Bible Study With Jairus

Bible Study with Jairus – Romans 3

Bible Study with Jairus – Romans 3

When we first read Romans 3, we felt that there was some confusion in the logic.  For example, Paul   asked a question in the first verse: "What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?" (Romans 3:1, NIV).  Then he answered this question in the second verse.  He said: "Much in every way!  First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God."  Logically speaking, we would then expect Paul to say: "second or third" later, but we couldn’t find the second or third in chapter 3, nor in chapters 4 or 5.  When I searched online, I saw that it's not until Romans 9:4-5 before Paul talked about other advantages of the Jews.  So it's not that Paul's logic is unclear.  It's just that we don't understand his reasoning, making it difficult to properly interpret this chapter.

Our understanding of the Bible is often influenced by the teaching we receive.  Witness Lee, a leader in the Local Church Movement where I was saved, taught that Romans, chapters 9-11 were inserted to teach about the Jews' election.  This teaching deeply influenced me, so I didn't see Paul's logic here differently.  I'm sure Witness Lee had reasons for teaching this.  Paul's question about the advantages of the Jews began in chapter 3, was touched on in chapter 8, and continued in chapter 9.  As Paul said in Romans 9:4-5 (ESV), "They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.  To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen."

Witness Lee may have talked about the other advantages of the Jews in Romans 9, but I rarely heard anyone talk about this during my thirteen years of attending there.  Instead, the statement about Romans 9-11 being inserted to speak about the Jews election left a deep impression on me. So the thought came to me that maybe Romans chapters 3-8 in total were added for that purpose.  I am not criticizing others here.  I am just discussing how we can learn from our predecessors without limitations.

In addition to praying for God's revelation, it's important to look at and incorporate teaching from other Bible scholars who have gone on before us.  There are two parts to the process of studying other people's interpretations of the Bible.  One part is to understand the light that others have received; the other part is to unlearn some of the teachings we have received.  We often get some of our understanding of the Scriptures from various Bible teachers.  Many of these teachings are rooted in our memories and even our souls.  On the one hand, these teachings help us to understand the Bible.  On the other hand, they sometimes become concepts, preventing us from further understanding the Bible.

When I was in the Local Church Movement, I often encountered Christians from other churches, especially Chinese churches, who condemned the Local Church Movement and Witness Lee of teaching heresy.  

I left the Local Church Movement and was led to learn the truths and pursue gifts in the Pentecostal Movement.  My understanding of the Bible and some of its truths gradually differed from the teaching of the Local Church Movement, but to this day, I still disagree with the Chinese churches that condemned it.  There are many things in this movement worth learning by the body of Christ.  I do have a problem with some of the Local Church Movement's teaching.  They stay ingrained in their own beliefs and teachings unwilling to grow and learn from other traditions or denominations.  Witness Lee's understanding of the Bible in some areas isn't correct.  For example, his note on "the word of knowledge," in 1 Corinthians 12 says: "The word of knowledge is the word that imparts a general knowledge of things concerning God and the Lord (8:1-7).  The word of knowledge is mainly of our understanding through teaching." (Notes of the Recovery Version).  This explains why I didn't understand what the word of knowledge was when I first came into contact with the Pentecostal Movement.

In the Pentecostal Movement, the miraculous message God has given to some pastors is called "the word of knowledge."  I heard that Derek Prince mentioned at a healing meeting that his wife felt that God wanted to heal someone's leg. He called this the "word of knowledge."   When Prophet Shawn Bolz, who is very gifted in words of knowledge, uses his gift of prophecy, many times he was able to tell the other party's bank account number, birthday, name, social security number, and other information impossible to know.   His gift shocks people into believing that God exists, and often they even get saved. I've attended Shawn's meetings several times and witnessed him using words of knowledge.

The Lord Jesus miraculously knew the history of the Samaritan woman's five husbands.  He had never seen Zacchaeus but knew his name (Luke 19:5).  He saw Nathanael while he was still under the fig tree (John 1:48). In the Pentecostal Movement, these are generally called "words of knowledge."  Witness Lee also had this experience.  For example, he mentioned that under no prior knowledge, he pointed out that a person stole chalk and drew circles on the floor, causing the person to repent and be saved (Witness Lee: "Life-Study of Romans"), and during a sermon, he miraculously pointed out that a woman allowed her husband to work overtime to buy high-heeled shoes for her, which led to the woman's repentance and salvation (Witness Lee: "The Fullness of God").  He also said in another message that John Sung pointed to a woman and said that she was a mistress under unknown circumstances, causing the woman to repent after being inspired by the Holy Spirit (Witness Lee: "Practice Being One Spirit with the Lord").  According to the Pentecostal Movement, this phenomenon is called the "word of knowledge."

I think that the Pentecostal Movement's interpretation of the "word of knowledge" is correct because, generally speaking, the nine gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 are miraculous gifts.  These miraculous gifts are given by God to help evangelists, prophets, and ordinary Christians influence others to repent and come to Christ.  However, Witness Lee believed that the "word of knowledge" came through our understanding and teaching.  This differs from the interpretation of the Pentecostal Movement, which believes that the "word of knowledge" does not come from understanding but is a miraculous message from God.

I think that although Witness Lee studied speaking in tongues in the early days, he distanced himself from it and the Pentecostal Movement.  He might have lacked the experiences or manifestations of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and did not understand what speaking in tongues meant to us today.

He criticized the Pentecostal Movement for not focusing on the growth of an individual's spiritual life.  Although he was correct in this, he misunderstood the gifts of the Holy Spirit due to his lack of spiritual experience.  Leaving the Local Church Movement after thirteen years to learn more about the Pentecostal Movement was difficult.  It was a painful process to expand my mind to receive the truths that God was teaching me, but it was well worth it.  The process of understanding the Bible is similar.  We must pray that God will give us revelation, yet still be willing to learn from others who see things differently. I'm grateful for the teaching and training I received in the Local Church Movement.  After leaving, I studied a variety of church movements and realize that many of the things I learned in my former church are true Biblical teachings that I highly recommend other believers to search out and glean from.  Through my journey of discovery in other churches and ministries, I've examined my views and conflicting thoughts concerning several teachings that I now disagree with in the Local Church Movement.

Each time I lead our Bible study, I go through a process of sorting out the beneficial things I learned from the Local Church Movement and promote them without reservation.  I then present the views that I've studied in other churches hoping to influence Christians in the Local Church Movement.  I maintain an attitude of gratefulness for what I've learned there while hoping to break through the traditional restrictions that I was taught.  This allows the Holy Spirit freedom to lead us to a deeper understanding of God's Word.

This process applies to every Christian group looking to break through the restrictions of their particular denomination.  Each of us inherits spiritual wealth as well as restrictions from our spiritual founders.  My heart is to help people see that when reading the Bible, we should be open to the Holy Spirit and be willing to learn from our predecessors and the body of Christ.  We need to learn to put the teaching to practical use and not allow it to be a hindrance to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

When I read Romans 3 this time, I applied this principle.  I tried to incorporate the understanding I learned from my predecessors, and look up to the renewing of the Holy Spirit.

Let's recap our discussion in Romans 1 and 2, which was the historical record of the conflict between Jews and Gentiles in early Rome.  This conflict may have been severe enough that Claudius commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. It was after this incident that the Jews from the Roman Church, Priscilla, and Aquila, came to Corinth and met Paul (Acts 18:2).  At this point, Paul had the burden to go and visit Rome (Acts 19:21). Paul wrote the book of Romans in Corinth because he wasn't sure if he could go to Jerusalem or reach Rome safely (Romans 1:10).  It's possible that this conflict may have been extended to the church - Jewish believers had to live according to the law and even required the Gentiles to obey the law. While the Gentiles boasted of their culture, this induced conflicts. But Paul does not shy away from this. In Romans 2:24 (NIV), he quoted the Old Testament to accuse the Jewish believers, "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of them."

After Paul greeted and praised the faith of the Roman church in chapter 1 verses 1-17, he began to point out the sins of the Gentiles in verses 18-32. Romans, chapter 2, criticized the Jews. Chapter 3 continued this criticism, but its target audience was the Gentiles. Why am I saying this?  

The Holy Spirit showed me that the conflict between the Jewish and Gentile believers could have been caused by erroneous Jewish teaching that led the Gentile believers to backslide.  Paul tried to correct this teaching by immersing himself in the Gentile's lives and teaching them the truth.

At this point, we could speculate that Paul asked the Gentiles whether they believed the Jews had more advantages.  There are some, including the fact that they were entrusted with the words of God.  We had to wait until chapter 9 for him to identify other advantages.  Paul seemed to act like an elder trying to stop people from arguing with one another.  He spoke of the Jew's shortcomings as well as pointed out that they had a purpose in God's kingdom.  Chapters 9-11 follow this train of thought as Paul talks about how God elected the Jews and the burden he had for them.  From this point of view, we can see that Romans, chapters 9-11, were not inserted as Witness Lee described. It can be traced back to the beginning of chapter 3.  Paul interjected his spiritual experiences and the topic of justification by faith between chapters 3-8.  He shared his spiritual experiences to help the Gentiles overcome sin and the Jews to overcome the law. 

Romans chapter 3 begins with the topic of justification by faith (3:28), and chapter 4 explains Abraham's experience of justification by faith in detail.  Romans chapter 5 continues talking about justification by faith but brings in the viewpoint that the law was brought in so that the trespass might increase (Romans 5:20, NIV). Romans chapter 6 explains how our old man is crucified with Christ so that we may now live with Him. In Romans chapter 7, Paul describes being bound by the law of sin, and chapter 8 talks about Christ's resurrection, releasing us from the law of sin and death.  Paul combines his own experience plus the truth of justification by faith, and then in chapter 9 continues his thoughts that he began in chapter 3 that the Jews were worthy of the Gentiles appreciation and acceptance.  The Gentiles should be grateful that the Jews helped to pass on the Word of God, providing us with the Old Testament.  In addition, Romans 9:4-5 (ESV) says, "They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen." This all ties into Paul's previous train of thought.

After Paul finished talking about the Jews, he continued to say in Romans 12 that the people of the Roman Church must "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves" (Romans 12:10, NIV), submit to the authorities (Romans 13:1, NIV), and accept one other (Romans 14:1, NIV). In Chapter 15, Paul specifically mentions that he would bring the Gentile's offering to Jerusalem and bring the blessings of the Gentile churches into Jerusalem. From this, not only can we see Paul's logic, but we can also understand why Paul had to go to Jerusalem. Because of the constant conflict between Jewish believers and Gentile believers at that time, Paul was really burdened. He hoped that they could increase communication and reconcile with each other. This has a lot of spiritual significance for the United States today as the country is currently facing racial conflict.

 A man in our study asked why Romans 3:8 (NIV) says, "Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is just!" Previously in verse 5, Paul said, "But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say?" There is no record in the Bible of who slandered Paul for saying "do evil that good may result," but I'm sure Paul had a reason for saying this. Although Paul had not been to Rome before and may not have communicated with the Roman Church, some leaders and believers in this church, including Priscilla and Aquila, etc., communicated with Paul, so he may have indirectly heard the slanderous claims from them.

Paul is talking about justification by faith and not because of our works. Of course, this includes good works or bad works.  In Romans 3:10-18, Paul quoted the words of the Old Testament to prove that no one is righteous. In verses 19-20, he said that it is through the law that we become conscious of our sin. Only after becoming aware of our sin, can we gain righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.

Another man asked why verse 31 in chapter 3 (NIV) says, "Do we nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law."  I answered him by saying that Paul was still talking about his spiritual experience in preparation for what he would say in chapter 8 about being free from the law of sin and death.

The Local Church Movement taught that the woman in Chapter 7 represents the law, and the dead husband represents the old man. When the old man dies, the new husband will be Christ. The law is not a source of trouble; the old man is.

Whether we are talking about the Old Testament Law or New Testament grace, the requirement is to love God and love others as you love yourself.  The problem is when the old man is in control rather than the new man in Christ.  Living according to the old man will always bring condemnation.  For example, if you are trying to love your wife through the old man and can't do it, you'll be condemned for not loving her.  This is how the law works.  However, if you are alive in Christ, you can love your wife to the point of even laying down your life.  You won't violate the law; instead, you'll perfect and strengthen the requirements of the law, which is to love your neighbor as yourself.

The strength of the Local Church Movement is to teach Christians to experience spiritual growth and the renewal of the soul so that the life of Christ can be fuller in us.  This teaching would benefit everyone and is worth learning.

I also shared my spiritual experience.  I talked about the hardship of ten years of infertility, the difficulties it caused in our marriage, as well as how to overcome these difficulties and achieve spiritual breakthroughs in faith and prayer.  The result was having a miracle baby.  My own experience also proves that not only do we have to be saved by faith, but every step of our spiritual breakthrough is also through faith.  I shared how, with the help of God, I had step by step internalized into my own spiritual experience (that is ruling my life) what the law had required me from the outside. Initially, my wife asked me from the outside to love and care for her, but I couldn't do it.  But with this change, I had slowly developed love and sympathy for my wife inside.

My own experience and what Paul said here are all described in Jeremiah 31:33 (ESV): "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.  And I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

In other words, the law restricts and rules us from the outside.  This is because we are still children, and we need the law as our guardian to discipline us.  But its purpose is to bring us to Christ so that we can be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24). The law must go from the outside to the inside of our hearts.  In the Old Testament, the Jews only had the law outside while the law in the New Testament was to be established in our hearts.  But the Jews had a veil over their hearts (2 Corinthians 3:14). Likewise, Christians today can also have a veil over their hearts. God's law, whether it is the Old Testament or the New Testament, is not wrong.  It is because people's hearts have a veil, and their hearts are distorted, which led them to distort the law.  Here Paul is trying to help the believers remove the veil from their hearts because he knows that when our hearts turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away (NIV, 2 Corinthians 3:16).

This statement applies not only to the Jews or Jewish believers in the early church but also to anyone in Christianity today.  Is there a veil over our hearts that prevents us from further understanding the richness of God and His Word?  Even the biblical knowledge and truths we learn from our Christian tradition can sometimes become veils that prevent us from further understanding God.  May God have mercy on us, illuminate us, and help remove all our veils!

 

Bible Study with Jairus - Leviticus 16

Bible Study with Jairus - Leviticus 16

The man who led our Bible study on Leviticus 16 asked a good question.  When the high priest stood before God and used the blood to make atonement, did the Israelites still have sin (verses 14-15)?  Clearly, the sprinkling of blood only covered sin temporarily.  It didn't take the sin away forever.  In the New Testament, our sin was cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus.  Why do we still sin then?  In the Old Testament, Balaam prophesied that Israel was blameless in his sight (Numbers 23:21).  The New Testament also says that the church is holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:27).  How can we look at the Israelites and ourselves as blameless when we know that the Israelites were full of apostasy and sin, and we in the New Testament church also still sin?  How can these two seemingly contradictory truths be explained? This led to a lively discussion.  There is a famous Christian song titled: "I'm only a sinner saved by grace." I also mentioned this in a message.  A Chinese listener sent a letter telling me that I was wrong.  We are no longer sinners; we are saints.  I replied to him, saying that this was translated from an English song into Chinese.  The English title is: "I was a sinner saved by Grace," so this sentence is correct, but because Chinese has no tenses, naturally, the original meaning cannot be seen. There is nothing wrong with the expression in English.

If you search online, there are a large number of articles proving "You Are Not Just a Sinner Saved by Grace."  I haven't read each article entirely, but it's clear that we are no longer sinners after we are saved.  Peter says we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and his own special people (1 Peter 2:9). But how do we understand Paul's comment about himself being the chief of sinners?

Let's look at two aspects of truth.  First, I agree that when we are saved, we are no longer sinners but saints. Once we are saved, the Bible says we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  His death on the cross provided freedom from sin for us.

We can analyze it from several aspects.  1 John 3:9 (NIV) says, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin."  I was saved in the Local Church Movement.  We were taught that "born of God" here refers to our spirit. Our spirit is holy and, therefore, cannot sin. But our souls and flesh have not been transformed by the life of God, so we will still sin.  Because we are still in the transformation process, our soul or flesh isn't holy, which is why we can still sin.  I think this makes a lot of sense.

