The Third Step in the Execution of God’s Administration – Disciplining Man Through the Environment The third step of God’s administration is discipline, or chastisement. After we are saved, we should love our wives and treat others with meekness under God’s ruling. This is not merely a teaching of the Bible but a demand of the life within us. The Holy Spirit who dwells in us often demands that we deal with our family with meekness and treat others with considerateness. The Holy Spirit gives us the feeling that if we do not treat our family with meekness, we are rebelling against God’s rule. However, we are often careless, disregarding the sense of the Holy Spirit in us, and we act according to our own will. When we want to lose our temper, we lose our temper, and we may even use ugly words to reproach people. When God sees that we do not submit to His authority and ruling, He is forced to execute the third step of His administration, which is to discipline, to chastise, us through the environment. For example, perhaps one morning a brother quarrels with his wife, and after he leaves home, he has a minor automobile accident. At that time the Holy Spirit rebukes him inwardly for quarreling with his wife, and he realizes that the accident is from God’s hand in His governmental administration. He spontaneously repents, confesses, and prays, “O Lord, forgive me and save me. I will not do this again.” After this incident, however, he is in himself again, and soon enough, his temper comes again and flares up freely, without any sign of his being under God’s ruling. He had repented and confessed, but after the incident he still was not under God’s ruling; he lost his temper as it pleased him. At this point God can only say, “Once again I will exercise My administration over this one.” This time the discipline will be more severe. The brother may have a serious illness that will not be taken care of merely by his regretting and repenting. It may take half a year or a year for him to recuperate by being confined to bed and thereby being disciplined by God. Today most Christians acknowledge the doctrine concerning discipline and chastisement. However, this discipline, this chastisement, is not merely a doctrine but also a matter of God’s governmental administration. Extracted from “What the Kingdom is to the Believers“ (93), Message given by Brother Witness Lee in Taipei in 1957, published by Living Stream Ministry
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 21:56:12 +0000
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