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Scripture Reading: Acts 6:4; 4:31; 8:4; 2 Tim. 4:2
II. Prayer and speaking the word of God — Acts 6:4.
III. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking the word of God — 4:31.
IV. Speaking the word of God everywhere — 8:4.
V. Speaking the word of God at all times — 2 Tim. 4:2.
It is easy to say that everyone must speak the word of God, but it is not easy to do this. Therefore, in this training we have three lines: (1) The Full Knowledge of the Word of God, (2) Everyone Speaking the Word of God, and (3) Meeting to Speak the Word of God. To understand the Word of God you must first have some deposit within you. Today you may understand the Word of God only a little, but tomorrow you will understand a little more. One year later, and then two years later, you will understand still more. After a long time of study to understand the Word of God, you will have some deposit within you. It is like going to school. You cannot begin school today and then graduate next week. You must first spend six years of study in order to have the elementary-school education gradually deposited into you. Then you must study in junior high, high school, college, and graduate school. You must not only have the will to study from elementary school to graduate school, but you must also spend eighteen years in order to have an adequate deposit within you. Then, because you already have something deposited within you, you will be able to meet the situation.
It is the same with the Word of the Lord. If we read it often, even daily, and also pray-read it often, month after month and year after year, we will have an accumulation of the Word within us. I hope that when you speak God’s word to others, you will not just tell them that the Word of God is very good and that the word in your church is the richest of all. I hope that you will not merely tell people that previously you were not able to speak, but now you are able; that formerly you were dumb, but now you open your mouth; that previously you had no boldness, but now you have boldness; or that previously you had no eloquence, but now you have eloquence. You may speak like this for a long time, yet you are still only “introducing the ball”; you have not yet “played the ball.” People might listen to you the first time, but the second time they will not be happy to listen. You must have the ball in your hand, and you must also know how to play the ball. Furthermore, you must play the ball in the way of an exhibition that others can see.
Therefore, this training would first encourage and guide you to understand the Word of God, to be educated daily in the Word of God, and to be saturated daily with the Word of God. Formerly you had only the Life-study messages; we had not made them into textbooks. Therefore, the education you received was not that solid. Just as in learning mathematics, it is not adequate merely to listen to lectures; you must have a textbook in order to receive a solid education. The truth among us is indeed rich, but it is just piled up in a heap. We have seriously considered this situation, and we have decided to use the materials in our publications to put out textbooks, level by level.
This training is to encourage you to learn the word of God in the Bible systematically and solidly. Thus, it will be easy for you to speak for the Lord, and you will have something to give to others. Moreover, when you speak to someone, you must know what type of person he is, on what level he is, and what kind of word he needs. Then you should speak that kind of word to him. Applying the words of a Chinese proverb, do not be afraid that he will not appreciate the value of your “merchandise,” but be confident that by comparing your “goods” with others’, he will realize which is better. You only need to bring out the good things, to present to him a few big “diamonds” from the Word of God. Once he sees them, he will be attracted. This is the way to preach the gospel, and this is also the way to speak to the brothers and sisters in the denominations. Do not merely say that our church is very good, that our way is right, that here we have light, life, and truth, and that they must come quickly to meet with us. The more you speak this way, the more people will not be convinced. You must bring out and show them something precious from the Word of God.
About six months ago in Austin, Texas, a college girl, who was a fervent Christian meeting with a denomination, heard some erroneous rumors concerning us. One day a saint among us read to her a portion of a Life-study message from Genesis. Upon hearing this portion, she felt that it was precious, and she asked for a copy of the message. After she finished reading one message, she read another and was greatly attracted. As a result of this, she came to a meeting. Not long ago I received a letter from her thanking me.
