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everything is clear when we exercise our spirit and we come to the church meetings

23 Feb

everything is clear when we exercise our spirit and we come to the church meetings [picture: sun shining through the trees]The place where we can see God’s way, God’s purpose, and God’s economy is the sanctuary of God – Psa. 77:13 says, “O God, Your way is in the sanctuary; who is so great a god as God?” God’s sanctuary today is our mingled spirit and the church. We shouldn’t neglect our spirit and the church meetings; rather, we should exercise our spirit and be in the meetings of the church so that we may see God’s purpose, God’s way, and God’s economy! Hallelujah for this twofold sanctuary – a private sanctuary (our spirit) and a public sanctuary (the church).

exercising our spirit and living in the church

We can testify that many times we may have been puzzled by certain situations or problems in our life, and we did not manage to figure things out on our own. But when we exercised our spirit and came to the meetings of the church, God’s way became clear to us. The best advice we can give others is not “practical advice for their life” or “counselling for their situation” but encouraging them to exercise their spirit and to attend the meetings of the church.

Big questions like, Whom should I marry? Where should I move? What job should I have? and small questions like, What should I wear today? How should I comb my hair? What should my attitude be towards this person? What about my shopping? What about my spending money or saving money? – all these questions are answered by our entering into the sanctuary to see God’s way and His purpose! On the one hand we need to be proper human beings and take care of our daily needs, but on the other hand we should first exercise our spirit and be in the meetings of the church and there we see all things clearly.

the light of the Holy Place

In the Holy Place in the tabernacle there was no natural light – there was only the light of the lampstand, the light of the Holy Place. In the natural light (the light of the sun and the moon) we can see the natural and outward things, but in the light of the Holy Place we can see God’s economy and His administration. In God’s presence, in His shining, in His light, we don’t need any natural light or man-made light. In the church life we do not need any natural light – in the church life as the Holy Place in the tabernacle we have the lampstand shining with God as the light!

The church is the Holy Place, and the church is also the lampstand – the Spirit as the oil fills the church and there’s light shining here. When it comes to God’s economy, God’s plan, God’s ways, we don’t need the natural light – we need to enter into the sanctuary of God and we will understand (see Psa. 73:16-17). We need to practice using the light of the Holy Place. Don’t try to figure out things, and don’t try to solve the situation – no mater how complicated it is. The more you think about it, the more puzzled you are. Just come into the sanctuary of God – come under the light of the lampstand, in the mingled spirit and in the church!

in the Holy Place we understand

Once we come into the Holy Place – once we exercise our spirit and we come to the church meetings – we understand! What was puzzling and even impossible to solve before now it is crystal clear. Why? We may think we know what’s going on since we develop our own perception on life, things, problems, people, situations, etc. But our own view of the world and our own way of doing things are just wrong – we need to see things the way God sees them! We need to see the world, the things, the people, the situations, the problems, etc. from God’s point of view!

In the sanctuary of God – in the Holy Place – we have God’s throne and the presence of God. When we come before God, when we touch the throne, we immediately see! There are seven lamps burning before the throne, and we are exposed, enlightened, judged, supplied, infused, and transfused! We don’t just “see what’s really going on”, and we don’t just “have the solution” – we are infused with God and His heart’s desire, and we know God’s purpose! When we exercise our spirit and come to the church meetings, we are clear concerning God’s intention and His economy, and we know which way should we take in our journey!

Lord Jesus, praise You for the light in Your sanctuary! Save us from struggling and striving to sort out things and figure out the puzzling situations. We want to learn the secret of firstly coming into the Holy Place where You are. Lord, may we treasure Your presence and the shining in Your presence. In Your sanctuary all things are made clear. Lord, we reject any man-made light and any natural light – we want to see light in Your light! Make all things clear!

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the solution to all our problems can be found by entering into the sanctuary of God

22 Feb

the solution to all our problems can be found by entering into the sanctuary of God [in the picture: Whom do I have in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee! Psa. 73:25]Psalm 73 speaks of a man who does his best to keep the law and God’s commandments, who is puzzled and almost stumbled when he sees that he is in suffering and pain while the evil men prosper and nothing seems to bother them. While the righteous man is being plagued and persecuted, going through all kinds of not-so-pleasant things, the evil men prosper. Why is it like this? The psalmist found the answer when he entered into the sanctuary of God – there he perceived their end, and he realized that God is his unique portion and reward! We also need to see this by coming into the sanctuary of God – here we have the answer!

why do the righteous men suffer while the evil prosper?

