THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Full Ministry of Christ in the Stage of Intensification
Message Two—Producing the Overcomers
Scripture Reading: Rev. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6; 3:1, 12; 2:7b; 3:21; Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12, 18, 24b-27; Eph. 2:16; 4:4, 16; Col. 2:19; Rev. 12:11; 14:1, 4
I. The sevenfold intensified life-giving Spirit is for the producing of overcomers that the Body may be built up for the consummation of the New Jerusalem—Rev. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6; 3:1, 12:
A. In His second stage of inclusion Christ has produced the churches, but not much of the Body was produced and built up in an actual and practical way —1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17a.
B. For this reason, Christ has become the sevenfold intensified Spirit to overcome the degradation of the church that the overcomers may be produced to bring forth the Body—Rev. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6; 3:1.
C. Without the overcomers the Body of Christ cannot be built up, and unless the Body of Christ is built up Christ cannot come back for His bride—Eph. 1:10; 3:9; 1 Tim. 1:4; Rev. 12:11.
D. The building up of the Body of Christ is by the overcomers produced by Christ in His sevenfold intensified heavenly ministry—Rom. 5:10; Eph. 2:16; 4:4, 16; Col. 2:19.
II. As the sevenfold intensified Spirit Christ saves the believers from the things related to the degradation of the church—Rev. 2-3:
A. Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit worked to save the believers in the church in Ephesus from the formal church life, which has lost the first love to the Lord, the shining capacity of the lampstand, and the enjoyment of Christ as life—2:1-7.
1. In the church life we need reality rather than formality:
a. To be real is to be in the spirit and to do everything in the spirit—Rom. 8:4.
b. Any move that we have without using the spirit is outward, superficial, and false—Jude 19, footnote 2.
2. We must recover the loss of the first love and give Christ the preeminence in everything so that Christ might be everything in our life—Col. 1:18b.
3. We must also maintain the eating of Christ as the tree of life—Rev. 2:7.
4. This will cause us to shine forth the divine light as the lampstand corporately rather than individualistically in the dark night of the church age, to be the testimony of Jesus in our locality, and to hate the works of the Nicolaitans—vv. 5-6.
B. Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit worked to strengthen the suffering believers in the church in Smyrna to overcome the persecution by being martyred so that they will be rewarded not to taste the second death during the kingdom age—vv. 8-11.
1. Christ’s love of affection constrains us to live and to die for Him—2 Cor. 5:14-15; Rom. 14:7-9.
2. Christ’s love makes the believers martyrs for Him—Rev. 2:10; 12:11; Rom. 8:35-37.
3. The Spirit of glory and of God rests upon the suffering believers—1 Pet. 4:14.
4. The more we are persecuted for the Lord and become poor, the richer we will be in Christ—Rev. 2:9; 2 Cor. 6:10.
5. Those who are faithful unto death will gain the crown of life—the overcoming strength that is the power of the resurrection life—Rev. 2:10; Phil. 3:10.
C. Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit worked to sanctify the believers in the church in Pergamos from the union with the world and from the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans to be the overcomers so that they may be rewarded to eat the hidden manna and to have a white stone upon which a new name will be written in the kingdom age—Rev. 2:12-17.
1. While the church goes the way of the world, the overcomers come forward to abide in the presence of God in the Holy of Holies, where they enjoy the hidden Christ as a special portion for their daily supply—v.17a; John 6:57.
2. If we do not follow the worldly church but enjoy the Lord in the proper church life, we will be transformed into stones for God’s building—v.17b; 2 Cor. 3:18.
D. Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit worked to rescue the believers in the church in Thyatira from idol worship, fornication, demonic teachings, and the deep things of Satan to be the overcomers so that they may be rewarded with the authority over the nations in the kingdom age—vv.18-29.
E. Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit worked to revive the believers in the church in Sardis from their dead and dying condition to be the overcomers so that they may be rewarded with walking with the Lord in white and with not having their names erased from the book of life but confessed by the Lord before the Father and His angels in the kingdom age—3:1-6.
F. Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit worked to encourage the believers in the church in Philadelphia to hold fast what they have that no one take their crown to be the overcomers so that they may be rewarded to be a pillar in the temple of God with the name of God and the name of the New Jerusalem and the new name of the Lord written upon them in the kingdom age—vv. 7-13.
G. Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit worked to awake the believers in the church in Laodicea from their lukewarm and Christless condition, exhorting them to pay the price for the refined gold, white garments, and eyesalve and to open their door to the knocking Lord to be the overcomers so that they may be rewarded to sit on the throne of the Lord in the kingdom age—vv. 14-22.
III. The overcomers are for the building up of the Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem—2:7b; 3:12, 21:
A. The Lord needs the overcomers to carry out the economy of God to have the Body, and to destroy His enemy—Eph. 1:10; 3:9; 1 Tim. 1:4; Rev. 12:11.
B. The building up of the Body of Christ by the overcomers in this age is for the initial consummation of the New Jerusalem in the kingdom age and eventually for the full consummation of the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth—2:7; 21:2.
C. The overcomers see the Body, know the Body, and care for the Body—Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12, 18, 24b-27; Eph. 2:16; 4:4, 16; Col. 2:19.
D. The overcomers are those who care for God’s interests above everything, including their necessities—Matt. 6:33.
E. The Lord has been delayed because He still needs some who will pay the price to be His overcomers—Rev. 3:18; Matt. 25:9.
F. We must resolve to deny ourselves and be the overcomers for the Lord, for the recovery, and for the Body—Rev. 12:11; 14:1, 4.
Ministry Excerpts:
OUR WALKING AND SPEAKING HIGH PRIEST
When we read Revelation, we should consider the first three chapters together. The first chapter clearly depicts Christ as our High Priest, wearing the priestly robe which signifies that He is ministering of Himself and of the divine nature and life into us. If you separate this chapter from the next two, you will not easily realize that what these two chapters cover is the real priestly service. You may think that in chapters two and three the Lord is dealing with the seven churches, and not associate this with His priestly service. If you think this way, you are missing the mark. Chapters two and three show how He ministers the priestly service to us.
This ministry of the priestly service is accomplished mainly by His speaking. Christ’s heavenly priesthood is a speaking ministry. In my early Christian life I thought that Christ was in the heavens only interceding for us as our High Priest. In those years I did not see that, besides His speaking Godward to intercede, He also has a speaking which is usward. He speaks to God to intercede for us, and He speaks to us to minister the priestly service.
Christ’s speaking to us surely follows His speaking to the Father. In other words, His intercession takes place first; then by His speaking to us He continues to accomplish what He has interceded.
Even today it is the same. Our High Priest in His heavenly ministry is now walking among the churches to look into the condition of each one. Then according to what He sees, He speaks to us. This is the real priestly service. Do not think that what He is saying is doctrine. His speaking is His serving, His ministering. If you reread these seven epistles with this understanding, you will find them altogether new. Many Bible teachers use these epistles to expound doctrines, but what Christ is speaking here is not doctrinal. It is a priestly speaking.
TRIMMING AND INFILLING
What is the nature of this priestly speaking? In the Old Testament there was the lampstand in the tabernacle. Every morning these lamps were trimmed by having their charred wicks snuffed (Exo. 30:7). In addition, they were kept supplied with oil (27:20). To trim is to cut off the charred ends which would no longer burn brightly; to add oil is to supply what is needed. In Revelation 2 and 3 our High Priest was trimming the seven lampstands. He was cutting away those things which were not needed and which frustrated the shining. At the same time He was supplying the oil which was needed and which would make the lampstands burn brightly. The seven lampstands were receiving His trimming and His infilling.
TRIMMING RELIGION
Of all the things He trimmed away, to me the most striking is the synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9). Are you familiar with this term? That the Lord speaks of Judaism in such a way indicates that by the time of the church age, Judaism had become satanic. If you are a Jewish believer, subconsciously you may still be for Judaism. When you hear that it has become satanic, you may want to protest. Nonetheless, this is the word of our heavenly High Priest. In fact, He uses the term a second time in 3:9.
A synagogue is the symbol of Judaism, just as a building with a steeple is a symbol of Christianity. In any present-day town, whether here or in other countries, if we see a building with a steeple and a bell, we recognize it as a symbol of Christianity; if we see a synagogue, we know it is a symbol of Judaism. During the church dispensation this symbol of Judaism became the synagogue of Satan. It is utilized by him in rebellion against God’s New Testament economy.
