As those who are learning to be faithful and prudent slaves feeding the Lord’s folks until He comes, we need to be sons of fresh oil who are continually being filled with Spirit and flow out the Spirit for the shining of the lampstand, the testimony of Jesus! Amen!
In Matt. 24 the Lord Jesus said that we should give food to those in His household until He comes for, if He finds us doing this when He returns, He will reward us.
What does it mean to give them food? Who are those to whom we need to give food? God’s household is vast and large, including all the believers in Christ.
God’s possessions include even the unbelievers, the sinners. As believers in Christ, we have been entrusted with the stewardship of grace.
This means that the Lord is everything to us – our life, our life supply, our enjoyment, our peace, our joy, and our everything – so that we may partake of Him and minister Him to others also.
We need to learn to minister Christ to both believers and unbelievers.
To give others food is to minister the word of God and Christ as the life supply to the believers in the church.
How can we minister Christ as food to others? We first need to enjoy the Lord as our spiritual food so that we may be filled with Him and have a way to minister Him to others.
This means that we need to spend much time in the word of God to read it, pray over it, muse over it, and speak the word aloud with much reconsideration.
Our reading of the Bible needs to be revolutionised to be a living reading, a reading that brings in life, even a reading that is filled with prayer, consideration, speaking, singing, weeping, rejoicing, and uttering to the Lord and to others.
We need to not only read the Bible but allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly in all wisdom; the word of God needs to make its habitation in us and dwell in us (Col. 3:16).
This means that the living person of Christ embodied in the word of God needs to be touched, enjoyed, received, eaten, digested, and assimilated into our being through our interaction with the Lord in His word.
Without prayer and the exercise of our spirit when we read the Bible, the word of God is merely doctrines, teachings, histories, and psalms.
But when we come to God’s word with a heart turned to the Lord and with a spirit that is exercised, the Christ embodied in His word will be infused into us, and we will receive spirit and life (John 6:63).
When we gain Christ in such a living way, when we enjoy Him in such a way and He is wrought into our being, there will be an outflow of life.
When we meet others, something will be under our tongue, a word filled with grace, to give them life.
May we be such life-givers today.
May we give others food at the proper time so that they would grow in life and be built up as the church, the Body of Christ, for God’s corporate expression.
Praying ourselves into God to be Filled with the Spirit and Feeding those under our Care
In Luke 11:1-13 the Lord did not only teach us to pray (the so-called “Lord’s prayer”) but also taught us to feed others. First, we need to pray, and then, we can feed others.
First, we need to pray ourselves into God by opening to Him concerning all things, even the practical needs we have, and then we are filled with Him to flow Him out into others.
How should we pray? It is not by following a formula or a ritual; it is by opening to the Lord, seeking Him, and focusing on Him.
We need to first seek His kingdom and His righteousness, and our desire should be that His name would be sanctified.
Then, we need to bring our needs before Him, asking Him to give us each day our daily bread.
We can open to Him concerning what we need; we need bread, we need sustenance for our daily living, and He is the source, so we pray that He would supply our daily needs.
We ask Him to forgive us of our sins, even as we forgive those who are indebted to us.
We need to open to Him concerning our sins, trespasses, mistakes, and failures and ask Him to forgive us and wash us.
Then, we simply ask the Lord to not bring us into temptation.
We know that temptation is coming, but we ask Him not to bring us into it but deliver us from the evil one.
As we open to the Lord in a genuine way concerning our heart for Him, our daily needs, our failures, and our need to not fall into temptation, we are filled with Him.
We need to pray ourselves into God until we are filled with the Spirit. After we’re filled with the Spirit, we can flow Him out into others.
In Luke 11:5-11 we see that, after we’re filled with the Lord by praying ourselves into Him, we can feed others.
It may not be very convenient for us to feed them, for they come at midnight and ask us for bread, but because we have the supply and the need is there, we give them something to eat.
Many times those around us need the Lord and to us, it is not a convenient time to speak to them.
But we can ask and give them life.
We may think we don’t have much to give, but we can ask and it shall be given to us, we can seek and we shall find, and we can knock and a door will be opened to us.
Just as we give our children good things when they ask us, so the Father will give us the supply we need not just for ourselves but for those around us also.
If a father is asked by his son for a fish, he will surely not give his son a snake; similarly, our Father will give us the Holy Spirit, the fresh supply of the Spirit, when we ask Him.
When we pray in a proper way when we pray ourselves into God, we will receive and be filled with the unsearchable riches of Christ, and we will have something of Christ to minister to others also.
Even at midnight, at a time that is very inconvenient for us to minister Christ to others, when the need is there and we come to the Lord to be filled with the Spirit, the infilling will be there, and we can supply them with the Spirit.
