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Jairus means "God gives light" or "Receiving light". In Mark Chapter 5, Jesus heals his daughter. Jesus told him "Do not be afraid -- only believe." What an encouragement! Jairus Bible World Ministry is birthed in the heart of God to heal the sick and share the pain of the world and preach Gospel of Jesus to the lost and share the light in the Word of God to help Christians to grow in life as well.
Episodes
Friday Apr 05, 2024
Bible Study With Jairus - Genesis 49 (Part 2)
Friday Apr 05, 2024
Friday Apr 05, 2024
Bible Study with Jairus - Genesis 49 -2
From Sinners to Pearly Gates: The Stories of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi
We often say that the Old Testament is a picture, and the New Testament is the spiritual reality that the picture points to. For example, the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites is a beautiful picture that foreshadows the believer’s journey from the kingdom of darkness to God’s kingdom of light. Similarly, the experiences of the twelve sons of Israel are beautiful pictures that point to the spiritual reality in the New Testament.
As we will see, Reuben's immorality deprived him of God's blessing and his privileges as the firstborn son. Similarly, Simeon and Levi lost the blessing of being Christ’s ancestors because of their brutality and murder. Judah almost forfeited the same blessing because of his sin. However, despite their sin, their names are listed on the pearly gates of the New Jerusalem in heaven. These stories foreshadow a spiritual reality: God can transform sinners into saints through his grace and mercy!
First, we need to look at the sins of these sons of Jacob. In the New Testament, Paul lists many types of sin and provides a detailed commentary on the human condition. Paul said, "God gave them up to dishonorable passions" (Romans: 1:26), and men were "filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.... ” (Romans 1:29). As the saying goes, "The work of sinners is to sin, and that is all they do.” Even though sinners are sinful in every way, this is not the ultimate outcome God desires for us. Though the book of Romans begins with sin (Romans 1-3), it also talks about "justification through faith" (Romans 4-5), "union with Christ" (Romans 6), "the struggles of the flesh" (Romans 7), "victory in Christ" (Romans 8), "God's election of the Jews" (Romans 9-11), "experiencing the renewal of the mind,” “surrendering the body as a living sacrifice" (Romans 12), "submitting to one another" (Romans 13) in the church and "loving one another" (Romans 14), and "preaching the gospel and bearing witness to the Gentiles" (Romans 15-16). In other words, Paul's book of Romans reveals that although we begin as sinners, it is not our ultimate identity. Those who trust in Christ will become members of the Church of God, which will eventually be built into the New Jerusalem. We will not remain sinners forever; this is not God's will for us. God's will for us is to transform us from sinners into sons of God! This is what the story of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi foreshadows. They began as sinners and ended up as gates in the walls of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:12). The names of the twelve tribes of Israel are written on the twelve gates. Each gate is a pearl (Revelation 21:21). Pearls speak of transformation through pain. Only after an oyster is wounded does it secrete a pearly fluid to produce pearls. Its pearly fluid covers the piece of foreign material or sand that was irritating the oyster’s tender body. In the same way, we were like a piece of sand that wounded Christ. But when Christ was wounded on the cross, He produced resurrection life and turned us into pearls one by one!
Jacob's Prophecy to Simeon and Levi
Jacob’s prophecies about his sons are only one piece of the progressive revelation of God. Moses’s prophecies about the twelve tribes reveal even more about God’s plans for the tribes (Deuteronomy 33). Other later records in the Old Testament reveal even more. The New Testament, especially the book of Revelation, describes the ultimate outcome of the twelve tribes of Israel. We will discuss more about Moses’s prophecies later on. Here, we will focus on Jacob's prophecies.
Jacob's prophecy concerning Simeon and Levi says, "Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel" (Genesis 49:3-7). Simeon and Levi were the brothers of Dinah, who was the only daughter in Jacob's family. Genesis 34 tells us that Dinah was defiled by a man in a neighboring tribe named Shechem. Simeon and Levi tricked the clan of Shechem into getting circumcised, then killed all the males while they were weak and in pain. They also took away all their children, women, and belongings.
The entire incident was part of a satanic attack. Satan wanted to use Shechem against the sons of Israel so he could disqualify two more sons from carrying on the genealogy of Christ. Dinah was also a victim of this satanic attack. Satan also wanted to infuriate Shechem’s entire family so they would attack Jacob’s entire family and wipe out every potential ancestor of Christ. When Dinah was first violated, Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You’ve brought trouble on me, making me a stench among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am but a few men—they’ll gather against me and strike me—then I’ll be destroyed, my household and I” (Genesis 34:30).
Jacob was sobered by this incident. The Bible does not record Jacob's reaction to Dinah’s violation, but we can easily imagine Jacob's grief. His heart was hurt, but he had no idea what Simeon and Levi were planning. If he had known in advance that Simeon and Levi were going to slaughter Shechem's family, he would have stopped it. Jacob knew that his people were few and they had to preserve their strength so that Israel could prosper and thrive and eventually fulfill God's will. We should note that Simeon and Levi did these things without Jacob's knowledge and permission; they did it on their own. This is why Jacob said, "Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company.”
But Simeon and Levi said, "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?" When we are attacked and misunderstood by others, we must decide whether to respond in the flesh or in the spirit. When we do things in the flesh, we often do not follow the feelings of our spirit nor the leading of the Holy Spirit in our spirit; this is a spiritual experience New Testament Christians can relate to. One pastor testified that a sister came to him and said, "You only became a pastor for the money.” He was so angry that he fought back and attacked the sister. Similar situations continued to happen to the pastor, so he prayed about it. The Holy Spirit told him that these critical words were the discipline of the Holy Spirit. These situations would keep happening until the pastor learned to deal with criticism with a meek and humble spirit. As a result, the pastor humbled himself and surrendered to learning the lesson of meekness. Only then was he freed from God's discipline.
When others hurt us with curses and discrimination, we can choose to respond in the flesh, or we can choose to respond with the spirit. I personally have had many such experiences. When I react in the flesh, not only do I ignore the feeling in my spirit, but I also ignore the counsel of my wife and those close to me. In fact, I don’t let my close family and friends know what I intend to do. I only want to go my own way! If we would communicate with our trusted friends before reacting to a situation, we could avoid many of these fleshly reactions and the negative results they bring. And of course, we should let the Lord know and listen to His leading in our spirit! But Levi and Simeon did not do this, so Jacob prophesied that they would be scattered among the people of Israel. Their descendants would be disbursed among their fellow Israelites so that their evil tendencies would be balanced out and restrained by the rest of the tribes.
Reuben's Twist of Fate
Reuben sinned, but he did one thing well. When his brothers hurt Joseph, he was the only one who opposed it. His brothers followed Reuben’s plan to throw Joseph into a pit instead of killing him. Later, Judah came up with the idea to sell Joseph and not kill him. The brothers listened to Judah. In doing so, Judah may have saved Joseph by accident (Genesis 37:27).
Eventually, Reuben lost his birthright and authority, and this tribe even faced the danger of going extinct. Moses said of him, “Let Reuben live, and not die, but let his men be few" (Deuteronomy 33:6). How many years this situation lasted, we do not know. But we do know that the prophetess Deborah praised the tribe of Reuben in the book of Judges: "For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart" (Judges 5:15) and "For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart" (Judges 5:16). At that time, God had handed Israel over to Jabin, King of Canaan, because of Israel’s rampant idolatry. However, God raised up the prophetess Deborah and the prophet Barak to defeat Jabin’s army commander, Sisera. At that time, some people in Reuben’s family began to have “great thoughts and searchings of heart,” which may have won God’s favor.
This story shows that no matter how late our repentance is, we can please the Lord when we search for the Lord with all our hearts. If we repent, God will not only forgive us but also use us greatly. I never dreamed that I would become a Christian, let alone serve the Lord. Yet if we search for God with all our hearts, he can change our destiny. One day when I was in high school, I suddenly felt that I was going to do something big in my life, so I made up my mind to study hard and get into the university. I kept pursuing this goal, but I did not know what big thing I would do in my life. Even after believing in the Lord, I didn't understand God's plans for my future—until the last day of 2017, when the Lord gave me a vision of heaven. That day, He told me His plan for me was for me to participate in the coming revival in China and help bring countless souls to heaven. Among these people, there will be countless people like Reuben. After they repent and believe in the Lord, they will finally be transformed into living stones in the New Jerusalem.
Simeon's Twist of Fate
Simeon was the one who took the lead in killing Shechem's family. He may have also been the one who took the lead in the plan to kill Joseph. When Joseph was prime minister of Egypt, Simeon was the one Joseph imprisoned while the rest of his brothers went back to Canaan to get Benjamin and bring him back to Egypt (Genesis 42:24). This may indicate that Simeon was the chief culprit who took the lead in harming Joseph. Jacob prophesied that Simeon would be scattered among his brethren. This prophecy was fulfilled when Simeon later dwelt among the tribes of Judah (Joshua 19:1). Moses does not mention Simeon in his prophecy in Deuteronomy 33.
How was Simeon saved when Joseph imprisoned him? Simeon was saved through Benjamin’s arrival. Simeon was released when Judah and his brothers brought Benjamin to Egypt. This is a typological picture. Benjamin is a type of Christ and of the New Jerusalem. When the New Jerusalem is built, Simeon will also be saved and become a pearly gate.
Even today, many of us can learn from Simeon’s story. Even if we have not killed someone physically, we have killed or hurt someone emotionally. When we hate someone, we often have sinful, murderous thoughts. Jesus said that hatred is the same as murder. We know for sure that we took part in the murder of one person—Jesus Christ. Even the robber who was crucified with the Lord went to Paradise on the same day as Jesus Christ because of his repentance and redemption by Jesus Christ.
Levi's Twist of Fate
I personally believe that Simeon may have been the main culprit in the massacre of Shechem’s family and that Levi was just along for the ride. But we also know that Levi had a very cruel temper. Jacob prophesied that the Levites would also be scattered among the Israelites. Later, the Levites received God’s blessings because the Levites refused to worship the golden calf. The Levites obeyed Moses' order to kill those who worshiped idols, so God chose this tribe to become his priests. Moses said in Deuteronomy 33, "And of Levi he said, ‘Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah; who said of his father and mother, “I regard them not” he disowned his brothers and ignored his children For they observed your word and kept your covenant. They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law; they shall put incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. Bless, O Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries, of those who hate him, that they rise not again’" (33:8-11).
This verse is very clear. The Levites were willing to kill their idolatrous parents, brothers, and even their children in order to keep God’s word. Their ferocious temperament turned into zealous and absolute loyalty to God, so they were blessed by God. Nonetheless, as Jacob prophesied, they were scattered among the Israelites.
The Greatness of God's Salvation
I believe that Reuben, Simeon, and Levi all had the opportunity to become ancestors of Jesus Christ. They all lost this privilege because of their moral failure. Yet Jesus Christ is the Lord and the Redeemer who gives us redemption when we fail. Through Him, we can receive God's blessings again in Jesus Christ. We may lose some earthly blessings, but we will gain heavenly blessings in Jesus Christ.
The twelve sons of Israel show the continual advancement of God’s work, one wave after another. Judah sinned like his brothers, but he became the ancestor of Christ with the help of Tamar. Through Christ, their descendent, all nations were blessed. Even Reuben, Simeon, and Levi were redeemed through Jesus. Each of the twelve sons of Israel was a sinner, but in the end, they were all transformed into pearly gates. They each have a special calling and gift from God. As sinners, they each sinned. Yet as God’s chosen people, they each received an aspect of God’s grace and a part to play in the advancement of God’s work.
We can each see ourselves in the story of Reuben. Like Reuben, we were all born in sin. We are born with an adulterous nature. This cruel nature has dwelt in us since the time of Adam’s sin. Just like Adam's firstborn son Cain killed Abel, we have murderous tendencies like Simeon and Levi. But our repentance leads to salvation. In Psalm 51, David confessed that he was not only born in sin but that he had also murdered Uriah and committed adultery with Bathsheba. When David repented of his immorality and murder, his broken spirit and contrite heart became a pleasing sacrifice to God. “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:16-17). In the same way, Reuben, Simeon, and Levi were saved when they repented, and Levi was put in charge of the sacrifices and priesthood. These acceptable sacrifices were the result of God’s salvation described in Psalm 51.
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Bible Study With Jairus - 2 Peter 1 (Part 9)
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Bible Study with Jairus
2 Peter 1 (Part 9)
Brotherly Love: Breaking Away from Self
and Entering the Eternal Kingdom of Christ
One of the biggest problems in the church is self. Many Christians have had a degree of success in living out the fruit of the Spirit and the virtues of Christ. But overcoming self is a different story. Overcoming selfishness is a very difficult spiritual task, yet it is an indispensable step to reaching maturity in our spiritual lives. Only when we break away from self can we begin to show brotherly love. Only then can we live out the highest spiritual virtue of Christians, divine love (Agape).
How can we be free from self? How is this possible? Is this asking for too much? No. This is God’s destiny for us. Jesus said, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Likewise, we as Christians must move beyond personal godliness to unity with one another in order to attain the highest form of godliness. We, the body of Christ, must together become the complete fullness of God. As the Bible says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is, when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psalm 133:1) What our Heavenly Father wants most is for His children to love one another, yet we as the church fall far short of our Heavenly Father’s expectations.
The Lord Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). If Christians in America loved one another perfectly, all unbelievers in America would be eager to come to Christ. If Christians all over the world loved one another perfectly, all Muslims, Buddhists, and others who don’t know Christ would recognize us as His disciples. It is a pity that we do not live out the life of love that Jesus commanded. If our church could achieve unity, it could grow to the full stature of Christ, the head.
But unity cannot be achieved without love. Paul spoke of attaining “to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). He also said, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16). God’s will is for the body of Christ to grow and be built up in love.
The original word for "love" here is Agape, which is divine love. It is God's will that we be built up in divine love, so we can be set free from individualism and the self and be joined together as the body of Christ. When we love one another as brothers, we allow divine love to be manifested in us.
Excessive Individualism Is a Big Problem For Western Christians
As a Chinese believer who moved to the West, I have seen the difference between Eastern collectivism and Western individualism. The denomination I was saved in originated in China and spread to the West. The Local Church Movement founded by Watchman Nee is the only Christian denomination that originated in China and spread to the West and other parts of the world. Although The Local Church is a very small denomination, there are hundreds of churches in the West, and there are also many churches in Asia, Europe, Africa, and other places. Unlike most Chinese churches whose members are mainly Chinese, these churches have attracted not only Chinese people but also many local people. The Local Church places great emphasis on the Body of Christ and multi-ethnic church members, as well as attracting Chinese Christians. I was saved in a Local Church in the United States, and I observed that there were many Americans and many Chinese in these churches. Therefore, Chinese Christians who come from a relatively strong collectivistic tradition and American Christians who come from a relatively strong individualistic tradition have many conflicts in church culture and views.
Some elements of Eastern authoritarianism sometimes permeate the church life of the Local Churches. Western Christians focus on equality and personal freedom and find this type of authoritarianism unthinkable. An American brother once told me that Chinese culture has penetrated the Local Churches. Much of the church culture is not Christian culture, but Chinese culture. This brother said that this prevents Christians from experiencing Christ. On the other hand, a Chinese brother told me after participating in a training that some of the young Americans participating in the training were completely selfish and did not consider others at all. Moreover, the Americans felt that this was a natural and right thing to do. He said this because Chinese people prefer collectivism and like to help one another, but he found that Westerners are more impersonal than Easterners and tend to focus on personal independence and following rules. As people from authoritarian Eastern countries, we must learn the values of freedom, democracy, and respect from individuals from the West. Eastern countries have been learning these values from the West for hundreds of years, and they need to continue to do so. However, the West can also learn from the East.
