Learning to Have the Equipping of the Ministry (3)

But you, continue in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from which ones you have learned them. And that from a babe you have known the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through the faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness… - 2 Timothy 3:14-16.

I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: Proclaim the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching - 2 Timothy 4:1-2.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman, cutting straight the word of the truth - 2 Timothy 2:15.

Equipping With the Truth

The first thing we think of when we hear the word "equipping" is the truth. Yes, equipping ourselves is related to truth. But before we get into the truth, we have to pay attention to our person. We must equip our mind, emotion, and will as well as our spirit. If our person is not right, our equipping in the truth will become something of knowledge and doctrine. Now we come to this matter of being equipped in the truth.

Being Richly Equipped With the Facts of the Bible

Before you can be equipped with the truth, you must know the facts in the Bible. You must be richly equipped with the facts of the Bible and familiar with what is contained in Scripture. In his book How to Study the Bible, Brother Nee taught us that we all should have two Bibles. One should be without notes or markings that might affect our reading. Whenever we open this Bible, the Scripture should be fresh to us. This Bible is for us to gain our daily spiritual food. Then, in addition, we need another Bible in which we can underline and write down what we have learned through our study.

Studying Various Versions of the Bible

When Watchman Nee encouraged people to do this, it was difficult for people to afford two Bibles. Today, however, most can easily afford many Bibles. We should have a Recovery Version, a King James Version, and a Darby Translation. We shouldn't think that because we have a Recovery Version we don't need any other Bibles, even though the Recovery Version, because of its text and footnotes, is the most valuable. We should use it for our daily reading and in the meetings. But for our study and understanding, additional translations can be of help.

The King James Version is a good version of the Bible. Its value to the English language is like that of the Chinese Union Version to the Chinese. English readers cannot ignore it. Darby's translation is also valuable. His is a very careful translation, but it does not match the King James Version in literary style. Darby's Bible also contains footnotes. His footnotes are not as abundant as Brother Lee's, but they can be inspiring. These three versions are indispensable.

Besides these, you should also have a Greek-English Interlinear Bible. Chinese readers should have a Chinese Recovery Version as well as a Chinese-English Parallel Edition. In many cases English lends itself to a clearer translation of the original languages, but Chinese is more poetic.

Becoming Familiar with the Bible

After you acquire various kinds of Bibles, you must read them! You should read the Bible over and over again until you become familiar with what is contained in it.

If you are young and have a strong desire to pursue, I advise you to read quickly through the first eight chapters of Romans and all of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Hebrews, 1 John, and Revelation. These are the most crucial books in the Bible. You should read them over and over again. You should also be familiar with Genesis in the Old Testament, for it contains all the "seeds" and principles that are developed throughout the rest of the Bible.

There are different ways to read the Bible. We should read through the whole Bible quickly. We also need to go through every verse, every chapter, and every book carefully. We have to learn how to pray-read it, study it, and scan it. Brother Lee taught us not to memorize an entire book, but rather to focus on the important verses. Those who desire to serve full-time cannot be satisfied with reading the Bible merely five or six times. If you desire to be a teacher, you should read every book, every chapter, and every verse again and again.

In the beginning, we should study the facts of the Bible and become familiar with the content of every book and every chapter. We must understand how the portions are connected together. We all should know the Bible to the extent that it becomes the leading and controlling factor of our life.

Getting Into the Facts of the Bible to Gain the Life Supply

If you were to spend time to survey all the books being published today, you would discover that not many current preachers know their Bible. Instead, they are limited to their particular specialty. They may know 50 verses very well, or perhaps at most 80. Outside of their area of expertise, however, they don't quite know the Bible.

Even if you are familiar with the facts of the Bible, however, you may not really know the Bible. In the early days among us, there were some who were really familiar with the Bible. However, not many possessed its revelation. Most know the facts, yet do not have revelation and vision.

All Scripture is God-breathed. When you touch the facts of the Bible, you must also touch the life within those facts. If you only study the facts without receiving life, the facts can become doctrines. As a result, you will not persistently read the Bible, nor will you be able to get into its depths. Delve deeply into it. If you really want to get into the Bible, you must touch the breath of God as well as the facts.

