Let us begin with prayer.
Lord, we thank You with our full heart. It is You who have gathered us before You. It is You who want to teach us to know Your heart.
We know that not only did You pay a great price to purchase us, but You also want to do the transforming work upon us. You want to take away our natural character and substitute it with the beautiful characteristics of Your own.
So we need You to teach us. We also need You to lead us, so that we may be willing to submit to You and allow You to work upon us. May we have some condition that can give satisfaction to Your heart.
May You become the focus of this meeting. We give this meeting into Your hand. May You anoint the one who speaks, the one who translates, as well as the ones who hear, so that we may have sweet fellowship this afternoon.
We give You the love that is in our hearts. Hear our prayer. In the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
This afternoon’s meeting will use a particular format. In the beginning, I will have some fellowship and explanation. After that, I would like to reserve some time.
If, on the topics we are fellowshipping about, you brothers and sisters find that you have some experience, we welcome you to come up and give a testimony.
We want this afternoon’s meeting to be a fellowship meeting. I believe that among you, many brothers and sisters have followed the Lord for some years, and you would have some experience related to what I am saying. We hope that you will be able to share with us what you have learned from the Lord.
Of course, our time is very limited. When you have thoughts or experience concerning some of the things I am talking about, please organize your thoughts and, with the simplest and fewest words possible, fellowship what the Lord has given you.
We hope that a few brothers or sisters can have fellowship with us. We have three fellowship meetings in the afternoons, so if you do not have the opportunity to fellowship with us this afternoon, you will have the opportunity tomorrow or the day after.
According to the burden the Lord has given, we will fellowship concerning three aspects:
This afternoon, let us consider why man needs to have the character of Christ. This is the will of God.
Let us read a few passages. Turn to Genesis 1:26-27.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in His own image;
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them.
Turn also to Romans 8:29, which is the theme of our conference.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Now turn to 2 Peter 1:3.
As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.
According to the Bible, we can see very clearly that, as Christians, we have two basic pursuits. Every Christian should have these two pursuits.
The first pursuit is to know God’s eternal purpose. Our brothers have shared this very clearly. God is a Person with purpose, and everything that He does is according to this purpose.
Before we believed in God, we did not know why man existed. No one could tell us the true meaning of human existence. Many philosophers have said many things, but we were still not clear.
But from the time that we were saved, we found that there is great meaning to our living. There is a purpose for why we exist, and all our living on earth has a purpose. This purpose is God’s purpose.
Therefore, being a Christian, we must understand the eternal purpose of God. This is the first important pursuit of a Christian.
What is the second pursuit? We must pursue a character that can accomplish the eternal purpose of God.
It is not enough merely to know the purpose of God. We need to have the character through which that purpose can be accomplished. God wants to place the burden of His will upon us; therefore, we must have the character that is able to bear this burden.
In my past experience, we have seen some who truly understood God’s will. Yet later, we found that their character had a problem. Therefore, all their understanding became vain; they could not contain God’s eternal purpose.
These are two parallel pursuits that are very important to us. It is important to know the purpose of God, but we also need the character to contain the purpose of God. We cannot lack either one.
When the Lord has redeemed us, we should pursue these two matters.
Let us use an example. Suppose a person wants to build a good building. For a good building, three things are necessary.
When these three things work together, you can build a very ideal and beautiful building.
Today, let us say that you have a very good blueprint for a beautiful house and very skilled workers. However, if you use very poor, very cheap materials to build that house, you cannot reach the goal.
Perhaps some have had this experience. You may go to someone’s house and find that the home is beautiful, but the building materials are very poor. Then you know that the value of the house is very low.
I have been to mainland China and visited some archaeological sites. In some places there are beautiful gardens, but when we go inside, all the buildings have fallen apart.
The reason is that the houses were built with bamboo. They may have a history of three hundred years, but because the material is bamboo, they do not last. Therefore, the houses collapse.
I have also been to Jerusalem, and we saw the road on which the Lord Jesus had walked. It is still there. Why is that road still there? Because it was paved with stone.
Those who have been to Israel will realize that the stone there is very hard. After a few thousand years, with many people walking on it, the road is only polished; yet it is still there. The difference is in the material.
God has His own purpose. That purpose is very great, and the blueprint is also beautiful. God also gives many gifts to the church, and the gifts He gives to the brothers and sisters are very good.
But if we do not have good materials, the church cannot be built up. If God wants to accomplish His will, He requires man to have His own image—to have His character.
Our brothers have told us that the content of the word image is character and temperament. When character and temperament are joined together, you have the image.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, this is very clear in Genesis. We must have His image. We must have God’s character and temperament within us, and outwardly we can manifest His likeness.
