The Lord Jesus was not forced by others or by God to take up the cross – He willingly took up His cross (Matt. 26:39). It should be the same with us – we need to willingly take up the cross. Some people say that their cross is their spouse, their family, their workmates, etc. – and these ones “make them suffer and bear the cross”. They are like suffering criminals forced to bear the cross – but the Lord meant us to be happy cross-bearers! We are not criminals executed by others and thus bearing the cross; we are those who willingly take up the will of God and follow the Lord! [read more online]
a trainee’s testimony – the grace enjoyed by us meets the high standard of the training!
In the training I found out that a really high standard of living is required, and sometimes it seemed that I cannot do it… but especially in this environment of impossibility the Lord’s grace was applied! After experiencing such a supply of the Lord to reach such a high standard, the Lord started to be closer to me day by day. Oh it is really true that life grows by regulation! If there would not be these wonderful and necessary regulations for a proper humanity, there would not be as much profit as it is now! [continue reading this sharing online]
the Lord Jesus regards our dependence on Him and not what we can do for Him in our self
The word of the Lord Jesus in Matt. 7:21-23 is very sobering and exposing – many people do works of power in His name, cast out demons in His name, prophesied in His name, but the Lord does not recognize them or know them… We can do a lot of good and great things for the Lord – even miraculous things, with the help of the power of God – but if we do things independently of the Lord, He does not approve or recognize it. How much we need the Lord to shine on us and expose our self in all its good or bad intentions and doings, so that we may deny our self and exercise our spirit to be one with the Lord! [continue reading online]
exercising the key of denying the self to shut the gates of Hades and build the church
We need the Lord to shine on us and show us a vision of the self. From the very beginning in the garden of Eden we see that the self is the soul declaring its independence from God. When we are no longer dependent on God but “take matters into our own hands”, we are in the self. The self is the greatest problem to the building up of the Body, and the self is opposing the Body. The principle of the Body is depending on the Lord and depending on the brothers and the sisters… To be independent of the brothers and sisters equals being independent of Christ, but when we are dependent, the self is gone, and instead of the self, we have the Lord’s presence and are full of peace. [continue reading online]
a trainee’s testimony – knowing the Lord and His heart, trusting Him and loving Him afresh!
This what I treasure the most after this two years of the training is that I could know the Lord, know His heart toward us, and began to TRUST the Lord (Isa. 41:10) and LOVE HIM afresh (Rev. 2:4). I felt not only restored and shepherded by the Lord, but I could also see more of what is ON HIS HEART. Now I can also say the words of one of the hymns, “God has dream… – Now it is my dream, my vision and life to be”. The Lord longs for a building – He longs that we will be built up in Him [continue reading online]
using the keys of the kingdom to lock the subjective gates of Hades and build up the church
Matt. 16:21-26 shows us not only the subjective gates of Hades coming in to frustrate the building up of the church but also the keys of the kingdom of the heavens which lock these doors and release the building up! We need to use the keys of denying our self, losing our soul life, and taking up our cross! Denying the self mainly relates to our mind, since the self is expressed through the mind with its opinions. Taking up the cross is related to taking up the will of God and not our own will. Losing our soul life is related to the enjoyment of the soul, the pleasure – we need to seek God’s pleasure and His enjoyment!
a trainee’s testimony – learning to put myself aside and enjoy the Lord with the saints!
In my individual dealing with my ‘self’ I have been learning to put myself aside, especially when we go out on the campus to preach the gospel or to nourish our contacts. Many times I have been busy with my own things, I felt tired, and I didn’t even have any willingness to go out; however, the Lord has been reminding me to seek first His Kingdom (Matt. 6:33) and put Him first in any kinds of situation. I must exercise my will to choose what the Lord wants and rather forget about myself, my own feelings, and my own needs. It’s a privilege to be out on the campus and speak to people and take care of those that have already been captured by the Lord! It’s wonderful to be with the saints and the students. Plus I loved going to Uxbridge where sister Gloria bakes the most delicious cakes for every Friday night meeting! [continue reading this sweet testimony from a sister who just finished her first semester in the Full Time Training in London, UK]