This is the question most people have asked themselves – why do the righteous men suffer while the evil ones prosper? Why do I suffer and am plagued when I do the right thing, while others who do whatever pleases them “get away with it” and everything is fine? The psalmist asked the same question in Psalm 73, where he was almost stumbled when he saw the prosperity of the wicked (Psa. 73:3-12). The wicked heap up riches (v. 12), while the righteous man who purifies his heart is plagued all day long (v. 13-14). And if the righteous man would tell others about this, they would be stumbled – so he can’t even speak about it! Why is it like this?

the solution: entering the sanctuary of God

“When I considered this in order to understand it, it was a troublesome task in my sight, until I went into the sanctuary of God” (Psa. 73:16-17). Verse 17 is the fulcrum, the turning point – the psalmist entered into the sanctuary of God, and then he perceived their final destiny, their end! We need to come to the sanctuary of God to have all our questions answered! What is the sanctuary of God? The sanctuary of God is in our spirit and it is the church! When we turn to our spirit and when we come to the meetings of the church, we get the explanation and solution to all our problems.

We can all testify this – we have some questions and puzzling situations to figure out, and when we turn to our spirit or/and we come to the meetings of the church, we get the answer! Here, in the sanctuary of God, the Lord shines on us and gives us the explanation and the solution to our problems! Just as Daniel went to his vital group and got both the dream and the interpretation of the dream for the king (see Daniel 2), so it is with us – seemingly impossible and inexplicable situations and questions are being answered by the Lord when we come to Him in our spirit and to our vital group!

Actually, some secrets in the Bible are not made real to us until we come into the twofold sanctuary – our spirit (as the personal sanctuary) and the church (as the corporate sanctuary)! Don’t try to figure it out by yourself, don’t try to find the solution to your problems in yourself and your smart mind – enter into the sanctuary of God! Here we can SEE what is really going on, and here we have visions, solutions, and explanations! Once we are in the sanctuary of God – in our spirit and in the church – we have another view, another perception, and another understanding concerning our situation.

Christ is our prize and our exceedingly great reward

It is here in the sanctuary of God under the Lord’s shining that we can say as the psalmist said in Psa. 73:25-26, “Whom do I have in heaven but You? And besides You there is nothing I desire on earth. My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.” In ourselves, we cannot say this, but as we pray over this verse, we can allow the Lord to penetrate our being so that we can say it in faith! The Lord is everything to us – He is our first love, our brother, our father, our companion, our counsellor, our advocate, our peace, our joy, our friend, our redemption, our sanctification, and so much more!

This was the apostle Paul’s desire and aspiration – to be found in Christ, to gain Christ, to win Christ, and to obtain Christ as a prize! What is our prize? WHO is our prize? What do we really want to gain? In the sanctuary of God we see that what we really want is Christ – gaining Christ and winning Christ is our desire. As per Gen. 15:1, God is our shield and our exceedingly great reward. Our goal is the fullest enjoyment and gaining of Christ! Everything else – including riches, positions, treasures, careers, etc – is a vapour; Christ is the only real thing, and He is our portion. He is the rock of our salvation and our exceedingly rich portion forever!

Draw us Lord to come to You in Your sanctuary! Save us from trying to figure out what is the solution in ourselves. We don’t really know what’s going on, and we don’t have the solution. Lord, we love to enter into Your sanctuary! We love touching You in our mingled spirit and meeting with the saints in the church. Keep shining on us, Lord, and showing us Christ as our exceedingly great portion!

