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We need to consider further the experience at Bethel. In this message we come to God's promise.
We may be quite familiar with the term promise. In this portion of the Word, however, God's promise is not common. The God who gives the promise in Gen. 35 is God all-sufficient (v. 11, Heb.). We need to give attention to the revelation of God's titles in the book of Genesis. In chapter one, God is only revealed as Elohim, and in chapter two we see the title Jehovah (rendered Lord in the King James Version). Elohim is God's title as Creator in relation to His creation, and Jehovah is His title in His relationship with man, revealing how God is related to man. The title the all-sufficient God, or God all-sufficient, is not revealed until 17:1, where God said to Abraham, "I am the all-sufficient God; walk before me and be thou perfect" (Heb.). In the past, we did not adequately realize the significance of this title. We thought that it simply meant that God was everything to us. Undoubtedly, it is correct to say that God's all-sufficiency means that He is everything to us. But for what purpose is this title of God revealed? I have given a number of messages in the past on this title of God, telling people that it denotes that God is rich and that He is our all-sufficient supply. He is everything to supply all our need. In a sense, this was right. God is all-sufficient in order to supply us. But for what does He supply us? Does He supply us merely in order that we might be saved or be spiritual? No. If we would see the purpose for God's being the all-sufficient One, we need to read Genesis 35 and compare it with Genesis 17.
The purpose of God's revealing Himself as the all-sufficient God is for His building. Just as Elohim is for God's creation, so the all-sufficient God is for God's building. Do not understand the Holy Word by your imagination. Understand the Bible by the Bible itself, by comparing one portion of the Word with another. How do we know that Elohim is for God's creation? All Bible students agree that the first mention of an item in the Bible establishes a principle for that particular thing. The first mention of Elohim is in Genesis 1. In this chapter, God is revealed for His creation. Therefore, this establishes the principle that Elohim basically denotes the creating God, God the Creator.
Genesis 17:1, the first mention of the title the all-sufficient God, El-Shaddai, clearly reveals the significance of this title. Prior to that time, Abraham had been called by God for the purpose of becoming the father of so many of God's called ones. God did not intend that Abraham fulfill this by the exercise of his natural strength, and God did not give Abraham a child until his natural strength had been exhausted. Abraham, however, neither understood God adequately, nor had faith in Him for this. Instead, he followed his wife's proposal that he bring forth a child by using his natural strength with a concubine. God was offended by this and did not speak to Abraham for thirteen years. Do not think that God cannot be offended, or that He will always be patient with you. We are nowhere told in the Bible that God is all-patient. In Abraham's case, God was offended, not by sin, but by the exercise of Abraham's natural strength. In God's economy, nothing offends Him more than your exercise of your natural strength. Whenever a called one of God uses his natural strength to do something for the accomplishment of God's purpose, God will be offended. In a sense, using your natural strength is an insult to God. God does not need your help. To exercise your natural strength means that you are capable of helping God. This indicates that God is not sufficient and that He needs you to assist Him. When God spoke to Abraham again after an interval of thirteen years, He said, "I am the all-sufficient God." If you read this chapter carefully, you will see that God's being all-sufficient is for us to produce the materials for His house.
Genesis 17 and 35 correspond to each other in at least three ways. Firstly, both chapters reveal that God is all-sufficient. God revealed this divine title to both Abraham and Jacob. Secondly, in both chapters a change of name occurs. Abraham's name was changed from Abram to Abraham, and Jacob's name was changed from Jacob to Israel. In spiritual life, the change of name signifies transformation, not merely the change of label. You may say, "Witness Lee, you have done something wrong. From now on, you are not Witness Lee but Charles Ford." This change of label means nothing. According to the Bible, to change your name is to change your being. Formerly, you were Abram; now you are Abraham. Previously, you were a supplanting Jacob; now you are Israel, the wrestler of God. This is the change, not of a label, but of your being, of your constitution. Hence, chapter seventeen speaks of the transformation of Abraham and chapter thirty-five speaks of the transformation of Jacob.
