Learning to Have the Intrinsic Being of the Minister (1)

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness - John 4:24.

But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ - Ephesians 4:15.

Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is near - Philippians 4:5.

Introduction

Now we come to the matter of learning to have the intrinsic being of the minister. This outline is written according to the things I learned while following the Lord's servant, Witness Lee. It is not easy to write or to talk about this. In principle, Brother Lee cannot be described according to any outline, for our experience and understanding are insufficient. Nor can our emotion or mind adequately apprehend what he has, for we are at a level far different from where he is. We are not as spiritual as he is. We have not learned as he has. We do not possess his revelation. Our experience is not as deep as his. Therefore we cannot describe what makes him who he is. We can only share concerning some of his characteristics according to our limited observation.

God does not allow perfection in anyone other than the Lord Jesus. We all have our particular limitation as measured to us by God. However, it is hard to discern a spiritual man. It is not easy to describe the Lord's servant. The following points are not intended to be a comprehensive representation of the Lord's servant. They are just according to my limited observation, yet they should be able to render us some help.

The Minister and the Ministry

To be one with the ministry, we must learn to have the intrinsic being of its minister. Brother Lee is indeed doing the work of the ministry. Brother Lee's ministry is one with the ministry of the Lord Jesus, issuing out of it, in accordance with it, united with it, supplying unto it, and ultimately for it.

In the recovery, when we refer to the ministry, we are often referring to Brother Lee's ministry. Someone once asked Brother Lee, "Should we be one with the ministry, or with the minister?" He answered, "It is hard to be one with someone's ministry if you do not know the person himself." On the one hand, we must know that Brother Lee's ministry is one with the New Testament ministry of the Lord Jesus. On the other hand, we also need to know why it is that Brother Lee can be a person who is one with the New Testament ministry.

Your Ministry Being Related to Your Person

If you want to follow the minister or if you want to be one with the ministry, yet you do not approve of who Brother Lee is, nor do you enter into his living, his revelation, his mind, or his burden, then your being one with the ministry is only in theory.

The relationship that most clearly illustrates oneness is that between a husband and a wife. How can two people be so one? It is because they approve of each other, blend with each other, and live with each other.

Why does the phrase "one with the ministry" often become a slogan among us? One day Brother Lee himself said, "I'm afraid you all tire of it. Please don't talk about being 'one with the ministry' anymore."

Why is Brother Lee a servant of the Lord? He serves the Lord full-time, and we also serve the Lord full-time. Why does our ministry not produce people who like to join themselves to it, and, in contrast, why do so many desire to be one with Brother Lee's ministry? It is because ministry is related to who the minister is.

Approving the Minister

We may have a thought that to be one with the ministry is to repeat Brother Lee's words, to speak the truth he has released, or to memorize and recite his utterances. Although we ought to exercise in this way, these things will not guarantee that we will be one with his ministry. We must also approve his person.

To approve is not to appreciate or to praise. You can appreciate or even praise someone and yet still have no idea how he became who he is. In the same principle, if we have no idea how the Lord's servant received what he has acquired from the Lord, how the Lord has dealt with him, what is in his heart and his mind, and what are his life, consecration, pursuing, struggle, and burden, our oneness with the ministry is shallow and superficial.

I am afraid that our declaration that we are one with the ministry has become a form, causing us to become rigid to the extent that it damages the ministry and the Lord's testimony. At times we even fall into the situation where we don't accept those who don't speak certain words or use certain terms. However, if one can use those words and the terminology of the high peak truths, seemingly he is fine, regardless of whether his person matches his words or not. How poor such a situation is! We must realize that being able to say certain things doesn't make us what we say. Being one with the ministry is not a matter of what we say, but of who we really are.

On the one hand, you should learn, enter into, study, and labor on the Word. You must get Brother Lee's riches into you. On the other hand, you must know why it is that Brother Lee can release these messages. It will be of limited value just to learn what he speaks, if you do not know, approve, and enter into who he is. No matter how good your intention is or how willing you are, you cannot truly learn to speak as he does if you are not such a person.

