Song of Solomon: The Story of Love #3
On September 2, 1974, Brother Stephen delivered a ministry focused on the Song of Songs, emphasizing the deep love relationship between the believer and the Lord. He explored the themes of love, union, and spiritual growth through three movements in the text. The first movement illustrates the believer's initial acceptance of God's love, summarized by the phrase, "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." The second movement highlights the call to deeper union with the Lord, encapsulated in "I am my Beloved, and my Beloved is mine." The third movement reveals the believer's call to experience complete surrender to God's will, paralleling Christ's suffering in Gethsemane. Stephen emphasized that true spiritual ministry arises from this surrender, where self is stripped away, allowing the life of Christ to manifest in others. The believer's journey involves a willingness to endure suffering and to share in Christ's afflictions for the sake of the church. Ultimately, the message calls for a love that is selfless and focused on fulfilling God's purpose, encouraging believers to seek a deeper relationship with the Lord while serving others.
Outline of Main Points
Introduction to the Song of Songs
Three Movements of Love
First Movement: Acceptance of God's Love
Second Movement: Call to Deeper Union
Third Movement: Complete Surrender to God's Will
Spiritual Ministry and Suffering
Selflessness in Love and Service
Conclusion: Seeking a Deeper Relationship with the Lord
2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
10 I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me.
5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.
6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
14 Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.
