Bible Study With Jairus

Bible Study with Jairus – Acts 6

Caring in love and ministering in the Word of God

Bible Study with Jairus – Acts 6

 

Acts 6 is very brief. In the past, my understanding was that these Greek-speaking widows were neglected, and the apostles were too busy to take care of them. The apostles said that the more important thing is to pay attention to the word of God (verse 2). There was no time to deal with these widows, but since they were protesting and making trouble, there was still a need for someone to deal with their need. Finally, Stephen and others were found. These people were not apostles, just ordinary disciples of Jesus who were spiritually mature due to it being the beginning of the apostolic era. Stephen was not only good at cooking, but also full of the Holy Spirit, faith, wisdom and the words of the Lord. Miracles also followed him and the other men who were serving. In short, the apostles did not have time to deal with these matters so they were handed over to others.

But when we started talking about this, we found that the Holy Spirit led us to a broader understanding of the situation. I felt that the words and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit were that these complaining widows were not only materially poor, but also lacking the Lord's abundance in the spirit. Therefore, the apostles’ decision was not only to arrange and provide meals for them, but also to allow people like Stephen, who were full of the Holy Spirit and the Word of the Lord, to both serve meals and dispense the Spirit and the Word to these poor people.

 

Poverty limits our imagination

I was born in an ordinary family in rural China, the bottom rung of society. The people in our Bible Study also include many Chinese from the same background, so we naturally talk about poverty. Our experience of poverty has not only caused us to be materially poor, but also limited our imagination and made us lack self-confidence in many ways.

We talked about the spirit of poverty in modern Chinese society, American society and even among some Christians in the US. The external poverty is not terrible—the most terrifying thing is that poverty limits our imagination. Some of the women in our study said that American social scientists investigated the impact that poverty has on human nerves.  This study showed a decline in human learning ability. Therefore, some educators in the United States hope to include children from poor families in special education.

This argument is controversial. One woman said that being poor on the outside does not necessarily mean being poor on the inside. For example, Forrest Gump’s mother in the movie "Forrest Gump" encouraged him to maintain a pure heart even though they were poor, and at last Forrest Gump achieves success. I think the discussion on both sides makes sense. I also specifically mentioned that, for example, at the time of the founding of the United States, even though the American Puritans were poor outside, they were rich in spirit. Compared with people at that time, Americans nowadays are rich in material goods, but even poorer in their spiritual richness towards the Lord.

But we have to say that material poverty and spiritual poverty (or any restriction which leads to lack of self-confidence and imagination) are often closely linked. The lowliness and poverty of our birth often lead to our lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem. I used to work as a reporter for a newspaper in New Jersey, often interviewing people at Princeton University. I saw many Chinese children attending summer camps at Princeton. I was very envious. I thought to myself that if I had such a good opportunity when I was a child, I might be more successful in my career and healthier in my personality. However, when I was young, I did not have these opportunities. Because I lacked adequate role models and help, I used to feel very inferior.

Reasoning from the above logic, if the Greek-speaking Jews and their widows are ignored and not taken care of, they will also develop spiritual problems after a long time. So, their grievances are not a trivial matter. Like physical poverty will bring about poverty of spirit, physical negligence will bring about improper spiritual growth and development.

 

The relationship between shepherding in love and the provision of the Lord’s words

Let me give an example. I heard a fellow believer talk about the relationship between giving loving care and using the Lord’s word in ministry. He said that our love seems to be a hot pot for Chinese believers to cook their spiritual food.  If the pot is not hot, the dishes are not cooked well. We preach the gospel and help the new immigrant believers with their physical needs, often doing something like driving them to gatherings, helping them buy groceries and rent houses, and visiting them often. These actions of love will warm their hearts. If their hearts are not warmed, they will be closed to us. Even if we have the Lord’s words, they won’t be open to us. So, loving care is very important. It is like a hot pot.

However, merely making the pot hot is not enough. If the pot is hot and even smokes, but there is no oil in it, it is impossible to cook the food. In the same way, if we do deeds of love without the Word of the Lord and the Holy Spirit to minister to the people, it will be as if the pot is hot, but there is no oil in it.

This is not only true in our lives today but it was true when Jesus walked with the disciples on their way to Emmaus. By walking with them to Emmaus even when they did not recognize Him, Jesus was caring and ministering to them in love. While He explained what the scripture said about His resurrection, their hearts burned (Luke 24:32). If Jesus had not walked with them all those miles, He would not have the opportunity to minister to them. If Jesus had not made the Word of God regarding His resurrection clear to them, it would be impossible for their hearts to burn, and later recognize the resurrected Jesus. Jesus set an example for us of how to care by loving well, and ministering the Word of God at the same time.

 

Imagine that Stephen is a chef who is good at cooking and also filled with the Holy Spirit. When he is cooking, he is particularly concerned about a newcomer or widow, and gives them each a spoonful of vegetables to express his concern for them. This action may warm their hearts. In addition, they find that Stephen had cooked dinner for everyone that day.  Cooking the meal was very tiring, but he did not blame them because it was hard or tiring. His smile was full of joy, and he often shared some words of the Lord to comfort and encourage them. They would realize that what they lack is not only the food and care outside.  They would observe the joy in the Lord that Stephen has, his wisdom in the Holy Spirit, and the abundance of the Lord’s words. Therefore, the service they receive goes far beyond providing meals in the moment.

The early church did well because it was built on the disciples’ foundation, which was personally completed by Jesus Himself, and because the work of the Holy Spirit was strong. I think if the Holy Spirit keeps doing the work Himself, it may be better than what we do. But why did the church fall? It is God's desire to put the building of the church in the hands of people. Although God’s people will make mistakes and take detours, they will learn through these processes sooner or later, so that they can finally reach maturity through their service. This is God’s will.

Our current failures in building the church involve nothing more than these two aspects. On the one hand, the church lacks love for God and people. On the other hand, it lacks the Word of the Lord. In the worst cases, it lacks in both areas. Therefore, if we are to build the church well today, we must recover these two aspects, so that the Holy Spirit has the freedom to love and care for others through us, as well as ministering God’s Word to others through us.

 

The spiritual meaning behind grievances

Acts 6:1 says: "In those days, the number of disciples multiplied. Some Greek-speaking Jews complained to the Hebrews because they neglected their widows in the daily supply." People who spoke Greek may have been Jews from Gentile lands. They could have been immigrants or vulnerable groups. They complained that their widows were neglected. They seemed to be complaining that their material needs were neglected, but perhaps they were also complaining that their spiritual needs have been neglected. Why do I say that? Because people's material needs are often connected with their spiritual needs. The spiritual needs are often hidden behind people’s material needs.

I met with a man who shared about his occasional quarrels with his wife. His wife is somewhat short-tempered, which makes it easy for him to get hurt. He asked me how to deal with this situation. I said that I had the same difficulties in my marriage, and I have learned a lot. I told him that the things our wives complain to us about may seem trivial and confusing to us. If we consider each complaint individually, we won’t be able to solve the problem in the end. The key to solving the problem is found in looking at the big picture. Our wives’ complaints remind us that not only did we neglect their feelings in trivial matters, but also that we are not spiritually mature enough. We aren’t manifesting Him by living out the Lord’s love nor feeding them with the spiritual abundance of His Word.  So her grievances actually indicate her spiritual hunger and thirst, although she may not realize it. 

Although dealing with matters in the material realm or getting marriage counseling in the realm of the soul are helpful to marriage, they cannot fundamentally solve our problems. The fundamental solution to conflicts between husband and wife is that the husband matures in his spiritual life and can feed and support his wife spiritually. The Bible says that the husband is the head of the wife, not lording over her, but providing the her with spiritual protection.  Consider the comparison to the human body—the head will direct the mobilization of blood circulation and nerve transmission to supply our limbs at any time. If a person's body is paralyzed and he loses the use of his lower limbs or is even a high-level paraplegic, but the person's head is still healthy, then he can still live well. But if a person’s head has a problem, he will decline to a persistent vegetative state.  Although his limbs are fine, they will gradually lose their function. In the same way, when I tried only to correct my behavior during the difficulties of marriage, it did not have much effect. However, when I surrendered to God, learned to get close to the Lord and communicated with the Lord more deeply through these challenges, my difficulties were reduced.

I used the theory of the " Slumbering Spirit " by John Sandford, a pioneer of "Inner Healing" and "Deliverance Ministries" in the American Charismatic Movement to continue to explain this truth. When I was studying the "Inner Healing" and "Deliverance Ministry" courses, his books were included in the teaching materials. He put forward a theory that many people's problems are not only in their souls, but in their spirits. If a child does not get enough hugs and care during his growth stage, his spirit becomes a "Slumbering Spirit". In other words, his spirit no longer continues to grow, which also hinders the normal development of his soul. Many of these children develop psychological and emotional disorders.  In ministering to these people, he used God’s timely Rhema words which are obtained through both the Bible and through his prophetic gift (including words of knowledge, and prophetic words) to awaken the spirit of those people, to tell them that God loves them.  Gradually, their hearts were healed through this process.

When I shared the above story with this man, my baby was still being bottle fed, so I continued to explain with the story of feeding my baby. The child would cry at night when she was hungry. My wife was exhausted from working all day, so I got up at night to feed my daughter. She could not speak and could only cry. Her complaining cry said that she was hungry. Faced with her need, we had two choices. One choice, at the expense of our convenience, was to feed her whenever she was hungry. The other choice was to ignore her. If she cries and no one responds, after a while she will not cry anymore. Why? Because she would find that crying does not work. I read an article that said that if you do this, the child will gradually get used to it, but her stomach will shrink and will not grow larger. The baby's stomach is already small, so it gets hungry after a few hours. When we feed her on time, not only will she get full, but her stomach also gradually expands. After a while, she will sleep through the night.

We normally don’t treat children like this. However, I heard that many children in orphanages often cried but were ignored, so they gradually stopped crying. They knew that crying did not work, so they stopped. However, their spirits would shrink and become the “slumbering spirit” mentioned earlier, and they would no longer believe that there is love in the world. When their spirits begin slumbering, some functions of their souls, especially emotions, will be distorted. Therefore, caring people often go to the orphanage to hug or touch these children, which awakens their spirits and helps them grow up relatively healthily. Modern science also proves that receiving frequent touch and hugs will make people feel warmer and more loving, another reason this practice helps these orphans to grow up better.

I once worked as a reporter and interviewed a murderer in the courtroom. After his parents divorced, he felt abandoned. He gradually went astray, and eventually became a murderer.  Many who commit homicides in the United States have no father or have received no love from their father, so they feel hatred for this world. These people have been hurt by the world and deserve our sympathy.

Going back to the issue of the wife's complaint that I mentioned earlier, I told that man that our wives’ grievances seemed to be somewhat trivial to us, but they are actually opportunities God gave us to live for and manifest Christ. Every time a wife complains, we have to come out of our own emotional injury. Do not focus on the quarrel itself but focus on examining your recent spiritual situation before the Lord. Ask yourself in the presence of the Lord, “Am I close enough to the Lord? Am I full of the Holy Spirit and the words of the Lord? Have I shared some of the Lord’s words or spiritual experiences in my life intentionally or inadvertently, and provided for my wife's spiritual life?” If after reflection, you find that your spiritual life doesn’t measure up, and you have not provided for your wife's spiritual life in this way, you need to make up for it. Only in this way can you fundamentally change your situation.

Joyce Meyer, a famous preacher in the United States, also shared an experience between her and her husband. She said that the Lord trained her through marriage. Sometimes she would get into arguments with her husband. She asked the Lord, “Why can’t my husband change?  Why require me to change every time?” She refused to obey at first, but then the Lord would discipline her through her marriage. She learned a lot in the process. 

Another preacher, Yvon Attia, shared a similar experience. She said that she was also struggling with these problems. But the Lord told her that she should forgive the other party first because his spiritual life was not as mature as hers and he was unable to forgive. In other words, in a Christian couple, one person's spiritual life is more mature, and the other’s spiritual life is relatively immature. People who are spiritually mature always have to forgive others first. It is because they have a deeper fellowship with the Lord, which makes them more capable of exercising this ability.

Both examples above are about women. We can see that it is not only the husband who can provide for the wife spiritually. If the wife is more spiritually mature, her husband is like the complaining child who is yearning for spiritual feeding.  The Jews who spoke Greek in this chapter are like the young children spiritually. Their complaint was not just because the widows had no food.  They also needed to be fed by the Lord's words and given spiritual care.

The apostles knew this truth well. Otherwise, they would just have arranged for someone who could cook to serve these widows. However, they chose Stephen and others, who could not only serve meals, but were also people full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (verse 3), full of faith and the Holy Spirit (verse 5), and the apostles also laid their hands on them to pray to pass on blessing and authority from God (verse 6). The apostles knew that the widow’s grievances were definitely not only about material things, but it was a signal that they needed to arrange for someone to serve the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to them.

As a result of that verse 7 says: "The Word of God has expanded, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem has greatly multiplied, and a large group of priests have obeyed this belief." In other words, the Word of God expanded there because of the apostle’s decision to put Stephen and others in charge who were full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, and faith who not only served the widows meals but also the Word of the Lord. These widows grew spiritually and their testimony affected other orphans and families, gradually expanding the influence of the Word even causing many priests to receive to the faith. Just as a stone thrown into the lake, causes a wave of ripples, when the apostles arranged for Stephen and others to provide the widow's meals and the Lord's words, it brought a series of positive results.

Conversely, if the apostles had ignored the grievances of the Greek-speaking Jews and their widows, it would be as if the babies I mentioned earlier were ignored. Their spirits would become shrunken and lethargic because they didn’t get enough care. Feelings of dissatisfaction and even betrayal could have arisen in their souls, which would have eventually hindered the spread of the gospel in Jerusalem.

This is not only the case of the family or the church we cited above, but also the truth of everything in this world. Paul said in Romans 8:19, “The creatio is eagerly expecting, eagerly waiting for the sons of God to be revealed.”  He meant that after Satan’s rebellion and the fall of man, everything was in bondage. God's salvation begins with man, who must be reborn as God's son and be glorified. When man finally receives the glory of the Son of God, all things, including plants and animals will be free from this bondage. They groaned with all creatures and suffered the pain of childbirth together until now because they hoped to be redeemed (Romans 8:22). Everything is groaning and struggling, and hoping that we will become the image of the Son of God soon, so that we can be liberated together. This is why the Lord Jesus said that the church is a city on a hill and a light in the darkness, and we cannot put its light under the bushel. When our church does not shine, when it is not like salt to the world, we cannot illuminate the world. All the while, the world is in darkness, and is looking up to see our light.

The problem in American society is that the church has lost its light to some extent. When society is full of problems, it is actually crying and complaining to the church, just like a baby crying or a wife complaining. If we listened to these grievances in the Spirit and translated them, they would say: "Why doesn’t the church shine and illuminate me? Why doesn’t the church feed me?" The darkness of society is only a manifestation of the darkness of the church.

 

We need to use the Lord's word to build up believers

The problem with the American church is the lack of feeding people with God’s word. You may not be convinced of this. You might say, "Aren’t there many pastors preaching and feeding people with the God’s Word?” This is true, but what we are missing is people like Stephen, Philip, Procurus, Nicanor, Timon, Pamenas and Nicholas from Antioch who converted to Judaism (verse 5)— people are who are full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom and faith. Even if every pastor was like this, it is not enough. We also need many believers like this. In this chapter, it is not only the apostles who are full of the Spirit, wisdom and faith, but many ordinary believers were as well. While we recognize Stephen and Philip’s names, who knows or remembers Procurus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas? They were also people full of the Spirit and wisdom as is mentioned clearly in verse 3. You see, the Lord Jesus did a great work of discipleship through these ordinary men!

Many churches still work in the outer courtyard, which is just taking care of the widows’ food. However, we must go further and be able to serve the believers God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. A dominant characteristic of American culture is superficiality and the fast-food culture. This culture also affects the spiritual atmosphere of the church. Many ordinary believers are not being edified and discipled, so the church cannot be built up strongly enough to withstand the attacks of the enemy. Although there was a time when American society claimed that 70-80% or even more of the population were Christians, it was still not enough to prevent American Christianity and society from degenerating or the attacks of anti-Christian agenda in this county. What a sad fact! How can the majority of people be defeated by the minority of unbelievers, if the statistics are true? The reason lies in the lack of spiritual edification or discipleship of believers. Many people with insight into American Christianity have already admitted this. Therefore, the fundamental way to reverse the decline of American Christianity lies in the discipleship of believers. The lack of discipleship makes the church look like it’s built on sand, unable to resist water, rain and wind (Matthew 7:24-27).

If the believers were better disciplined in God’s Word, it would transform the church and the society. We need what happened in this chapter—the Word of God expanded first, then the numbers of the disciples in Jerusalem greatly multiplied (verse 7).  It is not the other way around. We cannot seek for the numbers first, but should seek to expand the Word of God first. The Bible charges us to be filled with the Words of Christ in all wisdom (Colossians 3:16) but the reality is that many believers have never read through the entire Bible once in their lifetimes. If you read three chapters in the Old Testament and one chapter in the New Testament a day, you can read through the Bible once a year. I have been doing this for many years.

As your hunger for God’s word grows deeper, begin meditating on one verse each day. This will help bring the black and white of the written word into light and it will transform your life!

Do you agree? I personally think that God’s calling for me is to help to disciple believers, and make the church stronger. If this message blesses you, please help to share this word with a friend. 

Bible Study with Jairus - Acts 5

Bible Study with Jairus - Acts 5

 

Acts 5 begins with the story of Ananias and Sapphira lying to the Holy Spirit about the proceeds of the land sale. The Holy Spirit punished them severely for keeping some of the proceeds for themselves, while claiming they had given it all. Ananias and Sapphira’s sin doesn’t seem very serious, so why was the punishment so severe? Many modern-day Christians do not even tithe, let alone give the entire proceeds of a sale or business deal. So why doesn’t the Holy Spirit punish modern-day believers?

 

As we consider this question, let’s put aside the lens of punishment and fear for a moment. This lens can limit our understanding of this issue.  

