It might be from a gnostic origin

Unfortunately, gnostic is pretty much ... myths

Pretty much :/

If you google ... things like Gnostic Reflections in Freemasonry ...

=_= ... Bible has LOTS LOTS of fulfilled prophecies .... and it is not published at 2003

Now, this is more mind blowing

But we haven't heard on what ground etc. on why you support it ?

... hello!

God’s goal in His creation of man was to have a corporate expression of Himself. According to this goal, man was made in the image of God in order to be His testimony (Gen. 1:26). This means that man was destined to be the expression of God. Because Adam failed God in this respect, Jesus came as the second man (1 Cor. 15:47b) to take the position and function of Adam. Thus, the living person of Jesus is the expression, image, and testimony of God (Col. 1:15). In the same way, the church today is the testimony of Jesus, that is, His expression. In the first chapter of the Bible, man is in the image of God to express God, and in the last two chapters of the Bible there is a building, the New Jerusalem, to express God. According to the book of Revelation, God on His throne has the appearance of jasper, and the New Jerusalem also has the appearance of jasper (4:2-3; 21:11, 18). This means that the entire city is God’s expression in His image. By this we can see the consistency of the Bible from the beginning to the end.

No doubt, there is the matter of our personal salvation in the Bible. We were all lost, and we must believe in the Lord Jesus to be saved. To a certain extent, we also need to seek the Lord to improve our living and conduct. However, this is not God’s consistent goal. God’s consistent goal is to have a unique expression of Himself. Neither the sun by day nor the moon by night can express God. Even the myriads of angels are not qualified or destined to express God; they are simply His servants (Heb. 1:13-14). In the whole universe, only man has the destiny to express God. The meaning of man is that he is to be the expression of God. Man was created not merely to be saved, to go to heaven, or to be a good person with good behavior. Simply to be saved and have a certain behavior are far off from God’s consistent goal. We were all created in the image of God with the destiny of expressing God.

Moreover, the expression of God according to His consistent goal is not individualistic but corporate and collective. We may claim to be expressing God, but it may be in an individual way, not in a corporate way. From the first page to the last, the Bible reveals that what God desires as His expression is corporate. God commanded the Israelites to build only one tabernacle. At that time over a million people were traveling in the wilderness, and that small tabernacle was only thirty cubits long and ten cubits wide, smaller than a common meeting hall (Exo. 26:15-16, 18, 20, 22-23). Nevertheless, that small tabernacle was the unique center for the worship of God. As such, it was the unique expression of God. Since God is one, He did not want to have more than one tabernacle among His people. God is omnipresent, but He does not desire to be omnipresent in that way. We can never divide God’s expression. God is uniquely one, so His expression must also be uniquely one. Similarly, there was only one temple of God in the ancient times. Since there were twelve tribes, it seems logical that each tribe should have had one temple, just as in modern times the United States has fifty states, each with its own legislature. However, our modern wisdom is not superior to God’s wisdom. All the twelve tribes had only one temple, because God’s expression is unique.

Likewise in the New Testament, there is only one church, because there is only one Christ. In the Old Testament there were three unique things: one God, one tabernacle, and one temple. In the New Testament there are also three unique things: one Christ, one church, and one holy city, the New Jerusalem.

I don't think we believes in Jesus Christ differently per se (I know what you mean, hehe) . We are all genuine believers of Christ. Only that we lack the seeing of the intrinsic nature and content of the church, the real oneness of the church and of course, the practically or reality of the church.

It is a loaded question. An answer that will requires one to be open, having the proper maturity of life, and to unveiled from your own traditional views. If not, I might as well wasting my breath or space . Yet, one can only say that much in this little post.

Firstly, we have to realize that there are two aspects of the church are that it is universal and local. The basic constituent of the church is a matter of the mingling of God and man, but the existence and expression of the church are related to its universal and local aspects. In itself the church is not local but universal. In the universe there is only one church, just as there is only one Christ. In the universe there is only one Head, Christ, and there is only one Body, the church. We are all regardless of whether we are Catholic, Protestant etc.. is the one universal church.

Although the church is universal, the expression of the church in this age is local. It is expressed in locality after locality. This is similar to the moon. Even though there is only one moon, it appears where we are, and it also appears in other places. There is only one moon, but it appears in numerous places.

Universally the church is the church, whereas locally a church is a local expression of the universal church. The local expression of the church is the representation of the church in a locality. The local expression of the church is the representation of the church in a particular locality at a particular time. In other words, the church is fully represented by its expression in a particular locality. Hence, the Bible speaks of the church as being uniquely one (Eph. 1:22b-23), yet it also speaks of numerous churches. For example, it speaks of seven churches in Asia (Rev. 1:4). Church refers to the church’s universal aspect, whereas churches refers to the local aspect. With respect to the church being universal, there is only one church; with respect to its local expression, there are tens of thousands of churches. If we do not have a clear understanding of the universal and local aspects of the church, we will encounter many problems.

However, the local expression of the church cannot be universalized or unified. Instead, the church is expressed in locality after locality. For example, in the New Testament the church was expressed as the church in Jerusalem, the church in Antioch, and the church in Ephesus. Today it is expressed in other cities, such as the church in Taipei and the church in London. All these local expressions of the church should not be unified. Once there is unification, an organization that is wrong will be produced. The Roman Catholic Church attempts to unify the local expressions of the church. This is unfortunately erroneous.

(I can say only this much ....)
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Next, regarding the oneness, unfortunately, the unity that you refer to is just not the oneness revealed in the Bible. It is just a uniting together through human effort under a banner, doctrine, hierarchy, or under a "church", or an ecumenical movement or just being united together just because we are Christians.

The oneness of the Spirit is just the Spirit Himself. The Spirit is the very oneness, the essence of the oneness. The Spirit is one. This one Spirit is in you, in him, and in me; He is in millions of us who are saved. It is not enough to say that the Spirit in us is the same. The Spirit in every one of us is the one and the same Spirit. The Spirit in you is the Spirit in me, and the Spirit in me is also the Spirit in you. The Spirit in millions of us who are saved is the one Spirit, not simply the same kind of Spirit but the same one Spirit.

