Scripture Reading: Gen. 2:9; Heb. 4:12; 1 Cor. 2:14-15; Rom. 8:4, 6; Eph. 4:18-19; 2 Cor. 11:3

DAY 1 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 2 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 3 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 4 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 5 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 6 Outline　MorningRevival

«　WEEK 2　DAY 1　»

　　Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

　　17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of it you shall not eat; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

　　After God created man…God wanted man to depend on Him for his living in the same way that he was dependent upon food for his living. “For in Him we live and move and are” (Acts 17:28)…The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil are a kind of parable. They show us that man has two different kinds of food and can live either by life or by the knowledge of good and evil, that is, the knowledge of right and wrong. Many people have read about the two trees in Genesis 2, but we would like to emphasize that the two trees were put there to show us that man, especially a Christian, can live on earth according to two different principles. Man can live according to the principle of right and wrong or according to the principle of life. Some Christians take the principle of right and wrong as the standard for their living, while other Christians take the principle of life as their standard for living. (CWWN, vol. 56, “Two Principles of Living,” pp. 418-419)

　　What does it mean when a person lives according to right and wrong? What does it mean when a person lives according to life? Many people only have the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in their lives. Other people have the tree of life in their lives. Some have both trees. The Word of God tells us, however, that he who eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil shall surely die, while he who eats of the tree of life shall live. God also shows us that whoever lives by the knowledge of good and evil will lose his position before God. If man wants to constantly live before God, then he must know what it means to eat the fruit of the tree of life.

　　Here, I would like to add another principle for living: the principle of sin. You could say that everyone in the world can live according to at least three principles: they can live by sin, or they can live by right and wrong, or they can live by life.

　　What does this mean? It is very simple. Many people live on earth by following the lusts of their flesh. They are sons of wrath who are bound by the fashions of the world. They live and act according to the operation of the evil spirits in their hearts. Their principle for living is that they live by sin (Eph. 2:1-3)… I do not want to speak about this principle. I believe that many among us have already left the principle of sin. What we will consider this morning is apart from the principle of sin. These two trees represent two principles of living. After becoming Christians, some people live by the principle of right and wrong, while others live by the principle of life.

　　In speaking about this matter, I am making the assumption that we have already left the principle of sin and are walking before God. If we would consider a little, we would see that some people live according to the principle of right and wrong or good and evil. Please remember that the principle of right and wrong, the principle of good and evil, is not Christianity. Christianity is a matter of life, not of being according to a standard. Christianity speaks of life, not of good and evil. Christianity teaches life, not right and wrong. There are many young brothers and sisters here this morning. I would like to tell you that after you received the Lord Jesus and gained a new life, you gained something marvelous inwardly. You obtained another principle of living. But if you do not know about it, you will set the principle of life aside and begin to follow the principle of right and wrong. (CWWN, vol. 56, “Two Principles of Living,” pp. 419-420)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1984, vol. 3, “The Divine Economy,” chs. 4-5

«　WEEK 2　DAY 2　»

　　Gen. 2:9 …The tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

　　17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of it you shall not eat; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

　　If our conduct is controlled by the principle of right and wrong, then we ask if something is right or wrong whenever we have to make a decision…When we ask whether it is good, we are, in effect, asking ourselves, “Am I right to do this or not?” Many people consider much whether something is good or evil. They consider whether they can or cannot do a certain thing… By taking care to decide whether or not something is good and right, they consider themselves to be good Christians. At the most, this practice is only a discerning of good from evil. At best, it is merely choosing and rejecting—choosing good and rejecting evil. This is not Christianity… It is the Old Testament, the law, worldly religions, human morality, and human ethics. (CWWN, vol. 56, “Two Principles of Living,” pp. 420-421)

　　Christianity is life… [It is] not a matter of asking whether something is right or wrong… [but] of checking with the life inside us whenever we do something. What does the new life which God has given us tell us inwardly about this matter? It is very strange that many people have only seen an outward standard, the standard of good and evil. But God has not given us an outward standard. Christianity is not a new set of Ten Commandments… [and] does not require that we ask whether something is right or wrong, good or evil. On the contrary, whenever we do anything, there is a life within us which rises up to speak with us. When we feel right inwardly, when we feel the life inside of us moving, when we are strong within and sense the anointing, we know that we have life. Many times something is right and good in the eyes of man, but strangely the inner life has no response and grows cold and retreats.

