May we look to the Lord in prayer.
Lord, the prayer of our hearts this evening is that we may enter into Thy thought, Thy feeling. O Lord, Thou knowest it is humanly impossible. Thou knowest how we are bound by ourselves, how we are limited by our own thoughts and feelings.
But, Lord, we ask Thee at this moment to cleanse us with Thy precious blood and to deliver us from ourselves, that we may join with Thee in Thy thought and enter into Thy feeling.
Lord, how we praise and thank Thee, Thou who art the glorious One, the holy One, the spotless One. And yet Thou hast come into this world to be a man, to enter into our thoughts and into our feelings. O, how sympathetic Thou art with us.
Now, Lord, because of Thy salvation, because of the greatness of Thy redemption, we ask Thee this evening that Thou wilt bring us into Thy thought, that we may feel as Thou dost feel. O Lord, make us see what Thou dost see. Make us feel as Thou dost feel.
O Lord, we look to Thee because we are helpless. We cannot do it. But, Lord, we believe the power of Thy resurrection can raise us up to that level.
O Lord, make us see what Thou dost see, and make us so sympathetic with Thyself that we can stand with Thee against ourselves.
O Lord, we want Thee. We want Thee in us. We want Thee in Thy people. We want Thee in Thy church. O, nothing but Thyself, Lord.
Lord Jesus, if we need to be judged, reprove us. If we need to be reproved, chasten us. If we need to be chastened, bring us to nought if we need to be brought to that point.
O Lord, reduce us to ashes, because this is the only safe place for us, that we may see the glory of Thy resurrection life manifested in Thy church. O Lord, we want to see Thy glory.
Deliver us from disappointment. Deliver us from despair. Deliver us from destitution, desolation, and death. O Lord, bring us to resurrection life, to the glory of Thy life, to the glory of Thyself.
O Lord, this is Thy will for us. This is Thy will for Thy church. And, Lord, Thy grace can bring us there. O, how we trust Thee, O Lord. Our confidence is in Thee. Thou wilt not let us down. Thou wilt not fail us.
We may feel it sometimes that way, Lord, but we know Thee. We know Thee, Lord. O Lord, get what Thou wantest among Thy people. Do Thy work until Thou art satisfied. Do not stop, Lord. Do not stop. Go on, Lord, with us. Go on. Yes, Lord. O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Where can we go, Lord? Thou hast the words of life. We all seek Thee, Lord. We praise Thee. O Lord, we praise Thee.
O, Thou hast desired to deliver us from ourselves, that we may come over to Thy side and see things with Thy eyesight. O Lord, give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Open the eyes of our hearts, that we may know Thee; and to know Thee is life eternal.
O, we worship Thee together. O, how good, how good Thou art. O gracious, gracious Thou art. How long-suffering Thou art. Lord, if it were not because of Thy patience, where would we be? Thank You, O Lord. Thank You.
We marvel at Thy grace, Lord. Thou hast taken up the worst, the meanest, the vilest, such as we are; and, Lord, Thou hast made us a new vessel, fit for the Master’s use, that no man can boast, but all glory be unto Thee.
O, how we praise Thee. We know Thou art working. We know Thou wilt get what Thou wantest. O Lord, take away our resistance. Take away our pride. O Lord, make us soft. Make us tender. Make us flexible. Lord, do whatever Thou wilt with us.
We wait before Thee. We trust Thee, Lord. O Lord, we remember Thy words: “The just shall live by faith.” Lord, our hope is in Thee. Our confidence is in Thee. Thou art the rock of our salvation.
O, we glorify Thee. It is all Thee, Lord. It is all Thee.
May we read from the Book of Revelation?
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks:
I know thy works, and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not bear evil men, and hast tried them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false;
and thou hast patience and didst bear for My name’s sake, and hast not grown weary.
But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love.
Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent.
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.
We cannot read the whole of Revelation 2 and 3, so we will just read the beginning of each letter.
And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These things saith the first and the last, who was dead, and lived again:
And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword:
And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These things saith the Son of God, who hath His eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like unto burnished brass:
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars:
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and none shall shut, and that shutteth, and none openeth:
And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
Dear brothers and sisters, we believe God is today intensely interested—and, if you allow me to put it in a stronger way, exclusively interested—in only one thing, and one thing alone. That is the testimony of Jesus Christ.