 

Being closer to God is like being closer to the sun

 

First, we can understand this issue using the analogy of “light.” We often hear others say that God judges us not because of the sin and darkness that is in us, but rather for how much we reject the “light.” Before salvation, we lived in darkness and ignorance. The sins we committed before we came to Christ were committed in ignorance.

 

However, after we come to know Jesus, the “light of the world,” it is another matter altogether. God holds us accountable for rejecting the clear presence of the Holy Spirit. In vs. 15, we see that the Holy Spirit was powerfully working all around Ananias and Saphira. Even Peter’s shadow could heal people of their diseases! Despite all this, Ananias and Saphira still sinned blatantly against the Holy Spirit. Hence, it is only natural for them to be punished severely.

 

The closer you are to the sun, the more you are at risk of being burned. In the same way, the closer we are to God’s light and the Holy Spirit’s powerful working, the less our darkness is tolerated. However, if the Holy Spirit is not as active in the world, and an individual is farther away from God, the punishment will not be as harsh.

 

This does not mean that God excuses sin. God hates all sin. However, as we draw closer to God, God’s expectations for our holiness increase. As we serve God, we need to be holy. As mentioned previously in our study of Acts 4, the Holy Spirit was specifically at work during this time, choosing the apostles and working powerfully among the people. Despite this, Ananias deliberately lied to the Holy Spirit. For this reason, he was severely punished.

 

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the capacity of the vessel

 

Second, we can consider this topic using the concept of "capacity.” Humans are like vessels, or containers, that hold God’s power and glory. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is like a powerful current of electricity. Only the strongest of wires can handle such high voltage.

 

God wants to strengthen us so we can handle his “high voltage.” Peter and the other disciples had been prepared during Jesus’ three and a half years of ministry on earth. Without this preparation, they would not have been able to handle the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Modern-day Christians also need to undergo many trials and tests to prepare us to handle the weight of God’s powerful working. We need to grow our capacity.

 

Consider the analogy of a pressure cooker. Pressure cookers can withstand higher pressure than normal non-pressure cookers. If a regular pot is placed under high pressure, it will explode. Even a pressure cooker has a limit to the amount that it can withstand.

 

Similarly, each of us has a different capacity to withstand pressure. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:13 that he would not boast beyond limit, but would only boast about the area of influence God had assigned to him. We each have our own area of influence. We must not reach beyond the measure or capacity that God has assigned to us. Each of us has a limit to the amount of pressure we can take, but we are often greedy for more than we can handle. Then we are unable to manage this pressure.

 

So, to a certain extent, it was not God who killed Ananias, but rather Ananias’ own lack of capacity to cope with the pressures of such holiness. Jesus explained that when you put new wine in old wineskins, the wineskins will burst. On the one hand, the new wine caused the wineskins to burst; on the other hand, the old wineskin was unable to manage the pressures of the new wine. During the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Ananias tried to receive and contain God’s glory within his flesh. But since he was not a clean and pure vessel, he self-destructed, just like a normal pot disintegrates under high pressure.  

 

Ever since the ascension of Christ to heaven and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit has always been with us. If the Holy Spirit is present with us, why do we lack the manifestation and movement of the Holy Spirit within the Church? One reason could be the lack of capacity of our own vessels.

 

Jesus Christ molded and empowered the disciples as vessels for His use. This process of preparation is essential to prepare us (his vessels) to receive the Holy Spirit. It only takes a second for the Holy Spirit to fill you, but it takes more than 20 years to prepare a vessel.

 

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is like a heavy downpour, and we are the containers that are used to collect the rainwater. If we are not prepared to receive the Holy Spirit—in the areas of holiness, character, personality etc.--we are an ill-prepared vessel. When the rain comes, we are unable to manage the rainwater. Instead, we will leak.

 

In the Old Testament, Elisha performed the miracle of providing olive oil to the widow. Elishaa asked the widow to borrow vessels from her neighbors. When all the vessels were filled, there was no more oil. This is a wonderful image which illustrates that our vessel’s capacity limits the amount of oil we can receive (2 Kings 4:1-7). We need to ensure that we allow God to prepare us to be vessels for him, so that we can manage the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, we will run into trouble.

 

Many Christians desire revival but have not made themselves ready as vessels. For this reason, many spiritual revivals die a premature death due to lack of preparation of the vessels. God wants to grant us our desire. He wants to send a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But he wants us to be willing, prepared vessels. He is using the waiting time to prepare us as his vessels.

 

 

The process of obtaining God’s glory

 

The third lens through which we can approach this subject is the importance of God’s glory. Although Ananias and Sapphira’s sin may seem inconsequential, it was significant because it was an affront to God’s glory. The couple wanted access to God’s glory without sacrificing their money to God. This is a very serious matter. The couple sinned in the same way as Satan did: exalting themselves against God and wanting to steal his glory.

 

Jesus was different. He humbled Himself, never desiring to obtain glory for himself. He sacrificed himself because of God’s love, and in return he received glory and honor. If we want to receive God’s glory, we must take the path of self-sacrifice. If we desire glory without sacrificing our own interests, we will be punished. God will not share His glory with such people.  God punished Ananias as a warning to us. We must not attempt to steal God’s glory.

 

America experienced a healing revival in the 1950s, where God blessed many with the gift of healing. However, this revival ended prematurely. Many healers refused to train other assistants, hoarding the gift of healing for themselves. They wanted glory for themselves instead of giving the glory to God. Because they tried to steal God’s glory, God withdrew his presence and cut short the great revival.

 

God’s severe punishment of hypocrisy

 

Fourth, we must consider this question through the lens of hidden sin and hypocrisy. Hypocrisy must be exposed. Those who live double lives bring great harm to the church. Servants of God who sin morally while pretending to be godly cause great destruction. In the scripture, Jesus also points out the hypocritical pharisees, who seem morally flawless but have hidden sins. They may be able to deceive many people, but they cannot deceive God. God exposed them for all to see.

 

Some sins are obvious to all. Even non-Christians who abide by worldly moral standards will disapprove of these sins. These sins are condemned by the conscience and by the law. However, other sins are hidden in the heart. Only God, who sees the heart, can perceive these sins. Therefore, God alone can expose these sins. If Ananias had become an apostle without his hypocrisy being exposed, he might have brought great harm to the work of God. No one would have ever known about his sins.

 

Even today, God continues to expose hidden sins of church leaders and lay leaders. He does this so that the church can become a pure, holy community.

 

Where did Ananias’ wife go?

 

Acts 5:7 says, “after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.” Where was Ananias’ wife during those three hours? The Bible doesn't tell us, so we don’t know the answer to this question. However, my guess is that she went to settle the fortune, the money they had decided to keep. Due to the powerful presence and working of the Holy Spirit, everyone in the Christian community was sharing the money they had with the Christian community. But this couple wanted to keep half the money for their own use. 

 

Ananias and Sapphira both sinned. They fell into sin as a couple, just like Adam and Eve did. In Genesis, Eve was deceived, and Adam consciously chose to sin. Both husband and wife faced temptation at the same time. This story reminds us that Christian couples need to help and support each other. When one spouse is weak, the other spouse needs to be strong. If both are weak at the same time, it is a recipe for disaster. Many believers can attest to the value of mutual support. The husband can support the wife when she is weak, and vice versa.

 

If either Ananias or Sapphira had been spiritually strong, they would have been able to have avoided falling into sin. The strong one could have supported the weak one and keep them faithful to God. Unfortunately, both were weak and sinned at the same time, which led to this tragic outcome. 

 

Positive and Negative Examples

 

Often, when the Bible gives a positive example, it follows up with a negative example of the same concept. For instance, the positive example of Barnabas’ generosity is given in Acts 4. Barnabas ‘sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostle’s feet.’ Then in Acts 5, God gives a negative example about the lack of generosity: Ananias and his wife. The Bible often places a positive and negative example together to illustrate a point. The point God illustrates in this passage is that we need to sacrificially give to God, and not lie to Him.  

 

Your enemy could be God’s messenger

Because Peter preached about Jesus and performed signs and wonders, there were some who wanted to kill him and his fellow apostles (Acts 5:33). However, a pharisee named Gamaliel interfered. He said, “Keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” (Acts 5:38-39 ESV). Because of Gamaliel’s wisdom, a disaster was averted.

 

This story illustrates that the very people whom we view as enemies could be God’s angels in disguise. Even though Jesus had criticized the Pharisees, Gamaliel the Pharisee actually helped Peter and the apostles at this critical juncture. Some people whom we treat as enemies or do not consider as friends, could all be angels in disguise. God can make everything work together for the benefit of those who love God.

 

Here is an example to illustrate this point. There was a Taiwanese Christian couple who often performed charitable acts and took care of children with cancer. However, due to their status as celebrities, they were criticized by those who did not believe them. People began to spread rumors that the couple were profiting financially off of their acts of charity. This was completely untrue, and the couple felt deeply betrayed. However, because of the rumors, many people learned about their charitable work and donated to their cause. They gained a lot of publicity, which meant they received many more donations and were able to help many more children.

 

To be free from punishment and fear

 

Nobody knows if Ananias and his wife went to heaven or hell, as it is not recorded in the Bible. However, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:5 regarding Christians who have sinned, “you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” In the Old Testament, Aaron’s two sons and Uzzah were both killed by the Lord. What happened to Aaron’s sons, Uzzah, Ananias, and Sapphira after death? God is the one who judges; only He knows the answer to this question. According to Paul’s principle, there is a possibility that God struck them down to prevent them from committing a greater sin. Although their bodies died, their spirits may have been saved.

 

When we read the Bible, our understanding is often clouded by our own perception. Our perspective of fear and punishment makes us think that God is easily angered. We imagine he will punish us for every little mistake. Many Christians say that God is love, but are unable to truly grasp God’s love in their minds and hearts. Many Christians feel like God is intentionally punishing or hurting them, just like he punished Ananias. Even though Ananias’ story is an extreme example and many do not have the same experience in their lives, Christians can become fearful and expect God to punish them like he punished Ananias. Understanding God’s love helps us understand difficult stories, such as the story presented in this chapter.

 

We need to change our perspective about trials and difficulties. The hard times we go through were not created by God. God allows them to happen in order to increase our capacity and prepare us as vessels for His glory. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit lives inside us (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Holy Spirit wants us to exhibit the fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

 

At the same time, God’s discipline is real. Even though the killing of Ananias is an extreme example, we often encounter God’s discipline in our lives today. God disciplines us in order to put our flesh to death. He trains us for our own good. Galatians 5:17 states that, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” Our flesh often tempts us to indulge in greed, sinning against the Holy Spirit. However, God does not kill us. The killing of Ananias is an extreme example and should not be used to negate God’s love for us. God is love. His love is patient and kind (1 Corinthians 13:4). More often than not, God treats us with great kindness and patience, even when run away from Him. God loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). However, if we want to be united with God and partake of His love, we need to flee from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire (2 Peter 1:4).

 

God’s love and holiness are two sides of the same coin. God loves us, but He is also holy and just. Because God loves us, He sent His son to redeem us. On the other hand, God is also holy. If we want to draw close to Him, we need to live in holiness.

Bible Study with Jairus - Acts 4

Bible Study with Jairus - Acts 4

 

Acts 4 tells the story of Peter healing a lame man. For 40 years, the man had been begging for food at the temple gates with no hope of healing in sight. However, the lame man's faith and perseverance finally cured him. When Peter met him, he was healed instantly.

 

We can learn an important lesson from the lame man. In the process of seeking God, we should not be disappointed and depressed when healing takes a long time. We should not be deterred by the spirit of religion. Instead, we should be bold enough to pay the price and pursue all the promises of God by faith.

 

Why did it take 40 years for the lame man to receive healing?

 

While reading Acts 4, the Holy Spirit led me to dive deeper into the story of the lame man who was healed by Peter at the Beautiful Gate. Although the healing of the lame man has already been mentioned in Acts 3, this chapter records the impact of this incident. As a result of the healing, the priests, court officials, and Sadducees came to arrest Peter. They interrogated him, asking him by what ability and in whose name he was doing these miracles. Of course Peter told them it was in the name of Jesus that he could perform such miracles.

 

The chief priests would not even believe Jesus while he performed miracles on earth, and they were even less willing to pay attention to rowdy Peter. The chief priests tried to frighten Peter and the other disciples, telling them they were not allowed to preach in the name of Jesus anymore. However, Peter and the others didn’t listen.

 

Acts 4:22 says, “The man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.” A brother in our Bible study wondered if there was any special meaning to the man’s age. This question leads to the theme of our study today. We will look at this story from the perspective of the lame man who was healed.

 

The man had lived 40 years without cure. It took more than 40 years for him to be healed. This fact reminds me of other occurrences of the number 40 in the Bible. It is interesting that 40 often correlates with times of difficulty and trial. The Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness, and Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness. Both were times of trial. What about this lame man who had not been healed for 40 years? Was he also undergoing a type of trial?

 

Begging was not easy in Israel. Many beggars were people with disabilities, such as the two blind men in the book of Matthew. These beggars were begging for food when they heard that Jesus was coming. They immediately threw off their clothes and ran towards Jesus, shouting, “Son of David, save us.” They wanted to recover their sight. Some preachers believe that the clothes they left behind were not ordinary clothes, but clothes approved and distributed by the chief priests, elders, scribes and other leadership systems of Israel. The cloak confirmed that you were blind, giving you permission to beg. When the Israelites saw this cloak, they would give money to the poor and blind, as their legal code prescribed. Over time, the cloak had become a symbol. It was the approval they needed within the system in order to beg for food and receive relief from others. It gave them a certain degree of protection.

 

When the blind men threw off their cloaks, they were abandoning their former status and identity as blind people. Ignoring the criticism and hindrance of the disciples, they ran towards Jesus for healing. This is the modern-day equivalent of abandoning social security or disability insurance.

 

There was a price to pay for pursuing Jesus by faith. The chief priests, elders and scribes did not approve of those who believed in Jesus. The formerly blind man in the book of John was cast out of the synagogue for his faith in Jesus. The synagogue and the temple community were of great importance to the Jewish people, so this rejection cost him his relationship with family and community. The price of trusting Christ was high, but Bartimaeus and the other blind man ignored this. They abandoned the shackles and benefits of the system and trusted in Jesus alone. Naturally, they also received a generous reward.

 

I want to briefly mention the healing of Jairus’ daughter and the woman with the flow of blood. The woman with an issue of blood kept telling herself, “I can be healed by just touching Jesus’ clothes.” According to the law, this woman was unclean. If she went into crowds and contaminated others, she could be stoned. But she did not care. She risked her life to see Jesus, and in the end, Jesus praised her great faith.

 

Everyone who is healed in the Bible is outstanding in some way. Whether they had outstanding faith or persistence, they all are all amazing examples to us. God’s mercy and sovereignty extended to these ordinary people and made them great. We can extrapolate that the man at the Beautiful Gate was also an extraordinary person.

 

The Beautiful Gate was at the entrance of the temple. In Eastern cultures, a gate is a place of great importance. When I was in China, I witnessed two fruit vendors fighting over the premier spot at the gate. In China, if you set up a stall in a market or at the gate of a school to sell things, you will not be able to occupy the best spot unless you have special skills. Even if you are able to occupy the best spot, more clever and ruthless people will eventually drive you away.

 

With that in mind, let's imagine that it was a big accomplishment for this man to beg at the Beautiful Gate. We don’t know how many years he’d been begging there. It is likely that he had been begging there for quite a long time. It was not easy. We don’t know if he had friends in the system, a relationship with the high priest or his relatives, so that no one would drive him away. If he was someone in the system or someone who had benefited from the system, then there was a relational price to pay for accepting Peter's services. This man was far from ordinary because he was willing to pay the price.

 

The lame man must have been grateful he got to beg at such a premier spot. Maybe other blind men envied him, saying how fortunate he was to be able to beg at the Beautiful Gate. There, he was sheltered from wind and rain. The people who entered the temple to make sacrifices were not short on money. He had many advantages over those who begged out in the streets. However, this man was not satisfied and continued to seek more. His yearning for more shows that he was not an ordinary person.

 

Jesus must have been in and out of this same temple many times during his lifetime. Did Jesus encounter this same lame man while he was living on earth? If so, he did not heal him. Did this man feel disappointed and avoid coming here to continue begging? We know that inside his heart, he was longing to be healed. Although he didn’t even recognize it externally, we know that the man was seeking for healing by faith.

 

Why can we be so confident about his faith? We know that when Paul healed someone, the Bible specifically mentions that Paul saw that the person had faith to be healed. Before he released the healing, Paul evaluated the person’s faith. In other words, many in the Bible were healed because of their faith. They may not have known it, but the apostles saw their faith. We can imagine that this lame man was yearning for healing. Even after so many years, he persisted in begging at the Gate of Beautiful in hopes that one day, he would get healed. Even if he might have missed the healing from Jesus, he did not give up. His persistency shows that he was extraordinary.

 

God blesses the humble

 

If Jesus saw the lame man, why didn’t he heal him? We have no way to prove that Jesus really saw him or not, but if he did, we can draw on a general principle to formulate an answer to this question. When Jesus healed a blind man, he did it to display God’s miraculous deeds. In the same way, the disabled man in Acts must have been uniquely destined to display God’s awesome deeds through the apostles.

 

Peter was a fisherman from Galilee, and many people did not trust him. However, God wanted to perform signs and wonders through the apostles in order to show God’s power. Most people did not respect this rowdy Peter, but this lame man had no prejudice against him. In his spirit, he sensed that Peter could help him. His humility and discernment enabled him to hope that Peter could help him. This shows the extraordinary humility of the lame man.

 

In the church today, many people look down on a humble person being used by God. Because of pride, we cannot accept the help of someone who seems inferior to us. How many blessings have we missed because of our pride? As mentioned earlier, this lame man may have been from a noble or upper class, since he could get a spot to beg at a place like the Beautiful Gate. Even if he was from a rich family, he was willing to seek help from a poor fisherman like Peter. His humility shows that he was not an ordinary person. Many high priests, scribes, and palace guards were too prideful to accept Peter's or Jesus’s help. They scoffed, “What good could come out of Galilee?”

 

God often speaks through the humble person. God often speaks to us through people we look down on. If we have a proud spirit, we will miss God’s blessings because we will not hear what the Lord is saying to us.

