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Scripture Reading: Deut. 12:1-18, 20-21, 26-27; 14:22-23; 16:16-17
Suppose that we have already taken possession of the land. We have entered into it, we have defeated and subdued all the enemies, and we are living in it. Now we must discover what manner of life we should have in the land.
First, we have seen something about the land. The land is good; it is exceedingly good. It is good first in its spaciousness, second in its transcendency, and third in its riches — three items. We have seen the details of its riches: it is rich in waters, in all kinds of food, both vegetable and animal, and in minerals. We have also been greatly occupied with the way to enter and possess the land, from the lamb of the passover through many more experiences of Christ. Now we are in this wonderful land; we are in the all-inclusive Christ. What kind of life should we have in this good land? The book of Deuteronomy deals with this.
By the time Moses, the servant of the Lord, wrote the book of Deuteronomy, everything was ready for the people of Israel to enter into the land. They had the tabernacle with the Ark, they had the priestly service, and they were coordinated and formed into an army. All things were in readiness; the next step was to enter in. But Moses realized that he was not called by the Lord to lead the people into the land. It was he who brought them to this stage of full preparedness, but he himself could not enter into the land with them. The Lord told him that he must leave. At that moment the heart of this servant of the Lord went out in love to the people of the Lord. Moses was very much concerned about their future, especially regarding their life after they took possession of the land. Therefore, with such love and concern, he did his best to instruct them regarding the manner of life they should live after they possessed the land. He was just like an elderly father urging words of wisdom and loving counsel upon his maturing children. His speech to them was full of admonitions to be careful regarding the life they would live in the land promised by the Lord to their fathers; otherwise, they would lose it. This was the burden he discharged to them and recorded in this book.
The book of Deuteronomy precedes the book of Joshua, but the contents of Deuteronomy deal with that which follows Joshua. In the order of the books, it is first, but in the matters with which it deals, it is subsequent. Joshua deals with the possession of the land — crossing the river, fighting the battle, entering the land, and wresting it from the usurping enemy. Deuteronomy, however, deals with the life we should have in the land after it has been possessed. In other words, it shows us the life we should live in order to enjoy what we have possessed. We have entered the land and taken possession of it; now we must learn how to enjoy it and live within it. We must not only know how to take possession of the all-inclusiveness of Christ, but also after possessing Him, how to live a life in the eyes of God that will enable us to enjoy Him. This is the message of the book of Deuteronomy.
What then is the life we need to enjoy the good land? It is a life first of all of laboring on Christ. It is a life of making Christ our industry.
So much is said today about industry. People study many subjects for industry, they go into business for industry, and cities are planned for industry. Practically everything today is for industry. Nations are even competing with each other in the matter of industrial growth. There are many kinds of industries in the world, but we who are the Lord’s people living in the all-inclusive Christ should have one industry — Christ. Christ is our industry. We must labor on Him.
Many today are students of science or engineering. Day by day they are delving into these matters and working on them. They spend many hours of laborious study, experimentation, and even practice in these fields. But please tell me, as a Christian, born of God, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and strengthened daily by resurrection power into your inner man, on what are you laboring? In other words, what is your business?
Wherever I go, I never like to tell people that I am a preacher. It may sound strange, but I feel shameful to make myself known to others in such a way. And I do not like to let people know that I am a so-called minister. It is really difficult for me to tell people my business. Many times when I am traveling by air or by train, someone sits beside me and asks me concerning my occupation. Sometimes I startle them by replying, “I am working on Christ. Christ is my job.” When they ask me what firm I am working for, I sometimes answer, “My firm is Christ Incorporated.” Then they usually ask what I mean by “Christ Incorporated.” I can only tell them that day by day I am working on Christ and that Christ Himself is my very business.
You who are students must realize and experience even while studying that you are working on Christ. Christ is your industry. You who are truck drivers must realize that truck driving is not your real occupation; your real business is Christ; you must be working on Him continually. You who are housewives must know that your real work is not caring for your home and your family but Christ. Are you working on Christ all the time? Are you seeking to enjoy Him and experience Him in every situation?
