The Practice of Prophesying

Rolf Thielen 2024-10-23 in Uncategorized - 64 Minutes

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Read Time:66 Minute, 15 Second

by Witness Lee

(eat the meat and spit out the bones) factor for Chinese idiom and typology

PREFACE

This book is composed of messages given by Brother Witness Lee in May and June of 1990 in a full-time training in Anaheim, California.

Chapter One The Basic Knowledge

Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 14:3, 23-24, 4-5, 12, 31, 1, 39

The Bible is great, profound, mysterious, spiritual, and divine. After I was saved, I began to love the Bible and to study it. The more I studied it, the more I realized that the Bible is exceedingly profound and that no one can fully understand it.

At the end of the first century, after the departure of the apostles who wrote the New Testament, the second generation of Christians began to study the New Testament. This was the beginning of the history of the study of the New Testament. From that time through all the centuries, the study of the New Testament has never ceased. Out of this study many spiritual writings have been produced. Among mankind, no other school of thought has produced as many writings as Christianity. Christian writings may be grouped into four main categories: the Bible, expositions of the Bible (which also portray the history of the study of the Bible), church history, and biographies and autobiographies of the saints.

Much has been written on certain portions of the Word, such as Romans chapters three through six, and Galatians, but before the Brethren were raised up over one hundred fifty years ago, very few expositions were written on 1 Corinthians. The Brethren touched 1 Corinthians very much. They especially touched chapters twelve through fourteen, which constitute a section on the spiritual gifts. Chapter twelve concerns the gifts in a general way, while chapter fourteen concerns the gifts in a particular way, comparing prophesying with speaking in tongues. In chapter fourteen Paul indicated that prophesying is the excelling gift, the “head” of the gifts, whereas speaking in tongues is the “tail” of the spiritual gifts.

After the Brethren, the Pentecostal movement was raised up. The Pentecostal movement began in the middle of the previous century in England and moved first to Massachusetts at the beginning of this century and then, later, to Azusa Street in Los Angeles. On Azusa Street the Pentecostal movement “burned” like a wildfire, and many of the spiritual, seeking Christians throughout the country were attracted to it, including A.B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian Missionary Alliance. The Pentecostals developed further the understanding of 1 Corinthians 12—14. However, they made a number of mistakes in their interpretation of these chapters. They interpreted prophesying in chapter fourteen as foretelling, and they practiced this kind of prophesying in their meetings. Usually their prophecies began in a similar way and ended with, “Thus saith the Lord,” in the style of the Old Testament prophets. While I was in China, I heard this kind of prophesying, and after I came to the United States, I visited various Pentecostal groups and heard the members prophesying in the same tone and style as I had heard in China. In the 1960s, several prophecies were given predicting that a great earthquake would take place in Los Angeles at a certain time; however, these prophecies were never fulfilled.

The Denotation Of Prophesying In 1 Corinthians 14

To Speak for God and Christ, to Speak Forth God and Christ, and to Minister and Dispense God and Christ to People

Beginning with Brother Nee sixty years ago, we have come to the clear understanding that prophesying in 1 Corinthians 14 does not denote foretelling or predicting. To prophesy in the sense of 1 Corinthians 14 denotes to speak for God and Christ and to speak forth God and Christ. To speak forth God and Christ is to minister and dispense God and Christ to people. We minister God and Christ to people in the same way that a waiter ministers food. To dispense God and Christ into people may be somewhat different from ministering to them. It is possible for a waiter to offend people in such a way that they will not eat the food that he ministers to them. Such a waiter ministers food but does not dispense it into people. Likewise, a minister of the Word may minister Christ to people but not dispense Christ into them. A nursing mother, on the other hand, not only ministers food to her babies but dispenses it into them. Babies sometimes do not want to eat the food given to them, but mothers have a way to compel them to eat. We must learn not only to speak God and Christ, but also to speak forth God and Christ. Moreover, in speaking forth God and Christ, we should not only minister God and Christ to people, but also dispense into them what we are speaking forth.

Experienced doctors are skilled at dispensing medicine into their patients. Often, by the mercy of the Lord, I have the assurance that when people listen to my messages, they receive a dispensing. Even if they go away opposing, criticizing, and rejecting, they have received an “injection.” I have the assurance that I will eventually see the result of such a dispensing.

To speak forth implies to dispense. Paul was the top dispenser. He knew that while he was speaking to people, he was dispensing something into them. In Ephesians 3:2 he said that “the stewardship of the grace of God” was given to him. In Greek, the word for “stewardship” in Ephesians 3:2 is the same as that for “dispensation” in 3:9. The Greek word here, oikonomia, denotes an arrangement for dispensing. The word “dispensation” refers to this arrangement, whereas the word “stewardship” refers to the service of God’s dispensing. When we read any portion of Paul’s writings, something is dispensed into us. He had a particular skill in dispensing by speaking forth Christ. While he was speaking forth Christ, he was dispensing Christ to people. The Lord’s ministry today also is a dispensing ministry. When we read a page of the ministry, we cannot avoid receiving an “injection” of Christ.

To Foretell—to Predict

To prophesy is also to foretell, to tell beforehand, to predict. In the Old Testament, Isaiah, with sixty-six chapters, and Jeremiah, with fifty-two chapters, are two long books of prophecy. However, only a small percentage of these two books consists of foretelling. Most of the chapters consist of speaking for God and speaking forth God. With other prophetic books it is the same. There are some foretellings in the book of Zechariah, but it contains mainly the speaking forth of Christ. In the writings of Paul, there are some foretellings. Most of Paul’s writings consist of speaking for God and speaking forth God, that is, speaking to dispense God and Christ into the believers.

In 1 Corinthians 14, Foretelling Not Being Included

In 1 Corinthians 14, to prophesy does not include to foretell. This is proved by verses 3 and 24. Verse 3 says, “But he who prophesies speaks to men building up and encouragement and consolation” (lit.). Building up, encouragement, and consolation are not predictions. Building up is for the church, encouragement is for the work, and consolation is for our daily life. For the church we need the building up, for the work we need the encouragement, and for our daily life we need consolation. These definitely are not predictions.

Verse 24 says, “But if all prophesy and some unbeliever or unlearned person enters, he is convicted by all, he is judged by all.” In this verse to prophesy is not to foretell, but to convict and judge people, to make their situation clear to them. When an unbeliever or unlearned person comes into a meeting, he may be confused, mistakenly thinking that he is right with God; but by listening to the prophesying, he is made clear. The prophesying convicts and judges him.

Prophesying In The Way Of 1 Corinthians 14 Being Carried Out In The Church Meetings And Being For The Building Up Of The Church

Prophesying in the way of 1 Corinthians 14 is carried out in the church meetings (vv. 23-24). Verse 23 says, “If therefore the whole church comes together in one place…” This refers to a church meeting, not a home meeting or a small group meeting. Moreover, the prophesying in the way of 1 Corinthians 14 is for the building up of the church (vv. 4-5). According to our experience and observation, the best way to build the church is to prophesy, that is, to speak for Christ and to speak forth Christ, ministering and dispensing Christ into people. For one man to speak while all the others listen is a form of prophesying, but it is carried out in a wrong way. The proper prophesying should be carried out by each attendant in the church meetings.

