Numbers Overview Part 3 - The Serious Warning That We Must Exalt The Authority Of The Servant Of God
In our greatest hardships, where we struggle with the right ways and wrong ways, God gave us His bible. We shall read the bible to get the meaning of love when we are with all our neighbours. Are we mindful of the characters of others including pastors, or the words of others, whether they are with motives or are words that kill? No, but we shall be humble before the promise God gave us, and in this life that He has given us, acquire meaning, fruits that can love and save lives. Preachers of this age cannot give people strength, love, and reveal the works of God. However, God is eternally present so that He can have mercy on us in any kind of circumstance, be it hardship or a smooth-sailing life. He is with us in this way to solve everything, and so that we can restore the power and love of God immediately. Other than preaching this Emmanuel message, let the preachers who speak otherwise be accursed. The most important is not knowledge or other wisdom, but in whatever hurts and sorrows a proven child of God is in, the minister can enable him to restore faith, strength, hear the voice of God, and restore love towards God and men. This is the worker of God. What other purpose is there for us on earth by God, and what other things are our joy and meaning on this earth?
<Genesis> Promise
The bible starts in Genesis by saying that our lives are created with the principle of born again, so that this life of God in him will bring him to revival.
<Exodus> God is with us
If God is with us, why shall we be afraid? What is death to us?
<Leviticus> Prayers
God says, “I gave birth to you again, for you to be able to hear My voice and to respond to Me.” It is unnecessary to squeeze faith out of our lives to serve, but by prayers, faith is naturally born.
By holding to the above principle, your family’s timetable of blessings, etc can then start. Our hearts/soul by its fallen nature do not follow the principle (i.e fishes must swim in water, etc) of the filling of God’s word and Jesus Christ’s accomplishment, so that it is clear and obvious that we must not to be bound by anything (finance, to please your spouse, pressurized to go to work, etc), but to be liberated with the freedom of a child/heir of God. This is what God promised us, “I have already overcome the world”. Only that we hear this promise of God can we respond in conversation to God. And only when we experience God like this realistically to see fulfillments in all conditions can we be witnesses. Let us criticize ourselves because our hearts are so important! From morning till now, do we have uneasiness, a wandering hearts fear and no joy, but we still continue with our life momentum? Man cannot continue like this. This is why God gave a way out for us, and this is sin offering. Do not let the darkness in our hearts accumulate into a wall like a fortified city. If it accumulates too much, God gives us a method called concentration prayers.
Child/heir of God -> Promise -> Converse -> Fulfillments -> Witnesses
Numbers
Numbers speaks of 1) Principle, 2) Sanctification (40 years), and 3) Inheritance.
1. Principle
<Chapter 1> Confirm identity and belonging => child of God, body of Christ, temple of the Holy Spirit => judge all things
We must confirm our identity and belonging, - we are the child of God, body of Christ, temple of the Holy Spirit, etc – so that we can judge all things. If we confirm like this and start, even in all things that we are, use, and live in, and our physical appearance, we will have joy in the least. This is the joy of Billy Graham, “Just as I am”. He confessed that all his conditions, all the things that come to him now and always, and the nature or creation that God allows him to pass by, are given by his living God, and therefore, they must be the best of the best.
<Chapter 2> Centered on the body of Christ
If we are such people, the most honourable, the central point is not anything but to live the joy of being among parts of Jesus’ body. Therefore, is it not a joy for us to live beside and care for those who are small, whether as children in the church or those who just believed in Christ? They have angels who look after them!
<Chapter 3-4> Living Sacrifice: firstborn belongs to God
God called us to be a living sacrifice, a firstborn from God, else it would seem that God does not look up to us.
<Chapter 5> Keep and preserve purity
It is inevitable that we have some parts that are not clean, but God requires that we keep and preserve ourselves to be clean and holy. Do we have times where we feel our hearts wandering, and thus have no assurance, freedom and not like a king? Will we be small-hearted to squeeze anyone or will we be so free as to be generous to others? When we are clean and holy, we feel like a king! David cried and was in pain because he was weak, and saw all the sins in him. No one is like him, so upright before God. God tells us to be holy so that we can have peace at night and have no fear to serve in our careers, even if we have AIDS. If not, will it not be like hell? Sin offering is not that we must ask for forgiveness for one sin here and another sin there, like what many of the churches of this age speak. But what God is saying in <1Jn1:9> is that the whole life must be used as a sin offering.
