Peace and grace in the love of Jesus Christ. Good evening, let us listen to the Word of God. May the peace and grace from God be within us.
We are still learning Revelation 2-3.
In the Tabernacle arrangement, these chapters refer to the seven blood sprinkles in front of the Ark of the Covenant, which are equal to the seven lettersto the seven churches of Gentiles, or the last sanctificationthat God does to the seven churches of Gentilesto make them perfect and without blemish like Jesus.
The first letter was sent to the church of EPHESUS(Revelation 2:1-7) (it has been explained since General Service in Surabaya, July 27, 2014).
Revelation 2:4
2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
The last sanctification for the church of Ephesus, who has lost the initial love and HAS TO COME BACK TO THE INITIAL LOVEor God's love (Agape) through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Tabernacle is the kingdom of Heaven that Moses saw on the Mount of Sinai and God commanded him to make a Heaven on earth to let us be serious in our services as in Heaven.
God had earnestly prayed 'on earth as it is in heaven'. If it is not the same, we can't get into the Heaven. Therefore, we who are on earth have to follow the Tabernacle so that we can reach the Heaven.
In the Tabernacle, we can have three times of increments of loveas follows.
This evening, we will only learn about THE INITIAL LOVE.
A question for us, do we have the initial love, or has it gone like the church of Ephesus?
If we lose the initial love, God will be against us, like what He did to the church of Ephesus.
The practices of having the initial love are as follows.
This evening, what are our defects? God is looking at us to change us, which is the greatest miracle.
A physical miracleis like the Israelites, who were enslaved by the Egyptians, could be set free and went to the land of Canaan, which was abundant of milk and honey.
It meansthat God struggles to create physical miracles.
A spiritual miracleis God takes care of those who are in defects to save them from death. God will change all of our defects and He will use us in the revival of the Holy Spirit in the last rain until we are perfect.
We deserve to welcome God's second coming and we will go to the glorious cloud.
Take use of God's care and struggle in our lives.
Surrender everything to Him!
We return to the initial love until we minister God earnestly, and His care will get more and more real in our lives.
God struggles to create physical and spiritual miracles upon us.
God blesses us.
We are still learning Revelation 2-3.
In the Tabernacle arrangement, these chapters refer to the seven blood sprinkles in front of the Ark of the Covenant, which are equal to the seven lettersto the seven churches of Gentiles, or the last sanctificationthat God does to the seven churches of Gentilesto make them perfect and without blemish like Jesus.
The first letter was sent to the church of EPHESUS(Revelation 2:1-7) (it has been explained since General Service in Surabaya, July 27, 2014).
Revelation 2:4
2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
The last sanctification for the church of Ephesus, who has lost the initial love and HAS TO COME BACK TO THE INITIAL LOVEor God's love (Agape) through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Tabernacle is the kingdom of Heaven that Moses saw on the Mount of Sinai and God commanded him to make a Heaven on earth to let us be serious in our services as in Heaven.
God had earnestly prayed 'on earth as it is in heaven'. If it is not the same, we can't get into the Heaven. Therefore, we who are on earth have to follow the Tabernacle so that we can reach the Heaven.
In the Tabernacle, we can have three times of increments of loveas follows.
- The Court.
It refers to the initial love. - The Holy Place.
It refers to the growth of lovewhich can be obtained onlythrough the shepherding. We need to have a growth of love in order to not lose the love, as what happened to the church of Ephesus.
In the shepherding, the sheep have already gotten everything to grow. Outside the shepherding, the sheep will be caught by the wolves. - The Most Holy Place.
It refers to the perfect love.
This evening, we will only learn about THE INITIAL LOVE.
A question for us, do we have the initial love, or has it gone like the church of Ephesus?
If we lose the initial love, God will be against us, like what He did to the church of Ephesus.
The practices of having the initial love are as follows.
