When we speak of Egypt in Scripture, it is more than just a geographical place. Egypt symbolizes bondage, worldliness, and the systems of man that enslave God’s people. Though the Israelites were physically delivered from Egypt, their hearts and minds often remained chained to its influence. The same danger confronts the church today.

The Spiritual Significance of Egypt

Egypt represents the temptation to depend on human systems instead of God’s presence. Israel had seen the splendor of Egypt’s pyramids, the strength of its armies, and the order of its leadership structures. They had also witnessed Egypt’s worship of idols—fertility gods, sun gods, and animal deities that promised prosperity but led to spiritual death. Even after crossing the Red Sea, Israel carried Egypt in their hearts, building a golden calf in the wilderness (Exodus 32).

For believers today, Egypt’s shadow lingers whenever we adopt worldly models for God’s church. Instead of living as a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), we sometimes look to systems, hierarchies, and religious performances to define success. But God has always desired a people who worship Him in Spirit and truth, not a crowd impressed by outward monuments.

Common Church Hangovers from Egypt

Rejecting God’s Kingship

In 1 Samuel 8, Israel demanded a king like the nations around them. In doing so, they rejected God as their true King. Today, many churches still carry this Egypt hangover by elevating one individual—or a small council—to the highest authority. This pyramid-style leadership quenches the priesthood of all believers, leaving many passive rather than active in mission.

Neglecting Our Priesthood

God called Israel to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6), mediating His presence to the nations. But instead of embracing this role, they left it to a few. Similarly, many modern believers have surrendered their priestly calling, leaving ministry to “professionals.” Yet through Christ, every disciple has direct access to God and a calling to intercede for others (Hebrews 4:16).

Idolatry Repackaged

The Israelites imitated Egypt’s idol worship, bowing to fertility gods and Asherah poles even in the promised land (Judges 2:11–13). In our context, idols may not be golden calves, but the prosperity gospel has taken deep root. It promises wealth, success, and comfort as proof of God’s favor, distracting believers from the true gospel of the Cross. Like Egypt’s idols, it appeals to human desires but leads to spiritual slavery.

Performance-Based Religion

Egypt’s culture was filled with rituals, sacrifices, and superstitions. Israel often copied these patterns rather than resting in God’s covenant love. Likewise, today’s church can slip into performance-driven programs—events, crusades, celebrity leadership and fundraising—while neglecting the simplicity of discipleship and obedience to Christ.

A Call Back to God’s Design

The early church shows us the alternative: a movement of Spirit-filled disciples where Christ alone is King, every believer functions as a priest, and idolatry is rejected in favor of authentic worship. Leadership was shared, communities were interdependent, and multiplication flowed organically.

If we are to escape Egypt’s shadow, we must reclaim these truths:

• Jesus is the only Head of the church (Colossians 1:18).
• Every believer is called, gifted, and sent.
• The gospel is not about prosperity, popularity but about transformation, freedom, and mission.
• True worship flows from love, not ritual.

Reflective Questions:

1.    What “baggage” have I personally carried from traditional church culture (e.g., overdependence on programs, sermons, buildings, or leaders)?

2.     How might my home or daily life become a hub of disciple-making?

3.    Do I see myself as part of a movement—or more as a member of a monument? Why?

Pressing Toward the Promised Life

The shadow of Egypt lingers, but it need not define us. God is raising a generation willing to lay aside monuments and embrace movements—simple, Spirit-led communities where love flows, disciples are multiplied, and Christ is revealed as King.

"See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God." (Hebrews 3:12)

Let us not carry Egypt into the promised land. Let us instead carry Christ, and in Him, walk as a royal priesthood to the nations.

Introduction

If you were to strip the church of all its modern layers—buildings, budgets, programs, and titles—what would remain? Would there still be a church?

The book of Acts gives us a resounding yes. What we see in those early days is a church that was simple yet powerful. No cathedrals. No marketing. No celebrity preachers. Just Spirit-filled disciples living as family on mission together. And this simplicity was not weakness—it was the secret of their multiplication.

The DNA of the Early Church

Luke records the essence of the early church:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common… They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

—Acts 2:42–47

Here we find the DNA of the early movement:

• Teaching the Word – grounding believers in truth.
• Fellowship – deep, organic relationships.
• Breaking of Bread – sharing life and meals as family.
• Prayer – dependence on the Spirit.
• Signs and Wonders – God confirming His presence.
• Generosity – caring for one another’s needs.
• Mission – daily multiplication of disciples.

Why Simplicity Multiplies

Simplicity doesn’t mean shallowness. It means clarity and focus. The early believers focused on what mattered most: Jesus, His Word, His Spirit, and His mission.

Because they were not tied down by buildings or programs, they were free to multiply anywhere and everywhere. Every home became a gathering place. Every believer became a disciple maker. Every meal table became an altar of fellowship and worship.

This is why movements spread, and monuments stagnate. The simpler the structure, the easier it is to multiply.

A Divine Family, Not an Institution

Notice the language of Acts: they were “together,” they shared “everything,” they ate with “glad and sincere hearts.” This was not an institution but a family.

Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). The early church’s strength was not in what they built, but in how they loved. That love created communities so attractive that the Lord kept adding to their number daily.

The church wasn’t just an event to attend; it was a family to belong to and a mission to live.

What This Means for Us Today

If we want to recover the power of the early church, we must recover its simplicity. That may mean:

• Turning our living rooms into house churches.
• Making meals and conversations part of discipleship.
• Prioritizing prayer and fellowship over programs.
• Equipping every believer—not just a few—to make disciples.

Movements are born when ordinary people live out the extraordinary gospel in simple, reproducible ways.

Reflection Questions

1. Which part of the Acts 2 model resonates with me most—and why?
2. What would it look like for my community to practice simplicity like the early believers?
3. Am I willing to trade complexity and control for Spirit-led simplicity?

