Notes on Scriptural Messages (2), The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, Set Two, Volume 18, Living Stream Ministry, 416 pages.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) In verse 36 John saw the Lord Jesus again and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” John did not say “who takes away the sin of the world” the second time. Had he forgotten? No. When a person sees the Lord for the first time, he thinks about himself as well as the Lord. When he sees the Lord for the second time, he forgets about himself and sees only the Lord. (p. 242)

Does the Bible have a command to remember the birth of Christ? If God's children are willing to ask this question, they will receive the shining of God's light. According to the Bible, during the last supper, the Lord only asked us to remember His death. He did not command us to celebrate Christmas, nor did He command us to celebrate Easter! These things are poison from Roman Catholicism…. It is sad when Christians search the Scriptures to give a basis for their sin and an occasion to the flesh. (p. 249)

During the three days after the Lord was crucified, Peter was silent because he had fallen. But the Lord did not forget him. Therefore, if you do not have the strength to come to the Lord, as long as you are willing to believe in His words, He will give you the strength to draw near to Him. If you fall, He can make you rise up again. Although it seems that you will not be able to draw near to Him anymore, remember in faith the words "and Peter," and you will be able to draw near to him.

A widow who has just lost her husband, whose possessions are about to be pawned, and whose landlord is about to drive her out of the house is suffering greatly under these circumstances. Yet she can still play with her little baby. She cannot rejoice in the house, her deceased husband, or her surroundings. But she can rejoice in her baby. In the same way, God has not asked us to rejoice in our environment, in things going our way, or in any kind of happiness. God tells us to "rejoice in the Lord."

When Jesus was on the earth, everything He did expressed God's love toward men. If you read the life of Jesus, you will find out that He is not only a good man but God from heaven becoming a man. We thought that God hated us. But He became a man in order to show us that God is the same as Jesus. He was on the earth for thirty-three and a half years; during this time He expressed God's heart. God is the same as Jesus. The way Jesus treated men is the way God treats men.

What is love? Love is not words. The deepest kind of love cannot be expressed in words…. Please do not misunderstand God's heart. Please come to the cross. Jesus has already died for you; this should show you what is in God's heart already. When you see the blood of the Lord Jesus, you will know how much God loves you.

The Lord sympathized with man's weaknesses, but He never sympathized with sin…. For the Lord to express sympathy means that He feels what we feel…. Sympathy was a characteristic of the Lord when He was on earth…. If anyone wants to sympathize with others, three things are indispensable: the first is experience…. The second thing one needs is love…. The third thing you need is to not be occupied with your own affairs.

Acts 20:17 says, "And on the first day of the week, when we gathered together to break bread." This is very clear. On the basis of the word, we decided to observe the breaking of bread on every Lord's Day.

In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul exhorted the Corinthian believers not to be divisive by saying, "I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ." If Paul rebuked the Corinthians believers for saying, "I am of Christ," surely for you to say that you are of the Presbyterian Church, while I of the Methodist Church, and he is of the Baptist Church is not scriptural.

It is not a question of arguing with others about baptism by immersion or about leaving denominations. The only question is whether or not men are willing to obey the Scriptures. To be baptized by immersion and to leave the denominations are not great things; they are but two items among thousands that require our obedience. The main thing in the Scripture is obedience.

"How should a Christian donate [money]?" We should not adopt the Old Testament way of paying tithes, but follow the word in 2 Corinthians 9:7, which says that each person should give according to the order of God. He may donate a half, a third, a tenth, or a twentieth of his income.

"Where should the donation [of money] be made?" Do not give it to a church which opposes the Lord, nor to those who do not believe the Bible or the redemption of the Lord's shed blood. If no one contributes to them, they will not be able to carry on their preaching. Pray before each donation; then give it either to the poor or to some work, but never to any improper organization.

The reason why many brothers and sisters left the denominations is that denominationalism is a sin. We have no other name except the name of Christ…. The reason we do not want any name is that it is enough to have the name of Christ. The whole question rests on whether or not Christ's name is enough to satisfy our heart!

I am not opposed to the pastoral gift, but to the pastoral system. Why do I say that the pastoral system is wrong? The whole New Testament only mentions the pastors once, in Ephesians 4:11 [KJV]. But the pastors as they stand now are no longer true pastors.

In the Old Testament, there was the mediatory class, but in the New Testament, there is no mediatory class. The Catholic church annuls the accomplishment of the blood of Christ and places the priests between God and man, robbing the believers of their new position. Protestantism also returns to the Old Testament mediatory system of priesthood through the pastoral system, and the believers are robbed again of their new position. I say again: I am not against the pastors, but the pastoral system.

The Bible records many instances in which the Lord spoke to men. But it does not record many instances in which men came to the Lord to tell Him something. Our Lord is a Lord in whom men can confide. Men can easily tell the Lord what they want to say. Any words can be told to Him.

