As believers in Christ we are all serving ones: we have been saved by Christ to serve God, and we need to serve God in an up-to-date way by knowing the age, by realizing the way Christ fulfills His economy, and by spreading the truths of His recovery for His coming back.
We need to know the age we’re in: we need to know the age of today’s Christianity, realizing that many of the divine truths in the word of God and healthy teachings in the Bible are misinterpreted, missed, and misunderstood.
In particular, we need to realize that none of today’s theologies – including the Nicene Creed – adequately stresses five critical points the Bible reveals concerning the Spirit of God int he move of God’s eternal economy:
- The Spirit that gives life was “not yet” (see John 7:39).
- The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45).
- The compound Spirit, as typified by the anointing ointment (see Exo. 30:23-25).
- In Rom 8: the Spirit of life, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, Christ Himself, and the indwelling Spirit all refer to the compound Spirit that gives life.
- The seven Spirits (Rev. 1:4).
In the Lord’s recovery today He is recovering these critical points concerning the Spirit of God in the move of God’s eternal economy. The Lord’s recovery is not a movement but it is, simply put, God becoming the flesh, the flesh becoming the life-giving Spirit, and the life-giving Spirit becoming the sevenfold intensified Spirit to build up the church that becomes the Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem.
In the Lord’s recovery we appreciate and enjoy the full ministry of Christ in three stages: incarnation (from His birth to His death; doing a work in the stage of incarnation is helping people to be redeemed and saved), inclusion (from His resurrection to the degradation of the church; doing a work in the stage of inclusion is to produce the churches), and intensification (from the degradation of the church to eternity; doing a work in the stage of intensification is being produced and producing the overcomers for the preparation of the bride of Christ).
Today we want to see further how Christ fulfills God’s economy, especially as revealed in the book of Zechariah.
The Focal Point of the Divine History within Human History is the Two Comings of Christ for God’s Building
In the Bible we see not just the human history but also the divine history; the human history is the “outward shell” while the divine history is the kernel within the shell. What we see in the Bible are two histories: the history of man (the human history) and the history of God (the divine history); the divine history is within the human history as the kernel and essence.
The focal point of the divine history within the human history is the two comings of Christ for the testimony of Jesus, the building of God (see Zech. 4:2-3; 6:12-13; 9:9; 11:7-13; 12:10; 14:3-5, 9).
Footnote 1 on Joel 1:4 shows us how the divine history is within the human history for the bringing forth of Christ (His first and second coming) and the fulfillment of God’s purpose, His building:
In the Minor Prophets the human history is clearly defined and is signified by the four kinds of locusts mentioned in Joel 1:4. The divine history within the human history is also revealed in considerable detail. The divine history, as the divine mystery of the Triune God in humanity, began in eternity past with the eternal God and His eternal economy (Micah 5:2c; 1 Tim. 1:4; Eph. 1:4-5, 9-11). It continues with Christ’s incarnation (Micah 5:2a); His death, burial, and resurrection for the spreading of God’s redemption and salvation to all the nations on earth (Jonah 1:17; 2:10); His pouring out of the consummated Spirit to produce the church as the corporate expression of the Triune God (Joel 2:28-32); His second coming as the Desire of nations (Hag. 2:7a) and as the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2a); His coming with His overcomers as His army to defeat Antichrist and his army (Joel 3:1-15); and His reigning in Zion in the thousand-year kingdom (3:16-21; Micah 4:7). Eventually, the kingdom will consummate in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth for eternity. The New Jerusalem will be the ultimate, the consummate, step of God’s history. (Joel 1:4, footnote 1, Recovery Version Bible)
As human beings we live in the human history as the outward shell, but in the human history we need to experience Christ for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ so that God would gain a testimony, a building on earth.
First, Christ needs to be born in us through regeneration; at the time of our regeneration we entered into the divine history, and God’s history is becoming our history so that God and man may be mingled together for the building up of the Body of Christ, God’s building.
Lord Jesus, thank You for bringing us into the divine history within the human history through our regeneration. We want to enjoy You and experience You so that we may live in the divine history within the human history for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ. Lord, gain what You are after in us. Gain Your building. Gain Your built-up church through all the believers experiencing Christ in the divine history within the human history!
The Way to Fulfill God’s Economy is by Christ as the Sevenfold Intensified Spirit
The way to fulfill God’s economy in the divine history within the human history is by Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit in our spirit!
The building up of the house of God is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God (Zech. 4:6). God will bring forth the topstone of the building with shouts of grace; this topstone, Christ, is of grace – He is a topstone of the enjoyment of God! All of God’s building is constructed with Christ as the enjoyment of the Triune God and is topped up with Christ as the enjoyment of the Triune God.
We need to be sons of fresh oil, those who daily buy the oil by gaining the Spirit as an extra portion in our vessel and dispensing that Spirit into the golden lampstand (see Zech. 4:12-14). Christ as the topstone of grace has seven eyes; He was engraved by God on the cross, and all our iniquities were removed by God in one day (Zech. 3:9)!
Now Christ as the Lamb of God with seven eyes – which are the seven Spirits of God – is the topstone of grace for God’s building, and He is our judicial Redeemer and organic Savior with the sevenfold intensified Spirit to redeem us and save us in life for the Body of Christ (Rev. 5:6)! Hallelujah!
All we need to do today is to know that we have a human spirit, which is ranked by God as important as the heavens and as the earth (Zech. 12:1); when we exercise our spirit, we experience God’s redemption and salvation, and everything is new!
By our spirit we contact God, receive God, worship God, and live God. By the exercise of our spirit we fulfill God’s purpose for God, we are one with God, we experience God, and we enjoy God.