Entering Into the Burden of the Minister

If we have not known the minister, if we have not entered into his being, revelation, riches, and commitment, and if we only know how to repeat what he says, our speaking will not be effective. This is because we are not the same kind of person. Only those whose being matches what they say can give a proper message that supplies truth. If a person does not match what he speaks, his word will not have impact. In other words, the truth such a person speaks can only become doctrine or teaching. Doctrine cannot build up the church, and neither can mere teaching. The church can only be built up with truth.

How can you learn to be like Brother Lee? What can you say about him? It is not easy for me to speak in this way, nor do I feel qualified to do so. The following points do not adequately describe his person. I can only help you according to my understanding.

The Intrinsic Being of the Minister - Genuine

Before we consider someone's spirituality, we must know his person. A brother must have certain characteristics if he is to receive spiritual riches from the Lord. God's desire is to bring His revelation to man. If you are not the right person, you cannot receive the high things of revelation. If you desire to receive God's high revelation, you yourself must be of the highest quality, and the foremost quality a man can possess is genuineness.

The Lord can trust a genuine person, and you can trust him, too. The Lord cannot use a person who is not genuine. He cannot use someone who is cunning, crafty, duplicitous, or two-faced to accomplish any of His work. If you desire to give your life to the Lord's service, the first thing you have to learn is to be genuine.

As you begin to learn to serve the Lord, you don't need to focus on being spiritual. Your becoming spiritual doesn't depend on you. You should focus on being genuine. You should be genuine when you are with the brothers and when you are with your family. The people at work should know that you are a genuine person. When people are with you, they should know you are genuine. If you are not genuine or trustworthy, it will not be possible for the Lord to commit His testimony to you.

In the Lord's recovery, many who have gone before us have had the characteristic of genuineness. We all have our own limitation as measured to us by the Lord. Some are not that broad. Some are not so fine. Some are too stubborn. Some are not that stable. Some are not able to bear responsibility. Some seek to draw attention to themselves or to have the first place in things. All these are weaknesses. But those whom the Lord can use share one common trait - by the Lord's mercy, they are genuine toward others.

According to my many years of observing him, Brother Lee is special in this way - I never saw him say or do anything that was not genuine. I never saw him speak a lie or do anything hypocritical. He says what he feels. He does what he thinks is most proper before the Lord. Although we cannot say that he and the Spirit are never apart, he is indeed genuine towards God, genuine towards himself, and genuine towards the church.

1. Not Hypocritical

The characteristic of a genuine person is that he is free from hypocrisy. In the church life, hypocrisy is more fearful than sin. I remind all those who work for the Lord, work is more fearful than sin, and I remind those in the church life, hypocrisy is more fearful than either weakness or sin.

If someone loses his temper in public, it may not be a sin, but it is definitely a weakness, and everyone who sees it will have some feeling about it. If someone has a hidden sin, he himself will know that it is sinful and improper, and he will deal with it before the Lord. He will realize that he needs the Lord's blood, and his sin will prompt him to go before the Lord. A hypocritical person doesn't have such a feeling. Hypocrisy hurts not only the person himself, but also the Lord, the saints, and the Body of Christ. Therefore, we have to learn that in the church life, we cannot afford hypocrisy.

Avoiding hypocrisy, however, does not equal doing whatever we feel, whatever we desire, or whatever we like. That is not being genuine; that is being self-indulgent. We all need some restriction. But even as we restrict ourselves, we should not be hypocritical. If there is something I should say but don't, that isn't necessarily hypocritical. But if there is something I should say and yet I say the opposite, that is clearly hypocrisy. For example, I may have a lot to say to a brother, but he may still be young. If I were to tell him everything, he couldn't bear it. Therefore, I should just keep it to myself. This is not being hypocritical. However, if I tell him that he is so good and that everything with him is fine when it is not, that is being hypocritical.

We all have our strengths and we all have our weaknesses, but we should not be hypocritical. Perhaps I am not tolerant enough, and I need the Lord's mercy. Perhaps I cannot bear much, and I need the Lord to strengthen the constitution of my character. Perhaps I have many weaknesses and need the Lord's salvation. Whatever my situation may be, I must be a genuine person when I am with the brothers.