What is the testimony of Jesus Christ? It is a public declaration, the affirmation of a truth, a fact, a reality. That truth, that fact, that reality, is the Lord Jesus.
The Father bears witness to Him. He Himself testified before Pontius Pilate. The Holy Spirit is here on earth to glorify Him. And we are called to be His witnesses.
It is who Jesus is. It is what He is. That is the thing. That is the testimony.
Brothers and sisters, we need to know Him—who He is—as the Father knows Him. We need to know Him as He Himself declares. We need to know Him as the Holy Spirit witnesses. We need to know who He is and what He is.
For this reason, we need a revelation of Jesus Christ, because He is One who cannot be known except by the revelation of the Father. We may know about Him, but we can never know Him. We need a revelation of Jesus Christ.
When Jesus Christ is revealed to us, brothers and sisters, we have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
As our brother Watchman Nee once said, “You may say everything about the Lord Jesus, but when you are saying these things and the Lord Jesus does not speak with you, it is dead. There is no testimony—just words, correct words.”
But, O brothers and sisters, when you are testifying of the Lord Jesus, and as you are speaking for Him, He speaks with you. He backs you up. This is Him.
Without revelation, there is no testimony. But the revelation of Jesus Christ that God has so graciously given to His church is the testimony of Jesus Christ today.
We mentioned last night that the testimony of Jesus is today deposited in a vessel, as the testimony of God was deposited in the nation of Israel. So today the testimony of Jesus is deposited in the church, the Body of Christ.
How dare God commit such a tremendous thing—the testimony of Jesus—to man? It is all right for God to keep the testimony. It is all right for the Lord Jesus to bear the testimony. But if God should commit this testimony to man, you know what would happen.
When God committed His testimony to the nation of Israel, His name went down with them. Oftentimes God had to vindicate Himself and say, “I have no part in it.”
When God commits the testimony of Jesus to the church, brothers and sisters, it makes me tremble. How much the testimony of Jesus suffers through the vessel.
It is for this reason that you find John on the island of Patmos. He was thinking of the seven churches in Asia, churches for which he had labored before he was exiled. He loved the churches. He could not be personally with them; he was exiled on the island of Patmos. But nobody could forbid him from looking longingly across the sea toward the seven cities in Asia and thinking of them.
As he was thinking of the seven churches in Asia, he heard a voice behind him: “What thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”
He turned, and he saw a vision: seven golden lampstands representing the seven churches in Asia, with one like unto a Son of Man in the midst of them.
Brothers and sisters, we need to be turned away from what we are seeing, from what we know. We need to turn away from that and see the vessel of the testimony as God ordains it to be.
We need a vision of the Lord. We need a vision of the church. We need a vision of the church as God ordains it to be.
Why? Because these are seven golden lampstands that were to uplift the light, to bear the testimony of Jesus in the various cities in Asia. That was according to the Lord’s word:
I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
The Lord said, “I will build My church upon this rock.” It can be nothing but a golden candlestick made of pure gold. What the Lord is building must be perfect.
You can never even imagine—and I think even imagining it is blasphemy—to think that the Lord will build a church that is full of rubbish. It cannot be. The Lord said, “I will build My church upon this rock,” and He is building it with pure gold, into a golden lampstand so exquisite, so beautiful, with cups, knops, flowers, and buds.
Brothers and sisters, the gates of Hades cannot prevail against it because it is perfect. Do we see the church that way?
But if you go to 1 Corinthians 3, Paul said, “I am like a master builder. I have laid a foundation, and the foundation can be none other but Jesus Christ.” Thank God for the foundation. The superstructure may shake, but the foundation stands.
Paul said, “Be careful what you are building upon it.” Brothers and sisters, do you see the two sides? On the one side, you find our Lord Jesus declares, “I will build My church.” He is building it. O, thank God, He is building it.
You know, oftentimes when I am down and down and cannot be down any further, the one thing that lifts me up is that I remember the Lord said, “I will build My church upon this rock; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Then, you know, I am lifted to the third heaven.
