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(Editor's Note: The following article is translated from the Chinese series, Twelve Baskets Full, Volume 7, chapter twelve. The content is similar to the second "Preparation Message" given by Watchman Nee in the Third Overcomer Conference in January 1934 (see Volume 11 of The Collected Works). Since we have no assurance that this article is taken from the same spoken message, we have included it in this volume.)
Scripture Reading: Mark 4:5-6, 16-17; Hosea 14:5-7; S.S. 4:12
From the above three passages we can see the kind of Christian living that God delights in and the kind of living that is enduring and unchanging, one that survives blows and withstands tests. Why do some Christians look quite promising at the beginning of their Christian experience, yet are nowhere to be found after a period of time? Why do some drop out halfway? Why are some unable to follow the Lord to the end? The answer is very much related to the way a Christian lives. If a Christian does not live a normal Christian life, he is shaky, and it is easy for him to drop out. Therefore, we must not neglect this problem.
Mark 4:5-6 says, "And other seed fell on the rocky place, where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered." This is one of the many parables the Lord Jesus spoke on the sowing of seeds. In verses 16 and 17 the Lord explains the parable to the disciples: "And likewise, these are the ones being sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. Yet they have no root in themselves, but last only for a time; then when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately they are stumbled." From the Lord's explanation we see that a shallow life cannot endure or stand the test of trials. Apparently this kind of life has a good start, but eventually, it ends miserably. The appearance of this kind of life is that "immediately it sprang up." Since it has sprung up, the outer shell of the seed has burst, and it has sprouted. This means that the word is no longer merely a doctrine to a person. It has been transformed into life. It has sprouted and sprung up immediately. As far as its appearance is concerned, it has advanced very fast and progressed in a wonderful way. One should be satisfied with such a growth. However, its end is disappointing because it becomes scorched when the sun comes up and it withers away. It springs up immediately but withers quickly. Sprouts that cannot withstand the heat of the sun have little hope of ripening and wither away quickly. This is the condition of many Christians. Shortly after they hear the word, they receive it with joy under the illusion that they have everything, understand everything, and are prepared to pay any price and embark on any way. Before God they have the will and the consecration; before men they bear their testimony and zeal. However, when trials soon befall them, they immediately shake and become dismayed. They find things to be unbearable. They flinch through fear and eventually fall away. Brothers and sisters, as long as we are Christians, the scorching of the sun is indispensable; it helps our growth and assists our ripening. If we are shaken and fall away as soon as we meet the scorching of the sun, it indicates that we are shallow. The scorching of the sun only exposes our true condition; it will not rob us of what we really possess. Does the word of God wither at the scorching of the sun? No. The problem is how we received the word. Why does God's word sprout immediately and then wither away as soon as it is exposed to the scorching of the sun? What is the reason for this? The Bible shows us three reasons.
The first reason that the word withers away is the shallowness of the ground. This means there is not much soil and consequently no depth; there is only a little soil on the ground. A Christian with shallow ground has very little inside of him. When such a person hears the word, every sentence seems to be well received and easily comprehended. He is apt to relay the word to other people and ready to bear witness before men. However, it is just as easy for this kind of person to lose the truth, overthrow the truth, and deny what he has said to other people. He is satisfied easily, and he becomes hungry easily. He is happy and sad easily; he is excited and cooled easily; he laughs and weeps easily. Such a person is very shallow; he lives in his emotions and circumstances.
We know that if a tree is big, its roots must be deep. Some trees can reach a depth of several hundred feet. A tree which cannot absorb water from the surface will send its roots deep until it finds a source of water. The palm trees in the Arabian Desert survive with green foliage, despite the scorching of the sun, because they draw water from the depths, enabling them to defy the blazing sun. If a Christian sends his roots down, he will not need to fear the scorching of the sun. Everyone who lives by his circumstances or in his feelings is living on shallow ground. Those who are prone to be swayed by their emotions or influenced by circumstances are similarly shallow. However, those whose lives are deeply rooted do not care about their circumstances; they do not live by feeling but solely by faith. They do not look to or depend upon circumstances. Instead they look to the Lord behind the circumstances. Such persons receive their sustenance, support, and power from God instead of from the circumstances. If a person lives by his emotions and circumstances, instead of trusting in the Lord behind the circumstances, he will not be able to hold fast to a single truth or teaching. When circumstances are favorable, he will be energetic and elated, but as soon as he encounters trials, he will become disheartened and depressed. He will fall as soon as he is confronted with the cross. Brothers and sisters, if you retreat when trials come, it proves that you are a shallow person. When the sun scorches, you will wither away immediately.
