12 Qualities
— Extract from an open letter from brother Song to Pastor Schubert
Servants of Today Desired by God
Since I moved to the mountain, I have had more time to focus on praying. And so I have entered a deeper fellowship with God in the Spirit. Once when I was praying, God clearly told me that the time for the revival of the churches in China has arrived. During those 113 days of praying, God has truly led me to advance in the Spirit step by step. Surely, I have seen, heard and gained in the Spirit what I have never had before. For years, I have regarded the work of preaching as the crucial service to God. But now, I regard praying as the most important part in serving God. I also recognize that the spiritual range of praying is immeasurable. In this letter, I would like to share with you what I have understood from praying in the Spirit regarding 12 qualities God’s servants should have in the end time.
(1) Be completely dead to the world: A servant of God needs to completely die to the world, the flesh and himself, so that “I” no longer live, but the Lord lives. To live is Christ, as Paul said, and “I” die is a gain.
(2) Receive revelation from the Lord: A servant of God is not only a preacher but also a prophet who prophesies. Moreover, Christ is not only revealed in him, but also formed in him, and living in him.
(3) Comprehend the whole Bible: A servant of God does not use human wisdom to read the Bible or study it by theological knowledge. He “eats” the Scriptures so that he fully absorbs God’s word, which sanctifies and transforms him inside out.
(4) Hear the gentle whisper in prayer: A servant of God is to understand the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He is to receive revelations from God. He is able to demolish the power of darkness, and has an intimate fellowship with God in the Spirit, face to face. He is to dwell with the Lord in the Most Holy place and to partake of His intercession. He must receive the divine power from God to demolish every trick of Satan.
(5) Be saturated with the Holy Spirit: A servant’s feet are to be saturated with the Holy Spirit so that he will run the path of obedience. His knees are to be saturated with the Holy Spirit so that he can pray unceasingly and rejoice in God. His waist is to be saturated with the Holy Spirit so that he dares to witness to the truth boldly. His hands are to be saturated with the Holy Spirit so that the signs of God fully accompanies him. His mouth is to be saturated with the Holy Spirit so that his testimony is powerful and cuts to the heart of people. His eyes are to be saturated with the Holy Spirit that he can make righteous judgments about all things. His ears are to be saturated with the Holy Spirit that he can hear the gentle whisper of God. His face is to be saturated with the Holy Spirit that his face looks like the face of an angel. His head is to be saturated with the Holy Spirit so that he is without prejudice. His heart is to be saturated with the Holy Spirit so that he has the same mind of the Lord. His whole body is to be saturated with the Holy Spirit, just as Peter, whose shadow could heal people.
(6) A burning love for the souls: The heart of a servant burns with anxiety whenever he sees an unsaved soul. He has such an extreme love for the souls that he imitates the Lord by laying down his life for the flock. He is willing to lose the whole world in order to win the souls back for the Lord. Paul regarded preaching the gospel as paying back a debt. He said: “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” Paul even used his own hands to make tents for his co-workers, so that they could pay back the debt of the gospel.
(7) Exalt the gospel of the cross: Many people despise the preaching of the gospel because they think it is not a crucial but an initial step. Therefore, they turn to philosophy, the basic principles, human tradition and laws to build up the tower of Babel. However, the gospel of the cross is the power of God. It is only by exalting the cross, that we can draw all the peoples to turn to the Lord.
(8) Have a group fellowship in the Spirit: God’s power cannot be manifested without the prayer in the Upper Room, the believers joining together in prayers. The Lord commanded the disciples to wait for the promised gift with one heart in Jerusalem before He ascended to heaven. Because of the praying in the Upper Room, the disciples received the outpour of the living water, and the streams of living water flew from within them. Although no one preached the truth about the Church, during that time, it was still established. Though no one urged people to go to far away places to preach, there was Antioch. No one preached about sending missionaries to the wilderness, but Philip went to the desert and fought the good fight. Even though no one sought to speak tongues, they all spoke tongues of nations. Though no one mentioned about the life of fellowship, they truly loved one another. Though there was no one preaching about miracles and signs, all of these accompanied the disciples. No one preached about the community welfare fund, yet they still helped the needy. Whatever they gained in the Spirit was through constant, united prayer in the Upper Room.
(9) Carry the cross willingly: A servant is to take the path of loneliness willingly. He is to arm himself with the attitude of suffering and not to be ashamed of the gospel. He is to become like the Lord in His death. So that his death may bring Life to many people. He, then, is to go to the Lord outside the camp willingly. He is to seek not fame or wealth, but to take shelter in the Lord. He breaks his jar of clay so that the name of the Lord will be honored. The more an olive is pressured, the more oil it gives. In this way, the more a servant is pressured to pray for the church, the more the church shines.
(10) Be discerning of and demolish the devil’s tricks: A servant is to have the Spirit of distinguishing so that he can recognize the devil who masquerades as an angel, false prophets and the false Christ. He is to stand in the watch tower and stand in the breach of the church of the Lord. Whatever he binds on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever he looses on earth will be loosed in heaven. He is the pillar of the church. He stands firm on the truth without swaying from it and defends for the truth bravely in such an era which ignores the truth.
(11) Work with the Body of Christ to spread the gospel with one heart in love: A servant is to stand firm with other servants of God in one Spirit. He does not build up the tower of Babel for himself nor does he quarrel or form division. Rather, he is careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. So long as the Lord’s gospel is preached, he is content. He contends with others as one man for the faith of the gospel, regardless of his life.
(12) Pray, watch and wait for the Lord’s coming patiently: A servant of God does not turn his eyes to the darkness and loneliness in his life; rather, he has faith, hope and joy in various trials. Because of his faith, hope and joy, he sings to the Lord songs in the night and is faithfully to the point of death.
Everyday I pray to God for the churches in China and other countries: I ask God to train as many as possible of these kind of servants—approved by God and not ashamed. The kind of servant God has helped me to understand through prayer for the past one hundred or so days. When a missionary retreats to a solitary place, he will also see what I have seen and understand what God wants him to understand.
An oral account of John in the Lord’s bosom [Oct. 224, 1941]
(Extract from an open letter from brother Song to Pastor Schubert.)