Taken from Broadcast Service of Fellowship in Semarang
Peace and grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The theme is inI Corinthians 3:9b, that is“you are God’s field, you are God’s building.”
God’s field refers to the growth and development of the Church through the sowing and reaping.
God’s building refers to the building of Christ’s perfect body.
Thus, the growth and development of the Church of God must be directed toward the building of Christ’s perfect body.
There are two kinds of the growth of the Church as follows.
The Church needs the Good Tiding or the Gospel to grow toward the perfect body of Christ. Afterwards, we need the Bride Tiding or the true teaching Word. Both of them are our main need. It is according to the Great Commission Jesus, Himself, tells us [Matthew 28:19-20] or according to His own example.
Both in Old Testament and New One, the growth of Church is always signified by the figure twelve and seventy.
In Luke 9:1-6, the title is Jesus sends the twelve disciples.
In Luke 10:1-12, the title is Jesus sends the seventy disciples.
Thus, the figure twelve and seventy refer to the sending or employment of God.
The proof that the Church has the growth in quantity and quality is being sent and employed by God to become priests and kings.
In the story about the wealthy young man, he is good and has all things but he is not willing to be sent by God. Consequently, he is in total failure in his successful physical life.
The priest means as follows.
I Peter 2:5
2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-12
4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
The duty of the priests and kings is to minister to God in the building of the spiritual house of God or the fellowship of the body of Christ until the perfect body of Christ is formed and the Bride of God is ready to welcome Jesus’ second coming.
The requirement of ministering in the building of the body of Christ is holiness.
God employs the holy people, not the intelligent ones. Therefore, we need the Word that sanctifies us.
The ministry of building the body of Christ begins from marriage, the smallest body of Christ, shepherding, inter-shepherding, up to the oneness of international body of Christ and we become God’s Bride who is ready to welcome Jesus’ second coming.
Mark 5:25-29
5:25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,
5:26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.
5:27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.
5:28 For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."
5:29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.
It means as follows.
There are many efforts the Church of God has done physically through intelligence, experience, riches, et cetera, but not successful even they reach destruction.
There is one thing that has not been done yet that God waits, namely humbling our lives to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment.
Revelation 19:13, 16, 6-7
19:13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
19:6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."
The Lord is clothed with a robe, namely the Word of God written with "King of kings and Lord of lords." It means the true teaching Word or Bride Tiding. The only way to face the division is touching the garment of Jesus as follows.
In such condition, we are placing Jesus as our Head.
Mark 5:29-34
5:29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.
5:30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"
5:31 But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’"
5:32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
5:33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
5:34 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."
The result is as follows.
It will happen continually until someday the last miracle happens. We are changed to become as glorious and perfect as Jesus is when He comes a second time and we are exalted on glorious clouds to welcome Him.
God blesses you.
Peace and grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The theme is inI Corinthians 3:9b, that is“you are God’s field, you are God’s building.”
God’s field refers to the growth and development of the Church through the sowing and reaping.
God’s building refers to the building of Christ’s perfect body.
Thus, the growth and development of the Church of God must be directed toward the building of Christ’s perfect body.
There are two kinds of the growth of the Church as follows.
- In quantity.
The growth of the house of Israel in Egypt written in Old Testament becomes the representative of the growth of the Church of God.
Exodus 1:1,7
1:1Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:
1:7 But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
It begins from Jacob alone, then his twelve sons, seventy people, up to the multitude.
In the New Testament, it begins from Jesus alone, then twelve disciples, seventy disciples, one hundred and twenty people in the upper room near Jerusalem, three thousand people when Peter preaches, up to the multitude.
Ephesians 1:13
1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
The growth in quantity is the work of the Gospel of Salvation or Good Tiding.
It is the gospel that preaches about Jesus’ first coming into the world to die on the cross in order to save the sinners.
Proverbs 25:25
25:25 As cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a far country.
The Gospel is as a swallow of cold water for the sinners who are as the thirsty on the wilderness of the world.
What is the sign of being saved?- Believing or having faith in Jesus.
- Repenting or stopping sinning to return to Jesus.
We should continue our faith with the work, namely repentance. - Being renewed through water baptism and baptism of Holy Spirit, we have new life.
