very honest, but when it is not honest, it can deceive itself. Proverbs 28:26 says that only the foolish man will trust in his own heart. No one knows when the heart will run away or change. It is more practical, solid, and reliable for a man to offer his little finger to the Lord than to consecrate his heart to Him. The little finger is tangible, but the heart is not. When we talk about the consecration of the body, we are no longer speaking abstractly. This is the wisdom of Paul. Many people talk about consecration, but their consecration is not as practical and specific as Paul's consecration. Consecration means offering up our bodies and everything related to our bodies, including our possessions, our members, and our time. When our body is consecrated, everything related to it will spontaneously be consecrated as well. THE PRACTICE OF PRESENTING OUR BODIES Three things are involved in the presenting of the body. The first is time, the second is money, and the third is physical energy. The presenting of our body is the presenting of our time. Our time must be available. We cannot squander our time; we have to devote our time to the service of the Lord. We cannot say that we have consecrated ourselves, yet still have our time in our own hand. Once
our time is offered up, our body is offered up, because the body is bound up in time. We also have to present our money. Many poor people and poor brothers and sisters are around us. They all have needs. There is also the need of money in the work of the gospel. Saying that our heart is consecrated without offering up our money is like shutting up our affection (1 John 3:17). Affection may be there, but it is shut up and useless. We have to remove the things that shut up our affection before we can love God and serve Him. Third, we have to offer up our physical energy; we have to work with our own hands and serve the Lord in this way. Every chore in the meeting hall, including scrubbing the floor, dusting the chairs and tables, and cleaning the windows, should not be done by any hired workers. Perhaps many of the brothers and sisters here have never dusted the chairs in the meeting hall or scrubbed the floor. The people in Hong Kong are very peculiar. Some of them love Mr. Chiang (Chiang Kai-Shek), and some love Mr. Mao (Mao Ze-Tung). If either of these two persons were here today and requested a cup of tea from us, we would feel very honored to do it for him; we would not want to hire a servant to do it for us. We may have servants at home, and we may be managers in our office, but when we come to the meeting hall we have to learn to do everything by ourselves. This will perfect us and give us the opportunity to serve in a genuine way. Hiring a servant is easy, and he actually may do a better job than us, but let me ask, "Do we hire people to distribute tracts?" We can hire people to market our goods at the street corner, but spiritual service is a matter of our body; no money can replace this. The Lord wants us to do many things by ourselves. In Shanghai we have a sister who is the wife of a bank director. Many times she was driven by her chauffeur to the meeting hall. Once she reached the hall, she got down on her knees to scrub the floor. This is the Lord's grace. In other places you could never hire the wife of a bank director to scrub floors. There are a couple of sisters who have at least four servants in their homes, but when the church gathers for a meal, they come and serve at the tables. This is beautiful. Consecration is not just a heart matter. We are the Lord's servants. Every item of service in the church needs to be taken up by ourselves. I would love to see a few brothers with high positions in the world cleaning chairs in the church. This would be sweet and beautiful. The second year after I was saved, I read the books of Chronicles, and found that David had many mighty men. When David was ready to build the temple, these mighty men were assigned to guard the gates (1 Chron. 26). I was very touched when I read this. Even David, who was being served, and who was a
mighty man himself, longed to serve at the door of the temple of God (Psa. 84:10). Our service to the Lord is a personal thing. Today the co-workers are serving the Lord with their mouths, but just presenting our mouth is not enough; we have to present our hands as well. Here we should not have any worldly concepts or private habits. The sisters in Shanghai organized a sewing group to wash, mend, and iron the items that the saints offered up, and then they gave them away. This is not a simple thing. It is easy for the sisters to offer money to buy new clothes to give to the poor, but they collected worn items and washed, mended, ironed, and folded them, and then gave them away. Of course, we should not think that this is all that consecration involves. Nevertheless, there is a principle here: We have to make our consecration practical and specific.
THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONSECRATION Romans 12 tells us that we should present our bodies a living sacrifice for the purpose of serving God. This service bears three characteristics: First, it is holy, which means it is separated. I have a friend who worked as a public officer during the war. Once I invited him to a meal, but he declined, saying, "Sorry, my body has been offered to the country; I cannot use it at will." This is the meaning of separation. Others cannot touch us or use us. I am reserved for God's use only. This is being separated unto God, and this is being holy. Second, this service is well-pleasing to God. Third, this service is also reasonable. God holds back nothing when He gives Himself to us. We should hold back nothing when we give ourselves to Him. God does not settle accounts with us; He does not calculate how much He has given us. He only cares for the principle. God has not put up any resistance; He has not held back anything. In giving ourselves to Him, we should not put up any resistance; we should not hold back anything from Him. Our consecration cannot match His giving in quantity, but at least it should match His giving in quality. THE MEANING OF BEING A LIVING SACRIFICE The consecration in Romans 12 is the first reaction to God's work in the life of a Christian. This reaction is the presenting of ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. In the Old Testament a sacrifice was an animal that was set apart to be killed and slain. Everything that is placed on the altar is destined to die. Once it dies, its life is over; it no longer has another use. A sacrifice can be offered only once. It cannot be used twice, because it died the first time. Today we are the sacrifices; therefore, we should die. Thank the Lord that we are also living. We are a living
sacrifice. This means that we can constantly present ourselves to the hand of the Lord. We can offer up ourselves as sacrifices to the Lord continually, and the Lord can use us continually. The first thing a Christian should be to the Lord is a living sacrifice. THE RESULT OF PRESENTING OURSELVES AS A LIVING SACRIFICE Spiritual Understanding Once we present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice, something follows in verse 2: We gain spiritual understanding. It is important for a Christian to have a proper, spiritual understanding. Many brothers and sisters are serving the Lord and the saints in the church, but they do not have any spiritual understanding. They are very clear and savvy about worldly things, and they are very clever about secular business. Whenever they open their mouth in the church, however, only "outsiders' talk" comes out; they always say things that others cannot respond to with an "amen." This is because they have not been transformed by the renewing of the mind. This is the reason they are void of spiritual understanding. A man cannot understand God's will when there is a problem with his consecration. When I was in Shanghai, I often said to Miss Ruth Lee that many people think that the problem with their Christian service is with their mind, but I do not believe that any Christian has a problem with his mind. Many people think they have a problem with their mind when they actually have a problem with their heart. Their heart is muddled, and this affects their mind. Problems with the heart are caused by halfway consecrations that are fraught with reservation. A man makes wrong judgments because his heart is pursuing treasure; his heart is influenced by money. This is the reason his eyes cannot see clearly. Once his consecration is absolute, his eyes are opened. If our eyes are only for God's glory and will, we will discern the inner makeup of everything. If we have other interests beside God, such as our treasure, our eyes will not be single, and we will not understand God's will. In the Bible treasure always relates to our eyes. Not Being Conformed to This Age Romans 12:2 begins with the conjunction and. The second practical result of consecration is that we are not fashioned according to this age. The word fashioned means to be molded into a shape. God's intention is that we not be molded by the world. We should not have a worldly appearance, and we should not give others the impression that we are a "walking abacus." As long as we are in the world, we have the shape of the world. It is possible to take the way of
worldly property brokers when we negotiate for meeting halls; it is possible that we give others an impression of the world. Once we are consecrated, we should be free from any worldly appearance on the negative side, and we should be transformed by the renewing of the mind on the positive side. This means that we have spiritual understanding. Presenting the body comes first, renewing of the mind follows, and finally one has the spiritual understanding. Originally we were very dull, but now we are sensitive, and it is easy to understand God's will.
