The Lord’s recovery brings us back to the unique ministry of the New Testament; this ministry has many wonderful characteristics, and the issue of being under such a ministry is that we are betrothed to the Lord Jesus, we are for the building up of the Body, we are sanctified, we function in our measure, and we are brought into a new revival.
Praise the Lord for what He is doing and speaking today, and praise Him for bringing us into His recovery, where we are brought back to the unique ministry of the New Testament!
In order for us to practice the church life in a vital way, that is, in order for us to be vitalized and live the church life according to the divine revelation in the Bible, we need to be under the unique ministry of the New Testament.
We need to pay close attention to the factor of closely following the completed vision of the age through the ministry of the age. In each age, God has a particular work that He is doing, and in each age, He has a minister of the age with the ministry of the age.
Today people think that God is doing this or that, but actually, He is doing only one thing: He is working Himself into man so that He may produce and build up the church as the Body of Christ to prepare the bride for His return to change the age and bring in the age of the kingdom, consummating in the New Jerusalem.
Today God is not moving in particular by means of mass evangelical campaigns, miracles and wonders, or mega-churches; He is moving in an organic way to recover the proper church life so that He may have a way to return when He gains the reality of the Body of Christ. I
n order for us to cooperate with what God is doing in this age, we need to closely follow the completed vision of the age through the ministry of the age; we need to closely follow the unique ministry of the New Testament.
May the Lord have mercy on us and on all His believers that we would see what is the vision of this age, how can we cooperate with God in His move and work today, and what kind of person we need to be in order for Him to gain what He is after today.
The vision that the Lord has given to us in His present recovery is the all-inclusive vision of God’s eternal economy with its ultimate consummation – the vision of the New Jerusalem.
Hallelujah, today we can live the church life by being governed by the vision of the New Jerusalem, doing the work of the New Jerusalem, living out the New Jerusalem, and being a miniature of the New Jerusalem in the church life!
Characteristics of the Unique Ministry of the New Testament, the Ministry of the Age which we Closely Follow
There are a few major characteristics, based on the word of God, of the ministry of the age, the unique ministry of the New Testament (2 Cor. 3:18; 4:1). If we check with our experience, we will recognize many of these characteristics, for we experience them and enjoy them in our daily living, and we enjoy the many benefits of closely following the unique ministry of the New Testament.
The Unique Ministry of the New Testament Ministers the Healthy Teaching of God’s Economy and Wars the Warfare against Different Teachings
In 1 Tim. 1:3-4 Paul commissioned Timothy to charge certain ones not to teach different things rather than God’s economy, which is in faith; even more, Timothy was to war the good warfare.
When we are under the unique ministry of the New Testament, we enjoy the healthy teaching of God’s economy (the focus of the ministry) and we war the good warfare against the different and strange teachings.
There are some dissenters who have the strange fire of man’s natural enthusiasm, natural affection, natural strength, and natural ability; such a strange fire is rejected by God in man’s service to Him (Heb. 13:9; 2 Tim. 2:1-15; Lev. 10:1-11).
The unique ministry of the New Testament is actually the healthy teaching of God’s economy, and when we enjoy this healthy teaching, we become healthy, the church is built up, and we minister something of life to others also.
Furthermore, by being under this unique ministry, we stay away from anything of the natural enthusiasm, natural affection, natural strength, and natural ability.
The Unique Ministry of the New Testament produces the Local Churches to be the Testimony of Jesus
When we remain under the unique ministry of the New Testament, we are produced to be the many local churches; this ministry produces the local churches as the golden lampstands to be the testimony of Jesus.
The result of enjoying the ministry of the age, the unique ministry of the New Testament, is that we become and are built up as the local churches to be the testimony of Jesus, and the local churches all over the earth have the same essence, appearance, and expression, even as the seven golden lampstands in Rev. 1 were the same (Rev. 1:10-13, 20).
The result of enjoying the Lord under the ministry of the age is that we seek to build up the one Body of Christ by the one Spirit, and we are all perfected into the oneness of the Triune God.
In John 17:23, the Lord Jesus prayed for all His disciples to be one, in Eph. 4:1-4 we have the oneness of the Triune God becoming our oneness in the Body and which we keep (vv. 11-13), and we apply this oneness as we remain in the one accord. Amen!
Any other ministry that is different from the unique ministry of the New Testament leads to questionings and division; it may seem to build up for a little bit, but it will lead to more dissension.
May we remain under the unique ministry of the New Testament so that we may be produced as the local churches for the building up of the Body of Christ by the Spirit and in oneness!
