A. Realizing the crucial points:
1. Example 1: “Initiation” in the outline of Mark.
2. Example 2: “Designated” in Romans 1:4.
B. Having a bird’s-eye view:
1. Learn how to put the points together to form a section.
2. Sectioning a chapter gives you a clear view, a bird’s eye-view of the
entire chapter of a book.
3. Having a bird’s-eye view of a chapter, then of a book, and then of the
entire Bible.
II. Entering into the thoughts of the Holy Spirit:
A. Merging one’s thoughts with the thoughts of the Holy Spirit.
B. Finding the “trunk” and the “branches.”
III. Using the outline of the Recovery Version to merge one’s thoughts
with the thoughts of the Holy Spirit:
A. The bird’s-eye view of Mark.
B. The bird’s-eye view of Romans.
References: Elder’s Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision; chs. 1-2; How to Study the Bible, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 54, ch. 2.
Excerpts from the Ministry:
READING THE BIBLE TO RECEIVE THE CRUCIAL POINTS OF THE TRUTH AND A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE SCRIPTURES
To become rich, we need to pick up the points, we need to have a bird’s-eye view of a chapter or of a section, and we also need a bird’s-eye view of the entire book. Finally, we need an ultimate practice—to have a bird’s-eye view of the sixty-six books of the Bible. Then the entire Bible means something to you. We need to progress from the single items of the truth to knowing the outline of a section or of a chapter. From this we need to see the outline or the bird’s-eye view of an entire book. Finally, from the outline of a book we must have a bird’s-eye view of the entire sixty-six books of the Bible. When you reach this point, a good foundation will have been laid with all the basic principles to govern, to direct, and to rule your interpretation of any word, any verse, any chapter, or any book of the Bible. You are not only safeguarded but also very much enriched.
You may say that this is hard, but I do not think so. This, however, takes time. You should not read the Bible and life-study messages in the old way. Whenever you pick up the Bible or the life-study of any book of the Bible, you must read them in this way. You must pick up the single, crucial points and have an outline of a certain chapter or a certain section. Then you
must progress to have an outline of the entire book. After finishing a book you should not go ahead.
You must go back to make an outline of this book. Try to do this. This is the basic way for you to carry out the ministry. (Elder’s Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision, pp. 16-17)
ENTERING INTO THE THOUGHTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
In writing the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit had His own purpose and thoughts. A reader of the Bible has to learn not only to read the words and memorize them but also to touch the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s writing of the book at the time that He wrote it. The first thing about the study of the Bible is not to busy ourselves with exegesis but to know the intention of the Holy Spirit at the time He wrote the books. We must remember that the value of the words lies not in the words themselves but in the meaning which they convey. The Lord said to the Sadducees, “You err, not knowing the Scriptures” (Matt. 22:29). The Sadducees read God’s Word, yet they could not understand it. In reading God’s Word, we have to find the reason the Holy Spirit spoke such a word. This leads to another point: Our mind must be well-disciplined. (How to Study the Bible, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol.54, p. 36)
MERGINGONE’STHOUGHTS WITH THE THOUGHTS OF THE HOLYSPIRIT
Those who read the Bible must be objective. They must not rely on their own mind. The Holy Spirit has a thought, and our thought has to get into His thought and merge with it. When the Holy Spirit thinks a certain way, we have to think the same way. The two have to flow like two currents in a river, the Holy Spirit being the main current, while we are the subsidiary current. The Holy Spirit is like a big river, while we are like a little stream. The stream has to merge into the river. When the river flows to the east, the stream also flows to the east. The stream may be small, but as long as it flows with the river, it will reach the wide ocean. (p. 36)
FINDING THE “TRUNK”AND THE “BRANCHES”
Some parts of the Bible are subject texts, while others are explanatory words; some are primary in importance, while others are ancillary in function. Some are like the trunk of a tree, while others are like the branches of the tree. We should not follow the branches and lose sight of the trunk. Of course, we should not pay attention just to the trunk and forget about the branches. We should find out what the Holy Spirit is saying in a passage, how He is saying it, how many things are spoken of, and how many words He has used to achieve His goal. Our mind should follow these things step by step. We have to catch up with the mind of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has a subject to His speaking, and He also has words explaining the subject….We must differentiate between the “trunk” and the “branches” before we can understand what we are reading. We cannot rush through in our reading. When the Holy Spirit makes a detour, we have to make the same detour. When the Holy Spirit turns back to the subject, we also have to turn back to the subject. We have to be very tender and very careful to not put any trust in ourselves or have any assurance in our flesh. This is the way to catch up with the thoughts of the Holy Spirit.
