Continued from last week.

A Life That Is in Fully Satisfied in the Lord

The Lord says that He is all we need, but we say that He is not enough. We need this and that before we can be satisfied, but He said that He alone is enough. Is what we received from the Lord wrong or is our experience wrong? One of the two must be wrong. The Lord cannot possibly write us a bad check. Whatever He promises, He will surely give. Our experience in the past was, in the words of one hymn, "a half salvation" ( Hymns, #513, stanza 2 ). Why does the Lord say that a believer will not be thirsty again? This is because he has become different inside. Within him, there are new demands and new satisfactions. Brothers and sisters, are we living before God and serving Him in holiness and righteousness all our days? Are we living before God every day in holiness and righteousness, as the priest Zachariah spoke of in Luke 1:75? Do we have something within that gushes forth all the time to quench others' thirst? The Chinese have an expression, wu-wei, which means "to do nothing." Christians have to be those who are asking for nothing. We can say that the Lord is enough for us. Are we satisfied with just the Lord? Are we really satisfied with the Lord Jesus alone? If we are not satisfied, it means that there is something wrong with our living.

A Life That Affects Others

John 7:37 and 38 say, "Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water." Rivers of living water will flow out of whose innermost being? They will not flow out of only special Christians or the apostles Paul, Peter, or John, but out of all those who believe, out of ordinary men like us. It is out of the innermost being of men like us that rivers of living water will flow. When men touch us, they should be satisfied and cease from their thirst. I had a friend whose simple contact with others made them feel the banality of the world, the foolishness of ambition, and the tastelessness of greed. Someone might feel dissatisfied about something. But as soon as he contacted her, he would find that the Lord is enough to satisfy. On the other hand, one might feel satisfied about something, but as soon as he contacted her, he would find these things to be worthless. The Lord said those who believe into Him will have rivers of living water flowing out of their innermost being. This should be the common experience of all ordinary Christians. What I am talking about is not the experience of special Christians but the experience of all common Christians. Brothers and sisters, do others stop thirsting when they touch us? Or do they continue in their thirst? If others complain about their sufferings and we also complain, if others feel sorrowful and we also feel sorrowful, and if others confess their failures and we also confess our failures, we are not rivers of living water but dry deserts. Even the grass of others will be dried up by us. When this happens, either God is wrong or we are wrong. God cannot be wrong, so it must be we who are wrong.

To be continued next week.

From "The Overcoming Life" by Watchman Nee published by Living Stream Minisitry 1993.

A Life That Is in Intimate Fellowship with God

Luke 1:69 says, " And raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant." Verse 74 and 75 say, "We, having been delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might server Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days." God has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David. We have this horn of salvation already. What has this horn of salvation done for us, and to what degree has it delivered us? He has delivered us out of the hand of our enemies. What kind of life does He want us to live after we are delivered? After we are delivered out of the hand of our enemies, is He only interested in our serving Him in holiness and righteousness? Is that all He wants? If this is true, we will only serve Him in righteousness and holiness sometimes. But thank and praise the Lord, His Word says that we should serve Him in holiness and righteousness all our days. We should serve Him in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live on earth. This is the kind of life that God has ordained for us. We should serve Him in holiness and righteousness all our days. Of course, to our shame we must admit that we have not served Him in holiness and righteousness all our days, even though God has delivered us from the hand of our enemies. Either the word of the Bible is wrong or our experience is wrong. The only way our experience can be right is for the Bible to be wrong. In the past, I always wondered what kind of life the Bible expects from a Christian. According to the Bible, everyone who is saved by the Lord should serve Him in holiness and righteousness all his days. If the Bible is wrong, our experience can be justified. But if the Bible is not wrong, our experience must be wrong.

A Life That Is Fully Satisfied In The Lord

John 4:14 says, "But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water gushing up into eternal life." How precious is this word! It does not speak of a special kind of Christian. It does not say that only those who have received special grace from the Lord can have a spring of water gushing up into eternal life. The Lord said this to a Samaritan woman whom He previously had never met. He said that if she believed, she would receive living water. This living water would be in her a spring that gushes up into eternal life. Brothers and sisters, what is the meaning of being thirsty? When one is thirsty, it means that he is not satisfied. Those who drink of the water that the Lord gives will never thirst again. Thank and praise the Lord!

