The pattern in the mountain

Issue no. 22

  Scripture Reading: Heb. 8:5; Psa. 19:13

  In spiritual work, the most important thing is to know the "pattern...in the mountain" (Heb. 8:5). There are many things that are important in spiritual work; the lack of any one of them causes our work to lose its spiritual usefulness and brings about God's displeasure. But among these many things, the most important one is the "pattern...in the mountain." The pattern in the mountain is simply God's plan. If there is no comprehension of God's plan, there is no possibility for God's work.

  Hebrews tells us that the tabernacle was made according to the pattern of God. Before Moses could make the tabernacle, he stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights so that God could show him the pattern of the tabernacle in heaven. From the Holy Place to the altar, including every layer of covering on the tabernacle, there was a definite pattern for the material and color to be used. Nothing was laid out arbitrarily. Everything was definitely specified. The Bible spells them out in a clear manner. Everything concerning the altar, laver, table, lampstand, incense altar, ark, and the rest of the items in the tabernacle, including the kinds of metal or wood to be used, their measurement and color, were specified according to God's predetermined pattern. There was not one item according to Moses' intention.

  Just as He made the tabernacle, God also has a predetermined plan regarding His present work of building the church. Everything must be done in a definite way, whether it is great or small. Moses did not bear the responsibility of drafting the pattern of the tabernacle. He was only responsible for building according to the pattern shown to him on the mountain. The glory of a worker of Christ does not depend on whether he can do something for God based on his own innovative idea, but on whether he is able to carry out God's revealed will. The comprehension of God's predetermined plan is the glory of God's worker.

  When I began to work, a Western missionary (who has since passed away) told me that God's work allows absolutely no liberty. When Moses was building the tabernacle, he had no freedom to decide whether a small nail should be gold or silver; everything had to be done according to God's instructions.

  God called Moses the meekest person on the earth. Meekness means being "very supple and yielding." Whatever God wanted Moses to do, he did. Whatever material and color God wanted Moses to use, whatever the pattern and measurements, all had to be according to God's instructions. In every matter he acted according to God's direction and never according to his own intention. This is meekness.

  Here is something that affords us a great deal of spiritual insight. We can see the position of a servant with regard to the Lord's work. Everything concerning the tabernacle was determined by God Himself. He did not let Moses decide one thing. He did not give Moses the opportunity to contribute any idea. God not only told Moses the general scheme for building the tabernacle, He also told him the details. Not only were the pattern, material, and color according to God's instructions, but the measurement of every item was also determined by Him. It was not sufficient just to work with the materials chosen by God; there was also a definite charge concerning how to handle the material. For instance, the curtains should not just be made of fine linen, but of fine twined linen. The Bible tells us further that the lampstand should not just be pure gold, but one piece of pure beaten gold. God did not leave any room for Moses to provide an idea. God knew what He wanted for Himself; He did not need man to tell Him what His wishes were.

  The greatest blessing of a worker of Christ is being able to receive God's instructions on the mountain and to know the work that God has entrusted to him with its pre-determined pattern. In all that we see today, can we say that the servants of Christ have come before God to ask Him to assign them the work that they should do? Do they come before God and ask Him to direct them concerning the time and the way of their work? Is it not true that we see many meetings, discussions, plannings, deliberations, and decisions? Many assume that God does not have a detailed arrangement regarding their work and that many matters are their responsibility. They have not seen that in God's work they are merely servants and should only do what they are told. "Whatever He says to you, do" (John 2:5b). In the Body of Christ, we are just members; we have to be absolutely under the control of the Head. "Holding the Head" (Col. 2:19). These people assume that God will use their natural life and natural ability to make up what is lacking in God's plan. We are not saying this for the purpose of criticizing. Rather, we desire that God's children see that in God's work, Christ is an absolute master. Everything concerning the work must be first received as an order from Him before it can be carried out. The manifestation of the ability of a worker of Christ and the demonstration of an abundance of spiritual usefulness can only happen when one attentively listens to God's plan and, accordingly, carries it out. Other works may be thriving and may look great in men's eyes, but they do not have real power or usefulness.

