Prayer: Lord, thank You for this gathering. You know the darkness of this age. You know how much we need light from You. Grant us the light from within. Open our eyes and open up the situation-the situation of today’s world, the situation among today’s Christians, and the situation of Your recovery. Lord, we claim the cleansing of Your precious blood. We thank You for such a covering which protects us from the enemy’s attacks. Lord, be with us. Show us Your way. We are not content with knowledge. We want to see. Grant us a view, a vision. We thank You.
God created the universe, the earth, and mankind. So whatever mankind’s situation is on this earth must be under God’s sovereign control. He had a purpose from the very beginning. In order to fulfill that purpose He created the universe and mankind. We know that the heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and man has a spirit to contact, receive, experience, and enjoy God (see Zech. 12:1).
We all need such a clear view from which to consider the world situation. The newspapers are not written from such a viewpoint! Historians do not have this view. They have studied mankind’s situation. They have done research and perhaps even gotten doctoral degrees. Yet they do not know why mankind is on this earth.
I have spent over half a century in the Bible, in spiritual things, and in the church life. I have also been a student of world affairs since 1925. In that year I read a magazine, an authority on international affairs, which was published in Shanghai. It came out monthly, giving the Chinese people news concerning their country and the world. In it I read of the different pacts and treaties between China and other nations. From the very first issue I read, I was stirred up to take note of world affairs. That was the year I entered college. From that time on, I have kept informed of the world situation by reading the international news in the newspapers.
The Lord is living and purposeful. His first move was to create the universe. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). But what is His ultimate move? Some might answer that, according to Bible prophecy, before too long the Lord will come back to judge the world. Yes, this is in the Bible, but it is a doctrinal way of speaking; to speak in this way indicates a lack of light.
Recently I have had to work in my yard to change the dirt. The soil was clay, and the water did not drain. Even the most hardy plants were not growing well. I have had to spend much time to replace the soil and replant the shrubbery, but this was not my ultimate move. I also spent time cleaning up the yard and pruning some of the trees. But these were not my ultimate move either. My ultimate move is to come here and give you a message concerning God’s ultimate move!
To say that the Lord Jesus will come back to clear up things on earth is true, just as it is true to say that I cleared up my yard. But clearing up things is not His ultimate move, just as it was not mine. God’s ultimate move is to work Himself-Father, Son, and Spirit-into us and to become our life, that we may live Him out and express Him as His Body, the church.
When did this ultimate move begin? It began with the incarnation of Jesus. A virgin named Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit coming upon her. This was the beginning. This is also the beginning of the New Testament. God entered into mankind! Then a little Child was born in the manger at Bethlehem. Isaiah 9:6 tells us that the Child was the mighty God. He was also the Son given; this Son of the Trinity was called the Father. Mysterious!
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