On-boarding for (new) believers 3

Today’s article is the summary of the last book of Spiritual Exercises by Watchman Nee. This article highlights the believer’s interaction within the Church and the world. So how should the believer behave and live their lives?

Friendship

James 4:4. The Bible lays a lot of emphasis on how to be brethren rather than how to be friends. Friendships in the world terminated:

Enmity with God: Being friends with people of the world predisposes you to loving the world. This, in turn, makes you an enemy of God.
Unequal yoking: 2 Cor.6:14. This comprises all kinds of friendships and relationships between believers and unbelievers. Christians shouldn’t maintain an intimate relationship with unbelievers, as they both have differing standards.
Influence of bad conversations: 1 Cor.15:33. Improper communication will eat at your good manners.

A new kind of friendship in the Church formed

When one becomes a believer, you need to change your friends. Undoubtedly, you should inform your former friends of what has happened to you. By all means, keep in contact, but don’t continue any deep and intimate friendships with unbelievers. Don’t be extreme; we need to communicate with them on different ground – witness and bring them to the Lord.

Christ, the sinners’ friend

Although God, Christ laid it aside to become a friend. This means Christ is able to lead all men to accept Him as our saviour. The Apostle John’s friends – The tone of 3 John depicts the position of a believer who, after a sufficient length of time, has come to a deeper knowledge in God, and is now friends with some in the Church.

As brethren, the matter of friendship in the Church occupies a very high ground. Until the day comes that you’re able to exalt little children as your friends (and you’ve also exceeded them in Spirituality), the Church stresses being brothers and sisters.

Recreation

1Cor.10:23. The first purpose is to meet the family’s needs; give guidance to the younger generation. While the second is for ourselves.

Here are some principles governing recreation:

Need: Renewal is the basic principle of recreation. Although it’s good, making a life out of recreation is unjustifiable.
Possible forms:
- Rest: Mark 6:31 – We get to rest when we are in a set apart place.
- Change of work: By changing your work (how you do it/ time spent on it), you can get rid of your tiredness.
- Hobbies: You’re free to choose whatever hobby catches your interests. If need be, you should be able to lay it down.
- Games: Although older people may not have time for strenuous sports, young ones are encouraged to engage in such games. These could be games of skill – chess, ball games, riding, etc.
To help us work: Recreation helps us work better and serve God in a stronger way. It restores you and increases your efficiency.
No Games of Chance: All games must involve skill. If it requires both chance and skill, it’s a gamble. If it’s all chance, then it’s gambling. Christians shouldn’t partake in this.
Health for the body: We all should choose recreational activities that benefit our bodies based on our health requirements.
Not a stumbling block: As Christians, we must be examples in all things. If we’ll stumble in the things we do, we shouldn’t do it. We must cultivate a delicate sensitivity to this.
Not considered improper: Whatever recreational activity is judged improper by unbelievers, even some which they approve of, Believers shouldn’t do.

Speech

Psalm 141:3. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

How to speak:

Without lies : The devil is the father of lies. As believers, we must resist all lies and refrain from uttering inaccurate words, words either less or more than the truth. Speak accurately, as before God and objectively.
Without Idle words: Your words are your fruits. Matthew 12:35-37 emphasises your words determine your justification or condemnation.
Without evil words: 1 Peter 3:9-12. You should never speak words of reviling or words of cursing.
- Mark of Self-control: James 3:2. If you are able to control your tongue, then you can control your body. Speaking thoughtlessly leads a careless life. If you want to determine whether one can control himself, speak to him for half an hour. A person’s words reveal them.

How to listen:

Resist an itching ear: If you know what kind of words to speak and which not to, you would naturally know what to listen to and what not to. What you listen to reveals the kind of person you are.
Turn a deaf ear: Psalm 38:13-14. Behave like someone who doesn’t hear when people talk improperly. Better still, reproof them by saying, “a Christian shouldn’t say such things.”

Clothing and Eating

Clothing

1Cor.10:31. First Meaning:

Before the fall: Adam and Eve’s clothing was light. Both innocent, they were not ashamed. After the fall: Once sin set in, Adam & Eve’s eyes were open to their nakedness. After which they sew, fig leaves to cover themselves. The use of clothes is to cover Nakedness.

