GALATIANS THE SONSHIP Living and Walking by the Spirit Week 18 Prepared to be Heirs (Gal. 4:1-2) Daily Food www.dailyfood.ca 1
Monday Scripture Reading: Job 38:7; Isa. 14:13-14; Ezek. 28:12-15; Heb. 2:5-8; Rev. 20:6 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) DENYING THE SELF TO REIGN IN THE COMING WORLD Hebrews 2 tells us that the coming world will not be given to angels, but to man. This honor, however, will not be bestowed on just any man. Only those who have believed in Christ Jesus, have denied themselves, and have allowed the divine life to grow in them will reign with Christ in the coming world. God s original creation was beautiful and harmonious (Job 38:7), and He entrusted it to a cherub named Lucifer. Ezekiel 28 refers to him as the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (v. 12). Despite his high position among the angels, as the anointed cherub who covers, Lucifer still wanted more: to be like the Almighty (Isa. 14:13-14). As a creature, it was ludicrous for Lucifer to covet the position of the Creator. God could not allow it. Such 2
insolence did not go unnoticed, and God cast him down to the earth, along with a legion of angels who followed him. After that, Lucifer became Satan (which means adversary), the enemy of God. Today, Satan is still behind the world s confusion and its opposition to God. God s enemy works among the nations, disrupting harmony and disseminating hatred, resentment, and war. Man, on the other hand, desires peace because deep within him is a desire for God. The main objective of Satan s work is to stimulate people to live independently from God. He is after discord, enmity, murder, and endless wars. God, however, in His wisdom and to fulfill His eternal plan, has determined to entrust the coming government to man. Both the government of the former world, entrusted to the angels, and the government of the present world, which lies under the sway of the wicked one, have failed. Although man has been damaged by Satan and sin, the Lord has not given up on him, or on His purpose. 3
Once His eternal plan is fulfilled, men will govern the coming world alongside Christ (Rev. 20:6). Unlike the angels, God created man after His own image and likeness to contain Him. When someone believes in the Lord, he is regenerated and transformed by the divine life. Once God s work is completed in these regenerated ones, they will become His full expression in the universe, exercising the authority of the divine life through eternity. Key Point: God created man to govern the coming world! Your Key Point: Question: What does a man need before he can govern the coming world? 4
Tuesday Scripture Reading: Gen. 2:7; Job 12:10; John 4:24 But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding (Job 32:8) THE INITIAL REQUIREMENT TO REIGN WITH THE LORD When God created man, He breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). Notice that this breath of life is something out of God Himself. If God had only said, Let there be a man, as He did with the things created before man, he would not be different from the rest of creation. Having the breath of life breathed into him by God Himself, which gave life to his body, man is the only being created with something out of God. This breath of life became the spirit of man (Job 12:10). Even though they are spiritual beings, the angels do not possess this divine breath. Man was created in a very special way. As a result, every human being has something divine within him, something created from the breath of the Almighty Himself: the human spirit. Now this human spirit created from the divine breath is the organ through which we can receive the Spirit of God. Man has the capacity to receive God, who is Spirit (John 4:24), into his human spirit. Only man can possess God in his spirit, where 5
the two can fellowship as one. God determined that man, through the Spirit mingled with his own, would govern the coming world. We may be less capable and powerful than the angels (Heb. 2:7), but we have something they do not, something that allows us to contain God Himself: the spirit of man. When we call, Oh Lord Jesus, something wonderful takes place in our lives we are saved. After receiving the divine life, we must allow it to grow and fill every part of our soul, that we may be perfected and made ready to reign with the Lord. If we desire to inherit the coming world, we need the reality of the sonship manifested in our lives today! God wants to fill our entire being with His divine life: spirit, soul, and body. This way, we will be ready to govern the coming world together with Christ. Key Point: Being filled with God to govern the coming world. Your Key Point: Question: What special feature distinguishes us from the angels, and why is it important? 6
Wednesday Scripture Reading: Gal. 4:1-2; Heb. 2:5 For if by the one man s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17) WE HAVE BEEN SAVED TO ENTER THE KINGDOM AND TAKE PART IN IT The main subject of the book of Galatians, the sonship, is first addressed in chapter 4. In addition to asserting the legitimacy of a son, the sonship also refers to all things pertaining to his maturing and growth in the divine life. As God s legitimate children, we have the right to an inheritance kept in the heavens for us. Nevertheless, before reaching spiritual maturity, the full sonship, we cannot lay hold of this inheritance. Man was created to reign by means of the divine life (Rom. 5:17). Usually, minors are neither allowed nor ready to take full advantage and administrate their inheritance. Likewise, a believer who is unable to look after the Father s interests on earth lacks spiritual growth, and will not reign in the coming world. Despite having the same genetic nature, a newborn needs to grow up in order to truly express its father. Hence, a child must be fed adequately and healthily to manifest the characteristics of his life. Spiritually speaking the same thing holds true; when we were saved in our spirit, we were born again, born of God, and received 7
