Any Good Writtings Besides the Local Church?

[BreadFish]

Dear Saints,
Do you have any good writings from Christianity besides the Local Church which help you grow in Lord Jesus and have peace and rest in Him, such as how to pray, how to discern spirits. I would appreciate if you can post some here.

Andrew Murray, T. Austin Sparks

[countmeworthy]

Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to anointed books and you tube teachings on the The Holy Spirit, Who He is, His Function, the Power of the Holy Spirit, the Power of the Blood of Jesus, the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, entering the Presence of the Lord.

Remember.. we all have a measure of the Spirit... We don't all have the same measure. There are some very good teachers on you tube like Gene Kim, Robert Breaker, Charles Lawson and many others. They don't have everything right imho but I have learned a lot and grown a lot in the Lord.

On a personal note, I have written scriptures on index cards and speak/pray them and that's really how I have grown strong in the Lord. I don't just memorize them, they really make an impact in my life. One last thing I recommend, speak and ask God the Holy Spirit for guidance, counsel and understanding. He is the Spirit of Jesus.

Acts 10:38
You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Because we have the Word of God, Jesus living in us through His Holy Spirit, we too are anointed with power from the Holy Spirit. There are lots of good teachings backed by enlightening scriptures.

Acts 16:7
and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;

Romans 15:13
Now may the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We need the Presence of the Lord, the Power and the Anointing of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives

Blessings!

Originally Posted by BreadFish

Dear Saints,
Do you have any good writings from Christianity besides the Local Church which help you grow in Lord Jesus and have peace and rest in Him, such as how to pray, how to discern spirits. I would appreciate if you can post some here.

Check all resources from ligonier.org founded by RC Sproul for trustworthy, responsible, and biblical teachings by one of the greatest teachers the body of Christ has been blessed with.

From now until the end of June, all the teaching series from ligonier.org is FREE to access!!!!

All teachings are accessible to the lay people. Theology made simple but not simplistic. Accessible without dumbing down.

Every Friday, they also have $5 deals for ebooks, teaching series, DVDs, etc.

[Sons to Glory!]

Originally Posted by countmeworthy

Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to anointed books and you tube teachings on the The Holy Spirit, Who He is, His Function, the Power of the Holy Spirit, the Power of the Blood of Jesus, the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, entering the Presence of the Lord.

Remember.. we all have a measure of the Spirit...

I would second this, that is, asking Him to lead you to good sources. I did this, in utter desperation, back in 1998. I was at a local, very large, Christian bookstore and was searching and searching. I did find a lot of superficial books that were little more than Christianized self-help books, or focused on human actions (with a little of Christ's name thrown in here and there to make it sound spiritual). But eventually I was wonderfully led to John Piper's book, "Enjoying God."

Through that book I came into an enjoyment of the Lord that really watered my parched soul, and through that strength was led to start fellowship and gathering with ex-LC saints in my area. Through this experience I came to see and enjoy books from many ones not specifically part of the whole LSM thing. I also learned to enjoy fellowship with all believers.

Currently I enjoy writings from TA Sparks, Hannah Whitall Smith, Bill Freeman (an ex-LCer) and others. They don't shy away from the experience of Christ and the mature word of the cross. (and sometimes someone in my fellowship may share Watchman Nee, and much more rarely, a snippet from WL)

[JJ]

"Behold , how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1). In the following we shall consider a number of directions and precepts that the scriptures provide for us for our life together under the Word.

It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of His enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is his commission, his work.

"The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared?" (Luther).

"I will... gather them; for I have redeemed them: ... and they shall return" (Zech 10:8,9). When will that happen? It has happened in Jesus Christ, who died "that he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:52), and it will finally occur visibly at the end of time when the angels of God "shall gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matt. 24:31). Until then, God's people remain scattered, held together solely in Jesus Christ, having become one in the fact that, dispersed among unbelievers, they remember Him in the far countries.

So between the death of Christ and the Last Day it is only by gracious anticipation of the last things that Christians are privileged to live in visible fellowship with other Christians. It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God's Word and sacrament. Not all Christians receive this blessing. The imprisoned, the sick, the scattered lonely, the pro-claimers of the Gospel in heathen lands stand alone. They know that visible fellowship is a blessing. They remember as the Psalmist did, how they went "with the multitude... to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day" (Psalm 42:4).

