God, I just can't do it.

Witness Lee speaking on radio:

Prog # 64 of Life Study of Exodus

" Apart From the Living God the Law Becoming the Killing Letters"

http://www.lsmradio.com/audio/exodus.html

Originally posted by kevinlee123
The New Testament. tells us that the church is of God (Acts 12:5, 20:28; 1 Cor. 1:2), the church is of Christ (Rom. 16:16), and the church is of the saints (1 Cor. 14:33, 1 Thes. 1:1, 2 Thes. 1:1). Never are the churches referred to as the churches of this teacher or that leader. So, although we highly value the testimony and ministry of Watchman Nee and ...[text shortened]... ours” (1 Cor. 1:2) regardless of where they meet or how they may otherwise identify themselves.

Kevin, I have been looking for this matter of who does belong to for awhile. Thanks.

Do you remember where you got this paragraph ?

Originally posted by sonship
Kevin, I have been looking for this matter of who does belong to for awhile. Thanks.

Do you remember where you got this paragraph ?

I got this paragraph from a brother in response to a inquirer.

http://an-open-letter.org/comments/#comment-919142282

Originally posted by sonship
..Tell me about how easy it is to keep these commands of Jesus.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
(1 John 5:2-3 KJV)

Originally posted by Rajk999

(1 John 5:2-3 KJV)[/b]

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: [b]and his commandments are not grievous.

This is a magnificent verse. And the reason why His commandments are not grievous is given in the very next sentence which you did not quote.

" ,,, and His commandments are not burdensome, For everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world - our faith." (3b,4)

Everything that has been begotten of God is the regenerated human spirit that has been begotten of God.

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6)

So the "everything" that has been born of God is my human spirit. It is not my human soul. To keep the commands of Jesus I have to turn to my spirit. I have to first discern my spirit from my soul and set my mind upon the spirit where the Spirit of Jesus is.

The realization that the victory is by turning to the spirit is the realization that I cannot make it in my soul. For my soul is not that which is born of the God. My spirit is born of God.

So the Lord is with my spirit

" The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." (Romans 8:16)

To this part of me it is not grievous to follow the Lord because the life of the Lord is within me there.

"The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you." (2 Timothy 4:22)

In his part of me it is not grievous to obey the Lord because the Lord with His life is with my spirit. And the grace, the enjoyment of my being blended with the Lord is therefore with my spirit.

I must discern and exercise this deepest part of my being - my regenerated spirit. This has been begotten of God and overcomes the world.

" The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." (Phil. 4:23)

I cannot make it in myself, in my soul apart from turning deep within to my regenerated spirit. With my spirit is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So I serve God with my spirit where the Spirit of Christ is one spirit with me.

" For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son ..." (Romans 1:9a)

It is not grievous to serve God in my spirit because there I am blended with God Himself. God lives out from me in an organic union.

" He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit " (1 Cor. 6:17)

In myself I cannot serve God. In my fallen soul I cannot obey His commandments very well. And if I do, it only causes pride and self improvement.

My victory is in turning to the spirit where the Spirit of Jesus has begotten me, is one with me, has His grace with me, and where the divine life that overcomes the world lives in me.

From Life Study of Exodus by Witness Lee, Msg 70, Living Stream Ministry, pgs 830,831

http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?n

II. THE ALTAR AND THE SACRIFICES
FOR THE WORSHIP OF GOD INDICATING
THAT FALLEN MAN NEEDS TO BE REDEEMED,
TERMINATED, AND REPLACED BY CHRIST
WITH HIS CROSS

According to 20:24-26, the altar and sacrifices for the worship of God indicate that in order to worship God fallen man must be redeemed, terminated, and replaced. God requires man to worship Him through an altar and with a sacrifice. Furthermore, the one who worships God must lay his hand on the head of the sacrifice and thereby identify himself with it. The sacrifice is then slain and placed on the altar. All this indicates that fallen man needs to be redeemed, terminated, and replaced by Christ with His cross. We are redeemed and terminated by the altar, but we are replaced by Christ.

Before we can appreciate these matters, we need to realize that we are sinners and that our case is hopeless. If we were not sinners, there would have been no need for God to redeem us. If we were not hopeless, God would not require that we be terminated and replaced. The fact that we need redemption, termination, and replacement indicates that we are sinful and hopeless.

It is wrong for a brother to expect his wife to improve. Instead, recognizing that her case is hopeless, he should see that her need is not improvement but termination. We are all a hopeless case, and the case of our husband or wife is likewise hopeless. Thus, we should accept the fact that we need to be terminated. But after we are terminated by the cross, we enter into resurrection, and in resurrection we can be replaced by Christ. A brother needs to see that his wife cannot improve, but she can be replaced by Christ. Likewise, a sister should not pray that the Lord will improve her husband. This kind of prayer is merely ethical and religious. Rather, she should pray, “Lord, I thank You that You are able to replace my husband with Yourself. I ask You, Lord, to replace him.”

The altar and the sacrifices imply redemption, termination, and replacement. Furthermore, as we have indicated, the need for redemption indicates that we are sinful, and the need for termination indicates that we are a hopeless case. Whenever I read of the altar and the sacrifices, I see Christ, my replacement, with His cross. Now I can say, “Praise the Lord that even though I am sinful, I have been redeemed, and even though I am hopeless, I can be terminated and replaced. Lord, I thank You that the process of being replaced by You is still going on, and one day it will be completed. The time is coming when I shall be fully replaced by You.”