Ephesians (Program #52) – God’s Desire for a Glorious Church

What is the characteristic that you most desire in the Church?  Would it be a nice Church where you feel comfortable? Or how about I want a victorious Church, full of power? Or how about a spiritual Church with the highest teaching?  Well, in Ephesians 5, Paul tells us about the Church that God is seeking.

“Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.”

So, the goal for the Church is not to be good, spiritual, victorious or even powerful. What God is after and what we should be focus on is a glorious Church.

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Ephesians (Program #3) – Chosen to be Holy

Let me ask you to consider a simple question, “How has God blessed you?” Most people when asked to recount the many blessings that they received from God would likely list things like their family or their good health or maybe success in business and earthly possessions. Others might give a more spiritual answer like ‘God has blessed me with His enduring mercy or undying love’. But the apostle Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians says very clearly that God’s blessings are all spiritual and they’re in the heavenlies and they’re in Christ. Furthermore, when he had the opportunity to offer his blessing to God, it was not for His mercy that endures forever or for His love or grace, rather it was being the God and Father of our Lord and Jesus Christ. Well this is how Ephesians opens – it is most unusual to say the least but it also conveys a wonderful sense of the rich and profound content of this book.

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1 Corinthians (Program #43) – Dealing with Head Coverings

When the apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, it”s clear that he dealt with many specific problems that were disturbing the believers in Corinth. He addressed these problems in a marvelous way by separating them into two groups.

The first group as we’ve seen covered in the first ten chapters deal with problems in the human life; things like division and argument, dispute between individuals and problems in the married life.

But beginning of chapter eleven he turns to deal with problems that touch things in the spiritual realm. Specifically things that deal with God’s administration in the universe. The first of these spiritual matters is head covering. We may not have much realization about this matter in today’s age. But if we hear Paul’s word on the matter we will get more deeply impressed because it touches the very matter of God’s headship in the universe.

11:3-5 “But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered disgraces his head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head;”

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1 Corinthians (Program #36) – Dealing with Eating of Sacrifices to Idols (1)

After opening the book of 1 Corinthians in a very spiritual way, the apostle Paul then turned his attention to several practical matters in the middle chapters.

Chapter 7 for instance deals with marriage. Chapter eight with eating, our diet. These are some of the most basic and practical of all human items. Yet as he begins this fellowship on eating in chapter 8 he inserts a very wonderful and very spiritual phrase. Listen to the first verse of chapter

8:1 “Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”

Building up, a theme that runs through out this book. And a very important theme for all of us God’s people to understand.

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Exodus (Program #137) – The Sanctification of Aaron and His Sons to be the Priests (8)

Most of the time when we come to God it’s because we need something.  Our needs can be outward or material, inward or spiritual.  God’s measure to us for our real need is always the same; He offers us Christ to meet our every need.  But Exodus revealed that God not only offered something to us, He is also looking for us to offer something to Him for His satisfaction.  “What do I have that God could possibly want”, you might ask.  Stay us today for the surprising answer.

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Exodus (Program #69) – Sundry Ordinances of the Law

We are all familiar with commandments and ordinances.   It seems everywhere we turn, we’re met by these rules and regulations.  The same is true in the latter part of Exodus where we find many ordinances and commandments.  But have you ever seen the sweetness of these commandments of God?  You’d want to stay with us for today’s life study of the Bible, featuring the ministry of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee.

The genuine ministry of the New Testament is not a miraculous things produced in a short period of time.  It requires much preparation involving the cross, and the spirit in the context of proper Body life.  This comes to mind because the central human figure in Exodus is Moses.  We realize how extensive was the time given to his preparation.  This word preparation is rich in spiritual significance.  more…

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Mark (Program #53) – A Life Fully According To and For God’s New Testament Economy (10)

Are you trying to be spiritual, scriptural, holy and victorious? Although this sounds very noble and honorable, it could be this effort that is distracting you from the life giving Spirit so that you could live a life that is fully according to and for God’s New Testament economy.

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Mark (Program #19) – The Move of the Slave-Savior’s Gospel Service (7)

The record in Mark is unique among the four gospels in that the events followed their actual chronological order.  With that in mind is insightful to realize that there is a marvelous progression in the cases mentioned in Mark. Spiritually speaking each case takes us as it did to the disciples a step at a time, higher and higher until a peak is reached in chapters8 and 9. In these chapters the disciples were finally be able to receive a full vision of the Lord Jesus of His divinity and His humanity. But before reaching such a place, they had to first pass through all the steps signify by these crucial cases.  Chapters 7 and 8 show us 5 of these important steps.

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Ezekiel (Program #8) – A Sky as Clear as the Terrible Crystal

The final few verses of Ezekiel chapter 1 are very deep and very profound. They speak of the sky or the expanse above the heads of the four living creatures being so clear and limitless that the Bible itself uses the term “awesome crystal” to describe it. Now the Biblical usage of the term or word “awesome” is nothing like today’s common vernacular especially among the young people. The spiritual application of this clear crystalline expanse above us truly is awesome. And it portrays a spiritual condition that God would have us all experience day by day.

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Ezekiel (Program #6) – The Coordination of the Four Living Creatures (1)

The spiritual application of the mysterious vision in Ezekiel chapter 1 of the four living creatures is marvelous on many levels. First, it portrays Christ in various aspects; but more than just revealing aspects of Christ in this vision, we can see ourselves in God’s economy and how the various aspects of Christ become the genuine aspects of our experience of Him. Ultimately, God’s purpose and His move on earth are revealed in this vision. A vital key in our entering into God’s move is revealed in Ezekiel is the matter of the coordination typified by the four living creatures.

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