(To Coincide with Fasting Prayer Service Session III)
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are two big plans in the first chapter of Exodus as follow:
There are three ways of Satan to hinder the growth and development of church of God as follows:
Exodus 1:11-14
1:11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with theirburdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
1:12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.
1:13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.
1:14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner ofservicein the field. All their service in which they made them servewas with rigor.
The harshness of Satan is slavery. It means activities in the world that make the servant of God cannot minister Him, but leaves the consecration.
Slavery makes nothing but perdition.
Why does Satan hinder us in ministry and consecration?
1 Timothy 4:10
4:10 For to thisendwe bothlaborand suffer reproach,because wetrustin theliving God, who isthe Saviorof all men, especially of those who believe.
The way out is God punishes Egypt with ten plagues so Israel can minister to God.
Jesus struggles on the cross; He is willing to die so the Gentiles can minister to God.
We must fight the service and ministry more than anything so our life will not be worthless.
But the ones who minister to God will be divided. For example are Cain and Abel.
Abel ministers to God and He accepts his offering. Cain also ministers to God but He refuses him.
Thus, we must struggle so our ministry and consecration will be pleasant for God.
Romans 12:1-2
12:1 I beseech you therefore,brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present yourbodiesaliving sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,which isyour reasonableservice.
12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove whatisthat good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The sign of true service or reasonable service is as follows:
Being obedient means we stretch out hand to God and He will stretch out His mercy hand so we live in the hand of good Shepherd.
John 10:27-28
10:27 My sheep hear Myvoice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
10:28 And I give themeternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
The result is as follows:
God blesses us.
Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are two big plans in the first chapter of Exodus as follow:
- Exodus 1:1-7 is the plan of the growth and development of Israel.
It means the plan of growth and development of the church of God in quantity and quality until the perfection to become the Bride of Heaven that is prepared to welcome Jesus’ second coming. - Exodus 1:8-12 is the plan of enslaving and oppressing Israel.
Exodus 1:10
1:10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them,lestthey multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, andsogo up out of the land.”
It means enslaving and oppressing so the church will not grow and develop to the perfection. Thus, the church of God will be left when Jesus comes a second and perish with this world.
There are three ways of Satan to hinder the growth and development of church of God as follows:
- Craftiness (verse 10).
- Harshness (verse 11-14).
- Murdering (verse 15-22).
Exodus 1:11-14
1:11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with theirburdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
1:12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.
1:13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.
1:14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner ofservicein the field. All their service in which they made them servewas with rigor.
The harshness of Satan is slavery. It means activities in the world that make the servant of God cannot minister Him, but leaves the consecration.
Slavery makes nothing but perdition.
Why does Satan hinder us in ministry and consecration?
- So servant of God will not receive the God’s promises for present and eternal life.
1 Timothy 4:8-10
4:8 Forbodilyexercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
4:9 Thisisa faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
4:10 For to thisendwe both labor and suffer reproach,because wetrustin theliving God, who isthe Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. - So servant of God will be useless like straw that is only for being burned.
Malachi 3:14-18
3:14 You have said,‘It isuselessto serve God;whatprofitis itthat we have keptHisordinance,and that we havewalkedas mournersbefore theLordof hosts?
3:15 So now we call the proud blessed,for those who do wickedness are raised up;They even tempt God and go free.’”
3:16 Then those who feared theLordspoke to one another,and theLordlistened and heard them;so a book of remembrance was written before Himfor those who fear theLordand who meditate on His name.
3:17 “They shall be Mine,” says theLordof hosts,“on the day that I make them My jewels.And I will spare themas a man spares his own son who serves him.”
3:18 Then you shall again discernbetween the righteous and thewicked,between one who serves Godand one who does not serve Him.
Malachi 4:1
4:1 “For behold, the day is coming,burninglike an oven,and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”says theLordofhosts,“that will leave them neither root nor branch. - So we will not reach the throne of God.
Revelation 22:3
22:3 And there shall be no more curse, but thethroneof God and of the Lamb shall be in it, andHis servants shall serve Him.