- Romans 10:17
10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The practice of having initial love is having faith, believing in Jesusthrough listening to the Word of God (the Word in the anointment of the Holy Spirit) until we believe in Jesus (we enter the gate of the Tabernacle).
Don't get out from the gate and be doubtful again.
If there is no anointment of the Holy Spirit, we can't have any faith.
A testimony:
"I was doubtful too. My friends said 'How is it possible for God to have a son. Maybe he will have a grandson later.'"
Jeremiah 15:16
15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.
If we listen to the Word in the anointment of the Holy Spirit, we will listen to the Word with a heavenly joy and we can enjoy listening to it.
This is the initial love, which is related to the Word, how we can enjoy the Word.
Luke 24:32
24:32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within uswhile He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scripturesto us?"
'He opened the Scriptures' means God explained the true teaching (a verse explaining another verse in the bible) and not telling about other things.
'a burning heart' means being kindled in listening to God's Word.
If we have the initial love, we can ENJOY GOD'S WORDand BE FERVENT IN THE WORD OF GODalthough the Word is hard, so that we can understand and believe to God's Word and it will become a faith within our heart.
Having an initial love, the most important thing is how we react to the Word. A lot of people are fervent in spirit in ministry but they are not kindled on listening to the Word. This is not an initial love, but an emotion. - The second practice of having the initial love is REPENTINGfrom sins.
It refers to The Altar of Burnt Offerings. Repenting means stopping sinning, being dead from sins and returning to God, stopping judging others, even more the righteous ones.
If we are in sins and not even trying to stop doing it although we already know that it is wrong, not feeling bad about it, and even laugh at it, it means that we don't have the initial love.
The initial love starts with the Word.
This is a reason why having the Tabernacle is handy, we will get the right sequence.
If we minister fervently but get bored when listening to the Word, it is not an initial love, but an emotion that will soon fade.
If we are driven by the emotion, it will become an ambition (like Satan).
If we firstly listen to the Word and repent, that is the initial love. - The third practice of having an initial love isWater baptism.
It refers to the Brazen Laver. If we have already been baptized, let's check if we still have the initial love or not.
Romans 6:4
6:4 Therefore we were buriedwith Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the deadby the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The true water baptismis for those who have repented (have died from sins). They are buried (or drowned) with Jesus in the water baptism, and are raised with Him to get a new life, a heavenly one, which is life in righteousness.
Having an initial love means LIVING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Living in righteousness means being saved, we will not be punished or drowned in the sea of fire and sulphur.
We only have to choose one, either to live in righteousness, or to drown in the sea of fire and sulphur. - John 3:6-8
3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
3:7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
3:8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
The fourth practice of having an initial love is having the baptism of Holy Spirit.
This refers to the Door of Tabernacle.
The baptism of Holy Spirit makes us like the wind and fire, the servants of God.
After we enter the water baptism and live in righteousness, and the baptism of Holy Spirit (the anointment of the Holy Spirit), we can be like the wind and fire.
Psalms 104:4
104:4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.- Spiritsrefer to God's servant who empties himself (having something, but considering himself to have none), that he can be obedientto the Word and live in holiness.
- Firerefers to God's servant who is faithful and ferventin the services and ministries to God. We first have to be fervent in the Word, and we can be fervent in the ministry.
Daniel 7:9
7:9 "I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;
God's throne is a fiery flame.
In conclusion, God's servant, who is like a flame by being obedient,holy, faithful and fervent, is equal to God's throne.
This should become our wish. Every time we minister, we have to be responsible, starting from the shepherd, and ask ourselves are we representing God's throne or Satan's?
If we represent Satan's throne, the church will be destroyed. However, if we represent God's throne, whatever the condition of the church, everything can be fixed.
If we serve like a spirit and fire, we represent God's throne in the middle of the church and God's children who come will not feel our ministries, but His. Our ministries are very limited, but God's throne is not limited by anything, every problem can be solved.