If you have something precious that you want people to buy, you must bring it out and show them. When you have a clear knowledge of the truths and have stored them within you, at the proper time you can present them. Sometimes you may not know how to present them; at those times you may bring with you the Recovery Version and also one or two Life-studies. You may simply turn to a footnote and read it to someone. For instance, in 2 Corinthians 13 there is a long footnote on the Triune God (footnote 141). If your father is a Christian and does not yet agree to your taking the way of the recovery, do not argue with him. Find an opportunity to speak to him. You may say, “Dad, I have here a paragraph that speaks about the benediction given at the end of each of your meetings. Let me read it to you.” I believe that he will be attracted before you finish reading one third of it. Because of this footnote, your father will be attracted. We, the salesmen, must be trained. Do not say that others’ merchandise is poor. What businessmen avoid the most is saying that the merchandise of others is poor. The more you depreciate the merchandise of others, the more people will not buy yours. You need to present your treasure to people.
Now you have the treasure — the Word of God. To know God’s word as the Spirit, you must have sufficient prayer. In Acts 6:4 the twelve apostles said, “We will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.” Without prayer, your speaking of the word of God will not be effective. You may have the word of God, but you need to be a man of prayer. I am not advising you to fast, to pray without eating or sleeping for three days and three nights. Rather, I mean that you must be a person who prays regularly. One who prays regularly is one who has fellowship with the Lord.
Whenever you feel that you have sins, you must deal with them properly. Whenever you feel that you have touched the world and have been defiled by the world, you must be cleansed in a good way. Whenever you feel that the Lord has a demand upon you and you have not responded adequately, you must also deal with it. You must always be a person who has fellowship with the Lord. Even when you speak to others, you must speak in the spirit of prayer. Whether you are speaking to your father or to your mother — no matter to whom you are speaking — you must have a spirit of prayer, and you must be a person of prayer.
You must also experience being filled with the Spirit. This truth has been very much confused in Christianity. However, among us in these recent years, this biblical truth has been made very clear.
From the incarnation to the ascension and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus accomplished seven great matters. First, He became flesh, bringing God into man (John 1:1, 14). Second, He passed through human living, living the life of a man on this earth (Phil. 2:8). This is a tremendous matter. For thirty-three and a half years He lived out God in human living. Third, with seven statuses He accomplished an all-inclusive death on the cross, dealing with sin (John 1:29), sins (1 Pet. 2:24), Satan (Heb. 2:14), the world (John 12:31), the old creation (Col. 1:15; Heb. 2:9), the old man (Rom. 6:6), and the flesh (8:3) and also annulling the ordinances and rituals of the law and the differences among human societies (Eph. 2:14-15). Finally, through His death He released the divine life (John 12:24). Fourth, He resurrected from the dead, bringing all of us into resurrection (Eph. 2:5-6), that is, bringing man into God. Moreover, in resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). Fifth, on the day of resurrection He returned to the disciples and breathed the Spirit of resurrection into them to be their life and essence (John 20:22). Sixth, after forty days He ascended to the height (Acts 1:9; Eph. 4:8) and was made Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). He was given to be Head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:22), He was enthroned (Heb. 12:2) and crowned (2:9), and He became the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16). Seventh, as the Spirit of Pentecost, who is also the ultimate consummation of the Triune God, He was poured out upon the disciples, that is, upon His Body (Acts 2:1-4). These seven great matters are the complete gospel in the New Testament. Once a person believes into the Lord Jesus, he immediately enters into Him and is united with Him, and immediately these seven things that He accomplished become his.
I hope that the young people will learn to use the most simple words to speak these seven great matters that the Lord Jesus has accomplished. Speak about Christ’s becoming flesh, about His being conceived of the Holy Spirit and mingled with humanity in a virgin’s womb to be brought forth as the One who is both God and man, the God-man. He is the complete God and also a perfect man. He has the element of God and the element of man. In this way He brought the God who was outside of man into man, and God and man became one.
Then He lived a human life on this earth, a life which was God living in man. Indeed, He became a man, but it took thirty years for Him to completely live out the fashion of a man (Phil. 2:8). It was easy for Him to become flesh, taking only nine months to accomplish this. But for Him to be acknowledged as a real man, He needed thirty years. It may seem to us that in those thirty years He did nothing and accomplished nothing. Little do we know that He accomplished a great matter. In thirty years’ time He lived out the fashion of a man. This is not a simple matter. Every day He was in a poor carpenter’s home living a human life. He was God being a man, completely working out the fashion of a man. This is a tremendous matter. It is a pity that the translators of the Chinese Union Version did not make this clear in their translation. It should have been made clear that in the thirty years of the Lord’s human living, He was found in fashion as a man by men, living out the fashion of a man before men. Certainly He was God in the flesh, but was He able to be found in fashion as a man in His living? Yes, He was able. He spent thirty years’ time to be found in fashion as a man. After thirty years neither His mother, nor the husband of His mother, nor His brothers and sisters could deny that He was a man.
