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In this universe and in every age God works according to His intention. God’s work seems to be different outwardly in every age; actually, it is absolutely the same in principle inwardly. The Old Testament age and the New Testament age are absolutely different, and God’s work in the two ages is different. However, intrinsically God is the same God in both ages. This may be likened to the fact that the clothes I wore yesterday and the clothes I am wearing today are different, yet I, who wear the clothes, am the same. In every age God is the same God, and the work He does in every age is for the same goal, although the way His works are manifested outwardly is different. Hence, as those who pursue God walk on His way, they should not pay too much attention to the outward manifestation of His work; rather, they should focus on knowing God’s way and God Himself inwardly. It is difficult to say what God’s way of working in every age is, and it is even more difficult to say what the outward manifestation of His work in man and through man is. These matters are entirely controlled by God’s hand and cannot be determined by man.
For example, in the four hundred years that have passed since the Reformation carried out by Martin Luther, God has passed through many people. Surprisingly, however, those whom God has passed through and worked on have had different outward manifestations. There was one kind of manifestation with George Müller, another kind with D. L. Moody, and yet another kind with Charles Spurgeon. Not only have the outward manifestations of God’s work in every person been different, but the outward manifestations of His work in every age also have been different. Therefore, we should not insist that we must do a certain thing in order to touch God’s desire. For example, in China the Lord used Brother John Sung primarily for the gospel. God’s work in him was manifested in a particular way with a particular appearance. Some felt that his work was fruitful and therefore sought to imitate, to copy, his way. In the end, however, that way did not work for them. We all have a certain appearance, yet none of us can guarantee what the children we beget will look like, for their appearance is not under our control. The children we give birth to are not bronze statues, stone sculptures, or wax figures. Only man-made objects, such as bronze statues, stone sculptures, and wax figures, can be alike. The children we give birth to have life and are living.
There are two ways of looking at God’s work throughout the ages. Apparently, the outward manifestation, the outward form, of God’s work is completely different in every age. Intrinsically, however, the principle, way, content, and purpose of God’s work are absolutely one and the same. God worked in Christ, in the apostles, and in the spiritual saints throughout the ages, and He is working in us also. The goal and direction of God’s work are absolutely the same. This is similar to the fact that although we may wear Chinese-style clothing in China, kimonos in Japan, and Western-style clothing in Europe, we, the persons, are unchanged regardless of what we wear outwardly. We are who we are whether we are in China, in Japan, or in Europe. Likewise, what God did in Job, David, John, Martin Luther, and George Müller was outwardly different but inwardly the same. Throughout the ages God has never changed His work.
Whether in the Old Testament age or the New Testament age, in China or abroad, at present or in the future, the outward manifestation of God’s work may be diverse, but there is only one content within. Because we have received such a revelation from the Bible, we have no desire to imitate others in their outward forms, nor do we want the churches to imitate one another in outward form. God’s work is manifested in the church in Taipei in one way, in the church in Taichung in another way, and in the church in Kaohsiung in yet another way. This is referring to the outward appearance. However, the work that God is doing is intrinsically one; God’s work in Kaohsiung is also His work in Taipei, and God’s work in Taiwan is also His work in Southeast Asia.
It is a great blessing for college students to be saved while they are still young. Furthermore, the situation of the churches today is much richer than it was thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, even if we had used all our money to buy spiritual publications, it would still have been impossible to find in them the light that we have today. Now that we have passed on the light of these truths to you, you must clearly see that there is only one work God desires to do throughout the ages. The unique work that God has been doing throughout the ages is to work Himself into man. God desires to make man a God-man, one who is God yet man. A God-man is one who has God within him, one who has the element of God. This may be likened to a cup of water becoming a cup of tea-water after the addition of the element of tea. We were originally only human, but today God has been added into us. God has not only been added into us, but He is also mingled with us. This mingling reaches the point where we become God-men, but we do not share the Godhead.