Thirdly, in both chapters we have God's promise. God's promise to Abraham is repeated in His promise to Jacob. God's promise to Jacob in chapter twenty-eight was indefinite. In 28:14 God said, "Thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth." If I had been Jacob, I would have said, "Lord, I don't want my descendants to be dust. Instead of millions of particles of dust, I would rather have a few kings." Although God's promise in chapter twenty-eight speaks of dust, His promise in chapter thirty-five speaks of kings and nations (v. 11). A nation denotes a kingdom. God's promise in 35:11 is a repetition of His promise in 17:6. In both instances, He promised that nations and kings would come forth. In Jacob's dream at Bethel, God told him that his seed would be as dust. But now, in the actual experience at Bethel in chapter thirty-five, God's promise has advanced. Here, there is no mention of dust. Instead of dust there are nations with kings. The focus of the promise in this chapter is to be fruitful and multiply to bring forth nations with kings. Thus, Genesis 17 and 35 correspond to each other in three respects: in the revelation of the divine title, the all-sufficient God; in the changing of human names; and in the promise of multiplication for bringing forth nations with kings.
Now we can see the purpose of the title the all-sufficient God. The all-sufficient God is for the building of God's house. We all need to take in this word. The all-sufficient God is for the building of Bethel. God is all-sufficient for the church life, for the building of His house on earth. You cannot experience the all-sufficient God in an individualistic way. In order to experience the all-sufficient God, you must be in Bethel, in the house of God, in the church life.
This truth is proved by our experience. Before we came to the church life, many of us had some experience of God. But as we all can testify, we did not experience God as the all-sufficient One. Although I experienced God in various aspects, I did not experience Him as the all-sufficient One until I came into the church life. But after being in the church life for many years, I can say, "Hallelujah, what an experience of the all-sufficient God I have in the church life!" God is too all-sufficient to be experienced by just a few individual believers. As individuals, we are too limited. God's all-sufficiency requires a corporate body. We need the house in order to experience this aspect of Him.
Recently, we had a marvelous prayer meeting here in Anaheim. I believe that that meeting will stand as a memorial for eternity. All the utterances in the prayers were unique. In our prayers we prayed about the travailing woman and about the prevailing, victorious man-child. It was wonderful! We could never have prayer like this alone in our rooms; we must be in the church. Any local saints who missed that prayer meeting certainly missed a great deal. This is an experience, not of Elohim or of Jehovah, but of the all-sufficient God. In that prayer meeting I was above the third heaven enjoying the all-sufficient God. Only in the church life is it possible to realize the all-sufficiency of our God.
When I hear of the opposition from our critics, I do not feel hateful toward them; rather, I feel full of pity. How much they are missing! Their traditional religion is frustrating them and keeping them from God's up-to-date move. What an all-sufficient God we are experiencing in His present move! This is not a teaching or a doctrinal understanding; it is our experience of God in the church life. The all-sufficient God is revealed for the building of Bethel and He is experienced in the church life.
The New Testament interpretation of the Old Testament term "the house of God" is "the church." In 1 Timothy 3:15 Paul said, "But if I delay, that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth." For us today, Bethel is not history; it is the church of the living God. The Bethel in the Old Testament is a type of the practical experience of the church life. What poverty there is in today's Christianity! Most Christians think of Bethel as past history. They do not realize that the church life today is Bethel. The reason that they do not understand this is that they do not have the church life. Praise the Lord that in the Lord's recovery we have the church life!
In the church life, our experience of the all-sufficient God is increasing day by day and even minute by minute. Our church life in Anaheim has greatly increased in the last two years. If you compare January, 1977 with January, 1975, you will see the difference. Surely, 1977 will be a great year in the Lord's recovery. In October of this year there will be in Taipei an international conference of the churches. Only the Lord knows what will happen at that time, or even next week. I believe that some very significant things are about to happen. The church life is marching on; it is advancing day and night. Many of us can testify that the church life has advanced since this afternoon. Hallelujah, the all-sufficient God is for the church life, today's Bethel!
In Padan-aram, God did not give a promise to Jacob (Gen. 31:3). Why did God not give him a promise there? It certainly was not because God changes, for God never changes. No promise was given to Jacob in Padan-aram because that was not the proper place. In Padan-aram, Jacob was not in the right position to receive God's promise. If we would receive God's promise, we must be in the proper place. I say strongly that many things can only be received in the church life. Outside of the church life, you do not have the position to receive these things.
