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Scripture Reading: 1 Tim. 2:4; John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Pet. 2:2; Matt. 4:4; John 6:63; 1:1, 14
I. The essence of God’s Word:
А. The divine breath — 2 Tim. 3:16.
B. The spiritual milk — 1 Pet. 2:2.
C. The bread of life — Matt. 4:4.
D. Spirit and life — John 6:63.
E. Christ — God Himself — 1:1, 14.
Beginning this morning we will have five days of training meetings on service. Every brother and sister in the church has a part. It is not only the elders and co-workers who serve, but every brother and sister in the church is a serving one.
Before the meeting you received the outline for this message. In the outline there are Scripture verses. Before I came downstairs, I told a few of the co-workers not to tell you how to read the verses because I wanted to see how you would do it. I watched carefully. Your prayers were quite good, but you prayed without stopping. I had no choice, so I asked someone to write two verses on the blackboard. Then he said, “Let us pray-read.” After he said this, you began to pray-read. You should know that time is limited in a training; therefore, after you have prayed a little while, you should begin to pray-read.
Whenever we gather together, we enter into the Lord’s name. We have been called out of everything to be gathered together. The Spirit is within us, and the Word of the Lord is in our hands; therefore, we can read and we can pray. We do not have a pastor, and even though we have elders, they are not elders in the meetings. In the meetings everyone is equal. We have many co-workers, but they are not co-workers in the meetings. Their work is to preach the gospel on the campuses, to lead people to be saved, to hold special meetings, and to take care of the saints in the church.
When the church gathers together, we all have the Word of the Lord, and we also have the Spirit of the Lord. We can use our eyes to read the Lord’s Word, our mind to understand the Lord’s Word, and our spirit to pray over and receive the Lord’s Word. We all can do these things, just as everyone can breathe, drink, eat, and speak. We all are living people, not robots. The God whom we serve is also living. We are not serving dumb idols. When we come to the meetings, we desire to overturn the way of practice in Christianity, which stifles the functioning of the members of the Body of Christ. For several decades we have been trying to overturn this way, but sometimes the more we tried the more we fell back into it. When I came back to Taiwan in October 1984, I could not tolerate the situation any longer; I made up my mind to overturn all the things related to the old way. However, this morning these things are still with us. My reason for mentioning this to you is to ask you to overturn these old things.
In addition, when you pray-read, you need to look at the subject and the main points. The subject this morning is “The Full Knowledge of the Word of God.” Therefore, when you pray-read 1 Timothy 2:4, “Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth,” you should not dwell on the phrase who desires all men to be saved, because the subject is not salvation but knowing the truth. In this sense, pray-reading may be likened to playing basketball. In basketball the main thing is not dribbling but shooting. In pray-reading, when you “get the ball,” do not dribble the ball; just shoot.
When I came back to Taiwan, I saw that all the industries on this island had changed and that the export business had been revolutionized. However, the way we do things has not changed much. We cannot change the earth, which was created by God, but we can change the method of transportation on the earth. Likewise, we cannot change the truth, but we can change our way of practicing the truth. Therefore, this training is not for a specific class of people but for everyone. From now on there will be no class in the service of the church. We must hate class structure, and we must abolish class structure. When the class structure is abolished, there will be no religious organization and no clergy.
Because of the change of the system, we have turned from big meetings to small meetings. In the small meetings our greatest need is the word of God. Everyone should know how to speak the word of God. A short time ago I was in a special conference in Berkeley, California. There I spoke five messages on “The Divine Speaking” (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1985, vol. 3). In these messages I taught and encouraged the saints to speak the divine word. When I returned to Taiwan, this was still my burden. I feel that the small group meetings have not been firmly established and are not rich because we do not have enough of God’s word, and we do not have sufficient experience in speaking God’s word. Using again the illustration of basketball, we all know that having a basketball is one thing, and playing the game of basketball is another thing. If you do not have enough practice in the basic movements and have not practiced enough to work together with the other team members, you cannot play a good game. In like manner, to have God’s word is one thing, and to speak God’s word is another thing. I believe that many of you who are in the meetings have God’s word, but because you lack practice in speaking, when you need to speak, you cannot do it. These two matters — having God’s word and speaking God’s word — are our present need. If we cannot master these two things, it will be difficult to succeed in changing the system.