We are composed of 3 parts: body, soul and spirit.  As a believer in Christ, God has drawn a boundary that keeps Satan and sin from touching our born again spirits.  Even when we sin through our mind, will, or emotions through jealousy, covetousness, etc., our spirit is protected.  The same is true when we sin in our flesh, such as stealing, adultery, etc.  Nothing can come against our born again spirit, which is sealed by God.  When you are born again, you become one spirit with God (1 Corinthians 6:17).  An unbeliever committing the same sins does not have that protection, and his spirit can die.

When we are born again, our spirit is sinless and holy.  In Charismatic circles, the saying is: we are a spirit that has a soul and lives in a body.  Our true new man, which is the spirit, is saved, yet our unregenerate body is still compelled to sin and taints our soul to some extent.  Our spirit remains pure and holy, regardless of the body's sin.

Our body, soul, and spirit can be compared to a gold mine.  Gold represents our spirit, our soul is represented by a stone, and our flesh would be like the dirt.  If you are an experienced geologist or gold miner, you don't focus on the stone or the dirt all over it.  You are only concerned with whether there is gold inside that stone. 

Although we are born again, we still struggle with sin and tend to focus on the dirt or sin. It's hard for us to look past the dirt because we feel so bad about our sins.  When God looks at us, he only sees the gold.  Even though He's aware of our sin, He values us based on our pure born again spirit that was cleansed by Jesus' blood on the cross.  He understands that we are in the process of allowing the dirt to be removed so that the gold can shine through the stone.  We look at our problems through time, but God looks at them through eternity.  His angle is entirely different.

The reason I said that we are no longer sinners but saints and holy people of God's kingdom, is viewed from the perspective of God and eternity.  We were chosen before the creation of the world.  We know that sin came after Genesis 3.  Once we are saved, we have eternal life, and God looks at us from an eternal perspective.  Although we may still sin, God knows that there is a process for us to change and be sanctified. This problem will be solved over time.

Let's illustrate this principle with another example.  We often look at ourselves or fellow believers and notice shortcomings or sinful behaviors.  We observe people at face value, but God looks right through us.  He doesn't just see the flesh.  His eyes are like an X-ray machine seeing the bones as well.  Bones are often used to represent the resurrected life in the Bible, which shows us that God sees the resurrected life inside us.

It's not always easy for us to see from God's perspective.  Kris Vallotton, a prophet at Bethel church in California, said: "It takes a genius to discover the greatness of another person, but it doesn't take a genius to find other's shortcomings." Kris testified that since he operated in the gift of prophecy, he often supernaturally knew the sins committed by fellow believers and would share it when he saw them. This caused a lot of hurt within the congregation. He thought he was doing what 1 Corinthians 14:25 says: "And the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you."  He also thought he would be recognized as a true prophet this way, yet it had the opposite effect and caused much disagreement in the lives of those around him.

One day, God spoke to him, saying this person's sin is not the secret of his heart.  He knows he is sinful.   His heart's secret is that he doesn't know the hope to which I called him and the riches of the glorious inheritance that I gave him.  My beautiful plans and dreams for his life are the secret of his heart.  This word from God had a significant impact on Kris.  He began to understand that although God told him the person's sins, it was only for him to diagnose, heal, and understand their circumstances.  It was not the real message that the Lord tried to give him.  The Lord's wonderful plan is for the prophet to share words of hope and encouragement, not conviction.  

In many churches, there are former drug addicts and others whose lives were a mess before they were saved.  It's often difficult to see the good in them and encourage them to recognize their identity and status in Christ.  They need to be convinced they are no longer sinners but saints of God.  When a person repents after falling into sin, it's difficult to break through the past and the nature of sin that still tries to influence their lives.  Even though an individual may know in his heart that he isn't perfect, it can be even more challenging to see his own life as beautiful in the midst of his weakness or sin.

 It's vital for us to see ourselves as God sees us.  We are fully loved, and accepted children of God cleansed completely from all sin. A revelation of this truth will change our lives.  Rather than permit us to indulge in sin, it empowers us to overcome all of our weaknesses in the flesh.  What makes me say this?

The world we see is not a real-world but a short-term illusion.  The Bible says that the world that can be seen is temporary, but the spiritual world that cannot be seen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).  Our past sins and weaknesses are not real.  They are just an illusion.  But what we are in Christ is real.  I'm not saying this to deny that you have sinned in the past.  Rather the blood of Christ has indeed cleansed you.  Though it may seem like our sin, weaknesses, and past memories are real, we are cleansed and forgiven because of what Christ did on the cross.  The devil may try to tell you who you aren't, but God wants you to know who you are in Christ.

One day, I was doing a Bible study and fellowshipping with a Chinese student in a restaurant at George Washington University.  We discussed Christ's work on the cross, our problem with the old sin nature, and how we should use the blood of Christ to enter into the Holy of Holies without fear.  He didn't understand the concept, so I gave him the following example to explain it better.  We were sitting beside a glass window at the student cafeteria's outer side, and it was raining hard outside.  I compared where we were seated to the tabernacle's outer courtyard, and the dining room in front of us would be the sanctuary. When we go through the dining room door into the kitchen, we enter the Holy of Holies.  When we first get saved, it's like being seated in the outer courtyard, and the heavy rain represents our past sin.  It seems true in one way but not in another.  Why?  As we sit in this room, the glass that separates us from the pouring rain is like the cross represented by the brazen altar of the outer courtyard that separates the holy kingdom from the sinful world.  Once the blood of Christ saves you through the cross, you are transferred from Satan's kingdom of darkness to God's kingdom of light.  You are set free from sin!  The heavy rain outside, representing sin, no longer has any power to soak you. This is a spiritual reality.  Even though you are very close to the rain and can see it pouring down, it can't touch you.  There is no rain or sin in God's kingdom.  Although you still see it with your eyes and sense it, no longer does it have power over you.

This doesn't mean you live in denial that you were soaked by the rain in the past and can still see it pouring down through the window.  It's real in one sense but illusionary in another.  It's real to you because you are sitting next to the window too close to the down pouring rain.  Although you aren't getting wet, it feels very real.  If I were to tell you that God lives in the Holy of Holies represented by the kitchen where there is no rain, you might not believe it because you can't see it.  You are too far away to see it clearly. 

You will still get wet if you leave this building.  Likewise, you still sin if you do not live a life in union with Christ.  But you can live a sin-free life when you make Christ your shelter and hiding place.  Paul calls it the habit of sin.  He says, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry." (Colossians 3:5).  Paul meant that we have to put to death these behaviors.  But he also said we died with Christ (Galatians 2:20).  This seems controversial.  How is it possible that you have died already but have put to death these sinful behaviors?  There is no controversy here.  It is like the locomotive has stopped, but the momentum of its movement is still very powerful.  When I say you are a saint and sinless, it is like saying that the locomotive has stopped. Christ has put a stop to this train when He died on the cross.  We do not deny that the momentum, habits, or the consequences of your sins or sinful deeds are not there.  They are there, and they are powerful.  But the way to overcome this powerful habit or momentum is to recognize that the train has stopped. 

You think you are still a sinner because you are too close to the outer courtyard.  The closer you are to God, the more holy you will be.   It may not feel that way because the closer to God we get, the more we realize just how sinful we are.  As new believers, it's common to have a "sin consciousness" way of thinking, often dwelling on how not to sin or overthinking our past sin. When we enter the Holy of Holies and get closer to God, we will eventually have a "God-consciousness" that rarely thinks about sin.  Instead, you will focus more on God's purpose for your life and will have the ability to overcome sin and the flesh.  

In other words, what we focus on the most is what we will become. For example, if we spend most of our time focusing on celebrity gossip, we will become celebrity gossip experts.  If we focus on a particular game, we will become an expert in this game.  If we focus on sins and weaknesses, we become experts in sins and weaknesses.  Doing this often leads us into sin and weakness instead of overcoming it.  But when we put our attention on God, we will be transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (NIV, 2 Corinthians 3:18).  When we focus our attention on God and His victory on the cross, we will behold Him and experience greater transformation.

Remember the example earlier of the cafeteria?  I used this example to demonstrate to the student how it works.  As I walked into the kitchen, representing the Holy of Holies, I looked back at the heavy rain pouring outside the window.  Even though I was close to God, I was still looking backward at the rain representing past sin and weaknesses.  Even though I moved forward into the Holy of Holies, looking back makes me susceptible to falling because I'm not focused on the way forward.  The student finally understood the problem.  Many Christians fail to reach a deeper level of spirituality and victory in their lives because their focus is wrong.  Their eyes need to be focused on God's greatness, His goodness, and calling on their lives rather than past sin and weakness.

Although we still need to repent and confess our sins after we are saved, we can't always be focused on how terrible our past was.  That focus will only hold us back.  If our heart's desire is to pursue God, we need to have an attitude of praise and recognize the victory that Christ provided for us.  This type of attitude will bring much spiritual breakthrough.

The book of Hebrews also tells us that we must throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (NIV, Hebrews 12:1).  We must fix our eyes on the glory ahead to run well the journey beneath our feet.

 

God’s Guidance Bible Study with Jairus – 1 Corinthians 7

God’s Guidance

Bible Study with Jairus – 1 Corinthians 7

 

Have you ever been in a situation where you faced a tough decision? How did you deal with the ambiguity and uncertainty? Often, when we don’t know what to do, we search for a dogmatic command from God to eliminate all uncertainty. However, God wants us to get to know him personally and accept his unique guidance in each specific circumstance of our lives.

 

Today we are going to discover that God’s word provides unchanging principles, as well as specific guidance that helps us navigate the ups and downs of life.

 

Avoiding Extremes.

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul continues his discussion of sexual purity (Ch. 6) by focusing on marriage and singleness. Paul emphasizes the importance of loving God from the heart rather than merely conforming to a rule or imitating a standard. No matter our external circumstances, we must respect God from the heart.

 

Paul explains the dangers of two extremes. On the one hand, immorality is not good, as Paul explained in chapter 6. On the other hand, it is not helpful to completely ban natural desires. In the spiritual experience, we tend towards one of two extremes. Either we indulge the lust of the flesh, or we swing to the opposite extreme of total sexual abstinence. In the Catholic church, we see these two extremes played out. On the one hand, we see the indulgence of clergy in Catholic history, and on the other hand we see the abstinence in the monasteries later in church history.

 

Paul explained that spirituality does not come merely from imitating another believer’s way of life. Believers in the Corinthian church wanted to imitate Paul’s singleness, perhaps in response to the rampant immorality described in chapter 6. But Paul stated that true spirituality lies in learning to live in the Spirit in any circumstances and in always putting God first. Whether we are married or unmarried, circumcised or uncircumcised, slave or free, God does not require us to change our outward experience. Instead, he wants us to honor Him from the heart. Although Paul is single, he does not want the Corinthian believers to automatically imitate him. Instead, he wants everyone to learn to serve God according to God's guidance.

 

Paul’s words were aimed towards specific problems in the Corinthian church. Although God's words transcend time and space, we still must not regard Paul's words as laws and dogmas. Throughout the ages, many Christians took Paul's words as dogma, which caused a lot of harm to the church. For example, when Paul talked about the question of whether slaves should be freed, he was not at all supporting slavery. He was emphasizing that true spirituality does not lie in external imitation or in changing the outward environment, but in finding inner freedom and exalting Christ in all circumstances.

 

No Shortcuts to Spiritual Growth.

Understanding the context in which the biblical authors wrote these words will help us better understand the text. Through the Holy Spirit’s illumination, we can interpret God’s words accurately and avoid misunderstanding. For example, 1 Corinthians 6 discusses the issues of litigation and immorality. How does a discussion of marriage connect to these topics? 1 Corinthians 7:1 gives us a clue: "As for what you wrote, I think it is better for men not to be close to women..."

 

Theologians believe Paul wrote more than two epistles to the Corinthian church. Some other epistles were lost. The Corinthian church also wrote many letters to Paul, but these epistles were also lost. These verses give a clue to what the Corinthians may have asked Paul in their letters.

 

We know that some people in the Corinthian church were involved in immorality, but certainly not everyone was. When church problems arise, there are often certain members who are particularly disgusted with what is going on. For example, Boaz did not concur with the prostitution his mother was involved in. Jephthah, the son of another prostitute, was a judge of Israel and dedicated his daughter to keep her virgin for God. Although he swore rashly, it was definitely not accidental (Judges 11). Similarly, some believers in the Corinthian church were uncomfortable with the promiscuity all around them. Like the Catholics who reacted to sexual indulgence by forming monasteries, the Corinthians may have protested against the immorality in the church by making vows of sexual abstinence. They were eager to imitate Paul and learn to stay single. They may have asked Paul if they should stay single and lead a life of total abstinence.

 

In context, we see that the topic of marriage and singleness in chapter 7 are a continuation of the discussion of immorality in chapter 6. Members of the Corinthian church could not accept the behavior of the promiscuous believers, and they wanted this behavior to be corrected. But since they were spiritually immature, and their spiritual father, Paul, was single, they concluded that being single was a more spiritual way to avoid impurity.

 

However, Paul tells the church that his singleness was a special gift and calling of God. Without this special gift, believers would not be able to sustain their commitment to abstinence. A believer who is relying on their own sexual abstinence to please God will start to burn with passion and be easily tempted towards immorality.

 

Paul instructs couples to meet each other’s physical needs in order to avoid temptation (1 Corinthians 7:1-7). He counsels married couples not to sleep in separate rooms, so that Satan does not seduce them. The only exception would be when both partners agree to a short time of dedicated abstinence for the purpose of intense prayer. Paul specifically stated that his words are not commands, but suggestions. Not everyone has the gift of being single like Paul.

 

In verses 8-9, Paul tells the unmarried and widows that it is best for them to be single like he is. However, if they cannot control their lusts, it is better to marry. In verses 10-16, Paul discusses the topic of divorce. He says it is best that the husband and wife remain together. But if the unbelieving spouse wants to leave, let them leave. Paul’s discussion of divorce continues the conversation about avoiding immorality. Paul specifies that these directions are from the Lord, not merely his own opinion.

 

Paul continues, “Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” (vs. 17, ESV). As he responds to the Corinthians’ questions, Paul acknowledges that each person's gifts and callings are different. As we pursue spirituality, we should not simply imitate another believer’s external life choices. At the same time, imitation is an important first step for every young believer. We all start our Christian lives as spiritual babies, imitating people who led us spiritually. Our spiritual parents subtly shaped our spiritual growth, and we imitate them unwittingly. This is understandable. But when our spiritual life has reached a certain stage and it’s time to enter into a deeper and more abundant spiritual life, simply imitating others is not enough. We must strengthen our fellowship with God, understand the gifts and unique calling God has given us, and then personally and subjectively follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we continue to pursue spiritual growth.

 

I heard a story about a spiritual sister who discipled many other ladies in their spiritual growth. This sister walked very slowly. Many people she discipled began to think that walking slowly was a manifestation of spirituality. They imitated her by deliberately walking slowly. This is not spiritual growth, but just imitation.

 

Another time, several Christian sisters in Korea read from the Bible that Peter walked on the water. They imitated him to show their faith. But unfortunately, they drowned. Another brother from Taiwan tried to imitate Daniel by entering the lion’s den at the zoo to show his faith. Unfortunately, he was bitten by the lion. An American pastor who saw that Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake but did not die, took a poisonous snake in his hand. Tragically, he was killed by the poisonous snake.

 

I cannot confirm the authenticity of these stories, but there are countless examples of such imitations. Each of these stories remind me of the Corinthians. Throughout the ages, many Christians have tried to show their faith by imitating Paul, Peter, or other saints. But they only imitated them on the outside. What seems like a shortcut to growth is actually a dead end.

 

In the next section of the chapter, Paul continues to contrast outward imitation with inward obedience. Paul says that obeying God’s commands matters more than outward circumcision (verse 18). Today, Christians easily accept the fact that circumcision is not required. But for Jewish believers, this assertion was a major betrayal of all they had learned throughout Jewish history. The topic of circumcision led to many disputes between Jewish believers and Gentile believers. However, Paul emphasized that external surgery (circumcision) had no real impact on the heart.