Eventually, Jacob left Padan-aram and journeyed to Succoth, which means "booths" (Gen. 33:17). In Succoth, which was on the border of the good land, Jacob built a house for himself and booths for his cattle, but he did not erect an altar for God. Later, Jacob traveled from Succoth to Shechem. We have seen that in Shechem he built an altar. But this altar was built at the place of his own satisfaction, not at the place of God's satisfaction. Thus, God changed Jacob's circumstances that he might be stirred up and receive the charge to arise and go up to Bethel. Neither in Succoth nor in Shechem did Jacob receive God's promise.
Only in Bethel did God give His promise to Jacob (Gen. 35:11-12). The promise in chapter thirty-five is more solid than the promise given to Jacob in the dream (Gen. 28:13-14). Before we came to the church life, we never had a solid promise given to us by God. The most solid promises are always given in the church life. Our experience after coming into the church life is that nearly every day is a day of promise. This means that every day is full of expectations. Outside the church, we had no hope. Did you have hope before coming into the church life? No, we only had disappointment and discouragement. But now, in the church life, everything is so definite and meaningful. Morning, noon, and night we have hope. All these hopes are the promises we are receiving day after day.
All the promises given by God and received by us in the church life are for God's building. They are not for our little cottage or hut. In the past, some of us desired to build a little cottage of holiness, and some of the sisters expected to build the little hut of a good married life. Many wives who have not found married life enjoyable have sought to find a happy married life in Christianity. Even after coming into the church life, many sisters still have deep within them the hope of finding in the church the happy married life they have been seeking. Their intention is not for the building up of the house of God; it is to build the little hut of their married life. But the experience of many of us is this: when we were endeavoring to build a little hut for ourselves, God blew upon it. In my experience years ago, God firstly blew away the roof and then the walls. After that, my hut was gone. But do not think that all the church people are miserable because the hut of their married life has been demolished. We have a much better married life, not in our little hut, but in the house of God. Today, in the church life, I can testify and boast to the enemy concerning the wonderful married life I have in the church. If you did not have the church life, what a miserable married life you would have! When we tried to build a little hut for ourselves, we were unsuccessful. But when we brought our married life into the church, we found ourselves in a mansion. Praise the Lord that we are here for the house of God!
Before I came into the church life, I also attempted to build a little house of patience. As many of you know, I am a quick person. It takes a great deal of energy for a fast person to be patient. I even hate to get a busy signal when I dial the telephone. Realizing as a young man that I lacked patience, I attempted to build a little house of patience. I also did my best to build houses of holiness and victory. I wanted very much to be victorious over my temper. A fast person is impatient, and impatience causes us to lose our temper. I was quite aware that I was impatient, unholy, and defeated. Although I tried to build houses of patience, holiness, and victory, I was not successful in building even one of them. When I came into the church life, I did not immediately forget these houses. Rather, I still attempted to build them. But one day I saw that it was foolish to build these small houses, for I already had one large house — the church life. As long as we are in the church life, patience, holiness, and victory are ours.
Let me share with you something I have experienced many times. When I was on the verge of losing my temper, I thought about the church, and immediately my temper disappeared. Perhaps I said to myself, "I am about to lose my temper with the elders." But, by the Lord's mercy, I thought about the church, and my temper vanished. There is not always the need to even experience the church life. Even a thought about the church life can quell our temper. You may say, "Brother Lee, this is superstitious. How can a little thought about the church life take away your temper?" I cannot explain this, but I know that I have experienced that even a thought about the church can make you victorious. If you actually live in the church life, what holiness and victory you will have! When you get into the New Jerusalem, will you still be seeking holiness, humility, and patience? No, when you get into the New Jerusalem, all this vocabulary will be terminated. There will be no patience, just God Himself as the all-sufficient God. In the church life we have a miniature of the New Jerusalem today. No other Christians experience holiness as much as we do. We are not building our cottages and huts. We are only for the unique building — the house of God. This house is a mutual habitation. Both we and God abide here. Praise the Lord that we are now in the church life experiencing God in a corporate way!
The promise in 35:11, given by the all-sufficient God, is mainly for us to be fruitful and multiply. It seems that this resembles gospel preaching. Although there may be some similarity between this promise and gospel preaching, the preaching of the gospel today is a form of fruit-bearing. While preaching the gospel might be an outward activity, bearing fruit is an inward overflow of life. To be fruitful and to multiply means to bring forth children, to produce something out of the riches of your inner life. This can only happen through the overflow of the rich inner life.