  Psalm 19:13 says, "Keep Your servant from presumptuous sins; / Do not let them have dominion over me; / Then I will be blameless and cleared / Of great transgression." Our sins toward God are of two kinds: one is rebellion and the other is presumption. When God tells you to do something, and contrary to His wishes, you do not obey but do what He does not want, that is a sin of rebellion. We all know that this is a sin and are willing to make an effort to terminate it. None of us want to commit this sin. But, brothers and sisters, please remember that the Bible not only tells us that rebellion is a sin, but that presumption and rashness are also sins. When we begin a work that God has not instructed us to do, we are committing a sin of presumption. Rebellion is refusing to do what God has commanded, and presumption is doing what God has not commanded. Acting outside of God is the sin of presumption. He says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal" (Exo. 20:14-15). If a man commits these, it is sin. We all know this. But in things which He has not commanded, we assume that we can act carelessly, without realizing that this is also a sin. If we begin anything that He has not commanded, even the very best thing, it is also a sin. When He has not given us the command, even working for God is a sin. The prayer in Psalms is really good. The psalmist asked God to keep him from presumptuous sins.

  God knows what He wants. All the things that He wants from us are revealed either through the Bible or through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, whatever He has not said is simply work He does not want. In spiritual work it is not a matter of quantity, but a matter of measuring up to the standard of being useful to God and matching His desire. The most important task for a worker of Christ is to know exactly what God wants him to do and the time and method that he should use to carry it out. There is no need for a worker of Christ to consider what he ought to do, nor is there the place for words such as, "I imagine that this would please the Lord." It is a wonderful thing in the New Testament that a man can know God's will. A worker of Christ can receive, within him, the revelation of the Holy Spirit and clearly know God's requirement of him. This knowledge is real. It is not his own idea or the encouragement and instruction from others. Neither is it just the teaching of the Bible in letter. Rather, it is the clear seeing of God's command in his spirit, in the deepest part of his being. Today those who understand spiritual revelations have declined in number. There are few who can say, "I have clearly seen." Consequently, "God's work" is no longer a work that God wants to accomplish. Rather, it becomes something which man regards as good and spiritual, which man earnestly strives for and counts as beneficial. It becomes something which replaces God's work.

  What we see today is that there are more volunteers than those who are called. Many can only say, "I have come," but not, "I have been sent." Therefore, we see that God's work is overcast with spiritual death. There are many works which God has not asked for but which have come about because man initiated an enthusiasm for God. Under the assumption that God needs these works, they proceed to perform them and call them the work of God. Actually, in this kind of work the portion that is from God and of God is almost nil.

  It is God, not us, who determines that any spiritual work is necessary. The most that we can do is express His desire. Actually, every work that has any spiritual value is initiated from God's heart. We are merely those who, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit within us, are granted the understanding to work. Presently, regardless of their outward appearance, there are only two kinds of work, commission and results. One is initiated by God and the other by man. In the former, God wants it so; in the latter, man thinks that this is what God wants. My dear brothers, what kind of work are you doing?

  It is most regrettable that the workers of Christ either have not paid attention to the sin of presumption or have not thoroughly understood the sin of presumption. Before God they have not been brought by the Holy Spirit to the point where they thoroughly judge themselves and realize that only God is the Lord and that they have entirely no leeway to propose any idea. We need the reproving of the Holy Spirit so that we realize what is sin, what is presumption, and how detestable they are. We ought to know that it is not only a sin for us to ignore His command, but it is also a sin when we do what He has not commanded. Many often say, "Why can I not do this, since God has not forbidden it?" Instead, we should say, "How can I do this, since God has not commanded it?" Any person who is not deep and spiritual in the Lord assumes that we can do anything that the Bible has not forbidden. But those who are deeper and more spiritual know that if they do many things which the Bible has not forbidden, but which God has also not commanded, they are committing a presumptuous sin. Brothers and sisters, I have a deep realization that, if God eventually brings you to a deeper stage, you will not only realize that you must not rebel against Him, and that you must refrain from things which He has forbidden, but that you must also stop doing those things which He has neither commanded nor forbidden. If, by your own will, you can refrain from doing the things which God has not commanded, you will be a mature man, a man whom God can use. A mature man does not act if God has not commanded; he does not commit presumptuous sins. If God has not commanded him, he will just be quiet and still. God will use only this kind of person.