　　Our Christian living is based on an inner life, not an outward standard of right and wrong. Many worldly people, who are not saved, live according to the best standard of living they can attain: the principle of right and wrong. If you or I also live by the principle of right or wrong, we are the same as worldly people. Christians are different from non-Christians because we do not live by an outward standard or law. Our subject is not human morality or concepts. We do not determine whether something is right or wrong by subjecting it to human criticism or opinion. Today we have only one question: What does our inner life say? If the life is strong and active within us, we can do this; if the life is cold and retreating within us, we should not. Our principle for living is inward instead of outward…We can only see what is really right when the Spirit of God operates within us. If we feel that there is life inwardly, then that matter is right. If we do not feel the inward life, then the matter is wrong. Right and wrong are not decided by an outward standard but by the inner life.

　　Once this matter is resolved, we can see that we must not only avoid all that is evil but also all that is merely good. Christians can only do that which comes out of life. We can see that there are evil things, good things, and things of life. We are not saying that Christians should only do things that are good and things that are of life. Rather, we are saying that Christians must not do good things or evil things. God said, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of it you shall not eat; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” [Gen. 2:17]. Note that “good and evil” are put together here as one way, while “life” is another way. Christians should not just refuse evil; they should even refuse good. There is a standard that is higher than the standard of good; it is the standard of life. (CWWN, vol. 56, “Two Principles of Living,” pp. 421-422)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1978, vol. 2, “Life Messages, Volume 1,” ch. 26

«　WEEK 2　DAY 3　»

　　Rom. 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.

　　11 And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.

　　The standard of Christian living does not only deal with evil things but also with good and right things. Many matters are right according to human standards, but the divine standard pronounces them wrong because they lack the divine life… The key to everything is this point: Others may say something is right. We also may say that it is right, but does the Lord’s life rise up within us or does it recede when we begin to do something? When we begin to do something, do we sense the anointing or do we feel weighed down?… Please remember that life does not make decisions according to outward standards of right and wrong. Matters should be decided according to the sense of God’s life or the sense of death. Decisions should be made according to God’s life as it rises up or recedes within us. No Christian should say that he can do something because it is good or right. We must ask the Lord within us. What is the inner feeling that the Lord gives? Do we feel joyful inwardly about this matter? Do we have spiritual happiness and peace? These are the matters that decide our spiritual path. (CWWN, vol. 56, “Two Principles of Living,” pp. 424-425)

　　No Christian can determine anything apart from life. Whatever increases the inner life is right, and whatever decreases the inner life is wrong. No one should determine whether a matter is right or wrong by some outward standard.

　　Those who know God can only stand aside in silence, for our pathway is His life, not right and wrong. The difference between these two principles is immense. Brothers and sisters, the contrast here is too great. So many people only think whether it is right or wrong for them to do something…The one question we must ask today is whether the divine life within us rises or falls. This is what must determine the path we take. Everything is decided in our hearts.

　　Man says that right is good enough, but God says that only life is sufficient…God is not satisfied with being right. He requires us to satisfy the divine life.

　　We must do things in a way which satisfies the life God has given us… Matthew 5—7, the Sermon on the Mount,… does not say that everything is all right as long as things are done according to what is right. Man asks why he has to turn the other cheek when someone hits him. Is it not good enough if we do not say anything when someone strikes us?…God says that it is not even enough to just lower our heads and leave when we are struck. This does not satisfy the inner life. We must turn our other cheek for that person to strike as well. This means that we have no hate in our hearts. We are not angry and can endure this treatment a second time. Life is humble. Life can turn the other cheek for another blow. This is the way of life.

　　As we live before God, our actions must not be determined by good and evil, but by the life within. Whatever life wants us to do is worthwhile. Anything that we do without life, no matter how good it may be, will bring us nothing but inward condemnation. A Christian should not only repent before God for the sins he has committed; often, he must repent before God for the good things he has done. The principle of our living is not one that differentiates between good and evil. We must come before God to determine what is of life and what is of death…When the life does not rise up and we cannot sense the anointing in our being, we should not care whether we are acting according to right or wrong. Instead, we must confess before God and ask His forgiveness. (CWWN, vol. 56, “Two Principles of Living,” pp. 426, 428-431)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 56, “Two Principles of Living,” pp. 418-432

«　WEEK 2　DAY 4　»

　　Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

　　Rom. 8:16 The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.

