Bible Study at Surabaya - Monday, July 09, 2007

Today we continue learning Jude 1:12 about the church of the flesh.
12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;
Previously we have learned about “they feast with you without fear” (referring to those yielded to intense craving), “serving only themselves” (denoting egoism), and “they are clouds without water, carried about by the winds” (speaking of Christians without the rain of the doctrine, blown away by the wind of heresies and temptations; whose end is destruction).

Today we will be learning the next sign: (They are) late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots. Thus, the fleshly church is like:

• trees without fruit; signifying a curse (just as the fig tree by the road yielded no fruit had been cursed and dried up from the roots)
• trees pulled up by the roots and twice dead; signifying a forever death.

To bear fruit and not be pulled up, we must notice at least these two things:

1. roots; lest there be bad roots!
   Bad roots will make a tree fruitless, decayed, and dead. There are three bad roots as follows:
   • evil root = the love of money
     1 Timothy 6:10
     10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
     The love of money decays the tree of our spiritual life; we will be ceased bearing fruit and be pulled up by the roots like Judas. In real practice, the lovers of money are greedy for gain; they stray from the faith to pursue their own gain or they forsake godliness just to earn money, or on the contrary, they do have a form of godliness, but with the purpose of seeking money. All of these efforts are outside the faith / the truth. We go to church to work out our salvation and perfection, not to seek money. If we are about to seek money, the world is the right place.
     The love of money motivates men to be covetous like Judas – stealing tithes and special offerings, both of which belong to God. If Christians/pastors keep this evil root, they will bear no fruit and live with a curse until they are pulled up and destroyed.
   • decayed root = rejecting the doctrine / the word sharper than any two-edged sword / the teaching word.
     Isaiah 5:24
     24 Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
     Teaching word sanctifies us from bad roots although it hurts our flesh. Rejecting the righteous teaching word, the root and the conducts are decayed and there is no ability to repair.
   • poisonous root = forsaking the priest’s office
     Deuteronomy 29:18
     18 "so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood;
     Judas got worse with his evil root. He had been warned of his evilness to the last minute at feast as Jesus said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.” This hard word openly pointed out Judas’ wickedness, but he said, “Is it I?” Judas now became decayed root, since he had rejected (and got bored with) the true teaching word. At last, Judas forsook Jesus. This is the poisonous root.
   In short, the three bad roots refer to sinful Christians, who live without repentance and renewal, such as Judas.
   Every man must be born twice: physically (by parent) and spiritually (through baptism by water and the Spirit). He who is born only once will die twice; he will leave the world and dwell in hell.
   Revelation 20:14
   14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
   Seeing that, we must uproot bad roots through repentance and renewal and grow with the root of the righteous (walk in righteousness).
   Proverbs 12:3
   3 A man is not established by wickedness, But the root of the righteous cannot be moved.
   The root of the righteous cannot be moved and pulled up; they will stand still in the midst of shocks and yield fruit. It is easy to pull up an unstable tree.
   Proverbs 12:12
   12 The wicked covet the catch of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields fruit.
   When you feel that life is like the hell, you should look into your roots. A tree may look good but none could see the root inside. The late Rev. In Juwono said that pastors are the best drama players, since they look good but their roots may actually grow the love of money and become decayed because of rejecting the true doctrine.
2. sowing field: it must be planted in the house of the Lord.
   Psalms 92:12-15
   12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
   13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
   14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
   15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
   “there is no unrighteousness in Him” = “He is faithful to us” (Former Translation Indonesian Bible).
   A tree with good roots must be planted in the house of the Lord, which means being shepherded. Unless, we will never bear fruit – no matter what we are (pastors, apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, singers, or music ministers) because the root dries up.

When Jesus saw a fig tree by the road, He found nothing on it but leaves. It means the fig tree did have good roots but unfortunately yielded no fruit. Because of that, it was cursed (“Let no fruit grow on you ever again.”) and dried up from the roots. To conclude, a tree with good roots is unprofitable unless it yields fruit, and it will not yield fruit unless being planted in the house of the Lord (being shepherded).

