Exercise our Spirit to Put Ourselves aside and keep the Absoluteness of the Truth

A good minister of Christ sacrifices himself and puts himself aside in order to keep the absoluteness of the truth, for he stands on the side of the truth and not with his condition; such a one not only enjoys and ministers grace but also exercises his spirit to reject himself and exalt Christ as Lord. Amen!

Thank the Lord for the truth He has revealed to us in His word today.

In His mercy and grace, He has delivered us from any division and has brought us on the ground of oneness to enjoy the Lord with the saints, build up the church as the Body of Christ, and get into the deeper and higher truths in the word of God.

The Lord’s recovery is the recovery of the truth; the truth was lost throughout the ages, but the Lord has been recovering the major truths in His word among us today.

Even more, there are the highest peaks of the divine revelation concerning God’s eternal economy which are being unveiled to us and wrought into us.

God has an economy; in His economy, He desires to dispense Himself into us, His chosen people, so that He may be our life and everything, for us to become His corporate expression, even a corporate God-man that manifests God in the flesh.

Furthermore, when God gains such a corporate God-man, He also gains a corporate warrior that fights for God’s interests on earth to defeat the enemy and bring in the kingdom of God. Hallelujah!

We have the highest truths in the Bible in our hands and in the ministry books, and it is our privilege and responsibility to be in the truth, allow the truth to be wrought into us, have our experience uplifted by our enjoyment of Christ in His word, and speak the truth.

A good minister of Christ Jesus lays these things before the brothers; first, he is nourished with the words of the faith and of the good teaching which he closely follows, and then he ministers Christ as food to others for their nourishment.

Thank the Lord, the Bible is opened to us, and we can not only understand the truth in God’s word but even more, enjoy the divine dispensing of the Triune God as we come to His word!

There is a dispensing going on from God to man whenever we turn our heart to the Lord and exercise our spirit to come to the word of God.

As we daily remain under the divine dispensing and dive into the deeper truths in God’s word with much prayer and consideration, we are slowly and surely being constituted with the truth.

Then, we can speak to others this wonderful truth, even opening up the highest peaks of the divine revelation to others.

Both people in the world and many Christians today yearn for the deeper truths in God’s word.

May we be the good ministers of Christ Jesus who lay these things before them by ministering Christ into them for their nourishment, supply, and strengthening!

A Good Minister of Christ Puts Himself Aside to Keep the Absoluteness of the Truth

The church is the pillar and base of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15).

If we want to be good ministers of Christ Jesus, we need to keep the absoluteness of the truth, standing on the side of the truth and never lowering the truth according to our standard or condition.

A good minister of Christ sacrifices himself and puts himself aside in order to keep the absoluteness of the truth.

If we want to be good ministers of Christ, we need to realize that the truth in the Bible is the truth, and it cannot be lowered or diluted in order to fit our situation or match our condition.

No truth in the word of God should be entangled with our condition.

Today in this “post-truth world” people do not pay attention to the truth or worse, they have “their own truth”, that is, they have the truth that fits them, that works for them, and that is according to them. Oh, Lord!

In Christianity, many groups have their own truth, and unless you conform to their truth, you can’t be part of their “church” or “group.” Oh Lord Jesus!

We need to be absolute for the truth, not entangling our preferences, ideas, concepts, or condition with the truth.

We have to realize that it is not our experience that qualifies us to speak concerning a truth; truth is absolute in itself, and we need to speak the truth.

For example, David said that all men speak falsehood (Psa. 12:2); when he spoke this, he denied himself and did not consider himself as the one who speaks the truth.

Because the truth is absolute, we need to put ourselves aside to keep the absoluteness of the truth.

Our condition as individual believers and our situation as the church is not the truth; the truth is what the Bible reveals according to God’s New Testament economy.

If the truth is not something absolute for us, we don’t know God nor do we know God’s word.

Some people lower down the truth a little when they are wrong, so that the truth fits their situation and low condition; then, they lift up the truth a little when they are right, for their condition is better.

This means that they are like elevators: the truth goes up and down with them, according to their feelings and condition.

Brothers and sisters, only when we deal with ourselves can we maintain the truth.

A good minister of Christ puts himself aside to keep the absoluteness of the truth.

Look at the apostle Paul; most of his writings were from prison, but he never lowered the truth of God according to his situation, his condition, or his sufferings.

He never diluted the word of God in his writings, nor did he complain to God why doesn’t He save him from prison when He is almighty and the King.