Knowing God's Will Let me emphasize this: If we want spiritual understanding and if we want to know God's will, we cannot have any contention over our consecration. Once we have a problem with our consecration, we will be blind to God's will. We will cover our own eyes and not see many things. Other brothers and sisters will see, but we will not. Many people will feel sorry for us, but we will feel no sorrow. What we consider precious will be refuse in the eyes of the church. What is shameful to many Christians will be a glory to us. Many times we will be more than wrong, but we will feel very proud. We have to learn to not trust in ourselves too much. We have to constantly ask, "I have been insisting that this and that are right, but is it possible that when I receive more grace and experience deeper consecration, I will find these things to be wrong?" Our consecration will greatly affect our understanding of God's will. In Shanghai a sister came to me and argued with me about baptism for a long time. She gave one, five, even twenty reasons for not being baptized. After she finished, I remained silent. We sat facing each other speechless. After a while, she became anxious and asked, "Mr. Nee, why are you not saying anything?" I laughed and said, "You have said everything already. I have nothing more to say." Then I said, "I am not concerned about your reasons. I am concerned that your consecration is not thorough enough. Can you say to God, `Whatever You want me to do, I will do it. Whatever You want from me, I will give You'? What would you do if your consecration was more absolute than today?" She quickly answered, "Of course, I would go and be baptized." This shows that no Christian has a problem with his mind. All the problems are related to consecration. Once there is a problem with consecration, even the best mind will not get us through. A halfhearted consecration will affect our judgment, our mind, and even our conduct. Everyone who is absolute with his consecration will not be fuzzy about God's will. Whether or not we understand God's will depends on the degree of
our consecration. This is something very subjective; no one can be arbitrary about it. Bringing In the Coordination of the Body Romans 12:1 is on consecration. Verse 2 is on understanding God's will. Based on an absolute consecration, we understand God's will. The result of this is the coordination of the Body in verses 3 through 5. A consecrated person is a coordinated person. Verse 3 says that we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. Many children of God cannot be one with others; they cannot coordinate with others. They think this is because they have different views, but this is not the real reason. God only has one will. How can different people take different ways? According to God's principle, He only has one will. There are many different views among Christians because there are differences in the degrees of consecration. Once consecration is not absolute, there are differences in views. When consecration is absolute, there are no different understandings concerning God's will. We have to be absolute with our consecration before we can be thorough in understanding God's will. Once we are absolute in our consecration, we will not be irresponsible in our coordination in the Body life. If I say something is mine, and you say it is yours, there will be no manifestation of God as we argue for our own cause. In the world the most precious things to man are possessions and the self. This is the reason God ordains the altar for all these things. Not consecrating means keeping things in our own hands; it means that we can freely direct them. Many people do not want to live corporately because they are afraid that they cannot move about freely. When we live corporately, no one can say that anything is his own. We can readily see that "things" are what separate the brothers and sisters from becoming one. Acts 2 and 4 say that no believer claimed anything as his own. No one dared to boast to his brother that he was different. At the closing of this age, the deep ones and the experienced ones before the Lord will ultimately express the life and glory of the Body life. Unless we hand over ourselves completely, we cannot coordinate together for the Body life. Once we consecrate everything, our mind, our ways, and our plans will not give the appearance of the world. Spontaneously, we will be the same as other brothers and sisters in outlook and motive. We will spontaneously understand God's will and spontaneously experience the practical Body life in coordination. I hope that God will speak to us. Our only wish today is that no one would keep back anything for himself. If we do this, God will have a way among us. May the