 

There are no shortcuts to spiritual growth. We must not rely on imitating other believers’ outward choices. Instead, we should get to know God personally and ask him what his will is for our life.

 

Slavery

In verses 21-22, Paul seems to imply that slaves who were believers should not seek freedom. Paul explains, “Each one should remain in the situation he was in when he was called. Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let it concern you—but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.” (BSB) Many believers in history have misused these verses, asserting that Paul was supporting slavery. This opinion comes from a legalistic, dogmatic interpretation of Paul’s words. What Paul meant was that true spirituality does not lie in external behavioral changes. We don’t please God by changing our environment or our identity, but through worshiping God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

 

God’s Guidance.

In verse 25, Paul shares his opinion about singleness. He seems to encourage individuals to stay single, even encouraging those without wives not to seek wives (verse 27). Verse 38 says, "It is good to ask your virgin daughter to marry, and it is better not to ask her to marry" (verse 38). Paul also said that although widows can remarry, it is best to preserve chastity (verse 39). Paul mentions that though his opinions do not reflect a specific command from the Lord, they are guided by the Spirit of God (verse 40).

 

Though Paul seems to lean towards the opinion that virgins and widows should not marry, we must look at these words in the overall context of the chapter. Paul's desire is to encourage people to learn how to best serve the Lord in their own environment. For example, he instructed people who are bound to marriage to stay faithful to that commitment (vs. 27). If you are married, you understand that marriage is full of difficulty. Many people are eager to be free from the commitment to each other. Many couples don’t seek a divorce because they want to commit immorality with someone else. They simply are tired of the difficulty of getting along with another person. Corinthian believers may have raised the issue of singleness because they wanted to break free from the bondage of marriage. However, Paul clearly told them that those who are married should stay faithful to that commitment.

 

Paul said in verse 26, "Because of the current hardship, I think it is best for people to maintain the status quo." The Holy Spirit highlighted the words "the current hardship.” What does Paul mean by this phrase?

 

Even though the United States is a Christian country, Christians still feel great pressure from the secular world. Similarly, the brand-new Corinthian church faced powerful social pressures toward idolatry, secularization, and immorality. The pressure they faced were even greater than the pressure Americans face in their “Christian” nation.

 

Corinthian believers experienced pressure from the outside, as well as from the inside. Their own weaknesses caused spiritual problems. Therefore, in their specific situation, Paul advised them to maintain the status quo. Perhaps the " current hardship " referred to the secular pressure faced by the Corinthian church at the time.

 

When the Lord Jesus was on earth, some Pharisees tested Jesus by asking if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus quoted Genesis 2:24, where God commanded the husband and wife to unite and become one flesh. Jesus explained that in the beginning, divorce was not God’s plan. Because of the hardness of Israelites’ heart, Moses allowed them to divorce their wives (Matthew 19:8).

 

In this chapter, Jesus explains the difference between the overarching principle established by God, and the unique methods that we deal with problems in special circumstances. Christians often make the mistake of reading about God’s unique ways of dealing with special circumstances, and then applying those solutions as universal principles from God. The words of the Bible are undoubtedly from God’s inspiration, but some words clarify divine nature and overarching principles, while other words clarify God's guidance in a certain situation.

 

Therefore, we need both Bible teachers and prophets in the church. Bible teachers help us understand God's word, nature and principles. Prophets help us obtain God’s timely words about how to deal with special situations. We must understand the true meaning of God's words in the Spirit, and we must not misinterpret God’s words. We need to understand God's words in light of the linguistic context and target audience at the time. I absolutely believe that the words of the Bible are the breath of God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. However, when we actually apply it, we also need to pray to God and receive revelation from the Holy Spirit on how to apply it to our lives. For example, Paul’s encouragement towards singleness was specifically related to the "current hardship" they faced in their unique circumstances.

 

When we use the word of God, we need to avoid dogmatism and legalism. I once heard a parable about a believer who decided to read God’s words and literally obey every word. For example, when he reads about giving alms to others, he gives alms to others. When he reads that he should love his neighbor, he will love his neighbor. He is very dogmatic and stubborn, literally imitating every Bible character he reads about. One day, he read that the Bible says that Judas went out and hanged himself. He did not know what to do. Although this story is a joke, it demonstrates that we should not interpret God’s words mechanically, out of context. We should interpret them in context in accordance with the personal guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

 

As we interpret God’s word, we must make a distinction between God’s nature and principles, and his specific guidance for special circumstances. For example, Scripture tells us about God’s overarching principle of purity. God is not pleased with sexual immorality. This principle applies to anyone at any time. In the same way, God's principle unites a man and a woman in marriage for life. God’s unchanging character values purity and faithfulness in marriage.

 

But does this mean that people can never get a divorce? No. The Lord Jesus explained that spouses should not separate unless one partner is unfaithful. If a husband or wife commits the crime of fornication, divorce is permissible. Paul also added that if an unbelieving spouse insists on leaving, believers can get divorced. God provides guidance for these specific situations. Each person's situation is different, so God's guidance for each person is also different.

 

The same principles apply to the decision to marry or stay single. From Paul’s personal point of view, it is better to remain single. But he explains that this is not an issue of God’s nature and principles, but of specific guidance. God may lead a person to remain a virgin, like he led Paul. He may lead another person to marry, establish a family, and have children. God provides different guidance to different people.

 

Paul was an apostle and a pioneer of the gospel. If he had a wife or children, it might prevent him from preaching the gospel unhindered. Practical considerations and worry for his family would hinder his gospel ministry. But for a person serving as a pastor in a local church, getting married and having children could be a good thing. Having a family enables the pastor to serve not only brothers in Christ, but also sisters and children. Because of their experience in married life, they can serve everyone.

 

Living a Life that is Free from Worry

At the end of the chapter, Paul shares some fascinating verses that appear to be contradictory at first glance. Paul says, “What I am saying, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who weep, as if they did not; those who are joyful, as if they were not; those who make a purchase, as if they had nothing; and those who use the things of this world, as if not dependent on them. For this world in its present form is passing away." (BSB)

 

What is Paul trying to say here? Verse 32 to provides some insight: “I want you to be free from concern. The unmarried man is concerned about the work of the Lord, how he can please the Lord.” Paul wants us to be free from worry so we can focus on the Lord. Ultimately, Paul is not concerned with whether or not you are married, whether or not you decide to make a purchase, and whether or not you are happy. He is concerned that you are free from worldly worry and care. He wants us to have nothing to worry about so we can worry about the things of the Lord.

 

Paul’s words provide a powerful word of encouragement to believers today. Many American churches today are full of worries. These worries distract us and keep us away from the Lord. What is the solution? Do we need to swing to the opposite extreme, resign from work, divorce our spouses, stay single, and live in a monastery? No, God wants us to turn our hearts to him in all circumstances.

As we allow the Lord to reign in our daily lives, we will learn to please Him. Rather than imitating other people externally, we must follow God alone according to the specific gift, calling and guidance that God gives us. We must not treat God’s words mechanically and dogmatically, turning them into "laws" for beating people over the head.

 

I trust these words have been an encouragement to you. God offers you a personal relationship with him and personal guidance in your unique circumstances. Open yourself to his loving guidance today.

Bible Study with Jairus - Numbers 28

Closeness with God through Prayer

Bible Study with Jairus - Numbers 28

Habits of Gratitude and Prayer

Have you ever been speeding through a parking lot when your car suddenly jolted, bouncing violently up and down? You hit a speed bump. The purpose of speed bumps is to force us to slow down our vehicle and pay attention to our surroundings. In the same way, God has created rhythms and healthy rituals that help his people slow down and focus on him. That’s the message of Numbers 28.

This chapter explains the habit of morning and evening sacrifices, as well as the special offerings during sacred festivals. In the New Testament, believers offer prayers to God instead of sacrifices. Revelation 5:8 says that the elders in heaven were “holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people.” (NIV) In other words, our prayers are the offerings that we present to God each morning and evening. 

In addition to daily prayers, we may fast once a week or set aside a few days each month to pray. Having special dedicated times to come close to God allows us to offer more to God and maintain an intimate relationship with Him. Believers are not required to observe Israelite festivals, but they may choose to do so if these festivals help them to slow down and focus on the Lord. I believe that the purpose of festivals is to allow us to slow down and focus on God rather than to obey the laws. This is the goal. When we slow down, still our hearts, and draw near to God in silence, our lives are changed. As we offer our prayers to  God, we experience the closeness of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Numbers 28 gives us details about the Israelites’ offerings (vs 2). The people were to offer regular offerings (verses 3-8), a burnt offering every Sabbath (verses 9-10), a burnt offering at the beginning of each month (verses 11-15), burnt offerings for seven days after the Lord’s Passover (verses 16-25), and a burnt offering at the Feast of Weeks (also known as Festival of Harvest and Pentecost). In Numbers 29, the people were to offer a burnt offering at the Feast of Trumpets (verses 1-6), a burnt offering on the Day of Atonement (verses 7-11), and a burnt offering at the Festival of Booths (verses 12-38). These offerings cover all of Israel's festivals throughout the year.

The goal of these offerings is not to cover Israel’s sins, but to offer a pleasing aroma to God. Verse 2 says, “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’” This verse clearly states that the aroma of these food offerings brought God pleasure, just like he was pleased by the aroma of Noah's offerings (Genesis 8:21). In the Old Testament, the pleasing aroma of burnt offerings is always mentioned.

But in the New Testament, we no longer offer bulls and lambs. Instead, we rely on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Hebrew 13:15 says, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” This verse clearly states that when we offer our grateful prayers to God through Jesus Christ, they become worthy sacrifices. This kind of praise brings joy to God. Ephesians 5:20 also says, “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Psalms 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Thanksgiving allows us to enter the door of God’s tabernacle (the outer court), and praise allows us to enter the inner court (the Holy Place). Thanksgiving is an entrance into the gate, and praise brings us a step further into God's dwelling place. We can enter directly into God's presence when we worship him, as if we were in the Holy of Holies itself. Many people refer to "thanksgiving," "praise," and "worship" as the three steps to enter God's presence.

Every skill we learn requires practice, and practice leads to mastery. Through practice, we develop habits. This is the reason God instituted festivals. At these appointed feasts, God’s people would bring offerings with pleasing aromas. God’s purpose was to assist Israel in developing good habits. The Chinese believe that once you develop a habit, it becomes second nature to you. After we've formed a habit, it will eventually become a part of our lives and personalities. At the end of the day, this habit will determine what kind of life we are going to have. For example, if we have a habit of going to the movies every Sunday but never attend church services, this habit will lead to a worldly lifestyle. However, if we make it a habit to attend church every Sunday, we will develop a more spiritual lifestyle over time.

New believers have formed many worldly habits and are not accustomed to approaching God's presence with thanksgiving, praise, and worship. That is why it is critical to assist these new Christians in developing good spiritual habits.

Thanks to God’s mercy, I was taught good spiritual habits soon after being saved. I was saved in the Local Church Movement, a denomination that places a strong emphasis on spiritual practices. Morning prayers (praying and reading the Bible in the morning) and evening prayers are two of these spiritual practices. They also taught us that Christians should pray three times a day (morning, afternoon, and night) like Daniel. When I first believed in God, I was 27 years old and did not have the habit of praying in the morning. As a result, an older brother called me every morning and prayed with me in the morning. We prayed and read the Bible together. At first, I couldn't get out of bed on time. However, this elderly brother insisted on calling me every morning. If I did not wake up on time, he left voice messages saying that he was praying for me and blessing me. I eventually developed the habit of praying in the morning. This habit does not develop overnight. It takes time to establish these habits, practices, and rhythms of the Christian life.

With the help of the Local Church Movement, I also began a habit of praying at night. In our church, we had a dormitory called “Brothers House.” It was designed specifically for Christian young men. When I lived there, older Christian brothers would frequently visit our dorm, read the Bible with us, and pray with us at night. As a result, we eventually developed the habit of praying at night.

Metaphors and Pictures of Salvation

We often say that the Old Testament is a picture and the New Testament is the reality. The Old Testament stories are pictures of Christians' spiritual experiences in the New Testament. For example, we all know that the image of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea in the Old Testament describes the experience of salvation as we journey from darkness to light.

Similarly, Numbers 28:3-8 expounds on the rules for daily morning and evening offerings. This is a spiritual picture of the morning and evening prayers that I previously mentioned. Every day, two male lambs with no blemishes would be offered to God. One lamb would be offered in the morning, and the other lamb would be offered at twilight. These lambs represent Jesus Christ, our flawless offering. These are the offerings we make in the morning and at night, along with grain offerings and drink offerings.

 

My Story of Fervent Prayer

Before we go further in the chapter, I want to tell my own story of daily prayers. During the ten years that I was infertile, I prayed diligently and fervently for a child. For many years, I would take a midday walk every day. In my prayers, I offered myself (burnt offering), repented (sin offering), was contrite for my sins (guilt offering), maintained my fellowship with God (peace offering), and experienced growth in my character and experience of salvation (grain offering). For a period of several years, I continued to make various offerings through prayer. After a certain period of prayer, I moved the heart of God.

One day in 2016, I met an English prophet. She told me that she felt God had some words to say to me. She didn't know who I was, but she felt God telling her that I prayed often and offered myself to God, and that my offering was very pure and pleasing to God. Her prophetic words were very comforting to me, reassuring me that prophetic gifts are real. Though I had never told her about my prayers, she was able to reveal my hidden situation. Her words assured me that God heard my prayers. Another Korean prophet stated, “God has given you difficulty in exchange for your prayers. God will answer your prayers when the cup of prayers is full.”

During that time, in addition to praying regularly in the morning and at night, I spent extra time praying during the day. I felt close to God during these prayer times. These moments of prayers felt very sweet. Not only did I feel like I was in God’s presence, but I even felt like I was in the clouds a few times. The feelings of being with God was so real. If I hadn’t had these trials in my life, I wouldn't have had as much time for prayer or as much sweet communication with God in prayer. I wouldn’t have been able to offer God so many offerings with a pleasing aroma that satisfied him. The more time we devote to prayer, the more spiritual offerings we will be able to make. Each offering will emit a pleasing aroma that satisfies God.

Details of the Offerings

Why are there so many special offerings at festivals and on special occasions, when we have offerings every morning and night?

As a morning and evening offering, the Israelites offered two male lambs a year old, a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, and a quarter of a hin of beaten oil, respectively. However, the number of offerings at festivals is much greater. This implies that the time devoted to the offerings (correlating to the time devoted to prayer) for special festivals will be much more. Two male lambs were offered for Sabbath day offerings, and the amount of fine flour was increased to two tenths of an ephah. The change in the amount of wine for the drink offering is not mentioned.

At the beginning of the month, Israelites offered even more sacrificial animals. Two male bulls, one male ram and seven male lambs were offered as a burnt offering at the beginning of each new month. The amount of flour for grain offerings was also increased. For each male bull, three tenths of an ephah of fine flour and half a hin of wine were required. The number of rams was the same as for the Sabbath offering. This offering required two tenths of an ephah of fine flour, and the volume of wine was increased to one third of a hin.

A tenth of an ephah of fine flour and a quarter of a hin of wine were required for each ram. This requirement matches the requirement for the morning and evening offerings. In addition, one male goat was required as a sin offering to the Lord. At the beginning of each month, many more sacrifices were required than on the Sabbath.

The burnt offering after the Passover and the corresponding amount of fine flour are the same as the offerings at the beginning of each month, except that this ceremony lasts for seven days. As a result, the total number of offerings is greater.

Seven days after the Lord’s Passover, the Israelites offered the same sacrifices as they offered at the beginning of the month and the day after Passover.

At the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement, the Israelites offered the same number of sacrificial animals (Chapter 29). However, the number increases for the Festival of Booths. The first day, the Israelites offered thirteen bulls from the herd, two rams, and fourteen male lambs a year old. These offerings were offered seven days in a row. The number of male rams and male lambs did not change, but the number of male bulls decreased by one every day. The quantity of male bulls are 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 and 1 respectively.

