Public Service at Surabaya - Sunday, September 30, 2007

We are going to discuss Jude again which tells about the protection of God to the true churches/ wheat which are going to get into the barn and the separation from the false ones/ coarse grasses which seem better but they do not give priority to the word of God so that they are burnt/ destroyed forever.

Jude 1:20, 21 --> the characteristics of true churches
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

The characteristics of true churches are:

1. building themselves on the most holy/ perfect faith
   
2. praying in the ointment of Holy Spirit
   
3. keeping themselves in the love of God/ living in the love of God.
   

We have learned the place to keep ourselves in the love of God/ live in the love of God that is in marriage through these processes:

1. starts from the first love
   
2. being patient in the love of God
   
3. perfect love
   

Then the practice of keeping ourselves in the love of God is being obedient ?John 14:15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments. So, keeping ourselves in the love of God is not just a theory, but it has place, processes and practices. The first practice of keeping ourselves in the love of God is being obedient.

Jude 1:22, 23a
22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction;
23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

Having compassion to children/ servant s of God who are under the condemnation fire --> these people need to be shined by the mercy of God. I hope we can understand it.

Who need the shining of the love of God/ under the condemnation of God? There are three definitions of children/ servants of God who are under the condemnation fire because they live without the love of God:

1) John 1:22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"
PEOPLE WHO ARE IN DOUBT TOWARD TWO THINGS AS FOLLOWS:

• Temptations --> if we are in doubt, we will be hopeless and disappointed and maybe we will go to shaman --> these people have to be given compassion.
  
• False doctrines --> it is under the condemnation fire. Thus, we have to be careful.
  

The consequences of doubted people are:
James 1:6-8
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

• they do not get anything from God/ God does not help them. Hence, we have to stand firmly in the true teaching word nowadays because if we are in doubt, we will get nothing/ failed.
  
  
• they live in worry (without peace). If doubt takes place in marriage, it will not have peace.
  
  
• they are tossed to and fro by the false teaching = being under the condemnation fire --> 2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
  
  So, do not doubt in facing temptation and the wind of false doctrine because doubts mean that we are not safe (under the condemnation fire). I hope we can understand it.
  

Philippians 2:15, 16
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Lights or stars refer to people who are employed by God, shine and hold firmly the true teaching word. In special, they are meant shepherd.

What are the meanings of holding firmly the true teaching word? The meanings are as the following:

1. holding one true teaching word which has been our life experience, has changed our life and blessed us. For example: we have hold one book which becomes our life experience then we want to see another book. We will take the second book and loose the first one so that we are influenced by other doctrines. It is like Solomon when he was young he hold the sword tightly --> there are two whores came bringing a child/ the problem of marriage. Solomon was able to resolve the problem with his sword. However, Solomon was proud of himself when he was getting old --> his wife tended to follow another teaching and Solomon loosed his sword to take his wife's doctrine. Thus, we have to be watchful. Do not want to learn other doctrines and also compare them with ours. We have to be careful by being not doubted. In contrast, the servant of God should be people who are similar to bright stars which hold the alive word of God.
   
   If we want to be a star, we have to have one true teaching word and it starts from marriage. A marriage should be in one true teaching word. Then, the shepherding service system also should have only one true teaching word. There may not be another teaching because it brings hazard. Moreover, there is only one true teaching word in the Body of Christ = one Head that is Jesus since Jesus is the Head = the true teaching word. I hope we can understand it.
   
   
2. being held = we practice/ obey one true teaching word. The results of obeying the word of God are:
   
   1. we will not fall and get into the condemnation fire, yet we live from the lively word of God. We do not depend on this world since it is the lively word of God which nourishes us in earthly and spiritual things wonderfully. I always give an example of street lamp which has its pole. Its pole depends on the world and if the world falls down, the lamp will be broken. In contrast, stars do not have any pole because stars depend on the lively word of God which we hold and do. Thus, the true teaching word is a serious thing which is related to our life.
      
      
   2. the lively word of God blesses us and as our source of earthly and spiritual matters. We do not depend on the earthly things although we have diploma, shops or anything else because we are stars which do not have any pole/ relationship with the earth and it means we are directly related to the lively word of God. I hope we can understand it.
      
      If we have held one true teaching word tightly, we will be able to invite people who are in doubt because we cannot invite doubted people if we are doubted.
      
