Learning to Have the Equipping of the Ministry (4)


	Learning to Have the Equipping of the Ministry (4) Let no one despise your youth, but be a pattern to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, attend to the public reading, to the exhortation, to the teaching - 1 Tim. 4:12-13. For the overseer must be unreprovable as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a striker, not greedy for base gain; but hospitable, a lover of good, of a sober mind, righteous, holy, self-controlled; holding to the faithful word, which is according to the teaching of the apostles, that he may be able both to exhort by the healthy teaching and to convict those who oppose - Titus 1:7-9. Concerning all things presenting yourself as a pattern of good works: in your teaching showing incorruption, gravity, healthy speech that cannot be condemned, that he who opposes may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us - Titus 2:7-8. The last point we need to learn, if we are to be equipped for the ministry, is the equipping of our personality. The Equipping of the Personality Disposition, Character, and Personality Before we talk about personality, we should understand the difference between personality, character, and disposition. The meaning of "disposition" is closely related to the meaning of the term "nature," although nature is inborn and disposition is something acquired. The word "nature" is used in 2 Peter 1:4, "That…you might become partakers of the divine nature." Brother Lee often used the word "disposition" when referring to the constitution of the inborn nature plus its cultivation. In the early years in Taiwan, Brother Lee focused on the matter of character. He led everyone to exercise 30 aspects of good character, such as the qualities of being genuine, exact, strict, diligent, broad, and fine. Later, however, he felt it was of no use to speak about character, so he began to emphasize disposition and to focus on developing what is of the natural constitution. According to my understanding, it is hard to acquire a good character merely through teaching, but you must have the awareness. If you have the awareness of what is proper, it will become a scale of measurement to guide you throughout your life. If you are hypocritical, the aspect of genuineness will be there to remind you; if you are careless, the necessity of being exact will be there to warn you; and if you are loose, the ideal of being strict will be there to caution you. When I hold a meeting for the co-workers, not many are on time, regardless of how long they have served. But Brother Lee is always punctual. He doesn't like people to be either early or late. If he has an appointment with you at seven o'clock, it is better if you arrive a little bit early and wait until seven to ring the bell. At seven sharp he will be there to welcome you. He is a precise man. The pattern of his character is helpful for your growth in life. We might say that our nature is something inborn and that our disposition is something that we gradually cultivate. We have an inborn nature and a constituted disposition. Our disposition plus our character becomes our personality. The nature with which we are born affects what kind of disposition we can develop. Then the disposition we have acquired is lived out through our character. This living out becomes our personality. For example, one brother may have a strong disposition. This kind of disposition plus his character may manifest itself in a tough personality. When he insists on something, he is not open to compromise. This kind of brother cannot coordinate with others. If he wants to speak for 20 minutes, it is impossible for him to only speak for fifteen minutes. It is very hard to labor with such a person. One brother had a conference in a certain locality and another went with him. They had one hour to minister, so each had 30 minutes. After the first brother had shared about 30 minutes and was about to finish, the other brother thought the time was up, so he dragged the other brother down and went up himself. Afterwards, the first brother wouldn't dare go out with that brother again, for that brother doesn't know how to coordinate with others. Such a problem is not spiritual, but a problem of personality. It is easy to solve a spiritual problem, but very difficult to deal with a problem of personality. Even a tough personality can be a blessing, however, if such a person allows the Lord to touch him and mold him. Brothers, you must love the Lord, you must be absolute, you must be equipped with the truth, and you must also have spiritual experience. However, it is your personality that determines whether or not these other things become a blessing to the church. If your personality has problems, no matter how much you love the Lord, how spiritual you are, or how rich you are in truth, the Lord simply cannot use you. Knowing the Value of a Personality That is Useful to the Lord You need to cultivate your personality. If your personality has problems, everything you do will be wrong. A person with an improper personality cannot accomplish anything. A person with an improper personality is useless, regardless of how smart or capable he is, how high a revelation he has received, or how rich he is spiritually. The unhealthy personality will destroy all of his labor. Personality Determining Your Serving and Effectiveness before the Lord The Lord cannot work on you apart from your personality. Your personality determines your serving and your effectiveness before the Lord. Your personality is more important than your knowledge of the Bible, your spiritual experience, or the vision and revelation you have received. Your knowledge of the Bible is useful, but it is not the primary factor that determines your usefulness. Your subjective experience