But, on the other side, we are all helping Him to build. Yes, yes, we are building. We are all building the house of God.
But you read 1 Corinthians 3, and you find that some build with gold, silver, and precious stones; but some build with wood, hay, and stubble. The Lord reveals gold, silver, and precious stones—nothing else, pure.
But when man starts to help build, you find that some people may be building with gold, silver, and precious stones: gold, the nature of God; silver, the redemption of Jesus Christ; precious stones, the work of the Holy Spirit.
Some are building upon that foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones. But many more are building with wood, the nature of man; hay, the beauty and glory of man; and stubble, the work of man. What a mess!
These two houses do not fit, and yet they are all in one house. One day the fire shall appear, and the fire will burn up all that is built upon the foundation with wood, hay, and stubble. Even if you are saved, it will be so as through fire. That which can stand the fire will continue.
In other words, this is the wonder of grace. This is the wonder of new creation. In the old creation, God did it all by Himself. When God created the heavens and the earth, He did it all by Himself. He did not consult with you for advice and help. You were not there.
He said it, and it was so—so simple, so direct, so perfect. That was the way God built the old creation.
But somehow God changed His method. When He came to build a new creation, God said, “No, I change My method. I am determined not to do it alone. I am determined to do it with those whom I have redeemed.” Because of that, He got into great trouble.
But that is the way He wants it. To Him, it is trouble; but to us, it is the highest honor. Can you think of anything more honorable than to cooperate, to co-work, with God?
If our work is wrought with God, that is God’s work. If our work is at odds with God, one day it will be burned. And, dear brothers and sisters, it is much better if it is burned earlier.
So, first of all, dear brothers and sisters, I do believe God does not want us to look at the present condition of the church, as we can very easily see. Brothers and sisters, if you look, it brings you to despair.
But remember, you are no better. You are in it.
I believe God wants us to turn away from these things, to be blind for a while. Let our eyes be opened to see only what God has ordained the church to be: that perfect vessel for the testimony of Jesus.
To see that it is the Lord who is building the church—O, brothers and sisters, we really need to see that. I pray that the Lord will show us that. Otherwise, I tell you, the more you want the Lord, the more miserable you become.
But if we see, and we see the golden lampstands standing there with the Son of Man in the midst, O, brothers and sisters, it is glorious—glorious.
After we have seen that, then the Lord said, “Write to the seven churches in Asia.” Was the Lord blind to the situations in these seven churches? He knew very well. As you will see, He knew everything in these different churches—everything.
And yet, there before Him stood the seven golden lampstands. Thank the Lord, our present situation cannot and will not change God’s original design.
No matter how far apart these two may be—the seven golden lampstands and the seven churches in Asia—they ought to be one. But no matter how far apart these two things are, the Lord saw both, and the Lord was bringing the one into harmony with His original design.
The original design does not change. It is still there. As a matter of fact, it is already there.
After God had shown John a vision of the seven golden lampstands, with one like unto a Son of Man in the midst, John was in a position to turn back again and look at the seven churches in Asia with the look of Christ.
You know, brothers and sisters, it does not take any sharp eyes to see all the mess in the churches today, because it is so apparent. But suppose you look at the situation of God’s people today, the situation of the churches today, and that is all you see. What will happen to you?
It will either drive you to despair, or it will make you very critical. That is all.
My brothers and sisters, after you have seen the Lord, after you have seen the original design of the Lord, and then you turn back and look at the seven churches, look at the situation again, you know what happens? You see even clearer.
Because the eyes of the Lord are like a flame of fire. Everything is naked before Him. You think you have seen enough? You have not. If you are seeing things with the eyes of the Lord, you will see even more.
But thank God, what you have seen will not push you to despair, nor make you critical. What you have seen will make you even more sympathetic with the Lord, filled with compassion and longing that it may be restored to what God wants it to be. It is different. It is different.
The testimony of Jesus Christ is deposited in the church. Because we are still in the flesh and are restricted by time and space, you find that the church of God today, in the practical sense, is to be worked out in the local assembly. That is the reason why you find the seven churches there.