In this article, I am not refuting the respect for individual value that comes from the Bible’s revelation of human value. Instead, I am talking about the extreme individualism that many Westerners practice. In urbanized societies, it is difficult to find close social relationships between communities and neighbors, such as those that exist in rural areas of the West or in third-world countries. People have become so accustomed to an individualistic lifestyle that they don’t even know who their neighbors are. Sometimes when a neighbor dies, they don’t even know. People in the West greatly value their privacy. The expansion of individualism is not only greater in the United States than it is in third-world countries, but it is also greater than it was in the USA a few decades ago. Will these rampant individualistic tendencies invade the church and affect Christians’ ability to build each other up in love? Most definitely.
The Bottleneck That Western Christianity Is Currently Facing
The Bible reveals that God created man in His image. This gives humans inherent value, and this value has become a cornerstone of personal development in Western Christian civilization. The United States’ respect for the value of human life has created a society based on freedom and democracy. The USA has become a beacon to the world. But why is the United States gradually degenerating? There are many reasons for this. First, many of God's children worship idols and make the same mistakes that Israel and other Christian nations have made throughout the ages. Second, this truth about individual value has been taken to an extreme. American Christians have focused on the value of the individual to the exclusion of the value of the community. They have forgotten the importance of building up the church. This has led to extreme individualism. Therefore, although there were a vast number of individual Christians in the USA, the church as a community was not strong enough to withstand the attacks of the enemy. The Lord Jesus said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The Lord Jesus said that only a well-built church can overcome the gates of hell.
The East values collectivism and family values. These values are especially strong in China. Unfortunately, over the past few centuries, this emphasis on the value of a collective identity has been taken advantage of by dictators. It has become a means of controlling the society, to the point that China even fell to the extremes of communism. However, I believe that these Eastern cultures that focus on collectivism are from God. The East is going through a big reformation and is about to be released from the authoritarian system. Through the preaching of the gospel, many Eastern people will be freed from slavery. Through the gospel, they can be transformed from darkness into light. Through the understanding of the Bible's respect for individual value, they can rediscover their individual value. But God wants them to retain their collective culture that focuses on building the community. They need to not only recognize their individual value, but also the value of the Body of Christ. This is one of the reasons why God wants to raise up the Eastern Church in this era. God has revealed to me many times that China will experience a great revival, after which the Chinese Church will have a great influence on the West.
How can the Chinese church profoundly influence the Western church if much of the richness of Christianity lies in the European tradition? When I was in seminary in the United States, I discovered that the English-speaking world had preserved many of the books of the Christian tradition from thousands of years ago. But in the Chinese-speaking world, the amount of Christian literature was still very limited. However, God can still use the Chinese to impact the West. I believe God will use the Chinese to combine respect for individual people with an emphasis on a collective church identity. This will create a new model that not only emphasizes the salvation and spiritual progress of individual Christians but also builds up the body of Christ. Many American Christian leaders say that although there have been many great revivals in American history and many people have been saved, the work of bringing these disciples to maturity has not been successful. As a result, these revivals have not had a profound impact on American society as a whole. I agree with this statement. But I think this lack of influence can be traced to another source as well. Although there are many Christians and many churches in the United States, there has not been an emphasis on building up the collective Body of Christ. Therefore the church cannot withstand the winds and the floods. Just as the Lord Jesus said, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:24-27).
The Collective Building of The Church Comes From The Spiritual Growth Of Individual Believers
What does Peter mean by “adding brotherly affection to godliness”? He means that Christians must break away from personal spirituality and build each other up in the Body of Christ. These are two sides of the same coin. If Christians only focus on personal spiritual growth, without loving one another and building up the Body of Christ, they will not be able to meet God’s expectations and requirements for the church. By the same token, if Christians only pursue unity and building of the church but neglect the individual spiritual life of each believer, it will be difficult to build the church. Therefore, both aspects need to be developed.
The first aspect is the pursuit of godliness. Many Christians are lacking in this area. They live in the world and fail to pursue godliness in their personal lives. Godliness is like the leaves of an oak tree. The leaves supply oxygen and other nutrients to the tree through photosynthesis. They also manifest the life of the tree. When a tree dies, all its leaves fall. Conversely, it is difficult for a tree to survive without its leaves during the growing season. If all the leaves of a tree are removed, the tree's survival will also be affected. When we live out godliness in our personal lives, we will be like a beautiful tree full of leaves. We will show that we are spiritually alive.
The second aspect is collective godliness. In the Body of Christ, the highest form of godliness is love. Our love for one another is like a blossoming tree. The tree’s flowers are a precursor to bearing fruit. In the same way, the last virtue mentioned is love. It is the fruit that the tree has been working toward throughout its growth cycles.
The Goal: Entering the Eternal Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ
Peter sums up the picture of mutual supply by saying, “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8). In other words, Peter knows that if we continually add virtue to the seeds of faith, knowledge to virtue, temperance to knowledge, patience to temperance, godliness to patience, brotherly love to godliness, and divine love (Agape) to brotherly love, we will be conformed to the image of Christ. He goes on to say, “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins” (1:9). Isn’t this an apt description of many Christians today? Many Christians lack these qualities. As a result, they do not live out the full reality of the Christian life. They are like spiritual babies. Peter continued to encourage his readers by saying, “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (1:10-11).
Only then did Peter talk about his experience of seeing the transfigured Lord Jesus on the Holy Mountain. He said, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’, we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain” (1:16-18). At the beginning of the study of 2 Peter, I talked about my belief that the entire letter of Peter is Peter’s extended reflection on his experience of the Transfiguration. Here again, Peter demonstrates that he is describing spiritual growth in light of his experience on the Holy Mountain.
Conclusion:
On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus transcended the limitations of time and flesh and fully manifested the kingdom of Christ contained within Him. Since we are in Christ and Christ is in us, the kingdom of Christ has taken root in our hearts through faith. But it needs to grow like a tree. In order for this tree to grow, we need to continually supply the virtues of Christ to the seeds of faith. We must add knowledge of Christ to virtue, and then supply temperance to knowledge, and patience to temperance, godliness to patience, brotherly love to godliness, and love to brotherly love. In this way, you can grow your spiritual life step by step and build up the spiritual temple. This spiritual temple is the eternal kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the New Jerusalem we hope for. In this eternal kingdom, there will be no more tears, no sorrow, no competition, and no jealousy—only brotherly love between brothers and divine love that flows between us. This is the reality of the Kingdom of Christ and the Transfiguration. I hope that the body of Christ matures as soon as possible so that we can enter the Eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Bible Study With Jairus - 2 Peter 1 (Part 8)
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Bible Study with Jairus—2 Peter 1-8
Supplement Patience with Godliness: Living Out Christ’s Virtues
Every Christian is destined to live out the virtues of Christ. The Bible teaches us, "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers" (Romans 8:29). Since we are children of God, we must look and act like children of God. But if it’s difficult to even act like well-behaved human beings, how can we act like children of God? That’s why we need Jesus Christ, the firstborn Son of God, as our example. More importantly, He is our substitute and our very life. He lived the perfect life and he now lives his life through us.
A Chinese Christian once told me that very few Chinese churches talk about growing in the Christian life and living Christ out. When an African American sister thanked me for introducing Witness Lee's teachings and books on "living in Christ," she told me that she had heard of Watchman Nee, but not Witness Lee. She had been saved and attended a charismatic church in Baltimore for decades, but no one taught her about "living out her Christianity.”
I believe this phenomenon is not unique to these two believers. Many churches and pastors focus on the importance of evangelizing and saving souls. But they do not teach enough about growing in Christ. Although some churches may teach about living out Christ in our lives, my observation tells me that many Christians are superficial in their spiritual lives. Even though I have met many Christians in the United States, I rarely hear any of them talking about "living out their Christianity." I was fortunate enough to be saved in the Local Church Movement, where I received a lot of teaching and practical help with "living in Christ.” Although I still have a long way to go in learning to “live out my Christianity,” I have realized that this teaching and practical help can help solve common problems in Christians’ lives.
For example, the divorce rate among Christians in the United States is very high. Although there are many different reasons that a family may experience this misfortune, one common reason for divorce is a lack of patience. The husband and wife do not have enough patience with each other. Many couples choose to separate rather than learn to live out Christ’s life in the midst of their marriage struggles. I'm not saying that couples must stay married despite adultery or domestic violence. But I am saying that couples who are struggling with fleshly responses should not choose the easy way out. Instead, they should choose spiritual growth and maturity as they “live out Christ” in their marriage. In this message, we will share how to live out our Christianity through patience or steadfastness.
The Big Leap from Patience to Godliness
Watchman Nee once said, “You must allow God to give you time to suffer beyond measure; then your capacity will be enlarged.” It may be easy to accept small suffering, but we don’t have the capacity for greater suffering. For instance, we could accept the loss of five dollars, but could never endure the loss of five thousand dollars. We could forgive someone two or three times, but the fifth time would make us tremble with anger. We must allow God to take us through the slow process of maturing, like a slowly ripening fruit.
When we see a ripe papaya or mango, we can tell it is ripe by feeling, smelling, and tasting it. Unripe fruit tastes sour and bitter and is tough and hard, but ripe fruit tastes sweet and fragrant. When we find a ripe piece of fruit, we enjoy it. But we often don’t think of the slow process of ripening that it went through to get to this point.
When we see a mature believer, we are often impressed by their godliness. For example, Madame Guyon was a mature Christian. She was a teacher of the elderly and a friend to children. However, what we do not see is the slow and incremental process of maturing. Day by day, year after year, the individual went through a process of “ripening.” Often the path toward maturity is paved with suffering and the discipline of the Holy Spirit. [1]
Commercial fruit producers have learned to artificially ripen fruit, but there is no such thing as artificial ripening in the spiritual life. If you have the Spirit, you will naturally mature without artificial cultivation. If you do not have the Spirit, there is no way to truly mature. Lilies bloom and birds grow feathers quite spontaneously. There is no need for them to cultivate these features. In the same way, we must allow our spiritual lives to mature naturally.
Artificial spiritual cultivation can produce a self-righteous, rules-following “saint” (according to the world's concept), but it cannot produce a real Christian. The cross is enough for our sanctification. We cannot bear fruit through our own effort. Striving only delays our spiritual growth; it cannot speed it up. Instead of striving on our own, we must accept God’s means for maturity: the discipline of the Holy Spirit. If we do not cooperate with the discipline of the Holy Spirit, we will lose a chance to increase our spiritual capacity. This will only prolong the time required to reach maturity. We may even have to repeat the lessons we missed.
Watchman Nee said, "A believer can never be the same after passing through suffering. Either he will have his capacity enlarged or he will become more hardened.” This is why it is so important to accept suffering as the path to maturity. One of the most effective tools for maturity is marriage. It is a long-lasting lesson in getting along with others, and it often involves hardship. It is not easy to live out our Christianity while suffering in the marriage relationship. Often, instead of allowing God to increase our capacity and maturity through suffering, we let our hearts become hardened. Although we may not choose divorce or separation, we put up a wall and harden our hearts. Outwardly, we may act patient, but we don’t allow our faith to grow or allow God to perfect us through suffering.
The author of Hebrews writes, "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11). Then he encourages believers who have gone through suffering to seek healing and peace (12-13). He says, "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (14). "Peace with everyone" means steadfastness or patience. But we can't stop there. We must also "strive for holiness" so we can grow spiritually. If we want our spiritual lives to grow so we are conformed to the image of Christ, we must make good use of suffering. Although suffering is painful, it is also the means to maturity. When we allow suffering to grow and mature us, we will bear the fruit of righteousness one day. Even Jesus Christ allowed suffering to mature him. The writer of Hebrews says, "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:8-10). We cannot become the source of others' salvation, like Jesus could, but we can allow God to use our difficulties to bring others to Him. As our patience leads to godliness, and we learn to live out the virtues of Christ through suffering, our lives will demonstrate the love of Christ so that others can be saved. Brother Witness Lee tells the story of a Chinese man who had a skin disease. The only person who was willing to give him a skin graft was a Western missionary lady. The man was so touched by her sacrifice that he put his trust in Christ. As this Western missionary lived out Christ’s virtues in times of suffering, another individual came to Christ.
Godliness Will Only be Achieved through Prayer
Not only is there a relationship between suffering and godliness, as we have seen in the book of Hebrews, but there is also a relationship between suffering and prayer. James, the natural brother of Jesus, discusses true godliness, prayer, and suffering. James notes that those who are suffering must be patient, because patience leads to godliness and maturity. He says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (1:2-4). Then he continues, "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.” He then defines true godliness (or true religion): "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" (James 1:27). This is a well-known verse that is often quoted by Christian ministries. Organizations that help the underprivileged often use this verse to encourage people to donate. However, James is saying that suffering produces patience, and patience produces godliness. Only then will we have a heart for widows and orphans.
James speaks of patience again near the end of his book: "Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord” (James 5:7-10). In verse 13, he says, "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise." James goes on to say if someone needs physical healing, they should call for the elders to pray over them and anoint them with oil. The prayer of faith will heal the sick. These verses give practical advice for three specific situations. People who are cheerful should sing songs; people who are sick should be anointed with oil. And what should we do when we are suffering? We should pray. Prayer is the most important prescription for suffering. Only through prayer can we experience spiritual growth in times of pain and hardship.
In my own life, I have spent a lot of time praying during times of suffering. Through these prayers, I have experienced the presence and grace of God. As a result, these times of suffering became a blessing. They helped me break free from areas where my flesh was hindering the Holy Spirit’s work. I also experienced a great filling of the Holy Spirit.
Suffering alone does not make people mature. It can either increase our capacity or harden our hearts. But if we seek God’s empowerment and help through prayer, the Holy Spirit can bring a breakthrough. He can help us be filled with the life of Christ so our lives are a fuller expression of God’s character. Our own attempts at patience can never reflect Christ’s life. But when we add prayer to our patience, our spiritual lives are elevated so we can live out the life of Christ.
Suffering Produces Endurance and Endurance Produces Character
Paul calls, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). I have often pondered and prayed over these verses. Although I can act patient outwardly, I often struggle to live out of true love. I was very confused by this, but Romans 5 helps bring clarity.
First, the passage teaches us that while we were still God’s enemies, Jesus Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8). This is what God’s love means. God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. However, we may not be able to access the power of His love. For example, your house’s electrical wiring may be perfectly functional. But if you trip the breaker, you still cannot access its power. In the same way, God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, but if something is blocking His love, it cannot flow through our hearts. Without the flow of God’s love, our faith is also hindered, since "faith works through love" (Galatians 5:6). We know that faith is essential to the spiritual life, and the operation of faith requires love, and this love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
Once we accept the Holy Spirit into our hearts and allow Jesus Christ to regenerate us, our spiritual “seed” contains both faith and love. But if the shell of the seed is too hard, it will not germinate. The most difficult seed I've ever planted is the Sichuan pepper tree, which has a shell as hard as a rock. I bought a Sichuan pepper bush on the Internet, and it produced seeds. I was hoping to grow some new saplings with them. I scattered the seeds on the ground, but none of them came up. Why? Because the seed coat was tough, as hard as a stone. I decided to watch some videos on how to germinate Sichuan pepper seeds, and I learned that it was necessary to pry open the seeds with a brick or a pliers, then soak them in water to soften the shell. The life of the pepper tree is contained in the seed, but the tough seed shell hinders its germination and growth.
In the same way, the works of the flesh can hinder our spiritual growth. God uses suffering and the discipline of the Holy Spirit to break the shell of our flesh so that the life and power of the seed can be released. No one wants to go through suffering, but it is necessary to break the walls around our hearts. As Watchman Nee says, suffering does not necessarily destroy us. It can also make us stronger. It's our choice. If we choose not to cooperate with God, we may become hardened. But if we cooperate with the suffering he allows, we release the power of His Spirit as He softens our hardened hearts. This process of softening takes a long time and requires much patience. Patience is a process that allows God's divine life to permeate us so that Christ's divine power and human virtues can be released in our lives.
