CHILD SUBMISSION SERVICE
Mark 10:13-14,16
10:13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
10:14 But when Jesus saw it,He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
10:16 And He took them up in His arms, laid Hishands on them, and blessed them.
Child submission is not a formality or church tradition, but it is a necessity for us.
God blesses us.
GENERAL SERVICE
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 3:1-6 is about the church in Sardis.
Revelation 2-3 is about the seven times of the sprinkling of blood in front of the Ark of Covenant. Now it refers to the last sanctification to the seven churches of the Gentiles or all of us, until we are perfect and blameless as Jesus, to be worthy to welcome His second coming on the glorious clouds. Although we have many excellences, but if there is a blemish, we will be left on His second coming and destroyed together with the world.
Revelation 3:5-6
3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
3:6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
The promises of God to the church in Sardis who overcomes are as follows.
ad. 1. Being clothed in white garments.
White garment means the garment of trust from God.
1 Timothy 1:12
1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting meinto the ministry,
Saul who was naked, evil, and unclean could become Paul the apostle because he received the garment of ministry from God.
1 Timothy 1:11
1:11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.
Paul the apostle was also trusted the glorious gospel of the blessed God, that is the spiritual food.
Hebrews 5:11-14
5:11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someoneto teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
5:13 For everyone who partakes onlyof milk isunskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is,those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
There are two types of spiritual food as follows.
It was mentioned “the glorious gospel of the blessed God”. When we welcome His second coming on the glorious clouds, we will be really blessed.
Why there must be solid food?
Mark 13:17
13:17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
If there is no solid food or there is only milk, one will be in woe during the days of antichrist.
A mother represents a pastor. A nursing mother means a pastor who only preaches the gospel Word without the teaching Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword.
Baby represents the congregation who is only satisfied by the gospel Word. If the church of God is only satisfied with the gospel Word, the spiritual quality is as a child. The consequence is entering the persecution and facing the sword of antichrist.
When Jesus came the first time, there was murder of babies physically. Later, by His second coming, there will be murder of the church of God who has spiritual quality as a baby.
Ephesians 4:13-14
4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
4:14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
The servants or the children of God with spiritual quality as children (rejecting the teaching Word) are as the wavy sea being tossed to and fro by the wind.
The practices are as follows.
God blesses us.
Mark 10:13-14,16
10:13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
10:14 But when Jesus saw it,He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
10:16 And He took them up in His arms, laid Hishands on them, and blessed them.
Child submission is not a formality or church tradition, but it is a necessity for us.
- It is so that the child experiences the touch of God’s hands. God pleads him and thus Satan cannot touch him.
- It is so that God embraces, blesses, and cares the child.
God cares him physically as well as spiritually with the Word of God in the form of the gospel Word (milk) and the teaching Word (solid food).
1 Samuel 2:26
2:26 And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the Lord and men.
The results are as follows.- Growing spiritually, meaning living in righteousness and holiness. He also grows physically to a beautiful future.
- Pleasing God. It equals to experiencing life renewal. The Word as food renews us from the flesh man to the spiritual one as Him. It is started with being obedient. Samuel means God answers the prayer. If we are obedient, we will become a house of prayer and be ready to face the darkness of the world in the last days. We become brighter and brighter until we are ready to welcome His second coming.
- Growing spiritually, meaning living in righteousness and holiness. He also grows physically to a beautiful future.
God blesses us.
GENERAL SERVICE
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 3:1-6 is about the church in Sardis.
Revelation 2-3 is about the seven times of the sprinkling of blood in front of the Ark of Covenant. Now it refers to the last sanctification to the seven churches of the Gentiles or all of us, until we are perfect and blameless as Jesus, to be worthy to welcome His second coming on the glorious clouds. Although we have many excellences, but if there is a blemish, we will be left on His second coming and destroyed together with the world.
Revelation 3:5-6
3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
3:6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
The promises of God to the church in Sardis who overcomes are as follows.
- Being clothed in white garments.
- His name is written in the Book of Life.
ad. 1. Being clothed in white garments.
White garment means the garment of trust from God.
1 Timothy 1:12
1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting meinto the ministry,
Saul who was naked, evil, and unclean could become Paul the apostle because he received the garment of ministry from God.
1 Timothy 1:11
1:11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.
Paul the apostle was also trusted the glorious gospel of the blessed God, that is the spiritual food.
Hebrews 5:11-14
5:11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someoneto teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
5:13 For everyone who partakes onlyof milk isunskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is,those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
There are two types of spiritual food as follows.
- Milk for baby and child.
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,
Milk is the gospel of salvation or the gospel Word or Good News [Proverb 25:25]. It is the gospel that preaches Jesus’ first coming to the world as sinless man to die on to cross and save sinful men.
The signs of salvation are as follows.- It is started with believing Jesus as the only Savior.
- Repenting, meaning stopping sinning to return to God, or dying to sin.
- Water baptism.
One who has died to sin must be buried in water with Jesus, to be raised from water with Him and receive new life, that is the Heavenly life. - Holy Spirit baptism.
Holy Spirit baptism also results in new life, that is the Heavenly life.
Through water and Holy Spirit baptism, we experience new birth from God and become as newborn babies who do not sin, but live in righteousness. It equals to being saved and blessed by God.
- It is started with believing Jesus as the only Savior.
- Solid food for those who are of full age.
2 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.
Solid food equals to the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ or the teaching Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword or Bride Tidings. It is the gospel that preaches Jesus’ second coming on the glorious clouds in glory as the King of kings and the Heavenly Bridegroom to sanctify the saved ones up to perfection as Him, or to grow the spirituality of the children up to spiritual maturity as Him and become His bride.