      Don't be selfish if you have held the true teaching word tightly. We have to help others who are in doubt toward the true teaching word and the temptations so that they are in the condemnation fire. We have to pull them out of the condemnation fire so that we become blessing for them = we pull them to turn back to the true teaching word and it is the duty of stars/ us. I hope we can understand it.
      

2) Ezekiel 15:1-4
1 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
2 "Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?
3 "Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on?
4 "Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work?
These are vine branch which does not produce fruits. In fact, the weak vine branch only can be used to be the place of fruit. If it cannot produce fruits, it will be dried/ detached from the vine and burnt in fire.

The definition of vine branch which does not produce fruit/ detached from the vine is people who are not faithful in the shepherding service system and ministry.

Matthew 25:26, 30
26 "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
30 'And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Vs. 30 --> unfaithful = unprofitable like vine branch which does not produce fruit.

As written in Matthew 25: 26, 30, the consequences of being unfaithful are:

• live in gnashing of teeth/ sorrow and curse atmosphere
  
• burnt in the condemnation fire ?John 15:6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
  

Hence, we beg to God in order we are able to shine the love of God and help doubted people.

There is also a story about goat and sheep in Matthew 25. Goat is selfish --> 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Let us shine the love of God and care of our fellows who are unfaithful in the shepherding service system and ministry. We can call, visit, bear witness and invite them so that they turn to be faithful to God. It is God's will for us to give, visit and pray for them. I hope we can understand it.

The condition of vine branch which is detached from the vine so that live in curse atmosphere = the condition of the fig tree planted beside the road and did not produce fruit so God cursed it to be dried and burnt.

What is the meaning of fig tree planted beside the road?

• it has a lot of leaves, but did not produce fruit = vine branch which are detached from the vine = unprofitable. Leaves points to activities. Maybe you have a lot of activities, yet you are not shepherded. As the consequence, your spirituality is dried and you are under the condemnation fire because God curses you. It is written in Zechariah like a brand, if it stays in fire and is not plucked, it will be burnt.
  
  
• it has life because of lots of leaves. Even though we are active in ministry, we have to be shepherded so that we can shine the love of God to those who are not shepherded.
  

There are a lot of fig trees planted beside the road than those which are planted in the temple of God --> a lot of Christians who are not shepherded and even a lot of shepherds are not shepherded. We need to bear witness to them.

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.

Planted in the house of the Lord = being shepherded, not planted beside the road. In Tabernacle, temple of God points to the holy place in which there are three instruments. Now, it means being patient in three kinds of main service and devotion; they are:

1. the golden candlestick = the patience in public service (usually on Sunday)
   
2. the table of showbread = the patience in Bible Study and Holy Communion
   
3. the altar of burnt incense = the patience in pray and worship service.
   

So, planted in the house of the Lord = being shepherded.

Vs. 14 --> there is a guarantee for us to keep on producing fruits
vs. 15 --> those who have been planted in the temple of God have to bear witnesses. In short, we have to be planted in the house of the Lord/ being faithful in the shepherding service system and ministry so that we can produce sweet wine (there is happiness and no curse until we reach the happiness of the marriage of the Lamb).

In Matthew 25:21 "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
The joy of your lord = the happiness of the marriage of the Lamb at the time of Jesus' second coming. If the vine branch abides to the vine, it will get happiness. Therefore, do not doubt and detached from the vine! Instead, we have to abide tightly to the vine. We have to be faithful in the shepherding service system and ministry so we are able to produce fruits and we get into the marriage of the Lamb at the time of Jesus' second coming.

After producing fruit, let us declare it --> Psalms 92:15 To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
'To declare that the LORD is upright, there is no unrighteousness in Him' = God never deceives us since He is able to do impossible things for us as the Great Shepherd. I hope we can understand it.

3) Zechariah 3:1-4
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.
2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, "Take away the filthy garments from him." And to him He said, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes."

A brand which is not plucked will be burnt. So, it needs to be plucked.
Vs. 3 --> Joshua did his duty wearing filthy garments --> it is the servant of God which is like a brand.

Now, we are corrected in these following things:

1. do not have doubted heart
   
2. do not be loosed from the vine/ like a fig tree beside the road which has a lot of activities but it is not shepherded.
   