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for the simple yet powerful model of the early church. Teach us again to be devoted to Your Word, to prayer, to fellowship, and to mission. Strip away distractions, and let us rediscover the joy of being family on mission together. Amen.

Introduction: Why This Series?

For centuries, Christians have built churches, cathedrals, and institutions meant to honor God. Many of these structures stand as monuments of faith, inspiring awe for generations. But if we are honest, many of them are empty—visited by tourists rather than filled with worshipers.

A monument may inspire admiration, but it rarely multiplies life. A movement, on the other hand, is alive. It spreads. It grows. It changes lives and transforms entire nations.

When Jesus launched His church, He never envisioned it as a monument of stone, tradition, or hierarchy. He birthed a movement of disciples making disciples, filled with His Spirit, and spreading from person to person, house to house, and nation to nation.

This blog series, From Monuments to Movement, is an invitation to rediscover that living, multiplying vision. Over the next few weeks, we’ll explore how the early church lived simply yet powerfully—and how we can return to that model today.

The Problem with Monuments

Monuments are static. They represent something that once was, but they themselves cannot reproduce. They are symbols of the past, not seeds of the future.

Many churches today risk becoming just that—impressive monuments that preserve tradition, but lack the dynamic life and multiplication of the Spirit. A beautiful building, a well-polished program, or a famous preacher may impress crowds, but does it produce disciples?

Jesus didn’t say, “I will build My monuments.” He said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). The church He envisioned was never meant to be static. It was meant to be a living, moving, multiplying family of God.

The Beauty of Movements

Movements are different. They are not defined by stone or tradition but by life, relationships, and mission.

Think of the early church in Acts. There were no grand cathedrals, no denominational headquarters, no polished programs. Instead, there were ordinary men and women filled with the Holy Spirit, meeting in homes, breaking bread together, and boldly sharing the gospel.

And what happened? “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). That’s the fruit of a movement.

Movements are alive because they are fueled by the Spirit, not by structures. They grow because disciples make disciples. They spread because love compels them to go beyond walls and boundaries.

The Call to Return

In every generation, God raises a call to return from monuments back to movements. To trade our pride in buildings for passion in people. To move from preserving traditions to pursuing the lost. To shift from being spectators to becoming disciple makers.

The world is waiting—not for bigger monuments, but for a movement of believers who live simply, love deeply, and share Christ boldly.

Acts 1:8 reminds us of this calling: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Reflection Questions

1. Have I been more focused on attending or admiring monuments rather than joining a movement?
2. In what ways can I personally begin living as part of Jesus’ multiplying movement?
3. What would it look like for my home, my small group, or my church to function more like the early church in Acts?

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, forgive us where we have settled for monuments instead of movements. Awaken in us the fire of Your Spirit. Teach us again to live simply, love deeply, and multiply boldly. Make us part of Your unstoppable movement that reaches the nations with Your love. Amen.

The streets of Jerusalem were silent. The once-glorious temple—the very dwelling place of God’s presence—was a heap of ash and rubble. The priests were scattered, the altar destroyed, and the people of God carried away into Babylon.

Babylon was not just exile; it was seduction. In Babylon, Israel learned the ways of foreign gods. Their identity blurred, their worship compromised. But God, in mercy, stirred the heart of a remnant to return. And among them was a man named Ezra.

Ezra was no warrior, no king. He was a scribe—a man of the Book, a priest who trembled at God’s Word. His mission was not to lay stones like Zerubbabel, nor to rebuild walls like Nehemiah. His call was different: to restore true worship.

Today, the Spirit is raising the same cry. For though our churches structures stand tall and our programs run smooth, the heart of worship lies buried. We, too, are in Babylon. Not a physical empire, but a system—an intoxicating blend of religion and worldliness, where success is measured by numbers, money, and influence rather than holiness, obedience, and love.

Babylon: The Epitome of the World’s System

When Israel went into exile, they were not just taken into a foreign land—they were plunged into the very heart of the world’s system. Babylon was more than a city; it was a counterfeit kingdom, a rival to God’s ways in every sphere of life.

(I). Religious Babylon – Mixture and Idolatry

Babylon was filled with temples, idols, and priests who controlled worship. The people bowed to statues, followed astrology, and performed elaborate rituals designed to impress but powerless to save. Worship was spectacular but empty—grand temples full of idols, incense, and chants, yet devoid of the presence of the Living God.

Today, Babylonian Church is defined by worship which is performance-driven, clergy-dominated, and filled with mixture instead of Spirit and truth.

(II). Political Babylon – Power and Pride

Babylon was the empire of empires, ruling nations with fear. Kings like Nebuchadnezzar demanded worship, built golden images, and exalted themselves as gods. Babylon thrived on control, assimilation, and prideful boasting: “Is not this the great Babylon I have built?” (Daniel 4:30).

 When the Church imitates worldly power structures—building hierarchies, clinging to control, and exalting personalities—it reflects Babylon, not the Kingdom of God.

(III). Economic Babylon – Wealth and Exploitation

Babylon was a city of wealth, luxury, and trade. Palaces and feasts displayed abundance for the few, while the poor and conquered were enslaved and taxed. Revelation later exposes Babylon as a system where even the souls of men were bought and sold (Revelation 18:13).

 Today, the Church mirrors Babylon when it is consumed with prosperity, greed, and consumerism—placing wealth above holiness, and exploiting rather than serving.

Ezra’s ministry was a call to reject Babylon’s influence and restore God’s covenant worship—simple, pure, Spirit-filled, and holy. And this is the same call for the Church today:

> “Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, lest you receive of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)

Ezra’s ministry is not history alone. It is prophecy for us.

