General Service in Malang, January 02, 2022 (Sunday Morning)

Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 14:14-20 is about the harvest on earth. We still learn the first one, namely the one of wheat.

Revelation 14:14-16
14:14. Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.
14:15. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
14:16. So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

The ripe wheat refers to the perfect church of God or the body of Christ who is ready to be reaped to enter the barn of the heavenly kingdom forever.
To result in the ripe wheat, we have to pay attention to two things as follows:

1. The sown seed.
   Leviticus 19:19
   19:19. 'You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.
   
   The sown seed must be the good one, namely the true teaching Word. The true teaching Word is the one which is written in the Bible or spoken by Jesus, namely the one whose secret is revealed through one verse that explains the other verses in the Holy Bible, and which is practiced. The Word which is written in the Bible has the power of victory. For example, Jesus always returns to the Bible when He is tempted, and He wins. The Word whose secret is revealed has the power of purification to purify and perfect us.
   
   John 15:3
   15:3. "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
   
   
   
2. The good ground of heart.
   Matthew 13:4-8
   13:4. "And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
   13:5. "Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
   13:6. "But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
   13:7. "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
   13:8. "But others fell on good groundand yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
   
   There are four kinds of the ground of heart as follows:
   
   
   • The ground of heart which is like the wayside. It means that one is not shepherded, but he walks about. His heart and mind do not concentrate in hearing the Word. Consequently, he cannot understand the Word. The seed of the Word cannot grow, so he is surely destroyed.
     
     
   • The stony groundof heart. It refers to the hard heart which is like a stone. One hears the Word with emotion and anger, and becomes irritated when the Word reproves his sin. Such life is happy when the Word meets his lust; even he twists the Word to meet his lust.
     Consequently, the Word cannot become the faith in heart. Such life is being spiritually withered; even he falls from faith in temptation.
     
     
   • The ground of heart which is like thorns. It refers to the doubtful and anxious hearts, namely one doubts the true teaching Word. He does not sharply differentiate between the true Word and the false one. He also doubts the power of God when he faces the temptation.
     
     The measurement of the Tabernacle must be right, not less or more and so must the true teaching Word. It must be right. A doubtful man will go to others and do the sinful deed, so he spiritually dies even falls into the peak of sin. The spiritual death will go to the second death in the hell forever.
     
     
   • The goodground of heart. It refers to the gentleness. If a quarter can receive the Word with the good ground of heart, it has fulfilled the Word.
     
     The facts found in gentleness are as follows:
     
     
     1. We look for the good place in the ministry, so we are not disturbed since the opening prayer, praising God, the prayer before the preaching of the Word, hearing the Word, and praying until the blessing prayer.
        
        
     2. We hear the Word of God solemnly and with a need like a dog which licks the crumbs, so we can understand and believe in the Word. The Word becomes faith in our heart. The seed of the Word will grow and yield a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. A hundredfold is the ripe fruit that enters the barn of the heavenly kingdom forever.
        

Yielding a crop, some thirtyfold refers to the fruit of repentance and new birth.
Galatians 3:13
3:13. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),

Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver by Judas Iscariot, so He died in curse on the cross with four major injuries to redeem the Israelites from all of sins and the curse of sin. The fifth injury was at Jesus' side. From the fifth injury, blood and water came out to redeem the Gentiles from sin and the curse of sin. Both of them are redeemed by Christ's sacrifice with five major injuries.

The facts of being set free from sin and the curse of sin are as follows:

1. Having the fruit of repentance, namely putting away five major sins by the power of injury at Jesus' side.
   The process is that the true teaching Word shows our sin, so we realize, regret, and confess sin to God and others. We do not sin anymore. We lay aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking.
   
   Matthew 3:8
   3:8. "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
   
   1 Peter 2:1
   2:1. Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
   
   
   
2. Having the fruit of new birththrough water and Holy Spirit baptisms.
   Matthew 3:11
   3:11. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
   
   1 John 3:9
   3:9. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
   
   By water baptism, we experience the freedom from sin. We do not want to sin anymore until we cannot sin anymore although there are threats, advantage, chance, et cetera. We become the same as Jesus. Further, we receive Holy Spirit, namely the living water of heaven. Holy Spirit baptism means that we receive the anointing and fullness of Holy Spirit.
   
   1 Peter 2:2
   2:2. as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
   
   The spiritual babes are the sons of Abraham or the sons of God. The fact is that we are set free from sin. We cannot sin anymore no matter the condition is, and we are anointed and filled by Holy Spirit. Jesus is the descendant of Abraham, and so are we. We become the sons of God and descendants of Abraham who receive Abraham's blessing. We receive the physical blessing, namely we are taken care of by God up to our descendants, so we become blessing for others.
   