The oneness of the Spirit is simply one; that is, it is not related to being united together. This oneness does not need to be united together; it is simply one. If we disregard our thoughts and care only for our spirit and the response in our spirit, then there will be a situation of oneness among us. If Christians care for the spirit in them instead of caring for their outward thoughts, then a situation of oneness will be manifested in the church. This is not a matter of uniting together through human effort; rather, it is a living out of the oneness of the Spirit among the believers.

This oneness is to express in His fullness the incarnated, crucified, and resurrected God, who has mingled Himself with the believers in their humanity. The oneness in the divine glory is to express the whole and entire incarnated, crucified, and resurrected God in all His fullness, that is, in all His riches. This rich God has mingled Himself with the human believers for His corporate, all-inclusive expression. Such an expression is a mingling of the incarnated, crucified, and resurrected God with all His redeemed in their humanity. This is to be one in the glory of the Divine Trinity.

(I guess I can only cover this much)
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So, a genuine local church is the practical expression of this one universal church today. From the Acts, it does shows clearly that the practice of the church life in the early days was the practice of having one church for one city, one city with only one church. In no city was there more than one church. This is the local church, with the city, not the street or the area, as the unit. The jurisdiction of a local church should cover the whole city in which the church is located; it should not be greater or lesser than the boundary of the city. All the believers within that boundary should constitute the one unique local church within that city.

Nothing should divide the believers from one another—no teaching, no practice, no national, cultural, or personal agenda. I believe that the practical oneness of the believers was the original expression of the church in the New Testament. Today Christians have all but abandoned the practical expression of the oneness of the Body of Christ, allowing themselves to be divided according to a dizzying array of doctrines, ministries, practices, personal ambitions, and national or ethnic origins. So pervasive is the disunity today that most Christians have become numb to the divisiveness that characterizes Christianity.

(I will agreed with you on the divisiveness of Christianity today).

Yet, I am not advocating a return to unity under the Roman Catholic Church. The system of Catholicism falls short of many other divine relevation in the Bible. I accept the great advances of the Reformation and so on (till the Brethens throughout the ages) and the light they brings.

But I am insistent that the Christian church need not be divided at all. All the main denominational bodies today are able to exercise a kind of intradenominational oneness that encompasses all the congregations in a city and across their cities. What if all the bases that define the denominations were dissolved by the grace of God, and all Christian congregations in a city exercised a larger oneness that encompassed not just those who hold to Lutheran doctrine or Methodist doctrine or Catholic doctrine or any other doctrine but all those who confess Christ? Where the so called "division" is only the locality they are in.

Certainly we would all have to drop many things that we insist on today, and we would have to open ourselves to a number of differences that certainly exist among the members of Christ’s Body. But what glory there would be to Him if our only stand in every city where we live were just Christ alone— no national origin, no religious practice, no doctrinal preference, no cultural distinction, but Christ as all and in all (cf. Col. 3:11)!

This is my vision and a dream, even if it is admittedly a minority view.

Cheers!

Well, there is a line of recovery of the truth even after the degradation of the church in the 1st century. I will not touch on the church fathers and their role in development of the truth of the Trinity, deification and defense against the various heresies.

What I meant by recovery .... to bring something back to its original condition. To say that God is recovering certain matters means that through the course of church history they have been lost, misused, or corrupted and that God is restoring them to their original state or condition. Simply put, in the eyes of God, recovery means to bring something back to its original condition.

So, the recovery of the truth is progressive throughout the ages. A little here, a little there. Not a complete picture of the complete truth.

The list is just too long ... I can use key figures but do realize that the list is never exhaustive ... They are not particularly in order ...

REFORMATION
Martin Luther
Recovered the truth of justification by faith and gave the world an open Bible. His early writings were written in the spirit of Brethren of the Common Life, showing that salvation is obtained by a direct access to God through faith in Christ and obedience to His Word.

Kaspar von Schwenckfeld
Believed in the inspiration of the whole Bible. Declared the truth that salvation is an organic process and that the crucified and glorified God-man is a life giving Spirit. Affirmed the universal priesthood of all believers. Regarded the matter of being chosen as something not by human will but by the thrust, revelation and manifestation of the Spirit.

John Calvin
Developed and expounded the truth that justification by faith and baptism represent the proof of God's promise. Emphasized the truths concerning God's glory, the predestination of the believers, the security of salvation, believers' efforts to seek the God as the goal of the call.

THE RECOVERY OF THE INITIAL EXPERIENCES OF THE INNER LIFE - MYSTICS
History tells us that the reformed churches, especially the state churches, eventually became a dead religion. In the seventeenth century, the Lord raised up a group of saints as a reaction to the deadness and emptiness of the reformed churches. Madame Guyon is representative of those who recovered the knowledge of the inner life. They paid attention to the inner fellowship with God and to living before Him; historians call them the mystics. Among them, Father Fenelon is very famous. There were many others, but there is little record of them because they were hidden. E.g. William Law, Miguel de Molinos etc.

THE RECOVERY OF THE INITIAL STAGE OF THE CHURCH LIFE IN THE UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WITH ZINZENDORF AND THE MORAVIAN BRETHREN
In the sixteenth century the Reformation was fully formed, and in the seventeenth century the knowledge of the inner life was prominent. A hundred years later, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Moravian Brethren and Count Zinzendorf were raised up. This was an important development in the recovery, which emphasized leaving politics and earthly organizations.

The recovery in the sixteenth century was justification by faith; it failed to bring the church out of politics and even became involved with politics. Only when Count Zinzendorf and a group of brothers were raised up did the church escape from its ties with worldly governments and earthly organizations.