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Posted in Christ lives in me, contacting God, Enjoying Christ, expounding the truth, His heart's desire, love the Lord, morning revival, our birthright, the all-inclusive Christ, the Body of Christ, the Christian Life, the high peak, the Lord's recovery

 

overcoming the loss of the first love by giving the Lord the preeminence in all things

21 Feb

overcoming the loss of the first love by giving the Lord the preeminence in all things [picture source: I love Jesus!]In Revelation chapters 2 and 3 we see the Lord’s speaking to the seven churches in Asia, and the first one of these is the church in Ephesus. On the one hand this church was good outwardly, but the Lord tells her, “But I have one thing against you, that you have left your first love” (Rev. 2:4). The source of all degradation in the church is leaving our first and best love for the Lord. Everything negative comes out of this – the missing, the leaving, the losing, of the first love. We need to learn to recover the loss of the first love toward the Lord by giving Him the first place, the preeminence, in all things!

our God is an affectionate God

God is to us not only the Creator, the Redeemer, the Savior, and not even only the Shepherd of our souls – God is to us in Christ a God full of love, an affectionate God, a God who has fallen in love with us. God fell in love with man and He became a man to come and court us, woo us, draw us, and bring us to Himself that we may love Him. Now if anyone says, “O Lord Jesus, I love You!” he will fall in love with the Lord! God loves us, and whenever we open to Him, He pours out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that we may love Him (Rom. 5:5).

overcoming the loss of the first love

We all have to admit that, even though we love the Lord, we may not love Him with our first love, our best love. We may be good Christians outwardly, enjoying the Lord regularly, being proper believers in the church life, but what about our love for the Lord? The word “first” in Rev. 2:4 is the same Greek word as “best” in Luke 15:22 – our first love toward the Lord is not only the love we had for Him when we first fell in love with Him, but it is the best love we have for the Lord! We need to recover our first love for the Lord that we may love Him with the best love and be saved from any degradation!

God is love (1 John 4:8, 16) – in the whole universe, only God is love. We can love God because He loved us first, and He poured out His love in our hearts. It is impossible for us to love our spouse, our family members, or the people around us with our own love – only God is love, and we need Him to fill our capacity of love with His love, the real love. We need to ask the Lord to constrain us with His love, visible force us with His affection, so that we may love Him more. Many times during the day we need to tell Him, Lord Jesus, I Love You!

giving Christ the first place, the preeminence

One very simple way to overcome the loss of the first love for the Lord is to give Christ the first place, the preeminence, in all things. The Bible begins with, “In the beginning, God …” (Gen. 1:1), and Colossians tells us that Christ must have the first place, the preeminence, in all things (Col. 1:18). In order for us to love the Lord with the first and best love, we need to consider the Lord Jesus as the first in everything. In God’s eyes and in God’s economy, Christ is the first – but what about in our personal universe, in our decisions, considerations, emotions, living, walking, speaking, attitude, and in all our being?

Since the loss of the first love is the source, the origin, and the cause of the degradation in the church, we need to be desperate to learn to give Christ the first place in everything in our life. We need to talk to the Lord and coverse with Him, asking Him how He feels about the little details of our life. Lord Jesus, what do You think about the shirt I’m wearing? Lord, how do You feel about my relationship with this person? Lord, is my speaking pleasing to You? Lord Jesus, what about my attitude toward my parents, classmates, workmates, and my boss? Lord Jesus, I give You the first place in all the aspects of my life and living!

guarding ourselves from idols

The last verse of John’s first epistle is, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). If we do not love the Lord with the first love, there will be many other things, matters, and persons coming in which will occupy us and draw our attention. People may say that they don’t have time to spend with the Lord, but they spend hours on Facebook or on the phone with their friends. Our sticky heart is so easily distracted, ready to attach itself to something – let us set our heart on the Lord and love Him by giving Him the preeminence in all things! May He be the only One who occupies and possesses us!

Lord Jesus, we want to cooperate with You to recover our first love toward You! We give You the first place in all things by faith. Oh, Lord, may nothing and no one take Your place in all our heart, our living, and our time! In all the aspects of our living, in our relationships, in our speaking, and even in out attitude – Lord, be the first! We give You the preeminence. Keep us checking with You about everything – just conversing with You and talking to You!

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Posted in Christ lives in me, consecration, Enjoying Christ, expounding the truth, His heart's desire, love the Lord, morning revival, our birthright, the Christian Life, the church life, the Lord's recovery

 

desolation comes in when God’s people do not properly appreciate and exalt Christ

20 Feb

desolation comes in when God's people do not properly appreciate and exalt Christ [in picture: beautiful sunset, via Wikipedia]This week we are continuing to get into the Psalms – the Crystallization Study of Psalms, part two, from Psalm 74 onwards. Book 2 of the Psalms ends so positively, and we would expect that everything is fine with the people of God – but in Psalm 74 we see that the house of God is desolated. What has happened in the meantime, why is God’s house desolate, and why is the city of God in ruins? The desolation of God’s house was caused by the people of God not appreciating Christ and not giving Him the preeminence in all things. Desolation creeps in whenever we don’t give Christ the first place.