All these seven churches in Asia are each a lampstand by itself. In other words, each local assembly is a unit of testimony before God. This golden lampstand is the light-bearer in that locality.
Every local assembly is directly responsible to God for the testimony of Jesus. They are not joined physically or governmentally. They are joined only by the Lord Himself; that is spiritual.
In fellowship they are one, but in responsibility each is responsible directly before God.
These seven churches are all different. They all have their peculiar features. Each has its characteristics. God is not out for uniformity; God is out for unity—unity with variety.
When men try to unite, there is only one way: to make everything the same. So they think that is the only way to unite. But God has a better way.
God has a unity, and yet it is unity with variety. When we first came to this country, we learned the English saying, “Variety is the spice of life.”
It is in variety that you get fullness. If all is the same, it is monotonous. It has only that much, and no more. But if there is variety, then when you have the variety, you find fullness. And that is God.
These seven churches are all different. The Lord does not require the church in Ephesus to be like the church in Smyrna. The Lord does not require the church in Smyrna to be like the church in Pergamum. The Lord wants Ephesus to be Ephesus and Smyrna to be Smyrna, but to be what He originally gave them to be.
Thank God, to each church you find that, when the Lord writes, He begins with a self-announcement. In every letter He announces Himself first. If you read the seven letters, you find that each self-announcement is different.
We have a general vision of One like unto a Son of Man, and then a specific announcement to each of the seven churches. Whatever He has revealed to any one church is to be shared with the other churches.
For, dear brothers and sisters, the burden of my heart tonight is this: we saw the seven golden lampstands standing before God, with the Son of Man in the midst. O, what a glorious vision that is. Then you turn back and read the seven letters to the seven churches. What can you say?
What is the burden of the Lord with regard to the seven churches? O, the Lord looks into the situation of the seven churches. Dear brothers and sisters, what is He looking for?
He is searching for one thing. To each church, there are different conditions and differences. You see what is good; nothing escapes His eyes. Everything that is good and commendable, He sees. He sees the bad things, and they are very evident before Him.
But, dear brothers and sisters, what is it that He is looking for? May I put it this way? He is searching for Himself in the churches.
He has revealed Himself to the churches. He has given Himself to the churches. Now He comes back to search whether that which He has revealed and deposited is there, or whether it is missing.
There is only one measurement for the church. Brothers and sisters, we mentioned that a golden lampstand is only for one purpose: to uplift the light. The church is only for one purpose, and that is for the testimony of Jesus.
Because of that, when the Lord looks at a church, He is looking for just one thing: How about the testimony of Jesus? That is the matter.
Thank God, if you read Revelation 21, you find there is a man with a golden reed in his hand, and he uses the golden reed as a measure to measure the holy city, the New Jerusalem. Everywhere he measures, it measures up. It measures up.
What is the criterion? What is the standard? What is the measurement of the church? How do you measure a church?
You do not measure with different measurements. It is an abominable thing in the sight of God if you use different measurements. God has only one measure, and that is the testimony of Jesus.
What God has revealed of Jesus Christ is that which He uses to measure. Individually, this is true. Corporately, this is true.
Our Lord Jesus walks among the seven lampstands, and He is looking for Himself in these churches—how much these churches have received, and how much they have measured up to the revelation.
Anything short of the revelation is under judgment. It is rejected. It cannot be accepted. It requires repentance. Dear brothers and sisters, not only does the world need repentance; the church needs repentance.
We repent only on one account: that we do not measure up to the testimony.
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.
He declares Himself to the church in Ephesus as the One who has in His right hand the seven stars. The seven stars represent the seven angels, and you know that angels in Scripture means messengers.
Whether these messengers are angelic messengers or human messengers is a matter of interpretation. I do not think we need to go into it. But, anyway, you find the seven stars, the seven messengers, in every assembly, in every church.
There will be those who seem to have responsibility before God for the church. It is true that every member in the church is responsible, but in a sense there will be the messengers, as they are called, like the stars.
Candlesticks, or lampstands, are standing on earth. Stars are higher up. Stars are for the night; lampstands also are for the night. But one is above, and one is below.