I have been following the Lord's servant for many years. His genuineness is attractive to me. He is a man without hypocrisy. You can trust every word he says. You don't have to guess or speculate on the meaning behind his words. No one on the earth is as perfect as our Lord, but Brother Lee indeed is a pattern to us in this matter.

2. Not Offensive

Being inoffensive is another characteristic of a genuine person. A genuine person is not hypocritical, nor is he offensive. Sometimes a genuine person has the weakness of saying whatever he feels like saying, whether or not others take offense. We have no right to offend anyone. No one has the right to cause offense.

I have known Brother Lee for 40 years. He has no hypocrisy. He doesn't play tricks. At the same time, he is courteous rather than offensive. Sometimes he may be stern in dealing with certain situations. That is for us to understand the seriousness of the situation. He may be angry about the situation, but not with the person. He may speak strongly about something, and the responsible one may feel that Brother Lee is rebuking him, but what he is addressing is actually the situation. Brother Lee never attacks others through his message. When he gives a message, he is often very strong, but this is for the sake of releasing the truth. When he speaks in this way, people may be offended, but his intention is never to offend. He never uses his messages to attack others. When he gives a message, he is often strong for the release of the truth, for the truth has to be released. When he speaks the truth, people might feel offended. However, he never speaks with a view of attacking others.

The Intrinsic Being of the Minister - Spiritual

1. Full of the Reality of Living in the Spirit

A spiritual man is a person subject to the Spirit. He is full of the reality of living in the Spirit. We shouldn't have peculiar thoughts about what it means to be spiritual. We shouldn't think that a spiritual man walks differently than we do, or that he may be caught up to the heavens, or that he wears an angelic smile all the time. No. Being spiritual simply means having the reality of the Spirit.

When you enjoy the Lord and touch the Lord in the meetings, you are a spiritual person. You might not even know what the Spirit is, but as long as you touch the Lord, you are a spiritual man. As long as you have the Spirit, are subject to the Spirit, live in the Spirit, and allow the Spirit to reign over you, you are a spiritual man.

A Comparative Matter

There is no absolute standard for being spiritual. Sometimes we are spiritual. More often we are soulish. Most of the time, however, we are fleshly. At any particular time, we may be spiritual, soulish, or fleshly. It is not an absolute matter. Perhaps we consider that a spiritual man could never be wrong, for he is able to discern all things (1 Cor. 2:15). According to our understanding, everyone is discerned by him and he is discerned by no one. But this is not the case. We shouldn't treat this divine matter so simply. Being spiritual is not an absolute, but rather a comparative matter. Being spiritual is not continuous, but it is our condition whenever we are in contact with the Lord.

I know a brother whose mind and speaking are not that clear. One day, he met a friend of his who happened to be a very talented person. The brother spoke about the Lord with his friend as they ate together. His friend was attracted by this and came to Akron to meet the saints. After thus bringing his friend into the church life, the brother left us. He must have been very spiritual on that particular day - he behaved spiritually, talked spiritually, and even ate spiritually. Therefore, his gifted friend was attracted by him and came into the church life.

This instance left me with a deep impression. We consider being spiritual to be something once and for all. But this brother's being spiritual occurred at a particular time. In that situation, he turned to his spirit. When a person is in his spirit, he bears a different effect and a different fruit. When people see him, they feel he is different, for he has become spiritual.

Constantly Living in the Spirit and Having the Reality of the Spirit

To live in a sisters' house can be a source of blessing, but it can also be a cause of frustration. A sister may walk into the bedroom too loudly and wake up another sister, who complains that she is rude. The "loud" sister may feel the other sister is too sensitive. Therefore both of them are out of their spirit. The real problem in the sisters' house is that the sisters are not spiritual.

