This book, the first of a two-volume set, covers the crucial matters of being with the Lord, living with the Lord, and bearing fruit with the Lord.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1989, volume 4, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from May 19, 1989, through January 4, 1991. In the middle of May 1989 Brother Lee returned to Anaheim, California, after spending more than two months in the Far East. At the end of the third week in May Brother Lee visited Cleveland, Ohio, and Newton and Cambridge, Massachusetts, until the end of the first week in June. At that time he returned to Anaheim and remained there until the end of 1989. The contents of this volume are divided into eight sections, as follows: 1. Sixteen messages given in Anaheim, California; Cleveland, Ohio; and Newton, Massachusetts, on May 19 through June 6, 1989. These messages were previously published in a ten-chapter book entitled The Advance of the Lord's Recovery Today and are included in this volume under the same title. 2. Two messages given in Anaheim, California, on July 8 and 9, 1989. These messages were previously published in a three-chapter book entitled A Summary of the Study of the New Testament Way of Christian Service and are included in this volume under the same title. Chapters 2 and 3 of this section also appear as chapters 10 and 11 in Elders' Training, Book 9: The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (1), which is included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1986, volume 3. 3. Ten messages given in Anaheim, California, on September 4 through December 14, 1989. These messages were previously published in two volumes entitled Talks concerning the Church Services, Part 1 and Part 2 and are included in this volume under the title Talks concerning the Church Services. 4. Five messages given in Anaheim, California, on November 23 through 25, 1989. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing Triune God and are included in this volume under the same title. 5. Two messages given in Anaheim, California, on November 26, 1989. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Present Turmoil in the Lord's Recovery and the Direction of the Lord's Move Today and are included in the next section of this volume as chapters 1 and 2 of Elders' Training, Book 10: The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (2). 6. Ten messages given in Anaheim, California, on November 26, 1989, through January 4, 1991. These messages are included in this volume under the title Elders' Training, Book 10: The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (2). Chapters 1 and 2 were previously published in a book entitled The Present Turmoil in the Lord's Recovery and the Direction of the Lord's Move Today and were given on November 26, 1989. Chapters 3 through 6 were previously published in a book entitled The Intrinsic Problem in the Lord's Recovery Today and Its Scriptural Remedy and were given on March 9 and 10, 1990. Chapter 7 was previously published in a book entitled A Brief Presentation of the Lord's Recovery and was given on July 7, 1990. Chapter 8 was previously published in a booklet entitled How to Have a Definite Beginning of the God-ordained Way in a Local Church and was given on July 8, 1990. Chapters 9 and 10 were previously published in a book entitled The God-ordained Way and the Eldership and were given on January 3 and 4, 1991. 7. A message given in Anaheim, California, on December 19, 1989. This message is included in this volume under the title Fellowship with Saints Serving in the Ministry Office in Irving. 8. Two messages given in Anaheim, California, on December 29 and 30, 1989. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Apostles' Teaching and the New Testament Leadership and are included in this volume under the same title.

The New Testament tells us that as saved ones we have been regenerated in our spirit and that from the time we were saved, God has been edifying and building up our spirit. Ephesians 2:22 clearly reveals that our spirit is God's dwelling place in us. Hence, to build up our spirit, the individual spirit, is to build up God's dwelling place, God's temple. On the other hand, the church is also God's house and God's temple. But how do we build up the church? It is through all the saved ones encouraging one another and functioning in mutuality according to their fellowship with the Lord and the experiences of life they have had with the Lord in their spirit. The Body of Christ is built up through the spiritual development of all the members.