I wonder if it means this: there need to be some who live in the heavenly places with Christ. Only when you dwell in the heavenly places with Christ are you like stars. You draw heavenly power and light and supply it to the golden lampstand.
It is almost like what Zechariah saw in Zechariah 4, the two olive trees. I do not know; I just mention it.
But anyway, you find the Lord says, “I have in My right hand the seven stars.” The right hand is the hand of power. In other words, there is no reason why the stars should not shine.
He is walking among the seven golden lampstands. In other words, He is there; He is walking.
When the Lord passed by, John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God,” and two disciples left John and followed Him. Is it not that we shall follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth?
The Lord revealed Himself to Ephesus, and Ephesus is totally responsible for that. You know, brothers and sisters, the church in Ephesus had many good points.
I know thy works, and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not bear evil men, and hast tried them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false;
and thou hast patience and didst bear for My name’s sake, and hast not grown weary.
Brothers and sisters, very few churches can compare with Ephesus up to this point. The Lord said, “I know your works.” You have lots of works, and your labor, your endurance. You cannot bear evil. You have tried those who call themselves apostles and are not.
How we need to bear and forbear one another. How we need to endure each other. Here you find the church in Ephesus was able to endure—not merely endure the persecution of the world, but endure the brethren.
You know, it is harder to endure the brethren than to endure the world. We have no patience with our brothers and sisters, yet we can be very patient with the people of this world.
They had works. They had labor. They had endurance. They had discernment and knowledge. Toward the world, they endured too. They had borne for the name of the Lord Jesus and had not wearied.
Now, sometimes we endure for a while, and then we get weary. But they had not wearied. They had all these good things there. Brothers and sisters, if you want to look for good things, there were plenty in the church in Ephesus—plenty.
But the Lord was not looking for these things. These things, as it were, were just coming along. If they are there, thank God; if they are not there, you will miss them. They ought to be there.
But what the Lord was looking for was one thing in the church in Ephesus. He used very strong words: “In spite of all these things that you have, I have this against you. I am against you. I cannot stand you.” Why? Because you have left your first love.
Brothers and sisters, first love is the testimony of Jesus. They had lost sight of the Lord.
One brother said, “Probably they were so busy with works that they lost sight of the Lord and their love.” Thank us, we do not know. But, you know, we can be occupied with many good things.
O, we can be occupied with works, with virtues, with knowledge, with all kinds of good things and right things too. But if we have lost sight of the Lord, we will lose the first love.
That is what the Lord is looking for. Everything may go on as usual, but if the first love is missing, the Lord says, “I am against you. Either repent, or I will remove the lampstand out of its place.”
What does it mean? Does it necessarily mean, as some people think, that God will remove the church out of the city, and there will be no more church there? No.
He will remove the lampstand out of its place. What is its place? Before the Lord. It may continue as an institution, but it has been removed as a testimony.
The Lord is looking for Himself there. The Lord is looking for love. God is love. If you see Him, you cannot but love Him. The reason why you do not love Him is because you have not seen Him.
O, brothers and sisters, the Lord is looking for Himself among us. Can He find first love there? If there is first love, there is a testimony of Jesus. If there is no first love, all these works, knowledge, and so forth combined do not make up the testimony. There is no light.
To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These things saith the first and the last, who was dead, and lived again.
Now, this is the testimony of Jesus. He is the first and the last. He is number one. He is all. And He became dead and lived again.
The church in Smyrna suffered. They had three problems: tribulation, poverty, and blasphemy. Tribulation through opposition from the world; poverty, probably because their property was being robbed; and blasphemy. They suffered a great deal.
Why did they suffer? Because they saw the Lord as the first and the last. If you see the Lord as all, brothers and sisters, you will suffer. The world is not that kind. The world has not changed.
The reason why some people think the world has become more religious and Christianized, and therefore there will be no more tribulation, poverty, and blasphemy, is not that the world has changed. You have changed.
You no longer see the Lord as the First and the Last. If you make the Lord your everything, you know what will happen. But thank God, He became dead and lived again. You will live. There will be the crown of life.
He is looking for Himself in the church.
