Chapter 3
The Ministry Of The Assembly:
Part 1. Suffering
John 2:1-12
1. The Heavenly And Spiritual Gospel of John
Before we continue our meditation, let us first spend some time to understand the nature and background of gospel according to John, so that we could have a foundation upon which to build up.
One of the four living creatures is eagle. The counterpart of John’s gospel is that eagle. And the eagle is the symbol of heaven. Therefore the nature of John’s gospel is heavenly.
And the apostle John wrote his gospel in the late year of his life when other apostles had been with the Lord. John experienced the rise, the development and the fall of the early assembly (church) in first century. The trawl-net of gospel was used almost one hundred years, and many breaks appeared. At such a situation, the old John began to fulfil his ministry of mending the trawl-net of gospel, in order that some important characteristics of gospel will not be left out, and will be recovered among the saints.
Therefore John’s gospel is not just a literal history record of Jesus’ life on the earth. The apostle John, such an experienced brother in Christ, intended to use his gospel to educate and remind us (Christians, the assembly) that the essence of our precious faith is heavenly and spiritual.
Today if we fail to recognize the essential fact that God’s full gospel is heavenly and spiritual, we could easily go astray and blindly devote our all to the earthly and worldly Christianity which God is not after, and finally we may suffer a great loss in the future (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). And we have to face a sad tragedy directly that the organized system of worldly Christianity was always “Judaizing” everything since the first century until now, and the recurred result was that the carnal (earthly) Christians persecute the spiritual (heavenly) ones. They of his household shall be a man’s enemies.
Such a “Judaizing and earthly Christianity” is always the great threat and hindrance to the testimony of God’s son in fullness throughout the past history until now. There is a sense in which that one of God’s great opponent is the earthly and worldly Christianity! May our Lord open our eyes to see the great difference between the heavenly and earthly by reading John’s gospel! So that we could walk in the way of life by His mercy and grace in the end-time.
Moreover John’s gospel shows forth the tremendous transitions by the signs, and points out the great reality by many “I AM…”, furthermore today we could be guided into all the truth by the Spirit of truth practically. Colossians 2:17: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body of Christ. (Darby’s Version) All the things of Jewish background in John’s gospel are just a shadow, and our precious Lord is the body and reality. Right now! Christians can freely enjoy and draw upon the spiritual reality (Christ is our all in all) by Holy Spirit. And we could constantly live in the good of the Great Reality by faith! What a privilege to the assembly (Abraham’s heavenly descendants) in the new dispensation of the Holy Spirit!
The tremendous transitions which are accomplished by the salvation of cross include manifold aspects: 1. From temporary to eternal. 2. From darkness to light. 3. From false to true. 4. From death to life. 5. From earthly to heavenly. 6. From carnal to spiritual. 7. From outward to inward. 8. From organized to organic. 9. From old to new. 10. From bondage to freedom. 11. From law to grace. 12. From shadow to body. 13. From traditional to revolutionary. 14. From Moses to Christ. 15. From disappointment to satisfaction……
Our part is to discover, to appropriate and to experience these full realities in Christ for our spiritual benefits by reading the bible. Colossians 2:9-10: For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and ye are complete in Him. May the Lord make all of us His serviceable vessels to supply any hungry heart with His unsearchable fullness!
2. The Life Of Christ Is Good Wine
The first sign speaks forth the glory of life of Christ. When Jesus was hanged upon the cross, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear and immediately there came out blood and water. And His blood dealt with our sins, and the water is His life for our possession.
His life is like the filled water in the six stone water vessels according to the purification of the Jews. Matthew 5:17: Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void, but to fulfil. Christ fulfiled all righteousness of the Jewish law! What an amazing and glorious life! For we know that whoever shall keep the whole law and shall offend in one point, he has come under the guilt of breaking all. No flesh shall be justified by the works of the law.
Him who knew not sin He has made sin for us, that we might become God's righteousness in Him, and that we may be found in Him, not having our own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Now we are clear from the law, having died in that in which we were held, so that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of letter.
In God’s plan of redemption, Jesus intended that the heavenly and spiritual assembly would participate in his risen and excellent life. Therefore the Lord determined His important hour for Christians. At the Pentecost, the Ascensional Lord poured out His Spirit Of Life and baptized with the Holy Spirit. Today the indwelling Holy Spirit in the assembly will always supply the life of Christ as good wine for us and the invited sinners. Oh! Christ is our life! To drink in this good wine should be our great enjoyment!
On the other hand, the marriage is the union of bride and bridegroom in life. And the wine also can symbolize the joy of perfect union of a couple. If the assembly, the true bride, unites herself to the world or the earthly religious world, and is at the mercy of them, the wine will be deficient and the sorrow will replace the joy. Let us cleave unto our True Bridegroom with purpose of heart, and enjoy the endless joy and satisfaction of union with Christ.
