Frequently asked questions

Q: What is a Life-study?
A: A monumental and classic work of Witness Lee, Life-study of the Bible is a book-by-book exposition of the entire Bible from the perspective of God’s New Testament economy. In contrast to a traditional Bible study or exposition of the Bible, the Life-study messages (or simply “Life-studies”) present key Biblical truths while ministering spiritual life supply. As such, they should not be read merely for knowledge or even doctrinal understanding but with an exercised spirit and much prayer in fellowship with God. For more information, please visit www.lifestudy.com.

 

Q: Why is this project called 500 Life-studies?
A: In chapters 9 and 10 of Elders' Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision, Witness Lee says that whoever has properly read through five hundred Life-study messages will be an excellent believer. Although this is not to be taken legally, many can testify of this in their experience.

 

Q: How do I read a Life-study message?
A: The most important thing in reading the Life-studies or any ministry is to read them in a prayerful way. This means that first and foremost we have to exercise our spirit and pray to contact the Lord before, during, and after we read. We need to mix our reading with prayer, with our hearts turned to the Lord. This way, we allow the Lord to enlighten us and dispense His life into us. For more fellowship on how to properly read the Life-studies, please see Getting Started and Way to Study.

 

Q: How many Life-study messages are there in total?
A: There are 1,984 Life-study messages in total, published in fifteen volumes of Life-study of the Old Testament and seventeen volumes of Life-study of the New Testament. There are also 436 messages in eight volumes of Life-study of the New Testament, Conclusion Messages. All these messages were originally spoken to a congregation and have been edited for print publication. You can find out what years the messages were spoken here, and you can learn more about the Life-studies as a whole here.

 

Q: Do you have any recommendations on which Life-studies to read first?
A: We have arranged the 1,984 Life-study messages into four suggested levels for sequential reading. Level 1 consists of Life-studies of Matthew (72 messages), John (51), Romans (69), Galatians (46), Ephesians (97), Philippians (62), Colossians (65), and Revelation (68), totaling 530 messages. Levels 2, 3, and 4 can be found here. Levels 1 and 2 are based mainly on recommendations from Witness Lee. However, please note that we are providing this only as a guide and believe that no matter which Life-study you read, you will receive truth and life from every message if you read them in a prayerful way.

 

Q: Where can I read the Life-studies?
A: You can read the Life-studies for free on the 500 Life-studies app or at ministrybooks.org. Print editions of the Life-studies are available for purchase from Living Stream Ministry's online bookstore. The Life-studies are also available as eBooks on Apple Books, Google Play, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

 

Q: What should I do once I have read 500 Life-study messages?
A: Although this project focuses on reaching the milestone of 500 Life-studies, we strongly encourage everyone to eventually read the complete Life-study of the Bible, which contains 1,984 messages in total. For this reason, we have added additional milestones of 750, 1,000, 1,250, 1,500, 1,750, and 1,984 in the mobile app. These milestones will appear once you have reached the 500 milestone.

 

Q: What emails do I receive if I join the mailing list?
A: You will receive periodic updates and announcements.

 

Q: What does the mobile app do?
A: The mobile app allows users to create custom reading schedules, do their readings in the app, and track their progress toward (and beyond) 500 Life-study messages. In future versions of the app, there will also be a group feature which allows users to interact with one another in groups for mutual encouragement.

 

Q: How do I report bugs or give feedback?
A: You can report bugs and/or give feedback on https://500lifestudies.canny.io or by emailing us at info@500lifestudies.org.