Our testimony today is that the more we remain under the ministry of the age, the more we are built up with the saints, the more we are one in the Lord and in the Body, and the more we enjoy the one Spirit and are perfected into the oneness of the Triune God!
Lord Jesus, thank You for bringing us under the ministry of the age, the unique ministry of the New Testament. Hallelujah for the healthy teaching of God’s economy which makes us healthy, ministers life into us, and makes us ministers of life to those around us! Amen, Lord, we love You, we love the saints, and we want to be built up in the local churches to be the Body of Christ for Your corporate expression! We open to enjoy You as the one Spirit and be perfected into the oneness of the Triune God in the church life!
The Unique Ministry of the New Testament Prepares the Overcomers to be the Bride of Christ
The unique ministry of the New Testament is for the preparation of the overcomers in the local churches, that is, for the raising up of the overcomers to be the bride of Christ to bring the Lord back.
The more we remain under the ministry of the age, the more we are prepared to be the overcomers as Christ’s bride, His “queen” in Himself as the “royal abode” and in the local churches as the “palaces of ivory” to consummate in the New Jerusalem as the “King’s palace” (see Psa. 45:1-15).
This ministry opens up the whole Bible to us and causes us to aspire to be the Lord’s overcomers.
The more we remain under the ministry of the age, the more we are betrothed to Christ, stirring up our love for Him in the simplicity and purity toward Christ, to make us His queen (Rev. 21:2, 9-10; 2 Cor. 11:2-3).
The believers who remained under the ministry of the apostle Paul were betrothed to Christ through his ministry; the more they closely followed the ministry of that age, the more they loved the Lord and were prepared to be His bride.
A characteristic of the unique ministry of the New Testament is that it causes us to love the Lord; the more we are under the ministry of the age, the more we love the Lord.
When we read a life-study message, when we listen to a message or are meeting with the saints, whenever we come together to enjoy the Lord, we love the Lord more, and we are stirred up in our love toward Him.
We may have been far away from the Lord when we went to a meeting, but when we left the meeting we loved Him even more, and our love toward Him was rekindled.
The more we remain in the healthy teaching of God’s economy, the more we are simple and pure toward the Lord, and the more we love Him and are prepared to be His bride!
The Unique Ministry of the New Testament strengthens us to follow Christ in the Fellowship of His Sufferings on the Pathway to Glory
Our destiny is to be in glory with the Lord; He has cut the way into glory, and He is now leading the many sons of God into glory.
A unique characteristic of the ministry of the New Testament is that it strengthens us to follow Christ in the fellowship of His sufferings on the pathway to glory, the way of the cross, for the manifestation and multiplication of life ( John 12:24-26; Col. 1:24; 2 Cor. 4:10-11, 16-18; 11:23-33).
This ministry is not a ministry of supernatural things and miracles; it is a ministry of life, leading us to experience the Lord as life, even to be led into glory where the Lord is.
And the way to glory is through sufferings, through the cross; the ministry of the age strengthens us to enter into glory by participating in the fellowship of the Lord’s sufferings.
The result of such participation in the Lord’s suffering is that life is manifested and multiplied; it is not a man, a pastor, a leader, or a reverend that is glorified but the Lord’s life is increased, multiplied, and manifested. Hallelujah!
The Lord Jesus took this pathway of the cross into glory, Paul participated in the fellowship of the Lord’s suffering so that the resurrection life would be manifested, and whoever closely follows the ministry of the age is also brought through sufferings into glory. Hallelujah!
This is the way of life under the ministry of life for the manifestation of life.
Lord Jesus, we love You! We love You and we are stirred up in our love toward You by being under the ministry of the age! Hallelujah, we are being prepared to be the overcomers, the bride of Christ, in the local churches today! Amen, Lord, gain the overcomers that will bring You back! Stir up our love for You so that we may love You in simplicity and purity toward Christ. Amen, Lord, we give ourselves to You to participate in Your ministry and even enter into the fellowship of Your sufferings so that life may be multiplied and manifested! May life increase in others even as death operates in us!
The Unique Ministry of the New Testament Dispenses Christ into us for our Revelation and Enjoyment of Christ to Grow in life and be Saved in Life
We all can testify to the fact that in the church life under the ministry of the age, we enjoy Christ as grace, truth, life, and the Spirit through the ministry of the New Testament, and we enjoy Christ and grow in life to be saved in life and reign in life (2 Cor. 1:12, 24; Phil. 1:25; Rom. 5:10, 17).
What a privilege it is to be under the dispensing of Christ as grace, truth, life, and the Spirit into us day by day as we closely follow the healthy teaching, the teaching of the apostles!