Representative meaning: Clothes represent Jesus and the redemption we obtain from Him. Look beyond your clothes to Christ and His salvation. Ask God: Bring your doubts about your clothes to God. It’s not too small for Him.

Second meaning: Men and Women’s clothing: Deuteronomy 22:5. A man shouldn’t wear a woman’s clothes and vice versa. Learn how to dress before God.

Third meaning: The Sister’s problem: Be modest in the way you dress. Don’t wear what’s against your sense of modesty. 1 Timothy 2:9

Eating

Firstly, Need – God gave man both fruit of the trees and animals for food. Life from death – In eating the flesh of animals, God shows that in sin entering the world, losing a life should preserve the other’s life.

Secondly, Blood forbidden – Christians shouldn’t eat blood. Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:10-16, Acts 15:29. 3. Watchman Lee’s personal observation: Eat what is nourishing to the body. Be content with what you have. Seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and you’ll get all you need.

Asceticism

Colossians 3:2-3. Meaning: outwardly despising material things and inwardly suppressing lusts and passions. Christianity doesn’t endorse this.

In Colossians 2:20-23, Apostle Paul emphasises the Christian’s death with Christ. Actually, this means you are dead to the philosophy of the world; stipulating holiness can only be gotten by abandoning material things and suppressing one’s inner lusts and passions.

He also questions why the Christians act as though they’re living in the world by following “Don’t handle, taste nor touch?”. Being subjected to these is to not believe in being crucified (the flesh with its passions and lusts) with Christ.

Why? These originate from the fear of man’s inward passions and lusts. Asceticism is a natural religion, following the precepts and doctrines of men and showing how deeply man knows his passions & lusts are defiling. Ultimately, it’s unable to help get rid of evil lusts and passions.

Colossians 3:1-3 stresses that we should seek things above. In doing so, the earthly problems will be solved. In 1Cor.7:29-31, Apostle Paul emphasises that since Christ dwells in us, outside things should no longer matter. If we try to suppress or abstain from them, it proves how powerful these things are. Only one full of Christ is free from the problem of lust. The Christian transcends everything, not abstaining.

Book 6: Love one another

Sickness

Matthew 8:17b. Relation between sickness and sin: After the fall of mankind, sin was introduced into the world. This begot both sickness and death. Romans 5:12. Although some sicknesses stem from sin, others are due to natural causes.

The Lord’s work and success: Isaiah 53:4-6 is fulfilled in Matthew 8:17 (Prior to Crucifixion). In this, we realise Jesus took our infirmities and bore our diseases. In Crucifixion, Jesus bore our sins on His body, destroying it completely. However, sickness is limitedly treated. This is because while Jesus lived on earth, He didn’t eradicate all diseases and infirmities. It wasn’t completed on the cross.

Believer’s attitude towards sickness: Every time the believer falls ill, seek the cause from God first. Be patient to examine yourself for sin or disobedience. Accept the lesson sickness brings. Ask for forgiveness to expect healing, or stay with God to discern if this is the enemy’s attack or God’s discipline. Healing can be medically or through God’s hand. Seek God’s face. Exodus 15:26.

God’s chastening & Sickness: We see the stories of Trophimus, Timothy, and Paul, who were not healed. 2 Timothy 4:20, 1 Timothy 5:23, 2 Cor. 12:7. Many times, sickness teaches lessons which, if accepted produce holiness. What lesson is being communicated? Take care of your body normally.

Governmental forgiveness.

1 Peter 5:6. There are 4 kinds of forgiveness:

Eternal forgiveness: Received at the time we’re saved. Luke 24:47, Romans 4:7
Borrowed forgiveness: God forgiving people’s sins through the channel of the Church. It’s worthy to note that the Church is under the authority of the Holy Spirit. John 20:22-23
Communional forgiveness: Although we’ve received eternal forgiveness, we may commit sin, interrupting our fellowship with God. As a result, we need forgiveness. 1 John 1:7-9, 2:1-2
Governmental forgiveness: Matthew 6:14-15, 18:21-35, 9:2, 5-6, James 5:15.
- God’s governmental hand – rules and consequences that God has put in place.
- Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand – Looking at Job’s life, we see the more Job submitted himself, the better his condition was. In the same way, we should submit ourselves to God (Ask God to help you submit) should we sense His governmental hand upon us. The prayer of the Church may easily remove God’s governmental hand from a person, James 5:14-16.