Ezra’s Blueprint for Restoration

1. The Altar Comes First

When the exiles returned, before a single stone was laid for the temple, they rebuilt the altar (Ezra 3:2–3). Why? Because without the altar, there is no worship.

The altar was the place of blood, fire, and surrender—the reminder that God meets His people through sacrifice.

Prophetic Word Today: We must restore the altar of the Cross. Too many pulpits preach comfort without the cross, blessing without repentance. But there can be no glory without sacrifice, no Pentecost without Calvary. The Church will not see revival until she kneels again at the altar of surrender. Recognizing Jesus Christ as the King of Kings and the Lord of all things.

2. The Word Becomes the Plumb Line

Ezra “set his heart to study the Law, to do it, and to teach it” (Ezra 7:10). He stood before the people, opened the Book, and as he read, men and women broke, wept, and repented (Nehemiah 8).

The Word was no longer theory—it became the standard for life.

Prophetic Word Today: The Church has traded the Word for entertainment. Motivational speeches echo where Scripture once thundered. But God is raising Ezra-like voices who will restore the Bible to its rightful place. A true church is one that trembles at His Word (Isaiah 66:2), aligning every pursuit, every practice, every leadership duty to its plumb line.

3. Priesthood Restored

In Ezra’s day, the priests had compromised, intermarrying with pagan nations (Ezra 9–10). Ezra tore his garments, wept, and called them to confession and separation. A holy altar demanded a holy priesthood.

 Prophetic Word Today: In the New Covenant, the priesthood is no longer reserved for a select class. At Pentecost, the Spirit was poured out on all flesh—sons and daughters, young and old, male and female (Acts 2:17). Yet Babylon’s system crept into the church, creating a divide between clergy and laity, where a few “professionals” carry the ministry while the majority remain passive spectators.

This is not God’s design. The Church is called to be a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), where every believer is equipped, anointed, and sent. Ministry was never meant to be the monopoly of a pulpit, but the daily lifestyle of God’s people—making disciples, healing the sick, proclaiming the gospel, and advancing the Kingdom in every sphere of life.

The Spirit is calling us back: to tear down the Babylonian walls of hierarchy and release the whole Body into her priestly mandate. Only then will the Church shine in fullness and power.

4. The People Restored to Covenant Fellowship

Ezra gathered the people. They fasted, confessed, repented, and renewed covenant together. Worship was never about individuals performing rituals but about a community walking in obedience.

 Prophetic Word Today: The Church must rediscover Acts 2 fellowship. We were not called to sit in pews or just attend online meetings but to share lives. House to house, breaking bread, praying, giving, submitting in love. This is the fellowship that turned the world upside down. Babylonian church systems divide, but covenant community unites.

5. The Temple Stood, But Worship Was Corrupted

By the time Ezra arrived in Jerusalem, the temple had already been rebuilt under Zerubbabel (Ezra 6:15). But though the building stood, the worship inside it was polluted by compromise and foreign practices.

Ezra’s mission was not to lay stones but to restore the purity of the priesthood, the authority of the Word, and the covenant of true worship.

Prophetic Word Today: The Church today has many buildings, ministries, and programs—the “temple” is standing. But without purity, without the Cross, without the Word, these structures are empty shells. God is calling us to restore the heart of worship—not more impressive temples, but a people who are His dwelling place, burning with His Spirit.

6. Returning to Simplicity: Shedding Babylon’s Baggage

In Babylon, the people of God had seen impressive temples, elaborate rituals, and worship systems designed to dazzle the eye but enslave the soul. Babylon’s religion was layered with idols, hierarchies, and man-made performances—grand in appearance, yet empty of truth.

When Ezra came to Jerusalem, he refused to let the worship of Yahweh be shaped by Babylonian influence. He did not import their methods, ceremonies, or priestly systems. Instead, he called Israel back to the simplicity of God’s covenant: the altar, the sacrifices, the Word, and obedience from the heart.

This is the prophetic picture for the Church today. Too often, we have copied Babylon: elaborate programs, celebrity leaders, consumer-driven worship, and complex systems that weigh us down. But God’s call is for us to shed the baggage and return to the simplicity of Christ.

Simplicity in Mission: Discipling nations, not building empires.

Simplicity in Worship: Prayer, Word, breaking of bread—not performance.

Simplicity in Leadership: Every believer a priest, not clergy ruling over laity.

Simplicity in Fellowship: Family-like communities, not religious institutions.

 Prophetic Word: The power of the early church was not in imitating the grandeur of Rome or the temple systems of the day, but in living out the simplicity of Christ. The Church today must do the same—shake off Babylon’s complexity and return to the Spirit’s design.

7. Returning to the Mission: Discipling the Nations

Ezra’s ministry re-centered Israel’s worship so that they could once again shine as a light to the nations. Their restored covenant was never meant to end with themselves, but to display the glory of God to the world.

In the same way, the early church in Acts, stripped of worldly power and structures, carried the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). They discipled nations not through wealth or institutions, but through Spirit-filled simplicity, obedience, and sacrificial love.

 Prophetic Word Today: The Church must come back to her mission. We were not called to build empires, chase popularity, or entertain crowds. We were called to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). The restoration God is birthing is not inward-looking but outward-focused: every believer a disciple, every disciple a disciple-maker, until the knowledge of the Lord fills the earth as the waters cover the sea.

The Prophetic Challenge

Ezra’s story is prophecy for us. God is raising a remnant who will not bow to Babylon’s system, but who will rebuild according to His pattern. The early church is not a memory—it is the model.

The question is not whether God will restore His Church. He will. The question is: Will you be part of the remnant?

 Will you leave Babylon’s comfort to restore the altar of sacrifice?

 Will you tremble again at God’s Word?

 Will you purify your priesthood?

 Will you join covenant fellowship?

 Will you strip back to simplicity so the gospel can run free?

 Will you return to the mission of discipling the nations?

