Bible Study With Jairus

Bible Study with Jairus - Leviticus 4

Bible Study with Jairus - Leviticus 4

Leviticus 4 mentions different sacrifices that were used in several different situations. When the priest and the whole congregation sinned, they were to offer a bull, put its blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense, and sprinkle the blood seven times on the veil of the Holy of Holies. But when a leader sinned, he was to offer a male goat. And when a common person sinned, he was commanded to offer a female goat or a female lamb. In this case, the blood would be sprinkled on the brazen altar in the outer courtyard, not on the veil of the Holy of Holies.

Why do these differences exist? The differences in the sizes of the sacrifices and the location where the blood was sprinkled represented different degrees of redemption that were needed for different degrees of sins. This picture also reminds us that when we remove the hindrance of sin from our lives, our fellowship with the Lord will be more intimate. As God cleanses us from sin and helps us through our struggles, he reveals a way to deepen our fellowship with Him.

 

The size of the sacrifice and the location of the sprinkling of blood

Verse 4:2 says, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord's commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them..."  When an Israelite sinned unintentionally, he was commanded to offer a bull (verse 4:3). Verse 27 says, "If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt..." Here, the individual was commanded to offer a female goat. Why this difference in offerings?

For an answer, we need to look at the third verse. Verse 3 says, "if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed..." Following the progression of these verses, we can see that a priest’s sin would bring guilt on all the people of Israel. The same thing would happen when an individual Israelite sinned. Even though only one person sinned, whether a common Israelite or a priest, it would bring guilt on Israel as a whole. These sins were serious, and required larger sacrifices, such as a bull without blemish as a sin offering (verse 4:3).

Later, we learn that if a leader sinned unintentionally, he needed to offer a male goat without blemish (4:23); if a common person sinned unintentionally, he needed to offer a female goat without blemish (4:28). We can speculate that a male goat was worth more than a female goat, and a bull was worth more than a male goat. Therefore, these offerings of different values showed that different degrees of redemption were needed for different degrees of sins.

When a common person sinned unintentionally, the damage and harm he brought to the community were relatively limited. However, because a leader had greater power and influence, the negative impact of his sins was much greater than that of a common person. Hence, a leader’s sin required a larger sacrifice. In the same way, a priest was a representative of God. His sin would have an even greater negative impact. If a common person or priest sinned intentionally, it would bring guilt on the entire congregation. This was a more serious situation. Thus, offering a large sacrifice, such as a bull, was needed.

Let’s read the description of the place where the bull was offered and where the blood was sprinkled: "He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the Lord. And the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the Lord in front of the veil of the sanctuary.” (4:4-6).

The "veil of the sanctuary" was the thick veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the sanctuary. The altar of fragrant incense was located near this veil. In addition to sprinkling the bull's blood on the veil, the blood would be put on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense, and poured out at the entrance of the tent of meeting and at the base of the altar of burnt offering.

When a leader or a common person sinned, the blood would be sprinkled "on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and all the rest will be poured out at the base of the altar." In this case, the blood was not sprinkled on the veil, nor on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense. In other words, the blood was sprinkled near the outer courtyard.

The difference in the location of the sprinkling of blood showed that varying degrees of sin needed varying degrees of redemption.

 

Different sins require different degrees of redemption

Joshua 7 records the story of Achan's sin, which led to the Israelites’ failure to conquer the city of Ai. Achan’s sin brought guilt on the entire nation and caused them to lose the battle against Ai. Only one man sinned, yet his failure brought judgment and destruction to his entire family.

In Joshua 7:25 “Joshua said to Achan, ‘Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.’ And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.”[1] Clearly, one person’s sin can bring guilt to the entire congregation.

The Bible seems to indicate that there are differing levels of sin. The book of First John says that we should not pray for those who commit sins that lead to death (1 John 5:16-17). Achan, Uzzah, Ananias and Sapphira, and Judas were instantly killed for their sins. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit. Judas betrayed Christ. These may be examples of sins that lead to death.

The book of Hebrews mentions that the blood of Jesus not only cleansed the sanctuary on earth, but also purified the heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 9-10). This indicates that some serious sins, such as Satan’s rebellion, defiled the heavenly sanctuary. These sins against the heavenly Holy of Holies were judged severely.

Leviticus 4 is not discussing serious, intentional sins, but unintentional sins that are redeemable. Nonetheless, the extent of the redeeming sacrifice would vary according to the extent of the damage caused by the sin. Some people sin against the outer courtyard, some against the sanctuary, and some against the Holy of Holies.

Many people committed sins against the outer courtyard. All they needed to do was offer a goat, and the blood only needed to be sprinkled on the altar in the outer courtyard. Perhaps the sins of tax collectors and prostitutes would qualify as sins against the outer courtyard. Yes, they sinned, but their sin was unintentional. They did not know God yet. So Jesus treated them as His friends.

In Matthew 21:31, Jesus told the chief priests and elders of Israel, "The tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you." Jesus was saying that the tax collectors and prostitutes were more eager to believe in John the Baptist than the chief priests and elders were.

If a person sinned the sanctuary, he would sprinkle blood on the veil that separated it from the Holy of Holies. The sins committed by the chief priests and elders could be thought of as sins against the sanctuary. These religious leaders did know God, and the priests even served in the sanctuary. Yet they refused to believe in Jesus Christ, whom God sent to save them. Priests serve in the sanctuary. Jesus was greater than the temple (Matthew 12:6); yet the religious leaders did not believe in him. By refusing to believe in the Lord Jesus, they were rebelling against Him. In effect, they were sinning against the sanctuary.

On the other hand, a person who sins the Holy of Holies could be killed. Uzzah is a great example of this occurrence.

 

The sacrifices mentioned in this chapter remind us of our sinful nature. The bulls, male goats, and female goats offered by the common people were sacrifices that represented different levels of sinful behavior. There is a difference between the sinful nature and sinful behavior. The sins of the priests and the community can remind us of the sinful nature, while the sins of individuals can remind us of sinful behavior.

On the one hand, Christ took away our sinful nature and sinful behavior once and for all. This reality is fulfilled in the Spirit. But we also must constantly experience Christ’s redemption as we confess our sins to him. In the first two examples, the blood was sprinkled on the veil in front of the Holy of Holies, while in the third, the blood was sprinkled on the bronze altar in the outer courtyard. These sacrifices remind us of our sinful nature and sinful behavior, respectively.

In addition to ordaining different types of sacrifices for different types of sin, God also allowed different sacrificial animals for different financial abilities. He offered the people a “sliding financial scale.” God allowed his people to bring female lambs, which were worth less than female goats. Since each person had a different level of poverty or wealth, God took into account their finances when he ordained sacrificial offerings. This shows that God is gentle and compassionate.

 

Levels of Fellowship with the Lord

Why did God ordain different sacrifices for the sins against the outer courtyard, the sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies? With regards to the sin against the outer courtyard, we cited the example of the prostitutes and tax collectors.

Sinning against the sanctuary is explicitly mentioned in Numbers 18:1. Here it says that if someone enters the sanctuary in the wrong way, or served wrongfully in the sanctuary, Aaron would take responsibility.

God also mentions sins against the Holy of Holies. For example, Aaron’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered strange fire to God (Leviticus 10:1-2). This was likely a sin against the Holy of Holies. As sons of Aaron, these men were candidates for the position of High Priest. But since they were not yet ordained as High Priest, they were not allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. When they offered strange fire, they sinned against the Holy of Holies and were consumed by the fire of God.

Uzzah also sinned against the Holy of Holies. Only the Kohathites were allowed to carry the Ark of the Covenant, and Uzzah was a descendant of Merari. Numbers 4 clearly states that the Merarites were only permitted to carry the items in the tabernacle as well as in the outer courtyard. Uzzah was killed for touching the Ark of the Covenant. Most likely, he sinned against the sanctuary or even the Holy of Holies.

The Old Testament is only a picture of the New Testament reality. This picture shows that the closer the relationship, the more relational harm we cause by our hurt and betrayal. A person who is far from the Lord doesn’t bring him as much harm. Unbelievers on the streets may speak disrespectfully against God. While I don’t condone this behavior, I believe that these words do not hurt God as much as if a loyal believer said the same words. Since these people have little connection with Him, he disregards their words.

But the closer you are to God, the more harm your sin brings to him. The words of your closest friends hurt more than the words of a stranger. When a couple first meets each other, they are strangers. Their words are not as hurtful. But when they have been married for a long time, their words of betrayal or distrust can do great harm to the relationship between a husband and a wife.

The same is true between us and God. When we do not belong to God, He demands less of us. He accepts anyone willing to come to Him for salvation. After we know him as Savior, when we sin unintentionally, we bring more hurt to God’s heart. But when we who know God intentionally sin against Him, He will treat us more severely. The differences in the size of the offerings and the places where the blood was sprinkled remind us of this truth.

 

The closer we are to the Lord, the higher are His demands of us. When we first believed in the Lord, he only corrected our external behavior. But as our fellowship with the Lord deepened, the Holy Spirit began to enlighten us about more subtle sins that took place in our hearts. He begins to show us sins we are less aware of, that dwell in our sinful nature.

Difficulties and the Answers They Reveal

 

God doesn’t make us aware of a problem without also giving us a solution. Often, that solution is hidden. But if we look for it, we will find it. Our different degrees of sins are our problem, and the different sizes of sacrifices are the solution. God provides a unique provision that matches each unique problem.

In the Local Church Movement, I learned a prayer method called Tabernacle Prayer. This type of prayer is also taught by David Yonggi Cho. In this method of prayer, the elements of our prayer match the items in the tabernacle, in the order a priest would encounter them when entering the tabernacle.

In this method of prayer, we would first go to the altar to confess our sins and remember Christ’s sin offering. Then we would go to the laver to experience the washing of the Holy Spirit and the washing of the water in the word. We reach the table of the bread of the Presence, where we eat, drink and enjoy the Lord. We receive power and illumination from the golden lampstand of the Holy Spirit, and then enter into intercession at the altar of incense. In the Holy of Holies, we experience the Lord Himself as our light, resurrection, food, and life.

 

Let me explain these specific steps in detail. When we come to the bronze altar in the outer courtyard, we need to offer sacrifices and sprinkle blood to remove our sins. In the Old Testament, the Israelites offered sheep and cattle, but in the New Testament, we are cleansed by Christ’s blood. During prayer, we imagine that we are sprinkling Christ’s blood on ourselves to cleanse us from all sin. We confess our sins to God, repent, and then ask Him to forgive us.

Once we are cleansed by the blood of the Lord, we approach the laver. In the Old Testament, priests washed themselves at the laver so they could serve God in holiness. After we are cleansed from our sins, we must remove the filth and contamination of the world so we can come near to God. We can imagine that we are washing ourselves in the water of the Holy Spirit, who cleanses us from defilement.

After we have gone through these two steps, we can imagine ourselves coming to the table of the bread of the Presence. Here, we eat God’s holy bread. His word is our food. At this time, we can pray through a verse of Scripture, meditate on it, digest it, and speak it aloud to ourselves.

As we do, the Lord’s words will give light. When the unfolding of God’s words gives light, it imparts understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130). We have now arrived in front of the golden lampstand. The light of the lampstand reminds us of the light of God’s word. Both will illuminate the secrets of our hearts. Here, we check the intentions and motives of our hearts. What is our motivation for our thoughts, words, and deeds? We must examine ourselves in the light of the Lord.

The next step is entering into intimate fellowship with God through the altar of incense. The altar of incense represents intercession. Revelation 5:8 says that incense represents the prayers of the saints. Here, we enter into Abraham’s intercession for Lot. As we reach this point of intimacy with God, we let go of ourselves and begin praying for others.

As we continue to have fellowship with God, we pass through the veil into the Holy of Holies, where we meet God and hear Him speak above the mercy seat above the Ark of the Covenant (Numbers 7:89). To pass through the veil, we must experience the cleansing of Jesus’ blood. Not only do we need to be cleansed of our sinful behavior, but we must also be cleansed of our sinful nature. Jesus has cleansed us from these sins so we can enter into a deeper fellowship with God.

Inside the Ark, there is manna (which reminds us that the Lord is our food, the bread of heaven), Aaron’s rod that budded (reminding us of the resurrection), and a tablet with the Ten Commandments written on it (reminding us of the light of God’s word). This is the provision of God for our needs.

This prayer method allows me to personally experience God’s provision. Pastor David Yonggi Cho was asked, “How could you pray for hours when there is often nothing to pray for?” He replied that when he prays the tabernacle prayer, moving from the outer courtyard to the sanctuary and then the Holy of Holies, a few hours will quickly pass by without him noticing.

Let's return to the content of this chapter. In it, God revealed how to offer different sacrifices for different sins. Each different sin had a different sacrifice. Each problem had a unique solution.

In the same way, God will help us solve the unique and different problems that arise in our fellowship with Him. He will provide resolution to the various obstacles that hinder our fellowship with Him. Remember, whenever you face a problem or temptation, God will provide a unique solution that is perfect for your needs. When you face temptation, God will always provide a way of escape, so that you can overcome it (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Leviticus 4 mentions different levels of fellowship we can experience with the Lord. It shows us how to overcome each difficulty we face, so we can enter into deeper fellowship with him.

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

 

Bible Study with Jairus – 1 Corinthians 14

Bible Study with Jairus – 1 Corinthians 14

 

God’s Principles Regarding Tongues and Prophecy

And how to apply those principles to specific situations

 

When discussing 1 Corinthians 14, several intriguing questions often come to the forefront. The first is, “Is it possible that speaking in tongues is not of the Holy Spirit?” Some people who oppose speaking in tongues say that some tongues are from the enemy. They believe that if you speak in tongues, you are cursing God. How can we make sense of these objections?

 

In extreme cases, these concerns may be valid. But generally speaking, tongues are a faith-booster. They help increase our faith. Speaking in tongues is also a way for the Holy Spirit to speak through us, so we don’t need to fear. Rather, we should follow Paul’s teaching: “Each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” (ESV, 1 Corinthians 14:26).[1]

 

The second question that comes up in the study of this chapter is, “Why did Paul say that women should not speak in church?” (1 Corinthians 14:34). My answer is that we need to distinguish between universal principles of God and specific leading for specific situations. I think verses 1-26 are Paul's explanation of the general principles of prophecy and tongues, while verse 27 starts a section with specific instructions for the Corinthians’ situation. This section deals with specific details about tongues, prophecies, and women speaking in the church of Corinth. Matters of principle do not change with time and circumstances, but matters of leading do.

 

Let’s look at these issues a little more closely.

 

 

Where do Tongues Originate?

A woman was baptized by the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues because of my ministry. But she still felt confused about the issue of tongues. She said, “A pastor who spoke in tongues encouraged me to change how I spoke in tongues, meaning to pray in different tongue. But in my experience, I am only saying a few simple repeated words. Is this normal?” From my own limited experience, I feel this is normal. The tongues we first speak when praying in tongues may be very simple and repeated words, or simple words of praise to God. As Paul said, one of the functions of tongues is to praise or thank God. When Paul mentioned tongues in verse 17, he said, "For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up."

 

One of the functions of praying in tongues is to give thanks. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." The Bible says we should give thanks in all circumstances and that believers should be "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20). But in our actual experience as Christians, it is difficult to pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances. We don’t give thanks to God the Father very often. This is why the Holy Spirit comes to help us, and one of the ways he does this is through tongues. Many times, we do not know how to pray, so the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26). This intercession is sometimes through tongues. When we pray in tongues, our spirit prays but our mind is unfruitful (1 Corinthians 14:14). When we pray in tongues, we give the Holy Spirit freedom to help us pray. We surrender our bodies, and our tongues, to the Holy Spirit in faith, and the Holy Spirit gives us the appropriate words in prayer through our tongues.

 

The woman also mentioned that some pastors reminded her that speaking in tongues may originate from evil spirits. They threatened her not to pray in tongues.

“Of course, it is possible that tongues originate from evil spirits,” I replied. “Sometimes we drive our cars into a ditch. But this does not mean that we cannot drive. I've seen some people who are just learning to drive who are scared to drive on the highway. But when they practiced more, they got the courage to do so. Why? Because their faith and their ability grew. The same goes for tongues. After our faith increases, we will receive an increased ability and more faith to pray in different prayer languages in tongues.”

 

Tongues is a faith booster

 

 

Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a leap of faith. Many evangelical Christians who are against the baptism of the Holy Spirit worry that if they are baptized by the Holy Spirit, they will unintentionally accept evil spirits instead. This teaching originates in fear. Luke 11 clearly says that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13) It clearly says that the Father gives the Holy Spirit when we ask. If we ask the Father to baptize us with the Holy Spirit in the name of Christ, we will surely receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

 

All true Christians believe we are saved by faith. We have not seen the Lord, but we believe in Him. This is a leap of faith. Every one of us must go through such a leap of faith in order to be saved. Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit is no different. It is the second leap of faith. After we have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we need a third leap of faith: believing that when we open our mouths, the Holy Spirit will give us utterance (Acts 2:4). We are responsible for opening our mouths, and the Holy Spirit is responsible for giving us words to say. Because the tongues we speak are often words that our minds cannot understand, it’s easy to doubt this promise. When other people inject doubts into our minds—“What if the tongues I speak are from evil spirits?”—our faith will inevitably be shaken. That is why praying in tongues is a leap of faith.

