Chapter one of Ezra tells us that God stirred up the spirit of some of the captives in Babylon. After their spirit was stirred up, they rose up to go back to Jerusalem, bringing with them vessels of gold and silver. Their intention in going back was to build up the house of God. Ezra 3:1 then tells us that “the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.” The seventh month was come, and although the people of Israel were in the cities, no oneness had yet been realized. But then “the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.” That was the real oneness, the real harmony; not in the cities, but in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the unique ground, the unique center for oneness and for unity.
How do we apply these things to ourselves today? If we are the remnant from captivity that has come back to Jerusalem, we need the real oneness and harmony. We all must be one. We must be gathered together as one man. We all must be as one man, not in this place or in that, but in Jerusalem. It is not according to my opinion or your way, my concept or your teaching. It is according to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the center. Can we forsake all our opinions for Jerusalem? Can we forget about all our concepts for Jerusalem? We all have come back, but we must not come back with the influence of Babylon. We must forget about the things of Babylon. Do not come back with the teachings of Babylon. Let us all come up to Jerusalem. Then nothing will be according to you or me, but according to Jerusalem, for Jerusalem is the unique center and the unique ground for oneness.
In the past years, I have been watching and observing. I have discovered that some saints have begun to meet in different places, but eventually the meetings failed because of their different opinions and concepts. The problem is that some have come back, but they have not brought back the vessels. Instead, they have brought with them the things of Babylon. They have come back with so many Babylonian concepts. They have come back, but they did not have oneness and unity. They have never been gathered together as one man.
I must praise the Lord for the local churches. In the local churches, by the Lord’s mercy, we are just as one man. We have no different opinions, we have dropped all the Babylonian concepts, and we have gathered together as one. Since the Lord gave us pray-reading we have really been brought into oneness. Praise the Lord! We need the oneness. Without oneness and unity, the building up of the house of the Lord is impossible.
If we are going to realize the church life, we must forget about all the dissenting teachings and opinions we have received in the past. We must forsake all of these things. Different opinions, concepts, and knowledge of the Bible have caused much trouble. This is dreadful!
This is why, following the degradation of the church, the last book of the Bible was written in a different way. In the Gospels and in the Epistles, the order of the Persons of the Godhead is Father, Son, and Spirit. But in the last book, the order of the Godhead is changed to Father, Spirit, and Son. Now the Spirit is more important, and has been changed from the third place to the second. Moreover, the one Spirit has become the seven Spirits, the sevenfold, intensified Spirit.
The Lord Jesus said many things in the four Gospels, and the apostles wrote many books, but none of these told us as strongly as the book of Revelation that we must listen to the speaking of the Spirit. This last book tells us at the end of each of the seven epistles, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith.” Christianity has many Bible studies, Bible classes, and Bible institutes, but they are nearly all in the dead letters.
Instead of Bible study classes, we need weeping classes to weep for the spiritual poverty and deadness. We must listen to the Spirit-not just read what is written. We must listen to the present, instant speaking of the living Spirit. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.” To read the writings is not sufficient. The age has been turned to the Spirit.
Why have Christians been divided? It is simply because of the different teachings and doctrines. The more teachings there are, the more divisions there will be. All the various teachings and opinions have done much damage to the recovery of the church. I fear that some of us are still under the influence of the Babylonian doctrines. May the Lord have mercy upon us that we may forsake all of those teachings, regardless of whether they are right or wrong. Let us go back to Jerusalem with the Spirit. Our mentality has done much damage to the Lord’s recovery. We simply need to turn to the Spirit.
In the past fifteen to twenty years, the Lord has shown us clearly that Christ is the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). Second Corinthians 3:17 also says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit.” Based upon these Scriptures, we have told people that they must realize that Christ is not only the Redeemer, but also the life-giving Spirit. But some have condemned this, saying that it is heresy to say that Christ is the Spirit. They say that this is wrong and is against the teaching of the Trinity. But the Bible tells us clearly that “now the Lord is the Spirit”! We do not care for man’s deadly teachings; we only care for the enjoyment of the living Christ as the Spirit!
Suppose the book of Revelation did not say anything about the seven Spirits of God, and yet someone told us that today the Spirit of God is the seven Spirits. Would you believe it? I am afraid that all Christians would say that this man is a heretic. The Spirit of God is the one unique Spirit. How could anyone say that He is the seven Spirits! But praise the Lord! We do have this last book of Revelation, and it tells us that the Spirit of God is not only one Spirit, but seven Spirits. Is this heresy? If this is a heresy, it is divine heresy! It is a divine heresy even out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ! Oh, deadly teachings really cause a lot of damage both to the Christian life and to the church life. The Spirit of God is one. How can you say seven? But the Lord Jesus said that the Spirit is the seven Spirits. Then what shall we say? We have to say, “Amen! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!”
I am afraid that within you are still some “buts.” You may say “This is quite good, but, but...” That little “but” is of Satan. All of us must learn to reject the “buts.” We must not have “buts”; we must only have oneness. No more “buts,” but all “Amens!” All the “buts” must be given up. We must not have any opinions so that we all might be gathered as one man. Never say, “but”; simply be one with the saints. Let us all be gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. We must not care for anything except the Lord’s recovery. We must only care for the building up of the temple of the Lord. Let us all come back to Jerusalem to be gathered as one man!
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