　　Second Corinthians 3:17 states that the Lord is the Spirit, Romans 8:16 reveals that the Spirit witnesses with our spirit, and 1 Corinthians 6:17 says that he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. These verses reveal that the Lord who is the Spirit is living, dwelling, working, moving, and acting in our spirit. They also show us that if we desire to know the Lord in a practical way and to experience Him in our daily life, we must learn to discern our spirit. If we do not know our human spirit, we cannot understand God’s moving within us and cannot follow the Lord, because the Lord today is the Spirit living within our spirit. (CWWL, 1963, vol. 2, “God’s Intention concerning Christ and the Church,” p. 113)

　　Human beings have many inward parts. These parts include the spirit, the soul, the heart, the mind, the emotion, the will, and the conscience…The Scriptures tell us that the Lord is in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22). Thus, it is very important for us to discern our spirit and to realize that our spirit is different from our soul, heart, mind, emotion, and will. We may be clear that our spirit and our body are different, but we must also be clear that our spirit is different from the other inward parts of our being.

　　The mind, emotion, and will, which are all parts of the heart, are also the three parts that make up the soul, that is, the natural life, the self. These three parts are not parts of the spirit… If we are following our mind, emotion, or will, this indicates that we are not following the Lord, because the Lord is not in these parts but in our spirit. Often we think so much that we quench our spirit. At other times we do things that are against the Lord because we are so strong in our will. Moreover, we often find ourselves under the influence of our emotion, and this causes us to go against the Lord. This shows us that if we want to follow the Lord, we must deny our mind, emotion, and will…When we follow the spirit, we follow the Lord Himself, because the Lord is in our spirit. He is not in our mind, emotion, or will but in our spirit.

　　The Lord is in our spirit. Hence, it is critical for us to learn to discern our spirit and to know the difference between our spirit and our mind, emotion, and will. If we do not know this difference, we will often find our fellowship with the Lord frustrated. For example, many times while we are praying, we sense the presence of the Lord and have genuine fellowship with Him in spirit. Often, however, while we are having such fellowship, we suddenly exercise our mind and begin to think about or remember something. When we do this, immediately our fellowship with the Lord stops… In such a situation we must give up the self and tell the Lord, “Lord, I do not agree with my mind; I agree with my spirit. I reject my mind, and I take my spirit.” This [is] a basic principle—the way to follow the Lord is to do things not according to our mind with its thoughts but according to the inner sense and the deep consciousness in the innermost part of our being. We need to follow this deep inner sense because it is the sense of the Lord in our spirit.

　　When we go along with our spirit and follow the sense in our spirit, there will be a result—Christ will make His home in our hearts [Eph. 3:16-17]… This means that the Lord fills our mind, emotion, will, and conscience…and our whole being will be filled with Christ. (CWWL, 1963, vol. 2, “God’s Intention concerning Christ and the Church,” pp. 114-116, 118-119)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1965, vol. 3, “Our Human Spirit,” ch. 9; CWWL, 1988, vol. 3, “Our Urgent Need—Spirit and Life,” ch. 2

«　WEEK 2　DAY 5　»

　　Rom. 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.

　　Eph. 4:18-19 Being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God…, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness in greediness.

　　The sense of life on the negative side is the feeling of death, a kind of negative feeling. This is definitely revealed in Romans 8:6. We have to realize that Romans 8:6 is altogether a verse of sensation because it says that the mind set on the flesh is death. This is not only a fact, but it is also a matter of feeling, a matter of consciousness. When you set your mind on the flesh, you have the sense of death. You feel that death is there.

　　The feeling of death is the inner… sense that you are weak, empty, uneasy, restless, depressed, dried up, darkened, and in pain within; this indicates that death is there. When death is present, this means that you have set your mind on the flesh…This is the negative function of the sense of life.

　　On the positive side the sense of life functions to give us a consciousness of the following positive things—strength, satisfaction, peace, rest, release, liveliness, watering, brightness, comfort, etc. (v. 6b). Instead of being weak, we are strong. Instead of being empty, we are satisfied. Instead of uneasiness and restlessness, we have peace and rest. Instead of depression, we have release and liveliness…We have a sense of watering versus dryness, brightness versus darkness, and comfort versus pain. All these are the positive feelings we have from the function of the sense of life. When we have these kinds of feelings, we have to realize that this is the working of the sense of life. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Basic Lessons on Life,” pp. 544-545)

　　Any kind of life has its feeling… A stone does not have any feeling, but anything that has life has feeling. The higher the life is, the stronger the feeling is. The divine life is the strongest and highest life, so it has the richest, strongest, and keenest feeling (Eph. 4:18). The divine life is the first item of the source of the sense of life… The unbelievers are past feeling because they are alienated from the life of God. If we are one with the life of God, we will have the richest, strongest, and keenest feeling.