The life after the possession of the good land is a life of laboring on Christ. It is a life of making Christ our industry and producing Him in mass production. We are working for “Christ Incorporated,” and day by day we are producing Christ. Many farmers are fruit growers and fruit producers. We are Christ growers and Christ producers. We are working diligently day and night on the farm of Christ. Yet we are working happily, and our work is such a rest to us.
Consider the people of Israel after they occupied the good land and all their enemies were subdued. What did they do? They simply labored on the land. They tilled the ground, sowed the seed, watered the plants, nurtured the vines, and pruned the trees. These were all necessary tasks for the enjoyment of that piece of land. It is a picture of how we must work diligently on Christ that we may enjoy His all-inclusive riches. This is our business. Christ is our industry. We must work on Christ to produce His riches. We have seen how rich that good land is in so many aspects, but without laboring on it, how could its riches be brought forth and abundantly produced? To have this rich Christ is one thing, but to continually labor on Him is another.
What about today’s Christianity? Is it rich, or is it poor? We must confess that it is indeed poor. Christ is rich beyond measure, but the church today is groveling in poverty. Why? It is because the Lord’s children today are indolent. They will not exert themselves to labor on Christ. Read the proverbs written by that wise man King Solomon: “How long, sluggard, will you lie there? / When will you arise from your sleep? / A little sleep, a little slumber, / A little folding of the hands to rest, / And your poverty will come upon you like a robber” (Prov. 6:9-11). How is it that America today is so rich? God indeed gave America an exceedingly rich land. But this is not the whole story. Many Americans have worked diligently on this land to produce its riches, to bring forth its abundant wealth. We have to work; we cannot be lazy. What about most Christians today? They are too busy with their worldly industries, and they are too lazy in working on Christ.
We must till our spiritual ground; we must sow the spiritual seed; we must water the spiritual plants — all the time. We cannot rely upon others to do it for us; we must do it ourselves, or it will never be done. Sisters, have you pray-read the Word this morning? Brothers, how many times have you contacted the Lord today? This is the situation. We do not cultivate Christ. We have a very rich land, but we do not work on it, so there is no produce. We are indeed rich in resource but poor in produce.
The Lord told His people that they must come together to worship Him at least three times a year: at the time of the Passover, at the time of Pentecost, and at the Feast of Tabernacles. And He told them that whenever they come together, they should in no wise come with their hands empty. They must bring something in their hands to Him, something of the produce of the good land. If they were lazy and did not work on the land, not only would they be unable to bring anything to the Lord, but they would have nothing to satisfy themselves; they would be hungry.
Brothers and sisters, we must realize that whenever we come to the meetings, whenever we come to worship the Lord, we should not come with our hands empty. We must come with our hands full of the produce of Christ. We have to labor on Christ day by day so that we produce Him in mass production. We need more than just a little of Christ to satisfy our own needs. We must produce enough of Him so that there will be a surplus remaining for others, for the poor and for the needy: “You must open your hand to your brother, to the poor one with you and to the needy one with you in your land” (Deut. 15:11). There must also be a surplus to meet the needs of the priests and the Levites: “This shall be the priests’ rightful due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether an ox or a sheep: They shall give the priest the shoulder...You shall give him the firstfruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your fresh oil, and the first shearing of your sheep” (18:3-4). And above all, the best of the surplus must be reserved for the Lord: “Then to the place where Jehovah your God will choose to cause His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I am commanding you, your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the heave offering of your hand and all your choice vows which you vow to Jehovah” (12:11). When they harvested the field, they were to reserve the firstfruits for the Lord. When the cattle were brought forth, the firstborn were for the Lord. We must labor diligently, not only to bring forth enough to satisfy our own needs but also to acquire a surplus to meet the needs of others, with the best reserved for the Lord. Then we will be acceptable to the Lord, and He will be pleased with us.
This is the life in the good land. It is a life in which we are continually laboring on Christ, in which we are producing Him in a mass way. We are reaping so much of Christ that we are fully satisfied, and beyond that we have a surplus to share with others and to worship God. To worship God with Christ does not mean to worship Him individually but to worship Him collectively with all the children of God by enjoying Christ with one another and with God. When you come, you bring something of Christ. When he comes, he brings something of Christ. Everyone brings a portion of Christ from his laboring on Him, and there is a rich enjoyment of Christ, not only by all the saints but most of all by God, to whom the best is offered.