Entering, Enjoying, Experiencing, and Developing the Riches of the Brothers Before Us

Brother Lee has entered, enjoyed, experienced, and developed Brother Nee's riches. Not only has he entered into Brother Nee's riches, but he also enjoys and experiences them. These riches are alive in him. When we speak from the riches of the truth, it sounds like doctrine. But when Brother Lee speaks out the riches, it is evident that they are real to him. He has really entered, enjoyed, and experienced Brother Nee's riches. Not only so, he continues to advance and develop.

The History of the Lord's Recovery in the Centuries

In 1922 Brother Nee received the commitment to continue the Lord's recovery. We must remember that the "twenties" appear very crucial. Martin Luther began the Reformation in the 1520s. The mystics, of which Madame Guyon was a representative, had their beginning as a move in the 1620s. Count Zinzendorf and the Moravian Brethren had their beginning in the 1720s. John Nelson Darby and what became known as the Plymouth Brethren began in the 1820s. Brother Nee was raised up in the 1920s. It seems that the Lord raises up a group of servants every hundred years. According to this calculation, the Lord might raise another group of people up in another 20 or 25 years. If we don't rise up, the Lord will commit His recovery to someone else. He won't tell us, "Although you are neither hot nor cold, I will stay with you forever since you are on the right ground." No, He will not do that. Brothers, if we don't rise up, the Lord will commit His recovery to someone else. Following the Lord is a sober matter.

From the 1520s to the 1620s, from the Reformation of Martin Luther to the raising up of the mystics, the Spirit worked to recover the truth of justification by faith and the inner life. In the 1720s, Zinzendorf saw something of the church life. In the 1820s, Darby recovered the truths of faith, life, and the church. In the 1920s, Brother Nee put together all these recovered truths and brought in the practical, local church life. This is our commitment from the Lord today. We should not treat lightly what the Lord has committed to us.

Standing on the Shoulders of Those Who Have Gone Before Us

I once told Brother Lee that all I have ministered has come from him and Brother Nee. I have nothing of my own. Brothers, you have been with me for a long time. You should know I don't have anything other than Brother Nee and Brother Lee's riches. All I have done is to digest, organize, experience, and apply the riches so that they became my constitution. Although my wording may differ, what I have ministered is one hundred percent from Brother Nee and Brother Lee.

In the 1950s

In the early days we didn't have that many of Brother Nee's books. In the early 1950s, we only had a handful of books, such as The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; The New Covenant; and The Breaking of the Outer Man and the Release of the Spirit. At that time, books such as The Character of the Lord's Worker and The Ministry of God's Word had not yet been published. Brother Lee was striving to get into Brother Nee's riches until they became the constitution of his ministry. After 1948 Brother Lee published a few books. The first one was The Knowledge of Life. The content was from Brother Nee, but he never talked about life in such a systematic way. The second book Brother Lee put out was The Experience of Life. Brother Nee had not explicitly talked about the experience of life in the same manner of dealing with sins, dealing with the world, and even dealing with the flesh. Brother Lee was familiar with Brother Nee's riches. He organized them and published several books like The Knowledge of Life, The Experience of Life, and Character. These books are full of revelation and applicable truth.

When I was in Brother Lee's training in the 1950s, he taught us how to read the Bible. We began with Romans. He taught us about condemnation, justification, and sanctification according to Romans. We saw how there are four steps in sanctification related to our heritage in Adam, our identification with Christ, the bondage in the flesh, and the freedom in the Spirit. After sanctification comes glorification, with chapters nine through eleven as a parenthesis. Chapter twelve reveals the church life, beginning with consecration. At that time we all memorized the outline. We also memorized the four stages in The Experience of Life as well as key points in the book Character.

He also taught us that if a man is a type of Christ, his wife is a type of the church. For example, David is a type of Christ, and his wife is a type of the church, the church in warfare. Isaac is another type of Christ, and thus Rebecca is another type of the church. Brother Lee also taught us church history. We don't often use these messages anymore.

