A Living Sacrifice

I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. Rom. 12:1

Last Lord's day, as we had the church's service fellowship, the speaking of the Lord was so clear. For the church service and for the fulfillment of His purpose on the earth, God needs us, the believers. Without us, God has no way, and without Him we have no way either. On His part He had accomplished whatever was and is needed, but on our part, we have to cooperate with Him. 

As we pray-read this verse, the Lord enlightened me concerning the human part. On God's part, he had so much compassions (plural), on us; He chose us, selected us, redeemed us, forgiven our sins, purchased us, washed us, cleansed us, justified us, and so forth. What is required of us is to present our bodies to Him; not just me, an individual, but many of us; many bodies presented to Him. If our physical bodies were not presented to Him how can He make use of us? As we present our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice, we don't present a slain body to Him, we present a living bodies, unlike the old testament. The presented bodies (plural) become a living sacrifice (singular.) The footnote of the Recovery Version helped me a lot:

In Greek, bodies here is plural and sacrifice is singular. This indicates that, although many bodies are presented, they become one sacrifice, implying that, although we are many, our service in the Body of Christ should not be many individual services, separated and unrelated. All our service should constitute one whole service, and this service must be unique because it is the service of the one Body of Christ.

http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=4010

And this living sacrifice is holy, sanctified by Him and is well pleasing to God. This is our reasonable service. Not a service of a bi sacrifice. Just the required and reasonable service.

Be burning in spirit v.11a

A presented body, a transformed soul, and a burning spirit — all three are indispensable to a proper church life. After we have presented our body for the church life, it is very easy for us to fall into the opinions of our mind in our soul, which results in our being damaged in the church life; therefore, our soul, and particularly the mind of our soul, needs to be transformed. However, once our mind is transformed, we may easily fall into a negative and dormant state. At that time we must be burning in spirit that we may be stirred up and encouraged to go on in the church life in a positive way.

http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=4030

Serving the Lord v.11b

Serving as a slave! When we present ourselves to the Lord, we must just serve as slave. A slave does not complain, reason or argue. He just serves. Whether appreciated or rewarded, he just serves. This is the need of every serving ones. Its very possible to serve as a "master", or even as "men pleaser" serving before men, not only before God. A slave knows nothing, expect nothing, but just serves.

This is the timely speaking of the Lord today, at least, to the church in Gurgaon. Lord, make us all Your proper serving ones, to cooperate with Your heavenly ministry today.

The Brand of Jesus

Galatians 6:17 Henceforth let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the brands of Jesus.

The marks branded on slaves to indicate their owners. With Paul, a slave of Christ (Rom. 1:1), the brands were physically the scars of his wounds received in his faithful service to his Master (2 Cor. 11:23-27). Spiritually, they signify the characteristics of the life that he lived, a life like the one the Lord Jesus lived on this earth. Such a life is continually crucified (John 12:24), does the will of God (John 6:38), does not seek its own glory but the glory of God (John 7:18), and is submissive and obedient to God, even unto the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8). The apostle followed the pattern of the Lord Jesus, bearing the brands, the characteristics of His life. In this he was absolutely different from the Judaizers.

http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=5467

This morning the Lord spoke to me on "the brands of Jesus." Paul was a pattern who took the Lord Jesus as his pattern and lived Him. He belonged to Jesus and was identified with the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Such was the life, and such is the life we have to live today. This is a God-man living. This kind of living is needed for God to move through, to accomplish His eternal purpose.

A new revival can be brought in by such a God-man living, bearing the brands of Jesus. When others see us they see Jesus living again on the earth. Our words, our walks and our works testify that we bear the brands of Jesus. We become a living, walking and talking Bible for others to read. We are just the many grains produced from the one grain, the Lord Jesus Christ. In life and in nature, we are just the same as He, but not in the Godhead. This kind of living is the work of God; the work and the person are one. This is the God-man life, bearing the brands of Jesus. Such living issues in the shepherding of others for the building up of the Body of Christ. Personally revived first, and spreads to the whole family and to the whole church. Bringing in a genuine revival that builds up the Body of Christ which will ultimately bring the Lord Jesus back. This is the genuine revival, out from the living of a God-man life, bearing the brands of Jesus, that God wants, to fulfill His eternal purpose on earth.

