Day 81: Prayer to break through the three layers of obstacles to the Lord’s recovery in the United States in order to gain the proper increase

Pray that the Lord would gain the proper increase for His recovery in the United States and that the saints would overcome the three blockades to the proper increase in this country—worldliness, the opposition, and the denominations—in order to gain people for the Lord’s recovery (1 John 2:15-16; Rom. 12:2; Acts 4:31; 1 Cor. 1:10).

1 John 2:15-16—Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him; because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.

Rom. 12:2—And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.

Acts 4:31—And when they had so besought, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

1 Cor. 1:10—Now I beseech you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion.

We need to realize that the United States is a very worldly country due to its riches. Americans are living in worldliness without any consciousness of it. The whole world follows the worldliness of the United States. Because we are not worldly, others may think we are out of date. Many Americans think that they are the most modern people on this earth. But we do not want to be in this worldly way. In order to dress well, have the best house, and have the best car, many try to get a high education so that they can get a high position to make the most money. This is all worldliness…[W]e have to realize that worldliness is a big obstacle in the United States.

Furthermore, the truth which we practice concerning the ground of the church—one church for one city, one city with only one church—annuls all the standings of the denominations. Thus, what denomination would have anything good to say about us? Under the teaching of the ground of the church, all the divisions, the denominations, are condemned.

Worldliness, the opposition, and the denominations are three layers of obstacles to the Lord’s recovery in the United States. The United States is the strongest country for Christianity. All the denominations are very strongly founded. Yet we were raised up to stand on the ground of the church, the genuine ground of oneness, which is a testimony against all the denominations.

We may think that it will be easy to gain people for the Lord’s recovery, but it is not easy. We are not in an easy situation. These three layers of obstacles, or three blockades, are here to frustrate us. We need to overcome the worldliness in the United States. Worldliness, the opposition, and the denominations are three blockades to gaining the proper increase in the Lord’s recovery. If this were not the Lord’s recovery, with the foundation on the truth and with the condition in life, we would have been brought to nothing already. Despite the blockades, the Lord’s recovery is still solidly standing here. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups,” p. 579)