Public Service at Surabaya - Sunday, June 10, 2007

We are still learning Jude 1, which in tabernacle structure refers to the covering of badger skins signifying the protection and attention of God towards the true church as well as separation from the false one. The true church will be taken up and exalted with God, but the false church will be destroyed with the world.
There are four false churches as follows:

1. unshepherded church, aiming at antichrist and false prophets (verse 4)
2. law-based church (verse 5)
3. satanic church in the appearance of Sodom and Gomorrah (verse 6-7)
4. fleshly church (starting at verse 8)

CHURCH OF THE FLESH
We have learned a sign of the fleshly church written in verse 10, that is, to follow God by nature like animals. Now we continue with the next signs written in verse 11.
Jude 1:11
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

• to walk on the path of Balaam, who was a reward lover. Such a man lives by money and not by faith (without faith).
• to walk on the path of Korah, who was a rebellious man. Such a man lives beyond holiness (without hope).
• to walk on the path of Cain, who was the killer of Abel (without love).

Below is the explanation about the church of the flesh walking on the manner of Balaam.

Revelation 2:12-15
12 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two–edged sword:
13 "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
14 "But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
15 "Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

The Church of Pergamos was established in the faith during persecutions and murders, but they fell down from their steadfastness because of heresies. How could this happen? As they were not consistent to hold the only true doctrine and to reject the false doctrines.
We must not be swayed with the wind of heresies and regard that it is alright to follow the doctrines; just taking up the good and taking down the bad parts. We must not say like this, indeed. Remember king Solomon! The Bible describes how the fame of Solomon’s wisdom spread far and wide, so much so that he held on to the sword (the true doctrine) in his youth. As growing old, however, he turned to the gods of his wives and left the sword. Seeing that, we must be consistent to hold fast to the only true doctrine.

1 Timothy 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,

At the end of the age many will depart from the faith / the true doctrine because they are carried away with heresies. Everyone whose conscience is seared with a hot iron (denoting a heresy) will hardly, even never, return to the true doctrine and get lost forever.

These are the two heresies because of which the Church of Pergamos had fallen away:

1. the doctrine of Balaam
   Revelation 2:14
   14 "But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
   2 Peter 2:15-16
   15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
   16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
   The doctrine of Balaam leads the church to pursue money/wages and other worldly matters in the service and ministry, so that the church commits idolatry and adultery by worshipping money, which thing God hates.
2. the doctrine of Nicolaitans
   Revelation 2:15
   15 "Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
   The doctrine of Nicolaitans is to attract and gather many people in all manner of ways – even though it is contrary to the word of God.
   Both doctrines work together to reach the same goal, that is, gathering many people to get much money. We must thus beware of spiritual awakening services to anticipate their hidden purposes. I am so much grateful to the late Rev. In Juwono and Pong Dongalemba, for they had given me an example not to demand any church collection money or special offering in every kind of fellowship services. This is to anticipate the two false doctrines being inserted.
   Both false doctrines always work together to be equal to the tabernacle teaching and the bride tidings. The teachings of Balaam and Nicolatians present the woman of Babylon in her wealth (the false church), but tabernacle teaching and the bride tidings present the Bride of God (the true church).
   Students of Lempin-El, you should not be pessimistic when you open a church and there is only little number of congregation.

Revelation 2:16
16 ‘Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

Tabernacle teaching and the bride tidings are the word which is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12) to sanctify and perfect the church of God. If the church of God rejects this word because they hold to the teachings of Balaam and Nicolatians, they will someday face the sword of the judgment of God.

Every godliness that we have must be related to the true teaching word.

Genesis 37:6-7
6 So he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
7 "There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf."

The wheat refers to the true doctrine and the tares point to the false doctrines. Every spiritual revival (service and ministry) either by pastor or priests must be related to the true doctrine to establish the faith in any situation, in facing either heresies or antichrist. We will keep on standing upright just as Joseph’s sheaf until Jesus comes the second time. Joseph was despised by his brothers, but the sheaves of his brothers thus bowed down to Joseph’s. Today the true doctrine is being disregarded and despised, but someday it will be admitted and exalted when the church of God is completely pressed by troubles, temptations, and heresies in the days of pre-antichrist’s persecution. Thus, the point here is to give priority to the true doctrine. If money takes the highest place, the work of God will diminish and not endure, for when we have much money, the work of ministry will grow progressively, but as the world is being shaken, everything will fall off.
Students of Lempin-El, after graduation and being a pastor/missionary, you must have the relationship with the true teaching word so that you can stand firmly in facing anything. Do not depend on money because it aims at destruction. The revival of Holy Spirit in the last rain is in the true teaching word to add and to increase the quality of the Church to reach perfection as the Bride of God.

