Bible Study With Jairus

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.

 

 

Bible Study with Jairus – Philippians

Bible Study with Jairus – Philippians

 

Today’s study will mainly focus on one topic:  how to manifest Christ in our lives. What does it mean to manifest Christ? It’s what Paul said in Philippians 1:20-21 (NIV), “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

 

In other words, manifesting Christ is living and revealing Christ through us in any given situation. When we are saturated by Christ, not only will people see us but like Paul we will manifest Christ to those around us. People didn’t only see Paul at this time, but also Christ Himself.

 

How is this possible? Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV), “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Paul further said in 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV), “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”

 

Paul uses the analogy of a mirror here. To put it in simple terms, I am the mirror. When I follow Paul and do the things he does, I am reflecting Paul.  Paul follows Christ and reflects Him and Christ follows God and reflects Him.  When people look at me (the mirror) ultimately they should see God reflected in my life.

 

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV), “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” This means that Paul used his unveiled face or mirror to reflect that he has seen the face of the Lord. The face of the Lord is also transparent, a mirror, and a reflection of the glory of God. As Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) says, “Christ is the radiance of God's glory”.

 

So, when I imitate Paul, I look into Paul’s mirror. And then Paul's mirror reflects the mirror of Christ, which reflects the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:6 said, “to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ”. What you clearly saw was my face, but what you actually are seeing is the glory of God through me.

 

This is manifesting Christ, which is, showing the glory of God revealed in our body or in our faces because Christ is in us. No matter what situation we encounter, when others are anxious and worried, we aren’t worried and are able to manifest peace and joy in God.   When people see you, they see God and that is a witness to them that God is real.

 

This is our destiny as Christians.  Unfortunately many Christians don’t act like or reflect Christ in the world around them.  Unbelievers often criticize those who say they are Christians yet act like the world.  If you are in the workplace and someone says “I didn’t know you were a Christian,” this speaks loudly that you aren’t reflecting God in your work or relationships.

 

If individual Christians reflect God like a mirror, the church as a whole should be brightly lit to the surrounding community. The Lord said the light is placed on a hill illuminating the city.  That is not often the case however.  Many cities are still in the dark because the church isn’t doing its job of reflecting Christ.  This in turn goes back to the individual Christians who need to do a better job being the light of Christ.

 

The main reason why Christians aren’t brightly lit is because they are living in their flesh or soul which includes their emotions, mind and will.  They also live in the culture, and even religion rather than living in their spirits. Proverbs 20:27 says that the spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord. When we, with unveiled heart, live and keep in step with the spirit, we will manifest Christ and reveal the glory of God.

 

2 Corinthians 3:15-17 says, “Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (NIV)

 

I’m very grateful to the Lord for leading me to the Local Church movement where I was saved.  I am also grateful for the thirteen years of Bible study I received there.  I learned so much about living in the spirit and manifesting Christ from Witness Lee.  The Lord led me to leave the Local Church in 2015 in order to learn more about the Charismatic and Prophetic movements.  It was during this process that I realized there were some mistakes in Witness Lee’s teaching.  Many of his teachings however, are correct and worthy to be studied by believers. 

 

In my personal experience I’m aware of several evangelical groups that condemned Witness Lee’s teachings as heretical which turned many believers away from following him. Many Christians in the Charismatic movement have heard of Watchman Nee but very few know about Witness Lee’s ministry.

 

Before I left the Local Church I was in a doctor’s office in Baltimore humming a Bible verse to a popular Christian tune.  An African American woman nearby asked me if I was a Christian.  While chatting with her I recommended Witness Lee’s ministry to her. She went home and began to read the Life Study and other spiritual works by him.  I invited her to attend our Local Church and she came to several meetings.  Her goal wasn’t to join our church but to transform her Pentecostal church.  She said she had been a Christian for decades but never heard these teachings although she had heard of Watchman Nee.  Over time she wrote me several letters thanking me for introducing her to Witness Lee’s ministry.  Since she hadn’t been tainted by the evangelicals who condemned Witness Lee, she was able to grow in her spiritual life through learning about living in the spirit and manifesting Christ.

 

Later in 2015 while attending a Charismatic Ministry meeting in Pennsylvania a pastor testified that he wanted to be holy.  He fasted for 40 days hoping for breakthrough in some of his weaknesses but ultimately he failed.  The person in charge of the ministry took him aside later and told him that holiness was a person and His name is Christ.  He was told that personal efforts or fasting didn’t bring about holiness.  Letting Christ live through him was the answer.  This helped him tremendously and he ended up following the leader of this ministry.

 

After hearing his advice I realized that the teaching I had received at the Local Church about manifesting Christ was one of the most basic truths.  The pastor in the above story had fasted and prayed for 40 days without understanding this.  Each group of Christians holds truths that may not be known in other groups.  For example I had no idea what the baptism of the Holy Spirit or speaking in tongues was when I was in the Local Church.  It was only after I left and began to investigate the Charismatic Movement that I learned about teachers like Kenneth Hagin, Bob Jones and Derek Prince.  I had no idea how the Pentecostal movement had developed over the last 100 years.

 

Of course, I was very eager to learn about the truth that God revealed through the Pentecostal Movement and the Modern Prophetic Movement. I was also actively seeking the gift of healings and gift of prophecy. In addition to my wife’s supernatural healing and us having a miraculous baby, I’ve also activated my prophetic gift. God often talks to me through prophetic dreams.

 

Looking back on these experiences, I realize that the division in the body of Christ is very serious. Every group has its own richness, but it doesn’t necessarily know and accept the richness of others.  

 

I’ve talked about the fact that many of Witness Lee’s teachings greatly helped many to grow spiritually although he was misunderstood and not well known.  The same goes for many Christians who haven’t learned or don’t understand the Charismatic and Modern Prophetic movements.  Many Christians believe that these movements are of the devil.

 

The attitude of many churches can be likened to martial arts sects described in Chinese martial arts novels, such as the Shaolin Temple and Wudang Sect. Actually, every martial arts sect has its own unique skills, and considered one of a kind in Chinese martial arts. However, many sects are strictly guarded. They cut off their disciples if they learn the martial arts of other sects. They also feel that their martial arts are the only authentic ones. They hope to conquer or dominate Chinese martial arts through their own martial arts sect. The same is true for many Christian denominations.  They think they have the only truth and want others to buy in to that but they often can’t humble themselves and learn the truths that others have.

 

Actually, God created each snowflake differently. God allows us to be rich and diverse in His wisdom in order to manifest His richness and diversity. God's purpose is not to let us conquer each other, but to help us coexist and complement each other. One man said something that left a deep impression on me. He said unity is not conformity.

 

An older woman from China who has served in the Local Church movement for many years always comes to see us when she is visits her son in the U.S.  She is very caring and full of life.  She heard that I had begun to study the Charismatic movement and became very concerned about my spiritual life.  She encouraged me many times to return to my Local Church.  I told her that the Lord put me on this path just like Joseph was bound for Egypt, I was also bound for this journey.  The more involved I become in the Charismatic church, the more burdened I become to see them grow more in their spiritual lives.  Many of the things I learned in the Local Church would help them tremendously. I told this woman that those of us in the Local Church aren’t familiar with Charismatics and don’t have a heart to love them. Many evangelical believers believe that they are deceived by evil spirits or live in the flesh.  I don’t accept this because I’ve seen that these Charismatic believers truly love the Lord. God has given me a burden to help Charismatic believers in the United States.

 

In addition to enthusiastically sharing the truths I learned in the Charismatic and Modern Prophetic Movements with evangelical brothers and sisters, I also hope to share some of the truths that I had learned in the Local Church movement. I personally think that just like the experience of the African American sister I mentioned earlier, it will be a great help to Charismatic believers.

 

Therefore, I suggest that those who are interested take a look at the series “Life-study of Philippians” by Witness Lee to see if it can help your spiritual life. Although Witness Lee’s teachings have a lot of controversy on the Internet, these controversies are mainly about theological issues such as the person of Christ and the problem of One City One Church. I don’t feel that there is a problem with his teaching about how to practice spiritual life.

 

Since we are speed reading Philippians at this meeting, a friend who is a new believer invited me to briefly introduce the background and summary of Philippians. I said that the main essence of Philippians is to manifest Christ in all kinds of circumstances.   Recently I was getting ready to go to class in my doctoral program at the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. My mother-in-law and my wife had a little misunderstanding (which they reconciled later) that almost made me miss my class. Due to the heavy rainfall in Chicago that day, I had to change my ticket. Plus, I was hesitant wondering if the Lord was the one leading me to study this PhD. I almost cancelled it. However, when I got there, I was blessed and I clearly knew that God was the one leading me to this doctoral program. This friend, who asked me to talk about Philippians, recently experienced a similar crisis in his family.  We all experience trials.  As Christians we should manifest Christ in every crisis or in any situation. The greatest power of Christians is to live in peace and joy when people are troubled and worried. This isn’t something that money can buy. Big entrepreneurs like Jack Ma may not be able to do it, but a Christian who has life in the Lord should be able to do it.