<Chapter 6> Nazarite serving
You cannot cut your hair because it is the head, representing God. This is the Nazarite serving, to be set apart fully for God. We deacons must serve like this.
<Chapter 7> Ministers on Acting Capacity
The prayers of elders, deacons and other brothers and sisters are for the pastor to speak the pulpit message most clearly. We shall not offer because of charitable heart or a responsible heart, but we shall offer, knowing God.
<Chapter 8> Full-time ministers
There are full-time shepherds in the organization to let the whole congregation be able to pray.
<Chapter 9> Remember Passover
To move, Passover must be kept in remembrance. This means that in each and every of our serving, God tells us to use all of our hearts to move. Hence, even in the midst of weak churches and in the midst of the conditions within our families, we would get the filling of joy of God’s word in every step.
<Chapter 10> Trumpet Call, Pillar of Cloud and Fire, Ark of Covenant
Our family, career and serving must follow the trumpet call, the pillar of cloud and fire, as well as the ark of covenant. The kind of church God is pleased about is one that follows the message from the altar every day, especially the Sunday message. In the morning, noon and evening, do we hear the trumpet call of the Spirit to tell us to wake up and be filled with the Spirit? If there is no promise in the pulpit message, but only explanation of what is love, what is going to happen in the end times, such that there is no speaking of how to hear and obey His voice, is it not dead? With this, isn’t it so that many of the churches of this age are weak to the extreme?
2. Sanctification in the 40 years
<Chapter 11> Disbelief must be resolved
Disbelief must be resolved. Why did the Israelites grumble? Amidst them, there were treacherous people. In the church, there are some non-believers, who do not really believe the pastor deep inside their hearts. God wants to delete all these people from the congregation. The overwhelming disbelief in the stiff-necked people caused Moses to ask for death. This is the most sorrowful of God’s servants, when they cannot find hearts of belief in the very people they shepherd. The 70 elders had the Spirit descended to help lead because the very reason why the people disbelieved was that the congregation did not have the word of God. The worst thing that can happen to the church is not problems, but that the word of God is missing! This is the reason of why there is an elder and five deacons in 50 members for the sole reason to protect and distribute the altar message and dissolve any disbelief.
<Chapter 12> Firm up authority of God’s servant (Moses = Jesus)
It is no matter that God’s servant be ridiculed, but because of the utmost vision that God gave for 4 gospelizations till the ends of the earth, it is necessary to firm up the authority of God’s servant. Miriam and Aaron, both older than Moses, could prophesy and speak better. They questioned Moses of the message from God, and God caused Miriam to be leprous. It is not about exalting anyone, but if the heart of the servant of God is forward on submitting fully till death to God, like Jesus and the 12 apostles, and he knows the word of God, the blood and resurrection of Jesus, and knows Emmanuel, exalting him is exalting the authority of God Himself. In the road of sanctification, if there is no one, or a head with absolute pulpit, the congregation will definitely fall in the wilderness. This applies to all churches. In the church where all 70 elders can prophesy and speak, it is important that the prayer topic of the church be concentrated and focused from the one God’s servant. In the church, the committee shall not go by democracy, meetings and votes, or just the church leader’s views in deciding things. The use of finance cannot be judged by the amount of money the church has in the bank. The method of faith is to judge by seeing the works of God in prayers and to move by faith. It is ridiculous to live practically, thinking how to swim across the river of Jordan, when God wants to do something else. There are some churches who decide to pay a pastor with life very little but has a lot of money in the church’s bank account because they act on things by finance (and not by God). But of course, the pastor has to see the timetable of God to step out of the financial principles. When the elder or deacon does not agree with the pastor, he should go to the pastor, but in humbleness to ask the pastor to pray again, so that there will be no voices of hearts wandering among the church. The pastor shall therefore then pray about it again, resting the matter in God’s hands. Is there total trust between even the best of coworkers? There is none in this fallen world, but the church works in movement by God.
