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Tonight I would like you to read one verse. First Peter 1:7 says, "So that the proving of your faith, much more precious than of gold which perishes though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Tonight I will speak on the proving of faith or the testing of faith. The Bible shows us that there can be no faith without testing. All faith must be tested. Faith has to be tested for the following reasons.
God tests our faith in order that we may grow. No Christian can grow without first having his faith tested. Every Christian who is growing has his faith tested. I can say without reservation that all Christian faith must be tested. The only way for faith to grow is by testing. The only way that God helps us grow is by testing our faith. We come to God and receive all of His grace by faith. When our faith is tested, we spontaneously grow.
God tests our faith not only for our growth but also to satisfy Himself. No one who has believed in the Lord and received God's grace can avoid the testing of faith. The testing of faith proves that we have genuine faith. It is genuine faith that satisfies God. A faith that is approved is a glory to God's name. God's name is glorified in this world through an approved faith. When we pass through tribulations, persecutions, obstacles, and darkness, and we still believe after these tests and still stand fast after these trials, this faith will glorify God's name.
God tests our faith not only for the purpose of our growth and God's satisfaction. Our approved faith will shut up the mouth of Satan. Satan will not easily concede that we have believed, and he will not allow us to say that we have obtained what we have believed in. He will always come to deceive and bother us. By testing our faith, God will take away any excuse from Satan. When he realizes that we are uncompromising, he will retreat. As long as he can deceive us, he will stop us and not allow us to go in peace. If it is possible, he will take God's blessing away from us. He will not let us go until he has exhausted all means. In order to stop the mouth of Satan, God has to test our faith.
Another reason that God tests our faith is so we can render help to others. An untested faith cannot help others. Others receive our help only when our faith has been tested. If a man has believed, but his faith has not been tested, his faith is not trustworthy. Satan can do nothing about a faith that genuinely has been tested; he cannot overturn such faith. Only this kind of faith will help the church. Brothers and sisters, faith that has been tested is much more precious than gold which perishes though it is proved by fire.
Now let us consider the relationship between the testing of our faith and overcoming. God wants to test our faith in order to make sure that our faith is indeed faith. All genuine faith is long-lived. All short-lived faith is not faith at all. Genuine faith is always long-lived. It will believe after three days, a month, a year, ten years, or even fifty years. Genuine faith can withstand one obstacle, five obstacles, or ten obstacles. Genuine faith will believe after it is tested once, five times, or seven times. Any faith that is short-lived and that falls and evaporates with a slight shake is not faith at all. All faith is necessarily long-lived.
In the Bible we see that overcoming is a matter of believing God's Word. God says that His Son is our life, our Head, our victory, our sanctification, and our power. We know that He has borne our burden and is responsible for all of our affairs. We know that He supplies us with endurance and meekness, and we know that He is supplying us within with everything that we need. Thank and praise the Lord! We know, and we believe. But such faith has to pass through the test.
A brother said to me this morning, "I have already let go and already believed. I should have overcome. But as I was riding home on a bicycle after the meeting yesterday, an old man knocked me down outside a department store. Although I did not say anything to him, I was angry within. What happened to me? I have let go, acknowledged that I cannot make it, and believed that Christ is my victory. Why did my anger come back to me? I thought that I would not be angry anymore." Brothers and sisters, there are two reasons for this.
After you have overcome and stopped sinning for a week, two weeks, three weeks, or even four or five weeks, you think that you have become good, that you have changed, and that you have matured. You may begin to appreciate yourself and boast in yourself. Therefore, God will give you a test and make you fail so that you will realize that you have not changed at all. If you can endure anything, it is not because you have changed but because you are exchanged. The Lord has endured in your place. If you think that you are changed, you will surely fail. You have to realize that if there is any endurance in you, it is Christ who is enduring for you. If there is any meekness in you, it is Christ who is being the meek One for you. If there is any holiness in you, it is Christ who is your holiness. No matter how long you have overcome, you are still you; you will always be you, and you will never change. Watchman Nee will always be Watchman Nee. After fifty years, he will still be Watchman Nee. Once grace leaves, the only thing that is left is just Watchman Nee. I thank and praise the Lord that victory is Christ and that it has nothing to do with me. I can still sin; I have not changed at all.
