The ACTS 2020 September/October
THE MISSIONS OF THE TRUE CHURCH (I)
What Are The Missions Of The True Church?
(1) Revive and Rebuild
Isa. 58:12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
Just as all the other servants of the Lord in the past, the true church exists to abolish wrong beliefs and rebuild His church. All the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ who had received the Holy Spirit from above had been tasked to eradicate the wrong beliefs of the Jews so that they would turn away from their evil ways and return to the way of the Lord.
When the Lord Jesus Christ first started to preach, He also rebuked the Pharisees as hypocrites and changed the many traditions of the Jews in order to repair the path of salvation and rebuild the doorway to heaven.
Isa. 61:4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.
The divine tasks of rebuilding, constructing and repairing were first shouldered by the churches of the early rain. Today, this mission from the heavenly Father has been entrusted to the church of the latter rain.
Christianity has been desolated for a long period of time without the Truth, the Holy Spirit and the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Secular churches have distorted the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ completely by barricading the path of salvation with thorns and thistles. Consequently, many Christians are rushing towards another path which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
Prv. 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
Eze. 36:10 I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.
Jer. 30:18 Thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob's tents, And have mercy on his dwelling places; The city shall be built upon its own mound, And the palace shall remain according to its own plan.
A church which is without the Truth, the Holy Spirit and the salvation of God is just like a desolated place, a deserted city and a tent of captivity. Nevertheless, the Lord wants to bring His people back from captivity by granting them the Truth, the Holy Spirit and His salvation. They will recommence the work of rebuilding on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as the chief corner stone so that true Israelites will continue to multiply and not diminish.
Jer. 30:19 Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
Amos 9:11 "On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old;
Acts 15:16 'After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up;
The Apostolic churches in the early rain period were instituted to counter the practice of Judaism by the Israelites, similar to city of David that had been breached and the tabernacle of David had fallen into ruins. It was a period of lawlessness where the Israelites did not obey God for there was no counsel from their priests.
Until the downpouring of the Holy Spirit of the latter rain and the revival of the true church, those who had honoured God with their lips but their hearts were far from Him (including churches which were without the Truth, the Holy Spirit and the salvation of God) were considered to be under the period of the fallen tabernacle of David for they had blemished the true image of God. As such, God had to raise up the true church to repair the breach and rebuild the fallen tabernacle.
(2) Complete The Harvesting Works
Jer. 5:24 They do not say in their heart, "Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest."
Farmers have to wait patiently for their crops to grow. Once the crops are ready for harvest, it will be the appointed weeks of the harvest.
John 4:35 Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
The crops refer to the chosen people of God who have their seasons, just as how crops mature seasonally too. God had appointed the time for us to be harvested. We have to be aware of when the harvesting season will start.
Matt. 13:39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
God tells us clearly that the harvest refers to the last days. Before the destruction of the world, God will appoint a period of the harvest. This is the grace period reserved for the chosen people of God to be harvested and gathered into the heavenly barn.
Deu. 30:3-4 3that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. 4If any of you are driven out to the farthest
parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.
Jer. 32:37 Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely.
Due to His wrath, God had driven away His chosen people to all the nations. Nevertheless, He will relent and bring them back at the appointed time. On that day, He will show them compassion, gather them from all the nations and harvest them in the period of the harvest.
Jer. 51:33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor When it is time to thresh her; Yet a little while And the time of her harvest will come."
Some of the chosen people of God have been scattered to churches which are just like the wicked and sinful city of Babylon. Prophet Jeremiah said that yet a little while (i.e. the period of the harvest), the angels of harvest will come.
Matt. 24:31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
We know that prior to His coming on clouds of heaven, the Lord will first instruct His angels to gather (i.e. to harvest) all His chosen people (i.e. the crops) who have been scattered across all the nations.
Rev. 14:14-16 14Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
In his vision, elder John witnessed something which had not happened yet. However, the vision shall come to pass at the end of the age, which is the appointed time for the harvest that will come to pass at the end of the age.
God instructed elder John to record what he had witnessed. He had reserved a period of grace in the appointed weeks of the harvest for His chosen people of the last days. Furthermore, the authority of the angel of the harvest could not be arrogated, as the “One like the Son of Man” possess the glorious light of God (Ref: “white cloud” in Rev.14:14).
Num. 16:42 Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared.
Luke 5:24UP But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins
Heb. 2:7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honour, And set him over the works of Your hands.
Matt. 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Isa. 66:7 Before she was in labour, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child.
Hos. 6:11 Also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed for you, When I return the captives of My people.
The era of restoration refers to the return of God’s people from captivity. The harvesting season will only commence on their return. The desolated land will be tilled, the wasted land will be a fruitful field and the wilderness will become just like the Garden of Eden. The house of Israel will be glad during the period of the harvest because their trees will bring forth fruits. There will be an increase in the produce of the fields as well as an increase of grain and wine.
Joel 3:13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow-- For their wickedness is great."
John 4:35 Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
John 5:25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
When we lift up our eyes and look at the crops of the fields, we see the overflowing wickedness of the world as well. This proves that the time of the appointed harvest will be an era where the world is full of sin.
(to be continued)