There are two inseparable works of ministry as follows:

1. sowing
   This activity shows the revival of Holy Spirit in the first rain, that is, the revival of the word of gospel to multiply the quantity of the body of Christ.
2. harvesting
   This activity shows the revival of Holy Spirit in the last rain, that is, the revival of the true doctrine to advance the quality of the Church to become the perfect bride of God.
   Those who sow and reap have to cooperate and persevere. Students of Lempin-El, do not become jealous to those who are great in sowing because the revival of Holy Spirit in the last rain is about reaping. We need the perseverance in order to reap because it is not a short process, seeing that we have to fertilize the soil; when there is fruit, there are many birds as the hindrance of the reaping. The reaping is in the true teaching word; seeing that we may reap the ripe fruit, not the beginning fruit.

The primary target of the revival of Holy Spirit in the last rain is Gentiles (donkeys), since two different persons want to sit on them. They are:

1. Balaam
   In 2 Peter 2, Balaam sat on donkeys and aimed at curse/destruction. Take heed to ourselves, lest heresies directing men to seek physical matters/wage sit on us.
2. Jesus Christ
   Mark 11:1-2, 7
   1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples;
   2 and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.
   7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.
   That Jesus sat on a colt to go to Jerusalem means God is seeking the Gentiles to be used in the revival of Holy Spirit in the last rain until they reach the New Jerusalem (becoming the bride of God and entering into the kingdom of heaven).
   Colts, symbolizing youths, are being sought to become the priority of God in the work of ministry, for the revival of Holy Spirit in the last rain. Thus, youths should not hesitate to give themselves wholly to become the full-timer servants of God. I was foolish because of my fright. I had never dreamed of becoming a full-timer servant. I therefore fled from the calling of God and denied it for ten years until I came across a moment in time where I could not run away anymore. I was stupid but now I really know that it is wonderful to let God sit on us, as He leads us to the New Jerusalem, a city full of precious stones. It is so beautiful; we have a bright future to be led with God.
   God will sit on us only if we are bound or shepherded, lest we be wild donkeys or onagers (living in uncleanness).
   Job 39:5
   5 "Who set the wild donkey free? Who loosed the bonds of the onager,

We must be bound to the choice vine / the true vine (John 15:1) / Jesus/ the true teaching word.

Genesis 49:11
11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.

These are the two signs of the true teaching word:

• It is written in the Bible and not in other books.
• It is revealed or disclosed its mystery by God – so that all verses explain one another.

Even though we are foolish like donkeys, God will sit on us as long as we are bound to the true teaching word.

Proverbs 7:2-3
2 Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Being bound or shepherded to the true teaching word means:

• keeping the true word inside of our hearts.
• practicing the true word (“Bind them on your fingers”) to become our flesh and blood.

“Keep my law as the apple of your eye” means: the teaching word is the vision and mission of the Church. Many people proclaim that we must have visions and missions and they search for them on other books. This is completely not true. The visions and missions of the Church are only found in the teaching word. As God reveals His word, He tells us His visions and missions, further away till the New Jerusalem.

Spiritual awakening services without the true teaching word are blind fellowships. It is a real pity, since they will be like Bartimaeus sitting by the road and never coming into the New Jerusalem. They can only seek their own profits, just like the beggar Bartimaeus.

Students of Lempin-El and full-timer servants of God cannot ask something or owe or steal. Blind person who leads another blind person will make both of them fall into a pit. The first person points to a pastor who does not enter the true teaching word. Accordingly, all the churchgoers will enter into a pit also. I will never play with this matter because of my experience as a teacher. I had a pupil whose marks were good in the first semester. Then I was negligent and he got bad marks in the second semester until he failed. In spiritual case, the pit points to the hell. Let us be careful now that we are bound to the True Vine; being shepherded to the true teaching word.

John 15:3
3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

“the word which I have spoken to you” = the word disclosed its mystery = the true teaching word = the explaining verses.
A verse, which is the word of God, is explained by another verse, which is the word of God. Thus, the preaching of the word based on verses is truly the word of God.
By being shepherded, we will be sanctified intensively from the following sins:

• wickedness and evil thoughts in heart
  Jeremiah 4:14
  14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
  Wickedness points to the love of money and evil thoughts refer to uncleanness related to sexual sins and eating-drinking.
• impure tongue
  Zephaniah 3:9
  9 "For then I will restore to the peoples (the gentiles) a pure language, That they all may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him with one accord.
  The mouth is cleansed to proceed good words for edification. In such a manner, we will serve God with one accord and the work of God will progress quickly, and God will immediately bless the church in the case of either quality or quantity. Do not try to make others fall because it will destroy God’s work. We may help one another if our heart is cleaned from every wicked and unclean lust as well as our mouth is cleaned from bad words making strife.

