Text: Revelations 19:10, Romans 6:19
Apostle John encountered an angel who called himself a fellow servant and of his brethren (Rev. 19:10). Fellow Servants are servants that belong to the same fellowship (1 John 1:3). The kind of brotherhood that the angel which John encountered in the book of revelations spoke of was captured in Psalm 133. It is upon this manner of brethren/fellowship that the blessing of life forevermore (Psa. 133:3) is poured out.
Another class of servants was captured in Psalm 134. While the former class “dwell together in unity”, the class of Psalm 134 “stand by night in the house of the Lord”. The servants in Psalm 134 are servants of holiness who serve in the holy place, which is the sanctuary. While Psalm 133 speaks of the chief of servants who have the blessing of life forever, Psalm 134 on the other hand, speaks of servants who serve in the sanctuary.
Psalm 135 speaks of a third grade of servants who serve in the courts. This class of servants is what is referred to in Psalm 103 as works of the Lord in all places of His dominion (Psa. 103:22). These belong to the first heavens and do not have access to the house of the Lord; but only serve in the courts of His house.
We have to graduate through these various levels of service. Those who are called brethren arrived at that point by taking a journey. A servant is one who obeys (Rom 6:16). Servants are raised by commandments which are issued by the testimony which they keep. There is a particular testimony that resides in the ark (Exo. 25:21). It is this testimony that is kept by those servants who are called brethren. What proceeds from communing with the mercy seat that is upon the ark is commandments (Exo. 25:22). Therefore, what the testimony has to give as a blessing is actually a manner of commandment. The commandment of the everlasting God is the commandment that proceeds from the revelation of the testimony of Jesus (Rom 16:26, Rev 1:1).
We are supposed to journey through various levels of commandments. Faith, hope and charity are commandments (1Tim. 1:5). Those who serve in the outer court have the commandment which they keep. It is the commandment that a man keeps that determines the fellowship of servants that he belongs to. Commandments are supposed to accompany every form of service that we engage in, especially in the house of God. Any form of activity that does not command us would not lead to service.
Life is not administered at once; but only as we progress from one level of commandment to another. Commandments are in grades. For instance, there are certain commandments that can not be given to a servant of the courts. Faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints are commandments that belong to a particular level of servants who are made supernatural by obeying them. This supernatural man, unlike the carnal man, is the one who can comprehend the spiritual life of Christ (1Cor. 2:14).
Diverse commandments of faith are issued to various souls states to convert every one of them. The goal is that every manner of man must obey the commandment of faith, (Rom. 1:5) which is obedience to what is right in the sight of God. Commandments are issued to us based on our soul state and frame. For some men, commandments are given to them on how they manage their resources; while for others, the commandments may be on their relationship with their spouse in marriage.
We are demanded to yield our members in obedience to righteousness (Rom. 6:19). These members are our inward members, which are the members of our inward man. Sadly, the outward members of some believers engage in service while they are unable to yield their inward members to righteousness. Our inward members should take the lead in service to God, while our outward members are to follow suit. Our emotions, passion, reasoning and other parts of our inward man must yield to the service of righteousness.
As we continue to do righteousness, we get to hope where we are granted entrance into service in the order of holiness (Rom. 6:19). There is only one true holiness and this belongs to Christ and His Father. When we love righteousness unto holiness, we are being prepared to be brethren. Brethren are holy men who have become so by reason of the commandments which they keep. For instance, impartiality is an attribute of holiness that comes by being washed. God does not like partiality and it should not be found amongst those who are on the way to holiness. All of us need to be healed of partiality.
Another attribute we need to be healed from is the respect for things which natural men respect. This impurity is what makes us rate other brethren by their outward comeliness or lack of it. It would take judgement for a man to not have respect of persons (James 2:1-9).
Those who serve righteousness unto holiness are being made free from sin so that they can afterwards become servants of God. Those who are obeying righteousness must continue to do so until they can receive the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 22:11). A man who has been made free from sin has already become a servant who can serve God; he is qualified to receive commandments of everlasting life (Rom. 6:22). The manner of soul that can serve God are those who are become brethren by reason of receiving the testimony of Jesus.
For us to serve God, we must first be prepared. The essence of Christ’s teaching is to raise a manner of people who can serve God. The curriculum of Christ is a training that exercises the inward man and equips him with things in preparation for the testimony that is used to serve God.
As we journey towards becoming servants of God, there are things that we must not lose track of. These things are the commandments that we have been given and they strengthen us in preparation for the ultimate service of God. Only those who can serve God would the substances of the everlasting realm be committed unto. To serve God is to serve in the order that is incorruptible, undefiled and which does not fade away. As we use the commandment of the everlasting realm, we are being made incorruptible and undefiled.
In Israel, the highest grades of servants are called bondservants who have become one with their masters. This manner of servants can be likened to charity which is the bond of perfectness. The essence of the testimony of Jesus is to make us bondservants who can not turn from their masters. The same testimony is designed to produce servants of the world to come. The world to come still has servants (Rev. 22:3). Those who did not learn service in this world would have to learn it in the world to come. We are being given the opportunity to be made everlasting servants (servants of the age to come), while still in this present world.
We should be mindful of the season that is presently upon us as a people. It is hard to find another company of people who have encountered the kind of mercy that has come upon us in this season. We must therefore trust God for a large appetite to take up all that is before us in this season, especially in the month of April. The month would come with specific demands and certain things which the Lord would require us to fast to. We must be sensitive to these demands and obey accordingly. This season is building up to a supper; a feast of fat things.