A few missionaries from the China Inland Mission in Chefoo once asked me about the difference between a change and an exchange. I said that without grace Paul, John, and Peter would have been just sinners. Paul, John, and Peter would have been the same as any ordinary men if grace had been taken away from them. If we take grace away from a person, he becomes the same as the robbers and the prostitutes in the streets. Grace means Christ replacing us. This does not mean that I have any change in myself. One hymn has a line which says, "Whene'er my heart is lifted up,/How very near I am to fall" (Hymns, #578). This is indeed true. Brothers and sisters, we have to realize that we are still the same; we have not changed at all.
It is very easy for us to believe in our own experience. Sometimes we wonder how a person as weak, defeated, and hot-tempered as we are can overcome. When we look at our own experience, we think that God's Word cannot be true. But brothers and sisters, is God's Word more reliable, or is our own experience more reliable?
Once when I was in Chefoo, Brother Witness Lee's wife came to see me and told me that she had already surrendered and fully believed that the Lord was her victory. She had entered the overcoming experience. However, she complained, "My victory is short-lived. After a week, I become defeated again. My two children agitate me all the time, and I cannot be patient with them. The last two or three days, I was defeated again. What happened to me?" I asked her whether Christ had changed, and she said no. I asked her whether God's Word had changed, and she said no. I said, "Since Christ has not changed and since God's Word has not changed, why are you not victorious?" She answered that it was because her experience did not match what she thought it should be. I said, "Suppose your son went out to the street and saw a man who told him, `You are not your mother's son; you were bought at the herb store for twenty cents.' He would come back and ask, `Mother, am I your son or was I bought at the herb store for twenty cents? Someone outside said that you bought me.' You would surely say to him, `My son, you are my son. Do not believe what others say.' Suppose he went out again and met the same man, who said the same thing again and added, `I was there when your mother bought you.' If your son came home and asked you again, you would say, `My son, don't you believe my word?' Later, when your son went out again, suppose he met the same man again, who asked, `Have you checked with your mother? It is true. The day your mother bought you for twenty cents, not only did I see it, but that chauffeur there also saw it, and this and that person saw it.' Perhaps the man could name ten or twenty people as witnesses to prove that your son was bought for twenty cents. On the one hand, your son has your word, and there is no need for proof of your word, but on the other hand, there are the words of the outsiders, the testimony of twenty or fifty people, whose lies seem to be based on solid evidence. Should your son listen to your words which do not need any evidence or to the lies of the outsiders which are full of proof? Suppose your son came back to you and said, `Mother, these people are showing me considerable evidence that I was bought by you. Was I begotten by you or was I bought by you?' If he said this, you would surely say, `What a senseless child!' Mrs. Lee, God will also say that you are a senseless child! God says that His Son is your holiness, life, and victory. Whatever God has said counts. But the minute you walk away from Him, you become nervous and say, `Something is wrong. It is evident that I have not overcome! Although God has said that His Son is my holiness, this cannot be right, because the evidence shows that I do not have any holiness!' When you say this, you are saying the same thing that your son said. You are choosing to believe in Satan's lies, which seem to be full of evidence, rather than declaring God's Word. Suppose others say something to deceive your son, and he smiles and says to them, `My mother's word counts. You are a liar.' Suppose he smiles and says, `You are a liar' when they try to deceive him a second time. Suppose he still smiles and says, `You are liars. My mother's word counts,' even though others have tried ten, twenty, or even fifty times to deceive him. If he does this, he shames the enemy and it is a glory to his mother! If Satan comes and gives you a feeling that you are cold, you should tell him that you are victorious because Christ is your victory. If Satan comes to agitate, you should tell him that you are victorious because Christ is your victory. You should declare that Satan's words are lies and that God's Word alone is truth. This is faith, and this is the faith that is approved. This is the faith that gives glory to God's name. If we say that we believe with our mouth but are driven back in tears as soon as we are tested, where is our faith? Such faith is short-lived. Genuine faith must surely go through the test. If you concede defeat the minute you are tested, you are through."