Suffering produces patience, and this process is not easy. But as our maturity increases, we will become more faithful to God. After we grow in our endurance, we will develop character as Christ's divine power and human virtues are manifested in us. The more we grow in character, the more we grow in hope as we trust in Christ's resurrected life and our ultimate redemption. This hope keeps us from shame because we know that we will one day be like Christ in all his glory (Colossians 3:4).
This is why Watchman Nee tells us that patience is Christ. Not only is patience a quality of Christ’s character and a human virtue, but patience is also a process through which the character and life of Christ are manifested in us. Patience produces character, and patience produces godliness, for godliness is the character of Jesus Christ manifested in us. So we see that Paul’s teaching is consistent with Peter's teaching.
Conclusion
Patience is the mutual tolerance and connection between members of the Body of Christ, and godliness is the love that we have for one another. If the body of Christ is compared to a tree, then patience is like the branches and godliness is like the innumerable leaves of the tree. As we will see in future lessons, brotherly love is like a flower that blooms, and God's love (Agape) is the fruit that it bears.
In our personal lives, patience is not only tolerance for others but also the effect of suffering. When we choose to obey God while suffering, we allow the life of Christ to break through our hard hearts, setting free the power of Christ’s life in our lives. The process is not easy, but as we grow in patience and godliness, we will undergo the transformation that many Christians so desperately need.
[1] The editor edited this for reviewer to better understand this and the original quote is, Time is needed for life to mature. Other than having a big head, young people cannot really be matured. Maturity is a matter of the enlargement of capacity. You must allow God to give you time to suffer beyond measure; then your capacity will be enlarged. Some could suffer the loss of five dollars, but could never suffer the loss of five thousand dollars. Some could forgive others two or three times, but the fifth time would make their hands tremble. One discovers by eating whether a fruit is raw or ripe. Raw fruit tastes sour and bitter and is tough and hard. Only ripe fruit tastes sweet and fragrant. Madame Guyon had the flavor of ripeness. She was a teacher to the elderly and a friend to children. The Christian life grows in a natural way. It is not a matter of being artificially ripened like the ripening of a banana with mild heat. The Son of Man came eating and drinking. With some people, their eating and drinking exposes their true condition. Life does not come as a result of spiritual cultivation. If you have the Spirit, there is no need of cultivation; if you [144] do not have the Spirit, there is no way to cultivate. Lilies blossom and birds grow feathers quite spontaneously. There is no need for them to cultivate these features. Cultivation can only produce a “saint” according to the world’s concept; it cannot produce a real Christian. It is sufficient to have the seal of the cross on the negative side. There is no need to strive to bear fruit. Striving only delays the growth of life; it cannot speed it up. It is important for us to receive God’s arrangement in the circumstances. This arrangement is the discipline of the Holy Spirit. To escape God’s arrangement just one time is to lose an opportunity to have our capacity enlarged. This will prolong the time required for life to mature in us and will even require us to make up this lesson in order to reach maturity. A believer can never be the same after passing through suffering. Either he will have his capacity enlarged or he will become more hardened. For this reason, when believers are passing through suffering, they must pay attention and they must realize that maturity in life is the sum total of receiving the discipline of the Holy Spirit. People may see a person who has matured in life, but they cannot see the accumulated discipline of the Holy Spirit which that person has received secretly day by day throughout the years.
Watchman Nee--A Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, Witness Lee, https://bibleread.online/all-books-by-Watchman-Nee-and-Witness-Lee/book-watchman-neea-seer-of-the-divine-revelation-in-the-present-age-Witness-Lee-read-online/19/.
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Bible Study With Jairus - Acts 12 Part 2
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Bible Study with Jairus
Acts 12 (Part 2)
Why Did God Save Peter and Let Worms Kill Herod?
During my recent reading of Acts 12, I received new inspiration about why Herod wanted to arrest Peter, why God wanted to save Peter, and why God allowed worms to eat Herod. The Holy Spirit showed me that Herod was a tool of Satan, trying to hinder Peter’s efforts to spread Christ’s gospel to the Gentiles, and trying to cut off the flow of the Holy Spirit so that the Gospel could not be spread among the Gentiles. This story is almost the last time Peter is mentioned in the book of Acts. The last mention of Peter in Acts is his testimony at the Jerusalem council. At that time, as Paul and Barnabas were preaching the gospel among the Gentiles, some men came down from Judea and taught the believers that unless they were circumcised according to the custom of Moses, they could not be saved (Acts 15:1). As a result, there was a disagreement among the believers. Finally, Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and the elders and discuss this matter. During this meeting, Peter testified, confirming that God had chosen the Gentiles. This shows that Satan was also using a legalistic spirit in Jerusalem to attempt to hinder the spread of the gospel among the Gentiles. This is the last mention of Peter in Acts.
In other words, Herod, as a tool of Satan, wanted to not kill only Peter, but also to extinguish the flow of the Holy Spirit that brought the gospel to the Gentiles which Peter represented. Peter ran the last leg of his race and successfully handed the baton to Paul. From then on, Paul became the primary leader of God’s work among the Gentiles in the new era.
Peter walked in God's will and thus experienced God's protection. We must know God’s will and live in God’s will in order to experience God's protection. Peter was delivered by God, and in the end fulfilled his responsibility of spreading the gospel to the Gentiles. His role in the new era was to support Paul, who had not yet been fully accepted by the believers, and to help prove that it was God's will for the gospel to be spread to the Gentiles. Peter’s testimony laid the foundation for Paul to step to the forefront and become the representative of God’s new generation of apostles. Therefore, after chapter 15, Peter was not mentioned again in Acts.
Read The Spiritual Warfare Behind the Words
The Bible reveals the goodness of God, the value of man, and the tricks of Satan. When we read the Bible, we must understand these three things, and even more so when we read the Acts of the Apostles. We must realize that the essence of the Acts of the Apostles is the Acts of the Holy Spirit. In this book, we see human activity in the foreground. But behind each of them is the presence and empowerment of either God or Satan. Man either stands on God’s side and walks in God's will or stands on Satan’s side and becomes a tool in Satan's hands. There are no other options. Therefore, when we read about people’s actions in the Bible, we must perceive the invisible battle between God and Satan. This will help us better understand the actions and behaviors of these individuals.
At the beginning of Acts 12, we read that Herod persecuted several people in the church and killed James, the brother of John, with a sword. Why did God choose to save Peter, while allowing James to be martyred? James’ race was over. He testified for Christ through his death and entered into his heavenly ministry. It was not his job to continue the work of the Holy Spirit on earth. That was Peter’s job, and Peter was soon to hand the baton to Paul.
The first part of Acts records the work of the first generation of apostles led by Peter; the latter part of Acts records the work of the second generation of apostles led by Paul. Peter represents the acts of the apostles during and shortly after Christ’s earthly ministry; Paul represents the acts of the apostles sustained by Christ’s heavenly ministry. These two very important segments of Acts are distinct, yet connected. The work of God and the flow of the Holy Spirit were passed from one era to the next through men like Peter and Paul. So behind Herod’s desire to kill Peter was Satan’s desire to break the continuity of God’s work. Satan was trying to cut off the flow of the Holy Spirit between Peter’s ministry to the Jews and Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. Though he was primarily an apostle to the Jews, Peter did preach to some Gentiles according to the will of God. But the work that Peter began was about to be passed on to Paul to finish. He was going to successfully hand over the baton to Paul. Satan wanted to use Herod to kill Peter to prevent Peter from successfully passing the baton to Paul. It was as if Peter was approaching Paul in a relay race, preparing to hand off the baton, when Satan sent a sniper to shoot Peter. Satan wanted to hinder the flow of the Holy Spirit and prevent the gospel from spreading from the Jews to the Gentiles.
The first thing Satan did was to use the religious power of Judaism to persecute the church. Judaism and legalism were extremely strong in Jerusalem. The Jews rejected Christ and were pleased when Herod persecuted several people in the church and killed James. This is why the Bible says of Herod, “When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread” (12:3). Satan used Judaism, legalism, and evil political forces to persecute believers.
Not only did Jews persecute Christians, but many legalistic, Judaism-focused Christians also opposed the grace of Christ. These believers were trying to force Gentile Christians to be circumcised, telling them it was the only way they could be saved. Perhaps there were also Jewish Christians who were opposed to preaching the gospel among the Gentiles, since Jesus had taught his disciples to preach only to Israelites, not Gentiles (Matthew 10:5). At first, in the previous era, Jesus sent his word only to the Jews. But he later included the Gentiles as well. Jesus’ command for the new age was to spread the gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
Satan often uses people's fixed concepts and religious bigotry to hinder God's work. Jerusalem had degenerated into a cesspool of fixed ideas and religious bigotry which was hindering believers from preaching the gospel of God to the Gentiles. God allowed persecution so that the disciples would break out of their territorial religious concepts based in Jerusalem and preach the gospel to the Gentiles. To escape persecution, the disciples scattered to different places and spread the gospel more widely. Persecution helped the believers break out of their fixed religious mindsets and preach the gospel in Gentile lands such as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. Instead of staying in a tight-knit circle of believers in Jerusalem, they would now bring the gospel to the big stage of the Gentile world.
But the forces of legalistic Judaism not only wanted to control Jerusalem but also extend their control to the Gentile believers. Legalistic Jewish believers came down from Judea to teach the Gentile believers that they must be circumcised to be saved (Acts 15). Paul and Barnabas opposed this teaching, but because Paul had not yet risen to a position of authority in the church, the dispute was eventually taken to the apostles in Jerusalem. During the meeting in Jerusalem, Peter played an active role in defending the Gentile believers. He testified that it was indeed God's will for the gospel to be spread to the Gentiles. James also spoke up in agreement, saying that God had chosen the Gentiles.
There was a reason that Satan targeted Peter. If Peter had been killed by Herod, there would have been no one to back up Paul and Barnabus and defend the Gentile believers. Furthermore, if Peter had caved to legalism (as he did in the book of Galatians, when he and Barnabas stopped eating with the Gentiles because of the strong influence of the legalistic believers who came to Galatia), James might not have been convinced to support salvation through faith. In this case, the religious Jews in Judaism might even have had Paul and Barnabas arrested. Satan wanted to use the Jewish religious forces to prevent Paul from becoming a representative of the apostles of God's new age and the foreman of God's construction. But God saved Peter’s life so he could support Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles, so that Paul could successfully take up the mantle as the leader of the second generation of apostles.
Herod’s Death Broke the Power of Jewish Religious Leaders and Evil Political Leaders
Satan not only used Jewish religious forces to attempt to destroy Peter’s influence, but he also tried to use evil political forces like Herod to unite with the Jewish religious forces. Herod had killed James and persecuted several other believers, and Herod saw that what he did “pleased the Jews.” He wanted to please the Jews for the sake of his rule, so he went on to arrest Peter (verse 3). Peter understood that the Jewish religious powers were collaborating with Herod. After the angel rescued him from prison, Peter said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting” (Acts 12:11). Peter specifically mentions that God saved him not only from Herod, but also from “all that the Jewish people were expecting.” The Jewish people clearly supported the persecution of Christians. When the evil forces of empty religion and politics are combined, they will bring greater harm to the church.
The Bible says that after arresting Peter, Herod waited until after the Passover to bring him out to the people (12:4). If Peter had been handed over to the people, Peter might have been killed, and Satan likely would not have stopped with Peter’s death. He might have continued to use the evil religious power of the Jews combined with the evil political power of Herod to continue to persecute, arrest, and even kill people in the church. The next victim might have been Paul. Satan's plans were not limited to killing Peter; he also may have attempted to kill Paul and Barnabas. This would have completely defeated God's plan to spread the gospel from Judea to the Gentiles through the apostles. Satan is very insidious! God had to intervene, so He sent worms to kill Herod, thereby defeating Satan's plot.
God struck Herod down in order to break the powerful collaboration between the evil forces of religion and the evil forces of politics. If God had not intervened, the evil forces of religion and politics would have united to kill Peter and thwart God's plan to spread the gospel from the Jews to the Gentiles through Peter.
Many evildoers throughout the ages were not treated like Herod, who was directly judged by God. God is merciful and often gives people the opportunity to repent. But if a person is like Herod and is being used by Satan to try to hinder God’s work and will, he will be severely judged by God. Herod was eaten by worms and died.
Herod's death by worms was not the first time God had attempted to break the collaboration between evil political forces and evil religious forces. After Peter was saved by an angel, “Herod searched for him and did not find him.” He then “examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there” (verse 19). The angel’s rescue ruined Herod’s efforts to unite with the evil religious forces in Jerusalem. He had failed, so he left Judea and went down to Caesarea to live. This event set the foundation for Herod losing his life. God did not allow Herod to join forces with the evil religious forces. He would not allow Herod to continue to be a tool of Satan, preventing Peter from fulfilling God's will.
God’s Word Is Spreading
God’s will is for His word to spread to more and more people. He wanted the disciples not only to preach Jesus Christ as the Savior among the Jews, but also among the Gentiles. Therefore, after Herod was struck with worms and died, the Bible immediately goes on to say, “But the word of God increased and multiplied” (verse 24). This verse confirms that Herod’s death was God’s will. When people walk in God's will, the Holy Spirit will confirm that they are on the right path. So when God’s word spreads to more people, God confirms that his will is being done.
God’s will today is the same: to spread his word to more people. This never changes. We cannot hinder God's will. The safest and most protected place is in the center of God’s will. We must know God’s will and live in God’s will.
Paul and Barnabas Leave Jerusalem
At this time, after Paul and Barnabas finished providing financial relief to the believers in the church in Jerusalem, they left and returned to Gentile areas to continue to preach the gospel. This event is recorded at the end of chapter 11. Paul and Barnabas are hardly mentioned in this chapter, but the last verse mentions that they left Jerusalem and took John, who was called Mark, with them (verse 25). This is definitely not an accident, but a clever arrangement by the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual Pride
How did the Jews, who were God’s people to whom he revealed the entire Old Testament, become a tool of Satan to hinder the spread of the gospel? Why did the Jewish people support persecution and encourage the murder of Christ’s apostles? Why could a political figure like Herod become a tool in the hands of Satan to hinder the work of God? One of the reasons is none other than human pride. The pride of the Jews made them want to control the interpretation of the Bible and God; Herod's pride made him compare himself to God. Just as Satan fell because of pride, when we are proud we open the door to Satan and become his tools.
Conclusion
In this chapter, we see that God and Satan are engaged in a spiritual war over the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to the Gentiles. Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and others are the tools used by God to accomplish God’s will. Herod, the people of Judea, and the Jewish religion became tools in the hands of Satan to attempt to persecute the servants of God and hinder or extinguish the spread of the gospel. When God killed Herod, he broke Satan's attempt to combine evil political forces with Jewish religious forces. This not only saved the lives of Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and others, but also allowed the Holy Spirit to reach the Gentiles.
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Bible Study with Jairus- 2 Peter 1 (Part 7)
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Bible Study with Jairus- 2 Peter 1 (Part 7)
Adding Patience to Temperance: Loving God and Your Neighbor
As I mentioned in our last lesson, a life of patience is needed when dealing with others. We need to be patient with each other before we can develop into the mature Body of Christ. But in order to cultivate patience with one another (the branches), we need to strengthen the trunk (temperance). Before we can pursue unity within the body of Christ, we need to strengthen the trunk of temperance. Only then will we produce leaves (godliness), flowers (brotherly love), and fruit (agape love). Many efforts to unify the body of Christ have failed because the trunk (temperance) is still undeveloped.