 

Bob Jones, a Charismatic prophet from the United States, said that God is already judging the United States. One of His judgements is anxiety. This anxiety is what Satan released from hell. If a person or a Christian does not live in fellowship with God, he may be bound by anxiety. On the one hand, anxiety is an attack from the enemy. On the other hand, it’s the judgment of God. As the Bible records, after Saul betrayed God, an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him (NIV, 1 Samuel 16:14). Bob Jones said that anxiety, fear, and worry are the three most important tools from Satan’s realm of the dead. In the last days, they will plunder and devour every person who is not deeply rooted in the Lord. I am paraphrasing his words.  Forgive me if I didn’t quote exactly what he said.

 

Philippians 4:5-6 says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (NIV) I came to the United States shortly after I was saved. I only had a few hundred dollars with me.  The Lord helped me through the Local Church and His wonderful leading by providing for my basic necessities, but I still had no tuition fees, and many other things to worry about. At that time, some fellow believers taught me to pray using Philippians 4:5-6. I began to pray these verses. I don’t know many times I prayed. This was a lifesaving verse. I prayed it over and over again giving my anxiety to God.  Pray-reading the word which I learned from the Local Church is very simple and effective. It’s similar to traditional meditation in Christianity. You repeat God’s Word, you add your own prayers and slowly, you focus your attention on the Lord and His words. Afterwards, you will find yourself slowly entering into communication with God and you can also get the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.

 

This process of entering and getting peace is not automatic. It takes time to build up and it needs long-term practice. The more we practice these prayers and entrust everything to the Lord, the more we will grow in the spirit and live in the peace of Christ. Hebrews 4:11 (NIV) says, “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest”. This rest is not a complacent rest. It takes effort like our muscles need training to make them stronger. Our ability to enter into peace and rest needs continuous prayer in order to be strengthened.  Christians who don’t make the effort to train themselves will find that they won’t be able to endure anxiety and are forced to go with the tide and succumb to it.

 

During that difficult time, according to the teachings of Witness Lee I practiced pray-reading this verse. I repeated this over and over again, bringing into play my own prayer entering the depths of the verse and into God's presence.

 

For example, when I started to pray, I would say this:  The Word of God says “do not be anxious.”   It’s not an option, it’s a command.  It commands us not to be anxious about anything, so anxiety is a violation of God's command. It’s a sin. Lord, I am often anxious. This is considered as unbelief to you. I have committed a sin. Please forgive me.  Your word says “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you?” (NIV, Matthew 6:28-30). We really shouldn't worry. No one can solve problems by worrying. Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (NIV, Matthew 6:27). God, You command us not to worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own (NIV, Matthew 6:34). Lord, forgive me for my little faith, and my worries. I will trust you and not worry.

 

Then I would pray, “The Word of God says to be anxious about nothing.”  It doesn’t say it’s okay to worry about small things, big things or things that we can’t solve ourselves.  It says not to worry about anything.  My tuition problem couldn’t be solved but I knew I didn’t need to worry about it.

 

I continued to pray the next phrase, "everything." It turns out that everything can be done in this way. No matter if it’s a big or small thing, something within my ability, or something beyond my ability; I can solve it through prayer and supplication.

 

"Praying" is telling God the thoughts in your heart. God, I am now praying to You and telling You what I need. "Supplication" is a specific request. I’m asking and believing that you will help me with the tuition problem.   I am willing to dedicate myself to you.

 

It should also be with "thanksgiving.” The Bible tells us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (NIV, Psalm 100:4). I thank You, Lord. You saved me for eternity.

 

The verse here also says, “Present your requests to God.” At this time, I prayed and I told God my supplication and requests.

 

Then, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (NIV, Philippians 4:7). The guard here is like the battle of Roman legions. God will send angels to protect our hearts and minds and to defeat the enemy’s attack on our minds. Although the problems outside may not be solved at once, we can get the peace that transcends all understanding.

 

And so, I prayed this verse over and over again, and received unparalleled inner peace. The problem was solved through the help of my teacher at the university.  She helped me to get a large deduction on the tuition.  There was also a Christian lady whose heart was touched by God. She loaned me some money so that I could pay the remaining tuition. I was then able to get through that difficult day.

 

Much later, I was sharing the gospel with new Chinese students on campus in Washington, D.C. when I noticed a woman with a look of despair on her face.  By the looks of her clothing I could tell she was from a rich family.   I found out that she and her daughter had a fight about school.  Her daughter wanted to quit school and go back to China but the mother was adamantly against it.  I wrote down the above verse in Philippians and shared it with her and told her how I meditate and pray to receive answers.  I showed her how she could set her hope in God and get the peace than transcends understanding.

 

It’s not only a lack of money that distresses people. Those who have a lot of money can also have troubles and difficulty.  In this fast paced world, there are so many things that cause unbelievers as well as Christians to be bound by anxiety. Therefore, the practice of this prayer reading is wonderful for living in peace and joy every day.

 

Witness Lee’s teaching about calling on the name of the Lord is also a very effective tool. He testified that he often practiced this to the extent that when he quieted himself down, he called on the name of the Lord and in less than ten minutes, he could enter into God's complete presence and rest. I have been practicing this method every day.  When circumstances and worry attacks me, I will quiet myself down and continually call on the name of the Lord, because the Bible tells us that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (NIV, Romans 10:13). This method is simple and easy to learn. You can see the effect if you continually practice it over a long period of time. Americans are busy, have limited time and often don’t spend quality time in prayer. Learning to call on the name of the Lord will bring many benefits and internal peace. Of course, this practice can't be mastered overnight.  It needs to be a consistent long term practice to see the full effect.  If you can practice calling on the name of the Lord three times a day (morning, noon and evening), every day for 10 minutes, you will find that you have more peace.

 

When I led a small group in the Local Church a new believer attended that wasn’t familiar with the term living in the spirit.  He was very curious and asked what it meant to live in the spirit.  It’s a difficult thing to explain to a new believer.  He eventually left Baltimore and moved to another state.  I happened to see him again when he came back to Baltimore to visit.  He told me that he learned how to stop and call on the name of the Lord when he encountered difficulty at work. He’s a scientist and likes to quantify things. Each time he encountered problems in his experiments he would stop and call on the name of the Lord ten times.  As he practiced this he not only had peace but often received enlightenment from God regarding the experiment.  It was obvious that he had learned how to live in the spirit.  Paul said in Romans 8:6 (NIV), “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace”.

 

Often fast paced living and the various pressures that go along with that keep our minds focused on the negative aspects of life and cause us to be worried or anxious. This is the mind governed by the flesh, which ends in death. We don't necessarily have physical deaths now, but there are spiritual deaths. It is the weakness, darkness, emptiness, boredom and distress often mentioned in Local Church teachings. But if we can quiet down by calling on the name of the Lord and turn our attention to our Lord Jesus Christ, we will be able to get brightness, light, fullness, liveliness, and peace.

 

Although Philippians is just a short letter, it has a very practical meaning for Christian life. I hope what I’ve shared opens up a window for you to learn more from others in the body of Christ. Christians can easily develop a bias toward other ministries or denominations but it is very difficult to humble ourselves and learn from others.  I heard Rick Joyner testify that he learned the most from those who hold different or opposing views.  I love to use a Chinese idiom to express my thought about this. “Stones from other mountains can polish your own jade.” That means even when other’s teachings are worthless stones compared to your own jade, they still can be used to polish your jade. Let’s humble ourselves and learn from others even if their views don’t match your own.

 

One night in a dream I heard a voice proclaiming to me in English, “You will soon be on national TV”.  Plus a number of prophetic dreams about my ministries will be enlarged to a TV ministry. If I was able to have a Christian TV program in the future, I would call it “Stones on the other mountains.”  The Lord also appeared to me in another dream and told me convergence is happening. We are definitely entering into an age to tear down our fences and learn from others.

 

Are you willing to humble yourself? May the Lord bless you.

 

Bible Study with Jairus - Ruth

Bible Study with Jairus - Ruth

 

The book of Ruth is comprised of only four short chapters, but it’s a very important book in the Bible. It serves as a link between the past and the future. It’s preceded by the historical account of chaotic Israel in the book of Judges for hundreds of years or more. It’s a cycle in which the Israelites turned their backs on God and therefore God judged them, and then they repented and prayed for God's help, so God saved them. In summary, the scene of Judges is not very good. The book after Ruth is Samuel. It describes the birth of David and the wonderful work God did through David.

 

Ruth was a Moabite gentile. She married Boaz, the descendant of Tamar and Judah (Salmon, the father of Boaz by Rahab). Boaz is the father of Obed. Obed is the father of Jesse, and Jesse is the father of King David (NIV, Matthew 1:5-6). Matthew's genealogy looks very simple, but it’s the condensed version of the entire Old Testament. If you want to figure out this genealogy, you need to be familiar with the history of the Israelites in the entire Old Testament.