A Christian is not only a contented person but a person who is forever satisfied! It is not enough for a Christian to merely be contented. Everything that God gives to us makes us eternally satisfied. But how many times have we crossed the main streets without feeling thirsty? When we pass by the great department stores, are we thirsty? If we crave for this or that, is this not being thirsty? Are we thirsty when we consider our classmates or colleagues and envy their possessions? Yet the Lord said, "Whoever drinks of the water that

I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water gushing up into eternal life." What He gives to us is one kind of life, yet we experience something else.

To be continued next week.

From "The Overcoming Life" by Watchman Nee published by Living Stream Minisitry 1993.

In the last message, we saw our experience in ourselves. Today we want to consider the kind of life that God has ordained for Christians. According to God, what kind of life should a Christian live? We are not talking about advanced Christians; we are talking about every saved and regenerated Christian, every Christian who have received the eternal life. What kind of life should they live? Only after we know this will we see what our shortages are. What does the Bible say about the Christian life? Let us consider a few passages in the Bible.

A Life That Is Free From Sin

Matthew 1:21 says, "And she will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." When I was in Chefoo and Beijing recently a few brothers remarked that they loved calling the Lord the Christ, but now they like calling Him, "Jesus, my Savior!" He is called Jesus because He "save[s] His people from their sins." We have received Jesus as our Savior. We have obtained the grace of forgiveness. Thank and praise the Lord that Jesus is now our Savior and our sins are forgiven. But what has Jesus done for us? "He ...will save His people from their sins." This is God's ordination. This is Jesus' accomplishment. The question now is whether we are still living in sin or whether we are delivered from it. Does our temper come back to plague us? Are we still bound by our sins and entangled by our thoughts? Are we still as proud as before? Are we still as selfish as before? Or have we been delivered from our sins? I have mentioned one illustration many times, and I will mention it again: There is a difference between a life-saving ring and a life raft. When a man falls into the water and is thrown a life-saving ring, he will not drown if he holds onto the ring, but neither will he be lifted out. He is neither dying, nor is he living. It is different with a life raft. In the case of a life raft, the drowning person is lifted out of the water into the raft. Our Lord's salvation is not the salvation of a life saving ring but the salvation of a life raft. He will not stop halfway between dying and living. He will save people from their sins. He does not leave us in sins. Therefore, biblical salvation saves us from sins. However, eventhough we have believed, we are not yet saved from sin; we still live in sin. Is the Bible wrong? No, there is nothing wrong with the Bible; it is our experience that is wrong.

What else did Jesus do when He came down to us? What does the Bible say about His work? Let us go on.

From "The Overcoming Life" by Watchman Nee published by Living Stream Minisitry 1993.

I would like to speak to the teenagers. The teenage years are from thirteen to nineteen. After twelve years old and before twenty, there are seven years in your teens. The teenage years are the golden years of a human being. These seven years are golden and crucial. They are a deciding factor for your human life. You may have been careless, sloppy, doing nothing, and even bad when you were twelve and under. After you are past nineteen, you may still try to do something bad, although that is not right. During the seven teenage years, however, you should not do anything wrong. If you do, that is awful and terrible. It is risky. Do not waste one day of your teenage years. Every day, every hour, every minute, and every second have to count. I mean this.

Seven years are not very long. Very quickly your teenage years will be over. If you do not build yourself up within these years, you are finished. It is needless to speak of other things; this is the case even with education. If you do not do well in these seven years to lay a good foundation for your human life, especially in your education, you are through.

Keep in mind the teenage years are your golden years in every way. Strictly speaking if you do not build up a good body within these seven years, after nineteen you will be too small and weak. If you expect to be in good health and have a good body, you must do something within your golden years. In these seven years you have to be busy, even in exercise.

In your human life there are many aspects, including education, health, your body, morality, ethics, and your relationship with the Lord. Of all these, your relationship with the Lord is first. Even this should be build up while you are a teenager. You should love the Lord, seek Him, and pursue after Him, particularly in these seven years. After these years, it is hard to have a proper start, even in seeking after the Lord.