The above is taken from the first two pages of "Life Together" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

As God is not a respecter of persons, the human author is not important but that it is inspired by God's Word. And, that is what makes the reading fresh, inspiring, challenging, encouraging, uplifting and builds one up in the faith.

Yes there are many, many good writings besides LSM materials.

[Indiana]

Him, not ourselves

Revelation 22 :1 And he showed me a pure River of Water of Life, clear as Crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb.

"The Lord is working in our lives to make Himself our source. Why are we passing through all kinds of experiences and various environments? They are designed by God to bring us into Himself as our source. So what we are going through right now is another step toward the goal of working a realization into our consciousness that our life is God Himself. When God reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, He produced a relationship that makes Him, not ourselves, the source of our lives."

Bill Freeman,
The Supplied Life

[Sons to Glory!]

Originally Posted by Indiana

Him, not ourselves

Revelation 22 :1 And he showed me a pure River of Water of Life, clear as Crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb.

"The Lord is working in our lives to make Himself our source. Why are we passing through all kinds of experiences and various environments? They are designed by God to bring us into Himself as our source. So what we are going through right now is another step toward the goal of working a realization into our consciousness that our life is God Himself. When God reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, He produced a relationship that makes Him, not ourselves, the source of our lives."

Bill Freeman,
The Supplied Life

Hey, that sounds familiar - was it in this past week's Supplied Life?

[Indiana]

Originally Posted by Indiana

Him, not ourselves

Revelation 22 :1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb.

"The Lord is working in our lives to make Himself our source. Why are we passing through all kinds of experiences and various environments? They are designed by God to bring us into Himself as our source. So what we are going through right now is another step toward the goal of working a realization into our consciousness that our life is God Himself. When God reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, He produced a relationship that makes Him, not ourselves, the source of our lives."

Bill Freeman, March 30
The Supplied Life

2nd and 3rd paragraph for March 30

This entire universe is destined to be consummated in God as the source of all things. The pure river of water of life is "proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb". As God's eternal habitation, the holy city, New Jerusalem, is fully supplied with God as the source. The pure river of water of life proceeds out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. The source of supply is the Triune God flowing out and watering every part of the the city. This vision of the consummation of all God's work in eternity future unveils Him as the unique source of the universe.

To be redeemed and regenerated is to be ushered into the realm of the new creation, where God begins a process in which experientially the old things start to pass out of our lives. The old things are related to our self as our point of reference. We lived out of our own impulses, our own choices, our own thoughts. But now we begin to live by revelation, that is, by what God has revealed to us in His Word. It is when we live by revelation that God becomes our source. He reveals to us the purpose of our human life. We no longer take man's views and concepts as the basis of our human existence. Revelation unveils to us God's eternal purpose. This revelation causes us to be persons who are living to be conformed to the image of God Son.

[byHismercy]

Another great brother teaching on YouTube is the channel Good Hope. Takes short passages of scripture and breaks it down for the listener in a way I really appreciate.

[JJ]

Thanks for sharing on good Christian writings all.

I see a digital version of The Supplied Life “devotional” is available free here https://www.olivetree.com/store/prod...roductid=16677

www.One Body.life has links to Henry Hon’s books and other resources including podcasts, blogs, conferences, regarding.... well, one body life (the truth and practice of the oneness that Jesus Christ prayed for to the Father in John 17).

[JJ]

Sometimes I tend to forget that the entire Bible unfolds the gospel of the glorious God as a scroll and begins with “In the beginning God... and ends with “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints, Amen”. Everything begins with God and is a matter of the grace of the Lord Jesus!

The best Christian writings (in my opinion) are based in and point Christians to the glorious hope found only in Christ that scripture unveils verse after verse.

If scripture is repeated word for word in a writing The Holy Spirit does His wonderful work of convicting concerning sin and righteousness, illuminating the reader with the light of life, Jesus; and God the Father who is love seen in the Son of His love dying and living again for and in God’s chosen people (whether Jews or gentiles, bond, or free, male or female). God builds up the Assembly of God, the household of the faith, the kingdom of priests led by Christ The High Priest standing at the right hand of God.

[Indiana]

Relating by life

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)P

The way to relate are to one another in the Body of Christ is by having a thorough dealing with the world and not being conformed to this age. How do you relate in the Body? The Body is 100% a matter of life. It is organic and it only responds to life. It only receives life.