 

Principles of Tongues and Prophecy

 

 

In 1 Corinthians 14:1-26, Paul explains universal principles about prophecy. These general principles do not change with time, place, or circumstances. For example, God is love. This is a basic principle. It will not change with time, place, or circumstances. But even though God is love, and He loves every one of His children, He leads us differently. This is the difference between God's principles and His leading. Let’s look first at the principles that Paul gives in verses 1-26.

 

 

What is the first principle of prophecy? It is that love and spiritual gifts, especially prophecies, are related. In the first verse, Paul continued the conversation on love that he started in 1 Corinthians 13. We need to pursue love, and we also need to earnestly desire spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. Many have spoken against the pursuit of spiritual gifts and prophecy, saying we should only focus on love. These people want only the fruit of the spirit (including love) and not the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are controversial. But that's not what Paul is telling us here. Paul explicitly mentions that we should pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

 

What is the second principle of prophecy? It is that the purpose of prophecy is to build others up, comfort, and encourage them (1 Corinthians 14:3). We certainly need to pursue love in our lives. But how do we help others feel the love of God? This is where prophecy is indispensable. When we prophesy and disclose the secrets of others’ hearts, they will fall on their faces and say that God is really among us (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). Why? Because prophecy (including tongues that are interpreted) becomes a tool or a bridge that connects people to God's love.

 

The essence of the first principle of tongues is to talk to God and love Him. 1 Corinthians 14:2 says, "For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit." If the main purpose of tongues is to talk to God, then Paul's words "I speak in tongues more than all of you” (1 Corinthians 14:18), and “If we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you" (2 Corinthians 5:13) are very logical. Paul encourages everyone to pray and talk to God more, and praise God by speaking and singing with our minds or through the language of tongues or spirit (1 Corinthians 14:15). This is the first function of tongues. It is wrong to forbid or even discourage speaking in tongues, just because you cannot understand them. The first principle of tongues is to talk to God. This falls under the greatest command: "love the Lord your God with all your heart" (Matthew 22:37; Luke 10:27).

 

The second principle of tongues is to be considerate of others, especially those who don’t understand them. If others don’t understand tongues, you still need to give thanks and praise. But those who don’t understand the languages will not be built up and may even stumble. In such cases, those who speak in tongues should be restricted. When it’s absolutely necessary for them to speak in tongues, they should interpret what they say as much as possible (1 Corinthians 14:6-13; 14:16-19). This principle falls under the second command: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27).

 

Matthew 22:37-40 records, "Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Here, Jesus clearly said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love others. When we pray in tongues and praise God, it shows we love God. “If anyone loves God, he is known by God" (1 Corinthians 8:3). When we avoid speaking in tongues on certain occasions out of consideration for others, it means we love and care for our neighbors. So these two principles about tongues are actually consistent with the very essence of Jesus’ teaching about the Law and the Prophets.

 

The principles of love and prophecy also fall into the categories of loving God and others. People who pursue love and utter mysteries to God in tongues are those who love Him; people who prophesy are those who love others. Speaking in tongues and praying means you love God; you worship and give thanks to Him. Interpreting tongues means you love others and have taken their needs into consideration so they can understand what you’re saying. Therefore, regardless of whether you’re pursuing prophecy or speaking in tongues, the fundamental principle is to love God and others. That’s why Paul strongly encourages us to interpret what we say while speaking in tongues. The purpose is to be considerate of others and show love to them. But that doesn't stop us from falling madly in love with God in private.

 

The third principle of tongues is to build ourselves up (14:4). We need to focus on growing spiritually, increasing our faith, and "building ourselves up in our most holy faith" (Jude 1:20).

 

In 1 Corinthians 14:26 Paul said, "What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” I believe verse 26 is the conclusion of Paul's train of thought. He had stated some general principles about speaking in tongues, prophesying, and pursuing love towards God and others. Now, he summarizes his message: “Let all things be done for building up.” When we gather together as a church, we may use any method that builds others up.

 

Paul's Specific Leading on Tongues, Prophecy, and Women Speaking

 

From verse 27 onwards, Paul turns his mind to God’s specific guidance to the Corinthian church. Although this specific leading does not violate the basic principles mentioned in the first part, it will vary according to circumstances, time, and situation. Why do I say that from verse 27 onwards, Paul starts talking about God’s leading in a particular situation in the Corinthian church? Let's look at this verse. Verse 27 says, "If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret."

 

I asked everyone in the meeting, “Does this sentence show Paul's general principle about tongues, or is it a special leading for the Corinthian church?” I think it's a special leading. Think about it: how many believers were in the Corinthian church at that time? How long were their weekly gatherings? Let's assume there were 100 believers who gathered for three hours every week. In such a situation, it would be appropriate for only two or three people to speak in tongues. And it was best to interpret the languages being spoken.

 

Now suppose we are visiting the church of David Yonggi Cho in South Korea. There are hundreds of thousands of people holding meetings together for three days. Should there be only two or three people who speak in tongues in the church? In these circumstances, there would be plenty of time for more speakers to have a turn.

 

In other words, different circumstances call for different responses. We must interpret these verses in light of the general principles mentioned above, and we must focus on being considerate of others and loving our neighbors. The point of the passage is not the exact number of speakers that we must have in a given service, but that we should conduct orderly meetings that show consideration to others. We cannot always take God's words in their most basic and literal sense.

 

Throughout the ages, there has been a lot of controversy about how Christians interpret God’s words. One of the reasons is that it is difficult to distinguish which words reveal God’s principles and which give certain people some specific leading in a specific environment. We must not violate God’s principles, nor should we treat God’s specific leading as universal truth. For example, when Moses allowed the Israelites to divorce their wives, they mistakenly thought this was a universal principle of God. But Jesus clearly told them that this command was only given because they were hard-hearted at that time. But God did not intend it to be that way from the beginning. The principle established by God was, “What He has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:3-8). The teaching on divorce was God’s specific leading, intended for a specific period of time. It was a concession made because of his patience with human weakness.

 

Is there a specific context to Paul's words in verses 27-40? I think there is. One Corinthian believer must have been wrongly exercising the gift of tongues and the gift of prophecy. Paul attempted to correct his behavior in this passage. Verse 28 says to keep silent if there is no one to interpret. Verse 29 says that when two or three prophesy, the others must weigh what is said. Verse 30 says that if a revelation is made to another, the others must give him a chance to speak, and the first person must keep silent. Verses 31-33 say that everyone can prophesy—but don't be confused, because the spirits of the prophets were subject to the prophets and God was not a God of confusion. Clearly, these words were meant to clear up confusion in regards to specific situations in the Corinthian church.

 

Similarly, the instructions about women not speaking in church meetings must have related to a particular situation in the Corinthian church and were not a general principle of God. In other places, Paul praised many of his female coworkers. For example, he praised Phoebe, a deaconess (Romans 16:1). The instruction about women was not necessarily a universal principle of God, but a special leading intended for the chaotic situation in the Corinthian church. When Paul talked about women being silent and not speaking in meetings, he even specifically mentioned: "Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?" (1 Corinthians 14:36). It is not difficult to guess that there may have been some women in the Corinthian church who were too proud and even thought that the word of God had reached them only. So Paul's criticism may have been directed against this problem.

 

The second half of verse 34 says, "They should be in submission, as the Law also says." But this is not enough to prove that the law does not permit women to speak. The law does require women to obey men, but there is no law expressly stating that women should not speak. Even though the law originally stipulated that a woman could not inherit her father's land, Zelophehad's daughters appealed to Moses and God, and God added a provision just for them. If there was no man in the family, God said women could inherit the land (Numbers 27). Clearly, God's law does not discriminate against women.

 

Conclusion

 

In verse 39, Paul reminds believers to be eager to prophesy and not to forbid speaking in tongues. Verse 40 says that everything should be done decently and in order. This concludes this chapter. I’ll reiterate the difference between the sections in this chapter. Verses 1-26 talk about Paul's general principles on how to love God and others when exercising spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues and prophesying. Verses 27-38 give specific leading based on the chaotic situation in the Corinthian church. In verses 39-40, Paul returns to giving general principles about prophesying and speaking in tongues. We must understand which sections contain God’s universal principles (which cannot be changed) and which contain His specific leading for certain circumstances. We must understand the way God’s Holy Spirit leads us in different circumstances. And we should seek to interpret God’s word in the most accurate way possible.

 

 

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Bible Study With Jairus - Acts 18

Bible Study with Jairus - Acts 18

 

As we mentioned last time, Paul met Aquila and his wife Priscilla. They were Jews coming from Rome to Italy. Paul had already left Athens and they all came to meet in Corinth. I’ve said before that their meeting was a turning point in Paul's spiritual life. Why do I say that?We usually think that Paul is an apostle, so he is always better than others and there is no need for him to learn from others. This isn’t the case. All of us have a learning process. Even when the Lord Jesus was on earth, He needed to learn to grow in the grace of God and man.  Similarly, Paul also went through a learning process. In our study on Acts 17 last time, we mentioned that Paul may have made a mistake of being rash in Athens. He may have been influenced by the environment possibly having a negative rather than positive effect on evangelism. But in Acts 18, it shows the process by which the Holy Spirit further led and perfected Paul through the circumstances.

 

Let's take a closer look.

 

The Holy Spirit patiently leads us into God's will for our lives.

 

The Lord Jesus said that, “Everything is in the hands of the Father. No two sparrows will fall to the ground without His consent.” (Matthew 10:29). Aquila and his wife Priscilla had just left Rome to Corinth because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul also came to Corinth from Athens. Is it accidental that they met there? No. Everything is arranged by the sovereignty of God. The purpose was to let Paul be further perfected and receive help from others in his ministry.

 

There is some deeper insight here that the Holy Spirit allowed me to see while reading the Bible.  It takes time for a person to completely follow the Lord and walk on the predestined path that He has laid out for us.  However, often at the beginning we might not have a clear idea about what God’s will is or how to obey it; so we spend our time and energy following another path and are unable to unleash the gift that God has given us.  For example, If you are called to minister in music but you spend all of your time learning to paint because you didn’t follow your heart, it results in failure and has very little effect for the kingdom.  When you finally understand that music is your gift and you throw yourself into it, you will find that God has opened all the doors.  Another example would be if God called you to be a cartoonist but instead you studied finance because your parents wanted you to be able to support yourself.  When you realize that there is no joy in finance and you return to the industry you love, things will flow and you will be successful in the end.  There are many examples like this.

 

 

So was Paul like this?  In modern times we tend to over exalt Paul’s writings as though he could never be wrong.  Actually this isn’t the case.  Paul is human and has shortcomings. He was on a continuous journey learning to know God in a deeper way.  Even in his old age he admitted that he hadn’t completely taken hold of it, but forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, he presses on toward the goal (NIV Philippians 3:13-14).  This shows that Paul was continuously learning.

Let’s take a look at how Paul gradually learns to obey God's will and walk on the predestined path that God has planned for him.

 

When Paul recalls his experience of being called by God in Acts 22, he said that the Lord said to him, “Go, I will send you far away to the Gentiles." If you recall the contents of Acts 17, it   said in the beginning that Paul had passed through a couple of towns, and he went on to Thessalonica to preach the gospel in the Jewish synagogue. After being rejected, he went to the Jewish synagogue in Berea to evangelize. In the end, the Jews in Thessalonica had stirred up trouble and he was forced to go to Athens. He preached the gospel to the Gentiles in Athens, but was not very effective. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that Paul had made a great turn here. At that time, Paul didn’t exactly do what God told him to.. God's will for him is just what Jesus said to him, “I will send you far away to the Gentiles” (NIV, Acts 22:21). God chose him to be an apostle of the Gentiles, but he couldn’t bear the thought of not preaching the gospel to the Jews. If you look at his description in Romans chapters 9-11, he said that he would rather be cursed so the people of Israel could be saved. You can understand Paul's burden for the Jews. But unfortunately, this was not God's call for his life.

 

The Bible has explicitly stated that God called Peter to be the apostle to the Jews and chose Paul to be the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13, Galatians 2:8). This is very odd. If you were God, would you choose Paul or Peter to be the apostle to the Jews? If I was God, I might choose Paul because Paul is familiar with the Jewish scriptures and was taught by Gamaliel. He is even a Pharisee from the tribe of Benjamin. He was also circumcised on the eighth day. No one was more qualified and suitable than him. In contrast, Peter was a fisherman who had didn’t have a high level of education. There are scholars who say that Paul’s level of proficiency in Greek was far higher than Peter's. But God didn’t choose Paul to be the apostle to the Jews. Instead, he chose Peter to be the apostle to the Jews. For the Gentiles, I also think that Peter was more likely to be accepted because he was from Galilee where there were mostly gentiles, and Paul was a strict Pharisee. He was also enthusiastic to persecute the church. So naturally, Paul was more qualified to be the apostle to the Jews than Peter. But God didn’t arrange it like that.

 

There are people who believe that the reason why God arranged it that way is for us not to use what we are naturally good at. He wants us to do things that we are naturally not good at to force us to trust the Lord. We shouldn’t do things based on our ability, but by faith and the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

We all have fleshly and natural choices. Often it’s not that we don't know God's will and path for us. Rather, our flesh, human nature, and habits often hinder us so we have a difficult time quickly following God's call  . God understands us, so the Holy Spirit often patiently waits and leads us. But the Holy Spirit often tells us through the environment that "the road is blocked" encouraging us to   "turn back." The same is true of Paul’s experience here. We mentioned in the previous message that maybe because of Paul’s attempt to persuade people to accept the gospel through debate, it wasn’t very effective. But actually, our understanding at that time was not comprehensive enough. In this reading, we can see more light. It was not because Paul’s debate had gone wrong, but because Paul wasn’t living completely in God’s will so God blocked him in all aspects, making his evangelism ineffective.

 

Therefore, Acts 18 is a turning point. It is recorded in 18:5 - 6 that:

 

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. ⁶ But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”(NIV)

 

It was possibly here that Paul may have recalled what the Lord Jesus said to him, “I will send you far away to the Gentiles to preach the gospel.” He had just realized that God’s call to him was to become the apostle to the Gentiles. Even though he was reluctant to leave his fellow Jews  who had rejected the gospel, he had no choice but to go to the Gentiles. In this way, he was forced by the environment to go to the Gentiles to preach the gospel. It looks like he was forced by the environment, but actually it was all the wonderful leading of the Holy Spirit.

 

Therefore, in Acts 18, it was definitely not accidental for Paul to encounter Aquila and Priscilla from Rome. Rather, it was arranged by God’s sovereignty. Think about it. When Aquila and Paul were weaving tents together, don’t you think they talked to each other? In the content of their chats, is it possible that Aquila talked about his life experience with the Gentiles in Rome and his experience of dealing with the Gentiles? there’s a good possibility some of that was talked about. Paul's experience of evangelizing the Athenians in the previous chapter was not very successful. Maybe one of the reasons is that he didn’t understand the Gentiles and was not familiar with how to preach the gospel to them.

 

Became like a Gentile to win the Gentiles

 

When some Western missionaries first came to China to preach the gospel, they adopted an aloof attitude, as if to say, we are preaching the gospel, you guys are barbarian idol worshippers, so you have to give up your faith and accept ours. Some of these missionaries often have deep relationships with Western colonizers and officials. They will therefore use Western diplomatic and military power to force the Chinese to open their ports and accept the gospel, which caused a lot of resistance from the local Chinese. Consequently,   preaching the gospel to them was not very effective. But when Hudson Taylor came to China to preach the gospel, he adapted to the Chinese culture. He dressed in Chinese robe and grew a pigtail like the Chinese. He   also lived with the Chinese. His living and eating habits were the same as those of the Chinese, sohis gospel work in China was very effective. He preached the gospel to many places in China.

  Paul’s experience of evangelism in Athens seems to be somewhat similar to the attitude of Western missionaries when they first arrived in China. Perhaps he was feeling superioras he wastrying to persuade these people to turn away from idols to Jesus Christ through debates. Unfortunately it didn’t work out well. Is it possible that after his failed attempts to evangelize that Aquila taught him how to witness to the Gentiles and inspired him?  I believe that Paul was able to get inspiration and learned something from his experience in Athens. He said in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22:

 

²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. (NIV)

 

From Paul's words, we can see that Paul had learned how to become a Gentile in order to win the Gentiles. He learned that he shouldn’t be aloof when he preached the gospel, and he shouldn’t persuade others to believe in the gospel through debate. Rather, he should humble himself and put himself on the level of the Gentiles, live and eat with them, and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in a language acceptable to them.

 

God's later confirmation

 

I   had a special experience recently.   I met a prophet who said that God wants me to be a U.S. citizen because this will help me in my service in the future. However, because I am a Chinese citizen and I also have a U.S. green card, it is more convenient to visit China plus I feel that the chance that God will call me to serve in China in the future is huge, therefore, I have been living in the US for a long time and not been naturalized as a US citizen. f  After hearing the prophets words I spent time in prayer but didn’t receive any confirmation from God.  I reluctantly submitted my application for US citizenship anyway.   Not long afterwards, I had a prophetic dream. I found that the Chinese characters on my Chinese passport were altered, and a lot of English letters were written, and I saw a seal falling down from above with the words "U.S. Citizen" above. I felt that this was Lord’s confirmation that the submitted application was directed by Him. The prophecy of this prophet may be correct. But when I prayed for God's leading, God never gave me any confirmation.

