We will continue reading The Advance of the Lord’s Recovery Today for the churches in Anaheim, Cypress, and Orange. Detailed information including the full reading schedule is available at churchinanaheim.org/gowreading/.
This week we will be reading The Advance of the Lord’s Recovery Today, Chapter 5. This book is available for purchase from Living Stream Ministry. You can also read it online at ministrybooks.org.
In The Advance of the Lord’s Recovery Today Chapter Five covers the perfecting of the saints by the gifts. Ephesians 4 tells us clearly how the Body of Christ is built up; pointing out that Christ, the ascended Head, in His ascension gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some shepherds and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ. The thought of the Apostle Paul in his word concerning the perfecting of the saints is that God’s intention is to have every believer able to do the things that the gifted persons do. There is a capacity in the divine life which the believers possess and enjoy, and this capacity needs to be developed unto their ability. For their function to be developed there is the need for the growth of life and practice. The traditional practice of Christianity annuls the capacity in the divine life that the believers possess and enjoy.
We need to practice the priesthood, and the first step in this practice is to go to the sinners to get them saved. The second step is to care for them in the home meetings. The third step is to bring them into the group meetings and the larger meetings of the church. Then we will get them established and perfected. Eventually, the whole church will be perfected to function. The entire church will be equipped to do the work of the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the shepherds and teachers. Even though most of us are not these gifted persons, we can do the same work that they do. This is God’s intention. All of us need to be revolutionized in our concept and practice the fellowship that we have received.
Week 28: December 9th through December 15th
If you have any questions or comments contact us at: gowreading@gmail.com.
Recommended Readings on Prayer
In addition to the God-ordained way reading material, the following titles are recommended readings concerning the church’s current emphasis on prayer: “Burden and Prayer” and “The Key to Prayer.” They are chapters 50 and 51, respectively, of The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Vol. 38: General Messages (2) published by Living Stream Ministry. They are also available online through ministrybooks.org. In the online version they are chapters 13 and 14.