  Today in God's work, we see that man almost always acts according to his own desire. If a person does not inquire concerning what is God's will, God's time, and God's way, then, even if his work is the best work, it is merely done according to the enthusiasm of his soulish life. Many of God's children do not realize that the flesh not only resists God, but it also attempts to help God. They do not realize that even our natural, soulish life has some merit. They do not realize that their soulish life has initiated their zeal for God. Thus, the soulish life will consider ways to make the church of God prosperous, calculate ways to expand God's kingdom, or strive in many ways to save sinners. Their motives and intentions are good, but they do not realize that the natural life is driving them, making them so zealous, calculating, planning, maneuvering, and endeavoring. They do not realize the preciousness of being under God's command alone. They assume that as long as it is "God's work," then it is the best work. They do not realize that God has no pleasure in anything that comes from the natural life, no matter how good its motive, how noble its goal, and how impressive its result. God takes no pleasure because it does not originate from His will, and, therefore, is not fitted for His use. They also do not realize that God does not supply His power for any work which does not come out of His will. On the contrary, they assume that their zeal, tone, emotion, strength, and tears for the work are the result of God's strengthening power. Little do they realize that at such times they are actually drawing on the power of their natural life to supply the work of their natural life.

  What is the cause of presumption? It is nothing other than a manifestation of the natural life. Although many go along when God gives commands, they do not sincerely delight in God's will. In their hearts they still prefer their own ideas. Therefore, when God is silent and does not speak, they proceed to act presumptuously. If we do not judge the flesh and take up the cross to deal with our self, we may reluctantly obey when God gives a command; but, when God gives no command, we will act unavoidably according to our own ideas.

  With respect to God's work, being presumptuous does not necessarily mean that one has a wrong intention. Before we are captured by God, our self life does not delight in serving God. But after we are captured by God, we desire to serve God. This is the most dangerous moment. In the past we were absolutely not serving God; now we intend to serve God and want to serve according to our own way. God demands that we do not merely serve Him, but that we serve Him according to the way of His delight. We make a mistake in thinking that all He demands is our service and that the way to serve can be left to our own design. We fail to realize that any service not done according to God's command and will is not acceptable to Him. Not only is our work ordained by God, but the matters concerning the process, method, and time of the work are also ordained by Him.

  No matter how good a motive may be, it cannot replace God's will. No matter how much success a work produces, it is far inferior to God's delight. Many works are done "to meet the need of the circumstances," "to help the believers in their spiritual life," and "to save the souls of sinners"; they are not done for the purpose of obeying God's command. We cannot say that there is definitely no result from this kind of work, but this kind of worker and work are not suitable for God's use. We should not be concerned about the outward need of sinners and believers, but for God's need at this hour. We are here for God's need, not for the sinners' needs or the saints' needs. We are God's servants. Although God has entrusted us with the responsibility of the work, He has reserved for Himself the authority to command the workers. Although the Holy Spirit called Paul and Barnabas to work, they could not go to Asia according to their own wish. The authority to administrate the movement of the workers rests forever in the hands of the Holy Spirit. It is not that Asia did not have a need, but at that time God did not have a need for Asia. Acts shows in a wonderful way that the Holy Spirit gives us the power to work and that the Holy Spirit also commands the direction of our work. Supplying God's need at this time is the responsibility of our work.

  The Bible shows us that God has not put His work into our hands. God has only servants, not managers. We are not hired by God; we are purchased by Him. He requires that we be servants. The word servant is slave according to the Greek. A slave is not a hireling; he is bought with money. A hireling will serve his master if the master's disposition is good, but if not, he can resign. This is what some people refer to as "staying if in agreement and leaving if in discord." But if we are slaves, we have to serve. Even if we do not like it, we still have to serve. We are God's slaves, not His workers, and even less, His managers. Therefore, we cannot do anything according to our own wishes. God has not committed matters to us so that we may propose ideas according to what we perceive to be good or bad. God does not work in this way. For everything, God has a definite command for us to follow. If we have not received a command from Him but work presumptuously, He cannot accept us and cannot use us; consequently, our work will certainly be burned.