the cause of the desolation of God’s house

In Psalm 74 we see that the temple – God’s house – was desolated to such an extent that it was burned (Psa. 74:7-8), and the city surrounding the temple was ruined (2 Chron. 36:19). What is the reason for the desolation of God’s house? Apparently it is because the people of Israel were evil and sinful, and they didn’t obey God’s commandments. But actually the intrinsic reason of the desolation was that Christ was not exalted and properly appreciated by God’s people – they didn’t give Christ the first place, the best love, the preeminence in all things.

Our failure to give Christ the first place in all things – our failure to love Him with the best love and appreciate Him – brings in desolation and degradation. The problem of desolation can be solved by Christ being appreciated and exalted by God’s people (see Psa. 80:17). When Christ is enjoyed, appreciated, given the first place, given the preeminence in all things – when He is properly appreciated and exalted, the house and the city of God can be maintained, preserved, and built up! Our not giving Christ the preeminence and our not appreciating Him is the cause of our failure and desolation.

the need to properly appreciate and exalt Christ

This principle applies to us also today in the church life – if we as believers in Christ do not love Christ with our first love, giving Him the preeminence in all things and the first place in our life, the church will become desolate and the house of God is not being built up. We should never neglect our experience of Christ but learn to properly appreciate and enjoy Him, exalt Him and give Him the first place in all things. The church in Ephesus was rebuked by the Lord in Rev. 2:4 for leaving their first love – the cause of degradation and desolation is leaving our first and best love for the Lord.

We need to properly appreciate and exalt Christ, give Him the preeminence, exalt Him to the uttermost, and love Him with our best love – and we will have a genuine revival in the church life! What does it mean to give the Lord the preeminence in our life? As we have shared before, it means to love Him with the first love (Rev. 2:4), repent and do the first works (Rev. 2:5), take Him as the fountain of living waters (Jer. 2:13), eat Him as the tree of life (Rev. 2:7), continually contact Him, receive Him,and enjoy Him (Isa. 57:20), walk worthily of Him to please Him in all things (2 Cor. 5:9), hold Christ as the Head (Col. 2:19), etc.

praying for God’s interest and based on His covenant

When the psalmist saw the situation of God’s house and the city of God, he desperately prayed to God! The psalmist prayed not for his own interest or for the people of God’s interest, but he prayed for God’s interest and for His covenant. He cried out to God for God’s interest according to His power, and he reminded God about His covenant (Psa. 74:13-20). The best way to pray to God when we see degradation or desolation coming into the church life is by praying for God’s interest, reminding God about His covenant. I really enjoyed this quote from the life-study of the Psalms by brother Lee,

“The psalmist’s prayer here is an example of the best kind of prayer—the prayer that is for God’s interest, that is according to God’s power, and that is based upon God’s faithfulness to His covenant. We all need to learn to pray in this way. I believe that God heard this prayer of the psalmist and answered it, for eventually He came in to restore the ruined sanctuary.”

O, Lord, save us from leaving You as our first love! May we never stop appreciating You, enjoying You, and properly exalting You. We give You the first place in our life. Have the preeminence in us, Lord. Have the first place in all things. We simply want to hold You as the Head, giving You the first place. Save us from any degradation. Save the church from any degradation! Remember Your covenant and Your interest!

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the meal offering church life with no leaven and no honey is for God’s satisfaction

18 Feb

the meal offering church life with no leaven and no honey is for God's satisfaction [in the picture: unleavened bread]The meal offering in Leviticus 2:1-13 is a type of Christ (as the real meal offering) and the church (as the reproduction of Christ to be the corporate meal offering). After seeing all the aspects of the meal offering, their fulfillment in Christ, and their application in our experience, we just love the Lord for such a wonderful type in the Old Testament! The last two elements of the meal offering are “no leaven and no honey” – God expressedly forbids the people of Israel to allow any leaven or honey in the meal offering.

no leaven and no honey in the meal offering

What is leaven? Based on the usage of this word by the Lord Jesus in the Gospels leaven signifies sin and other negative things (like: the leaven of the Pharisees, the leaven of the Sadducees, and the leaven of Herod, see Matt. 16:6; Luke 12:1; Mark. 8:15). What is honey? Honey signifies the natural human life in its good and even sweet aspect. People aren’t always bad – there’s a good aspect, a good part, in each one of us. This natural goodness is honey, and is not to be added to the meal offering.

