For some of our visitors it may be easier to listen to the excerpts offline, for example, on your MP3 player or in your car. This page is provided to make it easier for you to do this by enabling you to download all of the excerpts from this conference in a single .zip file. (more…)

Although we love Jesus Christ and God, very few understand who God really is. However, the apostle John has three unique and very clear statements concerning who God is in Himself.

First, God is Spirit (John 4:24) so our entire Christian life, including our love for the Lord Jesus, must be a matter of the Spirit. (more…)

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life.
— 1 John 1:1

The ministry of the apostle John shows us that, while we may very much appreciate the Lord’s work and His truth in the Bible, we should not be caught up with these things. Instead, what matters to John is this: How real is Christ to you? (more…)

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life.
— 1 John 1:1

In the previous excerpt brother Titus considered the four stages of the growth in life as seen in First John 1:1. In this excerpt, He focuses on what it means to “handle” Christ. That is, we not only appreciate Him, but become a part of His operation. How can this be? It is only by the Word of life. As the Word of life, the Lord is so purposeful, with an economy. This Word of Life is for us to “look upon” and “handle.”  (more…)

While we must have the church life and the Body life, most of the time we are not with the other saints. Therefore, we must learn how to contact the Lord, spend time with Him, and be in His presence not just in the meetings, but when we are alone with Him. Only in this way can we be sustained through the difficult times. (more…)

Learn to pray by pouring out your heart to the Lord, not for the sake of being used by the Lord, but simply to gain His sweet presence. Don’t even seek the Lord to utilize Him for something such as giving a message, but just because you love Him. (more…)

In this segment brother Titus, to emphasize how we need to be very genuine with the Lord in our prayer, shares two examples of how he prayed to the Lord and received His care in his early days of serving the Lord. (more…)

In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
— Philippians 4:6

According to Philippians 4:6, prayer and petition are two distinct things. Prayer is not mainly asking the Lord for things, but just to come into His presence to spend time with Him. (more…)

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are Spirit and are life.
— John 6:63

According to John 6:63, the Bible that we hold is not just the written word, but the Word that is Spirit and life. Therefore, if we come to the Bible and do not receive the Spirit and life, we miss the mark of why God has given us the Bible. (more…)

In our Christian life we need to call upon the name of the Lord, as the early Christians did (Acts 9:14, etc.).

We also need to learn to sigh and groan before the Lord. In one of his hymns A.B. Simpson speaks of this kind of prayer as a kind of spiritual breathing, in which we pour out all of the negative things that are within us into the Lord and, in return, receive His wonderful life: (more…)

If you really follow the Lord, many times you will be in darkness, because the Christian life will often turn out to be completely different from what you thought it should be; the reality turns out to be different from your expectations. If you don’t love the Lord it won’t matter to you, but if you follow the Lord in the deepest way you will come to understand that the Lord fully exposes you, until everything else—a victorious Christian life, a prevailing church life, etc.— disappears and only He is left. (more…)

We need to have a deep realization that we are more than terrible; there is simply no hope for us, and thus we cannot depart from the Lord for one moment. However, there is a secret we can learn: to every moment “breathe” out in our prayer and confession to the Lord all the negative things that are within us, and breathe in all of the positive, divine things in Christ. (more…)

How is it that we can love a God who is apparently so remote from us? It is by three main provisions God has made for us in this regard, which are thus very crucial in our Christian life and in our loving of the Lord. (more…)

And for this very reason also, adding all diligence, supply bountifully in your faith virtue; and in virtue, knowledge; and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control, endurance; and in endurance, godliness; and in godliness, brotherly love; and in brotherly love, love.
— Second Peter 1:5-7

The love of Jesus causes us to grow, and our growth, in turn, brings us into a higher appreciation of His love. By this growth we can enjoy this love to the uttermost. (more…)

The Lord raised up the Plymouth Brethren in England in the 1820′s, and they were quite prevailing through much of the 19th century. Today, however, what is left? “Almost nothing,” as brother Titus states at the beginning of this excerpt.

From this we need to draw a very significant lesson: No matter how good something may be, only Christ is real, and in the end only He will remain. Therefore, we should not focus on practices, but on the Lord Himself. (more…)

So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul”; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.
— First Corinthians 15:45

One of the main provisions the Lord has made for us to love Him is to give us His Spirit in resurrection. In resurrection, Christ as the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). Now in this Spirit there is the reality of so many divine things, such as the reality of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement. (more…)

And hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
— Romans 5:5

God’s love has been poured out in our hearts by His Spirit (Rom. 5:5). Thus, it is by the Spirit that we know and enjoy God’s love. To illustrate this brother Titus shares his own experience of how he first really touched the Lord’s love, when as a young man he publicly consecrated himself to the Lord in a church meeting. (more…)

To enjoy the Lord in the meetings is not a matter of being excited or of being sober, but of being in spirit. To be strong in spirit, or to be sober, do not conflict; Paul could be either (2 Cor. 5:13). Therefore, we must learn to be in the freedom of the Spirit so that He may have the freedom to lead us in the meetings.

However, we should not come to the meetings just to have an enjoyable time. Rather, we must realize that the meetings are just the outflow of our daily enjoyment of Christ. (more…)

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are, and to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.
— Ephesians 3:16-19

Christ is not merely a power; He is also a person. We may consider our experience of this person as being in three stages. (more…)

In this portion brother Titus shares briefly about a trial he went through somewhat recently regarding his serving of the churches.

At that time his thought was, if we have Christ as our inner man, what difference does it make if we are in a hard situation? What difference does it make if people like us or not? Regardless of the situation we will feel that our life is so limitless and buoyant! (more…)

All things work together for good to those who love God, who have been called according to His purpose.
— Romans 8:28

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear has punishment, and he who fears has not been perfected in love.
— 1 John 4:18

Christians are willing to be disciplined in order to pursue their interests, such as music, but few are willing to be disciplined to be a son of God. However, the promise that all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28) is only for those who love God and are willing to submit themselves to such discipline. (more…)

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten of God, and everyone who loves Him who has begotten loves him also who has been begotten of Him.

—First John 5:1

According to First John 5:1,  as those who are born of God we spontaneously love all those who are begotten of Him. We love the Lord who is in us, in our spirit, and we also love all the others who have Christ living in them as well. (more…)