THE RECOVERY OF GOING OUT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL
Historians do not record that Zinzendorf had any special title in the church. He was not a clergyman; he was merely a brother among the Moravian Brethren. These brothers left both worldly and religious organizations; they were very living and strong. In fifty years they sent out more missionaries to preach the gospel in foreign lands than all the mission boards in the entire world had sent out in the preceding two centuries. They were very strong at that time. Because they had left worldly and religious organizations, the Holy Spirit was able to work freely among them. They recovered going out into the entire earth to bring the testimony of the gospel to all people. Moreover, the Moravian Brethren had many special characteristics, such as loving one another and having a condition of one accord. John Wesley, who was edified by them, said that if it were not for his burden to return to England, he wanted to stay with the Brethren in Bohemia for the rest of his life.

THE RECOVERY OF BAPTISM
These were the Anabaptists.

THE RECOVERY OF THE ELDERSHIP
A short time later, the system of the elders’ administration of the church was recovered. Some believers saw in the Bible that the older and more mature ones among them should administrate the church; they spontaneously formed the Presbyterian Church. This church was also independent of earthly governments.

THE RECOVERY OF A HOLY LIVING
Here, you have believers like John Wesley, profoundly influenced by the mystics of Madame Guyon and William Law to further recover the truth concerning sanctification, realizing a man is not only justified by faith, but also sanctified by faith. Charles Wesley wholse hymns contain expositions of many of the principal doctrines taught in Scripture and express worship and the inward experiences of the spirit which give utterance to the longings and praises of hearts touched by the Spirit of God.

THE RECOVERED CHURCH LIFE WITH THE BRETHREN
There is no justice here to list what they have recovered. Also known as the Plymouth Brethren, recovered the two matters of the heavenly call of the church and the oneness of the church. Saw the error of denominational organizations. Realized there is only one Body of Christ; the church should not be formed by human opinions but should be under the direct leading of the Holy Spirit. The Brethren were the most prominent expositors of the various types in the Old Testament, who also made a clear separation between the biblical prophecies concerning the Jews and those concerning the church. Abounded in publications. Till today, their theology still ranks the highest among the Christianity. The proper truths taught in Protestantism today are nearly one hundred percent from the truths recovered by the Brethren.

There are still other lines of recoveries e.g.

The Evangelical Christians
People like Charles Finney, Hudson Taylor, C.H. Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, A. B. Simpson. They basically recovered the the gospel.
In England C. H. Spurgeon was called the king of preachers, and in America D. L. Moody was called the king of evangelists. The two were famous preachers of the gospel in the nineteenth century. They brought many people to salvation, and their gospel influenced many people. Just prior to the beginning of the twentieth century, many of the missionaries who went to China were saved through the preaching of Moody and Spurgeon. Very few people have spread the gospel as much as these two men.

The Pentecostal Christians
In 1909 in Los Angeles of the United States, a number of black believers on Azusa Street experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It recovered the Pentecostal experience and ushered in modern Pentacostalism, Charismatic movements.

The Inner-Life Christians
Robert Pearsall Smith
Recovered the truth concerning sanctification by consecration. Saw sanctification does not come merely by faith, but by consecration as well. Emphatically preached that man is sanctified not only by faith, but by consecration through faith.

Andrew Murray
Wrote Abide in Christ, The Spirit of Christ and The Holy of Holies, which speak mainly of the work of prayer, the reality of sanctification and the need of the Holy Spirit. Recovered the knowledge and experience of Christ as the Spirit. Continued the line of truth concerning self-denial preached by one like Madame Guyon with Evan Hopkins of England and others. Conducted conferences in Germany, England and other places, which were the beginning of what we know today as the Keswick Conventions.

Jessie Penn-Lewis
While sick in bed read the writings of Madame Guyon and was raised up by the Lord to preach the truth of the cross. Announced the truth that the cross is the centrality of God's work and the foundation for all spiritual matters. Saw the cross dealing with the old man. Recovered the truth concerning spiritual warfare. Realized the kingdom is a matter of man's gaining ground for the God through spiritual warfare. In collaboration with Evan Roberts wrote the book War on the Saints.

Evan Roberts
Recovered the truth of the kingdom and brought in the great Welsh Revival. Taught that the revival work of the Holy Spirit is brought in through a group of people who are bent and subdued. Also began to understand the work of the evil spirits.

T. Austin-Sparks
Saw resurrection is life going into death, passing through death and coming out of death alive; it is anything that death cannot swallow up. Also saw the truths concerning the church life and the Body of Christ.

M. E. Barber
A former Anglican missionary who was sent to Chine for gospel work. Later left the denomination and answered the Lord's call to be a good grain of wheat sown in China. Changed the nature of early gospel movement in China into the pursuit of experience of spiritual life. Much acquainted with the works of the Brethren and the inner-life Christians. Had profound spiritual experience. Was the spiritual teacher through whom Watchman Nee received the most benefit. In departure from the world left little more than a copy of the Bible and Watchman Nee.

..... enough lar .... you get the idea ...

Just call "O Lord Jesus!" loudly. Praise Him. Shout "Lord I need you!".

Can you think of a picture that shows us that God is our life, that we are the living of God, that He lives within us, and that for us to live is God? There is such a picture!

A most comprehensive picture is the golden lampstand, which is first mentioned in Exodus 25. There it stood in the tabernacle as a testimony for God. Then the lampstand is mentioned in 1 Kings as an item in the temple built by Solomon (7:49). Zechariah 4 is the next mention. There the lampstand represented the true Israelites, who were also God’s testimony. The final mention, in Revelation 1, pictures the church as the golden lampstand and as the testimony of God.

The lampstand signifies Christ. No one can argue with this. But the lampstand also typifies something further. The “nursery” for all the seeds of the biblical truths is not only the book of Genesis but also the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch written by Moses. We cannot say that all the seeds of the truths were sown merely in Genesis. The first mention of the lampstand is not in Genesis but in Exodus (25:31-37).

