Trainings Conducted by the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul

In conducting trainings, Brother Lee faithfully followed the pattern established by both the Lord Jesus Himself and the apostle Paul. The four Gospels record that during His ministry on earth the Lord Jesus not only preached the gospel and taught the truth but also perfected the disciples in the truth (Mark 1:14-22). In particular, in Luke 24 the resurrected Christ trained the disciples by opening “their mind to understand the Scriptures” (v. 45). He opened the Scriptures to them by explaining to them clearly “the things concerning Himself” in all the Scriptures, comprising “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and Psalms,” revealing to them how He Himself is the center and content of the entire Old Testament (vv. 27, 32, 44). Moreover, after His resurrection the Lord Jesus spent forty days speaking to His disciples the things concerning the kingdom of God, that is, teaching them the truth concerning the kingdom (Acts 1:3). Similarly, in Acts Paul not only gave messages but also remained for a considerable period of time in at least three cities to train the saints by teaching them the truth. Barnabas and Paul gathered with the church in Antioch for a year and “taught a considerable number,” indicating that they carried out a training in Antioch by teaching the word of God (11:26). Paul also stayed in Ephesus for three years, teaching the saints both publicly and from house to house, proclaiming the truth concerning the kingdom of God, and declaring to them the whole counsel of God (20:20-27)—the eternal economy, purpose, and will of God (Eph. 1:5, 9-11; 3:9-10). In his last meeting with the elders of the church in Ephesus, he committed them to the word of God’s grace (Acts 20:17, 32). This suggests that Paul trained the saints in Ephesus by teaching the truth concerning God’s economy and ministering the word of God’s grace to them. Of Corinth Acts says that Paul “remained there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (18:11), showing the apostle’s labor to perfect the saints in the truth.

Life-study Trainings Held in the United States

When Brother Lee moved to the United States in 1962, his main burden was initially to visit the saints and churches in the United States to lay a foundation for the Lord’s recovery here. In 1974, after this foundation had been widely and solidly established, Brother Lee became burdened to release the riches in the Word of God as the bountiful supply of life not only to the saints in the local churches but also to the believers throughout the earth, many of whom were “suffering from a famine of healthy teaching” (CWWL, 1981, vol. 1, p. 92). Although from 1962 to 1973 Brother Lee had traveled to many places to hold meetings and conferences, by 1974 he realized that “still the Word, the Holy Scriptures, had not been opened up” and that “for the long run there was the need for the opening up of the holy Word so that people could see the life in this book” (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning the Blending,” p. 109). In 1974 Brother Lee “felt that [he] should settle down and spend some time to release the Lord’s word and that the best way was through a life-study of the Bible” (CWWL, 1981, vol. 2, pp. 462).

Beginning in 1974 Brother Lee carried out the life-study of the Bible primarily by holding two trainings every year, one in the middle of the year and the other at the end, and by studying a book or several books of the Bible in each training. In 1981 he declared that “the heaviest burden within [him was] how to fully release the word of the Lord.” He was eager to release a life-study of every book of the Bible. (CWWL, 1981, vol. 2, pp. 262). Each of the semiannual trainings required that Brother Lee spend at least three months writing the outlines for the life-study messages. During these months he also wrote footnotes, compiled cross references, and composed an outline for each book to be covered, thus producing the initial draft of the Recovery Version of each book of the Bible. Brother Lee testified that such a rigorous schedule forced him to study each book of the Bible thoroughly so that he could see both a bird’s-eye view and the crucial points. Further, he testified that he often received light in the Scriptures from the Lord while composing message outlines, preparing to give messages, and speaking in the training meetings.

The semiannual life-study trainings served as an important vehicle for the release of Brother Lee’s ministry of the word largely because the trainees provided an excellent audience to draw out his messages. Brother Lee emphasized concerning the importance of a proper audience for the ministry of the word:

The speaking may be easy, but the speaking relies on the audience. Even a message like last night’s was three-fourths due to those present…Even though the message is there, it cannot come out without a proper audience. With the same outline, same revelation, and same number of people, three-fourths of the message would be gone if I were to go to a denominational audience. I cannot speak to a “pile of stones”; there is no echo, no response. It is not easy to get such an audience as we have…With the saints providing the atmosphere and everything ready, we can do the best work. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, p. 87)

Because of the importance of the best possible audience and atmosphere for the ministry of the word, it was necessary for the attendees of the semiannual trainings to be held to a high standard. Whereas conferences were open to all persons without restriction, the semiannual trainings required the attendees to register and be approved by the churches. Further, trainees were required to abide by a set of regulations, including rising and going to bed at proper times, arriving early for the meetings, and preparing to be tested. The trainees’ adherence to these regulations not only helped them to be girded up in their spirit, to be saved from looseness, and to receive the greatest benefit from the trainings but also made them a suitable audience for drawing out the highest speaking from the ministry. The Lord used the life-study trainings to release the divine truths in the Word and perfect many saints to learn, experience, and present these truths, ushering them into a richer enjoyment and ministry of Christ as life.