Oh, may the Lord fill us today with the Spirit of grace and of supplications (Zech. 12:10), that is, may we be filled with God in Christ for our enjoyment, and may we supplicate for ourselves and for the church that the Body of Christ may be built up and the bride of Christ may be prepared. Amen!
The book of Zechariah reveals that the way to fulfill God’s economy in the divine history is by Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit in our spirit, and that the building of the church will be consummated by Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit of grace to be the topstone of grace (see Zech. 4:6-7, 12-14; 3:9; 12:1, 10; Rev. 4:5; 5:6).
Lord Jesus, make us sons of fresh oil, those who are pay the price to gain the Spirit and who are freshly filled with the Spirit so that the lampstand may shine bright! Infuse us with Yourself, Lord, as the sevenfold intensified Spirit – the eyes of the Lamb and the seven eyes of the stone, so that we may become the same as You are for God’s building. Oh Lord, we just want to exercise our spirit to contact You, receive You, worship You, live You, fulfill Your purpose, be one with You, experience You, and enjoy You for the building!
Our Christian Life should be without the Love of Money and our Christian Work should not be a Money-Making Trade
As believers in Christ we must see that Babylon is characterised by the wickedness of business, or commerce, involving covetousness, deceit, and the love of money (see Zech. 5:5-11). Our Christian life should be without the love of money, and our Christian work should not be a money-making trade (see 1 Tim. 3:3, 8; 6:5-10; Acts 11:29-30; 20:33-34; 2 Tim. 3:2-4; Heb. 13:5; 2 Cor. 2:17; 12:15; cf. 2 Kings 5:15-27).
In Zech. 5:5-11 we have the vision of the ephah vessel, in which there’s a woman called wickedness; there’s much wickedness in commerce today – the seller loves money and tries to get money out of the buyer’s pocket, and the buyer also loves money and tries to obtain the things he wants at a low price, thus saving money – this is the principle of commerce.
Oh Lord Jesus, save us from the love of money! In 2 Tim. 3:2-4 we see that there are different kinds of lovers: lovers of self, lovers of money, lovers of pleasure, and lovers of God. We need to say NO to being lovers of self, money or pleasure, and we need to choose to be lovers of God.
Whether today is a day of glory in the church’s victory or a grievous day in the church’s decline depends on what kind of lover we are. Oh, may our Christian life be without the love of money (Heb. 13:5)!
Also, may our Christian work not be a money-making trade, but may we spend what we have and what we are on the saints as Paul did (2 Cor. 12:15). If we love money and material things in our work for God, this will bring in God’s judgement – see the example of Elijah not taking anything from Naaman after he was healed, but his servant Gehazi became leprous when he lusted after and obtained some money and things (2 Kings 5:15-27).
Of the cargo sold by Babylon, the first item is gold and the last is the souls of men; men today sell themselves for employment, neglecting God and their natural destiny (see Rev. 18:12-13; cf. 2 Pet. 2:3, 15; cf. Luke 12:13-21). We should NOT sell ourselves for employment but work before the Lord for God’s purpose, and not be cargo for Babylon but the possession of the Triune God!
May we seek to be rich toward God! In His sovereignty, God will cause the wickedness in business – which the people of Israel learned from the Babylonians in their captivity – to go back to Babylon (the land of Shinar) (see Zech. 5:10-11; Gen. 11:2, 9).
May the Lord have mercy on us and deliver us from any love of money so that we may serve Him in a pure way, with a pure heart, loving Him and desiring only Him and His purpose!
Lord Jesus, we choose to be lovers of God and refuse to be lovers of money or lovers of pleasures. Lord, may our life be without the love of money and may our work for God not be a money-making trade! Save us from selling our soul for employment: we don’t want to be the cargo for Babylon but the possession of the Triune God! Amen! Oh Lord, we desire to be rich toward God and not be weighed down by the desire for money or outward things. Purify our heart and intentions, and increase our love for You!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by brother Ed Marks for this week, and Life-study of Zechariah, msgs. 5-6 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Service for the Building up of the Church (2016 Spring ITERO), week 1 / msg. 1, Serving God by Knowing the Age, by Realizing the Way Christ Fulfills His Economy, by Seeing the World Situation as the Indicator of His Move, and by Spreading the Truths of the Lord’s Recovery for His Coming Back.
- All Bible verses are taken from, Holy Bible Recovery Version.
- Hymns on this topic:
# See the seven Spirits now— / Seven piercing, searching eyes. / In the church exposing us, / All the church He purifies. / Seven Spirits doth the Lord / For the churches now employ; / All those in the local church / May this Spirit now enjoy. (Hymns #1122)
# If we would love the Lord / And care for His unique Body, / The Lord will pour Himself out / And move within us as / The sevenfold intensified Spirit / To blend us together / For the consummation / Of the New Jerusalem. (Song on the Spirit in God’s Economy)
# A lover of Christ should be one / Who is called by Him / To be delivered / From the self through His oneness / With the cross, with the cross of Christ. / A lover of Christ should be one / Who is called by Him to live in ascension / As the new creation, creation of God, / In the resurrection of Christ. (Song on being a lover of Christ)
About aGodMan
In Zechariah 5:7 and 8 we see that a lead cover, a lead weight, is thrown over the opening of the ephah vessel. This signifies the restriction of the wickedness in commerce by God’s sovereignty. Wickedness is hidden and concealed in international trade. If commerce, especially international trade, could be restricted, the whole earth would be holy.
[Verses 10 and 11 signify] that God’s sovereignty will cause the wickedness in business, which the people of Israel learned of the Babylonians in their captivity, to go back to Babylon (the land of Shinar). Let this wickedness return to Babylon. All the people among God’s elect should be honest and simple in their living. (Witness Lee, Life-study of Zechariah, pp. 35-37)