There are “trunks” and “branches” in the words of the Bible. Yet these “trunks” and “branches” are linked together to form one unified whole….We must not take a few verses out of context and just expound them.
If our mind is trained, it will be strong enough to sustain the light. Light comes in a flash, and it has to be captured and sustained. If our mind is not trained to join itself to the mind of the Holy Spirit, we will not have enough thoughts to capture and sustain the light when it comes to us in the form of a revelation. This is the reason our mind has to be trained; it has to be altogether objective and responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. (pp. 38-39)
USING THE OUTLINE OF THE RECOVERY VERSION
TO MERGE ONE’S THOUGHTS WITH THE THOUGHTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THEBIRD’S-EYEVIEW OF MARK
I must honestly tell you that in my whole Christian life I never loved the book of Mark until I was forced to write the notes on this book for the winter training of 1983. At least one of my old Chinese Bibles contained outlines of nearly all the books of the New Testament. This Bible, however, did not contain an outline for the book of Mark. I did not make an outline for this book because I did not think it was worth it. Before preparing for the winter training of 1983, the only thing that I could tell you about the outline of the Gospel of Mark is that in the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, John the Baptist came out (1:1-4), and at the end the disciples went out to preach the gospel to all the creation (16:15, 20). Even though there was no incentive to write this outline and even though I did not have much to write, I was forced to write something to match the writing of the other books. Therefore, the Lord helped. After such a writing, I got a clear bird’s-eye view of the book of Mark. I have been deeply impressed with this view especially after the writing of the notes, the outline, the message outlines, and even more after speaking something concerning these sixteen chapters in the training. I do not think it would be so easy for me to forget what I have been impressed with.
Mark gives us a full portrait of how Jesus as the slave of God serves a sinner. I do not say sinners because all the pieces in this book should be considered as a collective case. (Elders’
Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision, pp. 19-20)
Here is a full portrait of a person sick of fever, leprosy, paralysis, and an issue of blood. Such a person was dying but he was made alive, he was healed of all his diseases, he was cleansed within, he was fed, and he went up to the mountain with Jesus. However, he still needed to hear, to speak, and to see, so Jesus healed all the organs related to these functions (7:31-37; 8:22-26; 9:14-29; 10:46-52). Now this person began to hear the voice from the heavens, to speak the proper thing, and to see the vision. Jesus brought this person into His death (15:16-41) and into His resurrection (16:1-18) and this person ascended to the heavens in Jesus Christ (16:19). Then this collective person came down to preach the gospel just as Jesus did (16:20). This is a bird’s-eye view of the entire book of Mark. This is not merely a history or a story but the divine significance of Mark. (p. 23)
THEBIRD’S-EYEVIEW OF ROMANS
The bird’s-eye view of the book of Romans is mainly of four stations. You must remember and be impressed with these four stations. Romans is composed of sixteen chapters with four sections of four chapters each. The first four chapters end with the word justification (4:25); this is the station of justification. From chapter five through eight is the section on sanctification. The third section, from chapter nine through chapter twelve, is on the Body of Christ. Finally, the last section is a station ending with the local churches because the churches are mentioned in chapter sixteen (vv. 1, 4-5). If you have such a bird’s-eye view of these four stations you can see that the
book of Romans shows us the fallen condition of a sinner who is going to be made a son of God that he can be an organic member of the Body of Christ which is expressed in the local churches. This one sentence covers the entire book of Romans from chapter one through chapter sixteen with the four major stations. (pp. 24-25)
Questions:
1. In reading the Bible, how can we realize the crucial points and have a bird’s-eye view of the Holy Scriptures?
2. Give examples of how to have a bird’s-eye view of the Bible by using the outlines of the Recovery Version.
3. How do we merge our thoughts with the thoughts of the Holy Spirit when reading the Bible?
4. Give examples of how to merge our thoughts with the thoughts of the Holy Spirit by using the Recovery Version.