The Spirit is moving. The trumpet is sounding. Babylon is falling. True worship is rising.

Come out of Babylon. Return to the altar. Restore the Church. Fulfill the mission. The time is now.

The Purpose of Elohim

By: Irnawan Silitonga

Our theme this time is ‘The Purpose of Elohim’. Why is it absolutely essential for Christians to understand the purpose of Elohim? A Christian who does not understand the purpose of Elohim will easily be tossed about in life, even lost. Many Christians sincerely want to follow the Lord, but because they do not understand the purpose of Elohim, they end up not only lost but also enslaved. Jesus said in John 8:32, “…you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Understanding the truth of the purpose of Elohim will free Christians from slavery.

Let us be open about this matter of slavery, even though such openness may be painful, especially for the majority of religious leaders in the Christian world. Christians who attend worship services in denominational buildings, perform various rituals, and pay tithes, firstfruits, and other offerings, generally do so with the purpose of being blessed by God, entering heaven, and avoiding the torment of an allegedly eternal hell. This purpose of the majority of Christians can be proven: if an angel were to say that there is no heaven, no hell, and everyone is free to do whatever they like… if such news were heard, perhaps more than half of the visitors to denominational buildings would no longer come.

If a Christian truly understood the purpose of Elohim as revealed in the Bible, then certainly he would not want to do the things mentioned above, nor would he be motivated by fear of an allegedly eternal hell. Generally, the teachings about heaven with its streets of gold where we worship God forever, or about hell that is also allegedly eternal, or about having to pay this and that, having to go to this or that building, or having to do this or that to be blessed… all these are usually the “merchandise” sold by religious leaders in the Christian world. There are even certain leaders who claim to have gone to hell, or visited heaven several times, and so on and so forth.

This brief writing intends that His chosen people may come to know the truth of the purpose of Elohim and thus be freed from such bondage. Let us begin by paying attention to Ephesians 1:9–10, which says: “He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ”.

We will not discuss this passage of God’s Word in detail at this moment. However, it is clear from these verses that Elohim has a purpose. Not only does Elohim have a purpose, but He has also predestined everything in advance. Not a single event in this universe happens outside of Elohim’s arrangement; even the fall of a sparrow does not occur apart from His will (Matthew 10:29). Paul affirms, “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Everything exists and was created by Elohim with a definite purpose. Therefore, Elohim has a purpose, and He will surely accomplish His purpose.

Let us return to Ephesians 1:9–10, which says,

“He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

There are several things we need to pay attention to from the verses above.

First, that all things will be united in Christ, both in heaven and on earth. In the original text, there is no term ‘head’ as it appears in the Indonesian Bible version above, even though, of course, in reality Christ Jesus is the Head. So, all things will be united in Christ. The expression ‘to unite’ is translated from the Greek term ‘anakephalaioo’ (a verb), which comes from the root words ana and kephalaioo. The preposition ‘ana’ means ‘again’. This shows that everything will return to its original condition where there was no separation. To unite all things in Christ means everything will RETURN TO BEING UNITED IN CHRIST. There will be nothing ‘outside of Christ’ that remains separated.

Adam’s sin brought about separation everywhere in Elohim’s creation. But our verse above affirms that there will come a time when nothing will be separated anymore, and ALL THINGS WILL BE UNITED IN CHRIST. The phrase “all things” in the verse comes from the Greek ‘pas, which means ‘all’, the whole, every kind of. This means everything created by Elohim—not only living beings, but also the entire universe as a whole. This is the ‘purpose of Elohim’ as revealed in the verse above.

Second, the Indonesian Bible’s translation, ‘the plan for the fullness of time’, comes from the Greek phrase ‘oikonomia ho pleroma ho kairos’, which is more precisely translated in Young’s Literal Translation as ‘the dispensation of the fullness of the times’. As we know, Elohim’s plan, or Elohim’s purpose, will be fulfilled through several dispensations (or ages). The verse above speaks of an age in which all things will be united in Christ, namely the age (dispensation) of ‘the fullness of the times’, or ‘the fullness of time’ according to the Indonesian translation. We will not discuss now about ‘the fullness of the times’ or the various ages through which the fulfillment of ‘the purpose of Elohim’ unfolds. What is important for us to understand now is that THERE IS A MOMENT OR A TIME when all things will be united in Christ.

Third, what we need to notice from our verse above is the expression ‘the mystery of His will’. The word ‘mystery’ (Gr. ‘musterion’) does not mean something hidden and impossible to understand. Rather, it requires revelation for the Lord’s disciples to understand ‘the mystery of His will’. In fact, the revelation of the mystery of His will, or ‘the purpose of Elohim’, has already been clearly declared in Scripture—that all things will be united in Christ. Unfortunately, however, within Christianity it has been taught and believed by the majority of the Lord’s disciples that Elohim will only choose some people to enter heaven while others (perhaps the majority) will be cast into hell and tormented forever. This results in the CREATION OF ELOHIM REMAINING SEPARATED FOREVER. This doctrine of ‘eternal hell’ is what keeps ‘the mystery of His will’ as a mystery for most of the Lord’s disciples. But His chosen ones will receive revelation concerning ‘the purpose of Elohim’ which is clearly stated in Scripture.

We have seen that God’s purpose is to unite all things in Christ, and this will be fulfilled in the dispensation of ‘the fullness of times’. Now we will discuss who Christ is. Colossians 1:28 affirms, “Him we proclaim… leading everyone to perfection in Christ”. Paul preached Christ, and even with all his strength according to His power which worked mightily in Paul (verse 29). Why is that so? Let us look at some points about Christ.

First, Christ is the mystery of God (Colossians 2:2). As we know, to understand a mystery requires revelation. If God grants His grace to us, then we will come to know His mystery.