Although the body of Christ as a whole is still at the initial stage of developing the trunk, we as individual Christians or individual churches may be ready to progress to the next stage of spiritual growth: developing the branches. We as believers are the individual branches of the same vine. This is what Peter is referring to when he speaks of "adding patience to temperance.” Temperance refers to our vertical relationship with God. Through temperance, we gain the strength we need to grow in our relationship with God above. Spiritual disciplines help us develop a personal relationship with the Lord, allowing the power of the life of Christ to develop within us. To add temperance to our knowledge is to love God. When we stop loving the world and abandon the lusts of the flesh, we share in God’s nature. This is the essence of temperance.
Knowledge without temperance does not help us grow. If we know facts about God and the principles of his word, yet we do not love God or have an intimate connection with him, we cannot progress further in our spiritual life. But when we add temperance to our knowledge, we develop the trunk of our spiritual tree. And if we love God, we will love others. The Apostle John said, "Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him, there is no cause for stumbling" (1 John 2:9-10). The Lord Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).
When we develop love for God through temperance, we will automatically love our neighbors as ourselves and be patient with others. Loving others with patience is like developing the branches of the tree. Many Christians cannot tolerate Christians of other denominations, and they also fail to love sinners. This is because they have not developed temperance or love for God.
When we constantly add temperance to our knowledge, we will not only leave behind our worldly “truth,” but we will also be set free by God’s truth. Then we will love God even more and abandon the world even more. Then we will naturally progress to the next stage of spiritual growth: building one another up with mutual patience in the body of Christ. Temperance is necessary for a vertical relationship with God, and patience is necessary for a horizontal relationship with other believers.
Patience Is Christ
When I left the Local Church Movement to study in other churches, I attended a Charismatic Church Conference. A pastor said that he once fasted and prayed for forty days, hoping to become more holy, but he still didn't attain the holiness he hoped for. Later, a preacher told him that holiness is a person, that is, Christ. It is not enough to just fast and pray. We must allow the person of Christ to live his life through us. What this preacher said was very helpful to him, so the pastor gave special thanks to him during this conference.
This reminds me of another story. One day, Watchman Nee, the founder of The Local Church Movement, was rocking in a rocking chair. He asked a question of Witness Lee, who was interning with him. "What is patience?" asked Watchman Nee. Witness Lee tried to answer his question many times, but Watchman Nee said all his answers were wrong. Finally, Watchman Nee said, "Patience is Christ." In other words, patience is a person, as the pastor learned in the first story above. If you live in Christ, live out Christ’s life in your words and actions, and allow Christ to replace your old man and live through you, you will be able to live out patience. Otherwise, no matter how much you try to have patience, you will not be able to generate patience through your own effort. This story is very thought-provoking.
Adding patience to temperance is not just about being able to love others because of our fellowship with God. This is certainly true. But even more, it is a picture of Christ living his life through us. Jesus loved God, so He was willing to sacrifice himself to save the people God loved. Of course, Jesus also loved people, and He was willing to give his life for the lost sheep.
Not only can we say that patience is Christ, but temperance is also Christ. An intemperate person cannot truly love God. Whether a person is intemperate in eating too much, in consuming worldly entertainment, in failing to read their Bible and pray, or in some other way, that person is showing they love the flesh and the world more than they love God. The Apostle John said, "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:16-17). As we exercise temperance and patience in our lives, we live out the virtues of Christ. In other words, Christ’s life is manifested in our lives.
From Knowledge to Temperance to Patience: Developing Love For God and People within the Framework of the Law and the Prophets
The Old Testament Israelites followed laws and principles which revealed basic facts about God. As they learned and obeyed these laws, they would have life. However, the New Testament Pharisees went to an extreme in obeying the law. They overdeveloped their knowledge of the law and underdeveloped their love for God and man. They even felt that if they had given a tithe to God, they no longer needed to obey His command to honor their parents. Jesus criticized the Pharisees severely for this, saying that they had put the cart before the horse. Jesus said, " ‘…he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God" (Matthew 15:6). There was even a Pharisee, a teacher of the law, who tested Jesus and asked him, “Which commandment of the law is the greatest?” (Matthew 22:35) Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment” (37-38). This is the definition of temperance. It is very difficult to love a person, event, or thing with all our hearts, and it is also very difficult to love God with all our hearts. That is why we need temperance.
Then Jesus said, "And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (39-40). What Jesus meant was that after loving God, you should love others. You should love your neighbor as yourself. These two commands form the basis for all the principles and teachings in the Old Testament. As I have mentioned in previous lessons, the law reveals God’s nature, as does the ministry of the apostles. They help us understand God’s nature and principles by teaching God’s words (including the laws of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament). The ministry of the prophets helps people recognize God’s leading and guidance so they can demonstrate love for God and people in every unique circumstance. So all the teachings of the law and the prophets are based on these two commands: loving God and loving your neighbor.
The Apostle Paul explained that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). Paul deeply understood the teachings of Jesus about the Great Commandments. Paul knew that these two commands—“love God and love people”—sum up the law and the prophets. These two commands communicate the essence of the teachings of the apostles (laws) and prophets. Love for God and people is fully expressed in Jesus, which is why He is the cornerstone. Jesus not only connects us with God, but also connects the Jews with the Gentiles, “and [reconciles] us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:17-19). “…Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord” (2:21).
These verses teach the same truth that Peter teaches about building the spiritual temple. We are a spiritual temple where the Holy Spirit lives. As living stones, we must grow and be built up so we can become a spiritual temple. The finished temple is beautiful like the New Jerusalem, with the throne of God and the Lamb in the highest position, surrounded by streets of pure gold and the river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God. We as believers are the New Jerusalem, a tabernacle in which God dwells. But God is also a tabernacle, and as we abide in the Trinity, we become a spiritual temple connected with the Trinity and with all saints. We, the branches, must abide in Christ, the Vine. The Father is the vinedresser. As we become one with Christ, we are also one with other members of His body.
In order to grow into a mature temple in the Lord, or to grow into a mature vine, we must develop temperance and patience. Temperance connects us to the trunk as we grow closer to God, while patience connects us to our fellow branches as we grow closer to other believers. These two are connected. That’s why Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”(John 13:35). Love is the natural expression of our spiritual life.
Before my mother came to Christ, she was deeply impressed by the love that Christians had for one another. In her village, there were some people who believed in Jesus. Unlike the rest of the farmers, the Christian farmers helped each other with their wheat harvest. My mother, who was a Buddhist, noticed that the Christians loved one another, and this left a deep impression on her. The Christian farmers were so filled with love that my mother recognized them as disciples of Jesus.
Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself Is Harder Than “Loving God”
In the church, we often see Christian brothers and sisters who love the Lord but have difficulties in their family lives. Perhaps the wife loves the Lord very much, reads the Bible, prays every day, and attends many church meetings, but her husband is spiritually indifferent. In fact, he notices that she seems to care more about God than she does about her family. “You go to church every day,” he says to her, “but you never spend time with us.”
Later, through the Lord’s conviction, the wife realizes she needs to spend more time at home with her husband and family. When the husband feels his wife’s love, his attitude toward spiritual things begins to change. His cold heart begins to soften.
This story shows that a Christian can be very devoted to God and still come across as unloving to the people around them. Why is this? Because it is more difficult to “love your neighbor as yourself” than it is to “love God.” It requires more maturity to communicate and cooperate with the people around us than to hide in a monastery or cave seeking intimacy with God. It also requires more patience.
I have seen some single people who love the Lord very much and have dedicated their lives to God, but I feel that their spiritual lives lack maturity. When I see the spiritual struggles they are going through, I often think that these weaknesses could have been dealt with if they had a spouse to correct them. Marriage is often God's tool to deal with us spiritually.
God uses relationships in our lives to train us in patience and holiness. During my spiritual journey, I have experienced many stages of growth. I believed in the Lord in 2002, then experienced a spiritual revival in 2004. I was crazily in love with the Lord. After that, I grew closer to God through reading the Bible, praying, and other spiritual disciplines. Jesus appeared to me many times during that period. Yet despite my intimacy with God, I still was not good at loving people. I was often unable to love the people around me, let alone my enemies. I felt distressed and powerless. I later realized that God allowed these relationship struggles in order to train me to truly love others.
If we want to love our neighbor as ourselves, we need to grow in patience. It seems easy for us to “love God” because God is great and can tolerate many of our shortcomings. But humans are limited, and many people are often not as tolerant as God is to us. So human relationships expose our quirks, weaknesses, and personality flaws more quickly. It is easy to “love God alone,” but it is more difficult to love God and others.
How Do We Add Patience to Temperance?
When we are with our spiritual mentors or discipleship leaders, we can just be recipients and accept what they give us spiritually. But when we are shepherding younger believers or less mature members, it is not that simple. We need to be constantly rooted in the Lord and connected to the vine so we can receive His abundant supply of mercy and love. Only then can we supply God’s love to these members. He can give us the patience to deal with the complex situations that arrive.
For example, in the church, our goal is to grow to maturity. However, it is often easier to do things ourselves than to teach others how to do them. It takes way more time to teach someone a skill than to do it ourselves. Therefore, many pastors or spiritually responsible people often take care of everything themselves. Younger believers do not have the opportunity to practice. And when the pastor retires, many believers are still spiritual babies. Instead, we need to slow down, teach others, and have patience with them as they learn and grow. We need God’s grace and provision as we help others grow in maturity.
It is difficult to grow in maturity, but it is even more difficult to help someone else grow in maturity. Those of us who are parents or have helped young Christians grow spiritually know this dilemma. Just like children, new Christians often make mistakes as they serve God. We need to be tolerant of their mistakes and be patient as we help them grow and mature.
When I was first saved, my church taught us that in order to be fruitful people, we needed to try to convert one person every year. But I found that I often went years without bringing even one person to Christ. I often prayed about this, seeking the Lord's help and guidance. When we serve the Lord, we often fail to see results, so we become discouraged. But Paul said, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). Many people do good deeds, but because they don’t see results at first, they slowly lose faith. It takes time for our spiritual life to grow and for our service to become effective. Sometimes it takes a long time, so we must also learn to be patient.
In my personal ministry, patience is important. I studied for many years to prepare to serve the Lord, and the Lord promised that my ministry would lead many people into the kingdom and help them grow spiritually. However, I find that I often run into obstacles when trying to promote my ministry, and few people listen to my sermons. This doesn’t mean that God’s promises to me are false. It only means that I need to learn patience in this process. The process of experiencing patience is also the process of experiencing Christ. In this process, Christ is not only revealed in our lives, but our character is also strengthened. Only through longsuffering can the farmer obtain the yield he hopes for.
In order to be a fruitful person, we need to be rooted in the Lord. When we are rooted in Christ, we will develop lush branches and leaves, and we will naturally bear fruit. In addition to the patience we need in our dealings with others, we also need patience as we grow in the Lord. Just like trees do not bear fruit in the first year, it takes years for us to mature spiritually enough to bear fruit.
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Bible Study With Jairus - 2 Peter 1 (Part 6)
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Bible Study with Jairus - 2 Peter 1 (Part 6)
The Power of Temperance and the Importance of Focus
In past lessons, we have learned how to nurture the seed of faith so that we can grow in our spiritual lives. First, we must water the seed of faith with virtue. This helps us grow a taproot that roots us deeply in our foundation, Christ Himself. Next, we must supply the seed with the knowledge of every saving truth of Jesus Christ. Every time we recognize a truth, we must apply that truth in our lives. The reality and nutrition contained in these truths can then be released and become our life supply. In this way, one truth at a time, we absorb the nutrition we need for our spiritual growth, just like the fibrous roots absorb one mineral at a time from the soil. These truths help sustain our spiritual growth while the taproot is not yet firmly established in the soil.
As our roots grow strong, and our branches multiply, we must learn the lesson of temperance. Temperance is very important for the growth of a tree. A Chinese saying emphasizes the importance of pruning: "Small trees will not grow if they are not pruned.” Unpruned saplings will send out dozens of shoots from the roots, and they will develop into shrubs instead of trees. But if these extra branches are pruned early, a thick central trunk will develop, and the sapling can grow into a towering tree. This is why Peter speaks of the need to add temperance (self-control) to your knowledge (2 Peter 1:6). While it is true that Christians should acquire plenty of knowledge about the Bible and spiritual truths, it is also true that too much knowledge can get out of hand, just like an unpruned sapling. Rather than focusing on the central truth of God’s word (God’s love and grace incarnated in Jesus Christ), some Christians focus on dozens of individual principles to the point of legalism. Their lives are like unpruned shrubs. They grow hundreds of branches (rules, principles), but there is no central focus and they do not grow into a towering tree. Why? Because they lack temperance. They may have a lot of biblical knowledge, but they use it to condemn others, just like the Pharisees.
The Pharisees had a lot of knowledge about the Bible and spirituality, but they did not grow into towering spiritual trees. Instead, they lived as stunted shrubs. Many modern-day Christians are living like Pharisees. Their knowledge of the Bible and spiritual truths are no longer serving as an essential life supply. Instead, their knowledge has become a hindrance to their spiritual growth. 1 Corinthians 8:1 ESV says, “‘Knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up.” Just like an unpruned sapling that produces dozens of branches and plenty of visible growth without any real growth in height, knowledge puffs us up without any actual growth.
Furthermore, pruning takes place in the area of our gifts. God wants us to realize God’s central call on our lives and the unique gifts He has given us. When we do, we can prune away the excess activities in our lives that don’t relate to our calling. If we don’t focus on our gifts, we will live an unfocused life, our energy and ability will be limited, and our calling and gifts from God will be stunted. We waste time and delay our spiritual growth. We must prune excess branches and allow the trunk to grow in order to realize the infinite potential of our life and our gifts. Some Christians desperately need temperance and disciplined spiritual exercises to promote further growth in their spiritual life.
Why Do We Need to Add Temperance to our Knowledge?
Temperance builds on knowledge. Knowledge of God’s truth is very important for the early growth of our spiritual lives. Hudson Taylor’s salvation story illustrates this point. Since his father was a pastor, Hudson Taylor had heard God’s word since he was five years old. He had heard many bits of truth about Christ, or tiny bits of knowledge that provided nutrition to his growing understanding of Christ. But these truths had not “clicked” or turned into a personal revelation as the Holy Spirit enlightened his heart and mind. His mother and sister had been praying for him for some time, but he still hadn’t fully repented.
One day, Hudson saw a leaflet in his study with the words, "The finished work of Christ.” These words caught his attention and made him feel sad. The leaflet in his study was just one more small piece of knowledge, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this "knowledge" became a personal "revelation,” which released God’s truth in his heart and brought him to salvation. He later learned that his mother had been praying for him at the very moment he had been enlightened, and that the Holy Spirit had revealed to her that her prayers had been answered. When Hudson Taylor told his mother about his repentance, his mother said, "I know, my boy. I have been rejoicing for a fortnight in the glad tidings you have to tell me.”
Later, Hudson Taylor saw a vision that countless Chinese people were going to hell. He knew that God was calling him to go to China to preach the gospel, so he moved to a poor area in East London to train himself with self-discipline and temperance. For a long time, he ate only bread and water to prepare himself for the hardships he would face in China. After preparing himself for many years, he finally arrived in China, established the China Inland Mission, and brought a tremendous breakthrough for the spread of the gospel in China. His story is a good example of spiritual growth. His roots grew deep in Christ (virtue) as he constantly learned nuggets of truth (knowledge) and then disciplined himself for the mission field (temperance). Without knowledge, there can be no real growth. Without temperance, we will encounter setbacks in our spiritual progress. But with all these ingredients in place, Hudson Taylor grew into a spiritual giant.
