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A Christian has four distinctive possessions: Christ, the Bible, the church, and fellow Christians. In addition, a Christian has four distinct characteristics: before men, he is peculiar; within himself, he is contradictory; before God, he takes his innermost part as the starting point; and in all things, he is led by God.
From the Scriptures we can see that according to God’s will and ordination, as well as His salvation, a Christian is an extraordinary person. If a Christian is so ordinary and common that there is not the least bit of difference between him and any other human being, then something must be wrong with him. As a saved one with the life of God within him, a Christian has to be an extraordinary person. Titus 2:14 tells us that Christ “gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify to Himself a particular [or, peculiar] people as His unique possession.” This means that God saves us so that we may be a particular people as His unique, peculiar possession. This also has been our experience.
In the Scriptures the reference to a Christian’s being “peculiar” has two meanings. First, it means that a Christian is peculiar in his outward behavior. Almost everyone has the sense that genuine Christians behave differently from the worldly people. We have often said that the world is a powerful current. In such a current, people simply follow the flow in the world, even though they do not all follow the bad examples to do bad things. However, a genuine Christian, having been saved, does not go with the flow in many situations; rather, he goes against the flow and is always going upward. Thus, he behaves differently from others and looks peculiar to them. For example, when some people want to go to a movie, it is peculiar if a Christian among them does not want to go. People in the world all go with the tide, but not the Christians, because they have received the Lord’s salvation.
Second, that a Christian is “peculiar” means that within him he has a peculiar life with a peculiar nature. Although many Christians know that they have been saved, they do not know where the difference lies between them and the unbelievers. The greatest difference lies in the fact that Christians have the Lord’s life within them. We all know that a certain life has a certain nature with certain innate functions. For example, the life of the fish has a distinctive nature, which enables the fish to live in water. If we put a bird in the water, not only will it dislike the water, but even its life will be in danger. This is because birds do not have the innate ability to live in water. Birds fly in the air, whereas fish swim in water. The birds may consider the fish strange because the fish cannot fly in the air but can live only in water. Actually, this is being different. However, this difference is not merely in behavior; it is a difference in life. Fish live in water not because they are odd but because they have a life that enjoys staying in water and that is also able to stay in water. Similarly, everyone who believes in the Lord has His life, and this life has its nature, its innate ability, which causes him to be different from the unbelievers. Such a difference is higher and greater than the difference between the birds and the fish.
Let me illustrate this matter further. Before a person is saved, he is always happy whenever he receives something, regardless of whether he has received it as a gift, he has earned it, or he has obtained it by some unrighteous means. Have you ever experienced, however, that the joy of giving is much greater than the joy of receiving? Of course, we are joyful when someone gives us a sum of money or any material thing that delights us. This, however, is not our greatest joy. We experience the greatest joy when we give to others. I have had many such experiences. I have some amount of joy when someone has given me a gift. However, that joy is outward and not inward. On the other hand, when I offer help to the needy brothers and sisters by sending them gifts, that joy is beyond description. Many brothers and sisters have no joy because they are unwilling to give.
The life received by Christians has a special nature and character—cheerful giving. The Lord Jesus told a young man to sell all his possessions and follow Him (Matt. 19:21). John the Baptist also said, “He who has two tunics, let him share with the one who has none” (Luke 3:11). When the life of Christ came into us, the nature of cheerful giving also came into us. We can see how great our joy will be if we are willing to give some of our possessions to the poor. Honestly speaking, as Christians, we should voluntarily set aside some of our possessions and share them with the poor and the needy. If we practice this, we will definitely have the inner joy.
Suppose some brothers and sisters are in financial difficulties. When other brothers and sisters find out about this matter, they remember these needy ones before the Lord and provide some financial assistance to them in secret. You can just imagine what a joy it will be to the needy ones when they receive the supply. Then one day when these ones who received the supply find out that other brothers and sisters are having financial difficulties, they too will contribute a portion of their resources according to the Lord’s leading. Their joy then will be far sweeter than their former joy. May we all have a taste of such sweetness.
Furthermore, a Christian also has a nature that delights in yielding instead of resisting. In Matthew 5 the Lord Jesus tells us, “Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And to him who wishes to sue you and take your tunic, yield to him your cloak also; and whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (vv. 39-41). This is not merely a teaching; it is the nature of a Christian’s life. For example, you may be engaged in a business with another brother, and when it comes time to settle accounts, you may get into an argument concerning some of the profits and dividends. Consider this: Are you happier when you are fighting for your share or when you willingly receive less? Suppose you and I are engaged in business. At the year-end settlement of accounts, you want to take fifty percent of the profits, and I want sixty percent because I believe that I put in more effort. Who has the joy in such a situation—you or I? In the end, neither of us has any joy. If, having enjoyed grace, you say to me, “Brother, you may have one hundred percent,” then you will be joyful. And if I also say to you, “Brother, you may take all the profits,” then I will also be filled with joy.
