Scripture Reading: Matt. 12:3-4, 42; John 14:21, 23; Rom. 8:28-29; Psa. 27:4; 36:8-9; 43:4; 84:4-5

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 6　DAY 1　»

　　Heb. 6:1 Therefore leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us be brought on to maturity...

　　Eph. 2:21-22 In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.

　　Are we enjoying Christ as the Passover, yet still in Egypt? Or we may have made our exodus from Egypt and are now in the wilderness, receiving revelation, building the tabernacle, and feasting on manna. Surely it is good to have the tabernacle as God’s building, yet the tabernacle lacked solidity; it was portable with no foundation. There was no stone, only wood, in its construction... Are we wandering in the wilderness of the soul, enjoying manna from heaven and water from the rock and carrying a floating church life with no solid foundation? Or,... are we walking about in a spacious land, full of unsearchable riches? Is the church life built up, as solid as the temple? (CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Life Messages, Volume 2,” p. 280)

　　Within us there is a hunger and thirst for something higher in the church life than we have yet experienced. The dissatisfaction that we sense is really not ours but the Lord’s. He within us is aspiring to have the temple church life in the good land. He would have us... out of the wilderness and into the good land, out of the soul and into the spirit.

　　In one way we are happy to be in the church life; in another, we long for something richer... We do have the Ark in the tabernacle church life. By this we can enter a higher level, the good land, where the temple can be built up. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Life Messages, Volume 2,” pp. 280-281)

　　We...must see that not only was the temple larger, more stable, and more weighty than the tabernacle, but the furniture in the temple was also made anew, and their dimensions were increased. The altar, the laver, the table of the bread of the Presence, the golden lampstand, and the incense altar were all reconstructed, and in most cases their dimensions were increased. In the tabernacle the altar had been five cubits square and three cubits high, but in the temple it was twenty cubits square and ten cubits high. In the tabernacle there had been only one golden lampstand, but in the temple there were ten of them. In the tabernacle there had been only one table of the bread of the Presence and one laver, but in the temple there were ten tables of the bread of the Presence and ten lavers.

　　Our experience of the cross, the Holy Spirit, and Christ as our life, light, acceptance, and sweetness should be renewed, deepened, and enlarged... The enlargement of the temple signifies the strengthening of the church, and the renewing and enlargement of the furniture in the temple signifies the renewing and enlargement of the saints’ experience of Christ.

　　This picture indicates that our spiritual experience must match the stature of the church... The size of the altar (that is, the experience of the cross) must be proportionately increased. The preaching of the gospel must be with greater impact so that when people come in, they would be strongly convicted and saved... The believers’ consecration to God must also be increased... There must be the enlargement of the bronze laver. In other words, the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and the washing by the Holy Spirit must be more intense, frequent, and renewing... Christ as our life supply and light must also be enlarged. In addition, the golden incense altar (that is, our fellowship with God and our experience of being accepted by Him in Christ) also must be strengthened, increased, and enlarged.

　　Christ is forever the same, but the church must gradually be strengthened and enlarged, and the saints’ spiritual experiences must also gradually be renewed and enlarged. (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 1, “The Vision of the Building of the Church,” pp. 206-208)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Life Messages, Volume 2,” ch. 57

«　WEEK 6　DAY 2　»

　　Eph. 1:22-23 ...The church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

　　Rev. 1:11 ...What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.

　　We may think that the local churches are the goal of God’s economy. However, they are not the goal but the procedure God takes to reach the goal of His economy.

　　According to Ephesians 1:22-23, the goal of God’s economy is the church, which is Christ’s Body... We are in the church; that is a fact. But where is the reality of the Body of Christ?

　　I treasure the local churches, as you do. But I treasure the local churches because of a purpose. The local churches are the procedure to bring me into the Body of Christ... We need to be in the local churches so that we can be ushered, or brought, into the reality of the Body of Christ. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” pp. 103-104)

　　In the Bible there are two aspects related to God’s habitation. On the one hand, it is transitory and wandering, as typified by the tabernacle. The tabernacle moved as the people traveled... However, the tabernacle itself did not change with a change in location... The tabernacle typifies the church on earth, or the church in localities... Whenever God’s people come together, there is the church. When they are separated, there is no church. This is the aspect of the church typified by the tabernacle.

　　The temple is different from the tabernacle... It was built for the kingdom. It was the center of the life of the people of Israel. As such, the temple... is unique, eternal, and solid... Even when the nation was divided politically, the temple could not be divided. There was only one temple. Although the church appears in different localities, the spiritual reality of the church is still one Body. It is unique and eternal.