What comes out of the mouth must spring from the heart; otherwise, it is hypocrisy. For example, someone shows her sweet smiles and laughs out loud, but she is bitter deep inside. Such is called hypocrisy that leads the work of God to destruction. Good relationship starts from a pastor with the sheep and between the sheep. Let us put aside every mistake we have done.

The goal of sanctification by the true teaching word is that God sits on us (God uses our holy lives as His instruments).

Zephaniah 3:10
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, The daughter of My dispersed ones, Shall bring My offering.

By the sanctification of God, we will be no longer like Balaam seeking rewards and profits in the ministry, but we will bring offerings abundantly (the daughter of My dispersed ones…). This is called the revival of Holy Spirit in the last rain / the revival of faith / the revival of giving offerings.

Matthew 6:31-32
31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat??or ‘What shall we drink??or ‘What shall we wear?
32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

The Gentiles are always worried about what they will eat and wear, but they will be able to surrender their worries to the Lord after being sanctified.

Mark 11:8
8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

See, the clothes and leafy branches (which are the food of donkeys) were spread on the road. This is to show that the Gentiles have no more worry about what they will eat and wear.
The least offerings are tithes and special offerings.
A tithe is returned to God to confess that:

• we have received God’s blessings (all that we have are given by the mercy of God). However, if you think that it is all because of your own capability of hard working, you ought not to return a tithe. God does not need our money, but our confession that we have received blessings from the mercy of God.
• we belong to God.
  If we do not belong to God, we must belong to Balaam.
  A special offering is intended for the work of ministry, for the forming of the body of Christ. Not only physical things we may offer to God because formerly, at the building of tabernacle by Moses, not only gold and silver were sacrificed but clothes were too. It shows a sacrifice of time, thinking, energy, and skill because clothes are made by knitting.

Malachi 3:8-9
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You??In tithes and offerings.
9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.

We will be cursed in case we do not return a tithe and a special offering. A pastor who is cursed due to stealing tithes and special offerings will lead the church to curse – even though he looks great in the ministry.

Provided we are able to give offerings and surrender our worries to God, God will surely care for our lives. Cast your worries before you give your whole life to God!

1 Peter 5:7
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Jesus as the Great Shepherd cares for us in a marvelous way, in which the world cannot influence and break, just as the Lord had done to the Israelites in the desert. Now we live in the world, which is like desert, not a plain but hills and valleys, so that it is hard to sow and harvest. Indeed, we cannot rely on the world, but the Great Shepherd, our Lord. He will care for us in a marvelous way - provided that we surrender our worries to Him.

After we surrender our worries, we can surrender the whole life to God.

Psalms 37:5-7
5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

surrendering the whole life = worshiping the Lord.
By the time we see Jesus Christ face to face in the glorious heavens, we, the Bride, will have surrendered all of our life to the Groom.

Here are the practices of worshiping the Lord:

• “Rest in the Lord” = looking or inspecting into ourselves. If we find a sin, we must confess it to the Lord and the others, and never we repeat it after being forgiven. Take heed to ourselves not to blame the others!
• “Trust in Him” = having faith and trusting ourselves in God alone with all our heart – even if we still see something bad or see the troubles getting bigger.
  Keep on trusting in God! He will stretch out His hands and give us rest and peace. The more we worship God, the more we live in peace although the world is shaking more and more. Only in worship we will find peace in the midst of shocks.
  In fact, some people do not live in peace in the midst of abundant wealth. It is thus hard to imagine what they will be like in the midst of life storm.
• “He shall bring it to pass” = God will do everything in our lives.
  Ruth 3:18
  18 Then she said, "Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day."
  the man, who was Boaz, refers to Jesus Christ.
  I am so glad to read this verse. When I come across unsolvable matters and I cannot think of anything, I can only sit still to wait for God’s concluding my matters. Give God freedom to act in our lives! He will surely solve all matters in due time. On the contrary, God will be quiet and do nothing as long as we act in our own ways

Psalms 37:6
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

Matthew 13:41-43
41 "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42 "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Balaam and his followers (describing the false or fleshly church) will be gathered into hell fire, but we will be perfected to become the Bride of God clothed with the sun, with the moon under feet, and on our head a garland of twelve stars. At that time, we will have been welcoming Jesus’ second coming and going up into heaven to dwell therein forever more.
In conclusion, we should let Jesus (not Balaam) to sit on us and fully trust our lives in Him.
God bless you!