Eventually, the lampstand is mentioned again in Zechariah related to the recovered temple (4:2). Zechariah is a record of the recovery of the destroyed temple. The lampstand in the tabernacle in Exodus signifies Christ Himself. But the lampstand in Zechariah signifies the Spirit. Zechariah 4 tells us that when Zechariah saw the lampstand, he asked the angel what this was. Then the angel answered, “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (v. 6). The Lord told Zechariah that the lampstand was His Spirit. In Exodus the lampstand was Christ. In Zechariah the lampstand was the Spirit.

As the seed of the truth concerning the lampstand in Exodus, the lampstand is Christ. The growth of this seed in Zechariah is that the lampstand is the Spirit. In Revelation is the harvest of the truth concerning the lampstand. The seed was one lampstand and the harvest is seven lampstands. The harvest is always a multiplication of the seed, so the seed has been multiplied from one into seven. The seed is Christ, the growth is the Spirit, and the harvest is the church.

Hallelujah for Christ, the Spirit, and the church! The lampstand first signifies Christ, then the Spirit, and ultimately the church. This indicates that the very Christ is the Spirit and that the Spirit with the very Christ produces the churches. The lampstand in Exodus, the lampstand in Zechariah, and the lampstands in Revelation are three stages of the truth concerning the lampstand.

What is the church today? To say that the church is the Body, and the continuation, the enlargement, and the spreading of Christ is not enough. We all have to see that the church is an exact reproduction of Christ. Christ was the unique lampstand, and all the churches are the lampstands in the same nature, essence, model, shape, and function. According to the lampstand in Exodus we can say that the church is the reproduction of Christ, and according to the lampstand in Zechariah the church is the reprint of the Spirit. The ultimate definition of the church is that the church is the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Holy Spirit.

THE MEANING OF THE LAMPSTAND

The design of the lampstand is most meaningful. Though the lampstand is but one, there are six branches with seven lamps. In all man's six thousand years of history, this design has never been improved. In the thirty-five hundred years since Moses described this pattern, no one has been able to produce a better design. This lampstand, however, was designed by God.

The lampstand signifies the Triune God. In typology gold represents the divine nature. Like gold, God’s nature does not change or decay. That this lampstand was made of gold tells us that it represents God’s nature.

This gold was not in a formless lump. It was structured into a form that bespoke its function. The shape of the gold, a lampstand, symbolizes the image of God. Who is God’s image? Christ is called “the image of God” in 2 Corinthians 4:4. As the Son of God’s love, He is “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). The image or form of the lampstand, then, signifies Christ. “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18).

What are the seven lamps? About this we cannot be clear until we come to Revelation. There we are plainly told that the seven lamps are the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 4:5). The seven Spirits are simply the Holy Spirit of God. These lamps are the expression or manifestation of God.

The Father, then, is signified by the gold, the element of which the lamp was made. The Son is signified by the form of the lampstand. The Spirit is the expression, as indicated by the seven lamps. Now do you agree that the golden lampstand pictures the Triune God?

By the time we come to Revelation, the church has become the lampstand. This means that the church is the expression of the Triune God. Each local church is a golden lampstand. What firstly signified the Triune God now depicts the church!

By nature, however, we are not made of gold. God formed man of the dust of the ground (Gen. 2:7). When our physical body is chemically analyzed, it is found to have the same constituents as the soil. At death man returns to the dust from which he was taken (Gen. 3:19).

How can we, who are men of dust or clay, become a golden lampstand? When we were regenerated, we were born of God. Not only were our sins cleansed by the precious blood; there was also within us the element of the Father, just as a new baby has the life and nature of his father. Now there is gold, the element of God, in us!

This post has been edited by pehkay: Apr 30 2013, 09:37 AM

THE SHAPING OF THE GOLD

Nonetheless, this gold needs to be formed. Paul travailed for the Galatians “until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). It was not enough for Christ to be revealed in them (Gal. 1:16) or even to be living in them (Gal. 2:20). The gold had to take shape.

Before the gold within us takes shape, can we say that we are the church? According to locality we are surely the church. How else could we describe ourselves? Yet according to what we are, we may not look like the church.

Even this morning you may have been quarreling at home. When you recall that, you find it hard to declare that you are the church. Nevertheless, in the midst of this quarreling by the man of clay, there was still gold within you.

We are truly the church. In spite of our appearance of clay outside, inside is the element of gold.

TRANSFORMED BY THE SHINING OF THE LAMPS

Our need now is transformation. “But we all, with unveiled face beholding and reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18, Gk.). To be transformed into the Lord’s image is from the Lord Spirit. The final expression of the golden lampstand is the seven lamps, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Our own spirit is also the lamp of God (Prov. 20:27). These two spirits, ours and God’s, have been mingled. Within our little lamp there is now also another lamp of greater intensity.

The function of a lamp is to shine. According to J. N. Darby’s footnote, Proverbs 20:27 can be rendered, “Man’s spirit is the lamp of Jehovah, searching all the chambers of the soul.” Before we were saved, our spirit was dead; the light of the lamp was extinguished. All our movements were under the direction of the soul. Our thinking and our doing were according to our whims. One day, however, the light of the gospel shined into us, and the lamp of greater intensity was placed in us. The spirit’s function revived. We repented and confessed our sins, enlightened by the conscience within our spirit. With our spirit enlivened, and the lamp of God’s Spirit added to our spirit, it became very bright within.

The light now searches all the inward parts of the soul. Under its twofold shining, we can see that the thoughts we were so sure of are wrong; that we loved what we should hate, and hated what we should love; that our joys and sorrows were for the wrong things; and that our intentions and decisions were wrong. Under the intensity of this light, we confess and repent to the Lord.