Shepherding is referred to the Holy Place of Tabernacle (http://www.gptkk.org/tabernakel-en.php). Here is a short description on the Court and Holy Place:

• the Court speaks of righteousness, the root of the righteous.
  • the Altar of Burnt Offering (http://www.gptkk.org/mkb-en.php) signifies repentance
  • the Laver (http://www.gptkk.org/bejana-en.php) signifies water baptism
  • the Door (http://www.gptkk.org/kemah-en.php) signifies baptism by the Spirit
  Baptism by water and the Spirit is the process of regeneration/renewal.
  The root of the righteous will yield fruit if planted in the house of the Lord (shepherding/Holy Place).
• the Holy Place with three objects:
  • Golden Candlestick (http://www.gptkk.org/pelita-en.php) signifies Public Service.
  • Table of Showbread (http://www.gptkk.org/mrs-en.php) signifies Bible Study Service and Holy Communion.
  • Golden Altar of Incense (http://www.gptkk.org/dupa-en.php) signifies Worship Service.

We must be shepherded, which means continuing steadfastly in the three main services. Don’t let ourselves be street Christians!
Why do we have to be shepherded? You see, the three objects in Holy Place are the source of living waters to keep the roots fresh. Good roots without water will dry also.

Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Golden Candlestick = Holy Spirit = a living water
Table of Showbread = the Word = a living water
Golden Altar of Incense = worship = the Love of God = a living water
By being shepherded, we absorb the living waters that we will yield fruit and not be dried out.

If the roots are dried up, however, the branches wither. There will be no fruit, either.

Job 18:16
16 His roots are dried out below, And his branch withers above.

Only in the shepherding we will feel the loving-kindness of the Lord.

Psalms 92:15
15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

“there is no unrighteousness in Him” = God never lies to us; He shows His faithfulness. Provided we are shepherded, we will feel the faithfulness of the Lord. He is the Great Shepherd; there is no lie but faithfulness in Him.
No matter what obstructs, we must struggle to become shepherded Christians. It is logically unacceptable, but God never deceives us. We will see His faithfulness and goodness (Psalms 23).

By the loving-kindness of God, we will get these results:

• We shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
  Psalms 92:12
  12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
  Cedar is the strongest tall tree; typhoon can though neither move nor uproot it. Strong here does not mean physically powerful, but being courageous and not easily dismayed, despaired, or disappointed.
  Joshua was chosen to replace Moses and lead the Israelites into the land of Canaan and God wanted him to have heart, not brain. There was only one requirement: being strong and courageous. It was even said four times.
  Joshua 1:6-7, 9, 18
  6 "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
  7 "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
  9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
  18 "Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage."
  In former times, cedar wood was used for building the house of the Lord in the days of king Solomon. This building describes the forming of the Body of Christ. God is seeking strong and courageous individuals for the work of ministry, for the forming of the Body of Christ like God used Joshua, who was strong and courageous, to enter into Canaan. Praise the Lord if you have intelligence but the strong and courageous heart determines God’s use in the revival of Holy Spirit/the forming of the body of Christ.
  Besides, the strong and courageous heart is required to face deceptions, lest we be influenced by any other doctrine!
  Matthew 24:3-5
  3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
  4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.
  5 "For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,?and will deceive many.
  Many will deceive and many will be deceived. We must be extra careful. Only few will still hold fast to the true doctrine and because of that, they will be criticized as the exclusive group.
  Matthew 24:11
  11 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
  There are many false prophets and they have many followers. On the contrary, only few follow the true doctrine.
  Matthew 24:24
  24 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
  The late Rev. Totaijs in his preaching revealed who the elect are: those who follow the teaching word/Bride Tidings.
  Thus, a four-time statement of being strong and of good courage is meant to:
  • face heresies spread out to the four corners of the earth.
  • endure multi-dimension crisis.
    By our being strong and of good courage, God will use us for for the forming of the Body of Christ as well as give us victory.
  John 16:33
  33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
• We will be flourish like a palm tree.
  Psalms 92:12
  12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
  It implies the sweetness and joy of life. if you are waiting for happiness coming into your marriage, you both (husband and wife) must be shepherded.
  Ecclesiastes 4:12
  12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
  They are not quickly broken because they become one. Oneness in marriage is the sweetness of life. Without oneness, it is nothing but bitterness – even if they have everything in life.
  A marriage is always hit by troubles and temptations, for example, no enough money and illness, but the heaviest temptation is dissolution. Separating a couple is like separating body from the head, which means they will be bitter about marriage until they themselves die.
  A threefold cord is the shepherding word in the three main services. The shepherding word is able to unify two people (a man and his wife) and create sweetness in their marriage. This oneness will reach the top of marriage when Jesus comes the second time, that is to say, the marriage supper of the Lamb.
• We will bear fruit.
  Psalms 92:14-15
  14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
  15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
  A tree with good roots planted in the proper field must yield fruit and will still bear fruit in old age.

