SPIRITUAL LIFE AND DAILY LIFE

Message Three
Spiritual Life—­­Children and Companions

Scripture Reading:

Eph. 6:4            And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but nurture them in the discipline and admonition of the Lord.

Mark 6:7           And He called the twelve to Him and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.

John 13:34-35   A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

Ministry Excerpts:

CHILDREN

Sanctifying Oneself for the Sake of the Children

Every parent must remember that his actions will be repeated in his children; his actions will not stop with him. When you do not have children, you can do whatever you like when you are happy and give up and forget about everything when you are unhappy. But once you have children, you have to restrict yourself. You have to act according to the highest standard of conduct whether you like it or not. The whole life of Christian children depends on the behavior of their parents.

Both Parents Being of One Mind

Whenever children get into trouble, the parents must exercise themselves to be of one mind. They must have the same mind before their children. Whatever the children ask, the husband’s first answer should be, “Have you checked with your mother? What did she say? If your mother says yes, you can do it.” If you are the wife and your children ask for something, you first should answer, “Have you checked with your father? Whatever he says, I will say the same.” Whether or not the other person is right is a different story. You must maintain the same stand. If there is any dispute, both of you must go into your room to discuss it. Do not open a loophole for them. They will become loose once there are loopholes. Children always like to look for loopholes. If the husband sees a fault in the wife or vice versa, any question as to why something was said to the children must be asked behind closed doors. It is important to clarify any disagreement, but you must not allow your children to find loopholes in you. If the parents are of one mind, it will be very easy to lead the children to the Lord.

Nurturing Children in the Discipline
and Admonition of the Lord

You must nurture your children in the discipline and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). We need to help children to have proper aspirations, not encourage the pride of children, teach children to accept defeat and to learn humility, teach children to choose, and teach children to manage things.

Leading the Children to the Knowledge of the Lord

We must lead them to the knowledge of the Lord. A family altar is indeed necessary. In the Old Testament the tabernacle was linked to the altar. In other words the family is linked to service and consecration to God. No family can go on without prayer and the reading of the Word. This is especially true with families that have children.

The Matter of Punishment

“He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him  a chastens him early.”(Prov. 13:24) When a child has done something wrong, he or she must be punished. It is wrong not to punish. Do not lose your temper, and do not beat in anger. No one may beat their children in anger. Something is wrong with you when you are angry. Brothers and sisters, when your children do something wrong, and you beat them in your anger, you should realize that you also should be beaten. You must calm down first before God. As long as you are angry, you cannot chastise anyone. This is the Lord’s discipline; it is not the discipline of your temper. It is the Lord’s admonition, not the admonition of your temper. I do not stand with the temper of any parent. The temper of the parents will ruin the future of their children. The parents must learn to have true punishment for their children. But, at the same time, they must also learn to love. This is the proper way to have a Christian family. (Messages for Building Up New Believers (2), msg. 33)

COMPANIONS

A serving one must have companions. Caleb and Joshua and Daniel with his three friends are examples of companions in the Old Testament. They were good companions. In the New Testament the Lord sent His disciples out in twos (Mark 6:7). In Acts the Lord sent Paul and Barnabas out (13:2). This does not mean that companionship involves only two. The Bible speaks of “two or three witnesses” (Matt. 18:16). When the Lord was transfigured on the mountain, He took three persons with Him: Peter, James, and John (17:1-2). Hence, three is better than two. When two people are together, they can help each other. However, when an argument arises between them, they need a third person to mediate and serve as a buffer. Hence, in serving the Lord it is best to have three in company together, but at least there should be two.

As we look for companions, we should guard against natural affection and the flesh. Leviticus 2:11 says that the meal offering should not contain leaven or honey. Honey is purer than leaven, but it still ferments. According to typology, honey denotes our natural affection. We need to have companions, but our natural affection should not be involved. The sisters should pay particular attention to this point. They should guard against the development of natural affection, or friendships.

There is no spiritual companionship that is life-long. We should not expect our companions to go wherever we go simply because they are our companions. When I was in mainland China, I had a group of companions. When I went to Taiwan, I had another group of companions. Later I went to America, and I had yet another group of companions. Christ has only one Body. Wherever we go, we should live in the Body. Hence, for the sake of our protection and benefit, we need to have two or three companions to support and help us and whom we support and help. This is especially true for single sisters. It is very dangerous for them to serve alone. They need companions even more in order to be balanced and protected. (The Vision, Living and Work of the Lord’s Serving One, msg. 18)

Loving One Another
among the Companions in the Same Country

If we do not have such a concern, it is difficult to serve the Lord. We may be able to administrate the church in an orderly manner, but there is no building up in our administration. We may also be able to give messages, but the saints will not be built up. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Cor. 8:1). However, this does not mean that we should give messages on loving one another; rather, we must be dealt with and built up by the Lord. Then we will be concerned about others and love them.

We should not think that it is a loss to care for those who serve with us. Even if we incur a loss, it is glorious. One who cares only for himself is quite poor; the poorest person is one who cares for himself the most. On the contrary, one who learns to care for others is rich. If we care for others and bear their burdens, we are rich. We should not bear merely our own burden. We should learn to also bear the burdens of others. By the Lord’s mercy we should be able to testify that the more we bear others’ burdens, the more the Lord bears our burdens and strengthens us. We should not be ones who serve the Lord without caring for those who serve with us. If we care for those who serve with us, our ministry of the word and our administration of the church will be able to build up the saints. (The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word, msg. 6)

Being One in Soul

Because Paul and Timothy were like-souled, they could experience Christ to the uttermost. However, if we experience Christ only in our spirit and are not one in soul with others who love the Lord and are seeking Him, our experience of Christ will be limited. Those co-workers who were not like-souled with Paul could experience Christ, but not to the extent to which Paul and Timothy experienced Him. (Life-study of Philippians, msg. 15)

Between Sisters

True joining is true love for one another and true building up, which issue in bearing fruit. The apostle Paul says, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1). A building that is built of concrete and steel is sturdy and firm, because the concrete joins the stones, steel, and other materials together. The joining force in the Body of Christ is the love of Christ. Without the joining force of concrete, the materials in a building cannot be sturdy and firm. Likewise, if there are only knowledge and doctrine in the church but not the love of Christ, people will be scattered. The more doctrine we have, the more scattered the believers will be. Knowledge cannot build up; only love builds up. Love can pull together those who are falling away, unite the scattered ones, and cause the backslidden to move forward and the stumbled to stand. Love can join people together. (The Vision, Type, and Practice of the Building Up of the Church, msg. 6)

Between Children

The children’s work has an additional function, which is to gain the families of the children. Children like to make friends. It is particularly easy for children between the ages of six and twelve to make friends, and they listen to their friends. It is therefore easy for a child to lead another child. When the children sing hymns together, the gospel is operating and spreads from one child to another child. Our purpose, however, is not focused only on the children, but even more, through the children, we want to reach their parents and siblings. (Raising Up the Next Generation for the Church Life, Part Four, lsn. 10)