church in this end time live like the first church. May none of us live our own life any longer. We only have one occupation—preaching the gospel. No one will try to start a private business within this gospel enterprise. We pray for God's will to be done on this earth. May He grant us the grace to learn to serve Him. He does not want a wavering mind in His service. May we all give ourselves for this. I hope that you will not be discouraged from handing yourself over just because we have not been doing a good job. I hope that this will not cause you to have a problem with God. God's will is absolute. This is the only way to serve Him. I hope that no one will be left behind just because he has not done his best. May the world be cast out from today onward, and may the Lord be fully exalted through His children.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN A FELLOWSHIP CONCERNING HANDING ONESELF OVER IN AN ABSOLUTE WAY Date: Saturday evening, February 11, 1950 Place: Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong CONSECRATION BEING THE LORD'S GRACE AND OUR JOY God wants us to consecrate ourselves. What a joy this is to us! Paul told the Corinthians that the Lord died in order that we who live would no longer live to ourselves but to Him who died and was raised for us (2 Cor. 5:15). If the Lord died and resurrected for us but did not give us a chance to live for Him, it would indeed be a suffering and a pain to live the Christian life. Once I was moving my home. I was the only person doing the work and could not move the heavy furniture. Two brothers came to my rescue and helped me move. When they were finished, they were all covered with dirt. I asked whether they were hungry and thirsty. They said no and returned home immediately. That night I did not sleep well. I thought of the two brothers who helped me move. They were covered with sweat and dirt and returned home late at night. Yet I did not repay them anything. I felt bad, and the whole night I could not rest my head or sleep well. The Lord has accomplished a great redemption for us. His work is many times greater than moving a house. If we asked the Lord, "What do You want me to do?", He could answer, "Everything is done. You do not have to do anything." If He said this, we would feel terrible. I often have felt that it is a great
grace of the Lord that we are redeemed. It is also a great grace to be allowed to consecrate ourselves to Him. If a man receives the matchless grace of the Lord's redemption yet has no intention of living for Him, either he is not saved at all or he must not have a clear idea about his salvation and the greatness of God's grace. If a Christian does not serve the Lord, he will feel that he owes the Lord something. He will feel queasy. Even though the Lord has everything and even though the cattle and sheep on a thousand hills are His, He wants our consecration. Man is created by God. All men belong to Him, but He wants our consecration. We often think that if God commissioned the angels to preach the gospel, they would probably do a better job than us. Their emotions are not finicky as ours are. We preach according to our feelings. The angels could preach eight hours a day without being affected by their emotions. They would also preach better. Our preaching is flawed, but the angels would not have this problem. Yet if the angels were given the responsibility of preaching the gospel, they could only preach about a sinless Savior; they could only preach a sinless salvation. However, we can speak as sinners saved by the Lord from our sins. Our preaching is so much richer than the preaching of the angels. For the same reason God also sees our consecration as being so much richer. We all love money, but if we see how much the Lord has done for us, we will gladly offer up everything for Him. I hope all the brothers and sisters will see that it is a great grace to be allowed to serve Him. It is also our greatest joy and peace. I hope all the brothers and sisters will strive to enter into this supreme peace and joy. If our consecration falls short of giving our all and if our standard is anything less than absolute, we will know the difference; the difference will be great, and the gap will be wide.
LEARNING TO WOUND OURSELVES AND TO PLEASE THE LORD We have many young people here with us. We have to be prepared to give away all our things. When we come to God we should not come empty-handed. We should pick out our possessions, pack them up, and send them to other cities. We can also send them to the poor in our own city. In order to please the Lord, we often have to learn to wound ourselves. A man's spiritual future depends on how much he is willing to hurt himself for the Lord's sake. This will build up our Christian character.