Honey is sweet – why is it not allowed to be in the meal offering? According to its nature, after a period of time honey can ferment and the result is leaven. So whether we are good or bad, sweet or bitter, right or wrong, nice or not nice, the result is the same. This is why God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good (honey) and evil (leaven). Even such a sweet and nice thing as the natural human love can ferment and, in the case of divorce, can become something bitter like leaven.

The negative things are leaven, and the good aspects of our natural life are honey – but they eventually ferment and become leaven also. We need to learn to reject our natural man, our natural preferences, and even the good aspects of our natural man, when it comes to serving the Lord. As priests, we cannot allow leaven (anything sinful) or honey (anything natural, even good aspects) to defile us. We need to be salted, living in the resurrection life under the cross, so that any good or bad aspects of our natural man would be annulled.

the reproduction of Christ as the meal offering

With the Lord Jesus there was no leaven (no sinful or negative thing) and no honey (no natural affection, attachment, or preference). Rather, He lived a life of the highest and finest humanity (fine flour) oiled with the Holy Spirit (mingled with oil), having the fragrance of resurrection (frankincense), and living under the cross every day (being salted). This One is our daily food and our supply, our sustenance, and by eating of Him we become His corporate reproduction! We also live a life of the highest humanity mingled with the Spirit, with the fragrance of resurrection, and being daily under the cross. Also, as we eat this One, we will reject any sinful thing or any good aspect of our natural man.

one bread and one cup – the church life

At the Lord’s Table we openly display and testify of the fact that the church life is a corporate meal offering (signified by the one bread, see 1 Cor. 10:17) and we all partake of the cup of blessing. This partaking of the bread and the cup in a collective way is a sign of the church life – it is a testimony that the church life is the reproduction and duplication of Christ as the meal offering. We are men with the highest humanity being oiled with the Spirit, living daily under the cross with the resurrection of Christ as the frankincense, and with no leaven or honey! We testify of this whenever we partake of the bread and the cup.

for God’s satisfaction and for our supply

The top portion of the meal offering is for God’s enjoyment and satisfaction, and the remainder is for us to enjoy as our food in our service to God as priests. This means that God needs the meal offering as His food, and we need the meal offering as our continual serving supply. God desires to have a meal offering in each locality – the meal offering church life satisfies God and feeds us. On the one hand, Christ is our daily supply, but on the other hand, the church life as the corporate meal offering is our supply and sustenance. Aren’t you fed and supplied when you meet with the saints and enjoy Christ, this wonderful One as the meal offering? Praise the Lord for such a church life – the meal offering church life.

Lord, gain such a corporate meal offering church life. Keep us coming to You, Lord, and dealing with any aspect of our natural life. We want to be priests serving You and bringing You food for Your satisfaction. Keep us eating Your humanity until it is being lived out in us as the highest humanity mingled with the Holy Spirit. Lord, more living in the resurrection life. More salt in our living. Oh, Lord, gain a meal offering church life in every locality on the earth!

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Posted in Christ lives in me, Enjoying Christ, experiencing Christ, expounding the truth, feeding on the Lord, God's economy, morning revival, serving the saints, the all-inclusive Christ, the Christian Life, the church life, the Lord's recovery

 

becoming the reproduction of Christ as the meal offering church life today

17 Feb

becoming the reproduction of Christ as the meal offering church life today [picture: green grass and blue sky wallpaper]In Leviticus 2:1-13 we see the meal offering, which was ordained by God for the people of Israel – for God’s satisfaction. The meal offering was composed of fine flour mingled with oil, and frankincense on top of it. Also, salt needs to be added – salt shouldn’t be missing from the offering. This type was fulfilled in the person of the Lord Jesus, who had the highest humanity (the fine flour) mingled with divinity (the oil, the Spirit of God), living by the resurrection life and manifesting the aroma of resurrection (frankincense), and always living under the cross (the salt). Today we want to see MORE about each of these elements and how we can experience them, enjoy them, and become the reproduction of Christ as the meal offering church life.

the fine flour – the perfect humanity of Christ

If you read the Gospels you will be impressed with the high standard of humanity the Lord Jesus had. He had the highest and the best humanity, living a life according to the highest standard of morality. Story after story and case after case, we can see that His humanity was so high, and “it was oiled” with divinity, anointed by the Spirit of God. The Lord Jesus didn’t live only by and in His humanity – He lived by the divine life which saturated and mingled His human nature, having a life of a God-man – something that the world has never seen before!