 

Similarly, Ruth’s short description at the beginning tells us that in the days when the judges ruled, Israel suffered a famine. Naomi’s husband Elimelek left Bethlehem in Judah and lived in the country of Moab. In the end, Elimelek and his two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, died. These first three verses have simply recorded this story. Actually, this is a condensed summary of the history of the Judges. The history of the Judges is like a severe cold winter, with dead twigs and withered leaves everywhere. But when the earth is in a severe cold winter, new life will be born underground, just waiting for the spring to come. It’s just like the budding plum blossom in China. The Bible is written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I often say that the Holy Spirit is the best playwright and creator in the world. The picture painted by the Holy Spirit in the book of Ruth is like the author of traditional Chinese ink painting. Now there are a few black dead twigs on the Xuan paper. It doesn't look that lively, but it didn't take long for God to draw a few bright red and beautiful plum blossoms, making this painting radiant.

 

 

The dark period of the Judge's is like the dead twigs of this Chinese ink painting. The story of Ruth's wonderful salvation is like the blooming of plum blossoms. Although the weather is still severe and cold, the plum blossom is starting to bloom and spring has already arrived. Ruth is this plum blossom, proclaiming the Savior of mankind. Jesus Christ is coming soon in a few more generations. Isn’t this exciting? If you were a prophet in the Old Testament or Simeon or Anna who were looking forward to the coming of Jesus Christ in the temple, can you imagine how exciting it will be to see this picture? Ruth the mother of Obed, Obed the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David, and Jesus Christ, the descendant of David, are coming soon. Although it can’t happen overnight, a definite date has already been arranged. It’s a pity that most people don’t have such prophetic vision. They see the savage darkness and the raging winter instead.

 

Chinese poet Hai Zi said, "The night has given me dark eyes but I use them to look for light." I am not familiar with Hai Zi's poems, but a good friend of mine who graduated from Beijing Normal University is a fan of him. He told me about Hai Zi’s poems and the story of Hai Zi’s suicide. I don't understand what kind of pain causes a person to commit suicide. I can only say that Hai Zi did not live out the ideals written by his poems. Darkness is temporary. As John says, darkness never overcomes the light (NIV, John 1:5). Dawn is actually very near you when you’re in your darkest hour. The footsteps of spring have already come secretly even in the harshest winter season.

 

The book of Judges is like a cold, dark winter. Ruth’s appearance depicts a blooming plum blossom before spring. In our speed reading this time, we’ve painted this beautiful picture. I hope to briefly review the contents of our Bible Study.

 

God's Judgment brought Redemption

 

I have always said that God's judgment is not the aim, but a means to bring redemption. Many people misunderstand God's thoughts and imagine God as a fierce God. Elimelech and his two sons died because of God’s judgment. Of course, Naomi felt bitter. The name Naomi means blessings from God. Her life was bitter to the point where she even returned to the country of Judah and told other Israelites, “Don’t call me Naomi, call me Mara for my life is bitter.” (Ruth, 1:20).

 

My wife and I have suffered the painful experience of ten years of infertility. The process is really bitter. The quarrels, struggles, tears, and pain experienced is unimaginable for those who have never experienced it. Another couple who participated in our Bible Study at that time was also infertile for many years.  One day, the wife said to us that she felt that God had done nothing but deprive her. Everything that others have, she doesn’t. Coupled with other difficulties in life, she felt like Naomi who called herself Mara, which meant bitter (Of course, she had a son and a daughter afterward; we also have our miracle daughter). Thinking back, we really learned a lot of lessons. We should keep our eyes open and see the hope ahead of us when we’re in difficult circumstances.

 

Naomi represents our old man, Ruth represents our new man

 

Actually, saying that Naomi represents our old man is not very accurate, or perhaps it’s too early to say that. Because the thing that should be said first is that Elimelech and his two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, represent our old man. They have been killed by God's judgment. But Naomi can represent the struggles of our old man in our spiritual experience. We all know that once we are saved, our old man is crucified with Christ. But in experience, our old man is still alive. From the spiritual reality, our old man is indeed dead. But in terms of spiritual experience, our old man still needs to be conformed to the death of Christ. In the process, our old man will inevitably complain. This is Naomi’s experience. Ruth represents our new man. While Naomi had experienced death, life was started in Ruth, and it resulted in producing a descendant, which was Obed. Although this child was Ruth’s, people said that he was Naomi’s child, because Naomi became his nurse. Naomi’s and Ruth’s experiences are actually together, or we can say that a person’s two different experiences, when intertwined, produce a new man in the end.

 

I heard that the author of the book "Dream of the Red Chamber" sometimes applied the story of the same person on different characters. The Holy Spirit often used this writing technique when writing the Bible. It often separates and puts the spiritual experience that one person had on different people. If you have spiritual comprehension, you will be able to understand that they are actually one person, or that the experience of these people can actually be a person’s different spiritual experience.

 

For example, the Bible records that the families of Saul and David had been fighting for a long time. This experience can represent the battle between a person’s old and new man. In the end, of course, the new man represented by David won. Similarly, the experience of Naomi and Ruth here is intertwined, showing us a picture of how the new and old man reacts differently to things. For example, in facing God's judgment, the old man Naomi said that the Almighty has made my life very bitter (NIV, Ruth 1:20). But the new man Ruth lay at the feet of Boaz (who represents Christ), like Mary of Bethany. The old man Naomi said, “Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands?” (NIV, Ruth 1:11). The new man Ruth said, “Unless death can separate me from you, where you go I will go, your God will be my God”. (NIV, 1:16). The old man Naomi complained that her life was bitter so she let people call her Mara. But the new man Ruth never complained. She did not complain that her husband died. She also did not complain that she was born a Moabite. In Deuteronomy 23:3 God said: “No Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, not even in the tenth generation.” (NIV, Deuteronomy 23:3). If she lived today, she would have a lot to complain about, such as: "I was born the wrong color, my race was cursed, my husband has even died etc," But in the entire book of Ruth, you don’t hear any complaints from her. Her words and behavior are very much like what Peter said, "Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." (NIV, 1 Peter 3:4)

 

Naomi also represents the Holy Spirit, Ruth represents the bride

 

I mentioned earlier that the Holy Spirit often puts different experiences that a person can have on different people when writing the Bible. In addition, the Holy Spirit often uses the same person, things, or events to represent different spiritual things or experiences. For example, the simplest example is that the Bible uses a lion to describe the Lion of the tribe of Judah - Jesus Christ. It also uses a lion to describe the devil who prowls around looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

 

Here, in addition to representing the old man, Naomi also represents the Holy Spirit. Ruth represents the bride, and Boaz represents Christ. We know that Abraham's old servant represents the Holy Spirit. He finds Isaac (who represents Christ) a bride named Rebekah. He beautified the bride (gave Rebekah a lot of earrings, nose rings, and other ornaments), and used camels (representing an unclean environment that is a tool in the hands of God) to bring Rebekah to the tent of Isaac. We also know that the eunuch in the book of Esther also represents the Holy Spirit. Not only did he help select Esther, but he also supplied her with anointing oil, so that she could receive beauty treatments (ointments and perfumes), thus exuding the fragrance of (Christ), letting the king (who represents Christ) to be delighted with her. Here, Naomi also represents the Holy Spirit. She has been a helper and a comforter. After our old man is dead, we travel together with our weak new man to bring her to the Promised Land God has given us and help her to know Christ (a representation of Boaz) to please Him. Through his redemption as her relative, she has become his spouse and bride. In the end, a man child (Obed) was brought into the lineage of Christ thus completing God's plan.

 

Ruth 2:1 says that Naomi had known that Boaz was a wealthy man. But in verse 2, Ruth herself said that she would glean in the fields and she didn’t know who would find favor with her. Note that it doesn’t say here that Ruth knew Boaz. She didn’t know him at all, but the Holy Spirit explained in the first chapter that when Naomi was in the land of Judah, she knew Boaz. Here is the foundation of the writing of the Holy Spirit later in this chapter.

 

So, how long did Naomi stay away from Judah? The Bible didn’t record it, so we don't know. But we guess that it may be quite a while because both of her two daughters-in-law were married in Moab. We guess that Boaz may be an old man already and perhaps he is a man with wife. We don't know these. It’s just our speculation. Because when Ruth followed Boaz, Boaz said a sentence, “You have not run after the younger men but chose me instead.” (NIV, Ruth 3:10). From here, we can also guess that Boaz might not be that young anymore. But Ruth did not know Boaz (who represented Christ) according to the flesh. It’s through the help of Naomi (who represents the Holy Spirit) that she knew Boaz (or Christ).

 

Consequently, Ruth went to glean in the fields and it happens to be the field of Boaz. Was this accidental? No, it wasn’t.  The Holy Spirit led her there.