Suppose we were all "monkeys" and God said, "Monkeys, be fruitful." If this were the case, a great many "monkeys" would be brought forth. Certainly, God does not desire this kind of multiplication. God wants the multiplication of Israel, not of Jacob. As we have seen, the name Israel has the Hebrew letters for God — El — in it. Our multiplication must be the multiplication of God. The "monkey" multiplication is not the multiplication of God because a "monkey" does not have the essence, the element, of God in it. It lacks the "El." But Israel contains some part of God. We need to be transformed for multiplication. Before Abram became Abraham, God never told him to be fruitful. If God had spoken this word before Abram had become Abraham, the natural man, not the transformed one, would have been multiplied. Only after Abraham had been circumcised and had experienced the changing of name did God promise to make him "exceeding fruitful" (17:6). It is the same with Jacob. In chapter twenty-eight, God did not promise Jacob that he would be fruitful and multiply. There, He only said that Jacob's seed would be as dust. But it is different in chapter thirty-five. Here, God promised Israel that he would be fruitful and multiply and that nations with kings would come out of him. This is not the multiplication of "monkeys," but of Israels.
In their gospel preaching, many Christians have brought forth "monkeys," which are not good for the church life. Do you want to have a multiplication of "monkeys"? No. We must have the multiplication of Israels. In order to have this, we need to be transformed from Jacob into Israel because only Israel can bring forth Israel. Hence, the promise in this chapter is based upon the fact of Jacob's being transformed. This also is for the building of God's house.
Although I brought some people to the Lord before I came into the church life, none of them came into the church life. I brought them into Christianity, but, as hard as I tried, I could not bring them into the church life. But after I entered into the church life, hundreds of others who were brought to the Lord in my early preaching not only came to salvation, but also entered into the church life. You may say, "Brother Lee, before you came into the church life, you were Jacob, and, thus, you brought forth other Jacobs." That is right. But after I came into the church life and experienced transformation, nearly all those whom I brought to the Lord became the material for the building of the local church life, for the building of the house of God. There is a great difference between gospel preaching and this kind of multiplication. We are not merely preaching the gospel by carrying on certain outward activities; we are living the church life to bring forth the proper fruit for the church life.
Notice that verse 11 does not say that this multiplication is for Bethel. Rather, it indicates that it is for nations with kings. This reveals, or at least implies, that the proper church life must be the kingdom. The result of our multiplication must be the church life, and this church life must be the kingdom.
There is a problem with interpreting the phrase "a company of nations" in verse 11. How many nations actually came out of Jacob? Only the nation of Israel issued from him. However, in Hebrew the word translated "company" means a multitude. Furthermore, in 17:5 Abraham is called the "father of a multitude of nations" (Heb.). What are the many nations of which Abraham is the father? I do not believe that God counts the Arab nations because they are the descendants of Ishmael. Only one nation, the nation of Israel, has come out of Abraham. We need the whole Bible to develop any of the seeds found in the book of Genesis. Undoubtedly, Israel was a nation, a kingdom. The church, the millennium, and the New Jerusalem in eternity will also be kingdoms.
Even today, the church life must be a nation, a kingdom. Our multiplication must result in nations. This means that whatever fruit we bear must issue in the church life, which will be a genuine kingdom of God with kings. We are not only here for the church life, but also for the kingdom. For the church we do not need much discipline, but for the kingdom we need considerable discipline.
At the end of the Gospel of Mark, the Lord said to His disciples, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15), and in the conclusion of Luke it is written, "That repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations" (Luke 24:47). But in Matthew 28:19, the Lord said, "Go therefore and disciple all the nations." The Gospel of Matthew is concerned with the kingdom, and in this Gospel the church life today is the kingdom. Matthew 16:18-19 indicates this: "On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens." In these verses the words church and kingdom are interchangeable. This reveals that the church is the kingdom and that the kingdom is the church. The church life today must be the kingdom. Because in Christianity there is no kingdom, it is true to say that in Christianity there is not the proper church. In Christianity there is no discipleship, no discipline. We must bear the fruit who will be genuine disciples, those who will come under the divine discipline so that the church life might truly be the kingdom. In the church life today, there is the need of discipline. If we do not accept this discipline today, how can we expect to reign during the kingdom age? If you have never been disciplined under God's authority, you will not know how to rule over the nations. The church life is a preparation for the kingdom, and in it we are now being disciplined to be Christ's co-kings.
