OUR NEED TO RISE UP AND TAKE ACTION (1)
In this chapter I want to point out two verses from the Scriptures for our encouragement to go on in the vital groups. First Thessalonians 1:3 speaks of the believers’ work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope. Then 1 Corinthians 15:58 charges us to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord.
We have to learn to take action, to work, to labor, in faith, not by our feelings. When we make a resolution to visit people, we may begin to feel down. This is a common thing. We should still labor regardless of our feelings. First Thessalonians says that our work must be of faith. Faith means not doing anything in ourselves, not doing anything by ourselves, and not doing anything according to our feeling. We should not be people who take action just when we are feeling very good and very high. We need to take action in faith regardless of how we feel.
Many times the environment becomes difficult when we are endeavoring to do something for the Lord. We may say that if the Lord wills, He surely will prepare everything and make everything so convenient for us. Sometimes this may be the case, but many times it is not. Consider Paul’s journeys. He was not prosperous, outwardly speaking. There were troubles, frustrations, opposition, and attacks following him wherever he went. Was he in the Lord’s will, or was he taking action by himself? Surely Paul was in the Lord’s will. When he took action in the Lord, Satan also took action to frustrate him. We should learn that when we wake up and rise up to labor in the Lord, Satan will try to frustrate us, so we should not trust in our feelings. To labor in faith means that our work is altogether not of us or by us but by another One, by the One whom we love, whom we seek, and who sent us. We simply need to go and act on His word. He told us clearly to go and disciple the nations (Matt. 28:19a). We should say, “Lord Jesus, I go not on my feeling but on Your word.”
Abraham is an example of one who acted by faith on the Lord’s word. He was called and sent by the Lord to Canaan, but the Lord did not tell him exactly where He wanted him to go. But Abraham still took action according to the Lord’s word. Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” When Abraham went out, he did not even know where to go. This afforded him constant opportunity to exercise his faith to trust in God for His instant leading, taking God’s presence as the map for his traveling. (Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1993, vol. 2, “The Training and Practice of the Vital Groups”, ch. 10, pp. 338-340)
The church in Zamboanga 