We remember at Jacob, who in his old age had a son called Joseph. Thus, the fruit in old age refers to the fruit of the Spirit. Everyone who is shepherded must bear fruit.

Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self–control. Against such there is no law.

In this old age (the end of the age), we must yield fruit of the Spirit (no matter whether we have much money to give our children as heritage or not). If not, we are in a serious threat. As Jesus saw a fig tree by the road, He wished to find only one or two fruits – since it was the beginning of fruit season, not the real fruit season. However, Jesus found no fruit, whereas a fig tree usually bore one or two fruits in the beginning of season. That means the fig tree had failed to bear throughout all the seasons.

Today God expects us to have only one of the nine fruits. By a single fruit, there is hope to bear until the nine fruits completely. However, if we have been shepherded and served God for years, but not have one though, we are in a serious threat. If God comes and finds none, we will be dried up from the roots.

Thus we must have at least one and the major (the first fruit) is love; to love God more than anything and to love the others. By the fruit of love, we will bear the other eight fruits.

The nine fruits of the Spirit describe the characters of God the Trinity as follows:

• love, joy, and peace are the characters or the image of Father God (the Lord)
• longsuffering, kindness, and goodness are the characters or the image of the Son (Jesus)
• faithfulness, gentleness, and self–control are the characters or the image of the Holy Spirit God (Christ)

In the Book of Genesis, man was created in the likeness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the Lord Jesus Christ (Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;). Nonetheless, this perfect creation has been destroyed by sin. Now we have to know that only through the shepherding service system (the shepherding word) will restore us to the image of God the Trinity little by little. That Jesus was born in a stable to seek sinners implies the shepherding, as sinners have fallen short of the image of God. Let God little by little come into our lives until we are complete with the nine fruits at the time of His second coming. At that time, we will have been restored as perfect as the first creation. This one is called the fruit of the Bride. Christ is the Heavenly Groom and we are the Bride.

Joseph was born in the old age of Jacob. Jacob represents Holy Spirit; old age refers to the end of the age; and Joseph describes the Bride Church of God.

Genesis 37:3
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.

Today none of us has yielded the nine fruits, perhaps only one and indefinite – it is sometimes fallen. Today we love God, but the day after tomorrow we may not love God. Today we endure many things, but tomorrow we may lose control. In spite of that, we must keep on struggling to make it permanent until we have all the nine fruits and become the Bride of God.

Psalms 1:3
3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

“by the rivers of water” shows being shepherded to absorb the living waters.
God never deceives us. If we can satisfy God by our fruits, the loving-kindness of God will fight for us, so that whatever we do will prosper.

Let me retell you this testimony: some times ago I received a letter from a girl whom I do not know until now. She was a high school student who stayed at a boarding house near this church, and one day she was invited by her friend to attend youth service. When I was announcing the schedule of our service, which takes three times a week, she mocked and thought the congregation foolish. Fortunately, she came again the next Saturday, plus on Sunday. At last, she confessed that she had become one of those attending the three services. Previously when her mother came to see her, nothing was better than quarrels. After attending the three services, however, she began to change. Besides, she was not a brilliant student, but she said, “As the pastor said that God never deceives us, I could get first ranking in all classes. It was completely impossible, but I did it.” Reading that letter, my wife and I thanked and praised God in tears.
Therefore, we must be shepherded to gain success; not because of us, but the loving-kindness of God that never leaves us alone.

Joseph, for example, was put in the prison, but he could prosper.

Genesis 49:22-24
22 "Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.
23 The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.
24 But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),

The Great Shepherd always reveals His loving-kindness to the sheep under His shepherd like Joseph. He never lies. Joseph, who was a fruitful bough, was always made prosperous. Even though he was put in the prison, he succeeded to become a prime minister.

Genesis 39:20-23
20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.
23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.

We see in verse 21 that the most important thing is the mercy of God. Soon after we have the fruit, as the result of the good root and being shepherded, we have had the mercy of Great Shepherd making whatever we do prosper.
No matter what our limitations are, as if we were put in the prison, God by His loving-kindness will make us prosperous – provided we have the good roots and give ourselves to be shepherded and bear fruits. Indeed, the loving-kindness of God will make everything we do prosperous until the greatest success is to run over the wall of the New Jerusalem (as the branches of Joseph had run over the wall). There shall be no more tear but forever joy with the Lord.
God bless you!