Finding Christ by the Living Star, by Witness Lee

HOW TO BECOME STARS

In the Bible we not only see how we may follow the star, but even become one of the stars. There are two ways: first, by the Bible; second, by the Spirit.

1. By the Sure Word

II Peter 1:19 gives us the first secret: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the daystar arise in your hearts." We have the sure Word, the Bible. But the sure Word is not the star; the Bible is not the star. Then what must we do? This verse says that since we have the sure Word, we must take heed to it, we must pay full attention to it, until the day dawn and the daystar arise in our hearts. All the Bible teachers agree that this daystar is really the morning star. But another word is used for star here: it can be translated into English as phosphorous. This star is something as phosphorous, bringing light in the darkness. The darker the situation is, the brighter the phosphorous shines. The Bible should not simply be words in black and white; it should not be dead letters. We must take heed to the words of the Bible till something as phosphorous rises within us—that is, Christ as the daystar. If we deal with the Word livingly and properly, it surely will turn into the living Christ. This is the turning point—the Word must be turned into Christ; the written Word must be turned into the living Word. We can never separate Christ from the living Word. We must take heed to the sure Word until it rises within us as Christ, as the phosphorous, as the day breaking through the darkness.

To have the Bible in your hands is one thing; to take heed to the Word until the daystar rises in your heart is another. To have the knowledge of the Bible is one thing, but to have a shining star rising in your spirit is another. Just to go to the seminary to study the Bible means nothing. What we need today is to take the Word into us, to take heed to the living Word until something within rises and shines in our heart. Then we will have the star, and then we will be a star. This is not just the knowledge about Christ, but Christ Himself as the living star.

People say that we do not care for the Bible, but we do not admit this. If there are believers on this earth who love the divine Word, I believe we must be numbered among them. We love the Word, but not in the dead way of letters. We love the Word by taking heed to it until something within is dawning and arising in our heart—not the knowledge, not the written code, but the breaking through of day, the rising of the shining star.

What does this mean in practical experience? Sometimes we may take the Bible, read it, and get nothing. But sometimes when we open our heart and take heed to this sure Word, something within is shining, rising, dawning, breaking through. While we are pray-reading the verses of the Bible, there is a sense deep within of enlightening, of shining. And this shining creates a kind of love toward the Lord Jesus. We feel that He is so lovable. We could say, "O Lord Jesus, I love You; I do not have words to express how lovely You are!" Many times by this shining we are just beside ourselves with love to the Lord Jesus. That is Jesus coming to us as the dawning day, as the daystar rising in our hearts. I am not speaking of something I’ve learned from others, and I am not boasting; this is my actual experience. Many times when I was with this Holy Word, something has risen within me like the daybreak. Oh, it is wonderful! The situation may be extremely dull, the surrounding full of darkness, but something within is enlightening, shining, filling with glory.

In the days of the wise men, the seeing of the star was a miraculous occurrence, but today to see the daystar is only normal and should be our regular experience. Day by day we need to have the daystar arising within our hearts. Do not just read the Bible, and do not just pray-read the Bible; you must take heed to the sure Word until the day dawns and the daystar arises in your heart. Go on until you reach this point.

So, you see, the star today comes from the living Word. I am so happy that in this verse we have the Word and the daystar together. Firstly, we have the Word; secondly, by taking heed to the sure Word, we have the daystar rising in our heart. If we will just go along continually with this inner, rising star, we will constantly be in the Spirit and be a good follower of Christ.

(Finding Christ by the Living Star, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)