 

This was my own experience, but actually, I’m also explaining Paul's experience here. When Paul didn’t completely live in God’s will, he seemed to be running up against a stone wall everywhere he went. His evangelism in the synagogues in Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens was not smooth. Of course, the Lord told Paul before that God's purpose was to send him far to the Gentiles to be a witness for Him. So this was imprinted in Paul's spirit. Therefore, at the beginning of chapter 18, Paul met Aquila and his wife Priscilla who came back from Rome. This might further remind him of the command he heard from the Lord. When Paul swears to turn to the Gentiles from then on, he went next door to the house of Titius Justus. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized (NIV, Acts 18-8:9). Afterwards, the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” (NIV, Acts 18:9-10). I called this God’s later confirmation. When Paul finally walked on the right path that Jesus told him, Jesus appeared to him, confirming that he was walking in the will of God. We often have such confirmation in our spiritual experience. The Lord will give us a prophetic word in the beginning. The Holy Spirit will then secretly lead us, give us limitations and leading through the environment. And finally when we walk on the predestined path that God has laid out for us, God will often prove to us again that we are indeed walking on His predestined path.

 

Acts 18:11 records that Paul lived there for a year and six months, teaching God's words among them. This sentence is definitely not accidentally recorded here. Rather, the Holy Spirit further confirms that Paul came here to preach the gospel and live according to God’s will.

 

Of course, we are not saying that Paul could’nt preach the gospel to the Jews. In the latter parts of Acts 18, it’s even recorded that when Paul arrived at Ephesus, he went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. But I guess perhaps the emphasis of Paul's ministry had turned towards the Gentiles. In particular, chapter 18:19 records that after Paul had reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue in Ephesus, when they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. This is a clear contrast to what is recorded in 18:11 where Paul stayed there for a year and a half.

 

Prior to this, Acts 18 also recorded that the Jews had attacked Paul, but the local official did not interfere. After this, Acts 18:18 (NIV) recorded that, “Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila”. But because of a vow he had taken, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea before going to Ephesus. But he did not stay in Ephesus for a long time. He left to go to other places.

 

The matching of the different parts of the body to Christ's body

 

In 18:24, it started to introduce a Jew named Apollos. The Bible specifically mentioned that he was an eloquent man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. The Bible didn’t use these words to describe Paul. So looking at this description, Apollos had a gift that Paul may not have. In addition to Apollos' eloquence (that Paul may not have), it is specifically recorded that Apollos had vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ (NIV, Acts 18:28). These records are in contrast with the limited effects of Paul's evangelism before the Jews. These have indirectly proved that God's call to Paul was mainly for the Gentiles because God raised up people like Apollos to preach the gospel to the Jews, and it seems that their work was more effective than Paul’s.

 

Of course, the Bible has also recorded the limitations of Apollos, that is, he only knew the baptism of John. But Priscilla and Aquila, who were perfected by Paul, had helped explain the way of God to Apollos more adequately (NIV, Acts 18:26). This again shows that the principle of God's work is through the matching of the body; allowing different members of the body of Christ to match and complement each other.

 

Paul came to Ephesus again in Acts 19. There he found some disciples of Apollos' ministry who only knew John’s baptism; they didn’t know about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul prayed for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This   also paved the way in the beginning of verses 20-21, where he declined the invitation of Ephesians when they asked him to stay there for a while. Instead, he said that, "I will come back if it is God's will."  (NIV, Acts 18:21). It is something that the Holy Spirit mentioned specifically here so that Paul later can come back to help those who are under the ministry of Apollo’s.

 

Why did God arrange for Paul to come back later? What is the meaning and implication of Paul's making up for the lack of Apollos' ministry in Acts 19? Why is it that   Apollos’ ministry only knows John’s baptism and not the baptism of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit? This has   profound spiritual significance. We hope to continue sharing our understanding in the next reading.

 

 

 

 

Bible Study with Jairus- Acts 17

Bible Study with Jairus- Acts 17

In the beginning of Acts 17 it tells us that Paul and Silas came to the synagogue in Thessalonica to preach the gospel. Some people were persuaded, but it also led to the opposition of many Jews. The Jews wanted to bring Paul and Silas out to the crowd but could not find them. Because of this, the Jews dragged Jason out who had received Paul and Silas. Because of this, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea, and upon their arrival, they started to preach the gospel in the synagogue. The people there were more open-minded than the Thessalonians. When the Jews in Thessalonica heard about it, they came over to stir up trouble again. The believers then sent Paul to the coast and escorted him to Athens, while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.

When Paul arrived in Athens, he asked the people who escorted him to let Silas and Timothy come over. Then the Bible records:

17:16 (NIV) While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

17:17 (NIV) So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

17:18 (NIV) A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

The Christian woman who was leading our Bible Study asked, “Why is it that the Jews of Thessalonica were so opposed to Paul's evangelism and when Paul arrived in Berea, why did the Jews from Thessalonica travel to Berea to oppose Paul? Why is it wherever Paul and Silas went, they went to the synagogue first to preach the gospel? And why is it when Paul arrived in Athens, he still let Silas and Timothy to come over? It seems that Timothy had always been with Paul, but why is it he didn’t mention Timothy when he was in Thessalonica and Berea? After the Jews brought Jason to the crowd, why was it recorded in Acts 17:7-8 (NIV) that: "Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus. When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil." Why were they thrown into turmoil?

There are a lot of questions here but we can only answer one at a time so let’s start with why the Jews were thrown into turmoil when they heard Jesus was king.

I shared that there was a historical background to this which I learned while I was studying Christian theology. During the time when the Israelites were against Roman rule, there were several different Jewish factions. The Herodians and Sadducees mentioned in the Bible were Roman advocates; but the Pharisees and the Zealots advocated for independence and were opposed to Roman rule. In particular, the Zealots advocated the use of violent and revolutionary means to overthrow Roman rule, and they launched violent uprisings against Roman rule but were brutally suppressed by the Romans. After the brutal crackdown, the Zealots were almost completely exterminated. The Pharisees were basically politically cautious. They didn’t fiercely advocate revolution, and thus survived. But the faction that advocated cooperation with the Romans occupied a large part of Israel's upper class.

Why were the Jewish crowds and the city officials thrown into turmoil when they heard that Jesus was another king? One of the reasons may be that many Jews advocated cooperation with the Romans. It can be said that they were "Jewish traitors”. So, if Jesus (another king) came and if He was able to lead the Israelites in a successful revolt, would they have to liquidate the history of these traitors? And Jesus is really the king of Israel. Not only were these Jews afraid that He would become king, but even his disciples were hoping that He would really be king in order to lead them to revolutionary success and to drive the Romans out and restore Israel's glory. Looking at these two examples, the identity of the Lord Jesus as a Jewish king does bring hope but it also poses a threat to some groups of people.

Although Jesus had already been crucified when Paul preached the gospel, talking about Him as another king of the Jews could have caused another Jewish revolution.  The revolts might have been successful and the Roman advocates would be called traitors.  If the revolution wasn’t successful the Israelites would be brutally suppressed by the Romans again.

 

Therefore, there were valid reasons why the Jews fiercely opposed evangelism. It could even be said that it was a very legitimate reason to protect the Israelites from harm. Those who hold this view believe that the people who were opposing Paul's evangelism were actually protecting ordinary Israelites from the Romans, because the history of the fierce suppression of the Zealots was still fresh in their memory.

It may be for these reasons, plus several others, that these Jews from Thessalonica had gone to Berea to oppose Paul's evangelism. In both places, Paul was forced to leave. Please note that the first time Paul was forced to leave Thessalonica and flee to Berea, he was with Silas. The second time Paul was forced to leave Berea and was escorted to Athens while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. When he arrived in Athens, the one who escorted Paul had taken orders from him and went back to call Silas and Timothy to come over Athens, and left. Here, I guess the person who escorted Paul is just one person, or even if it’s a few people, they were all gone. After Paul was left alone, he encountered a lot of difficulties. Herein lays the problem.

When American pastors and teachers travel to other countries to preach, they spend many exhausting hours on the plane and then often proceed directly to the place they are to preach.   Many times they are already exhausted when they reach their destination. They need to be strengthened by the Lord before they can finish their sermon. Even though we have airplanes and better traveling conditions, a long flight is still exhausting.  If that’s the case, imagine that if you were Paul, and you traveled long distances to evangelize and you were continuously being chased. Now you are alone in Athens, and Athens is full of idols. How would you react?

Let’s look at Paul’s reaction.

Acts 17:16-18 (NIV) says that:

¹⁶ While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸ A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

How should we look at this passage?

The church that I was saved in was more in favor of Paul's work. In my spiritual education, Paul was rarely criticized. But when the Lord led me to look at the teachings of some of the Bible teachers outside the traditions of my evangelical church, I heard some criticisms towards Paul.

I heard a message from Rick Joyner that there are statistics showing that 80% of the Exegetical and Hermeneutical Work of Bible after Martin Luther’s Reformation have been about Paul. Rick saw Paul once in a vision. Paul told him that everyone has highly exalted him. They should not take his work to analyze the four Gospels. Instead, they should use the words of the four Gospels to measure his works.

Rick Joyner also said that Paul’s life has undergone three stages of growth and change. The initial stage seems to be what he said in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians (NIV), “My immediate response was not to consult any human being.” There seems to be some pride in saying these words; but in the second stage, he claims that “For I am the least of the apostles” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 15:9) and “I am less than the least of all the Lord's people” (NIV, Ephesians 3:8); Later he said, “I am the worst sinner of them all.” (NIV, 1 Timothy 1:15). These verses show that Paul had also undergone a process of constant humility.

There is some controversy that arises when reading Paul's work. The controversy revolves around the issue of Paul’s teachings being infallible. Paul is a human being and all human beings are bound to make mistakes. But if Paul was used to write the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, could there be any errors? If you believe that Paul can't be wrong, that doesn't really make sense because humans are bound to make mistakes. If you believe that Paul can be wrong, then how do you decide which subjects he was right or wrong about? This is an issue in particular with the controversy about Paul's prohibition of women preaching. Was Paul wrong to base it on the customs of that time, or were his words the revelation of the Holy Spirit? How we should view Paul’s teachings? Whether Paul is right or wrong in this matter has become a big debate in Christian exegesis. But for now, we won’t discuss the issue of whether women should or shouldn’t preach.

We certainly believe that Paul's words are the revelation of the Holy Spirit, but we also believe that Paul went through a learning process because he experienced failure. Although the Biblical education I received did not say that Paul's experience in Athens was a failure, I have heard other Bible teachers mention that Paul's attempt to win people's hearts in accepting Christ through debating at Athens was a failure. They specifically compared what is written in Galatians 3:5 with Paul's experience in Athens. Paul says in Galatians 3:5 (NIV), "So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?" Here, Paul specifically mentioned that the Galatians started with the Spirit so that they should not fall into the flesh. He preached the gospel by relying on the Holy Spirit. He had also performed miracles to bring the Galatians to salvation.

Let's take a look again at Chapter 17 verses 16-18 (NIV):

¹⁶ While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸ A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

I agree more with the argument that Paul’s debating may not have had good results here. Allow me to explain my thoughts. 

As I mentioned earlier, Paul was chased twice by the Jews. He was accompanied by Silas the first time, and the second time; he was accompanied by an escort. When he arrived in Athens, the person who escorted him went back to assist Silas and Timothy so they could come quickly to Athens. In this interval, Paul was alone. Even if Paul possessed remarkable abilities/powers, he would still feel lonely when he was alone. The Bible tells us “How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight?” (NIV, Deuteronomy 32:30). The principle that God established was to partner us with the body of Christ. At this time, when Paul was left alone, he might have faced an attack and incitement of the enemy.

My personal view is that after Paul experienced the continuous attacks and rejection of the Jews plus the fact that he was left alone in Athens and saw that the city was full of idols, he became greatly distressed. Then I think he started to reason and ask himself, was he still in the spirit? The Bible does not explain this so we do not know for sure. But the view I mentioned before, that is, the result of Paul's hopes of spreading the gospel to the Athenians through debating did not go very well. So Paul's experience in Athens is regarded as one of his failures.

Let me discuss the inspiration that I received during this meeting. It can be said through the word "react" or more appropriately, "to be influenced by the environment". In our spiritual experience as Christians, we should be seated in heavenly places in Christ, but sometimes our flesh or minds are provoked and make us react in our minds and in the flesh. Afterwards, we often regret the experience.

I recently listened to a very early message from an American pastor named Jack Deere about the discipline of the Holy Spirit. He mentioned a very interesting experience that he had. He said that he is a pastor in a not so well-off place in the United States. As a pastor, he is often misunderstood and attacked by others. One day, a female Christian, in a church where he served as a pastor, said to him, "You are just serving as a pastor here for the money." He was very angry and he answered her back. Things like this seemed to happen all the time. He asked the Lord, “What is going on?” The Lord said that this is the discipline of the Holy Spirit. He said, “When will it end?” The Lord replied, "When you can treat those who criticize you with a gentle and kind spirit." Jack Deere is a pastor who moved from the evangelical church to the charismatic movement. He is well-known in the Christian world in the United States. He is also one of the few American pastors I know of that teaches the discipline of the Holy Spirit. Supposedly, he’s also a person who pursues deeper spirituality, but he shared this experience to let us see that a person who pursues spirituality is often influenced by the environment especially when they are not mature enough.

When Jack Deere’s spiritual discipline was more mature, he would respond more gently and lovingly to those who criticize him.

When a Christian is practicing to be more spiritual, we need to learn not to react to the environment or be influenced by the environment. Instead, we should react to the heavenly reality and our communication with the Lord, and out of our position of sitting together with Christ in heavenly places.  Reacting to the environment or what you see will end up pulling you down to the level of the environment itself.

Can Paul’s experience here be pulled down by the surrounding environment? We know that Paul is a man with heavenly experience and vision, but there are times that people become weak, especially when he is constantly attacked by Jews, and his co-workers Silas and Timothy are not beside him to assist him. He might have been very knowledgeable since he received training from Gamaliel, and he was good at debating. After he was enraged in the spirit, his soul also became agitated: "You guys know how to debate, I also know to debate. Your philosophy is great. My philosophy is also very impressive."

As you can see here, not only did he debate with the Jews and God-fearing people, but he has also debated with the people he met in the marketplace every day, and some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers who have argued with him. We are not sure whether Paul is like this, but those who hold the view that Paul has done nothing wrong is untenable because Paul is a human being, and every human being has a process of learning and continuous maturing. In his later years, Paul did not think that he was fully mature yet, saying that “I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” (NIV, Philippians 3:14). If Paul's later years are not fully mature, then Paul's experience should be a process of continuous maturity. The only difficulty is how we see Paul’s continuous maturity process with the help of the Holy Spirit, but at the same time not be affected in accepting the fact that the Holy Spirit has spread the Word of God through Paul's mouth.

Judging from my limited personal evangelistic experience, many times we encounter some atheist Chinese, who often debate with the people who are preaching the gospel. I personally feel that these debates are often not very effective. The best way is to influence them through prayers and testimonies of love. Of course, among many Christians who advocate Power Evangelism, there are many who use the power of the Holy Spirit to let the atheists be convinced. The debate is usually not very effective. Debates often let us fall to the battlefield of the mind, and debates are things that often happen after we have fallen into a reprobate mind. I slowly learned a lesson, that is, when a person is not ready to accept Christ, or the Holy Spirit hasn’t yet reached a point where he has begun to work on the person to open up his/her mind, we don’t need to have too much debate with him/her. Instead, we can silently pray for the person with an attitude of give and take in the service of love. It has a better effect as time passes.

In addition to this it’s important to be spiritually paired with other believers no matter how knowledgeable or spiritual you may be.  Paul knows this very well. But does the absence of Silas and Timothy affect Paul's judgment? Although Paul is an apostle, the Bible clearly says that Silas is a prophet. If Silas is there, will Silas pray to God to get any prophetic revelation on how to do the work of evangelism in the city of Athens? Or if Timothy is there, will he be more eloquent to deliver and preach the gospel? Although Timothy is younger than Paul, we have seen how young people can do many things better in the church. When people who don’t know much about God come to church, the effect when the pastor preaches a profound sermon is often not as good as the testimony of a few Christians who have faith in the Lord from the very start. The latter is more appealing to those who have just come into contact with the gospel.

This is also my personal point of view. I think that Paul may be more suitable to teach those who want to seek and experience the truth on a deeper level, but Timothy may be more suitable to test the waters first in Athens. Their human hearts are not prepared yet for the idol worshipping people so we should let Timothy pave the way through his words. Or let Silas pray to God to see what strategic or spiritual guidance God has, and then find ways to preach the gospel here. But it seems that it wasn’t mentioned here that Paul has received any revelation or God's guidance. Instead, the Bible mentions that he had reacted because he was angry in the spirit. Is this reaction completely from God?  We don't know.

But I think that those who hold the view that since Paul was an apostle, everything he did was right and he didn’t need to seek God's guidance, and he won’t ever make mistakes is untenable. Although Paul was an apostle, he has the ability to make mistakes and will need a process of learning from them. I personally think that Paul should not be in a rush and do things hastily. He should take a rest and wait until Silas and Timothy come to discuss the matter together and then take action. In other words, Paul is too rash here. This may be one of Paul's weaknesses.

Of course, our analysis is not necessarily right, but it can provide us with another idea, that is, to understand the process of Paul's growth in God. Paul was a person, not a God. Did he have any shortcomings? It’s safe to say that it’s very natural for everyone to have weakness. Did Paul have any weaknesses? If what we propose here exposes the weakness of human nature, what is Paul’s weakness? What effect does Paul's weakness have on his ministry?

We don't know the specific weaknesses that Paul had, but it’s impossible for a person not to have any weakness. Even if people don’t have obvious weaknesses, they need to be paired with other believers who have different giftings.  Therefore, the pairing of Silas and Timothy to Paul is very important.