Sometimes we have to pay a great price to please the Lord. There is nothing precious and valuable about giving up our excess. This will not touch the Lord's heart. Only by giving all that we have will we please the Lord. Many rich people dropped their gifts into the offering box, but the Lord was not touched. When the poor widow dropped two lepta into the box, the Lord considered that greater than what the others had given, because out of her lack she cast in all the living that she had (Luke 21:1-4). The two lepta that she cast in equaled less than a cent. It was not a matter of how much, but of giving everything. Some brothers and sisters wrote on their consecration slip that they did not have anything extra to give. Let me say a solemn word: We do not give what extra we have to the Lord; we must give all that we have to Him. This is a good thing in the eyes of the Lord (cf. Mark 14:6, 8). Do you remember the story of the widow from Zarephath and how she treated Elijah? She only had a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil in a jar, but Elijah asked her to make a little cake for him (1 Kings 17:8-16). Humanly speaking, Elijah's word was cruel. While the widow was making the cake for Elijah, how her heart must have ached because she knew not what was to become of her living. The little cake, however, was not the last but the first. In the days of Elijah, there were many widows, but only one was remembered (Luke 4:25-26). She was remembered because she offered all she had in an absolute way to God's prophet. An absolute consecration is not something we do on the spur of the moment or by accident. It has to be done again and again. It may hurt us, but it will also cheer us. A joy that hurts is the greatest kind of joy. This joy brings tears. We rejoice so much that we praise in tears. This kind of joy is very particular; it is something that the world and worldly Christians do not have. BUILDING UP CHRISTIAN CHARACTER Some may consider that offering something to God is a favor to Him or an honor "bestowed" on Him, but God considers it as His way of saving us and building up our Christian character. Many brothers and sisters hand over their possessions because they do not want to tear down these things themselves. They want to hand them over to the church and let God tear them down, but neither God nor His church will do this. We have to sell all our gardens, houses, and properties ourselves. We do not have many opportunities during our lifetime to learn such a lesson. It is very good for building up our Christian character. A WORD TO THE BROTHERS WHO ARE IN BUSINESS
Terminating the Past The brothers and sisters who are in business and who have not terminated their past must deal with this matter as soon as possible. We have to deal with all the improper objects in our house, all the things that we owe others, and all our worldly attachments. Selling Land as Soon as Possible If we have any land, we should sell it as quickly as possible. Brothers and sisters throughout China from the north to the south have lost over ten thousand mu (a Chinese measure) of land. Several thousand mu were consecrated but not yet sold when they were confiscated. This is because some were not willing to take up their own knife to "kill their own son." Some in Shanghai offered up fourteen hundred mu, some eight hundred mu, and others two hundred mu. Over three thousand mu were offered up, but the church did not receive anything. Neither were the brothers and sisters able to enjoy a single mu. This is because they did not sell immediately. In addition to losing all their land, they have brought many problems upon themselves. Why were they unwilling to sell the land? One brother spent ten years to collect eight hundred mu of contiguous land. He bought two or three parcels at a time. Although he offered them up, he handed them over two or three parcels at a time. When the church saw his hesitation, it returned the land to him and asked him to sell it himself. He was too lenient on himself and eventually kept it all. Eventually, all eight hundred mu were confiscated. This is happening to many brothers and sisters. When Nebuchadnezzar beheld the city of Babylon, he boasted, "Is this not Babylon the great, which I have built up as a royal house by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?" (Dan. 4:29-30). Many brothers and sisters have bought land and built houses for the glory of their own majesty and power. The Lord wants us to destroy what we have built with our own hands just like Abraham did when he prepared to kill his son Isaac with his own knife.
Dividing Up the Joint Assets with the Unbelievers as Soon as Possible If any brothers or sisters have entered into a joint investment of land with unbelievers or family members or jointly own shares with Gentiles, the joint assets should be divided up as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will face
difficulties when they try to serve the Lord or consecrate their assets to Him. Never hold on to joint assets or joint shares for too long. Making Suitable Arrangements Immediately after Handing Something Over After one hands something over, he has to select a few experienced and respected brothers with spiritual wisdom and discernment to make suitable arrangements for him. We want every penny that the brothers and sisters have handed over to be put to proper and good use. A WORD TO HOUSEWIVES Doing the Best to Hand Everything Over while Acting on the Ground of Righteousness Housewives must not offer up their husband's belongings. Neither should they offer up what belongs to their children. They should not be criticized for acting unrighteously. We have to know that God is the master of all things. He does not need anyone to steal or rob. We can only offer up everything that we have a right to dispose of. Before we offer up anything, we have to ask, "Do I own this? Will I cause a problem in my family by offering this?" God does not want us to steal; neither does He want us to rob. Unless our husbands and children are being unreasonable, we should not violate their rights. Not many people in this world have consecrated themselves, and not many riches have been consecrated. This is the reason every consecrated person is precious and treasured by God. Not only is