In this issue of The Ministry, we include a collection of short messages spoken by Brother Lee at different times and in different places throughout the United States between 1969 and 1972 concerning migration. These messages emphasize the twofold need in the Lord’s recovery in this country: to build up a strong, large, and adequate testimony in a metropolitan city as a center, and from such a center to spread the church life to the strategic cities throughout the whole country. Following this are six messages from the Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Hebrews, which were given in the Living Stream Ministry’s Summer Training of 1998. The major crystals presented during this time of training can be expressed in the following statements: The believers in Christ should be river crossers following the Lord Jesus, the Pioneer and Forerunner, into the glorious expression of the Divine Being; Christ, as the Captain of salvation, is leading God’s many sons into glory, the corporate expression of God, by saving them organically through sanctification; Christ, our High Priest, ministers to us whatever we need, dispensing Himself into us as our supply for the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose; and we need to be brought on to maturity, pursuing toward the fullest enjoyment and gaining of Christ for the uttermost enjoyment of Christ in the millennial kingdom. Lastly, we include a number of letters of appreciation concerning The Stream magazine in the Spanish language (El Manantial). Due to necessary adjustments in the schedule for producing this magazine, we are combining the August and September issues.

In this issue we will continue the four lines of ministry that began in the first issue of Ministry Digest (vol. 1, no. 1). The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--continues with chapters 4 through 7 of The Vital Groups, which covers an important development in the history of the practices in the Lord's recovery--the practice of meeting according to vital groups. These chapters are in volume 5 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997, and they speak of being the new creation to become God's oracle for His dispensing and spreading, the great commission of Christ in resurrection, and shepherding and teaching in the vital groups. The second line--Words for New Believers--continues with chapters 15 through 18 of Basic Lessons on Life, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1979. These chapters speak of the sense of the spirit and knowing the spirit, the human spirit, the exercise of the spirit generally, and the exercise of the spirit unto godliness specifically. The third line--Maturing in Life--continues with chapters 13 through 16 of Knowing Life and the Church, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1953. These chapters speak of the spiritual requirements of a Christian and the standard for testing these requirements, the reality of the church and the experience of the cross, God's work of redemption being the mingling of God and man, and the matter of all service being initiated by God. The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--continues with the final chapter of The God-man Living, which is in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. This chapter speaks of the living of Christ, the first God-man, as a man of prayer. The line then continues with chapters 1 through 3 of a new book, The Application of the Interpretation of the New Jerusalem to the Seeking Believers, which are in volume 3 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. These chapters focus on the spiritual significance and base of the New Jerusalem and the spiritual application of its gates, wall, and foundations.

This issue of The Ministry contains a complete record of the six messages given during the Memorial Day weekend conference held in St. Paul, Minnesota, May 25-28, 2007. The general subject of the conference was "Caring for the Present Need in the Lord's Recovery," and the main burden of the conference can be summarized by the following four statements: (1) We must walk in the truth of the economy of God, realize the recovery of the Lord, and stay away from death and division. (2) We need to know the present truth, uphold the absoluteness of the truth, and be constituted with the truth for the church as the pillar and base of the truth. (3) The ground of oneness is the processed and consummated Triune God applied to our being, and the essence of the genuine oneness is life and light. (4) We must receive the Lord's mercy to be His overcomers who bring in a new revival to turn the age in the Lord's recovery by arriving at the highest peak of the divine revelation, by living the life of a God-man, and by shepherding people according to God in the vital groups for the building up of the Body of Christ. Last of all, we include a report concerning the International Blending Conference in Buzias, Romania.

This issue of The Ministry presents the last nine messages given during the 2005 spring term of the full-time training in Anaheim, California. The general subject of this series of messages is entitled "Noah, Daniel, and Job--Patterns of Living an Overcoming Life on the Line of Life to Fulfill the Economy of God." Noah, Daniel, and Job were selected to be the subject of this series of messages based upon two verses from Ezekiel 14. Verse 14 says, "Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of it, they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness, declares the Lord Jehovah." Verse 20 is similar: "Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the midst of it, as I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, they could not deliver even a son or daughter; they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness." It is clear that these three men are singled out for their righteousness. There are four aspects of righteousness, all of which are deeply and intrinsically woven into what is signified by the lives of these three persons. First, righteousness is to be right with all things, matters, and persons according to God's righteous requirement. Second, righteousness is the expression in our living of the Christ who dwells in us as the life-giving Spirit. Third, righteousness is a matter of being altogether right with the throne of God's administration. God's throne is established upon righteousness (Psa. 89:14). Fourth, righteousness is a matter of our being constituted with the righteousness of God, of our becoming crystal clear and transparent. We are becoming the righteousness of God in Christ. This righteousness in its four aspects is directly related to the Triune God Himself and, in particular, to the Triune God in the carrying out of His divine economy. Last of all, we include a report concerning the Lord's move in Romania.

