Ministry Digest Vol 02 No 06

In this issue we will continue the four lines of ministry that began in the first issue of Ministry Digest (vol. 1, no. 1). The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--continues with the final chapter of The World Situation and God's Move, which is in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1981. This chapter speaks of our ultimate responsibility to bear the testimony of Jesus in the midst of the current world situation. This line then continues with chapters 1 through 3 of The World Situation and the Direction of the Lord's Move, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1991–1992. These chapters speak of recent changes in the world situation, the need for the spreading of the divine truths for the Lord's recovery, and our responsibility to participate in this spread to the crucial parts of the world, particularly Europe. The second line--Words for New Believers--continues with chapters 7 through 10 of Basic Lessons on Life, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1979. These chapters provide a definition of life and then continue to speak of regeneration, the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, and the fellowship of life. The third line--Maturing in Life--continues with chapters 5 through 8 of Knowing Life and the Church, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953. These chapters speak of the pathway of life, the way and life of the cross, knowing and experiencing the discipline of the Holy Spirit, and knowing the church and the basis for discerning the church. The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--continues with chapters 9 through 12 of The God-man Living, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. These chapters speak of the living of Christ, the first God-man, as a man of prayer.

In this issue we will continue the four lines of ministry that began in the first issue of Ministry Digest (vol. 1, no. 1). The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--continues with chapters 21 through 24 of The History and Revelation of the Lord's Recovery, which are in volume 2 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1981. These chapters speak of the recovery of the practicality of the church life, the troubles without and the troubles within during the spread of the testimony in the United States, and the advancement of the Lord's recovery in the Unites States. The second line--Words for New Believers--continues with chapters 16 through 19 of Lessons for New Believers, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1959. These chapters speak of the ground of the church, the division of the church, our practice related to the expression of the church on the ground of locality and our attitude toward organized Christianity, and serving the Lord. The third line--Maturing in Life--continues with the final chapter of The Way for a Christian to Mature in Life, which is in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1955, and then begins chapters 1 through 3 of a new book, The Purpose of God's Salvation, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1961. The final chapter of The Way for a Christian to Mature in Life speaks of experiencing the transforming work of gold, silver, and precious stones as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 3. The third line then continues with a new book that begins by focusing on Christ being the central purpose of God, the church being the Body of Christ and the fullness of Christ, and Christ making His home and the church being filled. The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--continues with the final two chapters of The Divine and Mystical Realm, which are in volume 4 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997, and then begins chapters 1 and 2 of a new book, The Experience of God's Organic Salvation Equaling Reigning in Christ's Life, which are in volume 5 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. The speaking in these chapters concerns regeneration and renewing and sanctification and transformation.

The purpose of this monthly digest is to help to encourage and assist in the daily reading of the ministry in the Lord’s recovery. Its two specific goals are: (1) to help the saints to enter into the riches of The Collected Works of Witness Lee and (2) to provide ministry content for the churches in their corporate weekly pursuit. The Collected Works of Witness Lee comprises one hundred thirty-nine volumes arranged chronologically by year. In this digest we will focus primarily on specific topics from many of these volumes and introduce selected readings on these topics to saints who do not have access to the printed volumes. It is our desire to help the saints get into the riches contained in The Collected Works of Witness Lee topic by topic. This publication will help the saints and churches develop a taste and deepen the desire for reading the ministry in a consistent way. It is intended to supplement and not replace the Recovery Version of the Bible, the Life-study messages, The Holy Word for Morning Revival, and The Ministry of the Word magazine. Each issue of Ministry Digest will be divided into four sections with four messages in each section. The first issue begins the following four sections: 1. The History of the Lord’s Recovery 2. Words for New Believers 3. Maturing in Life 4. The High Peak of the Divine Revelation