RESISTING THE LIGHT

Usually, however, there are some areas within us that resist the penetration of the light. When the Lord shines on some aspect of our emotions, the sisters may weep before Him, but they will not open this door to His searching gaze. When the Lord shines on our dislike for a certain brother, the brothers may argue and protest, but they stubbornly shut the door of their will to the Lord’s reproach. We may admit to the Lord our shortcomings, but we tell Him that He must forgive us, that our weakness is to blame, that such is the way He made us, or that others are at fault. Why does He not change the others? Why does He always pick on us?

When you close the door to the Lord in this way, you cannot be transformed. Year after year you read the Bible, pray, and go to the meetings. But you refuse to change your old ways. You will not allow the Lord to touch your feelings, your thoughts, or your possessions. You may pray, but what matters is what you say, not what God says. You may shed tears before the Lord, but you will not open the door of your emotions to Him.

If you allow this blockage to continue, the enlightenment will cease. You may still faithfully read your Bible. You may find it easy to pray. You may keep attending the meetings regularly. The tendency to cry may be gone. Outwardly you seem to be at peace. Inwardly, however, your growth has been arrested. God’s way of transforming is through enlightening. Wherever the light shines, life is supplied to that place. By rejecting the light, you are rejecting the supply of life.

OPENING TO THE LORD

Who experiences the greatest amount of transformation? It is the one who is absolutely open to the Lord.

“Lord, I am fully open to You. I want to keep opening to You. My whole being is open—my heart, my mind, my will, and my emotions. Keep shining. Search me thoroughly. Enlighten and enliven me. I will accept it fully.” In this way, the light will penetrate into every area, and life simultaneously will be supplied to you. The man of clay will be transformed into the image of Christ. As the gold is thus formed in you, there will be the seven Spirits shining forth and manifesting God.

Such is the church in reality. The golden lampstand is not only the Triune God; it also is the church, His manifestation. That the church may express the Triune God is what He is working to accomplish on earth.

May we all be open to Him to receive His enlightening and to let His life supply us. Then we shall be transformed and bear the image of Christ. As we are enlightened by the lamps within us, we shall become the golden lampstand in reality in our locality, manifesting the Triune God. Then He will have His testimony.

Actually, the Passover is a type of Christ in the Old Testament.

All Christians know that Christ is the Lamb of God who accomplished redemption for us (John 1:29). However, not many have seen a clear picture of Christ as the redeeming Lamb of God. This picture is presented in Exodus 12.

Although the New Testament reveals the various aspects of redemption, these aspects are not systematized in a doctrinal way. John 1:29 says that Christ is the Lamb of God, and in 1 Corinthians 5:7 Paul speaks of Christ as the Passover. Here and there in the New Testament we see aspects of Christ’s redemption. In Exodus 12, however, we have a complete picture.

The Passover is a type of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 5:7 Paul says that “Our Passover, Christ, has been sacrificed.” Here Paul does not say that Christ is our lamb; he says that Christ is our Passover. But how could the Passover be sacrificed? The answer is that Christ is not only the Passover lamb, but also every aspect of the Passover. The lamb, the bread, and the bitter herbs are all related to Christ. In principle, therefore, Christ is not only the lamb of the Passover, but the very Passover itself.

The word Passover means that the judgment of God passes over us. In Exodus 12:13 the Lord says, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Eventually, the Passover became a proper noun in English. The proper noun Passover has its source in the words “pass over” in 12:13.

But why is Christ called our Passover? According to Exodus 12, God passed over the children of Israel because the blood of the Passover lamb had been sprinkled on the lintel and the doorposts of their houses. The children of Israel had been commanded to eat the flesh of the lamb in their houses. This indicates that the house was to be their covering under which and in which they could eat the flesh of the Passover lamb. The house that covered them was to have blood sprinkled on the lintel and the doorposts. When God saw the blood, He passed over the children of Israel. Hence, this passing over was due to the sprinkled blood.

According to Paul, however, we see that the Passover is related not only to the blood, but to Christ Himself. Are we today under the blood, or are we in Christ? Strictly speaking, to say that we are under the blood is not scriptural. This phrase is not found in the New Testament. But the New Testament says repeatedly that we are in Christ. According to 1 Corinthians 1:30, it is of God that we are in Christ. Because we are in Christ, He Himself becomes our Passover. This means that before Christ can be our Passover, He must first be our covering. Our covering today is not the blood; it is Christ. In Exodus 12 the Passover was based on the blood. But today our Passover is based on Christ. This is the reason Paul could say that Christ is our Passover.

(I think it's enough .... too much details can be distracting :/)
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Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea in Exodus 14 is a type of the New Testament believers’ baptism. God prepared the Red Sea to serve as a baptistry for His chosen people. Then during the exodus He led the people to this baptistry. This was according to the plan of God, which was to bring His chosen people into a situation that they might be completely delivered from the power of the world unto Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 Paul says, “All our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” In the cloud signifies in the Spirit, and in the sea denotes in the water. Moses was a type of Christ and a representative of Christ. Hence, the children of Israel being baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea typifies that we have been baptized into Christ in the Spirit and in the water.

Since the water of the Red Sea drowned the army of the Egyptians and terminated them, it delivered the children of Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, thus drawing a clear line of separation between the children of Israel and the Egyptians. Likewise, since in baptism the power of the world is terminated, baptism saves the believers from the power of the world. Hence, the Red Sea delivering the children of Israel out of the hand of the Egyptians typifies that baptism saves the believers from the power of the world.

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Again, these are just pictures or type of our experience of redemption and baptism. Which is more important? All are. God's salvation is COMPLETE!!! It covers everything. It covers redemption, baptism, regeneration, transformation and more. Only the passover and crossing the red sea is just the beginning.

Much grace.

This post has been edited by pehkay: May 4 2013, 10:04 AM

THE PARABLE OF THE SAMARITAN Part 01

Many know this parable and have applied it naturally. But one need to see that actually, the Lord is portraying Himself as the Samaritan!