 

The story behind the healing testimony

 

We usually read the Bible from a broad, traditional perspective. When we read this chapter, we see overarching themes such as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s power through Peter. However, there are subtler things that might be easy to miss. For example, just think about the rescue and redemption that this healing brought to the man and his family, who had suffered so much humiliation!

 

In my own life, our healing and miracle baby had a great impact on our unsaved family. My mother, who worshipped bodhisattva for many years, has noticed a difference in me since this miraculous baby was born. Before our baby’s birth, she said that my smile looked forced on photographs. Even though I was smiling, she could see the bitter sadness on my face. However, the photos now show an inner happiness which can't be concealed. My mother also agreed not to worship bodhisattva. “The God you believe in can perform miracles and wonders,” she exclaimed. Because of this miracle, she believed in the Lord and got baptized.

 

Another Christian brother shared his mother had been paralyzed and bedridden for five years. While listening to the preaching of the gospel, she stood up by faith. What an impact this event had on this young man, who was in middle school at the time. He was shocked! The power of the gospel is so great. This brother’s mother later came to America to visit her son, and I saw her with my own eyes.

 

I don’t deny that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Peter’s healing authority and power from God had an important impact on the healing of this lame man. However, the role of the individual cannot be ignored. For Peter, this was just an ordinary ministry day. But for those who were healed, it was a life-altering moment of salvation.

 

In my experience of seeking divine healing, I have encountered opposition and differences of opinion. Some people think that God no longer heals today. I told them we would rather believe but be disappointed than give up seeking. In the end, we chose to continue to seek God and finally received His healing touch. When I talk about this experience, I often say that if a person is not healed, he experiences 0% of God’s healing, and if he is healed, he is experiencing 100% of God’s healing. There is no in-between. In other words, you either got it or you didn't get it.

 

God shows no partiality to man

 

In conclusion, God is not partial to people. He has set a specific time and place to heal you. There are signs, wonders and blessings waiting for you. However, God hopes that through the process of waiting, you grow in humility and confidence, growing in your experiential knowledge of his love.

 

However, many people gave up halfway and don’t hold on till the end. Brothers and sisters, it’s not that God is unwilling to bless you, or that God is partial. It is because you did not continue on the road of blessing that God has set for you. We encourage those brothers and sisters who are still suffering to believe in God’s love. Continue to seek the miracles that you hope for with faith. You will surely receive them!

 

 

Why didn’t the church continue to hold all things in common?

 

The last paragraph of Acts 4 tells us that the disciples had everything in common. The text mentions that Barnabas sold a field that belonged to him, brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet (36-37). Why was Barnabas specifically mentioned here? I believe his action was part of the reason God chose him as an apostle. When Barnabas sold his field and placed it at the feet of the apostle, his action proved that he was true to God, and God was pleased. Later the Holy Spirit chose him to be an apostle, alongside Paul.

 

However, Ananias’ story turned out very differently. Ananias sold his property and only donated half of the proceeds. Because he claimed he had donated all of his earnings, he was killed by God. Perhaps this was a special time when God was choosing the apostles. Such a deliberate deception to God was severely punished by Him. We know that in the church today, many Christians don’t even tithe in the first place. They give far less than Ananias did. Yet God does not punish them as severely as he did Ananias. Perhaps Ananias longed for the status of an apostle and knew that God was in the process of choosing his servants. Because of Ananias’ lack of total consecration, he was severely punished by God. Such punishment may reflect God’s high standard for his chosen servants. It is not necessarily a general principle for the church.

 

Ananias could have become an apostle just like Barnabas. Although he yearned to do good works, he was not humble like Barnabas. Although he wanted to be an apostle, he refused to pay a similar price. As a result, he received a severe judgment instead of special status. This is a wake-up call for those of us who serve God today.

 

Have you ever wondered why we no longer share all things and hold all things in common? As was the case with Ananias’ death, this may also be a special case. After the church formed on the day of Pentecost, God intended the gospel to be spread forth from Jerusalem. Therefore, it was especially important for an apostle to be able to give himself entirely to the ministry. The apostles’ complete consecration was crucial so that the gospel could spread forth from Jerusalem for the very first time. Just like the first shell fired by a cannon needs to have adequate gunpowder, God needed the apostles to be completely consecrated so that the gospel could spread for the very first time.

 

Although the practice of holding all things in common has not been a continual practice of the church over the centuries, there are specific examples of this happening during times of great spiritual revival. George Mueller, the father of faith giving, established an orphanage by faith, which moved many people to donate money. One day, a poor old lady donated her life savings to him. She said, "I've saved all my life, hoping to buy a coat that I love. I'm going to save enough money soon. However God moved me to donate this money today.” Mueller replied, “Your money is too precious, you think about it again.” However, this old lady insisted on donating the money.

 

In the Plymouth Brethren movement led by John Nelson Darby, many members of the brotherhood were well-off. Following the example of John Nelson Darby, they donated their property and were willing to serve God in poverty. Darby himself came from a noble and rich family, but for the sake of the gospel and the holiness of the church, he was willing to give up his wealth. I don't mean that that every servant of God must become poor. But since many of the clergy of the Anglican Church at that time were unsaved and were greedy for the world, Darby offered himself as a shining example of poverty and holiness.

 

The Holy Spirit moves in different ways at different times, but he always calls us to holiness, purity, and joy in Him.

Bible Study With Jairus – Acts 2

 

Bible Study With Jairus – Acts 2

 

Acts 2 introduces us to some hotly debated topics: tongues, dreams, visions, and the infilling of the Spirit. Even though these topics are controversial among Christians, most Christians do not deny the historical events in this chapter. What Christians cannot agree upon is whether such experiences still occur today.

 

Let’s dive in and examine some important questions related to the birth of the church in Acts 2.

 

Why is the Holy Spirit like a tongue of fire?

 

When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in bodily form as a dove. Should we conclude that the Holy Spirit only takes the shape of a dove, or are there other forms that the Holy Spirit can take?

 

When the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples in Acts 2, he came in the form of tongues (Acts 2:1-4). In verse 3, God says that “divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one.” Did the Holy Spirit appear in the form of fire, or of tongues? The Bible clearly states that the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of tongues—tongues that seemed to be made of fire. We all know that Acts Chapter 2 details the infilling of the Holy Spirit, so we can conclude that the tongues were the Holy Spirit or the display of the Holy Spirit. 

 

Why the tongue shape? As the book of James mentions, the tongue is very difficult to control. James noted that the tongue is the most troublesome member of our bodies. It can praise God or curse men. Like the small rudder of a ship, the tiny tongue has great power to direct the course of our lives. Like putting a bit into a horse’s mouth to control it, we need to control our tongue (James 3:2-12).

 

So, what does it mean for the Holy Spirit to come down in the form of tongues? Perhaps the Holy Spirit is asking us to surrender to Him and let him control the most untamable part of the human body, the tongue. As we offer our tongues to him, we can then offer our entire bodies as living sacrifices to God. We can allow the Holy Spirit to speak in and through us, allowing our tongues to pray and speak for the glory of God.

 

The original intention of speaking in tongues made provision for the entire body, will, and tongue to be surrendered to God, an indication of a spiritual and mature Christian. However, tongues have been used by the evil one to cause arguments within the Christian body, so much so that the mentioning of tongues is viewed as a lack of Christian maturity.  

 

The understanding of the experiences in Acts 2 often differs across different Christian groups. We know that Satan often distorts the most important truths of the Bible. For example, Satan often lies to Christians about their identity in Christ, which is vital to spiritual growth. Similarly, tongues are an important tool of a mature Christian. Therefore, Satan actively attacks and distorts the truth regarding the use of tongues. As a result, some Christians believe that speaking in tongues is a sign of immaturity in the spiritual life.

 

How do tongues help Christians mature spiritually?

 

As you mature spiritually, the hardest area to surrender to God is your tongue. The Holy Spirit wants to use your tongue to utter prayers. When you surrender your tongue to God, God will use your tongue to build you up in your faith (Jude 1:20). God will use “groanings too deep for words” to intercede for you (Romans 8:26). He will use your tongue to build  you up personally (1 Cor 14:4) and to build up others when the tongues are interpreted. (1 Cor 14:26). When we use tongues appropriately, we benefit the body of Christ in many ways.

 

However, if we do not live surrendered lives, our tongues are useless. This does not indicate a problem with our tongues. Just like any spiritual issues in the churches, it is often not about the issue itself, but whether individual believers live in the flesh or in the spirit.

 

Hence, objecting to tongues for the sake of objecting is a fleshly response, just like speaking in tongues for the sake of speaking in tongues. To God, it is most important that we be truly surrendered and obedient to Him, whether or not we speak in tongues.

 

Tongues: Human languages, angelic languages, prayer languages and prophetic words

 

What exactly are tongues? Are they human languages or angelic languages? They are both. In this passage, we see that the tongues are human languages. Jews from different regions were bewildered by hearing the disciples speak in their own languages, and the Galileans were startled to hear believers speaking in their native language as well (Acts 2: 7-8).

 

Paul also mentions the language of angels (1 Cor 13:1). Paul says, “if I spoke in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” This verse is often used to undermine the use of tongues. However, the issue is not whether you speak in tongues, but whether you have demonstrated God’s love. Speaking in tongues without love is just as useless as not speaking in tongues without love.

 

Tongues are also a language of prayer (1 Cor 14:14). In this verse, Paul says, “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.” Paul also mentions that “one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God” (1 Cor 14:2), and “builds up himself” (1 Cor 14:4). Many view the “building up of self” negatively, especially when compared to “building up of the Church.” These believers feel that building yourself is not the priority. But in reality, we need to build ourselves up so that we can build a better church.

 

Jude 1:20 says that we need to build ourselves up in the most holy faith, and “pray in the Holy Spirit.” Many believers think that Paul’s reference to “praying in the Holy Spirit” is synonymous with “praying in tongues.” Previously, Paul used “pray in a tongue” and “pray in spirit” interchangeably (1 Cor 14:14-15). As we practice praying in tongues, we experience how tongues can build up our inner man. This practice will also increase our faith, and open doors to many gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 

At the same time, tongues are also a form of prophecy. Paul wrote in 1 Cor 14:26, “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” The tongues mentioned in this passage refer to prophetic messages. When messages spoken in tongues are not translated, others cannot understand the message. For this reason, Paul does not allow for believers to speak in tongues during gatherings. However, if the tongues can be translated, then he permits a few to speak in tongues. Paul wrote in 1 Cor 12:30, “Do all speak with tongues?” This verse is not saying that believers cannot use tongues to pray personally, but rather that not all believers are gifted by God to speak and interpret tongues as a form of prophecy. 

 

Many people lump the different types of tongues together and end up blindly objecting to the use of tongues, without even understanding the mysteries of tongues.

 

How should we perceive dreams and visions?

 

In Joel chapter 2, God foretold that in the end times, he would pour out his spirit on all flesh. People would prophesy, dream dreams and see visions. Though many Christians believe we are in the end times, few people actually see visions or have dreams. Those who do have prophetic dreams and visions usually interpret them subjectively. It’s important to gain a clear understanding of the Bible’s teaching on dreams and visions.  

 

The Bible is full of accounts of dreams and visions. Christians understand the dreams and visions differently. When the dreams are difficult to understand, such as Daniel’s dreams and John’s visions in Revelation, these differences of interpretation are even more pronounced. Many believers are even more skeptical about modern Christians’ dreams and visions. Skeptical believers point to past mistakes in the area of dreams and visions—mistakes which have caused harm and hurt to Christians. However, we cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater.

 

Does God still speak through dreams and visions today? The answer is a definitive yes. Despite the subjective nature of dreams and visions, and the possibility for misinterpretation, we cannot completely neglect, belittle or deny such experiences. If we do, we will miss out on important opportunities to encounter God and the Holy Spirit in a fresh way.

 

My personal encounter with dreams and visions

 

I have personally experienced a series of dreams that provided me with direction when I needed to make decisions. My natural mind interfered with my interpretation of these dreams and visions, but God provided guidance through more dreams and the moving of the Holy Spirit. In the end, I found the right path.

 

In 2015, after 10 years of infertility, the Holy Spirit guided me to seek help in the Charismatic movement. Through YouTube, I had learned about Randy Clark and his ministry work under Global Awakening. As I participated in a few sessions organized by Global Awakening, I heard about the “Christian Prophetic Certification Program” and “Christian Healing Certification program”. I longed for God’s healing and wanted to hear His voice, so I signed up for the two certification programs. They also organized the “Global School of Supernatural Ministry” that lasted for two years. In addition, Global Awakening shared that they were partnering with the United Theological Seminary to organize a Doctor of Ministry (Dmin) program.    

 

Through his “still small voice,” the Holy Spirit moved me to get this training. In addition, I received some prophetic words which confirmed my internal witness. Realizing that this idea was of God, I began the certification course so I could be equipped to serve him.  My plan was to complete the online courses for “Christian Prophetic Certification Program” and “Christian Healing Certification program”, before going full-time to the “Global School of Supernatural Ministry” for two years. After graduation, I would then join the United Theological Seminary to pursue the Dmin program.

 

In 2015 and 2017, I completed five semesters of the “Christian Prophetic Certification Program” and twelve semesters of the “Christian Healing Certification program” (4 semesters of supernatural healing, 4 semesters of inner healing, 4 semesters of deliverance ministries). At the beginning of the journey, we had not yet received miraculous healing or our miracle baby. However, during this process, I was continually seeking God’s words and healing. We were finally blessed with a miracle baby in 2017.

 

During my studies, I remember praying unceasingly to God. I told him that if He healed us and gave us a baby, I would be willing to give up my business and translation job to go full-time into the “Global School of Supernatural Ministry” and serve God full time. I prayed unceasingly for God’s healing. My wife also wished that God would give us a child, and she was willing to do whatever was needed, even allowing me to go into full-time ministry.

 

During the summer break of 2016, even though I had not completed both programs I was in, I wanted to quit my job and sign up for the “Global School of Supernatural Ministry”, while completing the other programs online. However, my wife did not agree. Since we did not yet have a child, my wife was unhappy and would not allow for me to go into full-time ministry to study.

 

One day, I felt extremely discouraged. During the moment of discouragement, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking: “One day, you will be seated in a classroom to study.” These words brought great comfort. I knew that God would allow me to undertake the theological education I had wished for, and that He would provide us with a child so that my wish to go to seminary could come to pass.

 

On July 18, 2016, I had a dream which reinforced my belief. In the dream, I took public transportation to the location of the Global Awakening classes. There were two stops. At the first stop, some people got off, but I did not. At the second stop, I got off. The female driver led me to a billboard that listed the names of some songs, such as “Crazily in Love with Jesus.” After that, a picture showed me that I would receive more of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

 

Besides this dream, during one of the online lessons, I heard the Holy Spirit speaking to me that when I had more time to serve, God would pour out His Holy Spirit on me. At that time, I saw a person being filled with the Holy Spirit during the laying on of hands. I wondered, “When will I be able to experience this?” The Holy Spirit spoke immediately, “When you are able to give more time.” I believed that God was leading me to quit and give up my translation business and go into full time ministry. However, because I did not yet have a child, all these goals could not be accomplished. I had the feeling that, once God gave us a miracle baby, doors would begin to open. If God gave us a child, I would quit and give up my translation business and go into full time ministry.

 

Sure enough, our miracle baby was born in February 2017. Besides feeling very happy about the birth of my child, I also believed that God would open doors for me to go into full-time ministry and studies. I planned to stay in Maryland and commute to Pennsylvania daily for school. While the trip took two hours, traffic was smooth and allowed for a daily commute. During the day, my mother-in-law would take care of the child, and I could take care of the child at night.

 

However, my wife did not agree. I prayed to God in confusion. I had thought I was following God’s will in making these arrangements. In addition, my wife had once promised God that if he gave us a child, she would agree to anything.

 

Additionally, I believed that the first bus stop where I did not get off in my dream represented the year 2016, and the second stop with an open door was 2017. Sure enough, the miracle baby was born in 2017. It seemed like an answered prayer.

 

However, my wife objected to the arrangement, questioning whether there was really a need to go to seminary full-time if I could do online courses. Furthermore, she emphasized that the school was setup for high school students. My wife was strongly opposed to my plans. As I prayed to God for guidance, I again had a dream.

 

In this dream, I was attending school in a classroom, and it seemed like class was over. However, I insisted on studying that particular topic, while the teacher wanted to change topics. I heard the teacher telling me not to be so stubborn. What he meant was for me not to insist on my viewpoint.

 

I felt like this dream was God telling me that He did not want me to attend Global School of Supernatural Ministry right now. My understanding of the second stop was wrong. A prophet spoke to me at a seminar, sharing that she felt that this was not God’s route for me, since family should be my top priority. She believed that leaving my wife and child to study at a school that was so far away was not a good arrangement.

 

For this reason, I had to continue with my online courses in the “Christian Prophetic Certification Program” and “Christian Healing Certification program”. Between 2017 and 2019, I also started on preliminary courses for the Dmin program at the United Theological Seminary, officially embarking on the Dmin program in 2019.

 

I faced many challenges during the DMin studies, and even wanted to give up. One day, I attended a seminar on prophetic teachings. I sat in front of a sister-in-Christ from Nigeria, who suddenly prophesied over me that she felt God wanted me to finish the Dmin program. She believed this program would lay a strong foundation for serving Him, opening many doors in my service to Him.

 

At the end, the different pieces of evidence showed that God was indeed pointing me to undertake a Dmin study. God showed me that the joint program between Global Awakening and United Theological Seminary was the second stop in my dreams, while the Global School of Supernatural Ministry was the missed first stop. Even though the dream was from God, I had a wrong interpretation of it. The Holy Spirit, through the internal witness, other dreams, prophecy and environmental factors, allowed me to understand God’s guidance. 

 

Due to my misunderstanding of God’s will, I was prepared to give up my translation business in order to go into full-time ministry. However, though many dreams, God led me to continue my translation business. In a dream, one of my earliest business clients spoke to me to continue my translation business, because clients trusted me. After that, I also received a prophecy saying that God wanted me to continue the translation business. It would not only provide for me financially, but also train me in leadership skills so that I would be able to manage bigger areas of service to the Lord in time to come. God’s goal for my business was not making me an entrepreneur, but teaching me basic business skills and organizational management capabilities. This dream and prophecy helped me understand God’s will. As a result, I continued my translation business so that I could continue to develop these skills.