TRIMMING WORLDLINESS
Another thing which chars the wick is worldliness. This our heavenly High Priest cannot tolerate. Pergamos (Rev. 2:12-17) speaks of the marriage of the church with the world. The Lord again steps in to trim the wick. You who live in New York are surely living in a worldly city. Apart from the church, I certainly would not like to live here. We heard a brother from Texas give a testimony that when he got on the subway, he said, “Lord, take me back to Texas. It’s not so worldly there.” The truth is, Texas has its own worldliness. We may think that those who live in the countryside are spared from worldliness, but this is not the case. The country has its worldliness too. All this worldliness, symbolized by Pergamos, must be trimmed away.
TRIMMING EVIL
When the Lord comes to the church in Thyatira, He condemns them for tolerating the woman Jezebel (Rev. 2:20). Who is this evil woman He calls Jezebel? It is the Roman Catholic Church. She “calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My slaves astray to commit fornication and to eat idol sacrifices.” The Catholic Church is full of evil. The woman Jezebel is in the church. All that she represents must be trimmed away.
TRIMMING LUKEWARMNESS
In the last epistle, the one to Laodicea, there is lukewarmness (Rev. 3:15-16). “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to vomit you out of My mouth.” Lukewarmness also must be trimmed away.
A number of you may be lukewarm. You are somewhat indifferent, yet still you come to the meetings. You may even be proud that you are moderate, and think, “I’m a middle-of-the-road person. It’s good not to be too wild or too committed. I’m not cold, but I’m not hot either. Too much heat burns people; I don’t think that’s good.”
Lukewarmness must be trimmed away, along with religion, worldliness, and the evils of Jezebel. Morning by morning the priests did this trimming work.
INFILLING BY EATING
They also filled the lamps with oil. What is this infilling?
The Lord Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, “To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7). To eat of the tree of life is the best infilling! This oil surpasses the oil found in the Arab countries!
Then in Revelation 2:17 He promises the one who overcomes in Pergamos, “To him I will give of the hidden manna.” To eat of the hidden manna is to be filled and supplied.
To the church in Laodicea He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me” (3:20). By feasting with the Lord, the infilling takes place.
To eat of the tree of life, to eat of the hidden manna, to feast with the Lord: these are all the infilling.
Even as you hear this message, the speaking trims and infills or refills. This is Christ’s high priestly service. By it all the dark, black things of religion, worldliness, evil, and lukewarmness are trimmed away. Also by it the heavenly, divine element of the tree of life, the hidden manna, and the heavenly feast is ministered to you.
TRANSFORMATION
The effect of this heavenly ministry is a metabolic transformation. The old things will be discharged and replaced with something new, heavenly, and divine. You will be transformed into precious stones for the building of God’s dwelling place. Even while you listen, this transformation is going on because this ministry is under the heavenly priesthood of Christ. It seeks to trim the churches and supply them with the infilling that all the saints in the churches might be metabolically and organically transformed.
Since I last visited the church here, I can see a change especially in you young ones. There has been some transformation in you. This is not cause for you to be proud. You have probably been unaware that such a thing was going on in you. Nonetheless, you have been at least partially transformed. How has this come about? It has not been by teaching. It has been because your High Priest in the heavens is doing His priestly service, walking among you, speaking to you, and interceding for you. I believe your names have been frequently mentioned by Him in the heavens. Otherwise, none of you would still be here. For you young people to be here is a great matter. Surely it is the heavenly High Priest who has kept you! Day and night He has been taking care of everything that concerns you.
THE OVERCOMERS
All His service and care has the aim of making you an overcomer. Religion, worldliness, evil things, and lukewarmness are not part of the golden lampstand. But when you eat of the tree of life, when you partake of the hidden manna, and when you enjoy the heavenly feast, this nourishment will become the divine element of which the lampstand is composed.
Thus every local church will be a lampstand, and in every local church will be overcomers. These overcomers will make up the lampstand. With them religion, worldliness, evil, and lukewarmness will have been trimmed away. The heavenly element will have been supplied to you as the tree of life, the hidden manna, and the heavenly feast. What you will have is the Triune God Himself. He will become your constituent. With such a golden constitution there will be the lampstand. A lampstand eventually is the overcomers in a local church. (The Mending Ministry of John, msg. 14)