Programme: Writing the Vision (May Edition)
Date: Saturday, 20th May 2023
Transcript Summary
1. It is God's intention to give us the incorruptible. However, we are in a season where our charity will be put to the test and we can either be disqualified or qualified by our attitude (Eph. 4:1). We do not know what love or fervent charity is until God comes to teach us (1 Thess. 4:9). We can love by our own definition, but God has His own definition of what love is. To come to this point, we must have engaged the truth that is in Christ to purify our souls (1 Pet. 1:22). The reason for this purification is the unfeigned love of the brethren.
2. The incorruptible realm has to do with the revelation of everlasting righteousness – a place where the standard of love is higher than the charity that is in Christ. The charity that is in Christ prepares you to enter everlasting righteousness, just like the love towards all saints in the milk realm prepares one to enter the revelation of Christ. Fervent charity is built upon "love towards all the saints" (Eph. 1:15).
3. There is a worthy walk that will make us worthy of our vocation; this involves all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, and forbearing one another in love (Eph. 4:1-2). Our meekness level will be tested in this season and we must not be puffed up to flaunt the knowledge that we have. We also have to suffer long and bear with the infirmities of our brethren until the Lord is able to deal with their shortcomings. This is an attribute of Christ and God. The knowledge of God is what strengthens us unto longsuffering (Coloss. 1:10-11). It is in everlasting life that our longsuffering would be heaved up. Therefore, we must have exercised ourselves in the longsuffering of the realm of Christ.
4. The teaching of Christ brings us to a place where we can dwell together in unity because it is a prerequisite for the next level (Eph. 4:3-6, Psa. 133:1-2). Meekness, lowliness and longsuffering are the things that would bring this unity. Brethren that would dwell together in unity are brethren that have learnt Christ. It is in the realm of Christ that we are taught to esteem our brothers better than ourselves (Philip. 2:3). The reason why brethren need to dwell together in unity is because of "the blessing", which is life forevermore. This blessing will only be commanded to come into the place where unity is evident.
5. You cannot take the person of God if you have not been arranged to the point of charity; this is because the person of God is love (Heb. 2:12). All the selflessness that is found in the realm of everlasting life is an expression of love. When the Lord is commanding us to love, He is speaking from a judgement that is higher than our carnal mind in order to prepare us for an incorruptible realm. The laws of God are the laws that are responsible for everlasting life, and only the law of charity can take us there.
6. The way God teaches us to love is by putting the kind of love He wants us to have for our brother in our hearts. The Lord wants us to exercise brotherly love towards those who may have offended us. The Lord never relates with us according to our offences and He wants us to inherit the same nature. To inherit God, we must be able to do His laws. These are the laws that are at work in a glorious church.
7. A glorious church is a wise church that has done the incorruptible; this is a realm of hidden wisdom that God has ordained unto our glory. One wisdom that the Lord emphasises is the wisdom of forgiveness. It is only children that can forgive easily (1 Corin. 14:20), so we must be converted. To convert us, we are first given laws of love that will make us children.
8. To learn Christ is to receive the leading of Christ and the Spirit of Christ so that we would know the laws that frame Christ (Eph. 4:20-21). The Spirit must make these laws known to us from the pages of the scripture and by leading us. There are conversations that the truth of Christ would imbibe in us (Eph. 4:25-27). These conversations are used to purify us unto the unfeigned love of the brethren. The realm of everlasting life is the realm of being quick to forgive and slow to wrath. But to come here, we must first exercise ourselves in the practice of not letting the sun go down on our anger (Eph. 4:26).
9. When a man is well established in Christ, he would come to a place where he can judge the incorruptible. The judgements of the incorruptible are higher than the judgments of Christ. They are higher commandments of love because they are the things of God that are meant for life. The Lord will lead, instruct and help us to perfect charity so that the enemy will not take advantage of us. No matter what anyone says, we must always be tender, meek and low. We should not let anyone push us to vaunt knowledge. If we can perfect the things of Christ in our souls, the brethren will dwell together in unity and be able to call for the incorruptible.
Blessings!