Prophesying In The Way Of 1 Corinthians 14 Causing A Seeking One To Excel To The Building Up Of The Church

Prophesying in the way of 1 Corinthians 14 causes a seeking one to excel to the building up of the church. Verse 12 says, “So also you, since you are zealots of spiritual gifts, seek that you may excel to the building up of the church” (lit.). It is good to speak in tongues, but it is not excelling. However, for one to give a short message as a prophecy is excelling. To prophesy is the highest gift, causing the speaker to excel. We must learn to speak not only so that we can excel, but also so that the church can be built up.

Having The Capacity, The Obligation, And The Earnest Desire To Prophesy

All Believers Having the Capacity to Prophesy

First Corinthians 14:31 says, “For you can all prophesy one by one.” This verse is one of the clearest verses in the entire Bible. It says that all the believers have the capacity to prophesy. Capacity denotes an ability by birth. Dogs do not have the capacity to speak human language; they have the capacity only to bark. Human beings, however, have the capacity to speak. We, members of the Body of Christ, all can prophesy one by one. Romans 12:6-8 mentions seven gifts, including prophecy, and says that these gifts differ according to the grace given to each member. These verses, however, refer to the exercise of the gifts outside the meetings. In the Body of Christ, we have different gifts and functions outside the meetings. The gifts in Romans 12 are not the gifts exercised in the meetings. In the meetings all the members can prophesy (1 Cor. 14:24, 31).

Many saints among us may feel that all can prophesy except them. However, there are no exceptions. We may not be eloquent, but we can still prophesy. Verse 31 does not say, “You can all prophesy eloquently.” There is no such adverb in this verse. It simply says, “You can all prophesy.” It does not matter how we speak; it is sufficient simply to speak. The Lord wants all of us to speak. For over five years we have been ministering on the new way to meet and to serve, but our progress in the new way has been very slow because we do not all speak. If we all would speak, immediately the practice of the new way would be among us.

To my observation, only a small percentage of the saints regularly speak forth Christ. In each Lord’s Day morning meeting, many saints do not speak, but after the meeting they have much to say. We do not need to be concerned with how well we speak; we simply need to speak. Even if our grammar is poor, people will understand us. Many times we like to “save our face.” If we do speak, we desire to be the top speaker. However, we do not need top speakers; we simply need speakers. We all can prophesy one by one.

It is not difficult to practice the new way. If we go to visit people for the gospel and are not able to speak well, we can simply say, “I love Jesus because He is so good. Jesus is also good for you, so I have come to pass Him on to you.” Everyone can at least say this. If we go to people and give them a five-minute message, they may not listen to us, but if we go with a simple word like this, they may receive our speaking. We all can go to speak to people. First, we all need to go in order to gain people; then, we all should go in order to feed those whom we gain. Third, we all must bring our new ones together to form a group for fellowship, mutual care, shepherding, and mutual teaching. When one person in such a group does not understand something, all the others will teach him by speaking to him. Almost fifty times a year all the members of that group will come to listen to each other’s fellowship. Each one will be taught, and all will learn how to rise up to prophesy. If we go to people in this way, we will be carrying out the new way.

All Believers Having the Obligation to Prophesy

Verses 23-24 say, “If therefore the whole church comes together…if all prophesy…” The phrase “if all prophesy” indicates that all the believers have not only the capacity but also the obligation to prophesy. We owe something to the Lord, to God’s grace, and to the saints. For many years the ministry has spoken to the saints, but many saints have not responded to the speaking. We receive the benefit of others’ speaking, but we often forget that we also are obliged to speak for others’ benefit. We all owe much. We have the gospel and salvation, and there are many sinners around us, but we still may not go to them. We also owe something to them (Rom. 1:14-15). We owe something to Christ, to God, to the Lord’s servants, and even to the sinners.

All Believers Needing to Pursue, to Seek, and to Desire Earnestly to Prophesy

All believers should pursue, seek, and desire earnestly to prophesy (1 Cor. 14:1, 12, 39). Dear saints, the speaking of the Lord concerning the new way has continued in the recovery over the past five years. After hearing all this speaking, are you pursuing, seeking, and desiring earnestly to prophesy? We all have the capacity and the obligation to prophesy, and we all should pursue, seek, and desire earnestly to prophesy.

The Composition Of A Prophecy According To The Way In 1 Corinthians 14

The Knowledge and Experience of God, Christ, and the Spiritual Things

The composition of a prophecy according to the way in 1 Corinthians 14 comprises, first, the knowledge and experience of God, Christ, and the spiritual things. If we are going to prophesy, we must have some knowledge and experience of God, Christ, and the spiritual things.

The Utterance to Speak Forth What We Know and Have Experienced of God, Christ, and the Spiritual Things

Second, the composition of a prophecy comprises the utterance to speak forth what we know and have experienced of God, Christ, and the spiritual things. First we need the knowledge and experience; then we need the utterance, that is, the word and the expression. We can compose a brief prophecy and then practice speaking it to ourselves at home. We may even speak it to ourselves ten times. After speaking it several times, we will know how to correct and improve it. Through this kind of practice, we will have the proper utterance.

The Sight under the Divine Enlightenment concerning the Situation and Environment in Which We Are

The composition of a prophecy also comprises the sight under the divine enlightenment concerning the situation and environment in which we are. Many among us are not clear about the intrinsic contents of the present turmoil in the Lord’s recovery, and some prefer not to be clear. Their attitude is that others should be clear about the situation, but that they should take care only of enjoying Christ. Such an attitude is wrong. The church is our home and our family. If there is a turmoil in our home among our family, we cannot say, “I do not want to know about it. I simply want to enjoy.” We must have the sight to see the things taking place among us and the situation of all the saints. If we cannot see clearly, we need to pray, “Lord, show me the real situation. Shine over me and enlighten me. Give me the full enlightenment that I may know the intrinsic contents of the present situation.” We must know what is happening in the church, not so that we may take sides with one group of saints against another, but so that we may know the real situation.

The Instant Inspiration of the Indwelling Spirit That Stirs Up Our Spirit to Speak

The knowledge and the experience of God, Christ, and the spiritual things, the utterance to speak forth what we know and have experienced, and a clear view concerning our situation and environment are the basic preparation for our speaking. In addition, we need the instant inspiration of the indwelling Spirit that stirs up our spirit to speak. We are different from the Old Testament prophets. In the Old Testament, the saints did not have the abiding Spirit indwelling them. They had to wait until the Spirit came upon them before they could speak for the Lord (2 Chron. 15:1; Ezek. 11:5). However, the New Testament says, “The Lord be with your spirit” (2 Tim. 4:22). We do not need the Spirit to come upon us, because we always have Him in our human spirit. Therefore, we should not wait for the Spirit to come upon us; rather, we should exercise our spirit. When we exercise our spirit, the Holy Spirit who is indwelling our spirit will be moved by us, and we will have the inspiration. It is not He who moves us, but it is we who move the indwelling Spirit. If we remain clear with the Lord by confessing our fail ures, we will have a direct, open fellowship with Him. He is in our spirit, and we are in Him. When we come to the meeting, we need only to exercise our spirit and say, “Lord Jesus, I want to speak.” Then He will rise up, and we can speak according to our experience with the utterance we have gained and with the enlightenment that we have. If we do this, everyone will have something to speak in the Lord’s Day morning meeting.

We need to practice composing a prophecy according to the way in 1 Corinthians 14. To help us in this matter, we have prepared the book The Holy Word for Morning Revival. If we use the contents of this book with the knowledge and experience of God, Christ, and the spiritual things, the utterance to speak forth what we know and have experienced, the sight under the divine enlightenment concerning our situation, and the instant inspiration of the indwelling Spirit through the clear and open fellowship with the Lord in the exercise of our spirit, we can easily compose a prophecy and speak it in the church meeting.

