PERFECTING SAINTS AS SEEDS AND PILLARS
Scripture Reading: Gen. 1:11; Mark 3:26; 1 Kings 7:13-22; Rev. 3:12
I. The Lord’s recovery is spreading, but the rate of the expansion of the Lord’s recovery depends upon the pillars; I believe there will be churches in all the major cities of all the leading countries on earth; for this, there is the need of the pillars; the lord has done how many things through these pillars who have been perfected! Do you think how many things He will do if the Lord can get another one hundred pillars? Therefore, we desperate need to perfect more and more people to become pillars for the spreading of Lord’s recovery on the earth, for the building up of the body of the Christ—Eph. 4:12.
II. The seeds and pillars are suitable for being perfected—Gen. 1:11; Mark 3:26; 1 Kings 7:13-22:
A. The seeds not only refer to the saint who can let the life of God sow in him, but also let the life sprout, grow up, bear fruit, mature and harvest in him—Gen. 1:11; Mark 3:26.
When children are saved, they become our young brothers and sisters we continue to lead and perfect them. After they graduate from primary school, they become seeds of the gospel in junior high school and bring people to be saved. When they enter into high school, they again become seeds of the gospel. During their three years of high school, they could bring three times as many people to salvation. When these young saints finish high school and enter college, they are seeds of the gospel in their college. In this way, the number of people saved is continually multiplied. This is truly a great thing. Not only so, through six years of primary school, three years of junior high school, three years of high school, and four years of college, in all, they will receive a total of sixteen years of spiritual education and cultivation. While they will receive sixteen years of secular education, they will also receive sixteen years of spiritual cultivation in the church. The life sprout, grow up, bear fruit, mature and harvest in them. How valuable this is! (Raising Up the Next Generation for the Church Life, Part Four, lsn. 10)
B. Generally speaking, the pillar is the artifacts which support the whole building; spiritually speaking, the pillar is the saint who supports the whole building, bears the testimony and responsibility in God’s house—1 Kings 7:15-16, 21:
1 Kings 7:21 And he erected the a pillars at the portico of the temple. When he erected the right pillar, he called its name Jachin; and when he erected the left pillar, he called its name Boaz. In front of the temple were two pillars which said, “God shall establish,” and, “In it is strength.” These two pillars declare to the whole universe, including mankind, Satan, and all the fallen angels, that the Lord establishes and that strength is in the building. It reveals clearly, the building of God’s house all depends on the pillar. How can you tell that someone has become a pillar? In the church life we realize that if certain brothers are taken away, everything collapses, but if they are present, they are pillars supporting the whole building. The Lord is not concerned about those who are offended; He cares for those who will become pillars.
According to 1 Kings 7:15, Hiram “fashioned two pillars”. In the Bible, the number two is the number of testimony. These two pillars stood in front of the temple as a testimony. The thought concerning the pillar in the book of Genesis is that of testimony. when Jacob set up the pillar in chapter twenty-eight, his concept was also that of a testimony. Therefore, the pillar is the people who can take the testimony in God’s temple.
On the top of each of the pillars was a capital five cubits in height. The capitals were the top coverings of the pillars. The fact that each capital was five cubits in height and not six or seven cubits is significant. As we have pointed out several times, in the Bible the number five denotes responsibility. Consider your hand: the four fingers and the thumb are for bearing responsibility. If we had just four fingers, we could not bear responsibility in a proper way. This showed us that the pillars are the people who bear the burden and responsibility in the family, in the church, and in the ministry. (Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 82-83)
C. We need to have enough prayer and seek before the Lord, may the Lord prepare the suitable seed, and give us spiritual sight, to know what kind of person is suitable for be perfected to become pillar.
In 1962, Witness Lee came to America, he prayed for one hundred days before the Lord for the expansion of the Lord’s recovery in America, may the Lord prepare the suitable seed, and the pillar who can take the responsibility in America in the future forty years. And then, Brother Lee went to visit and seek from place to place, nearly three years, he almost went around all over the United States, and had the harvest in every place; less than two years, there were many people were reaped, some of them became the pillars of the Churches afterwards.