Hudson Taylor encountered many difficulties in China, and his temperance was critical to his success. China was a very difficult place to live at the time. No one would give Hudson a place to live, so he had to live in the Chinese idol temple that served as a shelter for homeless people. Even in the shelter, Hudson Taylor could hardly sleep at night because other homeless people would steal his clothes and belongings. He had to stay alert at all times and got very little sleep. If he had not spent time in East London, getting accustomed to living in difficult circumstances, he would not have been able to fulfill God's call to spread the gospel in China.
God’s Holy Spirit showers his anointing and his calling on our lives, like showers of refreshing rain. But our character must be strong and leak-free in order to receive it. If we lack temperance and other virtues, the water of God’s anointing and calling will leak out. Taylor was born into a wealthy family, but he understood that God's call was for him to preach the gospel in poor China, so he began to exercise his character with temperance. He learned to endure hardship so he would not miss the opportunity to fulfill God’s calling.
Temperance Is One of The Important Fruits of The Holy Spirit
Paul said, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). Both Paul and Peter knew that temperance is one of the fruits of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit produces Christ’s virtues in our lives, the result is the fruit of the Spirit. Just like the king's eunuchs anointed Esther's body with various ointments, the Holy Spirit instills in us the virtues of Christ. Just like the ointments produced a fragrant scent, the virtue of Christ produces a spiritual fragrance as we live them out in our everyday lives. When we truly understand these words of Paul (“knowledge”), the Holy Spirit enlightens us with revelation so we can grow in virtue. This virtue and knowledge supply us with abundant spiritual resources so we can grow.
Although I had read this passage in Galatians many times, God recently gave me a new revelation. I noticed a phrase that I hadn't paid attention to before: "Against such there is no law.” This phrase helped me see the light. When I produce the fruit of the Spirit, there is no law against it. But when I do not, there are many laws against me. For instance, when we fail to live with temperance (one of the fruits of the Spirit), the Holy Spirit often uses circumstances to "prune" us. We are chastened by many natural “laws.” For example, if we eat too much and lack temperance, our bodies will become obese, which will lead to various diseases. This is the natural law of God's creation.
If we had lived with temperance, we would not have needed this pruning. When we control our food intake, and even fast and pray, our bodies will be healed. There will no longer be any law against us.
Other laws may come against us as well if we do not produce the fruit of the Spirit. These include human regulations, social customs, and even church traditions which keep us in check. God often uses these "laws" to discipline us, but we often fail to see the hand of God at work in these circumstances.
Christian Intemperance Is Common
In addition to being intemperate with food intake, many Christians are intemperate with entertainment. Watching TV is not a sin, but it is not wise to become addicted to movies and TV, which are filled with sinful and worldly content. When we frequently consume this content, we will eventually become polluted by filth and worldliness, and our spiritual life will be damaged.
Many Christians in the United States have been learning biblical truths since childhood. They have acquired a vast amount of biblical knowledge So why can't these Christians go deeper spiritually and have a greater impact on society? Because they are lacking temperance. Christians need to stop indulging in sinful and worldly entertainment and start reading the Bible, praying, and practicing godliness. Many Christians know they ought to practice these spiritual disciplines, but do not follow through with consistency. Why? Because they lack temperance and willpower. In other words, the biggest spiritual problem among American Christians is the lack of spiritual discipline and temperance.
In ancient China, there was a military genius named Sun Tzu who wrote a book called The Art of War. His book claimed to contain all the secrets of military prowess, but the emperor was unsure whether his tactics really worked. So he asked Sun Tzu to try to train his concubines as a test run. The emperor promised to meet any conditions Sun Tzu needed during his training.
Sun Tzu began to train the women, but it was very difficult to work with them. When he asked them to perform a drill, the concubines laughed and talked and refused to obey the rules. It was impossible to train them. The emperor began to doubt the validity of Sun Tzu’s methods and abilities. As a result, Sun Tzu decided to behead the two concubines who were most disrespectful. They happened to be the emperor's two favorite concubines. Despite the emperor’s protests, the two women were publicly beheaded for everyone to see. Immediately, the other concubines became very disciplined, and they obeyed Sun Tzu and did all he asked them to do. In a short time, Sun Tzu created a very effective army of concubines. Sun Tzu proved to the emperor that he was not only a military theorist but also a practical fighter. This true story shows the value of discipline.
Many American Christians would object by saying that only Easterners are disciplined like this. This is incorrect. Hudson Taylor was from the West, but he was also very temperate. Many Western Christian missionaries have been very self-disciplined. However, modern-day Americans have been living a very comfortable life for a long time. Just like the emperor’s concubines, they have never received harsh training, so they have no temperance.
The reason Hudson Taylor developed self-discipline was because he had a vision. He realized that tens of thousands of Chinese people were going to hell every day. This vision prompted him to move to the East End of London, stop relying on the support of his wealthy parents, and voluntarily choose to suffer hardship in order to train himself. The Bible says, "Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint.” Western Christians have been at ease from their youth, and they have never suffered much hardship, so they have not developed self-discipline. Jeremiah the prophet said the same thing of Moab: "Moab has been at ease from his youth, and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed” (Jeremiah 48:11). When wine is brewed, the dregs are often filtered out by pouring the wine from vessel to vessel. However, Moab had been at ease for a long time, so the dregs had not been removed.
American Christians need temperance to prune their knowledge. What Western Christians lack is not the knowledge of the Bible, but the spiritual discipline to apply this knowledge to their lives. I believe God will create an environment in which American Christians can learn temperance. These circumstances may include enemy attacks, social turmoil, or economic collapse. Before the pandemic, I had a strange dream about an angel reaching down from heaven and stirring the sea with a huge stick. Many storms and waves arose, many houses were submerged, and people ran for their lives. In the same dream, I swam desperately and reached the shore. God had been telling me that a great revival was coming, and when the pandemic began, I knew the prelude to this great revival had begun.
I had the same dream after the pandemic. I believe that suffering will come to many people to help them learn obedience and self-control. Many Christians will be forced to grow spiritually. Just like God wanted to discipline Moab by pouring out the wine and removing the dregs, I believe God will discipline America in the same way. God still loves America, and America will eventually be saved. But that doesn't mean it won't experience suffering and discipline. Many Americans are not psychologically or practically prepared for this discipline. But he who has ears to hear should heed such warnings.
Similarly, I believe that God will allow storms to come to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other places where there has been peace for a long time. In these places, idolatry is rampant. He will send turmoil, wars, and storms in many parts of the world. God wants to shake everything that can be shaken, so that people can enter the unshakable kingdom of God. The shaking in the world today is the prelude to the great revival.
The Importance of Temperance
Temperance prunes the tree of our spiritual life so we can grow straight and tall and not become an undisciplined and unfocused shrub. Without God's pruning through affliction, we would indulge ourselves and fail to grow. Our roots would not grow deep in the soil and our trunk would not grow straight and tall. Our spiritual backbone would not develop. In a forest, a tree that does not develop a central trunk cannot grow tall enough to get sunshine. It might die as a result. If we add temperance to our knowledge, we can metabolize our knowledge about the Bible. Through spiritual discipline, our knowledge becomes a life force that helps the trunk of the tree grow tall and strong.
Adding Patience to Temperance
In our next lesson, we will learn why we should add patience to our temperance. We will briefly preview this topic here. A life of patience is needed when dealing with others. If temperance is the trunk, then patience is the branches. We are members of the Body of Christ, just like the branches of the vine live in the vine. We need to accept and be patient with each other in love before we can develop into the mature Body of Christ. But before that, we have to develop our trunk.
Many Christian groups have tried to pursue the unity of the Body of Christ, and unity between denominations, but they have not succeeded. Why? Because they are still in the stage of developing the trunk. Only when the trunk is truly developed will God bring all denominations together. Only then will the spiritual tree proceed to the next step of growth: producing leaves (godliness), flowers (brotherly love), and fruit (agape love). This metaphor not only applies to the body of Christ as a whole but also to our individual Christian lives. We must add temperance to knowledge so that our knowledge about Christ is lived out as the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Bible Study With Jairus - 2 Peter 1 (Part 5)
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Bible Study with Jairus-2 Peter 1 part 5
Supplement Virtue with Knowledge: Nourishing our Life of Faith
As we learned in a past lesson, Christ’s virtue is the water that nourishes the seed of our faith so the “tree” of spiritual life can take root in Christ. Today, we will extend that metaphor even further by thinking about a tree’s root system. A tree has a large, central taproot and many branching, fibrous roots. These fibrous roots absorb nutrients, water, and various elements that a tree needs to grow. These nutrients not only help the tree grow taller but also help the taproot grow deeper. Furthermore, the fibrous roots play an important role in supplementing the growth of the leaves and branches when the taproot is not strong enough.
Some time ago, I purchased some evergreen Thuja Green Giant seedlings and transplanted them from five-gallon pots into the ground. To help them grow as quickly as possible, I put some fertilizer around the roots. But I didn't realize these fertilizers would burn the roots. Soon, I noticed that many branches and leaves were turning yellow and withering. I realized I had made a mistake and that over-fertilizing was destroying the fibrous roots. Since these young saplings did not yet have a deep taproot, they relied primarily on the fibrous roots to supply their leaves with nutrients. However, when I gave the same amount of fertilizer to older trees that had already taken root, I encountered no problems since they were already deeply rooted in the soil. I quickly learned from my mistake. I now know that overfertilization can kill a tree if it has not yet taken root in the soil.
In the same way that fertilizer can burn the roots of a new sapling, excessive rules can burn the spiritual growth of an immature Christian. When young Christians are overly restricted by rules in the church when they are young, they may turn away from their faith and from their parents when they grow up. Why? Because their parents did not carefully cultivate and protect the “fibrous roots” of their faith. Instead of burning them with excessive rules that are not deeply supported by a personal knowledge of Christ, parents should help these young Christians absorb the knowledge of Christ through their “fibrous roots.” As they begin to take root and rely on the continuous supply of Christ’s love, the “leaves and branches” of their Christian life will begin to grow. Their “taproot” will become deeply rooted in Christ. Only then will they begin to live out the principles of the Christian life without stumbling.
This is what Peter means when he says, "supplement virtue with knowledge" (2 Peter 1:5). When we “water” the “seed of faith” with Christ’s virtue, the Christian life will begin to take root. As we root ourselves incrementally in Christ, we gain one piece of knowledge after another, and this knowledge comes to life in our hearts. Just like the fibrous roots provide water gradually to the plant, we must absorb the truth about Jesus and his salvation bit by bit. In this way, we will eventually achieve our goal of being rooted in Christ.
Practically speaking, how do we do this? Many Christians only have grand visions for success, but they don't know how to achieve their goals step by step, so they fall short. This is the great dilemma faced by many American Christian parents today. We need a great strategic goal and the tactical means to accomplish it.
The Role of the Taproot
Most trees have both a taproot and fibrous roots. The taproot helps the tree withstand the wind and rain by being deeply rooted in the soil. While the taproot provides long-term stability, it also takes a long time to grow. Meanwhile, the countless small fibrous roots provide the nutrients and water the tree needs in order to grow upwards toward the light and downwards into the soil.
Near my house, workers were planting a new forest. When the workers planted the saplings, they inserted wooden stakes beside them to stabilize the young trees and prevent them from falling over. However, some stakes eventually broke. Since no one took care of them, some of the saplings fell over. Gradually, other trees grew taller and blocked the sunlight. As a result, these young saplings died.
The role of the taproot is not only to help saplings absorb nutrients but also to help them grow vertically. This is a beautiful picture of the Christian life. When we are not rooted in Christ, we will be tempted by the things of the earth and lose our ability to receive provision from above.
How can we root ourselves deeply in Christ? It will take a long time to develop a deep taproot. This is why it’s so important to continuously develop our fibrous roots as well. One insight at a time, we can learn about God and salvation. Through Bible reading, prayer, and spiritual disciplines, our spirits can be nourished continually, the branches and leaves of our spiritual life can continue to grow, and our taproot can take root in the virtue of Christ.
Two years after I put my faith in Jesus for salvation, I heard Jesus speaking to me at a conference, asking me to dedicate myself to Him. This spiritual experience changed my life, and I developed a crazy love for the Lord. I started the habit of reading the Bible and praying every day, and never let anything interrupt it. My wife saw me reading the Bible every day, but didn’t see any changes in my life. She saw me leading a Bible study, but I didn’t know how to speak for the Lord or receive his illumination.
One time, she said to me, "You are like a monk chanting Scriptures with only the mouth but no heart." What she meant was that my spiritual practices were doing no good.
“I am establishing a habit,” I responded. “Although this habit may not change my life immediately, I know it will change my life and my character if I continue to persevere. If I create a habit, I will benefit from reading the Bible.”
Even though the leaves and branches of my spiritual “tree” did not start growing right away when I began reading my Bible and praying every day, the fibrous roots were constantly absorbing the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Slowly, this knowledge began bringing me insight and revelation through prayer. This spiritual understanding helped me draw on the virtue of Christ so that my taproot would continue to take root in Christ. Once my taproot was firmly rooted in Christ, and as the fibrous roots continued to supply daily insights to my spirit, the branches and leaves of my life began to flourish.
A few years after I began leading a weekly Bible study, the Holy Spirit began to use me. He would give me inspiration while reading and sharing God’s word. My wife was astonished and curious about what was happening to me. My wife started to see changes in my life and noticed that I was receiving inspiration from my devotions. But these outward changes took place years after I began secretly rooting myself in the Lord.
In this chapter, Peter tells us to make every effort to supplement our faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge. Diligence is one of the best qualities of a Christian, and it is also one of the spiritual qualities that American Christians lack the most. Many American Christians are spiritually idle.
In China, there is a type of bamboo that grows only one inch per year in the first five years. But once it reaches its sixth year, it can grow a few feet every day! In no time, it becomes a towering stand of bamboo. How can it grow so quickly all of a sudden? Because during the first five years, its roots grew dozens of feet per year. In the same way, we as Christians need to root ourselves deeply in the life of God. We need to diligently root ourselves in Christ’s virtue. We need to develop the knowledge of Christ’s salvation, applying his salvation to our hearts through prayer and with the help of the Holy Spirit. In this way, we will begin to grow and bear fruit as our fibrous roots connect to the foundation of Christ’s virtue.
The Spleen Nourishes the Body
Years ago, I had frequent diarrhea and fatigue. I had diarrhea immediately after drinking ice water or eating watermelon. Since restaurants in the USA rarely give people lukewarm water, I went through a lot of embarrassing and awkward situations.
When I went to the doctor, their tests were inconclusive. So I went to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the kidney is the foundation of a person’s level of health inherited from their parents. Meanwhile, the spleen is the foundation of the level of health you can acquire by healthy eating and supplements. I was born weak because of a congenital kidney deficiency or qi deficiency. The spleen was failing to strengthen the kidney or qi through nutrient absorption. I also had symptoms of spleen deficiency, which in turn worsened my kidney deficiency. The spleen deficiency was causing the diarrhea, and the kidney deficiency was causing the fatigue. The traditional Chinese doctor told me that some Chinese medicine would invigorate the spleen, thus reducing the symptoms of diarrhea and fatigue.
I began to take traditional Chinese medicine and my body improved a lot. My spleen deficiency improved, and I no longer had diarrhea. When my spleen was deficient, I couldn’t absorb the nutrients from food. As a result, the nutrients could not be delivered to my kidney, which was why I constantly felt tired. When I took traditional Chinese medicine to treat the spleen deficiency, the nutrients from the food I ate could be supplied to my kidney, and I no longer felt tired. There are many mysteries in God's creation of the human body, and God revealed them to ancient Chinese doctors. I am very grateful to God for healing my body through Chinese medicine.