of the Lord is likewise useful. The vision and revelation of God's economy you have received is also useful and vital, but of itself it is not sufficient. The effectiveness of these things through you is subject to a condition: everything depends upon your personality. We might think that a man with knowledge of the Bible, spiritual experience, and rich revelation should be very useful to the Lord. But in fact, it is his personality that will determine his spiritual development. A number of brothers have served the Lord for many years. Some grow well and others grow increasingly crooked. They all listened to the same messages and passed through the same trainings, but over the years they have grown differently. As a Chinese saying says, "Of nine children born to the same mother, not one will be like another." The Personality That Can Be Useful to the Lord Some brothers grow well and give much cause for joy. They may not see much spiritually, but due to their personalities, what little they see becomes useful not only to themselves, but also to the church. They may not have high revelations or abundance of riches, but due to their good personalities, they are able to make good use of what they have gained. Thus, both they and the church enjoy much blessing. 1. Endurance - Willing to Be Ill-treated, Yet Not to Give Up the Lord's Commitment Some are able to endure hardship. They keep on laboring in spite of others' misunderstanding or mocking. This is a good personality trait. The more such brothers there are in the recovery, the more blessed the church will be. 2. Kind and Friendly - Able to Live Out Christ's Kindness and Friendliness in the Divine Attributes Some brothers love the Lord, are very spiritual, and are kind and friendly. Their kindness is not political or shallow. It is their personality. They can easily get along with others, touch others' hearts, and understand them. This kind of personality is useful to the Lord. 3. Full of Economy and Farsighted Some brothers are able to think deeply and see far ahead. Everything in their hands becomes well-planned and organized. The Lord can use and will use such brothers. However, no matter how good our personality is, we are still human beings, and we have our faults. We all need to ask the Lord to preserve us. The Personality That Cannot Be Used by the Lord I am saddened when I see some brothers grow more and more crooked. When I was young, my thought was simple: since we are brothers who have the same Spirit and are like-souled, I am for you and you are for me. Together we are for the recovery. Now I realize that it is hard to find, among hundreds or even thousands of people, one who really desires the Lord. Even when people love the Lord very much, they are still affected by something else. It is not something intentional. It is their personality. 1. Self-Conceit, Self-Regard, Self-Exaltation I knew a brother with many good qualities, but he became neither manifested nor effective. His self-conceit ruined all of his strong points. The brother got a graduate degree in the United States and went back to Taiwan to work for the government. He said that there was no one in Taiwan who could do what he did. His self-conceit and pride made him blind. In God's creation, there is a law that everything is after its kind. Since you are merely one of your kind, you are not that special. No one can say, "Only I can do it." This well-educated and well-respected brother was desirous, and the brothers regarded him highly. However, because of his egotistical personality, he had no companions in the church. He could not walk on the way of life, and eventually he caused problems. A brother may be looking for an opportunity to make a show of himself in the Lord's recovery. He may think, "This is a good opportunity for me to be manifested. Brother So-and-so will recognize my ability." This attitude violates the principle of the divine operation. As long as the Body of Christ is organic and healthy, he may be successful for years. But eventually he will decline from the operation of the divine life. It is not easy for one to learn and labor seriously if he desires a bright future and wants to be manifested. Most of his time will be spent looking this way and that way (Exo. 2:12). If no one else is around, he might consider doing the job. "Looking this way and that" shows a problem in the personality. This kind of person cannot be used by the Lord. 2. Impure Some don't know what purity is, for their personalities are impure. Even when they are praying with tears, they are not pure. In their entire person, not one pure part can be found. 3. Not Focused Some cannot be focused. They know nothing about focusing. Even when they are concentrating, they are still thinking about something else. A person cannot accomplish anything if he is not focused. This kind of personality the Lord cannot use. 4. Being Infatuated with Oneself and the Work Some have received the riches from the Lord, but they supply others with "polluted" riches. If they meet a person who likes sweets, they will add a lot of sugar to their words. Some brothers are even worse. They are infatuated with work and full of ambition, so that the food they supply is poisonous. You may not believe there could be this kind of brother. However, I have seen a brother bring something else into his serving and poison others without their knowing it. This was due to his personality. Such saints are infatuated with themselves and don't see what they are doing. On the one hand, their speaking can supply others with the spiritual riches. On the other hand, their attractive kind of leadership can easily attract people to their showy display. If you were to ask them, they wouldn't admit that they are poisoning others. Instead, they would say that they love the Lord, follow the Lord, and have the Lord's commitment and leading. How can this be? It is a problem in their personality. I know a good brother whom I love dearly. I heard that one day while he was ministering, he was filled with the Spirit. Suddenly, he took off his jacket like Elijah and said he felt something in his body. He thought the Lord was going to take him up. One sister knelt before him and begged him not to leave. I even heard that more than one person knelt down in this way. How could this happen in the Lord's recovery? It was not because the brother was not eloquent. He must have been extremely eloquent, if people would kneel before him and ask him not to go. Not only was his speaking convincing, but his IQ was also very high. He did not have a problem with his spiritual revelation or vision. The problem was with his personality. 