My 'training' in the following two years - FTTPhD

After an intensive weekend. I had a real dealing with the Lord for a thing that had been bothering me for months. And now, I'm set free! By the time I was set free, I realised that it is needed for me to move on and put my consecration into actions now.

I have been considering to go to Germany, but recently I have a feeling that I must put this into an action plan. The reason why I did not manage to do it in the previous months after arriving in  Brighton is that I was not sure what kind of research I can do, and what is the direction of my next step after completing my degree, plus I had spent most of my time adjusting to my new church life in Kingston and trying to balance my research and church life. Everything was uncertain and chaotic, but by the end of May, I started having a relatively concrete idea what I can work on, what my research will be, and so forth.

The primary concern to go to Germany is always about the ability to get a job because it relates to the issue of visa and a way to make a living to support myself in Germany. I have seen so many saints leaving Germany because of the problems finding a job there. In order to equip myself with the skills needed for a job and for the gospel, several things I have in mind will need to be put into action.

First, I have to pick up my German again. Learning the language and understanding the culture will help me gain the real locals. Second, I have to complete my study in the following two years, which is challenging. This includes publishing papers, finishing data collection, analysing data, and writing up my thesis. The third one and probably the most important one about my human learning is the truth and the ministry. The truth is like a weapon, and the ministry makes the blind see. Therefore, concerning my study and human learning, I need to make a plan for these.

At the same time, I realise that I probably will not make it to the full-time training in the following years or even before the Lord's coming back. However, I realise the research job I'm doing is already a training to perfect me in various ways. It trains my character, it trains the weakest part of my being- my will. Additionally, it helps me restrict my emotion and properly trains my mind. The Lord has already provided me with a perfect environment to train my being. It is wonderful. I also have the saints from Kingston where I can join the service and practise church life. How wonderful. Hence, I regard the following two years of PhD as my full-time training and I am going to design my course as follows.

1. German lessons
My goal is to pass the B1 exam in June in 2019. I have around 30 mins in the morning for listening to German class and doing some practices. I just started at the beginner's level so I assume I will need more time when I reach a higher level. I've preserved 50 mins for German studying in my schedule. Of course, I also set my short-term goal to reach A1 and A2 level by self-examination.

2. The Truth 
It is hard to tell how much I have known about the truth since I've been following the church life for a long time and have attended various training since I was a young person. Therefore, I will try to make the schedule simple so that I can follow along with my PhD study.

a. Bible reading 

A chapter a day as a base along with footnotes.

b. Prophesying on the Lord's day
This will help me be constituted with truth and follow tightly with the flow. It will also help my morning revival during the weekdays with an aim to prophesy instead of passively enjoying the Lord.

c. The crucial points of the truth
I appreciate the church in London has made the crucial points ready for me. All I have to do is to dig in and absorb all the riches in the Word.

d. Services
- Bible study in Sussex University
- Tea service + children's service
- Shepherding people by appointments (maintain the current schedule)
- Other potential blending and so forth

3. Complete my PhD with three papers
- paper one- the literature review
- paper two- data collection with small entrepreneurship
- paper three- cognitive frames in small businesses
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Of course, I've been building my characters for a proper human living. I just need to really reach these goals so that I can get myself ready for the Lord's move in Germany.

Thank my dear sister Ieva. May we find Him in our two years of training in our individual pathway. Oh Christ!

An Education for the Spread of the Lord’s Recovery

Brother Witness Lee spoke many times about the importance of education. However, as many of us pursue higher degrees and further training, we may begin to lose sight of why we set out to obtain such an education in the first place. In A Blessed Human Life, Brother Witness Lee touches on these points and reminds us that everything we do should be with a view to the Lord’s move on the earth.

You all are studying hard, longing for and striving toward successfully completing your education. For this, I ask the Lord to bless you all that each one of you may be successful in completing your education. However, I would ask you, after you have completed your education, what are you going to do?

The Bible says that among God’s people there were great resolutions in heart, and there were also great searchings of heart (Judg. 5:15-16). For whom did they have great resolutions and great searchings? A person of aspiration, though he lives on the earth, always turns his heart to the Lord. We should have great resolutions in heart and great searchings of heart toward God. May all the young people, starting from today, be willing to have great resolutions and great searchings of heart. May today be the day that you have a great resolve and make a great plan. Some may ask, what is the purpose of having a great resolve and a great searching? It is to live for God on the earth. [Living for God] means to receive God as your life for your entire life. God will lead you to express Him on this earth by going to every place, every country, and every nation to testify on His behalf and to lead people to know Him. (pp 40-41)

Once we have resolved that our education is simply to make us more useful to the Lord and His economy, Brother Witness Lee encourages us to go. He does not ask if we will go, but where we will go.