The number of sacrificial animals increases incrementally. From the daily sacrifices on the one end of the spectrum to the Festival of Booths on the other end, this increasing trend in the number of offerings indicates that the more time we devote to prayer, the more offerings with pleasing aromas are offered to God, bringing God pleasure.

The first time I read this chapter, I didn’t realize that these words conveyed an important insight about today's spiritual experience. Later, I could see that this picture tells us to set aside more time to dedicate specifically to prayer. After receiving this revelation from the Holy Spirit, I noticed that the amount of time I set aside for prayer had been dwindling in recent days. Every day is such a busy day. Although I still pray in the morning and at night, my prayers don’t last as long. As a result, I miss my previous feelings of being close to God. Even as I urge my brothers and sisters to devote more time to prayer, I am also reminding myself to seek God more and more every day.

 

Should we observe Jewish festivals?

A woman in our study asked a good question: “Many Chinese Christians advocate for the observance of Jewish festivals, but other churches are opposed to this idea. So, should we observe Jewish festivals or not?”

I said, “Based on my observations, most Protestants follow Martin Luther, who was an Anti-Semitic. As a result, he ignored Jewish culture and went to an extreme in his interpretation of Paul’s writing. But in the Charismatic church, some prophets and pastors modified Luther’s belief. For instance, American prophet Kat Kerr testified that she saw Jewish festivals in heaven. Another prophet, Chuck Pierce, even teaches people that the Jewish calendar has implications for prophecy about the timing and wisdom of God’s actions. Thus, he consistently teaches the truth about Jewish festivals. Many of his teachings have been translated into Chinese, and as a result, many Christians from Chinese churches may begin to support Jewish festivals.

But Paul was clear in his words. He said, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17). Paul also said, “The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God” (Romans 14:6). Clearly, Paul teaches that we all have freedom to choose whether we observe or do not observe these feasts. If you choose to observe a particular day, you do so in God's name. But you also have the option of not observing these days. As Christians, we must embrace each other, no matter what our beliefs on this matter. Today, our observance of the feasts is just a shadow of what is to come. Jesus Christ is the reality (Colossians 2:17). The reality is to enjoy freedom and peace in Jesus Christ and to have close communion with God.

A godly man once said, “God’s greatest desire is for us to have fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ.” But how can we have an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ if we do not pray? How can we know God if we do not prioritize making time for prayer? A brief and fleeting prayer may be a means of communicating with God, but it does not provide a context for closeness and depth. So, whether we’re learning from the increasing numbers of sacrifices in the Old Testament or the various commands to pray in the New Testament, our goal is to have more and more time to speak with God through Christ so that we can present more and more spiritual offerings. The best offerings we can offer God are our prayers. Our prayers and praises produce a lovely aroma that pleases God.

When Chinese Christians celebrate Jewish festivals do they do it only because others do it, or do they do it because they genuinely want to grow closer to God? I have no objections to Christians participating in Jewish festivals, but I hope we can all appreciate that the purpose of festivals is to allow us to take time out of our busy lives to pray and give offerings to God. If we want to observe Jewish festivals so we can devote more time to prayer, why not? If the purpose of observing Jewish festivals is just a ritual or a religion, then we have no basis for observing them.

At the start of Covid-19, I fasted and prayed for a certain amount of time every day at mid-day. These special times of fasting and prayer led to spiritual breakthroughs.

In addition, South Korean minister Yonggi Cho promotes Prayer Mountains, which is the practice of devoting time to being close to God and praying to Him. The practice of Prayer Mountain is taught in many American churches. The author of Heaven Awaits the Brides, Anna Rountree, testified that her church practices Prayer Mountains. If we are unable to go to the mountains to pray, we can always pray in our own closet at home. Let us take time out of our busy lives to come closer to God and make offerings that are acceptable to Him.

Remember that the more time we devote to prayer, the closer our fellowship with God becomes, and the more we can offer a pleasing aroma to God. This is a habit that we must cultivate.

 

Bible Study with Jairus – 1 Corinthians 5

Bible Study with Jairus – 1 Corinthians 5

Seeing With Spiritual Eyes

We are challenged when reading 1 Corinthians 5 because the Corinthians were arrogant (weak in dealing with the wicked and arrogant towards God) and did not remove the wicked from their midst. Paul’s spirit gathered with them there, and only after Paul judged the wicked in the spirit was the wicked removed. Similarly, today the church is arrogant (weak in dealing with sin and arrogant towards God). The church is accommodating to wicked people and wickedness, so the Spirit of God comes to intervene in order to drive the wicked people and wickedness out. The coronavirus pandemic and the difficulties of this year are all for this purpose. All things work together to drive the wicked people and the wickedness out of the church and other sectors of society so the church can be pure and revival can come.

Arrogance and Compromise in the Church

In the study of the last chapter, we noted that Paul mentioned three times that the Corinthians were arrogant (1 Corinthians 4:6, 18, 19). They were arrogant towards each other, shown in how they belittled and despised others (4:6); or thought that Paul would not come to the Corinthian church, so they were arrogant (18-19). But Chapter 5 says that the Corinthians were arrogant and did not remove the wicked who were sexually immoral from the church. How are we to understand this arrogance? Let us look at the example of Eli. When God criticized Eli, he said that Eli had more respect for his son than for God, so God had to discipline him severely. From this story, we can see that to respect people more than we respect God is actually a kind of arrogance. Eli didn’t discipline his son severely -- he accommodated his own son in his flesh. The Corinthian church did not drive out the sinners, but also accommodated sin and the flesh in the church, so in the eyes of God and Paul, they were arrogant.

Don’t we have similar examples in modern churches? In some churches in the United States, in order to be "User Friendly," they dare not criticize sin. The church has gradually compromised with sin and become like Eli and the Corinthian Church in the eyes of God.

Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 4 that some people became arrogant when they thought Paul was not physically going to the Corinthian church. We don't know where Paul was at the time, but it seems that he could not go to the Corinthian church physically. Chapter 5:3-5 (Recovery Version) says: "For I, on my part, though being absent in the body but present in the spirit, have already judged, as if being present, him who has thus done this, in the name of our Lord Jesus, when you and my spirit have been assembled, with the power of our Lord Jesus, to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord." This has the same meaning as the ESV. The ESV says "For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 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." Paul’s spirit and the Corinthians gather. But the Chinese Union Version translation is: "Although my body is not with you, my heart is with you, as if I am personally with you. I have already judged those who do this. My heart is also there, in the name of our Lord Jesus, with the power of our Lord Jesus, to hand over such a person to Satan and corrupt his flesh so that his soul can be saved in the day of Lord Jesus." The translation of the Chinese Union Version does not clearly state that “Paul’s spirit assembles with the Corinthians,” but uses a metaphor by saying his heart was with them.

(A note about translation tools: One of my New Testament professors at United Theological Seminary told me that many theologians believe that the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is one of the most accurate translations of the original text, so we were required to do all exegetical tasks with this version. Because some students in the seminary did not understand the original Hebrew and the original Greek, she also recommended using STEPBIBLE.ORG. This website has a word-by-word explanation of the original text, which is very convenient for reference when you understand English but do not understand the original text of the Bible. The website has only the English Standard Version, but she said that the accuracy of the translation of the English Standard Version is comparable to that of the New English Revised Version, so it is still beneficial.)

An Out of Body Experience?

Let’s focus on verse 5 in the ESV. This experience in which Paul says his spirit is present seems to be an experience like "transformation." We need to study this experience more in order to have a fuller picture of what this chapter is saying. The Bible records the experience of Philip being caught away (Acts 8:30) where Philip's body was raptured, because people later saw Philip elsewhere. But Paul's experience here may only be that he was brought to the gathering of the Corinthian church in the spirit. Many believers in the Charismatic Movement have had such experiences, but many Evangelical brothers and sisters are more cautious about this. I personally have had many such experiences in my dreams. It is like my body did not go to these gatherings, but in my dreams, I attended gatherings of different churches in China. In these gatherings, I not only heard what they said, but also had dialogues and conversations with many people. I have had such experiences often. What is even more strange is that I not only participate in these gatherings, but I also eat and drink with the people in them. From the Biblical example and my personal experience, plus the similar testimonies of many people, I am inclined to believe that this was the experience of Paul being brought to the Corinthian church by God in the Spirit.

Paul mentioned in the fourth chapter that because he could not go to the Corinthian church, some people were arrogant. Perhaps he prayed eagerly to God, and the Spirit of God lifted his spirit to participate in the gathering of the Corinthian Church where he judged the evil man. I personally think that this did not happen in a real and physical meeting, but was something that happened in the spirit. If it was something that happened in a real meeting, Paul would not need to write to the Corinthians and ask them to remove the wicked person from among them.

The world we live in is a material world, which is visible, but we also have a spiritual world. It is invisible, but it is real. Often what happens in the physical realm is a reaction to what happens in the spiritual realm. And since our spiritual man often receives something first, our soul and body may not be able to keep up. But the close connection between the spiritual world and the material world cannot be denied. Our communication and the links between the two may be beyond our imagination, especially when it comes to the spiritual world.

The Importance of Connections

We know that even the plants in the forest can transmit information through various methods. Animals can send information to the same species or to enemies through roaring, feces, and so on. If people stay together for a long time, they also pass on information to each other. Some people say that after a couple lives together for a long time, they can transmit hormones to each other. So if a husband and wife sleep in separate rooms, you will find that they become alienated from each other after a long time, which could be the lack of such hormone transmission. In the spiritual world, we may also have a strong connection with the Spirit of God, the spirits of other Christians, and even evil spirits.

I once studied the Deliverance Ministry systematically. In the Deliverance Ministry, there is a concept called the "ungodly soul tie." The concept is that if a believer has some ungodly tie with others, such as extramarital sex, he or she will have ungodly soul ties with others. Although you may not have contact with them on the outside anymore, (as in these things happened before you were married or saved), you may still have ungodly soul ties with them. Therefore, the ungodly soul tie becomes a channel for the evil spirits of the opponent to attack you. In other words, if you have ever had this kind of sexual contact with others, but you have not cut the ungodly soul tie through the work of exorcising evil spirits and praying for repentance, the evil spirits from the other party are free to attack you. The Chinese saying "the lotus root snaps but the fibers don’t break" can describe this picture very well. Although your relationship is broken, the relationship in your soul hasn't broken yet. Therefore, in the Deliverance Ministry, the special teaching is to cut the ungodly soul tie to help Christians be released from the bondage of evil spirits. There is a normal soul tie between husband and wife and family. But once one party in this tie is tainted, it will also bring damage to the other parties. For example, although we do not need to bear the sins committed by our ancestors, the sins committed by our ancestors will bring us a family curse. Therefore, the Deliverance Ministry also specifically teaches  breaking your family curse through prayer and repentance for the sins of your ancestors.

In addition, the example of blood is also a good illustration. Our blood circulates in our body, supplying the different parts, even all the way through our limbs. But once a limb is injured, it needs to be disinfected in time so that the wound can heal as soon as possible. If the wound cannot be treated and disinfected in time, the germs will spread to the entire body of the person through the blood. Each of us in the Body of Christ is part of the circulation of the blood of this divine life. If a person commits a sin and does not deal with it, it will bring the sin into the entire blood circulation, thus causing the entire body to be injured or even die. Paul said, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). He also said, “Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written ’The two will become one flesh.’ But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him "(1 Corinthians 6:16-17). Paul’s words in these two places have the same meaning. When we have a normal tie with God and an ungodly tie with others, we must cut off our ungodly tie with others. Because we have a physical tie with a person, we become one with that person. We are tied to the Lord, and we are also one spirit with the Lord in the Spirit. It really is true that the depths of the links of our flesh, soul, and spirit are beyond our imagination.

 

The difficulty is that, for many of us, our spiritual eyes are not opened; we cannot see what is happening in the spiritual world. For example, when we often watch movies full of foul language, the foul language will pollute our souls and tie our souls with the evil spirits behind the foul language, thus giving the enemy a chance to attack us. It even gives evil spirits a chance to enter us. I used to have to watch certain videos because of my work as a translator, but these videos had some foul language, which made me very uncomfortable. One time I prayed to God to cleanse my soul. As a result, I had a dream at night and found that my hands were covered in green stool. And I saw that there was a cesspool in front of me. Some people were immersed in it. They were still very satisfied, but I felt very sick. Then the Holy Spirit said to me, the foul language is like green stool. Once it contaminates your soul, it is difficult to clean off, so it is best to stay away from it. This dream made me deeply disturbed, so I stopped accepting these kinds of film translation jobs. Although I got some income through these jobs and supported my work of serving the Lord, in the end, I looked past money and refused to let the foul language contaminate my soul. Because God opened my spiritual eyes, I saw that the foul language and uncleanliness would bring great obstacles to my prayers and spiritual life. I won! The opening of our spiritual eyes to see what is happening in the spiritual world is very important.

Similarly, did Paul's gathering with the Corinthians in the spirit really happen in the material world, like the rapture of Philip? It seems that this is not the case, but something that happened in the spirit. If it happened in the spirit, did the Corinthians feel it? I believe that the Corinthians did not see Paul in the flesh or through the naked eye, but it does not mean that this matter did not happen in the spirit. Many things often happen in the spiritual world, but we don't perceive it. For example, Hebrews 12 says that many saints in glory look down at us from the sky like clouds, but most of us do not see the saints in their glory. This does not mean that it did not happen.

Reassurance for Today

Paul's gathering with them in the spirit, as well as his spiritual judgment on the evil man and his epistles, are important reasons that led to the final repentance of the Corinthian church. Why was the Corinthian church unable to drive out the evil man? Because they lived in the flesh, and their leaders also lived in the flesh. They exalted Paul or Apollos, but in fact, they were competing for leadership. These leaders may also have had a certain natural relationship with this sinful man. They could not stand up and remove this wicked person from the church. Therefore, the situation caused Paul to judge the evil man after gathering with them in spirit, and he finally helped the Corinthian church drive him out or chastise him for repentance.

Likewise, the Spirit of God is with us in every meeting today. Even if Paul gathering with the Corinthians in the spirit is still controversial, it is still an indisputable fact that the Spirit of God is with us in our meetings today. But can we all feel and see the spirit? Not necessarily. We also need God to open our spiritual eyes to see.

Through countless dreams, God has told me that a world-wide gospel revival is coming. Before this revival, God must cast out the wicked who are in power in various fields, including politics, economics, and religion; and place those who love God in a godly way in such leadership positions. Only in this way can a political, economic, and religious environment conducive to the spread of the gospel be established. But when we look at it, we see many wicked people in power. In most cases, we are as powerless, unable, or even unwilling to drive them out, just like the Corinthians. But the Spirit of God is gathering with us to judge these wicked people. These wicked people will soon be driven out from all fields, making way for those who love God. Such changes will not only happen in the United States’ democratic society, but also in countries such as China and North Korea that live in a totalitarian society. In my visions, I have even seen a great revival in China where China changed into a democratic country.

The reality we see on the outside is often the opposite of the spiritual reality. But we cannot see the spiritual reality with our eyes; we must see it with our spiritual eyes to see the truth. In this way, we can be full of confidence and hope for God's promise.

 

 

Written by Sean Song on 5/13/2021

Bible Study with Jairus – Leviticus 3

Knowing Christ Intimately: The Peace Offering

Bible Study with Jairus – Leviticus 3

 

Have you ever wished you could develop a more intimate relationship with God?

Leviticus 3 gives us a tangible example of ever-increasing closeness to God. As worshipers offered their sacrifices--smaller lambs and goats and larger cattle--they depicted the experience of growing closer and closer in our relationship to God. Let’s discover how a deeper understanding of the sacrificial animals can enrich our Christian lives today.

The purpose of the peace offering is to allow Man and God to commune and enjoy peace with one another. God enjoys our prayers like a sweet perfume. We enjoy God's presence and gain strength from Him. The Bible tells us that “through Him (Christ) we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Ephesians 2:18 ESV).