Revelation 19:9
19:9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed arethose who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
Holy Bible is started with the physical marriage of Adam and Eve that is destroyed. Fortunately, through the sanctification of the sword of the Word, Holy Bible is closed with the spiritual marriage between Jesus as the last Adam and the congregation as the last Eve.
It was mentioned “the glorious gospel of the blessed God”. When we welcome His second coming on the glorious clouds, we will be really blessed.
Why there must be solid food?
Mark 13:17
13:17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
If there is no solid food or there is only milk, one will be in woe during the days of antichrist.
A mother represents a pastor. A nursing mother means a pastor who only preaches the gospel Word without the teaching Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword.
Baby represents the congregation who is only satisfied by the gospel Word. If the church of God is only satisfied with the gospel Word, the spiritual quality is as a child. The consequence is entering the persecution and facing the sword of antichrist.
When Jesus came the first time, there was murder of babies physically. Later, by His second coming, there will be murder of the church of God who has spiritual quality as a baby.
Ephesians 4:13-14
4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
4:14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
The servants or the children of God with spiritual quality as children (rejecting the teaching Word) are as the wavy sea being tossed to and fro by the wind.
The practices are as follows.
- Having a doubtful heart and a double mind.
James 1:6-8
1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
1:7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
1:8 he isa double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
It means as follows.- Being doubtful in facing temptations, looking for own way out outside the Word of God. One becomes desperate and disappointed, and leaves God.
- Being doubtful in facing false teaching and assuming that all teachings are equal. One cannot hold fast to the true teaching Word and sling the sword. Be watchful, even Solomon cannot sling the sword. During his youth, he was able to solve marriage problem with the sword. But in his old age, he looses the sword because of his wives.
- Being unstable in all his ways, having no peace, laboring and bearing heavy burden.
- Receiving anything from God. His life is empty and unsatisfied, even he loses the salvation.
- Having no wisdom as building a house on the sand [Matthew 7:26]. The consequence is it falls and the damage is great, meaning being destroyed forever.
- Being doubtful in facing temptations, looking for own way out outside the Word of God. One becomes desperate and disappointed, and leaves God.
- Not being shepherded.
Isaiah 17:12-13
17:12 Woe to the multitude of many people Whomake a noise like the roar of the seas, And to the rushing of nations Thatmake a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
17:13 The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, Like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
One who is not shepherded is as many waters that are sat by the Babylon.
Revelation 17:1,5,15
17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
17:5 And on her forehead a name waswritten: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
17:15 Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
Revelation 18:2
18:2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
Being sat by the Babylon means as follows.- Being commanded by the evil spirit. The root of evil is the lust of money that causes stinginess and greediness. Being stingy means being unable to give either for the work of God or the others who are in need. Being greedy means seizing the belonging of God (the tithe and special offering) and the others.
- Being commanded by the unclean spirit, that is sin concerning eating-drinking (smoking, getting drunk, consuming drugs) and marrying-being given in marriage (sexuality sin with all its variety).
John 2:6-7
2:6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
2:7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
The way out so that we are not sat by the Babylon is we must be well and right shepherded (the water is filled to the waterpot). Compared to many waters, there are only six waterpots. It means there are only few people who want to be well and right shepherded.
Six waterpots refer to the flesh men, who are full of desire and lust, must be well and right shepherded.
Six waterpots also refer to the body, soul, and spirit of a husband, as well as the body, soul, and spirit of a wife. It means a marriage must be well and right shepherded.
Why must we be well and right shepherded?- It is so that the flesh with all its desire and lust are blocked by the strength of the true teaching Word. Thus, we can be obedient.
- It is so that we are not commanded by the Babylon.
- It is so that we experience physical and spiritual miracle from God.
Spiritual miracle is the greatest miracle, that is life renewal from the flesh man to the spiritual one as Jesus.
2:2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
2:3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
2:4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
The things that must be renewed are as follows.- Worry is renewed to ministering God with faithfulness and righteousness. Thus, all our needs will be added. Our needs come from the cross of Christ that never fools us.
- Being patient in suffering, not being disappointed and desperate, not grumbling, but giving thanks to God. We are also patient in waiting for God’s time. We put our hope in God and surrender to Him.
- The mouth or the words is renewed to the sweet one. The tasteless water becomes the sweet wine, that is good and right words or words that become blessing to the others. We let “yes” be “yes” and “no” be “no”. Sweet words also mean we worship and cry out His name.
Song of Solomon 7:9
7:9 And the roof of your mouth like the best wine. The winegoes downsmoothly for my beloved, Moving gently the lips of sleepers.
Sweet words flow to the others, meaning it becomes a testimony to the others. Sweet words also flow to Jesus who sleeps on the boat that faces wind and waves. No matter how great we are in the world, we are as a boat that crosses the sea to the harbor of the New Jerusalem. We always need Jesus. Unfortunately, He sleeps, meaning He waits for us to be well and right shepherded and for our sweet mouth. The mouth decides the bitterness or the sweetness of our life. If our mouth is sweet, our life will be sweet. The mouth decides whether our life will be calm or wavy. If our mouth is sweet, the sea will be calm. The mouth decides the direction of our life journey to the Heaven or to the hell. If our mouth is sweet, the direction of our life journey is to the New Jerusalem. The more we are renewed, the sweeter our life is, until the sweetest one is on Jesus’ second coming.
- Being commanded by the evil spirit. The root of evil is the lust of money that causes stinginess and greediness. Being stingy means being unable to give either for the work of God or the others who are in need. Being greedy means seizing the belonging of God (the tithe and special offering) and the others.
God blesses us.