Date: October 29, 1940Place: Unrecorded
Sister Ruth Lee asked: What is the difference between buffeting our bodies and asceticism? Paul said that he had learned to be content in whatever circumstances he was in. How did he deal with his body?
Answer: Asceticism is the denial of the proper needs of the body. Those who practice asceticism are not necessarily more spiritual than others. One brother refuses to use hot water to wash his face. He purposely clothes himself poorly. This is asceticism. Another sister once invited me to her house for a meal. She purposely cooked food that did not taste good. When I asked her why, she said, "I am ill-treating my body so that I can be spiritual. If I cooked the food too well, I would be indulging my flesh and would not be spiritual. I purposely ruin the food so that I will not indulge in fleshly enjoyment." It is true that a Christian should not crave ease and comfort and not covet nice food, but there is no need to purposely cook unpalatable food.
What then does it mean to buffet our bodies? Buffeting our bodies is to not allow the proper needs of our bodies to frustrate our spiritual life. This is true spirituality. Buffeting our bodies means that our bodies have proper needs, yet for the sake of the Lord and His work, we can forego the demand of such needs at critical times. If a Christian always demands that his needs be met, he has not learned the lesson of buffeting his body. Once I took hospitality with a brother in another person's house. During every meal he would stick his chopsticks into the dishes and turn the food over and over again in search of the choice meat. After that I declined to travel with him for the next ten years. Such a person has never learned the lesson of buffeting his own body; he has never learned to subject his body under him.
Practicing asceticism is denying the demand of the body when it has needs; it is purposely acting contrary to the law of the body. This is too much. However, if a person has never learned the lesson of buffeting his body, he is useless in the Lord's hand. Once I traveled with two brothers to another place. Both brothers were very active in preaching the gospel and were zealous in helping others. But at a certain point, both would suddenly lose their stamina; it would be impossible to drag them any further. They had to take a nap every day after lunch. Even when someone was waiting to fellowship with them or other matters were waiting to be settled, they would turn the other way. I could beg them, but no word or amount of nudging could move them an inch. This is setting the mind on the flesh, indulging in self-pity and self-love. Those who act this way have never learned the lesson of buffeting their bodies.
Chinese Taoism and Buddhism are filled with ascetic philosophies, but asceticism is not a biblical concept. Paul said that he made his body his slave (1 Cor. 9:26-27). This means that he directed his body to serve him. He was not bound by his body; instead, his body served him. Making our body our slave means that we do not allow our spiritual life to be hampered by the needs of our body. Those who insist that they have to use hot water to wash their face have never learned the lesson of buffeting their bodies or making their bodies their slaves. Of course, we should not abuse the biological law of the body; we should take care of its needs. But our bodies should be always under the control of our spirits. Some people insist on satisfying their appetite; they cannot suffer a little hunger. Some people insist on having adequate sleep; they cannot miss any sleep. Some people love cleanliness; they cannot stand any mess. Some people insist on sleeping on soft beds; they cannot stand hard beds. These are examples of not making our bodies our slaves. All those who feel that their spirits are willing but that their bodies are weak have not learned the lesson of buffeting their bodies. A person who indulges in such self-love is useless in the hand of the Lord. May the Lord be merciful to us, and may we learn the lesson of buffeting our bodies and making them our slaves.
Faith should be a very spontaneous thing in a believer. One should not need to exercise any effort to believe. If a man has to strive and struggle to believe, his faith is not genuine. One brother testified that when he was a young believer, he had to exert considerable effort to believe. The first time he preached the gospel to others, he spent much time to pray. It seemed as if he had to collect a great deal of "faith" from somewhere and stuff himself with this "faith." God was merciful to him and answered his prayer in many matters. But to an outsider, his struggle appeared very painful, and his "faith" was very unnatural.
Today believers should pray to God in a very ordinary way, and God answers their prayers in a very ordinary way. Indeed, this is what a miracle is all about. Every miracle worker should not be conscious of his miracles. A man who feels that performing a miracle is a strange thing is one who is far away from God. Those who dwell in God's house do not consider miracles a strange thing. But those who dwell in their tents consider miracles to be a strange thing. Moses performed many miracles, but he did not feel anything strange. When he led the Israelites through the Red Sea, the sea parted in front of him. Moses did not think that he was performing a miracle, he just did it. The Israelites believed without fanfare, and it just happened. Faith and miracles are something spontaneous for those who know God.