After Brother T. Austin-Sparks visited Taiwan in 1955 and 1957, the situation changed. He brought us some riches of the Lord, but also caused tribulation among the churches. On the one hand, the Lord's churches indeed suffered from that tribulation. We lost about 1,000 young people of my generation at that time. Not many are still in the church life. On the other hand, in order to help the churches at that time, Brother Lee began to minister on the matters of eating and drinking the Lord, read-praying, pray-reading, and God's building. Our practice was related to our spirit and the testimony of the church. Prior to 1958, we knew nothing about the building up of the church, even though we had continually spoken about the church. Brother Lee told us strongly at this time that the church must be built up as a spiritual house.

One of the manifested co-workers didn't agree with Brother Lee. He said, "What is the building up? Any unlicensed building has to be torn down. Why talk about building up? We only need Christ." He didn't accept Brother Lee's teaching at all. Another gifted brother also left us and became a director of a theological school. I still remember his scornful expression when Brother Lee talked about the building up. This was because of the influence of Brother Sparks.

In that situation Brother Lee said, "I know many of you talk about visions. But I would like to tell you, there are two kinds of visions: the first one is the one you see and immediately experience. Another is one you experience little by little until eventually you see it. The former is like having a city map in your hand. You can see the entire city on the map immediately. But you still need to walk through the city in order to really see it. The latter kind of revelation is like someone who walks in the city every day. He will eventually have the vision of it, even though he never had a map." I received much help from this explanation of revelation.

In the 1960s

1958 was a year of transition. In the 1960s this transition matured. The truth among us was advancing, especially the truth of the Spirit. For ten years, Brother Lee spoke of nothing but the Spirit. The more he spoke, the richer it was. He began with two verses: "the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45b), and "the Lord is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:17). As he gradually saw more, his ministering became richer. He ministered the compound, all-inclusive, sevenfold intensified Spirit. According to his revelation, more and more spiritual terms were developed. These riches did not come from just one conference, but from conference after conference. He spoke again and again through the years and produced more riches. In the recovery today, we do have a rich knowledge of the Spirit.

In the 1970s

In the 1970s Brother Lee began to minister on God's economy, and he began his Life-Study of the Bible. In the early days we didn't understand God's economy. Sometimes we spoke of God's eternal purpose or of God's dispensing. I remember Brother Lee speaking about God's eternal plan in the college training in 1957 or 1958. He asked me at that time, "How do you prove that Christ is the Firstborn of all creation?" I answered, "By our being created in His image." He said it was a good answer and then continued to speak on God's eternal plan. At that time, we were familiar with the terms "God's eternal plan" and "God's eternal purpose." Later Brother Lee felt "economy" was a more appropriate term than "dispensing." Therefore, we began to use the term "economy." In those years, he persistently spoke about God's eternal economy.

In the 1980s

In the 1980s, Brother Lee ministered about the dispensing of the divine life. We gained a clearer understanding of the Triune God and the Spirit. Before that, when we mentioned God, we meant God the Father. We didn't see that our God is triune, that He is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Now when we say God, we know more clearly that He is the Triune God.

At that time we knew how God enters into man-through His incarnation, human living, death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension to become the life-giving Spirit-but our understanding was not as clear as it is today. We had a wrong impression that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit were separate. With Brother Lee's help, our understanding of the dispensing of divine life is indeed advancing.

In the 1990s

In the revelation of the truth, Brother Lee is continually advancing. In the 1990s he reached the high peak of the divine revelation - that God became man in order that man might become God. We have been brought into the high peak of revelation. We will be like Him in nearly every way, but not in the Godhead. More importantly, since 1974 the Lord has opened the entire Bible to us through Brother Lee's yearly trainings, summer and winter, of the Life-Study of the Bible.

The Continuation of the Divine Revelation

Brother Lee doesn't weep easily. One day he told me, "Titus, you are such a good brother. But you cry too much." He felt a servant of the Lord shouldn't shed tears easily. Now he is much older and he still doesn't weep easily. However, when he mentions Brother Nee, his tears come down. He cannot help weeping when he remembers how Brother Nee collected all the riches in the past and handed them to him so that he might enter into, enjoy, experience, and develop all these riches.

He sheds tears not only in the meetings, but also when he is editing his messages. According to one brother, sometimes as Brother Lee writes his messages, he remembers how Brother Nee handed these riches to him and he begins to cry. We can see how deep his love and appreciation is toward Brother Nee and how deep his recognition is that without Watchman Nee there would be no Witness Lee. All he has is from Brother Nee. The riches have not merely remained within him, but he continues to advance and develop what he has received.

