Lessons for New Believers

Lesson: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

This book is composed of messages given by Brother Witness Lee in a training in Taipei, Taiwan, in the fall of 1959.

Knowing that we are saved (1) _les.1

Chosen
Predestinated
Called
Sprinkled by the blood
Redeemed
Forgiven
Washed
Sanctified
Justified
Reconciled to God
Regenerated
Passed out of death into life
Resurrected
Ascended
Seated in the heavenlies
Renewed
Recovered to sight
Set free
Saved

Knowing that we are saved (2) _les.2

The new creation
Children of God
Members of God’s household
Citizens of God’s kingdom
Priests of God
God’s inheritance
God’s temple
Members of Christ
Belonging to God
Belonging to Christ
Belonging to heaven
God abiding within
Christ living within
The Holy Spirit living within
The eternal life of God
God’s nature
The law of life
The anointing
In Christ

Terminating the past _les.3

The need for termination
Not needing to search the past
Only terminating the things of the past
Examples of termination
Abandoning idolatrous things
Destroying demonic and filthy things
Making restitution
Terminating the past living
Not regulating according to teaching but by the moving of the Holy Spirit
Caring for the conscience

Consecration _les.4

The continuation of salvation
The need for growth
Walking the way of the Lord needing consecration
Growth in life needing consecration
God’s work in us needing consecration
Enjoying the riches of God’s salvation needing consecration
A response to God’s love
The right that God deserves
A burnt offering for God
A change in position
A change in use
A change in appearance
The practice
Consecrating ourselves once and for all
Constantly renewing our consecration
Believing
God accepting our consecration
Our consecration being irrevocable

Walking according to the spirit _les.5

The position of the spirit
The conscience in the spirit
The spirit being made alive and renewed
The Holy Spirit being with our spirit
The sense of the spirit
Walking according to the sense of the spirit
Walking according to the spirit being to obey God
The issue of walking according to the spirit
Walking only according to the spirit
Overcoming by walking according to the spirit

Reading the Bible    _les.6
Prayer    _les.7
Meeting    _les.8

God’s ordination
The requirement of life
The importance of meeting
The meeting life
Not abandoning our assembling together

How to meet (1) _les.9

The purpose of meeting
Toward God — worship
Singing
Praising
Thanking
Meditating
Toward man — edification
Releasing and refreshing the spirit of others
Ministering life and light
Toward ourselves — being built up in life
In life
In truth
In service
Toward the devil — shame
Displaying God’s grace
Exhibiting Christ’s victory
Preparing before a meeting
Toward God — dealing with offenses and removing barriers
Toward others — willing to minister and help
Toward ourselves — ready to receive grace, light, supply, and help
Toward the devil — rejecting distractions, hindrances, and a closed mouth
Learning to touch the feeling of the meeting
Touching the spiritual facts of the meeting
Exercising the sense of the spirit in our daily living
Fellowshipping with the Lord and dealing with everything before the meeting
In the meeting
Putting aside our personal feelings
Opening our spirit
Exercising the spirit to touch the feeling of the meeting
Knowing the progression of the meeting
Opening — to begin the meeting
Introduction — to lead the meeting to the subject according to the feeling
Strengthening — to strengthen the spirit of the meeting
Uplifting — to uplift the spirit of the meeting
Maintaining — to maintain the spirit
Filling the time — to fill up the remaining time of the meeting
Ending — to end the meeting
Sending off — to express the lingering riches of the meeting
Correction and turning
Correcting
Turning

How to meet (2) _les.10

Functioning in the meetings
Rejecting improper things
Disturbing thoughts
Not receiving any news
Not exchanging any news
Not worrying about things that are outside of the meeting
Analysis
Self-consciousness
Accusations
Burdens
Criticism
Being aggressive
Having a willing heart
Exercising the will
Having faith
Functioning according to inspiration
Not being afraid
Functioning
Selecting hymns
Matching the nature of the meeting
Matching the progression of the meeting
Being according to the sense in our spirit
Calling the number of a hymn clearly and slowly
Praying
Matching the nature of the meeting
Matching the progression of the meeting
Being according to the sense in our spirit
Using a clear voice
Using brief sentences
Exercising our spirit
Being brief
Considering the response of others
Speaking
Matching the nature of the meeting
Matching the progression of the meeting
Being according to the sense in our spirit
Bible reading being brief and fitting
Being brief, succinct, and focused
Not being afraid
Using a clear voice
Using an exercised and released spirit
Considering the feeling and response of others
Taking care of the time
Avoiding two things
Pretense
Imitation
Being submissive
To the advice of the responsible brothers
Concerning the voice
Concerning the time
Concerning the content
To the spiritual inspiration of other people
Knowing the hymns
The category
The subject
The feeling of the hymns
Matching the progression of the meeting
Memorizing the number and the first line of the hymns