Second, Christ in us is our Life, and also our glory. In Colossians 1:27 it is written, “…Christ in you, the hope of glory” (LITV). Likewise, Colossians 3:4 affirms, “…Christ, who is our life…”. Christ in us is not merely doctrine or knowledge in our minds. If indeed ‘Christ in us’ has become revelation knowledge, then this will have a great impact on our daily life and the way we worship. In John 4, Jesus clearly said that the time is coming when people will worship God not “on this mountain or that mountain.” This means that worship is in Christ (in our spirit). But, religious leaders in Christianity generally make the Lord’s disciples worship with the focus that it ‘must be in this building or that building’, ‘must give this offering or that offering, ‘must follow this liturgy or that liturgy’… must… must… and must. Such teaching about worship not only enslaves the congregation but also violates the word ‘Christ in us’. Worship, as Jesus taught, must be inward and expressed in everyday life—not about this or that requirement. Surely, we know what these religious leaders mean when they insist on all these requirements.

Furthermore, the glory of His chosen people is inward, because Christ is in our inner being. If someone, in his ministry, tends to seek human glory or tries to please people, he is not truly a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10). But it is common in Christianity that when someone is called a “great pastor,” what is considered great are the number of followers, the size of the building, the amount of money, or perhaps the theological school—not Christ in his inner being. If indeed Christ is our life and our glory, then this revelation will be clearly seen in both our ministry and our daily life. “Christ in us” is not a theory or doctrine, but something very practical.

Third, Christ is the Head (Jesus) and the Body (the church), and Christ takes the form of a Kingdom. Ephesians 5:5 affirms, “…having a part in the Kingdom of Christ…”. The kingdom of God is within you, and we are citizens of the kingdom of heaven. If someone is still teaching the Lord’s disciples about a heaven far away where the streets are supposedly paved with gold, and that we will enter there someday after we die… and even adding that we will be raptured from the earth to sing forever in heaven… this proves that he has not yet received the revelation of ‘Christ in us’.

Furthermore, His chosen people are formed to function as kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek, within the kingdom of Christ. If someone studies the matter of priesthood, he will come to know that the priesthood in Christianity is neither according to Aaron’s order nor according to Melchizedek’s order.

We have already briefly discussed three points about who Christ is: that Christ is the mystery of Elohim, Christ is our Life and glory, and Christ is corporate in the sense of Head and Body as well as in the form of a kingdom. We have also seen that Christ is within our inner being.

Now we will discuss the next point, the fourth, that Christ is the new creation. Revelation 3:14 affirms, “…the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation” (LAI). In Revelation 3:14, the faithful and true witness is, of course, Jesus Christ. This verse asserts that Jesus Christ is the beginning of Elohim’s creation. Indeed, the Greek term ‘arche’ can mean ‘ruler’ (chief), but it also means ‘beginning’. Some Bible versions translate it as ‘ruler’ or ‘chief’.

Let us carefully consider incarnation, even though today it is much debated. John 1:1,14 clearly states that the Word (Logos) became flesh, that is, Jesus. We are 100% convinced that the Logos is Elohim, the Second Person (the Son), who has been with the Father from eternity, but became incarnate and became human. The flesh or body that Mary gave Him was clearly created. Anyone with common sense understands that the body (flesh) is a creation. Therefore, Jesus is both the Creator (Elohim) and at the same time creation.

Next, let us look at 1 Corinthians 15:45,47 (ILT), which says, “…The first man Adam became a living soul; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit… The first man is from the earth, made of dust; the second Man is from heaven, namely the Lord.” Jesus died on the cross as the ‘last Adam’, meaning that all the consequences of the first Adam’s sin, as well as all his descendants, were completely resolved on the cross. But when Jesus rose and sat at the right hand of the Father, He was the ‘second Man’. And this Second Man is the new beginning of the human race, and at the same time the first of Elohim’s creation. The term often used by Paul for the Second Man as the new human race is ‘Christ’. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ and has a relationship with Him is a new creation. This is the meaning of 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” Galatians 6:15 also affirms, “For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but what matters is a new creation.”

From the explanation above, we can clearly see that Christ, consisting of Head and Body, the corporate Second Man, IS THE NEW CREATION. Indeed, Christ is the mystery of Elohim, but He is no longer a mystery to His chosen people.

If Christians truly see that Christ is the new creation, then surely they will proclaim Christ, just as Paul did (Colossians 1:8-9). For what matters is being a new creation, not teaching about ‘circumcision or uncircumcision’. Circumcision or uncircumcision belongs to religious rules (Judaism). If a preacher teaches religious rules, such as requiring Sunday services here or there, paying tithes, firstfruits or faith pledges, following liturgies, creeds, or cell groups in order to grow… in reality, he is not proclaiming Christ who is the new creation. All such religious rules have no meaning; today, God’s chosen people live in Christ and grow in Christ by His grace.

We continue our discussion regarding the points of who Christ is. Fifth, Romans 8:9 affirms, “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (ILT). In this verse we see SPIRIT, SPIRIT OF ELOHIM, and SPIRIT OF CHRIST used interchangeably by Paul with the same meaning. This proves that what Paul means by the terms SPIRIT, SPIRIT OF ELOHIM, or SPIRIT OF CHRIST IS THE SAME. The indwelling of this Spirit within a person will prove whether that person belongs to Him or not. And one who belongs to the Lord is the one who does not live in the flesh but in this Spirit.

Thus, the fifth point, concerning Christ dwelling within the believers, is that CHRIST IS THE SPIRIT. The above verse clearly states that the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God. But is it the Spirit of God the Father, or the Spirit of God the Son, or the Spirit of God in the sense of the third Person, namely the Holy Spirit?