Anything that is not life it rejects. So if there is anything of the world in us, any conformity to the age, then in that degree we will not know how to relate in the Body.

The Body is not something organized. It is not something we merely mentally grasp. We apprehend the reality of the Body by experiencing Christ as our life.

To relate in the Body by life, our minds need to be renewed, our thoughts need to be renewed. The renewal of our mind and our thoughts is related to our dealing with the world and not being conformed to this age. Whenever there are dealings with the world, dealings with this present evil age, dealings over what our hearts are riveted to, there is a quickening among us concerning the reality of the Body. However, if the Body is not that real to us, it may be due to our lack of dealing with the world. If we have not dealt with the things that possess us, and instead have closed out light and life, the Body will not be that real to us.

The real dealing with the self will issue in relating properly to one another as members of the Body. Thus, dealing with the self issues in the Lord's building of the church. May the Lord do his work of exposing this self so that we can deny it and terminate its tyranny over us (Matthew 16 23- 24.) By this dealing we shut the gates of Hades and cast Satan out so that the Lord has a way to build us together and spread his economy on the earth (Ephesians 1:10; 3: 9, 1st Timothy 1 3-5.)

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Indiana

The way to relate are to one another in the Body of Christ is by having a thorough dealing with the world and not being conformed to this age. How do you relate in the Body? The Body is 100% a matter of life. It is organic and it only responds to life. It only receives life.

Anything that is not life it rejects. So if there is anything of the world in us, any conformity to the age, then in that degree we will not know how to relate in the Body.

The Body is not something organized. It is not something we merely mentally grasp. We apprehend the reality of the Body by experiencing Christ as our life.

To relate in the Body by life, our minds need to be renewed, our thoughts need to be renewed. The renewal of our mind and our thoughts is related to our dealing with the world and not being conformed to this age. Whenever there are dealings with the world, dealings with this present evil age, dealings over what our hearts are riveted to, there is a quickening among us concerning the reality of the Body. However, if the Body is not that real to us, it may be due to our lack of dealing with the world. If we have not dealt with the things that possess us, and instead have closed out light and life, the Body will not be that real to us.

These kinds of teachings are idealized theories not based on the scripture. Look at the Galatians. They began by the Spirit, yet were bewitched by Judaizers. Were they not the "body of Christ?" Sure they were! Yet when "anything that is not life" came to them, they took it. Same thing happened to the LC's. They took what ever was fed to them because it was uniquely called "life."

Bible says "he who has the Son, has the life." Apostle John also confronted this kind of "body-life-talk" and rejected it. Without Christ our Head, the body on earth will swallow any kind of nonsense. Church history confirms what I say. That's why we were never called to focus on "life" or "the body."

Of course our minds need to be renewed by the Spirit, but not so that we can "relate to the body in life," but as the Bible instructs, we need our minds renewed so that we can love one another in Christ.

Look at the Recovery! Nobody talks about "life" more than they. Yet no one is more judgmental than they. How can one love when he constantly judges another. Romans 12.2 speaks about the renewing of the mind, not to "relate to the body," but to prove the will of God; not to "relate to the body," but so that we do not think more highly of ourselves than we ought.

The continued elevation and exaltation of both Nee and Lee throughout the Recovery is proof of how little the renewing of the mind actually exists there.

[Sons to Glory!]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Look at the Recovery! Nobody talks about "life" more than they. Yet no one is more judgmental than they.

This may be true, but that doesn't mean life isn't a major factor in our Christian life, right?

[Indiana]

Redirected from ourselves -

"And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness". Romans 8:10 (ASV)

Christ is life in the realm of.our spirit. So our spirit is the focus in our experience of God being our source. God made our spirit to be a part of us that cannot be disturbed or shaken. Our spirit can always be the life-enter and life-source for our whole being, because our spirit is backed by righteousness. The Lord Himself as our righteousness is what guards are spirit hour by hour to be the source from which we live. Our spirit is like Fort Knox, a place that is constantly and heavily guarded. Indeed it is guarded by God's righteousness. My mind might be distracted, my feelings might be distraught, but in me is a regenerated spirit protected by righteousness, where God has set Himself up in my being to be my source. God Himself in the person of His Son is dwelling in our spirit. From this life-center God now wants to become our source.