D. The people are suitable for being perfected to be the pillars need to have spiritual wisdom, is zealous to the Lord, has good quality and can coordinate with others.
III. Perfecting the seed need to take the way of level-education to perfect in multi-level:
A. The need of education on various levels:
If we want everyone to function by preaching the truth for this kind of multiplication, then we must provide them an education on various levels. Only in this way can we raise up those who can preach the truth. Then in the Lord’s Day morning meetings there will be no fear of having no one to give a message for the ministry of the word. If the elders take the lead to preach the Lord’s word, then the saints will have a pattern to follow. When the saints see such a pattern, they will also go out to speak to others. Once this kind of atmosphere is started, the result will be that all the saints will be able to preach the Lord’s word to those who are outside the church. Whether by proclaiming Christ, by expounding the Holy Scriptures, or by releasing the truth, after three to five years, their preaching will be able to cover all the districts in their locality. This is the Lord’s way. (Speak for God, msg. 6)
B. The need of all kinds of educational courses:
The problem today is that our knowledge of the truth is not sufficient and that we do not know how to introduce the truth to people. People who have been to Hong Kong know that the merchants selling precious stones there bring out their expensive jewelry to show to the customer, and when the customer’s heart is touched, he naturally pays a high price to buy it. We Christians often are very foolish because we do not know how to bring out the treasures in the Bible to show to people. We have plenty of treasures at home, but we do not know how to bring them out. This is due to our lack in our daily pursuing and being equipped.
For this reason we definitely have to schedule all kinds of educational courses in the church meetings to teach the brothers and sisters so that they may be built up in the truth. For a country to be strong, it must provide widespread education, and its citizens must be highly educated. In this way the country will naturally be strong. If we have education as a base, it will not be difficult to do anything. We are for the testimony of the Lord, but if we are not strong in the truth, then without that base, whatever we speak to others will be in vain. Conversely, if we have been equipped with the truth, then whatever we speak will benefit others. (Speak for God, msg. 7)
C. The need to prepare the proper material:
Co-workers and the elders must carefully select the proper material for the home meetings. We need to spend an adequate amount of time to pray thoroughly, to observe the condition of the brothers and sisters, and to understand the need of all the homes and the groups. We need to know their conditions, and then we should search out the suitable material from our publications. A mother, in preparing a meal for the family, should consider the condition of all the members of the family. Sometimes one member of the family is sick, and she needs to prepare special food for that one. Sometimes the season changes, and she needs to shop for the proper kind of food. All this takes research as well as common knowledge. Once we gain some new ones, we need to study to find the way to take care of them. It is not good to feed people too much food; we need to give them the proper portions. In Hebrews 5:12-14 Paul mentioned two kinds of food: milk and solid food. We should not attempt to nourish a child with solid food. Hence, we need someone to labor in order to write some suitable materials for the group meetings that will nourish the new ones with milk. (Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, msg. 4)
D. The need to be in a sequential way:
The human educational research has worked out a system of six years of elementary school, six years of high school, and four years of college, with a set curriculum every year. A person proceeding through this curriculum in a sequential way will definitely graduate from college after sixteen years and will have systematically assimilated the general knowledge prevalent in the human race. However, we have been speaking to you under this roof for these thirty-seven years, mostly according to inspiration and not in a systematic way. Therefore, although you have been listening to this day, you still cannot utter one sentence if I were to ask you to speak on justification by faith. This may be compared to listening to mathematics for thirty-seven years and, even though you know that three plus two is five, when you are asked to go teach others, you do not know how. Therefore, concerning the perfecting of others, we need to lead them in a sequential way. (Raising Up to Preach the Gospel, msg. 7)
E. The need to distribute food at the proper time:
Matthew 24:45 says that the faithful and prudent slave distributes food to God’s children at the proper time. The meaning of distributing food to God’s children at the proper time is profound. It does not mean merely to distribute food according to the seasons but to distribute different kinds of food according to the varying needs. This is something that requires time and research. Suppose we meet a new one, and without any regard for his condition we begin to share with him about the seventy weeks in Daniel. It is true that we are speaking God’s word, but that kind of “distributing of food” does not nourish him. Instead, it kills him. God’s word is life, but if we do not use it in a proper way, it becomes a killing factor to others. It can spoil a person’s appetite; the taste to come to the meeting will be spoiled because what he has heard has not benefited him. I may have exaggerated a little, but I want us to see the absolute necessity of preparing the right kind of reading material for different meetings. This is in the principle of distributing food according to the proper time. The advancement of the various kinds of meetings hinges on this very matter. Whether or not a meeting brings profit to a person, attracts him, or stirs up the desire within him to join depends fully on this matter. (Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord’s Recovery, Book 1: The Vision and Definite Steps for the Practice of the New Way, msg. 11)
IV. The perfecting of the New Testament Ministry—Seven Feasts training and video training:
After World War II, due to the worldwide economic prosperity, the ease of transportation, and the improvement in communication media, we have been enjoying a greater convenience than before in transmitting information. Formerly, it took half a day to make an overseas phone call, but now through the international long distance telephone, in a short time we can have a thorough discussion of affairs among a number of overseas churches. In the past, when Brother Nee released messages, there were no microphones, nor any tape recordings. The messages were recorded in shorthand, which often was not perfect. Today, we have both audio-tape and video-tape recordings; all the messages can be conveniently preserved. In 1958, I began to visit the western world. Although for the most part I have worked in the United States, through the publications, audio tapes, and video tapes, the messages in the Lord’s recovery have been spread to the six continents of the earth. Many seeking ones in different countries have received supplies of these publications, audio tapes, and video tapes.
The raising up of the church in each place was mainly through the issuing of publications and the distribution of audio and video tapes, not through the co-workers’ going out to work. The video tapes, at present, are the most practical. In Mexico, we have eight or nine video stations. Through the release of the messages station by station, about twenty churches have been raised up. Although the Spanish-speaking saints also emphasize publications, unfortunately the Spanish translation work is still falling behind due to the limitation of time and manpower. they all have to admit that even in such a vast Christian country as the United States, people are suffering spiritual famine. The Lord’s recovery has been able to spread overseas mainly because of the truth. Besides the churches in the Far East, the raising up of over five hundred other churches has been for the most part due to the issuing of publications, audio tapes, and video tapes in the Lord’s recovery.
Today, the Lord’s speaking is clearly in His recovery. The saved ones in every place and many who are hungry for the Lord desire the truth and the understanding of the Bible. Therefore, when our publications went into places such as North and South Africa, and Central and South America, those who pursue the truth were eager to receive them. The greatest need now is for the ministry station to quickly put out the publications, audio tapes, and video tapes. The audio and video tapes are being used extensively, and the results they produce are also very significant.
In the Lord’s new move in the churches, we need the home meetings, the truth lessons, the Lord’s table, the prayer meeting, and we also need big meetings periodically to gather all the new ones together to make them so living and equipped to bear more burden for the Lord. For the long run, they also need to be gathered together for a conference with all of the saints. This kind of gathering stirs up and encourages the saints. This opens the eyes of the seeking ones to see something further. Otherwise, they will remain in their homes, and they will not receive a broader view of the Lord’s move. (Elders’ Training, Book 09: The Eldership and the God-Ordained Way (1), ch. 1)
Seven Feasts training of Lord’s recovery is the Lord’s speaking in this age, to help all the saints enter into, pursuit and enjoy the ministry words together, to be constituted by the words of the Lord; to keep all the saints in the unique flow, be perfected in the unique ministry of the New Testament. Seven Feasts are the International Chinese Speaking Conference, International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones (Spring), Memorial Day Conference, Summer Training, International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones (Fall) and Thanksgiving Conference and Winter Training.
International Chinese Speaking Conference.2016
International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones (Spring).2016
International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones (Fall).2015
V. We need to perfect the saints to become the pillar in the aspects as follows:
A. We need to have the proper perfecting of the saints in aspects of the vision in this age, the body of Christ, the truth, the life, character, will, language, serving, and so on, so that they may be the living, proper, function members of the body of Christ for building up the organic body of Christ.