every divine characteristic. Now we must work out and develop our salvation to become mature sons who are committed to the Father s business. We already have the Spirit of God dwelling in our human spirit. Hallelujah! Still, this life needs to grow in us, overflowing from our spirit into every part of our soul. In order for this to happen, the Lord put us in the church, where we can be disciplined, taught, cared for, and perfected. In the normal church life, He also gives us stewards and teachers brothers and sisters who look after, feed, and help us mature spiritually. The church is God s garden and the best place to grow in life, experience mutual care, and be perfected in our practical service to the Lord. In the church life we are also helped to understand the Bible, as well as God s eternal plan and will for each one of us. What a wonderful place! Key Point: There is no place like the church life to grow in newness of life! Your Key Point: Question: Seeing that the Lord has already prepared an inheritance for us, how can we lay hold of it? 8
Thursday Scripture Reading: Mark 12:41-44; Luke 12:42-43; 16:2; 17:10 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship (1 Cor. 9:16-17) STEWARDS OF THE LORD: TRUE SPREADERS OF THE GOSPEL We saw yesterday that the church is the best place for us to be transformed. As children need to develop their abilities and be taught, we also need the care of the stewards and teachers in the church life. Our brothers, our spiritual teachers, teach us to be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. As for the stewards, they feed us healthy spiritual food, that we may grow in life. The Lord wisely raised brothers in the church life as stewards committed to the things of the Father. The Greek term for steward is household administrator (Luke 16:2). He who exercises the stewardship seeks to discern the will of God for his possessions (12:42-43), bearing witness of his love for Christ in the way he utilizes these material possessions (Mark 12:41-44). 9
Practically speaking, a steward takes part in supplying those who go out for the gospel, such as colporters. For instance, if a colporter needs a jacket to endure the cold weather, he supplies the right garment. Concerning food or a place to stay, we can all exercise the stewardship by serving those who go out for the sake of the gospel. Still, we need spiritual food. In order to help us grow in life and mature in God s Word, the Lord has given us brothers to teach us the divine truth. We can truly see the Lord s wisdom in the talents He has given to each brother. Blessed be His name! Key Point: If we are faithful, the Lord can carry out His work more quickly. Your Key Point: Question: What is your understanding of the term stewardship? 10
Friday Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 12:4-27 For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:12) USING THE GIFTS GIVEN BY THE LORD TO SERVE HIM Hebrews 2:5-8 has a close relationship with the sonship presented in Galatians. Only by becoming God s mature sons can we reign in the coming world. Hence, to help us acquire the reality of the knowledge of God, the Lord has put us in a place where we can be nurtured: the church life. The church life, which refers to a believer s life and living, is something dynamic, as presented in Matthew 16. As we live the church life, we are guided and encouraged to progress spiritually from childhood to adulthood. In other words, the church life encompasses more than our gatherings to hear messages and sermons; it comprises the entire day-today living of God s children at home with their families, at work, etc. Therefore, the church life is an environment where people appointed by the Lord help us grow in life, teaching us the word of truth and how to administrate the coming world. First Corinthians 12 tells us that God desires to 11
constitute us with Himself. When we call on the Lord s name, we open up to the inner work of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit. Though we must develop the gifts we received when we believed in the Lord, we cannot do it on our own; we need help from ministers of the Word appointed for this very reason. Praying for one another and leading the saints to have fellowship with the Lord are important characteristics of a minister. A minister of God must also encourage the brothers to go to conferences and profit from the Word. Let us enjoy 1 Corinthians 12 a little further. There are three aspects presented in this chapter: gifts, ministries, and operations. The diverse gifts mentioned in verse 4 are related to the Spirit. When we believed, the Spirit granted us at least one gift, be it the gift of offering, of serving, or of speaking for God. If the Spirit had not given us a gift, we would have nothing that could evolve into a ministry through exercise. However, having a gift is not the goal; the more we exercise it, the more Christ is added and infused into us, turning our gifts into ministries for the work of the ministry and the building up of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12). Let us consider the ministry of the Word. Brothers who spent much time exercising this gift have become ministers 12