On the inside, we need character and temperament. On the outside, we manifest the likeness.
In New Testament times, when we are saved, God puts His life within us. He puts the life of Christ within us. When we have the life of God within us, it means that we already have God’s character and temperament.
Peter tells us that this is the mystery of godliness. When we are saved, we have God’s character and temperament. But we need to allow this character and temperament to grow within us.
As much as life grows, so much will His likeness be manifested outwardly.
Of course, in the history of man, only the Son of God has completely manifested God. Within Christ is the life of God, and everything that He manifested outwardly was God Himself.
Today, if God wants to accomplish His will, He can only use those who have His character. In history, only the Son of God accomplished His will, because only Christ, being in the form of man, had the character of God.
God is invisible, and it is the Son of God who manifests God to us. Only the character of Christ can accomplish the will of God.
In the Old Testament, we see many people whom God used—Abraham, Moses, David, and others. But when we come to the New Testament, even among all the saints and apostles, there is no one whose natural character can contain the eternal purpose of God.
How much a person can serve God depends on how much the character of Christ is manifested through him. God still cannot use the natural life.
You must remember: only the character of Christ can accomplish the purpose of God.
When we speak about character, what is character? Character is the expression of life. Every kind of life has its own character.
Wood has its own character. Stones, minerals, and metals all have their own character. When we find certain materials, we learn how to use them according to their particular character.
Among living things, every life form has its own character. But the life of Christ is an uncreated life, and the character manifested in the life of Christ is glory and virtue.
In the form of a man, Christ manifested God. Therefore, Christ became the standard, the model, the content, and the reality.
This is why God wants to conform us to the image of His Son. Only Christ has the character that can accomplish God’s will. There is no one else who is good enough to accomplish it.
From the beginning, when God created man, He already had this purpose. He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” He created male and female so that His will could be accomplished in them.
But man fell. When God saved us, He wanted to continue His work. He wants to restore what man lost.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must pay attention to God’s work upon our character. This is a very important matter.
Perhaps someone will ask, “What is the difference between personality and character?” When we read the Bible, we find that God puts His character upon man, but this does not destroy a person’s personality.
When we read the Gospels and the book of Acts, we can see this clearly. Take Peter as an example. When he was in the Gospels, he had his own personality. Peter was an outstanding person.
After Calvary and Pentecost, Peter was still Peter. He was very different from the Peter in the Gospels, yet he remained Peter. His character had changed, and through Peter we could see Christ more clearly.
Personality is what God gave us in creation. This does not change. It is the uniqueness that God has given to each one of us.
Because God’s creation is so great, it is full of variety. Everyone has a different personality. Among all the people sitting here, no two are exactly alike. When God created each one of us, everyone was unique.
This personality will remain even when we enter eternity. In eternity, when you see a brother or sister, you will recognize that person. There will be no mistake about it.
Therefore, the personality God has given to each of us will not change. But can character change? Yes, it can.
That is why there is education in the world. Man realizes that character can be cultivated and changed. According to circumstances and conditions, a person’s character can be shaped.
Education on earth wants to build up a complete person with good morals and good character. Yet we all know, as parents teaching children, that it is not easy to change their character.
There are many arguments in families about how to change the character of children. Because each person has his own personality, how to develop a child’s character is a science.
Sometimes, if you press too hard, a child becomes broken and may not do anything for the rest of his life. Yet if you do not deal firmly enough, many things remain unchanged, and that is not good either.
Today, God also wants to do such a work on every one of us. He wants to substitute our character with the character of Christ.
That is why God gives us a new life. Our brother mentioned the old man and the new man. These two things are completely different.
Today, God uses the new to substitute for the old. This is a great work of the Lord. We are all in the process of transformation.
When man fell, there may still have been some apparently good natural character. Yet it is very difficult to distinguish between natural character and the character that God has changed.
Some are born with what appears to be good character, while others are born with what appears to be bad character. The Chinese may say that one person has “good roots” and another has “bad roots.”
Some seem to have good character and do not seem to need many lessons. Others seem to have a difficult character and need more dealing. But please understand: whether a person has a good natural character or a bad natural character, God cannot use it. God wants the character of Christ.
This is different from human morality.
When we read the New Testament and consider the virtues mentioned there, every one of them speaks of the character of Christ. This is not merely human morality.
Chinese culture speaks much about morality. Many people worship Confucius. When they read the New Testament, they may say, “This is very good. This is very similar to what Confucius said.” But it is not almost the same. It is very different.
One is in the realm of man, and the other is in the realm of God. On the surface, they may seem similar, but we need to know the difference.
