Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ; for which also I labor, struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power.
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those in Laodicea, even all who have not seen my face in the flesh….
— Colossians 1:28 – 2:1
If you are someone who speaks and yet does not perfect others, you are probably someone who cares more for his message than for his hearers. Those who minister for the Lord focus on people. They are willing to sacrifice their message for the sake of the real need. The person who is focused on giving a message, however, feels satisfied if his message went well; he will not really care how much the saints received from it.
A prophet must not overly focus upon his prophecy. If prophesying does not perfect people, it is just vanity. It may even be considered a good message, but if it cannot produce something real in the hearers, it is of little value.
How can we be those who perfect others through our prophesying? The key is to always have the saints’ perfecting in view, even in our daily life.
This is an urgent need in the Lord’s recovery today. Whether in the East or the West, we are desperately short of those who can perfect others. We need saints with clear vision, rich experience of life, and solid equipping in truth. When such brothers attach themselves to the saints, the saints can be perfected.
Adapted from Being One with the Ministry, Volume One, page 73.
Tomorrow: “Gaining People for the Lord”