 

I’ve been a believer for seventeen years now. Looking back at the history of these seventeen years and the years before becoming a believer, I find that the Holy Spirit has been wonderfully leading me. When the Holy Spirit leads us, he often doesn’t speak loudly. Rather, he leads us silently. We may not feel him, or we’ll only discover afterward that it’s the Spirit’s wonderful leading. When I was in college, I went to Peking University to find some friends to hang out with. When I saw that they were preparing for the TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language) test, I was curious to understand why they were preparing to go abroad.  I had thoughts myself of ​​going abroad to study. However, I also wanted to take the national postgraduate entrance exam in China. I had made a plan for myself. If I passed the national postgraduate entrance exam, I would stay and pursue postgraduate studies in China. If I didn’t pass, I would apply to study abroad. In the end, I took third place for my total score in the national postgraduate entrance exam in my major. Ten plus postgraduate students were enrolled in our major. My scores far exceeded the admission score. However, when I was taking the politics exam, I had an extremely bad headache. I didn’t score well on the test. I was only a few points away from passing. So, I missed the postgraduate admission. Only after I was saved, did it occur to me that this might be the Lord intervening. I rarely get headaches so perhaps He wanted me to study abroad.  Later, when I did go abroad to study, I came in contact with gospel believers and began to receive Biblical education. It was only then that I realized that this was part of God’s plan for me.  Even the school choices that I filled out in college were the same. I originally planned to apply for philosophy at a well-known university in China. While I was trying to rest in my dorm room, I suddenly thought of applying to a journalism major in another university. This university was more of a liberal arts college. Because I come from a rural family and wasn’t good at socializing with others, I had a very hard time adjusting to this school and spent a few painful years there. Later, I had worked in the media industry, and I had hoped to make a difference in this area. But because I’m a believer, I was also slowly becoming indifferent to the world's ambitions. But in recent years, God gradually showed me that my ministry will greatly use media and film in the future, and gave me dozens of dreams to encourage me to make films. These are things I never thought of, but I did know that God was the one leading me to study media from the beginning. Often, the way that God leads us is by giving us an idea, and we unknowingly obey the leading of the Holy Spirit.

 

I shared my own experience here to make a point. The way the Holy Spirit leads us is sometimes very subtle. Here, when Ruth walked in the field, whether she walked to the left or to the right, she was led by the Holy Spirit. In the end, she was brought wonderfully to the fields of Boaz. Things that you often think are accidental are not. It’s just that you haven’t seen the certainness behind the accidental, which is the silent leading of the Holy Spirit.

 

After Ruth returned, she told her mother-in-law that she was gleaning in the fields of Boaz that day.   Naomi told her, “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative." (NIV, Ruth 2:20). After which, Naomi told Ruth, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.” (NIV, Ruth 2:22). This accompanies what Boaz said to Ruth before, "My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me." (NIV, Ruth 2:8). They said almost the same thing. So how did Naomi know? It’s very surprising. It can be seen from here that Naomi represents the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit often confirms what the Lord says to us.

 

At the beginning of the third chapter, Naomi was preparing to find a home for Ruth. In 3:2, Naomi said, “Tonight, Boaz will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.” (NIV). How did she know? It shows that Naomi had inside information or she knew Boaz very well. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes from God and Christ. He knows Christ very well. Then in 3:3-4, Naomi told Ruth to wash, perfume herself, dress up, and go lie down in the threshing floor of Boaz. This represents the work of the Holy Spirit. It dedicates God’s church, and the bride of Jesus Christ to her husband without blemish, which is Jesus Christ. Naomi taught Ruth how to get Boaz’s attention and told Ruth (after everything was going according to plan) that Boaz wouldn’t rest until the matter was settled (NIV, Ruth 3:18).

 

What was the book of Ruth talking about? It’s Boaz (who represents Christ) redeeming us, his lost relatives, which Ruth represents. Christ is our relative and ultimately through the sacrifices He made, we were redeemed to return to God, which is our inheritance (because God is our portion and our inheritance).

 

Boaz had a relative who was first in line to redeem Ruth, but according to the law, he would have had to marry Ruth in order to maintain the name of her dead husband with his property. But the man said that he was willing to redeem, but he wasn’t willing to marry Ruth because it would endanger his own estate.  According to the law, if he married Ruth, her child would not belong to him, but to Ruth’s dead husband. Thus, his inheritance would be damaged. But Boaz was willing to make these sacrifices. Because of this he was blessed by the Israelites.

 

In Ruth 4:11-12, the Israelites blessed Boaz and Ruth and said:

 

11 May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. ¹² Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.” (NIV).

 

Later, Ruth gave birth to a son named Obed. Naomi held him in her arms and became his nurse. He was obviously Ruth’s son, but the neighbor women named the child, saying that, “A son has been born to Naomi,” and they named him Obed (NIV, Ruth 4:17). The meaning of Obed is servant, the servant of God. Obed is the father of Jesse. Jesse is the father of David. And Christ is the descendant of David. At this point, Naomi and Ruth’s experiences are combined into one. The previous pain that she experienced has passed, because a son was born, bringing her much happiness. Our old man will also experience pain like this. But our new man will have continued growth. In the end, we will enter the glory. At the same time, Naomi also represents the Holy Spirit. His change in us is now finally completed. He has completed the work of God on earth today, letting Christ be glorified in us. The one who is glorified is the man child, which is a new man in the universe.

 

 As a new believer attending a special conference in 2004, I didn’t believe that Christ would come back the second time and was unwilling to dedicate my life to Him.  That evening I prayed: “Lord if you show me that you are really coming again, I will dedicate my life to you.” Then, I had a prophetic dream that night. Two people were fighting to get my heart. A man who was stronger took my heart away. The next day, I dedicated myself to the Lord and then I saw a vision. The Lord said to me, “Once the New Jerusalem, the body of Christ in the world is built up, I will come back.”

 

Ruth’s experience is our experience as the bride of Christ. May we work cooperatively with the Holy Spirit and gradually transform ourselves into the image of Christ. The book after Ruth is Samuel. It describes the birth and growth of King David, our position of sitting together with Christ in the heavenly and reigning with the king. These two sides complement each other. They are the two different sides of Christian spiritual destiny. Not only are we the bride of Christ, we also have the power to govern and rule the universe with Him.

 

Bible Study With Jairus - Romans 9

Bible Study with Jairus – Romans 9

Referring to the Old Testament, Romans 9:13 says, "As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'” A Christian asked in the meeting, “Why did God hate Esau? Isn’t the word hate too strong in tone? Why did God choose Jacob instead of Esau? How do we understand God's choice? How do we know that we are chosen by God? How do we know which people are not chosen by God?” There seem to be a lot of questions, and these queries are all connected.

According to STEPBible.org’s literal interpretation of the word "hate," it is μισέω (miseō), which means "hate." Based on this translation, the literal definition of hate can be understood to be accurate in Romans 9:13. Why did God hate Esau? The common understanding is God hated because Esau chose the flesh. He sold his birthright for a bowl of red bean soup.  God hated him; however, God also loved Esau. When the Israelites came from the land of Egypt and passed through the land of Seir, the Lord especially reminded the Israelites not to contend with Esau’s descendants because the Lord gave Mount Seir to Esau as a possession (Deuteronomy 2).

Did God not choose Esau? Esau is the eldest son. There is no reason for God not to choose him, but Esau's own choice brought different results. In other words, God choosing us and our willingness to choose him is a dynamic relationship and not rigid or inflexible. This is not to say that only God can choose us, and we are entirely passive in the process. Rather, our subjective and active choice will bring a different result to this dynamic relationship.

Once evangelist D. L. Moody was asked by a student, “Since all the people who are saved are people chosen and are predetermined by God before the creation of the world, what will happen if I have mistakenly preached the gospel to people whom God has not chosen?” Moody replied, “If you preach and the person believes, it means that he is one chosen by God before the creation of the world. Before he enters the door of salvation, he will see the words ‘Anyone who is willing can come’ on the door. Once he enters the door and turns around, he will see ‘You are chosen by God before the creation of the world’ is written inside.”

This story clearly talks about the dynamic relationship between God and His followers. God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (ESV, 1 Timothy 2:4). This is God's common grace. But God has given us free will, so we have the freedom to choose. God sent the Lamb, His Son Jesus Christ, into the world to take away the sins of the world and bring us back to God. But whether or not a person returns to God is not automatic. It still requires us to make a choice. Although Jesus Christ died for the sins of all, not everyone experiences forgiveness and salvation. You must choose to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior to receive this kind of salvation.

Similarly, in a Christian’s spiritual life, you must also make this choice. You cannot simply believe in the Lord and expect to grow and mature spiritually over time. This is impossible. You must make a choice every day and set your mind on the Spirit to have life and peace. If you set your mind on the flesh, it is death (ESV, Romans 8:6).

Romans 9 is a continuation of Romans 8. It reminds us of the stories of Esau and Jacob, depicting the different results of different choices. We can all choose to be descendants of Isaac.  Isaac represents the common grace that God has prepared for you. Choosing to become his descendant enables us to become a person chosen by God. At the same time, you have the freedom to become like Jacob, who possessed God's riches and inheritance, or you can be like Esau, who sold his birthright for a bowl of red bean soup. Your red bean soup today may be your worldly enjoyment and entertainment or the pleasures of sin. Many Christians today choose the flesh and the world and unknowingly become Esau. We need to be vigilant.