The Lord Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit (see Matt. 1:20 and Luke 1:35), having the Spirit as His essence. Also, when He went out to minister, He was anointed with the Holy Spirit outwardly for His work (Matt. 3:16; John 1:32). Inwardly and outwardly Christ was oiled with the Holy Spirit, living a mingled life – a life of the divine life mingled with the human life. He expressed the bountiful God in His rich attributes through His aromatic virtues, not by living His human life in the flesh but by living His divine life in resurrection.

frankincense – the fragrance of Christ in resurrection

There was an aroma about Christ when He was on the earth – people were inexplicably drawn to Him, absorbing the words coming out of His mouth, wanting to be with Him and around Him to the point that they forgot about their eating, and even desiring to touch the fringe of His garment to be healed… This is frankincense – the fragrance of Christ in resurrection. The Lord Jesus is resurrection and life (John 11:25), and He lived a life in resurrection, constantly denying His natural human life and living in the resurrection life.

Even though the Lord Jesus suffered a lot – He was rejected by His hometown people, His family, the priests, the religious leaders, He was mocked, persecuted, tested, and He did not have a place where to rest His head, etc – what came out of Him as a fragrance was NOT the sufferings but a fragrance of resurrection. The aroma of resurrection exuded out of Him, and people saw a man mingled with God living in resurrection on the earth. Nothing is as sweet, as fragrant, as attractive, and as pleasant as this aroma – it is satisfying to God and pleasing to man.

salt – the cross of Christ

Salt is an element which kills germs, seasons, and preserves. It is a type of the death of Christ, the cross of Christ. God specifically ordained that salt would be added to the meal offering – what was pleasing to God and what satisfied Him was to see Christ living a life under the cross by the power of resurrection. The salt in Lev. 1:13 is the salt of the covenant of God – which is incorruptible and unchangeable. Christ was seasoned with salt – from manger to the cross He lived a crucified life, denying Himself, listening to the Father, and living by the divine life in resurrection (see John 6:57).

In the church life we need to have adequate salt – so that any ambition and natural affection would be crossed out. Anything that is natural is being killed by the germ-killing cross of Christ, and as long as the cross is here, salt is here and there’s no germs! By living a crucified life – one with Christ in His crucifixion – our ambition to be someone, our natural affection to the ones we like, our selective love, and anything of the natural man is being crossed out, salted, and killed. What remains is a sweet fragrance of living in Christ’s resurrection – a satisfying and pleasant aroma…

the meal offering church life

When you consider the life of the Lord Jesus and His living you will appreciate Him and love Him – truly, this One is the Father’s Beloved, so perfect, such a high humanity, living a life under the constant killing of the cross, a life in resurrection, a human life mingled with the divine life. This One is our food – we can eat Him, take Him in, be constituted with Him, and even become Him. By eating Jesus as the meal offering we become the corporate church life meal offering – so pleasing to God for His satisfaction! How we need to eat Him, allow the cross to operate, and live by another life – the divine life!

We are slowly and surely becoming the reproduction of Jesus Christ as the corporate meal offering church life! The genuine church today is nothing else but the corporate living of the believers in Christ who are the reproduction and duplication of Christ – it is Jesus living again in His believers. We are imitating Christ in His life by eating Christ and becoming Christ’s reproduction organically. We all are learning to deny ourselves, remaining in Christ’s death, living under the cross, by the power of Christ’s resurrection. When an unbeliever comes in and sees this, he senses that God is among us! Wow, the corporate God-man living, the reproduction of Christ as the meal-offering church life!

Lord, have a way to reproduce the kind of life You lived among us today in all Your saints! Make us in reality the corporate meal offering church life – a genuine church, emanating the fragrance of Christ’s resurrection! Lord, keep us eating You in Your Word – we want to eat Your humanity and be more mingled with Your divinity. Oil us with the Spirit all the time. We want to know You and the power of Your resurrection, being conformed to Your death!