  The Bible shows us that God manifests His work not only in great things, He manifests it also in small matters. For this reason, we should let Him occupy not only the first place but also the last place. We should honor Him not only as the Lord of great things, but also as the Lord of small things. He is through all and fills all. If we have done something that is not according to God's will, we may still receive praise from men and still consider that we have done an excellent work, but God will have no use for us.

  The Bible shows us many examples. Leviticus 10:1-2 says, "Now the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, each took his censer and put fire in it, and placed incense upon it, and offered strange fire before Jehovah, which He had not commanded them. And fire came from before Jehovah and consumed them, and they died before Jehovah." The ordinances concerning offerings stipulate that every time incense is burned, one must use the fire on the altar to ignite it. Nadab and Abihu's failure was due to the fact that they used some other fire to burn the incense, rather than using the fire on the altar. The consequence was death before God.

  The altar is a type of the cross. The incense is our service before God. The zeal of our service must come from the altar of the cross. Those who do not follow the ordinances concerning offering must die. What is the cross? It is the place where we put the self to death and let the Lord live. "I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). The wisdom of the self, the opinion of the self, the ability, enthusiasm, expectation, and longings of the self and natural life are all dealt with in this verse. After passing through the dealing of the cross, we are worthy to come to serve before God.

  We do not know how much of man's zeal is strange fire! It has not gone through the dealing of the cross and is not severed from man's desires and cleverness. Their zeal is completely according to the desires of the flesh, and man supposes that if he does this or that and the work prospers, then God must be pleased. The zeal may indeed be a form of zeal, but it does not originate from God. The fire may be genuine fire, yet it is not the fire on the altar. Rather, it is strange fire. Whatever does not come from the altar of crucifixion and from self-forsaking is altogether strange fire. Strange fire is nothing but the fire of the self, the fire that issues from the soulish life. This is the fire of the fleshly and natural life. It is nothing other than the natural life interfering with God's affairs. Although the matter is from God, the natural life proposes how it should be done. The self insists on its proposal, method, and wisdom in God's affairs. Even though the strange fire is fire, God will not accept the incense of our service. On the contrary, we will die before Him.

  Nadab and Abihu were sons of Aaron. Aaron was the high priest chosen by God. What these two men did was not rebellion and resistance against God. They were burning incense to serve God and please God. But they did something that God had not commanded, something that God had not ordained; therefore, they received God's judgment. The sons of Aaron assumed that since God had not forbidden the use of other fire to burn the incense, that strange fire would surely be all right. They did not realize that, in the matter of serving God, we should not do something that God has not specifically commanded. They did not realize how strict God is. In God's work whatever He has not commanded, He forbids. If men do it, they commit a mistake and sin. Because these two committed such a presumptuous sin, God slew them. Although they were the sons of Aaron and were priests waiting on God, He could not forgive them.

  What they did was not cheating, law-breaking, fornication, or robbery, as was the case with the sons of Eli. They did not rebel against an obvious command from God to intentionally commit what God had forbidden. Rather, they purposely intended to serve God and please Him. They purposely and personally prepared two censers and used the fire they brought to light the incense, assuming that they would gain God's favor in this way. Little did they realize that, even though their intention was good, they were following their own idea in coming before God to serve Him. They did what God had not commanded. Little did they know that doing something beyond God's will is sin and offends God. In every matter concerning God's service, God does not consider something good merely because our intention is good. Our intention may be good, but if we act presumptuously, God will still punish us for the presumptuous sin. We may not see much severity in God's dealing with us in our work today. But the numerous works that come out of strange fire will be consumed before the judgment seat. May God open our eyes to realize what is sin. Not only are fornication, robbery, deceitfulness, extortion, unrighteousness, and filthiness sins, even "doing God's work," "preaching to save souls," "rendering help to others," and "leading others," are also sins if they are not done according to God's command. God will judge these sins just as He will judge the sins of unrighteousness and filthiness. Whatever you do apart from God's command is a service of strange fire.

