OUTLINE TEN

PROPHESYING IN THE CHURCH MEETINGS FOR THE ORGANIC BUILDING UP OF THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST

25. A concluding charge concerning our prophesying according to God’s standard for the building up of the church:
    1. The six days of the week spent with the Lord in His Word each morning to richly enjoy Christ and to receive His enlightenment gives us the basic content for our prophesying:
       1. Compile the top points at the end of the week from your daily enjoyment, enlightenment, and inspiration.
       2. Compose a short message as a prophecy, using the points you have compiled.
       3. Practice speaking that message.
       4. Prophesy in the meetings of the church using the words of your preparation and practice.
    2. When we prophesy we must have the instant inspiration of the Spirit; otherwise, our speaking will be mechanical:
       1. Prophesying is not a speaking that is according to the letter but a speaking that is filled with the instant inspiration and the revelation of the Holy Spirit.
       2. Our prophesying is not to read what we have composed but at the opportune time to speak what we have composed in a living way.
       3. Our prophesying should not be merely something we have prepared and are speaking to the saints out of our memory; we must follow the feeling we had in fellowship with the Lord and the instant leading of the Spirit as we speak:
          1. What we speak may not be altogether according to what we have prepared beforehand; rather, as we are speaking a further seeing with new utterance comes, causing our speaking to be fresh and powerful:
             1. 1) Watchman Nee said that we cannot be a good speaker if we do not have the instant utterance.
             2. 2) Andrew Murray said that a powerful and unlimited speaker always has some instant utterance, something new.
          2. If we only speak what we have prepared as an old foundation, this will not be adequate; every good speaker must look to the Lord for some fresh utterance and some fresh new light.
       4. When we speak, we must exercise not to use old terminology, but we must look to the Lord while we are speaking that He would give us the timely utterance with the instant view, the instant seeing, the instant inspiration; this will strengthen the spiritual nature of our prophesying.
       5. Our prophesying should not be mere doctrine gained from a Bible study, but something of a spiritual vision.
       6. Our prophesying must be organic, that is, living and fresh; otherwise, we may only build up an outward method with a correct practice.
    3. Four additional vital points that must be cared for if we would be able to prophesy properly and adequately:
       1. We must love the Lord, have fellowship with the Lord, live in the presence of the Lord, be joined to the Lord, and be one with the Lord.
       2. We must labor to learn the truth by studying the Bible and books that expound the Bible, such as, the Life-studies, Recovery Version footnotes, Life Lessons, and Truth Lessons, that we might be saturated and constituted with the Word of God.
       3. We must have a living spirit and walk according to spirit.
       4. We must have a heavenly view, a broadened view, a clear view that knows Christ and knows the church, not having our own opinions and viewpoints but rather God’s viewpoint concerning His interest on the earth, His Body, the church, the local churches, the individual saints, ourselves, the world situation, the sinners condition, and God’s economy; this heavenly view is gained through God’s light, His Word, and the experience of Christ as life and the Spirit.
26. Go to practice prophesying, learn to prophesy, and then perfect others to do the same.
27. For further consideration and development of the foregoing points contained in all the outlines see the footnotes in the Recovery Version on the verses used and the following writings and messages given by Witness Lee, published and distributed by Living Stream Ministry, P. O. Box 2121, Anaheim, CA 92814:
    1. The Advance of the Lord’s Recovery Today, chapters 1-10.
    2. The Body of Christ, chapters 1-2.
    3. The Building Up of the Body of Christ, chapters 1-4.
    4. The Divine Speaking, chapters 1-5.
    5. Elders’ Training, Book 5, chapter 5.
    6. Elders’ Training, Book 8, chapter 1.
    7. The Excelling Gift for the Building Up of the Church, chapters 1-6.
    8. The Exercise and Practice of the God-ordained Way, message 1.
    9. Further Light Concerning the Building Up of the Body of Christ, chapters 1-4.
    10. The Home Meetings, the Unique Way for the Increase and the Building Up of the Church, chapter 5.
    11. The Living Needed for Building Up the Small Group Meetings, chapters 5-6.
    12. Meeting to Speak the Word of God, chapters 1-5.
    13. The New Testament Priests of the Gospel, chapters 1-11.
    14. The Organic Practice of the New Way, chapters 1, 3, 4, 6.
    15. The Organism of the Triune God in the Organic Union of His Divine Trinity, chapters 1-5.
    16. Further Light Concerning the Building Up of the Body of Christ, chapters 1-9.
    17. The Perfecting of the Saints and the Building Up of the Body of Christ, chapters 1-3.
    18. The Present Advance of the Lord’s Recovery, chapters 1-6.
    19. The Scriptural Way to Meet and to Serve for the Building Up of the Body of Christ, chapters 1-3, 6-8, 11, 14-18, 22, 25, 27-28.
    20. Speaking Christ for the Building up of the Body of Christ, chapters 1-5, 8-10.
    21. A Timely Trumpeting and the Present Word, chapters 1, 3.
    22. The Way to Practice the Lord’s Present Recovery, chapters 1-3.
    23. Words of Training for the New Way, Volume One, chapters 7, 11, 12.
    24. Words of Training for the New Way, Volume Two, chapters 13-14, 17-18, 20, 22, 23.
    25. Message given by Brother Witness Lee on March 19, 1989, in Taipei, Taiwan.
    26. Message given by Brother Witness Lee on March 26, 1989, in Manila, Philippines.