Scripture Reading: 2 Tim. 4:7-8, 10; 1 Tim. 1:4, 18; 6:12; Acts 20:24; Heb. 12:1-2

DAY 1 & DAY 2 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 3 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 4 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 5 & DAY 6 Outline　MorningRevival

«　WEEK 7　DAY 1　»

　　2 Tim. 4:7 I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith.

　　2:3-4 Suffer evil with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please the one who enlisted him.

　　In 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul mentions three items: fighting the good fight, finishing the course, and keeping the faith. A proper Christian life is threefold. It involves fighting the good fight against Satan and his kingdom of darkness for the interests of God’s kingdom (1 Tim. 6:12), running the course for the carrying out of God’s economy according to His eternal purpose (Heb. 12:1), and keeping the faith for participation in the divine riches in God’s dispensation (Gal. 3:22). To keep the faith is to keep the entire New Testament economy of God—the faith concerning Christ as the embodiment of God and the mystery of God and the church as the Body of Christ and the mystery of Christ. (Life-study of 2 Timothy, pp. 61-62)

　　The apostles considered their ministry a warfare for Christ, just as the priestly service was considered a military service, a warfare, in Numbers 4:23, 30, 35 (lit.). Whenever we minister Christ to others, we find ourselves in a battle. Hence, we should not only be teachers committing the deposit to others, but we should also be soldiers fighting for God’s interests.

　　The word for life [in 2 Timothy 2:4] in Greek is bios, indicating the physical life in this age. To fight a good fight (4:7) for the Lord’s interests on this earth we must be cleared of any earthly entanglement. The matters of our material, physical life should not entangle us as we are endeavoring to minister Christ to others. This ministry is a fighting, and the fighting requires that we be free from entanglement. On the one hand, the priestly service is a ministry to God; on the other hand, it is a warfare against God’s enemies. As the priests were bearing the Ark of Testimony, they had to be prepared to fight against those who might attack this testimony. (Life-study of 2 Timothy, pp. 23-24)

　　To fight for the faith means to fight for God’s New Testament economy. In particular, it is to fight for Christ as the embodiment of God and for the church as the Body of Christ. The eternal life in 1 Timothy 6:12 is the divine life, the uncreated life of God, which is eternal. Eternal denotes the nature more than the time element of the divine life. To fight the good fight of the faith in the Christian life, especially in the Christian ministry, we need to lay hold on this divine life and not trust in our human life….To bring forth God’s dispensation concerning the church in 1 Timothy, to confront the process of the church’s decline in 2 Timothy, and to maintain good order in the church life in Titus, this life is a prerequisite.

　　A man of God should pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and meekness; he should fight for God’s New Testament economy and lay hold on eternal life. All these matters are essential aspects of the New Testament. In contrast, the beasts in Revelation 13 and the lake of fire in Revelation 20 cannot compare with these essential aspects. We today must fight the good fight of the faith. This means that we must fight for Christ as the embodiment of God and for the church as the Body of Christ. Furthermore, we must not merely fight objectively, but fight subjectively by laying hold on eternal life. We should not do anything apart from this life. We should speak to our husband or wife and to our children not by the natural life, but by the eternal life. Even in the matter of buying a pair of shoes, we should live according to the eternal life to which we have been called. As today’s Timothys, we need to lay hold on eternal life. (Life-study of 1 Timothy, pp. 101-102)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Timothy, msgs. 2, 12; Life-study of 2 Timothy, msgs. 3, 7-8; CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Exercise of the Kingdom for the Building of the Church,” chs. 7-8

«　WEEK 7　DAY 2　»

　　1 Tim. 1:3-4 ...I exhorted you...that you might charge certain ones not to teach different things...rather than God’s economy, which is in faith.

　　18 This charge I commit to you...according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you might war the good warfare.

　　Eph. 5:32 This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church.

　　To war the good warfare is to war against the differing teachings of the dissenters and to carry out God’s economy (1 Tim. 1:4) according to the apostle’s ministry concerning the gospel of grace and eternal life for the glory of the blessed God (vv. 11-16).

　　During Paul’s first imprisonment, the churches were tested. This test showed that decline and degradation had set in. This decline was altogether due to differing teachings, teachings that were different from the ministry. This was the reason Paul charged Timothy to “war the good warfare” [v. 18]. (Life-study of 1 Timothy, pp. 18-19)

　　Throughout the centuries, the degradation and decline of the church has had one source: teachings which differ from the ministry of the apostles. In Acts 2:42 we see that at the beginning of the church life, the believers continued in the teachings of the apostles. These teachings were the ministry. What the apostles taught and preached was nothing other than Christ and the church. They preached a Christ who had been incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended in order that, as resurrection life, He might be imparted into His believers to produce the church. This is the focal point of the teaching of the apostles, and it is crucial for us to see it. No doubt, in the Bible there are teachings concerning many things. However, the focus of the ministry of the apostles was the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, ascended, and glorified Christ to be our Savior, our life, and everything to us so that we may become His Body, the church. This is the vital focus of the New Testament revelation, and this is God’s economy.