Luke 10:25 says that “a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test.” A lawyer was an expert in the Mosaic law. Such a lawyer was a scribe among the Pharisees. This lawyer, one very knowledgeable in the law, was also proud. Being one who justified himself, he stood up to test the Man-Savior (Lord Jesus portrayed in Luke).

In testing the Man-Savior, this lawyer said to Him, “Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” To inherit eternal life is to be rewarded in the coming age (Luke 18:29-30) with the enjoyment of the divine life in the manifestation of the kingdom.

To inherit eternal life is also “to enter into life” (Matt. 19:17). To enter into life is to enter into the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 19:23). The kingdom of the heavens is a realm of God’s eternal life. Hence, when we enter into it, we enter into God’s life. This differs from being saved. To be saved is to have God’s life enter into us, whereas to enter into the kingdom of the heavens is to enter into God’s life. The former is to be redeemed and regenerated with God’s life; the latter is to live and walk by God’s life. The one is a matter of birth; the other is a matter of living.

According to the New Testament, to receive eternal life is one thing, and to inherit eternal life is another thing. To receive eternal life is for our salvation in this age, but to inherit eternal life is a reward in the coming age, that is, in the coming kingdom. It is important, therefore, that we differentiate these matters concerning our experience of eternal life. Now, in this present age, we may receive eternal life and experience it. This is a matter of salvation. But inheriting eternal life will be a blessing given to us as a reward in the coming age of the kingdom. Thus, inheriting eternal life is not a matter of salvation; instead, it is a matter related to the kingdom reward.

When the scribe asked the Man-Savior about what he should do to inherit eternal life, the Lord said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” (v. 26). The lawyer answered, “You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole strength, and with your whole mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (v. 27). To this the Lord replied, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you shall live” (v. 28).

THE PARABLE OF THE SAMARITAN

Luke 10:29 goes on to say, “But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?” The one who asked this question must have been one of the self-justified Pharisees (16:14-15; 18:9-10). As a display of his pride, he asked the Lord who his neighbor was. He seemed to be telling the Lord, “Who is my neighbor that I may love him?” In the parable that follows, the Lord answered the lawyer by showing him that he did not need a neighbor to love. Instead, he needed a neighbor to love him. Because he is not able to love, he needs someone to love him. As we shall see, this neighbor is the good Samaritan.

The parable of the Samaritan is one of the unique parables narrated only by Luke. This parable conveys the principle of high morality in the Savior’s full salvation. The “certain man” in verse 30, in the Savior’s intention, signified the self-justified lawyer as a sinner fallen from the foundation of peace (Jerusalem) to the condition of curse (Jericho).

From Jerusalem to Jericho

Luke 10:30 says, “Taking up this question, Jesus said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who having both stripped him and beat him, went away, leaving him half dead.” Jerusalem means foundation of peace (see Heb. 7:2), and Jericho was a city of curse (Joshua 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34). The words “going down” indicate falling from the city of the foundation of peace to the city of curse. Therefore, the certain man in this parable was falling from the foundation of peace to a place of curse. The way he was taking was the way of such a fall.

Falling among Robbers

The man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. These robbers signify the legalistic teachers of the Judaic law (John 10:1), who used the law (1 Cor. 15:56) to rob the lawkeepers like the self-justified lawyer. The word “stripped” signifies the stripping by the law misused by the Judaizers. The Greek word translated “beat” literally means “laid blows upon.” This beating signifies the killing by the law (Rom. 7:9-10). Furthermore, the robbers leaving the man half dead signifies the Judaizers’ leaving the lawkeeper in a dead condition (Rom. 7:11, 13).

All the Pharisees, legalistic teachers of Judaism, are here likened to robbers. The lawyer is likened to the one going down from Jerusalem to Jericho who fell among these robbers and was stripped and beaten by them. The legalistic teachers of the Jewish religion stripped people and beat them and then left them half dead. This was the situation of the lawyer, although he did not realize that he was in such a condition.

A Priest and a Levite

In verse 31 the Lord continues, “And by coincidence a certain priest was going down on that road, and observing him, he passed by on the opposite side.” The priest was one who should care for God’s people by teaching them the law of God (Deut. 33:10; 2 Chron. 15:3). In the parable, a priest was going down in the same way, but he was unable to render any help to the beaten one.

Verse 32 says, “And likewise also a Levite, coming down to the place and observing him, passed by on the opposite side.” A Levite was one who helped God’s people in their worship to God (Num. 1:50; 3:6-7; 8:19). This Levite came to the same place, but he also was unable to render any help to the dying one.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN PART 2

The Actions of a Certain Samaritan

Verses 33 and 34 describe the actions of a certain Samaritan who came to the man who fell among robbers: “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came down to him, and observing him, was moved with compassion; and coming to him, he bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine. And placing him on his own beast, he brought him to an inn and took care of him.”

This Samaritan signifies the Man-Savior, who was apparently a layman of low estate, despised and slandered as a low and mean Samaritan (John 8:48; 4:9) by the self-exalted and self-justified Pharisees, including the one to whom the Lord was talking in Luke 10:25 and 29. Such a Man-Savior, in His lost-one-seeking and sinner-saving ministry journey (19:10), came down to the place where the wounded victim of the Judaizing robbers was in his miserable and dying condition. When He saw him, He was moved with compassion in His humanity with His divinity, and rendered him tender healing and saving care, fully meeting His urgent need (vv. 34-35).

In 10:34 and 35 all the points of the good Samaritan’s care for the dying one portray, in His humanity with His divinity, the Man-Savior’s merciful, tender, and bountiful care for a sinner condemned under law. This shows to the uttermost His high standard of morality in His saving grace.

The Samaritan came to the man and bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine. The binding up of the wounds indicates that He healed him. Pouring on the man’s wounds oil and wine signified giving Him the Holy Spirit and the divine life. When the Man-Savior came to us, He poured on our wounds His Spirit and His divine life.