  The record in 1 Samuel 13:8-14 concerning Saul's offer of the burnt offering should be a great warning to us. There were three reasons why Saul made the offering. First, he saw the people scattering away from him. Second, Samuel did not come at the appointed time. Third, his enemies, the Philistines, had pitched in Michmash and gone down to Gilgal to fight against him. Therefore, he took it upon himself to offer the burnt offering. Saul did not commit a sin of fornication, robbery, or extortion. He was just making an offering to Jehovah. In his heart he was afraid God would not be pleased if he did not make supplication. So he thought if he made more supplication, God would certainly accept him. He assumed that if he could do a little more service to Jehovah, he would be able to deliver the people out of the hands of the enemies. He did not realize that this was not the case. Samuel said to Saul, "Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee" (1 Sam. 13:13-14).

  "Therefore said I" was not God's command (v. 12). God wants us to serve Him according to His instructions. He does not want us to work according to "I thought" and "I assume." Everything that is done according to what one thinks or assumes is altogether rejected by God. What God wants is that man would be after His heart's desire. What God stresses is not what we have done, but what we have made subject to Him. Obeying is better than offering burnt offerings, and hearkening is better than the fat of rams.

  We are oftentimes like Saul. We rush into many things. We believe that God would not delay, so we do not wait for God's time. We only see our need and the need of the circumstance; we forget to wait for God's time and rush into things which God has not commanded us to do.

  Brothers, Saul lost his throne because he was too enthusiastic, too hasty to supplicate, and too eager to sacrifice. But how justifiable were his reasons for doing this! Yet God said, "I would seek a man after My own heart and anoint him to be king." God does not want a man who can barely wait or who can labor in many works. God does not want outstanding people or fruitful people who can save and revive many. Rather, He wants some who are after His heart. If it were up to us, we would surely prefer a person like Saul because he was an outstanding man. When Saul was anointed king and stood among the people, "he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward" (1 Sam. 10:23). We only care for the outward appearance of man, while God does not want a man with an attractive face, but one who seeks after His heart. May our goal never be great performances that please others and ourselves, but rather be touching God's heart and pleasing Him. Only this kind of person can be used by God. God is seeking after this very kind of person.

  Let us go on to read 2 Samuel 6:1-4 and 6:6b-7. "Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims. And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah...accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark...Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God." When many people come to this point, they ask, "What is the reason for this? Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it. This should be to his credit. He did not do anything bad." But God immediately smote him. We have to know that a principle in the Old Testament is that God's glory depends on the ark. If the ark, God's glory, falters, and you step forth to uphold it, is this not a very good thing? But God wants man to obey His instructions more than He wants him to help in His work. God does not need man to uphold His glory. If a man touches the ark, God will slay him. The question is not the seriousness of the consequence of the ark's fall, but whether God has commanded you to do something related to its fall. You may think that when everything is peaceful and trouble-free, you should naturally not touch the ark for fear of danger to your life. However, when the ark is at a critical point of failing, you assume that it is your duty to touch and uphold it, lest it fall. You assume that you have a way to comply with the necessities of circumstances and, therefore, will not die. But with God, one rule applies to all; there is no room for change according to circumstances. Whoever does anything without God's command will incur either physical death or spiritual death.

  God does not ask whether we have done a good or a bad job. Neither does He ask whether or not we are helping Him. He said that man's hands should not touch the ark. Therefore, whoever touches it will surely die. God would rather let the ark fall into pieces than to let men help Him without His command. Too often we identify various needs, and we begin to help God. But we should never do what Uzzah did; our hands should never reach forth. We should never step forth to help just because the circumstances beckon our help. God's command is the only thing that we should pay attention to. Those who want to comply with the necessities of the circumstances for the purpose of rescuing a situation due to its urgency, without waiting for God's command, never please God in His work. The work can be left temporarily, outwardly in failure, but God's sovereignty cannot be set aside for a moment, and man's flesh must not be unbridled at any time. God does not need the flesh to uphold and help His work. Rather, He has to judge all activities of the flesh.