5. Religiously Zealous and a Workaholic Some brothers are very zealous. They are zealous to the extent that whoever they serve knows nothing about life and dies. This kind of brother is a workaholic and lusts after work. One brother was going to migrate to another country. He was still young. If I were the serving one, I would bless him, pray with him, and tell him to be cautious and not to do anything without Christ. But I heard that the serving one told him, "This is an important step for you. Whether you will be manifested or successful in the recovery depends on it. Therefore, when you go to that country, you must quickly build something up." I cannot tell you how sad I was when I heard this. What kind of intention did this serving one have? What kind of mind was this? What kind of personality was this? I served those brothers, and I never taught them any of this. Ninety percent of my teaching was to warn them and admonish them. Less than ten percent was to tell them what to do. But eventually they still picked up the wrong concept, for their desire was to be successful in the church and devoted to the work. They cared for nothing but the work. They could think of nothing but gaining the praise of the leading brothers. Their personality was dominated by religious zeal. 6. Being Smooth and Slick Some are smooth and slick. I somewhat admire this kind of person. If someone wants to be smooth and slick, he needs to put a lot of effort into it. I don't want to be, and I dare not be this kind of person. I don't want this because being smooth is not being spiritual. I dare not be such a person because it wastes my mind. This kind of person will eventually say whatever pleases others and will become full of hypocrisy. 7. Being Insolent and Brash Some are so insolent that there is no way to fellowship with them. They give you the feeling, "Those who obey me will live, and those who are against me will die." If you agree with such a person, you are his good friend. If you disagree with him, he will be against you to the end. I have met such co-workers in my experience of serving the church. 8. Not Understanding the Human Life Some know nothing about the human life. They can do everything without complaint in the face of any hardship and criticism, but they have no idea about proper human living. When they serve a church, the saints really suffer. They are very godly, but do not necessarily have the presence of the living Christ. They don't understand that the saints need peace and rest. They know nothing about the needs of human life. Their sincerity turns them into religious workers, since they don't have the living Christ, the Lord's presence, or the leading of the Spirit. 9. Insisting on a Good Living Some brothers are just the opposite. They insist on a good living. They must have a good car, live in a good house, and listen to the best stereo. They must have a proper living and leisure time. Living a good life is not a matter of right or wrong. One day, a leading brother complained about a co-worker who was living too well. I responded that if the Lord provides, there is nothing wrong with driving a good car or drinking good tea. There is no need to complain about it if the Lord provides. We shouldn't have a concept that a full-timer must live a poor life, drive a broken-down car, and live in a shabby house. This is a narrow, religious thought. The co-workers should have a mind to suffer. If the Lord provides, you can still have a good living. If the Lord doesn't provide, however, you shouldn't insist on a good living and get into debt in order to own a nice house and a good car. This kind of person does not qualify to be a servant of the Lord. You have the right to drive a good car. You have the right to live in a good house. You also have the right to drink good tea. However, you should care about the conscience of the saints. Otherwise, you cannot be useful before the Lord. This is not only a matter of character or disposition, but also a matter of personality. Personality Being the Decisive Factor of Your Serving When you begin to serve the Lord, you will find that you need revelation and truth and that you need to fulfill your ministry. However, whether or not the revelation, the truth, and the ministry you have can be effective and become a blessing to the church depends upon your personality. Brothers, this is a serious matter. I have followed the Lord for many years. I don't want to talk about the older brothers. Of those my age, not many have survived in the church life, and even fewer are functioning properly. Those whom I have served, helped, and perfected, and who have all listened to the same messages, have often grown in different ways. Some grow very well, some grow awkwardly with their own awkward ideas, and some eventually come back to attack me. Why do people grow so differently? You might say that it is because of their different functions and gifts. Perhaps that is true. But I would say that