The Samaritan then placed the man on his own beast, on a donkey. This indicates that the Samaritan carried him by lowly means in a lowly way. Many of us can testify that we were brought into the church in such a lowly way, carried on a “donkey.” We did not come into the church in a way that was splendid and glorious. On the contrary, we were brought into the church in a lowly way and by lowly means.

The Samaritan brought the man to an inn and took care of him. This indicates that He brought him to the church and took care of him through the church.

Verse 35 says, “And on the next morning, taking out two denarii, he gave them to the innkeeper and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever you spend in addition, when I return, I will repay you.” Here we see that the Samaritan paid the inn for the man. This means that He blessed the church for him. Furthermore, His promise to pay the innkeeper whatever he spent in addition points to whatever the church spends for him in this age being repaid at the Savior’s coming back.

The Self-justified One Needing a Loving Neighbor

In verse 36 the Man-Savior went on to ask the lawyer, “Which of these three, does it seem to you, has become a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” The self-justified lawyer thought that he could love another as his neighbor (v. 29). Under the blindness of self-justification, he did not know that he himself needed a neighbor, the Man-Savior, to love him.

In verse 37 the lawyer answered, “The one who showed mercy to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “You go and do likewise.” The Greek words rendered, “the one who showed mercy to him” may also be translated, “the one who dealt mercifully with him.” The self-justified one was helped to know that he needed a loving neighbor (like the good Samaritan, who was a figure of the Man-Savior) to love him, not a neighbor to be loved by him. The Savior intended to unveil to him through this story that he was condemned to death under the law, unable to take care of himself, needless to say love others, and that the Man-Savior was the one who would love him and render him full salvation.

THE MAN-SAVIOR’S DIVINE ATTRIBUTES AND HUMAN VIRTUES

In this parable we can see the Man-Savior’s divine attributes and human virtues. Concerning the divine attributes, we see the Spirit, the eternal life, the blessing, and the repayment. The giving of the Spirit, divine life, the blessing, and the repayment of the church are all related to the divine attributes.

The Lord’s human virtues revealed here include His compassion, love, sympathy, and care. Once again in this case, the Man-Savior’s human virtues are mingled with His divine attributes. It is difficult to clearly distinguish them by categories, because they are mingled to produce the highest standard of morality.

In the parable of the good Samaritan we see that the morality of the Man-Savior was a morality of the highest standard. When the priest saw the man who had fallen among robbers, he did not do anything to help him. It seemed that this priest did not have any morality at all. The situation with the Levite was the same. But when the Man-Savior saw the man in his pitiful condition, He was moved with compassion. Then He fully exercised His morality to care for the needy one. The Man-Savior’s high standard of morality was a product of a mingled life, a life in which the divine attributes are mingled with the human virtues. In this parable we clearly see that the Man-Savior carried out His ministry in His human virtues with His divine attributes.

Why suitable or not? OO;;

THE LIFE TO PRACTICE THE CHURCH LIFE

First Corinthians 3 tells us that the church is, on the one hand, God's cultivated land, and on the other hand, God's building (v. 9). On the one hand, we have to grow as God's farm by the life which is Christ Himself as the seed sown into us. On the other hand, we have to be transformed by this divine life into precious materials for the building up of the church. Then we will have the real church life.

Usually, when we talk about the practice of the church life or the practice of the Body life, immediately we begin to consider how to form or organize something according to our human thought. But we need to realize that the practice of the church life is not a matter of formation or organization. It is a matter of the growth in life and the transformation in life. Christ has to grow up in you, and you have to grow up in Christ. Moreover, we natural men have to be transformed into precious stones. If we try to form or organize a church, we are foolish. That means we have not learned from the history of the church and that we are going to repeat the past mistakes.

What is the transformation in life? May the Lord open our eyes so that we can see that Christ is life in us. Regardless of how good or how bad we are, we have been put to death, terminated, crucified. Today it is Christ who lives in us (Gal. 2:20). As genuine Christians, we do not need to correct our conduct or adjust our behavior. We need to see that Christ is our life and that we have been crucified with Christ. One day we will pass through such a crisis, and we will see such a vision. Then we will seek to experience Christ in our practical daily life, not just to know Christ in doctrine. We will seek and pray, "Lord, let me know the practical way to take You as life in my daily life." When we know the way to take Christ as life, day by day we will be filled with Christ, occupied with Christ, and saturated with Christ. We will be persons full of Christ.

What is the practical way to take Christ as life? The most important thing is for us to realize that Christ today within us is the law of life (Heb. 8:10; Rom. 8:2) and the anointing (1 John 2:20, 27). To have the doctrinal teaching that Christ has sown Himself into us to be the life in us is not sufficient. Look at our daily life. By what life do we live? By Christ or by ourselves? Does the fact that Christ is life within us and that we have been put on the cross have any influence on us? Is there always a checking of the cross in our daily life—in whatever we say, whatever we do, and wherever we go? The problem is that we know the fact, but we still live by ourselves.

The more we talk about the doctrine, the more we will be in darkness about the church life; our inner eyes will be veiled. But if we are willing to be checked by the cross all day long in all things and to take Christ as life in every matter, our eyes will be opened and the veils will be gone. Then we will see the church, the Body of Christ, and the church life, the Body life.

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN - 9 cases

All aspects of the Lord’s work as shown and signified in these nine cases are the different aspects of the Lord’s full salvation, which are 1) regeneration, 2) the satisfaction with the living water, 3) the healing power of life, 4) the enlivening with the power of life, 5) the feeding with the bread of life, 6) the quenching of thirst with the rivers of living water, 7) the deliverance from sin, 8) the opening of the blind eyes, and 9) resurrection. All of these items are included in the Lord’s salvation, the first of which is regeneration.