Of course, we are not totally negating the effect of Paul's evangelism in Athens. Although he wasn’t good at convincing the Athenians through debating, he had attracted some people who were seeking the truth.

Acts 17:19-21 (NIV) says: "Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)”

You can see that the explanation in verse 21 is that the Athenians and the foreigners who live there are very busy, and they have no time to take care of other things. So these people took Paul and brought him to Areopagus to talk about these new lessons/ideas which stood out to us. Going back to what we mentioned earlier, Paul may not have the silver tongue of Timothy, or the effect of preaching the gospel to the newcomers or those who are occupied by the world’s affairs, but Paul didn’t fail to attract those who really seek the truth. Paul’s personality may be more suitable to people who are diligent seekers of truth.

Paul spoke a very famous passage in Acts 17:24-27 (NIV) which says that: "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ²⁶ From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷ God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

We have no intention of belittling Paul, and the experience here is also the highlight of Paul's experience in Athens. But I personally don't think that idolizing Paul or assuming that he doesn’t have a process of continuous maturity, is correct. Paul is a human being. When he is continuously attacked and left alone, he will be weak and will be incited by the environment to react. And such a reaction usually pulls us down to the level of the environment or the enemy, letting us lose the commanding heights of victory in Christ. An example is Pastor Jack Deere that I mentioned earlier. When others criticize you, don't rush to react. Instead, rest in the Lord and ask His wisdom and follow his leading to deal these criticisms. Similarly, I think that Paul should not be rash here. He should seek the Lord on how to evangelize Athens which was occupied by idols. He should also wait for Silas and Timothy to come and discuss first before making any decisions. It’s not that Paul has no wisdom, but Paul was constantly attacked and alone. He needs to get a good rest and to be taken care of.

We have a new couple coming to our Bible study. I hoped to give them a prophetic word before the end of our meeting. I prayed to God and asked Him, “Are there any prophetic words to give and bless them?” I heard the Holy Spirit say two names, Aquila and Priscilla. I prophesied by faith that:

I feel that God believes that you are Aquila and Priscilla. They have the same line of work as Paul, but they have also taken care of him. Although Paul is an apostle, the apostles also need to be cared to and helped by people. I feel that God called you to be Aquila and Priscilla to train the Paul of tomorrow, because in this era, God will raise and widely use many Paul-like apostles. God called you to be Aquila and Priscilla to cherish those who are serving as apostles. Whether this person is still your child, or a little brother or sister in your church, God will use you to fulfill them in order to make them become servants like Paul. As we saw in this chapter, Paul also has weaknesses and there are times that he needs help and to be paired with other believers. Paul’s encounter with Aquila and Priscilla was a turning point in Paul’s spirituality, because the couple, Aquila and Priscilla, is very compassionate. They were tentmakers just as Paul was and they had received Paul. We believe that Aquila and Priscilla have tended Paul to a large extent, so after Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, it could be said that spiritually, he became more mature. How God used Aquila and Priscilla to take care of and complete Paul’s ministry, God will also use you two to come along side and complete the Pauls of tomorrow.

I prophesied that according to the principle that “everyone can prophesy” (1 Corinthian 14:31), it’s not because I am a prophet. I was saved in an Evangelical church, but I learned the gift of prophecy after I first came into contact with the American modern prophetic movement in 2015. Of course, I studied five courses at a prophetic school, and their teachings helped me to go and activate this prophetic gift.

I prophesied with inspiration and faith. I don't know if these words are correct for the couple because they didn't give me feedback. However, after other friends who were in the meeting with me verified Acts 18, they began to discover Paul's experience of encountering Aquila and Priscilla. It seems that perhaps, I am speaking by the Holy Spirit. Because when I prophesied, I was not sure when Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, nor was I very familiar with the content of Acts 18.

I hope that when we have the opportunity to read Acts 18, we can learn more about how Aquila and Priscilla have tended and helped Paul with the help of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for reading, listening or watching.  

Bible Study With Jairus - Revelation 1

Bible Study with Jairus-Revelation 1

 

The Perspective of the Apostle John: Christ as Judge

 

Though I’ve read the book of Revelation before, I’ve always found it difficult to understand. I’ve often felt that the last days discussed in Revelation were still far away from the times we live in. But as I reflected on the pandemic, war and other current events, my most recent study of the Book of Revelation has been more enlightening than ever.  As I studied the book of Revelation at a recent Bible study, I began to feel that the things described in it are not far away from us.

 

Although I admit that there are still many things in the book of Revelation that I do not fully understand, I feel that the Holy Spirit has given me a better understanding this time. Though I dare not claim that we are experiencing the end of the age depicted in the book of Revelation, I can nonetheless say that the Day of the Lord is very near.

 

Since 2015, the Lord has revealed to me in visions and prophetic dreams that there will be many great revivals. Many of my dreams featured a great revival of China. But I had absolutely no idea where these revivals would start. Then one day, in a dream, I saw an angel stretching out a huge stick that reached all the way from heaven to the ocean. As the angel began to stir, the waves churned and the ground became unstable. Because of this dream, I realized that a great revival is coming, and it will be accompanied by shaking. God will shake all kingdoms that can be shaken, so that the kingdom that cannot be shaken may be sought and obtained (Hebrews 12:27).

 

This shaking represents judgment, which is one of the themes of the book of Revelation. After the pandemic, I received inspiration in the spirit that the great revival has already begun. Why do I believe this? Because the great revival begins with cleansing and judgment. This judgment begins in the house of God, and it allows the church to mature. When wheat is about to be harvested, exposure to the sun will help it ripen more quickly. In the same way, exposure to judgment prepares the church for the harvest. God will harvest His sheaves.

 

This harvest also includes the judgment and harvesting of the weeds. The wheat of God will be gathered into the barn, and the weeds will be thrown into the fire by the angels. All of this takes place because God the Judge has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22).

 

Although the great revival we are facing may not be the last great revival of the last days, I believe it is nonetheless a preparation for the great revival of the last days. For this reason, I believe that reading the book of Revelation at this moment in history can bring insight and inspiration to our lives today.

 

The Lord Is Our Judge

 

We often say that the Lord is both a lamb and a lion. The first time He came to earth, He came as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He brought grace and delayed his judgment. Jesus clearly said, "I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day." (John 12:47-48).[1] God’s word clearly tells us that the Lord will judge those who reject Him on the last day. Revelation, the last book of the Bible, discusses the judgment of the last days. The Lord, as revealed in Revelation, will be the Judge.

 

 

The Holy Spirit introduced the drama of the book of Revelation in a very creative way. The Bible is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). The Holy Spirit inspired people to write the Bible, so the Holy Spirit is its true author. As a writer and playwright, I have often said that the Holy Spirit introduced the drama and He is the best playwright. If we think of the book of Revelation as a movie, and the first chapter of Revelation as the prologue, what would be the best way to introduce the Judge? I personally think that there would be no better way than to surprise the Apostle John with the appearance of the Judge.

 

John was Jesus' favorite disciple. He often laid in the arms of the Lord and was very familiar with Jesus Christ the Lamb. But just like the disciples whom the Lord Jesus appeared to after His resurrection, John did not recognize the risen Christ at first. Seeing the risen Christ shocked John since he was only familiar with Christ the Lamb. John's visual description of the risen Christ, the Judge, was brand new to John. As the best playwright, the Holy Spirit began the book of Revelation with a vivid and new image of Christ as the Judge, an image that shocked the apostle John.

 

Revelation Of Jesus Christ

 

Let's imagine the book of Revelation as a movie. Let’s follow the playwright, the Holy Spirit, into this earth-shattering show. Even though the Holy Spirit is the playwright, the idea for this drama came through the collaboration of the three members of the Trinity. Jesus Christ said that He would receive truth from the Father and declare it to the Holy Spirit (John 16:15). In the same way, Revelation 1:1 mentions that the revelation of Jesus Christ came from the Father and was "given by God” to Jesus Christ. God told Him that He should show His servants the things that would soon take place. He communicated the message by His angel to His servant John through symbols (Revelation 1:1).

 

The characters in this movie script are the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit; the angels, evil spirits, and devils; saints and sinners; Christ and the Bride, who are united with the Lord; the Antichrist and the great prostitute, who is composed of evil spirits and sinners; dragons and beasts; a woman and a male child. These all comprise the pictorial symbols mentioned in verse 1. We must learn how to understand this symbolic language. I believe I have gained new inspiration about some figurative images, including the sickle and Babylon, which we will describe in detail later. As a preview, let me quickly summarize these concepts. The sickle is a gift from God, and it is up to us to sharpen it. Babylon is a united system of evil spirits and sinners, including but far greater than the fallen system of Catholicism. Babylon includes the fallen religious, political, economic, and other systems in this world. This network of systems devours human minds, hearts, and souls.

 

The language of symbols is the language of pictures. These pictorial symbols often hinder us from understanding the Bible. That’s why it’s so important to understand these figurative images. If you understand the symbols and visual language, you will better understand the entire book of Revelation. An example of figurative language is the saying, “He was shot by Cupid's arrow.” Of course, we don't mean that a person was actually shot. Instead, we understand that this is a figurative way to say that someone is in love. Although the meaning of this figurative language is clear to us today, it might not be clear to a reader thousands of years from now. No longer familiar with the idiom, people may become confused by the references to “Cupid” and his arrow. Similarly, there are many symbols and much visual language ​​in the Bible which were understandable to the readers at the time when the Bible was being written. However, the meaning has been lost in our current culture, making it difficult for us to understand this visual language.

 

In addition, many biblical images were based on spiritual inspiration rather than on historical or cultural idioms that were common at the time. For human beings living in the material realm, it can be difficult to put spiritual realities into words. There may be no physical reality that we can compare the spiritual reality to. It is difficult for our natural minds to grasp. In these cases, figurative language and images can help us express heavenly things that are beyond words.

 

For example, in order to explain how the Holy of Holies in heaven was built, God asked Moses and David to build a tabernacle and a temple that matched the heavenly pattern. The temple itself and the accompanying utensils were pictorial images that represented a heavenly reality. When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year to sprinkle the blood, it was an image of the blood of Jesus which restored fellowship between God and man. When Moses approached the mercy seat, saw God’s glory, and heard Him speak (Numbers 7:89), it represented our ability to draw near the Holy of Holies with boldness through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 4:16). This pictorial representation shows that in Jesus Christ, we can meet with God face to face.

 

Since 2015, God has given me dreams that help me express spiritual realities through pictorial images. In my dreams, I have been taken to heaven, paradise, and other places in the underworld. I saw various images and scenes of the lives of the people there. When I would tell my wife about these things, she would ask, “What is the use of these things?” I said, “These visions of the spiritual world have greatly expanded my spiritual imagination, helping me break through many traditional Bible teachings that limit my thinking. These images help me better understand how God speaks through pictorial languages in the Bible.” I believe that the dreams that God gave me were not useless. They helped me better understand the visual language in the Bible. I believe that the more we understand the figurative images in Revelation, the more we will understand the book as a whole. In this study, we will focus on clarifying these images and the message that the symbols are describing.

 

Preparation to Hear God’s Voice

In Revelation, John heard Jesus speaking to him personally. If we want to learn how to hear Jesus’ voice, we should prepare ourselves like John did. Although some of John’s circumstances were brought about by the sovereignty of God and were beyond his control, we can still learn from John’s example. We can learn about the importance of preparing our hearts before God.

 

Cultivating a Quiet Heart

 

The first way we can prepare our hearts is by cultivating a quiet, undistracted heart. God speaks to us often. But if we are too busy, we may not be able to quiet down enough to hear God speak. For instance, if we are on a crowded bus, and someone steals our wallet, we might not even notice it. But if we are sitting quietly on a balcony, drinking coffee, we could feel the breeze blowing across our faces. That’s why it’s so important to find a quiet environment where we can better hear God's words. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God." But we are often unable to quiet down because we live in a distracted world.

It’s easy to imagine that the Apostle John was also very busy. Perhaps he was very busy with his ministry to the seven churches that he later wrote to in the book of Revelation. If he had not been exiled and put in prison, he might have been too busy with ministry to be able to see this vision. God knew how to quiet John’s heart and mind to receive his word.

 

John was exiled to the island of Patmos. In chapter 1 verse 9 he said, "I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." The island created a quiet environment for John. He was probably exiled because of his faith in Jesus. Now that he had fewer external distractions, he was able to quiet his heart before God and hear his words. On the Lord’s day, he became receptive to the Spirit and heard God’s voice.

 

Letting Go of Rigid Thinking.

Another way we can hear the voice of God is by letting go of our own rigid thinking. Our past experiences with God tend to generate rigid expectations about future interactions with Him. The Pharisees, who claimed to love God and obey His laws, were completely blind to the coming of God in the flesh. They were so wrapped up in their rigid thinking, which focused on outward obedience, that they didn’t recognize Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God. In the same way, our minds, prejudices, and traditions can solidify our thinking so much that we cannot understand God’s leading in a new era. In order to become trailblazers who lead the work of God in a new era, we must let go of rigid thinking and receive the fresh guidance and presence of Jesus.

 

The New Image of The Judge

 

The Lord Jesus has appeared to me several times in visions, but each appearance was unique. No two visions were identical.

 

Once, I was taken to China in the spirit. The Lord Jesus appeared to me, robed with light, and laid His hands on my head. After falling to the ground, I got up. But He was gone.

 

On the last day of 2017, He first appeared to me as an old Chinese lady. Then He took me to heaven in the spirit and changed His form. There, He told me about my calling. Through a glass window, he showed me people going up to heaven. They looked as if they were riding an escalator to heaven. This vision gave me a burden for China's great revival.

 

Another time, I was taken to Japan in the spirit, and the Lord Jesus appeared to me. He healed my hands, which had been wounded from fishing, with a healing balm drawn from the nail marks on his feet. Yet another time, I was taken to heaven in the spirit and saw Jesus’ face and strong muscles up close.  Every appearance has been unique.

 

Testimonies of people with prophetic experiences abound. I have heard others say that every time the Lord appears, He looks different, depending on the amount of light He emits. Sometimes, he appears as a lion, an eagle, or some other manifestation.

 

The appearance of the risen Lord can be in many different forms. Perhaps this is why the disciples did not always recognize him when he appeared after his resurrection. When He appeared to the twelve disciples, to the men on their way to Emmaus, to Mary as she wept by the tomb, or to Peter as he fished by the sea, they did not recognize Him right away. In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ often appears in a specific form that communicates an important figurative message.

 

For example, one day the Lord Jesus appeared to me as an old Chinese lady and led me down the mountain near my hometown. He led me to the entrance of the village. There, I saw some women and children weeping. Then I heard voices saying, “This represents the people in China who are being oppressed by the unfair distribution of wealth.” Suddenly, I saw that a strange currency was about to be unloaded from the bed of a big truck. It seemed to be a huge amount of money, near $200 million. The money was not in US dollars, or CNY. It was in a strange currency. Then I heard voices that said, “The wealth will be redistributed to those who are godly and righteous, so that they can evangelize and transform Chinese society.”

 

Not long after that, the old lady started to take me to heaven in the spirit. I fought and struggled against her with all my strength, because I was worried that I was being deceived by an evil spirit. But her power overcame me. Then she gave me an enormous push from behind and lifted me to heaven, where she transformed into Jesus Christ. He showed me images of people, similar to the images of saints used in the past, and He asked me if I wished to be like them. I cried, “I am willing in my heart, but my flesh is weak. I still have some fleshly weaknesses that I cannot overcome.”

 

During this experience, I was shocked to see a cherub flying toward us. What shocked me even more was that the Chinese saints in glory sang a four-verse hymn together to praise God and to bless and encourage me. Sadly, I cannot remember the lyrics of this hymn. But this experience has greatly encouraged me.

 

 

Many of these spiritual experiences involved figurative images:

• God often uses my rural hometown in China to represent China.
• Coming down from the mountain on the north side of my hometown represents the presence of God who is with me in heaven (represented by the high place on the mountain) and in China (represented by my village). I believe that one day he will lead me back to China.
• Walking to the entrance of the village represents my future return to China.
• The crying women and children represent the oppression of the Chinese church and Chinese people. They are oppressed by evil spirits and evil people.
• The truck represents the gospel and its ministry.
• The huge amount of strange currency on the truck represents the supply of God's rich gospel, as well as His supply of physical wealth.
• Only when I arrived at the entrance of the village did I see this truck, which represents the timing of these supplies, which may only become available when I arrive in China to preach the gospel one day.
• The cherub I saw in heaven signifies a heavenly atmosphere.
• Being taken behind the glass by Jesus Christ shows us that we can see people going to heaven behind the glass, but they can't see us. This means that everything is in the hands of God; He knows everything.
• Jesus Christ showed me pictures of people going to heaven one by one. These are also symbols. They represent the great revival that will bring people’s saved souls to heaven.

 

These figurative images greatly shocked my spirit and also gave me a great burden for the future revival of China and the world. Even the Chinese saints who sang hymns in heaven represented the fact that the great revival in China will be a collaboration between God, the saints in glory, and the saints on earth. This deeply inspires me.

 

This is just one example of a spiritual experience full of visual language that conveyed God's message to me. These images helped me to break through my mental limitations and accept God’s call—a calling that I never dared imagine.

 

Similarly, the image of the Lord Jesus Christ described in Revelation 1 is not a fixed image, but a symbolic image that describes what God will do during the judgment of the last days. The pictures themselves are God's words to the apostle John and the church in the end times. Let's examine the image of the Lord described by the apostle John.

