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A Christian possesses at least four things. First, he has Christ; a person is not a Christian if he does not have Christ. Second, he has the Bible; third, he has the church; and fourth, he has fellow Christians or companions in the Lord. In addition, such a Christian has four characteristics.
First, a Christian is peculiar in the eyes of the world. He is distinctly different from the worldly people. If a Christian walks like the worldly people, even though he may not be a false Christian, he is surely a questionable Christian. A normal Christian is most certainly peculiar before men.
Second, if a Christian lives before God and maintains fellowship with Him, his inward sense and outward behavior usually are in contradiction. His inner being often disapproves of his outward living, attitudes, and speaking. In other words, a proper Christian always experiences contradictions between his inward sense and his outward behavior. This is normal. Therefore, a Christian is both peculiar and full of contradictions.
Third, if a Christian lives before God, he will do all things from within his innermost part. He is reluctant to show off his good deeds because he does everything inwardly. A Christian who acts and moves from within is spontaneous, ingenuous, and honest, without outward pretense and imitation. Whatever he does in his daily walk, he does it out of his innermost part, because that is where the Spirit of God dwells. He takes his innermost part as the starting point of his walk; this means that God is his starting point. Therefore, a Christian lives, walks, and has his being not from without but from deep within. Inwardly he is in the light and he is good, while outwardly he is spontaneous and does not engage in mere outward activities.
In summary, the first three characteristics of a Christian include his being peculiar before men, his being contradictory within himself, and his walking before God with his innermost part as the starting point. People in the world all plunge into the current of this age, but a genuine Christian does not follow the current, is not fashioned according to this age (Rom. 12:2), and most certainly does not follow the bad examples of others. Hence, he is seen as peculiar. Inwardly he has the presence of God, the consciousness of Christ, and the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, which all constantly disapprove of his outward walk and living. Others may not condemn him and may instead even praise him. Inwardly, however, he always condemns himself for not coming up to God’s standard. This comes from his having fellowship with the Lord. The more he fellowships with the Lord and draws near to Him, the more contradictions he experiences. The more he enjoys the presence of the Lord, the more he feels that many aspects of his outward living are incompatible with God’s will and God’s holiness. Therefore, his inward being always disagrees with his outward conduct, and he constantly has a sense of contradiction between the inward and the outward. Moreover, a proper Christian is one who does all things before God out of his innermost part.
Besides being peculiar, being contradictory, and taking his innermost part as the starting point, a Christian is led by the Lord in all things. What is a leading? Perhaps this word is difficult to understand. In fact, the Word of God speaks a great deal about the matter of leading. Most people, however, do not speak much about it. What does it mean to be led? For example, I may want to go to a certain place but do not know the direction, so I get someone to lead me there—he walks before me while I follow from behind. This applies not only to walking but also to the handling of affairs. This is what the Bible refers to as leading.
A saved one must be led by God in all things, such as how he should behave, how he should walk, and how he should live. Generally speaking, he must be led by God in all things, great or small, that are related to his food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, as well as in the things related to his family, to himself, and to his education or knowledge. No matter how people praise us, if there are still some areas in our life and within us that are not under the leading of God, we know that there are still problems in us.
A normal Christian is one who is led even in the smallest matter of his living. Someone may ask, “To what degree of smallness is the smallest matter?” According to what I have learned, we have to fellowship with God and be led even concerning the style of our haircut. We also need to be led in the matter of determining how much to spend for a pair of shoes. Ordinarily, most Christians are so competent that they do not care about the Lord’s will and good pleasure. It is not until great things occur that they would pray, “Lord, I am about to be married. What should I do? I have to search for a job. How should I proceed with it?” In other words, they pray and inquire about important matters but not about the trivial things in their daily living. This type of Christian is abnormal and unhealthy. A normal and healthy Christian is one who lives with the Lord and who brings everything, both great and small, before Him.
In reality, what we consider great things are small things before God. What kind of great things do we have? Our stature is about six feet at most. The great things in our lives are small things in God’s eyes. Nevertheless, God desires that we inquire of Him even in the smallest things. For example, humanly speaking, we do not like for our children to do things without our knowledge. Even in trivial things, such as eating an apple or a piece of cracker, we like for them to tell us. Parents are not happy if their child is so capable in doing everything that he does not need them all day long. Bosses dislike to be troubled by their employees; parents, however, are not bothered by children continually coming to them. When one child comes to let his parents know that he wants an apple and another child comes to tell them that he wants to play ball, how satisfied the parents are! Therefore, a Christian should not just pray every day. Rather, he should pray and fellowship with the Lord every moment of the day. For example, before you set out to go to Kaohsiung, you have to ask God, “O God, I want to go to Kaohsiung; what do You think about this?” After you have prayed and have sensed the peace to go, you should inquire again as to which day you should go. Once you are clear about the day, you should inquire further, “Lord, which scheduled train should I take?” God is not afraid to be bothered by us, so we should feel free to seek Him. In this way, not only are we blessed in the matter for which we inquire, but through our seeking we also have more fellowship with God and, consequently, we are filled with God’s nature.
