A HELP TO UNDERSTANDING THE WORD
You can be saved from these snares by the books we have made available to you. If you use the Recovery Versions with the notes and the Life-study Messages, you will save much time and be kept on the right track. These are not necessary when you are doing your daily reading of three chapters in the Old Testament and one in the New. But when you are reading for nourishment or planning to study, use the Recovery Versions.
We have done the studying for you! Many times I have spent a whole day researching a single word. In spite of my having studied for so many years, there are still cases when I have to delve into the meaning of a certain word. I check the concordance, the lexicons, and the expository books. I look up how the word is translated in the forty or more English versions which I have. There are many interpretations of the same word. It requires much prayer and much discernment to make a final decision as to how to translate that word in our Recovery Version. You can see how much labor is involved.
When you want to study Romans, for example, you simply use the Recovery Version along with the notes and Life-studies. This will save you time and keep you from being side-tracked. It will probably be another five years before we finish all the New Testament books. Meantime, study the ones we have already printed.
USING YOUR SPARE TIME TO READ THE RECOVERY BOOKS
I was happy to hear that some of you have a plan of study. In addition to reading through the Bible every year, and studying it with the help of the translations and Life-study Messages that are available, I would encourage you to read the books written by Brother Nee; read the back issues of the Stream Magazine; and read the other books we have published. This is a good program for the young people to follow.
Build up a habit of reading. Be sure you have all the recovery books in your home. Whenever you have a few minutes, pick up one of the books and read. The English is quite simple, so you can read quite a few pages in a short time. There is no need to study these books; even going over them quickly will benefit you. The same is true of the Life-study Messages. Simply read them in a smooth, flowing way; studying them may even be a frustration. As you take a few, spare minutes throughout the day to read even a few pages in a quick way, light will come. This reading is your entertainment; it is far better for you than television!
Everyone of us must be taught and trained to be a spokesman for God. Then we shall all be His sent ones, prophesying, evangelizing, shepherding and teaching. The Lord’s recovery is to rid us of the clergy-laity system, of hierarchy and rank, and of all the other traditions of today’s Christianity. Pray about this. Make it your goal to be fresh in this heavenly vision.
(Life Messages, Vol. 2 (#42-75), Chapter 7, by Witness Lee)