 

This testimony shows that God speaks in many ways. He speaks through the Holy Spirit’s still small voice and the internal witness. In my case, God’s voice led me to get more education. However, my natural mind was a hindrance. I misinterpreted God’s guidance, thinking that God intended for me to give up everything so he could pour out His Spirit on me. When God answered our prayers for a child, I wanted to honor my side of the promise and give up everything. However, God used visions and prophecies, as well as environmental factors (my wife’s objection), to clarify his guidance. We can see that God uses many ways to speak to us and to help us understand His leading. Dreams and prophecies helped me understand God’s guidance, and even though I misunderstood the dreams at first, God used more dreams, prophecies and environmental factors to help me understand His intentions.

 

 

Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved

 

Acts 2:14-21 talks about Joel’s prophecy, placing special emphasis on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all flesh. When the Holy Spirit was poured out, “sons and daughters shall prophesy”, “young men shall see visions” and “old men shall dream dreams” (verse 17). God says, “even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” (vs. 18)

 

And that’s not all. Verse 21 says, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Revelations 19:10 says, “for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.” The essence of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Paul added that the purpose of prophesy was to “speak to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.” Since dreams, visions and prophecies are tools God uses to encourage, console, and build us up, we should not blindly reject them. Instead, we should learn how to use them appropriately.

 

Recognize the Risen Christ and Peter’s work

 

In Acts 2:22-47, Peter preaches about the risen Christ. At one time, Peter had failed to recognize the risen Christ. But in this passage, he speaks about the risen Christ and brings thousands of people to salvation. To be able to do the work God has called us to, we need to experience the real and risen Christ. This chapter describes the beginning of Peter’s beginning of apostleship. Later in Acts, Paul appears on the scene. The work of Peter and Paul are two main themes of the book of Acts, which we will discuss in detail in later passages.

 

To recap, we have learned about the importance of tongues, dreams and visions. A correct understanding of these truths is an important foundation to accurately interpreting the book of Acts. May the Lord open our spiritual eyes so that we don’t blindly object to these spiritual matters. Instead, may we humbly learn about them and use them as tools to bless others and accomplish God’s work.

 

Translated 7/7/2021

 

 

Bible Study with Jairus - Acts 1

Bible Study with Jairus - Acts 1

 

Different perspectives lead to different understandings

 

A fellow Christian once asked me how believers are able to effectively understand and interpret the teachings and lessons from the book of Acts. He wanted to know how believers from different churches and denominations can come to a similar conclusion as they read the text. My response was that we need to always look at things from a balanced perspective. Though the Bible is a book written in black and white, we cannot only focus on wordings while ignoring personal spiritual experiences and spiritual encounters. We also cannot ignore the importance of understanding the resurrected Jesus.

 

As believers, we must be mindful as we read the Bible, specifically, as we read the book of Acts.  Due to the variety of denominations and beliefs, controversial issues such as: how we see God's miracles, the angels, the resurrected Jesus and his manifestation, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, how we regard seen and unseen things, and how we balance Bible knowledge and spiritual experience can be very divisive amongst believers. Different perspectives result in different interpretations of the events in the book Acts and will lead readers to have different spiritual experiences.

 

Lack of spiritual understanding of the Word of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit in their works or ministries will cause believers if not careful, to end up just like the Pharisees who follow the law strictly because they have biblical knowledge of the scriptures without experience. Legalism can spiritually weaken the church over time. However, placing too much emphasis on spiritual experiences such as dreams, visions and encounters with angels without a focus on studying the Word, can lead believers to the opposite extreme of superstition. These are some of the dangers that those who seek only spiritual gifts in some Charismatic churches will face. These believers are spiritually immature, often lack a solid foundation in the Word of God and growth in the life of God. They are easily swayed by the wind of doctrines. One's pursuit of a deeper relationship with Jesus will flourish by having a balance of the above.

 

In our Bible study meetings, I have shared with fellow believers, some of my personal experiences including multiple encounters with Jesus Christ, and seeing with the activities of angels in prophetic dreams. I think these experiences have helped me gain a better understanding of the Bible, and also have given me more insights into what is happening in the spiritual realm. These encounters have also enabled me to receive assistance and breakthroughs that I would not have received from the traditional Evangelical church that I came from. I also mentioned that some Charismatic churches go too far in their pursuit of this experience, which has led to not only superstition, but the followers experiencing slow growth in their spiritual lives. My conclusion is that while it is a remarkable blessing to have visions or dreams; to experience seeing angels, or miracles, we should not become preoccupied with them. We need to focus on being saved from both eternal perdition and the constant worries of our lives. We must seek Christ first and foremost for it is only those who call on the name of the Lord who shall be saved.

 

How to view the things seen and unseen

Acts 1 tells of the selection of an apostle to replace Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. The eleven disciples suggested two men, one named Joseph and the other Barsabbas (also called Justus and Matthias). Matthias was chosen through casting lots (Acts 1:15-26). Because there is no detailed introduction to these two men in the Bible, we don't know much about them. Readers will no doubt be curious to know why Matthias was chosen and whether this was random or the result of casting lots.

 

Nothing happens by chance with God. In the above case, this also holds true. The Lord knows everyone’s hearts (Acts 1:24). God has complete control over everything. Jesus Christ while on earth said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father," (Matthew 10:29). Based on evidence from human history, everything is under God's control. Unfortunately, we do not always have this kind of perspective and recognition based on our own experiences. We choose to view things through our lens instead of through the Lord's. To have the Lord's perspective, we must be able to see the unseen.

 

With the knowledge of God's omnipotence, we can conclude that He chose Matthias.  Matthias would have been chosen no matter whether the people cast their lots or not. I can speculate jokingly that perhaps an angel was there to ensure that Matthias was chosen based on God's plan. We cannot see the activities of angels unless we are gifted in seeing the spiritual realm. Angels truly exist in the spiritual world. They exist, regardless of us seeing them or their activities. Of course, our spiritual eyes must first be open to seeing these angels. This vision is one function of the prophetic giftings.

 

I heard someone once say, "If you truly know God, you will see God's burning flames after every thorn bush." If you do not know God, even if you see the burning thorn bush, it is only a thorn bush for you. To know God and His works, we must learn to see the unseen with our spiritual eyes. The records in the Bible are not just words in black and white; they are actual events that happened in both the physical world and the spiritual world. We often have more understanding of what is happening in the natural world than the spiritual world. This sometimes makes it feel difficult to connect the dots. That is why, to truly comprehend the meanings of the Bible, we must first understand what has occurred in the spiritual world.

 

 

 

The Chinese enjoy eating sea cucumber. Sea cucumbers are considered to be a high-class food with high nutritional value. Dried sea cucumber, which we usually purchase at Costco, is extremely hard, almost as hard as rock. This should not be eaten right away. Preparation of this includes softening them in water for a few days before they are cooked. Sadly, many people read the Bible as if it were dried sea cucumber. They are aware of its nutritional value but are unable to chew and digest it. This is why we need the help from the Holy Spirit, just as water softens dried sea cucumber. The spiritual water softens the words of the Bible so that readers can properly digest and understand them. The Bible teachers used by the Holy Spirit to interpret the Bible must do the same thing. A good teacher will spend a few hours explaining just a few sentences in the Bible using various quotes and examples. His purpose is to rightly handle the word of truth or make the Word more digestible to the listeners (2Tim 2:15).

 

We must diligently pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten us and help us understand the meaning of the Bible and know what is happening in the spiritual realm. This procedure is similar to the previous paragraph's discussion of soaking dried sea cucumber in water. We are not to change God's words, but with the enrichment of the Holy Spirit's water ingest them.

 

How we perceive angels

Our natural eyes cannot always see God or angels, but God and angels do exist. Many Christians in traditional churches do not deny the existence of God and angels, but they ignore the existence of angels and never discuss them. Some Charismatic churches often discuss angels, while Christians from traditional churches respond by saying, "we cannot worship angels" (Rev 19:12) and never revisit this issue. I received salvation from a traditional Evangelical church that rarely mentioned angels when I was there. Although we acknowledged angels in the Bible, we didn’t discuss or see angels in modern church activities.

 

In contrast, angels and their work, are always discussed in churches where the prophetic gifts are available and readily manifested. Prophets who have received the gift to see into the spiritual realm are often known as Seers. They can see spiritual things and activities, such as God and angels. That is why Seers are always willing to share what they see regarding any angel encounters. An American prophetess Kat Kerr who is a Seer once explained that the Bible tells us not to worship angels, but gives no command to avoid communication with them (Rev 19:10).  She went on to say that she saw in the spirit, that God sent many angels to work with various people. Unfortunately, they did not know how to release God's words in asking the angels for help, so the angels were left with nothing to do. 

 

I am not suggesting that believers can give angels orders. I do, however, want to propose that angels do respond to the words of God declared by us to cooperate with us. If Kat Kerr is indeed correct, it behooves us to think about it. Why not enlist the assistance and cooperation of angels in our spiritual battles and our service to God? We are all fellow servants of Christ, and so we can serve God together. Angels, on the other hand, are ministering spirits sent out by God to serve those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14).

 

I have never seen angels with my natural eyes, nor have I ever seen angels in a vision during the day. However, in 2017 I attended a special meeting held by a Jewish Christian Church near my home. While there, a woman approached me and prophesied that God would bless me with prophetic gifts which would allow me to see angels and understand other people's tongues. This would be given to me to know what God is speaking through people when I visit other churches to minister. Not long after that event, I began to see angels' activities in my dreams regularly. For example, I saw a huge angel, using an extremely long stick swaying from the sky to the earth to stir, and then I saw waves of the sea, buildings collapsing, and people fleeing. I heard a voice from the spirit say that this stirring was to shake people's hearts and cause them to repent. I still await the second part of that prophesy to interpret the tongues of others.

 

Angels and their activities play a crucial role in the Bible. We must understand that while we do not worship angels, it is permissible and acceptable to admit our need to understand their activities, and even cooperate with them in serving God. We do not need, however, to place too much emphasis on them. It is exciting to be able to see angels and their activities. People in the Charismatic churches often tell stories about angels appearing and dropping feathers in their gatherings. Perhaps, this story is true, but putting too much emphasis on it is not good. I once attended a Charismatic conference where I met a participant who showed me a feather without speaking a word. I surmise he wanted me to see that the feather was from an angel. My thought though, was that the feather came from someone’s coat. With this experience, it is obvious that this kind of attitude towards angels does exist in some churches.

 

How to perceive the Holy Spirit and baptism of the Holy Spirit

How believers perceive the Holy Spirit and baptism of the Holy Spirit is very diverse as well. On the surface, the disciples appear to work for God, but in reality, it is the Holy Spirit who works for God through His disciples. The Book of Acts could easily be renamed, "Acts of the Holy Spirit." Before Jesus’ crucifiction, He commanded the disciples not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father. He also promised that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4).

 

The Holy Spirit is a promise from the Father. Jesus is the one who will baptize us in the Holy Spirit through the Father (John 14:26). Many Christians from traditional churches often quote the following two scriptures to criticize those who teach about the working of the Holy Spirit. John 15:26 says: The Spirit of truth will bear witness with Him. John 15:13-14 says: and declare what He has heard from Christ, and glorify Christ. These Christians ignore the different stages of work by the Holy Spirit, the Father, and Jesus Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit is an essential part of God's work on the earth today. Let me explain more in detail.

 

In the Old Testament, God the Father chose the Jews and prepared them to receive His Son who became a blessing to many nations (Gal 3:14). Satan's main role in the Old Testament was to persecute and corrupt the Jews to prevent Jesus’ birth which would ultimately lead to His victorious death on the cross.  Satan’s role during this timewas to prevent Jesus' work of salvation. The Holy Spirit was poured out on believers after Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven. The Holy Spirit's main role was to establish the church so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27). God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit are represented by Abraham, Isaac, and the old servant. The old servant's task was to find a wife for Abraham's son, Isaac, as directed by Abraham. Similarly, God has given the Holy Spirit the task of finding a wife for His Son. That is why Satan is so hostile to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit's work in the New Testament church.

 

In three ways, Satan resisted the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To begin, Satan used the world to oppose the Father. The Apostle John said, "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1John 2:15). To begin, Satan used the world to oppose God the Father. Satan uses the world's temptations, busyness, and sin to entice and occupy many Christians, rendering them incapable of loving God the Father. Second, Satan worked hard to oppose Jesus' works. 1 John 3:8, says, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." This reflected Jesus is to abolish the devil's works. Third, Satan made a concerted effort to use our flesh to oppose the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:17 says, "For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do." God's work of choosing and planning is complete, and Jesus Christ's work of salvation is complete as well. The Holy Spirit must demonstrate this completed work in each follower. Satan can resist the work of the Holy Spirit by using lies and our flesh.

 

Satan spreads lies among Christians through whatever means he can. One lie, in particular, is that if we proclaim the Holy Spirit’s work, we will be exalting Him above Christ. That is Satan's misinterpretation of the Bible. A Chinese Christian accused me of preaching the Holy Spirit while belittling Christ. The work of the Holy Spirit, I replied, is to exalt and glorify Christ. If you oppose my preaching of the Holy Spirit and do not accept the works of the Holy Spirit, you are opposing the Holy Spirit exalting and glorifying Christ within you. The Holy Spirit will never exalt Himself. The goal of preaching the work of the Holy Spirit is not to exalt and glorify Him above Christ, but to exalt the Holy Spirit so that the He can exalt Christ within us.

 

Even though the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each focus on different stages of the work, they are all working together. When we compare the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to a kite, they look like an upside-down kite. The Holy Spirit is the kite in the sky; the Son is the string that keeps the kite flying, and the Father is the man who holds the kite. Jesus said, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). Such a picture regarding the tree and wind is depicted in Jesus's word above. This picture also applies to my illustration of a kite. Jesus Christ is behind the Holy Spirit, and God the Father is behind Jesus Christ. They are one. We should see the kite, the string, and the man holding the string.

 

We must be regenerated in the Holy Spirit and receive the Holy Spirit as our life (John 20:22). Many Christians do not object to this viewpoint, however they object that we must also be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5). This latter experience allows us to gain a better understanding of those unseen things, as well as receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is not an experience that Christians usually gain when we are baptized in water. Rather, it is a second experience. Satan attempts to keep us from knowing this truth in the modern church while also triggering conflicts between those who accept and those who reject it. Christians, as a result of this divisiveness, are unable to become one.

 

One of the main reasons for church splits today, is whether or not to accept the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. We must be aware of Satan's tricks and strategies, as he seeks to divide our beliefs in seeking and accepting the baptism of the Holy Spirit along with speaking in tongues. By being keenly aware of this, we can help to bring churches together while receiving power from the Holy Spirit.

 

The Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit are the key aspects of the book of Acts. If you do not know the Holy Spirit and refuse to accept baptism in the Holy Spirit, you may have a hard time understanding and comprehending God's words in Acts. At the very least, your perspectives will vary from those who have received the baptism of the Holy Spirt and had their spiritual gifts activated.

 

How to understand the resurrected Christ

The topic in Acts1-8 is about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the resurrection of Christ is in Acts 9-11. Many times the resurrected Christ appeared in front of disciples, but they seldom recognized Him. For example, Jesus walked with the disciples to Emmaus, but they did not recognize Him. After Jesus Christ was crucified and died, Peter and the other disciples went fishing. Jesus appeared to them, but they did not recognize Him either. Jesus stood on the shore, yet the disciples did not know that it was Him (John 21:4). When the resurrected Christ appears to us, He often changes His appearance, and often, we do not recognize Him. In saying this, Jesus may have appeared to you many times but because your eyes were not open, you did not recognize Him. Jesus is often hiding. He often hides among people and things. To see the resurrected Christ, our spiritual eyes must be open.

 

Jesus often appears to me in prophetic dreams, however, I find that I may not notice or recognize him. In my prophetic dreams, an elderly Chinese lady always appears to me. I was unaware she was a disguise for God in the beginning. Eventually, on the last day of 2017, she came to visit me and led me to heaven in a prophetic dream. I was initially hesitant to follow her because I was concerned about who she was. Finally, she overcame me with her power to take me to heaven, where she later transformed into the image of Jesus. I realized at that point that she was Jesus in disguise in my previous prophetic dreams. I recalled the details of my other prophetic dreams with her presence and started to pay attention to subsequent encounters realizing they were from God. Also, after these kinds of experiences, I have a better understanding of how to tell the difference between God's manifestation and the fake ones from the evil spirits. This helps me know what is from God and what is not.

 

Christ often hides in a variety of people, things, and environments, requiring us to open our eyes to recognize Him. He may speak to you through various people or environments, but you may not recognize His voice. He may appear to you many times, but you may not recognize Him. We must learn to recognize the resurrected Christ to understand the Bible better as well. Our main goal as we read the book of Acts is to be able to recognize Jesus Christ in all situations.

 

How to look at miracles and visions and dreams

Miracles play an important role in the Bible. We must bear in mind that miracles still happen today, and God still uses visions and dreams to communicate with His children. Given that one-third of the contents of the Bible is about visions and dreams, we must never rule them out; though we must carefully examine them in all circumstances. Our different perspectives and understandings on miracles, visions, and dreams will lead to different interpretations of Acts as well.

 

How to strike a balance between knowledge and spiritual experience

The Chinese proverb "It is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books" can also be applied to our Bible reading habits, especially when it comes to the book of Acts. This Chinese proverb is trying to say we need more hands-on experiences than head knowledge.  To me though, both reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles are valuable for a person to better understand the world. The implication is that we must have biblical knowledge while also having a spiritual experience. I was a member of the Evangelical church from the time I received salvation in 2002 until 2015. I rarely had visions and dreams. I was unaware of the prophetic gifts still available today and had not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. As a result my experience of seeing things in the spiritual realm was limited.

 

 

In 2015, I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and began to have dreams and visions. My prophetic gifts were activated from the Holy Spirit after the baptism of the Holy Spirit and I began to see into the spiritual realms. Many times in my prophetic dreams, I was taken to the third heaven to see heavenly activities or sometimes the second heaven to experience some spiritual battles. I was able to see some of the activities of God and the angels as well as activities of the demonic forces.

