In this issue of The Ministry, we continue to see that what the Bible reveals is not the improvement of our behavior but the salvation of God. Man’s salvation is God Himself; that is, God saves us not only by His power and His work but also by coming into us to be our salvation. Since God as our salvation comes to us freely by grace, we should not bring anything to Him except an empty heart. If we come to God, we should put ourselves aside, contact Him, let Him do everything according to the law of the Spirit of life, and give thanks and offer praises to Him. Then, as a result, we become one with Him, and what we live out will be something not of ourselves but of God’s nature. We have also included the first six messages of the Crystallization-study of Revelation held in the winter of 1999 in Long Beach, California. Message One covers two crystals: the temple with the ark and the principle of the man-child. The temple with the ark governs what is unveiled in Revelation 12—22 and relates to God’s expression through His building. The principle of the man-child is that God will choose a group of overcomers who will attain to His purpose and fulfill His demand. Message Two indicates strongly that the book of Revelation is a book on the overcomers, the man-child, God’s dispensational instrument to bring Christ’s kingdom to the earth. Message Three, concerning the firstfruits, the harvest, and the late overcomers, gives a complete view of the coming rapture. To be raptured is to be taken into the Lord’s presence; in order to be taken into the Lord’s presence, we must be in His presence today. Message Four unveils the source and essence of Babylon the Great—religious and material, and Message Five reveals the principle of Babylon. Message Six presents the marriage of the Lamb as the issue of the completion of God’s New Testament economy. Last of all, we include reports concerning the Lord’s continuing move through the radio broadcast in London, England and a recent conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

In this issue we will continue four lines of ministry. The first line--The History of the Lord's Recovery--begins a new book, The Apostles' Teaching, which is in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1990. This line includes chapters 1 through 4, which cover the entire speaking of God in the New Testament concerning God's New Testament economy and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the baptizing of all the believers into one Body. The second line--Words for New Believers--contains chapters 54 through 57 of Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 6, which are in volume 4 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1932–1949. These chapters cover the subjects of the world, sin, death and resurrection, and judgment. The third line--Maturing in Life--contains chapters 45 through 48 of The Kingdom, which are in volume 2 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1972. These chapters cover the kingdom revealed in Hebrews, the harvest of the kingdom in Revelation, different aspects of the kingdom, and life under the ruling of the kingdom. The fourth line--The High Peak of the Divine Revelation--continues with chapters 18 through 21 of Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans, which are in volume 1 of The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994–1997. These chapters cover the designation of Christ's humanity and the grace of God.

This is a special combined issue (July/August 2005) of The Ministry. It contains a complete record of the messages given in Anaheim, California, during the 2005 Summer Training on the Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Song of Songs 7--8. Ten messages were given on 1 and 2 Thessalonians and two messages were given on Song of Songs 7--8. The relationship between these books is remarkable: At an intrinsic level, the crystals in Song of Songs 7--8 interface beautifully with those in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In Song of Songs 7 we see the type of the deified lover of the Lord becoming His co-worker, working with Him for His Body. This matches what is revealed in 1 Thessalonians concerning Paul and the brothers as patterns [1:5]...Song of Songs 8 expresses in type the longing of the lover of the Lord to be raptured, hoping to be transfigured and praying for the Lord to make haste to come. This matches, in spirit, what is revealed particularly in 1 Thessalonians, which ends every chapter with the mention of the Lord's coming back (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:15-17; 5:23). The crucial truth and burden embodied in these twelve messages may be summarized in two sets of statements. The first set of four statements concerns the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians: (1) we need to see a vision of the church in God the Father with His life and nature and in the Lord Jesus Christ with all He is and has done; (2) faith as the nature and strength of the work, love as the motivation for and characteristic of labor, and hope as the source of endurance are the structure of a holy life for the church life; (3) to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls us into His kingdom and glory, is to live God and express God in our daily living by walking according to the mingled spirit; and (4) in order to live a holy life for the church life, we need to cooperate with God's operation to establish our heart blameless in holiness and to sanctify us wholly, with our spirit, soul, and body preserved complete. The second set of two statements concerns Song of Songs 7--8: (1) as we become the same as Christ in life, nature, expression, and function, we are qualified to work with Him for His Body; (2) as we trust in the Lord helplessly, depend on Him as our love and strength, and listen to His speaking, our hope is to be raptured through the redemption of our body, and our prayer is--"Come, Lord Jesus!" We include reports concerning the Lord's move in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, and concerning the need for a property in London. The Announcements section contains dates and locations for upcoming Living Stream Ministry trainings and conferences.

This issue of The Ministry presents the first 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 "Noah, Daniel, and Job--Patterns of Living an Overcoming Life on the Line of Life to Fulfill the Economy of God." In order to see the significance and intrinsic revelation of these three men in the Old Testament, we need to consider Ezekiel 14:14 and 20 which 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" and "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." The Triune God esteems these three men--Noah, Daniel, and Job--because they are patterns of living an overcoming life on the line of life to fulfill the economy of God. To present such patterns is the best way to foster, nurture, and cherish others in living a holy life for the church life and to promote, develop, and cultivate their growth in the divine life for the building up of the Body of Christ. We need such patterns of living an overcoming life. Last of all, we include a report concerning two recent trainings in West Africa.

This issue of The Ministry contains a complete record of the eight messages given during the International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones in Anaheim, California, held March 30--April 1, 2007. The general subject of the training was "Shepherding the Church of God as a Slave of God," which comes from Acts 20:28, where Paul charges the elders to "shepherd the church of God, which He obtained through His own blood." This is also our charge. Paul says that God purchased the church with His own blood and that we need to shepherd the church of God. In verse 19 Paul said that he served "the Lord as a slave with all humility and tears and trials." This is the pattern that we should follow. We need to shepherd the church of God as a slave of God, serving the Lord with all humility in all trials and even with tears so that we could be dispensing stewards of the grace of God for the building up of the Body. We also include a report concerning the 2007 European Young People's Conference held in Male Ciche, Poland.

This issue of The Ministry contains a complete record of the twelve messages given during the 2008 summer training on the "Crystallization-study of the Gospel of Luke," held June 30--July 5, in Anaheim, California. The crucial truth and burden embodied in these twelve messages may be summarized in the following two sets of statements: The highest standard of morality is the living of the Lord Jesus as the Man-Savior, whose life was a composition of God with the divine attributes and man with the human virtues to be the basic factor for His dynamic salvation. The Man-Savior's God-man living constituted a prototype for the reproduction of the God-man in the believers, who are reborn of the pneumatic Christ in their spirit and transformed by the pneumatic Christ in their soul. In order to be one with the Man-Savior in His God-man living, we need to sit at His feet and listen to His word so that we may be infused with His life for the expression of God and with His desire for our service to God unto the building of God. By praying ourselves into God, we are empowered in Christ to repudiate ourselves, renounce our material possessions, and follow the Man-Savior so that we may live in the reality of the economy of God to become rich toward God for the kingdom of God. We need to be today's ministers and witnesses by living and proclaiming the gospel--Christ as the jubilee of grace--for the accomplishing of God's eternal economy. If we lose our soul-life in this age and do not preserve it by lingering in the earthly and material things, we may participate in the rapture of the overcomers and stand before the Son of Man on Mount Zion. These messages are being published immediately following the training in order that they may benefit the saints who are participating in the many video trainings that are held throughout the earth.