　　We need to contact the word and receive God by the Spirit through the word. Then we shall have faith. By coming to the word, we are infused with God, and spontaneously faith operates within us to bring us into an organic union with God. The more we enjoy God’s infusion, the more we become one with Him. However, this vital matter has been lost for centuries. Knowing the importance of this, Paul charged Timothy to fight a good fight, to war a good warfare.

　　On the one hand, Timothy was to war against the differing teachings of the dissenters. On the other hand, he was to carry out God’s economy according to the apostle’s ministry.

　　Today we also must be on the alert for differing teachings. Throughout the centuries, the church has been poisoned and corrupted by such teachings. If we are not on guard, differing teachings may also cause damage to the Lord’s recovery. In the past we have seen the damage caused by differing teachings propagated in a subtle, hidden way. This has helped the leading ones in many churches to learn the important lesson of being watchful for differing teachings. We must not allow any differing teachings to come into the Lord’s recovery. The recovery is strictly for the carrying on of the ministry. By this I do not mean my ministry, but the ministry of the apostles, which began with Peter and is still being carried on today. All true apostles teach and preach the same thing, even the one thing—God’s New Testament economy. The focus of our preaching and teaching is Christ and the church. To teach and preach God’s economy concerning Christ and the church is to war a good warfare. (Life-study of 1 Timothy, pp. 19-21)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1963, vol. 3, “A Brief Definition of the Kingdom of the Heavens,” ch. 5; Life-study of Matthew, msg. 24; CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” ch. 49

«　WEEK 7　DAY 3　»

　　2 Tim. 4:7 I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith.

　　Heb. 12:1 Therefore let us also...put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and run with endurance the race which is set before us.

　　The most important thing in the Christian life is to seek out the journey which the Lord has ordained and faithfully walk on it. A poor phenomenon among believers today is that many have not found the journey that the Lord has ordained for them. Some, even though they have found it, do not walk on it. This is the reason that their living is filled with so much spiritual death, gloom, and restriction, and this is the reason that there are so many conflicts and arguments in God’s work. The most important task for each of us is to put ourselves into God’s hand in a quiet, patient, prayerful, consecrated, and obedient way and wholeheartedly seek after His leading. We should be willing to obey Him and act only in accordance with His will. We should pray that He reveal to us the journey He has designated for us. After this, we should pay any price to wholeheartedly walk on it. (CWWN, vol. 10, p. 424)

　　The entire Christian life is a race. This race is not for obtaining eternal life. On the contrary, only those who already have eternal life are qualified to run the race. At the end of the race, some will receive a crown, while others will not receive a crown (1 Cor. 9:24-25).

　　Receiving the crown means to obtain the kingdom, which is to become kings to reign and receive glory with the Lord Jesus….There is no problem with a Christian obtaining eternal life. However, his obtaining of the kingdom depends on how he runs the race…. All his words, conduct, thoughts, living, and everything about him have to do with whether or not he will obtain the kingdom in the future….Our abandon, consecration, faithfulness, and victory will make us those that receive the crown. But those who desire the world and walk according to their flesh will see that although they have eternal life through the Lord Jesus, the kingdom of heaven is still not theirs.

　　God has put the kingdom before us, and He has given us a race to run. At the end of the race, we will see if we have failed or won. The winner will reign with the Lord, while the loser, though saved, will have nothing to do with the glory of the kingdom. The race is already set, and those who want to run have to “put away every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us” [Heb. 12:1]. There are two crucial things in running a race. First, we have to lay aside every weight, and second, we have to put away our sin.

　　Those who run the race should not only lay aside the sin which so easily entangles them and every weight but should also run the race that is set before them with endurance. Why with endurance? Because the prize is not given at the beginning of the race, nor is it given in the middle of the race. Rather, it is given at the end—the very last step—of the race. We may run well at the start, and we may even run well at the midpoint, but we will not necessarily run well at the end. A victory involves winning at the beginning, at the midpoint, and at the end. Before reaching the end, we cannot guarantee that we will win the prize. We may fail in the last five steps. Once in a two hundred meter running race, a man was ahead of the other competitors by twenty meters at first. No one expected that he would fall down just two meters before the finish line. If we want to win the race, we have to be careful. We cannot say that we will surely win the prize before reaching the end. Even Paul said, “Not that I have already obtained or am already perfected, but I pursue” (Phil. 3:12). How about us? (CWWN vol. 17, pp. 229-231, 234)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 10, issue no. 24; CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “The Satanic Chaos in the Old Creation and the Divine Economy for the New Creation,” chs. 1-4

«　WEEK 7　DAY 4　»

　　Heb. 12:2 Looking away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.