 

These encounters have helped me break free from the constraints of my thinking and gain a deeper understanding of the Bible through spiritual eyes. It also made me aware that spiritual warfare exists. My previous experience in the Evangelical church helped to establish solid Biblical knowledge which helped me not to get too caught up in being deceived or sidetracked. These spiritual experiences allowed my limited thinking to be opened as I gained a better understanding of the Bible and knew how to apply it in my life. The Bible knowledge and our personal spiritual experiences are two sides of the same coin. They are identical to our two feet. To walk further, we must strike a balance between the two.

 

An important verse in the book of Acts is "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). We must recognize miracles, dreams and visions, angels, and things in the spiritual realm; but we should always keep our focus on God and the salvation we have received in Jesus Christ. We must endeavor to be saved from eternal perdition, as well as from various temptations and snares of the world. By calling on the name of God, we will be saved from both the eternal perdition and anxiety of the world today. We need to continue to call on the name of the Lord after we have been saved, and we will experience various types of deliverance and salvation from anxiety, worries, and any other pains of life. The book of Acts is about the Holy Spirit and how we can be saved, and do great works for God through the power of the Holy Spirit. When we call upon the name of God, the Holy Spirit will work in our hearts to save us from going to hell and deliver us from evil and He will also empower us to do great things for God.

 

Bible Study with Jairus – Leviticus 12

Bible Study with Jairus – Leviticus 12

Leviticus 12 is a short but intriguing chapter. In this discussion, we will focus on the specific laws, which may seem strange to us today.  This chapter describes how when a woman gives birth to a son, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days and must stay at home for 33 days, but when she gives birth to a daughter, she will be ceremonially unclean for two weeks and she must stay at home for 66 days. This discussion will focus on that law and the reason for the differences.  (Leviticus 12:1-5). Why does it take twice as long for the woman to be unclean when giving birth to a daughter?

Does the Bible discriminate against women? It may sound this way to the modern ear, but when we take a closer look and understand the culture of the time, we realize that this is not a discrimination against women. When a woman gives birth to a boy, she will be ceremonially unclean for 7 days, but on the 8th day the boy is to be circumcised (NIV, Leviticus 12:3).  This represents that the flesh is being dealt with. But the girl will not be circumcised, so it took twice as long being unclean, which means that it would take longer to experience spiritual cleansing and become spiritually mature. Boys also represent a strong part of the people of God; they are willing to accept being circumcised by God, which represents dealing of the cross and becoming a strong people of God. Girls represent a weak part of the people of God. They may not have experienced circumcision and the cross, so they need double grace and additional time to being perfected by God before they could become clean and mature.

This does not mean that girls are inferior to boys.  David established a principle that those who went out to the battle and those who stayed with the supplies would both share the spoils. It is not only those who go to battle who benefit from their victory. Those who stayed home also benefited. This reveals that God will raise men, God's strong people to achieve victory in battles. But with regards to God's weaker people, He will also look after them. This is what the Bible means when it says that He will treat the parts that are unpresentable with abundant and complementary love and grace.

Spiritually, each of us is like a woman.  We are all Mary. Our spirits are all spiritual wombs, in which the seeds of God's immortal words are sown, and the life of Christ is born in us. But not every pregnant woman’s child can be born easily. There are abortions and premature death.   The same is true spiritually. Although some people may hear the gospel, they are not always reborn. There are also others that have been reborn and saved, but are not free from sin and weakness, and have not lived a victorious life; while still others are free from sin, but have not achieved spiritual maturity. Every Christian can achieve spiritual maturity, which is what the man child represents. But many people have not reached spiritual maturity by the end of their journey on earth, so they still need to continue learning in heaven.

On the individual side, the man child represents the maturity of our spiritual life as Christians. But this maturity does not come automatically. It comes at a price. Here, circumcision represents the price we have to pay. Only when we die to ourselves and the world can we reach spiritual maturity. Circumcision is a physical way to give a part of yourself.  It symbolizes sacrifice.

The woman can also represent the church. As a woman, the church collectively is predestined to bear a man child. There is a woman in Revelation 12 that may be a representation of the church. The man child born later may be a representation of God's strong people, because this man child will rule all the nations with an iron scepter, and was snatched up to God and to his throne (NIV, Revelation 12:5). The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days (NIV, Revelation 12:6).

I don't know if you agree with the statement of the woman representing the church and the man child representing the victor, but that was the teaching I received in the Local Church Movement. I remember when I was attending meetings at a church in Baltimore, I was often tended in love by a brother and his wife. When my wife and I were infertile and seeking medical treatment, he often helped us through acupuncture, hoping to help us. While doing acupuncture, he also shared some spiritual provisions in order to comfort us. He told us that the first time he heard the explanation of Witness Lee, the leader of the Local Church Movement, about the woman and the man child, he was very encouraged.

This brother described Witness Lee's teaching as follows: Most churches are like women, and the few victors are each a man child. Without a woman, there would not be a man child. Therefore, among the churches, even families and couples, there are people who seem to be the women, nurturing and perfecting man childs; while others are man childs who accept perfection and who reach maturity in the end. Even in a family, unbelievers persecute those who believe, and those who turn away persecute those who love the Lord more. God often arranges an environment in churches and houses to allow us to experience the lessons of the cross. Some people, like Joseph's brothers, were used by God to perfect Joseph. Joseph's brothers were like the women here. They played the role of nurturing and perfecting Joseph. Some people are like Joseph. They are in a position of being persecuted, but in the end they are perfected and have become victorious. Most people in the church are like women, but the few victors are the man childs. Most people, God will use to perfect and mold others. Some, however, God will bring to perfection.

This brother told me that when he heard this teaching, he sighed, and said that he was determined not to just be a person whom God used to perfect others, someone who will learn how to bear the cross and become a spiritually mature person. He said that he hoped to experience the death on the cross to let the life of Christ be fully mature in him.

His words had a great influence on me. God had used my marriage and the difficulties of my wife’s ten years of infertility to give me a lot of trials and training. Many times, I have to die to myself again and again, but I am not willing to die. Sometimes, I asked the Lord, “Why do I have to give in, admit my mistakes and change every time? Why don't you change my wife?” I prayed to the Lord many times. The inspiration that the Lord gave me is like when Peter was asking the Lord Jesus about John. "What about him?” And the Lord's answer to him was "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” (NIV, John 21:21-22).

The Lord told me that He wants me to learn the lesson of obedience through this environment. I was unable to obey in the beginning. I could only kneel down and pray before the Lord, asking Him to help me. At that time, Satan often spoke to me, provoking me to quarrel with my wife through the flesh. I experienced a deep internal battle. God overwhelmed me through the situation of marriage and infertility. Deep inside, I refused to be obedient, so I was in a lot of pain. During our ten years of infertility, in addition to being used by God to build my faith in Him, He also used it to deal with my flesh, allowing me to experience death on the cross.

After a long process, with countless prayers and tears, I finally gradually moved towards being obedient to God. I am also grateful for the marriage God had arranged for me. I sincerely realized that all the difficulties I experienced were tailored to me by God, and my wife was just a tool in God's hands. After I had fully obeyed God from my heart through all the situations that He arranged for me, I sincerely thanked my wife and everyone around me.  I then experienced a breakthrough in my spiritual life. I am not saying that I have won all my spiritual battles. However, I did experience a great breakthrough.

In 2016, after ten years of marriage, I experienced a miraculous healing from God - He gave us a miraculous baby. Before and after this, the Lord appeared to me many times. Once, he appeared to me in a dream as an eagle with multicolored wings covering almost the entire sky. He told me how the great eagle is perfecting the little eagle.  He will also train me personally. On the last day of 2017, I was even taken up to heaven in a dream. The Lord Jesus personally said to me that if I would be obedient, He would greatly use me. There are still many problems in me that God needs to continue to deal with, but I did experience a spiritual breakthrough.

Looking back at this difficult process, I know that it is very difficult for us to give birth to a child whether physically or spiritually. Many people long for spiritual maturity, but not everyone is willing to pay the price. I rarely talk about this experience. I remember that Watchman Nee had said that an apple tree does not need to tell how deep its roots are, as long as it bears a lot of fruit, others will know how deep its roots are. Similarly, a spiritual person does not need to talk about how he experienced the cross. As long as he lives the abundance of life and bears rich fruits, others will know how deep he has been dealt with by the cross.

It is also okay if I choose not to obey. I have my own free will. But then, God's calling for me will be hindered. I remember hearing the testimony of Kathryn Kuhlman, a healing evangelist. She said that when God gave her the healing anointing, He told her that she was not His first choice. Before that, God tried to give this anointing to another man, but that person refused to obey, so God did not give him this anointing. Therefore, as an individual Christian, many people may not be able to give birth to this child. This child may be salvation, or spiritual maturity, or it may be a ministry entrusted to us by God, or obedience to God so that God can use us. Many times, obeying the Lord is a difficult task. I know when I obeyed, I was able to receive from God and grow and mature.

Genesis 3 records that the descendants of the woman would crush the serpent's head, and that women have to suffer through the pain of childbearing. Paul said, “Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” (NIV, 1Timothy 2:14-15). Christians have many different views with regards to the meaning of “women will be saved through childbearing”. My personal view is that not only can women be saved because they have suffered, but that they can always have children through childbearing, and they may become the woman who bears the “descendant of the woman”. For example, God only promised that Eve's descendants would crush the serpent’s head, but did not promise when this will happen. The descendants of the woman may refer to Christ, because He crushed the serpent's head on the cross. Before the coming of Jesus Christ, every time a man child was born, it may have been Christ. Although Christ was destined to be born in Bethlehem as a Lion of the tribe of Judah, this was revealed later. So perhaps when Eve gave birth to Cain, she might have thought that he was a descendant of that woman. Cain means "get". After giving birth to Cain, Eve said "Jehovah, I have brought forth a man." (NIV, Genesis 4:1). From the meaning of the name and Eve’s words, we can guess that Eve might have thought that Cain was the "descendant of the women" that Jehovah promised. Unfortunately, this was not the case. But this does not mean that the hope brought by each birth of a boy is not true. This hope is true. Christ has already come in the flesh.

The descendants of this woman can also be a victorious man child, as shown in in Revelation 12 because they represent God’s judgment of fallen angels. Revelation 12 recorded that after the man child was brought to God, war had broken out in heaven as recorded in verses 7-9. In the end, the devil and his angels were hurled to the earth. In addition to our hope of the return of the Lord Jesus, the birth of this man child is also the hope of the church.

The most important thing for each of us as Christians is to be spiritually mature on earth and give birth to the man child in ourselves. Unfortunately, many people did not give birth to this spiritual maturity. I often listen to Rick Joyner’s preaching, a prophet in the United States. He often mentioned in his message that the prevalence of abortion in the United States is a natural manifestation of spiritual abortion in the church. Many Christians have buried the calls and gifts that God has given them, and have aborted all the “spiritual children or dreams” that God has given them. When he was thinking about how to deal with the prevalence of abortion in the United States, he heard God say to him, “Your church is also like that”. In his preaching, he reminded Christians not to bury God’s inspiration, dreams, leading and gifts for them so that they could give birth to this spiritual life or spiritual ministry.

A Christian attending the meeting was encouraged by this light. She said: "I feel very hopeful that each of us is Mary spiritually, but the key is whether we can give birth to children and push them out." Many Christians have experienced a spiritual miscarriage as Christ who is the head, did not mature and grow in them. They didn’t grow into maturity with a stature measured by Christ's fullness.  This does not mean that God has abandoned them. They will experience God's double grace and mercy. It is like what Paul said that God would treat the parts that are unpresentable with special modesty (1 Corinthians 12:23-24). They are like those who went up with David to chase after the enemies and those who stayed with the supplies. Although they could divide the spoils, David still had to rely on a small number of warriors to chase after the enemy, win, rescue the captives and recover the plunder. For God to fulfill His purpose on earth, He requires a small number of victors to cooperate with Him to reach spiritual maturity.

My testimony sharing ends here. I hope that my testimony and experience can help you better understand the spiritual significance of the story that I was talking about here. Let's look back at Numbers 12:1-8 again. We have already talked about verses 1-5, which is about the difference in days of purification of the woman after giving birth to a boy and a girl. The third verse specifically mentions that the boy is to be circumcised on the eighth day. Verse 6 (NIV) says when the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering. The priest shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood. (NIV, Leviticus 12:7). If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean (NIV, Leviticus 12:8). The whole chapter ends here.

The same is true when Paul says "women will be saved through childbearing" in 1 Timothy 2. The church, as represented by the woman, must bear a certain number of victors (man child), in order to meet the conditions of the second coming of Jesus. But when the man child is born and when a part of God’s plan has been completed, God will continue to perfect this woman so that she may mature.

Therefore, the circumcision makes the male baby clean, and childbearing makes the woman clean. This is why a woman stays unclean for a longer period of time when she gives birth to a female child.

Xiulan Laiwang of Taiwan mentioned her testimony of heaven in her book "Jehovah Jirah". She said that in the valley outside the paradise, there are some Christians who are being disciplined and studying the Bible and spiritual truths, and some mature people are specifically keeping watch over them and help them (pages 160 -161). She saw her mother-in-law and dad studying the Bible in paradise. In paradise, there is an angel in each family who is teaching them the Bible (page 45). Xiulan Laiwang said that her father and mother-in-law had received salvation when they were already old. They had no chance to study the Bible on earth, so they still have to study the Bible in paradise. She reminded Christians on earth that if they did not study the Bible well on earth, they would still have to make up missed lessons in the future so they need to seize the opportunity on earth. I was also taken to a place where my father-in-law was in a dream (I am not sure if it was paradise or a valley outside the paradise that Xiulan Laiwang mentioned). I saw many people there. An old, Chinese lady sitting at the door even showed me the Large Print Bible she was reading. I believe that my father-in-law did not believe in the Lord during his lifetime, but I believe he did not perish nor was he in the lake of fire. Thank God, they still have the opportunity to continue to study the Bible in after life. I don’t know how to explain this theologically but it was one my spiritual experiences. Perhaps God judged him by his conscience, as Roman 1 suggests.

Heaven is just the beginning, not the end. If some people reach spiritual maturity on earth, they will be used by God in the afterlife to help train many other people who are not spiritually mature. What's more, if we reach spiritual maturity on earth, we can be used by God today to bless many people. Why not? May we all be able to nurture, give birth, push out the "man child" - God's calling, gifts, entrustment, and ministry to us, and more importantly, spiritual maturity.

 

 

The Intercession of the Holy spirit Bible Study with Jairus – Romans 8

The Intercession of the Holy spirit

Bible Study with Jairus – Romans 8

 

Defining the Groaning of the Spirit

Romans 8 is a very familiar chapter for Christians. Many are familiar with verses such as, "For the law of the Spirit of life has set youfree in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death" (ESV, Romans 8:2) and "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." (ESV, Romans 8:6). These verses are often quoted by Christians when they are talking about their spiritual experiences. But the focus of our Bible study this time was the meaning of the verse that talks about "the Spirit’s groaning" (8:26).

Let’s take a look at the verses in Romans 8:26-28 first.

8:26 (ESV) Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 

8:27 (ESV) And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, becausethe Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

8:28 (ESV) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

 

Different Interpretations

What does the groaning of the Holy Spirit mean in these verses? The original Greek is word is στεναγμός (stenagmos), which translates to groaning. It is not controversial if you take it literally, but in terms of spiritual experience, there are different interpretations.

The Local Church Movement’s explanation is closer to the literal translation. The teaching I received in the Local Church Movement said that sometimes, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings when we are struggling in the flesh and cannot overcome a struggle. We can also pray through groanings. We can pray prayers such as, “Oh, God, I can’t overcome this weakness, and there's nothing I can do about it. Please help me. Oh, how I wish I wasn’t like this!”

There was a period during my spiritual journey when I was disappointed with some of my fleshy behaviors, so I often prayed with groanings, asking the Holy Spirit to help me overcome these difficulties. I found it very useful, and God listened to my prayers and helped me overcome these weaknesses.

But when I went to study in the Pentecostal Movement later, the explanation I heard was quite different. One explanation was that the unspeakable groanings here could be applied to praying in tongues in 1 Corinthians 14 - “For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 14:2). So when a believer is praying in tongues, the Holy Spirit will intercede for them with groanings. These charismatic teachers explained that God asked us to intercede for all people (1 Timothy 2:1) and also to pray for the enemy (Matthew 5:44).  However, many times we cannot overcome our mind and emotional constraints, so we intercede less for our enemies and the people we don’t know. But when we are praying in tongues, the Holy Spirit can intercede for us with unspeakable groanings, thus taking the role of interceding for all people and those in the body of Christ.

 

Perspectives from Different Backgrounds

I heard Kenneth E. Hagin, a pastor of the faith movement in the United States, telling the following story many times. The story was about an American missionary to Africa who encountered a tribe that kidnapped a family's daughter under his care. This missionary decided to rescue the child personally. When he got there, he gave the tribal chief a gift, and the tribal chief promised to release the child to him. But when he was on his way back with the child, the tribal chief set up an ambush. The tribal chief wanted to kill the missionary and capture the girl again. In this moment of danger, the missionary suddenly saw the indigenous people who had been attacking him begin to kneel in front of him. It turned out that these indigenous people had seen huge angels protecting the missionary and the girl, which scared them. At the exact same time, this was happening, some Christian friends of the missionary in the United States couldn’t sleep at night. They felt a heavy burden in the spirit to pray, but they didn’t know why or how to pray, so they knelt down and prayed in tongues. They prayed until early morning before the burden was released, and they could go back to sleep. When the missionary returned from Africa, and they talked about these things, they realized that the time these intercessors were called to pray was the exact time the missionary encountered danger in Africa. The Holy Spirit had moved these intercessors to pray for the missionary when he encountered danger, and it miraculously freed him and the child from danger.