With this inspiration, the meeting of the church today was so living, the burdens so clear. It was a clarion call to all, to live such a God-man life. Though in numbers we were few, but the anointing and the speaking of the Lord through the saints' prophesying was so rich. Not just one, but almost all saints spoke the same thing, the same burden with the same spirit in the same flow for the same goal of building up the Body of Christ. This truly indeed is the Lord's recovery of the church life.

Lord, revive us everyday, bearing Your brands, Your testimony.

The Way

Acts 9:2 And asked for letters from him to Damascus for the synagogues, so that if he found any who were of the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

The Way:

Denoting the Lord's full salvation in God's New Testament economy. It is the way God dispenses Himself into the believers through Christ's redemption and the Spirit's anointing; it is the way the believers partake of God and enjoy God; it is the way the believers worship God in their spirit by enjoying Him and follow the persecuted Jesus by being one with Him; and it is the way the believers are brought into the church and built up into the Body of Christ to bear the testimony of Jesus (cf. notes 22 151 and 211 in 2 Pet. 2).

http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=3124

As I was studying this verse, the Lord enlightened me of the THE WAY. The believers in Jesus Christ were known as those who were of the Way. Indeed, it was, and it is and will ever be, as the very God incarnated Jesus Christ is the only and one unique way. The way to God's full salvation, the way God reaches man and man contacts God, the way to experience and enjoy God, the way to know the true and living God, the way God mingles with man and becomes one with God, and the way to fulfill God's eternal purpose. This is THE WAY. And there is no other way, other than the Way, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way and the reality and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

The Way:

The way for man to enter into God is the Lord Himself. Since the way is a living person, the place to which the Lord brings man must also be a person, God the Father Himself. The Lord Himself is the living way by which man is brought into God the Father, the living place. The way needs the reality, and the reality needs the life. The Lord Himself is the life to us. This life brings us the reality, and the reality becomes the way by which we enter into the enjoyment of God the Father.

http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=2671

The way is a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ; since the way is a Person the destination of the way is a Person, God Himself. The way is not leading to a place but a Person! People who believed into the Way and walk the path of the Way are the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the destination of walking on the way of the Lord Jesus Christ is a Person, God Himself. Even as they walk on the Way they walked with the Way to reach the Way. This is contrary to religions and their teachings. And to walk on the Way is not a matter of religion, it is walking by faith to fulfill God's eternal purpose. 

The Way is the way one has to take.

Ichabod

Ichabod means no glory.

And she named the child Ichabod, meaning, the glory has departed from Israel, because the Ark of God had been taken...1 Samuel 4:21

The sinfulness of Eli's son, Hophni and Phinehas, God could no longer tolerate. Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know Jehovah-v12. Therefore, God judged the two black shepherds and both were killed by the Philistines. God could have protected them as they were serving priests in the temple of God, instead He allowed them to be killed. This bad news later led to the death of Eli himself and Phinehas's wife right after bearing a son. And a son was born, rightly name, ICHABOD, no glory. It was a shame and defeat to the Israelites. Therefore, Jehovah God did away with the degraded and rotten Aaronic priesthood, and found an alternative, through Samuel.

As I was reading this portion of the Word, the Lord enlightened me very much. And I have to solemnly come before the Lord and consider. As serving ones, is my life, living and conduct before God and man, pleasing to the Lord? Am I loose, lethargic and degraded in my service? Am I serving out of the over flow of the divine life, out of the enjoyment of the Lord? 

True indeed are these solemn warnings. God desires to express Himself through man. His expression is His glory. If there is no expression of God in our living or service, we are degraded. We need to repent and turn to the Lord to be revived in spirit and vitalised. Otherwise, we might face the fate of Eli's son. The Lord forbid that this should happen among the saints. Instead, let there be revival among us and the saints. And let there be God's glory manifested among the saints in the churches!

A classical hymn by Albert Midlane on Revival reminds me of my need for such.

Revive Thy work, O Lord!
  While here to Thee we bow;
Descend, O gracious Lord, descend!
  Oh, come, and bless us now!
Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/797#ixzz2HfTAjQRc

However, the real revival is from within by living a god-man life in the normal church-life and practising  the God-ordained way. Being renewed every morning  and revived everyday is the key to experience the new revival, not merely for personal growth, but much more for the building up o the Body of Christ. 