The physical birth results in life in blood and flesh which is suitable for our life in the world, not for the heaven.
On the contrary, the life renewal results in new life in righteousness. We are saved and not judged. Such life is suitable for our dwelling in heaven.
Remember! There is a verse saying “many are called but few are chosen.”
Formerly, there were six hundred three thousand and five hundred fifty people of the house of Israel who were saved and went out of Egypt, but there were only two people could enter Canaan.
Therefore, we also need the growth in quality. - Believing or having faith in Jesus.
- The growth in quality is the work of the teaching Word or the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, or Bride Tiding.
II Corinthians 4:3-4
4:3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
The teaching Word is the gospel that preaches about Jesus’ second coming on glorious clouds in His glory as the King of kings and Heavenly Bridegroom to sanctify and renew our life that has been saved, so we can be holy and perfect to be worthy of welcoming Jesus’ second coming.
Jesus will come a second time in His glory and there is no connection anymore with sins.
The teaching Word is as two-edged sword that cuts the old part and grows the new one. Therefore, we are sanctified and renewed continually until we are perfect and worthy of welcoming Jesus’ second coming.
All things we get in the world are meaningless when we cannot welcome Jesus’ second coming. Being left when Jesus comes a second time means forever perdition.
The teaching Word is also called Bride Tiding because it prepares us to become the perfect Bride of God who is ready to welcome Jesus, the perfect Heavenly Bridegroom.
Matthew 25:6
25:6 "And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
Revelation 19:9
19:9 Then he said to me, "Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."
The beginning part of Bible is about physical marriage of Adam and Eve which is destroyed by serpent. Praise the Lord, the Bible is ended with the spiritual marriage between Christ and the congregation through the work of the Bride Tiding that sanctifies, renews, and perfects us.
Thus, the growth and development of the Church of God must be directed toward the building of the perfect body of Christ.
The Church needs the Good Tiding or the Gospel to grow toward the perfect body of Christ. Afterwards, we need the Bride Tiding or the true teaching Word. Both of them are our main need. It is according to the Great Commission Jesus, Himself, tells us [Matthew 28:19-20] or according to His own example.
Both in Old Testament and New One, the growth of Church is always signified by the figure twelve and seventy.
In Luke 9:1-6, the title is Jesus sends the twelve disciples.
In Luke 10:1-12, the title is Jesus sends the seventy disciples.
Thus, the figure twelve and seventy refer to the sending or employment of God.
The proof that the Church has the growth in quantity and quality is being sent and employed by God to become priests and kings.
In the story about the wealthy young man, he is good and has all things but he is not willing to be sent by God. Consequently, he is in total failure in his successful physical life.
The priest means as follows.
- The holy person. The original term of the priest is “kohen”, meaning the holy.
- One who bears the ministry.
- One who serves and ministers to God.
I Peter 2:5
2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-12
4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
The duty of the priests and kings is to minister to God in the building of the spiritual house of God or the fellowship of the body of Christ until the perfect body of Christ is formed and the Bride of God is ready to welcome Jesus’ second coming.
The requirement of ministering in the building of the body of Christ is holiness.
God employs the holy people, not the intelligent ones. Therefore, we need the Word that sanctifies us.
The ministry of building the body of Christ begins from marriage, the smallest body of Christ, shepherding, inter-shepherding, up to the oneness of international body of Christ and we become God’s Bride who is ready to welcome Jesus’ second coming.
- The fellowship of the body of Christ in marriage.
Matthew 18:19-20
18:19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
There are two people with one heart in the marriage.
The man and the woman have many differences physically, but they must spiritually become one.
They can have one heart only if they are filled with the one true teaching Word.
The true teaching Word is the Word which is revealed through a verse that explains another verse.
If the husband and the wife have one heart because of being filled with the one true teaching Word, the marriage will become the house of prayer.
On the contrary, the marriage becomes the den of thieves when there is no one heart within it.
Colossians 3:18-21
3:18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.
3:21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
The facts found in having one heart in the marriage are as follows.- Beginning from the wife who must be obedient to the husband in all things.
- The husband must love the wife and not be bitter toward her, both in saying or deed.
A husband who beats his wife is same as mad man beating his own body. - Two people who have one heart in marriage also refer to parents and the children. The children must be obedient to the parents, so they will not hurt their parents’ heart.
