Read and pray: "Jesus answered and said, 'This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.'" (John 12:30)
Discerning the Spiritual Level of People
To discern someone's spiritual level is to know whether their spiritual condition is consistent, strong, elevated, and pure. For example, there are some whose hearts are pure and whose flesh has been dealt with, but because their spirit is very weak and cannot rise up, they are unable to accomplish anything.
Regarding our knowledge of people, we need to know their motivations, the condition of their flesh, and the condition of their spirit. Of course, there are other aspects we also need to know, but these three are the most important. Assigning responsibility to someone for service in the church based on some knowledge of these three aspects will result in proper building.
Those who minister the word and speak on behalf of the Lord must know people according to their genuine condition so that their words may bring change in them. If we do not know them according to their genuine condition, we will not know their true needs.
Sometimes a brother may preach a message directed at a specific person because he feels uncomfortable speaking to them directly. This is preaching a message to rebuke a brother rather than ministering the word. Those who hear it know the brother is being rebuked, and the brother himself knows it too. This is not appropriate.
Other times, someone in the meeting may represent the saints as a whole. For example, there may be a group of brothers who do not know the key to prayer, and one of them may be present in the meeting. Since we have already been dealt with by the Lord in this area of our life, we may preach a message on the key to prayer. In this way, no one will feel we are speaking specifically to them. Although we are clear that we are speaking to him, our word will touch everyone because everyone needs it. If the message is consistent, that brother will be among the first to testify that he was touched. Such a message comes from knowing people.
We should not speak to God's children without knowing them, for that would be empty and would touch no one. God's children do not need this kind of message. They will not be helped by our messages if we do not know them. This is a big problem. Our messages will hit the mark when we know others. If we want them to hit the mark and be powerful, we need to know people. And if we want to know them, we must learn the lessons.
If we have never been dealt with in the matter of prayer and do not have the key to prayer, we will not be able to know when others need a word on this topic. The lack of knowing people makes our messages theoretical and not practical. If we want them to be practical, we need to know others. This requires that we learn something every day.
The elders who administer the church need to study continually in order to discern the conditions in which people are, to know them, and to discern their motivations, their flesh, and their spirit. Those who minister the word need to learn to be sensitive to the needs of others.
No epistle in the New Testament was written by first receiving a revelation from God and then applying it to certain needs. On the contrary, they were all written after first coming into contact with the needs of the people and then receiving a word from God to meet those needs. The epistles to the Corinthians were written this way. Paul was able to write to them because he perceived the problems and knew the condition of the church in Corinth. This also applies to the matter of preaching messages.
Without knowing or observing the brothers, we are not in a position to speak to them. Those who minister the word need to know the genuine condition of the hearers and bring their condition before God. Brother Nee once preached a message specifically directed at an elder. When we told him about that brother’s problem, Brother Nee told us the entire Sunday message had been directed at him.
If we want our administration of the church to be for building up, we must know people. The sisters who visit other sisters and have fellowship with them should do so based on their knowledge of the problems and conditions of those they visit. This requires that we learn various lessons in a very serious way.
Enjoy more: Hymn C-81
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