EXCERPTS FROM THE MINISTRY

THE SECRET OF DISCERNMENT

The best way to discern a matter is to discern according to life or death. We need to ask questions like this: Does this teaching help me to enjoy the Lord more and bring me into life, or does it cause the poison of death to be injected into me? You may find that if you accept a certain kind of teaching or preaching, taking it into you, immediately your inward enjoyment of the Lord is cut off. Some things function like insulation that stops the flowing of the divine electricity. Therefore, we must learn to discern, to differentiate, matters by life and death.

Suppose today’s Judaizers come to you preaching another Jesus. Do you have the assurance that you can discern between their Jesus and the real Jesus, the Jesus preached by Paul? I do not have the assurance that you would have the proper discernment. But thank the Lord for the secret of real discernment. This secret is to discern a preaching or teaching by whether or not it helps us to enjoy the Lord and gain more life supply. If anyone’s preaching cuts us off from the enjoyment of the Lord, that preaching must be of the serpent, of Satan. But if someone’s preaching helps us to enjoy the Lord, that preaching is of God. Therefore, according to the way revealed in Romans 8, we need to discern according to death or life. Many of those who have left the Lord’s recovery have neither the life supply nor the enjoyment. This is an indication that they have taken in something that is not of the Lord.

The secret of discernment is to discern according to life or death. Any kind of teaching that causes your enjoyment of the Lord to cease is something of death, no matter how good that teaching seems to be. As long as someone’s teaching or preaching deprives us of the enjoyment of the Lord as our life supply, that teaching is of the serpent. However, the genuine ministry of the Lord always strengthens us in the enjoyment of Him as our life supply.

We should not expect the number of Judaizers to be reduced. On the contrary, their number will probably increase. Whenever you hear them speak or read their books, keep in mind this principle of discerning according to life and death. Anything that cuts you off from the enjoyment of the Lord is of the serpent. But anything that causes your enjoyment of the Lord to increase is of the Spirit and of the New Testament ministry.

SATAN’S STRATEGY

Verses 2 and 3 of 2 Corinthians 11 are extremely important. These verses indicate that Paul was clear concerning Satan’s strategy. He realized that Satan’s strategy is to spread a snare of doctrine in order to trap the saints. Paul, therefore, stayed away from this snare. Furthermore, he endeavored to keep the saints away from it by reminding them that he was jealous over them with the jealousy of God, and that he had betrothed them to one Husband to present them a pure virgin to Christ. He told the saints that the Lord does not want them to love anything or anyone in place of Him, but that He wants them to love Him uniquely, singly, wholly. In verse 3 Paul reveals his concern lest the Corinthian believers be deceived and lose their singleness and purity toward the Lord. From this verse we see that we need to be single and pure. Do not be complicated in your mind, in your understanding, by so many teachings and isms. Instead, keep yourself single and pure to enjoy the Lord as your life supply.

In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul speaks of another Jesus, a different spirit, a different gospel, false apostles, deceitful workers, Satan transfiguring himself into an angel of light, and Satan’s ministers transfiguring themselves into ministers of righteousness. If we pray-read all these verses and have fellowship concerning them, we shall receive more light and gain more life supply.