1 John 5:16 speaks something similar also: we can ask and give life to the brother who sins.
Our brother or sister may sin and not be aware of it and may not even ask for help, but we can pray for them and ask the Lord, and He will give life to them.
May we be such life-giving askers, the channels of supply for the life-giving Spirit to be ministered to others and give life to them.
If we see a negative situation in the church or some weaknesses in the church or among the saints, we should not complain or talk about it; rather, we need to give life by asking the Lord in prayer.
May we be channels of life and life supply for others to enjoy the Lord, be filled with the Lord, partake of His riches, and go on with the Lord in the church life.
Lord Jesus, teach us to pray in such a way that we are filled in spirit. We want to pray ourselves into God to receive the life-giving Spirit as our supply to feed ourselves and those under our care. Amen, Lord, fill us with Yourself! May Your name be sanctified and Your kingdom come. Give us today our daily bread, dear Lord, and forgive us of our sins, for we also forgive everyone indebted to us. Don’t bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Amen, Lord, we empty ourselves so that we may be freshly filled with You. Grant us the supply of grace for us to live Christ day by day. Fill us with an extra supply of the Spirit to minister to others for their going on with the Lord. Amen, Lord, may we be those who ask and minister life to those who are weak or in sin. May we be the life-giving askers, channels of the life-giving Spirit who can give life to others!
Being Sons of Fresh Oil Continually being Filled with the Spirit to Flow out the Spirit for the Testimony of Jesus
In Zech. 4:6, 12-14 we see the golden lampstand with two olive trees beside it; the trees pour out their oil into the lampstand for its continual shining.
In typology, the olive trees signify Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor at that time; they were two sons of oil, filled with the Spirit of Jehovah for the rebuilding of God’s temple (Zech. 4:3-6, 12-14).
The fulfilment of this prophecy at the end of this age is the two witnesses in the last three and a half years of the present age, who will be witnesses of God in the great tribulation for the strengthening of God’s peoples – the Israelites and the believers in Christ (Rev. 11:3-12; 12:17).
These two witnesses – Moses and Elijah – will support and supply the persecuted people of God (the Israelites and the believers in Christ) during the great tribulation.
However, this type of the two sons of fresh oil is fulfilled with us today in our experience.
We need to be sons of fresh oil, those who are continually being filled with the Spirit to flow out the Spirit into others for the shining of the lampstand, the testimony of Jesus.
We have been grafted into Christ as the olive tree, and now we have oil that is produced out of us through our experience and enjoyment of Christ.
On one hand, we are part of Christ as the olive tree; on the other hand, we are branches in the olive tree (Zech. 4:11-12).
We are not the source – Christ is the source, and we are the branches.
As we abide in the Lord and are filled with Him, we have the “golden oil” that flows out of us and into the lampstand.
In the type in Zech. 4, the two branches were part of the two olive trees, and each had a spout; when there was the need for oil, the branches would flow out the oil into the bowl, and the bowl flowed into the lampstand to cause it to be shining continually.
The branches “emptied the golden oil” from themselves into the lampstand to cause it to be shining.
![And the foolish said to the prudent, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the prudent answered, saying, Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves. Matt. 25:8-9 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire that you may be rich, and white garments that you may be clothed and [that] the shame of your nakedness may not be manifested, and eyesalve to anoint your eyes that you may see. Rev. 3:18](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/And-the-foolish-said-to-the-prudent-Give-us-some-of-your-oil-for-our-lamps-are-going-out-jpg.webp?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "And the foolish said to the prudent, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. But the prudent answered, saying, Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves. Matt. 25:8-9 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire that you may be rich, and white garments that you may be clothed and [that] the shame of your nakedness may not be manifested, and eyesalve to anoint your eyes that you may see. Rev. 3:18")
As we apply this matter to our experience today, we see that the Spirit who flows out of us is God, and God is gold; thus, when we minister Christ to others, supplying them with oil, we are actually supplying them with God; God is flowing out from us into them (Zech. 4:12-14; John 7:38-39; 2 Cor. 3:3, 6, 8; Luke 10:34).
We need to be filled with the Spirit daily, seeking to be filled in spirit and also in our soul, so that we may flow out the Spirit for the shining of the Lord, the testimony of Jesus.
As we enjoy the Lord and abide in Him, we are filled with God as the Spirit, and we can be sons of fresh oil emptying the “gold” from us into the lampstand, the testimony of Jesus, for the Lord to have a shining testimony on earth.
May we be those continually being filled with the Spirit, those seeking to be filled with the Spirit all the time, so that we may minister Christ to others and supply them with God Himself.
May God have a way to flow in and out of us as the Spirit to supply others.
May we be the sons of fresh oil who are continually being filled with the fresh, present, and consummated Spirit as the oil of gladness to flow out the Spirit into the lampstand for its shining testimony, the testimony of Jesus (Phil. 1:25; Rev. 3:18; Matt. 25:9).