The discipline of God

Hebrews 12:6. A Christian will encounter many things, but God’s purpose and meaning will not be lacking from it. Discipline serves both as an educational purpose and training for the future. Technically, God molding one into a vessel of honour.

Contents of discipline: Hebrews 12:2-7. Suffering, enduring shame, striving against sin though not yet unto blood. In our daily lives, it can look like what you have to endure – unkind treatment, unexpected happening, difficulties, sicknesses, etc. Discipline is God’s favour to us. Our attitude towards discipline should be obedience since God directs us in the right path.

God disciplines us so that we may become partakers of his holy character. Hebrews 12:10. It’s okay to feel grieved and pain when you go through discipline, but count it as joy. Let Hebrews 12:11 & 1 Peter 1:6 be at the forefront of your mind, as you look forward to the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Resist the devil

James 4:7

Satan’s work in the human mind: 2 Cor.10:4-5. Satan injects thoughts and imaginations into the mind, making them appear to be ours. Be quick to reject those thoughts. Don’t be overly attentive to the thoughts, nor spend time resisting. Instead, resist once and focus on Jesus.
Satan’s work on man’s body: Many sicknesses are satanic attacks. Luke 4:39 shows how Jesus rebuked the fever Peter’s mother-in-law had.
Accusation of Satan in the conscience: Many don’t resist the accusation of the devil for fear that it may be the reproof of the Holy Spirit. The difference is this: satan’s accusation is never clear and sharp, more like mumblings aiming to make one guilty. Meanwhile, God distinctly places your sin before you for you to confess and enjoy peace.
Satan’s accusations cripple the most spiritual and useful person, reducing them to nothing.

How to resist the devil

Fear not – satan tries to instill fear within the believer; a foreboding that something is going to happen. Resist by saying, ” No, thank you!”. Fear brings what you’re afraid of. 1 John 4:4b emphasises that greater is he who’s in you than he in the world. Stay on that.
Know the truth – John 8:32. Truth is the reality of a thing. The day you know/realise something is of satan, you’re freed.
Resist in faith
- Believe the Lord has been manifested to destroy the work of the devil: 1 John 3:8. Wherever Jesus goes, the works of the devil can’t exist.
- Believe the blood of Jesus has overcome the attack of satan – Revelations 12:11. The objective of satanic attack is to separate us from God. As long as we’re one with God, satan has absolutely no way to injure us.

Head covering

1Cor.11:3b. God has 2 systems:

System of Grace – Everything pertaining to the Holy Spirit and redemption. The Church, salvation, brothers, and sisters.
System of Government – Independent system under which God does whatever pleases Him. God’s Sovereign and Independent will; not taking man into His counsel. System of Grace complements this.

Head covering is a matter of God’s government. 1 Cor.11:2-3. Christ is God’s representative – John 17:3 . God is Christ’ head, Christ is the head of the man, and depicted in marriage, man, the head of the woman. This doesn’t touch on who’s greater. Instead, it’s God’s arrangement. This means we all submit ourselves to and acknowledge God’s government. 1Cor.11:3-9 MSG explains best.

Funmi’s thoughts: While Watchman Nee emphasises the woman’s role in covering her hair, I’d like to provide some clarity. The woman covering her head is a figure of speech as to mean Christ being the focus of her Ministry.

The way of the Church

Matthew 16:18b. Revelation 2&3 speak to 7 churches using them as Prophetic standards of the Church.

