Being Aware of, Concerned, and Burdened for God’s Move in the Present World Situation

As believers in Christ who have been shown mercy by the Lord to see His move on earth, we need to be more aware of God’s sovereign arrangement of the world situation, more concerned about the crucial time in which we live, and more burdened for God’s move in the present world situation.

All the events of world history have been sovereignly arranged by God for Him to carry out His purpose. Therefore, we all need a clear view from which to consider the world situation.

We need to see not only the world situation as it happens, but pray for the Lord to show us His move, His history in man on earth, so that we be more aware of God’s sovereign arrangement, be more concerned of the crucial time we live in today, and be burdened for God’s move in this age today.

The entire world situation is under God’s sovereign arrangement; it is God who determined the appointed seasons and boundaries of people’s dwelling, so that they may seek God, find Him, and many be saved and brought into the church life to live a life in the divine history within the human history (Acts 17:26).

We need to realize that, in order for God to carry out His purpose, He has arranged the world situation; He arranged certain events to happen (both world events and personal events are arranged by God for the carrying out of His purpose.

The result of wars, elections, and changes of seasons are not random or accidental; God is in control, He is sovereign, and He arranges the world situation for the carrying out of His purpose. All the major events in human history match God’s move on earth, and they are for the carrying out of His purpose.

As believers in Christ we need to be concerned not only with God’s economy and His plan, but also have a clear view of history in the light of God’s move; in order for us to have the proper church life today, we must know the world situation.

The more we are one with the Lord and see the world situation the way He sees it, the more we will be watchful and strengthened to participate in the church life today so that we may live in the divine history within the human history.

God is Controlling the Entire World Situation for the Spreading of the Gospel and His Recovery

Whether we speak of God’s becoming flesh through incarnation (which happened more than 2000 years ago) or of the spreading of the gospel (which happened for the past 2000 years) or of the raising up of the church life (in the past 400 years or so) or of the preparation of the bride (which is still taking place), all these aspects of God’s move require the proper environment.

God has been working in the world situation to prepare the right time and place and situation for His move. In order for Christ’s ministry to be carried out, there was the need for the Roman Empire to be established to provide the situation needed in which the redemption could be accomplished and the gospel could be spread (see Luke 2:1-7; John 19:17-21).

God arranged for the Roman Empire to conquer Israel and the surrounding nations, establish order, build up roads, and prepare everything; God even arranged for the Caesar Augustus to make a decree that all should go back to their birthplace and register in a census. Therefore, Joseph and Mary had to go back to Bethlehem, and the Lord Jesus was born there according to the prophecy.

Furthermore, God used crucifixion – the capital punishment of the Roman Empire – for the Lord Jesus to die (as prophesied), and He used the order and roads and common language for the spread of the gospel.

Throughout the ages God used other countries for His move. For example, God used Germany for the Reformation and the translation of the Bible and the development of free thought.

Then God greatly used Great Britain to preach and spread the gospel to all the inhabited earth, including India, China, the USA, and everywhere the English missionaries went.

Now in these last days the Lord used the United States to become the center for the recovery, from which it can spread to all the continents. The United States have become, in God’s sovereignty, a leader in the matter of finances, industry, science, politics, military, religion, Scripture, and spiritual things.

God ordained this so that from the United States the Lord’s recovery would spread to all the earth, and the high gospel would be preached all over the inhabited earth by means of the world-wide language of English.

God will use the United States to spread His recovery so that the Lord may return (Rev. 22:20; 11:15).

If we keep up to date with what is happening today on earth, we will realize that God is controlling the entire world situation under the leadership of the United States for the spreading of His recovery and for the preaching of the high gospel on the entire earth (see Matt. 24:14; 28:18-20).

Lord Jesus, grant us to see that God is controlling the entire world situation for the spreading of the Lord’s recovery and for the preaching of the high and complete gospel. Save us from being blind or unaware of the current move of the Lord in the world history today. Grant us to be one with You, Lord, in Your move, in an up-to-date way! May Your recovery spread all over the earth for You to gain shining lampstands for Your testimony, before the end of this age. May You gain a group of people fully one with You for Your move!

Being more Aware of, Concerned, and Burdened for God’s Move in the Present World Situation

Brothers and sisters, we need to be more aware of God’s sovereign arrangement of the world situation, more concerned about the crucial time in which we live, and more burdened for God’s move in the present world situation.

What is happening today is something unprecedented and amazing: because of the war in the middle east in the recent years, there is a flood of refugees that came to Europe, and in particular to Germany.