Once two brothers came to me because they had a dispute about some business dealings. Brother A said that Brother B was asking for too much money, while Brother B said it was Brother A who broke his promise because that was the sum agreed upon originally. They asked me to represent the church to settle the matter fairly. Therefore, I had some fellowship with the leading brothers, and they all said, “This is totally unreasonable! How could a brother ask for more than his share from another brother? And how could a brother refuse to give what is due another brother?” They all agreed that the matter should be settled equitably but did not know how to proceed, so they consulted me. I said, “We should tell Brother A to give everything to Brother B, and we should also ask Brother B to give everything to Brother A.” According to the teaching and the principle shown in the Bible, resisting one another does not issue in peace and joy.
Thus, when Brother A came to me, I said, “You have asked me to settle this matter fairly, and I feel that the best way of settlement is to go beyond fairness.” He asked, “What do you mean by going beyond fairness?” I told him that it simply meant that he had to give everything to Brother B. Then he asked, “How could this be?” I said, “According to what you said, it is fair to give him thirty percent. If I instruct you according to your word, apparently I am helping you, but in reality I am doing you harm because you will lose your joy. On the other hand, if you give him all, you will have joy and your joy will be full.” Upon hearing this, Brother A began to shed tears, though not tears of sorrow. Then he knelt down to pray and left rejoicing. When Brother B came, I also said to him, “We have to go beyond fairness. The Bible rightly says that when brothers contend with one another, what they gain is dung, and they will not have joy. As Christians, we should yield to others willingly. Whoever slaps us on our right cheek, we turn to him the other also. To be a Christian is to be able to turn the other cheek to be slapped. If you give him all, then you will overflow with joy.” Upon hearing this, Brother B also knelt down to pray because he truly had the life of Christ.
Consider this: Who has joy—the one who strikes or the one who is struck? Christians are very peculiar. They rejoice in being struck but do not rejoice in striking others. This is why I told those two brothers that if we insist on being treated fairly, surely we will lose our joy. The life of Christians is a life of peace and joy. Whenever we contend with others, we have neither peace nor joy. If we are not like this, there may be two problems: either we are not saved or the life within us is not adequately manifested. The Bible tells us that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). We have the inner joy when we delight in giving, more than in receiving.
Christians possess a life that is not only willing to give but also reluctant to make a show. For example, a sister who plays the piano may be invited to a recital. She performs excellently and is praised by everyone. Do you think she can rejoice when she goes home? Do you think she can kneel down and pray? Normally, she cannot go home with joy. She loses her inner joy as soon as people shower praises upon her. This is a marvelous thing. On the contrary, if she performs poorly, although she will feel dejected outwardly, when she goes home she can kneel down to pray and be filled with joy from the Lord. Being reluctant to make a show is a special nature of the extraordinary life of the Lord Jesus.
People in the world all like to make a show of themselves. Christians, however, are unique—they dislike making a display of themselves. For example, in the matter of rendering help to others, most people are eager to make it known to everyone. Christians, however, are reluctant to make it known and feel uncomfortable, even unhappy deep within, if it has been made known. Christians can praise God and be filled with joy only when they help others without making a public display and without being known.
Christians are in contrast to the worldly people in many respects because they have a life that is quite different from that of the worldly people. For example, when someone in the world has been wronged, he likes to vindicate himself and even issue a public statement so that he can make himself feel comfortable. However, if a Christian does likewise, he will lose his inner joy. This does not refer to his outward being but to his inner life, the life that is in all those who have Christ within. When a Christian suffers injustice, naturally he is not happy, but the life within him rejoices. He can tell the Lord, “Lord, someone has wronged me by telling lies about me, but You know me.” He has the inner joy. This is to be a Christian. A Christian has an extraordinary life within him that gives him an extraordinary sense, which leads him to live an extraordinary yet normal life. Such a life is unusual in the eyes of others but normal to the Christian himself. A Christian is normal in the sense that he is distinct from the worldly people and does not go along with the tide of the world because he has a peculiar life with a peculiar nature, which is Christ Himself. Although many of his actions may seem unusual, and even strange or odd to others, they are manifestations of the peculiar life that he received when he was saved.
Many Christians can neither pray nor offer thanksgiving in the meetings. With some, of course, it is due to their timidity and shyness, but with most Christians it is because their spirit is void of joy and is oppressed. They may feel that they have not committed any sin or done anything wrong, yet their spirit cannot be uplifted. The main reason is that they have formed the habit of neglecting the sense in their spirit. When others, however, feel that they are wrong, they do not ignore their feeling. Thus, they are released and freed in their spirit. When they come to the meetings, they can pray and testify spontaneously. A difficult matter with most Christians is that they have a peculiar life with a marvelous sense, yet in their circumstances, due to their disobedience, they are unable to live out a proper condition. As a result, they are Christians inwardly but do not live as Christians outwardly. They have Christ within but do not look like Christ without. This is all because although they have the sense within, they do not have the obedience without. Consequently, there is no difference between their living and the living of ordinary people.