This example reminds me of the example of the taproot. The kidney is the innate root received from parents. Just like the power of God is contained in the seed, life is contained in the kidney. We know that the kidney is related to reproduction, so this does make sense. If our spleen is deficient, it will affect our growth. When the spleen works properly, our food is absorbed into our body and supplied to the kidney so we continue to gain the power of life. The digestion and absorption of our food is a complex process. Of course, we need teeth to chew, a stomach to digest, and intestines to absorb, and these are all essential. But only Chinese medicine points out that the function of the spleen is to refine the digested food into life energy and supply it to the kidney. This is rarely mentioned in Western medicine, and it is difficult for Americans to understand. The work of the spleen is similar to the work of the fibrous roots, continuously supplying nutrients to the tree.
We can also illustrate this concept with cars. In order to drive, a car needs gasoline. The combustion of gasoline is a complicated process. The gasoline is ignited and begins to burn. Through a complex process, it is turned into the power that runs the car. This process reminds me of the role of the spleen in the human body. The mouth, teeth, stomach, and intestines break down food so that it can be "burned" and energy (qi) can be created. The spleen then turns the qi into the driving force of life. The spleen and kidney interact with one another just like the taproot and fibrous root do.
Many Christians have the symptoms of spiritual "spleen deficiency.” They have a lot of knowledge about the Bible and Jesus Christ, but their knowledge has not been broken down by the spiritual mouth, teeth, stomach, and intestines, and it has not been processed by the spleen to provide power to the spiritual life. They lack the necessary dynamics that provide the conditions that ultimately lead to a flourishing life that is deeply rooted in God. It takes a complex process for food to become energy, and it also requires a complicated process for us to turn spiritual manna (God’s word) into a life force. Many people ignore this complicated process, and without these previous steps, they cannot experience the vitality of God's word.
Bible Reading, Prayer, and the Holy Spirit Help us Absorb God’s Life
We have talked about the process of turning food into energy and gasoline into power and our knowledge of God’s word to go through a similar process. We must first absorb God’s word into our minds. Then through prayer and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, we must turn the words on a page (logos) into living words (rhema). This process is inseparable from constant Bible reading and prayer. It may take a while before we see results, as it did for me. That’s why we must persevere with “effort” and “diligence,” as Peter said. No farmer plants a seed and immediately reaps fruit from it. He must water, fertilize, weed, and wait patiently in faith before he can finally reap the fruit of life.
There is a Chinese idiom, “pulling seedlings to encourage growth,” which refers to a farmer who pulls up his seedlings to see if they are growing. Of course, this causes them to die. Instead of worrying, we must persevere and wait for our spiritual growth. It takes a long time for life to mature. Many Christians lack the long-suffering necessary to see a noticeable change. They give up on their efforts prematurely.
Many Christians cannot metabolize nutrients into energy, because they don’t even have the nutrients in the first place. They don’t have much knowledge about God and Jesus Christ because they are not familiar with the Bible. They can’t change the gasoline into power because there is no gasoline in the tank!
Other Christians have a lot of biblical knowledge but lack a life of prayer, like a car with a full gas tank but no ignition to start the process. In order to move forward, Christians must read the Bible (refuel the car), and they must also pray (turn the ignition). Only when these two steps are carried out at the same time will power be produced.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit cannot illuminate God’s word if we do not know God’s word. If we do not know and store God's word, the Holy Spirit will have nowhere to enlighten us. At the same time, if we read God’s word but do not pray for the Holy Spirit to illuminate us, the Scripture will remain words on a page. Neither produces true spiritual “kinetic energy” to help us move forward.
Conclusion
We must diligently persevere in reading God’s word and praying so we can absorb God’s life and store it in our hearts. Through prayer and the Holy Spirit’s illumination, we can ignite the truth we have learned so God’s word can provide us with spiritual sustenance. In this way, each truth about Christ will begin to nourish us. As the roots supply us with nutrients, the leaves and branches will begin to grow. Our taproot will sink more deeply into Christ’s virtue so we can grow strong and tall, avoid earthly temptation, and drink in the sunshine and rain. This is what Peter means when he says, “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge.”
In the next lesson, we will discuss the meaning of supplementing our faith with "knowledge with self-control.” We will learn to eliminate false teachings and character defects from our lives so we can continue to grow spiritually.
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Bible Study With Jairus - 2 Peter 1 (Part 4)
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Bible Study with Jairus-2 Peter 1-4
Supplement Faith with Virtue: Diligence is an Important Virtue
Let's continue to explore how 2 Peter 1 explains the steps of spiritual growth. As we have studied before, our faith can be compared to a seed. As Peter discusses at the beginning of the chapter, we already possess God’s power, just like a seed already possesses all the potential to grow from an acorn into a full-grown oak tree. The seed of faith already contains all the power of the glory of God, as well as all the excellence of Christ (or virtue of Christ—these two words were used interchangeably). Yet even though we already have God’s power, we need to develop this power through faith. We are called to take hold of the glory and excellence of Christ. Because he has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, as well as great and precious promises, we can progressively break free from the corruption that is in the lustful world and eventually become partakers in God's nature.
We have also mentioned that the Bible not only reveals God’s character but also his guidance. The former reminds us of the apostles’ ministry, since the apostles explained God’s character as revealed in his word, while the latter reminds us of the prophets’ ministry, since the prophets help us understand the guidance of the Holy Spirit in different situations.
Peter teaches the importance of diligence. The Apostle Paul compares Christian workers to farmers, soldiers, and athletes, three careers that require diligence. Peter acknowledges the same thing. Paul writes that a soldier should not get entangled in civilian pursuits; an athlete must compete according to the rules; and a farmer should work hard (2 Timothy 2:4-6). In the same way, Christians must devote themselves to God’s pursuits, unencumbered by civilian pursuits; they must compete according to the rules; and they must be hardworking like a farmer. In the same way, Peter recognizes that believers must be diligent in order to grow in the divine life. Second Peter 1:5 begins with the words, “Make every effort.” This indicates diligence. We are to be diligent to supplement faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love (1:5-7). In this way, we avoid being "ineffective and unfruitful" (1:8).
In addition, Peter says, "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent" not to fall, so you can enter the eternal kingdom of the Lord Christ (1:10-11). Our goal is the glory of the "eternal kingdom of the Lord Christ,” and we must continuously grow in virtue, knowledge, and other character qualities that are mentioned in progressive stages. If the eternal kingdom of Christ is that towering oak tree, then virtue, knowledge, love, and the other qualities would be the root, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit of the oak tree. Each stage of development requires God's glory and virtue to be “richly provided” to us (1:11) so we can achieve the glory of God (revealed in the Transfiguration). To obtain these supplies and grow spiritually in every stage of life, we need diligence and hard work.
Faith is important, but so is diligence. God speaks against laziness in Proverbs 10:4: "A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich" (Proverbs 10:4). The same truth applies to the spiritual life. The problem of many American Christians is spiritual laziness. A spiritually lazy person cannot make progress in life. In this message, we will explore the importance of diligence and how to obtain an abundant supply of God’s glory at each stage of life. If the spiritual life can be compared to a growing tree, it makes sense that Christian workers need to work hard to make the tree keep growing. Like a farmer, the Christian must work hard to tend the tree and make sure it has what it needs to grow.
Faith is the Root
Some time ago, the grass in some parts of my lawn was washed away by rain. I sprinkled some grass seed on the law, assuming that the grass was hardy and would grow on its own. What I didn't realize was that it would take weeks for grass seeds to germinate. Since I didn't have time to water the grass seed every day, none of it grew. The same often happens when I try to grow Chinese vegetables. Gourds have seeds with thick hulls and take a long time to germinate. Often, they don’t germinate at all.
One day, I watched a video that demonstrates how to germinate gourd seeds. You should nick the hulls with nail clippers and soak them overnight. Then they will germinate quickly. I tried this method, and it worked. But after germination, my job wasn’t finished. I needed to provide good soil, fertilizer, and constant watering so that the gourd would take root. This is true not only for vegetables, but for any plant. For a seed to grow into a tree, it needs the right conditions in order to germinate and the right supply of sunlight, soil, and water in order to take root.
What about the seed of faith? The same truth applies. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus speaks of seeds that were sown in suboptimal conditions, such as hard-packed soil, rocky soil, or weedy soil (Matthew 13:4-7). These are difficult places for seeds to germinate. The Lord Jesus specifically talks about the seeds that fall on the shallow rocky ground: "Where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away” (Matthew 13:5-6). In the same way, Peter knows that we Christians should be like hardworking farmers so we can take good care of the spiritual “tree.” He understands that the conditions must be right for the spiritual “seed” to take root.
This is what Peter teaches in 2 Peter 1:5: "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue..." What is virtue? Peter tells us clearly in 2 Peter 1:3. Virtue is the virtue of Jesus, revealed in his humanity. And the glory of Jesus Christ mentioned in verse 3 refers to His divinity. Jesus Christ is both God and man.
The seed of faith is an incorruptible seed, as Peter clearly states. He says in 1 Peter 1:23, "You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." Just like grass seeds and gourd seeds could never germinate without the life force contained in the seeds, our spiritual lives could never germinate without the power of God. The seed of faith contains God’s power for regeneration, but in order for this seed to take root, it requires a constant supply of virtue. Without soil, water, fertilizer, and other external conditions, this potential for life could never be released.
Believers already have the seeds of the divine life in them, so why has their spiritual life not taken root and grown into a big, fruit-bearing tree? Because they lacked these optimal external conditions. In order for the divine life to grow inside us, we need the virtue of Jesus, the Son of Man. We must supply the seed of faith with an ample supply of the virtues of Christ. This is necessary for our faith to take root. We must constantly apply Christ’s finished work to our life. His character is our example to learn from. We need to be rooted in Christ throughout our entire life journey.
For example, one virtue that Christ demonstrates is obedience through suffering. Though Jesus was and is the Son of God, he still learned obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8). Obedience is an important part of virtue, and it is a quality that we must possess if we want to be used by God. God emphasizes this when he talks to King Saul. When King Saul disobeyed God’s command, Samuel told him, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king" (1 Samuel 15:22-23). Samuel had told King Saul to wait for him before offering the sacrifice, but when Samuel came late, Saul offered the sacrifice without him. God had a serious rebuke for him. Yet many Christians disobey God in similar ways today. Disobedience and rebellion hinder many believers’ growth.
If we continually disobey God, we may become less sensitive to His Spirit’s promptings. For example, when a Jesus-follower watches an obscene video that the Holy Spirit has asked him not to watch, he does not obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit. As time goes by, his conscience becomes less and less sensitive, and the Holy Spirit eventually lets him do as he wishes. Many Christians disobey God in small matters, and eventually, these small sins develop into major spiritual problems.
Obedience is a very important spiritual lesson, but it can be hard to learn. Just as the Israelites learned the lessons of faith and obedience in the wilderness, so must Christians today. Often the lesson of obedience is harder than the lesson of faith. Teenagers often struggle with disobedience and rebellion, and many adult Christians act just like teenagers. I mentioned this while speaking to a group of Christian teenagers in the United States. Though there are many Christians in the United States, they are often immature. Compared to other countries that have fewer Christians, American Christians have underdeveloped spiritual lives. The biggest problem they face is rebellion. Many other under-evangelized countries are full of people who do not know God’s law or believe in God (as Paul mentions in Romans 2). But the problem with American Christians is that they do know God’s law and are even acquainted with God Himself; yet they don’t obey Him (see Romans 2). In a country like China, which has yet to be evangelized, it is necessary to spread the gospel so that more Chinese people come to know God. Meanwhile, if you tell an American about Jesus Christ, he may say that he has known about Jesus since he was five years old. He may know more about the Bible than you do! Yet the large population of Christians in the United States is making very little positive impact on society. Why? Mainly because of their disobedience. Therefore, American Christians urgently need to develop the character quality of obedience so that they can take root in Christ and allow the great tree of the kingdom to grow more luxuriously in their lives.
I was born into an idol-worshiping family in China. Our family worshiped false gods, which is a serious sin. However, according to Samuel’s rebuke in 1 Samuel 15, American Christians who know God and the Bible yet disregard God’s teaching and guidance, are doing the equivalent of worshiping idols. Many American Christians don't seem to think about this serious sin. They don’t believe idolatry exists in the United States. But disobedience to God is, in fact, a form of idolatry. There is a lot of idolatry in the lives of American Christians. When we remain unaware or unconcerned about such serious spiritual problems, God’s discipline will catch us by surprise. God may hand us over to our enemies, just like he handed the Israelites over to their enemies when they fell into idolatry. Why are American Christians being handed over to their enemies? Why are they helpless in front of repeated attacks from the Left? I believe the root of this problem is idolatry, stemming from disobedience to God.
Some American Christians have awakened to this fact and are actively participating in politics, hoping to change the political status quo and impact the rampant leftism in the United States. This is certainly a very important endeavor, and I believe it will bring positive outcomes. But we should not forget that the root of this spiritual problem is the individual Christian’s disobedience to God’s word. The root is idolatry. Many American Christians are not rooted deep enough in Christ. Thus, when trials come, they dry up and become fruitless. This is just one example of disobedience that helps us understand Peter’s warning. We must provide the seed of faith with an ample supply of virtue and obedience so we can take root in the life of Christ and grow into a flourishing spiritual tree.
Diligence Supplements the Virtue of Christ
I once saw a photo of a tree growing by a cliff. Since there was no place for it to take root, it kept extending its roots downward until they reached the soil at the bottom of the valley. There was a long section of tree roots suspended in the air. Many trees, especially pine trees, possess a tenacious vitality and can take root on rocks. Similarly, grass and some small shrubs can actually grow in the cracks in the middle of highways, which demonstrates their tenacious vitality. It's amazing how diligent these plants are in seeking soil, nutrients, sunlight, and rain. However, the colloquialism “couch potato” indicates the exact opposite of diligence. This term refers to lounging on the couch, watching TV and doing nothing. Many Christians are spiritual “couch potatoes.” They may have a Bible, but it just sits on a shelf collecting dust. It has been years since these Christians were saved, yet they have never read the Bible from cover to cover. They also fail to pray. They don’t have a habit of communicating with Christ. They live their entire life in the realm of the mind and rarely enter the realm of the spirit. As a result, they cannot draw on the power, life and virtue of Christ or become rooted in God.
The power of God has given us all that pertains to life and godliness, through our full knowledge of the glory and virtue of Christ, (that is, His divinity and humanity). Through the glory and virtue of Jesus Christ, He has given us great and precious promises, so that we may escape the corruption that is in the lustful world. Through these promises, we may become partakers of the divine nature. These are the words of 2 Peter 1:3-4, and we have heard these truths many times.
The power of God is contained in the seed of faith, but this seed needs proper external conditions in order to germinate. It needs water, sunlight, and proper care. Without these conditions, the seed cannot germinate or will die shortly after germination. After the seeds begin to grow, they need to grow and take root. Only after taking root can they grow into a big tree, which represents the kingdom of God. That's why Paul teaches, "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:6-7). Once we accept Christ, we must continue to follow the teachings of the apostles in order to be strengthened in our faith. In this way, we will be rooted and built up in Christ. We must live like Jesus did and acquire his virtue.
Peter understands the same truth: "As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.'" (1 Peter 2:4-6). Peter acknowledges that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone. He unifies Jews and Gentiles and lays the foundation for our faith (Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11, Isaiah 28:16). We are living stones that are built on this “spiritual rock” and grow into a living temple (1 Corinthians 10:4). Peter’s metaphor of a spiritual temple mirrors the metaphor of a growing plant. We must take root in Christ, the foundation, so we can grow into a spiritual temple.