The more we open to the Lord and respond in prayer to His word, the more we enjoy Him, we grow in life, we are saved in life, and we reign in life.
We have found the way for us to live by Christ – we can pray His word and call on His name, and we can read and pray the word of God with the help of the ministry of the age so that we can enjoy Christ and grow in life!
When we open the Recovery Version Bible with footnotes we not only understand mentally what the Word speaks but, as we exercise our spirit to read and pray the word and the rich footnotes, we receive revelation from the Lord, we enjoy Christ, and we are helped in our growth in life so that we may be saved in the divine life!
If we want to grow in life and progress in our pursuit of the Lord, we need to be under the unique ministry of the New Testament, closely following the healthy teaching, the teaching of the apostles.
And if we follow any ministry that doesn’t dispense Christ into us so that we may enjoy Christ to grow in life and be saved in life, we need to come back to the divine revelation in the word of God and seek to be under the unique ministry of the New Testament.
The Unique Ministry of the New Testament Sanctifies us in the Truth and Shepherds us with the Presence of the Spirit
The Lord asked the Father that He would sanctify us in the truth – His word is truth; the more we remain under the unique ministry of the New Testament, the more we are sanctified in the truth, and the more there’s a washing of the water in the word (John 17:17; Eph. 5:26, 29-30; Rev. 1:12-13).
The way that the Lord purified the church and prepares it to be His wife, having no spot or wrinkles or any such things, is by the washing of the water in the Word.
This is what we need to do today, and this is what we are doing today in the church life.
We do not read this or that book first – we first read the Bible, we immerse ourselves in the Word of God, and we are washed by the water in the Word; this sanctifies us in the truth, and the word of God becomes our very constitution.
Furthermore, as the Lord speaks to us again and again, we are shepherded with His cherishing and nourishing presence, for His living presence is His living speaking among us.
When the Lord was among the local churches in Rev. 1, He cherished and nourished them by His speaking; today the Lord as the Son of Man is walking among the local churches and shepherds them by His presence as the Spirit.
He as the Spirit of reality guides us into all the reality of what He is and He has done, and He brings us into a deeper knowledge and enjoyment of Himself through His living speaking.
We can testify that we love the Lord and we love His word more, and we are shepherded by Him through the saints speaking and functioning in mutuality whenever we meet!
Lord Jesus, we open to Your divine dispensing as grace, truth, life, and the Spirit into us as we come to You in the word. Speak to us, Lord, and may Christ be revealed into us. We come to You in Your word to enjoy You and receive more life from You for our growth in life. Amen, Lord, save us much more in Your life and bring us to the point that we reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ! Sanctify us, Lord, through the word of the truth and the washing of the water in the word. We treasure Your speaking among us and within us. We treasure Your shepherding us by your cherishing and nourishing presence with us in Your word!
The Unique Ministry of the New Testament Tears Down Hierarchy and Blends unto One, for we are Members of Christ!
The result of being under the unique ministry of the New Testament, the ministry of the age, is that any hierarchy among us is torn down, and we are made brothers of Christ, being blended into one.
When we enjoy the Lord in the church life under the ministry of the age, we are blended into one, for we are all brothers of Christ, slaves of Christ, and members of Christ to be the one Body of Christ in reality (Matt. 23:8-12; 1 Cor. 12:24; Deut. 12:1-3; 2 Cor. 4:5; 10:3-5; Col. 3:10-11).
What the Lord desires to gain is not many churches here and there; He wants to gain one Body, and for this, He regenerates us to make us His many brothers, the many members of the Body of Christ.
Furthermore, as we enjoy the Lord under the unique ministry of the New Testament, any high place is torn down and Christ is exalted to be made everything in the church.
Hallelujah, Christ is the only One exalted in the church, and anything and anyone else is not exalted!
One way to know whether the ministry we are under is the unique ministry of the New Testament is whether the result of such a ministry is a hierarchy or the producing of the many brothers of Christ to be the members of the Body building up of the Body.
A sign of the proper ministry, the healthy ministry, is that it exalts only Christ, tears down any hierarchy, and makes Christ everything to the saints in the church.
If our focus is anything or anyone besides Christ, we need to return to Him and closely follow the ministry of the age so that we may be built up as the one Body of Christ.
According to both the type in the Old Testament and the principle in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Christ is the only One to be exalted, and all high places need to be torn down, for Christ is alll in all in the church.
What a privilege it is for us to return to Christ, to focus on Christ, to enjoy Christ, and to minister Christ!