Let us pay attention to these verses. Elohim the Father is Spirit (John 4:24). John 4:24 states, “God is Spirit…” (ILT). The context of this verse is speaking about worship to the FATHER (verse 23). Therefore, what this verse means is that ‘ELOHIM THE FATHER IS SPIRIT’. Next, we look at 1 Corinthians 15:45, which states that the last Adam (Jesus) is a life-giving Spirit. Then, 2 Corinthians 3:17 states, “For the Lord is the Spirit…” Certainly, what this verse refers to as Lord is Jesus; therefore, THE LORD JESUS IS SPIRIT. Furthermore, there is the Holy Spirit as the third Person of Elohim revealed in the New Testament.

We acknowledge that there are three Persons in Elohim, yet in essence, Elohim is one. The Person of the Father is the Spirit of God. The Person of the Son is the Spirit of God. The Person of the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of God, and THESE THREE PERSONS DWELL WITHIN THE BELIEVERS AS THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST WHO IS ONE. The concept of ‘Elohim as Trinity’ is not meant to be debated, but to be enjoyed daily by the believers within their inner being. The Spirit of Christ in our inner being is what must be experienced day by day.

The next point, sixth, Christ is the flow of living water and the fountain within us. John 7:38-39 affirms, “…Out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” By this He meant the Spirit. And John 4:14 states, “…But the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life.” From these verses it is clear that Christ in our inner being is the source of living water.

Indeed, every believer has the source of living water in his inner being. This source of living water will quench his thirst, fulfill all his needs, and even lead him into eternal life. But why are the majority of the Lord’s disciples not focused on the source of living water within them, but instead focused on the flow of their denomination, on their religious regulations that insist you must pay this or that in order to be blessed… you must join this or that program in order to grow, and even some who are very fanatical about their pastor… and so on and so forth, WHEREAS THE SOURCE OF BLESSING AND THE SOURCE OF LIFE IS WITHIN THEM’.

This happens because religious leaders have been attacked by savage wolves, and have drawn the Lord’s disciples to themselves, just as it is written in Acts 20:29-30, “…savage wolves… with false teaching will try to draw the disciples away from the true path and to follow them.” The true path is that the disciples should follow the leading of Christ within their inner being. But because of the attack of savage wolves, the disciples are diverted so that they follow their respective leaders. Yet His chosen people will “…follow the Lamb wherever He goes…” (Revelation 14:4).

We have seen that God’s purpose is to unite all things in Christ. We have also discussed that Christ is the mystery of God; our Life and glory; Head and Body (in the form of a Kingdom); the New Creation; the Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit of the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and Christ, who is the spring within us.

We also see that God’s purpose to unite all things will be fulfilled in the dispensation of the fullness of time. Now we will discuss how God’s purpose can be accomplished. One thing we must remember is that God’s way is the way of growth. Nothing happens instantly; everything requires a process, and that process is a process of growth.

Let us return to Colossians 1:28: “He is the one we proclaim…teaching every person to lead them to perfection in Christ.” Paul preached Christ with the goal that each person would be led to perfection in Christ. Every individual disciple of the Lord must grow in Christ. No one can ‘grow instantly.’ It is no coincidence that God created trees, the human body, and also animal bodies, all of which must grow in order to reach maturity. This demonstrates to us that God’s way is the way of growth. Likewise, every disciple of the Lord must undergo a process of growth to achieve perfection in Christ.

Furthermore, because Christ is corporate (an organism), the growth of Christ is also ‘corporate growth.’ Indeed, each individual disciple must grow to enjoy the fullness of Christ, but the ‘fullness/perfection of Christ’ occurs corporately. Let us look at Colossians 2:19: “And He holds the whole body together, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, growing with the growth that is from God.”

The phrase ‘growing with the growth that is from God,’ in the original text is ‘auxano ho auxesis ho theos’, which is accurately rendered in Young’s Literal as ‘may increase with the increase of God’ or ‘causing to grow (increase) in God’s growth.’ This means that if the ‘joints and ligaments’, that is, the leaders of the organism, support and bind the body together, then ‘the growth of Christ’ or ‘God’s growth’ will occur within the Body. And in the Messiah’s kingdom, this growth/increase of God is never-ending, as affirmed

in Isaiah 9:7: “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end…” (YLT). Because the growth of Christ’s kingdom is never-ending, all separation caused by sin and everything still ‘outside Christ’ will be united in Christ. Thus, through God’s way of growth, His purpose is fulfilled. All things will be united in Christ.

However, as we know, in the Christian world, generally, religious leaders DRAW disciples to themselves (Acts 20:30), so God’s increase toward the perfection of Christ is not achieved. The church splits into tens of thousands of denominations. These denominations are not the body of Christ but fragments of the body of Christ. Yet, God’s purpose to unite all things in Christ continues. God grants grace to His overcomers so that they only EQUIP the Lord’s disciples and do not draw them to themselves, let alone take their money to build their own ministries with various false teachings. His overcomers are humble people who learn to be servants of Christ in the true sense, not managers in the Christian world who recruit the Lord’s disciples, and then plan, organize, lead, and control them like managers.

We are still discussing how God’s purpose to unify all things in Christ can be fulfilled. We have already understood that God’s way is the way of growth, and that growth is God’s growth (Colossians 2:19). But what does ‘God’s growth’ mean?

To understand God’s growth, let us examine 1 Timothy 1:3-4, which says: “…so that you may instruct certain people not to teach false doctrines, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote controversies rather than God’s management that is by faith” (ILT). The term ‘management’ is translated from the Greek word ‘oikonomia’, which comes from the roots ‘oikos’ (household) and ‘nomos’ (law, rules, etc.). In various English translations, ‘oikonomia’ is rendered as management, administration, economy, or dispensation. Therefore, the understanding of ‘God’s management’ is actually a way in which God administers His household by distributing or dispensing rules, laws, resources, food, matters, and so on.