It is difficult to find an honest person, a person who tells the truth one hundred percent. Nonetheless, a Christian should not lie. Once when I was going to Shanghai, I had to buy a ticket for baggage transportation. A porter told me, “Sir, your baggage is at least five kilograms, which is just a little over ten pounds, but you may declare that it is only two pounds.” I felt uncomfortable because I could not lie, so I had my baggage weighed and ended up having to pay more freight charges. I knew that the porter wanted to help me, but he also wanted me to lie, so I could not listen to him. The porter stared at me angrily and said, “Do you not have a better place where you can use your money?” I simply smiled and did not say anything. He continued, “You are a foolish traveler. You simply do not know the rules of the game.” I just stood there while he scolded me. Many times we will find ourselves in the same kind of situation. What should we do when we are being tempted? If I had cheated and said that my baggage was only two pounds, as suggested by the porter, I would have gained some monetary advantage but would have lost my inner joy. Therefore, we should rather keep our inner joy.
Another time, I was being interrogated by the Japanese authorities. The Japanese officer asked me, “Do you believe in God?” I said that I believed in God. Then he asked, “Who is greater, God or the emperor of Japan?” I said that God is greater. Again, he asked, “Who is first, God or your country?” I said God is first. On the next day, before the officer began his interrogation, an interpreter came to see me and said, “Mr. Lee, since the Japanese officer wants you to say that your country is first, you should just say it. Why should you say that your God is first?” Saints, I hope that we can all see clearly that in such situations, the unbelievers are watching to see whether or not we are special and different from them. We can either tell the truth and suffer or not tell the truth and escape suffering. The worldly people and even the demons are waiting and watching to see how Christians face temptations.
Thus, we can see that some brothers and sisters cannot pray because they act contrary to the nature of the life within them. In their living they are always either lying to others or deceiving themselves. The cheapest thing in the world is lying. For instance, when a guest comes to see us, the most convenient way to refuse him is to ask someone else to tell him, “So-and-so is not home.” In today’s society, whether in hospitals, in schools, in offices, or in other organizations, it is very difficult to find people who do not lie. This is because lying is the easiest way to resolve a problem. All that is needed is to speak or write a few words as one sees fit. For example, people generally misstate their expenses when they go on business trips or misstate their overtime charges. In brief, there is something special in Christians. If we are Christians, we must be those who are genuine, proper, and on the right track so that we can live out the extraordinary nature of the life that is within us.
Those who have lived in Shanghai know that commuters there commonly practiced a dishonest thing. One time when I was returning from Cha-pei to Shanghai, before I reached my destination, someone who knew that I was getting off shortly approached me to ask for my ticket so that he could make money by reselling it later to another commuter. I refused to give it to him because I had the conviction that I should not help him sin. Since I had repeatedly refused to give him my ticket, I almost had a clash with him one time when we met on the same electric car again. Another time, I met another person who was also trying to resell used tickets and who lectured me, “This company is British-owned. Since you are a Chinese, you ought to help your fellow Chinese to make some money from the British people.” However, I have a peculiar life and nature within me. If I live and walk according to this life and nature, my spirit will be rejoicing, transcendent, and able to praise God; otherwise, I will feel depressed and lacking in joy.
Of course, it is convenient to ask someone to tell an unwelcome guest that we are not home, and there is also no great harm done to anyone when we help someone to reap some small gains by allowing him to resell our used ticket. Nevertheless, this will cause us to lose our inner joy. Although others will not find fault in us, our spirit will be deadened, and we will not be able to pray or give praises to God. In today’s society very few can stay away from lying. It is precious that we are able not to lie. It is indeed difficult for us to be truthful in an environment that is filled with lies and hypocrisies. Nevertheless, Christians must all be clear that this is not just a teaching or a principle in the Bible; rather, it is the peculiar nature of the life in us. This requires our exercise and practice.
To go against the tide means that, for instance, even though everyone believes it is all right to lie, we are troubled within. Lying causes us to lose the ability to pray, praise, and fellowship. Others lie but we cannot—this is the distinction between us and the worldly people, and this is also our peculiarity. Therefore, the Lord often gives us a feeling that is different from the feeling of the worldly people. If we ignore the feeling we have from Christ and go along with the tide just like ordinary people, we have lost our way before God because we have lost the peculiar nature within us. However, if we obey that feeling and walk accordingly, we become a special people who are in this world as God’s peculiar people upholding His marvelous testimony.