We have seen briefly our need to work on Christ and make Christ our industry. I believe we are clear regarding this matter, but I am afraid it may be merely a doctrine to many. How can we apply it in a practical way? What must we do to work on Christ daily?
Let me illustrate. Every morning you need to pray, “Lord, I consecrate myself once more to You, not to work for You but to enjoy You.” You must consecrate yourself sincerely to the Lord for the simple purpose of enjoying and experiencing Him — nothing more. From the moment you awake in the morning, you need to say, “Lord, here I am. I give myself to enjoy You. Grant me through the entire day, from this moment on, to experience and apply You in every situation. I am not asking for anything tomorrow. I am asking for grace to enjoy You today. Show me how to till the ground, sow the seed, and water the plants of the Lord.” Moment by moment through the whole day you will maintain your communion with the Lord. You will live practically in the Lord, laboring on Him, applying Him, and enjoying Him. If you do this, consider how fruitful and how beautiful your “farm” will be. The farm of Christ in your daily life will be full of produce. When the Lord’s Day comes, and you go to worship the Lord with the saints, you will be able to say, “I am going now to see my God; I am going to worship my Lord. I will not go with empty hands but with hands full of Christ. I have a surplus, and in my right hand is the best part reserved for my dear Lord.” When you come to the meeting, a brother may approach you, saying, “I am having a certain problem. Could you help me?” You can have a little fellowship with him and pass on some of your surplus of Christ. You can give him a little of the produce from the Christ upon whom you have been laboring, the Christ whom you have been enjoying day by day. You have been abundantly satisfied with Him, and you have something over to share with the brothers and sisters. When the meeting begins, you are well prepared to offer your prayers and praises to the Lord from your reserve for Him. This is the best of your surplus, and with the saints you joyfully render it to the Lord for His enjoyment and satisfaction. You have reaped enough of Christ for yourself, for the needy ones, and for the Lord. You have furthermore put aside a considerable portion that will stand you in good stead in future days.
If we are rich with Christ, we must necessarily be rich with work, rich with industry. In Christ we cannot be lazy. We must let God enjoy Christ with us and at the same time with others. If you do this, I do this, and we all do this, how wonderful the meetings will be when we come together to worship the Lord. I will share with you, and you will share with me. You will give me something of the Lord, and I will give you something in exchange. There will be every kind of sharing and mutual enjoyment. And the Lord will have His full portion.
In the world today there are many exhibitions and fairs. At certain times people from all over certain areas and districts and sometimes from throughout the entire world bring their products together for exhibition. This is just what we are doing when we come together to worship God. We are meeting together to have an exhibition of Christ, not just the Christ whom God gave us but the Christ we have produced, the Christ upon whom we have labored and whom we have experienced. That is the Christ whom we all come together to exhibit. Brothers and sisters, this is what all our meetings should be — an exhibition, a fair, in which all sorts of the produce of Christ are displayed.
Consider again the people of Israel. At the time of the Feast of Tabernacles so many from all over the land came together to their center, Jerusalem. All brought with them some of their produce — some fruit, some vegetables, some cattle, and many other things. If we could be there at that time and witness the occasion, we would marvel at the riches of the land. We would behold the abundance of the produce heaped here and there — beautiful, ripened, and in many colors — with the sheep and the cattle on every hand. Everything was put together and mutually enjoyed in the presence of Jehovah, God too having His own portion.
Brothers and sisters, the church life is simply this. It is all the saints enjoying Christ before God and mutually with God. They are enjoying the Christ they produce. Day by day they are working on Christ; day by day they are producing Christ. Then on a certain day appointed by the Lord they come together. Not only are their hands full, but even upon their shoulders, figuratively speaking, they are bearing Christ. They are rejoicing in the abundance of their harvest and in all the riches they have reaped from that “good land” in which they are living. They are not coming empty-handed with wrinkled and smileless faces. They are not sleeping in the pews while a poor minister occupies the platform. How miserable is this kind of situation! This is certainly not the worship of the Lord’s people. The worship of His people is when everyone is full of Christ, radiant with Christ, and exhibiting the Christ upon whom they have labored and whom they have produced. One brother could say, “Here is the Christ whom I have labored upon and produced today. He is so rich and abundant to me in this aspect and in that aspect.” A sister could testify, “Praise the Lord, I have experienced the very patience and kindness of Christ in my difficult home situation. He is so sweet and real to me in this way.” This is her produce of Christ. Everyone exhibits the Christ whom they have reaped. What a worship to God, what an edification to the saints, and what a shame to the enemy! This kind of meeting is a great embarrassment to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. The evil forces beholding it are put to shame that Christ is such a Christ. Brothers and sisters, do you have meetings like this in your locality?
