Four Generations Reproducing, Life Without End

Today’s Key Verses for Pray-reading

2 Timothy 2:1

You therefore, my child, be empowered in the grace which is in Christ Jesus,

2 Timothy 2:2

And the things which you have heard from me through many witnesses, these commit to faithful men, who will be competent to teach others also.

2 Timothy 2:3

Suffer evil with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:4

No one serving as a soldier entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please the one who enlisted him.

2 Timothy 2:5

And also if anyone contends in the games, he is not crowned unless he contends lawfully.

2 Timothy 2:6

The laboring farmer must be the first to partake of the fruit.

2 Timothy 2:15

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman, cutting straight the word of the truth.

Today’s Prayer Burden

Four generations reproducing, life without end! Be empowered in grace to be witnesses of the truth and faithful people who can teach others. Fight as good soldiers, run as competitors, labor patiently as farmers, and rightly divide the word of truth as workmen. Impart truth, life, and practice from one generation to another, so that new ones produce new ones and disciples reproduce disciples, until the vital groups multiply everywhere as the reality of the Body of Christ!

Today’s Prayer

Lord, may all our companions, as they run the course, be witnesses and teachers, and also reproducers of God’s economy. May all three aspects of God’s economy—truth, life, and practice—be multiplied and reproduced without end, and may the new ones produced become faithful people who can teach others. Lord, strengthen every one who is practicing. In this reproduction, make us good soldiers who fight against different teachings, competitors who outrun spreading corruption, farmers who sow the seeds of life with endurance and bear fruit, and workmen who present and shine forth God’s word fully, ultimately, and without distortion. May we not only be nourished but also become those who supply others. In season and out of season, may we proclaim the Lord’s word, so that the word of today’s ministry may be passed on without end.

Brothers and sisters, may we become a people who are one with the Lord—not only in what we see, but also in vision, action, living, progress, the gospel, shepherding, reproduction, spreading to the whole earth, and preparing the bride. Lord, enlarge the sphere in which we are one with You. Make us one with our brothers and sisters: one vertically and one horizontally. This is the reality of the Body and the means for its action; it is also what You intend to gain at the end of this age. May we be one with God and one with the brothers and sisters, living and full of power, filling the whole earth.

May all the churches practice the vital groups district by district, meeting hall by meeting hall, and church by church. May we not be satisfied with speaking in general terms, but focus on reproducing God’s New Testament economy in people: beginning with sons of peace, continuing from saved brothers and sisters to companions who multiply and increase, and then producing disciples who also reproduce others, without end. Lord, may every vessel be a father who can teach, a soldier in the battle, a runner in the race, a laboring farmer, and a workman who rightly divides the truth. May we labor together for continual reproduction from one generation to another. May people be reproduced in God’s economy, with the word of truth rightly divided and wrought into them, producing this result!

O Lord, show us that the “multiplication and reproduction” in 2 Timothy 2 is not organizational succession. It is the passing on of truth, life, practice, and testimony, and the reproduction of shepherding. The four generations are in 2 Timothy 2:2: what Timothy heard from Paul in the presence of many witnesses, he was to commit to “faithful men, who will be competent to teach others also.” At least four generations are here: Paul → Timothy → faithful people competent to teach → others. Reproduction takes place through testimony, shepherding, teaching, and entrusting, producing generation after generation of people who can continue to teach others.

Amen. Reproduction is founded on being empowered in grace! Lord, show us that 2 Timothy 2:1 charges Timothy to be empowered in grace—not by knowledge or gifts, but by God’s supply in life. The more we are empowered in grace, the more we can testify and teach others, becoming Your reproduction. The practice of reproduction requires training, like training in a home. In 2 Timothy 2, reproducers are described as soldiers, competitors, farmers, and workmen. Reproduction is not merely hearing messages; it is being trained to become faithful and competent to teach others. In the process we suffer evil together, avoid being entangled with worldly affairs, labor patiently, and rightly divide the word of truth. In this way reproduction continues without end.

Lord, show us that the goal of multiplication is to produce disciples. Wherever we serve, may we produce disciples and raise up people who can continue shepherding and teaching others, so that the building up of the Body of Christ may advance without end and God the Father may be glorified. The multiplication in 2 Timothy 2 is reproduction through shepherding, as practiced by Paul: entrusting what has been heard, bearing testimony, and committing it to faithful people who can teach others, so that new ones may also reproduce others.