such a one precious; even his children are precious, and every hoof that he owns is precious. The money he consecrates to God is precious. When the Israelites left Egypt, God told them to not go empty-handed, but to take all their belongings with them. They did not leave one hoof behind (Exo. 10:26). A believer should learn to preserve his wealth so that he can offer it to God. God treasures the children of the believers, and He treasures every hoof that belongs to the believers. On the one hand, we should not take anything that does not belong to us, even if it is but a thread or a shoelace. On the other hand, as much as possible we should offer God everything that belongs to us. Whatever we do, we have to stand firm on our ground. Brother Witness said that in the denominations, the number of men falls short of the money offered, but with us the money does not match the number of men. We have the people, but not the money. We do not want there to be any unnecessary disputes in the
family because of our consecration. We do not want the Lord's name to be shamed. We should only consecrate by acting on the ground of righteousness. Jewelry Should Be Sold as Quickly as Possible Concerning the jewelry offered up by sisters, we have to pay special attention to the teaching in Peter's Epistles. He said that it is always wrong for Christian women to have any kind of adornments (1 Pet. 3:3-5). Both male and female alike in the world consider gold more attractive than brass, and pearls and gems more precious than plastic goods in the streets. In the past some of us collected jewelry ourselves, or it was given to us by husbands or relatives. Now we have to sell all the items that are under our disposal. We spent time and money to acquire these objects. Now we have to spend time and effort to dispose of them. In particular, we should deal with our most cherished objects by disposing of them personally. We do not want another sister to buy them. Objects that have been consecrated to God should be sold to unbelievers, not to other Christians. We should be lenient and not criticize others, but we should be strict with ourselves. These things are dragging us down; they are sinking us. How can we place them on other sisters and burden them? The money that we have offered up can be used to print gospel tracts or can be given away to needy saints or the poor. If we do not know how to give it away, the church can prescribe certain instructions on a slip of paper and you can send the money accordingly. It is all right to ask others to forward money for you, but the church will not do this for you. This makes it clear where your money has gone. All jewelry should be disposed of as soon as possible.
The Principle of Owning Things Anything that you do not have complete ownership of does not necessarily have to be handed over. These items are the property of your husband or your family members. Household decorations and ornaments can be retained as long as they are tasteful and not too extravagant. Follow the principle of keeping what is practical. It is all right to keep things that are reasonable and tasteful, but it is wrong to go beyond this principle. Objects like ivory antiques should not be kept for display in the house. These things do not have any practical value. We have to carefully consider what we want to buy. It may be better to use the money to print or purchase gospel tracts instead. A certain brother loved to collect ivory antiques before he was saved. He loved them so much that he would sleep with them. Others talk to their wives before going to bed; this brother looked at his
antiques before going to bed. He loved his wife, but that love could not match his love for his antiques. Every night he looked at his antiques until midnight. When he woke up he fondled them for another two or three hours. But thank God, the Lord saved him. After he was delivered from these things, he declared, "The Lord has taken away my love for ivory antiques. These objects are beautiful, but the Lord has saved me. What a release it is to be delivered from these antiques!" I hope that no useless, valuable objects would be found in a Christian's home. If we have the financial means, we can buy something practical and tasteful, but a Christian should not collect expensive antiques in his home. A sister consecrated her piano, and two other sisters consecrated their sewing machines. The piano can be stored in the meeting hall; we can use it at a later date. The sewing machines can also be stored in the meeting hall. In the future we can make them available to the saints. I am not saying that it is wrong to have items such as a piano or sewing machine in the house. But if others do not have them, it is not good for us to have them just for ourselves. When everyone has them, it is quite all right for us to have them. Christians do not practice asceticism; they practice the denial of the self. When all the brothers and sisters have these things, I will have them, but I should not be so impatient that I must have them immediately. Dealing with the Lust for Shopping The greatest temptation facing housewives is shopping or the habit of shopping. Some objects are acquired only because the eyes need them. They are good to look at, but the husband and family have no need of them, even though the eyes have need of them. The more she buys, the more closet and drawer space she needs. Eventually, she runs out of space for the things she needs; all the spaces are filled with objects that only satisfy the lust of the eyes. One sister bought a bed sheet which she did not use for four or five years. She bought a dozen stockings which she kept unused in her closet for a year. This puts money in a dead place. A housewife must overcome the lust of shopping. Otherwise, she will want to buy what she likes when there is some money in her pocket. This is a buying lust. She buys something only for the purpose of looking at it. This is the lust of the eyes. She has to overcome this. When she stands in front of a department store with money in her pocket, she should ask, "Am I about to buy something practical and useful, or is it only for display?" A Christian should always reject the lust of buying. Except for meeting some immediate need, we should not buy anything too quickly.