   Matthew 1:1
   1:1. The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
   
   Galatians 3:14
   3:14. that the blessing of Abrahammight come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
   
   The anointing of Holy Spirit must be increased to the fullness of Holy Spirit, so we can live in righteousness. We are saved and not destroyed. We have a hope to enter the barn of the heavenly kingdom. As a spiritual babes, we always desire the pure milk of the Word, namely the shepherding Word or the repeated true teaching Word. A shepherd is like a mother who brings up and nurses, but he is also like a father who rebukes and whips. If we are shepherded correctly, our salvation will be assured. We are stable in righteousness. We are taken care of up to our descendants.("I shall not want", Psalm 23:1). We experience the heavenly satisfaction up to perfection to enter the heavenly kingdom. If we are not shepherded, we will be torn by beast
   

Yielding a crop, some sixtyfold refers to the fruit of holiness and faithfulness.
Song of Solomon 3:7-8
3:7. Behold, it is Solomon's couch, With sixty valiant men around it, Of the valiant of Israel.
3:8. They all hold swords, Being expert in war. Every man has his sword on his thigh Because of fear in the night.

The atmosphere on the last days is like the fear in the night. We will return to the age of Noah and Lot where we face the peak of sin, namely the sins of eating-drinking and marrying-giving in marriage. The physical and spiritual crisis happens on the last days. That is why we must become valiant men, namely the priests and kings. Solomon's couch refers to the holiness and faithfulness that we must keep in the marriage and ministry, especially on the last days.

There are two equipments to keep the holiness and faithfulness as follows:

1. The sword of the true teaching Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword purifies our whole life.
   
   
   • The purification is started from heart and mind. It is purified from evil desire (being greedy and stingy), unclean desire and bitterness. Without evil desire, we can return the possession of God, namely the tithe and special offerings, and the one of others who are in need. If we are holy and faithful, we will experience peace, so all things become easy and light. We always give thanks to God.
     
     
   • The purification of deedto result in holy and good deeds.
     
   • The purification of mouthto result in good and true words, so we can be used to testify for God. Our testimony is waited by people on the last days.
     Malachi 2:7
     3:7. Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," Says the LORD of hosts. "But you said, 'In what way shall we return?'
     
     James 3:2
     3:2. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
     
     
     
2. 'Being expert in war' refers to watching over and praying. We worship God, so we always win.
   Revelation 17:14
   17:14. "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful."
   
   Hebrews 1:7
   1:7. And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire."
   
   Revelation 1:14
   1:14. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;
   
   The equipment of the Word must be followed with the one of watching over and praying, so we become the servant of God who is holy, faithful, and fervent. It is the same as the priest who becomes the apple of God's eye. As a result, we are protected by God. We cannot be made fall by Satan. A grain of sand cannot enter us. We can defeat the darkness of the night, so we are set free from the crisis in the world.
   

Yielding a crop, some a hundredfold refers to the fruit of perseverance and patience.
Luke 8:15
8:15. "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

James 5:10-11
5:10. My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
5:11. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseveranceof Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

We must persevere in the shepherding, namely the perseverance in committing the three kinds of main service to God. In the shepherding, we will receive the perseverance and patience. Being patient in the suffering means that we do not grumble, but always give thanks to God. We are patient to wait the time of God by not looking for other way outside the word. The own way is the deadlock and destruction.

The sprinkle of blood will become the last purification, namely suffering in flesh with Jesus to purify us from the attitudes of flesh that we often do not realize.

The example is Job.
Job 32:1-2
32:1. So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
32:2. Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God.

Job has the self-truth, namely covering sin by blaming others. Job had to experience the total test or the sprinkling of blood until he sat at dush and ashes. It means that he confessed that he was just mortar. We must revoke all of false words. We confess that we are unworthy, unable, and worthless. We have no pride at all. Job was obedient and honest to confess anything, so he became the same as the first creation. It is the same as stretching out his hands to God. As a result, God also stretched out His merciful hands to restore Job doubly.

The second example is a widow of Zarephath.
1 Kings 17:11-15
17:11. And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."
17:12. So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
17:13. And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.
17:14. "For thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.'"
17:15. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.

The widow of Zarephath (the Gentiles) was selfish. She just prioritized herself ('for myself and my son'). But through the sprinkling of blood, she was purified to become honest and obedient to make a morsel of bread for Elijah the prophet. It means that she could love God more than herself. As a result, she was purified, and God took care of her. We can be taken care of from now on until the time when the Antichrist reigns over the world. And her dead son could be raised.

The third example is Martha.
Martha the image of youth with the attitude of self-will, even they feel greater than God. God allows the youth to experience the sprinkle of blood. Their future becomes decay and ruin like Lazarus who died. God allows the total test as the last purification of the bad attitude of the flesh, so we can become honest and obedient.

John 11:39-40
11:39. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."
11:40. Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

The youth must be careful to choose the will of God. Do not follow our own will! As a result, we can become honest and obedient, so our future becomes successful and beautiful. Lazarus was also used to testify in the ministry of the building of the perfect body of Christ. We can become honest and obedient up to perfection (the ripe wheat). We are worthy to greet Jesus when He comes a second time. We enter the barn of the heavenly kingdom with Jesus forever.

God blesses us.