 

The golden lampstand represents the church (1:20). Walking in the midst of the golden lampstand represents Jesus walking amongst the churches and checking on them. The robe that reaches down to his feet does not mean that the Lord wears a robe every day in heaven. Rather, this symbolic image represents holiness, just like the robe that Joshua put on to cover his filthiness (Zechariah 3:4), or the bright, clean linen that the bride of Christ wore, which represents the righteous deeds of the saints (Revelation 19:8).  Once, during a vision, I was standing in line to see Jesus.  While standing in line, I was asked to first put on a robe. This symbol shows us that filthy people cannot see the Lord, but that Jesus bestows on us a robe of righteousness that covers our uncleanness. In figurative visual language, the robe Jesus was wearing in Revelation 1 reminds us of the righteousness of Jesus that covers His body, the church. Although the church is weak and filthy, we are the body of Christ. As such, we are covered by Christ’s righteousness. His holiness and His blood cover our sins and weaknesses. Later verses will mention the specific weaknesses of each church, but for now, we are reminded through this symbolic image that it is God cleansing us. We must not forget that we are more than conquerors in Christ.

 

When I was reading the book of Revelation, I was amazed. The Holy Spirit is truly the best playwright and director! He describes the risen Christ to us like a good director of photography. He starts with a long shot of Jesus wearing a robe, then moves to a medium shot of Jesus with a golden sash, and finally moves to a close shot of Jesus’ eyes and hair. The camera focuses on these characteristics one by one, presenting the image of the risen Lord in minute detail.

 

First, God offers us a wide-angle view of Jesus’ entire body, including a robe reaching down to his feet. Next, the camera zooms in to focus on the Lord's chest, with a golden sash around it. Symbolically, his chest represents love. While he was on earth, John had reclined on Jesus’ chest and in his arms. At that time, Jesus probably did not have a golden sash around His chest, so this vision must have left a deep impression on John. The golden sash on the chest of the risen Christ stood in stark contrast to John’s memory of Jesus’ chest in the past. Jesus had always been God in the flesh, but He was mainly revealed as the Son of Man. Even here, the apostle John calls him the Son of Man (1:13). But this appearance more clearly demonstrated Jesus’ divinity as well. In the Bible, gold represents God’s divine nature. For example, the streets of the New Jerusalem are made of gold. So the focus on the gold sash reminds us of Jesus’ deity.

 

Next, the director’s camera focuses on Jesus’s hair. This close shot describes His white hair as
“white wool, like snow.” These images are symbolic. When Jesus appears to me personally, I often see His hair glowing like His entire body. Sometimes, I don't see His white hair. Some people have seen visions of Jesus with golden curly hair. Each person that sees Jesus, in heaven or in a vision, will not necessarily see the same image John described here. As I said, Jesus is God. He can appear in many forms. John’s description of His appearance is mainly a figurative way to convey the specific message He wants to tell the church.

 

What does his white hair represent? Some say that His white hair represents his eternal nature. I'm not against this explanation. But I feel that the white hair is another way to express his holiness and flawlessness. As the Holy Spirit, our director, reveals more of the risen Christ and the Judge, we are constantly seeing more of His divinity and holiness. In other words, the gentle Lamb the apostle John was familiar with, who was merciful to sinners and tolerant to those who were against Him, has become the Lord who will judge sinners and those who oppose Him. The setting of the Book of Revelation is the last days. Judgment Day is coming soon. Based on the logic of the “director,” we would expect the next shot to reveal more of His judgment. As expected, the next shot focuses on His eyes, which are like a flame of fire. This image speaks of His judgment.

 

The next scene also points to judgment. The apostle John describes the Lord's feet as like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, which is a common symbol of judgment. The furnace speaks of trial and testing. Bronze represents judgment as well. After Korah’s rebellion, God asked Moses to hammer the bronze censers of the rebellious Israelites into bronze sheets to cover the altar, as a lesson for future Israelites.

 

In addition to pictures, movies also use the language of sound, which can make movies more realistic. Through John’s description, we hear the Holy Spirit’s depiction of the voice of Christ. It sounded like the roar of many waters. What does the sound of many waters represent? Judgment. We often refer to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, which is like a gentle maternal reminder. However, a strong rebuke from your mother is more like the sound of many waters. It stuns you and motivates you to obey out of fear of punishment.

 

One time, when I was taken to heaven in the spirit, I experienced the “sound of many waters” for myself. In the vision, I was waiting in line to see the Lord. I was so excited that my heart wanted to jump out of my chest. While waiting, someone gave me a robe to put on and told me to wait there. As I was entering the room where the Lord was, I found that I could not stand up. I fell backward to the ground. Then I heard the voice of the Lord, like the voice of many waters, saying, "Get up.” I immediately gained strength, stood up, and entered the room to meet Him. The voice of the Lord was so rich and powerful that it could not be described in words. The enemy can’t mimic His voice. Hearing the voice of the Lord is truly shocking and terrifying!

 

The seven stars in Jesus’ right hand also speak of judgment, because the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches (1:20). Jesus not only walks among the churches (represented by the golden lampstands), but He also judges His churches and angels first. The sharp two-edged sword that comes out of His mouth represents His judgment. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” His face is like the sun shining in full strength, which shows that harvest time has come. The sun has facilitated the drying of the wheat.

 

With each new scene of this powerful drama, emotions continue to build. The apostle John is already completely overwhelmed. The gentle lamb he knew on earth had become the lion of the tribe of Judah. John saw that Jesus was the King. The Father had given Him all authority to execute judgment!

 

In the next shot, John fell at Jesus’ feet as if he were dead. John, the apostle who used to lie in the arms of Jesus like a baby, now fell at His feet as though dead. If even the apostle John could not bear the appearance of the glorified and holy Lord, how could we sinners bear it? No wonder the Bible says that the coming of the Lord will great and dreadful (Malachi 4:5)! We will never be able to stand before Him if we do not repent and are not covered by His holy robe!

 

The Seven Stars and The Seven Lampstands (The Church) are also Symbolic

 

The seven stars are also symbols of judgment. Why do I say this? Let’s imagine the Lord Jesus walking among the golden lampstands, holding the seven stars in His hand. He expressly states that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and that the golden lampstands are the seven churches (1:20). Although John briefly mentions that he is addressing his letters to the seven churches (1:11), he also expressly states that the letters are written to the angels of the seven churches (chapter 2-3). In other words, the angels of the seven churches are the overcomers of the seven churches. The Lord is speaking to the overcomers in every church.

 

Daniel said, "And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever." (Daniel 12:3). We are all stars, and we must shine like stars. The Book of Proverbs says, "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day." (Proverbs 4:18). As stars, we must keep shining brighter and brighter until the full dawn appears. Revelation 1 mentions that the face of the Lord Jesus was like the sun shining in full strength. As believers, we are destined to be conformed to the image of Christ, who is like the midday sun. This is not something that one person can do on his own. But when each of us shines like a star, we can collectively become like the midday sun.

 

A brother made a wise observation. He said, “Elijah, the greatest prophet in Israel's history, appeared during the reign of Ahab, the worst king of Israel. A king is like the moon. If the moon is bright, the stars are less visible. But if the moon is not visible, the stars will shine brightly. In the same way, a good king doesn’t need a prophet to remind him to follow God. But during the reign of a bad king, the prophet's star will be very bright.”

 

This is a great insight. We as the church are the royal priesthood of God. Collectively, we are both kings and priests. When we fall into sin, we no longer give light to the world. The lamp is put under the bushel; the salt loses its taste, and the function of the Old Testament king is destroyed. Therefore, the prophets of this age (the overcomers, also called the angels of the church) must shine more brightly. They must shine like stars and illuminate the dark church and the world.

 

The seven stars in the right hand of the Lord Jesus are symbolic. After the Lord Jesus was resurrected, He sat down at the right hand of God the Father. Therefore, the right hand of God represents the exaltation of God. Being held in His hand is also symbolic language. It signifies that He is holding the seven stars tightly. He will never let go of the prophets and overcomers of this age (the angels of the churches). God will not give up on his church! God’s judgment begins with His church and the angels (overcomers) of His church. The letters in Revelation 2 and 3 were clearly addressed to the angels of the seven churches. This is something I had never noticed before. I had thought the letters were written to the church, but the Holy Spirit shows me that the recipients of the letters were the angels of the seven churches (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3: 1, 7, 14).

 

The Lord is calling His overcomers from the seven churches to overcome every weakness and attack of the enemy. If they cannot overcome them, the Lord will remove their golden lampstands from their places. In other words, if the light of the church is weak, and the overcomers can no longer conquer their weaknesses and sins, they will no longer shine like stars. Their golden lampstands will be completely dark.

 

We will continue to share more symbols and figurative images ​​in Revelation 2 and 3. I hope that this introduction to symbolic images in the book of Revelation will help you understand the entire book of Revelation so you can see where God is moving today.

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

 

Bible Study With Jairus - Summary of Revelation

Bible Study with Jairus - Summary of Revelation

 

The Turning Point of the Book of Revelation: The Arrival of the Bride of Christ

 

 

The purpose of Revelation is to produce the bride of Christ. When the bride of Christ arrives, Jesus Christ and His Bride will have a wedding feast (Revelation 19). Ultimately, God will judge Satan, evil spirits, and sinners, and cast them, along with death and Hades, into the lake of fire. But until this ultimate mission is accomplished, the negative experiences of judgment exist to help the church spiritually mature and become the bride of Christ. This is what Paul said in Romans 8:28: “For those who love God all things work together for good.”[1]

 

Chapter 12 is a turning point in the book of Revelation. Before Chapter 12, God is judging the church to bring about its maturity. However, after Chapter 12, the church begins to judge the fallen angels and evil spirits. The Bible says, "Do you not know that we are to judge angels?" (1 Corinthians 6:3). The overcoming bride of Christ (represented by the woman and the male child) will judge angels on behalf of the church. The battle becomes fierce, and the final tribulation begins. 

 

Before his rebellion, Satan's mission was to lead all things to worship God. Later, he rebelled against God and failed to fulfill his mission. God created human beings to replace Satan as the ones who would lead others to worship God. Although Satan tried to tempt man and destroy this purpose, the bride of Christ ultimately triumphs over Satan’s temptation. Conquering believers are well qualified to judge Satan and evil spirits.

 

In Revelation 12, the bride of Christ arrives on the scene. The bride gives birth to a male child (the overcoming believers). To fight against them, Satan's persecution becomes intense, and the tribulation begins. During the tribulation, the battle between Christ with His bride and Satan with his prostitute continues. In the end, Christ and His bride will win the ultimate victory, ushering in the end of the age. This is the summary of Revelation.

 

The Cycle of Seven in The Bible

 

Seven is a very important number in the Bible. It reveals the way God has arranged the universe. God created everything in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested. Similarly, he has invited his people to work for six days and to rest on the seventh day (Genesis 3:19).

 

This cycle of work and rest points to a greater truth. When man first sinned and rebelled against God, they lost their rest in Him. Now, we must accept six days of God’s discipline as we learn obedience through suffering. We then hope to find His rest on the seventh day.

 

This continuous cycle of seven is the basic structure of life. The Old Testament not only teaches us to rest every seven days, but also every seven years. The Israelites were permitted to sow their fields for six years, and in the seventh year, they were commanded to rest. This is yet another example of the cycle of work and rest. It points to the fact that God will lead his people to find rest.

 

I believe that if the Israelites had kept the weekly Sabbath and Sabbath year, there would be no need for the Year of Jubilee. But this was not the case for the Israelites. Many Israelites lost their land or were sold as slaves before the Year of Jubilee, so God created the Year of Jubilee to save them. After the seven sets of sabbath years came another cycle of seven to reach the Year of Jubilee. After seven times seven years, in the fiftieth year came the Jubilee, where all lands that had been sold must be returned to their original owners and all slaves must be freed. This represents God’s ultimate salvation.

 

Daniel's vision concerning the fate of the Israelites also contained seventy “sevens.” Seven “sevens” represented the time it took to rebuild Jerusalem. Sixty-two “sevens” described the time from when Jerusalem was rebuilt to the time the Messiah was killed. These events have already happened. The last seven represents the last seven years mentioned in the book of Revelation. The next time period, which lasts three and a half years, is the great tribulation. But there is a long period between sixty-two “sevens” and the last “seven”, which biblical scholars call the "Age of Grace." No one knows how long this period lasts, but we know it will be a continual repetition of seven days (Sabbath), seven years (Sabbath years), and 49 years (Year of Jubilee).

 

In addition, the Israelites had seven feasts every year: the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. We will not discuss the first six feasts here, but we’ll take the time to look at the seventh: the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles was a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing after the wheat had ripened. This feast represents the wedding feast of the Lamb and His Bride in the Book of Revelation. God is our tabernacle and will be with us forever. Therefore, the seven feasts of Israel also point to God's final plan in the book of Revelation. If we understand the number seven, the seven feasts, and the prophecies containing the number seven, we will better understand the book of Revelation. The end of Revelation is the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles.

 

The Cycle of Seven in The Book of Revelation

 

The basic structure of the book of Revelation contains several sets of sevens. Let’s look at seven of those!

 

1. Seven golden lampstands (Revelation 1:12). The golden lampstand is an Old Testament type that prefigures Christ. It is a vessel in the sanctuary of the tabernacle of God. There are seven lamps on the golden lampstand. The high priest is responsible for lighting the lamps of the golden lampstand and refueling them so that the light of the golden lampstand may shine continually. The golden lampstand represents the church (1:20), and seven is a “complete” number, a representation of all churches. Remember, the golden lampstands in the Old Testament were made of gold. Gold represents God’s divine nature. So, the seven golden lampstands speak of the eternal, heavenly nature of the church.

 

2. Seven stars and seven spirits. I believe the seven spirits are closely related to the seven stars. Why do I say that? First, John’s letter to the seven churches is a revelation from God the Father (1:4, The one “who is and who was and who is to come”), the Holy Spirit (1:4, “the seven spirits who are before His throne”), the Lord Jesus Christ (1:5, “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth”). This heavenly vision is the joint work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
   
   When Jesus Christ was walking among the golden lampstands, He was holding seven stars in His right hand (1:16; 1:20). John explained that the seven stars were the angels of the seven churches. Who were the angels of the seven churches? People have different opinions about this. Some people say that they were the overcomers of the churches; others say that they were the angels who represented the churches. I personally feel that the overcomers, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, will appear as seven stars. Why? First, the angels of the church are probably not literal angels. If they were, they could receive commands directly from God. Why would John need to write letters to the seven angels of the churches? Daniel specifically said, "He who turns many to righteousness shall shine like a star" (Daniel 12:3). This is why I believe that the seven stars are believers who turn others to righteousness.
   
   Second, when John wrote to the church in Sardis, he mentioned that Jesus had “the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.” In this verse, the seven spirits and the seven stars were placed side by side. Jesus Christ never left his throne, even when he was walking among the lampstands. Therefore, the seven stars in his hand are the same as the seven spirits before his throne. When we read about the Holy Spirit sitting before the throne of God in heaven, he appears as seven spirits; when we read of the Holy Spirit at work in his church on earth, he appears as seven stars. The Spirit manifests himself through the overcomers who are filled with his spirit.
   
   Who are the messengers of the church? Are they the overcomers? Or the Holy Spirit? I think that they are the spirit-filled overcomers. Why do I say that the seven stars are the manifestations of the seven spirits? The Holy Spirit is the essence of the church. He is the Comforter sent by the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church. Jesus is the reality, content, and representative of the church, and the Holy Spirit is the perfecter of the church. Andrew Murray said that the work of the Holy Spirit is to complete what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross in the life of each believer (in the life of the church).

 

The Holy Spirit is the essence of the church. We come to the Father in one Spirit and have constant fellowship with Him through Christ (Ephesians 2:18). "He who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." (1 Corinthians 6:17). The fellowship of the Holy Spirit is at the core of the church. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14). The church is filled with the fullness of the Triune God. Therefore, the seven stars may represent those who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

Third, the Lord Jesus is the High Priest, who walks among the golden lampstands to trim the wicks and add oil. The seven spirits and the seven stars represent the oil and fire in His hands, so they are all manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as both oil and fire. When we barbecue, we use both firewood, lighter fluid (oil) and a spark of fire to ignite the wood. The spark will turn into fire, and the fire will ignite the fuel and the firewood, which will make the fire stronger. The spark, the fire, the oil, and even the wood (a representation of our sacrifice) are united in purpose. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is the spark that ignites our love, the oil that fans it into flame, and the wood that keeps our passion burning (2 Timothy 1:6). This is why I believe the seven spirits and the seven stars are two aspects of the same Holy Spirit.

 

3. Seven churches. This description reminds us of the earthly side of the church. Although the church is infused with the divine gold of heaven, we are still earthly in many ways. Even though Jesus Christ sees the church as a perfect bride without spot and blemish (Ephesians 5:27), on earth it is still full of blemishes, spots, and wrinkles. As Lord of the Church and Lord of Heaven, Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God for the sake of his church (Hebrews 12:2). He sees the eternal perfection of the church. But in the here and now, inside of time, the church still needs refinement. That is why Jesus sent seven letters to the seven churches (Revelation 2-3), to point out areas where they needed refinement.

 

4. Seven seals (Revelation 4-8). The fourth seven is closely related to the third seven. The third seven (seven letters to the seven churches) reveals the earthly side of the church and the ways it needs to be refined. The fourth seven (seven seals) speak of seven disasters, seven purifying fires that will burn the church and take away its earthly dross. As Peter said, "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.” (1 Peter 1:7). God’s judgment revealed in these seven seals is the consuming fire of His seven spirits and seven stars.