In this issue we will continue four lines of ministry. The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--contains chapters 8 through 11 of The Training and the Practice of the Vital Groups, which are in volume 2 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1993. These chapters cover fellowship on awaking and arising from the dead and Christ shining on us, having a little power and having constant contacts with people, our need to rise up and take action, and abiding in the Lord and walking according to the spirit to flow rivers of living water.The second line--Words for New Believers--contains chapters 8 through 10 of Ten Lines in the Bible, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1959. These chapters cover fellowship on the line of dispensations, the line of man, and the line of Satan. This section then continues with chapter 1 of a new book, The Basic Revelation in the Holy Scriptures, which is in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1983. This chapter covers fellowship on God's plan.The third line--Maturing in Life--contains chapters 35 through 38 of Perfecting Training, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1980. These chapters cover fellowship on how to be released from the law of sin and of death, having our being according to the spirit, being according to the spirit by minding the things of the spirit, and practicing to set the mind on the spirit.The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--contains chapters 16 and 17 of The Christian Life, which are in volume 2 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1991–1992. These chapters cover fellowship on being conformed to the death of Christ and the living of the processed Triune God as the consummated Spirit. This section then continues with chapters 1 and 2 of a new book, The Triune God's Revelation and His Move, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. These chapters cover fellowship on the Triune God, His word, His revelation, His vision, and His move, and the sequence of the arrangement of the Bible.

In this issue we will continue four lines of ministry. The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--contains chapters 12 through 15 of The Vital Groups, which are in volume 5 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. The chapters in this section speak of nourishing people with the unsearchable riches of Christ in His full ministry in the three stages and of how to contact people. The second line--Words for New Believers--continues with chapters 3 through 6 of Basic Principles of the Experience of Life, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1963. The first two chapters in this section speak of the first experience of life and the way to experience life. The final two chapters then focus on the three lives and four laws within every Christian generally and on the law of life particularly. The third line--Maturing in Life--continues with chapters 21 through 23 of Knowing Life and the Church, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953. This line then continues with chapter 1 of a new book, The Subjective Experience of the Indwelling Christ, which is in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1983. The first three chapters in this section speak of the result of the work being based on the worker, of needing to be earnest and not loose in working for the Lord, and of the church and service. The last chapter in this section begins by speaking of the experience of Christ as life. The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--continues with chapters 3 through 6 of The Practical Way to Live a Life according to the High Peak of the Divine Revelation in the Holy Scriptures, which are in volume 2 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. The chapters in this section speak of seeing the unveiled truth of Christ's resurrection for the ultimate goal of God's economy, of living Christ for His magnification by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, of being conformed to the image of God's Son so that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers, and of building up the Body of Christ by growing into Him, the Head, in all things.

In this issue we will continue the four lines of ministry that began in the first issue of Ministry Digest (vol. 1, no. 1). The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--continues with chapters 17 through 20 of The History and Revelation of the Lord's Recovery, which are in volume 2 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1981. Chapters 17 and 18 speak further of the trials of the churches in Taiwan due to the dissension of a group of younger co-workers and the lessons learned from these trials, including the danger of a misplaced emphasis on "spiritual pursuit." These two chapters are then followed by a positive recounting of the advance of the Lord's recovery in Japan and the beginning of the Lord's recovery in the United States. The second line--Words for New Believers--continues with chapters 12 through 15 of Lessons for New Believers, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1959. These chapters speak of various meetings related to prayer, the exercise of gifts, the study of the Bible, ministry, and the preaching of the gospel. Following this, the biblical view of the church is contrasted with natural and religious concepts related to the church. Then the expression of the universal church in localities is presented. Finally, the expression of the oneness of the church is contrasted with the causes of division that damage the oneness. The third line--Maturing in Life--continues with chapters 17 through 20 of The Way for a Christian to Mature in Life, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1955. The first two chapters speak of maturing by turning our heart to the Lord and by being filled by the Spirit and of our need to turn to the Spirit for the transformation of our soul. The final two chapters in this section speak of the freedom, liberty, and glory that issue from walking according to the Spirit. The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--includes chapters 1 through 4 of a new title, The Divine and Mystical Realm, which are in volume 4 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. These chapters examine the inadequate theologies of traditional Christianity that have limited our understanding of the Spirit, who is Himself the divine and mystical realm that is our spiritual provision. It then develops a fuller understanding of the mystical realm of Christ's heavenly ministry that is carried out by Christ as the life-giving Spirit. As such a Spirit, Christ is both consummated and pneumatic so that He can bring us all into His divine and mystical realm. Last, eight aspects of God's organic salvation, which is carried out in the divine and mystical realm, are presented.

