![Being the Church as the Golden Lampstand in Reality by Drinking the Spirit [photo credit: Joseph Barber]](https://i0.wp.com/agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/white-flower-looks-right-the-church-is-gods-expression-in-the-universe.jpg?resize=447%2C316&ssl=1 "Being the Church as the Golden Lampstand in Reality by Drinking the Spirit")
Most of the major truths in the Bible are recorded in a seed form in the first 5 books of the Old Testament, they develop and grow throughout the Bible, and they consummate in the book of Revelation at the end of the Bible.
Matters such as the tree of life, the river of water of life, God’s desire to be man’s life, a marriage, precious materials, the serpent, man’s fall and God’s redemption, etc are all sown in the first books and they develop throughout the Bible, consummating in the book of Revelation – either in the New Jerusalem or in the lake of fire.
The lampstand is “sown” in Exodus 25, it is growing and developing in Zechariah 4, it has a harvest and increase in Revelation 1, and it is consummated in Rev. 22 with the New Jerusalem, the eternal and ultimate golden lampstand shining out God through man in the whole universe.
We are now in the process of growth and development, the process of God’s increase and expression in humanity.
Today we need to see the vision of the golden lampstand, it’s significance and development, and we need to drink the Spirit, live by the Spirit, and minister the Spirit to others for God’s testimony, His expression!
The Lampstand Typifies Christ, the Spirit, and the Church
The golden lampstand is mentioned significantly in three places in the Bible: one in Exodus, another in Zechariah, and the last in Revelation.
In Exodus 25:31-40 the golden lampstand signifies Christ Himself as the embodiment of the Triune God.
In Zechariah 4:2-10 the golden lampstand signifies the Spirit – “not by might nor by power but by My Spirit” (v. 6) – specifically the sevenfold intensified life-giving Spirit, who is the reality of Christ.
The seven golden lampstands in Revelation 1:12, 20, signify the local churches as the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit.
In Exodus we have the seed, in Zechariah we have the growth, and in Revelation we have the harvest. Christ is the golden lampstand, and Christ became the life-giving Spirit; now the Spirit has been intensified sevenfold to be the golden lampstand!
Today on earth the churches are the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit as the golden lampstand!
The one lampstand in Exodus has been reproduced, duplicated, and increased to become the many lampstands, the many local churches. These lampstands are identical – the same in nature, essence, shape, and every respect.
Christ as the unique lampstand was reproduced in humanity in the many local churches to be the many lampstands as the corporate expression of the Triune God.
The Church is the Reproduction of Christ and the Reprint of the Spirit
The church is not merely the ekklesia, the gathering of the called out ones. The church is not a building, a movement, a social gathering, or even only the new man, the Body, the kingdom, the bride, and the warrior.
The church is a shining lampstand, the corporate reproduction of the very Triune God.
God is embodied in Christ, Christ is realized as the Spirit, and the local churches are the many lampstands as the reproduction and duplication of Christ.
Brother Witness Lee in his study of the golden lampstands and their ultimate significance realized that, “The Church is the Reproduction of Christ and the Reprint of the Spirit.” This is the ultimate definition of the church – it is not merely the people of God, the gathering of the believers, or the many sons of God. The church is Christ’s reproduction in humanity, and the church is the reprint of the Holy Spirit in man on earth today.
If we see this high definition we will realize that we need to be in Spirit, live by the Spirit, be filled with the Spirit, and not give an inch to the flesh. If we live in the flesh, we will be a poor reprint of the Spirit and a bad reproduction of Christ.
We need to exercise our spirit, deny our self, and live according to the spirit so that we may be in reality the church as the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit.
“Christ has been regenerated into our being (John 1:12-13; 3:6b), and we are being fully transformed into His being (2 Cor. 3:18); as the Spirit, He is the lampstand, and the church is also the lampstand; we have to see what the church is to such an extent; if we see this vision of the church, we will be afraid to exercise our flesh (Gal. 5:16).” (The Church—the Reprint of the Spirit, pp. 11-12)
The Church is the Spirit – Just Drink the Spirit!
What makes us the church according to the vision of the golden lampstands?
We need to see that Christ is the lampstand, the Spirit is the growth of Christ as the lampstand, and the church should be the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit as the many golden lampstands.
If we see this, we will realize that for us to be in the church today we have no choice – we need to be completely one with the Spirit, full of the Spirit, and baptized and immersed in the one Spirit and one Body (1 Cor. 12:13). What makes us the church is our continual drinking of the Spirit – we drink Him until we are flowing out with the Spirit!