　　Psa. 27:4 One thing I have asked from Jehovah; that do I seek: to dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of Jehovah, and to inquire in His temple.

　　May we all be persons who run the race...until the end. Even if we are hurt, offended, misunderstood, and rejected while running, we still have to cheer up and run the race unwearily for the sake of the Lord Jesus. Who receives the most praises in a race? It is the one who is hurt, who rises up again, and who finally wins the first place…. Being hurt and suffering are not a problem; even failing is not a problem….Today we are all in the race. Nothing counts today; everything will receive its final judgment at the end of the race. We should not give up, become weary, or faint in our soul for any reason. We ought to look unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith and run the race set before us! (CWWN, vol. 17, pp. 239-240)

　　In Hebrews 12:2 Paul told the Hebrew believers to look away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith. The Greek word translated “looking away unto” means to look with undivided attention by turning away from every other object….The Hebrew believers had to look away from all the things of their situation, away from their old religion and its persecution, and away from all earthly things that they might look unto Jesus who is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God in the heavens.

　　In all his other epistles, Paul mainly presents to us the Christ who dwells in our spirit (Rom. 8:10; 2 Tim. 4:22) as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) to be our life and our everything. But in Hebrews, he points us particularly to the Christ seated in heaven with so many aspects to care for us in every way. In Paul’s other epistles, the indwelling Christ is versus our flesh, self, and natural man. In this book, the heavenly Christ is contrasted with the earthly religion and all earthly things. To experience the indwelling Christ we need to turn to our spirit and contact Him. To enjoy the heavenly Christ we need to look away from all things on earth unto Him who is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. By His death and resurrection He has accomplished everything that is needed for both God and us. Now in His ascension He is sitting in the heavens, in the person of the Son of God (Heb. 1:5) and the Son of Man (2:6), in the person of God (1:8) and man (2:6), as the appointed Heir of all things (1:2), the Anointed One of God (1:9), the Captain of our salvation (2:10), the Sanctifier (2:11), the instant Helper and constant Succor (2:18), the Apostle from God (3:1), the High Priest (2:17; 4:14; 7:26), the Minister in the true tabernacle (8:2) with a more excellent ministry (8:6), the surety and the Mediator of a better covenant (7:22; 8:6; 12:24), the Executor of the new testament (9:16-17), the Forerunner (6:20), the Author and Perfecter of faith (12:2), and as the great Shepherd of the sheep (13:20). If we look unto Him as such a wonderful and all-inclusive One, He, ministering heaven, life, and strength to us, will transfuse and infuse us with all that He is to enable us to run the heavenly race and to live the heavenly life on earth, carrying us through all the lifelong pathway and leading and bringing us into glory (2:10).

　　The wonderful Jesus, who is enthroned in heaven and “crowned with glory and honor” (2:9), is the greatest attraction in the universe, like an immense magnet drawing all His seekers unto Him. It is by being attracted by His charming beauty that we look away from all things other than Him. (Life-study of Hebrews, pp. 564-566)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Hebrews, msg. 50; CWWL, 1990, vol. 1, “The Apostles’ Teaching,” ch. 10; Life-study of Matthew, msg. 24

«　WEEK 7　DAY 5　»

　　2 Tim. 4:1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus...and by His appearing and His kingdom.

　　8 …There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing.

　　18 The Lord...will save me into His heavenly kingdom, to whom be the glory forever and ever...

　　To love the Lord’s appearing and to love the Lord Himself are inseparable. If we truly love the Lord, we will love His appearing. All those who love the Lord and forsake everything for Him love also His appearing, that they may receive His reward; those who do not love the Lord, but love the world or love sin, are afraid of the Lord’s coming. Therefore, loving the Lord’s appearing is a proof that we love the Lord and live for Him today; hence, it also becomes a condition for us to receive His reward. (Truth Lessons—Level Two, vol. 1, p. 157)

　　The crown is a symbol of glory given as a prize, in addition to the Lord’s salvation, to the triumphant runner of the race (1 Cor. 9:25). This prize is neither of grace nor by faith as salvation is (Eph. 2:5, 8-9), but of righteousness through works (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12; 2 Cor. 5:10)…. Hence, it is the crown of righteousness. The One who awards it is the Lord as the righteous Judge, not as the merciful God or the gracious Redeemer. Paul was assured that such a prize was reserved, laid up, for him and would be awarded to him at the day of the Lord’s second appearing.

　　Paul says that such an award will be given to all who love the Lord’s appearing. The Lord’s appearing, His coming back, is a warning, an encouragement, and an incentive to us. We should love it and look forward to it with earnest expectation and joy. By it, the apostle charged Timothy to fulfill his ministry (2 Tim. 4:1-2, 5).