In this issue we will continue four lines of ministry. The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--contains chapters 12 and 13 of The Training and the Practice of the Vital Groups, which are in volume 2 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1993. These chapters cover the labor of love and our having entered through the narrow gate and walking on the constricted way. This line then continues with chapters 1 and 2 of a new book, The History of the Church and the Local Churches, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1973–1974. These chapters cover the history of the church.The second line--Words for New Believers--contains chapters 2 through 5 of The Basic Revelation in the Holy Scriptures, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1983. These chapters cover Christ's redemption, the Spirit's application, the believers, and the church.The third line--Maturing in Life--contains chapters 39 through 42 of Perfecting Training, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1980. These chapters cover keeping the mind remaining on the spirit, staying in the mingled spirit, six questions concerning Romans 8:10, and the deeper experience of our body being dead and our spirit being life.The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--contains chapters 3 through 6 of The Triune God's Revelation and His Move, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. These chapters cover the sequence of the arrangement of the Bible, the way to receive revelation from the holy Word and see vision through revelation, and illustrations of receiving revelation from the holy Word and seeing vision through revelation.

In this issue we will continue the four lines of ministry that began in the first issue of Ministry Digest (vol. 1, no. 1). The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--contains the final chapter of The World Situation and the Direction of the Lord's Move, which is in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1991–1992. This chapter speaks of the way to spread the Lord's recovery in Europe. This line then continues with a new book that presents an important development in the history of the practices in the Lord's recovery--the practice of meeting according to vital groups. This issue includes chapters 1 through 3 of The Vital Groups, which are in volume 5 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. These chapters speak of the purpose and the constituents of the vital groups. The second line--Words for New Believers--​continues with chapters 11 through 14 of Basic Lessons on Life, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1979. These chapters speak of the sense of life, the function of the Triune God to dispense His divine life into the three parts of man, and the sense of the Spirit and knowing the Spirit, all of which are central to the growth of a new believer. The third line--Maturing in Life--continues with chapters 9 through 12 of Knowing Life and the Church, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953. These chapters speak of the mingling of God and man as the proper basis for the church; the types of the tabernacle, altar, and Ark in the church; the building up of the church as the Body of Christ; and the proper way to follow the Bible and the inner life. The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--continues with chapters 13 through 16 of The God-man Living, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. These chapters continue to speak of the living of Christ, the first God-man, as a man of prayer.

In this issue we will continue four lines of ministry. The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--contains chapters 22 through 25 of Fellowship concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1991–1992. These chapters cover becoming vital through prayer, preparing our gospel candidates, and redeeming our time to learn the truth, fruit-bearing and the desperate prayer life, becoming vital and going to vitalize others, and overcoming three layers of obstacles by the vital groups. The second line--Words for New Believers--contains chapters 17 through 20 of Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 2, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1932–1949. These chapters cover topics related to baptism, the laying on of hands, head covering, and the breaking of bread. The third line--Maturing in Life--continues with chapters 3 through 6 of The Future of the Church, which are in volume 2 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1955. These chapters cover the appearance of the kingdom of the heavens, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, and Revelation 14. The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--continues with chapters 10 through 13 of God's New Testament Economy, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1984. These chapters cover the Son's ascension and the baptism in the Spirit, the Spirit of life, the life-giving Spirit, and the transforming Spirit.

In this issue we will continue four lines of ministry. The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--contains chapters 35 through 38 of The Recovery of the Church according to the Pattern on the Mountain, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1950–1951. This section includes fellowship concerning how to meet, visitation, building a large meeting hall, and the future of the church. The second line--Words for New Believers--contains chapters 51 through 53 of Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 6, which are in volume 4 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1932–1949. These chapters cover the subjects of the church, angels, and the devil. The third line--Maturing in Life--contains chapters 41 through 44 of The Kingdom, which are in volume 2 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1972. These chapters cover the Lord's dealing with the Gentiles and the Jews at His coming back, the Lord's judgment of the Gentiles after the war at Armageddon, the growth and harvest of the reality of the kingdom, and the growth and harvest of the appearance of the kingdom. The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--continues with chapters 14 through 17 of Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. These chapters cover the Spirit of life, the human spirit of the believers, and the most marvelous, excellent, mysterious, and all-inclusive transformations of the eternal and Triune God in His becoming a man.