Chapter Two The Patterns

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-45, 46-55

Prayer: Lord, how we thank You that whenever we come to Your Word, we meet You in Your presence. We treasure Your presence to the uttermost. Lord, we thank You that You have gathered us into Your name. We worship You for Your name, which is so all-inclusive, great, high, and rich. We hide ourselves and keep ourselves within this name. Lord, open the secrets of Your Word so that we may learn how to prophesy that the churches may be built up. Defeat the enemy in these days. You are working and are going on with us. We desire to see the defeat of the enemy. Shame him, and even crush him under our feet. Lord, be with us in this meeting triumphantly, and cover us with Your prevailing blood. Amen.

As we have seen in the previous message, to prophesy is to speak for the Lord and to speak forth the Lord. In 1937 Brother Nee saw the revelation in 1 Corinthians 14 concerning all the saints prophesying in the church meeting. In a series of messages published in Church Affairs, he condemned the practice of one person speaking to a congregation while everyone else listens, calling it a tradition that was according to the custom of the nations (2 Kings 17:8). He urged all the churches to practice 1 Corinthians 14:26 whenever they came together. First Corinthians 14:26 says, “Whenever you come together, each one has…” Whenever we come together, each one should have something. Brother Nee told us that we needed to replace the traditional Sunday morning “service” with something else, but at that time we did not find the way to do this. We began to have separate meetings with the brothers in the church on Saturday morning in order to encourage them to learn how to speak. In that meeting there was no designated leader to call a hymn or offer a prayer; the meeting was open to everyone. However, that way of meeting was not successful, so we eventually dropped it.

The Lord’s recovery came to America in 1962, but at that time we still were not clear concerning the matter of prophesying in the meetings. It was not until 1970 that the practice of prophesying began to be recovered. At that time the meetings in the Lord’s recovery ascended to the height. Since then, the matter of prophesying in the scriptural sense has been made very clear to us. However, we still are not practicing prophesying in an adequate way.

Two Patterns Of Prophesying

Luke 1:39-45 and 46-55 portray two patterns of prophesying—the prophesying of Elizabeth and that of Mary. At the time of Luke 1, the saints were still in an Old Testament atmosphere: Jesus had not yet been born, the disciples of the Lord had not yet been chosen, and there were no New Testament believers. However, even at that time there were two very good patterns of prophesying. Many of us cannot measure up to Elizabeth and Mary’s high standard of prophesying. Elizabeth and Mary had not yet entered into the New Testament economy of God. As descendants of the Old Testament saints, they were still in the Old Testament atmosphere, but they prophesied according to a high standard. This is a shame to many of us.

The Lord’s recovery has been in this country for almost twenty-eight years, and the Lord has released much of His word to us, especially in the last sixteen years. Many of the items that have been released are new to Christians, such as God’s New Testament economy, the divine dispensing of the divine Trinity, the mingling of divinity with humanity, and the Spirit as the consummation of the Triune God. We have heard these items again and again, but our prayer and our praise are still traditional and old. The items of these divine facts have not been brought into our speaking, and we do not commonly hear them in our prayer and service. For this reason we are still forced to publish books containing the “ABCs,” the elementary things, of the holy Word. The contents of the patterns of prophesying in Luke 1, however, are not elementary.

The Pattern Of Elizabeth’s Prophesying

Living in the Presence of God and in the Fellowship with the Lord

The pattern of Elizabeth’s prophesying is seen in Luke 1:39-45. The contents of these seven verses imply that Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, lived in the presence of God and in the fellowship with the Lord, in a constant, continual communication with the Lord. Without living in the presence of God and in the fellowship with the Lord, no one could utter such a praise, such a blessing, with a prophecy of foretelling. Elizabeth was a person who was ready to speak for the Lord. When Mary came and greeted her, Elizabeth’s baby leaped within her womb, and she began to prophesy. If she had not been ready to speak for the Lord, she would have turned instead to natural talk.

Because Elizabeth lived in fellowship with the Lord, it is doubtful that she was able to speak in a loose or gossiping way. However, in the church life today there is much gossip, especially on the telephone. Some may say that they are too busy and tired to pray, yet they are able to spend a long time on the telephone gossiping. Some may claim that they do not have twenty minutes to visit people to feed them with Christ, but they seem to have adequate time for gossiping. The reason that many saints cannot prophesy in the meetings is that they have spent too much time gossiping. Even quarreling with our spouse for a short time may keep us from speaking in the meetings for many days.

Romans 6:19 says, “For as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness unto lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness unto sanctification.” Many of us need to make a decision to present our tongue and lips to the Lord, with a vow to speak Him and to refrain from speaking any gossip. Such a vow will deliver us from gossip. Whenever a word of gossip comes to our mouth, we will remember that our mouth has been presented to the Lord for speaking Him. If our gossiping is stopped in such a way, not only we but also the whole church will be revived. If the gossip could be stopped in all the churches, all the churches would be revived.

Possessing the Spiritual Knowledge and Concern for the Move of the Lord

Elizabeth’s prophesying also shows clearly that she possessed much spiritual knowledge. All her words and expressions were very spiritual. She also possessed a genuine concern for the Lord’s move. She was so concerned for the Lord’s move on the earth at her time that she did not care for her own well-being. When the babe leaped in her womb (Luke 1:44), she had no concern about her health or her pregnancy. Rather, she was fully concerned for the Lord’s interest.

If we are going to prophesy in the church meetings, we must gain much spiritual knowledge and pick up many spiritual terms, and we must have an adequate concern for the Lord’s move today. When we come to the Lord’s Day morning meeting, we may have nothing to say because our concern may not be for the Lord’s interest but for our own security and well-being. When we come to the meeting, nothing of this earth should still linger within us. We must come with a care for the Lord’s move, His interests, and His kingdom. If we do this, we will surely have something to say.

Being Stirred Up in Her Spirit with Mary’s Greeting

When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary and the baby leaped within her, she was stirred up in her spirit (vv. 41, 44). It is evident from her utterance and expressions that she was in her spirit, not in her mind. If she had not been in her spirit, she would have spoken something from her mind or exercised her emotions. Instead, she said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Such an expression of blessing shows that Elizabeth was fully in her spirit, not caring for the things of the mind.

Receiving the Instant Inspiration of the Holy Spirit and Having the Utterance by Exercising Her Spirit

Being stirred up in her spirit, Elizabeth immediately received the instant inspiration of the Holy Spirit (v. 41b), and she had the utterance by exercising her spirit (v. 42a). Verse 42 says, “And she lifted up her voice with a loud cry.” To speak loudly in such a way is to exercise the spirit. In the meetings, often the brothers and sisters do not speak with boldness; that is, they do not speak loudly with the exercise of their spirit. Speaking without exercising our spirit brings death to ourselves and to those who listen to us. In speaking for the Lord, we need to put ourselves aside and speak loudly with the exercise of our spirit.

To Bless Mary

In Elizabeth’s prophecy, she blessed Mary, the one who had come to her. Verse 42 says, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” The fruit of Mary’s womb was Christ. The Bible tells us that Christ is the seed (Gen. 3:15; 17:8; Gal. 3:16), the root (Isa. 11:10; 53:2; Rev. 5:5; 22:16), the tree (John 15:1; Rev. 2:7; 22:2), and the branch (Isa. 4:2; Jer. 23:5), but without Elizabeth’s blessing we would not know that Christ is also the fruit; we would lack one of the figures that describe what Christ is. Elizabeth’s prophecy, the only portion in the Word that tells us that Christ is the fruit, completes the figures concerning Christ. He is the seed, the root, the tree, the branch, and the fruit. The seed, the root, the tree, and the branch all are for the fruit.

