Learning to Have the Intrinsic Being of the Minister (4)

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? - 1 Corinthians 3:16.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all - 2 Corinthians 13:14.

Respecting and Preserving Ourselves, Yet Not Protecting Ourselves

There are three important questions that have very much to do with how we live. First, do we respect ourselves? Second, do we preserve ourselves? And third, do we protect ourselves?

Most people do not adequately respect themselves. Instead, they tend to be either self-conceited or self-abasing. Not many respect themselves. Most people don't know how to preserve themselves, either. They live a loose and indulgent life. Most, however, are experts when it comes to protecting themselves.

A sister I have known since high school once told me, "Brother Chu, when you were in high school, we all felt that the Lord would use you one day. Now many years have passed. You have really grown, and you have some manifestation. However, I don't understand why you don't seem to respect yourself." That was more than ten years ago, and I still remember her use of the word "respect." After she spoke with me, I went home and prayed, "Lord, forgive me. I don't know how to respect myself." Brothers, as the Lord's servants, no matter how people judge you, criticize you, or even speak evil of you, you are still the Lord's servant. In this, you must always respect who you are.

Not many brothers or sisters respect or preserve themselves. Instead, they protect themselves. To protect oneself is to guard what is of profit to the self, what is of personal gain. A real servant of the Lord should respect and preserve himself, but not seek to protect himself. For many years I have observed Brother Lee. Regardless of where he is or what he does, he always respects and preserves himself, but he does not seek to protect himself. On the contrary, he risks his life for the sake of the churches.

Respecting the Portion God has Measured to Us

Why should we respect ourselves? It is not because we ourselves are marvelous, but because of the portion God has given to us. The Lord has granted us a portion, and this portion is precious in the eyes of the Lord. The portion we have received is related to God's economy, God's testimony, and God's kingdom.

Dear brothers, you must learn to respect yourselves and the portion the Lord has given to you. You may be young and not yet fully manifested, but you should respect whatever comes from God, no matter how small it seems. You may not yet be a manifested servant of the Lord or an apostle, and you may not possess high revelations of truth, but you certainly have something. You should respect the portion you have, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you, for it is from God.

We all have our own portion from God. He has constituted it into us. We should learn to respect whatever God has given us. We should respect the portion that God has measured to us.

Knowing That the Portion Is from God and for God

Only the things that come from God, that are related to God, that belong to God, that are unto God, and that are for God are taken into account before God. A self-admiring person doesn't know what is from God. A self-interested person cannot be for God. But a self-respecting person knows he has a portion from God. This portion is related to eternity and to God's economy, and it is for God Himself. No matter how small or how invisible it may seem, as long as it is from God, it is something for God. To respect ourselves is to respect God and the portion He has given to us.

Being Diligent to Equip Ourselves

To equip yourself is to respect yourself. Self-respect is not something passive, but something active. The more I respect myself, the more I choose to pursue God, to know God, to equip myself in the truth, and to learn to serve the church.

For example, females are generally more artistic than males, yet more men eventually become famous artists. Why is this so? It is because they experience different environments. Women, when they have children, don't have time to practice art any more. Men, when they are involved in painting, can devote themselves to it. They respect their talent and equip themselves. This is why more men than women eventually become great artists. If you respect your portion, you must equip yourself.

Some of the full-time brothers are talented, but they don't respect themselves. They spend most of their time in practical matters. They don't realize that they have a portion from the Lord. It is something precious that they must treasure. If they don't, the Lord may suffer loss. Some brothers like to take vacations. This also reveals that they don't adequately respect themselves. If they really respected their portion, they wouldn't live such a life.

I don't mean that we should not take care of the practical matters of the church life or that we should not take vacations. The practical things need to be taken care of. We also need proper rest. But we must respect our portion. If we truly respect our portion, we will never do anything to hurt or damage it. If we have a proper respect for our portion, we will pursue the Lord diligently. If we treasure our portion, our desire will be for its growth.

Not many among us know how to respect themselves, but the Lord's servant does respect his portion. Because of such a healthy self-respect, he never does anything that might cause loss or damage to his portion. He knows that it is from God and for God. Therefore, it is too precious. If we desire to serve the Lord and become useful to Him, we must have this kind of understanding.

Those who become great artists have not only talent, but also respect for their gift. Their life's goal is to develop their gift to the uttermost. Amateurs never create masterpieces. Only those who truly respect their talent can develop it to the uttermost. It is the same with the heavenly gift. We all possess the gift of God. This gift is God Himself. Therefore as we follow the Lord, we must respect ourselves and not allow any loss to the gift the Lord has given us. We must give ourselves to experience the divine life. We must give ourselves to be equipped with the truth. We must give ourselves to serve the church. We must respect the portion the Lord has given to us.