First 3 churches

1st Church- Ephesus: Represents the church at the end of the first century at the time of writing.
2nd Church-Smyrna: Church after the death of John, from 2nd to the beginning of 4th century. Marked by persecution by the Roman Empire until Christianity is accepted by Constantine.
3rd Church-Pergamum: Constantine accepts Christianity as the state religion. Unity between the Church and the world. Gamos in Greek means Marriage.
- The first 3 churches passed away one after the other. However, the last 4 churches continue today.

Last 4 churches

4th Church-Thyatira: Christianity supported by political power; exalted by the world. Thyatira in Greek means High tower. Pointing to the Roman Catholic church, Watchman Nee notes that the system of the Church and the world are joined together. Subsequently, God reprimands this church for fornication and idol worship.
5th church- Sardis: Restored or the remnant church. This represents the Protestant Church. Continuous mixing of the world and the church. Struggling with death. In the history of the Protestant Church, God constantly raises men. However, through the generations, we see people begin to think of how to preserve God’s grace. Not believing God can keep the grace, human creeds, rules, and methods are devised for maintenance.
- At this time, things are dry. So God lays hold of someone else to give fresh revelation, blessing, separation, and grace. This is called a time of revival.
6th church – Philadelphia: Phileo – to love, adelphos – brother. Brotherly love. Only this church is praised without reproof. Restoring to the original position of the brethren before God where all is love. There are 2 unique features within this church: They keep the word of the Lord, and they don’t deny His name. God’s word understood correctly is the guiding light. And the name of Jesus is enough for them.
- Based on the Church’ history, the name of Jesus has become insufficient. Men have paid more attention to and identified themselves by the men teaching them or the doctrine or nationality they have. “I’m of Paul, I’m a Lutheran, I’m an Anglican.”
7th Church- Laodicea: The people’s rights or opinions. A city named by a Roman prince after his wife, whose name was Laodios. When brotherly love starts waning and God’s mind isn’t sought, people’s opinions begin to prevail. Though neither hot nor cold, it’s full of spiritual pride based on past history.

Which will you choose?

The choice is on us to choose the way of the Church we want. Do you want to be a Roman Catholic or Protestant? Will you follow the external unity of the Catholic church or the many denominations of the Protestant Church? OR will you walk the way of Philadelphia or Laodicea?

God’s way for us is Philadelphia. However, we must be careful lest there’s pride. “I’m better than you, My truth is clearer and broader than yours.” This will plunge us into Laodicea. Therefore, live constantly in God’s presence, and we will not see our riches.

Oneness

John 17:23. In John 17:21, Jesus prays for the oneness of the Church because only when this happens does the world come to believe Jesus was sent. Oneness of the body is the unity of the Church. The word of God doesn’t permit oneness with ceremonial – in name only – Christians.

All children of God should be one in the Holy Spirit. Although oneness has been stressed over the past decades, its fruit has been the oneness of association. This is a human production, also called ecumenical movement or interdenominational work.

How do we maintain oneness? Reject any organization that includes unbelievers for it’s not a church and leave all sects. We reject all associations of sects and sectarianism, for it’s the work of the flesh.

Love the brethren

1 John 3:16. To distinguish who is really a Christian, check their consciousness of love towards the brethren. 1 John 3:14 says to love the brethren is to have passed out of death into life.

Having believed in God and have life in you, you’ll be naturally attracted to the brethren. You feel much closer to your brethren in the flesh than the best of your friends. Importantly, the love of the brethren doesn’t mean loving those lovable or who you prefer. The reality of your faith is judged by the proof of love towards others.

We love because it’s of God. He put love in us and we express it toward our brethren because we love God.

Priesthood

1 Peter 2:9. A group of people wholly separated from the world in order to serve God. History: Beginning with Melchizedek in Genesis, we see how the priesthood continues with us because that was always God’s purpose. That all His people will be priests Exodus 19:6.

Between the time of Moses and Jesus Christ, only the tribe of Levi was permitted to be priests. After Christ died and resurrected, all those who believe in Him are God’s priests. 1Peter 2:5 & Revelations 1:6. The primary occupation of the believer is to serve God. Every other occupation – medicine, nursing, teaching, business, etc. – is secondary to this.