 

Let’s examine a few seals in detail. The Gospel (represented by the white horse in the first seal) may be the purifying fire that refines the church in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus had left its first love. Once a church stops preaching the gospel, it will be filled with infighting and internal friction and will gradually lose sight of its first love. Meanwhile, a church that zealously preaches the gospel will often be full of love for God.

 

Jesus' letters to the seven churches are assessing and diagnosing the seven churches, measuring their spiritual temperature and symptoms to determine the correct remedy. The seven seals are the remedies to deal with the unique and varying problems of the seven churches. I had never noticed this connection before. It was only during our recent Bible study that I received this inspiration from the Holy Spirit. There is no way that Jesus would have mentioned the problems of the churches without providing a solution to the problems in the following verses. Our Lord is a Lord of provision. He not only informs us of our problems but also provides solutions to our problems.

 

Between the sixth and seventh seals, God gave John an encouraging vision so that the believers would not lose hope. He shared that 144,000 Jews were sealed and that there was a great multitude in heaven serving God. What could be more inspiring? Trials often tempt people to lose their faith, so God specifically asked John to share this encouraging vision between the sixth and seventh seals. Why between the sixth and the seventh? We’ve previously noted that seven is a number of perfection, completion, and ultimate fulfillment. Not only is there an encouraging vision between the sixth and seventh seals, but there is also an encouraging vision between the sixth and seventh trumpets, and also between the sixth and seventh bowls in the great tribulation. All of these passages follow the same principle.

 

5. Seven Trumpets. The seven seals and the seven trumpets take place before the appearance of the woman and the male child in Revelation 12; they usher in the coming tribulation. In other words, the seven seals and seven trumpets help produce Christ's bride and overcomer. The seven trumpets bring more judgments, including the judgment of the land, sea, rivers, sun, moon, stars, those who do not have the seal of God, one-third of mankind, the dead, and so on. The vision between the sixth and seventh trumpets shows that even though God allowed the Gentiles to trample the temple, the two witnesses appeared to testify of God’s truth. Believers in trials would learn that God was still sovereign, even if the earthly temple was trampled. They should not be discouraged.

 

6. Seven years, 3.5 years of tribulation. The 3.5 years of the tribulation period began after the bride of Christ began to judge evil spirits. Satan tried his best to persecute the church (the woman) because the time for his judgment by the bride of Christ was near. But she gave birth to overcomers (the male child). This birth process is what Jesus referred to as labor pains. At this time, God and angels helped the church fight against the team of evil spirits and sinners led by Satan and gain the victory. Before the Great Tribulation began, God harvested the firstfruits (true believers) while the angels harvested the tares (false believers). Of course, there were also many martyrs. The bride of Christ continued to mature through suffering as Babylon the Great was thrown down.

 

The book of Revelation can be divided into two parts. Before chapter 12, God helps the church mature through various judgments; after chapter 12, the mature Bride of Christ continues to fight against the enemy and eventually judges fallen angels and evil spirits.

 

7. Seven Bowls. These bowls represent the ultimate judgment of God. During the bowl judgments, sores appear on the worshipers of the Antichrist; seas, rivers, and springs turn into blood; the sun scorches people with fire; the kingdom of the Antichrist becomes darkness; the great river Euphrates dries up; a great earthquake takes place; and great hailstones fall. Between the sixth and seventh bowl judgments is a vision that encourages believers. This vision depicts the preparation for the final battle of Armageddon. God reveals his plan and encourages believers that they will be victorious if they persevere.

 

The Ultimate Seven Brings Jubilee

 

After the seven bowl judgments, the book of Revelation depicts the destruction of Babylon, the marriage supper of the Lamb, the battle of Armageddon, the imprisonment of Satan, the coming of the millennial kingdom, the last rebellion of Satan, the Great White Throne judgment, the New Heaven and New Earth, the New Jerusalem, etc. At this point, God's judgment is finally complete. Death and rebellion are cast into the lake of fire, and believers reign with God forever and ever. This is the ultimate seven, which is the reality that the Sabbath, the Sabbath year, and the Year of Jubilee point to. It is also the end of human history.

 

Although I discussed seven sevens in this article, there may be even more sevens in the book of Revelation. The Bible is full of continuous cycles of sevens. Human history is not limited to a linear timeline of 7000 years. Instead, our history culminates with the ultimate Sabbath, an eternity of rest and completion.

 

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

 

Bible Study With Jairus - Leviticus 7

Bible Study with Jairus - Leviticus 7

The functions of offerings: Reinforcement and reduction

 

In past lessons, we’ve mentioned the significance of the order of the offerings in Leviticus 1:1- Leviticus 6:7, as well as the different order in Leviticus 6:8-7:38. In addition, I believe the different offerings represent different functions. Some offerings (grain offerings, burnt offerings) were for reinforcement, while others (sin offerings and guilt offerings) were for reduction. Let me explain what I mean.

 

Reinforcement and reduction are concepts in traditional Chinese medicine. Through reinforcement and reduction, we achieve balance. Our body reaches a balance of yin and yang. I believe the essence of the peace offering is achieving a balanced state, in which there is reinforcement and reduction.

 

Many people may have difficulty understanding this concept. Let me give a metaphor from Western Medicine. When our white blood cells carry away waste and help our bodies fight infection, this is the function of reduction. When our red blood cells carry oxygen, supplying us with life, this is the function of reinforcement.

 

In the same way, the sin offering and the guilt offering remove our sins and transgressions, helping us “reduce” unhealthy things. The burnt offering and the grain offering, on the other hand, provide positive life and nourishment. The grain offering not only pleased God but also provided food for the priests. The food provided God’s life supply to the priests, which is “reinforcement.” The sin offerings and the guilt offerings (“reduction” offerings), as well as the peace offerings, grain offerings, and wave offerings could all be eaten by priests, which is the effect of "reinforcement". Such "reduction" and "reinforcement" allowed the priest to simultaneously cover their sins and receive God’s life supply, thus achieving a balance.

 

Just like we have to maintain the balance of yin and yang within our bodies to keep our bodies healthy, we need spiritual balance to maintain a healthy spiritual body. We need “reduction” offerings to remove our sins and “reinforcement” sacrifices to nourish us with spiritual bread so we can grow and mature.

 

What are reinforcement and reduction?

 

Reinforcement and reduction are concepts of traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine believes that a healthy body lies in the balance of yin and yang. The balance of yin and yang is also related to qi. For example, the qi from sun and food is positive whereas qi from cold or wind is negative. If there is more negative qi than positive in our body, it is necessary to reduce the negative and reinforce the positive, so that our body can maintain balance and be healthy.

 

Although I have only a limited understanding of traditional Chinese medicine, I want to use traditional Chinese medicine to create an analogy. Many people in the West believe that concepts such as yin and yang and qi belong to the metaphysics of Eastern culture. But from my limited understanding, they are a good picture to help us understand spiritual things.

 

We know as Christians that the church is the body of Christ. Does this body need a balance of yin and yang? When Satan and sin attack us, it reminds us of being assaulted by freezing wind. This negative qi must be reduced. Meanwhile, Christ’s redemption (represented by the offerings) represents positive qi. The more Satan attacks, the more we need to nurture an awareness of Christ’s redemption.

 

 According to the theory of Chinese medicine, qi exists and operates in our bodies, but it is invisible. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. He is invisible, but he operates within the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the Helper sent by the Father in the name of Jesus Christ (John 14:26) to give us heavenly "positive qi.” Through him, we have access to the Father in one spirit (Ephesians 2:18). Through the Holy Spirit, we are convicted of sin (John 16:8). He applies Christ’s redemption personally to our lives. The Bible says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17). His work is in line with the work of Jesus.

 

Jesus Christ became our redeeming sacrifice which takes away our sins. The Bible says, "the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil” (ESV, 1 John 3:8)[1]. This reminds us of the concept of reduction. The work of reduction comes first, as our sins are removed through Jesus’ blood.

 

In addition, Jesus Christ is the bread that came down from heaven (John 6:58). He is the spiritual manna, the holy food for us to eat. This reminds us of the concept of reinforcement. The work of reinforcement is a further step in our Christian growth that manifests the glory of God.

 

If we understand the spiritual meaning of the five basic offerings, it will help us apply God’s truth to our everyday lives. The purpose of the offerings was not external obedience, but internal intimacy with God. The offerings were a living illustration of the removal of sin and the pursuit of fellowship with God. God’s purpose was to remove the worshipers’ sins so they could return to God and get to know him better. If you have accepted God’s gift of redemption through the blood of Jesus, God wants you to maintain fellowship with Him and grow closer to him. In this way, you will be filled with His holiness and glory. Redemption through His blood is the foundation. Intimate fellowship is the goal.

 

 

The five basic offerings in the Old Testament can all be categorized as either reduction or reinforcement. The sin offering and the guilt offering are for reduction, that is, taking away our sins. The grain offering and the burnt offering are not only offered to God, but also given to the priests to eat. This nourishing supply reminds us of the concept of reinforcement. Although the burnt offering is burned entirely, it benefits the worshiper by giving them a practical way to please God and receive his blessing. The peace offering represents both reduction and reinforcement at the same time. It not only includes a sin offering and guilt offering (reduction), but also a grain offering and wave offering (reinforcement). These offerings help us achieve spiritual balance.

 

Many people express doubts about the existence of qi and the concept of yin and yang because they cannot be seen or touched. But those who have experience in traditional Chinese medicine can verify through their experiences that the balance between qi, yin, and yang is real. Qi represents the Holy Spirit. His work is invisible and intangible, but we can feel his presence in our spiritual experience. When the Lord Jesus talked about the work of the Holy Spirit, He also likened it to the wind. He said, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8).

 

In Chinese acupuncture, practitioners hold the needle in the right hand and rotate it in a clockwise direction to achieve reinforcement. On the other hand, when they want to achieve reduction, they rotate the needle in a counterclockwise direction. Many people in the West accept acupuncture, but they may not know that a different rotation of the needle will have a different effect. Acupuncturists use different rotational methods to help adjust the patient’s balance of qi, yin, and yang, which they believe will treat the patient’s disease.

 

Just like acupuncturists seek to achieve balance, we as God’s children also need balance. To use an analogy more familiar to a Western audience, our white blood cells remove waste products from our blood, while our red blood cells transport oxygen to our body. In the same way, some offerings (sin offerings and guilt offerings) remove sin and waste from the worshiper’s spiritual body, while other offerings (grain offerings, burnt offerings, wave offerings, heave offerings, and peace offerings) please God and supply us with His divine life. The offerings remind us of the importance of not only reducing evil (removing sin) but also increasing goodness as we unite ourselves with God’s divine life. When we achieve balance, we will become spiritually healthy.

 

 

 

The function of the burnt offering and the grain offering

 

Burnt offerings are entirely burned to God to please Him. Whether it was Noah offering clean animals as sacrifices or Abraham offering Isaac, both were to please God. The grain offering contains a portion that is burned to God, and this portion pleases God. But the rest was reserved for the priests as their food, the staff of life. The food was holy in order to help the priests become holy. After we offer burnt offerings to please God, He begins to share food with us through the grain offering. This is the function of reinforcement. But reinforcement is not enough. For example, if a vessel is unclean and if you put food in it, you will contaminate the food. Therefore, the laws of the sin offering and the guilt offering are needed to cleanse the vessel.

 

The function of the sin offering and the guilt offering

 

Before you cook a meal, you first wash the dishes, pots, and pans you will be using. In the same way, the sin offering and the guilt offering remove the impurity from our vessel so we can receive the nourishment God wants to give. We must clean and detoxify our vessels first. Only after the poison of sin and transgression has been removed can we receive the nourishing, reinforcing spiritual food that God wants to give us.

 

Using another metaphor, God wants to remove the weeds from the crop. If we add fertilizer before the weeds are removed, the weeds will get an extra boost. If we put the fertilizer on first, it will be wasted. In the same way, we should remove the sins from our lives before nourishing ourselves with God’s spiritual food.

 

Leviticus 6 ends with the regulations regarding the sin offering, and Leviticus 7 continues to discuss the guilt offering. Although the main purpose of the sin offering and the guilt offering is to reduce, they also reinforce. Both offerings were also used as food for the priests. Speaking of the sin offering, Leviticus 6:26 says, "The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting." Speaking of the guilt offering, Leviticus 7:6 says, "Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy."

 

Furthermore, Leviticus 7:8-10 says, “And the priest who offers any man's burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered. And every grain offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared on a pan or a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it. And every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall be shared equally among all the sons of Aaron.” I had not noticed before that the priests could use the skins of the burnt offering and eat the bread of the grain offering (reinforcement). These verses show us that God provides for us when we serve him.

 

As you can see, both the sin offering and the guilt offering have a reinforcing effect as well as a reducing effect. Although a given offering’s main goal may be reduction or reinforcement, they all may share both purposes. Let’s consider the example of acupuncture once again. When the acupuncturist rotates the needle, he rotates it to the left or the right at each acupuncture point. In different situations, he either reinforces or reduces the qi, to help keep the patient’s body in balance. In the same way, God used the offerings to simultaneously take care of sin and provide a blessing to the priests.

 

 

The peace offering is all-inclusive

 

 

In Leviticus 1-5, the peace offering is discussed in the middle of the list of offerings. But in chapters 6-7, it is mentioned last. I believe it comes last because it is an all-inclusive offering. It includes the sin offering, the guilt offering, the grain offering, the wave offering, and the heave offering. This is one of the reasons why the law of the peace offering is placed at the end of the list of offerings.

 

The peace offering is all-inclusive. First, it includes the bread of the grain offering (Leviticus 7:12). The sacrifice of the peace offering is also burned on the altar of burnt offering (Leviticus 3:5, 4:10). So, does the peace offering include an offering that removes sins? Though this is not mentioned explicitly, the law of the peace offering comes directly after the law of the sin offering and the guilt offering, so I believe the peace offering is rooted in the atonement.

 

The peace offering represents completion. After God removes our sin and we receive his life supply, we meet with God in a state of yin and yang balance. The peace offering represents the intimacy that Moses shared with God: "The Lord and Moses met on the mercy seat of the ark, and there the Lord spoke to Moses" (Numbers 7:89). Before Moses could meet God in glory and hear Him speak, the blood must be sprinkled on the mercy seat (Numbers 7:89).

 

In the same way, we can come boldly to the Holy of Holies (the throne of grace) through the blood of Jesus. We are not only covered by Jesus’ blood (the fulfillment of the sin and guilt offerings), but we also hear God speaking to us in glory (the fulfillment of the grain offering). The peace offering includes these two aspects. On the one hand, our sins are removed so that we can draw near to God. On the other hand, we are filled with His divine nature and glory. The peace offering reveals that as God removes our sins and supplies us with his love and provision, we can achieve a state of peace with Him.

 

The difference between the wave offering and the heave offering

 

The heave offering and wave offering are discussed in Numbers 8 and Exodus 30. Numbers 8:11 records that Aaron offered the Levites as a wave offering to the Lord. Exodus 30:11-16 states that the Israelites who were numbered were to offer half a shekel as a heave offering to atone for their sins. The rich should not give more, and the poor should not give less. From these two scriptures alone, we can surmise that the heave offering was used for basic atonement, while the wave offering represented further and deeper devotion.

 

Numbers 18:26 also mentions that the Levites were to tithe on the money they received from the people. They were to offer their tithes as a heave offering to the Lord. God seems to give more regulations regarding the heave offering than he does the wave offering. The Levites could offer their tithe to God as a wave offering, perhaps speaking of deeper holiness and devotion.

 

There are many similarities between the heave offering and the wave offering. I don’t fully understand the differences between them. As God continues to give me an understanding of the spiritual meaning of these offerings, I hope to share the insights he gives me.

 

Conclusion:

 

The purpose of the sacrificial regulations was to not only remove sin (sin, guilt, and heave offerings) but also to please God and supply spiritual food to the worshiper (burnt, grain, and wave offerings). The first group of sacrifices reminds us of reduction, which removes the obstacles that hinder our fellowship with God. The second group of sacrifices reminds us of reinforcement, which deepens our fellowship with God. Through eating the heavenly food God gives, we can become partakers of His divine nature and be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. First comes redemption, then transformation. These two aspects are shown clearly in Romans 5:10: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

 

 

Bible Study With Jairus - Deuteronomy 5

Bible Study with Jairus - Deuteronomy 5

 

Moses reiterates the significance of the Ten Commandments

 

In Deuteronomy 5, Moses restates the Ten Commandments. Today, we will discuss several topics related to God’s law:

• The differences between the Ten Commandments recorded in Deuteronomy and in Exodus
• Whether God's law will punish our children for their parents’ sin to the third and fourth generation
• How Christians understand the role of the law
• The differences between His nature and His guidance.

 

The original intent of the Law was to provide protection for God’s people, especially the Israelites, and to ultimately introduce them to Christ. The Law is the guardian that protects us. It is like a sheepfold that protects the sheep through the winter. When Christ came, we were set free from the ceremonial laws, just like sheep are let out of the sheepfold when spring comes. We may bravely step out of those protective ceremonial laws and enter His pasture.

 

Although we live in the age of grace and no longer in the age of law, many Christians act and think as though they are still restricted by the law. Therefore, it’s critically important to understand the spiritual meaning of the Ten Commandments and the Law and to understand the difference between God’s nature and His guidance.

 

Differences between the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy and in Exodus

 

The Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20 are repeated in the book of Deuteronomy, but there are slight differences between the two passages. Here are two differences I’ve noticed.