We each attain access to God through Jesus, but each of us experiences a different depth of communion with God. For example, a person who prays briefly for ten minutes a day has a different level of closeness to God than a person who prays daily for two hours. This difference is represented by the different sacrifices brought by the worshipers. People who pray for two hours remind us of worshipers bringing an ox to God, while people who pray for 10 minutes are like worshipers who are only capable of offering a lamb to God.

Not only do these different sacrifices (bulls, sheep and goats) represent different depths of communion with God, they also remind us of different levels of enjoyment we have in our relationship with God. The deeper our communion with God, the more joy we will bring to God’s heart. The more we commune with God, the more we will gain strength from God. Just as the worshipers feasted on part of their sacrificial meat, we gain spiritual sustenance and strength from our communion with God.

Of course, prayer is just one example of how we grow in our relationship with God.  The depth of our communion with God does not solely depend on how long we pray.

Peace Offering is a Communion Between Man and God

When Old Testament priests approached the tabernacle, they first had to enter from the outer court. First, they offered the sin offering and the guilt offering in the outer court. Metaphorically, these sacrifices remind us that we must first deal with our sins and the weaknesses in our temperament.

Next, the Old Testament priests (including Moses and Aaron) experienced the actual presence of God, which reminds us of the peace offering. These holy men met with God in front of the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place. The high priest sprinkled blood on the Mercy Seat, which was the special golden lid of the Ark of the Covenant. It was the place where the Lord lived and where Moses spoke with God face to face. The Lord spoke to Moses under the gaze of the glorious cherubim. Because of the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat, God overlooked Moses’ sin, allowing Moses to meet God in all his glory. This is a picture of the peace offering.

Hebrews 4:16 tells us that through the precious blood of Jesus, we can draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Jesus Christ shed His precious blood for our sake. Because of Christ, we can draw near to God without fear. The blood of Jesus Christ has washed away our sins. Now, God only sees the blood of Jesus and not our sins. Since Jesus Christ has washed away our sins, we are able to meet God in His glory through Christ.

The reality of the peace offering is that we have peace with God. Before Christ achieved salvation for mankind, there was no peace between God and man. Before we experience Christ’s salvation, we do not have peace with God. However, when Christ becomes our Savior and when we receive his salvation, we experience peace with God. Furthermore, we can meet with God through Christ.

God and Man Enjoy Peace Offerings Together.

Parts of the peace offering were offered to God as sweet fragrance, and the rest of the meat was reserved for the priests as holy food. Leviticus 3:1-5 says, “If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar. And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the Lord, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails. And the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. Then Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.”

As the sacrifices were burned, they became a pleasing aroma which was offered to God. Leviticus 7 says that part of the sacrificial animal offered as a peace offering was given to God for his joy and enjoyment, and the rest was reserved for the priests to eat. For example, the fat was reserved for God, while the animal’s breast (7:31) and right leg (7:33) was reserved for the priest. The meat from these sacrifices could only be eaten by those who were holy (7:20). 

Today, when we approach God with peace offerings, we are made holy through the blood of Christ. Our offering to God not only brings God joy, but it also gives us spiritual nourishment. When we partake of this spiritual food, we will become more powerful and holy, which in turn allows us to have deeper spiritual communion with God.

Every believer experiences peace and communion with God at differing levels. The purpose of the peace offering is to have communion with God. Despite the name, “peace,” the offering represents a conflict in our hearts. If we want to have communion with God, we must get rid of the flesh, sin, and the things of the world that are not in line with God’s disposition. That's what I meant by conflict. The more we have communion with God, the more naturally we want to get rid of these things.

However, every Christian is at a different level of victory over sin, and each is at a different level of communion with God. Each Christian comes to God through Christ, but they offer sacrifices of different sizes and degrees. Some people offer a goat, while some offer a sheep or a cow. Those who sacrifice cattle may choose a smaller cow or a larger, stronger bull.

To help us understand this spiritual truth, I will share some of my experiences when I first became a Christian. I lived in the church’s dormitory for young men. This place was established in order to help young Christians learn to pursue the Lord. It was not a religious house, but there were rules in place that would help us learn spiritual disciplines. For example, girls were not allowed to come to our dormitories. We had to pray day and night and attend several gatherings every week.

The building had two floors and our “Brother's House” was on the second floor. On the first floor wa a meeting place and a small bedroom. In this room lived an older sister in Christ who served younger sisters. At that time there was no "Sister's House" set up for young women, so this older sister lived in our downstairs. For several years, we had to learn to get along with this older sister in Christ.

The older sister wasn’t perfect. Sometimes she would criticize our brothers for not paying attention to neatness. She’d correct some of our shortcomings. If we didn’t pay attention to our hygiene, or if we forgot to put back the chairs after eating, she would remind us.

Some of the brothers didn’t like her and even ignored her. Those of us who were not mature in Christ disliked her critical reminders, even going so far as thinking that she was legalistic.

However, there was a very loving brother who often took care of this older sister as if he were taking care of his own mother. This brother took the time to purchase a papaya during his shopping trip. Then, during one of our group meals, he hid the papaya for the older sister to find. This shows that he had a loving heart. He had believed in the Lord for a long time. His spiritual life was more mature and hence had a deeper communion with God. He also gained strength from God to love others more.

Even though these examples may seem trivial, they show that each of us believers is at a different level of spiritual growth. We have all been saved, so we have all experienced the sin offering and the guilt offering. We can each come before God without fear through the precious blood of Christ. We can commune with him and enjoy the reality of the peace offering.

However, our differing levels of spiritual maturity are demonstrated in our daily lives and experiences. The more we grow spiritually, the more we experience the reality of the sacrifice of Christ, and the greater our experience of his love and presence in our lives. Just like the Israelite worshipers offered different sizes of animals (ewes, rams, male and female goats, cows, bulls), we each experience a different level or manifestation of Christ’s love in our lives.

Christ’s salvation is the same for everyone. However, we each have a different level of knowledge. We each experience Christ’s salvation differently and have different levels of maturity in our daily life in Christ.

Transformed into His Image.

The purpose of the peace offering was communion with God. As we spend time in God’s presence, we are transformed into his image. We gain spiritual food and strength so we can be more like Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

When we commune with God, we seek His face. As we continue to pray, rest in his presence, and get to know him better through the Spirit, we will be transformed into his glorious image.

Like every Old Testament sacrifice, the peace offering sacrifice points to Jesus Christ. Christ is the atoning sacrifice that pleases God. When we approach him and commune with God, Christ becomes our spiritual food. The Lord Jesus told the disciples, “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” (John 6:55). Jesus also said that He is the bread that came down from heaven (John 6:58). When we partake of this food from heaven, we can gain the strength to love God and love others like the Lord Jesus.

Revival Starts in the Heart.

The reason why I struggled to love that old sister like the other brother did was because I lacked communion with God and the experience of the peace offering.  My limited experience with God can be compared to a small offering, like a goat. My brother’s deep communion with God, expressed in deeper love, can be compared to a larger sacrifice, such as a cow.

In the communion with God that we experience through the peace offering, we become more holy. We gain strength to love God and others. Despite all the problems in our lives, when we get close to God and commune with him in prayer, we gradually enter the presence of God and are filled with joy and peace. After praying, we forget the problems we had earlier. The original intent of our prayer was to ask God to help us solve our problems. But after communing with Him in prayer, our problems seem less significant. The things or people that used to disturb us no longer disturb us. After communion with God, we find a way to overcome these disturbances. We discover that prayer brings peace.

Many Christians today do not spend enough time with God in prayer. They lack a time of communion with God. As a result, they cannot get enough spiritual food from God. (Remember, the priests’ food came from the sacrifices they offered.) Without personal time with God, believers cannot become spiritually strong enough to overcome the problems in life. They cannot overcome the interference of the enemy. If every Christian would spend half an hour in prayer and communion with the Lord every morning, they would become spiritually stronger. The church would also become spiritually stronger. Many social problems that are currently disturbing Christians would no longer disturb them.

Many Christians try to solve their problems through other means. Instead of coming to God in prayer, we tackle our struggles on our own. In reality, our problems are an invitation to prayer and communion with God. God allows struggles so we feel the need to enter his presence and gain spiritual strength to overcome these problems.

For example, the political problems faced by American society cannot be solved simply by changing the president. I’ll admit that having a good president will make a big difference, and I will support a godly and loving president. However, the societal problems Americans face are just an outer manifestation of a deeper problem. The real reason society struggles is that the American church has left her first love for God and lacks the time to commune with God and to seek His glorious face.

This problem lies not with the church as a whole, but with each Christian individually. If every individual Christian neglects prayer and communion with God, he or she will be spiritually weak and immature. If the church is composed of young and carnal Christians, the church will naturally become spiritually weak.

Real revival does not happen solely in a large-scale revival gathering. We don’t have to depend on a large revival event or movement brought about by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Real revival starts in the heart of every Christian. We can experience revival every day. A Christian can begin to experience revival by spending half an hour in prayer every morning. When everyone lives a truly revitalized life, the church can experience sustainable spiritual revival. Only with a personal, sustainable spiritual revival will the church be able to overcome the darkness of the world and bring positive changes to society.

In China, the Yellow River flows through the Loess Plateau. Due to a lack of vegetation, heavy rain brings little lasting changes to the plateau. Instead, the rushing water causes continuous erosion of soil and water. The water doesn’t soak into the soil. It all rushes downstream, overflowing the Yellow River and causing floods.

Similarly, great acts of revival in Chinese history can bring very little lasting change to the people who experience it. Because believers lacked the spiritual perfection and edification, the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit brought little lasting change. Most of the effects of the great revival disappeared with the passage of time, leaving little spiritual heritage.

In contrast, although Israel is located deep in the desert, the Israelis use drip irrigation technology to greatly develop their agriculture. In the same way, when every individual Christian experiences revival and undergoes daily transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit, they are experiencing the slow, steady benefits of “spiritual drip irrigation.” Although it looks like there is very little water that actually reaches the plants, the benefits can last for a long time. Eventually, the slow and steady drip of nourishment leads to growth and enrichment of life.

However, these two aspects need to complement each other. We need the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to wash out all the accumulated blockages and obstructions in our life. We also need drip irrigation daily to help us continue to grow spiritually.

The peace offering reminds us that Christ has achieved peace between us and God. We can come before God without fear. When we commune with God through Christ, we receive spiritual food and power from God to change into his glorious image. Conversely, if we are saved but lack a daily time of close communion with God, we miss out on the reality of spiritual peace and rest. Our lives will be full of worry, anxiety, and trouble. In reality, a sense of worry and frustration should serve as a reminder that we need to return to God and commune with Him. If we ignore these signals and refuse to turn back to God, our problems will multiply. The church needs to understand the importance of this principle: when we struggle with worries, frustration, and problems, we need to draw near to God. The real solution to every societal and cultural problem is to turn back to God. The church’s problems cannot be addressed unless each individual believer learns how to commune with God through the peace offering.

This truth has two aspects. On the one hand, we have peace with God through Christ. On the other hand, we must strive to enter that rest (Hebrews 4:11). Christ has achieved peace with God for us. However, we must also pray and commune with God every day to enter the rest that God has prepared for us. In this way, we will avoid the unbelief mentioned in Hebrews 4:11. Isaiah 30:15 reads, “Thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you were unwilling.’”

We need to do our best to enter his rest. We need to be willing to return to our place of safety and solace within the heart of God. Only in God can we find the strength and peace that we need.

Why not start today? Will you spend half an hour in prayer and communion with God each morning? If you persevere in this habit, you will experience God’s peace and transformation.

 

 

Heavenly Dreams and the Underworld

Dreams of Heaven and the Underworld

 Preface

 

Is Jesus real? Does God exist? Is the Bible true? Is there really a heaven? Although these are questions people have asked for centuries, they are also relevant questions today because people of every generation continue to ask them.

 

What is the Truth?

I once heard a story that illustrates this. When Hudson Taylor, a pastor from England, came to China to preach, he met a Chinese man named Ni Yongfa. After hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ, Ni Yongfa became very happy and accepted it. Ni Yongfa asked Hudson Taylor how long people in England have known about Jesus. Taylor replied, “hundreds of years.” At that moment, the Chinese man became upset with Taylor. Holding him accountable, Yongfa said, "My father sought the truth from Buddhism, Taoism, and other religions all his life, but never found it. Thus, he died in regret. You have known about Jesus Christ for hundreds of years and you have only now come to preach it to us?"[1] It is obvious from this story that only few Chinese people had heard about Jesus Christ at that time.

 

Times are different now. We live in a digital age, an age of information explosion and information overload. Most people around the world can utilize internet search engines like Baidu or Google to find stories about Jesus Christ, God, and the Bible. It is not so much that people have never heard of Jesus Christ, but rather, they do not know whether Christ is a Western myth, religion, or the Truth. The problem nowadays is that people do not know what information is credible and what is false. They are not sure if there really is a God and a heaven.

 

Throughout the ages, however, a lot of people have reported witnessing heavenly scenes like that which was seen by John in the book of Revelation. Many have recorded their prophetic visions, and some are readily available in book format. The world’s disbelief in Christ is no longer a matter of ignorance to the name of Jesus Christ or the concept of God and heaven; rather, people don’t know what is real and what is not, and they are not willing to blindly follow just anything.

 

My Encounters

In 2001, I went to the UK to study and there I encountered the gospel. In 2002, I moved to the United States. I was baptized and saved in the Local Church Movement (LCM), and I became a Christian. In 2015, I was introduced to the Pentecostal Movement and the Prophetic Movement. Through these movements, I was filled with the Holy Spirit and God activated a prophetic gifting inside me to the point that I began having dreams of heaven. In my dreams, I often see what appear to be parts of heaven or another world. Not only have I seen Jesus, angels, and evil spirits, but I have also encountered Chinese people who have passed away. In fact, some of the Chinese people in my dreams died without knowing Christ. I know this because some of them were my dead relatives, and I knew that they did not believe in the Lord before their departure.

 

Some Christians may think my prophetic dreams and visions are not from God. Maybe they are from evil spirits and, therefore, unreliable. It is understandable to think this way. Readers can make their own judgements. I am just being faithful to record what I believe is from the Lord. If one day I feel that these are not from the Lord, I will revoke what I’ve shared. For the time being, I am inviting my readers to judge what I’ve said and pray to the Lord about it. Please know that I am not recording these to conjure up theological controversy. Rather, I wish to record what I saw so that those who don’t know whether the Christian God and heaven are genuine, understand that heaven, Jesus, and the underworld are real.

 

Heaven and Hades

The title of this article is, “Dreams of Heaven and the Underworld.” In between heaven and hell, I found a grey area that I term an ‘underworld’ for lack of a better word. I’ve seen people living there. I do not know if this is an underworld, a place in the heart of the earth, or another spiritual realm, but I know that this place is not heaven or hell. Some people may call this place an extension or part of Hades. I was taught in my denomination that the Bible says that there are two parts to Hades: Paradise and hell. In Luke 16, the Lord mentions that Lazarus was sent to a place of blessing while the rich man was sent to a place of torment. A great chasm exists between the two.

 

Where is Hades? Is it under the earth or in another dimension? Could it be in the bowels of the earth? Numbers 16 records that the earth opened its mouth and swallowed Korah and those with him that rebelled against Moses. They went down alive into Sheol. Some conclude from this verse that Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek) is within the earth. I have no way of knowing. However, I have heard others refer to these places as valleys, and in my prophetic dreams, this seems to be the case. For now, I have chosen to call them the edge or grey area of ​​heaven.

 

Once, the Holy Spirit took me to a deep valley wherein we traveled for a long time to meet some people. In this extremely deep valley, there were people who claimed to have lived there since the Han Dynasty (206 BCE- 220 CE). Although the Chinese people I met that day were in the darkest valley, I did not see a lake of fire or sulfur anywhere around. In two other trips, I met different Chinese people in varying depths of valleys. People in the shallower valleys had houses and green spaces. They socialized and had gatherings. In the deeper valleys, I saw houses in cold weather and snow.

