My Spiritual Conductor, the Abecedarian Master of Literature Service
I’ve known Brother Liu since my childhood. Due to our two families are quite familiar with each other, he was introduced to Mrs. Liu to become a couple by my parents, and I shared the same year as his eldest son, Li Guang. As I grew older, I gradually learned that he functions as the publisher of the Gospel Book Room in Taiwan, an amazing and awesome man.
When I was a junior in the School of Medicine of the National Taiwan University, with church life in Hall one in Taipei, by the Lord’s mercy, I was directly led and perfected by Brother Liu for thirteen years, which lays the foundation for me to serve the Lord for the rest of my life. He is my spiritual conductor and the abecedarian master of the literature service, and many brothers and sisters even consider that I am his son and he is my fleshly father.
The Hyperetes of the Word
Following my graduation from university, Brother Liu encouraged me to attend the one-year full-time training held by the Church in Taipei, and gradually ushered me into the practical coordination of the Gospel Book Room. During the process of coordinating with him, I learned that he was burdened and willing to take up some of the time and energy that Brother Witness Lee spent on writing so that Brother Lee’s precious energy could be spent more and more comprehensively. A few years later, Brother Lee thought Brother Liu’s manuscripts were his own. From then on, he was confident in approving Brother Liu’s writings, and let him take full responsibility for the Chinese language, which he labored for nearly fifty years.
Consider chapter one verse two in the Gospel of Luke, which literally translates the word “those who ministers of the word have delivered them to us,” as “the hyperetes of the word” and “the executive officer of the word” [hyperetes]. What a blessing, because of Brother Liu’s perfection, he has brought me into this team, and successively brought those who are burdened into this service, into the team of “The Word”.
At the beginning of my years in the Book Room, I mainly served in translating the Life-studies from English to Chinese. Through handing them over to Brother Liu for revision. I have learned how to improve my own translation from Brother Liu’s modifications on the first draft (which were paper copies at that time). Over the past ten years, I had handled more than half of the Life-study messages, and such perfection prepared the team that cooperated with Brother Lee in the finalization of the text of the New Testament Recovery Version in 1986.
Afterward, I practiced various kinds of ministry translating. In the beginning, I was immersed in the delight of participating in the service, yet as time went on, I became more and more appreciative of and treasured the intrinsic connotation expressed in this ministry—the divine revelation—God’s New Testament economy. The text conveys the word, and the center, the focus, and the reality is “the Word”.
A Ministry That Supplies Life
During the period from 1971 to 1987, when I was in the church life in Hall One in Taipei, I was supplied with messages given by our brother every week, and the most impressive one so far was the message concerning “Taking Christ as our person.” Brother Liu has repeatedly emphasized that Christ is a living person and that we should not just treat Him like an ATM cash machine, but rather allow Him to make His home in our hearts and fill every part of our being. To Brother Liu, the divine revelation is not just letters and doctrines, but a living person, which greatly benefited to me throughout my entire life.
Holding a Pattern of Healthy Words
Brother Liu frequently compared himself to a trolleybus in the service of the church. He can always make flexible adjustments according to the Lord’s leading in spirit and the situations of the brothers and sisters. However, when we look back at Brother’s service, we can see that it was indeed a matter of closely holding the pattern of healthy words and bringing in the application and practice in an organic way, which is equivalent to the words of the ministry. These contents and burdens have become brother’s constitution, and are indeed the superior value of literature service. ” You shall not muzzle an ox that is treading out the grain” (1 Tim. 5:18).
The Highest Point of the Ministry of the Word—Living Christ and Magnifying Christ
Brother Liu’s life is the best interpretation and example of the minister of God’s words. From the time he contacted Brother Nee’s ministry, and was attracted by it, and he wrote a message on “The Law of the Spirit of Life” with his pen name “The Flowing Water”, and since then, he has been serving in the Taiwan Gospel Book Room.
Our Brother Liu served in the Taiwan Gospel Book Room, at the same time, he ministered the Word of God, with the New Testament Ministry as its content, and faithfully fulfilling the ministry until the end of his days, which lasted for seventy-five years. In particular, he always lived and magnified Christ in his ministry of the word. He frequently gave examples to illustrate that we should never minister the word of God as “bald men selling hair growth medicine” because if we do that, no one will buy or accept it.
Manifesting the Virtues of Living Christ—Forbearance
Brother is a person of forbearance, forbearance means humble, and able to bear with others in dealing with people, and he is understanding and considerate of others in all circumstances with all people. Meeting and serving with Brother is really a kind of enjoyment, without pressure, like a spring breeze. Especially for our younger generations, he is really a big umbrella, sheltering us from wind and rain.
Once in Taipei, after serving in a four-week training for the college students, he gave us a comment, “You are barefoot doctors, and conduct a training for barefoot doctors.” These words have given me great help throughout my life, and I will continue to study further and further throughout my life. In the vast ocean of the New Testament ministry, I have been able to break the ice and go deeper and deeper. Especially, in recent years, I have been fully intoxicated and enamored with it. I am especially grateful to Brother Liu for his perfecting.
Fulfilling the Ministry of the Lord to the End and with No Retiring
Brother continued to participate in the video training in person until the age of ninety-five, even took the exam with other saints together on stage, setting an unprecedented example in the Lord’s recovery. Before he was taken away by the Lord at the age of ninety-eight, he continued to carry out the ministry of the word in the perfecting training of the church in Hualien. It confirms his heroic words, he did not retire until the end of his life.
In the practice of God-ordained way, the morning revival life, the gospel preaching, the organic shepherding, the bread-breaking meeting, the prophesying meeting, the prayer meeting, the morning prayer, appreciating of hymns, etc., not only in the local area but even in the Chinese-speaking world of the Lord’s recovery has received his universal and continuous supply.
I’m so envious of Brother Liu, who has become a glorious overcomer. I look forward to seeing him again in the coming of the Lord with my wife Peace-Yen-chin Liu.
Samuel Liu, a junior in the Lord
Sincerely, August 4, 2023
Samuel Liu
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