From "Treasuring the Teenage Years for the Lord" by Witness Lee.

1. Knowing clearly concerning Satan's present work in destroying the family
   1. Causing the family to care for themselves and not God.
   2. Causing the family not to serve God but mammon.
   3. Causing the family to love the world not God.
   4. Causing the family to love their children more than loving the Lord.
   5. Causing the family not willing to pay the price to follow the Lord.
2. The pattern of 'the family' in the Bible - Aquila & Priscilla
   1. Sister took the lead to live the church life.
   2. Opened up their home for the church.
   3. Even though they were working, they co-worked with the apostles.
   4. Knew the way of God's economy thoroughly.
   5. The churches affirmed the sweetness of their serving.
3. Four aspects of attraction:
   1. People are attracted by "seeing" the virtue of the humanity of Jesus being flowed out of our walk and conduct, our subjective experience of the Lord and our ability to supply God's words to them at the appropriate time.
   2. People are attracted by seeing couples in the family dwelling in harmony, the relationship between the parents and children is on friendly terms, and the children are grave and obedient.
   3. People are attracted through experiencing our mutual loving and caring among the saints in our group.
   4. People are attracted through experiencing the new , living, joyful, supplying, enriching and the sweetness in our meeting.
4. The benefits of opening the homes:
   1. Enjoy the rich supply of the saints in the Body.
   2. Being preserved to be freed from temptation ( TV, hobbies, entertainment... ), weakness ( temper ) and sins.
   3. Easy to have the unbelievers saved and the weak saints being revived in our homes.
   4. Having many witnesses surrounding us, not easy to be weak and fall down, but are able to run forward continuously.
   5. Flee from lust and pursue diligently together with the saints ( to be honourable vessel so that the children in the home will receive good, positive influence ).
5. The secret of bearing remaining fruit - cherishing, feeding and praying.
   1. Cherishing people in the humanity of Jesus:
      1. Use the vital group to contact people and cherishing people I the main way. Cherish people is to make people happy, comfort them, causing them to feel that you make them happy. In every matter and every aspect, allow them to contact you easily.
      2. In cherishing the elderly friends, you can begin with their occupation after retirement, physical condition, their leisure time and children. Be warm in our attitude and tactful in our tone. Treat them as our own fathers and mothers.
      3. In cherishing the working friends, you can begin with their work, family, children and marriage. Our attitude has to be gentle, natural and poised as we are talking to our own family members.
      4. In cherishing the campus students, we can talk about their subjects, societies that they join, their aspirations, human relationship, adjustment to life, their emotion and their future. Treat them with concern and with care.
   2. Feeding people in the divinity of Christ:
      1. Choosing suitable words and hymns to meet the different levels of people when feeding them.
      2. The ways of feeding include: organic and vital feeding, PSRP ( pray-reading, studying , reciting and prophesying ), definite home meetings, morning revival and night prayer.

THE IMPORTANCE OF "THE FAMILY" IN GOD'S ECONOMY:

A. "The family" is the unit of God's creation ( Gen. 2:18 )

B. "The family" is the unit of God's redemption ( Exo. 12:3-4 )

C. "The family" is the unit of God's salvation ( Gen. 7:1, 13; Luke 19:9 )

D. "The family" is the unit of serving God ( Josh. 24:15 )

E. "The family" is the basic unit of the building of the church. ( Acts 2:46, 47; 20:20 )

THE ESTABLISHING OF SPIRITUAL LIFE IN THE FAMILY:

A. To have the same spiritual desire, condition and vision (the degree may not be the same), the husband and wife should exercise the following ways:

1. The husband and wife should mutually enjoy but not endure each other:
   1. Under the influence of the differences in cultural, educational and family backgrounds, it is natural and inevitable for the husband and wife to have differences in disposition and character .
   2. Man's patience is limited; a person's temper will "explode" or flare up if his patience is stretched too far or he is pressurized. Even if a person uses his will to overcome his impatience, that is cultivation, not Christ.
   3. Only the love that is produced through the enjoyment of Christ is everlasting and enduring all things. ( 1 Cor. 13:4, 7 ).
2. The husband and wife should mutually intercede but not make demands of each other .
   1. They should supply grace through intercessions and lessen the making of demands through the law ( John 1:17 )
   2. The husband and wife most easily commit the mistake of using others' strong points to compare with their partner's weak points. They should be satisfied with what they receive from the Lord.
   3. The differences in the environment in which people grow up bring about differences in appetite, views, concepts and liking. People usually think of adjusting and improving their partner to suit themselves, but would not adjust themselves to suit their partner .
3. The husband and wife should mutually confess their sins but not condemn each other
   1. After man leaves God, he is in darkness and therefore he does not realize he has sin in him. He only feels how others have wronged them, and hence he would continually condemned others. ( 1 John 5:8 ).
   2. In the light, man will see the beam in his eyes, and will not just complain about the splinter in others' eyes. ( Matt. 7:5 )
   3. The confessing of sins each time will break the hard "Self', so that the Lord can flow and move in our beings more, and thus letting others see God's mighty power. "Forgiveness" causes a person to be free from his "self', and let his being to be widened by the Lord.
4. The husband and wife should mutually understand but not misunderstand each other .
   1. The depths call unto the depths, temper will arouse temper, and flesh will lead to flesh. ( Psa. 42:7 )
   2. Husband and wife should build up the habit of open "fellowship" at ordinary times. Unwillingness to lay down one's self to fellowship, being reluctant and not used to fellowship or lack of patience to fellowship will all produce misunderstanding and easily open a gap for Satan to attack and destroy the family.
   3. Do not condemn your partner's weaknesses, instead give him or her your support; learn not to expose but cover up weaknesses. Even if you wish to speak to your other half about his or her weaknesses, you have to do so in the right spirit, at the suitable time and place and use the suitable words in love. ( Col. 4:6 )
5. The husband and wife should mutually affirm but not mutually deny one another
   1. In marriage life, "comparisons" should be avoided. We should realize that marriage is out of God, and so married couples should be respectful and satisfied with what they have. ( Eph. 5:25, 28 )
   2. The husband and wife should find out the partner's present good points to affirm, but not find points absent in him or her to deny him or her .
   3. Condemning and denying will demoralize a person ( Col. 3:21, 1 Cor. 5:3 ), whereas love can regain and comfort a person ( 2 cor. 2:7 , Luke 15:20 ). Over praising will lead to pride, whereas appropriate affirmation will help a person to proceed.
6. The husband and wife should mutually support, and not mutually insist:
   1. A person who easily "insists" is usually a subjective person with a strong self, not willing to be broken and loves to win over others. It is hard for God to freely work in such a person.
   2. Take the view that others are stronger than you, and realize that the strength of the body is greater than the strength of any member of the body.
   3. The husband and wife are able to support each other to set the good examples for the children and create attraction to outsiders, bearing testimonies for the church.

People who serve God should stress God's presence

A. God's presence brings in God's speaking, appearing, countenance, leading, strengthening and blessing.

B. To lose God's presence is to lose everything and we will become nothing and will have nothing.

1. We will be in the dark, with no direction, no goal, departed from the right path and to us the whole human life has lost its meaning.
2. We will often lose heart, be frustrated, disappointed, with no confidence, no strength and unable to pay the price to go on.
3. There will be no blessing. Whatever we do will lose its effectiveness and there will be no result.
4. The two negative examples in the Bible: Cain-Gen. 4:5-7, 13-14; Saul-l Sam. 16:14.