Not Forfeiting Our Royal Position

The leading brothers in one locality like to boast that many brothers of repute have visited there. The first time Brother Lee visited there; they made this boast and yet remarked that they had some doubts about him. Immediately, Brother Lee grabbed his bag and said, "Then I am leaving." Those brothers hastily stood up and asked him to stay.

Brother Lee was right. The Lord's servants are not beggars. They don't have to go to a place and beg for a job. As the Lord's servants, we should hold fast to our royal position. We cannot allow the royal position that we hold to suffer loss. A servant of the Lord knows his royal position and stands upon it.

One time when Brother Lee visited Akron, an American brother saw him, patted his shoulder, and said something quite loose. Immediately Brother Lee became stern and said, "What do you mean by that?" His reaction surprised us, and the brother immediately apologized. Brother Lee doesn't tolerate looseness, even if his reaction might offend an American who is hard to gain. Regardless, he holds fast to his royal position.

Brother Lee doesn't agree that the saints should develop friendships in the church apart from Christ. We come together because we are brothers. We have the same mind because we are for the Lord's testimony, not because of friendship. The reason Brother Lee is so useful to the Lord is because he respects his portion, pursues diligently, devotes himself to be equipped, and also stands firmly upon his royal position. I don't mean to imply that we should put on airs and give people the feeling, "The Lord's servant is here." The royal position is something we should live out, not something for us to put on. We should learn from the Lord's servant that we are serving the Lord. In our daily living, our royal position should be lived out.

Being Respected for the Human Virtues Revealed in Honor

Since we respect our portion from the Lord, we should seek to be constituted with the divine attributes so that we may live out the human virtues. When we display such human virtues, others recognize such an expression and honor it.

Often, two types of co-workers can be found in the churches. The first behaves in a very social manner with others and plays politics. The second gives others a sense of his self-importance and attempts to subdue them. The first seeks to gain others' favor, and the second seeks to be revered. The Lord can use neither.

Honor is something that must actually be found in your living. It is not something that you can pretend to have. The Lord's servants should exhibit meekness, so that others feel they can contact them. Some leading brothers give you the feeling that you have come before the face of God, while others are easy to talk to.

On the one hand, you should respect those who serve the Lord, for God has accorded them a certain honor. On the other hand, the servants of the Lord should not presume upon this honor and act in a manner that is aloof. The Lord's servants should be approachable and should live out the human virtues in the divine attributes. Their kindness should give you the feeling that they are honorable. In other words, their honor is not something they act out; rather, it is their living. When lived out, honor does not cause one to feel that he is higher than others; rather, it brings him into a closer relationship with others, for he is able to be among them.

Preserving Our Spirit, Soul, and Body

A man who respects and preserves himself is also a man who preserves his spirit, soul, and body. Our spirit can be damaged, our soul can be exhausted, and our body can be worn out. We may have been saved for many years and may have a strong and rich spirit, yet it can still be damaged, no matter how strong or rich it is. Our soul is also easily exhausted, and our body can be quickly worn out. A servant of the Lord should learn to preserve his spirit, soul, and body.

Preserving the Spirit

How do you preserve your spirit? For example, watching a movie may not be sinful, but it will harm your spirit. Reading a novel is not a sin, but your spirit may become deadened after you read it. Needless to say, sinful things are also harmful to the spirit. No matter how strong your spirit is, when you sin, your spirit becomes dead. Therefore, you must learn not to touch things that are harmful to your spirit.

Brother Lee once testified that when staying in a hotel alone, he refused to turn the TV on, even though he realized no one was there to observe him. According to my understanding, he did it to preserve his spirit.

I don't mean that we cannot watch any television. At least we may want to watch the news to keep up on world affairs, for if we know nothing of the world, how can we serve the Lord? But we must keep away from the things that are harmful to our spirit. Our spirit is fragile. If we are not careful, we may touch something that causes it harm. Experienced brothers treasure their spirit. They do not do things that might consume or damage their spirit. They know how to preserve their spirit.

Preserving the Soul

We should also learn to preserve our soul. Our soul is limited. If our mind is focused on something, our soul will quickly be consumed by that thing. When our soul is focused on something besides Christ, we will not be able to love the Lord with our whole heart. This is the reason I advise many brothers to serve full-time if the Lord so leads, for then they are more able to give their whole heart, whole mind, and whole body to the Lord's church. If we do not have the Lord's leading, or if our environment doesn't allow us to take the full-time way, then we should be very careful in choosing our job.

