We can now clearly see that the two altars are related in our experience. Paul says in 1 Cor. 2:2, “I did not determine to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and this One crucified”. What we want to know is only Christ and His cross – the cross is our refuge and our hiding place, and Christ Himself is our acceptance and our rest. Day by day we need to come to these altars – we need to come to the cross, where we find our refuge and deliverance from all the troubles and the problems, and we need to further come to Christ at the golden altar, where we rest and are at home in God. [read more online]
having a sweeter experience of the house of God as we experience God’s faithfulness
In God’s economy God wants that Christ would be our all in all – He is faithful to call us into the fellowship of His Son (1 Cor. 1:9). But for Christ to be our all we need that all we have and are in our natural man would be stripped away. We are full of ourselves, so natural, and with no element of Christ in us – we need to be reorganized, reconstituted, and remodelled with God! This is why God allows things to happen in our life, things that are not so pleasant or sweet, so that we may be reconstituted with Christ and may enjoy Him only! He wants to strip us of our idols, our ambition, our self-confidence, and our self-sufficiency, that we may enjoy Him! [continue reading online and leave your comment / portion of enjoyment]
overcoming the loss of the first love by giving the Lord the preeminence in all things
One very simple way to overcome the loss of the first love for the Lord is to give Christ the first place, the preeminence, in all things. The Bible begins with, “In the beginning, God …” (Gen. 1:1), and Colossians tells us that Christ must have the first place, the preeminence, in all things (Col. 1:18). In order for us to love the Lord with the first and best love, we need to consider the Lord Jesus as the first in everything. In God’s eyes and in God’s economy, Christ is the first – but what about in our personal universe, in our decisions, considerations, emotions, living, walking, speaking, attitude, and in all our being? [read more online]
desolation comes in when God’s people do not properly appreciate and exalt Christ
Our failure to give Christ the first place in all things – our failure to love Him with the best love and appreciate Him – brings in desolation and degradation. The problem of desolation can be solved by Christ being appreciated and exalted by God’s people (see Psa. 80:17). When Christ is enjoyed, appreciated, given the first place, given the preeminence in all things – when He is properly appreciated and exalted, the house and the city of God can be maintained, preserved, and built up! Our not giving Christ the preeminence and our not appreciating Him is the cause of our failure and desolation. [read more online]
the meal offering church life with no leaven and no honey is for God’s satisfaction
With the Lord Jesus there was no leaven (no sinful or negative thing) and no honey (no natural affection, attachment, or preference). Rather, He lived a life of the highest and finest humanity (fine flour) oiled with the Holy Spirit (mingled with oil), having the fragrance of resurrection (frankincense), and living under the cross every day (being salted). This One is our daily food and our supply, our sustenance, and by eating of Him we become His corporate reproduction! We also live a life of the highest humanity mingled with the Spirit, with the fragrance of resurrection, and being daily under the cross. Also, as we eat this One, we will reject any sinful thing or any good aspect of our natural man. [read more online]
becoming the reproduction of Christ as the meal offering church life today
We are slowly and surely becoming the reproduction of Jesus Christ as the corporate meal offering church life! The genuine church today is nothing else but the corporate living of the believers in Christ who are the reproduction and duplication of Christ – it is Jesus living again in His believers. We are imitating Christ in His life by eating Christ and becoming Christ’s reproduction organically. We all are learning to deny ourselves, remaining in Christ’s death, living under the cross, by the power of Christ’s resurrection. When an unbeliever comes in and sees this, he senses that God is among us! Wow, the corporate God-man living, the reproduction of Christ as the meal-offering church life! [continue reading online]
a genuine church is a meal offering church life with the fine humanity of Christ
Today we were specifically appreciating the wonderful, fine, gentle, balanced humanity of Jesus. The fine flour is the base of the meal offering, and it typifies the fine and balanced humanity of Christ. Our humanity is rough – though outwardly we may seem to be “a nice lady” or “a proper gentleman”, and though we may behave nicely toward the ones around us, our humanity is rough. Only Christ is gentle, fine, balanced, and right in every way. While He was on earth everyone tested Him, from His brothers, His fellow countrymen, the Pharisees, the priests, and even the Roman officials – there was no fault or blemish found in Him! [read more online]