Elizabeth’s blessing of Mary implies a great deal. For Elizabeth to say, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb!” was not a common utterance. Mary came to Elizabeth in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, shortly after Mary had conceived (vv. 26, 39-40). She realized that Mary was with child and that the fruit of her womb was Christ. This was Elizabeth’s foreknowledge. Thus, her speaking concerning Christ as the fruit of Mary’s womb was a prophecy of foretelling.

Elizabeth also blessed Mary by saying, “Blessed is she who believed” (v. 45a). This was Elizabeth’s realization of Mary’s faith in the Lord. Blessing Mary in this way indicates that Elizabeth had the sight under the divine enlightenment concerning Mary’s situation.

To Recognize the Lord’s Doing

By exercising her spirit, Elizabeth was able to recognize the Lord’s doing. In verse 43 she said, “And how can this be, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Elizabeth realized that the baby in Mary’s womb was her Lord, Christ, the unique fruit for feeding mankind. This must have been by a spiritual revelation or vision. To compose a proper prophecy, we must have the sight under the divine enlightenment to know the situation and environment in which we are. Without such a sight under the divine enlightenment, Elizabeth would not have been able to recognize that the baby in Mary’s womb was Christ as the Lord and as the unique fruit for feeding mankind. Rather, she might have asked, “How are you? What has happened with you?” Actually, to ask someone how they are indicates that we are in darkness about their situation. If we are under the light and have the sight to see through the environment, we will know what each person’s situation is. We may greet a brother by saying, “Brother, I know that you have had some problems.” This kind of word will indicate to the brother that someone knows his situation, and it may be a real comfort to him. In order to prophesy, we need this kind of spiritual unveiling. Through such an unveiling, we will know our own situation, the situation of the saints and the church, the situation of the people around us, and even the situation of the world and the country in which we live. We need to be those who have this kind of insight concerning the environment around us. This will help us to prophesy.

To Foretell the Completion of the Things Spoken by the Angel to Mary, to Confirm Them

In verse 45, Elizabeth said concerning Mary, “There shall be a completion of the things spoken to her from the Lord.” By exercising her spirit, Elizabeth had the utterance to foretell the completion of the things spoken by the angel to Mary in verses 30-37, to confirm them. Elizabeth’s insight helped her to confirm, by foretelling their completion, the things that the Lord had spoken to Mary through the angel.

By reading Elizabeth’s prophecy we can see what kind of person she was. Her prophesying comprised all the elements of a proper prophecy.

The Pattern Of Mary’s Prophesying

Mary’s prophecy in Luke 1:46-55 is deeper and higher than that of Elizabeth. Although Elizabeth was older and more experienced than Mary, the spiritual content in Mary’s speaking is higher and deeper.

First Her Spirit Exulting in God Her Savior, Then Her Soul Magnifying the Lord

In verses 46-47 Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has exulted in God my Savior.” The verb tenses used in this sentence indicate that first Mary’s spirit exulted in God her Savior; then her soul followed to magnify the Lord. To exult is more than merely to be happy or joyful. It is to rejoice with shouting and excitement. To magnify the Lord is to show or declare the Lord to be great, exalted, or extolled. Mary’s poetic expression indicates that she had the proper spiritual experience.

The Utterance of Mary’s Prophesying

Based on Her Knowledge of the Scriptures— Being Composed of Quotations from the Old Testament

The utterance of Mary’s prophesying was based, first, on her knowledge of the Scriptures. Her entire prophecy was composed of quotations from the Old Testament. By this we can see that Mary as a young woman was very familiar with the Old Testament. Mary was the right person, the proper vessel, selected by God to be the channel for the Savior’s incarnation. In ancient times, females were not as well educated as males. However, although both Mary and Elizabeth were females, they both had gained a great deal of knowledge from the Old Testament.

I hope that some, especially the young people, will compose a praise or a prayer by quoting all the special terms from the current ministry in the Lord’s recovery, such as “God’s New Testament economy,” “the New Testament priesthood of the gospel,” “the divine dispensing of the divine Trinity,” and “the mingling of divinity with humanity.” In order to do this we must be well acquainted with all these spiritual terms. Many Christians can sing songs concerning God’s goodness and mercy, but who has composed a song concerning God’s New Testament priesthood of the gospel to fulfill His New Testament economy? God’s goodness and mercy are elementary matters; God’s New Testament priesthood of the gospel to fulfill His New Testament economy is much higher.

Based on Her Knowledge and Experience of God

The utterance of Mary’s prophesying was based also upon her knowledge and experience of God, that is, on what God had done over her and for her. Verses 48-50 refer to God’s dealing with Mary herself in particular. In verse 48, Mary said, “Because He has looked upon the low estate of His slave.” Mary considered herself to be not merely a maid but a slave to God. Moreover, she considered her estate to be low because she was poor. Mary was a descendant of David, but at that time she was a lowly virgin, not in Jerusalem or in Bethlehem, the city of David, but in Nazareth, a despised city in a despised region. Nevertheless, God overshadowed her in her low estate, in her humble situation, and selected her to be the vessel for His incarnation.

In verse 48, Mary prophesied, saying, “For behold, from now on all generations will count me blessed.” All generations have blessed Mary. God lifted her up from her low estate to a high position, to be “the mother of my Lord” (v. 43). A young woman from Nazareth was uplifted by God to be the mother of the Lord. In verse 49, Mary continued, “…because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name.” This is an indication that Mary believed in the word the angel spoke to her in verses 30-37. In verse 50, she continued, “And His mercy is unto generations and generations to those who fear Him.” Mary was a young woman who feared God. Therefore, God’s mercy came to her as well as unto generations and generations of those who fear Him. The thought here is marvelous, and the composition, the expression, is very poetic. Mary was not a professor but a “country girl” from Nazareth, yet she could utter such a poetic prophecy. This is a shame to us. We are not “country girls”; many of us have obtained college degrees, and some among us have earned Ph.D. degrees. However, not many among us can compose such a meaningful and poetic prophecy.

Based on Her Knowledge of God’s Dealing with People

Mary’s prophesying was also based on her knowledge of God’s dealing with people in general. Verses 47-50 speak of God’s dealing with Mary in particular, whereas verses 51-53 concern the principles by which God deals with people in general. In verses 51-52 Mary said, “He has done mighty things with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the understanding of their heart. He brought down potentates from thrones and exalted the humble.” God is able to deal with everyone. In view of the principles revealed in these verses concerning God’s dealing with people, we should not be proud. In his arrogance, Mussolini, the dictator of Italy, invaded Ethiopia in 1935. Likewise, Hitler in his arrogance broke his promise to the British prime minister and invaded Czechoslovakia and Poland in 1939. These events began the Second World War. Eventually, God scattered these two exceedingly arrogant men. To this day no one knows the location of Hitler’s corpse. God brought down potentates, including Mussolini and Hitler, from their thrones and exalted the humble. In history God has done this often.