 

Some other people who have experienced visiting heavenly realms, such as Lai Wang Xiulan, mention these valleys too. According to Xiulan's book, “Get Closer to God 2,” hell exists in some valleys.[2] Sinful and nominal Christians who live in the valleys are awaiting judgement. After judgement, some of these people go to heaven while some go to hell. These valleys are on the road to hell.[3] Some sinful Christians who live in the valley will return to Paradise after repentance. Xiulan states in her book that the Lord said, “The people in this valley are those who are bitter, who criticize, judge, and disobey the shepherd. They are here to study the Bible in order to know me better. After they learn their lesson, they can return to Paradise.”[4] If these statements are true, then some people do not go to hell immediately. They await their judgment, and or continue to repent.

 

For centuries, Christians have believed and preached that those who do not believe in the Lord while they are still alive go directly to hell after they depart earth. However, as I mentioned before, I have met relatives in my dreams whom I knew didn't believe in the Lord before dying. I don't know how to explain this theologically. There is no doubt that preaching someone will go to hell if he/she doesn’t accept the Lord will produce a sense of urgency to believe in the Lord; it also gives evangelists their reason to evangelize. But what about the many relatives who have died that we loved so much? Chinese people have a habit of worshiping their dead ancestors, and I do not promote ancestor worship. But the Bible tells us that God has prepared something far beyond what we can ask or think (1 Corinthians 2:9). Perhaps one day when we arrive in another world, we’ll find that someone we never thought of was there to welcome us. Perhaps we will still have a chance to be in contact with our loved ones. Mind you, I know this is a theologically controversial topic.

 

Let’s consider a few examples. Let’s take the example of Confucius. Where is he now? It is not theologically correct to say that Confucius is in heaven because no one can go to heaven except through faith in Jesus. I assume that Confucius never heard the gospel. But it is also wrong to say that Confucius is definitively in hell. First of all, according to the Bible, Paul says that those who heard the gospel will be judged according to the gospel, and those who have not heard the gospel are judged according to their conscience, because their conscience is their law (Rom. 2:14). If Confucius and others who did not know Christ, lived by their conscience only because they had not heard the gospel, would they be bound to hell? This does not conform to God's righteous nature and to what Paul says. Maybe they are awaiting a final judgement to which after judgment, some people will enter Paradise and others go to the lake of fire.

 

Now, I can't say with 100% confidence that Confucius is or will be allowed to enter Paradise, but I hope he will be there. Not only do I hope that he is there, but I also hope that Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, and all other famous Chinese poets will be there. I hope that one day I can meet them and discuss ancient Chinese poetry. I once thought that everything apart from Christ was dung, including culture. My current notions have been revised. I believe culture will remain in heaven. On the last day of 2017, when the Lord took me to heaven, believers there sang me a hymn of four meters in Chinese. Perhaps the languages we speak on earth may not be abolished in heaven even though there may be heaven’s language too.

 

My encounter with my father-in-law is another example I will share. I never met my father-in-law on earth because he died of a cerebral hemorrhage before my wife and I got married. In one of my prophetic dreams, my wife and I were brought to a place where my father-in-law and other people were gathered. My wife was brought inside a building to see her father. I had the opportunity to chat with an old Chinese lady sitting at the door. She showed me a large print edition of the Chinese version of the Bible that she was studying. To my knowledge, my father-in-law did not believe in the Lord before he died, but in my dream, he had the opportunity to study the Bible. The place they were living may be considered the Paradise part of Hades, or a valley on the road to Hades. My wife had misunderstandings with her father before he died and never got the chance to apologize because her father died suddenly. She felt regretful, even indebted. She was worried that her father would go to hell and she would never have the chance to see him. This caused immense pain in her heart. However, after I had this prophetic dream and upon sharing it with her, my wife received great comfort in her soul. The pain in her heart healed.

 

In one of Xiulan’s testimonies about heaven, she also described how she saw her father and mother-in-law reading the Bible in Paradise. She said that when the Lord took her to visit them, they told her that there’s an angel in every household in Paradise that teaches them the Bible.[5]

 

My aunt is another example. My fourth aunt died of breast cancer, and I don’t believe she knew the Lord either. In another prophetic dream, I was taken to a small house where she lived. She received me with fruit grown by her house. This piece of fruit looked like a mulberry, but it was as big as a mango. Her house was very small. Beside her house were many other people's houses. They were very similar to the small townhouses in downtown Baltimore, but not so high. The Bible clearly mentions that there are fruit trees and fruit in heaven (Rev. 22:2), but I have seen many times that one can also grow vegetables in heaven. Xiulan also mentions that people can grow vegetables in heaven.[6] American prophetess Kat Kerr even mentions in her book seeing some angels in heaven prepare a house with a garden for an old lady. One angel had specially prepared and tilled a piece of land for her to grow vegetables.[7] This should not be surprising—if one can plant fruit trees so naturally, one can also grow vegetables. Chinese people in the United States especially like to grow vegetables in their backyard. Christians who like to grow vegetables may also continue to grow them after they go to heaven.

 

I’ve had this experience of meeting my fourth aunt more than once. This reminds me of a testimony I heard from an Australian prophet named Neville Johnson.[8] He mentioned that once he was brought by an angel to a place where he saw some small houses. It felt strange that these were different from the big houses in heaven, so he asked the angel, “What are these houses?” The angel told him that when some people who hadn't heard the gospel passed away, Jesus would appear to them, giving them the opportunity to choose. If they chose Jesus, they would live in these small houses.

 

Kerr also shared a similar vision. She saw Jesus appearing to those who rejected him during their lifetime, and he asked them if they wanted to know Him now. Almost everyone cried and said “yes.” Jesus told them that He would not be righteous if he did not appear to them to give them a choice since their relatives had faithfully prayed for them and decreed that they would be saved in Jesus’ name. Kerr encourages people to pray and intercede for their family members even though they do not seem to be open to the Gospel. She states that people will be surprised that many relatives made it to heaven although they thought they did not make it.[9]

 

I recall praying for some of my family members to receive salvation, and I especially prayed for my fourth aunt after I found out she was sick. I guess people like my fourth aunt are awaiting judgement or already in the peripheral of Paradise as Neville Johnson mentioned. Whether they will have the opportunity to continue to know God and become God’s children, and have bigger houses in heaven in the future, I have no way of knowing. I personally hope that these people will have the opportunity to know God and to mature spiritually. Maybe even Li Bai, Du Fu, and other famous Chinese poets are also in similar places learning about God. If you are equipped with the Word of God, maybe it will be you that God uses to teach them in this intermittent time. There are many gatherings and activities happening in the valleys, even people preaching. Or, if you become co-rulers to rule with Christ, you may have five or ten cities to rule (Luke 19:17-18). Why isn’t it possible for you to rule cities in different realms instead of earth? Considering the total number of cities on earth right now compared with the total numbers of Christians throughout the earth, there is definitely not enough cities for everyone to rule 5 or 10 cities.

 

Only A Shadow

There are also countless means of transportation in heaven, which may be something you haven’t thought of. I have seen carriages in heaven (the Bible records the chariot of fire and the horses of fire that took Elijah away). I have also seen trains and even transportation that uses trains and horses together. Maybe these surprise you, but don't forget that even Jesus is expected to return riding on a white horse. Many people also doubt that there will be animals in heaven. If there are no animals, where did the Lord get the white horse? We cannot spiritualize all biblical records. Some of the things recorded are things the prophets actually saw in heaven. We should remember that the Bible tells us that things on earth are only shadows of things in heaven (Heb. 8:5). If there are no real things in heaven, how can things on earth be shadowed? There are buildings, animals, plants, trains in heaven, and even coal, as I once saw. All the beautiful things on earth can all be found in heaven. It’s as if heaven is a version 2.0 of everything we see on earth.

 

In another dream, the Holy Spirit drove me in a car type vehicle to a place in heaven where I saw a lion and a horse resting leisurely on a hillside. People were swimming there. Suddenly God came to visit, and simultaneously, there was a rainbow and rain. Kerr says only from the Father comes the rainbow.[10] In another prophetic dream, the Holy Spirit drove me and a Christian couple who attended our Bible study, to heaven. He showed us the house of his wife in heaven. The house was huge. The vines and wall had grown together as one. There was a music box on the wall beside the front door. You could open the music box and music would play automatically. The lady had a great passion for music. After listening to my testimony, she was very encouraged that God had installed a music box on the wall of her house in heaven so that she could play music at any time. The wife said she had a dream at the same time as me, and she saw the Lord. But since she thought she might have been dying, she cried out to the Lord and woke up. Perhaps this was not just a dream and we had traveled there together.

 

The Necessity for Dreams and Visions

The Bible tells us that we are sitting together with Christ in the Spirit, but this is something that many people don’t understand. They have never experienced sitting together with Jesus on the throne. My understanding is that if God did not allow prophetic visions and dreams to be known and experienced by the soul, we may not have a way of perceiving what we are experiencing in the Spirit during the moments we are taken in the Spirit somewhere.

 

I live in the United States. I have been to Orlando, Florida, and I have visited Disneyland. Many people have never been there. If I say there is a city in Florida called Orlando, and that there is a Disneyland in Orlando, you might believe it, right? Why do many people believe this place exists without having been there? It is because many other people have been there and have testified to its existence. If, however, only a few people had been there and testified, it may be more difficult for everyone to believe that Disneyland exists. My experiences include meetings and conversations with Jesus Christ; conversations with angels and activities together; the appearance of saints who have passed away; houses and buildings in heaven; children in heaven; attacks by evil spirits; spiritual warfare; and the deceased's location, especially dead Chinese people. Unfortunately, I lost some details of my prophetic dreams due to blurred memories. Sometimes I dreamt of being in one place for a long time and participating in many activities there, but I only recalled a few of the dream’s details upon waking. The records you see are not complete pictures, but they are bits and pieces like bricks and tiles of an archaeological discovery. My limited comprehension also leaves room for inaccuracies. In the end, my goal is not to describe exactly what heaven looks like, but to surprise many people who have thought that heaven is not real.

 

Nowadays, there are more people testifying that they have been to heaven. God has revealed heavenly scenes to many people in recent decades, and these people have recorded them. Countless videos will appear if you search for testimonies of heaven on video sharing sites like YouTube. I know that many Koreans and Chinese people have similar testimonies. They are very encouraging to read. I believe if everyone shares their encounters with heaven, it may draw a larger witness to the gospel. There are a lot of travel guides available online. Don't simply trust all the guides you read because they are not always reliable. My heavenly travels may not be completely reliable, but I share them to encourage and challenge you to test what is good. As the Bible says, “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything” (ESV, 1 Thess. 5:20-21). Use this article for your reference, for brainstorming use, and not for theological debate with other Christians.

 

Although you still may not be sure if God, heaven, and Jesus Christ are real, I carry the conviction that they are because I have seen Jesus Christ. He has appeared to me many times. I know there is another world outside this world. It is even more beautiful knowing that there is a heaven waiting for people. The Local Church Movement (LCM) to which I was a part, spiritualized heaven into a concept of a "spiritual new Jerusalem." They teach that there is a spiritual place where God and man dwell together, but they do not believe there is a material aspect to heaven. This is inconsistent with my prophetic dreams and many other people’s testimonies.[11] My dreams have freed me from many beliefs I accepted while partaking in the LCM. Although the LCM teaches this way to discourage some believers’ overly material pursuit of heaven, they are excessively denying the material side of heaven.

 

Heaven, Version 2.0

On the last day of 2017, a mysterious person brought me to heaven wherein we traveled for a long time. After arriving, this mysterious female took me behind a piece of glass in a building. There I saw people going up to heaven as though they were taking an elevator. I initially did not perceive that the lady guiding me was a disguise for the person of Jesus. On other occasions, Jesus has also appeared to me as an old Chinese lady. After I realized who I was with, the lady’s appearance changed to Jesus, and I even saw a cherub flying towards me. Surely, I was in the presence of the Lord. I was shocked—there is glass in heaven! Perhaps Paul had already known this. He said, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (ESV, 1 Cor. 13:12). Some theologians say that the word “mirror” represents some kind of glass-like object.

 

Kerr mentions in an interview that heaven is round and a very big planet far away from the earth; the size of heaven is bigger than our galaxy. She specifically says that heaven is round and not flat as many people may think.[12] If her statement is true, heaven is indeed a version 2.0 of the earth, or better! Many good things that we enjoy on earth today will be found in heaven including our pets, according to Kerr.

 

Of course, we don't know whether material in heaven is the same as material on earth. That is, the Lord was able to walk through walls after he was resurrected, but he could also eat fish when it was given to him by the disciples. Jesus’ state of being was obviously altered because it is recorded that the disciples were initially startled when they saw him because they thought He was a spirit or a ghost. It was then that the Lord said to them, “Do you have any fish?” The Lord proved he was not only of spiritual essence, but that he could still consume material things as they did. We may not be able to explain how Jesus’ resurrected body maintained both aspects of carnality and spirituality, but perhaps this is part of the mystery of heaven 2.0.

 

When these prophetic dreams happened, I was in my bed sleeping, Although I was asleep, my spirit was brought to these various places by the Holy Spirit. While I am not certain if I was having an out-of-body experience, they point to a reality that we cannot perceive or see without spiritual eyes. I hope that you will continue to take these dreams seriously as I do. I hope that you will be open to the possibilities that may exist beyond us while also not neglecting to acknowledge that everything in creation exists because of God and it is all for His glory. Heaven may be different from what you have imagined!

 

There is a phrase that says, “Poverty limits our imagination.” If our imagination is limited, it will make us poor, not only materially, but spiritually. Perhaps if more people knew that heaven existed, their life’s endeavors would be largely rewritten. Even for Christians who vaguely believe in a heaven, maybe they will be awakened to believe with fervor in the greater things to come. Once we are sure that heaven is real and there are many lessons to be learned there, we will not waste so much time on earthly things. Interestingly, the first thing that many people in heaven regret is wasting their opportunities to learn to serve the Lord and love God and others while on earth. They deeply regret seeing that others are closer to God. Although there is no jealousy in heaven, people may still feel regret for not having seized their opportunities.

 

Some people say that the more you learn to love and serve the Lord on earth and are filled with God’s light, the closer you are to Him in heaven and the closer you live to Him in the heavenly realm. On the contrary, the less holy you are, the farther you will be from God. In the end, the farthest you’ll be is probably hell. I hope these dreams provoke you and cause you to draw closer to Christ now.

 

[1] http://production.lifejiezou.com/node.php?nid=15279

[2] Only available in Chinese. Title translation is mine. Page 27.

[3] 130.

[4] Lai Wang Xiulan, Jehovah-jireh, 160.

[5] Lai Wang Xiulan, Jehovah-jireh, 45.

[6] Lai Wang Xiulan, Through Eyes of Faith, 142. Only available in Chinese.

[7] Kat Kerr, Revealing Heaven II, 62.

[8] From Neville Johnson’s sermon on Youtube. No link available.

[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Het_gU1nYCI

[10] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Het_gU1nYCI

[11] Website for Contending for the Faith: https://cftfc.com/?s=%E5%A4%A9%E5%A0%82. The website is in Chinese.

[12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Het_gU1nYCI

Springtime for North Korea

Springtime for North Korea

by Sean Song

 

Three years ago on June 12, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un historically met in Singapore, and it attracted immense attention from the world. Their summit meeting was the first in history, and Trump became later known for being the first sitting U.S. president to have entered North Korea during his second meeting with Kim. Their meetings gave people hope that the relationship between the US and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) could normalize, and that a solution for denuclearization and peace may be a likely future. Perhaps it could even give way for the Gospel to enter North Korea. Now, three years later, these events seem to be forgotten. People no longer pay attention to North Korea because of COVID and other domestic political matters occurring in the USA. Yet, I have learned that the Lord is always working behind the scenes even when it seems He is not.