After this He went to the cross, and with seven statuses He accomplished the all-inclusive death. He solved the problems of sin, sins, Satan, the world, the old creation, the old man, the flesh, all the ordinances of the law, and all the differences in mankind between nations, between races, between societies, and between ranks in society. He solved all the different problems. Finally, He released the eternal life of God.
Think about it. If your parents or relatives are fervent Christians but are not for the Lord’s recovery, and you were to go to them, presenting to them the all-inclusive death accomplished by Christ in His seven statuses, they surely would be attracted. You could show them Message 53 from the Life-study of Luke and give them a testimony. You must not only be able to speak about this matter, but you must also have the experience. You might pray, “Lord, I thank You and praise You. Today all my sins are washed away by Your blood, the power of sin and death is ended, and the world is finished because it has already been judged. Satan is destroyed and has no authority over me.” When your parents hear this, they will know that you have received such a great salvation. They will have to confess within themselves, “After taking this path for five or six years, this child is surely different from us.”
In America I spoke a little on this matter in a conference held in the Bay Area. After I finished, one after another of the young people stood up and testified, “When I first took the way of the church, my parents opposed it very much. But after five years my parents saw the change in my living, and they became willing to know the reason for this change.” At that meeting at least ten to twenty brothers and sisters gave their testimonies. Eventually, one by one, the parents in these homes all turned this way. This is the reason that in the past years when the recovery was vigorously opposed in the United States, instead of being shaken, it became brighter. The reason for this is that we have published many books and have made them available to the public. Furthermore, there are at least six or seven thousand living witnesses.
I hope that you all will learn the truth. Learn the truths thoroughly and experience them. Then first influence your family and be a living witness before them. In the United States there are many sisters who have taken the way of the recovery and have been opposed by their husbands. Eventually, because of the truth among us, those husbands have had a turn. The United States is a top nation and a top Christian nation as well. The educational level is high, and nearly everyone has a general knowledge of Christianity. Many in the denominations are very zealous. Gradually, a number of them have seen their own wives, their own children, or their own husbands take the way of the recovery, and through them they have been able to read our books. Hearing their relatives speak and seeing the testimony in their living, they have been turned. There are many cases like this.
To gain people in the United States is not as easy as it is in Taiwan. Here in your going out to preach, thus far you have gained more than eleven hundred new converts. But more than half of the two hundred million Americans already profess to be Christians. The Catholic Church alone has approximately fifty million members, about one-fourth of the total population. Besides the Christians there are also the Muslims and the Jews. Therefore, it is not easy to preach the gospel in the United States. But we still have advanced because the recovery of the Lord is a recovery of life and truth, and no one can stop this. I hope that you will use all your effort to learn the truth. To learn the truth is not a matter of learning a few words; you must learn it thoroughly. Moreover, when you are going to speak the word of God, you need to pray. At the same time you must have the faith, asking the Spirit of the Lord — not the essential Spirit but the economical Spirit, the poured out Spirit — to be with you, just as in Acts 4:31, “When they had so besought, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”
Having the foregoing points, what follows is easy: speaking everywhere and speaking all the time. The several thousand from Jerusalem who were scattered abroad through persecution preached the word of God everywhere (Acts 8:1-4). Paul told Timothy to preach and to speak in season and out of season. When you read 2 Timothy 4:2, you must remember that these words follow the words spoken at the end of chapter 3: “All Scripture is God-breathed,” and that Timothy had known the sacred writings from a babe (vv. 15-16). It was after these words that Paul told Timothy to preach the Bible which he had known from a babe, and to preach what he had gained from the Bible. Furthermore, he needed to preach everywhere, to preach at all times, and to preach to everyone.