Paul said in Romans 9:6 (ESV), “For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.” Verse 7 (ESV) says, “Not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’” Verse 8 says (ESV), “It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.” Here God uses the examples of Abraham and Isaac.  If God chooses you, you are a descendant of Abraham and Isaac.  Yet if you are born of the flesh, you are like Ishmael. And when you choose God in return, you are like Jacob.  But as a chosen one of God, if you choose the flesh, you will be like Esau.  

This truth is essential to our Christian life today. The reason why God told Rebekah that out of the twins, He chose Jacob and hated Esau (Romans 9:10-13) was not to declare that Esau couldn’t possess his birthright. Instead, it was because God foresaw that Esau would choose the flesh. Although God knew in advance that Esau would choose flesh, God wasn’t pleased with Esau’s decision. If Esau valued his birthright, God would also bless him. What about Jacob? God would also bless him. A father in this world has only one birthright. But for God, His riches are unending, so He can infinitely bless many different people.

Why does God establish such a dynamic relationship? First, God wants to bless all the descendants of Abraham. But God also said that the descendants of Isaac are the descendants of Abraham. God wants to bless all the descendants of Isaac too. But we must choose the birthright, like Jacob, before we can be blessed. In other words, God wants all people to be saved, but He absolutely does not want anyone to abuse this grace and indulge in the flesh. If we see this relationship clearly, we can understand why God allows such contradictions here. This is the difference between God's election and man's choice. On the one hand, God chose you. But on the other hand, your own choice will bring different results. God is the God of the living (Luke 20:38). He is a living God and decides who will receive life and blessings.  It is not our theology that determines the results.  We can’t twist God’s arm because He is living, His word is alive, and God has the final say.

Verses 14-18 (ESV) say that God has mercy on whomever he wills, and it doesn’t depend on human will or exertion.  His mercy depends only on Him.  God hardened pharaoh’s heart to show His power. This doesn’t give us an excuse to be hard-hearted.  If we already have a hard heart toward God, God will harden it also. But if we repent and have a soft heart towards God, He will show mercy to us.

In recent years, controversy has surrounded the Hyper-Grace Gospel because it doesn’t line up with the truth that we have a dynamic relationship with God.  Legalism in the church has propelled some toward the opposite extreme of Hyper-Grace.  People hurt by legalism try to receive God’s mercy through personal efforts or rules and regulations. There are various levels of legalistic teaching that cause people to stumble.  Alternatively, the Hyper-Grace Gospel advocates that individual efforts or actions don’t matter because God’s mercy is always readily available.  They believe that God can continuously forgive even those who repeatedly sin after salvation.  Ultimately, both extremes lead people to abuse God’s grace.

Romans 9:22-23 (ESV) says, “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory."

This verse is challenging to explain.  A man in our study asked, “What does this verse mean?”  Why is it that to show His wrath and make His power known, God tolerated some people, did not interfere with them and let them walk towards destruction? Interestingly, this verse raises the same points as Psalm 73 of the Old Testament. The psalmist had also asked such questions.

The psalmist says:

73:12 (ESV) “Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.

73:13 (ESV) All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.

73:14 (ESV) For all the day long, I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.

73:15 (ESV) If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

73:16 (ESV) But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,

73:17 (ESV) until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.

73:18 (ESV) Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.

73:19 (ESV) How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!

73:20 (ESV) Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.”

These wicked people seemed to live a good life and were not disciplined; so, the psalmist was perplexed. He felt it was unfair. But it was not until he went into the sanctuary of God and looked at this issue from a different height and angle that he realized that God had really abandoned them, allowed them to stumble, and to have eternal destruction in the end. Those of us who are saved will have eternal life. If you look at it from an eternal perspective, the temporary suffering in this life is God’s mercy and discipline in love because God disciplines the people He loves.

On the one hand, God chose the Jews. On the other hand, God gave salvation to the Gentiles (Romans 9:24).  These are God’s sovereign decisions that no one can change. But as an individual Israelite or Gentile, we have the freedom to choose whether or not to accept this salvation. The price of the Israelites' hardened heart was that God temporarily abandoned them. But God still had mercy on them. The Gentiles originally were not God's people, but God's mercy came to them. So, the Gentiles “who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith.” (ESV, Romans 9:30) But the Israelites who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness failed in reaching that law (ESV, Romans 9:31). Why is this? Because the Israelites, who had gone to extreme legalism, had overlooked the fact that God's grace is through faith.

Romans 9:32-33 (ESV) says, “Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’”

Actually, this is still a matter of choice. When we choose to obey the law through our natural strength, we cannot get what the law promises. But when we choose to trust God's grace and mercy, we can receive the salvation promised by Him through faith. Why is it that Jesus Christ, the promise, and the way of salvation, had instead become a stumbling block for many Jews?  It was not that God did not choose the Jews.  God did choose them.  It was that these Jews made a mistake in not choosing Jesus. Jesus Christ, who has become wisdom for us from God, has given us salvation (1 Corinthians 1:30). No one can receive God's salvation except through Jesus Christ.

Similarly, in the New Testament today, God's word also explains that setting our mind on the Spirit is life and peace while setting our mind on the flesh is death. We must set our minds on the Spirit and choose life.  What went wrong with the Israelite’s choice? There was no problem with the law itself. The law was there to introduce Christ. But why was it that the Israelites who pursued the law did not know Christ? We will continue to discuss this in the next chapter, Romans 10.  There was nothing wrong with the law; instead, the Israelites had a veil on their hearts.

 

Bible Study With Jairus - Leviticus 8- Aaron’s Anointing and The Modern Day Mercy Seat

Bible Study With Jairus - Leviticus 8- Aaron’s Anointing and The Modern Day Mercy Seat

For today’s study, we’re going to look at several questions from a woman who wondered how we are to understand the meaning behind the story of Moses putting the anointing oil on the high priest. To her, it seemed that since the content of this chapter had already been mentioned in the Book of Exodus, why was it being repeated here? Was the anointing oil solely poured on Aaron the high priest? Or was it also poured on his sons? What are the reasons for putting blood on the lobes of Aaron’s and his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet after anointing the high priest?

We don’t find any verses specifically talking about anointing Aaron’s sons in this chapter. This chapter clearly states that the anointing oil was poured on Aaron. However, it also says that blood was put on the lobes of Aaron’s and his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. We think that this is about a transfer of responsibility. This was the very first moment when the Lord gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and met him in glory at the mercy seat where blood was poured (Numbers 7:89).  In this chapter, it was Moses who anointed Aaron, and sprinkled blood on the lobes of Aaron’s and his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. This was in preparation for them to meet God since meeting with God was based on the atonement of blood.

The Offerings and the Mercy Seat

As we have already mentioned, the place where God and Moses met was at the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony. The high priest sprinkled blood on the seat once a year. When Moses entered the Holy of Holies where the ark was, God only saw the blood poured by the high priest-- not Moses’ sin. Thus, the problem of sin was solved. God could talk with Moses in glory, as is clearly stated in the Bible.

This is the actual implication of peace offerings. Men take a step forward through sin offerings (and guilt offerings). God takes a step from the Holy Place through Christ’s burnt offerings (and grain offerings). As such, God and men meet in the midst of the path where the peace offering is. Jesus is the guarantor between God and men. We must follow Jesus in order to come to God. The righteousness of God allows us to meet God in the salvation of Christ. Why do I say that? Men cannot meet God in glory because men commit sin. Sin is an obstacle between God and men. If God did not love us, that would be fine. But God does love us! So, this is not only a difficult question for us, but for God. Because God loves us, He wants to see us. However, God could not see us in the Holy of Holies. That’s why Christ completed these offerings to overcome this difficulty. When we receive the sin offerings and the guilt offerings that Christ did for us, our sins and guilt are hidden by Christ. As such, we can come to a real peace offering. We have peace with God in Jesus Christ our Lord. God only sees the blood of Christ, but not our sins. That’s our perspective.

From God’s perspective, because Christ’s burnt offerings (representing the absolute offering of Christ to God) and grain offerings (representing salvation for men) satisfy the requirements of God, and in addition, because we practice sin offerings and guilt offerings by applying the blood of Christ in prayer to cleanse our sins, God can come out from the Holy of Holies and meet us. We have discussed this in other studies. The five basic offerings are the process of meeting between God and men. We can meet God in Christ. The actual meeting is peace offerings. Peace offerings include the wine and the blood in burnt offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings. They also represent salvation. Peace offerings also include grain offerings and other burnt offerings, and represent joy and the acceptance of God. Therefore, the peace offering is the sum of all that comprises most of the sacrifices and makes harmony between God and men.