I used to go to Beijing, where there was a brother who was born in a certain place in South America that had been under the rule of the British people. Outwardly that brother looked just like us, having the same skin color and eye color as we have, but his temperament was the temperament of an Englishman, and he also spoke like an Englishman. He was a very good friend of mine, so I used to stay with him whenever I visited Beijing. Once I told him, “You are evidently a Chinese, but your temperament is totally the temperament of a foreigner.” Why is it that he as a Chinese behaved like an Englishman? It is because from the day he was born, his daily contacts were with Englishmen. Therefore, he had been infused with the British nature and temperament. This shows us why Christians must always pray. Through our constant inquiring before God, we are being constituted with His nature and elements.
After we are saved in the Lord, God desires that we would be filled by Him and be like Him, so that His nature, life, and elements will be constituted into us. One thing is certain and clear: If a person decides every matter according to his own discernment, handles every matter according to his own methods, and makes every choice according to his own preference, then when people touch him, they can only sense that he is a capable person, a person with great decisiveness. They cannot sense the flavor and presence of God in him. Conversely, if a person inquires before God concerning everything, then spontaneously God’s view becomes his view, God’s nature becomes his nature, and God’s elements become his elements. For example, if we see a person regularly and are constantly in contact with him, unconsciously we become somewhat like him. A husband and wife are the best example; after they have been married a long time, they begin increasingly to look alike.
In 1934 a young brother in Tientsin who was learning to serve the Lord was always by my side helping me. One year he went to Shanghai. After he gave the first message, many were astonished at how his intonation and gestures were exactly like mine. When we are with someone every day in an intimate way—we may even be living with him—his disposition and intonation spontaneously become our disposition and intonation. Similarly, if a Christian constantly seeks after God and has fellowship with God, then God’s nature will spontaneously become his. If a Christian seeks God only to be prosperous or successful, that is a small matter. But if we believe that the purpose of Christians living on earth is merely for success and blessings, this is to not esteem the salvation of God highly. Christians should not care about having a successful career or a prosperous way. Rather, they should care only about their fellowship with God. If a Christian maintains a fellowship with God that is increasingly intimate and deep, he will be able to bring salvation to others even to the extent that he will become a blessing to people. Wherever he goes, God’s salvation also goes there to reach everyone through him. He does not care about the success and fortune of people. He simply cares that the salvation of God has a way to go out through him. Such a Christian is a weighty Christian.
It is not possible, however, to be such a Christian by imitation and affectation. Similarly, there is no way for that Christian brother who was born and raised in South America to act Chinese because he has been with English people from his youth and has gradually been constituted with the nature of an Englishman. If we have fellowship with God daily, the nature and elements of God will spontaneously be constituted into our being. Accordingly, the salvation of God and the blessings of God can be dispensed to others through us. This is why we should draw near to God, pray, and be led by God so that the elements of God can be constituted into us.
About a hundred years ago there was a spiritual man in England named George Müller, who founded an orphanage. He was a German who became a British citizen after he went to England to preach the gospel. His wife also was British. When he was led by God to establish an orphanage, he did not do any fundraising; he only prayed. He was a person who asked God concerning all things. We may say that he was one who sought after God through prayer all day long. On the one hand, he was managing the affairs. On the other hand, he was looking to God, fellowshipping with God, and discussing things with God. If I remember correctly, whenever he met with someone or tried to resolve a difficult issue, he would be talking to men outwardly and speaking to God inwardly, just like the businessmen in Shanghai who always have two phones at the same time, one in each hand. This encourages me very much. Not only did Müller commit matters to prayer, but even in the midst of discussion with others, he also continued to ask God and seek His leading. In his autobiography he said that before he would do anything, he would ask God if a certain matter pleased Him. Then he would ask if God wanted him to do it, because God might want something to be done in the universe but not necessarily through him. When Müller was clear that God wanted him to do it, the third thing he would do was to ask God when He wanted him to do it. The fourth thing was to ask God where to do it. The fifth thing was to ask God how to do it. Müller would bring these five points before God and would carefully ask, “O God, is it Your intention to do this thing? If You do not intend to do this, then I will not touch it or do it.” Müller was one who would bring every matter, whether big or small, to God for consultation. This was his practice moment by moment.
There was a Christian boss who, while transacting business with others, would often say, “I have to go back and consult my Boss.” The other party would ask, “Who is your Boss?” He would respond with a grin, “You have your boss, and I have my Boss too. My Boss is One whom you have not known.” What he meant was he would carefully consult with the Lord because the Lord was his Boss. A proper Christian is one who learns to live before the Lord daily and who practices to be led by Him. Otherwise, there is definitely something wrong with this Christian, even if people perceive him as right and proper. When we shop for a suit, we have to ask the Lord what color or style to choose. If we think that it is all right to purchase the suit as long as we have enough money in our pocket and the suit fits us just fine, then we have a big problem. People will begin to put question marks on us. They will ask, “Is this Christian inside or outside of God, or perhaps has he not yet entered into the grace of God?”