Brothers and sisters, when the tests come and we proclaim that God's Word is trustworthy, declaring that the Word of Jehovah the Lord of hosts stands, that whatever He has said counts, and that His Word is settled in heaven forever, we will stand. The question now is whose word we will believe.
One sister had the same problem as Mrs. Lee. She said that she believed but could not overcome. I told her that we need faith that moves the mountain. A faith that fails at the slightest test is not faith at all. What is a great faith? What is a mountain-moving faith? A strong faith is faith that moves the mountain. A faith that moves the mountain cannot be hindered by any obstacles. Wherever faith is, problems have to flee. This is the faith that moves the mountain. A mountain and faith cannot coexist. Either the mountain has to go, or faith has to go. If the mountain remains, faith has to go. If faith remains, the mountain has to go. Every test is an occasion to move the mountain. The question is not whether there is a test. What is at stake is the fact that when the mountain remains, faith must go, and when faith remains, the mountain must go. The question is whether we will listen to the words of the outsiders or the word of God. Anything that crumbles in the face of a test is not faith.
One brother has apparently made some breakthrough in this matter, but he has not realized yet what victory is. Satan tells him, "See, you think you have overcome, but you are still defeated. You have been cheated. There is no such thing as victory." Brothers and sisters, if you concede that you have been cheated, everything is surely over. God accomplishes everything according to what you believe.
I remember one time when I was sick and lying on my bed upstairs. A brother came and took my temperature and pulse. My temperature was high and my pulse was fast. A few nights prior to his visit I had been unable to sleep; it seemed as if I was at the gate of death. That evening I prayed, and the next afternoon I received a word from the Lord. He had heard my prayer and gave me Romans 8:11, which says, "And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you." I thought that I needed a good rest that day, but contrary to my wish, I was exceptionally restless. When the brother took my temperature again, it had gone up and my pulse was even faster. Satan was busy at work. He wasted no time in coming to me to say, "What kind of promise is that? God promised that you would live, but obviously you are not living." Satan's word seemed very plausible. Right then the Lord gave me two verses. The first was Jonah 2:8, which says, "Those who regard empty vanities/Forsake the lovingkindness to them." Jonah uttered this word while he was in the belly of the fish. All outward circumstances and conditions are vanities. The second verse was John 17:17, which says, "Your word is truth." God says that His word is truth and everything else is vanity. If God's word is true, my temperature had to be false, my pulse had to be false, and my insomnia had to be false. Hence, I immediately thanked the Lord, saying, "Romans 8:11 is true, and all these symptoms of sickness are false." This was what I believed, and this was what I declared. By the afternoon, my temperature was gone, and my pulse came down. By the evening, I was able to sleep once more.
Brothers and sisters, this is the test of faith. What is true faith? True faith is one which believes only in God's Word and not in one's own experience, feeling, or the dark environment. Hallelujah! Only God's Word is true! If the environment and experience match God's Word, we thank and praise Him! If the environment and experience do not match God's Word, it is God's Word that stands. Anything that contradicts God's Word is false. Satan may say, "You say that you have overcome, but look, you are still as corrupt as before. You are still as weak as before. What made you say that you have overcome?" You can say to Satan, "It is true that I am still the same; I can never change. However, God says that Christ is my holiness, my life, and my victory." Satan will say that you are still corrupt, weak, and unclean. But God's Word is true. Satan's words are lies. Only God's Word is true!
