This is a training message for the working brothers and sisters. When I was seeking before the Lord on your behalf, I felt that if the working brothers and sisters are to be adequately and properly participating in the church life, they need to receive the life supply continuously. What you need is not so much to do something, to learn something, or to bear some burdens. What you need is mainly to receive the life supply. If there is not the adequate supply to our physical life, it will be difficult for us to walk, not to mention to bear burdens. It is the same with our spiritual life. The most important thing is to obtain the life supply.
In the Bible, there are many places that speak about God’s requirements. For example, there were the requirements of the laws in the Old Testament. However, due to the inability of man to keep the laws by himself, there is Christ as grace to supply us in the New Testament. Furthermore, the first book of the Gospels, the Gospel of Matthew, is not a book of supply, but a book of requirements. Moreover, its requirements are higher than the requirements of the law; they are the kingdom requirements. Matthew 5, 6, and 7 show us that these kingdom requirements surpass the requirements of the law. The requirements of the law are of the letter, but the kingdom requirements are of life. Unless a person has the life of God, he will definitely not be able to keep them. This would be like asking a dog to live like a person; this is not feasible. If a dog is to work like a man and live like a man, then it must have the life of a man. Not only does it need to have the life of a man, but also the life supply of a man. Hence, following Matthew, when you get to John, there are no more requirements, but rather the supply. This shows us that the law requires, but grace supplies; the kingdom requires, but life supplies. The Lord came to be this life supply so that we can meet the requirements of the kingdom, live the kingdom life, be the kingdom people, and fulfill God’s eternal purpose on the earth.
The Bible fully presents to us these two matters of requirement and supply. There is no doubt that God requires of us, but God does not expect us to fulfill this requirement by ourselves. First, He requires of us in order to show us that we are not able. Then He comes into us to be our life in order to supply us so that we can meet His requirements and fulfill His eternal purpose. This is an ironclad principle in the Bible. Outwardly speaking, the church life is a requirement to us. It requires us to pay a price, but in reality we are enjoying, and we obtain Christ as our supply.
Besides the four Gospels and the book of Acts, the other twenty-two books in the New Testament tell us about the supply we enjoy in the church life so that we can satisfy God’s requirements. What we enjoy is Christ Himself, and this Christ is the embodiment of the Triune God. All the riches and the fullness of the Triune God dwell in Christ. Today this Christ is the life-giving Spirit within us to be our life for supplying us. Only by this life supply can we carry out our commission before God in order to satisfy God’s requirements.
There is a portion of the Word in 2 Peter 1 which is most fitting to the need of those who enjoy the Lord in the church life today. It says that the divine power of God has already granted to us all things related to life and godliness. Moreover, in order for us to enjoy this life and live out this godliness, He has also given to us the precious and exceedingly great promises. He did not only grant us life and godliness within, but He also granted us a New Testament without. In this testament there is God and there are the precious and exceedingly great promises. These promises tell us that although the requirements of our God are so high, He wants to completely fulfill them within us and upon us. Therefore, we do not have to bear a heavy burden or be worrisome for living the church life. All we need to do is enjoy the Lord in a simple way. Then, however the Lord leads within us, we will just do it. There is just enjoyment and work with no laboring, heavy burdens, or worries. God’s supply always follows God’s requirement. If God has a requirement, He will also have the supply. This is an ironclad principle and is the clear teaching of the Bible.
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