- The parents should not discourage the children’s hearts through doing despotically toward the children in the way that is not in line with the Word of God or allowing them to do wrong things.
Obedience will result in beautiful future life. The intelligence or riches cannot guarantee the beauty of our life. - Beginning from the wife who must be obedient to the husband in all things.
- The fellowship of the body of Christ in the shepherding or inter-shepherding.
What we need to heed is the oneness and serving one another.
Afterwards, the fellowship will expand to the fellowship inter-shepherding to reach the oneness of one flock with Jesus as the Shepherd or one body with one Head.
John 10:16
10:16 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Exodus 4:27-30
4:27 And the LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.
4:28 So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.
4:29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
4:30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.
For example, the fellowship between Moses and Aaron is according to the Word God has spoken to them or the revealed Word of God or the true teaching Word.
Fellowship is a natural thing as life that needs or longs for food will not need to be forced or threatened.
It begins from the fellowship of the pastors, the elders, and then the congregation will follow.
Where does the fellowship happen?
In the wilderness, not in Egypt. Meaning the fellowship cannot be influenced by the world. It must not show physical or worldly matters.
There are many fellowships nowadays that prioritize on entertainment or artists, finance, high position, et cetera while the preaching of God’s Word is being limited so much. Be alert! If a fellowship does not prioritize the Word, there will be wild gourds causing the death.
If the fellowship of the pastors is based on the true teaching Word, the elders and the congregation will follow and there are miracles of God as well as the growth in quantity and quality. - The fellowship of international body of Christ.
Revelation 19:6-7
19:6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."
The fellowship of the perfect body of Christ refers to the spiritual marriage.
Thus, we are being in the building of the perfect body of Christ if we have the true fellowship, beginning from our marriage, shepherding, and inter-shepherding. We are in one body of Christ with one Head, namely Jesus or the true teaching Word.
Formerly, all people in the world were scattered over the earth with many languages after the building of tower Babel.
Now we are going to be formed in one perfect body of Christ to return to one voice "ALLELUIA" to welcome Jesus’ second coming on glorious clouds.
Mark 5:25-29
5:25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,
5:26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.
5:27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.
5:28 For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."
5:29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.
It means as follows.
- There is broken artery of blood, meaning there is division, divorce or separation.
Why? Because there is no one Head or one true teaching Word, so one does not return to the Bible even he adds the Word of God with knowledge, illustration, et cetera, and eliminates it. - Uncleanness or rottenness.
The Church of God that is in uncleanness and rottenness because of sin up to the peak, namely sins concerning eating-drinking such as smoking, being drunk, and drugs abuse; and marrying-being given in marriage such as sexual sins with all its kinds and false marriage. - Sufferings, sorrows, hopelessness, and disappointment until one departs from God.
- Condition that gets worse until impossible.
Why? Because there is no Head. There is only Gospel of Salvation in the Church without continuation to the true teaching Word or Jesus, the Head.
There are many efforts the Church of God has done physically through intelligence, experience, riches, et cetera, but not successful even they reach destruction.
There is one thing that has not been done yet that God waits, namely humbling our lives to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment.
Revelation 19:13, 16, 6-7
19:13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
19:16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
19:6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."
The Lord is clothed with a robe, namely the Word of God written with "King of kings and Lord of lords." It means the true teaching Word or Bride Tiding. The only way to face the division is touching the garment of Jesus as follows.
- We humble our life as low as we can to receive the true teaching Word or Bride Tiding.
- We hold fast to the one true Vine, namely the true teaching Word.
- We obey the Word although it seems to be outside our logic. We only believe and rely fully on the mercy of God, not on others.
In such condition, we are placing Jesus as our Head.
Mark 5:29-34
5:29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.
5:30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"
5:31 But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’"
5:32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
5:33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
5:34 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."
The result is as follows.
- Sanctification and life renewal power from carnal man to spiritual one who can believe and have sincerity. It is a spiritual miracle.
Having sincerity means we can confess our condition, failure, and sins uprightly. - The power of God’s help or physical miracle to make impossible things possible.
It will happen continually until someday the last miracle happens. We are changed to become as glorious and perfect as Jesus is when He comes a second time and we are exalted on glorious clouds to welcome Him.
God blesses you.