Andrew Wommack, a pastor with an American Baptist background, shared a similar experience. When I had just left the Local Church Movement to study the teachings of the Pentecostal Movement, I listened to a lot of his preaching. Because his journey began in the Baptist church, and they are extremely opposed to praying in tongues, how he experienced a breakthrough and started praying in tongues helped me a lot. The teaching of the Local Church Movement is also against speaking in tongues, so I experienced the same breakthrough and started praying in tongues. Andrew Wommack talked about an experience in which his son had a car accident. Before he knew about it, he felt a heavy burden in his spirit to pray, but he did not know why or how to pray. He and his wife began to pray in tongues until the burden of prayer was released. He later learned that they felt burdened to pray at the exact same time that his son had a car accident. Because of their prayers and God's protection, their son was safe and sound, although his car was completely totaled. He also shared another example where a person accidentally fell off a cliff. His relatives felt burdened to pray and didn't know what happened, so they just prayed in tongues. Later, the person who fell off the cliff was also miraculously saved.

When we pray in tongues, we often intercede for others. We may not fully know ourselves, but the Holy Spirit fully knows us. We also may not fully know God's will for us, but the Holy Spirit knows God's will for us. Therefore, when we are praying in tongues, the Holy Spirit often intercedes for us according to God's will for us.

 

Personal Example of Divine Help

I also have many examples of receiving divine help when I prayed in tongues. One example was the topic for a "history essay" on my recent doctoral dissertation. The topic of my doctoral dissertation is "Comparing the practice of prophecy in the Local Church Movement and the Charismatics.” My general argument is that the practice of prophecy and PSRP (Pray-reading, Study, Recite, Prophesying) in the Local Church Movement is very helpful for believers to create a solid foundation with the Bible. Through this, they can experience transformation by the Word, which is valuable, and the Pentecostal Movement and other churches would benefit from it. Although there are false prophecies that are put into practice in the Pentecostal Movement, there are also many true prophecies. Once these miraculous revelations from God are released, they will greatly encourage the faith of many brothers and sisters. These revelations would also benefit the Local Church Movement and other evangelical churches. One chapter of the doctoral dissertation must be a history essay. I had to write about a character or a movement from 100 years ago that was related to the topic that I’ll be writing in my dissertation. What historical figure or movement from 100 years ago could be related to both the Local Church Movement and the Pentecostal Movement?

When I started, I thought of writing about Hudson Taylor. He was a historical figure that lived over 100 years ago, and he was a missionary to China. It is said that he saw a vision of countless Chinese people lining up to go to hell on the coast of England. This vision wasn’t closely related to the Pentecostal Movement's emphasis on prophetic visions and dreams, and it had nothing to do with the history of the Local Church Movement. My mind was not sharp enough, and I felt slow on the draw. I really couldn’t think of a better person or a suitable topic, so I decided to pray in tongues and ask the Holy Spirit to help me. I went out and prayed in tongues for an hour, and when I came back, I suddenly received inspiration. I started thinking of a comment related to John Nelson Darby that I had read after I left the Local Church Movement. The Holy Spirit often speaks to us by reminding us of things that we have seen. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would remind his disciples what the Lord has said to them (John 14:26).

I had read a comment that had to do with the Brethren Movement led by Darby, which took place around 1820. At that time, manifestations of Pentecostalism happened in the said movement. There were Pentecostal manifestations such as praying in tongues, healing, and prophesying that occurred in some meetings. But because Darby and some leaders believed that gifts belonged only to the apostolic age, they negate the birth of these Pentecostal Movements. Although the Pentecostal Movement was rekindled in the "Holiness Movement" (a denomination influenced by John Wesley) in the United States around 1900, God's will was for the Pentecostal Movement to emerge early in the Brethren Movement. However, because of the suppression of Darby and others, this birth was killed.

The Local Church Movement highly praises Darby and his teaching. But in the teaching I received in the Local Church Movement, I had never heard about this Charismatic manifestation regarding Darby and the brethren. I checked Darby's biography and the history of the Plymouth Brothers, and this manifestation was indeed there.

Therefore, I chose Darby and the Plymouth Movement as the topic of my history essay. I examined how Darby was saved, how he served as a pastor in the Anglican Church, and how he saw the corruption of the Anglican Church. Because of the corruption, he broke ties with institutionalized Christianity and the influence of the world and embarked on a path of pursuing holiness. Under his influence, a large number of wealthy Brethren members donated their property and embarked on the path of willingness to serve God in poverty. This occurred to such an extent that a local theater shut down where the revival took place. The theater owner didn’t even blame them. He instead joined them in their path of devotion to God.

I also thought about how Brother Watchman Nee of the Local Church Movement highly praised Darby's books "Synopsis of The Books of The Bible" and recommended them to Witness Lee. Witness Lee was deeply influenced by Darby and later by Cyrus I. Scofield's correspondence course, which shaped his theology. A story that caused Witness Lee to have great admiration for Darby was about a time when Darby, who was 84 and had never been married, was staying in a small inn alone and prayed, "Lord, I still love you." Witness Lee used Darby as an example to encourage the brothers and sisters in the Local Church Movement to learn from Darby's spirit of loving and sacrificing to the Lord. This story about Darby and Witness Lee’s prayers based on it were all composed as songs, and the poems written by Darby were widely sung in the Local Church Movement. The spirit and the dedication of Darby and the Plymouth Brethren to seek holiness and truth deeply influenced the Local Church Movement.

After looking back through the history of these events, I reviewed the details of the manifestations of the Pentecostal Movement among the Plymouth Brethren. I quoted how Darby believed that the gifts belonged only to the Apostolic Age and not in today’s era, which killed the birth of the Pentecostal Movement. I have no historical evidence to prove that the attitude of the Local Church Movement towards the Pentecostal Movement was influenced by Darby. But for various reasons, the Local Church Movement refuses to have any interaction with the Pentecostal Movement after several encounters with it. One of their main reasons for not wanting to interact is that they believe the Pentecostal Movement overemphasizes pursuing gifts, which they believe can affect Christians' pursuit of a deeper spiritual life.

After submitting my history essay, my DMin (Doctor of Ministry) advisor read it and said that his background was with the Wesleyan Church, and he didn't know that much about Darby's history. Although he believed that John Wesley was more influential and had a greater impact on the later rise of the Pentecostal Movement, he was still impressed with me for linking the Local Church Movement to the Charismatic Movement in my dissertation and found it deeply inspirational. In addition, he said that my history essay was also connected with the arguments of my overall thesis. My argument is that if we can learn to put the prophecies and PSRP of the Local Church Movement into practice, it will help fellow believers pursue holiness and spiritual maturity. In addition, if we can also pursue the prophecies and gifts of the Pentecostal Movement, it will help the church make better use of God's gifts when ministering to people. In the end, holiness and power and the Word and the Spirit will converge. The church will be full of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, bringing greater revival to the church.

The theme and completion of this history essay were completely inspired by the Holy Spirit after I went out and prayed in tongues for an hour because I had no idea what to write about that day. Looking at the few examples above, the Spirit’s groaning being interpreted as prayer in tongues cannot be completely far-fetched.

 

Situations that Hinder the Holy Spirit’s Leading

During our study, we were inspired by the Holy Spirit in a different aspect, which is also very consistent with my personal spiritual experience. The Holy Spirit lives in us and often inspires and leads us. But there are two situations where the Holy Spirit cannot lead us. The first is when we are not obedient. The Holy Spirit may have inspired us many times, but because of our disobedience, the Holy Spirit has no way to get through to us. Therefore, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf to Jesus and our Heavenly Father with unspeakable groanings, asking the Heavenly Father to arrange the environment and difficulties around us to allow us to learn to obey through the environment.

This secret is revealed in verses 8:27-28 (ESV), "He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Here, the "one who searches the heart” is the Lord or the Father, because the Lord searches all hearts. The Father knows the groanings of the Holy Spirit within us because the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to God’s will. It is like the Holy Spirit saying to Jesus and the Heavenly Father: "As you can see, I have been moving him to repent, but he never listens. What should we do? Maybe we should arrange some difficulties for him? People just don’t repent if they are not disciplined. It seems that a little discipline is needed for the stubborn people." The Father understands the Holy Spirit, so He arranges environments (that He allows) to lead us into repentance. Many times, people only draw near to God when they need to be saved or to be set free from a certain sin or weakness. This is something common to many Christians. A woman in our Bible study very much agreed with this statement because her own experience also proved that she could not obey when God did not use discipline. It wasn’t until later, when God arranged a difficult environment, that she drew near to God. I also have many experiences similar to these and have experienced God changing the environment around me, so I am very familiar with this subject.

Verse 28 specifically states that all things work together for good for those who love God. God hears the intercession of the Holy Spirit and arranges difficulties in the environment not to harm us, but for our own good (ESV, Hebrews 12:10). When we encounter difficulties, we often doubt God’s love for us. However, Romans 8:28 states that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (ESV, Romans 8:31-39). These verses are closely related to the intercession of the Holy Spirit that was mentioned above.

Now that we have discussed the first situation, which dealt with us not obeying God's inspiration and leading, we can move on to the second. The second situation is that our minds may not understand God's leading and inspiration. I also have many experiences with this. Around 2015, God had been leading me to leave the Local Church Movement to study the Pentecostal Movement in preparation for the convergence in the future. Later the Lord appeared to me in a dream, and He also talked about this convergence. However, my mind at the time couldn't understand God's leading. My Christian experience and theology were completely shaped by the teachings of the Local Church Movement. If I went to the Pentecostal Movement to study, I would be considered an apostate. I was full of fear and uncertainty. And I had not dared to take this step. Therefore, the Holy Spirit interceded for me with unspeakable groanings. The Heavenly Father then arranged an environment for me. My wife was infertile for ten years, and people from the Local Church Movement could not help us solve this problem. Because of this, the Holy Spirit inspired me to look for people in the Pentecostal Movement with the gift of prophecy and the gift of healing to pray for us and help us. Though it was a slow process, I gradually opened my eyes and realized there was a lot of abundance outside the Local Church Movement. I also found that there were many areas in the Pentecostal Movement being stigmatized, and the Pentecostal Movement actually had many truths and true gifts.

When I asked for prayer and help in the Local Church Movement, we did not receive healing. Our various attempts through IVF and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments also failed. In the end, God Himself spoke to me and told us the child’s gender and specific time of birth through prophetic prophecies. Finally, my wife became pregnant, and we received a miracle baby. God had spoken to me and tried to lead me many times, but because I was slow on the draw and unable to break from traditional teachings, I did not understand and couldn't follow His leading. Therefore, the Holy Spirit interceded with groanings to our Heavenly Father to arrange various environments for me. In a way, I could say that He forced me to leave the Local Church Movement to go learn the truths and gifts in the Pentecostal Movement.

From the examples I shared above, and from my personal experiences, you can see that the Holy Spirit sometimes talks with the Father and the Lord Jesus through unspeakable groanings. In verse 27, where it says, (ESV), "he who searches hearts," it is talking about God the Father Himself. When the Father hears the groaning of the Holy Spirit within us, He will arrange environments for us and discipline us. Knowing this, you should understand that if you obey or understand and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, you will have fewer environmental difficulties in your life. Every difficulty is specially permitted by God and the Heavenly Father to help you learn a specific lesson and become spiritually mature. You can never go wrong by listening to God.

I hope these words bless you. I pray that you can obey and understand the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life. If you are facing a certain difficulty, I also pray that you are able to see the will of Heavenly Father for you.

 

 

Victory in Jesus Bible Study with Jairus – Romans 5

Victory in Jesus

Bible Study with Jairus – Romans 5

Romans 5 continues the discussion of justification by faith, and takes it a step further. This chapter reassures believers that if they were reconciled to God while they were still his enemies, how much more will they be saved by his life! (ESV, Romans 5:10).

In the second half of the chapter, Romans 5 uses the word “reign” in four different contexts. Today, we will discuss the relationship of these four “reigns.”

The first time the word appears is in verse 14: "Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses." (ESV) Verse 17 says, “For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." (ESV) Both verses are discussing the reign of death.

The second use of the word “reign” is the reference to believers, who have received abundance of grace, who will “reign in life.” (Romans 5:17 ESV)

Reign is also mentioned twice in verse 21: “so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (ESV) In this verse, the sin that reigns in death is contrasted with the grace that reigns through righteousness.

Let’s look at these concepts in detail. First, God tells us that death reigns. The power of death was in the hands of Satan. When Jesus won the victory on the cross, he seized the keys of death and hell.

How and when does death reign? Verse 14 clearly says that death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. A question remained: did death continue to reign from the time of Moses to the time of Christ? Why doesn’t the verse say that death reigned from the time of Adam to the time when Jesus came?

We know that after Christ’s coming, He reigned in righteousness through “grace.” The reign of grace in these passages refers to the Lord Jesus. Furthermore, believers can reign in life through Jesus Christ. Finally, the passage explains that sin reigned in death. This fact may answer the question we posed. Perhaps death reigned from Adam to Moses, and then sin reigned through death from the time the law was given to the time when the Lord Jesus came. This period is called the Age of Law.

These reigns can be a bit confusing, so let’s look at them in more detail through the lens of four people who reigned.

The Reign of Satan.

The first person who reigned was Satan, who is the embodiment of death. Originally, before the fall of man, Adam reigned in the Garden of Eden. He controlled everything. God instructed him to rule over all the plants and animals in the garden, including the serpent which represented Satan. But the serpent enticed Eve. Adam and Eve violated God’s command by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In the process, they accepted death (which is Satan himself), Adam lost his position of authority, and the world was given over to Satan. During Jesus’ temptation in the desert, Satan mentioned that he had the authority to give the entire world to Jesus if He worshipped him. It appears that Satan did receive the authority to rule the world from Adam. In other words, the first person to reign following Adam’s sin was Satan (death). Romans 5:12 says, “Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." (ESV) Adam’s sin brought in death, which is Satan’s essence. Satan’s reign of death came into the world through Adam’s sin.

When God created man, he breathed his life into the dust of the ground. A living soul was created (Genesis 2:7). When Satan counterfeits the work of God, he combines our weakness with his own evil influence to create a fallen, sinful Adam. This sinful Adam has completely internalized the rule of sin.

Verse 13 continues, "For sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.” (ESV) What does this mean? Let me give an example. My wife suggested that we should not discipline our little daughter before the age of three. Instead, we should let her play and enjoy her childhood. But when she is three years old, we should start to set rules for her. If she makes mistakes, we should discipline her. This is what establishing the law means. God is our Father: the father of Christians, the father of the Israelites, and the father of all mankind. God did not count sins against us before the law was established, because we didn’t know any better. Since Satan tricked Eve, this sin was charged to Satan’s account, not ours.

After Adam sinned, God promised that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). This prophecy refers to Jesus Christ. He came to destroy Satan, the serpent of old. Christ was not only born of a virgin, but he was also born under the law (Galatians 3:24). The Age of Law is no longer included in the Reign of Death. Why?

First, the law sounded Satan's death knell. When I was young, I used to shoot off firecrackers every year at our Chinese New Year celebration. As a very young child, I enjoyed firecrackers, but I was afraid of burning myself. Our next-door neighbor’s fingers were blown off by firecrackers, so I invented a way to protect myself from them. I wrapped a long strip of paper around the firecracker core to serve as a very long wick. I would light the paper and have time to run away before the firecracker exploded. I watched the paper burn slowly until it finally lit the firecracker.

Once the paper was lit, a chain of events had been set in motion that would ultimately and inevitably lead to lighting the firecracker. In the same way, once the law was given, the chain of events had been set in motion to usher in the salvation of Christ. The purpose of the law was to bring us to Christ (Romans 14:4). Although Jesus Christ came long after the law was given, the heavenly plan had already been set in motion. Like the firecracker I ignited as a kid, the death and resurrection of Christ "blasted away" the enemy.

Why do the Chinese light firecrackers during Chinese New Year? Legend says that there’s a ghost called "Nian" that can be driven away by shooting off firecrackers and decorating the sides and top of doors with red strips of paper. From this tradition, some people inferred that ancient Chinese people might have known about the God of Israel and inherited some of the traditions of Israel. Some people say that these red decorations mimic the lamb’s blood that the Israelites painted on the doorposts during Passover.

Although the giving of the law did not immediately bring about change, Satan's death knell had sounded. This may be one reason why Paul said that death reigned from Adam to Moses.

The Reign of Sin and the Law.

After the giving of the law, death no longer reigned. Who reigned after the law was promulgated? The law of God reigned during the Age of Law. Those who wholeheartedly followed the law would gain life.

However, no human was capable of following all the laws. Violating even one law was as serious as violating all of them. James says “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” (ESV, James 2:10). The law provided a way of life if they were followed wholeheartedly. But since people could not follow them all, sin began to reign through death.

First, death reigned through Adam, before the law came. Second, sin reigned in death. After the law was given and before the coming of Christ, sin wielded total control. The direct reign of Satan and death were over, being superseded by the indirect rule of the law and sin.

Sin and the law are related to one another. Romans 5:20 says, "The law came in to increase the trespass." (ESV) Let’s refer back to the example of disciplining children. Only after rules have been made can you be held accountable for breaking them. It’s not that the child made more mistakes, but that her mistakes are now being brought to her attention.  

The law sets up the rules. Its function is to expose people’s sins. For example, the Old Testament records that after God gave the law about the Sabbath, a man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath and was taken to Moses. Moses asked God what to do. God told Moses to allow the Israelites to stone him (Numbers 15:32-35).

Yes, sin existed before the law was given. People had been rebelling against God since the time of Adam. But after the law was given, people sinned willfully and knowingly against God’s commands. This man was held accountable because he clearly understood and violated God’s law.

The reign of Satan and death are no longer in view here. Instead, sin becomes the subject who rules, by means of death. How is this different from the first point?

Let’s use the example of a drug dealer. At first, the drug trafficker will trick you into trying drugs. The drug dealers reign through death (drugs). But when you get hooked, you are addicted to drugs. There is no longer any need for the drug dealer to ask you to take drugs. You have the life of the drug addict inside yourself. You naturally want to take drugs. At this stage, the drug dealer can go to jail or go into hiding, and you will still have the life of the drugs living inside you. The drug dealer no longer controls you directly; rather, the drug itself controls you. Drug dealers bring drugs. Drugs will take you to drug dealers to buy more drugs. In the same way, sin brings death, and death brings more sin. This cycle continues.