3. do not wear filthy garments which put us under the condemnation fire. Wearing filthy garments = there are spots on our garments of ministry.
   

If you have served God, but you are wearing filthy garments, you will be under the condemnation fire. The condition is worse for those who do not serve God or abandon their ministry. Hence, do not be proud of yourself if you have served God! If there is still spot in your ministry, your condition will be like a brand within fire. It starts from me whether I live in spots as a shepherd.

We have to be careful especially toward the spots in the movement of Holy Spirit in the end of the world because the movement is described like Joshua brought Israelites to the land of Canaan. It started from the frontier until they got into the land of Canaan through Jericho. They were able to destroy Jericho amazingly. The movement of the perfect body of Christ is like Joshua brought Israelites won upon Jericho, but unfortunately there was the spot of Achan and it is risky.

In the edifying of the body of Christ, the spot of Achan is very dangerous. --> Joshua 7:1, 15, 20, 21
1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.
15 'Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.'"
20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done:
21 "When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it."

Vs. 15 --> The Israelites won amazingly over the ruined Jericho (we have served in the movement of Holy Spirit in the end of the world), but they were under the condemnation fire because the spots/ false garments.

The spot of Achan is sin of stealing. Achan stole gold, silver and a beautiful Babylonian garment --> Joshua 6:24 But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
Jericho and its content were destroyed, except gold, silver and bronze which were brought to the temple of God, but they were stolen by Achan. There are two things which should be in the temple of God. They are the tithes and offerings. These two things are stolen nowadays and it becomes spot.

Malachi 3:8-10
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.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

This verse points to the stealing of the tithes and offerings. We have to be careful to the spot of Achan. In the New Testament, Judas had the spot of Achan since he stole God's own. The consequence was he had to be destroyed as Achan. In the end of the world, there are a lot of servants of God who steal God's own and their reward is waiting for them that is they will be burnt in fire like Achan. Achan and Judas stole God's own and they were destroyed. However, in the end of the world, the servants of God stole God's responsibility from the shepherd to receive the tithes (the tithes is God's own which is only given to the shepherd in this world).

God gives responsibility to the shepherds to receive the tithes because they feed the congregation. Nevertheless, there are a lot of people like Achan nowadays. The God's responsibility is stolen by elders or the congregation and the shepherd may not receive the tithes. It brings to the worst consequence. The shepherd who is not trusted to receive the tithes means that he is not trusted to receive the word of God. If there is no word of God in the congregation, their spirituality will die and it is dangerous. Hence, we have to be watchful for in the last movement of Holy Spirit there is sin of stealing of God's responsibility so that there is no food in the congregation and it will be destroyed in the condemnation fire because their spirituality is dried and even died.

The tithes are not the matter of management, but it is a ministry of a shepherd to God. There are people who say that using management system for tithes is better. Instead, I said that a shepherd cannot depend on the management system because if he is in a village with only three people as his congregation, he will not able to live. On the other hand, if the tithes use the system of ministry, the shepherd will be able to live from his own tithes to God. It is the difference between the system of management and the system of ministry. I hope we can understand it.

Therefore, we have to keep our clothes away from the spots of Achan those are stealing the tithes and offerings because we will be under the condemnation fire if we do it like a brand within fire (if it is not helped, it will be burnt). Thus, we have to help these people by praying for them and bearing witnesses. I hope we can understand it. This is the practice of living in the love of God that is we shine/ share the love of God to those people who are like a brand within the condemnation fire.

The other Achan's spot is stealing a beautiful Babylonian garment. This garment is the opposite of the most beautiful garment of Joseph that is the gifts of Holy Spirit and ministry because Shinar is from Babylon --> Joshua 7:21 "When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it."

By reading Genesis 11:2, 9, we will know that Shinar is from Babylon? Genesis 11:2, 9
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

What is the meaning of stealing the beautiful Babylon garment? It means serving without the ministry and gifts from Holy Spirit. In Toraja, the word of God explained several times about it that there are a lot of ministry but not for the edifying of the body of Christ, but to build Babylon because they serve without ministry and gift from God.