I know a full-time serving brother who for a few years didn't receive any financial care. So I asked him, "How are you financially? Do you work now?" He replied that he worked a little. I was worried about how little was "a little." Some have a soul that becomes consumed even by a limited amount of work. How can someone love the Lord with an exhausted soul? You must know that your soul is limited and that the strength of your soul is limited as well.

This is why Paul said that it is good for people not to get married (1 Cor. 7). Marriage is related to our soul. Paul said, "The unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but he who has married cares for the things of the world, how he may please his wife" (vv. 32-33). Although in 1 Corinthians he advised people not to get married, he also said in 1 Timothy that forbidding people to marry is a teaching of demons. Therefore, I advise you all to get married. Not everyone has the gift that Paul had. But whether you are married or not, you must preserve your soul.

Do not think, for instance, that a hobby is a small thing. Perhaps you view stamp collecting as a harmless hobby. But even a hobby like stamp collecting can exhaust your soul. If you respect yourself, you should preserve yourself. Not only should you preserve your spirit by keeping away from harmful things, but you should also preserve your soul so that it won't be consumed.

After a man has been saved for 20 or 30 years, two kinds of improper conditions may develop. The first is that he goes to the world. The second is that, even though he loves the Lord, he does not grow spiritually. This is the condition that we should most fear in the church life. Such saints are eventually left with nothing but their zeal. Their seniority gives them something to boast about. Some may say, "I was here when the hall was built. I heard So-and-so speak. I have been to So-and-so's training." But in their lives, they manifest no effectiveness, no life, and no growth, for they have not taken care to preserve their soul. Such people go around from house to house and gossip in the name of fellowship. Eventually they have nothing left but their seniority.

You should preserve your soul from becoming consumed, polluted, damaged, or spoiled. Your soul should be under the control of your spirit so that it can be used for the Lord. In addition to keeping your spirit strong, you should also keep your soul healthy.

Preserving the Body

Last, you should preserve your body. Brother Lee's son once told me how Brother Lee was imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese during World War II. After he was released, he caught tuberculosis. He spent two years recuperating. During that time, he saw his children only once a week. Sister Lee brought them into the room, and he would wordlessly look at them one by one before they were taken out. After one year, the brothers thought it was time for him to serve. They urged him to trust the Lord and to minister again. He did not agree. He knew he had to recuperate until his health was fully recovered. Later on, Brother Lee often told people that he exchanged those two years for 40 more. He often advises others to pay attention to their health. He knows how to preserve his body.

Sometimes we seem to be throwing away our body. We don't go to bed until late, and then we cannot get up in the morning. There is nothing worth watching on television, but we still may not be able to turn it off. As a result, our spirit is damaged, our soul is consumed, and our body is worn out. Brothers, we should learn from the Lord's servant not to hurt our spirit, not to exhaust our soul, and not to wear out our body.

Willing to Give Everything For the Need of the Lord's Testimony

Although Brother Lee preserves his body and doesn't allow things to weaken it, he is always ready to sacrifice himself for the need of the Lord's testimony. He is balanced. On the one hand, he knows the necessity of preserving his body. On the other hand, he is a man of action.

For example, there was turmoil in Hong Kong 20 years ago. Brother Abraham Chang remembered, "When I saw Brother Lee carrying his bag onto an airplane going to Hong Kong, I almost shed tears." The Lord committed the churches to Brother Lee. When there was a need, he had no regard for himself, but went directly to the heart of the problem. The servant of the Lord preserves his body, but does not protect himself. When the church is in need, he puts himself into the situation. He is willing to lay down his life for the need of the Lord's testimony as he seeks to carry out the burden that is in his spirit.

You should preserve yourself, but you should not protect yourself. In the recovery, many protect themselves without preserving themselves. When there is a problem, they shy away and think, "Don't ask me; it's not my problem." The Lord's testimony should be borne by everyone. Why do you say, "Don't ask me"? If you should go, you should go. Sometimes you may not want to go when you are invited, but you are a servant of the Lord, and therefore you should give yourself to the church. Even if you know it is a way that leads to death, you must learn from Esther and say, "If I perish, I perish" (Esth. 4:16).

Brother Lee is a man like this. Ten years ago the churches under his leading were in one accord. He didn't need to go to Taipei and put himself on the front line again for the "new way." If the new way had not succeeded, he would have had to bear all the responsibility. But he didn't protect himself. Instead, he poured everything into carrying out his burden, and he gave himself fully to follow the Lord's leading. When he finished the notes of the Recovery Version New Testament, he told the Lord, "Lord, now I am going back to Taiwan. Once again, I give myself to serve Your church."

He respects and preserves himself, but by no means protects himself. As long as there is a need in the church, he does not fear anything, but is willing to give himself. This is a real servant of the Lord.