Various kinds of meetings (1) _les.11

The bread-breaking meeting
The first section — for the remembrance of the Lord, taking the Lord as the center
Eating the Lord’s supper being to remember the Lord
Partaking of the Lord’s table being to fellowship with all the saints
The practical aspect
Having a focus
Everyone coordinating and cooperating
Having a climax
Thanksgiving and praise
The second section — for the worship of the Father, taking the Father as the center

Various kinds of meetings (2) _les.12
What the church is _les.13

The church not being a physical building
The church not being an organization
The church being the called-out congregation
The church being the Body of Christ
Being the fullness of Christ
Coming out of Christ
Being joined to Christ as one
Being Christ Himself
Being formed through baptism in the Holy Spirit
Expressing Christ
The church being the house of God
Being God’s dwelling place
Being the place where God is expressed

The expression of the church _les.14

The expression of the church being in localities
Taking the jurisdiction of a community as the boundary
Taking the principle of one church in one locality
Being in a locality meaning being on the earth and existing today
The expression of the church in the universe being its expression in localities
The church in the universe being called the universal church
Every local church being the expression of the universal church in that locality
The sum total of the local churches being the universal church
The local churches being miniatures of the universal church
The local churches being the practicality of the universal church
The building of the universal church being through the local churches
The local churches being necessary for the administration of the universal church
The universal church being intangible and the local churches being real to the workers and believers
The work of the workers being in the local churches
The believers’ corporate living and coordinated service being in the local churches
Touching the universal church only by touching the local churches
The administration of the local churches being local and independent — the local administration
The fellowship among all the local churches being universal and one — the fellowship of the Body
All the local churches living directly before the Lord
All the churches being the same in their actions

The oneness of the church _les.15

The source, producing, nature, principle, existence, administration, fellowship, testimony, and every aspect of the church being one
The church receiving one Spirit, one Lord, and one God through one faith and one baptism to become one Body and have one hope
The church existing as one in the universe
The church in each locality being one
Many local churches not being many kinds of churches
The church being indivisible
The church as the Body of Christ not being divided
The church as God’s dwelling place not being divided
Reasons for division
Being divided on the basis of spiritual giants
Being divided on the basis of the person who is instrumental to our salvation or edification
Being divided because of spiritual facts
Being divided because of differences in doctrinal views
Not considering doctrinal views as the faith
Practicing differently and being divided from others based on doctrine being fleshly
Receiving those who are weak in faith
The scriptures acknowledging doctrinal differences but not permitting division based on these differences
Being divided because of racial differences
Being divided because of differences in nationality
Being divided because of differences in social rank
Being divided because of spiritual weakness or mistakes

The ground of the church _les.16

The church needing a ground
The ground of the church being local
The local ground being the ground of the Body
The local ground being the unique ground
The local ground being the ground of oneness
The local ground being local yet universal
The benefits of the local ground
Guarding against organizational unification
Guarding against division within a locality
Guarding against confusion
Forsaking all other grounds and returning to the local ground

The division of the church _les.17

The causes of division
The effects of division
Damaging the Body of Christ
Producing sects and denominations
The responsibility of division
The need for discernment
Not taking spirituality as a basis
Not taking personal taste as a basis
Taking the ground as the only basis
The formation of a division
Having a special name
Having special articles of belief
Having a special fellowship
Having a fellowship that is isolated and not universal
Having a separate administration in the same locality
An organizational connection in the background