God’s work throughout the ages has been only to work Himself into man. This is the work He did in Job, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Old Testament prophets. Throughout the ages God did not do another work in these persons. If we read the book of Daniel without seeing Daniel’s character, it will be difficult for us to understand the content of the book. If we do not know the character of Isaiah and Jeremiah, it will be difficult to understand the contents of the books they wrote. Every book written by the prophets in the Old Testament can be compared to a famous person’s biography. If we cannot see the prophet’s character, we will not be able to sense the flavor of God produced by the work that God did in that prophet or understand the portion of the Scriptures that he wrote. This is the secret. Therefore, not only the New Testament reveals that we are in Christ, but even the Old Testament reveals the same principle. The one thing that God has been doing throughout the ages is to work Himself into man. This is God’s goal.
When God works Himself into us, what we manifest, what we express, is different from individual to individual. When God worked Himself into George Müller, what was manifested through him was the establishing of orphanages. When God worked Himself into Charles Spurgeon, what was manifested through him was the powerful preaching of the gospel. God’s work in each person is manifested in a different way. The same God is working, but He is manifested in different ways through different people. Thus, we cannot imitate spiritual things but can only follow the inner principle. All imitations of outward forms are wrong.
Our study of biographies and histories is not for seeking out the outward manifestations of historical figures in order to reproduce them; rather, it is for seeking out the way God took in them and the work He did in them. When we say that God’s work in recent ages has been to build His church, our understanding may not be precise enough. Many Christians probably think that in recent ages the way God has been taking is the way of the gospel, that He is for the spreading of the gospel. They may become very zealous concerning the gospel and go forth to the whole inhabited earth. We dare not say that this is wrong, but this is at most the outward appearance. The way in which a person will be used by God is not determined by man.
When God came to Job in the Old Testament, Job was touched by God, and in him there was a manifestation, an operation, which produced a result. The results produced by God’s working in different people are not the same. We have no way of telling the young brothers and sisters what God has set out to do in this age. If we told them, it would only show that we do not know the principle of God’s work. No one knows how God will manifest His work in all the young people in five years. However, according to the Bible and the experiences of the saints who have gone before us, we know that there is one thing God has been doing throughout the ages — working Himself into us. What we do not know is what God will manifest through us after He works Himself into us.
In the past two thousand years those who have paid attention only to how God works have been destined to fail and err. The New Testament clearly shows that God desires to work Himself into us, yet this matter is beyond our natural thought. We think only of being zealous, working for God, being spiritual, receiving power, and so forth. This is especially true of those in Christianity. As soon as a person is saved, he has all these natural thoughts. The matter of God working Himself into us is beyond what we could even dream of. Within us we have neither the light nor the revelation. Even if this matter were placed right before our eyes, we would not be able to have any response within. We may be like rocks, which cannot have seeds planted in them or have ink written on them. We do not have any concept at all concerning God’s unique work.
Even the brothers and sisters who have been saved for many years and have heard numerous messages in the church may still desire to improve themselves before God every time they think of Him. We need the Holy Spirit within to open our eyes to see that improvement is not what God desires from us. Even if we were to become a million times better today, God would not want this. What God desires is to work Himself into us. This is what God has been doing in every age.
The nature of God’s work is the same in every age; the design, measure, and plan of God’s work has not changed at all — He desires to work Himself into us. The outward form, the outward manifestation, of this work is different in every person. If we would all cooperate with God, only God knows what will happen on this earth in the next five years.
That God desires to work Himself into us is a clear light among us. However, the question is, do we actually allow God to do this? Do we allow God to take this way? This is the responsibility we should bear. Are we willing to let God do what He desires to do? Here we need to consider the matter of consecration. What is consecration? Consecration is to let God pass through us. Although God’s desire is to work Himself into man, very few in the last six thousand years have been willing to allow God to do so. If our eyes are opened, we must tell God that we are willing to consecrate ourselves. It is wrong to teach people to consecrate themselves to become spiritual giants. To teach people the proper consecration is to help them to see that the great God desires to pass through man and issue out of man. When you are willing to let God work, you should tell Him, “O God, You can do whatever You want.” From this day on, what God requires of you is your submission. Whenever you feel that God is touching you concerning a certain matter, what you should do is submit. In this way you will gain a little more of God’s element within you. This is our responsibility before the Lord.