The second reason that the word withers away is the lack of root. What are roots? The section of a tree that is above the ground is the trunk, and the section that is hidden under the ground is the root. The visible life-section is the branches; the invisible life-section is the root. Therefore, the root represents the hidden life. Those who are rootless in the Lord live a dry life. Those who have no hidden spiritual life, except that which is manifest before men, have no root. The root is the hidden, invisible part. What is exposed and visible is not the root. Brothers and sisters, we should ask ourselves: Besides the part of our life which is visible before men, how much hidden life do we have before the Lord? If all that we have is that which is exposed, it is no wonder that we wither away as soon as the sun comes and scorches us. In our spiritual life nothing sustains us like the hidden life. If we see a brother or sister falling away, do not regard the fall as an accidental or sudden occurrence. Instead, we should realize that there must be something wrong with his hidden life before God. Since he has no root, he falls when the sun rises to scorch him.
In Matthew 6:6 the Lord Jesus said, "But you, when you pray, enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you." To shut the door is to have a hidden life, and this is to have roots. The Lord spoke in a very peculiar way: The Father will see in secret. Oh, praying can be seen! We think that praying is heard, but the Lord said that it is seen. Sometimes when we are before the Lord, we have no words; there is only an attitude — this is precious also. Brothers and sisters, what proportion of our life is seen by God in secret? Is all that we have apparent before men? How much of our spiritual life before God has never been divulged? How much experience do we have which is comparable to what Paul kept secret from other people for fourteen years (2 Cor. 12:2)? If we have none, it indicates that we have no root. If we are persons without root, we will immediately fall away when the sun comes up to scorch us. Brothers and sisters, only the part of us which can survive the test of trials is reliable. If our roots are not deep enough, we are bound to fail.
The third reason that the word withers away is that there are rocks underneath the shallow earth. A person with shallow earth may be willing to send his roots deep, but rocks may obstruct them. Outwardly, he is the same as other people, but within him there are hidden sins and a hardened self. In the Bible the word rock has several meanings — one relates to a stony heart (Ezek. 36:26). If we wish to send our spiritual roots deep, we should not harden our hearts (Heb. 3:8). Many Christians have never experienced the breaking of their concepts and have never been broken. They give many reasons to reject God's will and insist on their own views. They always have opinions as to whether something should be done this way or that way. They have rocks within, and their hearts are very hard. God has to blast these inner rocks away before they can strike their roots. There is only one kind of people who can strike roots: those who tremble at the word of the Lord (Isa. 66:5). Brothers and sisters, a heart that is not submissive to God is a stony heart. We should ask God to enlighten us and show us how big the rocks within us are. If we have rocks inside, we cannot strike roots, and when the sun comes up and scorches, how can we escape from withering away?
Rocks not only stand for a hardened heart but also for hidden sins. Perhaps there is a particular sin in your life which you have not given up because the price is too high, and you do not have the courage to deal with it. Perhaps God's demand is strong; consequently, you reason and argue with God because you cannot obey. If you allow your hidden sins to remain, you cannot strike roots. When the sun comes up and scorches, how can you escape from withering away?
Brothers and sisters, without light we will not realize how shallow we are. Without the scorching of the sun, we will not understand why those who spring up fast also wither away fast. How often we are deceived into complacency with our spiritual state! Yet we regard ourselves as wonderful people! To our great surprise, when the sun comes up and scorches us, we immediately wither away.