Again, our spirit being life is connected with Christ being our righteousness. This has practical implications for how we experience God as our source. When Christ is our righteousness and we have no righteousness of our own, then we are spontaneously redirected from ourselves to God as the source of our being. We are no longer expecting anything from ourselves ( 2 Corinthians 3:5). We have no Illusions about our potential, no hidden hopes of making it on our own.

[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by BreadFish

Dear Saints,
Do you have any good writings from Christianity besides the Local Church which help you grow in Lord Jesus and have peace and rest in Him, such as how to pray, how to discern spirits. I would appreciate if you can post some here.

Brothers and Sisters,
Let's try to honor our new friend's request a little better than we have been. As good and as helpful as they might be, Bill Freeman's writings are probably too closely related to those of Nee/Lee to get BreadFish in the direction he is trying to head. I think recommending T. Austin Sparks should also be considered "off-topic".

Someone has recommended R.C. Sproul and Ligonier ministries. I think this is an excellent choice.
Here is the Ligonier website: Ligonier.Org
Some works I would recommend would be:
Timothy Keller: The Reason for God - and - Prayer : Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
Gordon Fee: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
J.I. Packer: Knowing God

I would also recommend the writings and YouTube videos of:
John Piper
Kevin DeYoung
David Platt
Matt Chandler
James White

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Sons to Glory!

This may be true, but that doesn't mean life isn't a major factor in our Christian life, right?

The Recovery used so-called "life" to create an aura around the flavor, the taste, and the smell of Lee's ministry, so that their members would become solely addicted to their ministry. These were Lee's own instructions. That's why I often hear(d), "I'm getting into the ministry because I just need life."

The life that is really life is in the Son. He who has the Son has the life.

Focusing on life can lead us astray. Have not we seen too many examples of this? Instead we should focus on what the Bible instructs: faith in God, loving God, obeying Him, obeying His word, loving people, righteousness, the gospel, etc.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by UntoHim

Brothers and Sisters,
Let's try to honor our new friend's request a little better than we have been. As good and as helpful as they might be, Bill Freeman's writings are probably too closely related to those of Nee/Lee to get BreadFish in the direction he is trying to head. I think recommending T. Austin Sparks should also be considered "off-topic".

Then I think I can also recommend Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

What do you think UntoHim?

[countmeworthy]

Originally Posted by BreadFish

Dear Saints,
Do you have any good writings from Christianity besides the Local Church which help you grow in Lord Jesus and have peace and rest in Him, such as how to pray, how to discern spirits. I would appreciate if you can post some here.

I also recommend Clarence Larkin's writings. He has a very good book called "The Spirit world" and another one called "Rightly dividing the Word". You can download them for free on line. Clarence Larkin lived in the late 1800's and died in 1924 or 1925. Hope this helps you too.

[Sons to Glory!]

Originally Posted by UntoHim

Brothers and Sisters,
Let's try to honor our new friend's request a little better than we have been. As good and as helpful as they might be, Bill Freeman's writings are probably too closely related to those of Nee/Lee to get BreadFish in the direction he is trying to head. I think recommending T. Austin Sparks should also be considered "off-topic".

Huh . . . okay, I can possibly go with your idea regarding Bill Freeman's writings (even though he was ousted from the LC in the 1980s), possibly . . . but I certainly don't understand your grouping T. Austin Sparks in there. What is your reason for that?

And isn't the "direction he is trying to head" - and that we want to help this person go - really just Christ? I know that probably sounds simplistic, but I think true nonetheless.

[countmeworthy]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Then I think I can also recommend Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

What do you think UntoHim?

Hey Ohio
I like J Vernan McGee's sermon's a lot. I don't have any of his books but still find him on the radio even though he passed away umpteen years ago.

[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by Sons to Glory!

..but I certainly don't understand your grouping T. Austin Sparks in there. What is your reason for that? And isn't the "direction he is trying to head" - and that we want to help this person go - really just Christ?

Well I think our new friend BreadFish is seeking something more practical than "just Christ". If he wanted more of "just Christ" he probably wouldn't be on this forum seeking something other than the teachings and writing of Witness Lee. He/she sounds hungry and inquisitive for something more..something different. Maybe when this person has had a chance to taste and see that the Lord is good outside the confines of the Local Church, maybe after reading and studying the writings and speakings of others for a year or so, then maybe they can delve into somebody like T. Austin Sparks.
-

[Sons to Glory!]