We need to take the truth as our unique standard, even when we’re wrong.

We may be wrong in something, and the truth is exposing us; we should agree with the truth and come to the light.

Only the evil people do not come to the light, for they hate the light and fear that their deeds are exposed by the light (John 3:20).

But when we come to the light and allow the truth to shine in us and on us, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from every sin, and we have fellowship with one another in the light (1 John 1:7, 9).

No matter what changes in our situation, our condition, or our feelings, the truth is the truth.

And we as the church are the pillar and base of the truth.

A pillar is something immovable; it does not go from one place to the other, according to one’s preference.

A chair can be moved from one place to another, but a pillar is there to stand for a long time.

We need to be sober regarding the truth and not walk according to our feelings (John 17:17).

We need to stand on the side of the truth and even oppose ourselves, put ourselves aside, and deny ourselves, standing with the truth absolutely.

When we stand on the side of the truth, light shall shine.

But if we sacrifice the truth, forcing the truth to yield to us, thus lowering the standard of the truth to fit our situation, condition, or feeling, we are in darkness.

May we take the truth as the unique standard and have the courage that, if the Lord said such and such a thing, we are wrong and the Lord is right.

If we allow the truth to shine on us, expose us, condemn us, and show us that we are wrong, and if we agree with the Lord’s shining, we will receive new light, and we can advance with the Lord.

If we don’t sacrifice the light, the light of the Lord will uplift us.

If we go along with the truth, we are blessed. We are not up to the standard of the truth, but we put ourselves aside to keep the absoluteness of the truth.

The basis of us receiving the divine revelation is putting ourselves aside and receiving God’s shining, condemnation, and judging by His word.

If we reject the truth, however, and we maintain that we are right and God must be wrong, we will not receive light but rather, we deceive ourselves and live a lie. Oh, Lord.

On the one hand, we think we cannot speak the truth unless we have the experience of the truth.

On the other hand, we need to realize that the truth has nothing to do with us.

The truth is the truth, and we cannot sacrifice it.

The evil slave knows that the Lord is coming but says in his heart that the Lord delays; therefore, because he does not allow the truth of the Lord’s coming to uplift his living, he is disciplined at the Lord’s return (Matt. 24:48).

The evil slave knows the truth that God wants His talent to have an increase and be returned to Him with interest, but he doesn’t allow this truth to revolutionise his living but rather, hides his talent in the earth; therefore, at the Lord’s return, he is disciplined by the Lord (Matt. 25:25-28).

May we be those who do not lower the truth, ignore the truth, or dilute the truth but who allow the truth to uplift our experience and situation so that we may be according to God’s standard.

Lord Jesus, we love You and we love the truth! Hallelujah for the truth in the word of God! We say Amen to Your word. We put ourselves aside and we keep the absoluteness of the truth. Amen, Lord, Your word is pure, just, righteous, right, and true! We allow You to shine on us and expose our situation and condition. We refuse to lower the truth of God to our preferences, condition, and feelings. We stand on the side of the truth, we uphold the truth, and we want to be the pillar and base of the truth so that God may be manifested in the flesh. Amen, Lord, shine on us. Expose any darkness. Remove anything that the truth does not agree with. We take the truth in Your word as the unique standard for our Christian life. Lord, we are wrong and You are right! We take Your truth as our truth, and we let the truth expose and deal with anything that does not correspond to it in our being and in our living.

A Good Minister of Christ Exercises his Spirit to Reject the Self and Exalt Christ

A good minister of Christ is a good steward of the varied grace of God, one who speaks oracles of God for the glorification of God, the expression of God (1 Pet. 4:10-11; Eph. 1:6).

As believers in Christ, we enjoy Christ as grace, and this grace is varied, ready to meet all our needs.

As we enjoy the Lord as grace, this grace reigns in us and overflows through us.

The grace of God meets all our needs, even in our sufferings; though we may be in pain and suffering, grace uplifts us, causes us to overcome, and brings us on with the Lord.

Even more, as we experience and enjoy the grace of God, we speak oracles of God for the glorification of God.

As we do this, however, we do not express ourselves (1 Thes. 2:6; John 5:41, 44) but rather, we exercise our spirit to reject the self and preach Jesus Christ as Lord.

It is easy to speak the truth when we are constituted with it, and it is natural for us to speak something and express ourselves as we do so. Oh, Lord Jesus!

Many times we may speak the truth but the flavor of our speaking is our self, our natural man, for the truth is tainted with what we are by nature and disposition.

