Concerning the need for a transition from the old dispensation to the new, we do not care merely for Bible knowledge but for the application to today’s situation. Not only have the Old Testament things been made into a traditional religion; even the things of the New Testament have been used in a traditional way. Even before the end of the first century, Christians began to make the things of God’s New Testament economy into a religious tradition. If you study church history, you will see this degradation coming in after the time of the apostles. Eventually, when Christianity was presented to us in the twentieth century, it was presented in a traditional way. As a result, we did not see the genuine New Testament economy of God.
What a mercy that we are in the Lord’s recovery! We can say honestly that, at least to some extent, we have been brought back to God’s New Testament economy in a genuine way. I believe that if those in Catholicism and in the denominations would visit a Lord’s table meeting in the church and were honest about what they observed, they would admit that among us there is something real of the New Testament economy of God.
Christianity has become a religion of tradition. Throughout the centuries, some of the things of God’s New Testament economy have been used as elements to form a tradition. Just as Peter and John were born into the traditions of the old dispensation and raised up in them, so many of us were born into the traditions of Christianity and raised according to those traditions. Thus, there is the need for the Lord to recover His genuine New Testament economy.
As Peter and John were in a transitional period, we today are also in a period of transition. As we are making the transition into God’s New Testament economy, we should be warned by the failures of James, Peter, and the others and learn of their failures. We should learn not to care for any tradition and not to be under any religious influence. We need to be definite and absolute for the Lord’s transfer in order to be brought out of tradition and brought back to God’s pure New Testament economy. What is the New Testament economy of God? It is nothing other than Jesus Christ, the God-man, as everything to us. He is our law, our temple, our everything.
In this Life-study of Acts, we are not merely learning the Bible according to letters. We are not interested only in gaining biblical knowledge. By the Lord’s mercy we need to be willing to be brought by Him into the depths of His truths so that we may see what is on His heart. God’s people need to realize that the situation of today’s religion is far off from God’s intention. I hope that God will have mercy on all His chosen people, including all the believers in the Roman Catholic Church and the denominations, that they may see the genuine light and revelation in the Bible concerning His New Testament economy. As those in the Lord’s recovery, we thank Him for what He has shown us in the Word regarding His economy. May we all be helped by the Lord to see the light of the divine truths in the Bible so that we may be brought fully into God’s New Testament economy.