This is our prayer this evening. Starting from our marriage, shepherding, and inter-shepherding, we have to be fervent in spirit in listening to God's Word, we repent (we live in righteousness and are fervent in it) until we become a God's servant that is like spirit and fire (we become obedient, holy, faithful, and fervent), and we can represent God's throne in the middle of the church.
We should pray so that when we minister, we represent God's throne.
Psalms 11:4
11:4 The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord's throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
If there is God's throne, God's eyes will behold us.
It meansGod's merciful sight will help us, He is beholding us, He cares about us and struggles for all of us.
These days, don't let the problems be our focus and get stressed because of it, but let our focus be on how we can be God's throne and represent it by the initial love.
If we are weak, let's pray to God and let Him restore the initial love in us, so that we will enjoy listening to His Word. If we have enjoyed listening to the true Word, we will repent (be sorry, confess, and stop doing sins), we enter the water baptism (we are reborn, we live in righteousness, and be fervent in it), and we become God's servant, which is like spirit and fire (we are obedient, holy, faithful and fervent to represent God's throne).
If we represent God's throne, God will behold us. God understands our condition and struggles for all of us.
The resultsare as follows.- Exodus 3:7-8
3:7 And the Lord said: "I have surely seenthe oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
3:8 So I have come down to deliver themout of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
This is an example of God's care in physical things.
The first result is God will pay attention to His servants' lives, those who are weak, have heavy laden, problems and tears. God will care us in many forms, as follows.- He will give us peace.
- Everything will be easy and light.
- All problems, even the impossible ones, are solved.
- He will give us happiness, we will shed no more tears.
- He will nurture our lives in the middle of this difficult world (like the Israelites when they were in the middle of slavery in the land of Egypt) into an abundance, and we can always give thanks to God.
- We murmur no more.
- Mark 10:21-22
10:21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."
10:22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
This is God's care in spiritual way.
'One thing you lack' refers to the church of Ephesus, who were great, but they had one thing lack, that is the initial love.
The second result is God takes care of our spiritual lives with our defects (imperfection), to save us from death and to let us reach a perfect life.
The defect of this young man was that he was attached to the will of money, which turned him to be stingy and greedy.
It meansthat he couldn't give, but stole God's belongings (the tithes and offerings) and others'.
God's care will create spiritual miracles, to change usso that we are able to give and be obedient.
God's command is actually easy, it only depends on whether we are willing to do it or not.
This young man had a lot of money and God said 'give away your possessions' but he wouldn't. This command is actually easy since he had a lot of money. God didn't command him to gather a lot of money and then sell it, he already had it. Being willing or not, it all depends on our heart.
If our heart is bound by the lust of the flesh, we can't give and be obedient.
By entering the movement of giving and being obedient, we enter the revival of the Holy Spirit in the last rain, which is the building of the perfect body of Christ until we become the perfect bride of God to welcome Jesus' second coming.
This young man rejected God's command and went away sorrowful.
If we reject God's care or command, we will be disappointed and sorrowful, there will be no happiness, but tears and gnashing of the teeth forever instead.
- Spiritsrefer to God's servant who empties himself (having something, but considering himself to have none), that he can be obedientto the Word and live in holiness.
This evening, what are our defects? God is looking at us to change us, which is the greatest miracle.
A physical miracleis like the Israelites, who were enslaved by the Egyptians, could be set free and went to the land of Canaan, which was abundant of milk and honey.
It meansthat God struggles to create physical miracles.
A spiritual miracleis God takes care of those who are in defects to save them from death. God will change all of our defects and He will use us in the revival of the Holy Spirit in the last rain until we are perfect.
We deserve to welcome God's second coming and we will go to the glorious cloud.
Take use of God's care and struggle in our lives.
Surrender everything to Him!
We return to the initial love until we minister God earnestly, and His care will get more and more real in our lives.
God struggles to create physical and spiritual miracles upon us.
God blesses us.