Two Aspects of the Church
The Bible reveals that the church is of two aspects: the universal aspect in Matthew 16:18 and the local aspect in Matthew 18:17. In its universal aspect, the church is revealed as the church of God, which is constituted with the element of God (1 Cor. 1:2); the supporting pillar and upholding base of the […]
The Lampstand in the Bible
The progressive revelation of the lampstand in the Bible portrays the eternal economy of God to make Himself one with man for His enlargement and eternal expression. In the Bible, the lampstand is first seen in Exodus 25 as a picture of the mysterious Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—while the final mention […]
Praying in the Two Spirits
The essence of the New Testament and our Christian life is the two spirits—God’s Spirit and our human spirit, mingled together as one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17; cf. Lev. 2:4). Although we have entered into this mingling by virtue of our divine birth (John 3:6), we need our union with the Lord to be strengthened […]
Allowing Christ the Preeminence for the Advance of God’s Move Today
God’s unique desire and the goal of His administration is to give Christ the preeminence, the first place, in all things (Col. 1:18). From the current world affairs to the seemingly insignificant details of our lives, “all things” are arranged by God for the fulfillment of His eternal desire that Christ would become the preeminent […]
The Heavenly Christ as the Living Star and the Shining Stars in the Churches as Christ’s Duplication
Numbers 24:17 says, “There shall come forth a Star out of Jacob.” In Revelation 22:16-17 the Lord Jesus testifies, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come!” The Star out of Jacob and the bright morning star in these verses are the […]
Touching the Divine Concept in the Bible by Exercising Our Spirit When Coming to the Bible
Second Timothy 3:16 says that “All Scripture is God-breathed.” This means that the Bible as the Word of God is the very breath of God. Moreover, 2 Peter 1:21 says, “For no prophecy was ever borne by the will of man, but men spoke from God while being borne by the Holy Spirit.” According to […]
Exercising Our Spirit to Contact the Reality of the Bible and to Know Christ Practically
John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Christ is eternally the Word of God; according to time, He came before the Bible, and whether or not the Bible was composed, He remains the Word of God. As the Word of God, Christ […]
The Centrality and Universality of Christ
The entire Bible reveals Christ, who is the centrality and universality of God’s divine economy. The consummation of this fact can be seen in the city of New Jerusalem as revealed in Revelation chapters 21 and 22. Verse 23 of chapter 21 tells us that “the city has no need of the sun or of […]
Uplifted View of Pray-Reading
Submitted by: Joe Putnam (Irvine, CA) Recently, I’ve been enjoying an uplifted view of pray-reading, particularly that pray-reading means we’re praying over the words of the Bible and we’re using the words of the Bible as our prayer. Based on the first definition, to pray-read is to pray over the words of the Bible that we’re reading. As we read any portion of the Word, we […]