Zion, the Overcomers

In typology in the Old Testament Zion was the city of King David (2 Sam. 5:7), the center of the city of Jerusalem, where the temple as God’s dwelling place on earth was built (Psa. 9:11; 2:6; 74:2; 76:2b; 125:1; 135:21; Isa. 8:18).  In fulfillment and reality, Zion is the overcomer in the local churches today. It is not enough for a Christian to simply be saved, nor is it enough for him to be in a denomination. And still, it is also not enough to be recovered into the proper ground of oneness in a local church. But much more, we must pray and pay the price to be overcomers to be today's Zion without which God has no real testimony through which He can fulfill His divine purpose. Therefore, Zion is the ultimate need today to meet God's needs.

And  I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. Rev. 14:1

Today God is looking for the one hundred and forty-four thousand amidst the defeated church, who will stand on Mount Zion (Rev. 14). God always uses a small number of believers to pass on the flow of life to the church and to revive the church. As the Lord has done once before, so these overcomers have to pour out their blood before life can flow out to others. On behalf of the church, the overcomers take the stand of victory and also suffer tribulation and despising. Thus, the overcomers of God need to give up what they consider as right. They have to pay the price and allow the cross to cut off all the old creation and deal with the gates of Hades (Matt. 16:18).

Are you willing to endure heartache to gain the heart of God? Are you willing to let yourself be defeated so that the Lord can be the Victor? When your obedience is fulfilled, God will deal with all disobedience (2 Cor. 10:6). (CWWN, vol. 11, pp. 762-763)

The above excerpt from Watchman Nee touched my being so deeply. To be today's Zion, the most important thing is to pay the price.

Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O long enduring doors; and the King of glory will come in. We all must be so open to the Lord. Psa. 24:7

We all have to endeavor to reach this high peak. If you think it is too hard to reach this high peak and that the price to pay is too high, be prepared. We surely need to be desperate to pray at any cost and to pay the cost just as the apostle Paul did. There is no other way to reach this high peak except by praying. (HWMR 1 & 2 Kings, msg 10)

The price to pay is to spend time with the Lord in prayer. I released my burden to the church on the need for everyone to spend specific time of prayer every day, at least 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or even an hour of solid sweet time of prayer with the Lord. In this way, we are opening the door for the Lord to come in and do what he needs to do in us to make us His overcomers.

Moreover, there is a need to pay the price of receiving the word of God with prayer. The word is nourishing and the or is also slaying. The word provides spiritual nourishment and it also kills all the germs within our being.

And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind.  Eph. 4:23

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. We need to experience the killing power of God’s word.  Eph. 5:26-27 

As we pray-read, we are nourished on the one hand, but certain elements are killed on the other hand. Perhaps you are troubled by doubts, hatred, jealousy, pride, or selfishness…The more we take in the word with its killing power, the more our pride and all the negative elements within us are put to death. By pray-reading, the inward adversary is slain…by the word we have taken into us. The battlefield for the spiritual warfare…is within us; in particular it is in our mind…The way to slay the adversary in our mind is to pray-read the word. As we pray-read God’s word, the elements of the adversary within our mind will be killed one by one. In this way we shall gain the victory…When the negative things in us are killed through pray-reading, the Lord is victorious. Because He is victorious, we are victorious  also.  (HWMR 1 & 2 Kings, msg 10)

The result of paying the price will be victory!  

Psalm 132 mentions seven precious items related to the overcomers in their going up to Zion; these items are at the top of the church life, and they portray the situation of the overcomers in Zion, the highest peak of God’s mountain—vv. 13-18.

1. Resting with God—“This is My resting place forever”—v. 14a.
2. Dwelling with God—“Here will I dwell, for I have desired it”—v. 14b.
3. Food for satisfaction—“I will abundantly bless its provision; I will satisfy its poor with bread”— v. 15.
4. Glorious clothing—“Its priests I will clothe with salvation, / And its faithful ones will shout with a ringing shout”—v. 16; cf. Exo. 28:2.
5. The horn of victory—“There I will cause a horn of David to shoot forth”—Psa. 132:17a.
6. The enlightening lamp—“I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one”—v. 17b. 

7. The shining crown—“I will clothe his enemies with shame, / But on him his crown will shine”— v. 18; cf. Isa. 62:3.  (HWMR 1 & 2 Kings, msg 10) 

I have released the Lord's burden for the saints in the church in Gurugram. The meeting was so high and we all could feel the intensity of the Lord's timely speaking and His desire to take us forward and make us all His vicotoious overcomers. In fact, from today we have a new beginning in the way we meet and the next generation service groups were practically carried out. 

Lord, make us all Your Zion, Your overcomers! This is Your recovery. Recover us fully in Your victory!