However, what God’s people often fail to realize is that God not only distributes rules, laws, wealth, and food to His household, but He also distributes Himself. Humans, created in His image and likeness, are meant to “contain” God within their innermost being. Just like a glove designed to fit a hand perfectly, it is intended to receive the hand into it. Likewise, God’s primary management of His household is to dispense Himself into His people.

And because God’s way is the way of growth, He dispenses Himself starting from the ‘seed’ (the seed of Christ) into our innermost being, and continues to grow toward perfection (the fullness of Christ). This is the meaning of God’s growth within us. Christ within us continually grows toward His fullness.

The matter of God dispensing Himself to us is crucial. Paul instructed Timothy to command certain people in Ephesus not to teach other things, myths, or genealogies that cause disputes. Our teaching focus must be on the “growth of Christ within the innermost being.” Paul himself also proclaimed Christ and labored with all his strength according to His power to lead every person to grow toward perfection in Christ (Colossians 1:28-29).

The ‘growth of Christ within the innermost being’ can be illustrated by the river flowing from the Temple in Ezekiel 47. At the first measurement of 1,000 cubits, the water reached only the ankles of Ezekiel. At the next 1,000 cubits, it reached the knees. Another 1,000 cubits, and it reached the waist. After another 1,000 cubits, it became a river in which Ezekiel “could not walk” (verse 5).

Christ within us is the river of living water. In the beginning, we are still free to walk according to our own will, for the river of living water reaches only our ankles. Then, Christ as the river of living water continues to grow, and we are increasingly unable to walk freely as it reaches the knees. The next stage of growth makes us even less free because it reaches the waist, and eventually it becomes a river in which we can no longer walk according to our own desires. We become “captives of the Spirit” like Paul, or like Peter, who in his youth “tied his own belt and walked according to his desire,” but when he became old, allowed others to “tie his belt and lead him to a place he did not wish” (John 21:18).

Thus is the growth of Christ within our innermost being, so that Christ alone rules every aspect of our lives.

We have seen that God’s ‘oikonomia’ (stewardship) in Christ is to impart Himself into the inner being of His people. And Christ, who is within the inner being of God’s people, will continue to grow until He reaches perfection. This is God’s purpose; this is also God’s stewardship in Christ. Paul strongly reminded Timothy to instruct certain people in Ephesus not to teach other doctrines or be occupied with myths, which only lead to disputes (1 Timothy 1:3-4).

Now, we will examine what God’s purpose truly is in managing His household. More precisely, what is the inheritance (possession) of God’s people (the church)? Let us begin with Galatians 3:14: "So that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." For the nation of Israel, bound by the Old Testament (OT), the blessing of Abraham (their inheritance) included the Promised Land, along with various other blessings (especially Deuteronomy 28:1-14). The blessing or inheritance for Israel was more physical in nature because the OT was only a symbol, a type, and a prophecy. Meanwhile, for the Gentiles—and also for Israel who believe in Jesus Christ and are bound by the New Testament (NT)—their blessing is the Spirit. That is why Ephesians 1:3 declares: "…who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." It is not that God does not care about our physical needs, but we must remember: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17, ESV).

Thus, the inheritance or possession of God’s people (the church) under the NT is the Spirit. However, the Spirit that the church received during the outpouring on the day of Pentecost was only a deposit, down payment, or guarantee. Notice Ephesians 1:14: "…who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it. The term ‘guarantee’ comes from the Greek word ‘arrabon’, meaning ‘an earnest’ or ‘given in advance as a security that the whole will be paid afterward’. This means that the church’s inheritance—the Spirit—was initially given as a deposit. Later, God will provide the full inheritance of the church, which is the fullness of the Spirit, or the fullness of Christ, or Christ’s perfection within our inner being. This is why it is emphasized: ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’ (Colossians 1:27). Our glory has not yet been fully realized; it is still in hope. But at the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, the church will receive its inheritance: ‘THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST’.

Therefore, the church’s inheritance is not heaven. THE CHURCH’S INHERITANCE IS THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST, WHICH MUST BE REALIZED ON EARTH.

In the Christian world, there are many myths about heaven often preached by religious leaders. According to these stories, heaven is a faraway place paved with gold, where we will worship God and sing forever. Then, after death, we will be evacuated there. There is even the teaching of the rapture, where believers are taken to heaven before a time of great tribulation. Those who do not believe in Jesus are said to be cast into hell, supposedly forever.

These stories about heaven and hell, frequently preached from Sunday pulpits, are tools for religious leaders to attract hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of God’s disciples to regularly attend their services and programs, and, of course, pay tithes, first fruits, faith promises, and so on. Some Christian leaders can raise billions—even trillions—of rupiah from God’s disciples to build buildings, monuments, and fund their lives and “ministries.” This was never done by the apostles of Christ or the early church.

It is not that we do not believe in heaven or hell, but the heaven described in the Bible is a ‘heavenly dimension already present within the inner being of God’s people’. Christ within us is heaven. Now, we are already citizens of the heavenly kingdom, and the heavenly kingdom within us must be expressed in daily life. The kingdom of heaven must be established on earth so that the earth moves toward the new earth. Our inheritance is the fullness of Christ, not the mythical heaven generally preached by religious leaders. If all God’s disciples understood this truth, none would want to be enslaved by religious rules. God’s disciples would learn to manifest the kingdom of heaven in their daily lives.

We already know that God’s ‘oikonomia’ (stewardship) in Christ is to impart Himself into the inner being of His people, and that Christ within us must grow. Now we will discuss the relationship between the growth of Christ within and faith, because this stewardship exists within faith (1 Timothy 1:4).

We must be very careful in understanding this faith, because in the Christian world, there are many teachings that emphasize ‘faith without works is dead’, and then recklessly push God’s disciples to do this and that, citing certain verses. One must attend regular services at a particular denominational building, must give tithes, must do this and that… all under the pretext of growing in faith.

