４
We should not mistreat our fellow believers by criticizing, judging, or exposing them; instead, we should admonish the disorderly, console the fainthearted, the “little-souled,” sustain those who are weak in spirit, soul, or body, or weak in the faith, and be long-suffering toward all (Matt. 24:49; 1 Thes. 5:14).
５
Through our involvement in the world, we should not render the Lord's gift useless, letting it lie waste under the cloak of certain earthly excuses (Matt. 25:18-19).
Ｆ
Our work and labor for the Lord in the gospel are not by our natural life and natural ability but by the Lord's resurrection life and power; resurrection is the eternal principle in our service to God (Num. 17:8; 1 Cor. 15:10, 58; 16:10):
１
The life-giving Spirit is the reality of the Triune God, the reality of resurrection, and the reality of the Body of Christ (John 16:13-15; 20:22; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Eph. 4:4).
２
All those who know resurrection have given up hope in themselves; they know that they cannot make it; everything that is of death belongs to us, and everything that is of life belongs to the Lord (Num. 17:8; 2 Cor. 1:8-9; cf. Eccl. 9:4).
３
We must acknowledge that we are nothing, have nothing, and can do nothing; we must come to the end of ourselves to be convinced of our utter uselessness (Exo. 2:14-15; 3:14-15; Luke 22:32-33; 1 Pet. 5:5-6).
４
The resurrected Christ as the life-giving Spirit lives in us, enabling us to do what we could never do in ourselves (1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Cor. 1:8-9, 12; 4:7-18).
Ｇ
We should always abound in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor for the Lord in His resurrection life with His resurrection power will never be in vain but will result in the fulfilling of God's eternal purpose (1 Cor. 15:58).
Morning Nourishment
Matt. 24:49 ...[An evil slave] begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with the drunken.25:18-19 But he who had received the one went off and dug in the earth and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.
All of us should be those who are feeding the Lord's people at the proper time (Matt. 24:45) and using the Lord's talents in full (25:20, 22). On the negative side, we should not be those beating our fellow slaves (24:49). You may not do your duty to perform your service, but instead you are criticizing and sometimes even strongly opposing the brothers. You are not doing the work but beating the fellow slaves.
Although I have no intention of exposing anyone, many are exposed by the light in the messages I release. That is not my job but the Lord's work. We all have to stop our criticizing, judging, opposing, and murmuring as a kind of beating. We must spend our time, our energy, and our everything to do a positive service for the Lord's interest. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 5, “The Way to Practice the Lord's Present Move,” pp. 539-540)
Today's Reading
Furthermore, we should not be one who “eats and drinks with the drunken” (Matt. 24:49). This is to drift away further, a further fall from beating the fellow slaves. You have fallen away to the world and have become a world lover. The worldly people are drunk and even drugged with worldly things. They are stupefied with the present age. To eat and drink with them is to enjoy what they enjoy.We should not eat and drink with the drunken, nor should we dig in the earth and hide the Lord's talent (25:18). The earth signifies the world, so to dig in the earth signifies getting into the world. Any association, any involvement, with the world, even a little worldly talk, will bury the Lord's gift to us.
The way to be faithful is to scatter the Lord's word, which is food to every hungry one. The Lord's household is composed not only of believers but also of sinners. Who will go to feed the hungry, sinful people? We all have to say, “Me!” We have to go....We must do everything that we can to spread the Word of God.
Many Christians are nearly void of the truth; they have the Word of God, but they do not care for it, nor do they realize how much is in it. In this age of apostasy the Lord, by His mercy, has opened up His Word to us. Many of the divine riches have been printed and published....Why do we not go out with these riches?...This is one of the ways to feed the Lord's people.
The Lord has given talents to all His slaves....Everyone was required to trade, to do business, to make money for the Lord's kingdom. In order to do this, we have to feed His people at the proper time. Every day is a proper time, a meal time....There is someone ready to eat everywhere, so we need to be those using the Lord's talent in full.
Also, by His mercy and through His grace we must do the best not to beat the fellow slaves, the fellow believers. Do not criticize or murmur about them. Do not speak anything negative about them, because you do not have the time to do it. Your mouth was not made for criticizing but for speaking forth Christ. To criticize the brothers is to beat the fellow slaves. This will cause us to be punished. We should also not go into the world to enjoy ourselves with the stupefied, drugged, and worldly people. We have to be the sober ones. We should not dig into the earth to bury or hide our talent. We should have a job to maintain our living, but we should not dig into it. We are different from the worldly people. I encourage all my grandchildren [and all the young people in the churches] to do their best to get the highest education, but [not to] “dig into” their education just to become an expert....Do not dig a hole that buries the talent the Lord gave you. We all need to be faithful in the Lord's service. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 5, “The Way to Practice the Lord's Present Move,” pp. 540-541, 544-546)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1985, vol. 5, “The Way to Practice the Lord's Present Move,” chs. 8, 10