 

On the day before Trump and Kim met in Singapore, I was taken by the Lord in a dream to the future embassy of North Korea that stood in the USA. It was a prophetic encounter. I have never shared this publicly until now. I feel it is time to revisit this prophetic dream. I believe it shows God’s heart for the future relationship of these two countries. God plans to do marvelous things with North Korea—things that will bring awe to the world as they see the saving power of Jesus Christ. My impression from the dream was also one that inferred a cleansing and defrosting process to both remove evil and warm the relationship between the DPRK and the U.S. God loves the world and its inhabitants, and if it’s deliverance that is needed to bring North Korea to himself, then let it be. Just as revival will come to China, I believe a massive revival will also come to North Korea with evidence of drastic changes to their country.

 

The Future Embassy of North Korea in D.C.

This dream occurred on the early morning of June 11, 2018 EST. As I have said before, the Lord often appears to me in disguised forms, such as in this dream. This time, He appeared as my old friend Eric who was a member of a church I formerly attended. For the sake of this article, I will refer to this character as the “mysterious person.” In this dream, this mysterious person took me to the future embassy of North Korea in Washington D.C. Before I could enter, I noticed its position. It sat adjacent to the embassy of South Korea. There was just a simple wall-like fence separating them.

 

The weather outside was hot that day being that we were in D.C. and it was almost summer. However, when I approached North Korea’s embassy, my attention was drawn to the fact that the weather there was like winter. The inside part of their entrance was made artificially cold through air conditioners. I suddenly heard someone tell me that they keep the place as winter through this air conditioner setup. I then saw ice on the window near the air conditioner, but it was starting to melt. Water was dripping on the ground. Then the same person said to me, “Spring is coming as the tension between these two countries has been eased.”

 

Before I could enter, the mysterious person and I were led to a hotel to stay. Shortly after we arrived, a North Korean man in a North Korean military uniform approached us. He greeted us and apologized for being late. He seemed to be a diplomat from North Korea. He explained that he would take us to do some sightseeing in D.C. Then the mysterious person who brought me there told me that this man’s wife worked in the South Korean embassy. He suggested we visit her first. He called her Lily. I immediately agreed to visit Lily first because I felt it was more important to do this than sightsee. Soon after, I was brought into the North Korean embassy and I no longer saw the mysterious person nor the North Korean man again. Although I was told we would visit the lady in the South Korean embassy, I did not end up there. As I saw in the first scene, however, these two embassies were located very close together.

 

Suddenly, there I was in the cafeteria of the North Korean embassy. For a bit, I watched what they were eating. Some North Korean ladies were chatting, and I saw a big bowl of porridge on the table.  Watching this scene, I became excited in the dream because I had never been to North Korea in real life. I could not help but think that I should take some pictures to send to my friends and family in China to let them know what I was experiencing and what a significant change had taken place in North Korea!

 

Afterward, I saw many Americans enter the embassy. They were both male and female. I even saw an African American man walk in and he was speaking fluently in Chinese with others. There are other scenes in the dream but I will omit them as they may not be proper to share.

 

Current Prophetic Situation in North Korea

There are several parts to this dream. First, this dream clearly tells of the possibilities that exist for a normalization of relationship between the US and North Korea. It also speaks of the reunification of the two Koreas in the future. This is especially shown by the two future embassies adjacent to one another in D.C. It is also implicated by the fact that the North Korean military man’s wife worked in the South Korean embassy. This shows peace among government officials with regard to both countries. Their reunification is also implicated by the invitation and intention of visiting the wife in the South Korean embassy and being taken into the North Korean embassy instead.

 

A strong impression was also left on me regarding the freezing condition of the North Korean embassy. This freezing was manmade. Their building was purposely set up as winter with the use of air conditioners. However, as I was told in the dream, spring had arrived and a “defreezing” is now taking place. I do not think it’s ironic that this prophetic word was released to me on the day before Trump and Kim Jong Un signed an agreement to move forward with pursuing a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and establish peaceful relations with one another henceforth.

 

Yet, just as a car windshield needs some time to defrost in the winter, it will take some time to defreeze from the freezing North Korean conditions they themselves have created. The good news is that it has already begun. This means the Lord is working in the hearts of the North Korean people, among the leaders and authorities in the government. The North Korean military man who came to us and apologized for being late can serve as indication that God is working to shift relations among those in authority. Since the Lord did not reveal to me any more details regarding this shift, I don’t want to make too many speculations related to military coups. I do feel, however, that we can approach God with an open heart to pray that He does whatever will bring him the most glory. What brings greater glory to God? Removing a dictator, or turning his heart toward the Gospel? I am certainly praying that Kim Jong Un’s heart is turned to Christ that it may be said of him, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1 NRSV)

 

Additionally, the bowl of porridge may represent the economic situation that is also subject to change. Porridge in Asian and other cultures represents the scarcity of food and economic hardship. When you are extremely poor, you only eat porridge and nothing else. The fact that I only saw porridge on the table represents the current economic conditions. The Lord knows the hardships the North Korean people are experiencing and this is why God is turning the political situation around. God's heart is always with the poor. God wishes to bring both the Gospel and prosperity to North Korea.

 

Springtime Is Here

If you recall, I was told by the mysterious person to visit a lady named Lily in the South Korean embassy. I never made it there and was taken to the North Korean embassy instead. It’s possible she was among the ladies in the cafeteria who were eating and having a good time. Most likely, however, is that Lily prophetically represents the arrival of the springtime season since lilies are flowers that appear in the springtime. That is, springtime is indeed arriving. The worldwide Body of Christ has been praying for the saints of North Korea, and when we consider the suffering of the Church there, I feel the Lord encouraging us to continue in supplication. A future unification of both Koreas can be something saints intercede for, and the ending of a cold, winter season is at hand. God has heard the prayers of the saints in North Korea and those who pray for them. The manifestations of the springtime are soon to appear!

 

 

Bible Study with Jairus - Colossians

Bible Study with Jairus - Colossians

We are striving to speed read several volumes of the Bible every month. The main consideration is to help some brothers and sisters who aren’t able to read further when they reach Exodus in the Old Testament, and Romans in the New Testament. This will help those new ones to have a rough understanding on the contents of some books in the Bible. We started to speed read the Old Testament, from the first book up to the Book of Ruth. Meanwhile, we have done the opposite in the New Testament. We began to speed read from the Book of Revelation up to Colossians. Although it’s just a passing glance, it might help some of our brothers and sisters who have never read the Bible from cover to cover.

This time, the inspiration that I got after speed reading Colossians is how Paul dealt with carnal Christians in the church at Colossae. Originally, we arranged a speed reading of 3 letters: the letters to the Colossians, and First and Second Thessalonians. But because of the rich content of Colossians (one meeting will take up most of the time), we will have one Bible study session on both First and Second Thessalonians later.

I had an inspiration after I read Colossians and First and Second Thessalonians. In Colossians, it was dealing more with carnality in the church. While in First and Second Thessalonians, it was dealing more with Christians who are easily deceived in church. As Paul mentioned in Colossians, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (NIV, Colossians, 3:2), and advised Christians in the church at Colossae to forgive each other.  In First and Second Thessalonians, it talks a lot about the lessons of the Antichrist which led people to be deceived.

What does this mean?  Even when people are long time church goers, we  find that many Christians may actually possess the knowledge and truths of the Bible, but when something really happens, they still can’t overcome their own flesh. For example, we know that God isn’t happy with the divisions in the church and hopes that all of us can get along with each other, but when something happens, we will still form sects and factions.  This is a common situation in churches today.

Another situation we find in today’s church is people who don’t have much biblical knowledge and haven’t meditated on the truths of the Bible.  They may not have strong fleshly desires but they are easily led astray by wrong teachings leading to greater losses.  Both of these situations are ubiquitous in the church.

Today, let's talk about Colossians. First of all, we have to clarify that there are fleshly or other problems in the church at Colossae but it isn’t entirely a bad thing. For example, in the church at Corinth, there were also a lot of problems that existed. Thus, Paul wrote two letters to them, revealing many truths about Christ.

There’s background information behind every letter. Similarly, Colossians has a special background.  Paul wrote four letters in prison - Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.   There’s very important historical background behind these letters. I asked a Christian who attended our Bible study, to imagine that he was Paul, he was in prison, he only had a little time left and the conditions were poor, but he has to say something important right from his heart to write these letters. Of course, after writing the letters, it has a lasting significance, letting the churches benefit from them for thousands of years after. But often, there is a latent cause in writing them initially. For example, when I mentioned the chaos in the church at Corinth, including the man who had married the stepmother, it leaves Paul with no choice but to write a long letter to them.

What is the background of Colossians here? There are many things in the Bible that are not accounted for, but it doesn’t mean that they didn’t happen.

I shared a story I personally heard. Soon after I received salvation, a brother told me of a situation that had happened in the church. There was a man who had been in the church for a long time and his car was accidentally hit by a newcomer causing minor damage. This man insisted on filing an insurance claim to let the newcomer compensate. Someone tried to persuade him to give a little grace to this newcomer, let him compensate just a little money, but the man refused. Naturally, in the end, the newcomer stumbled. The person, who told me the story, said that the man whose car had minor damage didn’t have enough grace. He lacked real Christian love.  He regarded his own car as more important than the newcomer’s stumbling.

Of course here in the United States when we encounter such things, there is no reason not to file an insurance claim. The point that the person telling the story was trying to make is that we should look less at the circumstance and have more grace toward the person to avoid having them stumble.

I don’t know whether a situation like this is a common occurrence in the church, but as far as my own experience is concerned, there are indeed many similar situations. On the one hand, we are Christians. On the other hand, we are human beings. Humans have fleshly desires. When we talk about the love of Christ, we may speak clearly and logically, but when our interests are involved, the flesh often speaks louder than the spirit and we lose.

After sharing this story in the meeting, I asked everyone “Is there a similar situation in the church at Colossae that Paul is concerned about?” As stated in Colossians 1:7, the church in Colossae was taught by Epaphras, and he also reported the situation of the church to Paul and others. Is there a possibility that after Epaphras told Paul about the grace of God to the Colossian church, he also told Paul about the situation in which some brothers and sisters become competitive, irreconcilable and unforgiving when they are in the flesh? And that these brethren are actually those whom Paul knew, even loved, or personally brought to be saved or trained? Is it possible that the two parties are both loved by Paul, but are incompatible, leading Paul to worry in prison and to write a letter to the Colossians to mediate them? Both are Paul's love, so Paul can't blame one, and hold the other in high regard. He must be very careful in dealing with this subtle situation.

If these situations are possible, if you were Paul, how would you deal with it? We don't know if Paul was facing these things, but we know that in the life of the contemporary church, we often have to face these situations.

We assume that this may be the background behind Paul's writing. Let's see how Paul's letters respond to this situation.    Suppose the parties involved are all Paul’s acquaintance, and the two people are still arguing, it will be difficult for Paul to directly judge who is right and who is wrong. And judging right or wrong may not be a good choice because the dispute between right and wrong is often in the realm of the mind, the flesh, or the soul. What Paul needs to do is to help the members of the two factions to break carnal, and spiritual strongholds, enter the mind of Christ in the heavenly, and look at these problems from the eyes and perspective of God. When they can look at these problems from a Heavenly perspective, they can escape from earthly, carnal, and spiritual strongholds and they will be able to forgive, tolerate, and mutually compromise in love.

If you were Paul, how would you start writing this letter? Of course, he wouldn’t begin by blaming the two brothers. Instead, he avoided direct accusation. He started from a very high place - Heaven. Paul’s slant at the beginning of Colossae is very high. Paul began by praising the believers of Colossae, saying he heard the praise of the Colossian believers from Epaphras, which he mentioned in 1:4: "because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people." (NIV)

After praising the Colossian believers, Paul switched the thread of conversation to directly mentioning the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

¹² Giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified youto share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (NIV)

Then Paul used this opportunity to say that, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (NIV, Colossians: 1:15). He added, “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” (NIV, Colossians: 1:22). From here, we can speculate that what Paul means is we have eliminated all strife on the cross of Christ.

Paul then uses his experience again to testify that, “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” (NIV, Colossians: 1:24).

Paul mentioned how he was called to complete God’s Word. He revealed the mystery hidden by God over the ages - Christ is our hope of glory. Paul has struggled and worked hard for this. He wants us to maturely dedicate our life to God.

In this chapter, Paul seems to be saying good things. It appears that he doesn’t have any criticism. But in the second chapter, Paul slowly began to raise the obscure issue of the Colossians. Of course, when Paul ended the letter, he never forgot to give encouragement and comfort to the audience of his letters. Some people call this type of writing a "sandwich". This kind of writing is very common in the Bible. For example, Jesus’ seven letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation are also in the format of a “sandwich." It praised the faithfulness of each church in the beginning. After which, it criticized the church in the middle. In the end, there were words of encouragement and promise again.

Let's take a look at how Paul began to put "meat" in this "sandwich" from the second chapter (we will use meat as a metaphor for Paul's criticism).

In verse 2:4, Paul said that, “ I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” (NIV)

This sentence implies that in the church of Colossae, some people will use flowery words to deceive the Christians in Colossae.

2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ”. (NIV)

 

This sentence has implicit meaning. In the church in Colossae, there are those who will use philosophy and empty deception according to human teachings rather on Christ, leading the Christians in Colossae astray.

Thus, in the second chapter, Paul especially revealed many of the mysteries of Christ in these two negative situations.

Then at the beginning of third chapter, Paul immediately encouraged the Christians in Colossae to set their minds on things above and not on earthly things (NIV, Colossians: 3:2). Chapters 3:1-4 are some of my favorite verses:

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory”. (NIV)

Paul becomes more and more straightforward in here.

3:5 says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” (NIV)

3:8 says, “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” (NIV) 

3:9 says, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.” (NIV)

3: 12-15 also say,

^“12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (NIV)

I shared my experience and said that when I was starting to learn to serve, I was with a brother who was a little older than me. We had a dispute when we once served together in the Church.   Our Elders in the church did not criticize us, but they let us sing Colossians 3:12-15. So at this bible study, my wife and I sang these same verses again to the tune of a hymn.

Why is Paul particularly emphasizing here that as God's chosen people, we must have compassion, kindness, humbleness, gentleness, patience, and even if there is a discord between people, we must always bear and forgive each other as the Lord forgive us? It is not enough to just forgive, but we must also have love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect unity.

So although these are just speculations, perhaps things such as carnality and strife among people really happened in the church in Colossae. Ultimately, the reason why such things happen is due to the fact that their life is not mature enough to let the life of Christ rule their lives.

So Paul said in 3:16-17 (NIV),

¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

In chapter 4, Paul has hardly any criticism. Instead, he began to comfort, encourage and greet.

4:2 says,

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” (NIV)

4:6 says,

 ^“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (NIV)

In conclusion, Paul ended the four short chapters of Colossae with a lot of greetings.

Although our sharing is of a speed reading nature, or a passing glance, we can see that many of the verses in Colossians are written with a delicate touch. Let’s pray and try to fathom the implications of these verses. This will be beneficial to our Christian life because it especially helps us to grow up into Christ, overcome the flesh, and even enter and preserve Christian unity.

 

 

 

Bible Study with Jairus - Galatians

Bible Study with Jairus - Galatians

 

This evening we are going to quickly go through several chapters of Galatians.  This morning when I attended an American Evangelical Community Church, the pastor used a term called SBNR which means spiritual but not religious.  This pastor was criticizing people who don’t participate in church activities and are not willing to have any commitment.  He stated that there were Christians in the United States adopting this slogan.  These people are dissatisfied with the church as an institution and use the slogan as an excuse for laziness.  He said that admittedly, there’s nothing wrong with being SBNR, but it shouldn’t be an excuse for laziness.  They refuse to pursue spiritual growth and be built together with others.  He said that God’s intention for Christians is to love and interact with each other in a community so that we can learn and edify each other.

 

When I got home and opened   Facebook   I saw one of my teachers, a Charismatic pastor at the Randy Clark Scholars, a Doctor of Ministry program at the United Theological Seminary,   preaching through live streaming. He was talking about the same topic, that Christians should be rooted in the community and grow more in one’s spiritual life through interacting with each other. We shouldn’t use avoiding religion and pursuing spirituality as an excuse to escape building each other up.