In verse 53 Mary continued, “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He sent away empty.” To give good things is outward and objective, but to fill is inward and subjective. God has filled us with good things, and the rich He sent away empty—not merely empty-handed, but empty inwardly and subjectively. If we consider ourselves rich, we shall be poor; we shall be empty in everything. But if we are poor and are hungry, we shall be filled. In Matthew 5:3 and 6 the Lord Jesus spoke according to this principle: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens…Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Based on Her Knowledge of God’s Merciful Doing to Her Forefathers

Mary’s prophecy was also based upon her knowledge of God’s merciful doing to her forefathers. In Luke 1:54-55 she said, “He has succored Israel His servant to remember mercy, even as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.” God exercised His mercy toward Abraham and toward his seed, including Mary. Mary inherited the blessings of God’s dealings with her forefathers.

Verses 46-55 constitute a complete and meaningful prophesying. In her speaking, Mary covered her own experience of God, God’s dealing with people in a general way, and God’s merciful doing to her forefathers. In the prophesying of this young sister, there are the riches of the knowledge of the Bible, the knowledge of God’s dealing with people, and the knowledge of God’s merciful doing to her forefathers. After seeing all these high points regarding Mary’s prophesying, we surely should be humbled and realize that we need much learning to be able to speak as Mary did.

Learning To Speak, Call Hymns, And Pray In The Meetings

Sometimes hymns are called in the Lord’s table meeting that are inappropriate for that meeting. The purpose of the Lord’s table is to remember the Lord. The Lord Jesus said, “This do, as often as you drink it, unto the remembrance of Me” (1 Cor. 11:25). However, some of the hymns called in the Lord’s table meeting are not unto the remembrance of the Lord. A hymn may be very good, but it may not fit the nature of the Lord’s table. When such a hymn is called, we should not argue but should select a proper hymn to replace it. In this way all the attendants in the meeting will learn how to call the proper hymns.

Furthermore, some of the prayers offered at the Lord’s table meeting are not appropriate for that meeting. Therefore, we all need to learn how to speak, call hymns, and pray. Mary could not have uttered her prophesy in Luke 1 without some learning. She might have practiced speaking from day to day at her home in Nazareth. We need to practice our offering of prayers in the Lord’s table meeting. We may learn to say, “Lord, we thank You that we are at Your table. On the table the cup is separated from the bread, signifying that Your blood was separated from Your body. Therefore, this table displays Your death to us. Thank You for the cup, and thank You for the bread.” Then another brother or sister can continue, “Lord, this cup signifies the covenant which You enacted for us with Your blood.” Another may then follow, “Lord, the bread signifies Your physical body which You gave for us on the cross, and it also signifies Your mystical Body, which is the church, including me and all the saints.” If three saints would pray in this way in the Lord’s table meeting, the meeting would rise to the third heavens.

If hymns are called and prayers are offered that do not fit the Lord’s table meeting, it will be difficult to distribute the bread and the wine, even after a considerable time has passed, because the proper atmosphere will not have been built up. On the other hand, if proper hymns are called and proper prayers are offered, the atmosphere will be built up, and the breaking of the bread may take place quite early in the meeting. Sometimes in the meeting a proper hymn is called, but after the singing of the hymn, no prayers are offered. This is because the attendants do not have the capacity to offer praises that match such a hymn. Therefore, we all have much to learn.

Many of us do not realize how short we are of the proper spiritual learning. This is the reason that our meetings are low, stale, empty, and lacking in rich content. We all must learn, so that we may improve our situation. Not many among us, including the elders and the co-workers, have sacrificed enough time and energy to learn the spiritual lessons. The elders and co-workers should reserve more time for spiritual learning. This learning will constitute us with an improved capacity for the meetings, and our meetings will be higher. We all need to learn not only to speak in the meetings, but also to speak something meaningful according to an improved capacity.

Chapter Three The Basic Constituents Of A Prophecy

Scripture Reading: Matt. 4:4, 7, 10; Rom. 1:17; 3:4, 10-18; Matt. 22:31-32; Heb. 2:5-9; Acts 13:33; Gal. 4:22-26; Eph. 4:8-10; 1 Cor. 14:26; Rev. 1:11; Eph. 1:10; 3:9; 1 Tim. 1:4; Rom. 15:16; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9

In this message we shall consider the basic constituents of a prophecy.

The Personal Knowledge Of The Scriptures

Getting Acquainted with the Word of God Literally

The first basic constituent of a prophecy is the personal knowledge of the Scriptures. To gain such a knowledge, we need to get acquainted with the Word of God literally. We should even memorize many crucial verses in the Bible. For example, we should memorize the first verse of books such as Genesis, Psalms, Matthew, John, and Hebrews. We should also memorize verses such as John 3:6, 16, and 36; John 14:26 and 15:26; and John 15:16 and Romans 15:16. In addition, we need to devise a particular way that will enable us to remember the book, chapter, and verse number of the crucial verses.

As the Lord Did in Matthew 4:4, 7, 10

According to Matthew 4:4, 7, and 10, the Lord Jesus was acquainted with the Word of God literally. When the Lord rebuked Satan in Matthew 4, He recited three verses from Deuteronomy (8:3; 6:16, 13). This indicates that He was well acquainted with that book.

As the Apostle Did in Romans 1:17; 3:4, 10-18

The Apostle Paul also was acquainted with the Word of God literally. Paul’s word in Romans 1:17 and 3:4, 10-18 are quotations from the Old Testament. Whether Paul had the Old Testament before him or he memorized these verses, he was well acquainted with them.

Knowing the Deep Denotations and Spiritual Significances of the Word of God

To have the personal knowledge of the Scriptures, we must know not merely the text of the Scriptures in letters, but the deep denotations and spiritual significances of the Word of God. Many people can understand certain verses such as John 3:16 superficially, but they do not know the deeper denotations in these verses. Nearly everyone can understand a verse literally, in the black and white letters, but one must have the insight, the deeper sight, to see the deeper denotations. Nearly all the verses of the Bible bear a deeper denotation. Verses such as John 3:16 not only bear a denotation on the surface, but they also contain something deeper. The Bible is deep, and no one can understand it completely. Underneath its surface are many secrets and mysteries. If we attempt to understand the Bible in a superficial way, we will not arrive at an adequate understanding. The depth of the Bible is endless.

Knowing the Deep Denotations

The Lord’s understanding of Exodus 3:6, revealed in Matthew 22:31-32, is an illustration of knowing the deep denotations of the word of God. Exodus 3:6 says, “I am…the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” It is easy to see the superficial denotation of this verse, but no one was able to see the deeper denotation until the wisest One, the Lord Jesus, came. In Matthew 22:31-32 the Lord said, “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” According to the Lord’s interpretation of this verse, God is the God of the living and not the God of the dead; therefore, although Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob died and were buried, they will be resurrected. They are living ones, and God is their God. By this short word we can see that the Lord Jesus understood the Word of God in its deep denotation.

The Apostle Paul’s understanding of Psalm 8:4-6, revealed in Hebrews 2:5-9, is another illustration of knowing the deep denotations of the word of God. Psalm 8:4-6 says, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.” We may think that we understand these verses. However, the phrase “crowned him with glory and honor” implies something very high and very deep that is difficult to comprehend. God gave dominion over all things to Adam, but He did not crown Adam with glory and honor. Furthermore, God did not subject all things under Adam’s feet. These verses speak of One upon whose head is a crown of glory and honor and under whose feet all things are subjected. Paul understood these three verses more deeply than the Jewish teachers did. The Jewish teachers might have said that these verses refer to Adam, but Paul realized that they must have a higher and further meaning. Thus, in Hebrews 2 he interpreted this portion of the Word of God according to its deeper denotation. According to Paul’s interpretation, these verses refer to Christ in His ascension, in His second coming and kingdom of a thousand years, and in eternity. In His ascension Christ was crowned with glory and honor, and in His kingdom and in eternity God will subject all things under His feet. Paul understood this portion of the Word of God in its deeper denotation.