3. The Suffering Of The Assembly Is The Cheering Wine
In this paragraph, let us meditate on the pouring (not drinking) of wine in the view of the ministry of the assembly. Chinese brother Watchman Nee (1903-1972) in his two hymns wrote some precious lyrics:
1. Olives that have known no pressure never can oil bestow;
If the grapes escape the winepress, cheering wine can never flow;
Spikenard only thro' the crushing, its fragrance can diffuse.
Shall I then, shrink from the suff'ring that Thy love would so induce?
(An excerpt from verse 1 of “Olives That Have Known No Pressure”)
2. Measure your life by loss, never measure by gain;
Not by much wine consumed, but wine poured out in pain.
The strength of love stands ever in love's sacrifice to show.
The more one suffers, then the more true love can he bestow.
(An excerpt from verse 15 of “The Story Of A Grapevine”)
The greatest service which the saints could render to God and men is the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. Judges 9:13: And the vine said to them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go to wave over the trees? The assembly is just like the grapes of vine, which must go through the winepress in order to flow out the cheering wine (the risen life of Christ) for others’ blessings.
One of precious grapes in new testament is the apostle Paul. And he once testified that: we were excessively pressed beyond our power by the tribulation, so as to despair even of living, but we ourselves had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not have our trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:8-9). So then death will thus work in faithful Christians, but life in others. The suffering of cross is the inevitable price to pay in the spiritual service. May the Lord’s love constrains and encourages us to follow in His steps at any cost!
4. The Story Of A Grapevine
Let us learn from this hymn written by brother Watchman Nee.
1. Consider now, dear ones, the life of a grapevine,
It has no easy life, its hardships intertwine;
Unlike wild flowers in the field that gayly, wildly bloom,
In countless patterns up they grow, full liberty assume.
2. The flowers of the vine are plain and small in size;
So humbly do they bloom, unnoticed by most eyes.
The time for blossoms is so short, soon into fruit they grow.
No charm is there for them to boast, no elegance to show.
3. So fastened to a post, it cannot freely grow;
Up to the trellises its branches tied must go.
From stony soil the vine is forced to draw its food supply;
It has no way to change its course, or from its hardship fly.
4. How lovely is the green of spring's beautiful scene!
So natural is its growth, with brightness so serene.
Out of the vine's abundant life so full and so complete,
Against the azure, branches flow to taste the air so sweet.
5. Behold, the master comes his guidance to provide;
The pruning knife he brings to strip it of its pride,
Not minding all its tender shoots, to cleanse and cleanse again,
Till all excessive branches fall to comply with his plan.
6. During this time of loss, dare it self-pity show?
No, no, it yields but more to him who wounds it so,
Yes, to the hand that strips it of all glory and all pride.
The vine thus keeps the strength of life that much fruit may abide.
7. To hardened wood is turned each stump of bleeding shoot,
And each remaining branch brings forth abundant fruit.
Scorched by the burning sun, its leaves turn dry and fall away.
The fruit thus ripens more and more until the harvest day.
8. Due to the fruitful load, the branches are brought low,
The consequence of pain and many a thoughtful blow.
In bearing clusters of fine fruit, comforted it must be;
But soon will come the harvest time, the days of comfort flee.
9. Upon the hand-picked fruit comes treading of the feet.
The greatest treasure lies where grapes and wine-press meet.
When grapes are crushed inside the press, red wine begins to flow,
Like surging rivers bringing joy the earth to overflow.
10. So barren is the vine, its all is spent in full,
And now its plight again is dreary night and woe.
No one would stoop to thank the vine for cheering wine that's drunk;
Instead, more stripping is at hand to make a branchless trunk.
11. Throughout the winter time, its wine gives warmth, and cheers
the shiv'ring ones whose chill is mixed with grief and tears.
But midst the ice and snow without, the vine is thus to stand.
Why does it strive to bear it all? It's hard to understand.
12. When winter's o'er, it yearns once more much fruit to bear.
New shoots come forth again to weave its garment fair.
It has no murm'ring or complaint for winter's sore abuse.
Its all it gives, and still wills not its off'ring to reduce.
13. It stretches up toward heav'n, and breathes the fresh clean air.
Untouched by earthly joy, self-love it does not bear.
It smiles at sacrifice ahead, accepting odds once more,
As if no strokes, no stripping sore can it ever recall.
14. Much sap and wine and blood out from its branches flow.
Does emptying itself cause it more poor to grow?
From it, drunkards and wanderers do drink and merry make.
Do they, from pleasure much, become more wealthy when they wake?
15. Measure your life by loss, never measure by gain;
Not by much wine consumed, but wine poured out in pain.
The strength of love stands ever in love's sacrifice to show.
The more one suffers, then the more true love can he bestow.
16. He who spares not himself is best for God to gain;
Who hurts himself the most can best soothe those in pain.
Unless well-learned in being stripped, a sounding brass is he.
Unless averse to saving self, ne'er can he blissful be.
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