  Many people want to do things which God has not given them; they have a craving for many things. They insist on pleasing God according to their own ideas. What God has not commanded them to do, they, on the contrary, do with all their might. Little do they know that by so doing, they do not please God, and they also commit a sin in God's eyes. When we were unbelievers, we all conducted our lives according to our wisdom and did many things which were against God's nature. Once we are saved, we think that we can use our wisdom to serve and help God according to our perception of what is good. Little do we realize that, just as it was a sin to oppose God with our wisdom when we were unbelievers, it is also a sin to help God in His work with our wisdom after we are saved. God does not need our wisdom to help Him. God is not pleased when man uses his wisdom to oppose Him; neither is He pleased when man uses his wisdom to help Him. God does not need man to help His work. We must take the principle of the cross and reject all activities of the self life. We must be willing to put the flesh to death and be ready to forsake our own ideas. Whenever we assume that by doing this or that, we will prosper God's work, we prove to others that we have never forsaken the self and have never known the cross. Man must be brought to a position of nothingness before God can use him.

  May we not act presumptuously so that we damage God's work. We should pay attention only to God's command and to nothing else besides. Even if the work collapses before our eyes, we should pay no attention to the collapse; rather, we should persist in our affairs and maintain our position before God. God will not hold us responsible for what He has not commanded. Although everything may collapse around us, God still will not reprove us.

  Actually, every presumptuous act arises from the fact that man's wisdom has not yet passed through the dealing of the cross. Today God requires that we would lay hold of this matter: whatever God has instructed, we should do; whatever God has not instructed, we should not do. We have to hold on to our position and should not go beyond our duties to meddle in the affairs of others.

  Perhaps some consider this way to be too narrow, that if a man takes this way, his work will become too quiet and ordinary. However, "that day" will show whether this was the right way or not. You will know then whether any work outside of God's will was good or worthwhile. Let me put it in a blunt way: if the way of undisciplined self-appointment were applied in our human employment, we would definitely be suspended. If we were in an army, we would certainly be court-martialed. It is fortunate that we have the overshadowing of the Lord's blood and are spared from the Lord's severe dealing. But at the judgment seat this kind of work will be shown to be cause for reproach.

  Please read 2 Chronicles 26:16-21, in which a king wanted to do things according to his own intention. God's command said that only the sons of Aaron could carry out the holy service and priesthood; only they were allowed to enter the temple to burn incense. Besides this class of people, no one else could perform this work. But Uzziah insisted on doing this work. He went into the temple himself to burn incense. Consequently, God punished him, and immediately leprosy rose up on his forehead. This account affords us a great warning. We should never do anything on our own initiative that God has not commanded, lest we be punished by God. Spiritually speaking, leprosy is filthiness and sinfulness. All those who presumptuously act without God's command are filthy and sinful before God. In God's work, there is no room for natural enthusiasm. Man cannot apply natural enthusiasm in God's work. Entering the temple and burning incense is good, but because Uzziah did something that God had not commanded, it became a punishable sin. The consequence of participating capriciously in God's work was a lifetime of leprosy.

  Paul was an apostle with a very deep spiritual life. In his second epistle to the Corinthians he said, "But we will not boast beyond our measure but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach even as far as you...but have the hope, as your faith is increasing, to be magnified in you according to our rule unto abundance" (10:13, 15b). This word, though ordinary, is spoken from much experience. Paul said that he would not reach for a place beyond what God had measured to him. Paul would not go to any place that God had not measured to him. He recognized that it was his responsibility to go only to the places that God wanted him to be responsible for. He would not go to any place that God had not asked him to be responsible for. Today if every worker would be this way, how could there be any of the numerous divisions and sects in the church! Every worker has a specific work which God measures to him. Every believer has a pathway upon which God wants him to walk. If you are standing in your rightful position, working in your rightful service, and walking on your rightful pathway, that is the highest glory.