C. The positive examples of God's presence in the Bible.

1. Noah built the ark-Gen 6:9, 13-22
2. God promised Abraham to have a son and multiply-Gen. 17: 1-2; 18:10.
3. Joseph had the presence of God in the jail and before Pharaoh-Gen. 39:23; 41:38-40.
4. Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt in the presence of God-Exo. 3:12 captive, participating in Christ's triumphant procession-2 Cor. 2:14-16 3. The effectiveness of God-man living
   1. Having God's image to express Him.
   2. Having God's authority to represent Him.
   3. Enjoying the blessing of life's multiplication

D. See and catch up with the flow of the Holy Spirit in the church today

1. Brother Watchman Nee's words in "The Flow of the Holy Spirit"
   1. There is a flow that we call before the Lord" The Flow of the Holy Spirit". In every age, God had caused this flow not to cease, but it was all the time there and has always been progressing. The flow of the Holy Spirit is progressing in the church today.
   2. Throughout the ages the persons used by God were like pieces of steppingstones in a river. The Holy Spirit wants us to be like stepping stones, that He may move on through us. This is our greatest glory . If He cannot walk over us, He will choose another stone to walk over. If He would not go out through us, this is our greatest loss.
   3. When the church moves, this means the Holy Spirit has moved. Once the Holy Spirit moves, we all have to say Amen. The Holy Spirit leads at the front and we follow this flow. Our words and our spiritual feelings must follow the flow of the Holy Spirit.
2. Throughout all the ages people serving God must see where the flow of the Holy Spirit was. The flow of Holy Spirit is the central line of God's move. Only in this flow there is God's presence and God's blessing.
3. The flow of the Holy Spirit in the church today is God-ordained way in the Bible, which is the new way to practice begetting, feeding, perfecting and building.
   1. The morale of the new way is to stimulate the organic function of very saint, resulting in the whole Body functioning.
   2. To attain to the whole Body functioning, there needs to be bold declarations to increase the groups and the districts.
   3. Increasing the groups and the districts will not only bring in the blessing of multiplication but will also cause the church to obtain new revival, to bring in the Lord's second coming.

E. Conclusion

1. To have God's blessing you must mind and seek God's presence.
2. Exercise to live God-man living, that the high peak of the truth will be realized in our living.
3. Have to see and positively catch up with the flow of the Holy Spirit in the church today.

The Lord's move has arrived in Israel!

Through the "back door" of the former Soviet Union, over a million Russian-speaking Jews and their relatives have migrated to this country over the past decade, many of them "blank sheets" receptive to the ministry of the age. The literature of the ministry has gone before us, and many seeking ones here have been touched through the Russian Recovery Version and the writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee.

One group of seekers in a suburb of Tel Aviv has been in fellowship with one another for over two years in this ministry. From their fellowship was produced the first gathering of saints in Israel in nearly 2,000 years to take the clear standing as the church in their locality. Of course, they immediately desired to take the Lord's Table as a testimony of their oneness with all the Body of Christ, but they graciously postponed that momentous event to allow other members of the Body to come and participate as a solid testimony of that universal oneness.

Thus, in the evening of the Lord's Day, April 28, 2002, the bread was broken in a meeting attended by nearly 70 saints from eight countries, including Israel. Some two dozen saints came from abroad to join the co-workers already labouring here, along with nearly all of the local saints with whom we have been labouring. Eight cities in Israel were represented. Praises were released in English, Russian, Hebrew, Dutch and even in sign language by two deaf saints.

That weekend's activities began with the arrival of visitors on Friday and included meetings with local saints in two cities Friday evening, blending during the day Saturday, and a corporate dinner and meeting Saturday evening in a northern city, and where Brother Benson Phillips shared a timely word for the saints taking the Lord's way in Israel. Many of the local saints from around the country were also able to attend that meeting.

On the Lord's Day morning, most of the visitors were given a tour of a local university campus. Later, we travelled to Tel Aviv and gathered first for a ministry meeting, where Brothers Benson Phillips and Albert Lim shared on the oneness of the Body and receiving all the believers. By 8:00 pm the bread and cup were unveiled, and at the peak of praises to the crucified and resurrected Christ, the leading brother from the local church stepped forward with several other local and visiting brothers to corporately break that highly significant bread. What made that bread so significant was not just its location but the fact that is was the same as the bread broken in thousands of meetings of the Lord's children all over the world. What transpired that night was special but not unique --historical but not a separate, disjointed act, "for we all [partook] of the one bread" ( 1 Cor. 10:17b ).