During the reign of death, sin comes from seduction. Satan tried to seduce people into sin, and drug dealers try to seduce you into taking drugs. This temptation takes advantage of your weakness, but if you resist and refuse, the seducer has no power over you. If you refuse to take drugs, drug dealers simply can't do anything with you. Satan tried to tempt the Lord Jesus, but the Lord Jesus did not sin, so he couldn’t do anything about it. Satan (the drug dealer) is powerless apart from our own human weakness and desire to sin.

During the second stage, sin (drug addiction) reigns. Because of your weakness and sin, you have already accepted drug addiction (or the life of sin) into your innermost self. This is why the Bible says that “sin reigns through death”. Your weak, depraved and addicted life is in complete control of you. This life will lead you to look for a drug dealer (death); every time you find a drug dealer to buy drugs, you will sink deeper. Many people take drugs because of their weakness but later became addicted to substances. They even commit murder, theft, and other crimes, turning into evil drug dealers themselves.

What is the role of the law? The law functions as a drug treatment and rehabilitation center. The purpose of the law is to punish and correct. If you cannot get sober, you will be locked up. If you are clean for a certain amount of time, you can return to society. Without strict laws making drug trafficking illegal, it would be impossible to correct these behaviors.

In the same way, God gave the law through Moses so the Israelites would know they could no longer live a life of sin. There would be punishment if they violated the law. The purpose of the law was to help them get rid of their sin of drug addiction.

But the function of the law is limited. Although the law brings life, and God justifies those who keep the law, people often find themselves unable to keep the law. The law of sin and death in our flesh wars against the law of God in our minds (Romans 7:22-23) Often, the flesh wins against the law of God, making us distressed and conflicted people. The third law Paul discovered in Romans 8 was the law of the Spirit of life. This law set him free from the law of sin and death.

In other words, there are three laws inside us. The law of sin and death resides in our fallen flesh. The tendency to serve God’s law resides in our soul, because God created us good. Finally, the law of the Spirit of life resides in our spirit.

The law fights unsuccessfully against the sins of our flesh. Although we want to keep God’s law in our minds, our flesh cannot keep God’s law. Though we try to overcome sin, death reigns through the drug addiction we previously accepted. The law, which was meant to usher us into life, instead becomes a tool for death. But because the flesh is so powerful, we violate the law and are convicted by it, leading us to more death. The law becomes a tool to kill rather than to give life. Paul says, “For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Of course, it is not the law’s problem. It is a problem of the sin (drug addiction) of the flesh.

As a result of this continual fight, we realize that we humans cannot get rid of the influence of sin through our own efforts, even by keeping the law of God. We need a Savior to save us and remove the sin of the flesh. In this way, the law led directly to Christ.

The Reign of Jesus (Grace)

When the Lord Jesus Christ came, He became the Grace from God. He never sinned, and he overcame Satan and sin on the cross. The grace of Jesus Christ reigns through righteousness, in heaven and on earth. Through shedding his blood for us, Jesus satisfied the requirements of God’s righteousness, thus ushering in the reign of God’s righteousness. When we are justified through faith, we also become the righteousness of God through him.

Even after trusting Christ as Savior, many Christians fail to overcome the sins of the flesh. Although Jesus has already provided grace and power to help us overcome the sinful life, many people do not live a victorious life because the flesh is too powerful. These believers lack renewal in their souls.

Though the Lord Jesus has accomplished salvation on our behalf, many people do not believe Him and cannot access his salvation. Similarly, because of unbelief, many Christians are unable to experience the law of the Spirit of life working in their hearts. Although they are saved by faith, many Christians need more faith so they can be changed by the law of the Spirit of Life. The law of the Spirit of life is as powerful as electricity. But unbelief and sins of the flesh are like insulators, rendering this power inoperable.

If we are really justified by faith, we will also live by faith. As we live out our faith, we will accept the law of the Spirit of life that God has prepared for us.

A Christian may go through four stages in their walk with God. First, Satan controls them through death, just like a drug dealer controls his victims through their weakness and sin. Second, individuals are controlled by the life of sin itself, like an addict who is controlled by the addiction itself. Third, Christians try hard to keep the law, hoping to be a good Christian, but find themselves unable to overcome the law of sin and death. This is like an addict trying to break his addiction on his own. Finally, Christians may experience freedom through the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which enables them to overcome the law of sin and death.

Sadly, many Christians live in the first three stages. In order to enter the fourth stage of reigning in life, we must know the following:

1. Satan has been dethroned through Jesus’ work on the cross. The drug dealer is already in prison. He can no longer influence you. The only way he can influence you is through your own flesh. The first reign, the reign of Satan (death), has been defeated.
2. Your flesh and the old man have been crucified with Christ on the cross. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (ESV, Galatians 2:20). The second reign, the power of sin and the flesh, has been defeated as well. As we set our minds on the things of the Spirit, we experience life and peace.
3. The purpose of the law is to usher in the reign of Christ. When Christ came, the law had completed its work. Salvation cannot be achieved through good deeds and human effort. We must rely on the life of God, the lamb of God. An apple falling from a tree will be overcome by the force of gravity, and our attempts at perfection will be overcome by the sins of our flesh. The law tried to help our nature overcome the sin of the flesh, but it ended up condemning us. However, Jesus is like a spacecraft that can help us overcome the law of gravity to bring this apple to the moon. Jesus’ grace reigns in righteousness.

Believers Reign in Life.

Although His grace already reigns through righteousness, we need to choose to allow this grace to live in us. We must allow the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ to move freely in us so we can reign in life. Jesus already won the victory, establishing the law of the Spirit of life inside you when you received him. But you have to allow this powerful new law to rescue you from the power of sin, the law, and the flesh.

Once you received Jesus Christ as your Savior, the drug dealer (Satan) and the drug addiction (the life of sin) was taken care of by Jesus on the cross. The drug treatment center or drug rehabilitation center (law) were proven to have limited efficacy. There is only one way to be rescued: accepting the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ by faith. By doing so, you will be freed from the law of sin and death in the flesh, and from the conviction that inevitably comes when you try to keep the Law on your own in your mind. Once you open your eyes to these spiritual truths, you will experience freedom to reign in Christ.

In summary, Romans 5 continues to discuss victory by faith. If we were justified by faith, much more will we be saved by his life (5:10). May our spiritual eyes be opened and may our faith increase so that we can live out the law of the Spirit, reign in life and overcome sin, the flesh, the world, and the power of Satan.

 

 

Paul’s Letters to the Romans Bible Study with Jairus – Romans 2

Paul’s Letters to the Romans

Bible Study with Jairus – Romans 2

 

Judging Others

The first paragraph (verses 1-16) of Romans 2 discusses Paul’s criticism of self-righteous people. For example, verse 1 says, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things” (NIV). While paragraph 2 (verses 17-29) discusses Paul’s criticism of Jews who boast in the law. For example, verse 17 (NIV) says, “Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God,” but in verse 23 (NIV), Paul also criticized them as “someone who brags in the law but has dishonored God by breaking the law.”

These words sound harsh. How do you think you would feel if you were a believer in Rome, opened Paul’s letter, and only read up to the second chapter?  Why did Paul scold the Roman believers in this way? It’s possible Paul is not berating only Roman believers, but others as well. But Paul did not mention any names, so we have no way of knowing. However, in verse 24, Paul quoted the Old Testament and said, “God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you" (NIV). Here is it is clear he is criticizing the Jews. There were many Jews in the early church, and there were also many Jews in the Roman church. So, it would be difficult to say that Paul was not criticizing the church in Rome.

Imagine if person A wrote a letter to person B and criticized person C. It might be because both person A and person B don't like person C. But this type of exchange would be out of character for Paul. There was no need for Paul to write a letter to one person and criticize another. Paul did criticize some people such as Alexander in 2 Timothy 4:14, but he made it clear by mentioning his name. The reason why Paul wrote certain letters to a group of believers was mainly to suggest corrections to some problems these believers were facing. For example, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, which were aimed at addressing the problems of the Corinthian church he founded.

 

The Intention of Paul’s Letter

But a man in our Bible study asked, "How could Paul write such a serious and critical letter to the church in Rome if he had never been to Rome before?" I replied that in chapter 16, Paul mentioned that he greeted a dozen people he knew at the Roman church. In Romans 16:3, Paul mentioned Priscilla and Aquila because, as it is recorded in Acts 18, when the Jews were forced to leave Rome, they saw Paul in Corinth. Paul was a tentmaker like they were. After they met, Acts 19 recorded that Paul decided to go and visit Rome. And Romans 16:5 also mentioned that there was a church in Priscilla and Aquila's house. In other words, Priscilla and Aquila were a couple of the leaders of the Roman Church. We don't know how many people there were in the Roman church, but at least some church leaders were familiar with Paul.

In Romans 16:7, it even mentioned that two people had been in prison with Paul. These two people were Andronicus and Junia. Paul said, "They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was" (NIV). This shows that there were apostles in the Roman Church. These apostles were not only in Christ before Paul, but they also had been in prison with Paul and were inmates. So they also had friendships with Paul. Paul may have learned about the Roman church when he was setting up tents with Priscilla, Aquila or when he was with Andronicus and Junia in prison. This could have led him to be so burdened that he wrote 16 chapters of Romans to them. One of the reasons we mentioned in our previous study was the dispute between the Gentiles and Jews in Rome, and even the Jews were forced to leave the city.

As we mentioned last time, during Paul's time, the letters might have been written on parchment. To write so much content was not as convenient as having a computer, email, or paper like we do today. Since it is not very convenient, it must have been a heavy burden.

 

Disputes Between the Jews and Gentiles

Acts 18:2 says, Because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome, Aquila had brought his wife Priscilla who had recently come from Italy, and Paul went to see them. Historical records prove that the Jews and the Gentiles at that time had a lot of disputes which caused so much turmoil that Claudius ordered the Jews to leave Rome. From these records, we can see the historical background of the Roman church. We can speculate that the conflict between the Jews and the Gentiles was not only outside the church but inside as well. For example, Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 1:22 (NIV), "Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom," demonstrates Paul's observation of this. Paul met Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth. Corinth was also where he wrote the book of Romans and made the decision to visit Rome. This verse may reflect Paul's observation of the Roman Church – Both the Jews and Gentiles had something to brag about. Paul continued in 1 Corinthians 1:23 (NIV), "We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles." These were also some of Paul’s thoughts on the subject.

We believe that the church in Rome, like other early Gentile churches, consisted of Jews and Gentiles. If both Jews and Gentiles were present, it would lead to a lot of conflicting ideas. For example, let’s take a look at the story recorded in Galatians 2. Peter used to eat with the Gentiles, but after certain men from James arrive, he dares not to eat with the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. Thus he pretended. Even Barnabas joined him in his hypocrisy.  There was a lot of pressure among the Jewish Christians to follow the rule of circumcision as this was in accordance with the Jewish law. Similarly, we can guess that such difficulties also existed in the Roman church. The Jews hoped that the saved Gentile Christians would be able to accept circumcision or become Christians who also observed the law. It was not easy for the Jews to deal with the Gentiles. Many of them were not subservient to the thoughts of the Jews. Since the Jews could boast about their own law, the Gentiles, especially the Greeks, could also boast about their wisdom and philosophy.

 

Navigating Cultural Differences

Some of the problems in the church were specific to their culture and setting, while other problems were the type even churches today could experience. I will cite some examples of what I have encountered in the church. I am Chinese, and in the Chinese churches in the United States, there are often people from Taiwan and mainland China. Many people from the mainland believe that Taiwan belongs to China; they advocate unification, while many Christians in Taiwan want independence. But most of the time, when these believers meet together, they don't talk about politics. They only talk about spirituality and how to love and serve the Lord, so they live in peace. But there are always people who don’t follow this rule. Once, I saw a dispute occurring between a person who advocated for unification and a person who advocated for Taiwan’s independence. It ended very unpleasantly. This is an example of a problem in the modern church.

Witness Lee, the leader of the Local Church Movement, placed great emphasis on teaching how to "live out Christ." No matter what the circumstances, one should not live according to one's own culture and religion, but according to the life of Christ within us. I heard a story where Witness Lee was with some American Christians, and they were eating cheese. Witness Lee said he would also eat a slice. An American Christian sister immediately said, "I thought that the Chinese do not eat cheese." Witness Lee immediately replied, "Sister, I am not Chinese." Witness Lee was indeed Chinese from Shandong, China. This story was told by an American Christian brother. He said that this was a great shock to him as he respected Witness Lee very much and believed that Witness Lee was a model of "living out Christ." He was not living by the life of a Chinese, but by the life of Christ within him. The American brother sighed as he couldn't honestly say, "I am not an American" at the time because he felt that he was still living his life based on American culture.

Although the Local Church Movement teaches "living out Christ," there are similar conflicts between members of many American churches and Chinese churches. For example, many Chinese Christians often cook Chinese food when serving meals. Some Americans like Chinese food, so it goes over well. But some Americans do not like Chinese food, so they complain and say things like, " there is too much Chinese food." I have been in the Local Church Movement for 13 years, so I have experienced things like this many times. An American believer told me that one of the biggest problems of the Local Church Movement was it included too much Chinese culture. Because the Local Church Movement originated in China, the founders are Chinese, and many members are also Chinese. Naturally, it would be heavily influenced by Chinese culture. As a Chinese, I certainly don't like to hear this, and I clearly saw that this American Christian was living his life according to American culture. Chinese culture emphasizes collectivism, respect for authority, and respect for the elderly. American culture emphasizes individualism and does not emphasize respect for authority or the elderly, which is reflected in the church.

 

Unity in Christ

I remember when I was in graduate school, we were taking a course called "Organizational Culture." We had an assignment that required us to observe an organization in order to study the organization's culture. I suggested my group observe our church. Three of my Chinese students, including me, came to our church to observe and write our research paper. Our approach was for each of us to write down our own observations, and through the different observations, we would compare the organization's culture and draw our conclusions.

Half of the people in our church were Chinese, while the other half were American. I was a member of the church, and I represented the internal point of view of the church. The other two members of my group were not believers. I invited them to come to our church, but they were not interested. Therefore, when writing this observation for our class, our perspective was naturally different. I had written the characteristics of the Local Church Movement from the Church's perspective. The church is love and light, and the brothers and sisters are in oneness. The Local Church Movement advocates living out Christ and not living according to culture. So when we sing, we all sing the same song, but each of us sings in our own language. This shows that although we have different cultures, we are all one in Christ.

But their observations were different. They had come to a conclusion that although the church advocates unity in Christ, they still live according to their own culture. The example they cited was when a Chinese church leader came to the dinner table, several of our young Chinese Christians stood up and gave him a seat. They, therefore, concluded that this church was deeply influenced by Chinese authoritarian culture as it is not a common phenomenon for young people to stand up and give seats to the elderly in the United States. So they believed Chinese people in these churches were unconsciously influenced by Asian authoritarian culture. I disagreed with this observation because I believe that it's done out of love and respect for one another. But then another thing occurred that made me rethink my point of view. A retired white believer often attends our meetings. He is 80+ years old already and walks a bit slowly. I once offered him a seat, and he thanked me and said, "That's very kind of you. At my age in the United States, young people think that I'm a hindrance and just want me out of the way. But the young Chinese are not like that." Hearing what he said, I realized that American culture and Chinese culture are indeed very different in dealing with the elderly.

I am not saying this to deny the teaching and practice of "living out Christ" of the Local Church Movement. On the contrary, I think that it is a wonderful concept and it is needed by many churches. I remember one morning in 2008, I went to see a doctor in a hospital in Baltimore. I was singing some Bible verses composed by a man in our church using a familiar Christian melody. I was practicing "live out Christ" while waiting for the doctor. While I was humming the song, I felt very joyful. An African American woman next to me asked if I was a Christian and asked why I was so happy. I said, "I am a Christian. I am practicing according to the teaching of Witness Lee of living out Christ in any case such as while waiting for the doctor.” She told me that she had heard and read Watchman Nee's books, but she had never heard of Witness Lee. After returning home, she started to read Witness Lee's works according to my recommendation. Later, she wrote several times to thank me. She said that she had been in a Pentecostal Church for decades, but she had never heard anyone teaching to "live out Christ."

 

Living Out Christ

In today's culture, where racial tension is rising in American society, "living out Christ" instead of "living according to culture" and "living according to race" may be a good solution.  If every Christian can live according to the life of Christ in us instead of living according to our natural flesh, religion, culture, and race, it can naturally become the answer to all kinds of conflicts in the world. But if all the church members are living according to their race, culture, and not the life of Christ, it is difficult to imagine that the world will have an answer to this problem. In other words, such a serious situation of racial tension in American society is actually a reaction of the situation of the church members who are living according to flesh, culture, religion, and race. Looking at the American church, Christians in the United States are still not doing enough to let Christ's life fill them and reveal His life through them. The church is the soul of our society. If we are not mature in Christ, we will see this reelected in the society we live in.

Of course, there are also positive interactions occurring as well. For example, when we see white Christians and African American Christians kneeling and forgiving each other, it sets a good example. If we can all do this, it will slowly have a positive impact on society. The reason I said the church in the US is not mature in living out Christ is not to criticize or neglect these positive examples. Rather it is my observation that the church needs to grow in Christ, and many Christians in the US should go deeper in the life of Christ. In other words, they need to live out what God tells us through the Bible.

After sharing these personal experiences and observations, we went back to Romans 2 to discuss the problems that the Roman church may have faced and also discuss Paul's burden. My guess is that many Jewish Christians in the Roman church at that time did not live out the life of Christ but lived according to the Jewish religion, law, and tradition. Not only that, but they may have also required some Gentiles to follow their traditions. Many Gentile Christians had not even completely broken free from sin. Therefore, Paul was particularly burdened with writing to the church in Rome to criticize this situation.

 

Living a Victorious Life In Christ

When you read Romans 1 and 2 again after our analysis, it will make more sense to read it within the context of what was going on at the time. In Romans 1, after praising the Romans' faith and gospel work, Paul began to talk about the wrath of God against the unrighteous (Romans 1:18-32), which describes the various sins of man. For example, idolatry (Romans 1:23), sexual impurity (Romans 1:24), homosexuality (Romans 1:26-27), and at least 21 kinds of unrighteousness (Romans 1:29-32) such as evil and greed. In this situation, it is difficult for anyone to believe that these verses are not talking about the sins of the Gentiles. I‘m sure that you will agree that this is also the picture of today's society.