May we day by day come to the Lord and pay the price to gain more of God as the golden oil in His divine nature so that we can become a pure golden lampstand for the building of the golden New Jerusalem (2 Pet. 1:4; Rev. 3:18; 1:20; 21:18; Matt. 25:8-9). Amen!
Lord Jesus, we want to be the sons of fresh oil who are continually being filled with the Spirit to flow out the Spirit into others! Amen, Lord, fill us with the fresh and present Spirit as the oil of gladness. Fill us to overflowing. Flow in and flow out of us for the shining of the testimony of Jesus on the earth! We come to You day by day and we are willing to pay the price to gain more of God as the golden oil in His divine nature! Amen, Lord, make us the golden lampstand for the building of the golden New Jerusalem! Make us the sons of fresh oil today who pay the price to have the infilling of the Spirit as the golden oil. May there be much oil in us so that we may flow out the Spirit into others for the intensified and continual shining of the testimony of Jesus! Keep us abiding in You, drawing all our life from You, and being filled with You so that we may flow You out into others for the testimony of Jesus to be shining!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Zechariah, msg. 5 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord’s Coming (2023 ICSC), week 4, entitled, Making Ourselves Ready for the Lord’s Coming by Being a Faithful and Prudent Slave.
- Further reading on this topic:
– Oil – buying the oil and bearing the responsibility, a portion from, The Kingdom, Chapter 17, by Witness Lee.
– The compound Spirit, article by Ed Marks in, Affirmation and Critique.
– Book review – “God’s need and God’s goal” – via, Conversant Faith.
– How Psalm 23 Reveals the Organic Shepherding of the Pneumatic Christ, article via, Holding to Truth.
– The relationship between praying in the Lord’s name and doing God’s will, a portion from, Lessons on Prayer, Chapter 20, by Witness Lee.
– A life of service and prayer, article via, Affirmation and Critique.
– Praying in the Two Spirits, article via, Living to Him. - Hymns on this topic:
– The Spirit ever giving life / Transforms me thus with life divine; / Renewing all my inward parts, / In life He makes Christ’s image mine. / Oh, by Thy Spirit, fill me, Lord, / The Spirit of Thy life divine, / And saturate me thoroughly / Till all my life is filled with Thine. (Hymns #244 stanzas 7-8)
– Thy glorious, radiant face / My heart delights to see; / Here I’d abide and ne’er depart, / Beholding constantly. / In such a fellowship / Thou, Lord, art grace to me; / My heart and spirit gladdened, filled, / I enter rest in Thee. / Lord, I would linger here, / Still seeking after Thee, / Continue in the Word and prayer / Till Thou dost flow thru me. (Hymns #812 stanzas 3-5)
– Thy oil anoints me here in every way, / Anointing Thee within unceasingly; / I more decrease, Thou more increase each day, / Thus full expression Thou shalt have through me. / Myself I open that Thou may flow in; / Op’ning myself to others, Lord, flow out; / By such a stream, the fellowship within, / Thou, Lord, expressed will be my life throughout. (Hymns #764 stanzas 6-7)
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Life-study of Zechariah, pp. 28-29, by Witness Lee
We need to be “sons of fresh oil,” those who are continually being filled with the fresh, present, and consummated Spirit as the oil of gladness!
As we are filled, we can flow out the Spirit into others to supply them and for the church as the testimony of Jesus to shine!
Amen brother!
O Lord may we minister Christ unto others as food at the proper time in their need. May we not miss the opportunity for this to all around us.
Thank you Lord you have made us sons of oil to dispense life to other.
May the oil burn in us to give others light. May your Lampstand in London burn oil to shed light in the darkness!
😃 🙋🏽Hallelujah!
Amen Lord we open to your infilling today, more oil in vessels 🙏🏽
To give or to feed the needy, we need to have the right food.
To have the necessary spiritual wealth, we need to eat Him all the time. In other words, the container needs to be filled with the golden oil to keep its light all the time.
This light should shine upon others who are in the dark.
Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ for His rich supply of life!
Amen
Amen! Hallelujah for our revival each morning brother, when we can be filled with a fresh supply of the sevenfold Spirit.
This supply must flow out of our innermost being and become a fountain of blessing for God’s people and also for the sinners.
We should all be “Olive trees” emptying God from ourselves into others.
Aaameen! Lord make us sons of fresh oil to supply others with oil, with the Spirit! Praise the Lord!!
As “Sons of fresh oil”, as pictured in Zechariah 4, we must be emptying the golden oil into others, ministering he consummated Spirit.
For this day by day, we need to pay the price to buy the oil, gaining more of God to receive the supply so that we can be such ones, fulfiling our function as ministers of a new covenant, to give life to others, supplying the lampstand.