May the Lord save us from speaking the truth with the aroma of the self or by expressing ourselves.

May we continually exercise our spirit to reject the self, not preaching ourselves but exalting Christ as Lord and considering ourselves as a slave to serve the believers (2 Cor. 4:5; Lev. 14:9; 1 Cor. 10.31; Isa. 43:7).

We do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord.

He is the Lord, He is the truth, He is the Head, and He is everything. We are simply His slaves.

We uphold and keep the absoluteness of the truth, and we reject ourselves, preaching Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as His slaves.

A slave does not argue or bargain with his master; if we take Christ as Lord and consider the saints before Him, we will serve them as slaves.

A slave never complains; a slave serves the master and does everything to please the master.

When it comes to the matter of speaking for the Lord, we shouldn’t be introspective nor should we lower the standard of the truth to fit our situation.

Rather, we need to keep the absoluteness of the truth, and we need to realize that the Lord needs to be expressed and glorified, not us.

May the Lord have mercy on us to show us that so many times we speak in such a way that others give us glory and praise.

Many times we like to please others and be praised by them, so we speak in a certain way.

This is spiritual leprosy, which needs to be cleansed from our being.

As good ministers of Christ Jesus, we need to “shave” our natural man, our flesh, and any manifestations of the self and the flesh.

Things such as our self-assumed honor, our excellencies, our merits, our virtues, and anything that issues from our natural birth, including our natural strength and ability need to be shaved off by the razor of the cross.

We need to realize we are nothing, we can do nothing, and we can speak nothing apart from the Lord.

Without the application of the cross to our natural being, all kinds of natural manifestations will come out.

Before we come to serve, pray, and speak the word of God, we need to exercise our spirit to reject the self and exalt Christ, considering Him as Lord and we as slaves to serve others with Christ.

Lord Jesus, we want to be good ministers of Christ Jesus, good stewards of the varied grace of God. Amen, Lord, may our speaking and our living express You. May we be those who speak the oracles of God for the glorification of God, the expression of God. We open to You, Lord, concerning our speaking to others and in the meetings of the church. We do not want to seek our own glory to express ourselves. We exercise our spirit to reject the self and preach Christ. Oh Lord, we are nothing, we can do nothing, and we have nothing to speak or give to others; we stand for the truth, we keep the absoluteness of the truth, and we preach Christ Jesus as Lord! Amen, Jesus Christ is Lord, and we are His slaves to serve the saints with the riches of Christ in His word. We exercise our spirit, Lord, and we apply the cross to our natural man, our self, and to all the manifestation of the old man. We just want to express You in our speaking and in our living.

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 57, ch. 12, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Living and Serving According to God’s Economy Concerning the Church (2023 fall ITERO), week 6, entitled, A Good Minister of Christ.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – Living a Godly Life, a portion via, The Church of God (Singapore).
  – The absoluteness of the truth, a portion from, The Character of the Lord’s Worker, Chapter 8, by Watchman Nee.
  – Walk the Divine Nature in New Jerusalem, via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – Spiritual deviations – the truth between two extremes, article via, Affirmation and Critique.
  – Can You Lose Your Salvation? Read more via, Bibles for America blog.
  – The way to be God’s vessel, a portion from, Messages Given During the Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry (2 volume set), Chapter 3, by Watchman Nee/Witness Lee.
  – How can we discern dissenting speakings? Read more via, Living to Him.
  – What is the Grace of God and How Can You Enjoy It? Read more via, Holding to Truth in Love.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – We limit not the truth of God / To our poor reach of mind, / By notions of our day and sect, / Crude, partial and confined. / Now let a new and better hope / Within our hearts be stirred: / The Lord hath yet more light and truth / To break forth from His Word. (Hymns #817 stanza 1)
  – The truth should triumph and be king, / And freedom should be queen; / But falsehood, which has rampant run, / Head of the world be seen. / We ask Thee, Truth, to quickly come / And bring Thy light from heav’n; / The foe be crushed and all Thy sons / Into Thy bosom giv’n. (Hymns #960 stanza 8)
  – Have Thine own way, Lord, / Have Thine own way; / Wounded and weary, / Help me, I pray. / Power, all power, / Surely is Thine, / Touch me and heal me, / Savior divine. / Have Thine own way, Lord, / Have Thine own way; / Hold o’er my being / Absolute sway. / Fill with Thy Spirit / Till all shall see / Christ only, always, / Living in me. (Hymns #449 stanzas 3-4)