Whenever someone criticizes him, saying that he has departed from the ministry of Brother Nee, he doesn't argue. He has the assurance that he has the same vision, commitment, and ministry as Brother Nee. He not only receives from the Lord but also testifies and advances.

When Brother Lee speaks, you can tell that he has applied the riches of Brother Nee. Since he has enjoyed and experienced these riches, his life and serving have substantiated them. His life and serving are affected by Brother Nee's riches. Furthermore, he has never ceased advancing. That is why the recovery possesses all the riches it has today.

In my life, one of the main blessings the Lord has given to me is the privilege of being taught and led by Brother Lee since I was young. We know that he is not God Himself and that he has limitations just as Paul did (2 Cor. 11:29), but as long as he is with us, it is the most precious time in our life.

Our Application

For a weekend conference in Chicago, I used Brother Lee's training outline, The Ten Great Critical 'One's' for the Building Up of the Body of Christ. I didn't have time to go through every point in the conference, but in every message I could paint a picture and speak about the main point. These messages were so rich that we were not able to get into them as fully as we wished.

For example, Brother Lee said that the unique Bible is consistent in its unique revelation. It should be interpreted only by and according to itself. There are major revelations and minor revelations in the Bible. The main revelation is the center of the Bible, and the minor revelations are branches of the major revelation.

Our problem today is that we don't know how to distinguish between the major and minor revelations. We use the minor points against the main revelations. Take the building of the body of Christ as an example. The Bible doesn't say, "Being diligent to keep the oneness of activity," but, "Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit" (Eph. 4:3). The oneness of the Spirit is the reality of the Body. Our problem is that we ignore the oneness of the Spirit while stressing the oneness of the Body.

We must realize that fellowship in the Spirit will open the way for the activity and the operation of the Spirit. The operation of the Spirit issues from our living in the Spirit and experiencing life. The manifestation of oneness in action does not necessarily indicate the operation of the Spirit and life. On the contrary, just as in our physical body, the various members of the Body have different manifestations. Although the members function differently, they testify to the oneness of the Spirit operating in them. Therefore the Scripture tells us to keep the oneness of the Spirit in order to testify the oneness of the Body. If we don't care about the oneness of the Spirit, yet we demand oneness in the actions in the Body, we are using a minor revelation in a way that thwarts the main revelation.

According to Brother Lee, any interpretation of the unique Bible should take care of its minor revelations, but no minor revelation can be interpreted in a manner that contradicts the major revelation of this unique and consistent Bible. (See The Ten Great Critical 'One's' for the Building Up of the Body of Christ, pp. 10-13.)

Continually Advancing and Developing

Without revelation, we will feel that it is hard to go on in our reading of the Bible. I was told 40 years ago that Brother Lee had exhausted the riches of the Bible. But now, 40 years later, Brother Lee is still ministering. This is because he is constantly receiving fresh revelations.

The Bible has been opened up from the beginning to the end. Except for a few special verses, the brothers who have gone before us have opened up the whole book. But it doesn't mean we should stop at this point. Brother Lee has told us that if the Lord gives him another ten years, he could publish another new Recovery Version.

Brother Lee is advancing all the time. As for us, our advancing depends on our growth in life. We should cultivate a healthy attitude, the ability to obtain revelation, and a proper person in order to continue the ministry of those who have gone before us so that the Lord's revelation to us might keep on advancing and developing.

We must learn to have Brother Lee's exercise to be faithful to the ministry and not be satisfied with the revelation we have received thus far. We should never consider that we have already obtained, but we should always keep pursuing and advancing. Brother Lee's attitude is that he is not satisfied with what he has, nor does he consider himself to have already obtained. He is determined to gain more. Concerning the truth of the Bible and the riches of Brother Nee, he desires to go deeper and higher. We must also have this attitude and determination.

