Even the Old Testament tells us to be stirred up in our human spirit. The church is not a human society, but a divine economy. This is not a human movement, but a divine movement, a divine moving. Therefore, God needs our spirit. God stirs up our spirit. Do not consider and analyze too much with your mind, and do not be so emotional or so determined. We all must be stirred up in our spirit. To understand in the mind is one thing, but to be stirred up in the spirit is another. I am afraid that some of us may be clear in our mind about the Lord’s recovery, but so poor in our spirit. May God be merciful to us and speak to our spirit. God must touch our spirit. He must deliver us out of our mind and turn us to the spirit. Then we will not care so much for our mind, and we will not care so much for our emotions or our will. We will go on with the Lord in His recovery because we have been stirred up in spirit.
Ezra 1 begins with, “Now in the first year of Cyrus.” Why was it not the second year or the third year? Why was it the first year? Because the recovery is a real new beginning. If today we are stirred up in the spirit for the Lord’s recovery this will be the first year to us. This will be a new beginning. The first year of King Cyrus was the beginning of a new reign. I hope that among those who read this message, many will say, “Hallelujah, this year is the first year of my church life! Now I know that I must go up to Jerusalem!”
Some may ask, “If they go up to Jerusalem, what about all the rest who will not go up?” Do not consider that much—just go up! Why do you have to consider so much regarding others? If God has stirred up your spirit, you must go up, regardless of what others do. History tells us that only a small number of the captivity went back to Jerusalem; the majority remained in captivity.
We know that besides the temple in Jerusalem, there has never been another temple built up by the Jewish people in the entire earth. Instead, they have built up many synagogues. They have not dared to build up a temple, because they know too well God’s commandment in Deuteronomy 12, 14, 15, and 16. If we only rise up, yet we do not go up to the church life, we may serve God, but we will only serve God in a synagogue. We can never serve God in the temple simply because we have only been raised up. We need not only to be raised up, but also to go up. We should not serve God on a lower level; we must go up. Some may say that they can preach the gospel where they are. Yes, they can preach the gospel on a low level. And some may say that they have the presence of God. In a sense I agree with them, but they have the presence of God on a low level. We all need to go up! up to Jerusalem! up to the ground of unity! up to the unique ground of the church!
I am so happy that in these past years we have seen many dear ones who have been stirred up, have risen up, and have gone up to bring up and build up. Now today, in so many places, they are building up. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! stirred up! rise up! go up! bring up! and now build up! We build up what we bring up. This is a summary of God’s recovery.
(The Recovery of God's House and God's City, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)