FIRST CASE - Nicodemus - a case of regeneration

The first case, that of Nicodemus, is the case of regeneration. Nicodemus was a person of the highest class, and we need to consider his virtues and attributes. Firstly, he was a teacher with the highest attainment in education. As a teacher of the Jews, he taught the Old Testament, the Sacred Word. Secondly, Nicodemus was “a ruler of the Jews.” He had a position with a certain amount of honor and authority. Thirdly, he was an old man. As an old man, he had a good deal of experience. He was a man full of experiences. Fourthly, he was undoubtedly a moral man, a good man. If you look at the way he talked, you will realize that he was a moral man. Fifthly, Nicodemus was a man who was truly seeking after God. Although he was somewhat fearful of the Pharisees, he still came to the Lord Jesus by night. This indicated that he was seeking God. Sixthly, he was very humble. Nicodemus was an old man of perhaps sixty or seventy years of age, yet he came to see the Lord Jesus, who was only a little over thirty years of age. That such an experienced, educated, and elderly man would come to see someone much younger than he indicates his humility. Furthermore, although Nicodemus was a teacher, he addressed the Lord Jesus as Rabbi. Among the Jews, to call a person Rabbi means that you are humbling yourself. Seventhly, Nicodemus was an honest man. His speech reveals his honesty. Can you find a better person than Nicodemus? He was a man of a superior standard, high attainment, and morality.

When Nicodemus came to the Lord Jesus, the Lord took the opportunity to reveal the true need of mankind. In His conversation with Nicodemus, the Lord revealed that regardless of how good we are, we still need regeneration. Regeneration is the first need of man. Moral people, as well as immoral people, need regeneration. Many Christians hold the mistaken concept that people need regeneration simply because they are fallen. However, if man had never fallen, he still would have needed regeneration. Even if Adam had not fallen, he still would have needed regeneration. That was why God put him in front of the tree of life. If Adam had partaken of the tree of life, he would have been regenerated.

Since we are human beings, we all have a human life. The problem is not a matter of whether or not our human life is good or bad. Regardless of the kind of human life we have, as long as we do not have the divine life, we need to be regenerated. To be regenerated simply means to have the divine life besides our human life. God’s eternal purpose is that man be a vessel to contain the divine life. Our being with our human life is a vessel to contain God as life. The divine life is God’s goal. The divine life is God Himself. God’s goal is that we, as people with a human life, receive the divine life into our being as our real life. This is the true meaning of regeneration. Many Christians are not clear about this fact, thinking that regeneration is necessary simply because we are fallen and sinful. According to this concept, we need to be regenerated because our life is bad and cannot be improved. This concept is wrong. I say once again that even if Adam in the garden of Eden had never fallen, he still would have needed to be regenerated, to be born again, that he might have another life, the life of God. Therefore, to be regenerated is to receive the divine life, God Himself.

What is the meaning of regeneration? Regeneration is not any kind of outward improvement or cultivation; neither is it only a mere change or conversion without life. Regeneration is a rebirth which brings in a new life. It is absolutely a matter of life, not a matter of doing. Regeneration is simply to have life other than the life we already have. We have already received the human life from our parents; now we need to receive the divine life from God. Hence, regeneration means to have the divine life of God in addition to the human life which we already possess. Therefore, regeneration requires another birth in order to possess another life. To be regenerated, to be born again, does not mean to adjust or correct ourselves. It means to have the life of God, just as to be born of our parents means to have the life of our parents. To be regenerated is to be born of God (John 1:13), and to be born of God is to have the life of God, that is, the eternal life (3:15-16).

FIRST CASE - Nicodemus - a case of regeneration part 02

Due to human culture and Jewish religion, Nicodemus thought that man needed to behave. Since man must have good conduct and worship God in a proper way, man needs much teaching. Nicodemus considered Christ to be a teacher come from God. This indicates that he might have thought that he needed better teachings to improve himself. But the Lord’s answer in the following verse unveiled to him that his need was to be born anew. To be born anew is to be regenerated with the divine life, a life other than the human life received by natural birth.

Hence, his real need was not better teachings, but the divine life. Nicodemus was seeking for teachings which belong to the tree of knowledge, but the Lord’s answer turned him to the need of life, which belongs to the tree of life (cf. Gen. 2:9-17). The Lord told Nicodemus very emphatically that what he needed was to be born again. Thus, man’s real need is to be regenerated with another life. All of us must realize that what we need is not religion or teaching to regulate and correct us, but another life, the life of God, to regenerate us. Man needs regeneration because he needs the divine life. Regardless of how good you are, you still do not have the life of God. You need another birth in order to receive the life of God with His divine nature. Although you may feel that you are good, yet you must admit that you do not have the life of God with His divine nature. Another birth, regeneration, is necessary that you may receive another life, the divine life of God.

The Lord’s answer to Nicodemus cut across his human, traditional, religious concept. The Lord seemed to be telling Nicodemus, “Nicodemus, what you need is not teaching, but another life. Regardless of how good you are, you only have the human life. You need the divine life. Nicodemus, don’t you realize that by seeking knowledge you are on the line of the tree of knowledge? You are not on the line of the tree of life.”

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When Nicodemus heard that he had to be born anew, he thought that this meant that he had to go back to his mother’s womb and come out again. His answer proves that he did not know how to exercise his spirit. He misunderstood the Lord’s word. Then the Lord Jesus said that that which is born of the flesh is flesh. He seemed to be saying to Nicodemus, “Regardless of the number of times you go back into your mother’s womb and come out again, you still will be flesh. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. Nicodemus, there is no need for you to say that you can’t go back to your mother’s womb and be born a second time, for even if you could do it, you would still be the same. Even if you could be born anew in that way and be young again, after another sixty or seventy years you would be the same as you are now. You do not need that kind of rebirth.” Nicodemus did not need another birth in time, but another birth in nature.

The Lord made Nicodemus’s situation very clear to him. Everyone, whether he is good or bad, needs to be terminated through water and then germinated with the divine life. This is the second birth, a birth not of the mother’s womb, but of water and of the Spirit.

This post has been edited by pehkay: May 20 2013, 10:45 AM