If we don't cultivate a broad and open mind while we are still young, we will not be able to build upon Brother Lee's riches. Without the determination to advance, Brother Lee would not have been able to go beyond the riches of Brother Nee. If we have a narrow mind and say we are wealthy and have need of nothing, no one will be able to advance Brother Lee's riches. If everyone thinks, "The Bible has been opened up," or, "We have reached the high peak and cannot go higher," then no one can go forward or dare to go forward. If this becomes our case, we unwittingly will bury all the riches the Lord has given to us.

We must tell the Lord, "We want to learn from Brother Lee. We want to learn how he has received, entered into, enjoyed, experienced, and developed the riches of Brother Nee. We want to do the same with the riches that You have delivered unto him. Have mercy on us, Lord. We want to go forward."

Being Able to Inherit all the Riches of the Lord Given to the Church Throughout the Ages

Brother Lee inherits not only Brother Nee's riches but also all the riches the Lord has delivered to the church throughout the ages. In his footnotes of the Recovery Version, there are numerous quotes from Vine, Wuest, Vincent, and Darby. He consulted their views and concluded with his own vision and understanding in the footnotes. Therefore, his footnotes are not only word studies, but are also full of truth, life, and anointing. He is a person who has the ability to inherit all the riches of the Lord for the church throughout the ages.

Recently he testified that he has been much helped by the early church fathers. All the riches of early Christianity were handed to him by Brother Nee. He received and applied them. There are brothers helping him to research the riches of the early fathers so that he can employ all the riches throughout the ages.

I know some may not agree with me. They think that it is enough for us to just receive from Brother Lee. In a way they are right. If you only desire to live the church life, it is enough just to receive from Brother Lee. However, if you desire to follow the Lord, serve the Lord, be one with the ministry, and have Brother Lee's equipment of the truth, you must have a broad mind. You have to pursue, labor, and inherit all the riches that the Lord has passed down to the church through the ages.

Skillfully and Livingly Applying the Truth of the Lord for the Church

In order to be equipped with the truth, you must have some skills. You should know how to apply the truth of the Lord in the church skillfully and in life.

You must learn to use the Greek and Hebrew Bibles. You also have to learn to use Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Young's Bible concordance, Kittel's theological dictionary as well as the "little Kittel" (abridged edition), and Alford's Greek New Testament. Gradually you should be able to use other reference books to do research and be able to apply them freely.

Revelation in the Equipping of the Truth

A certain brother taught Greek at a theological school. He left Christianity and met with us after receiving the vision of the Lord's recovery. I often invited him to visit the nearby churches so we could have some fellowship. I usually used the opportunity to ask him questions about the meaning of some words in the original text of the New Testament. Once I asked him, "Who is best in Greek among the contemporary Bible teachers?" He said, "Brother Lee." I was surprised. He explained, "Because he explains the Greek based on revelation." This brother really had insight. The Scripture is based on revelation. Brother Lee is equipped with the truth, so he has the ability to explain the Greek.

A dull and senseless person has no ability to appreciate the beauty of art. You must be a person sensitive to art to appreciate it. The same principle applies to spiritual things. If you are a person with revelation in truth and in spiritual things, you are able to appreciate, enter into, and apply the divine realities.

A musician must learn to appreciate all kinds of music. Likewise, a person who desires to pursue the truth should cultivate the ability to study and apply the truth. Brother Lee is clear about the truth of the Bible. Therefore, he is able to study Greek and use it freely.

You should know a little Greek. If you can also learn some Hebrew, that is even better. You must also learn to use the reference books. The concordances and Vine's dictionary are the basics. If the Lord gives you the gift of being a teacher, you should dig into the Greek and Hebrew Bible. If you don't have that portion, you may not get much light even though you study very hard. In any case, you need to tell the Lord, "Lord, I desire to get into the Word and into Your riches."

If you cannot use the difficult reference books, you should consult the brothers who are good with them. They may not be deep in life, but if they know how to study the Bible and the language, you should learn to seek advice from them.

For the equipping of the truth, you should first know the facts of the Bible. Second, you must enter into the riches of Brother Nee and Brother Lee. Third, you have to employ everything the Lord has given to us and not be a narrow or self-complacent person. Fourth, you have to learn to use the reference tools. Do not be afraid of them. You must have the courage to get into them. If the result of your study is different from Brother Lee's, you should consider why there is a difference.

We must have a spirit of learning.