I fear that the enemy today is laughing, and the wicked forces in the heavenlies are mocking our Christian meetings. But we can turn the tables on them by enjoying the all-inclusive Christ, by laboring diligently on Him day after day, and by bringing our abundant produce of Him together to share with God and with all the saints. If we do this, the enemy and his hosts will tremble with rage and shame.
This is the life after the possession of the good land. It is a life of working on Christ, producing Christ, enjoying Christ, sharing Christ with others, and offering Christ to God that He may enjoy Him with us. This kind of enjoyment and sharing is an exhibition of Christ to the entire universe. It is a worship to God and a shame to the enemy. Every time after such a worship, not one of the Lord’s children will be poor. Everyone will be rich, everyone will be satisfied, and everyone will go from “Jerusalem” rejoicing. At the conclusion of such a meeting all the brothers and sisters will be richly and abundantly nourished. They came with a surplus, and they leave with a greater surplus. Everything of the life in the land is Christ, but it is a Christ related to us. It is not merely an objective Christ but a very subjective Christ. It is a Christ who is labored on by us, a Christ who is produced by us, a Christ who is enjoyed by us, a Christ who is shared with others and offered to God by us.
According to the book of Deuteronomy, there are two ways set forth for enjoying Christ. One could be called the personal, individual way, and the other the collective way. For instance, as far as the grain — the wheat and the barley — was concerned, all the people of Israel at any time and in any place could enjoy it. This is one way of enjoying the produce of the land. But some of the grain could not be enjoyed individually and separately. The tithe and firstfruits of the grain together with the tithes and firstfruits of all their harvest must be preserved and on a certain day brought to the priests chosen by God. They must be brought to the place where God’s habitation was located, the place where He put His name. At that place in the presence of God these things were to be enjoyed together with all the children of God and with God Himself. This was the collective worship.
These two ways applied also to the cattle. If they desired to eat the meat of the flock or of the herd, they could slay the animals in any place and enjoy them. But they could not eat the firstborn; they could not eat the tithe. That must be kept and brought to the priest at the place where the Lord put His name, where the Lord made His habitation, and where the Lord’s children met. On one hand, they could enjoy something of the riches and fullness of the good land in any place. Whenever and wherever they felt the need, they could do so. But on the other hand, there was a portion for which they had no choice and no liberty. They must take it to the place chosen by God to enjoy it together with His children. Thus, there were these two ways: the individual way and the collective way.
Now let us apply these principles. We as Christians may enjoy Christ anytime and anywhere by ourselves. But if we would enjoy Christ in a collective way with the Lord’s children, we have no choice; there is only one place to which we can go. To enjoy Him separately and individually is permissible anywhere — for this we have full liberty. But if we would enjoy Christ with the Lord’s people as worship to God, we must go to the very place chosen by God. This is an extremely vital matter, for it preserves the unity of the Lord’s children.
This principle is entirely contrary to the situation that prevails in today’s Christianity. How much confusion, complication, and division have been created by the violation of it! Consider the children of Israel. For generation after generation, through century after century, there was no division among them, for they had only one center for their worship. No one dared establish another. There was only one location for them to gather, one place for them to worship — the place that Jehovah chose out of all their tribes to put His name and His habitation. In all the land of Israel, Jerusalem was unique. It was the place appointed by the Lord to which all the people must come for collective worship to Him.
Let us read the Word of the Lord:
Deuteronomy 12:5-8: To the place which Jehovah your God will choose out of all your tribes to put His name, to His habitation, shall you seek, and there shall you go. And there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices and your tithes and the heave offering of your hand and your vows and your freewill offerings and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; and there you shall eat before Jehovah your God...You shall not do according to all that we do here today, each man doing all that is right in his own eyes.