In Chefoo I learned a lesson. One day Miss Fischbacher and I were praying for definite gifts from God. I was praying for the gift of faith, while she was praying for the gift of healing. After we prayed for a quarter of an hour, both of us received the gifts. In the evening we went to the meeting, and Sister An told me that another sister living downstairs in the meeting place was going out of her mind. This sister used to have a breakdown once or twice a month. But recently she broke down more frequently. After the meeting it was 10:30 p.m., and I went home. On my way home, I thought about what would happen if the sister had another breakdown right then, being alone downstairs in the meeting place. After I said good-by to the brothers, God's Word in 1 Peter 1:7 came to me. "The proving of your faith, much more precious than of gold which perishes though it is proved by fire." I said to myself, "So be it. If faith needs to be tested, let it be tested." The next day I invited Miss Fischbacher to come with me to see the sick sister. Of course, I could have gone alone, but Miss Fischbacher had just received the gift of healing, and I had received the gift of faith. Why should we not apply them now? When Miss Fischbacher got my invitation, she was somewhat hesitant. She said she would pray first. After she prayed, she decided to come. When we arrived, we found that the patient had fallen asleep a little earlier. Brother Shi, who was a doctor, said that we should wait until she woke up. He told us that humanly speaking, there was nothing that could be done. Miss Fischbacher had to leave for her boat at 11:30 a.m. We waited there until 10:50 a.m. before someone asked us to go in. I spoke a few words to the sick sister. Her hair was standing on end. This is what people look like when they have gone insane. But thank and praise the Lord! I prayed for a minute or two, and the Lord gave me faith. My faith rose up in me, and I began to praise the Lord! I knew that she was going to be healed. After Miss Fischbacher prayed, she also had faith and began to praise the Lord. Then two brothers and a sister also prayed a few words, but they were not in the flow of the Spirit as much as we were. Then the time came, and I had to take Miss Fischbacher to her boat. By the time I came back from the pier, the sister was crying, laughing, and shouting again. After several minutes, she passed out. The people could not do anything. I knew then that their faith was being tested. The doctor took me aside and said, "Brother, pray for her immediately. I can do nothing as a doctor for her." I told him that there was no need to pray. I laughed and said, "Satan, you can try again. You can try as much as you want." The sister was out of her mind, and I acted like I was out of my mind also. She was shouting inside the house, and I was shouting outside the house. She went on until 3:30 p.m., and I went on until 3:30 p.m. At the end, my faith came. At 4:00 p.m. I had another meeting and had to go. I told Dr. Shi that he should not disturb her or try to do anything; he should just let Satan do all he could. When God says something, it is done. He never plays tricks on us. In the evening Dr. Shi came and told me that the sister was getting well. The next morning he told me that she had become normal. I knew that she would still act up because a few other brothers needed to be tested in their faith as well. The sick sister was well for at most an hour at a time and really well for only about half an hour at a time. In the afternoon, she acted up again, and Dr. Shi came and asked what he should do. I knelt down to pray, but no word came to me. It seemed as if my faith could not rise up. At that time, Satan immediately came and said, "Try to laugh again. Yesterday you laughed so much. Why not try laughing again today." By then it seemed as if my faith was gone. Satan was at my side, saying, "You could laugh yesterday, but now you are so cold." But thank and praise the Lord! A voice within me said, "Your feeling may have changed. Yesterday you could laugh, today you are cold, but I have not changed." I answered, "Yes, the Lord has not changed," and I began to immediately thank and praise the Lord, saying, "Lord, You have not changed." The day before I believed God's Word. My laughter did not make God more trustworthy, just as my cold feeling and the absence of laughter on this day did not make God any less trustworthy. I only praised the Lord and did not pray any further. In the evening, Dr. Shi told me that the sister was completely recovered from her sickness as far as her physical symptoms were concerned. The next day, her composure came back. Hallelujah! God's Word is trustworthy! This is the proving of faith.