I do not expect the changing of the system to succeed in six months, but I do expect that it will succeed in three years. Anything worthwhile cannot be done successfully in one try. Anything that can be done successfully in a short time is probably not very worthwhile. Therefore, we need to have patience and perseverance. We need to struggle, work hard, and practice; then we will succeed in changing the system. Therefore, having come back to Taiwan this time, I still need to emphasize these two points: having the word of God and speaking the word of God. Every day we will have three training meetings, two in the morning and one in the evening. The subject of the first message each day will be “The Full Knowledge of the Word of God,” and the subject of the second message will be “Everyone Speaking the Word of God.” In the first message the emphasis will be on the word, while in the second message the emphasis will be on speaking. The subject of the third message will be “Meeting to Speak the Word of God.”
I was raised in Christianity and participated in three denominations. I studied in a Baptist elementary school and also went to a Baptist Sunday school. Then I gained some further learning in the Chinese Christian Presbyterian Church. Later, I went to the Brethren assembly to learn the truth in the Bible. At that time the Brethren assembly was very famous in northern China. I attended their meetings five times a week, rain or shine, for seven and a half years. I heard many sermons, and in these sermons the phrase God desires all men to be saved was often repeated. However, I never heard anyone tell me that God not only desires all men to be saved, but He also desires all men to come to the full knowledge of the truth. In the Chinese Union Version, the translation of 1 Timothy 2:4 is, “Who will have all men to be saved and know the true principle.” The true principle here refers to the truth. We cannot say that “know” is a wrong translation, but it does not bring out the full meaning. In the original text this word, epignosis, is derived from a verb, epiginosko. The prefix of this word, epi, means “exactly, completely, through and through.” This word indicates not merely a little knowledge but a thorough and complete knowledge.
Many Christians pay attention only to “God desires all men to be saved” and neglect the other part of God’s desire. After we are saved, whether or not we will be useful vessels in God’s hand depends on our attitude toward the truth. If we know only a little of the truth, there will be a great lack. God surely desires all men to be saved, but He does not stop there. He also desires that all men come to the full knowledge of the truth. Not only in Christianity but even among us, there are some who have been attending meetings for many years but who cannot give a complete message on any point of the truth. What a pity!
When brothers and sisters stand up to speak in the meetings, we can discern from their speaking the measure of the truth that is in them. It is often possible to determine a person’s educational level from his speaking. For example, even now I still recognize a few brothers and sisters who met with us in 1949. I am afraid that if you were to ask them to give a ten-minute message on God’s justification, they would not be able to do it. Everyone is able to stand up and give a testimony, but when we ask many of the saints to speak the truth, they are not able to do it. It is for this reason that we must change the system.
In the United States I told some people that during the time from 1962 until today, a period of almost twenty-three years, their sons had graduated from college, but they, the parents, could not even give a message. In the spiritual sense they had not even graduated from elementary school. This is where we have failed. Brothers and sisters, here in Taiwan we also have been meeting together for more than thirty years. How many of you can stand up and speak concisely, clearly, simply, understandably, and thoroughly for five to ten minutes? I doubt very much that I can find even one.
If we cannot speak spiritual words, how can we go out to supply life, release the truth, and preach the gospel? We will only be able to tell people, “It is very good to believe in Jesus. If you believe, you will have joy and peace; therefore, you must believe.” If we need to speak further concerning the benefits of believing, we can only say, “Come and see. Come and listen, and you will know. You can know these things only by experience; I cannot tell you in words how good it is.” If it cannot be put into words, how can I tell you about it, and how did you hear about it? The reason that you cannot put it into words is that you did not learn how to do it.
Many brothers and sisters in the United States were moved by the Lord and began to form gospel teams. Two or three teams began to go out to preach the gospel on many university campuses in many states. I had told them before that, even though the United States is a country of high education, the gospel that has been preached there is still elementary. It speaks either about going up to heaven, about going down to hell, or about peace and joy. But the truth in the Bible is high. Because of this, I told them that they should go out to preach the high gospel, the gospel that people cannot help but receive. However, they always had a question: “Do you think that people will understand these things that we speak?” In answer to this I said, “Do not say that people cannot understand. It is not that they cannot understand but that you do not know how to speak. If you can speak, they will understand.” These words encouraged them. They formed gospel teams and preached the Triune God — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit — as the gospel. The result was wonderful. When they came back to give a report, they all were excited and said, “It is wonderful! The students on the university campuses welcomed this subject the most. One by one they were saved because of this subject.” How do you explain this? Therefore, we must change our concept.