Being spiritual is a comparative matter. How much or how long does a person have to be in the spirit before he or she is considered spiritual? It is hard to say. However, Brother Lee is a man constantly exercising his spirit. Once he stayed with us in our home. When he woke up in the morning, I heard him calling, "O Lord. O Lord. O Lord Jesus." In the afternoon, he also could be heard calling, "O Lord Jesus." He is a spiritual man, constantly exercising to live in the Spirit.

A man who does not live in the Spirit might talk about spiritual matters, but he himself is not spiritual. Only a man living in the Spirit can be filled with spiritual reality. When you realize you haven't been in your spirit for several hours already, you should call and tell the Lord, "O Lord, forgive me. I have not called on Your name and fellowshipped with You for some time. Lord, have mercy on me." You should turn to your spirit as soon as possible. You have to exercise constantly to live in the Spirit in order to have the reality of the Spirit.

2. Constantly Experiencing and Applying Christ

Brother Lee shares the same feeling Paul had when he wrote, "I do not account of myself to have laid hold" (Phil. 3:13). Brother Lee always seems to have an appetite for the Lord. While we may feel that we are so full and abounding and have already reached the high peak, he always feels there is more of Christ for him to gain and something higher of Christ for him to pursue.

Whether he is experiencing abundance or lack, he is constantly experiencing and partaking of Christ. After he arrived in this country, his life was not easy and his financial situation was difficult. Yet he still lived out Christ and joyfully served the Lord. When I was praying with him and when I listened to his messages, I always sensed he was joyful. Later on when the Lord financially supplied him more sufficiently, he remained the same. He served the Lord, loved the Lord, and spoke the word of the Lord as he had done before.

I have never heard him complain or murmur. When his physical condition is limited, he simply accepts it. He applies Christ and experiences the riches of Christ in the environment the Lord measures to him. He is a man constantly experiencing and applying Christ in all environments.

3. Full of Spiritual Realization

You must learn to see Christ in everything, whether big or small, serious or commonplace. As we live on this earth, we will encounter all kinds of people, matters, and things. A nonbeliever likes to seek good luck, and a common Christian desires the blessing and the presence of the Lord, but the realization of one who truly knows God goes far beyond such considerations. He doesn't think about his luck or his personal blessing from the Lord. He has the spiritual ability to discern every person, matter, and thing.

Perceiving Everything and Reacting to Everything Spiritually

The spiritual person perceives everything and reacts to everything spiritually. He learns something spiritually from every person he meets and from every situation he encounters. Every matter he manages helps his spiritual recognition. Everything he handles helps his spiritual perception. He reacts spiritually to all things. Every person, matter, and thing helps him to know the spiritual things and the Lord in the spiritual realm. A man with this kind of spiritual perception is a spiritual man.

For the past ten years, the Lord's recovery has been in a difficult situation. We do have the Lord's hidden protection, but we do not have much of the Lord's outward blessing. It is hard to see the work of the Spirit in many individuals or churches. It seems that the presence of the Lord is not as real as in days past.

Should we study the situation? Of course we should. Yet while we do so, many people talk and make suggestions, but not many have the ability to perceive things spiritually. How many pray for the situation? How many kneel before the Lord and ask Him for His mercy? How many sisters fast for the situation among the churches?

The situation among the churches needs the Lord's mercy. On the one hand, the riches of Brother Lee's ministry have been spread throughout the world. On the other hand, our increase has been limited. The work among Caucasians in particular has become extremely difficult. How many of us realize spiritually that the Lord desires us to have more Christ, to know more about ourselves, to know more about how to coordinate, and to have more reality of the truth so that we may have deeper prayer and deeper union with the Lord? This kind of realization is spiritual perception.

Seeing Christ in Every Person, Situation, and Matter

When Brother Lee sees a man, he can see the Christ within him. When he manages a matter, he sees the Christ in it. When he handles a thing, he sees the Christ behind it. Every person, matter, and thing he encounters grants him a progressively higher and deeper spiritual perception.

Brothers, this is not an easy lesson. We human beings are natural, and our reactions are natural. It is easy for people to say that this one follows the ministry and that one does not. This kind of talk is natural. It indicates that they treat the matter of ministry and the riches of the ministry lightly.