We can also see Paul’s knowledge of the deep denotations of the Word of God in his understanding of Psalm 2:7, as revealed in Acts 13:33. Psalm 2:7 says, “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” Apparently, this was the word spoken by God to David, the king of Israel. However, Acts 13:33 says, “That God has fully fulfilled this promise to us their children in raising up Jesus, as it is also written in the second psalm, You are My Son; today I have begotten You.” According to its deep denotation, Psalm 2:7 refers to Christ’s resurrection. Paul tells us clearly that Christ’s resurrection was His birth. Christ was begotten by God in His resurrection. Christ was the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16) when He came to be incarnated, but He was born the firstborn Son of God in His resurrection. Christ’s being born as the firstborn Son indicates that many others would follow Him to be born of God and become the many sons of God (Rom. 8:29). By this interpretation we can see how deep the apostle’s understanding of the Bible was. Compared to his, our understanding of the Bible is very shallow.

The deep denotation of the Scriptures can be found also in John 3:16, which has been understood superficially by many believers for centuries. John 3:16 is one of the deepest verses in the Bible. To understand any verse of the Bible, we must take care of the context of tha t verse. John 3:16 is in a chapter of thirty-six verses. Thus, in order to understand this verse, we must take care of the entire chapter.

The subject of John 3 is regeneration. In order to be regenerated, we need two things—the cross and the Spirit. Verses 14-15 of this chapter say, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” We can be regenerated because the Lord Jesus was crucified for us. Because we had become serpents by being bitten by the old serpent, the devil, Satan (Gen. 3:1, 13-15; Rev. 12:9a), the Lord Jesus died on the cross in the form of a serpent, that is, in our form. He died as our replacement so that we might have eternal life. Verse 6 of this chapter says, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The Spirit mentioned here is the life-giving Spirit. Thus, we are regenerated through Christ’s crucifixion and through Christ Himself becoming the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b).

John 3 also tells us clearly that regeneration is for the increase of Christ. The verses before verse 16 tell us the way in which we can be regenerated, and the verses after verse 16 tell us that the regenerated ones are the increase of Christ, and that this increase is Christ’s counterpart, His bride. Thus, these verses reveal that the Lord Jesus came in the form of a serpent, that is, in the “likeness of the flesh of sin” (Rom. 8:3), in order to die for us, and after dying and being resurrected, He is now the Bridegroom waiting to have us as His bride. The marriage of the Bridegroom and the bride will take place in Revelation 19, but the preparation for the marriage is seen in John 3.

John 3:16 says that God gave His only begotten Son not to man but to the world. This verse says that God loved the world, not that He loved man. The world is composed not of men but of “serpents.” Every nation on this earth is a nation of “serpents.” The world mentioned in John 3:16 signifies not the earth but fallen man, who has been swallowed up by Satan, the serpent, and has been made a satanic system. This is why the Lord Jesus said that He would be lifted up and would die as a serpent, as our Substitute. Thus, God loved the “serpents,” and He gave His Son to these “serpents.” Furthermore, His Son became a serpent so that all these dying serpents could be made alive by having the eternal life. This eternal life produces the believers in Christ and forms and builds up the Body of Christ as His bride.

John 3:16 indicates further that the God who loved the serpentine world is triune. The fact that the Son is mentioned in this verse is an indication of the Triune God. The simple God does not have a Son; it is the Triune God who has a Son.

This is the deeper denotation in John 3:16. In brief, this denotation is that the Triune God, revealed in Genesis 1, so loved the serpentine people of the satanic world that He gave His only begotten Son, the Second of His divine Trinity, to them in incarnation to die for them in the form of a serpent as their Substitute and become the life-giving Spirit, that those who believe in Him as their Redeemer might be regenerated with His eternal life by Himself as the life-giving Spirit, to be the many sons of God (John 1:12; Heb. 2:10) and His many brothers (Rom. 8:29) to constitute His Body, the church (Eph. 1:23), as His increase and His bride, to satisfy and express Him; this will be consummated in the New Jerusalem, as revealed in Revelation 21—22, to manifest the processed and consummated Triune God for the fulfillment of His eternal economy. Thus, such a denotation is not only deep but also profoundly wide in its span, a span that covers the entire Bible from the first chapter, Genesis 1, to the last chapter, Revelation 22.

Knowing the Spiritual Significances

To have the personal knowledge of the Scriptures, we must also know the spiritual significances of the Word of God. Paul’s knowledge of the spiritual significances of the Word of God can be seen in his interpretation of Genesis 16:15 and 21:2, as revealed in Galatians 4:22-26. According to the letter of Genesis 16:15 and 21:2, we can see two women: Sarah, Abraham’s wife, and Hagar, his concubine. However, in Galatians 4:22-26 Paul said that these two women are figures: Hagar signifies the old covenant, which produces children unto slavery, whereas Sarah signifies the new covenant, which produces children who are free. With these two women there is a deep significance.

Paul’s knowledge of the spiritual significances of the Word of God can also be seen in his interpretation of Psalm 68:18 in Ephesians 4:8-10. Psalm 68:18 says, “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive.” Superficially, this verse says that someone who is mighty ascended on high and captured the captured people. The spiritual significance of this verse, however, is more difficult to see. In Ephesians 4:8-10 Paul interpreted Psalm 68:18 as referring to Christ’s ascension to the highest peak of the universe, the third heaven, symbolized by Mount Zion (Psa. 68:15-16). Furthermore, in His ascension Christ captured all of Satan’s captives and made them His captives. The Amplified New Testament renders Ephesians 4:8, “He led a train of vanquished foes.” This means that Christ vanquished, defeated, and captured His foes and led them away to the heavens as His captives. In the heavens He offered these captives to His Father as a gift, an offering. The Father was pleased and returned them to Christ as gifts. Then Christ gave these gifts, including all of us, to the church. What a deep significance the Apostle Paul saw in Psalm 68!

Receiving Spiritual Enlightenment and Seeing Spiritual Vision in the Word of God

In gaining a personal knowledge of the Scriptures, we also need to receive spiritual enlightenment and see spiritual vision in the Word of God.

Receiving Spiritual Enlightenment

More than fifty-seven years ago, Brother Watchman Nee received spiritual enlightenment on the meeting of mutuality in 1 Corinthians 14:26, and he stressed this truth very much. He saw that according to 1 Corinthians 14:26, when we all come together, each one must have something. In January 1937 in Shanghai, Brother Nee shared this in a special conference of a small group of co-workers, and those messages were compiled into the book The Normal Christian Church Life. Almost every Christian who reads 1 Corinthians 14 sees nothing in that chapter regarding the meeting of mutuality. However, Brother Nee received spiritual enlightenment. He also received spiritual enlightenment concerning the local ground of the church in Revelation 1:11.