A proper Christian lives and dwells with the Lord. The Lord is his Master, his Counterpart, and his Companion. Daily he lives before the Lord, walks with the Lord, dwells with the Lord, and rests with the Lord. This is a good and proper Christian. Such a Christian will always be led by the Lord and have the consciousness of the Lord. He knows what the Lord wants him to do, and where and when he should do it. He is enlightened, fresh, pure, and full of the presence of the Lord. He is quick to sense problems that arise because he lives before God. Whenever we meet him, we feel as if we are meeting God. We can always sense that God is upon him and in him. Why? It is because he is a person who fellowships with God and consults with God. He does not have his own natural discernment or his own arrangement. Everything he does comes out of the Lord and is unto the Lord. Whatever he does is under the leading of God.
To help us learn the lesson of being led, first we must be clear about the meaning of being led. We usually think that the purpose of being led is to gain some benefit for ourselves. This is an improper concept. The Chinese people pay too much attention to benefits and fortune. Their minds are filled with hopes for longevity, blessings, and peace. Sometimes people ask me, “Sir, if I believe in Jesus, will He be more effective than Buddha? Can He make my son wealthy and my daughter-in-law bear children?” To them, believing in Jesus is the same as worshipping Buddha. Their minds are filled with peace and wealth. Many people believe in the Lord to obtain blessings, peace, and prosperity. The Lord has been kind and considerate towards us and has answered some prayers of this kind. However, the Lord’s ultimate goal in answering our prayer is not just that we may obtain peace but that He may gain us and fill us, so that we may have His nature and His image. The Lord is working towards this goal.
The Bible tells us that the Lord is the Potter, and we are the clay (Rom. 9:21). Oftentimes a potter will pick up some unmolded clay, pat it gently, shave off the excess, and make straight the crooked angles. Eventually, a shape is formed, and the clay is burned in fire. Christians are like clay in the hands of the Lord, and He intends to make us into His vessels. Therefore, we have to be led. First, we must not consider blessings our priority. If we do, we cannot be led by the Lord. Someone asked me, “I have some problems. If I pray earnestly, will God turn around the difficulties?” I said, “I do not know the pathway that God has arranged for you. He can turn around the situation, but I do not know if He is willing to do that for you. He wants to place you in a distressing situation so that you may be burned and burned again. Through the burning, He can make you into a precious vessel in His hand.” We should not use our believing in the Lord as a means to obtain some blessings according to our will and not according to His will.
Second, in order to be led by the Lord, we need to conduct ourselves in the world not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God (2 Cor. 1:12). A person who depends on his abilities cannot receive leading from the Lord. Everyone who has been led by the Lord has crushed his fleshly wisdom and his abilities. Perhaps we are afraid that if our abilities are demolished, we will not have anything and will not be able to do anything. In reality, though, the most competent person is one whose abilities and fleshly wisdom have been broken. Is God not more capable than we are? Is God not wiser than we are? There was an elderly Christian in London who had a very intelligent son. Every morning, when her son was about to go to his office, she would repeatedly remind her son to not live according to the wisdom of his flesh but according to the grace of God.
Third, we have to learn to consecrate ourselves to God. A person who has not consecrated himself to God cannot be led. We have to absolutely consecrate to God our family and our whole being, with all that we have and all that we are. Only then can the Lord lead us. Then we can learn to rely on the Lord and ask for His leading in big things and small things. For example, someone may ask us, “Would you like to come with me to Tamsui for a walk?” We do not have to rigidly kneel down to pray, but we have to inquire of God inwardly, bringing the matter before Him to discuss it with Him. If we would follow the Lord, walk in His path, and commit ourselves to God, discussing all matters, big or small, with Him, and clearly receiving His leading before we take action, then we are truly walking in and with the Lord.
In summary, Christians possess four things—Christ, the Bible, the church, and fellow Christians as their companions. Christians also have four characteristics—being peculiar, being full of contradictions, taking their innermost part as the starting point, and being led. This is wonderful. If, as Christians, we have reached a point where we are simply following the current in society, then we have degraded and have lost our normal Christian status. Conversely, if we live before God and maintain fellowship with Him, we are definitely peculiar before men, we are full of contradictions within ourselves—being always against ourselves, and we conduct ourselves as Christians from within our innermost part. In addition, we do not make decisions for ourselves, nor are we individualistic, but we are daily led by the Lord, allowing Him to make decisions for us and to walk and live with us. We are not careless. Rather, we are living before God, walking with Him, and being led by Him in big things and small things.