  We work, not because we reckon that the work is good or that it can save and help people. Rather, we evaluate our work by considering whether or not our position is one that is ordained by God. A big pillar in a house is crucial, but a little iron nail is nevertheless indispensable. In the church, if everybody is a great revivalist, evangelist, and leader, how can the church have a healthy standing? The way we ought to take is a narrow way according to God's will. We do not plan to accomplish great things. We just stay in the position arranged by God. If God wants me to work quietly on small matters only, I am willing to do so. God does not need to use those with great talent; He uses those who let Him use them. May we be willing to remain in the position God ordains for us and stand where he wants us to stand. All desire for change, high hope, and great ambition is worldly, soulish, and fleshly. We must guard ourselves against all these.

  Paul said, "That I may finish my course" (Acts 20:24). What is this course? A few months ago I read a biography of Mrs. Penn-Lewis. (The first chapter of this biography was written by her. She passed away before the whole book was finished.) She said the following words,

  There is a "course" prepared for every believer at the time of his regeneration for the purpose of bringing the new life he has just received to its full maturity, and for the purpose of making his life useful to God to the uttermost. The responsibility of every believer is to seek out this "course" and walk therein. Others cannot determine and say what this course is. Only God knows and only God can make man know; only He can lead the believers into this course. Today [the situation] is the same as in the past when He led Jeremiah and the other prophets, and Paul, Philip, and other apostles.

  The most glorious thing in a man's life is that he would do the things that God wants him to do on the very ground that God has set for him. For every believer, there is a pathway predetermined by God for him to walk on.

  God only uses men chosen by Him to do His work. He does not want those who enlist and volunteer to do His work. Those who are chosen by God have absolutely no freedom. If they try to be free and go their own way, they will only stumble and suffer more. If God never uses you, that is the end of the matter. But if He does, even if you want to run away, you will not succeed. You can flee to Tarshish, but a wind will turn you over into the sea and a great fish will bring you back (Jonah 1—2). You may run away, but you will never escape. God's workers have no freedom from the beginning to the end. Today many believers zealously work, but there are few who do what God measures to them and take the way that God ordains for them.

  When Moses was leading the people of Israel through the wilderness, God instructed that no work should be done on the Sabbath day. But some reported to Moses that they found a man gathering sticks outside the camp on the Sabbath day. Moses did not make any decision on his own concerning this man. He seemingly said, "God has not declared anything and I do not know how to handle this matter. Let me go to inquire of Jehovah." Later he went to ask God, and God told him to stone to death the man who trespassed against the Sabbath day. So they stoned him to death (Num. 15:32-36). Moses waited for God to instruct him on what to do before he dared to do anything.

  If we are not willing to wait a little, God's work will suffer a great loss! How hasty is our disposition. We always consider that God is too slow. We cannot patiently follow God step by step. Anything we perceive as good we hastily do. Wherever we detect a lack, we immediately try to supplement it. We assume that if we wait for everything, we will not be able to do anything in our whole lifetime. We forget that the workers who are blessed are those who can wait before God and obey His instructions.

  Today we bear a heavy responsibility; we must be crystal clear about God's instructions before we start working. Before we receive God's command, we must do absolutely nothing. God's command is an expression of God's desire. If we want to be a useful vessel in His hands, we must secure God's command before acting. If we do anything which God has not commanded, we cannot please Him. When a certain work is put before us, we must first ask: Will this go along with God's desire? Can it gain His heart? May we seek to be compatible only with God's desire. We should engage ourselves in a spiritual work because we seek after God's desire, not because it is a good work or because the circumstance needs our help. If we desire to be useful in God's hands, we must walk according to God's will.

  The pattern in the mountain cannot be changed at will; we must work according to that pattern. Are we going to say that this is our work and that we need not go by God's will? Or are we going to say that this is God's work and that we will go by His will? All things considered, we cannot but lament that God's work has been ruined in man's hands!

  I will frankly say that if our wisdom has never passed through judgment and our thoughts have not been put to death, we cannot work. May God bring us to a stage where there is no self, so that we will have no thought of our own, but will only have God's will. Every time we work, we must first know if it is God's will or not. If we know for certain that this is God's will, then we should be encouraged to proceed according to the pattern He has shown us.