We may teach young people to learn from great people because we feel that those people manifested admirable character. I remember that when I was in high school, there were words displayed in the auditorium. I do not remember the whole phrase, but I remember one part: “Learn from the perfect men of the past.”
But if you look at the history of man, who is perfect? There is no one who is perfect. Someone may seem a little better, and we may use him as an example, but he is not perfect.
From the time I was saved, I found that there is One who is perfect: our Lord Jesus Christ.
Education on earth seeks perfection, but the people it considers perfect are not truly perfect. In the history of the church, outside of Christ, there is no perfect person.
Therefore, besides the Lord, there should be no hero in our heart.
In Catholicism, many old believers have been given the title of “saint.” Yet even among us, we can have the same kind of attitude.
When I was young, I remember that some elders became models for younger people without realizing it. If a certain elder sister had a particular hairstyle, all the young sisters would try to imitate it. If she wore a certain dress, the younger ones would try to follow her example.
Likewise, if an elder brother did something in a certain way, the younger brothers would do the same. Sometimes we worship a person to the point that we think he is perfect.
Remember the Mount of Transfiguration. When Peter saw Moses and Elijah appear, he was so happy that he told the Lord, “Let us make three tents.”
But immediately God covered the mountaintop with a cloud. When the disciples looked again, they saw Jesus only. Only Jesus is the perfect Man. Only He is the model. No one else is sufficient to be our model.
We need the Lord to enlighten us concerning our fallen nature, especially concerning our character. The fallen man, whether apparently good or bad, is a hindrance to the work of God.
We should not admire ourselves because we possess some natural good character. We need to see that our Lord Jesus alone is the complete expression of God.
God’s will is to conform us to the character manifested in Christ. Therefore, the work of the cross is very important.
The experience of the cross is to deny ourselves. When we are willing to give up ourselves, we receive Christ.
When we go through the experience of the cross, it is an experience of transformation. The Lord is doing such a work in each one of us.
Please remember: this change is a substitution. It is not merely a repair or a correction. God does not repair the old man. He uses the character of Christ to substitute for our natural character.
When the Lord was on the cross, He completely denied Himself. By the grace of the Lord, through the word of the cross, we can be changed.
There are many examples in the Bible. For example:
This change makes us different from what we originally were. It is the great grace of God that He wants to do this work upon us.
Man should possess the character of Christ. This is His will. Therefore, we should pursue after this.
For time’s sake, I will give a small testimony concerning myself. We cannot only speak doctrine; we need to have experience in our life.
I remember when I first came out to serve the Lord in New York. I was in my twenties. Those who knew me said that my character was very harsh.
At that time, I had a coworker who worked with me. Many would say that my coworker was like an ox, while I was like a lion.
At that time many brothers and sisters came out to fellowship, and many people liked to speak in absolute terms. I also spoke in very absolute terms. I was not trying to scold anyone, but I felt that what I said was true.
When I came up to speak, I became very solemn. I found that I was not very compatible with others, and those who wanted fellowship did not feel free to come to me. When someone knocked on my door, people were afraid to see me.
At that time, I did not know where I was wrong. I thought I was speaking the truth.
One time, I was living with an elder brother. The arrangement was made in the hope that I would learn from this elder brother. He also saw that my character needed to be changed.
He would ask me to do a small thing, such as opening the door, and I would think, “I will not go.” For one small matter, we argued until midnight. He wanted to do it one way, and I gave many reasons for doing it another way.
You can see that my character was very stubborn. I felt that everything I said was true. Even though he was an elder brother, I would argue with him until two or three o’clock in the morning.
Finally, the elder brother gave up and told me, “Brother, to obey is better than sacrifice.” Then we ended our conversation.
But within me, I was still not willing to obey. I went back to my room, and there was a battle in my heart. I felt that he was not correct, and I struggled before the Lord.
At that time, I had such a character. Outwardly, it might seem that I was zealous for truth, so it seemed good. But there was a problem.
I knew that one who serves God must learn lessons. Although my reasoning was correct, my attitude was wrong.
The next morning, when we were having breakfast, I said to the elder brother, “Please forgive me. My attitude was not good. You are the older one, and you have more experience.”
He looked at me and said, “It does not matter. What you said was true; it was right. But do you know what you need to learn? Your spirit was wrong.”
Many years have passed, but this was a good lesson for me. Very often, brothers and sisters, what we do may be right, but our spirit may be wrong because our character needs to be changed.
For character to be changed is not easy. From the time I heard what that brother said to me until now, more than thirty years have passed. I confess that even today, I have not fully learned this lesson.
Without realizing it, very often that character still comes out. Yet every time I come before the Lord, I am full of gratitude, because His patience and tolerance are so great. I also know that He will not stop until He has finished His work.