　　The work of the ministry is to recover the proper testimony of the church. This is the real recovery. Our works today are not ordinary works. The way today is the way of the church. In this way we must not act presumptuously or carelessly... The Body described in 1 Corinthians 12 is a testimony that a local church should have; it is the testimony of the Body. In this Body “the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you” (v. 21). Every part must be in coordination... The local church today must be a testimony that expresses the reality of this Body. It must be a practical and actual Body expressed in a locality.

　　The church on earth today is one. Those who are in the church are men who are separated from the world. Under normal circumstances every brother and sister should be serving God... Everyone should be a consecrated one, and everyone should have everything in common. Under such a proper living, the gifts such as the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers, as listed in Ephesians 4, are produced. Although these gifted ones are scattered in different places, they are in the one church. This is like one electrical current that is being transmitted to many places... Although the churches in the various localities are different as far as their localities are concerned, there is nevertheless only one church. The church exists for the testimony of oneness... The life that all the churches possess is a life of oneness. For this reason all the churches should be one among themselves. Although there were churches manifested in Corinth, Ephesus, and other places, they were all one church. This is the normal situation. (CWWN, vol. 57, “The Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry,” pp. 34-35, 31, 36-37)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 57, “The Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry,” chs. 4-6, 20; CWWL, 1964, vol. 4, “The Vision of God’s Building,” ch. 11

«　WEEK 6　DAY 3　»

　　John 2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

　　21 But He spoke of the temple of His body.

　　2 Cor. 6:16 ...For we are the temple of the living God...

　　In John 2 we first have the case of changing water into wine (2:1-11) and then, following that, the case of dealing with the temple (2:12-22)... Why does the dealing with the temple follow the changing of death into life? It shows that life is for God’s temple... Life is for God’s building... In the case of the dealing with the temple, we see the goal, the purpose of life, that is, to build the house of God. (Life-study of John, p. 79)

　　The Lord Jesus told His opponents that if they destroyed this temple He would raise it again in three days (2:19)... The Lord was saying, “You may put Me to death and you may kill My body on the cross, but I will raise it up again in three days.” The physical body of Jesus was destroyed on the cross by the Jews. When Christ became flesh, He took on a physical body. In John 1:14 we are told clearly that His physical body was a tabernacle. According to John 2, His physical body was also the temple... Since Satan realized that the physical body of Jesus was God’s dwelling place on earth, he did his best to destroy that body. And he did destroy it on the cross through the Jews.

　　After Satan destroyed the Lord’s physical body on the cross, His body was put into a tomb and rested there... When Jesus arose, He Himself raised up His dead and buried body. The body of Jesus that was destroyed on the cross was small and weak; the Body of Christ in resurrection is vast and powerful... After the Lord’s resurrection, His Body, that is, the temple, was reared up on a much larger scale. The body the enemy destroyed by crucifixion was merely the body of Jesus; what was raised by the Lord in resurrection was not only His own body, but everyone who is joined to Him by faith (1 Pet. 1:3; Eph. 2:6).

　　Once a local church has been damaged and destroyed, you can be assured that, in resurrection, it will become even larger than it was originally. The Lord Jesus is always more prevailing than the enemy. Do not be frightened by Satan’s work. Many times there is no need for us to pray so desperately... Be at peace. Do not be terrified by Satan’s activity. When the Lord Jesus knew that the Jews were attempting to destroy Him, He did not pray, “O Father, kill all these Jews. Father, save Me and protect Me.” Instead of praying that way, the Lord seemed to tell them, “Do your best to kill Me. Be assured that after you put Me to death I will have the opportunity to increase.” No one can frustrate the purpose of the Lord. The more the enemy tries to do, the more he affords the opportunity for the Lord to do something more. Whatever the Lord does is always in resurrection. The Lord builds the temple “in three days,” signifying that He builds it in resurrection.

　　Oftentimes people, like the Jews, will challenge us to see what miracles we can do. We should not be tempted to try to perform miracles. We have to follow the Lord Jesus and let ourselves be put to death. Then Christ will be manifested in resurrection. This is the miracle, the sign, that is needed in the building up of the church. The unique sign for the building up of the church is life in resurrection.

　　Today, we are still within “the three days,” because the Lord is still working for the building of His Body under the process of resurrection. A great part of the Lord’s Body has already been raised, but there are still some members of His Body who are not yet raised. Therefore, the Lord’s Body is still in the process of resurrection. Even with yourself, only a part has been transformed, which means that only a part has been resurrected. The Lord continues to work on you through the process of transformation. You are still in the process of resurrection. The church today is still in the three days’ process of resurrection. (Life-study of John, pp. 84-87)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” ch. 2

«　WEEK 6　DAY 4　»

　　Matt. 12:42 The queen of the south... came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon;… behold, something more than Solomon is here.