Following the Table meeting, the saints enjoyed a love feast together, then reluctantly said good-bye to one another to return to their homes. Now, the local Table meeting continues every Lord's Day evening in that Tel Aviv suburb in a normal, living way. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for your testimony in Israel!

The brothers in Israel.

A. Towards self

1. Help us to be equipped with the truth, grow and mature in life, exercised in character, learned in service and coordination to become a useful vessel for the Lord.
2. Cause us to have the opportunity to transcend over many tough circumstances and help us to become overcomers.

B. Towards family

1. Husband and wife while laboring in service will gain more supply of grace establishing regulated spiritual life and bringing in harmony to the family.
2. The example of parents serving in one accord will give the children a deep impression, stirring them up to love and serve the Lord.
3. Bring in the salvation of the family members, resulting in the household salvation and service.

C. Towards the church

1. Bring in the multiplication of the church.
2. Bring in the coordination and building of the church.

D. Towards the coming of the Lord

1. Able to give the account to the Lord with boldness and to be praised by Him - Matt.25: 14-23
2. Obtain the unfading crown of glory - 2 Peter 5:4

A. Positive ( everyone is a positive person )

1. "Think" the positive things - Col.3 :2: set the mind on the things which are above, The Lord's word, the spiritual happiness of the saints, the blessing and going o of the districts and groups.
2. "Hear" the positive things - Rev, 2:7: Hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, hear the work of the Holy Spirit among the saints, hear the blessing and the going on of the districts.
3. "See" the positive things: See the move of the Lord in the church; see the work c the Holy Spirit in the districts and on the saints.
4. "Speak" the positive things - 2 Cor. 4: 13: Based on our declaration by faith, Go will accomplish what man think is impossible.

B. Faith ( Everyone must has faith )

1. The things which are seen are temporary , the things which are not seen are eternal ( 16 ) we walk by faith, not by appearance - 2 Cor. 4: 18; 5:7

C. Pray ( Everyone is a praying person )

1. To pray shows that I cannot but God can.
2. To increase district, there must be a fighting prayer - Eph. 6: 18, the prayer that binds and releases - Matt. 18: 18, always pray and not lose heart - Luke 18: 1-8

D. Ride on the spiritual tidal waves ( Everyone must have a "surf board" under his feet )

1. I am Jehovah your God, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar, Jehovah of hosts is His name - Isaiah 51: 11
2. We have to see the Lord Who is behind all the waves. We need to step on the "surf board" by believing in His word. The environmental waves will bring us on to perfect us to be the "experts in surfing" .

The necessary preparations to contain God's blessings.

A. In one accord.

1. Not only do we preach the gospel and labor to gain men individually, but much more we should coordinate to gain men with the testimony of the Body.
2. If the church life is well-blended and well-coordinated, the one accord will prevail. This is the most important environment that will gain men, keep men and even perfect men.

B. Prayer.

1. Prayer can bring in one accord, produce the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and bring about great and powerful revival. - Acts 1:14.
2. Pray specifically and specially for the increase in number. - Eze. 36:37.
   1. Build up a list of names for intercession ( includes gospel friends and saints who need to be recovered ).
      
   2. Allocate time to solidly pray, mentioning these names before God. ( Example: Brother Nee prayed for his classmates. )
      

C. Budget and statistics.

1. A normal church life should be directed by the gaining of men, seeing men as a businessman sees money. Our sensitivity towards men should be like the sensitivity of a businessman towards money.
2. Co-working with the Lord requires us not only to be faithful, but even prudent. Hence, we need to prepare a budget and statistics.
   1. Budget: Set a target for yourselves every year . Give yourselves a challenge. Be self-motivated so that our lives will have a direction, a plan and vitality.
      
   2. Statistics: A businessman needs to keep accounts in order to know his profits and loss. The Lord's workers even more need to do so. We cannot just enjoy the church life year by year, while accumulating a messy account before God. Today we may pretend to be ignorant, but on that day before the judgment seat we will have to present a clear account.
      

D. Be a positive person.

1. God's blessing depends on whether or not man is positively coordinating with Him. We must let 'positive' replace 'negative', 'belief replace 'unbelief, and 'can' replace 'cannot'.
2. Four important exercise:
   1. Think positively.
      
