Page 121 - The Christian Life and the Church Life_Government of God

God’s Building 120

unbroken in us, they will become a problem to God’s life. This is my forty-
fifth year in the church life so I have seen a lot of people come and go. Do you
know who ends up leaving the church life? I have observed that, more often
than not, it is the gifted ones. Some of the people who came into the recovery
and eventually left, naturally speaking, were some of the most gifted people I
have ever met. The problem was that their gift was unbroken and natural; it did
not cause them to grow in life and be transformed. We may easily appreciate
gifts because all of us are not so gifted. When we see a gifted person, we
are easily impressed. If you are a gifted person or if you appreciate a gifted
person, remember what it says here. That gift cannot remain unbroken. What
will cause our natural capability to be broken? It is actually not that hard. Just
live the Christian life and the church life under the government of God. He
will arrange every experience that you need. You can even pray in this way:
“Lord, please arrange my environment to give me the experiences that I need.
I do not want to live in a natural way. I do not want to serve in a natural way.
I want to become a stone. I do not want to be a natural man. So, Lord, give
me the experiences I need to be transformed and make me a person who can
be built up with others.” He would be happy to hear that prayer, because you
are asking Him to do exactly what He wants to do.
In Order To Grow in Life for God’s Building,
Our Needing to Put Away “All Malice and All Guile and
Hypocrisies and Envyings and All Evil Speakings”
In order to grow in life for God’s building, we must put away all malice
and guile and hypocrisies and envyings and all evil speakings. This is
Peter’s utterance and I think he really learned something. Consider the word
“malice”. Some of our speaking does not have a good intention, but a bad
intention. This is malice and guile. Some speaking is designed to trick you
and to deceive you. Peter is speaking from a very experiential point of view.
He is saying, “Do you want to become a stone for God’s building? Do you
want to be transformed and built up with others? This is what you need to
put away. Put away this kind of evil speaking, then you will be able to do it.”
In Order To Grow in Life for God’s Building, Our Needing to Be
Nourished with the Guileless Milk of God’s Word

We will end on a very positive note. We have been speaking in a serious
way because we are in a training. This last point will help us to pursue the path