Moses and God met at the mercy seat in the glory of God, forming a picture of peace offerings. Moses had met God at the mercy seat before, but he later had to pass this service to Aaron and the other high priests. They could then meet God in glory under the shed blood, just like Moses had. The sprinkling of blood is a further application of the mercy seat. This mercy seat was once kept in the ark of the testimony. It is kept on men’s thumbs, toes, and the side of their ears now.  Before we receive God’s anointing oil, we must be purified by the precious blood of Jesus. There is an interactive relationship between God’s anointing oil and the purification of precious blood. On one hand, we must be purified by the precious blood in order to get God’s anointing oil. On the other hand, just like what is mentioned in this chapter, if we want to receive God’s anointing oil, with the help of purification of precious blood, we must keep our fellowship  with God. As a result, we will have God’s anointing oil on a continuous basis.

As High Priest Aaron has been anointed by anointing oil.  High priests must live to the full extent of the anointing oil. They must always use the blood of sacrifices to purify themselves. As they do, God will meet them. The distance between God and priests is as narrow as the sides of ears and fingers. When Abraham was anointed by God as a prophet, God offered him places where his footsteps could reach, places where his hands could touch, and places where his eyes could see. Wherever he went, God would follow and be with him.

Anointing in Today’s Context

What is the meaning of this? The lobe of priests’ right ears, the thumb of their right hands, and the big toe of their right feet represent the words we hear, the things we do, and the ways we walk. After God anointed the high priests, not only could they enter the Holy Place, God was actually with them wherever they went. With God’s presence, God could not only come out from the Holy of Holies but actually live in the lobe of high priests’ right ears, the thumb of their right hands, and the big toe of their right feet. In other words, God was in the body of high priests. No matter what the high priests heard, said, did, or went, God was with them. This also applies to the New Testament nowadays. Every one of us, as Christians, are God’s priests. God is with us no matter what we say, what we do, or where we go. Many Christians do not notice that. They speak unsuitable words, do unsuitable things, and go to unsuitable places. Thus, they defile God’s anointing oil offered to them. That’s why we need the precious blood of Christ to purify our ears and mouths, the thumb of our right hands, and the big toes of our right feet. When we use the precious blood of Christ to purify ourselves, and guard ourselves to live well in the anointing of God, we continuously strengthen the anointing of God and the fact that God is with us.

This is the fact of anointing. The actual anointing is that God trusts us and gives Himself to us.  You can say “God has trusted himself to you”, wherever you go, God be with you. Take Abraham as an example. God was with Abraham when he went to Egypt. Even though he sold his own wife, God still blessed him. We can see this in Scripture and in our own lives. If someone is right in the eyes of God, God will still bless him even though he commits mistakes occasionally. But this cannot be an excuse for our wrongdoings or for betraying God’s trust. Instead, if an anointed man betrays God’s trust, he will receive more severe punishment from God.

Being anointed implies higher authority given by God and being closer to God. It does not matter if you are doing work for the Lord or preaching the word of God; it is easier to bring the good things from above to earth if you are anointed. In the Old Testament, normal people could not go into the Holy of Holies except for the high priests. The anointing of a high priest was so huge that he always needed to purify himself with blood to avoid the sins and uncleanness of the world. If he was unclean, he could face the punishment of death. Beginning in the New Testament, every Christian can enter the Holy of Holies through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We enter the Holy of Holies and stay with God without fear. This requires us to use Christ’s precious blood to purify ourselves. If we purify ourselves continuously,  we keep on strengthening the anointing of God and God’s manifested presence will be with us to a greater degree.

I have come across some of the groups that are regarded as heretics by Christians in the United States, including Jehovah’s Witnesses and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have witnessed their hard work in spreading the “gospel”, reading Bibles in groups, setting up booths in Metro stations, etc. I see how hardworking they are, but I don’t see the presence of God. In other words, I see the lack of anointing from God. These groups may deny the deity of Jesus Christ, or they believe in books other than the Bible. They try to receive God through hard work, which is impossible. We must receive salvation from God through the blood of Jesus Christ. We must also always use the blood of Jesus Christ to purify ourselves, our ears, our hands, and our feet in order to let more anointing of God be released to us.  When we have the anointing of God, things will be much easier.

The Leviticus 8 Ordination Process

Leviticus 8  is a portrait of this concept. It portrays the relationship between God’s anointing and the purification of blood. Let’s take a look in detail.

Leviticus 1-7 describes Burnt Offerings (Chapter 1); Grain Offerings (Chapter 2); Peace Offerings (Chapter 3); Sin Offerings (Chapter 4); Guilt Offerings (Chapter 5); the laws of Burnt Offerings, Grain Offerings, Sin Offerings (Chapter 6); and the laws of Guilt Offerings and Peace Offerings (Chapter 7). These offerings put Aaron in a position that was close to God. In Chapter 8, God started anointing Aaron as well as allowing the priests to offer their blood offerings. To our surprise, God did not let Aaron offer his offerings and blood at the beginning. Instead, God let Moses take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that was in it, consecrating all these things (8:10). He also sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them (8:11). He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him (8:12). It says “consecrate them” three times respectively. This is to consecrate something positionally. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?” (Matthew 23:17) From God’s words, the temple that has made the gold sacred is more important. It helps our understanding if we apply this to what we’ve already discussed.  We must consecrate ourselves in order to get anointed by God. If we want to keep ourselves in God’s anointing, we must always purify ourselves by the blood of Christ.

Let’s consider the sequence of events in chapter 8. In verse 2, the Lord requested Moses to take Aaron and his sons, along with the garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread. Moses assembled “all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting” (3). He then brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water (6). He clothed Aaron with the holy clothes and anointed the tabernacle and all its utensils (7-11). Finally, Moses “poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him” (12). It does not talk about Moses pouring anointing oil on Aaron’s sons’ heads or anointing them. Instead, it says that Moses “brought Aaron’s sons and clothed them with coats and tied sashes around their waists and bound caps on them” (13). We notice that the anointing oil is only for Aaron the high priest. This does not imply that Aaron’s sons were not anointed after they became high priests. This is not true. This anointed oil was inherited from Aaron’s anointed oil. We can find proof in the Bible. In Psalm 133, David said, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down the collar of his robes!” Although this anointing oil was only poured on Aaron, his sons could inherit his anointing oil. Even though the anointment of Aaron’s sons is not mentioned in this chapter, the above reference still applies. 

This also explains why it is later said that the purification of blood on Aaron also applied to his sons. Moses not only put blood on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot (23), he also put blood on the lobes of Aaron’s sons’ ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet (24). This means that Aaron and his sons were anointed together in the presence of God. But they had to offer blood offerings and let their ears, right thumbs, and right toes be purified in order to listen to the voice of God, do what God asked them to do, and go to places where God asked them to go.

 

Verses 14-17 describe how Moses offered the bull of the sin offering: Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering before Moses killed it. He then took the blood, and put it on the horns of the altar with his finger, purified the altar, poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and consecrated it to make atonement for it. Please note, as mentioned before in vs. 10-12, anointing oil was placed on the altar and utensils. Moses then consecrated the altar, the utensils, and Aaron.  Starting in this verse, blood was poured at the base of the altar which was consecrated by Moses. Verse 30 says, “Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and also on his sons and his sons’ garments. So, he consecrated Aaron and his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.” The blood Moses sprinkled made the priests clean and the anointing oil made the priests holy. We must be clean and holy to get closer to God. It was true for the priests in the OT and for believers in the NT. For Hebrews 12:14 says, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Priests in the Old Testament and in the New Testament must be sanctified.

 

Verses 18-21 describe Moses presenting the ram of the burnt offering: Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram before Moses killed it. Verse 22 and following describes Moses presenting the other ram, the ram of ordination. This ram was not for atonement but for ordination. The blood of the ram was put on Aaron’s and his sons’ right ear lobes, the thumbs of their right hands, and the big toes of their right feet by Moses. The blood of this ram was specifically used to consecrate Aaron and his sons. After that, the unleavened bread used for grain offerings (26), wave offerings (29) and burnt offerings (28) were added to the ceremony. These offerings, used to consecrate Aaron, were very important. 

In verses 31-35, Moses commanded Aaron and his sons to boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting. They were to eat that and the bread that was in the basket of ordination offerings. Moses also commanded them to burn up the remains of the flesh and the bread with fire. Aaron and his sons were not to go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of their ordination were completed. At the entrance of the tent of meeting they were to remain day and night for seven days so that they did not die. This also tells us that, while the feet of Aaron and his sons were purified and consecrated by blood, they had to stay in the tent of meeting and not leave during the period of special ordination.