B. The principle of the perfecting:
1. Giving people the vision, the revelation, tell people why to serve.
2. Bring people to have a promise: if people respond and have a will to serve, this means Consecration.
3. Hand over the serving to people actually.
4. Giving people training, the training is not speaking theology, but train him do what you can do.
5. Giving people supply all the time, that is encouragement and strengthen.
6. Your need to supervise, follow-up, and take care of him.
7. You need to affirm, identify with his ministry, and give proper reward.(How to Perfect People, msg. 3)
C. Our perfecting to people can against his original concept and nature, to have special perfecting according to people’s different demands:
1. In the perfecting of his nature, perfect him through against his nature. For example, to soft person, we need to help him call on the name of Lord loudly, to strength his spirit; to the people who does things quickly, put him with the slow man, or distribute him the things which need to take time, to help him slow down.
2. In the perfecting of his original concept, help him learn the lesson through against his concept. For example, Brother Watchman Nee made his co-workers plant the tree pour down, as a result, only Brother Witness Lee did as he said, so it help the co-workers learn the lesson concerning submission and didn’t do things according to their own concept.
D. The method of perfecting: feeding mouth-to-mouth and teaching face-to-face:
If the co-workers and elders are such people and if every one of them would feed and perfect others in this way, the ones perfected by them will eventually do the same work. Because the saints under their care and because they enjoy and experience this work of grace, spontaneously they will give themselves to join in this work of grace which they enjoy. At the same time, the expression of love which flows out from the serving ones will become the example for the ones served. When a mother loves her child, the love expresses itself spontaneously in her living and becomes an example to the child. If the elders and co-workers would love the saints like a mother who loves her child and would render a loving, willing service to them, feeding them mouth-to-mouth and teaching them face-to-face, then when the saints are perfected, they will be just like the co-workers and elders; every one of them will be able to do the work that the co-workers and elders do.
The meetings with only one speaking and all rest listening do not have the mouth-to-mouth feeding or the face-to-face teaching. This is why these meetings cannot perfect people and do not produce spiritual descendants. Now the new way has replaced the old way. The purpose for this change is that all the saints may be perfected and that they all may become useful persons. (A Timely Trumpeting and the Present Need, msg. 4)
E. Perfecting pattern-the perfecting of Brother Watchman Nee to Brother Witness Lee:
1. The perfecting in life.
2. The perfecting in vision.
3. The training in suddenly.
4. Relinquishing our hold,letting others serve, and overseeing.
5. Being perfected in the literature work:
Collected Works of Witness Lee, Vol.1, Message 5
F. The perfecting to all ages:
1. The perfecting of children:
Our work for the Lord should have a long-term view. Six years go by very quickly; soon the children in first grade will be young brothers and sisters. When they enter junior high school, we can preach the gospel to their classmates in junior high. When they enter high school, we can lead many of their classmates to be saved. When they enter college, they will be gospel seeds. In this way the young people will multiply year after year. The benefit from this will be very great. Hence, I am pleading with the elders and the co-workers to promote the children’s work, to lead all the brothers and sisters to take part. (CWWL, 1967, vol. 1: “Serving in Coordination and Washing in Love”, ch. 12)
Perfecting testimony: Children character-Building Class of the Church in Taoyuan Summer
2. The perfecting of teenagers:
The future of God’s work and testimony is not main depend on older, but on the teenager. Therefore, we must have insight to spent time perfecting teenager to make them become the pillars who will bear the testimony in the future. (CWWL, 1967, vol. 1, “Enjoying the Lord in His Word by Pray-Reading for the Building Up of the Church in Oneness”, ch. 10)
Perfecting testimony: The teenager summer truth school of churches in the East of America
3. The perfecting of colleges:
We must also see that all the persons who were called by God to carry out His up-to-date move were young men. The Lord raised up Martin Luther during the reformation to bring mankind out of the dark ages. Martin Luther was young when he was called and dealt with by the Lord. Zinzendorf was a young man when he was caught by the Lord as was John Nelson Darby, the leader of the Brethren assemblies. John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield were also young men when they were called by the Lord. Missionaries that the Lord used in church history to gospelize the world, such as Hudson Taylor, William Carey, and David Livingstone, were called by the Lord when they were young. Today, we must go to the campus to get the college students. (A Young Man in God’s Plan)
Perfecting testimony: New Jersey Chinese Speaking Student Perfect Training, 2015
4. The perfecting of working saints:
Every church must go to the young people. In any field the future is with the young people. If an industry or a school does not gain young people, that industry or school has no future. This generation is the generation of the young people. Furthermore, nearly every work that the young people were called by God to do was a work that turned the age. …For the carrying out of all these works of great consequences, God always called young men. (How to Lead the Young People)
Perfecting testimony: The importance of Working Saints in the Lord’s Recovery
G. The perfecting of God’s ordained way:
1. The perfecting of gospel:
The first thing we need to practice in the God-ordained way for the New Testament service is the preaching of the gospel. We preach the gospel to get sinners saved, to bring them to the Lord. The goal of saving sinners is to build up the Body of Christ.
