As a continuation in the current line of posts regarding education, the following is Brother Witness Lee’s testimony regarding his realization of the purpose of his life and education (taken from A Blessed Human Life).
We all need to make the best choice. Even if a person becomes the president of a nation or the principal of a school, in the end he is nothing more than pile of dust, sand, wood, and other elements. Only when we gain God, when we gain Christ, have we made the best choice. When I entered to study at a junior college, I was clear in my heart that even if I did well in my studies I did not study for study’s sake. Walking on the road one day I spontaneously told God, “O God, some day I will carry a Bible bag and preach the gospel in all the villages and small towns. Even if I have to drink from mountain brooks and live on tree roots, I am willing to do anything as long as I can preach the gospel, and I will be satisfied.” I had this thought within me, that apart from pursuing and gaining the Lord, everything else in human life does not matter. (pp 81-82)
Like Brother Witness Lee, we also should have the same thought that the unique goal in our life is to gain and serve God, and that our education is simply unto the furtherance of this goal.
We are on this earth not without a goal. We are not here merely to take in food, to put on clothes, and to get married. Rather, we have a positive goal. If we take the way of the Lord, when we meet the Lord we will have boldness because we are not empty-handed; we bring with us those whom we have led to salvation. Imagine if the Lord delays His coming for twenty or thirty years, and the young people of this generation go forth with a burden to Africa, South America, Australia, and New Zealand, leading multitudes of people to salvation. How glorious this will be! They will not go to earn dollars, marks, or francs; instead, they will gain Americans, Germans, and French. How valuable and meaningful that would be! Therefore, we have to burn the campuses and communities with the fire of the gospel, bringing people into the Lord, the value of which will last for eternity. (p 55)
To this end, we are exhorted to study languages in order to be able to serve the Lord anywhere in the world.
I would advise you to study hard and endeavor to learn some languages, because one day you all will go to different parts of the world for God to bear witness, to preach the gospel, and to lead people to know God. I hope that as young people you can study hard and endeavor to learn some languages, letting no one despise your youth but being patterns to many. You can choose to learn one or two languages besides your mother tongue. In addition, I would like to ask the young brothers and sisters to put forth an extra effort in studying Greek. This will be a great help in understanding the Bible. Perhaps in the future some of you will labor to study Hebrew, which is a real necessity in studying the Old Testament. (pp 41-42)
May we all take up this charge to have the unique goal of being useful to the Lord, and to obtain an education that would enable us to serve the Lord anywhere He would send us.
I was just encouraging my 8-year-old today about learning Spanish, since I have enrolled my children in an extra class in the afternoons for learning Spanish, and he didn’t want to go. I wasn’t sure how to help him until the Lord touched me to share with him about learning languages for the gospel’s sake. I also realize that I need to be clear why they are doing this, not for their own educational benefit only, but for the Lord.
Oh Christ Jesus! Christ is for resurrection! Jesus is for human living. You are Life-Giving Spirit! You are Consuming Fire! Gain & recover many freshmen at the Downtown Campus. Amen!
I will be majoring in world languages after I get a degree in education. Until then I have a dear need for a recovery bible study to be established at my campus. I have a dear need for the sweet fellowship, prayer, eating and drinking Christ together with saints and prospective ones open to God’s economy and the study of one gospel for a whole year.
Oh Christ Jesus, this burden and care is surrendered to You. May You gain more student laborers for discipling the nations and learning different languages. Amen.
Oh Lord Jesus..it was an encouraging word that our further pursuit of education is for God’s economy..