　　1 Chron. 28:11-12 Then David gave Solomon his son the pattern of the portico of the temple and its buildings...; and the pattern of all that he had by the Spirit, for the courts of the house of Jehovah...

　　Although there were numerous kings in Israel, only two, David and Solomon, most adequately typify Christ. David is a type of Christ in His suffering on earth before His resurrection. David suffered from his youth and was a fighting king who defeated the enemy, gained the land, and prepared materials for the building of the holy temple (1 Chron. 18:7-11; 22:2-5, 14-16...). Solomon is a type of Christ as the victorious King in resurrection who is building the church as the temple of God in peace (1 Kings 5:2-5; Matt. 16:18). (CWWL, 1966, vol. 3, pp. 170-171)

　　The Lord Jesus revealed the proper blueprint of the church to His disciples before His crucifixion... This matches the type of the temple. The design for the building of the temple was revealed to David, not to Solomon. Even though the design for building the temple was revealed to David, the execution of that design was carried out through the hands of Solomon... This indicates that Christ revealed the blueprint of the church while He was on the earth, and now Christ is executing the blueprint of the church in resurrection in us. Matthew 16 contains the revelation, and Acts 2 reveals the execution. The revealing One is Christ, as typified by David, and the executing One is Christ, as typified by Solomon.

　　Every one of us should learn to reject ourselves and to live in the Spirit of resurrection... We should submit to the elders because of life, not because of regulation; we should submit to them in the Spirit of resurrection, not based on doctrine. As brothers and sisters in the church, we should submit to the elders, who are the authority in the church. If we do not submit, we are unlawful. This is according to doctrine. But if we simply act according to doctrine without living in the Spirit of resurrection, there is not much profit. The revelation seen by David was executed by Solomon. This means that the revelation of the church unveiled in the Scriptures can be carried out only by the resurrected Christ as the Spirit of resurrection.

　　The blueprint of the church altogether depends upon the Spirit of resurrection... Simply put, the blueprint of the church is the Spirit of resurrection. When we live in the Spirit of resurrection, the reality of Solomon’s building of the temple is fulfilled within us; that is, the reality of David’s design for the building of the temple is executed within us. All the problems in the church are due to the fact that we have David’s design without Solomon’s execution. We have revelation and doctrine but not much expression of the Spirit of resurrection.

　　We should not merely hold on to doctrine. We must allow the Lord as the Spirit of resurrection within us to break us. We cannot take a doctrine merely as written instructions, nor can we merely take the basis of the Scripture as a safeguard... From the types revealed in the Bible, we can see that the design revealed to David must be executed by Solomon. All the revelations in the Bible can be fulfilled only in the Spirit of resurrection. When we live in the Spirit of resurrection, we will not have contentions in serving the Lord and in the church; instead, we will have the spiritual reality.

　　If we are willing to submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit, as soon as we begin to argue, we will realize our self and our flesh and be willing to submit, saying, “O Lord, I am about to argue, but my person is not right, so I will stop.” This may seem unpleasant, but at this point the blueprint of the church will be shown in us. This is Solomon’s execution of what was revealed to David. (CWWL, 1956, vol. 2, pp. 210, 212-214)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 1, “The Vision of the Building of the Church,” chs. 3, 5-7, 9

«　WEEK 6　DAY 5　»

　　1 Kings 6:7 And the house, when it was being built, was built of finished stone, cut at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool was heard in the house when it was being built.

　　Gal. 6:17-18 Henceforth let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the brands of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

　　For the building of the temple, there was the need for a design and for consecration... Every piece of stone used for the building of the temple was, in principle, already cut and dealt with in the mountains (1 Kings 5:15-18; 6:7). At the time of the building, there was only the need for the precut and shaped stones to be placed one on top of the other. There was no need for additional work with an axe or hammer. Thus, the sound of the hammer and axe was not heard, and the temple was built quietly.

　　A person must be dealt with by God in order to have his function manifested and to be built up in the church... A brother is not qualified to be an elder merely because he has attained a certain level of seniority, knowledge, capability, morality, and reputation. He may be a good stone, but his sharp edges may not have been dealt with by God. If this kind of person becomes an elder, the church will be filled with the noise of the hammer and axe... If a church is not noisy, it is strong and healthy. (CWWL, 1956, vol. 2, “Three Aspects of the Church, Book 1,” p. 218)

　　In principle, everyone who serves in the church must be a cut stone. If a newly saved believer or a brother from another Christian group comes into the church and begins to criticize recklessly,... the responsible brothers should not create any noise. If everyone remains silent after the contentious brother has spoken, his voice will surely disappear within a short time. However, if a person responds to what this brother has spoken, there will be more speaking and debate.

