GROWING INTO THE HEAD, CHRIST,
IN ALL THINGS
If we are not the lord in all things and do not act independently, allowing Christ to be the Lord and following Him, Christ will increase in us, and we will grow into Him, the Head, Christ, in all things (Eph. 4:15). Even in the small things, such as cutting and combing our hair, dressing ourselves, shopping, and contacting and speaking with others, we should allow Christ to be the Lord. We must pay attention to the inner feeling within us, following Him and living together with Him.
HOLDING CHRIST AS THE HEAD,
GROWING WITH THE GROWTH OF GOD
When we hold the Head, Christ, and grow into Him in all things, God will grow within us, and we will grow gradually in life and function through the increase of God’s element within us (Col. 2:19).
BEING FULL-GROWN IN CHRIST
When we grow with the growth of God, we will become full-grown (Eph. 4:13; Col. 1:28). Once we become full-grown in Christ, victory, sanctification, spirituality, riches, and even authority will all become ours. Furthermore, we will be able to be joined with others to become the Body, the fullness of Christ.
What I hope to see, on the one hand, is that you would be trained in the truth, and on the other hand, that you would be cultivated in life. You must be firmly established in the truth. Every day you must read the Bible for the nourishment of your spiritual life. Pray-read two or three verses every morning, eating the Lord’s word and enjoying Him properly. This will supply your need for the day. In addition to this, you have to study the Bible every day and dive into the depths of every book. Do not read over them lightly; pursue them seriously. At the same time, you have to speed-read three chapters of the Old Testament and one chapter of the New Testament every day. You must be trained in these three areas. This will become your capital in your future Christian life, work, and service. In addition to these, you have to grow in life. In this way, spontaneously, you will have a way to serve the Lord.
If the Lord commissions you more, so that you have no more time to take a job, you should follow the Lord’s leading to look to the Lord by faith and to serve Him full-time. If in your circumstances no saint or church can support you, you have to learn of Paul’s example. At times, he worked with his own hands to supply himself and the needs of his companions (Acts 20:34). Among us there is no such profession as preaching. If you feel that you are not that useful in the hand of the Lord, you can spend half of your time to take a job, to earn a living, so that you would not become a burden to others. Perhaps after two years of training, the Lord will lead you to continue your education. Perhaps the Lord will arrange for you to take a job first. After two or three years, according to your inner feeling and as the Lord leads in the outward circumstances, you may serve full-time again.
I hope this little fellowship will become clear to all of you and will give you the boldness to consecrate yourself. Do not say that to be full-time is right and that not to be full-time is wrong. These feelings are unnecessary. If you can make it, serve full-time. If you cannot make it, take a job. The rest of your time, you should still love the Lord and pursue after Him. Being full-time is only a matter of degree; it is not a matter of being a full-timer or not being one. At any rate, all of us should pursue the Lord in being perfected in the truth and growing in life.
(A message given by Brother Witness Lee in Taipei, Taiwan on October 18, 1990)
(The Vision of the Divine Dispensing and Guidelines for the Practice of the New Way, Chapter 8, by Witness Lee)