　　The crown of righteousness of which Paul was assured is the incentive to the inoculator. If we are faithful to the healthy word of the truth and if we are faithful inoculators to dispense the ingredients of the divine inoculation [against the decline of the church] into Christians today that they may return to the full knowledge of the truth, this reward will be given to us at the time of the Lord’s appearing. This means that if we are faithful to the Lord’s ministry, we shall receive the crown of righteousness as our reward.

　　There is a great deal of talk among Christians today concerning the Lord’s second coming. But not many believers realize that when the Lord Jesus comes back, He will not come as the merciful God or as the gracious Savior, but as the righteous Judge. Christians should be warned and encouraged to prepare themselves to stand before this Judge. I hope that many among us will take up the burden in this dark age to bring such a solemn charge to the Lord’s people. We all need to receive this charge before God and before the Lord Jesus, the One who will judge the living and the dead. We must declare the fact that when the Lord comes back, He will be the Judge of all, both believers and unbelievers. According to Matthew 25, all of the Lord’s servants will have to give an account to Him. The Lord will either say, “Well done, good and faithful slave” (v. 21), or, “Evil and slothful slave” (v. 26). In His righteousness the Lord will decide whether or not we receive a reward.

　　We should not think that the Lord’s appearing will merely be a time of rapture and excitement. It will also be a time of great solemnity for every believer in Christ. This was the reason Paul charged Timothy by the Lord’s appearing and His kingdom. May we all give heed to this solemn warning. (Life-study of 2 Timothy, pp. 62-63)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Vision of the Divine Dispensing and Guidelines for the Practice of the New Way,” ch. 4; Truth Lessons—Level Two, vol. 1, lsn. 12

«　WEEK 7　DAY 6　»

　　1 Thes. 1:10 And await His Son from the heavens, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath which is coming.

　　Rev. 22:20 He who testifies these things says, Yes, I come quickly. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

　　My burden is this: When the apostles wrote the New Testament, to them the Lord was coming soon. Hence, the teaching of the New Testament shows us that their living was in preparation for the Lord’s return. This is like the situation in which some long-separated relatives are soon to return. The entire family is prepared to welcome them. It is also like a girl waiting to be married, who knows of the wedding day and who is waiting wholeheartedly for that day to arrive….Each chapter of 1 Thessalonians concludes with the Lord’s coming back. From this we can see that Paul was one who loved the Lord’s appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). We also should be this way. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Vision of the Divine Dispensing and Guidelines for the Practice of the New Way,” p. 297)

　　Since we love the Lord’s appearing, we should earnestly wait for His coming (Phil. 3:20; 1 Thes. 1:10). Hence, our future is with Him. Our living should indicate that we have no other hope on this earth. Our hope is in the coming Lord. He is our eternal destiny. In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul says, “…The time is shortened. Henceforth both those who have wives should be as though they had none, and those who weep as though they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, and those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use the world as though they did not abuse it; for the fashion of this world is passing away” (vv. 29-31). Christ is our real hope.

　　We may express our desire for the Lord’s return in the way of a prayer to Him, calling, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20). We should always call for His coming. This becomes our response to His return. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Vision of the Divine Dispensing and Guidelines for the Practice of the New Way” pp. 297-298)

　　The Bible concludes with “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20). From the record in the New Testament, it is not difficult to discover that in their hearts the apostles firmly believed that the Lord would come quickly, and they also lived a life in preparation for the Lord’s second coming….On the last day of 1925, Brother Nee went to pray with Miss M. E. Barber, and she prayed, “Lord, do You really mean to say that You will let 1925 pass by, that You will wait until 1926 before You come back? However, on this last day I still pray that You will come back today!” Not long afterward, Brother Nee met her on the street, and again she said to him, “It is really strange that up to this day He has not yet come back.”... In Luke 12 the Lord gave a parable concerning a rich man who endeavored to lay up wealth for himself so that his soul might enjoy itself and be merry. But God said to him, “Foolish one, this night they are requiring your soul from you” (vv. 16-20). Every “today” that we have is truly the Lord’s grace. Therefore, as long as we have today, as long as we still have breath, we should love the Lord and His appearing, await the Lord’s coming (Phil. 3:20), and always take His coming as an encouragement.

　　Paul... said that he had fought the good fight, he had finished the course, and he had kept the faith, and that at the judgment seat he would be awarded the crown of righteousness, which would be awarded to all those who have loved His appearing (2 Tim. 4:6-8). He reminded Timothy, and also us, by the Lord’s judgment and kingdom, that we should have a living that loves the Lord’s appearing. This will cause us not to be discouraged, not to backslide, not to become weak, but to remain faithful to the end. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Up-to-date Presentation of the God-ordained Way and the Signs concerning the Coming of Christ,” pp. 587-588)

　　Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 111-112, 186, 226, 228-229, 243