　　If a person has not been adequately broken by the Lord and has not sufficiently learned some deep lessons, he will be inwardly provoked when he hears the rebukes or criticisms of others, and he will answer back or even quarrel with them. On the contrary, one who has truly learned the lesson would never argue with people. If he can receive help from others, he will seek the help; if he can render help to others and if they are willing to receive the help, he will try his best to teach them what he has learned according to the leading of the Spirit. However, if he notices that the other party only seeks to argue, oppose, and criticize, he will swallow his words and remain silent. This one has truly learned the lesson; that is, he has been cut by an axe and dealt with by a hammer in the mountains.

　　In all the church service we should hear only praising, thanksgiving, and singing. These are the proper sounds in the church... In the Lord’s table meetings we have sometimes heard people fighting against one another by praying to nullify another one’s prayer. This shows that the church has not been genuinely built up. A necessary condition for the building of the church is the absence of noise.

　　In the church, if we hear others’ criticism, judgment, and opposition, we should withdraw into the Holy of Holies, that is, turn to our spirit and be silent. When we are silent, others will also be silent, but when we are loud, others will be louder. The temple was not built with the sound of hammering and beating; it was built in quietness. This requires that we learn a serious lesson before the Lord.

　　In order to build the temple, to build the church, we must live in resurrection, live a consecrated life, and receive God’s dealing... David was such a person. He gave all that he had for the temple and continually submitted himself under God’s hand to receive God’s dealing. (CWWL, 1956, vol. 2, pp. 219-220)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1971, vol. 4, “Enjoying the Riches of Christ for the Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ,” ch. 17

«　WEEK 6　DAY 6　»

　　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.

　　Exo. 33:14 And He said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.

　　As God’s children, we need to change our concept and see that God’s only desire is to give Himself to us to be our enjoyment. The secret of the Christian life is not how much we work for Him, but how much we enjoy Him... We must learn this secret... We need to learn to simply turn our inner being to enjoy God... We need to learn to come to God to enjoy and absorb Him, and forget about everything, even a child’s illness. If we forget, the Lord will not forget, but if we remember, the Lord often seems to ignore the situation... He knows our “Lazarus” is sick, but He does not answer our prayer. Only when we stop does He come. The more we insist, the more He waits until “Lazarus” finally dies, is buried, and begins to stink. This is the Lord. He has no intention for us to do anything for Him. His only intention is that we learn to absorb and enjoy Him. (CWWL, 1958, vol. 1, “How to Enjoy God and How to Practice the Enjoyment of God,” p. 384)

　　If we want to preach the gospel, we should first spend half an hour or an hour contacting the Lord, beholding His glory, fellowshipping with Him, and praising Him. We should say, “Lord, You are too lovely. You are our Savior, and You are the Savior of all men. We come to enjoy You, to absorb You, and to live in the presence of Your countenance. We want to dwell in the house of the Lord.” There is no need for us to think about preaching the gospel. There is no need to worry about our utterance or what we should say... After absorbing the Lord and being filled with Him, we will not be the one speaking when we contact our professor. Rather, the Lord whom we have absorbed will be the One who is speaking through us. The words that we speak will be the very Lord whom we have absorbed, and it will be impossible for others not to be blessed.

　　Moses spent forty days and forty nights on the mountain before Jehovah, doing nothing other than absorbing Him. He did not feel anything when he came down from the mountain, but the children of Israel saw the shining of his face. Why was his face shining? God did not do anything for him. Moses merely spent forty days before the Lord, fellowshipping with Him and absorbing Him. He forgot about everything and was fully occupied with the Lord. For forty days and forty nights, Moses was fully absorbed with God and filled with Him. As a result, his face shone. When he presented himself before men, he did not need to say anything concerning God; they saw God’s glory in his face. This is the wonder of the Christian life. The more we ask for power, the more power eludes us. But if we forget about power and instead fellowship with God, absorb Him, and enjoy Him, we will have power without being conscious of it.

　　I typically find that [some] pray to receive leading instead of to enjoy the Lord. They pray, “Lord, should I go here, or should I go there?” While they pray, their mind is busy with these questions. They are not actually praying to the Lord; they are praying for things. After praying, they consider the options and then decide which option is according to the Lord’s will and leading. This is the way many people pray. Hence, it is not surprising that they do not receive the Lord’s leading. If we know what fellowship with the Lord is, we do not need to pray this way. We can forget about all these things and simply contact the Lord, absorb Him, and enjoy Him. This is the shortcut, the expeditious way. As we absorb Him and enjoy Him, we will have His presence, which is His leading. (CWWL, 1958, vol. 1, “How to Enjoy God and How to Practice the Enjoyment of God,” pp. 382-383)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1969, vol. 3, “Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms,” ch. 23