‹‹ WEEK 2 — DAY 6 ›› Morning Nourishmen t Eph. 3:10 In order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known through the church. John 2:19 Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. In Ephesians 1 there is the positive side, the positive aspect of the church, while in chapter 3 there is the negative side related to the enemy. Through the church God’s multifarious wisdom is made known to the rulers and authorities, and the enemy is subdued (v. 10). If there were not such an evil one in the universe, God’s wisdom would not need to be manifested. It is through all the troubles rendered by Satan that God has the opportunity to show forth His wisdom. This whole universe has been damaged, but God is willing for it to be damaged, because He has His purpose....Every damage from Satan is a good opportunity to display God’s wisdom. We should never be afraid of troubles or damage in the church. Whenever there is a troubling to the church, we must go to God and say, “God, we praise and thank You. Here is a good chance for You to show forth something.” Eventually, we will see that a glorious church will come out....Praise the Lord, the more troubles there are, the more opportunities there are to display the Lord’s wisdom. God’s wisdom is made manifest through, by, in, and with all the problems. The Lord Jesus told the Jews, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Their destroying simply gave the Lord the opportunity to build up something greater than what was destroyed. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 1, p. 45) Today’s Reading God’s creation of man was first for man to be in His image and second to have His authority to deal with His enemy [Gen. 1:26]. The church was predestinated for the sonship of God and also was destined to subdue the enemy. In subduing the enemy, the church will make the wisdom of God manifest to all God’s enemies (Eph. 3:10). The Bible clearly and thoroughly reveals that what God has been doing in the past generations, still is doing now, and will be doing in the future is to fully accomplish His sonship in us and to subdue the enemy, to cast out the serpent. This will be done through the church and by the church. At present, as regards the sonship, we are under a process, and as regards the subduing of the enemy, we are in a battle. We are not only in a process but also in a battle, fighting all the time....Sometimes we win, and sometimes we lose. However, do not be discouraged. Sometimes a defeat is for the purpose of a future victory. Eventually we will not be defeated. We will be victorious. Victory will be ours, not the enemy’s....There is no need for us to be sorrowful. We should always be happy and praising the Lord. Even a defeat is a preparation for a further victory. Let the enemy try to defeat us; eventually he will be defeated. What kind of Bible do you have? You need to say, “I have a Bible of victory.” This is a book of victory, not a book of defeat....In the eyes of the Lord, Satan has been defeated already. This is a matter of fact; it is a settled matter. If we have this foresight and insight, then day by day we will sing Hallelujah. With the church there is no difference between a defeat and a victory. Even a defeat is for a victory. We must tell Satan, Satan, even your victory is a preparation for our victory. We can never be defeated. Eventually you will be the one who is defeated. I do not care how much you attack and how you damage. The Lord Jesus said in John 2:19 Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The more you destroy, the more the Lord will build up. Your destroying is just a preparation for His building up. We need the vision of how much the Lord will use the church to defeat His enemy and subdue and recover the whole earth. One day this will be accomplished.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 01:36:49 +0000