Perfecting testimony: Raleish weekend Training exercise to preach gospel
2. The perfecting of shepherding in home:
In the Lord’s recovery in the past, even though we led many people to the Lord, but there were few remain. The Lord teach us an crucial step, we all must learn what we should do to bear remained fruit. If we love the Lord, we must feed His lambs, the little ones, the small ones, the young sheep. To bear fruit is to multiply or produce the lambs. But after producing the lambs, we still have to bear the responsibility to feed the lambs.
Perfecting testimony: The shepherding perfecting of Taipei Church
3. The Perfecting of small groups:
The group meetings are the life line of the God-ordained way. As long as we have not touched the group meetings, we have hardly begun to practice the God-ordained way.
Perfecting testimony: Begetting and Shepherding Training of Small Group in Gaoxiong
4. The Perfecting of district (prophesy) building:
The best way to build up the church is prophesy, that is to speak for Christ, speak out Christ, and supply and dispense Christ into people. One people speak and the others listen is a form of prophesy, but this is wrong. The right way is practiced by everyone participate in the church meeting.
Perfecting testimony: America inland churches perfecting meeting for prophesy
H. Perfecting training in home:
The training and practice of corporate life in Home is to do the twelve practice in home for the new believers, and build a corporate life in home which have vital, have new believers and direction through forming vital group and warning service; not only union the brothers and sisters with the new believers, which build the new believers into the corporate life in home, but also put the new believers as the vital partner, to make them the same with us, do what we can do, and be perfected as the pillar to build up the church.
Perfecting testimony: The United States of California Valley churches Perfecting training in Home
I. The proper perfecting materials:
1. Perfecting Training—Some particular diagnosis, some particular medication, and some particular healing to perfect saints grow in life continually and healthy, so that they can function properly.
2. Pattern of the healthy words—The saints of the church need to be perfected on the pattern of the healthy words about God’s economy, to take the commission in Lord’s move; and have the organic function in the Body of Christ.
3. Perfecting Training—God’s ordained way—Perfecting believers to see and practice the God’s ordained way, that is, begetting, shepherding, teaching, building (gospel, home, group and district), to live a right life, do right work and walk on the right way, and to accomplish the purpose of God.
VI. The perfecting of two years full-time training:
“If the return of the Lord should be delayed, it will be necessary to raise up a number of young people to continue the testimony and the work for the following generations. …My thought is not to establish a seminary or a Bible institute, but to have young people staying together to live the Body life and practice the spiritual life. In such a place they would receive training for the purpose of edification, by learning to read the Scripture, to pray, and to build up a good character. On the negative side, there would be training for the purpose of learning how to deal with sin, the world, the flesh, and the natural life. At a suitable time, the young people would return to their respective churches in various places to be tempered together with other saints to serve the Lord in the church.”–Brother Watchman Nee (CWWN, set 2, vol. 26, Collection of Newsletters (2) & Watchman Nee’s Testimony, ch. 8)
Perfecting testimony: 1) The Introduction of Full-time Training in Anaheim (FTTA), America
2) The Introduction of Full-time Training in Taiwan