　　If we are living in the natural life, the sense is of death and is entirely on the negative side… If we are living in the divine life, the sense is of life and is entirely on the positive side. Then we have the feeling of life and peace with all of its positive points. The sense of life makes us know whether we are living in the natural life or in the divine life. The sense of life guides us, governs us, controls us, and directs us. This truth has been altogether lost in today’s Christianity. Most of the teachings of today’s Christianity are focused on morality and good behavior. They do not care for this inner sense of life functioning to make us know whether we are living in the natural life or in the divine life. Since we are seeking after Christ as our life, we must take care of this sense of life. If we do not have the positive sensations of strength, satisfaction, peace, rest, release, liveliness, watering, brightness, comfort, etc., we must realize that we are not living in the divine life; it must be that we are living in the natural life.

　　This lesson should not be a mere doctrine of knowledge according to the letter. It must be something of life from our experience. We need much prayer to pray ourselves into the sense of life. Then we can give a word not merely in teaching but practically in fellowship. Our message will be a kind of fellowship, telling people how we have experienced these things, how the sense of life is so real and practical to us, and how we are under this kind of controlling, guiding, directing element within us day by day. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Basic Lessons on Life,” pp. 546, 548-549)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Basic Lessons on Life,” lsn. 11; CWWL, 1955, vol. 4, “Further Talks on the Knowledge of Life,” chs. 9-10

«　WEEK 2　DAY 6　»

　　2 Cor. 11:2-3 For I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your thoughts would be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity toward Christ.

　　The tree of life is simple. With this tree, there is just one element, and that element is life. The tree of life issues in life. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, on the contrary, is complicated and also complicating. With this tree, we have good, evil, knowledge, and death.

　　The Bible as a whole is a development of these two trees. The tree of life signifies God in Christ as the Spirit to be life to us… Satan is the power of death. The tree of knowledge of good and evil signifying Satan as death includes knowledge, good, and evil. The serpent distracted Eve from the tree of life by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil with its complications. Because Eve was distracted and caught, she lost her singleness and purity toward God. The result was that Eve fell, and death came in through the fall. This is the story of how the serpent distracted Eve from God’s economy. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 465-466)

　　In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul applies to the Judaizers and the church in Corinth what the serpent did to Eve. I believe that, deep in his spirit, Paul realized that these two matters were actually one and that what was happening in Corinth was a repetition of what took place in the garden of Eden. Eve was a wife, and the church in Corinth was a pure virgin, betrothed to one husband, Christ. For this reason, in 11:2 Paul says, “I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.” Furthermore, the wife in the garden of Eden was distracted by the subtle serpent. In Corinth the virgin was being distracted by Satan through the Judaizers… Paul associates the Judaizers with Satan. “Such ones are false apostles, deceitful workers, transfiguring themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself transfigures himself into an angel of light” (vv. 13-14)… Paul indicates that the Judaizers, the false apostles, are ministers of Satan [v. 15].

　　When the serpent came to Eve, he did not openly deny God’s word. Rather, the serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?” (Gen. 3:1). Here we see that the serpent asked, “Did God really say?” This kind of question seems, on the one hand, to recognize what God has said. On the other hand, it undermines God’s word. By asking this question, the serpent injected poison into Eve to undermine God’s speaking.

　　It was difficult for the Corinthian believers to discern the difference between the Jesus preached by Paul and the one preached by the Judaizers. The name was the same. But there was still the need of discernment. The best way to discern a matter is to discern according to life or death. We need to ask questions like this: Does this teaching help me to enjoy the Lord more and bring me into life, or does it cause the poison of death to be injected into me? You may find that if you accept a certain kind of teaching or preaching, taking it into you, immediately your inward enjoyment of the Lord is cut off. Some things function like insulation that stops the flowing of the divine electricity. Therefore, we must learn to discern, to differentiate, matters by life and death.

　　As long as someone’s teaching or preaching deprives us of the enjoyment of the Lord as our life supply, that teaching is of the serpent. However, the genuine ministry of the Lord always strengthens us in the enjoyment of Him as our life supply. Anything that cuts you off from the enjoyment of the Lord is of the serpent. But anything that causes your enjoyment of the Lord to increase is of the Spirit and of the New Testament ministry. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 466-467, 469-470)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 53