Ordination in Today’s World

What is ordination? Many churches still use this procedure to “ordain” ministers and other spiritual positions. These ceremonial constraints do not exist in the New Testament but in the spirit instead. Every one of us believers is to serve God. Although we are not all pastors, we are the Lord’s priests (1 Peter 2:9)- we are the one who receive ordination. Our high priest is Jesus Christ himself. He receives the greatest anointing from God. Psalm 45:7 says, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” This was said when Jesus was anointed by God. We are in Christ. So the anointing of Christ is also our anointing, just like the anointing that Aaron was anointed with was also his sons’ anointing. But this does not imply giving us anointing unconditionally. The anointing that God gives us in Christ is so huge that we must use the blood of Christ to continuously purify the lobes of our right ears, the thumbs of our right hands, and the big toes of our right feet. When we purify what we have heard with our ears, what we have done with our hands, and where we have walked with our feet, we can use the anointing prepared by Christ to consecrate ourselves. Today we are not short of anointing, but we are not sanctified enough. This means that the anointing is not able to be released in us. The more we become sanctified with the blood of Christ, the more anointing will be in our lives and ministries. We are very close to God now. God lives inside our heart and at the side of our mouths. “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:10) God meets us at the side of our ears. If we do not listen to and pay attention to voices from the world and from our flesh, after we put blood on the lobes of our right ears and purify them, we can hear the spiritual voice. Many Christians can only see images and hear sounds from the world, or even the lies from the enemy. But when we offer our ears to God, God will talk to us. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Our distance from God is as close as the distance of the sides of our ears.  This blood on the side of the ear is like the blood on the mercy seat that let Moses and the Lord meet below the glorious cherubim. Similarly, when we use Christ’s blood to purify our ears, God’s voice will come to us. Likewise, after our hands have done any wrong doings, if we repent and use Christ’s blood to purify our hands, God will come to us, and we will come to God. God will bless what our hands have done. After we have gone to a sinful place, if we repent and use Christ’s blood to purify our feet, God will be with us. God will bless the places we step, just like God blessed Abraham. So if we put Christ’s blood on our ears, our right hands, and our right feet, we meet with God by the blood of Christ, like Moses and God met at the mercy seat.

Aaron’s and his sons’ right earlobes, the thumbs of their right hands, and the big toes of their right feet in this chapter are the extension of the mercy seat where Moses and God met. May Christians today understand this truth, and use this in their daily life.

Bible Study With Jairus – Leviticus 2- Grain Offerings, Leaven, and Legalism

Bible Study With Jairus – Leviticus 2- Grain Offerings, Leaven, and Legalism

Leviticus 2:11-12 says: “No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord. As an offering of first fruits you may bring them to the Lord, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma.”

Today’s question is, what are the “them” in verse 12? In the part about the grain offerings mentioned earlier, some parts were burned before the Lord. However, it is clearly stated here that no grain offering offered to the Lord is to be made with leaven or honey. They are not to be burned as offerings made by fire. Therefore, to understand this, we naturally assume that God is not pleased with anything related to honey and leaven. The law also stipulates that the Israelites should eat unleavened bread, so it deepens our impression that anything mixed with leaven and honey cannot be offered to the Lord.

We recently discussed this in our Bible study group. At first, we did not understand what “them” was referring to. Eventually we realized that it might be “things mixed with leaven and honey” or just “leaven and honey.” Once we figured it out, it seemed more logical, but our minds were hindered by thinking that the Lord does not like honey and leaven in grain offerings. We assumed that God completely dislikes and does not accept honey and leaven. We thought that the “them” in verse 12 was obviously not an offering mixed with leaven and honey.

The word of God here, says that an offering mixed with honey or leaven can be offered as a first fruit offering, but not as a grain offering. Some of the grain offerings are to be burned, and things with honey or leaven cannot be burned. But God does not say that they are not accepted at all;  He clearly says that they can be offered as first fruits offerings.

Leaven is obviously not good since the Israelites were asked to eat unleavened bread. Although it says here that honey may not be offered as a grain offering, the Bible does not say that honey is completely unacceptable. For example, John the Baptist ate locusts and wild honey. Isaiah 7:15 prophesied about Jesus Christ the Lord, “he shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.” Israel is also known as “the land of milk and honey.”

Although God said honey is not allowed to be used as part of a grain offering, we know that God allows things with honey to be offered as a first fruits offering. I wonder if there were beekeepers in ancient Israel. If they did exist at that time, what would they have offered to God if honey was all they had?  In other words, if God did not allow honey as an offering of first fruits, it is possible that the bee keepers or honey collectors would have had nothing to offer. Although it is such a small detail, allowing honey in other offerings shows God’s care for beekeepers and honey collectors.

This has very practical applications to our spiritual experience as well. For example, a certain law may be more applicable to a person with a more mature spiritual life. If he wants to get close to God and offer a grain offering to God, God would not allow him to mix leaven and honey with it. I was taught that leaven often symbolizes worldly ambition or our sins, and honey often represents our fleshly zeal or natural self. For such a believer, God may want to deal with his uncleanness. If he refuses to deal with it, God will not allow him to draw closer to Him.

But sometimes, a new believer may not understand all the nuances of the offerings, so his first fruits offering to God may have been mixed with leaven and honey. This could represent some undealt with sin or our natural selves. But God will still accept such an offering. This doesn’t mean that God is pleased with leaven and honey or the sins and self they may represent. No, God accepts his offering at this person’s level. What God values is his heart.

Offerings and Legalism

If we don’t understand this spiritual principle, we may commit the mistake we made when first reading this passage: thinking that since God does not take pleasure in leaven and honey as a grain offering, God is totally displeased and does not accept anything mixed with leaven or honey. In the same way, we can be too legalistic in our treatment of new believers or friends who have not yet believed in the Lord. We can often hurt new believers  and non-believing friends, for we see at a glance the “leaven and honey” in them. Before God has decided to accept or reject someone’s offering, we assume that God is judging these things and we condemn their faults. This is actually our sin. It is how Moses erred when he was angry toward the second generation of the Israelites. God was not angry, so Moses’s reaction misrepresented God in that moment. It is how the church hurts new believers if the church has a tendency towards legalism. Many believers testify that they have been hurt by the church’s legalism. When God is not angry with us, but is presented as an angry God by the church, it can discourage new believers from drawing closer to God.

I have observed this happening in my previous denomination. There was a fervent group of Jesus lovers among the Chinese. They were ready to dedicate their lives to Christ, even at the price of martyrdom. This group held special meetings each summer to encourage new believers to dedicate themselves to the Lord. I experienced this challenge and dedicated myself in 2004. I was greatly transformed. But I have also witnessed some negative sides to these meetings. During some of the messages at these special meetings, people are encouraged to give up their worldly ambitions and even their lives for the sake of the Gospel. However, this sounds harsh to some new believers and to nonbelievers who have not yet been drawn to the beauty of the Lord. It is hard for them to think about giving up their worldly ambitions, their future, etc. Most of us in these meetings are Chinese immigrants who came to the US to fulfill our American dreams. Those new to the meetings did not understand the spiritual reason we did this. They pointed out that we all had good jobs and big houses while their lives were just beginning. To them, it seemed illogical for them to give up everything for the Gospel. While some new believers were greatly transformed by these special meetings, others stumbled and even left the church or never came to faith.

New believers or non-believers thinking is, of course, not the same as more mature believers.  Those who advocate surrendering everything to the Lord don’t think this way. To them, everything is worthless without the Lord. When they have achieved something in their lives, they find that only the Lord is real and everything else is illusory. But here we may be making the mistake we pointed out before. Even people who are mature enough in their spiritual lives to experience the Lord’s dealing with them hesitate to abandon the world. So these words of encouragement are necessary: they need the reminder that they must choose the world or the Lord. Put another way, if they want to offer a grain offering, they cannot mix it with leaven or honey, even a little. The Lord demands our all, not just partial obedience.

For some of those new to the faith, God may give them time to learn His expectations. He does not expect perfect obedience the moment someone is saved. But if we as more mature Christians are too radical in dealing with these matters, we will overstep God, and make these new people think that God is just like us. In fact, God is much more gentle in dealing with new ones and seekers of the Gospel than many Christians are.

I also made this mistake myself. My nephew came to study in the US from China and had not heard the gospel. On the first day when he came to the United States, I took him to the meeting mentioned earlier, hoping that the Holy Spirit would greatly “kindle” him, or let him be saved. Instead, he “stumbled.” He felt that I was “crazy,” so he started to stay away from it. Of course, his unbelief was not entirely the fault of others; his own hardness of heart was the cause. But if I had a choice again, I would not have done it this way.

The same is true for many Christians parents when their children are away from the faith. They are anxious, but what they say and how they treat their children might not necessarily reveal the nature of the Lord at this time; it reveals their own flesh and religion and understanding of the law. Sometimes the more we push them, the more they will stay away from us.

For those of you dealing with these situations, I hope the inspiration here comforts you. These prodigal sons are all in God’s hands, and God has determined their boundaries and scope, when they are saved and when they repent. Don’t worry, don’t rush. Trust in God, wait for God, and do not overstep God in your impatience. The repentance of the prodigal son in the wilderness and the appeal of the tax collector in front of the temple may be a more acceptable offering! If we are like Pharisees or the prodigal’s older brother, our legalism may prevent others from offering even their imperfect offerings to Christ.