1 Timothy 4:10
4:10 For to thisendwe bothlaborand suffer reproach,because wetrustin theliving God, who isthe Saviorof all men, especially of those who believe.
The way out is God punishes Egypt with ten plagues so Israel can minister to God.
Jesus struggles on the cross; He is willing to die so the Gentiles can minister to God.
We must fight the service and ministry more than anything so our life will not be worthless.
But the ones who minister to God will be divided. For example are Cain and Abel.
Abel ministers to God and He accepts his offering. Cain also ministers to God but He refuses him.
Thus, we must struggle so our ministry and consecration will be pleasant for God.
Romans 12:1-2
12:1 I beseech you therefore,brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present yourbodiesaliving sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,which isyour reasonableservice.
12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove whatisthat good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
The sign of true service or reasonable service is as follows:
- Bringing the offering for God.
It starts from the smallest one which is tithe and special offering. Until we offer our body to God. The condition is as follows:- The living sacrificeor the body is controlled by Holy Spirit through perseverance in General Service or the Golden Candlestick. It refers to the fellowship with Holy Spirit God.
Romans 8:13
8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by theSpirityou put todeaththe deeds of the body, you will live. - The holy sacrificeis controlled by the true teaching Word through perseverance in Bible Study Service with Holy Communion or the Table of Showbread. It refers to the fellowship with Son of God in the Word and Christ’s sacrifice.
- The acceptable sacrificeis controlled by the love of God through perseverance in Prayer Service or the Golden Altar of Incense. It refers to the fellowship with Father God in love.
Persevering in three main services means our body, soul, and spirit are sanctified. It is like slaughtering our flesh to offer to God. - The living sacrificeor the body is controlled by Holy Spirit through perseverance in General Service or the Golden Candlestick. It refers to the fellowship with Holy Spirit God.
- Renewing life from carnal men to spiritual ones like Jesus.
Romans 12:2
12:2 And do not be conformed to thisworld, but betransformedby the renewing of your mind, that you may prove whatisthat good andacceptableand perfect will of God.
The flesh being burned becomes the fragrant offering to God, through worship prayer and sprinkling of blood or flesh suffering without sinning.
The renewing starts from heart as follows:- Good conscience filled with love of God. Thus, it is able to discern the right and wrong, true and false teaching, true and false service. Until discerning all things that are true and false so we become holy and perfect.
If the one have wrong heart or heart that is not filled with love, he will make wrong choice and cannot discern the right and wrong. - The obedient and faithful heart.
Ezekiel 11:19-20
11:19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a newspiritwithin them,and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,
11:20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
- Good conscience filled with love of God. Thus, it is able to discern the right and wrong, true and false teaching, true and false service. Until discerning all things that are true and false so we become holy and perfect.
Being obedient means we stretch out hand to God and He will stretch out His mercy hand so we live in the hand of good Shepherd.
John 10:27-28
10:27 My sheep hear Myvoice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
10:28 And I give themeternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
The result is as follows:
- The hand of good Shepherd gives guarantees to care our life in the midst of impossible wilderness and eternal life.
The hand of good Shepherd gives victory so we will not fall in sin up to the peak of sin which is eating drinking (smoking, getting drunk, drugs abuse) and marrying-being given in marriage (sex with its kinds and the wrong marriage). We still live in righteousness and holiness. - The hand of good Shepherd leads us to New Jerusalem or the last sheepfold.
Revelation 7:17
7:17 for theLambwho is in the midst of thethronewill shepherd them and lead them to living fountains ofwaters.And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The meaning is as follows:- The hand of God purifies and changes us from carnal men to the spiritual ones. It starts from honesty in everything. The upright people are the house of prayer for the prayer of the upright is His delight.
- The hand of God leads us to the beautiful and successful future. His hand wipes the tears and beautifies us. All problems will be fixed by God, even the impossible one. Until Jesus comes a second, we will be lifted up to glorious clouds and enter the marriage supper of the Lamb of God, and the Kingdom of a Thousand Years, up to New Jerusalem.
- The hand of God purifies and changes us from carnal men to the spiritual ones. It starts from honesty in everything. The upright people are the house of prayer for the prayer of the upright is His delight.
God blesses us.