In the book Guidelines for the Propagation of the Lord’s Recovery, Brother Witness Lee charges us to read through the entire New Testament Recovery Version and all of the Life-study messages. He says, “The brothers and sisters who are willing to read all the Life-study messages and to study every word of the Recovery Version of the New Testament will have a solid foundation. This inexhaustible treasure will be within them for their whole life… This is truly profitable.” (For this whole portion, see ch. 2, section 4).
Some of us have achieved this goal and have read through all of the Life-study messages; others are making steady progress; and, for others, reading all of the Life-study messages seems like an illusive dream–we start and then stop; we try and then fail.
We hope that this post will be a springboard for fellowship about reading through the Life-study messages.
If you have had success with this, please use the comments section below to share your experience so that we can be encouraged. How were you able to do it? What benefits have you received from doing so?
If you have experienced false starts or failures, please also share your experience so that we can learn from one another.
I can’t say I had much success with this, but did want to let the saints know about a website called Reading Through the Life Studies that lets you create an online customized reading plan to get through the Life Studies in a scheduled way (e.g., 1 chapter a day, or more): http://www.ministrybooks.org/reading/
As to why I haven’t had much success, there are several reasons but one is a lack of hunger for the ministry. The answer is not to try to improve myself or do something for God, but just to pray for more hunger, spend time with Him, and enjoy Him more individually and corporately. I think that if I look at reading the Life Studies as an obligation, then I’m not going to do it. But, if I truly receive a revelation that the Life Studies are a crucial part of the top diet, the heavenly diet, then I will hunger to get into them!
I have been touched lately by the Lord that I need to get more grounded in the truth. Please pray for me, and post a comment if you need prayer as well.
Praise the Lord for we have a rich treasure store given to us.. all we need to do is to Enjoy it..
I started last year (2009) to enjoy the broadcast of the Life study starting with Genesis.. every time there is an oppurtunity i grab it to hear the speaking..at home..when doing manual work at the office..riding the bus when i am on a long trip..
Saints it revitalized me… the word is so sweet, so enjoyable, so refreshing and encouraging.. amidst our life’s situation.. we may be happy or in trials.. the word uplifts our view in life personally and our view of the Body life, corporately..
as of now i am continue to enjoy Him in the book of Matthew..
May the Lord shine on us in every word be it via mp3 or text messages of the Life study Messages..
Try it saints.. i guarantee the enjoyment and sweetness of the Lord’s word..Lord, keep our heart seeking after Your speaking..cause us to LIVE TO YOU..
In 2002, I was listening to brother Ed and I heard him say something like this: If you read 500 messages of the Life-Studies (LS), you will never be the same person. I was like What!!? Thank God I took that challenge. I started and told myself I will not stop until I read 500 messages to put this to the test. I began with Genesis and this LS in it self changed my life, I was so excited I finished it in one month. This LS answered 80% of the questions I had in my Christian walk. Then I moved on to Exodus, this one was long (180 msgs.) it took me a lot longer than one month. Now nine years minus two in the training were I read other ministry I am in Deuteronomy. Praise the Lord I am still trying, I have also read 7 other New Testament LS’s, plus started the collective works of Watchman Nee. I have been going a lot slower than I wanted too but I can sure testify that my hunger, love, and attraction toward the Lord and His Bride has increased much more. I can testify 500 messages of the LS’s will change you life and have an affect on your living. Recently, I have been really steady at reading at least one message a day plus my daily Bible reading the more your read the more time you find in your day to read, its funny how that works. May we all continue in these things. Lord Jesus we love You!
Hi Mabeth,
I enjoyed your posting on the Living to Him website. I have had a similar experience with the Life Study of the Bible radio broadcasts and posted my testimony too.
I just finished Matthew and John. In John I saw that life comes into us (regeneration, the water of life, bread of life, etc…) but in Matthew we must enter into life (the enjoyment of the reality and manifestation of the kingdom). Only by the indwelling life (as shown in John) is it possible to enter into life (the kingdom) as seen by the example of the rich man in chapter 19.
Grace to you,
John Harvey, Church in Fullerton
About two years ago I began to go book by book through the Bible listening to the Life Study of the Bible radio broadcasts. I was able to purchase all the broadcast mp3 CDs from the Living Stream Book Store in Anaheim. I listen to the broadcast messages during my commute to and from the office and then reading the text and footnotes of the Recovery Version in the evening. On average, with a 20 minute commute, I can get two or three messages per day. I have gone through Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, John, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Philippians and Colossians.
This practice has become a source of supply to me (in the principle of hidden manna) in addition to my daily supply from the Holy Word for Morning Revival. I feel that I am being saturated with the Spirit and the Word each week and the points I enjoy become my overflow in gospel preaching and in prophesying on the Lord’s Day. Six months ago I and another brother began to door knock for Bibles for America. The inflow of life from the Life Studies has really produced an outflow to others. My marriage of 11 years is now beginning to enjoying new wine and I think my kids sense that Daddy is in life when he comes home from work.