 

First, Exodus 20:10 says, "But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates."[1] In Deuteronomy, the passage reads, "But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.” Deuteronomy mentions an ox and donkey. Perhaps the Israelites acquired some oxen and donkeys during their journey through the wilderness. In addition to the general mention of livestock, Deuteronomy places special emphasis on the ox and the donkey.

 

Second, Exodus 20:17 says, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife, or his servant, or his handmaid, or his ox, or his donkey, or all that he has." But Deuteronomy 5:21 reads, "And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." The word "field" appears in Deuteronomy, whereas it does not appear in Exodus. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, so they probably owned no land; while wandering in the wilderness, they also owned no land. But when Moses reiterated the commandments in Deuteronomy, the Israelites were preparing to enter the promised land. They were about to cross the Jordan River and enter the land of Canaan, where they would begin to own land. Perhaps this is the reason “field” is added in Deuteronomy.

 

Why do these records of the Ten Commandments contain subtle differences? Perhaps the addition of oxen, donkeys, and land would bring more trials to the Israelites, so they needed more specific instructions. Perhaps these subtle differences reflect changes in culture and time period. We know that many of the Old Testament passages quoted in the New Testament come from the Septuagint (Greek) translation of the Old Testament, and there are slight differences between the Greek translations and the original Hebrew texts. God’s original intention does not change much, though. The application of His words is relatively flexible in different situations.

 

Will the law of God punish the sins of our children to the third and fourth generation?

 

Perhaps you have heard pastors quote Deuteronomy 5:9 to prove that children will be punished for their ancestors’ sins. Some pastors say, “When a person sins, encounters misfortune, or has bad luck, it is because their parents or ancestors sinned, as the law of God said: ‘You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.’ (Deuteronomy 5:9).” Is this understanding correct?

 

I believe that in the New Testament, this is not correct. Galatians 3:13 says: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” Since Christ became a curse for us, the curse of sin was removed. So how do we respond to the many people who pray to break generational curses during Deliverance and Inner Healing Ministries? Is praying to cut off family ties or generational curses biblical? I think it is. Let’s look at this topic from several angles.

 

Since we are in Christ, all sin is taken away, but each person still has to repent to be saved. Through our act of repentance, we receive Christ's work on the cross and apply it to our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Likewise, when we pray to break a generational curse, we apply Christ’s curse-removing work to ourselves.

 

The modern church does not pay attention to the work of Deliverance Ministries or of prayer to cut off generation curses. By and large, the church has not removed Satan’s strongholds in these areas. Satan and evil spirits have established strongholds through human sin. These strongholds may be in the hearts of the sinners themselves or in the hearts of the people who are hurt by them. In other words, it's not that the family curses are still alive, but that our own sins and the sins of our ancestors have opened the door for evil spirits to attack us. It is not that God continues to punish us for the sins of our ancestors, but that evil spirits continue to attack us by taking advantage of the weaknesses brought about by our sins.

 

An American prophet, Cindy Jacobs, told a story that provides an excellent example of this concept. She said that she was suffering from depression, so she prayed and asked God to heal her. God then inspired her to forgive one of the board members in the church where her father was serving as a pastor. She resented the board member because of what happened in a board meeting that was discussing whether to increase her father’s salary. The board member not only refused her father’s request, but also said something unpleasant about him. Cindy happened to hear about it and has since hated this man. The Lord revealed to her that her depression was the result of her accumulated hatred toward this person. So, if she wanted to be healed, she would need to forgive this person. In this example, although it was a church board member who hurt her, not her father, the board member can also be counted as one of her elders. His actions or sins hurt her, and her unforgiveness provided the conditions necessary for the evil spirits to build strongholds in her heart, causing her to suffer from depression.

 

As the Lord instructed her, Cindy apologized and forgive him. And she was healed. The same scenario can take place between us and our parents. Our hatred and unforgiveness give evil spirits an opportunity to attack us. When our parents sin against us and hurt us with their words or actions, our unforgiveness and pain opens the door for spiritual attack. This is not to say that God is punishing us for our parents’ sins, but that we must free ourselves from the effects of those sins through active forgiveness. That's why the Lord's Prayer places so much emphasis on the need to forgive others.

 

Andrew Park, a Korean-American theology teacher at United Theological Seminary, proposed a unique theological theory of "hatred" (or HAN). He said that because the Japanese have hurt many Koreans, many Koreans are full of hatred towards the Japanese, and this hatred has twisted the hearts of many Koreans. He proposed that for sinners, all they have to do is "repent", which is an aspect of salvation. For those who have been hurt by sin, all they have to do is "forgive," which is another aspect of experiencing God's salvation.

 

Let’s look at the history of the Japanese invasion of Asian countries. The Japanese have not repented, so this unrepentance opens the door for evil spirits to attack their descendants. The suicide rate in Japan is very high. Do Koreans also give evil spirits a chance to twist their hearts because they are unwilling to forgive? The answer is yes. This is not to say that God is punishing the sins of the third or fourth generations in Japan and Korea, but that the enemy has come to destroy and kill (John 10:10).

 

When David sinned, he repented and God forgave his sin. But God still said that his sin gave Jehovah's enemies a great opportunity to blaspheme Him, so his child must die (2 Samuel 12:14). It appears that God punished David's son for his sin. But I believe this is a special case, because Ezekiel 18:20 clearly says, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

 

How Christians Understand the Role of the Law in the New Testament

 

How should Christians understand the role of Old Testament law in our Christian life today? Is the law completely outdated? Or can we still refer to the Old Testament law as we grow in our New Testament faith? The Bible says Christ is the end of the law (Romans 10:4), so should we abandon the Old Testament law? The Lord Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished." (Matthew 5:17-18). How do we understand Jesus’ words? Many Christians are confused by these questions.

 

First, the role of the law is to introduce people to Christ and help them find Him. When a person finds Christ, the law’s role as guardian is fulfilled. After finding Christ, believers should fix their eyes on Jesus Christ Himself rather than on the law. But this is not to say that the law has lost its effect in helping people know Christ. The law is the word of God, and the word of God reveals His unchanging nature and principles. However, God's leading revealed by His word is always new and fresh. The moral law of God is unchanging, but the ceremonial law can be removed. The so-called ceremonial law mainly refers to the Jewish regulations for keeping the Sabbath. In the New Testament, Jesus demonstrated that he had set aside some of these ceremonial laws. He did not strictly observe the Sabbath; He even healed the sick, saved people, and provided food on the Sabbath.

 

Second, we must view the law correctly. Although many people have abandoned external laws such as observing the Sabbath, they are still psychologically restricted by the observance of the Old Testament Law. They believe that after they are saved, they must continue to obey God’s external laws: they should not have long hair, wear short skirts, use jewelry, or disobey the traditions of the church. Even though they acknowledge the New Testament, their way of thinking is restricted by the Old Testament. Let me cite a simple example. In the Old Testament, priests were the only ones who were allowed to enter the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. Ordinary Israelites were not allowed to come close to God. However, in the New Testament, all believers have become priests. We all have access to the Holy of Holies through Jesus Christ, and we can all draw near to God. However, Catholics still believe that the members of the clergy are the only ones who can draw near to God, like the Old Testament priests. Only after Martin Luther's reformation did believers realize that everyone could read the Bible and serve God as priests.

 

In the same way, in the Old Testament, only prophets prophesied, but in the New Testament, Paul says that we can all prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:31). I have seen Paul’s teaching being practiced in some of the churches in the Pentecostal Movement. But many traditional evangelical churches cannot accept this. Instead, they emphasize that there are no prophets today; therefore, not everyone should prophesy. Their way of thinking has not changed from the Old Testament way of thinking. In the Old Testament, prophets could only prophesy accurately when the Spirit of God came upon them outwardly. But in the New Testament, the Spirit of God lives within us to inspire us. When He inspires us, we speak this inspiration out loud. Sometimes, we mix our own thoughts and emotions with God’s inspiration, so sometimes there may be biases. The mode of the Old Testament Prophecy is "visitational". Samuel and Saul could prophesy only after being baptized by the Holy Spirit. But the mode of the New Testament Prophecy is "habitational." After receiving the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we speak his words out loud. If there are mental and emotional obstacles that cause us to make mistakes, we need to get closer to God so that we can be a better outlet for His words.

 

These examples help us see that although we live in the New Testament era, we often continue to think in an Old Testament way. Similarly, although some Christians live in the New Testament age, their knowledge of God and His law may still be in an Old Testament mode. In the New Testament age, we still need the Old Testament law, but our level of knowledge of God's law needs to match the level of teaching in the New Testament. The Old Testament Law gives us the spiritual history of the Israelites. It is a rich heritage for us to inherit. But in the New Testament age, when we have the help of the victorious Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, our knowledge of the law and our historical heritage should no longer be blind acceptance.

 

Third, we must recognize how Christ enables us to keep the law. Metaphorically, the law is the road, Christ is the vehicle, and the Holy Spirit is the GPS. Let's imagine that we want to get to New York from Washington DC. We have to have a road, such as I-95. But we also need to have a car. Furthermore, we need to know how to get around, so we need a GPS. The law is the road, the limits set by God. We cannot go beyond it, just like we can’t cross the shoulder of the road. But we can't get to our destination just by having the road. We must have a car, which is Christ. After God has prepared the road (the law), He provides the vehicle (Christ) at the right moment, because the end of the law is Christ (Romans 10:4). When we are born again, we enter this vehicle. Can we walk from Washington to New York? While technically possible, it would be terribly difficult. Similarly, being justified by keeping the law in the Old Testament is theoretically possible, but most people find it difficult. So, God has prepared the vehicle (Christ) to help us reach our destination. After the ascension of Christ, God also sent the Holy Spirit to guide us to our destination. Although I have the vehicle (Christ), I will not be able to reach New York if I don't know how to get there. So, the Holy Spirit guides us as our GPS.

 

If someone says that New Testament believers don’t need the law because Christ has come, it's like saying that once we have the vehicle, we don't need roads. No, we need roads, vehicles, and also a GPS. God (the Father) is our road, since the law is given by the Father, and the law manifests the Father’s goals and purposes. Christ is our redemption and our vehicle; no one can reach the destination (heaven) without Him. Of course, Christ is also our road, because He and the Father are one. But we still need the Holy Spirit as a Comforter or GPS to guide us throughout our lives and keep us from going astray. On a trip to New York, we need the road, the car, and the GPS every minute of our journey. This is a wonderful picture of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working together in our sanctification.

 

Conclusion:

 

We must let go of our black-and-white conceptualization of the law. We cannot separate the law of the Old Testament from the reality of the New Testament. We must become partakers of the divine nature (revealed in the law; see 2 Peter 1:4) and be conformed to the image of Christ (see Romans 8:29). We must also be joined to the Lord in One Spirit (the guidance of the Holy Spirit, see 1 Corinthians 6:16).

 

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

 

Bible Study With Jairus - Acts 22

Bible Study with Jairus - Acts 22

The Nature of Radical Conversion: Why Do Some People Change and Some Do Not?

 

Acts 22 tells us how Paul was radically converted after his encounter with the Lord. Saul had received a letter from the high priest Caiaphas, giving him permission to arrest the Christians in Damascus. But on the road, he encountered the Lord and was converted. His name changed to Paul. Saul, who formerly opposed the gospel, was now a powerful preacher of the gospel. The light of the gospel removed the veil from Saul's heart.

However, the next chapter tells us that high priest of Israel was still blinded by the veil. He ordered his servant to strike Paul on the mouth. The High Priest Ananias was not converted. His attitude toward the gospel did not change, because the legalistic religious atmosphere of his day created a veil over his heart.

Jesus commanded Paul to leave the hostile religious environment in Jerusalem and preach to the Gentiles, because his testimony would not be accepted in Jerusalem. I believe that abandoning empty religiosity and receiving the light of Christ can help us get rid of the veil that blinds our hearts. It will help us experience a wonderful transformation in our lives.

Religiosity Is Like A Veil Covering Our Hearts

In Acts, there was a new high priest. The man in charge had changed, but the attitude of the priests toward the gospel had not changed. Both the old high priest and the new high priest persecuted believers. Why is this? It is because the atmosphere of empty religiosity was so strong in Jerusalem. This type of lifeless religiosity formed a veil that covered the hearts of the Israelites so they could not see Jesus’ glory or get to know God (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). It was a stronghold of the evil one.

Paul knew this very well. He said, "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (ESV, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5).[1] Such strongholds must have existed among the Jews, and these strongholds prevented them from knowing God.

Our hearts are like mirrors. Because our hearts are contaminated, we cannot reflect God’s light accurately. So it is very important to get rid of empty religiosity and remove the veil from our hearts.

This removal involves two changes. First, we need to humble our hearts. But this is often difficult to do, because we are all influenced by the environment. It is very difficult to escape its influence. The religious atmosphere is like a dusty room. If the mirror is placed in this room, dust will accumulate and eventually cover the mirror, preventing it from reflecting light. The same is true of our hearts. When our hearts are constantly influenced by empty religious teachings, the dust of legalism will eventually cover our hearts.

In Acts 28, Paul told the Jews who did not believe in the gospel, “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: ‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’" (Acts 28:25-27).

Paul said that their hearts had grown dull. There was a veil covering their hearts. Paul mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3 that when the Israelites read the Old Testament, the veil was still on their hearts. But when their hearts turned to the Lord, the veil was removed (2 Corinthians 3:15-16). The same thing can happen in any Christian community. When we accept too many traditional teachings, these teachings become a hindrance to our knowledge of God's new leading and enlightened truth.

Staying Away From Empty Religiosity

In Acts 22:18, Paul said, "I saw the Lord say to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’" Why did Jesus tell Paul to get out of Jerusalem quickly?

God is very tender-hearted and merciful. He is not only merciful to sinners, but also to those who are stuck in old religious mindsets. They are trapped inside old wineskins, afraid that the new wine will burst the old wineskins. Every new movement of God is often persecuted by those involved in the previous movement. But this does not mean that God will completely abandon the people He used in His previous movement. These people tend to prefer old wineskins; they don't want new wineskins. But new wine must be put in new wineskins; otherwise the old wineskins will burst. In the same way, God will raise up new apostles and move to create new wineskins to store the new wine. This is why he asked Paul to leave Jerusalem, the place which was saturated with religiosity. He didn’t want him to be trapped in “old wineskins.”

Paul Needed To Leave Jerusalem To Receive The Light Of God

I believe that God could have appeared to Paul while he was in Jerusalem, because His light is strong enough to pass through all veils and obstacles as well as all strongholds that prevent us from knowing Him. However, I believe the fact that Paul encountered Jesus while he was on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus is very meaningful. Despite the power of God’s light, I believe the strong religious atmosphere in Jerusalem still blocked God’s light to a certain extent. Galatians 2 tells us that Peter and Barnabas were influenced negatively by the atmosphere of religiosity. Peter used to eat with the Gentiles, but after the people from Jerusalem arrived, Peter was scared. He stopped eating with the Gentiles, and even Barnabas went along with Peter’s fear-based response. Clearly, religious culture had a great influence on them.

In the same way, it is difficult to break through the grime of tradition and receive the light of God while we are still stuck in a suffocating religious environment. One of the reasons is that long-standing religious teaching covers our hearts with a layer of dust. When we are stuck in one denomination, we are unable to see the light of God’s truth shining through other denominations. The teachings we receive may be partly biblical, but also partly based on man’s tradition. Human tradition becomes a factor that prevents our hearts from being illuminated by God. It is a grueling process to separate truth from error and to clean the grime off the mirror of our hearts.

I went through such a grueling process when I left a traditional evangelical church to study at a charismatic church. My traditions told me that some of the teachings and practices of the Pentecostal Movement were wrong. My church had unknowingly instilled in me the idea that my denomination’s teachings were most biblical. But in reality, the teachings of my denomination were a mixed bag. There was truth mixed with traditions and the teachings of man. These traditions and teachings of man greatly limited my thinking and left me unable to learn from and recognize the abundance of other churches. The pride in my own denominational teaching and the fear of being influenced by the wrong teachings of others kept me from stepping out bravely, learning and accepting the abundance of others.

But I was forced by my new environment to gradually learn new perspectives. I realized that each denomination has a different kind of abundance. These are all things that I slowly learned after I left my original church and started attending a different church. To supersede the limitations of thinking that one denomination teaches us, we must dare to leave that denomination. Going to another denomination will teach us different perspectives that will help us widen our horizons. I found that many brothers and sisters who did not have the opportunity to study outside their denomination are still stuck in the same mode of thinking and cannot go beyond its limitations.

Many denominations do not encourage believers to go to other churches to learn different teachings. They mainly use intimidation to prevent this from happening. They use threats to control believers. They lock believers into their own denominational sheepfold. However, just as plants need to be interbred, believers of different denominations also need to communicate with each other. We need to break down the barriers between us and supersede our denominational limits. We can learn from the abundance that God has bestowed on other members of His body. One day, the Lord appeared to me in a dream and specifically mentioned convergence. He told me that the different denominations should converge. I personally believe that this is His work in this age.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many believers were unable to go to in-person church gatherings. This situation made it difficult for many Christians to understand God’s will. Gradually, many believers began to turn to online gatherings and started to listen to sermons from preachers of other denominations. Many heard messages they would never have listened to if they had been busy with in-person meetings. Christians began to listen to the messages and preaching of a variety of pastors. I was saved in the Local Church movement (LCM). Several LCM believers told me that during the pandemic, they privately listened to messages from Charismatic preachers on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and tongues. They even practiced praying in tongues in an attempt to be filled with the Holy Spirit and receive more vitality. Another believer from the LCM told me to send my doctoral dissertation on convergence to a leader of the LCM, hoping that God would inspire him to accept this vision.