No matter how long it takes, God will change us. Although I have not finished the course, I can see that this is grace. Learning these lessons has brought much blessing.
The change in character is very important. In the church today, good character brings blessing, while bad character brings persecution and a bad taste.
Gifts are good. Knowledge is good. But if gifts and knowledge are not matched with good character, the greater the gifts are, the greater the problem can be. The more knowledge one has without good character, the more difficulty there can be.
May the Lord truly speak to us in this conference and gain more people who are more like Christ on the earth.
This will be the end of my fellowship. We have about twenty minutes left. If you have a testimony or something you have learned, we welcome you to come up and fellowship. Please do not take more than five minutes each.
I will share a little concerning a failure in my own character. Since I began to be involved with conferences and public camps, brothers and sisters have found two characteristics in me: one is being too detailed, and the other is being too soft.
In many things, I wanted to be a perfectionist. Yet although we might set a deadline, I would not enforce it. As a result, the brothers and sisters were spoiled.
One time, we went to look at a new conference site. Since we had never used the site before, we examined many things: the lodging, the meeting facilities, and other arrangements. It took a long time.
One brother did not feel comfortable on the way back. He complained, “Why did we have to look at so many things?” I tried to explain why we needed to consider all those matters, but he was still upset.
In that condition, my character of being very detail-oriented came out. Before I went to bed, I called that brother and apologized.
Thank the Lord, the brother was very good. We fellowshiped late into the night and learned a lesson: my spirit was not right.
Through serving, the Lord changes us. I can see that now I am more measured when I make arrangements. Seeking perfection is not necessarily wrong, but we need balance.
There is no human being who is perfectly good. If the Lord gains His enjoyment and glory through us, that is enough.
It is difficult for me to obey. Because of the environment in which I grew up, I always wanted to give reasons for everything I did.
I grew up for a long time without my parents. When I was five years old, I was brought back home, but I did not really know my father. It was difficult for me to be with my brothers and sisters.
My parents would say in front of others that their second son had a certain character. From this, I learned to give a reason for everything that I did. Even when I came to serve the Lord, without realizing it, this natural character would come out.
I remember one time when an elder brother stayed with us. I thought I should be humble, so I asked him, “Brother, what do I need to improve?”
The elder brother said, “Oh, you are very good, very good.” But that made me uncomfortable. I told him, “Please tell me the truth. In love, I will not be hurt.”
After thinking for a long time, he told me one thing: “You only follow one person, and you are not able to accept other fellowship.”
Then I began to explain myself. I gave him all kinds of reasons and said, “I am not like that.” I spoke the whole night about my reasoning, while the brother did not say a word.
Many years later, I was traveling with a brother and stayed with another brother in San Francisco. During our fellowship, he said to me, “Among the brothers who serve, you are one who always gives reasons. You determine things by your reasoning, and you do not know how to use grace and light.”
When he said that, I had no answer. Brothers and sisters, we often do not know ourselves. Even though I had served the Lord for years, I still needed the Lord to work on my character.
For many years, my wife and I have both loved the Lord and served the Lord. Yet she always seemed to have a way of irritating me.
I knew she had made a mistake, and I reacted. Then I realized that I was not expressing the Lord’s character. The next time she did the same thing, I prayed, “Lord, may Your life express You through me.”
That time, I did not say a word. As a result, the Lord’s presence was very sweet. Now, whether she makes a mistake or not, I can simply follow the Lord.
From all these experiences, the Lord is bringing us more and more to see how terrible our natural character is, and how much more His character can be expressed if we live by Him.
The Lord is still working in my life, and I thank Him for this.
If you wanted to come out and share an experience but did not have the opportunity today, do not give up. Tomorrow afternoon there will be time. Please prepare yourself so that you can come out and fellowship.
At the end, let me remind us again: God’s work needs to be done by the character of God. Natural character cannot be used by God. Natural character is never beautiful enough for God’s purpose.
Please do not remain in your own natural character. When the Lord begins to work, do not hold yourself back. His desire is for a testimony that can express His purpose.
If we do not change, God will not have a way through us. This is a very important matter. When we have fellowship with one another, we can encourage one another so that we may live for the purpose of God.
Let us thank the Lord. He has chosen us to learn these lessons. The fallen man has nothing good in himself. Our character is so difficult, but the Lord will use longsuffering to do this changing work.
Many things have to pass through us because we do not know ourselves. Yet may the Lord encourage us, give us a new beginning, and bring us on to follow Him until His work is done in us.
Lord, please do not take back Your hand. We thank You that You are working for Your glory. We want to place ourselves completely in Your hand.
May You gain more people in this conference who have the character of Christ, so that Your will may have a way in us. Thank You for being with us. Hear our prayer in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.