   2. Hear positively.
      
   3. See positively.
      
   4. Speak positively.
      

In message 17 of the Life-study of Ezekiel, the Lord's servant Brother Witness Lee charged us with the following words:

Verses 37-78 says, 'Thus says the Lord Jehovah Moreover for this I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them, I will increase them with men like a flock. Like the holy flock for sacrifices, like the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with flocks of men, and they will know that I am Jehovah.' The Lord promises here that He will bring in people as many as the flock. Even though He should do it, we still need to inquire of Him. This is to say, we need to pray for increase, saying '0 Lord, bring in people like the flock. This is what you have promised to us.'

In the past, whenever we pray for increase in number, the Lord answered our pray feel that we need more prayers. The Lord has promised. But He needs our askin has promised to increase our numbers, as many as the flock. But we need to pray this matter, asking Him to do it. I hope the saints in various local churches specifically and specially pray for the increase in numbers. We should not be contented with the present number; we should yearn for a doubling in number certain period of time. Hence, we need to pray, '0 Lord, bring in men like the flock.' In 1963 we had only 20 to 30 people in Los Angeles. But after we prayed for 6 mo the numbers increased greatly. In Alden Hall, we also prayed, asking the Lord to in people like the flock. We prayed, 'Lord, bring for us people like the flock!' The heard this prayer. I feel that today we need more prayers, standing on Eze. 36:3 beseeching the Lord for the increase in number .

We should not say that there is no meaning in the figures, or that we are not inter in numbers and so on. On the matter of increase, we should not console ourselves to our failures. We are certainly in need of an increase in numbers. We need to pray increase, claiming the Lord's promise in Eze. 36. Some who hear this may say that are concerned with quality but not quantity. However, quality comes from quantity Hence, we need to pray, beseeching the Lord go give us the increase, to bring in men like the flock.

Our time in Beirut, Lebanon, participating in the book fair, was rich and full of begetting, nourishing and cherishing God seekers. In fact it has been the highest peak of our entire time of labour in the Middle East. The desire, hunger and brokenness of these people along with their warmth and hospitality all combined to touch us and cause our hearts to burn for them in prayer. Several received the Lord, seeking to know Him. Many purchased books and enjoyed talking with us. Some who had purchased books returned later on for more literature after reading just a few chapters. Most were very friendly and many wanted us to visit them in their homes for dinner. Those who received the Recovery Version showed much appreciation after examining it and reading the footnotes. We truly had a wonderful time enjoying each other and were touched by their insistence for a return visit. Now the Lord within has constrained us and has given us no choice but to return soon to minister the riches of Christ to these precious seekers.

The Lord has prepared many young people as well as the whole nation through the breaking of the past twenty years of civil war. The Lord has prepared a people who are broken, hungry and seeking. The door is wide open in Lebanon. We pray that the Lord will truly burden many in His recovery to go through this door. Please consider the following points in your prayer and fellowship:

1. This area of the world is without a doubt our adversary's strongest and final stronghold on the earth. He will do and is doing everything possible to frustrate the Body of Christ and specifically the saints in the Lord's recovery from preaching the gospel of the kingdom to this part of the world. We know for a fact that the end of this age will not come until the gospel of the kingdom is preached in the Middle East. This preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom is the greatest sign of the Lord's coming. The restoration of the nation of Israel is a sign to us, just as the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom is a sign to the Jews. (Matthew Life-Sturdy message 63). The nation of Israel will witness the preaching of the gospel to all the nations especially those nations surrounding its borders. Those saints who are burdened to participate will need to be thrust out by the Lord and by the Body (Matt. 9:38). Please pray for labourers to be thrust out for this strategic part of the world. It is absolutely imperative that strong prayer be offered when touching this matter of the harvest especially for this part of the world.
   
