CONSECRATION BRINGING IN
SINGLENESS IN SERVICE
We have to tell the young brothers and sisters that whatever they do in the future, whether they will be a teacher or a doctor, they can only do it as a secondary occupation. Every one of us lives for the purpose of serving God. Why do we tell people to offer up their possessions? It is because without offering up our possessions, we can never serve God. The Lord says that a man cannot serve two masters; he cannot serve God and mammon at the same time (Matt. 6:24). The colt must be loosed (Matt. 21:2), and everything has to be offered up and released before a person can serve. Those who are not loosed cannot serve.
If anyone asks me how much he should offer, I would answer, "Everything." Brother Lee said that the church will lay aside the consecrated things for you. But what would you do if the church does not lay them aside for you? If we want to serve God, we have to serve Him in a desperate way.
SERVING GOD BEING THE HIGHEST GLORY
It Being God Honoring Us
and Granting Us the Favor
When I was in England, I heard of a brother by the name of C. A. Coates. Once someone gave a book written by him to the Queen of England. The Queen read the book and was helped by it. Coates wrote eight books altogether. When I was in England, I asked the British brothers, "Coates has eight books. Why wouldn’t he give the other seven books to the Queen also?" The brothers did not say anything. They acted as if I had said something wrong. Later I asked some other people and found out that a common English person could not give a book to the Queen. Even if you were to try to give her a book, she might not necessarily accept it.
Consecration is God honoring us. It is not a favor we grant to God. Rather, it is God’s acceptance of us and of our possessions. Hence, it is God’s honor to us. We are not granting Him a favor; He is granting us a favor. For God to accept a person such as we are is the greatest privilege He grants to us. If I kneel before God and He sends a fire to consume the sacrifice, it is His favor to us in accepting my service. Man thinks that he is sacrificing himself by consecrating himself to God. Little does he realize that for God to accept him is His mercy. Why do we have to calculate so much? We have to learn to push our way through to serve Him, to crawl before Him, and to kneel before Him. A man ought to learn to humble himself before God. We are not begging you to go to God. Rather, you should beg to go to Him yourself.
Serving God Being to Our Profit and Being
the Result of the Lord’s Dynamic Salvation
Now the China Textile Corporation no longer dares to issue any more shares because, once it issues them, they will be sold out within half an hour. Today, the blind ones are not the ones who cannot see; the blind ones are the ones who do not see. Our only fear is that we give too little to God, that God does not accept what we give to Him. Is our consecration a profit for God, or is it a profit for us? Is it a favor we render to God, or a favor God renders to us? When we come to God, the only thing we fear is that God will reject us and deny us. We only fear that we give to God too little, that He will not accept us. All those who know God will say, "Lord, here is some more. Here is some more." All those who have once seen the Lord can give half of what they have to the poor without any complaint. The Lord said to Zaccheus, "Today salvation has come to this house" (Luke 19:9). Today, many people do not realize the greatness of the Lord’s salvation. This is why they encounter difficulties. Salvation not only saves our soul; it means that we are delivered from everything. Let us remember the story of our burial. Why were we baptized? Baptism is a declaration that we have been separated from the world. Merely to invite three or five people to come and serve will not solve the problem. What we need to do today is for the whole Body to rise up for the gospel. The demand for the co-workers in the days ahead is quite severe. The need is also very great. For the sake of China’s gospel, for the sake of the co-workers going on, we need a fresh consecration.
(Messages Given During the Resumption of Watchman Nee's Ministry (2 volume set), Chapter 61, by Watchman Nee/Witness Lee)