The Unique Ministry of the New Testament Brings us into Function and Leads us to Follow the Lamb to Preach the Gospel of the Kingdom
The ministry of the New Testament, the unique ministry, is not to replace others in their function but rather to release their function and enable them to function in their measure.
The issue of being under the unique ministry of the New Testament is that all members are brought into function to practice the way ordained by God in His word.
The ministry actually opens the Word of God and points out how we, the many saints in the church, can function in our measure for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ.
Any ministry that paralyzes us in our function and elevates a few or a small group to function is not the genuine ministry of the New Testament.
Paul said repeatedly that all the saints can function, and all can prophesy for the building up of the church (Rom. 12:4-5; Eph. 4:11-12; Rev. 14:4).
The unique ministry of the New Testament leads us to follow the Lamb wherever He may go for the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to the whole inhabited earth (Matt. 24:14).
When we are under the genuine ministry, we will desire to bring others to know God and enjoy Christ, and we will be enabled to preach the gospel of the kingdom, following the Lord wherever He may go.
This is our testimony in the church life today: we not only enjoy the Lord by eating Him and drinking Him in His word, but we also desire to speak about Him to those around us.
Even more, when we hear of a place where the gospel of the kingdom did not go yet, we are willing to follow the Lamb to go and speak the gospel. What a wonderful ministry we have!
This ministry activates our organic function in the Body and enables us to follow the Lord where He may go to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the whole inhabited earth.
This is our testimony in the church life today; many of us have moved to a different locality or even a different country for the Lord’s testimony, and He is faithful to bless us and care for us. Hallelujah!
Hallelujah, we all are members in the Body and there is no hierarchy in the church, for we all are brothers of Christ and slaves of God! Amen, Lord, thank You for showing us in the Word through the ministry that all believers in Christ are members of Christ to be the one Body of Christ in reality. We refuse to uplift anyone or anything else besides Christ, for He is the Head and the center, and He is everything to us in the church! Amen, Lord, thank You for the ministry of the New Testament which opens up the Word to show us how to function in our measure to practice the God-ordained way. Hallelujah, we all have a function and we can contribute to the building up of the Body! Amen, Lord, we open to You in the word and in the ministry to be led by You to follow the Lamb wherever He may go for the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to the whole inhabited earth!
The Unique Ministry of the New Testament brings us into a New Revival!
One of the most prominent characteristics of the unique ministry of the New Testament is that it brings us into a new revival of living out and working out the New Jerusalem to gain the reality of the Body of Christ as the highest peak in God’s economy (2 Cor. 3:6, 8-9; 5:18-20; Rom. 12:4-5; Eph. 4:4-6, 16). Wow!
When we closely follow the ministry of the age, the unique ministry of the New Testament, we are brought into a new revival by three main things.
First, we see the high peak of the divine revelation and we have a daily walk, living, and work according to this high vision.
Second, we are discipled by Christ to have a God-man living for Him to raise up a model of living in the economy of God to express God corporately.
Third, we live out and work out the New Jerusalem by shepherding others according to God as we live the life of a God-man under the vision of the high peak of the divine revelation.
If the ministry we are under does not bring us into an ultimate revival, the revival that will bring the Lord back, by our living out and working out the New Jerusalem to gain the reality of the Body of Christ as the highest peak in God’s economy, we need to come back to the Lord in His word and ask Him to bring us under the ministry of the age.
What a mercy to be here, under the Lord’s speaking, enjoying the Lord, being vitalized, living the life of eternity, and doing the work of eternity so that the Lord’s return may be hastened and we would enter with Him into the wedding feast, consummating in the New Jerusalem!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 462-468, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Vital Factors for the Lord’s Recovery of the Church Life (2021 ITERO), week 2, The Factor of Closely Following the Completed Vision of the Age through the Ministry of the Age.
- Hymns on this topic:
– All the preaching of the Gospel, / All the teaching ministry, / Every other kind of service / For the church alone should be. (Hymns #914)
– Do you see them in the cities, /Meeting on the local ground? / They’re the local, golden lampstands, / Where the Lord His home has found. / ’Tis the local church, the church God has chosen, / Where all the saints dwell as one! / ’Tis the local church, the church God has chosen, /Where all the saints dwell as one! (Hymns #1257)
– Soon the local churches / Shall the Bride become, / Bringing in that city— / New Jerusalem. / Then the many lampstands / Shall one lampstand be; / Triune God expressing, / Universally. / Lo, from heav’n descending, / All the earth shall see / God’s complete expression, / For eternity. (Hymns #1259)
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