Tuesday | 29 September 2026

The limitation of our sight

When we first received the call to return to first love, just over fifty years ago, we responded to the word with repentance and faith, to the degree that we could see what the Lord was saying to us. We know that there were also many people who cleaved to the word with deceit as a source of empowerment. The outcome of the first time of the word was a collegial presbytery and church mergers. However, in the middle of that dysfunction, there was also good fruit produced in the lives of those who had a heart that was set on pilgrimage.

In the first time of the word, we endeavoured to do the will of God as we understood it. We walked in the light of what we believed to be ‘good’ at that time. However, as we reflect on the nature of our pilgrimage, we recognise that our obedience was flawed because our sight was limited. We still had a sacramental view of the communion because we did not understand the fellowship of the agape meal. Similarly, we did not have house‑to‑house fellowship as a lampstand church because we did not understand the importance of becoming worthy houses.

We rejoice that the word of present truth has continued to bring illumination to us so that we can now walk in the light of what is ‘better’ as a presbytery and lampstand church. However, we recognise that we have not yet attained to what is the ‘best’. The ‘best’ will be revealed in the time of the end by the one world‑wide presbytery around the Father’s throne, and the one lampstand administration before the Father’s throne, that will proclaim the gospel of the kingdom as a testimony in all nations.

In addition to the limitation of our sight, we also recognise that our eye has not been ‘single’ because of the mixed motivations in our heart. We are still carnal to the degree that we are motivated by self‑interest.