Seeing Spiritual Vision

We must also see the spiritual vision in the Word of God, such as the vision of God’s economy, God’s dispensation, in Ephesians 1:10; 3:9; and 1 Timothy 1:4. The Greek word oikonomia in these three verses indicates a household administration in a large family for the distributing or dispensing of daily necessities to the members of the household. Joseph carried out such a distributing or dispensing for Pharaoh. Joseph was a steward appointed to carry out Pharaoh’s economy in dispensing the rich store of daily supplies to his people (Gen. 41:55-57). We began to see the vision of God’s economy fewer than twenty years ago.

In April of 1989 we saw the spiritual vision of the priests of the gospel of God. This is mentioned in Romans 15:16 and is confirmed and strengthened in 1 Peter 2:5 and 9. We have read these three verses in the Bible for many years, and we have expounded them many times, but we never saw the priests of the gospel of God until this time. This is a spiritual vision.

In reading the Bible we must always keep ourselves open to see the deep denotatio ns and spiritual significances and to receive spiritual enlightenment and spiritual vision. This may be difficult, but with everything significant there is some difficulty. We must do our best to learn and not be disappointed in our present condition. We should not forget that we are in the Lord’s recovery. Many truths in the Bible have been lost, but since the second century, the Lord has been recovering what was lost. We must believe that today the Lord is still going on to recover more truths. Our translation of the New Testament is called the Recovery Version, because in the translation and notes of this version more truths from the Word of God have been recovered. The young people among us, especially, should be encouraged to go on to receive further spiritual enlightenment and spiritual vision in the Word of God.

The Personal Experience Of Life

The second basic constituent of a prophecy is the personal experience of life. We must have the experience of life personally. Knowledge by itself is empty; our knowledge should be filled with our experience.

In the Christian life there are two categories of experience. The first is the personal experiences of the Lord’s doings and blessings in physical things and environmental occurrences. In the Lord’s Day morning meeting, many of the testimonies given are related to this category of experiences. Many saints experience the Lord’s merciful doings and the Lord’s blessings to them in physical or material things. These merciful doings and blessings, however, are not grace. Grace is not something in the physical realm. Grace is the Triune God Himself embodied in Christ and given to us as life for our enjoyment.

We need to have the second category of experiences, which are the personal experiences of God’s redemption and salvation, Christ and the church, preaching the gospel, nourishing the new believers (feeding the lambs) in the home meetings, perfecting the saints in the group meetings, prophesying for the building up of the church, and other experiences, by the exercising of our spirit in faith. We should have many testimonies concerning this category of experiences, the experiences in life. Even the healing of our physical body is something in the physical realm. It is better to hear a testimony of a brother who was in spiritual deadness for many years but got revived in the holy Word, became bubbling, and went out to visit people to get them saved. Such a brother may testify that before he was revived, he could not help others to be living, but since he has been revived, everyone he contacts is revived also. This is a prophecy according to the personal experience of life.

Not Adhering To Personal Experiences, Testimonies, Feelings, Thoughts, Opinions, Affections, And Reactions To Any Persons, Matters, And Things

In speaking forth a proper prophecy, we should not adhere to personal experiences, testimonies, feelings, thoughts, opinions, affections, and reactions to any persons, matters, and things. When we prophesy, we should reject our personal feelings, thoughts, opinions, and even affections. We should also stay away from our reactions to our spouse, our neighbors, the elders, and the brothers and sisters. To prophesy, in principle, is not to speak for oneself, not to speak forth oneself, and even the more, not to dispense oneself into people. Often we may dispense ourselves to people in our speaking in order to impress them with our experiences and affections. This kind of speaking is not to speak the Lord but to speak ourselves, and it is not related to Christ but to ourselves. This is not to prophesy but to promote ourselves.

To prophesy is mainly to speak for God and Christ, to speak forth God and Christ, and to dispense God and Christ into people for people’s nourishment and supply. Sometimes we may use our experiences to illustrate what we are speaking. In actuality, to prophesy is to release some spiritual vision as a revelation and some spiritual enlightenment as a light to shine over others, either to bring certain things of God to light, that is, to make certain things known to people, or to bring people into the enlightenment of God. These are the main principles that govern our prophesying. We should do our best to speak for God and Christ, and the less we speak of ourselves, the better.

The basic constituents of a prophecy constitute a very high standard for our prophesying. This is why there is almost no Christian group today that practices prophesying according to 1 Corinthians 14. However, if we cannot practice prophesying, it is a shame. We are the New Testament believers in God’s New Testament economy. Elizabeth, Mary, and Zechariah were saints in the final part of the Old Testament age, yet they prophesied in a marvelous way. Their prophecies in Luke 1:42-45, 46-55, and 68-79 had all the proper constituents of a prophecy. In the prophecies of the saints in the Psalms, also, we can see the proper constituents.

To prophesy with the basic constituents of a prophecy is difficult. However, we should do our best to speak. The messages released through this ministry are printed in publications and recorded on tapes. I believe that all these messages will remain and that one day Christians will practice what we are speaking here. Before the 1960s people laughed at the idea of landing men on the moon. However, by means of their manpower, time, knowledge, technology, money, and patience, the Americans landed on the moon in 1969. In the same way, we too must have patience and do our best. Eventually, we will come up to the standard of prophesying with the basic constituents as revealed in the holy Word.

Chapter Four The Basic Obstacle To Prophesying

Scripture Reading: 2 Sam. 23:2; Acts 6:10; Rev. 2:7; 22:17

For many years Christians have read 1 Corinthians 14, but they have not had a way to carry out what is spoken in this chapter. As a result, for centuries Christian teachers, for the most part, have neglected this chapter. However, some did give an adequate definition of the word prophesying, saying that to prophesy is to speak for, to speak forth, and to foretell. But, they did not see that in 1 Corinthians 14, to prophesy denotes only speaking for God and speaking forth God. In this chapter it does not bear the denotation of foretelling. This is proved by verses 3 and 24. Verse 3 says, “But he who prophesies speaks to men building up and encouragement and consolation.” To prophesy in 1 Corinthians 14 is to speak building up for the church, encouragement for the Lord’s work, and consolation for our daily life. Building up, encouragement, and consolation have nothing to do with foretelling. Verse 24 says, “But if all prophesy and some unbeliever or unlearned person enters, he is convicted by all, he is judged by all.” To convict and judge people, to expose their condition, is not to predict. Most Christians did not see this clearly; thus, they did not have the proper practice of prophesying. The Pentecostal believers paid much attention to 1 Corinthians 14, but they understood it wrongly, teaching that to prophesy in this chapter means to foretell.

In 1937 Brother Nee saw a vision concerning prophesying as speaking for God and Christ and speaking forth God and Christ. He saw that prophesying is the basic factor of a church meeting in mutuality and that there should not be only one speaker in a meeting. First Corinthians 14:31 says, “For you can all prophesy one by one,” and verse 24 says, “But if all prophesy.” We all can speak, and we all must speak. Verse 26 says, “Whenever you come together, each one has.” Based on all these verses, Brother Nee saw that 1 Corinthians 14 refers to a meeting of mutuality in which everyone speaks and everyone listens. However, at that time we did not find the way to replace the traditional Lord’s Day morning “service” in which one person spoke and all the others listened. Thus, we too somewhat put this matter aside in our practice.