Originally Posted by UntoHim

Well I think our new friend BreadFish is seeking something more practical than "just Christ". If he wanted more of "just Christ" he probably wouldn't be on this forum seeking something other than the teachings and writing of Witness Lee. He/she sounds hungry and inquisitive for something more..something different. Maybe when this person has had a chance to taste and see that the Lord is good outside the confines of the Local Church, maybe after reading and studying the writings and speakings of others for a year or so, then maybe they can delve into somebody like T. Austin Sparks.
-

Amen - well said bro.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by countmeworthy

Hey Ohio
I like J Vernan McGee's sermon's a lot. I don't have any of his books but still find him on the radio even though he passed away umpteen years ago.

Hi countmeworthy!

I love the "thru the Bible" manner of teaching the scripture. Did not God anoint His word in the Gospel accounts and the epistles? It irks me now to hear ministers "hunt and peck" for verses to support their "burden." With that technique, one can get the Bible to say anything you want it to say.

[countmeworthy]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Hi countmeworthy!

I love the "thru the Bible" manner of teaching the scripture. Did not God anoint His word in the Gospel accounts and the epistles? It irks me now to hear ministers "hunt and peck" for verses to support their "burden." With that technique, one can get the Bible to say anything you want it to say.

No kidding Ohio!! You are so right!! It's no wonder few Christians (at least in my circle) truly know how to grasp the Word of God. J Vernan McGee's manner of teaching is timeless and he never makes you feel you are following a man.

I watched 'The ten Commandments' last night. I always pick up something from the movie. Sephora at one time looked directly at the camera perhaps showing off her beauty You just gotta laugh. But on a more serious note,
it was hard for me to wrap my head around the people especially at the end of the movie crying out to 'MOSES!' 'MOSES!' "MOSES!"

They did not cry out to the GOD that delivered them. I remember when the Holy Spirit revealed to me that the reason the Israelites kept disobeying God is because they did not know HIM like Moses did. They saw God's Miracles and His Acts and experienced miracle after miracle but Moses spoke with God face to Face and even saw His backside. They never did. I don't know if they were not allowed to or it never occurred to them.

Perhaps God knew their hearts and knew the best way to approach Him was through the Law, the priests and the High Priest.

In any case, seems to me, too many Christian people even today prefer to follow a man instead of getting to know the LORD through the Holy Spirit's guidance and the Anointed Word of God, Living and Operating in us.

[OBW]

I still have never had the desire to watch 4+ hours of the Ten Commandments. But last night I saw the last 15-20 minutes so that I was on the right channel for the (delayed) 10 pm news. At that point, God was writing the tablets for the first time, and the Israelites were busy making a golden calf. So there is a serious reckoning, the remaking of the tablets, the approach to the good land (the 1st time) and 40 years of wandering in the desert all compressed into 10 minutes. Based on the place in the story when
turned it on, I was expecting to find that there had been some 1.5-hour-long press conference that interrupted the movie and put everything behind.

But that was not the case. After 4 hours of endless details, we get the actual namesake of the movie plus 40 years of additional history compressed into a 10-minute footnote. Go figure.

I know. I would make a terrible movie critic. But this reminded me of seeing the original Shop Around the Corner (w/ Jimmy Stewart) and realizing that they did the same thing. Squandered too much time on early plot and had to have someone tell much of the story as a look-back in about 3 minutes at the end.

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by countmeworthy

No kidding Ohio!! You are so right!! It's no wonder few Christians (at least in my circle) truly know how to grasp the Word of God. J Vernan McGee's manner of teaching is timeless and he never makes you feel you are following a man.

In any case, seems to me, too many Christian people even today prefer to follow a man instead of getting to know the LORD through the Holy Spirit's guidance and the Anointed Word of God, Living and Operating in us.

I agree that Israel did not know the Lord as Moses did, neither were they privileged to see Him, and perhaps mankind is forever plagued by those who alter the truth into a lie, worshipping the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. (Romans 1)

Perhaps the most crucial words we can embrace during the trials to come are "by faith." Hebrews 11 displays these two words as the ultimate secret of all the men of God before us, they also passing thru untold trials on this earth.

Our little "faith," a word so despised by the world's elites, uniquely has the power to open the door into all the eternal blessings and promises of God. Never forget to "hold faith and a good conscience." (I Timothy 1)