Conclusion
Next time, we will discuss how to "supplement virtue with knowledge” (2 Peter 1:5), and what it means for Christians to grow spiritually. The word “virtue” refers to all the excellence of Christ's humanity, and the word “knowledge” refers to knowing about Jesus Christ through God's revelation. We must recognize and apply these truths so we can be rooted in the virtue of Christ.
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Bible Study With Jairus - 2 Peter 1 (Part3)
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Bible Study with Jairus- 2 Peter 1 (Part 3)
God’s Glory and Virtue Come from the Divinity and Humanity of Christ
As we have seen in the last few studies, 2 Peter 1 is Peter’s reflection on his experience of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain. Peter shares his experiences in hopes that readers will be encouraged, challenged, matured, and perfected in their spiritual lives, just like he was through the original experience. In John 21, the Lord Jesus had charged Peter three times to tend His sheep. So he shares his experiences in order to nurture other believers.
During the transfiguration, Peter was shocked to see Jesus transcend time and manifest his eternal glory. Through this experience, Peter realized that believers share the same destiny: to manifest the kingdom and glory of God on earth. To achieve this goal, believers must grow spiritually. Just like the potential for a towering oak tree lies within the acorn, the potential for God’s power and glory lies within the seed of our faith. But going from a seed to a big tree requires a growth process. During this process, believers need to constantly know God’s disposition and constantly accept God’s guidance. The work of the apostles is to help us know God’s disposition through His word. The role of the prophets is to provide guidance for specific situations, showing us how to break free from the sinful desires of the world so we can focus on God’s character and disposition. In this way, we will be continually transformed into the image of Jesus, so we can attain the glorious purpose of partaking in God’s divine nature. This is the main theme of 2 Peter 1:3-4 and the rest of the chapter.
Today, we will focus only on 2 Peter 1:3-4, which describes the seed of faith in our hearts. God’s life and glory are present in our spirits, like seeds, but we need to let those seeds develop and grow in order to reach our glorious purpose. Jesus Christ also contained God’s full glory, but it was hidden in his heart like a seed. But the moment He was transfigured on the mountain, the glory of Jesus, God incarnate, was fully revealed. This is our destiny as well as His. Currently, our life is “hidden in Christ.” But when Jesus appears in glory, “we will also appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). Peter's mission is to help believers enter this divine glory. The Epistles of Peter, especially the three short chapters of 2 Peter, teach us how to grow spiritually so we can enter God’s glory.
The Parable of the Seed and the Salmon
As we have learned in a past lesson, a seed contains powerful potential for life and growth. When 2 Peter 1:3 talks about "the power of God,” it is referencing both the power of God and the power of God’s life. This power is like a seed. This spiritual seed contains not only the power of God’s life, but also the “genetic material” that produces God's glory, which includes "glory"; "virtue,” "all things that pertain to life and godliness,” "precious and very great promises,” and "the divine nature" mentioned in 2 Peter 1:3-4. In other words, God's glory, virtue, life, godliness, promises, and divine nature are contained in the seed of faith that God has given us. But whether or not that seed can grow depends on many external factors. Just like a seed needs sunlight, water, soil, fertilizer, and other factors, we need to nurture the seed of faith God has given us. The same concept is illustrated by salmon going upstream to spawn. They have the instinct to go upstream, but they must overcome many obstacles to do so. Similarly, although we have God’s “divine power” in the seed of our faith, we still need God’s guidance and help in every situation so we can overcome the obstacles in our path and obtain the blessing of abundant life.
By nature, salmon return to the headwaters of the river to spawn every year. They go upstream until they find the source of the river. This instinct was present when God created the salmon. However, because artificial dams have been set up, the salmons’ ability to go upriver to spawn has been obstructed. To solve this problem, ecologists have introduced several initiatives to change water levels so that salmon can go back upstream to spawn. This parable can help us understand the spiritual life. A salmon’s ability to swim upstream is like the believer’s ability to be “in the world but not of the world.” God has given us the ability to "escape from the corruption of sinful desire in the world" (2 Peter 1:4) and to be salt and light as a good testimony to the world. But just as the dam keeps the salmon from going upstream, the sin and pollution of the world often hinder our ability to "partake of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). Therefore, just as ecologists use modern technology to help adjust the water level in the reservoirs so that salmon can break free from the obstruction of the dam and go back upstream, the Holy Spirit guides believers in each specific situation, helping them draw on God’s power and salvation so they are encouraged and comforted by God’s divine power, glory, virtue, and promises. He gives them "all things that pertain to life and godliness" so that the power of God's life can come into play in their situation. God's promises come from God's character and the redemption accomplished in Jesus Christ, but we need the help of the Holy Spirit to live out these promises in our lives.
As I have emphasized on several occasions, there is a difference between “God’s disposition” and “God’s guidance.” Some Bible passages contain a revelation of God’s disposition while others contain God’s guidance for specific situations. Although there is some overlap between the two, there are also distinctions. God’s disposition (God’s character) never changes, but God’s guidance can vary for different people in different places at different times.
In the same way, the office of apostle and of prophet overlap but have distinct differences. Apostles help believers understand God's disposition, while prophets help believers follow God's guidance. Some apostles are also prophets, holding both offices at the same time. These people should help believers know God’s character and also help them understand and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in specific situations.
A survey showed that 70% of American Christians were addicted to pornographic videos. We know that God does not want us to partake in this kind of filth, but we also know that it is very difficult to break free from addictions such as alcohol, drugs, and porn. Many Christians who are addicted to pornographic videos have tried to overcome this addiction on their own. They make up their minds not to watch them anymore. They have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. What can they do?
Christians have the divine power of God to help them overcome their weaknesses and lives as children of light. If a Christian finds himself in a similar situation, he can rely on the Holy Spirit or His human under-shepherds to help him access and experience God’s “divine power” so he can overcome the sins he could not overcome on his own. These are battles we can only fight through faith.
Salvation and sanctification are obtained by faith, not through the effort and struggle of the flesh. Even Paul said he could not overcome the evil of the flesh on his own (Romans 7). Instead, he found that "the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ set him free" (Romans 8). United to the saving grace of Jesus Christ by faith, he was enabled to set his "mind on the spirit, which is life and peace, but to set the mind on the flesh is death" (Romans 8:6). Even Paul could not overcome through physical struggle, let alone us!
Similarly, we need God’s power to forgive. Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, and the Lord said "seventy times seven" times (Matthew 18:21-22). In his gospel, Luke records the disciples’ response: When Jesus said, “If he sins against you seven times in the day and turns to you seven times saying, ‘I repent’ you must forgive him,” the apostles replied, “Increase our faith!’" (Luke 17:4-5). I personally believe that the word "apostle" here refers to the disciples, including Peter and the other apostles who were praying for more faith to forgive. Peter realized that Jesus commanded him to forgive his brother, but he couldn't do it on his own. He understood that forgiveness, salvation, and victory do not depend on human efforts and struggles, but on faith. Jesus Christ has provided salvation for all, and we obtain it through faith. So Peter and the other disciples asked the Lord to increase their faith.
Believers need to be taught how to grow in their faith. God's divine power is released in our lives when we are united with God through faith. If you are willing to break free from your bondage to pornography or other vices, I have a prayer that will help you break free from these. Pray along with me:
“Lord, your word says, 'He who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him' (1 Corinthians 6:17). I know that I am joined to you in one spirit. When I look at pornography, you are watching with me because you are one spirit with me. I invite you to come and watch it with me now. If you do not want to, please remove my desire.”
If you pray like this, The Holy Spirit will remove your desires, because the Holy Spirit does not like to watch pornography. This prayer may seem disrespectful, but I can assure you it is not. In fact, it is disrespectful not to pray like this. When you continue setting your mind on the flesh and don’t invite God in, you are defiling God’s presence in you and quenching the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). However, when you pray like this, you are inviting the holy God to remove your filth, because the precious blood of Jesus is stronger than your filth. All you need to do is invite God in, unite with Him in faith, and He will surely take away your sins. If you pray like this every day, you can overcome all addictions and weaknesses! Believe me, I speak from my own victorious experience.
Many American believers have never been taught these faith exercises, so they sin and struggle with the flesh. Desiring to do right cannot help us succeed. It is our union with God through faith that gives us victory. This is the “divine power” of God spoken of by Peter.
Peter learned this lesson personally when Jesus taught him about forgiveness. Peter may have thought it was impossible to forgive people who offended him, such as James and John. But Jesus commanded him to always forgive. He had to recognize it was not through his own effort, but through faith united to the promised word of God. This is why Peter and the other apostles prayed to God to increase their faith.
Who says that Paul was the only one who knew about the principles of justification and sanctification through faith? Peter also had a high level of spiritual experience and maturity, and he knew that faith was the only way he could claim God’s divine power to forgive his brothers who offended him. He also knew that the power of God contained in the seed of our faith cannot be released except by faith.
That’s why he begins the first chapter of 2 Peter by talking about faith, as we mentioned in the first article on 2 Peter 1. Let's emphasize it again here. 2 Peter 1:1 says, "Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." Every Israelite who entered the Promised Land received their own piece of land. Their pieces of land were different sizes, but they were each equally precious because they were part of God’s Promised Land. Similarly, although we each have different gifts and a different measure of faith, the nature of this faith is equally precious. This faith is the foundation of everything. It is the seed given to us by God, and it contains the "divine power" of God (2 Peter 1:3).
Glory and Virtue Are Supplied by the Divinity and Humanity of Christ
God’s "divine power" is contained in the seed of faith and released by the exercise of faith. How do we exercise our faith to release God’s power? We need to know God’s disposition and God’s promises. The "glory" of Jesus Christ is His divine nature expressed in all the powerful characteristics of his oneness with God. God has destined us to share in God’s glory, or divine nature, which was manifested during the Transfiguration. The "virtue" of Jesus Christ refers to his human qualities and virtues. God wants us to share in these virtues and abilities that God has prepared for us to help us overcome trials. For example, when we are unable to obey, we need to know that Jesus Christ, "although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). Since Jesus Christ lives in our hearts, His obedience can become our obedience. Because Jesus Christ is both God and man, we can partake of His divine life while also appropriating His human virtues to help us when we are weak. The Bible says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).
With this understanding, let us look once more at 2 Peter 1:3: "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." We are invited to enter his glory (divine nature) and virtue (human virtues). Through His glory and virtue, we have truly been given “all things that pertain unto life and godliness." Once we believe in the Lord, we are “a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). God’s power and virtue allow us to live like the new creation we are!
If Christians are a new creation in Christ, why can they be so addicted to sin that they cannot overcome it? Is he no longer a new creation? No, it is not that he’s no longer a new creation, but that he has not realized he is a new creation, and has not allowed the Holy Spirit to apply God's truth to his heart. He does not realize that Christ’s divine power and human virtues have given him all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17 are still true in this person’s life; however, he does not know the truth of what Paul and Peter said. He does not understand these spiritual truths and is not united to these realities by faith. Instead, he lives in a state of deception. He mistakenly thinks that he still belongs to the old creation, unable to overcome these weaknesses. So he succumbs to the pressure of the flesh and Satan once again. He forgets what Paul said: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). James also said, "Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
How blessed we are to have access to Christ’s glory and virtue! Yet how foolishly we often live! We try to find comfort in pornography, hoping to relieve the inner pressure we feel from the difficulties of life and the pain of broken relationships. But we don’t realize that we are drinking poison to quench our thirst. It will not help at all. Instead, we should realize that God has provided everything we need through Christ. He has saved us through his blood. But we need to access this salvation through faith and persistence. Unfortunately, faith seems to be difficult and out of reach for many people, while sinful indulgence seems to be within easy reach. What a painful struggle!
Escaping the Corruption That Is in The World Through Sinful Desires
How can we escape from the pain and struggle mentioned above? We need to know the promises of God, through which we can partake of the divine nature. 2 Peter 1:4 says, "By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” This means that through his divine power and human virtues, Christ has given us countless promises—too many to mention. One such promise is that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). The word "salvation" here is SOZO in Greek, which includes eternal salvation from hell, healing of the body, and release from Satan’s bondage. It includes the salvation of the human spirit, soul, and body.
God has given us many other precious promises as well. God promises that a day is coming when our bodies will be redeemed (Romans 8:23). God promises, "Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth" (Revelation 3:10). God's says, "By his stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). God's promises are too many to list.
Paul said, "For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Peter deeply understood the same truth. In 2 Peter, Peter shared God has called us through glory and virtue, he has granted us all things we needed through his divine power, and he has given us great promises through his glory and virtue. These promises are yes to us in Christ, and they are also amen to God. At any moment, God is willing to make good on His promises to us in Christ. He is always available to help us through the redemption accomplished by Christ. As long as we ask and act in faith, God is ready to help us escape all the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desires and make us partakers of the divine nature.
God has prepared everything that we need. All it takes on our part is faith as small as a grain of mustard seed. God values our faith, initiative, and choices—even if they are very small and weak. When we choose to believe God's promises and set our minds on the Spirit, God gives us life. But when we choose to set our minds on the flesh, we experience death. It's all about our hearts and the choices we make! We are beings of free will. God never forces us to trust him. If we choose to believe God's promises, we will receive God's salvation and constant growth and sanctification in our lives! It all depends on the choices we make!
Conclusion
From 2 Peter 1:3-4, we can see that Peter’s spiritual maturity and understanding were just as advanced as Paul's. In our next episode, we will look at 2 Peter 1:5, which will help believers make the right choice so they can exercise their faith and make it stronger and stronger. Peter teaches us step by step how to know God’s disposition and follow God’s guidance so we can incrementally escape from the corruption in the world and partake in God’s divine nature.
We will compare God’s glory to the throne of God in Revelation 22:1. To reach it, we must partake in God’s divine nature (walk on the streets of gold) and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit (which reminds us of the water of the river, the tree of life on both sides of the river, and it’s twelve kinds of fruits Revelation 22:2). Like the streets of gold, the divine nature defines our boundaries, and this is the only way to the New Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit guides us like the river of life, providing the water of life and the fruits of the tree of life (the virtues of Jesus Christ) to provide us with continuous supply and support. This enables us to swim upstream like a salmon and reach The Throne of God and of The Lamb on top of the New Jerusalem. The glory John saw in the Book of Revelation mirrors the glory that Peter saw when Jesus was transfigured. Our goal (God’s glory) is hidden within the seed of faith, and as we grow in our knowledge of God’s disposition and guidance, we can grow into full-grown trees and reach our goal. We can access the throne of God and of the Lamb. Remember, we are already seated with Him on the Throne in Christ (Revelation 3:21, Ephesians 2:6, John 12:26)! This is also God's promise!
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Bible Study With Jairus - 2 Peter 1 (Part 2)
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Bible Study with Jairus- 2 Peter 1 (Part 2)
The Difference Between God's Disposition and God's Guidance
In part one of our study of 2 Peter 1, I emphasized that the church needs the gifts of the apostles and prophets. The gifts of the apostles help believers understand God’s disposition and laws, while the gifts of prophets help believers understand God’s guidance. God's disposition and God's guidance are two different things, though they sometimes overlap. I hope this message will help us understand the difference between the two.
Before we dive into the difference between God’s disposition and God’s guidance, let’s look at an example that shows the importance of the apostles and prophets. A few years ago, I planted a specific variety of tomato that grows indefinitely as long as the weather is suitable. It will continue producing tomatoes as long as the climate is conducive. When I first started growing this type of tomato, I thought I could just turn it loose to grow. I didn’t know it needed pruning, so I let it grow wild. It grew a lot of branches and very little fruit. A lot of nutrients were wasted in growing leaves.
Later, I realized the importance of staking the tomato plants so they did not fall over, as well as pruning them in order to ventilate the bushes and protect them from disease.