Almost fifty years later, in 1984, we began to consider this matter further, and since that time we have spoken concerning this for more than five years. We have studied this matter again and again, and I believe that the Lord has been merciful to us and has shown us the real denotation of prophesying according to 1 Corinthians 14 and the way to practice this kind of prophesying. Of all the messages I have given on this matter in the last five and a half years, the first three messages of this series, entitled “The Basic Knowledge,” “The Patterns,” and “The Basic Constituents of a Prophecy,” are most crucial. I hope that all the saints will spend much time to dive into those three messages and practice what is written in them. If we learn to prophesy in a proper, adequate way according to 1 Corinthians 14, we will take a big step for the Lord’s recovery. We have the basic knowledge concerning prophesying, and we have seen the patterns of prophesying and the constituents of a prophecy. However, there is a basic obstacle to our prophesying That We All Need To Strive To Overcome.

To Prophesy Being To Cooperate With The Speaking Spirit Of God And Christ

As we have seen, to prophesy is to speak for God and Christ and to speak forth God and Christ. To speak in this way is to cooperate with the speaking Spirit of God and Christ (2 Sam. 23:2; Acts 6:10). The Bible unveils to us that God is a speaking God. Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “In many portions and in many ways, God, having spoken of old to the fathers in the prophets, has at the last of these days spoken to us in the Son.” God is not a dumb God; He is always speaking. The highest and greatest speaking in the universe is the Bible, which contains sixty-six books of God’s speaking. The Bible is the book of books because it is the speaking of God.

The Spirit Being Always Ready and Expecting to Speak with Us and through Us

We have a speaking God, and this speaking God desires to have a speaking people. God desires to speak, and His Spirit is waiting for us to speak. If all the millions of Christians in the United States would speak for God and Christ every day, the whole earth would be overturned. However, in their offices and schools, few Christians speak for God and Christ. Traditional Christianity has caused the saints to become dumb. Each Sunday morning in the cathedrals and chapels only one person is speaking, and all the others are silent. This has continued for so many years that it has become the tradition, custom, and habit of Christians to go to church simply to listen to one speaker. We all need to rise up and overthrow this custom.

When we come to the church meetings we must speak. There is more than one way to speak. Shouting, singing, praising, and praying are all different kinds of speaking. When we come to the meeting, we should come singing and praising. We should not begin the meeting in the meeting hall but in our dining room, living room, or bedroom. When we are preparing to come to the meeting, we should begin to sing, and on the way to the meeting, we should come singing, praising, praying, and shouting. We should be heard singing and praising not only in the meeting hall, but also on the streets and in the parking lot. This is the proper speaking. There is nothing wrong with shouting and crying out. Psalm 100:1 says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.” Our life should be one of making a joyful noise to the Lord. We have taught these things for many years, but today we still lack the proper practice of speaking.

The Spirit is always ready and expects to speak with us and through us. The speaking Spirit of God is earnestly expecting that we would speak. In the New Testament, God operates through the principle of incarnation. God does not do anything by Himself, especially in the matter of speaking. He prefers to speak through us and speak within us. Moreover, the principle of incarnation is not merely that God works with man. It is that God works within man, and the two work as one. When we speak, the very Lord whom we speak forth is speaking with us and within us. If we do not speak, God has no way to speak, but whenever we open up to speak, the Spirit who expects to speak immediately follows us and joins with our speaking. Eventually, it is difficult to tell whether it is He or we who is speaking.

We Always Not Cooperating with the Spirit to Speak

The Spirit is always ready and expects to speak with us and through us, but we always would not cooperate with the Spirit to speak. Whenever we come to the meeting we must try to speak. In a good sense, it does not matter whether we speak properly or wrongly, well or poorly. As long as we speak, God will be happy. Parents always like to hear their young children speak. If a child is quiet all day, the parents will be bothered and will worry about him, but when he begins to speak, the parents will be happy. For many years our Father in heaven has not seen us speak much in the meetings, and this should have bothered Him. If we come to the meetings speaking, even in an incorrect way, He will be happy. To speak incorrectly is much better than not to speak. When someone speaks, even incorrectly, he is learning to minister to others.

Our Obstacle In Cooperating To Speak With The Spirit— Our Natural Man With Our Disposition And Habit

Our obstacle in cooperating to speak with the Spirit is our natural man with our disposition and habit. Our natural man, our disposition, and our habit form a deceitful “trinity” that works within us to annul our function and our usefulness. We have sacrificed much and left many things behind to be in the church. However, we may be here in a silent way. This is due to our natural man with our disposition and habit.

Our obstacle in cooperating to speak with the Spirit is seen in our not speaking. In a sense, it is remarkable that some of us have gone for so long without speaking. Our obstacle is also in our fear. We may fear to speak in a meeting because of the presence of certain brothers. Such fear is unnecessary. Our obstacle is also in our concerns and considerations. A brother may be concerned that if he speaks in a certain way, his wife may rebuke him. Quite often our considerations annul our speaking. We should forget about our concerns and considerations and speak regardless of what result there may be.

Our obstacle in cooperating to speak with the Spirit is also in our saving face. We may feel that we should speak only if we can be the top speaker; thus, we refrain from speaking because we do not like to lose face. Our obstacle is also in hesitation. It is also in our not being willing to speak. There may be no problem or consideration keeping us from speaking, but we may simply not be willing to speak.

Even if we overcome all the foregoing factors, our obstacle in cooperating to speak with the Spirit may be in our speaking inaudibly. When we speak inaudibly, it is as if we are not speaking to others but to ourselves. Our obstacle in speaking is also in our speaking loosely. There may be no logic, reason, or purpose in our speaking. Speaking loosely in this way is the same as not speaking at all. When we speak, we must mean business to speak in a logical way.

Our obstacle in cooperating with the Spirit is also in speaking without exercising the spirit. When we speak in a quiet, dull way in the meeting, we are not exercising our spirit. When we speak, we must exercise our spirit. Our obstacle is also in our speaking without spiritual significance. A speaking without any spiritual significance or meaning is empty, like a shell without contents. The contents of our speaking must be something of spiritual significance. Our obstacle in speaking is also in our speaking too long. Even if we do speak in the meeting, our speaking may be annulled by all the foregoing factors. If our speaking is annulled, then there is no proper speaking in the meeting, and the meeting is empty.

The Way To Overcome Our Obstacle

The way to overcome our obstacle is to be against our natural man with our disposition and habit. If we are quiet persons, we must be against our natural man with its quietness; that is, we must be against ourselves. The way to overcome our obstacle is also to learn to take the cross. We have been crucified on the cross (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20), and we should remain on the cross.

The way to overcome our obstacle is also to exercise our spirit and to learn how to utter what we want to speak for the Lord. We may have something to speak to others concerning the Lord, but we may not know how to utter it. When this happens, we need to go back home and practice speaking. We may pray, “Lord, I want to learn to speak for You. What word would You give me, and what kind of expression do I need?” We may not speak something for the Lord because we do not know how to speak, but if we do not go back home to learn how to speak, we will not speak the following week either. If we do have something to speak for the Lord, but we do not have the utterance, the expression, or the terminology, we should not treat this lightly. We should spend some time to seek the way to speak and should even fast and pray. If we still cannot learn how to speak what we want to speak, we should go to an experienced brother and ask for help.

Some may feel that learning to speak in this way will take too much time. However, educating a child takes at least eighteen years, and longer if he studies for a college degree, a master’s degree, or a Ph.D. America is a leading country in the world because of its educational system. In this country a child’s education is in several stages: the education at home in his family, the education in his environment in society, and the education in the schools. Likewise, the church people also have a spiritual family and a spiritual environment in the church life, so we should all be educated and should learn constantly. It is not right for anyone to be in the church for many years yet not know how to speak for the Lord in the meetings. The only way to gain the proper utterance to speak for the Lord is to practice and to learn.