When we come into that land, which is the all-inclusive Christ, we can no longer do what is right in our own eyes. We cannot meet with the Lord’s children for corporate worship in the places we choose. We must go to the place that the Lord has chosen, to that one center, that one ground of unity. [Editor’s note: see chapter 4 of Further Talks on the Church Life by Watchman Nee.] How contrary is today’s situation! If there are nine or ten brothers in a certain place, it is so easy for them to say, “Come, let us form a new church.” And if two or three do not agree, they will say, “All right, you go and form your church.” And they will. Just in one locality it is rather difficult to count how many so-called churches there are. In Christianity today everyone acts as if he has the right to choose according to his own desire. The saying is popular and current, “Attend the church of your choice.” I would like to shout at the top of my voice to all the Lord’s children, “You have no choice!” On one hand, you have full liberty to enjoy Christ by yourself wherever you are, but when you gather with the Lord’s children to worship Him, you have lost your liberty. The place where the Lord’s children gather must be the very place appointed by the Lord Himself. We must go to that place.
If you were an Israelite in the Old Testament times, you could not say to David or Solomon, “I am not happy with you. If you worship at Jerusalem, I will go to Bethlehem. I will set up another center of worship at Bethlehem.” But this is just what people are doing today. “We do not want to be where you are. If you are meeting on First Street, we will start a meeting on Second Street.” They even seek to justify what they are doing by quoting Matthew 18:20: “Where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.” They say, “What we are doing is quite scriptural. We are two or three meeting in the name of the Lord, and we are meeting on the ground of Christ.” A few months after beginning this meeting, some brothers in their midst will not feel happy there and will leave to set up yet another meeting. They will say, “If you can set up a meeting on Second Street, we can set up a meeting on Third Street.” What confusion this is! In such a situation there is no limitation, there is no rule, and the divisions will be endless.
We must meet together with the children of God on the common ground of unity. You cannot say that this ground is too legal. We must be legal in such a way. You and I have to be limited by the rule of God. We have no right to set up another center for worship — it will only create a division among the Lord’s children. The only ground we can take and stand upon is the ground of unity. We can enjoy Christ anywhere by ourselves, but we absolutely cannot set up a meeting anywhere to enjoy Christ with other brothers and sisters as worship to God. Not one of us has any right to do this. We must all go to the very place that the Lord has appointed, where He has set His name and where His habitation is. In the whole universe the Lord’s Body, the Lord’s dwelling place, is only one; therefore, in every place there should be only one expression of it. This is a basic rule.
Brothers and sisters, read the book of Deuteronomy. The two rules for enjoying Christ in the land are clearly set forth. One pertains to your own personal enjoyment of the produce of the good land. You can do it anywhere and everywhere, whenever and wherever you please. The other rule is that if you would enjoy the produce of the good land together with the Lord’s people before God as worship, you have no choice, you have no right to follow your own inclinations and do what is right in your eyes. You must give up your own thoughts and say in fear and trembling, “Lord, where is the place that You have chosen? Let me know where You have put Your name, where Your habitation is. I will go there.” There you can enjoy Christ with all of God’s children and with God Himself in His very presence.
If you would do this, I can assure you, you will be most pleasing to God. If otherwise, you will be against Him by increasing the division among His children. You must be exceedingly careful. I beg you to hearken to these words.
Christ is so full, so rich, and so living! We can enjoy Him anytime and all the time. It is not only permissible but proper that we seek to enjoy Him wherever we are. But we must remember the basic and strict rule, that if we would enjoy Him with the Lord’s people before God as worship, we cannot do as we like. We must be in fear and trembling in this matter.
Brothers and sisters, are you meeting now with God’s children in the place that He has appointed, in the place where He has put His name? I would advise you to stop and look to the Lord. Seek the Lord. Ask Him to show you the place He has chosen, and tell Him you will go to that place. This is the right way for us to solve the problem of division among the Lord’s people today. There is no other way. May He be merciful to us.
The life in the land is a life full of the enjoyment of Christ, both personally and collectively with the Lord’s people. May we be diligent to labor on Him, to have our hands filled with Him, and then come to the place that He has appointed, to the very ground of unity, to enjoy this rich and glorious Christ with God’s children and with God Himself.