Today the educational standard in Taiwan is high. If you preach the gospel only of going to heaven and not going to hell, people will not be interested. This kind of preaching can only frighten the very old and the very young. In this age you cannot preach this kind of low gospel. This does not mean that the Bible does not speak of heaven and hell but that people today do not need this. They are thirsty for the high gospel. You must tell them that the Triune God entered into humanity, not only to be our Savior but also to be our life and even to become the meaning of our life. Anyone who is even a little philosophical in his thinking will welcome and receive this. Therefore, brothers and sisters, today if we do not have a considerable amount of education in the truth, our service cannot meet the demand of the present age. As a result of the diligent labor of the brothers, the number attending the Chinese-speaking meeting in Anaheim has increased. Among those who attend this meeting are some who have worked in the Chinese society. They are intellectual and philosophical people, and they are all over sixty years of age. When we speak to them about the gospel of life, they feel that it is very meaningful, and they are interested.
I hope that you can all see that this is a new age. We must change the system. It would be ridiculous if we still used an old oxcart to travel around the world. I thank the Lord that you all love the Lord. Some of you are even full-timers. Six months ago I charged you to spend four hours, from eight o’clock until noon, on Monday through Saturday mornings to study the Bible. In this chapter we have said that God desires all men not only to be saved but also to come to the full knowledge of the truth. What is the truth? The Word of God, the Bible, is the truth (John 17:17). Therefore, we all must labor to get into the Word of God. First Timothy 5:17 says that the elders must do two things: take the lead well and labor in the Word of God. Those who labor in the Word of God will be counted worthy of double honor.
Let me ask all of you, is it difficult to study? Last night I saw from my window some children who were studying until eleven o’clock. I want to ask you who love the Lord, do you labor in the Word of the Lord and study it as carefully as those children were studying? Is your lack of study because the church does not put you under pressure or give you examinations? Is it because the church does not give you a grade and a degree? As in the past, we may still think that it is sufficient if we merely come to the meetings, are a little zealous, and once we become full time, do nothing else but pick up our Bible bag every day, with no examinations and no passing or failing. We may still think that the co-workers have a lifelong tenure. Such a condition is abominable to the Lord.
Therefore, I charge you: in order for the Lord’s work, the Lord’s recovery, the Lord’s church, to have a way, there must be a group of people who labor in the Word of the Lord. The industries in Taiwan are so prosperous because thirty years ago the young people, who were then in their twenties, labored diligently in their studies. Today they have many accomplishments in science and industry. It is for this reason that the country has a future. These people who work in Taiwan are now in their forties and fifties. They have received the higher education provided by the government, and thus they have become useful and talented people. This is a very clear example. Today in the church our effort is not sufficient. We have been here in Taiwan for thirty-six years, but the results of our work cannot be compared to the results achieved in the industries of Taiwan. I gave a training here in 1952, and within a year over one hundred full-timers were raised up. After I left Taiwan in 1960, there was no training, and not many full-timers were produced.
Praise the Lord that now you young people are rising up. I am concerned that you need teaching materials and textbooks. After you have the textbooks, you still need to work hard. Now I am concerned about two matters. The first matter is that we do not have any textbooks. After coming back to Taiwan this time, I have a strong burden to write textbooks. After the textbooks are written, you can all attend classes. My second concern is that we need to build a large meeting hall.
We must change the system. We cannot put together on the Lord’s Day those who were saved thirty years ago and those who are saved today and give them the same message. If we were to preach week after week and year after year for thirty years, the Lord would still have no way. But if we change the system, if there are six hundred people coming to the meeting, we will need six rooms that can each hold one hundred people. We will need to divide the people into classes and give them different teaching materials. We cannot follow the denominations to build a meeting place, hire a resident pastor, then hire two more preachers and some janitors, train some members to sing in the choir, and have the Sunday service. If the Lord has mercy on us, in two or three years the large meeting hall can be built; then we can do many things. We must work hard to build up our spiritual education.