   
2. Please pray that those who are sent to labour in Lebanon would be cleaving to the Lord during the entire time. May they really trust the Lord fully for, and in, every detail. The move and effectiveness of the four living creatures is unmatched and will strike a substantial loss to Satan. If we are willing to deny the self, take up the cross, lose the soul life, and be joined to Christ in the reality of His four living creatures, then effectiveness will not be a problem. May the labour be in the principle of Gideon, in the principle of a few who fully follow the Lord's speaking. And not in the principle of number. God has done everything; it is His battle and His victory! Brother Paul laboured by this same principle when he and Silas visited Thessalonica. God blessed their labour with a lampstand in three short weeks in Thessalonica (Acts 17). May this going be in the same principle. Not looking at self, but looking away unto Him. This move is the Body's move and therefore in the Body we have boldness and not a spirit of cowardice. We are not afraid of any giant Philistine. We go in the Body and with the Body and those who defy the armies of the living God will suffer loss. The Lord will bless beyond what we can even ask or think.
   
   
3. Pray for a seeking brother named John in Lebanon who would like to attend the six day training in Anaheim. He told us of his experience of slowly being ushered out of his old denomination. John was taking every opportunity to speak and even write in the church newsletter concerning the riches of the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. Also remember Vincent and Norma, a young couple who are doctors who very much enjoyed reading the All-inclusive Christ; Sharbell and Colette, a young couple who desire to share Christ with their co-workers; Carlos, a young man who has past through much suffering but now wants to enjoy the Lord Jesus; Gilbert, a young man who argues with his priest about the divisions in Christianity and wants to see the one Body of Christ; Wissam, a young college graduate in philosophy who desires the deeper things of Christ; Lydia, a young college student who wants to love the Lord; Rana, a young college student who received the Lord and wants to follow Him; Dina, a thoughtful woman who is impressed with the economy of God; and Shukarella, who purchased dozens of our books and just loves the fellowship. These are just a few of the many whose response to this ministry was a result of the prayer in the Body and the fact that the Lord is burning with desire to move in Lebanon.
   
   

Dear saints,

We would like to give you an update on the situation in Holland, since we realize that many of you are praying for the situation here. We have just had our bi-annual international conference in Petten. There were a total of 94, including 10 day-guests, a number of saints from overseas and children. The messages were rich and full and were taken from the book 'The All-inclusive Christ', since we have this translated in Dutch. 5 Brothers shared the messages and the Lord's anointing was there from beginning to end. There were two messages on Saturday and one on Lord's day. On Saturday evening there was free fellowship and singing. The saints treasure these weekends since they also provide an excellent opportunity to blend with saints from all over the world.

Most of the guests that came are either subscribers to the Dutch Stream magazine or friends and relatives of the saints. The matter of calling and inviting new ones to the conference wasn't practiced this time as much as at other times. This is still a matter in which we all need to be enlarged and perfected. Meanwhile in Holland about 65 saints are meeting in mainly three localities. This number also includes a hand full of scattered saints who would love to meet with us if they lived closer. For now we are visiting them in their cities.

At the beginning of this year a locality called 'Ter Aar' broke the bread and took the ground for the first time. Other localities who are meeting with us in a city called 'Leiden' do not feel they are ready to meet on their own and will keep meeting in Leiden until they feel before the Lord that they are. We are seeing how relatively new saints (no more than 2 years in the Recovery) are picking up the burden to care for friends and relatives in home meetings by using the ministry publications. In this regard there are some exciting developments in a city called Rotterdam. This is a source of joy to us all.

With the view towards the future of the Lord's recovery work in Holland it was felt by the brothers that the Lord needs a testimony on the campuses in Holland. In an approach similar to Bibles for America we have been handing out coupons for free Recovery Version Bibles on the campuses in Leiden, Delft, and at a Christian book fair in Barnevelt. There have been approximately 6,000 coupons handed out with over 315 Bibles sent out. These coupons have gone further than we could have dreamed. For example, we have received 16 requests for Bibles from a maximum-security prison in Zambia, Africa. The recipients of these Bibles are currently on death row. The Lord raised up a burden for an increase among the university students and through this reached seeking ones in prison in Africa!

The next step is to contact the ones who have received these Bibles face-to-face. It is felt that this may be the most effective way to find the hungry ones. As the Lord leads you, pray that His presence and blessing would cover these visitations.

The coordinating brothers in Holland