I believe the Covid-19 pandemic is a big reset from God. God allowed this to come upon us to break the habits and routines the church had been stuck in for many years. At the beginning of the pandemic, many churches hoped that it would end as soon as possible, so that they could get back to normal. But gradually, they discovered they would never be back to normal. Recently, I heard that a Chinese church stopped all online gatherings and asked believers to return to church in person. But many Christians had already been exposed to the teachings of many different pastors during this period. Their eyes had already been opened. Churches may be worried about attrition, but that's not what God is worried about. What God wants to do is to break down the walls between our denominations so that believers can accept convergence.

Rigid Thinking and Refusal To Change

In Acts 22:1-21, Paul testified about how Jesus appeared to him. Paul told the Jews that the Lord told him to go to the Gentiles to preach the gospel. This made the Jews very angry. They threw off their cloaks and flung dust into the air (vs. 23). The Jews rejected the idea that Gentiles could be saved. They could not receive God’s light and new leading because of their rigid thinking.

 

In the same way, many believers are stuck in rigid thinking patterns. If someone criticizes or goes against their beliefs, they feel threatened. They will do everything in their power to prevent this. For example, I was blessed by some concepts I learned in the Pentecostal Movement, and I shared them with a brother in the LCM movement.

He told me, “God's intention is one church, one city so it is wrong for you to leave the LCM to join the Pentecostal Movement.”

I told him, “There is much to learn from the Pentecostal Movement.”

But because of his rigid thinking, he was unable to accept my testimony. Instead, he condemned me. During my thirteen years in the LCM, I firmly believed in the “one church, one city” teaching. But upon reflection, I found that this teaching did not have the effect the LCM movement desired. The teaching of “one church, one city” did not actually lead to the unity of the body of Christ. Although this teaching is a beautiful ideal, it has not been practically effective. Yet this teaching is one of the most basic dogmas of the LCM as a Christian group. If they abandon this teaching, it may have very negative consequences for the group, and even lead to its collapse. But taking too firm of a stance on this issue will not give the believers the chance to be exposed to truths from other denominations. Such rigid thinking will greatly hinder people from accepting God’s new leading.

What God is doing in this age is convergence. Keeping the believers in the sheepfold through rigid thinking does not please Him, and will cause churches to lose the presence of the Holy Spirit. I personally think this is one of the reasons why the LCM has become more cold and spiritually dead in recent years.

In addition, some people think that "tongues are of the flesh” and that "spiritual gifts are useless". Their rigid thinking patterns prevent them from learning from the truths revealed by God throughout the 100-year history of the Pentecostal Movement. I am not saying that there are no problems that need to be corrected with regard to the teaching and practice of the Pentecostal Movement. But I must say that the root cause of the division between the Pentecostal Movement and evangelicals is that the evangelical church has not been able to recognize God's many new revelations about the Holy Spirit and his work and gifts. Some Evangelical churches are rigid in their thinking. If they systematically study the development of the Pentecostal Movement, accept the truths revealed by God through them, and then continue to critique and improve their Christian brothers and sisters, they will bring about the unity and growth of the church. Therefore, evangelical and charismatic churches must converge. The breakthrough lies in the humility of evangelical churches and their willingness to learn.

When we hear a testimony, we often have one of two reactions. If the testimony is thought-provoking, we may allow it to challenge our rigid thinking. Or we may choose to condemn and reject the testimony based on our rigid teachings. Some Jews accepted Paul’s testimony, while others rejected it because of their rigid mindsets. Although some people rejected my testimony, others took it into consideration and began to study spiritual gifts privately. God revealed to me in a series of dreams that the LCM would eventually receive the baptism and gift of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for them to break free from rigid thinking and gain a vision for convergence.

Our Hearts Ultimately Decide Everything

All of these decisions are determined by our hearts. If our hearts are purely devoted to God, we will not be bound by fixed traditions. Instead, we will be open to bravely learning new things.

Although Paul once had a veil over his heart, he loved the Lord with all his heart, and God eventually removed the veil from his heart and brought him into His destiny. But the priests’ hearts had grown dull, so they rejected the testimony that God gave them through Paul. This reflects a heart problem.

We must test our hearts. Are we afraid of man or God? Are we afraid of going against tradition, or are we afraid of losing our share of God's work in this current age? Our hearts ultimately determine our choices. God judges us according to what is in our hearts. May every Christian bravely break through the rigid thinking patterns handed down to them by their denominations. May we bravely take steps of faith, and not miss out on the greatest work of God in this age: convergence. The great revival is coming. Don't be a part of the group who is opposing God’s work. Convergence will bring together the abundance that each denomination has to offer. It will prepare the church to be a vessel for God’s great revival. May God have mercy on us.

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

 

Bible Study with Jairus - 2 Corinthians 1

Bible Study with Jairus - 2 Corinthians 1

 

1 Corinthians Is Spiritual Milk, while 2 Corinthians Is Solid Food

 

The book of 2 Corinthians helps believers gain a deeper understanding and experience of God as they grow in their spiritual lives. If 1 Corinthians is spiritual milk for infants, then the book of 2 Corinthians is full of solid food that boosts spiritual growth. I believe that 2 Corinthians is a continuation and expansion of the ideas presented in 1 Corinthians.

 

The book of 1 Corinthians dealt with several problems of spiritual immaturity, such as overemphasis on spiritual gifts (ch. 14), overemphasis on knowledge and truth (ch. 15). People on both sides needed to become more spiritually mature. 1 Corinthians 16 talks about Stephanas, a spiritually mature man. This content bridges naturally into the content of 2 Corinthians.

 

The book of 2 Corinthians teaches about spiritual maturity. Chapter 3 tells us that when we turn away from the law and toward the Lord, the veil is removed from our hearts. As we learn to know the Spirit of the Lord, we gain freedom. Our hearts become like mirrors that reflect the glory of the Lord as we are transformed into his image (3:16-18). These verses speak of a Christian's deeper experience in his spiritual life.

 

After Paul dealt with the problems of spiritual immaturity in his first letter to the Corinthians, he began to lead believers into a deeper spiritual life and experience in 2 Corinthians. He told readers that this deeper spiritual life and experience was inseparable from the training of suffering. Paul shared his experiences of suffering many times in 2 Corinthians, telling the Corinthian church how these experiences had led him to become spiritually mature.

 

Summary of the Last Three Chapters of 1 Corinthians

 

Let's briefly analyze the link between the last three chapters of 1 Corinthians and the first chapter of 2 Corinthians.

• In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul dealt with those who were overemphasizing spiritual gifts. He encouraged them to not only pursue spiritual gifts, but also to care about others’ feelings and more importantly, to pursue love.
• In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul dealt with those who were opposed to spiritual gifts and who were biased against the truth of resurrection because of their excessive pursuit of knowledge and truth and their lack of experiences of the risen Christ.
• In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul highly recommended a man named Stephanas. He was baptized by Paul and was one of the first converts in Achaia. Apollos had also preached the gospel in Achaia, where he was helped and welcomed by the brothers. So Stephanas may have been a convert of both Paul’s and Apollos’ joint ministry.

 

Of course, there were many problems presented in 1 Corinthians, but when Paul dealt with these problems one by one, he provided solutions to their problems. The solutions were unity and love, which are two important themes of 1 Corinthians. (See the studies on 1 Corinthians for an in-depth explanation of these themes.) In 1 Corinthians, Paul dealt with the believers' spiritual immaturity. The goal of 1 Corinthians was to free believers from spiritual infancy.

 

2 Corinthians 1 Continues the Train of Thought of 1 Corinthians

 

The book of 2 Corinthians continues the same train of thought. Although Paul also wrote several other letters to the Corinthian church, God sovereignly allowed them to be lost. However, the book that was preserved (2 Corinthians) continues the train of thought from 1 Corinthians.

 

In 2 Corinthians 1:1, we read that Paul and Timothy wrote to the church of God in Corinth and to the saints in Achaia. This verse is very interesting. As I mentioned earlier, Stephanas probably became one of the leaders of the Corinthian church. This is very important. When a church has a good leader, things go more smoothly. Since Stephanas was saved in Achaia, he probably had close ties with the saints in Achaia. Perhaps Stephanas played a very important role in bringing change to the Corinthian church.

 

According to the introduction of the "Comprehensive Bible Prayer Reading Website" (cmcbiblereading.com), the background of 2 Corinthians is as follows:

 

Paul first came to Corinth during his second missionary journey in A.D. 50-51. He worked with Aquila and Priscilla, preached the gospel there for a year and a half, and established the church (Acts 18:1-18). After Paul left Corinth in A.D. 51, he wrote the first letter to the Corinthian church, telling them to "have no fellowship with fornicators" (5:9-10), but this letter has been lost. During Paul’s stay in Ephesus on his third missionary journey, Chloe’s people brought a message that there was division in the Corinthian church (verse 11), and the church also wrote a letter to him (1 Corinthians 7:1), hoping that Paul would give them some guidance on problems. Paul may have written a second letter at Ephesus in A.D. 54, and 1 Corinthians as his answer (1 Corinthians 16:8-10; Acts 19:22). Later, the situation in the Corinthian church continued to deteriorate. Paul may have traveled directly from Ephesus to Corinth by boat (2 Corinthians 1:16), making a second brief visit to Corinth (2 Corinthians 13:2; Acts 20:2). The visit was not very pleasant at the time. Afterwards, Paul wrote a third letter that was severe (2 Corinthians 2:4; 7:8), which was delivered by Titus, but was also lost. Later, Titus brought the news to Macedonia, saying that everything was alright (2 Corinthians 7:6-7). Paul was thus overflowed with joy and wrote the fourth letter in Macedonia in A.D. 56, which is "2 Corinthians" (2 Corinthians 2:12-14; Acts 20:1). After this, Paul probably visited the Corinthian church for the third time (2 Corinthians 12:14; 13:1), and wrote the book of Galatians and Romans in Corinth in the winter of A.D. 56-57 (Acts 20:3).

 

This summary helps us see that although the Corinthian church had some problems, Paul worked tirelessly to help them. Through his efforts, their lives were transformed. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready.”[1] Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians were addressed to the fleshly believers who were so spiritually immature that they could only drink spiritual milk.

 

What is spiritual immaturity? In addition to the sins of the flesh (competition, sexual immorality and gluttony, mentioned in the first few chapters of 1 Corinthians), spiritual immaturity also includes two additional aspects.

 

• The first aspect is the excessive pursuit of spiritual gifts described in 1 Corinthians 14. Even today, some believers pursue spiritual gifts but neglect love and spiritual growth.
• The second aspect is the overemphasis on truth described in 1 Corinthians 15. Though these Christians pursued knowledge and truth, they lacked a personal understanding of the risen Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. They may have even been against it. We see this problem in many traditional churches. In Chinese terms, these people are only “cultural Christians.” They lack a personal experience of Jesus.

 

The first type of church tends not have a solid foundation in God’s word and are more are easily deceived by the winds of teaching. The second type of church is often overly concerned with knowledge and truth, which leads to dogmatism and legalism. They often are against the work of the Holy Spirit. And they easily condemn others as heretics. These two extremes cause problems in Chinese churches and American churches alike.

 

It may surprise you to learn that these errors are a manifestation of spiritual immaturity, not of maturity. Paul told the Corinthians that it was difficult for him to lead them into deeper spiritual life and experience since they were stuck in immaturity. But the path toward maturity was inseparable from God's training through suffering.

 

A Deeper Spiritual Life and Experience

 

After the believers’ spiritual immaturity was addressed in 1 Corinthians and the lost letters to the Corinthians, Paul could finally give the believers some solid food in 2 Corinthians. The solid food is not only obtained through suffering, but it also provides the sustenance we need to survive suffering. This concept is described in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11.

 

In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul says that the life of Christ within us gives off the "aroma of Christ" (2:14) to those around us. This aroma brings life to some and death to others. When we testify to others, some believe in Christ and are brought back to life, while others oppose Christ and are left to die. What a privilege it is to represent Christ in this way. Jesus told his disciples, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld." (John 20:23). This does not mean that we have the authority to forgive like God does. Rather, it means that God has given His authority to the church, and he has entrusted us with a tremendous responsibility. When we as Christians demonstrate a consistent Christian testimony to the world, others often believe in Christ as a result of our witness. When Christians do not have a testimony and do not love one another as what Jesus taught, the world stumbles and cannot see that we are His disciples (John 13: 35).

 

2 Corinthians 3 tells us that God can remove the veil from our hearts. When our heart turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Our hearts are like mirrors that reflect the glory of the Lord and transform us into His image. This is why Paul said believers are to imitate him as he imitates Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

 

2 Corinthians 4 talks about treasure in jars of clay (4:7). Although we are weak on the outside, we have a treasure within us, the resurrection life of Christ. Regardless of the difficulties we face in in our external environment, the resurrection life of Christ can help us be victorious.

 

2 Corinthians 5 tells us that we are new creations in Christ (5:17). Once we are saved, we are new in Christ. Yet many people do not live in the full knowledge and experience of this truth. Instead, they continue to live in past sins. So, Paul taught them not to look at past failures, but to look at the victory that was theirs in Christ.

 

In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul encourages believers not to associate with idols, because believers in Christ are incompatible with idols and darkness. Instead, believers should pursue holiness (6:14-17).

 

2 Corinthians 7 continues to talk about the believer’s pursuit of holiness. In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul encourages believers to give generously to God’s work. In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul teaches believers to destroy strongholds (10:4). In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul tells the believers to remain pure because they are pure virgins betrothed to Christ (11:2). In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul shares his experience of being caught up to the third heaven, and uses his own experience to testify about Christ. In 2 Corinthians 13, Paul explains that Jesus was crucified in weakness, but resurrected in power. When we are weak physically, we can be strengthened spiritually (13:4-9). Paul uses his own spiritual experience to teach the Corinthian believers to enter into a deeper spiritual experience. Paul shares his experiences of suffering as well. These sufferings trained him and helped him become spiritually mature.

 

Suffering is an Important Ingredient for Spiritual Maturity

 

Suffering is an integral part of our journey toward spiritual maturity. The book of Hebrews says that even the Lord Jesus learned obedience through the things that He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). Hebrews 12 tells us that God’s discipline, though painful, bears the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11).

 

Suffering has a positive effect on a person’s spiritual maturity, just like the storms encourage trees and vines to grow deeper roots. Once the sun comes out, we can see the benefit of these harsh weather conditions. The deeper the roots of the plant or tree, the more vigorously it can produce rich fruit.

 

Therefore, after a brief greeting in 2 Corinthians 1:1-2, Paul talks at length about suffering (vs. 3-11). His words about suffering are intense. Paul shares that the suffering he endured in Asia was so great that he felt that he could no longer live (vs. 8). His trust in God, who raises the dead, was the only way he was able to endure this great suffering.

 

Although Paul also talked about God's comfort to believers who are suffering, this chapter gave some harsh truths. This “solid food” was not easy for immature believers to accept. But the readers of 2 Corinthians had grown considerably in their spiritual lives, and they were able to handle solid food.

 

The more we mature, the more we are able to handle suffering. After I dedicated myself to God, the difficulties in my life increased. God sent these difficulties to help me crucify my flesh, so that I could learn to experience the cross of Christ. These trials helped me grow spiritually. They helped me become more deeply rooted in the life of Jesus.

 

Around 2016, I experienced a breakthrough in my personal life. Our prayers were answered by God. Not only did we give birth to a miracle baby, but I also received the baptism of the Holy Spirit that I had been longing for. I once heard Brother Derek Prince say, “The most obvious manifestation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not prophesying or speaking in tongues, but increasing difficulties.” My experience has proved this to be true. After receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the evil spirits began to attack me even more. My own flesh and the people around me began to attack me, causing never-ending trouble. But these troubles and difficulties were actually tools in God’s hands, helping me grow spiritually and learn more humility.

 

The Holy Spirit Guarantees a Rich Spiritual Life

 

In 2 Corinthians 1:20-22, Paul tells us that all God’s promises are Yes in Christ. Because we are joined to Christ, we are given His Spirit as a guarantee. What does this mean? It means that God’s promises are more amazing than we can imagine. He can do more than we ask or think. But when we are spiritual infants, we often do not access these promises or manifest them in our lives.

 

God has given us many promises to enjoy in Christ. But in order to experience them, we must grow spiritually. The seal of the Holy Spirit within us is like a sample, similar to the soil sample we get when we buy land. We need to not just settle for this sample, but to dig deep into all the riches we have in Christ.

 

I believe that the United States' spiritual decline is a result of the church’s decline, which in turn is a result of the decline of every Christian's faith and spiritual life. The decline in Christians’ spiritual lives comes from the fact that they never matured spiritually. They lost the power of their witness; their lights did not shine and their salt lost its flavor (Matthew 5:13-14).

 

I believe the fundamental reason for the degeneration of American society and the church is that American believers are not mature enough. This is the reason why anti-God forces can run rampant in the United States, even though the majority of the population professes Christianity. The teachings of 1 Corinthians are very important for the spiritual growth of today's Christians, and for breaking away from the fleshly life.

 

Therefore, we urgently need to study these two letters, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. In them, Paul reveals a wealth of wisdom that helps us deal with the flesh, leave behind spiritual infancy, and enter a state of spiritual maturity. This is the theme of 2 Corinthians. As we study the rest of the chapters of 2 Corinthians, we will continue to explore how Paul's teachings can help us become more spiritually mature.

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.