Christianity always teaches people how to make plans, how to work, and how to be zealous. However, those who have truly been enlightened and led by God would not teach people in this way. God is doing only one thing in the universe, which is to work Himself into man. What God requires of man is man’s consent and continual cooperation. This consent and continual cooperation include two things: consecration and submission. Consecration is to go through the gate. It needs to be followed by submission and then dependence. If you are willing to let God work, there will definitely be a day when God will have a manifestation through you. It is useless to desire to do something for Him. Desiring to do something for God is a concept of degraded Christianity. A person with revelation sees that God desires to work Himself into him and then work Himself out through him. What is needed is that we cooperate by letting God pass through us.
It is a pity that hundreds and thousands of people keep God outside the door and do not let Him in. They all say, “This road is blocked — please detour.” We must say, “Lord, I allow You to come through.” This is our responsibility today. If someone rises up in this way, God will have a way and will be able to do His work. Some brothers have the heart to consecrate themselves but have not found the way. Consecration is not merely something to talk about. What is the way for us to consecrate ourselves? Do we need to receive a special calling from God? These are important questions; if we could touch and enter into them, many problems would be solved.
Everything in this universe is initiated by God. The Bible opens with these words: “In the beginning God.” God is the beginning of everything in the entire universe; this is true both spiritually and physically. The old creation was begun by God, and the new creation also was begun by God. If God does not call us, how can we answer His call? If God does not shine on us, how can we be enlightened by Him? God is first, and we are second. God must shine on us, and then we can see. God must make a demand, and then we can obey. Never forget this sequence. God first sent Jesus, His Son, to preach the gospel to people; then people could believe. Next, from among those who believed, God sent out twelve apostles to preach the gospel. After others heard and believed, some of them also were sent. Then more people obeyed and accepted the gospel.
In the universe God has always had a spiritual operation, a spiritual work, which is initiated by Him and then answered and accepted by people. In all the thousands of cases in which people have met God, it has always been that God first came to seek and shine in them, and then they answered Him. God then shone on them again, and they responded again. This sequence should never be reversed. Spiritual operations are always initiated by God. God must first do something in man before man can answer and obey.
In our experience of salvation we always receive God’s shining and God’s demand. According to this principle, no Christian can truthfully say that he does not have any call, demand, or feeling from God. This call, demand, and feeling are all God’s shining. The question is, when we sense the demand and hear the call, are we willing to go and answer this call? Having heard the call, seen the light, and sensed the demand within, if we are willing to accept it, we will enter into the way of following and touching God. This will bring in a cycle in which God calls us and shines on us, we obey Him, and then our obedience and response bring in God’s greater call and greater shining.
After people are saved, they are touched by the Lord for the first time and know that it is the Lord’s calling. However, because some ignore this calling, the feeling and the light within them cease. When others receive a call, they answer it right away, and when they receive light, they follow it immediately. As a result, more calling and more light come. There is such a cycle within us all the time, much like a child drawing circles that become larger and larger. In time, those who experience this cycle within will become completely transparent; they will be like the four living creatures, which are full of eyes, as recorded in the Bible (Ezek. 1:18; Rev. 4:6). Conversely, there are Christians who do not have a single hole; they are like walls of brass and iron, being completely in darkness. This is because since the time they were saved, they have never obeyed the inner sense or accepted God’s shining.
If a Christian answers right away when God calls and obeys immediately when he has a sense from the Lord, he will have a hole, an opening, through which God can work Himself into him. Some people are full of openings; thus, it is easy for them to be enlightened in the Lord’s light. This is our way. Simply put, what God desires is to work Himself into us and then work out through us. Our responsibility is to work with God through consecration and submission, allowing Him to have a way to work Himself into us and then out through us. In practice, from the day we are saved, we should learn to be enlightened in God’s light, to obey the inner sense, to respond to the inner call, and to answer the inner demand. This is a serious matter, and it is also a simple one.