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a genuine church is a meal offering church life with the fine humanity of Christ

16 Feb

a genuine church is a meal offering church life with the fine humanity of Christ [in the picture: Fine Flour, a type of the Fine, Balanced, and Perfect Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ]I have to admit, if it were not for the ministry of the age, I would have never even thought of associating the church life (fully in the New Testament) with the meal offering (from the Old Testament, Lev. 2:1-16). But – praise the Lord! – now we can see that the meal offering in Leviticus (fine flour mingled with oil, with frankincense and salt added to it, with no leaven or honey) is a type of the pure, satisfying, edible, fine, church life in the focus of the Lord’s recovery! I don’t fully see it, but I am praying that we all would be more mingled with the Holy Spirit, with the cross, and be  in resurrection, to be satisfying to God and to man!

the meal offering typifying the Lord Jesus

The meal offering in Leviticus typifies the Lord Jesus Himself – when He was on the earth, He was fine flour (having a high, fine, perfect humanity), He was oiled with the Holy Spirit (He was essentially filled with the Spirit and economically / outwardly anointed with the Spirit), He was always being salted (He lived a life under the cross, doing the Father’s will), and He lived in resurrection (people sensed frankincense, the aroma of resurrection). Also, with Him there was no honey (no natural affection) and no leaven (no sin, no sinfulness, nothing sinful). What a God-man meal offering He was!

Romans 8 – we are the meal offering today

It should be with us today – we are Christ’s duplication, His reproduction, His continuation, “a xerox copy” of Christ and His life. In Romans 8 we see this in a clear way – here we have Christ’s humanity (Rom. 8:3), the Spirit of life (v. 2), the cross (v. 13), and resurrection (v. 11). This should be our normal day-by-day living today – the same kind of life that Christ lived. We are human – but we need to have the uplifted, the finer, the more balanced humanity of Jesus Christ by eating Him in His Word and allowing Him to live in us.

We have been “oiled with the Holy Spirit” to a certain extent, but we need to be more mingled with the indwelling Spirit by turning to our spirit and setting our mind on the spirit (Rom. 8:6)! Also, we need to continually receive the salt – we need to allow the cross to operate in us as we mind our spirit, so that we may put to death the practices of the body (Rom. 8:13). If we do this, we will live a life in resurrection, having the frankincense for God’s satisfaction and man’s pleasure and delight. The church life is a corporate God-man living of the meal offering for God’s satisfaction!

the fine and balanced humanity of Christ

Today we were specifically appreciating the wonderful, fine, gentle, balanced humanity of Jesus. The fine flour is the base of the meal offering, and it typifies the fine and balanced humanity of Christ. Our humanity is rough – though outwardly we may seem to be “a nice lady” or “a proper gentleman”, and though we may behave nicely toward the ones around us, our humanity is rough. Only Christ is gentle, fine, balanced, and right in every way. While He was on earth everyone tested Him – His brothers, His fellow countrymen, the Pharisees, the priests, and even the Roman officials – but there was no fault or blemish found in Him!

How we love This Fine, Balanced, Gentle, Tender, Even, and Excellent One! The beauty and excellence of Christ’s human living and walk are the fulfillment of the type of the fine flour mingled with oil in the meal offering, and this humanity is for us to eat, partake of, and live! In the genuine church in the focus of the Lord’s recovery we need to eat the humanity of Jesus by eating His Word, and our humanity will be uplifted, resurrected, and balanced. This is why we emphasize Eating Jesus in the church life! As we eat Jesus, we become the corporate Jesus, the corporate meal offering, with a corporate God-man living, for God’s satisfaction!

Lord Jesus, how we love You! Thank You for opening Your Word to us that we may see the intrinsic significance of the meal offering. Lord, how we love Your perfect, balanced, and fine humanity. Thank You for making us the same as You are by eating You in Your Word. Oh, Lord, gain a genuine church in the focus of the Lord’s recovery as the corporate meal offering! Lord, gain the corporate God-man living as a reproduction of the living of Christ today on earth in all the churches!

References and Further Reading

 
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Posted in Christ lives in me, Enjoying Christ, experiencing Christ, expounding the truth, feeding on the Lord, God's economy, love the Lord, morning revival, the Christian Life, the church life, the high peak, the Lord's recovery, the Word of God

 
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