Such an event should cause us to worship the Lord, for during the past centuries, many Christians prayed desperately for the opening up of the door for the gospel to the Arab countries, and many in the Lord’s recovery prayed for the revival of the Lord’s testimony in Germany, and in these last years, the Lord did it both.

Germany is one of the leading countries in Europe, and with their receiving the refugees, the Lord’s testimony there was revived and strengthened, while the door for the gospel for the Arab people was opened wide.

From the testimonies of more than 1000 saints who travelled to Germany to preach the gospel to the refugees, shepherd them, and learn to coordinate with the saints to bring the new ones in the church life, we can see that the Arab speaking people who came from the war-torn zones are open to the gospel.

We may have thought that they came to Western Europe to get more money and outward prosperity, but their real seeking is for God, the God of love. The questions the refugees asked about the truth are so high, and they don’t seek to get your money and things.

Many of the Arab-speaking refugees wonder how come the Muslim have a God of hate, a God that allows brothers to kill brothers, but we the Christians have a God of love, and even though we are not related by blood with the refugees, we love them and welcome them.

Furthermore, many of these refugees saw the saints preaching the gospel, and they want to do the same, to preach the gospel to their fellow Arab-speaking people.

When we see this, we become more aware of God’s sovereign arrangement of the world situation, more concerned about the crucial time in which we live, and more burdened for God’s move in the present world situation.

We need to ask the Lord, Lord, how can we cooperate with You?

As we see in Rev. 6, there are four horses running for the past 2000 years: the white horse (representing the gospel), the red horse (representing war), the black horse (representing famine) and the pale horse (representing death).

Human history is filled with war, famine, death, and all the more, the preaching of the gospel. Throughout the history we need to see the divine history (the preaching of the gospel) in the human history (composed of war, famine, and death).

Do we have the awareness of God’s sovereign arrangement? Are we more concerned about the crucial time in which we live? Are we more burdened to rise up to answer God’s call for His move in the present world situation?

God sovereignly used the Roman Empire to spread the gospel, Germany to bring in Reformation, Great Britain to spread the gospel to all the earth, and now Germany again for the opening of the door of the gospel to the Arab-speaking nations.

God’s wisdom is to make this age an age of gospel-preaching – from Christ’s ascension to His second coming, this age is the age of preaching the gospel.

All the inventions, all things in heaven and on earth, including the invention of printing, the development in the car industry and transportation, and even nuclear technology, all are for the preaching of the gospel. Yes, they all bring in a lot of wars, famine, and death, but at the same time the gospel is preached!

The preaching of the glorious gospel is in victory and from victory, for the arrow has been shot and is in the heart of the enemy, and now we are preaching the gospel of peace!

May the Lord gain us so that we may be more aware, more concerned, and more burdened to see the world situation and respond to the Lord’s move today!

Lord Jesus, gain us so that we may be more aware of God’s sovereign arrangement in the world situation, we would be more concerned about the crucial time in which we live, and we would be more burdened for God’s move in the present world situation! Amen! Open our eyes to be aware of what You are doing today, be concerned about this crucial time we live in, and be more burdened for Your present move in this situation! Lord, we want to be one with You for Your move on earth today, so that the high and complete gospel may be preached and the end would come!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by the brothers for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1981, vol. 1, “The World Situation and God’s Move,” preface and ch. 1, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Special Fellowship concerning the World Situation and the Lord’s Move, msg. 2 (week 2), God’s Sovereignty, the Divine History within the Human History, and the World Situation and God’s Move to Spread His Recovery.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # As the members of one Body, Built up in love, support in spirit each, / Christ dispensing, Spirit minist’ring, Blending until we’re all made one in Him. / Give our whole being, one soul to be, Vital groups forming, build up Body His, / Gospelize and truthize widely, Shepherd as God, New Revival to reach. (Song on the spread of the Lord’s recovery)
  # In fulness of the seasons / God’s Christ will head up all. / Then all will own His reigning / And worship, great and small. / Such reign in life and glory / The Church e’en now foretastes / And to His rule submitting / Unto His kingdom hastes. (Hymns #941)
  # We’ve seen the vision of Christ and the church. / Reckoned the cost; all things are but loss. / Will pay the price — give all of our lives; / We’re burning bridges, left the world behind. / On God’s economy our hearts are set / We’re living a life… / On God’s economy our hearts are set, / We’ll live a life of no regrets. (consecration song)