This issue of The Ministry contains a complete record of the messages given during the Memorial Day weekend conference held in Houston, Texas, May 27-30, 2005. The general subject of the conference was entitled "The All-inheriting Vision of the Age," and the main burden of the conference can be summarized by the following four statements: 1) the vision that the Lord has given His recovery is an all-inclusive vision--the all-inheriting vision of the age; 2) the governing vision of the Bible is the Triune God working Himself into His redeemed people for the producing and building up of the Body of Christ consummating in the New Jerusalem; 3) the goal of God's economy is the enlarged, universal, divine-human incorporation of the consummated God with the regenerated believers; and 4) to live and serve God according to the vision of the age in the ministry of the age is to live out and work out the New Jerusalem. Last of all, we include a report concerning the Lord's move in Grenada.

In this issue of The Ministry, Brother Lee speaks about some of the practical steps in implementing the new way, particularly in relation to the gospelization of Taiwan. This is an unprecedented task and a glorious enterprise. For a purpose like this, there is the need of a schedule and a plan. As long as we are human beings, we need schedules and budgets. In the Gospels and Acts, we find that both the Lord and the disciples worked with plans and arrangements. In His move on the earth, the Lord had not only a schedule but also an itinerary, according to which He carried out His New Testament service and fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. Our plan is to visit the communities and campuses and build up the home meetings through prayer, the full-time service of one out of twenty saints, and the financial support from the remaining nineteen. The next three messages conclude the Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Hebrews given in the winter training of 1998. Message Twenty-two focuses on the crystals concerning the church in the book of Hebrews, which include the church as the living composition of the many sons of God, a corporate partnership with Christ, the house of God, the Sabbath rest, the new covenant and the heavenly New Jerusalem, the unshakable kingdom, and God’s flock. Message Twenty-three stresses the crucial matter of the Christian life being a race; we must run this race to receive the prize, the incorruptible crown, which the Lord will award to His overcoming saints who win the race. Message Twenty-four shows us that the goal and ultimate conclusion of the book of Hebrews is that we would enter within the veil and go outside the camp. The more we are in our spirit, enjoying the heavenly Christ, the more we will come outside the camp of religion, following the suffering Jesus. In the last section, we include a report from Armenia and Slovakia.

In this issue of The Ministry we include the final six messages from the Spring 2002 International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones held in Anaheim, California. The general subject of the training was knowing the Body. Three messages were on the specific topic of knowing the Body—the building up of the Body, and the last three messages were practical fellowship concerning the functioning of the elders. Under the topic of knowing the Body--the building up of the Body, the first message emphasizes that as we grow up into Christ, the Head, in all things, our function will come out from the Head for the building up of the Body of Christ. The second message points out what the living and service of the Body of Christ is. The living of the Body of Christ includes: 1) taking Christ as its Head, life, content, principal object, center, and goal, 2) having the Spirit as its essence and reality and taking the Spirit as its secret and effectiveness, 3) taking the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ as its regulation, and 4) taking life and the Body as the principle. The service of the Body of Christ is living, organic, and particular, with each member receiving a particular burden from the Lord to fulfill his own service. The third message reveals the divine commission according to the heavenly vision for the increase and building up of the Body. Under the topic of practical fellowship concerning the functioning of the elders, the first message speaks about the position and function of the elders. The second message points out that the elders are slaves, and as such they must have the spirit of a slave, the spirit of sacrifice. The third message stresses that the main responsibility of the eldership is the shepherding of the saints into the intrinsic aspect of the church, the Body. Last of all, we include reports concerning the Lord's move in the former Soviet Union and among the young people in Europe.