Praise the Lord there is a way for a working brother with two businesses, a wife, three kids, and a regular church life to get into the Life Studies!
Praise the Lord for such a rich ministry! I’d like to share my experience in planning to get into the Life-study messages.
I made a resolution to read all the LS covering Paul’s epistles in one year. That is about 500 messages that will definitely make anyone a different person (pretty much 2 messages a day). However the Lord touched me through the word brother Lee spoke regarding getting into the truth. He said that we should not try to get through Life-study messages too quickly, but rather take them in slowly, digesting and assimilating all the crucial points found there. He also shared that tortoise (slow but steady) always wins the race. It was an adjusting word for me. I changed my schedule to 1 message per day. That will allow me to cover all the Paul’s epistles in a little over than 1.5 years. I also remembered brother Howard Higashi who practiced taking a page of notes for each message he read. It is not that easy to practice it steadfastly, but I believe this is the only way to be constituted!
May the Lord grant all of us hunger for His word and the word of this ministry, and grant us endurance to get through all the Life-study messages ever published!
There are many profitable ways mentioned in the ministry to read the Life-Studies. Searching “life-studies” on ministrybook.org will lead you to these quotes, other others.
First things first, just start reading. As long as you contact the Lord and there is some transmission, you will receive the benefit. However you read them, just enjoy them.
I read Genesis first and I was hooked. I am on my second journey through the Life-Studies. As long as you are reading them you will be blessed, and you will then become a blessing to those around you. Keep reading.
I should have read the Life Studies when I was younger. (I did attend nearly every semi-annual training Brother Lee gave, which was very helpful.) But now by the Lord’s mercy I am reading through the Life Studies. I have found this to be very helpful!
I fully agree with what Bro. Lee said. Don’t waste your time reading other things like the news and books. There is a lot of poison in the news each day. The Life Studies, will nourish you, wash you, enlighten you and reconstitute you if you read them with a praying spirit.
You only have one life to live. Don’t waste your time. Give your time to reading the Life studies. You will not regret it.
-From a 67 year old brother
P.S. It’s never too late to start reading them
Recently, my husband and I had some of his coworkers over for dinner. One couple (who are very dear believers) arrived earlier and was hanging out in our living room. The wife pointed to the shelves lined with the life studies and asked, “Have you read all these books?” It’s such an innocuous question but it pierced my heart. Okay, maybe I’m being a little melodramatic but the Lord used that question to convict me. I mean, no doubt, reading through and finishing the life-studies is no small task…but we sometimes use that fact as an excuse to soothe the nudging within about our need to get the ministry into us. Of course, I’ve had my bouts of ministry pursuit in the past but I’d never made a definite plan to read through it in its entirety…or even thought to do so. Why do I think it’s okay, even after almost 15 years after the training (not that that’s anything but we were charged to be read the ministry everyday upon graduation), to dismiss the task to some distant and, quite frankly, mythical date in the future. No large and worthy task ever happened without planning, right? And I absolutely have no excuse now that I am not as busy with work as I was before (often averaged 60 hours per week, especially at the beginning of my career).
Anyway, after my time with the Lord the next morning, I went onto the LSM scheduled reading plans website to create a reading plan from Genesis to Revelation. (The title of the plan is “Have you read all these books?” ^_^) Pacing one chapter a day, it would take about 5 years, I think…but I went ahead and checked off some of the books I’ve completed previously so that shortens the schedule some. Of course, I still fail to keep up every now and then but my mindset is just different and the supply has been more consistent. I think using the physical book helps tremendously (I used to use the CD version and also tried the online version) and reading it immediately after my morning time with the Lord helps to keep the time fairly regular and minimizes distractions (at one point in the past, I would read the small handheld print versions on one hand while the other was blow drying my hair…I’d thought that pairing it with a mundane daily habit would help, haha! I know it sounds kind of funny but it did work for a while). I also used to share a Google sheet to keep track of readings and to make reading progress visible with an accountability partner (only rule is “no judging”) but haven’t really felt the need this time around (…though another sister and I tried to use a website built for this purpose but have had some trouble with the functionalities for it be useful to us.)
I am so thankful to the Lord for the riches of the ministry contained in these books and that they are readily accessible to us. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for all the riches of this storehouse.
Currently going through each of the Life-Studies. I finished Genesis and am currently on Exodus. Going at a steady pace of 90 – 100 minutes of reading a day, which gets me through around 4 messages per day. I hope to finish the Life-Studies, CWWN, and CWWL in the next 4 years, supplementing with books by Sparks, Darby, Moody, Simpson, and other great Christian authors, throughout Recovery history.
I’m a new Christian and have been enjoying the Life-Study commentaries. They really open up the Word to us in such a special way. The best part of having read a Life-Study for a particular book of the Bible is then getting into that part of the Bible and enjoying the Word of God.
Although I had doubts when joining the Church, I am positive that Witness Lee and Watchman Nee are geniuses. Their Ministry is special and a wonderful gift to all Christians.