Men are natural, and their reactions are natural. They only consider what is right and what is wrong. Therefore, many people, matters, and situations that should be blessings to the church eventually become limitations to the church.

I wish you all would tell the Lord, "O Lord, although I am still young, I would like to learn to perceive every person, matter, and thing spiritually. I don't like to merely react naturally to everything."

It is impossible for us to depart from people, matters, and things as we serve the Lord, but how we treat these things indicates whether we are spiritual or not. Our attitude toward these things shows how spiritual we are. A person who is not spiritual only sees people, matters, and things. A spiritual man is able to experience Christ through all men, matters, and things. All these help him to experience Christ and to touch the Lord. His reaction brings him the spiritual perception so that his judgment can be one with the Lord's.

4. Full of Assurance
The Assurance of the Lord

A serving one should have the assurance of the Lord, especially regarding matters of finance. In other words, he should have the assurance that the Lord can provide for his need. Without such assurance, you will always be looking for ways to care for yourself, and if the right situation arises, you will immediately try to find a way out of serving and complain that the Lord hasn't provided for you.

You should learn to react to things spiritually. On the one hand, you have to tell the Lord, "I accept the environment You have measured to me." On the other hand, you must learn to rely on Him and trust Him for His provision.

The Assurance of the Word of the Lord

Spiritual men know the Word of the Lord and are intimately familiar with it, as stated in Psalms 119:11, "In my heart I have treasured up Your word." By means of the Word of the Lord within them, they have the assurance to such an extent that it is lived out, testified, and operating through them.

The Assurance of the Revelation of the Lord

We must also have the assurance of the Lord's revelation. In recent years, the Lord has led Brother Lee to keep advancing. Every time he took a step forward, there were many brothers who opposed him. However, I can testify that he never compromised as he followed the Lord's leading.

When he received from the Lord the revelation of releasing the spirit, many opposed it. They liked the four stages of life: in Christ, abiding in Christ, Christ living within, and Christ's full growth in us. They liked the progression of the experience of life rather than the freedom in the spirit. Actually, the four stages of life are in the freedom of the spirit. No matter how spiritual you are and no matter how much you live in the spirit, you still have the experience of the four stages of life. However, those brothers didn't want the spirit. They insisted on the four stages of life. That was a spiritual warfare.

If you wish to advance spiritually, you will encounter times of serious spiritual warfare. Regarding the divine revelation that has been committed to him, Brother Lee has never given way or compromised. He has the assurance of what he sees from the Lord. When he realizes he should advance, he just presses on without any hesitation. Therefore, he has been able to lead us to the high peak of revelation today.

The high-peak revelation is the result of this warfare. It is the fruit of many battles. Every time Brother Lee has received the revelation of the truth, there has been a battle. At first it came from without, from the Gentiles. Then it came from other Christians for holding the truth. Eventually it came from among Brother Lee's own spiritual children. However, our brother never ceases going on with what has been revealed to him. He has the assurance of the revelation from the Lord. He speaks and speaks until he reaches the high peak of revelation.

This is a man who has the assurance of the Lord, the assurance of the Word of the Lord, and the assurance of the revelation given by the Lord.

5. The Exercise of the Spiritual Man

What kind of person is a spiritual man? A spiritual man is able to live in his spirit continually. When he finds he is away from his spirit, he immediately returns to it. A spiritual man experiences Christ and partakes of Christ constantly. He has the Lord's presence, whether the environment is favorable or unfavorable. He has the Lord's presence, whether the situation is smooth or difficult. He is one who continuously experiences and partakes of the Lord.

A spiritual man spiritually perceives every person, situation, and thing. He doesn't judge people as to who is right or who is wrong. His reactions are not those of a natural man.

A spiritual man has the assurance of the Lord, of the Lord's Word, and of the Lord's revelation. Since the revelations are from the Lord and are spoken and given from the Lord, he is continually fighting for what has been revealed to him.

If we exercise in this way, we will become men full of the reality of the Spirit. May the Lord grant us mercy!