Every letter sent to us from the major continents all over the globe has fellowshipped with us regarding the need for people to go. But where are the people? We do not have enough people even to meet the need of Taiwan, or even just Taipei, not to mention the whole earth. Where are the people? (p 53)

Where will you go – to Africa, South America, Central America, North America, Eastern Europe, or Western Europe? We can pray to the Lord, “O Lord, where should I go? O Lord, where do You want me to go?” May we all answer the Lord, “O Lord, here am I; send me.” (p 58)

Hallelujah – we are not wandering aimlessly through our educational programs, but living for the Lord and to Him for His increase and spread on the earth!

Source of article link Living to Him (http://livingtohim.com/2010/12/an-education-for-the-spread-of-the-lord%E2%80%99s-recovery/) 

Oh Christ!

I've heard a lot that Christ is the reality and He is the answer to many things that we're experiencing. But recently I realised that my praises to Christ and my cooperation in living Christ are much to do with whether I have difficulties or not. When the outward environment is somewhat okay for me to endure, I can still praise Christ and endeavour to live Christ. 

So recently (over a couple of months) I felt that I've been suppressed by some troubles in my heart, and I had been praying a lot and spending a lot more time with the Lord. Talk to Him all the time. But somehow the things I was concerned just wouldn't let me go. It just kept coming back again and again and again. And I told the Lord, I've been telling people around me that I'm a Christian. it will not be a good testimony if I go crazy. I told the Lord the potential solutions that He can do for me. I'm not trying to interfere, but in order to get me out of the troublesome mind, perhaps You can talk to me, comfort me, and blah blah blah. 

But then the messages on day 1 and 2 (week three) really supply me. In John 14:19 Yet a little while and the world beholds Me no longer, but you behold Me; because I live you also shall live. Somehow my heart just melted when I saw this verse. I realised that Lord, I cannot live a life like worldly people do. The people in the world do not care about Christ. They behold Christ no longer, but I have to be the one who beholds Christ. And also it is my lifeline to behold Christ because it says 'I live you also shall live'. 

So then connecting to the message on day 1, the Lord just exposed me that I've been putting my love and attention to so many other things. They might be seemingly good, but they are not Christ. Lord, am I going to stumble people if I do this? Lord, shall I go to Germany for Your move. I think I should. Hum, maybe I need to publish papers like this and do research like that and I will find a job in Germany. And many many other things. But I forgot to behold and live Christ.  

'Living Christ requires that we love Him to the uttermost. As we are engaged in our daily activities, our living should not be those activities but Christ. Our mind should be concentrated on Christ, but the concentration of our mind on Christ depends upon our love for Christ. This is the reason that the New Testament charges us to love Christ. If we do not love Christ, we cannot live Him; loving Him is the best way to concentrate our entire being on Him...We need Christ to captivate us to an extent that even in our dreams we would live Christ' (The conclusion of the new testament pp.3486). 

So praise the Lord, He intentionally got me into these concerns so that I could learn that even my loving the Lord still pretty much fluctuates with the environment, and my living Christ has been shallow. I really really need to practise this. Loving the Lord with my full attention so that I can live Christ. 

Prayer is a practical realisation of a normal Christian walk.

Prayer is a practical realisation of a normal Christian walk.

This week I realised how much I need to set a definite time for prayers without distractions, and a normal Christian walk requires our prayers. This includes all the matters that we're read before such as to set our mind on the things above, have the renewing of the new man, have the peace of Christ arbitrating in us, and allowing the word of Christ to inhabit us. 

If I lack prayer, I lack this reality. 

1 Thes.5:17 Unceasingly pray. 

I enjoy the footnote here. Unceasingly means to have uninterrupted fellowship with God in our spirit. But what does "uninterrupted fellowship" mean? Being uninterrupted, according to the dictionary, is without any pauses or interruptions. So yesterday I went to FTTL graduation, and after the meeting, I tried to catch up with some sisters that I had not seen for a long time. But even if we focused very much on the conversations, there were still pauses or interruptions. So having uninterrupted fellowship with God does not mean two parties, us and God, focus on the conversations. It means more. In order to have uninterrupted fellowship, the two parties have to be one. That makes me realise our prayers with God is us and God, God and us, being one. 

In addition, being able to pray unceasingly requires our perseverance (Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2) with a strong spirit (Eph. 6:18).