Cutting Our Expenses for the Gospel's Sake The housewives should discuss with their husbands how much they should spend a month and how much pocket money should be set aside. After taking care of the normal expenses, all excess should be saved and offered up. This does not mean that a housewife has to lower the quality of the food. It means that she should save what can be saved in order to offer it to the Lord. She should not neglect proper nutrition for her husband and children. If she has too many garments, she should sell some. Any dress that is too nice should be sold. She should not live in rags, but neither should she be overly adorned. A housewife always should have a seasonal clean-up. She should consider how much can be saved and how much can be given away. It is best to designate a specific amount of offering for the gospel each month.
THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL HINGING ON CONSECRATION I hope that in handing ourselves over and in our consecration, we will not fail in any area this time. Consecration cannot fail. Once it fails, the gospel stops. In order to maintain the impact and power of the gospel, our consecration cannot stop. Today all Christians admire the power of the early church and the early apostles, but they have forgotten the consecration of these people. The power of the gospel comes from consecration. I hope that we will all remember this. May the gospel never lose its power in us. The assembly in Hankow has had problems for a long time because the brothers and sisters were not thorough in their consecration. During the past two months there has been a revival, and ninety people have been baptized. The underlying reason for this change is that some saints have begun to hand themselves over. If a man does not hand himself over, he cannot love the Lord or the brothers and sisters, much less sinners. Under such circumstances, the gospel surely will not go out. Many people cannot love the Lord and cannot love sinners because their love is for their treasure. Where our treasure is, there is our love as well. The greatest secret to loving the Lord is storing up one's treasure in heaven. Spontaneously, we will love the Lord. I hope that we will wrap our heart around our treasure and send both to the Lord. THE PRINCIPLE OF DEALING WITH ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN HANDED OVER
During the past three years, we practiced a particular principle in Chefoo, Shanghai, Nanking, Foochow, Hangchow, and Tsingtao in regards to the things handed over to the church. The brothers who bear special responsibility before the Lord should first let the brothers and sisters know that they should not hand themselves over foolishly. We should let them know where the consecrated items are being sent. From the first day we practiced handing over in China until this very moment, none of the co-workers has had the right to touch any of the consecrated goods of the brothers and sisters. We cannot use one penny of this money. The co-workers must, as Paul said, exercise foresight for what is honorable (2 Cor. 8:21). The money from the brothers' and sisters' consecration should be given to poor saints, local or otherwise, or it can be used for the propagation of the gospel. Let us make this solemn declaration again: No co-worker has permission to touch a penny of this money. This word should be unnecessary in the first place. If a person is truly consecrated, he has no problem in this area. But I want to clarify this matter for the sake of helping some brothers and sisters understand our practice. Being Absolute in Our Practice In handing themselves over, the brothers and sisters have to learn to do it in an absolute way. If we keep back anything or if we are not absolute in any way, we will not have the joy. Handing oneself over releases the burden that is upon us. If we only hand over half of what we have, we will still have half the burden on us. Even if we hand over ninety percent, we will still have ten percent of the burden on us. We will only be happy when we hand over everything.