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword.
The church in Pergamum had become very worldly. The word Pergamum, some people say, means high power. It began to have influence and position in the world, a power to be reckoned with.
But here the Lord says that He is the One who has the two-edged sword. This two-edged sword is not to cut the world; it is to cut the believers from the world.
Is there a separation? Is there a separation? Brothers and sisters, we often think of separation in terms of rules and regulations.
After one believes and becomes a Christian, we give him certain rules. We say, “Now you need to be separated from the world.” What do you mean by separated from the world? “You dress in a certain way. You do certain things and do not do certain things.” Now, that is separation.
Well, I do not say that these things will not happen. I think they will happen. But what is separation? What separates you from the world? What is the wall that divides you, that separates you from the world?
The wall is Christ. The more you know Him, the more you are separated from the world unto Him. The more you love Him, the higher the wall. That is separation.
Separation is not a mechanical thing or a technical thing. It will be manifested outwardly, yes, but it begins within. It is Christ. He is the One who has the two-edged sword. He divides soul and spirit, that which is not of God and that which is of God.
O, brothers and sisters, He is looking for Himself in the church in Pergamum.
To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These things saith the Son of God, who hath His eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like unto burnished brass.
His eyes are as a flame of fire: discernment, seeing through, seeing through everything. His feet are like fine brass. What He has seen is judged, so that you may walk in the way of righteousness.
Brothers and sisters, here you find the church in Thyatira. What a mixture! They had more works than ever before. They offered sacrifice untiringly. Some say that is the meaning of Thyatira.
But no matter how they offered sacrifice untiringly, it was a mixture—so mixed that you could not see truth from falsehood. There are eyes as a flame of fire.
Brothers and sisters, do we see as He sees? If we see as He sees, do we judge as He judges? Do we walk as He walks? He is trying to find His eyes and His feet in the church in Thyatira. He is looking for Himself.
To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars.
The Spirit of life. He has the seven Spirits of God, the fullness of the Spirit of life. Yet Sardis had only a name, and it was dead. There was no life there, and what little life was there was dying away.
Brothers and sisters, what the Lord is looking for is His life—Himself, His life in operation. There is a livingness, a livingness there. He is the living One.
I do not know. I know my English language is very limited. I may be using the wrong word. I wonder if there is a difference between livingness and liveliness.
Is there a difference between these two words? What the Lord is looking for is livingness, not liveliness. They look alike, you know—livingness and liveliness, they look alike. But one is activity; one is life.
Here you find the Lord is looking for Himself: livingness.
To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and none shall shut, and that shutteth, and none openeth.
In the church in Philadelphia, there is brotherly love. O, see how they love one another. They have kept the word of His patience. They have not denied His name. They have a little power—not much power, little power—but this little power is of God.
Because of their faithfulness to the Lord, they know the authority of Christ. That is what the Lord is looking for: His authority.
The key of David opens the door of the kingdom. It is not something earthly; it is something heavenly.
In Laodicea, you find the Lord says:
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
They needed a new beginning. Everything had become old. They had inherited a lot, but there was no spiritual reality in it. No amen in it, no reality in it.
The Lord is looking for His riches, the riches of Christ Himself.
So, brothers and sisters, we may say this: what the Lord is searching for among God’s people is very simple. He is looking for Himself.
That is the one thing that matters. He measures a church with that measurement. If it does not measure up, if it is distorted, if it is covered, if it is lost, then the call is to repent.
Never, never be deceived into thinking that other things may substitute for it. Our human mentality is a mentality of making substitutes.
We think it is just as good as the original one, but the Lord says, “No, I want the original.” No substitute.
So it really, really brings us to a very narrow, narrow way, brothers and sisters.
The Lord is looking, looking today. He is still walking among the lampstands. Remember, one day He is looking for Himself in the church. He is looking for what He has already revealed of Himself, because what He has revealed of Himself is the testimony of Jesus that has been entrusted to you.
So may the Lord exercise our hearts. O, knowing the high privilege of being the depository, the vessel of the testimony of Jesus—O, the precious testimony—may we be faithful to Him.
May we bow before the Lord in prayer.