Many times we think that the Lord is great. Even though our Lord is great, He does not neglect the small things. We may think that what we tell Him must also be something great, or else He will not listen. Little do we realize that our Lord never neglects the small things. There is nothing that is too small for the Lord to listen to. He is willing to listen to everything. He is willing to listen to everything concerning us.

We should realize that when we have a thorough talk with the Lord and pour out our heart to Him, our intimacy with the Lord is one step further, and we know Him a little more. Intimate contact with Him at these times is hundreds of times better than our ordinary fellowship with Him. We should bring our problems to the Lord and tell Him about them. He can comfort us and help us.

If a person has never shed tears before the Lord, if he has never shared his joy or sorrow with the Lord, and if he has never talked with the Lord about his private matters, he has never had any intimate fellowship with the Lord; he has never had any deep acquaintance with Him. One can only be drawn closer to the Lord through telling Him everything.

According to God's appointment, first, everyone must die, and second, everyone must receive judgment after death. If the first appointment death, is fulfilled, then the second appointment, judgment, will also be fulfilled…. If death is real, judgment must be real. If you are bound to die, you are bound to receive judgment. If you can escape death, then you can also escape judgment.

The Bible tells us many things that are facts. If you believe them, they are facts. If you do not believe them, they are still facts. A fact is not going to change into a non-fact just because of disbelief. A fact is always a fact.

What way did God use to save us from sins? I have sins, and sins deserve judgment and hell. However, God's Word tells us that God's Son has died for our sins. God's Son has died for us. "God's Son!" This term is sweet to my mouth, finer than music to my ears, and poetic to my inspiration.

My only purpose is to show you that death and judgment are sure. However, God loves us and has prepared a salvation for us. His Son has died for us. Friends, please accept Jesus Christ as your Savior today.

I do not know how many Christians would say, "God, I thank You because You have a commandment which says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Indeed, since we are all believers, we ought to love God. No other religion speaks of loving God like ours. Loving God is unique to Christianity.

We are never told to believe with all our heart. However, loving God requires all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind.

If the love of God is in us, we can keep even the most difficult of His commandments. Some forsook their parents, some their wives, others their positions, and still others their fame, all because they loved God. They were enabled by the very love of God.

How can we love God? Luke 7:47 says, "For this reason I say to you, Her sins which are many are forgiven, because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, he loves little." If we would only recall how our sins were forgiven, we cannot help but love the Lord. The day the cross ceases to inspire you, you have already fallen. Mr. Evan Roberts wept for months over his inability to receive the cross's inspiration until God touched him. The result was the mighty revival in Wales.

Many Christians are living a life of an unturned cake. Many emphasize personal spiritual living and neglect the corporate life. This is an unturned cake. Some pay much attention to the corporate life but forget about the individual life. Such people are also unturned cakes. Some pay too much attention to righteousness and have no grace at all. Such people are unturned cakes. Some people pay most of their attention to the objective truths and forget the work of the Holy Spirit within man. These people are also unturned cakes.

Today I will draw your attention to the matter of being a Christian in four aspects. We should not be an unturned cake…. Some are good in faith, and you should follow their faith. Some are good in knowledge, and you should follow them in their knowledge. Some are good in life, and you should follow them in life. Some are good in zeal, and you should follow them in zeal. If you want to be a four-sided Christian, you should pursue all four things.

"Jesus said to her, Give Me something to drink" (John 4:7). This was an invitation for her to draw near. Many times you are afraid of God, but you are not afraid of a person who asks you for water. There are many times when you are afraid of God, but you are not afraid of God asking you for water. Many times you fear God and think that He is high and fearful. But if you know that the One who is as lonely, wearied, and sweating as you are is the very God Himself, you will believe. The Lord is very approachable.

What is the gift of God? We can read John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that every one who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life." This gift is not gold or silver, but the Son of God. God sent His Son to die for us and laid all our sins on Him. God gives us such a Son.

Every Christian is a widow towards the world. At the same time, he is a wife with respect to the enjoyment of the riches of Christ, and a virgin with respect to his restriction for the sake of Christ.

There is no one in the world who is for Christ; only Christ is for man. What about the idol worshippers? Are they not seeking after God? No. They worship only for their own self-interest. Some desire to be prosperous in their business or safe and secured with their family. They are only after blessings. Man seeks after what God has, not God Himself. God is after us, the persons. Man seeks after God's grace, peace, and prosperity. God is not after what we have, but what we are.

The trespass offering is to bring us back into fellowship with God. The sin offering is to bring a sinner into believing in the Lord Jesus while the trespass offering is to bring a Christian into fellowship with God. The sin offering removed our sin when we were unbelievers; the trespass offering removes the sins which hinder our daily fellowship with God. One gives us life, and the other gives us fellowship.