Lord, may our church life be meaningful and attractive to people. May the vital groups be attractive, elevated, beautiful, and full of depth. Lord, keep our church life from becoming routine, stale, or merely repetitive. May each day be new, continually flourishing and revived.

Ministry Fellowship

Perfecting others

Paul was an apostle and one who perfected others. He perfected Timothy, a young man, equipping him with a good deposit and making him qualified to perfect others. In 2 Timothy 2:2, the first-generation perfecting one charged the second-generation perfecting one to perfect people of the third generation. (The Practice and Exercise of the God-ordained Way, message 23, “The Perfecting in the Small Group Meetings”)

Teaching others the truth

God has an economy: through a process, He dispenses Himself into His chosen and redeemed people so that they may be joined to Him, become one, and be constituted as the Body of Christ to express God on earth. The saints should learn this truth thoroughly—not only understanding it, but becoming able to teach it fluently to new ones. After several months of teaching in home meetings, every new one should also be able to teach others. Before long, many will know this mysterious truth and all the truths in the whole Bible. This is what we mean by the deposit of the truth. The truth includes all the riches of God, with light, life, power, and spiritual things. When we teach others the truth, they are naturally nourished and supplied with life and can grow in life. (Promoting the New Way in the Lord’s Recovery, message 3, “The Commission of Practicing the New Way”)

Advancing corporately

This ministry is strictly for the building up of the Body of Christ. Whoever we are, whether taking the lead or following, we are working to carry out the ministry of the New Testament economy and build up the Body of Christ. We do not advance by ourselves; we advance with others and even bring others along with us. As we move forward, we need to bring others forward too. By speaking for Christ, teaching, and shepherding, we bring others along in the advance. (A Book for New Believers, week 5, “The New Testament Ministry and the Begetting, Nourishing, Perfecting, and Building”)

Training in teaching, shepherding, and preaching the gospel

I hope to point out once again that the churches need a certain kind of practical training. We need to be trained in teaching, shepherding, and preaching the gospel. Through this training the saints will learn how to function as apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. When we function in these ways, we have one goal: the building up of the Body of Christ. When we have a share in the work of the ministry for the building up of the Body, we attain to practical oneness, to a full-grown man, and to the completion of the building up of the Body of Christ. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 447–448)

Four steps for the saints to build up the Body of Christ

We can summarize the light the Lord has given us concerning the New Testament way for believers to meet and serve in four steps. First, you must go out personally to contact people, preach the gospel to save sinners, and bring them to God as an offering. Second, nourish and care for the new believers; this is not the exclusive responsibility of elders and co-workers but the duty of every saint. Third, teach and perfect others. Gifted ones do not merely perfect people themselves; after being perfected by gifted ones, you should become one who can perfect others too. Therefore, you should go and perfect and teach others, so that every brother and sister can function. Fourth, prophesy. Paul says that you can all prophesy one by one (1 Cor. 14:31), and he also says, “If all prophesy” (1 Cor. 14:24), showing that this can be practiced. Moreover, among these four steps, prophesying is the highest function.

The new way is practical

The new way is indeed practicable. Under the leading of these four steps, the churches in the Lord’s recovery live a life of preaching the gospel, nourishing, teaching, and prophesying. I absolutely believe that ultimately the Lord will gain a full recovery. The truth is the truth, and there is only one organic way. If you do not take this way of meeting and service, there is no other way to take. Everything is set before us today. We should strive, and we should have the conviction within us that this way is of the Lord and that He will surely gain a full recovery. May the Lord have mercy on us. (The Priesthood of the Gospel of the New Testament, message 9, “The Recovery of the New Testament Priesthood of the Gospel”)

The goal of our practice should be to live a God-man life

The highest family life, married life, and social life all come from this kind of living. This life is the church life and the life of the Body of Christ; it is the reality of the Body of Christ. If we live this way, we will surely go out to contact people and preach the gospel. The vital groups should not be practiced as a mere form; they should be groups of people who live this kind of life. By living such a God-man life, we will save people, edify them, establish local churches, and even build up the Body of Christ. (Perfecting Training Course—The God-ordained Way (1), lesson 1, “The Vision of the God-ordained Way—Entering into a New Revival”)

Strengthening the vital groups

We must do everything we can to strengthen the vital groups. We should spend every drop of blood, every ounce of strength, and every minute of our time to make the vital groups beautiful, elevated, and attractive. This is the one thing we should emphasize for gaining people. Many things can attract people, but nothing is as effective as the vital groups. (Perfecting Training Course—The God-ordained Way (1), lesson 12, “The Atmosphere of Love Needed in Contacting People”)