Coordinating Together to Make the Gospel Our Primary Occupation Preaching the gospel is the basic and primary occupation of the church. This is the reason the Lord requires His church to forsake everything for the gospel (cf. Mark 8:34-35; 10:29). Our primary occupation is preaching the gospel; we do not preach the gospel "on the side." Perhaps some among us had great ambitions to be prominent, to be famous industrialists, musicians, engineers, or doctors before they were saved and before they handed themselves over. Now that they have handed themselves over, their ambition has to change. From now on they have to strive to please the Lord (2 Cor. 5:9). This does not mean that they can no longer be a doctor, engineer, or musician, but it does mean that they should
be satisfied with just food, clothing, and a dwelling. The gospel is our proper occupation. All other works are sidelines. We do not seek promotions in this world as far as our position or profession is concerned. We are here to promote the gospel. We should have an occupation on the side because both the Bible and the government say that we should work. Nevertheless, the gospel should always remain our primary occupation. Everything should be for the gospel. The first thing we should consider when we interview for a job is not how much it pays, but whether or not this work will profit the gospel. If it does, we should take it even if it means accepting a lower position. If we work in a place and can only make a hundred dollars a month, other families will make up any lack. The gospel is not an individual enterprise. We must work in coordination. In the future the responsible brothers have to take the initiative to fellowship with the brothers and sisters about their schools and occupations. In the past we paid attention to what profited the individual the most. We paid attention to remuneration; now we must pay attention to coordination. The brothers and sisters have to fellowship with the church about all their moves. We should make the gospel our primary occupation. We should not preach the gospel haphazardly. Instead, we should preach resolutely, systematically, and deliberately. Wherever we are, we have to make the gospel our top priority. I must repeat that consecration is not a matter of handing over some material possessions. We expect all the brothers and sisters to put their occupation, time, future, schooling, and place of residence under the direction of the gospel. We should pay any price to do what is profitable for the gospel. Presently, Shanghai is preparing to send a hundred brothers to Nanchang. About two hundred families have already moved to Yi-Yang. This is like moving a whole church to a new place for the gospel. It is easy to speak of, but once one gets into the matter, he will discover all the difficulties that must be faced. How many people should be moved? How much do they need? How many dwellings should be prepared? All of these require careful consideration. This is not a work that eight or ten people can accomplish. In Yi-Yang the gospel has spread to over ten counties. If some can migrate to Nanchang, I believe God will greatly bless us and will add groups of people to us. We have been in Hong Kong for decades. What is our condition compared to YiYang? The brothers and sisters in Hong Kong may be more eloquent in preaching, but the brothers and sisters in Yi-Yang have the increase; they know
what they are doing. All who have migrated to Yi-Yang have uprooted themselves from their background; they have handed over everything and have relocated in an absolute way. I hope that none will misunderstand us. When we say that we should hand our possessions over, we are only touching the negative side of the matter. This is just a basic and fundamental requirement. Our real goal is to coordinate with others. If we have no heart to hand ourselves over for the coordination, we can continue to be rich while others remain poor. May the Lord grant the church in Hong Kong the grace to give itself to the gospel in an absolute way. This is the meaning of Philippians 1:27, which speaks of striving together with one soul with the faith of the gospel. This is what many other places have done. If we are desperate every day, a great part of China will be evangelized within a year. In a few years, we can spread the gospel to other parts of the world. The situation in Nanking is very good at present. The opportunity for the gospel is unprecedented. Although many people have left, many others have been added. Not only have the original ones handed themselves over; even the new ones have handed themselves over. They are asking for the regions outside and around Nanking be given to them as well. I know you receive news here: The number of attendants in every locality is increasing in multiples, not simply percentages. When some move away, more are added. THE WAY BEING TO HAND ONESELF OVER ABSOLUTELY I hope that Hong Kong can be absolute in this matter this time. Once it becomes absolute, it can spread the gospel to the southern part of China and move out to southeast Asia. We hope that everyone would be for the gospel, including those who have a job, who are in school, and who are working at home as housewives. No brother or sister should be a spectator or a bystander. Everyone should jump off the diving board. If the more mature and advanced ones take the absolute way, the ones who have a heart to serve will follow. The deeper we prepare the channel, the more the water will flow. The more violent, absolute, and strict we are, the more others will want to serve the Lord in sincerity. The more convenience we give others, the less they will come. Either we should not do this at all, or we should do it in an absolute way. The most foolish thing to be is a halfhearted Christian. The Lord's intention is different from our thoughts. We care for our money; our eyes are always on our money. This is the reason we cannot be happy Christians.