<Chapter 13> Spying
When all the 12 tribes looked down on the word of God from Moses such that they did not want to fight a war, but wanted to fight a war again when Moses did not agree with them, it was proven that Israel did not believe. They has fear in their hearts not to go, as if knowing the timetable of God, and in the second case, guilt and accusation in their hearts to be zealous to fight the Canaanites. Let us understand that faith is not one that boils up our faith, but is realistic and practical.
3. Inheritance (how to receive)
The ones who follow the tightest to the pulpit, namely Joshua and Caleb, inherited the position of Moses and Hebron. Therefore, those who have problems in their families or work shall follow tightly to the pulpit.
<Chapter 15-19> High Priest: Offering of sacrifice => Worship, Prayer, Living and Serving
God wanted to exalt Moses and Aaron. Though Aaron was weak and not like a servant of God, God chose Aaron to lead Israel aright.
<Chapter 15> 5 sacrifices: shedding of blood
The 5 sacrifices are all sacrifices associated with the shedding of blood. Coming before God, putting down unlucky and unhappy things in the week, he comes before God with the whole of his life and living. This is the meaning of death and resurrection.
<Chapter 16> Group of Korah, 250 leaders, Levites and Reubenites
The group of Korah with 250 leaders came from the Levites. Reubenites, the firstborn of Jacob, came to Aaron and asked why only Aaron’s line was chosen as priests. They treated Aaron as a mere man using their own calculation and the logic of man, not of God. If the identity of the high priest is diminished, the meaning of sacrifice for the whole of Israel has been lost. Therefore Moses told them to come to the tabernacle with censers. Korah’s group disobeyed and stood their places. Therefore the earth opened up and ate them all up. And the 250 leaders were burned when the censers devoured them. God’s desire is to uphold the grace and mercy of God. There was a certain pastor, Rev Yan, in Myanmar who for the vision of Yunnan wanted to build a theological centre. A certain deacon, by calculation of finance, objected and wanted even to slander his reputation by making up a story of an adultery committed by this Reverend. In the end, the deacon’s wife eloped with another, and bad things came to his children. However, if the person objected not because of disbelief, but because of being upright before God to want to follow Him, we must really have mercy, protect and wait for such a person. It is no good to exercise any authority in the church, as it is better to be slow and have unity of hearts naturally towards God.
<Chapter 17> Aaron vs 12 leaders: Set apart
Again, God chose and exalted the high priest, Aaron, who prayed 24 hours for His congregation by budding his staff against 12 leaders . The leaders of the church should be set apart, not only offerings, loving the church, or be responsible. The crux and importance of being set apart is in the joy to follow God and go into prayers in the midst of problems. When the members of the church see this, will they not find such leaders to pray for their circumstances?
<Chapter 18> Responsibility (Worship, Vision, Message, Strategy)
If we have the position, we must be watchful of our actions because they are going to affect the congregation. Therefore the first of responsibilities come to the priest first. Are we hopeful of being a pastor? But the more important thing is about loving life, even awaiting people in their weaknesses in the most gospelised way. The ones with position hold responsibility in leading worship, vision (Paul says that he has never disobeyed the vision of God), message, and strategy (prayer). If the pastor has no time because of more important matters, the elders and deacons shall take up serving with all responsibility. To be the priest, one must take up and offer sacrifice for his people and pray for them.
<Chapter 19> Cleanse
At the very end, there will remain some area of weaknesses in the congregation. Therefore Aaron cleansed himself and Israel by praying with an umbrella for the purpose of cleansing. Shall we live like a bull to work busily from morning to evening? Even so, let us keep our hearts cleansed.
May we get the central message of the pastor in this discipleship training so that we know the gospelised way in treating coworkers, members of the church, the way of shepherding, dealing with problems, the use of finance, etc.
Taken from Discipleship Training on 11th August 2006, Numbers Overview Part 3.