General Service in Malang, June 20, 2010 (Sunday Morning)
Matthew 25:2-4
25:2 "Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
25:3 "Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
25:4 "but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Church of God is as ten virgins who can be divided into two groups as follows:
- Five wise virgins having the oil for supply so their lamps burn continually to welcome Jesus' second coming on the glorious clouds.
- Five foolish virgins having no oil for supply so they are left when Jesus comes a second time.
1 Corinthians 1:18
1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishnessto those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Daily practice of being foolish is rejecting the cross, not being willing to suffer together with Jesus.
On the contrary, the wise Church takes up the crossas Jesus has given us an example.
Why do we have to take up the cross although we have already sacrificed something?
1 Peter 2:19
2:19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
It is to make us live in the grace of the Lord.
The grace is more than all things because it saves and perfects us. There is vainness and perdition outside the grace.
Exodus 33:13-14
33:13 "Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people."
33:14 And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
All things will be vain without the grace although we have already been blessed.
Therefore, Moses asked God the grace.
The manifestation of the grace is God shows us His wayand He leads us.
In short, the manifestation of the grace is God shepherds usand only those who get the grace may be shepherded.
The Lord shepherds us through shepherding Word or the rod of shepherd, meaning as follows:
- The true teaching Word that God trusts to a pastor to preach faithfully and repetitively as spiritual food for the congregation so they can have spiritual growth up to spiritual maturity and perfection as the Lord is perfect.
- The good and merciful hand of God is stretched to lead us on His way.
The steps of the good and merciful hand of God's being stretched to lead our lives are below:
- Leading us in the paths of righteousness = we live in righteousness/truth.
Psalm 23:1-3
23:1 <>The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
23:2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
23:3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousnessFor His name's sake.
John 18:38a
18:38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"
Gentiles do not know the truth as Pilate was a clever judge but he did not know what the truth is.
Acts 8:26-31,36-39
8:26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert.
8:27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
8:28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
8:29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot."
8:30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
8:31 And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?"And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
8:36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"
8:37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
8:38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
8:39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.
The Ethiopians was a governmental officer but he also did not know about the truth.
Shepherding Word will lead the Gentiles to enter the way of righteousness through this process:
- Gate (https://www.gptkk.org/tabernacle_the+gate.html) -->believing, having faith in Jesus.
- Altar of Burnt Offering (https://www.gptkk.org/tabernacle_the+altar+of+burnt+offerings.html) -->repenting, stopping sinning and returning to God.
- Brazen Laver (https://www.gptkk.org/tabernacle_the+brazen+laver.html) -->being baptized of water.
- Door of Tabernacle (https://www.gptkk.org/tabernacle_door+of+tabernacle.html) -->being baptized of Spirit.
Being reborn through the baptism of water and of Holy Spirit will result in new life, that is to say life in righteousness.
Isaiah 32:17
32:17 The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietnessand assurance forever.
Living in righteousness, there will be peace and quietness.
Jeremiah 13:23
13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.
We are the Gentiles but we will turn from dogs to sheep if we are willing to be guided by the shepherding Word.
Nevertheless, if the shepherding Word has shown the way but one does not want to live in the righteousness, he will be in unrighteousness forever as a leopard cannot change its spots.
Revelation 13:1-2
13:1 And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.
13:2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
The leopard is the image of antichrist ready to be destroyed.
Do not keep unrighteous matters!
- Leading us to enter the sheepfold.
Ezekiel 20:37-38
20:37 "I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;
20:38 "I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
The physical sheepfold is the organizational church.
The spiritual one is the Holy Place of Tabernacle, in which there are three equipments as follows:
- Golden Candlestick (https://www.gptkk.org/tabernacle_golden+candlestick.html) -->patience in committing General Service.
- Table of Showbread (https://www.gptkk.org/tabernacle_table+of+showbread.html) -->patience in committing Bible Study Service and Holy Communion.
- The Golden altar of Incense (https://www.gptkk.org/tabernacle_the+golden+altar+of+incense.html) -->patience in committing Prayer Service.
As a result, we are reckoned by God, meaning we are preserved and cared by Great Shepherd.
In the shepherding, we are also separated from the unclean and unrighteous matters. Being unrighteous, one will be separated from others. Esau and Jacob were separated because Jacob was shepherded as well as Esau sought other way.
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.
The shepherding Word also leads us to join a fellowship with sheep from other sheepfolds.
John 10:4
10:4"And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
The building of Christ's body is lead by the voice of the shepherd, that is to say the shepherding Word.
We are lead to enter into the true fellowship of Christ's body according to the true teaching Word.
- Leading us to New Jerusalem, the last shepherding.
Revelation 7:17
7:17 "for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
The practice is real through the renewal of life from carnal men to spiritual men. Being renewed, our tears are wiped away until we become as glorious as Jesus is, there is no more tear.
1 Corinthians 15:55,57-58
15:55 "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"
15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 John 3:14-15
3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
3:15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Isaiah 28:15
28:15 Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, It will not come to us, For we have made lies our refuge, And under falsehood we have hidden ourselves."
The renewal of life begins with these matters:
- From unfaithfulness to faithfulness,
- From hatred to love,
- From lying to uprightness.
If the spiritual miracle (the renewal of life) happens, God will be able to perform the physical miracles.
God blesses you.