In the eight years of the Sino-Japanese War all the universities moved to inland China. There were no campus buildings; cottages and shacks became all the campus buildings. The notebooks were even made from toilet paper. Although the situation was like this, the university education was established. That is why China is so advanced today. In the same way, even though we are not well equipped today, having too little space and not enough manpower, we still must do our best. I hope that you brothers and sisters understand the real situation. What the Lord’s church and the Lord’s recovery need today is a group of people who know the truth. Not only a few co-workers and elders, but the majority of the brothers and sisters, must know the truth.
Now let us see the essence of God’s Word in a simple way. If we want to know God’s Word, we must know the essence of God’s Word. The Word of God is the Bible. Its essence is the divine breath, the spiritual milk, the bread of life, spirit and life, and Christ — God Himself.
God’s Word is God’s breathing out (2 Tim. 3:16). The Bible is God’s breathing out; that is, it is the breath breathed out by God. The Bible is God’s breathing. To God it is a matter of breathing out; to us it is a matter of breathing in. Through God’s breathing out and our breathing in, God’s word enters into us and becomes our life and life supply. Therefore, when we read the Bible, we must understand that the Bible is not merely black words on white paper, but it is the breathing out of God. It is full of spiritual breath. Therefore, we must not only understand the Bible with our mind, but we also must contact the word of the Bible with our spirit. Whenever we read the Bible, we come to contact God.
The Bible is the spiritual milk. In 1 Peter 2:2, Peter says that we need to be like newborn babes longing for the guileless milk of the word. In the Word of God there is the element of milk. This is also implied in Hebrews 5:12, which says, “You...have become those who have need of milk and not of solid food.” God’s Word is our spiritual breath; therefore, we must breathe it in. God’s Word is also our milk; hence, we must drink it. We must long for the guileless milk of the Word.
God’s Word is our bread of life, our food of life. This is indicated in Matthew 4:4, a word out of the Lord’s mouth and a quote of Deuteronomy 8:3: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out through the mouth of God.” Therefore, whenever we read the Bible, we must breathe in the spiritual air, that is, the Spirit of God. We also must drink the spiritual milk and eat the bread of life, which is the Lord Himself.
The Word of the Lord is spirit and life. In John 6:63 the Lord Jesus said, “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
The Word is God. The consummation of the Word is Christ Himself, because Christ is the Word of God. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word,...and the Word was God.” This Word became flesh, and His name is Jesus Christ. Ultimately, the word in the Bible is God Himself. It is the embodiment of God Himself. This does not mean that we consider the words in black and white as the living God. What we mean is that the words in black and white contain God Himself. This God is Christ; He is our bread of life. This Christ is also the Spirit, who becomes our spiritual milk and our spiritual breath.
Therefore, when we come to read the Bible and learn to understand the Bible, we must have the attitude that the Bible is different from the textbooks in the schools. They are merely black words on white paper, simply a matter of knowledge. The essence of God’s Word, however, is the breathing out of God, God’s spiritual breath. God’s Word is also the spiritual milk and the bread of life. It is spirit and life, and it is even God Himself. Therefore, we need to understand God’s Word and also enter into the essence of God’s Word.
We human beings are created: we have a body; a soul with thoughts, emotions, desires, and intentions; and a spirit. God cannot simply be the Spirit and enter into our spirit; this is too intangible and impossible for us to understand. Therefore, God has worked in a wonderful way. He has given us both the Bible and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is contained within the Bible, and the Bible is carried within the Holy Spirit. They are mutually in one another; hence, the two are inseparable.
When we read the Bible, we touch the Spirit. When we touch the Spirit, the Bible is there as our practical support. We not only breathe in the spiritual breath, drink the spiritual drink, eat the spiritual food, and receive the Spirit and life, but we also have the clear Word to be our support, to satisfy our thinking and our thoughts. Here we can see the wonderful work of God. Not only do we have the Holy Spirit, but we also have the Bible. We cannot separate the two. If we read the Lord’s Word daily, the Lord’s Word will enter into us. Then we will know it and understand it.