This illustration shows the role of the apostles and prophets. We as Christians possess God’s divine nature within us (2 Peter 1:3). God’s power is infinite, and it gives us an infinite possibility for growth if we allow God to change us. God’s power can bring us into the fullness of infinite life.
Yet few Christians have entered the fullness of God’s infinite life. Just like the tomato has infinite potential but still needs pruning, Christians need the help of the apostles and prophets in order to grow. We need the support of the apostles to know God’s disposition and laws. And we need the help of the prophets to know God’s guidance.
Both the apostles and the prophets were commissioned by Jesus Christ, and they reflect the unity of the Trinity. Let’s look at Genesis 1:26 and Revelation 22:1 to help us understand these concepts. Then we will return to 2 Peter 1:3-4 and explore how God’s disposition and God’s guidance work together in the roles of the apostles and prophets, leading the church toward God’s glory. Peter's spiritual experience was deep and rich and his epistles deserve careful study.
What is the Difference Between God's Disposition and God's Guidance?
God’s biblical revelation is composed of two main types of revelation: revelation of God’s disposition and revelation of God’s guidance. God’s disposition refers to his unchanging nature. By nature, God is immutable and eternal (Malachi 3:6). He is always characterized by love, light, holiness, and righteousness.
God’s guidance refers to God’s changing guidance. God is also “new every morning” and expresses himself in new ways. God’s guidance can change depending on the situation, and the way he manifests himself can also change.
These two realities shed light on the entire Bible. Some parts of Scripture focus on revealing God’s unchanging laws and disposition, while others do not. It’s crucial to understand the difference. Some parts of the Bible reveal God’s unchanging disposition; for instance, God has always been holy and will always be holy. Other parts of the Bible reveal God’s situational guidance.
I believe that Paul’s injunction against women in leadership may have been one of these cases. When the Apostle Paul forbade women from preaching, I don’t believe he was revealing God’s unchanging prejudice against women. In other instances in the Bible, God gave special protection to women. In the Book of Numbers, God allowed the daughters of Zelophehad to inherit land alongside the men, even though women did not typically inherit land. God created a new law just for them that stipulated that land could be inherited by women if there were no male heirs. Because of this, I believe Paul’s prohibition against women preachers was God’s specific guidance to the Corinthian church. (To learn more, see the study of the Book of Numbers and the Book of Corinthians.)
However, many people do not understand the difference between God’s disposition and God’s guidance. They often treat God’s time-specific words of guidance as absolute for all times. This leads to many problems. Rigid Christians persecute and condemn their fellow believers who are simply following God’s new, time-specific guidance. How easy it is to label fellow Christians as heretics or even kill them—simply for following God’s new guidance. How often religious authorities have condemned others for their so-called violation of God’s unchanging disposition, rather than understanding God’s changing guidance!
How do we distinguish between God’s disposition and God’s guidance? If your actions compromise God’s glory, love, light, holiness, and righteousness, then this is a violation of God’s disposition. For example, whether you live in Tokyo or Washington DC, it is wrong to murder. Killing people violates the disposition of God. However, if your action simply offends the tradition of a local body of believers but doesn’t compromise God’s glory, then this is a matter of God’s guidance.
Often, believers must boldly choose to break through the limitations of tradition and religion in order to follow God’s guidance. Often, they will pay a heavy price for this. In so doing, they follow not only God’s guidance, but they also obey God’s disposition and laws.
The God we worship is the only true God. This statement expresses God’s unchanging disposition and principles. But the exact way we worship him varies from church to church, and this is an issue of God’s guidance. The Catholic Church has formal liturgy, the Protestant Church focuses on preaching, the Pentecostal Church emphasizes worship, and the Orthodox Church stands while worshiping. Some churches use pianos or organs, while others use guitars. Everyone has different forms. This is not a matter of principle, but a matter of how God leads each believer.
Genesis 1:26: Image and Likeness Respectively Refer to God's Disposition and God's Guidance
The difference in God's disposition and likeness is very clearly shown in Genesis 1:26, which says, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” What do the words “image” and “likeness” mean? Does this mean that humans look like God? Does God have two legs and two arms? Possibly. When God appears to prophets, they often see a form “like the Son of Man.” God also appeared in human form when he talked to Abraham. Though it’s possible the image of God refers to the physical form of God, I believe it’s more likely that mankind reflects the inner characteristics of God’s glory. Jesus Christ "is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature" (Hebrews 1:3). The image of God revealed in Jesus was not that he looked like the Father in human appearance, but that he manifested the glory of God and the disposition of God: love, light, holiness, and righteousness. This is the meaning of the image of God.
Jesus said that whoever had seen Him had seen the Father (John 14:9). Many people today are confused by this statement, just like Philip was. We want to see God’s visual and external appearance. But Jesus is more interested in manifesting God’s inner qualities of love, light, holiness, and righteousness. These are the qualities that Jesus displayed. He exuded the radiance of the glory of God the Father, the imprint of the divine nature. He was and is the manifestation of the Father.
This is not to say that the Father does not have an external form. I believe He does. Isaiah and other prophets have described the external appearance of the Heavenly Father, and I have longed to see it. But the Father’s outward appearance is not the key characteristic of the image of God. The key attributes of God are his internal characteristics of love, light, holiness, and righteousness.
Even though God is unchanging in his key attributes (“God’s image”), his outward appearance can change (“God’s likeness”). His manifestation in the material world can vary. For example, God appeared to Abraham in the form of a man, and he also compared himself to a great eagle (Ezekiel 17:7). When Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, they often didn't recognize him, indicating he looked different than usual. In the same way, when Jesus appears to me in visions, he does so in a variety of ways. I have heard that Jesus appears to the Japanese in one way, and to the American Indians in another way.
Why does Jesus change his appearance? I believe Jesus manifests himself in different ways because he is trying to communicate a different message to each person. For instance, when he lifted my spirit to Japan and showed me His nail marks, his purpose was to tell me about His love for the Japanese people. When he lifted my spirit to China and placed his hands on me, he wanted to give me a new mission to preach the gospel in China. He also appeared to me in a blinding light, which showed me that his great light would lead the idolatrous Chinese people out of Egypt. Another time, Jesus sat across the table like a friend. This was the most intimate meeting I had with the Lord. His only goal was to comfort and encourage me, as well as show me around heaven. Another time, Jesus showed me two rivers, indicating that several aspects were about to converge. He appeared in different ways in order to address unique situations and needs that required unique help and guidance from God.
God’s “image” (internal character qualities) does not change, but his “likeness” does (Genesis 1:26). In the same way, His guidance is different for every person and every situation, because our needs are different every time.
In order to better understand the difference between God’s image (God’s disposition) and God’s likeness (God’s guidance), let’s look at Revelation 22:1.
Revelation 22:1: The Street of Gold and The Water of The River of Life Speak of God's Disposition and God's Guidance Respectively
Revelation 22:1 says, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Revelation 21:21 has revealed that “the streets of the city are pure gold.” This street of gold represents the unchanging disposition of God. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God" (2 Corinthians 13:4) are eternal, but guidance and “fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 13:14) can and does change.
To show humankind God’s nature and disposition, Moses gave the Old Testament Law. This law taught the Israelites not to violate God’s disposition; that is, they were not allowed to murder, lie, commit adultery, covet, or dishonor their parents. These sins, including murder, dishonesty, adultery, greed, and disrespect to parents, are not in line with God’s disposition and violate God’s laws.
But God’s guidance is different. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were required to keep the Sabbath, but in the New Testament, it was not required. In the same way, Moses allowed the Israelite men to divorce their wives because of their hard hearts. But in the New Testament, Jesus forbade divorce because it was never God’s original design (Matthew 19:7-12). God’s unchanging disposition detested divorce because His original intention was “what God has joined let not man separate.” However, because of human weakness and real-life difficulties (adultery, domestic violence), God allowed divorce under certain circumstances. The latter is a matter of divine guidance.
The laws of the Old Testament reflect God’s bottom line. Crossing this line is not pleasing to God, and it is not good for humans, either. The law alerts us of our sin, just like the rumble strip alerts us that we have crossed the yellow line on an American highway. If you cross this boundary, you will be in danger. But there are certain situations in which it is reasonable to drive over the yellow line or even drive on the rumble strip—for example, if the lanes have been altered in a construction zone.
In addition, traffic laws tell cars to stop at a red light and go forward on a green light. But if another car runs a red light, you should not mechanically obey the green light and go forward. Otherwise, you will have a traffic accident. In the same way, the law is a boundary or a "guardian" that keeps us in line (Galatians 3:25). However, after the "faith" in Christ arrived (Galatians 3:25), we were united with Christ and “justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). Israelites who refused to accept Christ because they were focused on obeying the law are like cars who drive through a green light, even though they will get hit. They are like sheep who refuse to leave the sheepfold and follow Christ into green pastures (John 10).
The purpose of the law was to keep Israelites from crossing God’s boundaries until Christ could arrive on the scene. When God’s time came, Jesus was born from the descendants of Israel as a descendant of Abraham who would bring blessings to the Gentiles, that they might receive the promised Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:14). At this point, the law of the Old Testament was fulfilled as the indwelling “law of the Spirit of life,” which set people free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). The Lord Jesus also said many times that He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17-18). This is what it means.
Let's return to Revelation 22:1. The verse states that the water of life was running down the middle of the road. Have you ever seen something like this on Earth? No. How can a river flow in the middle of a street? I believe this verse is a beautiful picture that speaks of God’s unchanging nature and changing guidance. The streets of gold remind us of the unchanging disposition, nature, principles, and boundaries of God. The water speaks of the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which will always stay within the boundaries of God’s essence. When an individual claims that the Holy Spirit led them to divorce their wife and marry another woman, this is often wrong. The Holy Spirit will not lead you to do things that are not in line with God's unchanging character.
Just like our blood stays within the boundaries of the blood vessels. If you are bleeding, you need help. When we leave the boundaries of God’s character and law, we need help. The Holy Spirit may temporarily tolerate our weaknesses, but he will eventually guide us back to repentance.
The New Jerusalem descended on a mountain, and the throne of God and the Lamb was at the top of this mountain. If the New Jerusalem covers the entire surface of the mountain, the streets of this city may spiral around the mountain. Thus, the river may also spiral around the mountain. This represents the spiraling, ever-changing guidance of the Holy Spirit. God's guidance and his likeness are ever-changing and always new. God's eternal nature, grace, love, and disposition are eternal, stable, and unchanging, like the golden streets of the New Jerusalem. But the flow of the Holy Spirit is ever-changing, like the water on those streets.
We worship the unchanging uniqueness of God, but we express our worship in unique, diverse ways. Many people don’t understand this distinction. They rigidly assume that one particular way of worship is God’s only way. They perceive God’s guidance for a specific situation to be the only right way. Thus, any deviation from this rule is seen as heretical. They refuse to recognize God’s new work. They stick to the law, not knowing that God can change. This rigidity leads to the prevalence of legalism.
On the other hand, some people do not know about God’s unchanging disposition and the unchanging principles revealed by God’s words, so they are tossed about by the wind and confused by the waves of heresy (Ephesians 4:14).
There are many examples of this in the church today. For example, is it against God's character for women to be pastors? If God’s principles were opposed to women in leadership, Deborah and Esther would not be prominently featured in the Old Testament, nor would God have distributed the land to Zelophehad’s daughters. I believe it’s a matter of God’s guidance. God can guide us differently in different situations. The leadership at Saddleback Church believes that women can be pastors because they believe a woman's role in the body of Christ should be respected and encouraged. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) opposes women in leadership because they want to resist the continued invasion of liberalism into the church. Each of them believes they are right; perhaps they have been led differently by God. As a result, they parted ways. Perhaps this was the best and easiest way to deal with this situation. It is not necessarily true that one party is absolutely right, and the other is absolutely wrong. God is bigger than the entire controversy, and he guides each church differently. Everyone must stick to God's guidance for their church and bear their own unique testimony for God. If the people of the Southern Baptist Church think that denominations with female pastors are generally more inclined to liberalism and homosexuality, then they should not have female pastors. Yet those who like female pastors should be free to elect female pastors.
In general, I don't think God disapproves of churches having female pastors. Many Pentecostal Churches have female pastors, and the sky has not fallen. This is a question of God’s leading, not his character. While China was being evangelized, the earliest revivals began in rural churches. Many women and elderly people were saved, but few believers were men. As a result, many women became missionaries, preaching the gospel in villages and alleyways. They brought revival to China. If they had believed God’s unchanging principles prohibited women from being pastors and leaders, as the SBC does, then China's revival would have been greatly compromised. Because many Chinese men had gone to the cities to work, and the government did not surveil and control rural women and the elderly with the same level of diligence, the Holy Spirit used rural women to begin a great revival.
On one occasion, I attended a female-led gathering in my hometown in rural China. When the leading sister knelt down to pray the Lord’s Prayer, I was moved to tears. I was so moved by her innocence. These ladies rode bicycles through villages and alleyways to preach the gospel. Because there were not many men in the church, they naturally became the leaders of the church. I was touched by their absolute commitment to God.
I think we should gather 1,000 Chinese rural sisters who are church leaders and have them share their testimonies with the brothers in charge of the Southern Baptist Church in the United States. After they have heard 1,000 such stories, perhaps their hard hearts will finally open and they will no longer object to women being pastors.
Anything that compromises God’s glory is against God’s disposition and principles. But a woman becoming a pastor does not necessarily compromise God's glory. If a woman becomes a pastor as an act of rebellion, this is against God's disposition. Of course, we know that the SBC and the entire US conservative movement were raised by God when Western liberal theology was in vogue. Perhaps God guided them to forbid women from being pastors because of the current situation of the United States. Because American society was opposing God and liberalism and homosexuality were prevalent, they realized that churches that promoted female pastors also allowed homosexuals to serve as priests. Perhaps God guided the SBC to take that stance based on a unique cultural situation, but they should not assume this principle prohibits all women everywhere from serving as pastors. I’m guessing that this would not be pleasing to God.
2 Peter 1:3-4: God's Disposition and God's Guidance Work Together to Lead Us into Glory
As I said before, the river of the water of life remains within the boundaries of the streets of gold, just blood remains within the boundaries of the veins and arteries. A tree grows inside the boundaries of the bark, and it also grows incrementally from a sprout to a tree with roots, branches, a trunk, leaves, and fruit. In the same way, God’s nature (His glory), sets a growth goal for us, and God’s guidance (the Holy Spirit), will help us every step of the way (2 Peter 1:3-4). Only then can we reach the end goal: God's glory. It is a process.
The Old and New Testament writings help us better understand God’s principles by revealing God’s disposition. At the same time, the guidance of the Holy Spirit helps us apply God’s principles to every situation so that we can constantly realize the purpose of God's glory and escape from the temptation of sin. God wants to set us free from “the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire" (2 Peter 1:4), and he wants us to “become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). God’s disposition sets glorious goals for us through the “precious and very great promises have been given to us” (2 Peter 1:4). Then God guidance walks with us, helping us bear our weaknesses, so we can receive the full fulfillment of God's promises to us. The prophetic office also walks with people, revealing God’s guidance for their individual circumstances.
Second Peter 1:3-4 paints the same picture as Revelation 22:1. We are perpetually climbing higher and higher on Mount Zion, toward the throne of God and the Lamb. We climb higher on the spiraling road of gold that leads upward to the throne of God. Down the road runs the river of life of the Holy Spirit. Peter shared his experience of Jesus’ transfiguration, because he saw how radiant the glorified Christ was, and he also understood that the way to God’s glory was the way of the cross. He shared his spiritual experiences so that believers could gradually mature and become like him. In the next lesson, we will continue to examine how 2 Peter 1:3-4 describes Peter’s thoughts about Jesus’ transfiguration.