Tree of Life:

I think most believers, after initial salvation, want to please God. So they attempt to try and do something for God. Even many sermons given speak much on worship in a manner of working for the Lord but the source is of one's own zeal rather then God's life opperation within. But immediately after the creation of man, God put man in front of the tree of life that man may take the tree of life as his food. God had no intention to ask man to do anything for Him. God's intention was that man would simply take God as his food!

The tree of life appears at the beginning of the Bible (Gen. 2), at the end of the Bible (Rev.22), and in different aspects, throughout the Old and New Testaments. What is this mysterious tree? It is not what, but a wonderful Who. It is the very God embodied in Jesus Christ and realized as the Spirit to be life to man. It is God in the form of food to be received by man. Though shattering to the natural, traditional, and religious concept, it is the central subject of the Bible, as Witness Lee clearly points out. The first thing God presented to man was not the law but the tree of life. This means that God's original intention and primary concern was that man would receive Him and enjoy Him. Even the redemption accomplished by Christ was not an end in itself but the procedure to bring fallen man back to the tree of life. Therefore, in the New Testament Christ is presented as 6 major items to His believers: life, light, food, drink, breath, and abode. All these are simply different aspects of the tree of life. Eventually in the New Jerusalem we will enjoy Christ as the tree of life for eternity. As with many of Witness Lee's books, the writing is pleasantly simple, the message is spiritually profound, and the reading is absolutely enjoyable. This is a book that can revolutionize one's Christian life and bring it to a higher plane.

In The Tree of Life Witness Lee first presents that the "tree of life is God in Christ as the Spirit to be life to us." He shows that the way to the tree of life was closed because of the fall of Adam, but through Christ's redemption He has opened the way to the tree of life. He then goes on to show that the tree of life is the way for God to fulfill His purpose in creating man. A striking point of this book is that the author pays equal attention to both the truths in the Scriptures and their practical applications. For example, he not only explores how the tree of life functions in Christian growth and transformation, but also dwells on how to feast on the tree of life through the word and prayer. On the one hand, I appreciate the truth concerning the tree of life presented in this book. On the other hand, I treasure more its applications shown through the author's own personal experiences with the Lord. My daily fellowship with God was greatly helped when I applied what I had learned from this wonderful book.

These messages given by Witness Lee in Los Angeles, California in 1965 are still so crucial today, in an age when so many Christians are attempting to do something for God. God after creating man put him in front of the tree of life. The tree of life signifies God in Christ as the Spirit. After God created man, God did not give man a list of commandments, but instead told man to eat of the tree of life. This strongly indicates that God's intention from the very beginning is for us to receive Him. Thus, the author changed my concept from one of doing something for God to one of opening to God and receiving God as the tree of life. Read this book for yourself and have your concept changed from doing to eating!