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A Wonderful JourneyMy background of growing up in a family with a very liberal outlook on spiritual matters and a high regard for scholastic attainment and musical prowess, caused me to have no true realization of what a Christian was. My dad was a scientist who believed that God was our Creator, so that was also my belief. Twice I attempted to read the Bible from beginning to end. During my first reading I became frustrated with all the “meaningless” details in Exodus concerning how to assemble the materials for and build the tabernacle. The second time of reading I made it through the “how to”, but then came to the actual process of building it. I laid the Bible aside. A number of years later at age 25, I appeared to be well-adjusted, happy, and successful, but inwardly I was in total despair. I cried out to God, “What am I supposed to do? I can't bear living and neither can I die.” A thought came to me; “You're haywire inside.” I told God. “If I'm haywire inside, You have to do something about that because I can't--You're my Creator.” Nothing unusual happened except that I was able to go back to bed and sleep. But as I've looked back on that encounter with God, I've thanked Him again and again for starting me on a wonderful journey. In the months that followed I talked to God a lot. I hardly ever had talked to Him before. Even I wanted my first pregnancy and delivery to be according to Him. No one taught me to desire that way. A friend had invited me to attend an interdenominational Bible study several times. Finally I went; I heard speaking from the Word that caused a response in me that was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I wanted more and signed up to be in a small group meeting that summer. Unknown to me the book we would study was Exodus. I was amazed to find out that all those details in the tabernacle were full of spiritual meaning and that the tabernacle itself was a type, or picture, of Christ. Many years later in my journey I would read books by both Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, that would unveil even more fully the significance of the tabernacle and its contents. How faithful the Lord is to supply us with the living truth! In June 1971 my husband and I attended the 1st five days of a conference with Witness Lee on the books of Revelation and Ezekiel. My experience with the Lord had become somewhat puzzling to me, and I really didn't know how to go on. I had been praying for several months for light personally and also for what the Lord wanted of us as a couple. Neither of us was satisfied with our current experience of gathering with other believers. We had been attending a non-denominational church and had been involved in an interdenominational Bible study, but felt that something was off, and we didn't know what. During the first two conference meetings, I couldn't understand Witness Lee because of his accent, but by the third meeting I was catching on to what he was saying and was so supplied inwardly that I wept for joy. As a result of those meetings and the wonderful care and fellowship with those hosting that conference we returned to Washington State, both having decided to visit the local churches enjoying the ministry of Witness Lee. One year later we moved to Seattle to take part in the local church there. What a tremendous blessing it has been to read and listen to the ministry of Witness Lee! Our realization is that his ministry is a continuation of Watchman Nee's ministry and that Watchman Nee's ministry issued from and is the same in essence as the ministry of the apostles in the New Testament. I enjoy seeing God's eternal plan in Watchman Nee's and Witness Lee's ministry. God's plan is to come into man so man can have His divine life and partake of His divine nature (John 3:16; 2 Peter 1:4) so that men can express Him corporately. (Genesis 1:26) Not only are we seeing God's economy, but also we are experiencing His filling according to His economy daily (Ephesians 3:19). This morning I was supplied within by the following verse and footnote from 1 John 2:29 (Recovery Version): “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness also has been begotten of Him.” Footnote 6 says: “This is not to do righteousness occasionally and purposely as some particular act but to practice righteousness habitually and unintentionally as a common daily living. It is the same in 3:7. This is a spontaneous living that issues from the divine life within us, with which we have been begotten of the righteous God. Hence, it is a living expression of God, who is righteous in all His deeds and acts. It is not just an outward behavior but the manifestation of the inward life; not just an act of purpose but the flow of life from within the divine nature, of which we partake. This is the first condition of the life that abides in the Lord. It is all due to the divine birth, which is indicated by the word has been begotten of Him and the title Children of God in the succeeding verse (3:1).” For now, I am happy that my journey with the Lord has brought me to be with other believers in oneness as the church meeting on the ground of our locality. My anticipation ultimately is that through drinking the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13), who is even intensified sevenfold in Revelation (Revelation 4:5, 5:6; Isaiah 30:26), all of us believers will be filled and become God's corporate expression for eternity, the New Jerusalem. (Revelation 21:10-11) Ann Bond | Back to List |
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