 

Then I felt inspired by the Holy Spirit about the message I will be sharing tonight. Today, the Holy Spirit seems to have a theme - the issue of abusing grace and the relationship between grace and the law. Since we were already planning to study Galatians which deals with the law, we will explore this topic tonight.

 

I heard that there was a dispute in China over the propagation of the so called “Grace Gospel.”  A pastor in Singapore prefers to impart truth by teaching God’s grace and therefore was labeled
as the “Grace Gospel.”  I read an article in a charismatic magazine by an American pastor who believed that this pastor in Singapore overemphasized God’s grace and neglected God’s discipline which in turn caused people to abuse God’s grace.  These two pastors agreed to meet and discuss the topic in the Lord’s love.  I even saw pictures of the meeting.  As a result of this meeting even the American pastor was criticized by those who opposed the “Grace Gospel.  Apparently many people in the United States disagree with that teaching.

 

When I used to have my own audio program on the Chinese online platform, some of the audience in China often interacted with me. One of them was a follower of this so-called Grace Gospel. He chatted with me and asked me how I felt about the Grace Gospel. I know that he wanted me to affirm this teaching, but to be honest, I don’t know much about the Grace Gospel in China or why people criticize it so I couldn’t support him.  He and I didn’t have any further communication after that.  

 

 I still hold this point of view. I don’t make any comments on the so-called “Grace Gospel” because my understanding is limited. But I have heard that many churches have split because of their attitude towards the “Grace Gospel. There are also a lot of disputes on the Internet. The purpose of my analysis here is not to judge other believers. Rather, I will talk about my understanding of grace and the law from a general perspective.

 

I think this topic is directly related to the contents of Galatians.

 

I came into contact with some people who had background in some traditional American Christian churches. They told me that they don’t like the legalism in the church. An American Christian lady told me that she was from a very legalistic church. When she came to the small Charismatic church, she said that she had absolutely never felt the freedom and release like this before. She described a variety of legalistic situations in her original church which really surprised me.

 

I met another American Christian man on the train. He asked if we could use instruments at our church. I said of course we can. He told me that his church doesn’t allow any instruments. They believe that instruments are all from Satan.

 

I also heard from a preacher that there was a teenager (who grew up in the church but wasn’t baptized yet) who accidentally ate the bread of the church’s Sunday worship without realizing it, and was reprimanded, causing the teenager to stumble.

 

I just cited a few examples as there are too many examples of legalism in the church. I suppose that there are a variety of these experiences. For example, some churches don’t allow women to wear makeup or jewelry, which may cause people to stumble. Some parents force their teenagers to go to church and when they are 18, they leave the church for good not even having experienced God.  The list goes on.

 

Legalism really exists in churches. There are usually three outcomes of legalism. The first result is to stumble, which I’ve already said above.

 

The second outcome is people who develop a sense of pretense and hypocrisy. On the surface, they don’t violate the rules and regulations, but they don't really embrace them in their heart. This is the case with Peter in Galatians 2:12 where it says: for before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but after they arrived, he pretended not to eat with the Gentiles. Even Barnabas was led astray. In the end, Paul stood and reprimanded Peter. In the modern church, in the face of the overflow of legalism, many people are like this. They don’t violate the law; they oppress themselves and they pretend. Why? Because of fear. Fear made Peter pretentious because eating with the Gentiles may not have been accepted by the people of Jerusalem and he still had to go back to Jerusalem. If they accused him in the meeting, it would be very shameful for Peter. I mentioned in our study that fear is the main tool of the religious spirit to control people. Everything that is done out of fear is usually not from the Lord, but from Satan. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (NIV, 2 Timothy 1:7).

 

For example, the teenager that I mentioned who had not experienced the Lord in a subjective way in the church may have two attitudes.   He may be the type that refuses to go to church saying he’d rather be an unbeliever than a hypocrite. On the other hand, he could pretend to go along with everything to please his parents and live the opposite when they aren’t looking.

 

The third outcome is a person who finds grace in the law. I likened this type of person to a salmon. Salmon swim and spawn upstream. For them, the environment is like the law. It is against them. They are swimming against the current, but they insist on swimming upstream. Upon reaching their destination, they spawn and they continue to multiply. There are many Christians who are like this, whether in church history or now.

 

I’ve recently been reading a biography of an African American Christian named Samuel DeWitt Proctor. He had served for several US presidents and had held important positions in the field of education. He was a visiting professor at the United Theological Seminary, where I’m taking classes. In the biography, he mentioned that the arduous history of discrimination of the United States against African American people has caused some African American people to give up on themselves. On the other hand, it has also caused some African American people like him to become even firmer in their faith in God and become useful citizens in American society. If American society's discrimination against the African American people is likened to legalism, then some people have indeed overcome these laws and found God's grace in them.

 

So, what is the relationship between the law and grace?

 

Galatians chapter 4 has used personification as an approach. It likened Hagar (Abraham's wife) to the Old Testament, and a person who bears children into slavery. In Galatians 4:25-26, Paul compared Hagar to Mount Sinai, and Sarah to Jerusalem which is the mother of us all. So, Abraham and his two wives have very interesting interactions. Abraham is not just comprised of one person. There are two people in him. One is the new man who lived by faith, and the other is the old man who lived by flesh. Therefore, the intertwined relationship between   Abraham’s new man and old man and his two wives is the best illustration to explain the relationship between grace and the law.

 

Paul also had a good analogy in Romans 7:1 which says, "Do you not know, brothers and sisters--for I am speaking to those who know the law--that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?" The “person” here refers to a woman’s husband. Here, Paul is hinting that the old man died because of being crucified with Christ. In other words, the law kills. Paul says, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!” (2 Corinthians 3:6). It’s not because of the law or the letter that kills. Rather, it’s because your old man played a role there. As Paul said in Romans 7:7 (NIV), “Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” In other words, Paul found that it’s not totally because of the law that convicted and killed him. Rather, it’s because he has the sin of greed in him. He was convicted when he ran into the law. The main reason why the law, the ministry of conviction, has played a role is not because the law stipulates that you must not steal or covet. The fundamental reason is that your fallen sinful nature has caused you to steal or covet.

 

Let’s look at the example of Abraham. As a woman, Hagar is already unfortunate enough to be born an Egyptian. What is more unfortunate is that she became a slave girl to Sarah afterwards. Life was already difficult for her and she hoped to have the opportunity to move up the social ladder by getting pregnant from her master. Instead of this bringing her respect, she was driven away by Sarah. Abraham was powerless to do anything. From the perspective of modern women, her demands were not too much. Why aren’t her demands met? In Galatians 4, Paul compares Hagar to the law and the Old Testament. Why is it that when the law (Hagar) asks Abraham to love her back or fulfill the requirements of the law to love, he can’t do it? Is it because the requirements of the law are wrong? No. It was Abraham’s old man who had a problem. Since Abraham married Hagar according to the flesh and didn’t ask counsel from God, thus the result of his flesh could not bring the fruit of the Spirit.

 

Why do you think God comforted Abraham in his distress and told him to listen to Sarah and allow Hagar and Ishmael to be driven away? It’s important to know that after Ishmael (the son of Abraham) was born according to the flesh, God did not appear to Abraham for thirteen years. Abraham was already ninety-nine years old before the Lord appeared to him and promised the birth of Isaac. It took God thirteen years to deal with Abraham's flesh. When Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised himself, Isaac and Ishmael as God commanded him. This represents the results of him dealing with the flesh. Therefore, it wasn’t Sarah who wanted to drive Hagar away, but it’s because Abraham’s old man   died. According to Paul's analysis in Romans 7, once her old man dies, the law no longer has any jurisdiction over her.  Paul was referring to the fact that the wife was no longer bound by the dead husband. But we are twisting it around here to say the new husband is no longer bound in the way the old man and his wife were bound. Actually, it’s not that Hagar was driven away, but rather Hagar was able to get freedom from her status as slave. This is why many people don't understand why God appeared and blessed Hagar and Ishmael when they were crying in the wilderness. If God didn’t like them and wanted to drive them away, why would He appear and bless them?

 

Since Abraham's flesh died, his new man began to come to the stage. At this time, the law that convicts and kills us became the law that perfected us. In other words, Hagar exited the stage and Sarah came to the stage. The Old Testament exited the stage, and the New Testament came to the stage. The law and grace have become mutually reinforcing relationships. It’s no longer because the law   killed me and I can’t obey the law. At this time our new man (the life of Christ) was able to repeatedly live out the requirements of the law (the wife). As Jesus said, “I have not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.” (NIV, Matthew 5:17). Not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law (Matthew 5:18), but the new life of Jesus Christ in us has fulfilled these laws. The convicting ministry of Moses in the Old Testament became the ministry of the grace of the Lord Jesus in the New Testament.

 

This is the relationship between the law and grace. They are interactive. In other words, now we have the life of the old man, and also the new man. Besides this, there’s also Hagar (who represents the law) and Sarah (who represents grace) as our wife inside of us. Our life is very complicated. But it is also easy if you make it simple. If you die completely to the flesh and circumcise your flesh, Hagar (the law) will become ineffective in your life. You are a person who lives in the spirit and who marries Sarah. Sarah is Jerusalem, the mother of spiritual life.

 

In other words, if you die to your old man, you won’t stumble by the law.  You stumble by the law not because the requirements of the law are unreasonable but because of your flesh. The requirements of the law are often difficult for our flesh to adhere to. Whether God has given the Israelites the Sabbath, or your church doesn’t allow you to wear jewelry, sometimes it just doesn’t make any sense. Why? For example, it is clear that Jehovah wanted the Israelites to keep the Sabbath. But in the end, Jesus, the Son of God, came and didn’t keep the Sabbath in certain situations. Isn’t this contradictory? No. God allows the law, and even the existence of legalism. The purpose is not just to keep the law, but to see if you will obey it. If you don’t have a spirit of rebellion, but rather obey everything in the Lord, can you stumble? So people who   stumble usually have problems inside themselves. This would be like the prodigal son in Luke 15. His rebellious nature   led him to commit a sin and wander. In the end, he found a way to enjoy grace by repenting and confessing his sin of rebellion. This is the first R I’d like to mention-- rebellion. I said in the beginning that the American pastor said that many people pursue the SBNR slogan and don’t participate in church activities. Actually, they may be living in rebellion of God and are prodigal sons. This is the current state of many churches and Christians. It is also the state of many prodigal sons in the world.

 

The next R, which is religion is represented by the eldest son in Luke 15.   He works very hard. He has the presence of the Father outside, but he has no real intimacy with the father. He is even envious of the prodigal son who repented. This type of mentality is the religious spirit. This person represents the second type of person I’ve talked about. They are pretentious. They are often bound by the religious spirit. They initiate legalism just like the Pharisees in the time of Jesus. They often persecute the prodigal son, who represents the relatively weaker people. After being persecuted by legalism and the religious spirit, the prodigal son often goes to the opposite/other extreme, which is rebellion. The prodigal son is often influenced and controlled by the "spirit of rebellion". These two spirits both come from Satan.

 

The story of Luke 15 is a very good metaphor. Have you ever thought about the possibility that the prodigal son may have suffered persecution from his older brother   way before he decided to leave his house? I read a sermon by Charles Spurgeon.  If I remember correctly, he said that Cain’s persecution of Abel didn’t begin on the day he killed him, but rather it was ongoing because of their different understanding of what an acceptable sacrifice was. The persecution had already existed from the beginning. Similarly, it is very likely that the eldest son in Luke 15   disliked his younger brother from the beginning, and persecuted him through a religious spirit of legalism until he couldn’t take it anymore and left home. Of course, after dealing with the environment, the prodigal son dealt with the spirit of rebellion. He returned to his father's house and found the love of God, allowing him to overcome the persecution of the religious spirit and legalism. But in the end of the gospel of Luke the author did not tell us that the elder brother overcame his religious spirit.

 

God often allows legalism and even a religious spirit to be in the environment in order to test whether or not we are obedient. I’ve heard that one of the reasons why the teaching on the Grace Gospel is very popular is that many believers have been hurt too much by the church's legalism. This analysis is correct. But we can't be biased. If there is no flesh or rebellion in us, the spirit of legalism and religion can’t hurt us.  The real reason why legalism or a religious spirit hurts us is because our old man has not truly died and still perhaps possesses a rebellious nature.  Christians who are deeply persecuted by legalism and religion often go to the other extreme of what they consider to be freedom and grace but in actuality they are often bound by the spirit of rebellion.

 

This is like driving a car. If you turn to the left, you’ll fall into the trap of religious spirit and legalism. If you turn to the right, you’ll fall into the trap of the spirit of rebellion.  The prodigal son’s attitude before repentance and his brother’s religious spirit can be likened to the two extremes that the church often goes to. This is not God's intention.

 

God's intention is for us to become like the salmon I mentioned earlier. No matter how difficult it is, the salmon would swim upstream and multiply. Although there are all kinds of difficulties in the environment, our hearts should be like Paul, a person who exemplifies Christ in every situation. God's intention is to let us bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit through these different and even difficult circumstances. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." People usually pay attention to the first half of verses 22 and 23, but often ignore what the second half of verse 23 says, “Against such things there is no law.” If we live out the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the religious spirit or legalism won’t harm you. On the contrary, we need to understand that whether it’s a religious spirit causing legalism or a spirit of rebellion abusing grace, they are both from the flesh.

 

Therefore, the reason why I don't want to criticize the so called Grace Gospel is because on the one hand, I am not familiar with it. On the other hand, I know that if we use legalism and a religious spirit to criticize the supporters of the Grace Gospel, not only will it have no effect, but it will cause dissention in the body of Christ. Because legalism and a religious spirit is a reaction of the flesh, and the abuse of grace and the spirit of rebellion is also from the flesh, the flesh is waring against the flesh nullifying any good effect.

 

It’s important to obey God’s discipline in our lives.  Although many times the circumstances of our environment are difficult or others wrong us unfairly, we need to understand that nothing comes to us without God’s permission.  We learn through experience to obey his discipline because the more we turn away from it the heavier His hand of discipline will be and our circumstances will get increasingly worse.

 

The reason that people abuse grace and freedom is largely due to opposing the religious spirit and legalism.  The danger here is the tendency to fall into self-indulgence and rebellion which abuses freedom and God’s grace.  I’ve observed that churches tend to be at one extreme or the other in this area.  This is not God’s intention for His people.  He wants us to live by the fruit of the Holy Spirit in every situation and says that against these there is no law.

 

In other words, when we face an overabundance  of legalism and a religious spirit in the church, the correct response is not to go to the opposite extreme (abusing the grace and indulging in rebellion), but to deal with our flesh and grow up   spiritually   If we do this, legalism is no longer  negative or a stumbling block. Instead, all things will work together for good, which let us grow in our spiritual lives and fulfill God's will for us.

 

In Galatians 3:3 (NIV), Paul blames the Galatians, "Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?" This corresponds to what Paul said in Galatians 1:6 (NIV), "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel." Paul continues to say in Galatians 6:8 (NIV), "Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."

 

These words should be alarming. They should be a solemn warning for us not to live and act according to the flesh. The legalism and rebellious spirit that is pervasive in today's church is actually just two different kinds of living in the flesh. If we don’t live in the flesh, Satan is unable to raise a religious spirit, legalism or the spirit of rebellion to harm the church. As the Lord Jesus said, the evil one has no place in Him.

 

Paul's expectation for the church is what he said in Galatians 2:20 (NIV), "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

 

This is the way   a Christian should live. If a majority of Christians in the church would live like this, the flesh would be dealt with, and legalism and religious spirit wouldn’t be rooted in the soil. The spiritual stature of the church would then greatly improve; the light of the church will also be brighter;   more prodigal sons from the outside world would return to the household of God, and the church would grow stronger.  On the contrary, because there are many churches with believers who live according to the flesh, the prevalence of legalism is high and causes weaker believers to stumble and often leave the church completely.  Those who aren’t willing to leave the church reject any law, regulations or discipline which ultimately affects the growth of the church.

 

Although we are reading through Galatians rather quickly, our hope is that you have a general introduction and understanding to this rich and valuable book.  There are a multitude of verses worth praying and meditating on.  God bless you as you focus and meditate on His word.