I often give a parable --> the shepherd is like foot and a singer is similar to hand. The singer should give his/ her gift by singing while the shepherd should give his gift as a shepherd, but because he is able to sing and he sings to help his ministry. He had three people as his congregation and the bad thing he does is he goes everywhere to sing so that he gets money for his ability to sing. He leaves the congregation and it means his serving is not based on his ministry and gift --> foot wants to be hand and it can be done forcedly, for instance: I am sitting and want to read newspaper that is far from me. I am lazy to take it with my hands then I take it with my foot and the newspaper becomes rumpled. It means destroying the body of Christ and building Babylon.

On the other hand, a singer has his/ her gift and he/ she can invite a thousand people to get into the church by singing. Then, he/she wants to open a church and become a shepherd --> hand wants to be foot and it is of course impossible even it seems great, but it is an acrobat and breaks the body of Christ (= building Babylon). Thus, we have to be seriously serving God according to our ministry and gift from God = we wear the most beautiful garment so our life and future become beautiful and we reach the most beautiful thing that is the city of New Jerusalem. If a person does not wear the most beautiful garment (does not serve God based on his ministry and gift from God), his life will not be beautiful even though he is successful in his job/ study. I hope we can understand it.

The results of being strong/ our heart does not doubt are:

1. we are blessed by God
   
2. we do not fall so we can help and shine the love of God to people whose heart is in doubt.
   
3. we do not become branch which is detached from the vine and under the condemnation fire. Let us be faithful in our ministry and in the shepherding service system so we can produce fruits and God blesses and makes us happy. We also can invite other people who are beside road/ proud of their service, but they wander or leave their service. We invite them to turn back by bearing witness.
   
4. we do not serve God with dirty garment/ Achan's spot that is stealing God's own and the garment.
   

If we seriously want to serve God, we have to be like Joseph whose garment was dipped in blood. The most beautiful garment = ministry garment with duty and gift which have to be dipped in blood. It means we have to serve God and undergo the tearing of flesh/ temptation without faults which will become the shining white robes.
In the story of Joshua, he wore dirty garment, but the angel said to change it with party robes. Where can we find the party robes? From the garment of ministry/ the most beautiful garment which is dipped in the blood. Do not save the most beautiful garment like one talent, yet it has to be dipped in blood so it becomes shining white robes/ party robes.

Revelation 7: 13, 14
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?"
14 And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

We can get the party robe from the robe of ministry or beautiful garment. It is the right way. On the contrary, ministering in accordance with the fleshly will is not right because the garment has not been dipped in the blood yet. Consequently, we will get a disadvantage.

What is the meaning of 'garment dipped in blood'?

1. there is Jesus blood --> it means we have to confess our sins to God and our fellows honestly and if we are forgiven, we may not do it again. Confessing sins are suffering for our flesh and it contains risks.
   
   
2. undergoing sufferings without sins = sufferings with Jesus to sanctify and make our heart pure. The late Rev. Totaijs said that the white robes come from heart for if it is not from our heart, it is only a temporary thing.
   

Now, it is near to Jesus' second coming so we need colorful garment of Joseph but we have to improve it to be shining white robes by dipping it into blood. The colorful garment indicates that we serve God only to have pleasure so that we never get the shining white robes/ party robes. Thus, do not seek any service that makes our flesh happy, but we have to look for garment which is dipped in blood because it will sanctify and make our heart pure.

Matthew 15:19, 20a
19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts(1), murders(2), adulteries(3), fornications(4), thefts(5), false witness(6), blasphemies(7).
20 "These are the things which defile a man,

If our heart has been sanctified, we would not have the lust of evil and filthiness, particularly those seven sins. These sins have to be cleaned from out heart because if there are still seven sins from our heart, there will be no love of God and it is like quenched lamp because 'seven' points to the number of lamp. If our heart does not dipped in blood and we keep on serving God, we will have evil thought --> we are easily stumbled and offended, telling lies and even blaspheming.

If we serve God with dark heart, we will need the shining light so we can put on shining white robes and we are lifted with Jesus in His return. I hope we can understand it.

Revelation 19:7-9
7 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."
8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9 Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'"And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."

What is meant by ready bride? It means the shining love of God that is the shining perfect love. If we throw away the seven sins, we will have the perfect love out of our heart to face the darkness of the world. There are a lot of servants of God who live in darkness/ have dark heart and need the shining love of God until we meet God and we will be with Him forever. I hope we can understand it.

Let us love and serve God and our fellows wholeheartedly as Jesus did to us and we are in the hands of God.

God blesses us!1