In America some Christians say that all believers should practice Mark 16:17-18: "And these signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it shall by no means harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will be well." They purposely put cobras in front of believers and allow the snakes to bite them. Those who are bitten eventually die. Those who practiced such things have a wrong motive. They consider miracles to be a kind of performance and use them to show off their power.
Miracles are nothing extraordinary. When Paul was bitten by the serpent once, he simply cast it into the fire (Acts 28:3-5). To him, it was as common as a mosquito bite. He did not say to the natives of Malta, "Come, and I will show you a great miracle." He did not promote anything. A man who genuinely knows God does not promote miracles. However, a man who does not promote miracles does not necessarily know God. But we can say with certainty that those who know God do not promote miracles. If we try to put God's promises to the test by claiming Mark 16:17-18, it will be a very strange thing if God gives us any experience at all. Even if we say that we have had the experiences of Mark 16:17-18, there will still be doubt that our faith is genuine.
God performs miracles when there is the need for it. Man cannot call forth miracles by his own making. Miracles are done unconsciously. Anything done in a conscious way is not a miracle. The result of faith is unnoticeable. You may not know if you have faith, but things happen spontaneously. Genuine miracles are acts that one performs unconsciously. Peter's shadow healed the sick (Acts 5:15), but he did not notice it. He probably did not realize that his shadow was healing others. If others hit me, I can feel it. But if they hit my shadow, I cannot feel it. This was the case with Peter.
Once George Müller prayed in a ship for the fog to go away. I myself also prayed in Plum Village for rain. But these miracles never repeat themselves. Neither of these miracles were performances; they were not done to demonstrate one's power. They merely gave men a glimpse of God's greatness, power, and authority.
We often use a verse to test God or wrestle with Him. Romans 7:18 says, "For to will is present with me, but to work out the good is not." Perhaps we can also say, "For to will is present with me, but to work out the miracle is not."
Genuine miracles are a mystery even to those who perform them. When we commit ourselves to God's hand, things happen. God can perform miracles through us, but He will not allow us to be conscious of them. Someone once asked George Müller if he had the gift of faith. He answered that he had the grace of faith rather than the gift of faith. God's power is great; He can do everything by Himself. He does not need us to help Him. Faith is spontaneous for those who genuinely trust in God. There is no effort involved. They live in a simple way and recognize that God is doing everything rather than themselves.
We may think that God has given us many different ways. Actually those who have many ways do not know God. A man who really knows God does not have many ways. When God reveals Himself to man, He shuts off man's many ways and leaves him only one way. Proverbs 4:18 says, "The path of the just is as the shining light." The word "path" is singular. This means that there is only one path for the just. God often reveals only one path, and we do not even have the option to ask for another path. The New Testament shows us that Christ had only one way; there were never two ways for Him to choose. He only had one way to go. Why do so many people feel that there are many ways? They think there are many ways, and they feel that they have to find out which way is correct. From among many different ways, they try to find the one that God has prepared for them. Actually, the spiritual pathway is never hard to find. All one needs is a desire to do God's will and walk on His path. God will spontaneously put His way before him.
Today many brothers and sisters have many ways. They receive invitations here and there. They are putting many ways before them. It seems that God is putting much confidence in them by presenting many ways and allowing them to make their own choice. Actually, these ones may not be spiritual at all. There are also some who are waiting for the Lord to open up more ways for them. They have seven or eight ways before them already, yet they are still waiting for God to open up more ways. These ones should actually ask God to close up ways so that they can get on God's unique way.
In their initial stage of following the Lord, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had many choices. But in their old age, they only had one way — the God-ordained way. The responsibility for finding the way does not rest on us, but on God. We do not have to frantically seek for the way. All we need to do is to resolve to do His will. God Himself will show us His unique, ordained way. We also have to realize that we do not have the ability to run the race well, just as we did not choose the right way by ourselves. God has closed us in, like He closed Noah within the ark. Only God's protection keeps us in His way.
There was only one pathway throughout Paul's life. He never hesitated on his pathway. From the time he met the Lord on the way to Damascus, he had only one way before him. He strove to run this race. In the end he could say, "I have finished the course" (2 Tim. 4:7). The more a Christian grows spiritually, the fewer ways he has. At a certain point, he will only have one way — the way God has ordained for him. May the Lord close up the many ways that are before us and keep us on His unique, ordained way.