personality is the key. They have received the same help, had the same amount of experience in serving, pursued in the same way, had the same loving heart and zeal, and labored in the same manner. Whether or not they can become proper vessels has to do with their personality. We must know the aspects of personality that are useful to the Lord. Our personality is so valuable that it becomes the decisive factor in how the Lord will use us. Our personality is constituted with our inborn nature and our acquired constitution. The acquired constitution is related to our environment. Knowing the Beginning of a Personality That is Useful to the Lord The Divine Result of Living for the Lord Everyone was born different. Some were born pleasant, and some were born salty, but a good personality is something that can only be produced with divine help. No matter whether your nature is nice or grumpy, you must meet the Lord, touch the Lord, consecrate yourself to the Lord, and live for the Lord if you desire to have a good initial constitution of your character. If a brother declares that he loves the Lord, but his personality doesn't change at all, no matter how much he loves and pursues the Lord, the fact is that he has not yet begun his spiritual walk. The Change in Personality A person with a personality that is useful to the Lord normally experiences transformation from the beginning of his Christian life. He begins very much in the Lord's presence, touching the Lord, experiencing the Lord, and enjoying the Lord. We can see this characteristic in those who have had a strong initial encounter with the Lord. This is the beginning of the Lord's constituting work on the personality in those who have met Him. It seems the person is transformed dynamically in a few months. His personality is suddenly changed. He has the divine element and some characteristics of the divine attributes, and he also lives out the human virtues. He was an arrogant person, but now the arrogance is gone. He was a worldly person, but now the world is gone. He was a dominating person, but now the insistence is gone. When he met the Lord, his personality changed. This change is the beginning of the conforming work of the divine life upon him. Now he has a little flavor of Christ. This is not a small matter. The flavor of Christ reveals that a person has the divine personality. Now there is a divine element in his personality. Not Naturally Good or Evil The personality which can be used by the Lord is not naturally good or evil. A person may have an irritable nature, but the Lord in His mercy puts His divine nature into him. The divine nature constitutes in him a new personality. The divine constitution is not a matter of natural good or evil; rather, it is related to the manifestation of one's living. For example, if a brother does not respect his parents at all, it is impossible for him really to love the Lord or follow the Lord. It is not healthy for a servant of the Lord to focus on the work and neglect his family. The Lord cannot use a person who works to the extent that he disregards his family and doesn't care about his parents, wife, or children. Nevertheless, he shouldn't depart from the Lord for the sake of his family. He may disobey his parents in order to follow the Lord while loving his parents dearly. He may disagree with his family or even oppose them for the Lord's testimony, while still really caring about them. For example, he will not listen to them when they tell him not to go to the meetings, not to love the Lord, or not to serve the Lord full-time. He will not yield in these things, although he indeed loves them. We need the Lord's mercy so that we may have the wisdom to pay attention to our humanity in order to live out a proper, healthy living. The Constitution of the Divine Attributes The Lord has transfused into you a new nature that has nothing to do with your natural goodness or evil. You should treasure and guard the new nature so that it can grow well. You may have a lot of problems with your nature, but the divine nature transforms you so that you don't have to live in the fallen situation any more. Romans 1:31 mentions some who are without affection. This is a fallen, unhealthy situation. Many brothers and sisters in the church life seem only to have divinity, but no humanity. This shows that they have not allowed the divine attributes to grow and form the new personality within them. Take me, for example. By God's mercy I am a servant of the Lord, though perhaps not so useful to the Lord. I still limit the Lord in many ways. However, I don't want to live in falsehood. I love the brothers, I love the recovery, I love the Word of the Lord, and I follow the Lord seriously. This is because I have met the Lord, touched the Lord, consecrated myself to the Lord, and lived for the Lord soberly. As a result, the divine nature is constituted into me. This is not through human teaching, but the result of divine constitution. Brother Lee has the kind of personality that is useful to the Lord. It is not his momentary exercise or a sudden transformation. From his testimony, we know that he spends time with the Lord again and again, touches the Lord again and again, lives for the Lord more and more, and consecrates himself to the Lord continually. In the process, he has allowed the divine attributes to mingle with his humanity and to produce a personality that can be greatly used by the Lord. In order to cultivate the healthy personality, we must constantly spend time with the Lord, touch the Lord, reconsecrate ourselves to the Lord, and live for the Lord. The stronger our consecration is, the more useful our personality will be to the Lord. We must see that the personality that is useful to the Lord is the result of treasuring, protecting, and growing in the divine life.