2 Corinthians 4:7

Growing up as a young person meeting with the local church, I was quite impressed with my status as a vessel to contain and express God. I realized that I would express whatever I took in and that only God could satisfy me. Just as a Coca-Cola bottle, if it could speak, would say “Don't fill me with Pepsi,” I realized during my teenage years that my vessel was created to contain nothing other than God.

Thus, when I came to the Full-Time Training in Anaheim (FTTA) after graduation from college, I eagerly anticipated both the filling of the Spirit and continuing in the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:4, 42). I was not disappointed. I began to learn and enjoy the spiritual truths upon which many of my experiences of the Lord had been founded. My vessel readily accepted the divine content in the classes of the FTTA.

Through receiving the ministry of both Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in my classes, I was simultaneously filled and enlightened. Though I was often satisfied with the light and truth opened to me in the Word, I realized my inadequacy to contain it. This ministry helped me to see that the capacity and quality of my vessel mattered as much as the content.

These two Christian writers illustrated my need for education and character as a vessel to contain the things of God. My need can be demonstrated in terms of containers for holding rainwater. A flat container, no matter how beautifully crafted or intact, could hold only a limited amount of water. Likewise, a tremendous barrel full of holes was also severely limited in its usefulness to hold water. The flat container can be likened to a person who, due to his lack of education, can not hold and adequately convey the divine truths. The difference between a kindergartener and holding a Ph.D. in attempting to speak for God illustrated this rather graphically. A sheer lack of training and understanding would hinder the small child, no matter how much light he had received, whereas the comprehension and maturity of the scholar would increase his capacity. On the contrary, if this educated person had many holes piercing his vessel due to poor habits or flaws in his character, such as rising late or lacking respect for fellow man, his usefulness to the Master would also be limited.

My very clear realization from this speaking was that we Christians must surely appreciate the treasure of Christ in us, but we cannot discount the capacity and quality of the earthen vessel. I want to be useful to the Master, but this requires the proper education as well as character training. In the end, these will not replace my love for the Lord, but rather, allow this Treasure to shine brighter in my vessel

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