Legalism in the Church

I just gave an example of legalism in the church. Many believers have different experiences with this. What is the reason behind legalism in the church? It ties to the inspiration we had earlier. Some of us have a heart to help the believers to be pure and without blemish, but may lack the tender heart of God. We may not have enough understanding about the process it takes for a person to grow in the Lord. We may have knowledge about God, but lack the heart of God. Legalism in the church happens when we have a heart for God but we don’t have the heart of God. We can use the humanity of Jesus Christ to represent the heart of God. Jesus is not only God but was also human. He was not just a regular human being; He was a perfect human being. I grew up as a country boy in China so sometimes I am rude without realizing it. The divine life I carry in me is certainly genuine. But the expression of God though me sometimes is hindered by my nature. It is imperative for us to participate in the grain offering which points us to experience the perfect humanity of Jesus in our spiritual lives. We need to become more like Jesus in his perfect human nature to express more of God’s divine nature!

In addition, a new light we see in this reading is that the grain offering is also divided into several categories: burning on the altar (verse 2), roasting on the stove (verse 4), frying in a pan (verse 5), and roasting in a pot (verse 7). These signify the different degrees of experience in the human nature of Jesus. We need to be sanctified in our human nature. The more sanctified people are, the less they fear the fire of God. Therefore, they experience more fire and can pass through it. From the altar to the oven, to frying in a pan and roasting in a pot, each category represents the level of sanctification a believer can experience based on how close they are to the fire. The closer you are to the fire, the more trials you will experience. This is good, because it grows your faith as you are sanctified. The more holy your life is and the closer you are to the Lord, the closer you will be able to approach the fire during the grain offering, because God is the holy fire (Hebrews 12:29). This also shows the gentle side of God and God's provision for people at different levels of life. It echoes to the testimonies of some prophetic people. They testify that the more you are transformed on earth, the closer you may live to God in heaven. There are different realms in heaven as well. If a person is not transformed and filled with the light enough, they may not be able to stand the light in the higher realm.

Grain Offerings in Our Lives

Through these lenses, let's look at the grain offering as a whole and how to apply it to our spiritual experiences. In our reading of Leviticus chapter 1, we refer to five basic sacrifices as representing the five ways of offering Christ as our sacrifice. He is our sin offering, trespass offering, peace offering, grain offering, burnt offering; His work on the cross covered all the offerings we had to make for all time. When we praise God (a sacrifice of praise, as mentioned in Hebrews 13:15), it is like offering Christ back to God as a type of sacrifice. The sequence of these offerings is burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, sin offering, and trespass offering. These signify God coming out from the Holy of Holies to meet us. The reverse order of these five sacrifices represents the Israelites going into the tabernacle from the outer courtyard to meet God (Please refer to the study of Leviticus 1 for more details.).

Grain offerings are generally interpreted as a typology of the humanity of Jesus Christ. The reason is that the grain offering is generally made with fine flour and oiled with frankincense (Leviticus 2:1). Oil typifies the Spirit of God, frankincense typifies the resurrection and ascension of Christ, and fine flour typifies the humanity of Jesus Christ. It is as if the Lord Jesus had been squeezed in His humanity, experienced pain on the cross, then experienced the resurrection and ascension. Therefore, Jesus Christ is our grain offering. The Lord Jesus also gave this example in John 12:24 “If the wheat does not fall into the ground and die, it remains alone, but if it falls into the earth and dies, it bears much fruit.” The Lord Jesus spoke of His own death and resurrection in using this illustration. He is that one grain of wheat, and we are the many grains of His death and resurrection. The fine flour is from the wheat being milled and crushed. We are these many grains going through the mill press, being milled and blended together, to become fine flour. The "fine" in fine flour refers specifically to the softness of this flour after it is milled. Of course, Jesus is the ultimate fine flour- we are simply being remade in His image and sanctified to become more like Him.

Part of the grain offering was to be burned on the altar; the things burned included fine flour, oil and frankincense.  The other part of the grain offering was to be given to Aaron and his descendants as a most holy offering of the LORD's offerings by fire (2:3). If we compare the grain offering and the burnt offering, all parts of the burnt offering are for burning. This typifies Christ in His divinity because He offered Himself to God forever as an unblemished sacrifice, entirely for God's satisfaction. Part of the grain offering was reserved for the priests to eat, which shows that the grain offerings were for God and man to enjoy together. The part left here for the priest is specifically mentioned as being most holy. In other words, we can say that the purpose of the grain offering was to help the priest to be sanctified. In today's spiritual experience, it is sanctification that changes our humanity. We receive in the spirit the life of Christ, which is entirely for God. But the life in our soul is not yet fully filled with the humanity of Jesus, and therefore needs to be sanctified, renewed, and changed to become more sanctified. This is the purpose of the grain offering.

In the experience of many Christians, they experience Christ as a burnt offering. When they receive Jesus Christ as their Savior, they experience the burnt offering to a certain extent...He is the burnt offering that God accepts to die in our place.  But many Christians lack the experience of grain offerings. They lack the experience of Christ's transformation in humanity, the experience of the blending of flour, oil, and frankincense. They also lack the experience of offering a grain offering to God, and therefore lack the most holy part of the grain offering for themselves.

One characteristic of a grain offering is that it passes through fire. Peter says in 1 Peter 1:6-7, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith --more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” From Peter’s words here, our faith goes through trials, as if it were going through fire. In fact, this is actually a picture of a grain offering. The reality of a grain offering is to experience the trials of faith and the lessons of the cross in our lives. The purpose is to break us, so that every part of our humanity and inner being is filled and changed by the life of Christ.

Levels of the Grain Offering (Breaking down Leviticus 2)

We previously mentioned the different options for the grain offering, which represent the varying degrees of passing through the fire. This is how we go through different degrees of trials, or how far we have gone through the work of the cross. The more we are tested by fire, the more the dross from within us is removed and our pure nature refined. The first level of the grain offering is that fine flour is mixed with oil, with frankincense (verse 1) and burned directly on the altar (verse 2). The grain-offering at this level also mentions a portion remaining for the priest to make the most holy things (verse 3). The second kind of grain offering is to take something baked in the oven and make unleavened bread of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened pancakes greased with oil (verse 4). This second level of the grain offering is roasted in an oven, very close to the fire, but not directly in the fire. The unleavened bread can be mixed with oil or anointed. At the third level of the grain offering, food on the frying pan shall be of fine unleavened flour mixed with oil, divided into pieces, and covered in oil. Although the grain offering at this level has heat, it does not go through the fire because it is separated from the frying pan. The grain offering that is baked in the second oven is a whole pancake, but here in the third grain offering it is not a complete pancake, but divided into pieces. This level typifies our experience of Christ as a grain offering, but is not as complete as the second level. And the fourth level of grain offering shall be made with oil and fine flour in a pot. This level does not have a lot of other details. This pot is probably thicker than a frying pan, so there's less heat going through it.

After the second to fourth grain-offerings, it was mentioned again that the offerings should be brought before the Lord, presented to the priest and brought to the altar; at this time, the priest would take out the memorial part and burn it on the altar, an offering made by fire, a pleasant aroma for the LORD. It is mentioned here again that the remnant of the offerings went to Aaron and his descendants, which were the most holy of the offerings made to the Lord by fire (9-10). This tells us that although the preparation of the grain offering was different for each case, it ended directly through the burning of the fire on the altar.

Our grain offering to God must not be mixed with leaven and honey, since it is an offering made by fire (2:11) We may offer leaven and honey in our first fruits offerings to God (2:12).

Every offering offered as a grain offering must be blended with salt (13). Salt also typifies the killing effect of the cross. In addition, the Israelites had another option. They could offer the first fruits as a grain offering, which were the dried kernels of fresh ears, the rolled ear kernels (14). The "drying" and "rolling" here also typify the work of the cross. Such a grain offering was likewise to be supplemented with oil and frankincense (15). The priest burned the memorial part of it, a few crushed ears and some oil, and all the frankincense, as an offering made by fire to the LORD (16).

Concluding Thoughts

To sum up, a grain offering typifies experiencing the changing and filling of our lives through the humanity of Jesus Christ on the cross. Each of us experience the degrees of sanctification and the cross of Christ differently. Therefore, for a new believer, there may still be parts of their lives that need to be refined, as leaven and honey have typified. God's mercy permits them to offer their own sacrifices with mixtures as a first fruits offerings to God. But if they want to offer a grain offering, they must experience the work of the cross in Christ to renew and change themselves before they can please God. Romans 12:1-2 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” It is specifically mentioned here that the renewal and changing of our minds is God's good will. Similarly, the Bible says that unless a man is holy, he will not see the Lord (Hebrews 12: 14). 1 Peter 1:16 also says: "Since it is written: you shall be holy, for I am holy." These verses show that holiness is what God requires of us. A grain offering is a sacrifice of our lives- getting rid of sin and self that we may be more holy. Once we have not only a heart for God, but also the heart of God, we will have less legalism in the church. This will help us to manifest Christ in our lives to draw sinners closer to God.