In Romans 2, it seems that Paul's remarks changed. He began to criticize the Jews. He first criticized the sins of the Gentiles, then the mistakes of the Jews.

Ephesians 5:8 (NIV) says, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light". In this verse, Paul said to the believers, "We used to live in the darkness and also in sin, but today we are light in the Lord. We should live a life of light and as children of light." This sentence can also be applied to the Gentile believers in the Roman Church. This must mean there were Gentile believers who although they had been saved, were not living this life of light. These are all foreshadowings. In Romans 7, Paul was distressed. "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing" (NIV, Romans 7:19). So much that in Romans 7:24 (NIV), he sighed, saying, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" But in Romans 8, he said, "Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set me free from the law of sin and death." (NIV, Romans 8:2). In other words, what Paul had written in the book of Romans was based on his own experience and how he overcame his flesh and sin. Having freedom in Christ and in the Holy Spirit is to live out the life of Christ. This is what I meant by "living out Christ" earlier.

One of the purposes of Paul’s letters to the Roman Church was to tell them how he was he able to live a victorious life in Christ through the process of overcoming the flesh, religion, and the traditions of the Jews. His goal was to help both the Gentile and Jewish Christians in Rome overcome sin, religion, and unhealthy cultural norms that would hinder them so they could have freedom in Christ. Instead of sharing this profound wisdom from the start, Paul started by sharing the most basic concepts first and slowly built them up. It wasn’t until Romans 8 that he shared the burden on his mind.

 

Living by the Law

If the sins of the Gentiles weren’t exposed, it would be difficult for them to repent. Similarly, if how the Jews who were living according to the law weren’t exposed, it would be difficult to persuade them to live out the life of Christ. Therefore, after exposing the sins of the Gentiles in Romans 1, Paul began to expose the limitations of the Jews who were living by the law in Romans 2. Paul said that they should not pass judgment on one another or be self-righteous. The Bible says, “God will judge you in the same way you judge others, because you who pass judgment do the same things (NIV, Romans 2:1)”. This indicates there was probably judgment going on between the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers in the Roman Church. Paul went on to say that God would judge the Jews as well as the Gentiles. "There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (NIV, Romans 2:9). God does not show favoritism (NIV, Romans 2:11). All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law (NIV, Romans 2:12) For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (NIV, Romans 2:13).

In other words, it isn’t really necessary to live according to the requirements of the law in our daily life. According to the language of the New Testament, we should live out the life of Christ every day to manifest His love and sacrifice for us. The law of the Gentiles, who did not have the law, is their conscience (Romans 2:15). As long as they live according to their conscience, they are keeping the law. This verse is also a timely warning for Jewish Christians who may have felt superior because God gave the law to the Jews. Although the Jews had the law, the Gentiles also had one. God let their conscience act as their law.

In verses 17-20, Paul began to criticize such Jews. He said, “Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth”. Then starting in verse 21 he said, “you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” Then Paul talked about circumcision and how the law was not merely an external guide, but a matter of the heart and the Spirit, not just a written code (NIV, Romans 2:25-29), and this concludes the chapter.

 

Living out Christ Impacts Society

If I were a Jewish Christian in Rome, I might have been offended by Paul’s words! Even yesterday, my wife and I discussed some situations of racial conflict in the United States. I said that many of the participants are Christians. When you belong to a specific race, and you want to talk to other people of another specific race, especially those who are hurt, about living out Christ and not living according to race, culture and religion, they will definitely not listen. They might even get offended. My wife jokingly said, "So God will raise Paul to talk about this issue to the Jews. He was a Jew, and it would be easier for him to talk with other Jews. The Jews at that time would probably have a hard time listening to similar criticism from Gentle apostles." I said it is true that Paul's work seemed to be effective. We did not see the records of negative responses from the Church in Rome or the Jewish believers there. Paul's Gospel of Romans still speaks to us today. I hope sharing this will enlighten the American church in the case of racial conflict. Only when the church lives out Christ can it have a positive impact on society. This may be the reason why Paul had the burden of writing the book of Romans for the Roman church during the conflict between the Jews and Gentiles in Rome. He wanted to share his own experiences with the Romans of how he attained freedom from the law of sin and death and reached freedom in the law of the life of Jesus Christ.

It’s true that racism is one of the giants we are facing in the US today. But we are called to be giant slayers like David. What is the stone that will kill the giant? It is deliverance from the law of sin and death. The church, or individual Christians need deliverance from this law and we have positive examples such as Paul to guide us. Social and political reforms are only a temporary means to subside the problems. The real answer is for the church to live out Christ. This is our ultimate calling.

 

 

Understanding Jehovah’s Commands Bible Study with Jairus – Leviticus 17

Understanding Jehovah’s Commands

Bible Study with Jairus – Leviticus 17

 

Consuming Blood

Leviticus 17 talks about Jehovah’s command against consuming blood. Our discussion focuses on why God does not allow blood to be consumed. Of course, in addition to health and hygiene considerations, there are also spiritual considerations.

I was contemplating this question while I watched Sid Roth, an American Christian TV host, inviting Michael Brown, who is Jewish and a doctor of theology, to debate with a Jewish rabbi on his show. This man who had his doctorate in Christian studies tried to prove to the rabbi that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He tried to prove Jesus was sacrificed on the cross once, and He forever satisfied God’s request so we can receive eternal salvation in Him. But the way that this Jewish rabbi understood the Old Testament was different from this man with a doctorate in Christian studies. The Jewish rabbi said that in the Old Testament, Jehovah repeatedly emphasized that one’s own son should not be sacrificed to the idols, and when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, Jehovah personally stopped him. This shows that Jehovah was very opposed to the sacrifice of sons. Therefore, he believed that the statement that God has sacrificed his son Jesus Christ was unacceptable. This is not what he believes Jehovah would do.

We certainly did not agree with this Jewish rabbi, but we did have to think about why Jehovah had repeatedly warned the Israelites not to sacrifice their children to Molek, but He had offered His Son as a sacrifice. We also had to consider why Jehovah prohibited anyone from consuming the blood of any creature, but He prepared the blood of His Son for us to consume. In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus clearly stated that “You will eat my flesh and drink my blood” (John 6:54).

 

Spiritual Significance

Our guess is that it involves not only the Israelites and God but also the idols and the evil spirits attached to them. We can see the sins of the Israelites, but the spiritual forces of evil are invisible and are of the Devil. They often counterfeit God’s work. In other words, they mock the work of God and behind this type of action is a mocking spirit.

For example, God’s eternal purpose is to dwell with mankind and for God and mankind to become united. But before God came to earth in human form, there was a mingling of evil spirits and daughters of men, which produced giants. This story is recorded during Noah’s time. This may be the main reason why God wanted to wipe out the human race at that time. Mankind had been corrupted by mixing with evil spirits. The act of evil spirits becoming flesh stems from the work of a mocking spirit.

In the same way, God also prepared His Son for eternal salvation. Thus the evil spirits also imitated this and tempted the Israelites to offer their children to Molek. This may simply look like idolatry, But the purpose behind it was to mock God’s plans. Therefore, God hated them and prohibited the Israelites from participating in this ritual.

 

Current Cultural Applications

This is also true when we consider the situation of the church today. For example, everyone discussed that the animals slaughtered in the United States are reportedly killed before their blood is released, so because of this, did everyone unknowingly consume blood? Although the kosher meats sold by the Jewish may have their blood released before they are killed, it is expensive to purchase this type of meat. This type of meat is not mainstream, and not everyone can afford it.

Some Chinese people consume duck blood or duck blood curd etc., when they eat a dish called hotpot. If that’s the case, does it mean that many Chinese people have violated God’s commandments? When you encounter a Chinese believer doing this, what attitude should you have if the two of you talk about it? Should you tell them that what they are doing is prohibited by the law? How can we explain that Leviticus asks people not to consume blood or pork, but now most Christians believe that everything is cleansed by God and everything can be eaten? Why do most Christians now eat pork?

A woman who shared at the beginning of our study specifically mentioned that churches that are more legalistic still believe that blood should never be eaten, but Christian groups who hold more liberal views believe that everything is clean and can be eaten. What do you think of this conflict?

Our attitude is that you have the right to do anything, but not everything is beneficial. First of all, it is not beneficial to our health. Second, In the Old Testament, God did not allow us to consume it, so if it is avoidable, you should not eat it.

But if we treat this as a strict law, we can see that many Americans, even Christians, have unknowingly consumed blood. Many Chinese who were not aware of the gospel have also consumed blood, but we didn’t see any evidence of God getting angry.

 

Spiritual Implications Behind Consuming Blood

Therefore, the first thing to consider is the situation faced by the Israelites at that time. Perhaps they realized there was a connection between consuming blood and idolatry. This was the intention of the evil spirits behind it to mock God’s work, so they were hated passionately by God. Among the Chinese, there are some common ways that people consume blood that we attribute mostly to ignorance and food issues; they may or may not involve idolatry. Practices in Chinese culture such as sacrificing chickens to a banner and blood alliances may all involve idolatry. If evil spirits are behind something, or if they intend to mock God’s work, this is something that God hates very much. In the Bible, Jehovah has some harsh words concerning these issues.

The mocking spirit is just one aspect of the work of the evil spirits. Another aspect of the work of the evil spirits is the religious spirit. Paul made it clear that some people were unworthy of eating the Lord’s bread and drinking the Lord’s cup, so they were punished. There were even situations where people became sick and died. Instances such as these make some churches very religious when considering the bread. Although I believe partaking of the bread is a serious matter, I have heard some American Christian leaders testify of situations that could be better handled. For instance, many young people in American Christianity, who were not yet baptized, had participated in communion without knowing during a church meeting and they were severely reprimanded and excluded, which lead to them falling away from Christ and leaving the church. In the case of the Corinthian church, there may have been some people who had inappropriate attitudes. What they did would be considered blaspheming the Holy Spirit. They were therefore disciplined by God. But the youth in these American Christian churches did this unknowingly, and they were severely condemned. This was the work of a religious spirit.

I was saved in the Local Church Movement. Later, God led me to an American Charismatic meeting to learn the truths they teach. I observed a phenomenon, which was that many charismatic members had come out of many other American denominations that were more legalistic. They told me that many churches pay too much attention to the rules and regulations, which causes trouble. I personally realized on a deep level that the religious spirit has caused some churches to focus on absolutes, extremes, and dogmatic approaches to God’s law which has brought harm to some believers.

 

Understanding the Spiritual Depth of God’s Word

We have now analyzed two methods commonly used by the evil spirits here. One is to imitate and mock the work of God. This is a mocking evil spirit. The other is to take God’s laws, words, and teachings to the extreme and destroy His work. This is the work of a religious spirit.

The church needs to make a lot of progress in recognizing and overcoming the works of the evil spirits. Many times, the church may be led around by the nose by the evil spirits. First, the church may not recognize the work of evil spirits. Second, they have no way to overcome them because they were not even aware of their existence. God has given the church power and authority over the evil spirits. We must strive to grow spiritually and discern the gifts of the spirit that are meant to go hand in hand with life. Many churches ignore the teaching of spiritual gifts, evil spirits, and angels, which may be one of the reasons why the church does not grow well in this area. These things are not only meant for the Charismatic church. They are well documented in the Bible and are prepared for all of the children of God. When we read the Bible, we must read not only about the characters in the foreground but also the struggle between God and the evil spirits in the background. Only then can we understand the spiritual depth of God’s Word.

For example, at the beginning of Leviticus 17, it mentions that the Israelites must not kill the sacrifices themselves and that they should not shed blood. If they shed blood, they will be cut off from the people (17:4). Probably because of this rule, both Judaism and Islam have specialized priests that will kill the sacrifices. What is the reason for this? The reason is clearly recorded in verses 5-7. Verse 5 (ESV) says: “This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord.” What is a peace offering? In the peace offering, the blood and fat are given to God, while the meat is given to the priest. Verse 6 (NIV) says: “The priest is to sprinkle the blood against the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the LORD.” The blood is for atonement, and the burning of fat is to satisfy God. We know that when Noah offered a clean sacrifice after the flood, Jehovah also felt satisfied with the “pleasing aroma.” Why does animal sacrifice satisfy God in these instances?

The answer to this question seems like a mystery. In reference to this, David wrote in Psalm 51 that God was not pleased with the burnt offerings but rather pleased with a “broken spirit, and a broken and contrite heart” (NIV, Psalm 51:17). David also said in Psalm 51:16 (NIV), “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.” So God is not a carnivore, nor a bloodthirsty figure who would be satisfied the moment He smelled the aroma of meat or blood. Rather, God’s satisfaction comes from the worship that people bring through sacrifice. Because although it is the animal sacrifice that satisfies God, the ones who offer the sacrifices are human. In fact, it is human actions (in this case, the act is to offer animal sacrifice) that satisfy God.

 

God Desires Worship

What God wants is for His people to worship Him. What Satan and the evil spirits are stealing from God is not the sacrifice itself but people’s worship behind the sacrifice. Thus Leviticus 17:7 (NIV) says, “They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.” The reason why God stipulated that people couldn’t offer sacrifices outside the tabernacle was not because of the issue of whether the sacrifice was slaughtered in the tabernacle or in the field, but whether the sacrifice was dedicated to God or the idols and the evil spirits. Satan used the idols, such as the goat idols mentioned, to try to steal people’s worship from God. This was the crux of the matter. It was not about the format that was used to worship God. Worshipping God with our hearts is the key. Therefore, when the Lord Jesus came, His way of worshiping God was different from that of the Israelites. For example, when He healed the sick on the Sabbath and ate ears of grain, he was attacked by the Israelites. This was where Satan attacked Jesus through a religious spirit, as I mentioned earlier. Satan often tries to twist the meaning of words. What God cares about is “who do you worship?” but Satan twists the question into “what ways of worship do you use?”. One method that Satan often uses today is to take a legalistic and religious approach to past teachings or commands of God.

In the conversation between the Lord and the Samaritan woman in John 4, the Samaritan woman said, “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” (NIV, John 4:20). But the Lord Jesus’ answer was, “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (NIV, John 4:21-24).

In other words, the Samaritan woman was talking about the correct way and place to worship, but Jesus was talking about "who are you worshipping?” or “how are you worshipping?". Worshipping in spirit and in truth is not just a method; it’s also about worshipping God (who is the spirit) from our heart. The correct way to worship is the natural unity of "objects of worship/God" and "ways of worship/in spirit and truth or in Jerusalem." I’m not saying that we should trivialize the various ways of worship. The different ways of worship are very important. In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices were indeed ordained by God, and there were many details. We cannot separate the ways of worship from the objects of worship, nor can we exalt the ways of worship over the objects of worship. An example of this in today's church could be habits of over-exalting a certain religion (a form of worship) while ignoring our objects of worship and hurting people who also worship one God using different ways of worship. When the Catholic Church burned the Protestant heretics to death because of their way of worship, were they the same as the Jews persecuting the Lord Jesus Christ?

 

Forms and Ways of Worship

The enemy has two tricks. The first is to imitate, counterfeit, and steal your worship. This comes from the mocking spirit we mentioned earlier, and the goat idols in this chapter are an example of this. The second is to idolize, use religion, dogma, and legalistic approaches to the ways of worship you value so that you feel when others violate your customary ways of worship, they are violating the God you worship. This is certainly not true.

The same is true for consuming blood. The reason why people can't consume blood is very clear. It is because the life of a creature is in its blood; it is the blood that atones for one’s life (NIV, Leviticus 17:11). It is similar to the relationship between the "ways of worship" and the "objects of worship" we mentioned earlier. The two we are discussing here are "can't consume blood" and "make atonement. " “Can’t consume blood” is the “way of worship.” Of course, we must respect the way of worship set by God. But the "ways of worship" cannot replace or be exalted over the "objects of worship." The key here is to "make atonement" before God. When the Lord Jesus comes, the ways of worship will change, but the objects of worship will not change.

Hebrews 9:12-14 (NIV) says: "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtainingeternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"

Blood is a representation, a form, and a way of worship. In the Old Testament, the way of worship and the object of worship were not the same. But in the New Testament, the way of worship and the object of worship have become one, which is the Lord Jesus Himself. He is our way of worship, because there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus (NIV, 1 Timothy 2:5); He is also our object of worship, because “worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise" (NIV, Revelation 5:12).

 

Unifying the Form and Content of Worship

Hebrews 10:5-8 (NIV) says,

So when Christ came to Earth, He said, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.’” First, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law."

When the Jews were opposed to Jesus changing the ways of worship, it was actually Satan who opposed the unity of the ways of worship and objects of worship through a religious spirit. The ways of worship can be seen as a form, and the object of worship can be seen as the content. The form and content need to be unified. But if the form and content cannot be unified, we need to exalt the content, not the form.

Paul said: "When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 14:26). The hymn, word of instruction, revelation, tongue, and interpretation mentioned here are all forms of worship. The content and objects of worship are God and Christ Himself. When Christians quarreled about whether to speak in tongues and use other ways of worship, they were completely misguided because they were already deceived by the enemy through the religious spirit, transferring their attention from the content and objects of worship to the "ways of worship." Paul said very clearly at the end of this sentence, "Everything must be done so that the church may be built up," which is the content.

As for consuming blood or not, that also falls under the ways of worship. Paul made it clear in 1 Corinthians 10:23 that we have the right to do anything, but not everything is beneficial; we have the right to do anything, but not everything is constructive (NIV). The Word of God does not say whether we can consume blood or not in the New Testament. But I choose not to consume blood because it violates the form of worship ordained by God in the Old Testament. However, I will not try to impose this conviction on others because it does not conform to the commandment “love your neighbor as yourself” in the New Testament.

I hope we can all see the light and achieve the natural unity of the form and content of worship. Remember not to exalt any form of worship over the object and the content of worship. The method of worship may often change, but the object and content of worship will never change. We must allow some freedom in the way others worship, as long as we worship the one true God. God is great! He created every snowflake to be unique. He is also pleased when people use different methods of worship to worship Him.