Why does God permit the scorching of the sun to come to us? Why does He allow difficulties to befall us? Brothers and sisters, this is the ultimate expression of the Lord's love — the cross. There is nothing which can cultivate our spiritual life as much as the cross; no trial can be better than the cross. When we heard the word of truth, we immediately accepted it with joy and consecrated ourselves to God. Perhaps we fancied that we were all right. In reality we overestimated ourselves. God purposely sent us trials and the cross so that we would see ourselves. Yet sometimes we end up having an argument with God because He acts contrary to our expectations. He tells us to go to places that we do not want to go to. He assigns us to work that we do not want to do. Therefore, we are dissatisfied. Inevitably, we misunderstand God, blame God, and have an argument with Him. Brothers and sisters, please remember that arguments bring us into dryness. All spiritual dryness has its beginnings in our controversy with God. If God gives way and we win, we will be doomed to wither away. Therefore, the cross is a test to us; it decides whether our life will end in richness or dryness. In other words, whether our life will be abundant or dry depends on how we deal with our argument with God. If we prevail and God yields, the only result for our life will be dryness. Therefore, we must never rejoice in our apparent victory or delight in our freedom. This merely points out the fact that our life is withering away and that our living will soon degenerate. The experience of many Christians testifies to this fact. Our life does not remain abundant when God yields. If there is an unresolved dispute, an unsolved problem, or an unclarified point between God and ourselves concerning His will, we must be extremely careful. If we are double-minded and not satisfied with God's arrangement, choosing the path which we consider to be good, we will not have to wait until the issue becomes apparent; we will begin to wither away immediately.
Brothers and sisters, we should not imagine that we can acquire something simply by listening to a message. God has to create an environment for us to actually feel the need for the word we hear. This will test whether we have accepted the word genuinely or superficially. God has to create an environment to show us that no teaching of the Bible can be ours without paying a price. For example, after we have listened to a word on endurance, God will arrange tribulation for us because "tribulation produces endurance" (Rom. 5:3). After we have heard a word on obedience, God will confront us with hardship so that we can learn obedience from the things which we suffer (Heb. 5:8). After we have heard a word on gentleness, God will bring us face to face with many irritating people and matters so that we will be "gentle toward all" (2 Tim. 2:24). After we have heard a word on faith, God will seem to hide Himself from us and take no notice of us when we call upon Him so that we will not "doubt in unbelief" but be "empowered by faith, giving glory to God" (Rom. 4:20). Each time we hear a word, something always seems to be waiting to test us. Brothers and sisters, if we can stand the test, the word will become real in us.
God will never allow us to simply listen to a message or consecrate ourselves; He must test us. He can only use the vessels which stand firm after the tests. Once an older sister, long in the service of the Lord, spoke to a young brother who was about to embark on the Lord's service, and said, "Every piece of bread that is consecrated to the Lord's hands must be broken before it can be distributed to others. Unbroken bread cannot multiply and will not sustain others' lives. We often consecrate ourselves to God yet hope in our heart: `Lord, I have consecrated myself to You, but please do not break me up!' We all want the bread to remain intact forever and stay permanently untouched. But every piece of bread in the Lord's hands must be broken. If you do not want to be broken, do not place yourself in His hands." Brothers and sisters, these are words of experience by one who knew the Lord. All the bread that is placed in the Lord's hands will be broken by Him. This is where the difficulty lies with many Christians. They listen to a sermon and joyfully say, "Lord, I consecrate everything to You." But when the Lord breaks them, they yearn to be delivered from their environment. Brothers and sisters, on the one hand, we are captured by God, but on the other hand, we are unwilling to be broken by Him. This is a struggling life. If we want to have an abundant life, we must allow God to send many trials to us.
Hosea 14:5-7 reads, "I will be like the dew to Israel;/He will bud like the lily/And will send forth his roots like the trees of Lebanon./His shoots will go forth;/And his splendor will be like that of the olive tree,/And his fragrance, like that of the trees of Lebanon./Those who sit under his shade will return;/They will revive like grain/And will bud like the vine;/His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon." In this passage, Lebanon is spoken of three times: once in relation to the lily, once in relation to the olive tree, and once in relation to the vine. Why is there such an emphasis on Lebanon? There is such an emphasis because the cedars on the mountain of Lebanon are very tall and the roots are very deep. The Bible uses the cedars of Lebanon to represent the tallest and biggest trees on earth; they also signify people who strike their roots deep. In this passage Lebanon is first spoken of with reference to the lily, then the olive tree, and finally the vine. For the Bible to speak in this way is profoundly significant. Let us briefly consider these verses.