The church is Spirit-man, the Spirit mingled with and flowing through man; the church is the Spirit! In the church life, we have nothing else to do every day except to drink the Spirit and flow the Spirit.
This Spirit is the consummation of the processed Triune God, and He includes Christ, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and all the elements added to Christ in the process He went through.
When we drink this Spirit, we will be full of the Spirit, we will walk by the spirit, and we will set our mind on the spirit! The Spirit is within, and without – the Spirit is everywhere!
This is the way to practice the church life today: just drink the Spirit and just be in Spirit! If we are all truly in the Spirit – though at different levels of maturity in life and Christian experience – the church will be REAL as the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit!
Lord, keep us drinking the Spirit. Lord, keep us in the spirit. We choose to set our mind on the spirit, and we come to You to drink of the Spirit. Keep us drinking of the Spirit today until we overflow with the Spirit, ministering God to others. Lord, gain such a church life today, where all the saints enjoy the Spirit, drink the Spirit, live by the Spirit, and flow out the Spirit! May the church be filled with local churches who are the true reproduction of Christ and the real reprint of the Spirit!
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired from brother Minoru Chen’s sharing in this message and portions in, The Church—the Reprint of the Spirit (ch. 1), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on Crystallization-Study of Daniel and Zechariah, week 9 (entitled, The Vision of the Golden Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees).
- Hymns on this topic:
# It’s by our mingled spirit, Lord, / That we can shine with Thee, / And be a golden lampstand now / For all the world to see.
# Her local gatherings model / The New Jerusalem; / Its aspects and its details / Must show in all of them. / Christ is the Lamp that shineth, / With God within, the Light; / They are the lampstands bearing / His glorious Image bright.
# What we are, we’re the lampstand; / We’re the shining forth of Jesus. / In this world’s darkness, sin, and strife, / We’re holding Christ, the light of life. / We’re the lampstand, glorious.
About aGodMan
Zech 4:2 …There s a lampstand all of gold;…
6b Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts.
In Rev 1:11-12 the one lampstand becomes 7. 'This is a picture of regeneration & transformation. Christ has been regenerated into our being, & we are being fully transformed into His Being…Christ is the mold & the church is the reproduction of Christ' & the reprint of the Spirit.
Oh Lord, let us be fully in the Spirit when we meet together in order 2 fully represent You as Your genuine reproduction as You have shown us by the picture of the 7 golden lampstands in Revelation!
Thanks for the post, Stefan. This matter of the golden lampstand and its significance is amazing! I'm especially helped by this matter of drinking the Spirit. To be the church in reality, we simply need to drink the Spirit. The more we drink Him, the more we are filled with "oil" and the more brightly the lampstand can shine.
Ultimately, our drinking the Spirit is tied to God's testimony. The more we, as Christians, enjoy the Spirit and are filled in spirit, the more brightly God's expression shines!
Lord Jesus is our spirit everyday.
Zechariah saw a lampstand (4:2-3)and Jehovah said that lampstand was “My Spirit” (4:6). In Exodus the lampstand was Christ but in Zechariah the lampstand was the Spirit. And in Revelation John saw seven lampstands which are the reproduction of the unique lampstand of Exodus and the reprint of the Holy Spirit in Zechariah…To say that the church is the Body, and the continuation, the enlargement, and the spreading of Christ is not enough, because the church is also the reprint of the Spirit according to Zechariah 4:6. The ultimate definition of the church is “the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Holy Spirit.” This means to say that we are the church, we have to be fully in the Spirit. Even if we are only partially in the flesh, we become a poor reproduction, a poor reprint. When the believers get together, if all are in the Spirit, they are the church…Whether or not we are the church depends upon whether or not we are in the Spirit. Are we standing as the church in our locality? Then WE MUST BE IN THE SPIRIT, otherwise we are through with the church…The Lord showed John the seven churches are the seven golden lampstands (Rev 1:11-13). This is a picture of regeneration and transformation. Christ has been regenerated into our being, and we are being fully transformed into His Being. The church is absolutely something of Christ and in the Spirit. If we see this vision of the church, we will be afraid to exercise our flesh…
"No Spirit, no church. More Spirit, more church." Lord, save us from being in our natural man. Keep us continually drinking of the Spirit so that we can overflow the Spirit!