Don’t expect anyone to be a priest for you, as there’s no intermediary believer. Since God’s grace is available to us, all believers will preach the Gospel and serve God. Being a priest means to draw near to God, have no distance between you and God, and you don’t need to wait for help. May we pay whatever price is needed for us to serve God.

The body of Christ

Ephesians 4:4. Ephesians 5:29-30 shows the Church is Christ’s body. In God building Eve out of Adam, we see a representation of the Church coming out of Christ. Although heavenly, the body of Christ is on earth. In Acts 9:4, Jesus asks Saul why he persecutes Him? Not His Church, but Him.

The ground of the Church is the body of Christ in a locality. If a local church is formed on this basis, it’s not sectarian. The Church finds unity in the Holy Spirit: 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. Christ is the source of the Church; all Christians share in the life of Christ. The formation of the Body of Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit. Meaning all Christians come out of Christ and are baptised into one by the Holy Spirit.

The basis for Christian communication/fellowship is the body. 1Cor. 12:12. According to the needs of the body, the Holy Spirit gives diverse gifts to the members of the body. 1Cor.12:14-19, 28-30. Every member has a function, and the Church must have room for all these to serve the body.

The Church’s main task on earth is to manifest the body of Christ and the oneness of the body. Anyone who confines the manifestation of the oneness of the body to heaven seeks to maintain and strengthen sects and divisions. 1 Cor.10:16-17. The breaking of bread symbolises Jesus laying down His life for us and all God’s children being one today.

The Authority of the Church

Romans 13:1. Prior to creating the universe, God established the principle of authority to govern it. God is the highest authority and, at the same time, the source of all authority. Under God, there are other governing authorities exercising God’s authority on earth.

In Philippians 2:9-11, we see Jesus submitted Himself to God’s authority. In the same way, the church neds to obey God. One of the ways the Church does this is to seek God’s will. There’s no sin greater than disobedience, as it contradicts the reason for the Church’s existence. Which is upholding obedience through God’s indirect delegated authority and His direct authority.

Law of the Body – Although subject to the law of the body, every member has a function. The body is one, meaning members shouldn’t act independently based on their own idea.

Subjection to Church Authority – If a brother has done wrong and the church deliberates on the matter, the Church’s decision must be upheld. Considering this, what the Church decides, God has decided.

Representative authority in the Church:

Elders: Oversee all the affairs of the Church. Learn to accept their decisions and be in subjection to them.
Elderly and Advanced brethren: Anyone chosen by God to be authority in the Church should be obeyed. Respect those who have been in Christ longer as firstfruits and have set themselves to minister to us. 1 Cor.16:15-16
Leaders: Hebrews 13:17a. Whoever is ahead of you & watches over your soul in order to give an account before God, submit to them.
Labourers among us: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13. If a Christian can find no one on earth to obey, he’ll be the strangest person in the world.

The Kingdom

Colossians 1:13. God has called us to enter the kingdom of his Son – Whatever Jesus had while on earth is what we too have on earth. What He will have in the future is what we also will share with Him. Concerning the Believer’s attitude toward politics – Romans 13:1. God has set 2 institutions on earth with authority: the state/ kingdom and the Church. God ordains all powers on earth for good. Should there be rebellion and/or resistance to God, their position will be given to another. Submit to these authorities.

Beyond a doubt, God ordained these in order to punish evil and approve the good. 1 Peter 2:13-14. Concerning the limits of obedience – only God is deserving of unlimited obedience. Anyone exceeding the measure of authority God has given isn’t worthy of obedience. Obedience is a matter of action, whilst submission is one of attitude. In the story of the Hebrew midwives, because Pharaoh’s command contradicted God’s law, it was not obeyed. The same goes for us.

Concerning war – In the Old Testament, we see God as a God who goes to war. Also, we see many battles fought by Israel ordained by God. Per Matthew 5:9, God wants us to preach the Gospel of grace to men. If left to our choice, ideally, no Christian should not approve of war nor engage in it.

[Funmi’s note]: Although Watchman Nee implores Christians not to take part in war, the translator notes that Christians hold quite different views regarding politics and war, as such, each should follow the dictate of his/her conscience.