Our practice and attitude _les.18

Our practice
Abandoning all other grounds and returning to the ground of locality
Standing on the ground of the local church according to the principle of the local church and by virtue of the nature of the local church, our meeting together and serving in coordination, and thereby living the proper life of the Body of Christ and expressing the life of Christ to bear the testimony of the church, and being built together to be God’s dwelling place for expressing God Himself and doing God’s will
Not forming a unique sect and establishing “our meetings” in different places
Tolerating different doctrinal views or practices that do not damage the basic faith
Being willing to meet and serve the Lord by standing on the ground of oneness with all Christians of orthodox faith despite their differing opinions, as long as they are willing to not be divided and are willing to abolish any existing division
Receiving all believers with different views except those who meet the conditions for removal from fellowship
Desiring to have fellowship with all the brothers and sisters in the denominations but not being willing to have any part in their denominations or sects
Receiving but not committing responsibilities in the service to the brothers and sisters with different views
Encouraging the brothers and sisters, whenever they arrive in a locality, to first look for a meeting that is on the ground of the church in order to meet and serve together with such saints; if no meeting is found, endeavoring to preach the gospel, lead people to salvation, and lead the believers to know the church, and establishing a meeting on the ground of the church with them
Our attitude
Our not being either the Roman Catholic Church or a Protestant church, and our recognizing neither the Roman Catholic Church nor the Protestant churches
Our not being the so-called Brethren, whether exclusive or open
Our not being the small free groups that have left the Catholic Church or the Protestant churches but do not have a definite ground — our meetings standing on the definite ground of the church
Our not considering only ourselves to be the local church in a locality; our being only a part of the local church, standing on the ground of the local church in every place and bearing the testimony of the church according to the principle of the local church and by the nature of the local church
Our acknowledging that those who are saved in the denominations and sects, including the Catholic Church, are our brothers and sisters in the Lord and members of Christ even though they have lost the ground of the church
According to the revelation of the Scriptures, our believing that both the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches will not be changed or abolished, thus not expecting them to change, but hoping that people will depart from them and return to the ground of the church
Our believing that any form of union that preserves the ground of the denominations and is reluctant to forsake such ground is not absolute, is of no value, and is unprofitable to the testimony of the church; such a unity dividing while uniting and uniting while dividing
Our believing that all the work outside of the church that is not for the building up of the local churches should not exist; thus, not being willing to have any part in it
Even with such an attitude, our still confessing that our great God has the sovereign authority to use people who are different from us; His being able to use even those in the Catholic Church, which is condemned

Serving the Lord _les.19

The status for service
The life for service
The desire to serve
The practice of service
Serving in the church
Serving in the Body
Serving according to the Spirit, not according to the letter
The living of service
The goals of service

Preaching the gospel _les.20

The responsibility to preach the gospel
The life of preaching the gospel
The power of preaching the gospel
The skills for preaching the gospel
The practice of preaching the gospel
The speaking of the gospel
The results of preaching the gospel
Our eyes being closed in preaching the gospel
Being thick-skinned in preaching the gospel
The faith for preaching the gospel

The practice of fellowship (1) _les.21

The meaning of fellowship
A life of fellowship
Fellowship with God
God being Spirit
Man having a Spirit
The fellowship between the two spirits
The condition of fellowship between the two spirits

The practice of fellowship (2) _les.22

The effect of fellowship with God
The time to fellowship with God
Constantly
Setting aside fixed times
The place to fellowship with God
Anytime and anywhere
Setting aside a specific place
The procedures to fellowship with God
Needing to be quiet
Praying
Reading the Bible
Reading and praying
Praying for matters
Worshipping

The practice of fellowship (3) _les.23

The means of fellowship with God
Prayer
Speaking genuinely from the heart
Not being influenced by memory
Not paying attention to composing sentences
Relying upon the blood
Needing to confess our sins
Not worrying about other things
Not being restrained
Praising and giving thanks
Worshipping
Praying for practical affairs
How to lead the practice of fellowship

The practice of fellowship (4) _les.24

Bible reading
Not having the intention of seeking understanding
Not studying or researching
Not reading fast or too much
Not pondering
Having the intention to seek the Lord
Contacting the words in the Bible with our spirit
Maintaining constant contact with the Lord
Having a feeling of being bathed, warmed, refreshed, moistened, and supplied by the Word in the Bible
Receiving inspiration
Meditating on the inspiration and turning it into prayer
Praying and then reading the Word
Remaining in the feeling received throughout the day

The practice of fellowship (5) _les.25

Praying and reading the Bible complementing each other
God being Spirit
God being the Word
The Word being the Spirit
The Spirit needing our prayer
The Word needing our reading
The Word needing to become the Spirit
The Spirit needing to become the Word
Preventing interruptions

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