of the Word. A minister of the Word seeks for the revelation of the Scriptures, digging deeply for spiritual nuggets of gold. We should take advantage of every church meeting to share what we gain. Now the ministries are for the operations of God, whose purpose is to perfect the saints. When we exercise our gifts, we supply one another. Those serving in the music service, for instance, have perfected their gifts into ministries. Their musical proficiency and service to the church help us praise the Lord and enjoy the riches of Christ in hymns and spiritual songs! You can also exercise your gift by using the written word, such as the Flowing Life Magazine, to preach the gospel. You can give someone a FLM as a gift and make a commitment to periodically read it together. This way, the Lord can find a way in you to turn the gift of the Word into a ministry. Hallelujah! Key Point: Developing our gifts to receive more grace! Your Key Point: Question: How can our gifts become ministries? 13
Saturday Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:7, 11-12 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey (Matt. 25:15) DEVELOPING THE GIFTS, MINISTRIES, AND OPERATIONS FOR A PROFITABLE END: THE KINGDOM The Lord has placed us in the church life to be perfected in at least three aspects of the work of the ministry: the ministry of the Word, the ministry of services, and the ministry of offering material riches. The more we exercise our gifts, the more Christ is added to us as grace. After being saved and delivered from sin, the Holy Spirit gave us gifts and began to work within us. Once a gift is developed through exercise into a ministry, that ministry is used with other ministries in the operations of the church. God s Word says, There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities [operations], but it is the same God who works all in all (1 Cor. 12:4-6). Here we can clearly see the Spirit, the Son (the Lord), and the Father (God). The gifts, which are related to the Spirit, are given according to the capacity of each one; the ministries are related to the Lord; and the operations are related to God. The ministries, which originated from the gifts, are used together in the church s operations. The more we exercise our ministries and gifts with the goal of building up the Body of Christ, the more grace we receive and the closer 14
we get to full sonship. The Lord has already determined that the coming world will be governed by mature men in the divine life. Today, He provides many opportunities for our human and spiritual growth, as no king can rule before he is capable of doing so. Generally speaking, an individual is academically and mentally prepared from childhood to university. Now in order for this person to become proficient in whatever field, he needs teachers and counselors throughout his life. Likewise, in the church life, we have brothers who truly care for our human and, above all, spiritual development. They have continually exercised their gifts, and their ministries are used in God s operations. If we are members of the Body of Christ, we do have gifts. The more we function properly in the various services of the church, the more the Lord adds Himself into us. This way, He will be able to send us to other places where we can encourage others to also function! Key Point: Exercising a ministry is a matter of life Your Key Point: Question: What is the relationship between 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 and full sonship? 15
Sunday Scripture Reading: Rom. 8:16-17; Gal. 3:26 4:7 He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30) SEEKING TO MAGNIFY CHRIST IN OUR LIFE AND LIVING Galatians 4 tells us that, as long as he is a child, the heir is under the care of guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Likewise, in the church life, we also have various ministers serving under God s work. Through His divine life, the Lord uses these ministers to guide the brothers. Concerning the coming world, the burden in Hebrews 2 is closely related to the sonship presented in Galatians 4. Our childish condition is exposed whenever we subject ourselves to the rudiments, the basic things of the world and fall enslaved to them. Still, because we are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, so that we can cry out for help. God s ministers have been commissioned to unveil and help us attain the knowledge of the divine economy. It is essential that we give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard (Heb. 2:1). In other worlds, the New Testament economy must be cemented into our hearts. Moses was 16
given the revelation of the Old Testament economy during the forty days and nights he spent on Mount Sinai. Today, in the age of the new covenant, we can know God s plans and will through the Spirit by calling on His wonderful name! Whenever we call, Oh Lord Jesus, we enter into fellowship with the Lord! The more we call on His name, the more we lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness. If we only allow the divine life to grow in us, the negative things which accumulate in us will be cast away. We are purified by the blood of Christ and sanctified by the Word. As clear channels, God will be able to flow through us freely! We are God s heirs indeed! Though we are one in Christ Jesus, as God s legitimate children, we still need to grow and mature in order to attain the full sonship! Praise the Lord! Key Point: Let Him flow! Your Key Point: Question: What are the characteristics of a minister? 17
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) Additional Reading Enrich your reading of the Daily Food by simultaneously reading the books suggested below: Our Vision and Commission chap. 5 Dong Yu Lan. 18