Brothers and sisters, we want to see results immediately after we believe. We want to have the experience immediately after we believe. But brothers and sisters, can we not persist in faith in God for three days or for three months? If we cannot persist in faith in God for three days or for three months, where is our faith? I have said this once, and I will say this again: "He who believes will not hasten away" (Isa. 28:16).
One day the Lord told the disciples to cross over to the other side. Suddenly a storm came, and the waves were beating against the boat. The boat was about to be filled with water. The Lord Jesus was at the stern of the boat, sleeping on a cushion. When the disciples woke Him up, they said, "Teacher, does it not matter to You that we are perishing?" The Lord woke up and rebuked the wind and the waves. After that, what did He say? Mark 4:40 says, "How is it that you do not have faith?" Matthew says, "You of little faith" (8:26). Many desperate prayers are but a sign of unbelief. If there is faith, one can stand fast. The Lord told us to cross to the other side. He did not tell us to go to the bottom of the sea. He has commanded, and it does not matter whether the wind is fierce or the waves are tempestuous. Look and see whether the boat will sink or not. If there is not faith, one will run away when the test comes. But if there is faith, one can still stand fast when the test comes. A small faith will run away at the sight of tests, but a great faith will stand fast in the face of tests. A false faith will fall at the sight of tests, but a genuine faith will stand fast in the face of tests.
A person once angrily rebuked me. The more I endured his rebukes, the more he continued. At that time I prayed to the Lord, saying, "God, give me endurance. Give me the strength to endure. Otherwise, my temper will burst." If the same thing happened to me now, I would not be that anxious. On the contrary, I would say to Satan jokingly, "Satan, you can revile me through the mouth of men. Let's see if the Christ within me can be stirred up by your reviling." I do not hate the revilers. On the contrary, I love them. Indeed, if we act this way, Satan will be unable to do anything against us. Brothers and sisters, thank and praise the Lord. Victory is Christ, not us. If it were up to us, we could only endure to a certain extent. If the reviling went slightly beyond that point, we would lose our temper. But if it is Christ, no temptation will be too much for us, and no test will be too hard to bear. When we stand on the side of God's Word and on the side of faith, Satan can do nothing to us. The Lord has commanded that we cross over to the other side. Surely we will cross over to the other side. It is not our word that counts, but God's Word that counts, because God is faithful.
Finally brothers and sisters, I have to ask you a question: Are there one or two recurring sins that have been bothering you? I believe there are. Brothers and sisters, when the indwelling Christ is leading us through the test, who is actually being tested? Every time a test comes to us, it is not we who are tested but God who is tested. When our faith is tested, the Son of God is tested. God's faithfulness is tested; we are not tested. Every test is a test to see what Christ can do. Every test is a test of God's faithfulness. Faith is standing on God's side, on His Word's side, and on the opposite side of our environment. This is overcoming. Satan says that we are unclean, but we say that Christ is our holiness. Satan says that we are proud, but we say that Christ is our humility. Satan says that we have failed, but we say that Christ is our victory. We can answer whatever Satan says by proclaiming that Christ is trustworthy and that His Word is trustworthy. This is faith, and this is the substantiation of God's Word. Hallelujah! Christ is victorious! Hallelujah! God is faithful! Hallelujah! His Word is trustworthy!
Brothers and sisters, please remember that the test of faith will not last long. Immediately after we have experienced the overcoming life, temptation may come more frequently than ever. But after our faith is tested, others will receive the benefit and the help. After our faith is tested, God's heart will be satisfied, and His name will be glorified. Satan's mouth will be stopped, and he will not be able to do anything to us. Hallelujah, God's Word is trustworthy! Thank and praise the Lord! When we stand with God, nothing can stand in our way. When we stand with faith, no mountain is immovable. Faith specializes in moving mountains. As long as it is a mountain, faith can remove it. Hallelujah, God is faithful!