Lord renew us every moment and revive us every day!

Good Testimony

Ruth was a Moabites widow, from the cursed tribe of Israel, however, she had a good testimony and ultimately participated in keeping the line in humanity to bring Christ forth out of eternity into time. My reading of this story was enlightened by the Lord to see a very important matter in my human living, to have a good testimony. For, there are conditions that qualifies God's usage for such. Ruth had a good testimony and she was thus used and blessed by God.

All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told me, as well as how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people whom you did not know before. May Jehovah recompense your works, and may you have a full reward from Jehovah the god of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. 

Ruth 2;11,12

When she was instructed, she dis not express nor had any opinion. She just obeyed her mother-in-law. "All that you say, I will do." - 3:5. And did exactly as she was told to do. No wonder, Boaz married her, inspite of her black background. And no wonder, God could use her to bring forth the Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, if we have to bring forth something of Christ, apart from just having the life of  Christ as mere Christian we must also have proper living, proper testimony before God and men; a good testimony, that the Lord can use for the impartation of Himself to others. In many cases, action speaks louder then words. Our living and conduct as Christians in the midst of sinful, evil and worldly society must be the glad tidings for others to read the message of Christ; we must all be living Bible and talking Bible and walking Bible and working Bible. A good testimony to all, for the gospel, for the church and for god Himself. Yes, a good testimony.

Filled with the Holy Spirit

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, was very bold and was used by the Lord for His move after the day of Pentecost. This very Peter was the one who was a "chicken" who denied the Lord thrice. But after being filled with the Holy Spirit he was a "lion", so bold to testify of the resurrected and ascended Christ. 

Peter and John were uneducated and laymen, but had been with Jesus (v.13). That made all the difference! Educationally or physically, men of no repute, but when with Jesus and been filled with the Holy Spirit, notable signs were manifested which no men could deny (v.16) as they had spoken and repeated the very words and works of Christ which they had seen and heard (v.20) issuing in the glorification of the source of all their works, God Himself (v.21) which led to the church praise and prayer, and became the very essence of the believers' oneness (v.32) resulting in the a normal healthy church-life where there was the filling of the Holy Spirit, the preaching of the Word, the testimonies of God's work, and the mutual care for one another's need--the sharing of God's blessings among all saints.

What a blessing to see this! What had happened can happen again. Only with one condition, "by being filled with the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:4 says, "..they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues.." 4:31 "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness" proving that when one is filled with the Holy Spirit, there are different manifestations, all for the church life, for the propagating and spreading of the gospel of the Kingdom.

This was the word I enjoyed as I read the word in a train journey last Thursday. Lord, keep me ever filled with your Holy Spirit.

Amidst the Masses

The presence of the Lord is everywhere the person is, with the exercised spirit. Last Thursday I was in a busy crowded New Delhi railway station. I arrived well before the scheduled train time. The platform was so disordered. On my right side were quarrel-some goods loader, fighting for which cargo bags to load first into the cargo train bogie. On my front were hapless passengers waiting for train, lying down on the floor on a bed make-shift. On my left were groups of passengers with luggage. There I was, amidst the masses.

Amidst the masses I was contacting the Lord in my spirit. The presence of the Lord was so sweet that the outward "disturbances" were music to my ear, tuning me to my spirit. The Lord as the Spirit filled me, and burdens upon burdens were released, very specifically of my own family; for the restoration and recovery of their normal function in the church life. The time spent was so enjoyable that I didn't notice the passage of time. Soon my train arrived and I boarded it, heading for Chandigarh for the preparatory work for the Gospel preaching and the raising up of the church.

Quite time was what most Christian practised, but even in the midst of bustling noises of all sorts, from announcement via loud speakers, untamed tongue shoutings, train horns sound, etc... one can hear the voice of the Lord by turning to the spirit, exercising the spirit, enjoying the Lord. There should be no excuses based on outward circumstances, though outward things does matter, but most importantly is the exercise of the spirit, calling upon the Name of the Lord, touching the Lord and being touched by the Lord. Such must be the experience of every normal Christian. Apart from these, a Christian life may out-rightly be just religious with many do's and dont's. 

Lord Jesus, may we always live in the spirit.