5. Dealing
Avoiding a “Lord’s recovery movement” or a “local church
movement” by continuous consecration, prayer, and dealing
To avoid falling into merely a “local church movement” and to avoid becoming a “Lord’s recovery movement”, Witness Lee charged young laborers workers to exercise themselves in consecration, prayer, and accepting the Lord’s dealings. These life practices produce a fruit-bearing living.
Exercise … makes your life mature and fresh. The first thing one has to exercise himself in is a continuous consecration. This is not merely a daily consecration but one that is renewed hourly. Second there is the need for continuous prayer. Third there is the need to receive continuous dealing. The environment … including eating, sleeping, dressing, moving about, and whatever there is that is not suitable to you, is a kind of dealing. The dealing that you … receive now is your preparation for the spread of the gospel in the future. If you refuse the dealing, your life will not grow.
To keep the Lord’s recovery from being a movement, Witness Lee advises his followers to receive the environmental dealings from the Lord.
The Lord’s arrangement for us always produces an environment wherein our natural man is dealt with that we can receive Him as the Spirit. To avoid being a “Lord’s recovery movement” requires us to be those who receive the environmental dealings from the Lord. To avoid being a “local church movement” we should deny the self and take up the cross.
When we receive the dealings, we are receiving the breaking by the cross. At the same time the cross breaks us, it brings in the Spirit who is life (2 Cor. 4:11). Hence, the fruit-bearing in life comes from the breaking by the cross. Not only do you have to study the Bible, … messages, and pursue life; you must also continually consecrate yourself, pray, and receive dealings so that you will receive the Spirit through the breaking of the cross. If you do not do this, your study of the Bible will not have much light. Only when you allow the Spirit to have the ground in you will your reading of the Lord’s Word, through the mingling together of your spirit with it, give true benefits to you. The reason for this is that the prerequisite for having the Lord’s word is to have the Lord’s Spirit. The way to have the Spirit is through the breaking of the cross. In smooth circumstances, there is usually no breaking of the cross. But in trying circumstances, provided that you take these environmental dealings willingly, you are, in the Lord’s word, bearing the cross (Matt. 10:38). As such, you will receive the Spirit.
To keep the local churches from being a movement, Witness Lee teaches the believers to receive the Spirit through the breaking of the cross. Witness Lee consistently brings those receiving his teaching to Christ, to the experience of Christ as life for the growth and fruit bearing that produces the genuine church. There is not a hint of a movement in his writings. There is no “Lord’s recovery movement.” Neither is there a hint of a movement among the genuine seeking ones in the local churches. There are the lovers of Christ meeting together as members of His Body in whatever locality they reside that He may have a pure expression of Himself, not a “local church movement.”
Contents
1. God's Move 2. Movement or Life 3. Go Bear Fruit 4. Fresh and Mature 5. Dealing 6. Life Action Key Verses
Suggested Sites
Local Churches
Local Church
Lord's Recovery
church in Salt Lake City