Why is the lily linked to Lebanon? A lily is pure and beautiful. The lily that is referred to grows in the wilderness, not in a house garden. No gardener cultivates this lily; it depends solely upon sunshine, rain, and dew for sustenance. Christians are lilies of the valleys (S.S. 2:1); we rely entirely upon God's cultivation and maintenance. A pure and beautiful spiritual life is derived from uninterrupted fellowship with God. Hence, "he will bud like the lily/And will send forth his roots like the trees of Lebanon."
Why is the olive tree linked to Lebanon? In the eyes of man, an olive tree has no splendor at all. If we said that something has splendor like a peony plant, it would be easy to understand. But to compare splendor to an olive tree does not sound very appropriate. However, the Bible shows us that splendor to God is not a superficial splendor but genuine fruit. The olive tree bears oil-yielding drupe — its splendor is in its fruit. The splendor of a Christian is in the bearing of the fruit of the Spirit. This can be achieved only by going inward and striking roots in the depths. Therefore, his splendor is said to be as the olive tree and his fragrance as Lebanon.
Why is the vine linked to Lebanon? The verse says, "They will...bud like the vine." Have we ever seen the budding of a vine? Vine blossoms are tiny! Very soon after budding, the buds are turned into grapes. We never see vine blossoms in a flower vase. Why does the verse not say that the budding is like that of the peach tree or the chrysanthemum? This is because the budding which God honors is not something for man's appreciation but something that bears fruit like the vine. God requires a Christian to strike roots and bear fruit abundantly. That is why the verse says that they shall bud like the vine and their renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.
Lebanon is referred to three times — all for the purpose of drawing attention to a life in the depths. Although this life in the depths is a secluded life (like the lily in the valley), a life that is outwardly unattractive (like the olive tree), and a life that is not prominent (like the budding vine), it looks to God in simplicity and is capable of bearing much fruit. This is the kind of life a Christian should have. Yet it is impossible to have this kind of life unless one strikes deep roots; there has to be a regular daily exercise. We must set aside a little time every day to pray and study God's Word — reading and praying simultaneously in the presence of God. If possible, we should also appropriate some time to pray for the saints, the churches, and God's work. If a Christian does not read the Bible or pray every morning, he simply does not have any life in the depths. To strike roots is not a matter of words but is an actual practice in our daily life. At the beginning of this practice, one has to pay a price. May God's love attract and lead us into the depths day after day so that our roots may go down deeper and deeper.
In order to live a life in the depths, it is necessary to have direct and intimate fellowship with the Lord. Song of Songs 4:12 says, "A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse;/a spring shut up, a fountain sealed." What is spoken of here is a garden. According to the Bible, a garden is God's very first thought. A garden is not an ordinary plot of land; it is not for general- purpose planting. Neither is it a field, which is specifically for tillage. A garden exists solely for the purpose of beauty and enjoyment. In a garden there may be trees, but their purpose is not for wood. There may be fruit trees, but their purpose is not for fruit bearing. The importance of a garden is in its flowers. They are planted only for their beauty. Flowers are for the pleasure of the eyes. The description of the garden as "inclosed" means that it is not a public park which everybody has access to for enjoyment. Rather, it is inclosed exclusively for Christ. The inward beauty is to be seen and appreciated by Christ alone. This kind of life is not one that pleases men but one that only pleases Christ.
This life is "a spring shut up." The word "spring" can be translated "well." A well is for man's use. Although this well is for man's use, it is still under the restriction of the Lord. This life is also "a fountain sealed." A well is produced artificially, but a fountain is not. A well is for man, but a fountain is for God. A fountain stands for the joy and contentment we acquire before God. We cannot consciously divulge our experience to men, because it is a sealed fountain. A Christian should not consciously exhibit his beauty, pursuit, and spiritual experience to others. Everything should be silently sealed up for the Lord. Only this kind of life in the depths will satisfy the Lord's heart.
Brothers and sisters, our life is often too shallow, and a large portion of it is exposed on the surface. May the Lord grant us grace and do a deeper work in us through the cross so that we may strike roots and have a life in the depths to fulfill God's requirements and satisfy His heart.