Some boast that they love the Lord, but in their daily life they do not answer God’s call but rather ignore His voice. They say that they love the Lord only when they are emotionally excited. For example, when they wish to see a movie, a sense within forbids them to go, but they go anyway. They know that they should not commit big sins, but they are unconcerned about the small things. When praying in the meetings, they can even testify that they are touched by the Lord’s Spirit. There are many Christians who are like this. Actually, loving the Lord in this way is useless. Recently, I have been very much influenced by a word spoken by a certain brother: “The natural voice is the natural life, and the natural life is the life that is not real.” Someone may pray with you, indicating that he truly desires to serve with you in coordination, yet immediately after praying, he may lose his temper toward you.
A certain sister may be so zealous for the Lord that ten brothers combined cannot match her. When she speaks about loving the Lord, those listening to her may be touched to tears. Incredibly, however, when such a sister gets angry, no one is able to stop her. The natural life is the unreal life. One day all that is of the natural life must be broken. We need to be truly touched by the Lord to see that our enthusiasm, our zeal, our love for the Lord, and our service to the Lord are all natural and short of God’s element. Regardless of how many layers of brass and iron walls we have, and regardless of whether it is the outer gate, the middle gate, or the inner gate, all of these must be opened one by one to the Lord according to the sense within. We will then realize that in our expressions of enthusiasm and zeal we cannot see the Lord Himself. Only when we are touched by the Lord to the extent that He can be released from within us will we bear much fruit as mentioned in John 15 the fruit on the tree comes from the life within (v. 2).
Loving the Lord is not a matter of being zealous; it is a matter of touching the Lord from deep within and submitting ourselves to His love. From now on, we do not need to care for how much love we have for the Lord; we need to care only for whether we are willing to submit ourselves in the matters in which God has touched us within. We must pay attention to our relationship with the Lord. If the Lord touches us, how should we respond? If the Lord gives us a sense, how should we obey? We may pray in the morning, “Lord, I do not love You enough; I hope I can love You more today and be more zealous,” but I am afraid that this kind of prayer is of religion, not of revelation. We need to care not about how we behave before Him but about whether we have met Him and have sensed and obeyed His feeling. He may touch us, asking us how we could treat our wife or husband in a certain way or how we could wear certain kinds of clothes. We must then submit to Him, taking care of His feeling within. We do not need to care about what we should do for Him. We simply need to care about His demand and what He desires to do within us and then cooperate with and submit to Him.
According to this principle of cooperating and submitting, if God does not move, we should not move. We should move only when He moves. This is to work according to revelation and not according to religion. Caring for what one must do for God is a man-made religion produced out of man’s strength and effort. Some may point out that the Lord Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” However, what is seen here is Peter’s response to the Lord’s demand for love, not Peter first loving the Lord. Peter did not love the Lord enough; he loved fishing. But when he was fishing and ignoring the Lord, the Lord came and appeared to him. The Lord’s appearing was a revelation to Peter. Under such a light the Lord asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” The Lord’s appearing caused Peter to respond to the Lord’s demand (21:1-17). This is the God who is living and who gives light.
Man’s concept is that if God desires to give us a revelation, He will speak to us outwardly and objectively. In fact, it is exactly the opposite. When God desires to give us a revelation, He does it by coming into us, clothing Himself with us, bringing us along, and giving us a certain feeling so that we sense that the revelation is from within us, yet it is of God. We can say that when God gives us a revelation, He actually mingles Himself with us. God mingles Himself with us to the extent that even if our will wants to rebel against the Lord, we are not able to; we realize that our being rebellious is of ourselves. We must know that revelation is not objective but subjective. All the outward harassments are Satan in disguise.
Something happened at the time I was in the southern part of Fukien Province. There was a brother who had gone to the United States to study medicine. When he came home, he denied that the Lord Jesus had come in the flesh and that He was the Son of God. This was the work of evil spirits. God’s revelation to man is not from the outside but is exceedingly subjective. If the circumstances and feelings obviously contradict the Bible, they are manifestations of Satan. Even the apostles and the churches in the past went through times when they lost the revelation because many circumstances and situations made it difficult for them to know God. Revelation is subjective; it is God coming into us and becoming one with us. He clothes Himself with us, mingles with us, and holds on to us from within. Eventually, everything that we do, while apparently of ourselves, is actually of God. If we have this kind of understanding, we will no longer aspire to know God merely objectively.