Let us consider the meaning of ‘growing faith’ from Romans 1:17, which says, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith…” (KJV). The expression ‘from faith to faith’ comes from the Greek phrase EK PISTEOS EIS PISTIN. This Greek phrase cannot be translated simply as ‘faith’, because there is an important understanding within it that we must pay attention to. Let us quote Marvin Vincent’s commentary in his Word Studies: ‘the idea is that of progress in faith itself… faith is a progressive principle’ (p. 14, Vol. 3). Thus, the important understanding in this Greek expression is the idea of progress. Faith is something that grows. Faith is not ‘static’ but continually moves toward its perfection. Faith that does not grow or progress is dead, and this is not the saving faith that Paul refers to.

So, what makes faith progressive? What makes faith grow? James emphasizes, “…faith works together with works, and by works faith is made perfect” (James 2:22). It is clarified here that faith is perfected through works. These works are works that spring from faith, because James says, “…I will show you my faith by my works” (2:18). So, it is not works outside of faith, but works that originate from faith that perfect faith, allowing it to grow toward its fullness. This is how Paul’s and James’s explanations of faith complement each other.

If we connect the understanding of ‘growing faith’ with God’s ‘oikonomia’, then faith is essentially the energy of Christ within the inner being of God’s people that moves them to act. This energy of Christ (faith) is not our faith or our ability to believe in God. This energy of Christ is Christ’s own faith. This energy of Christ or faith is a gift from God to us solely by His grace. Furthermore, it is this energy of Christ within

us that drives us to act, and in turn, those actions/works ‘nurture Christ’ within us. This is how we grow in Christ. Not all ‘religious actions’ necessarily grow faith or Christ within. Religious leaders in the Christian world generally like to encourage God’s disciples to attend services regularly in their buildings, or join small groups routinely, or push disciples to offer tithes, firstfruits, or other offerings, all under the pretext of growing in faith.

Let us take one example where religious leaders encourage disciples to regularly attend services in a certain building. The verse usually cited is Hebrews 10:25, which says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…” The Greek term translated as ‘assembling’ is EPISUNAGOGE, derived from two root words: EPI = upon, SUNAGOGE = gathering. So EPISUNAGOGE refers to a gathering in a higher realm, that is, the heavenly dimension. God’s disciples meet one another in the heavenly dimension if all are living led by Christ within.

If disciples do not live led by Christ in their daily lives, but are ‘forced’ (not led by Christ) to attend services in a particular building, then such ‘religious actions’ do not at all grow their faith. Someone may attend regularly in the same building, sitting in the same seat for 30 years… yet their faith does not grow at all. The issue is that faith (Christ’s energy) in a disciple only grows through actions MOVED BY CHRIST’S ENERGY WITHIN. Not through certain “religious actions” as prescribed by religious leaders: must do this… must do that… and so on.

God’s goal is the growth of Christ within. Teach God’s disciples to act based on Christ’s energy, not to simply perform ‘religious actions’ routinely, citing certain verses.

We will conclude this brief writing on “God’s purpose” by discussing when this purpose will be accomplished or fulfilled. So far, we have seen that God’s purpose is to unite all things in Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10). And God works starting from the inner being of His chosen people by “planting the seed of Christ,” but we know that the growth of this “seed of Christ” is not endless, as emphasized in Isaiah 9:7: “Of the increase of His government… there will be no end…” (ILT version). This seed of Christ continues to grow and will ultimately conquer and unite all things in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, as we briefly mentioned at the beginning of this writing.

When will the dispensation of the fullness of the times occur? Let us begin with Hebrews 1:2, which says, “… He has made the ages” (ILT). The LAI version translates ‘ages’ as ‘universe’. Most English versions render it as ‘universe, world, eternal, forever and ever’, and so on. The Greek term, AION, which is accurately translated in the ILT as ‘ages,’ actually means A PERIOD OF TIME.

It is very important for anyone to study the Greek term AION carefully because a mistranslation can give rise to a terrible teaching—the doctrine of eternal hell. Today, in the Christian world, the teaching of ‘eternal hell’ is believed by the majority of God’s people. For Bible teachers who accept and teach the doctrine of ‘eternal hell,’ it is crucial to start seriously studying the term AION. We recommend starting with Louis Abbot’s book, ‘An Analytical Study of Words’, which is available online. We have also created four videos about AION on the YouTube channel ‘Sekolah Alkitab Suara Dari Patmos’.

Studying the Greek term AION is essential because the doctrine of ‘eternal hell’ prevents a proper understanding of God’s purpose. Returning to Hebrews 1:2, it affirms that the Lord is the One who made the ages (a period of time). Time was created by God, and He also created the sun and the moon to govern time (Genesis 1:14-18). Time always has a beginning and an end. In Revelation 22:5, it is written: “And there will be no night there, and they have no need for lamp or sunlight….” In this age (the New Heaven and New Earth), there will be no more time because there will be no need for timekeepers, such as the sun, moon, or stars. God Himself will be their light.

Many people understand eternity as a very long, endless time. This is a fatal misunderstanding. Both eternity and time are dimensions. Scientists refer to the universe created by God as the dimension of space and time. Eternity is also a dimension—the dimension of God, where He dwells. No one can enter God’s dimension. That is why the Bible says He dwells in ‘unapproachable light’, or in other words, ‘no one has ever seen God’. Therefore, the eternal dimension is God’s dimension. He dwells in eternity, yet He created the heavenly dimension (where He set His throne), the earthly dimension (space and time), and also the underworld dimension (the realm for those who have departed from this earth).

If we understand the above, we can easily comprehend the expression ‘dispensation of the fullness of the times’. This expression means that time has been fulfilled. Time has completed its purpose. Time has ended. In the age of the New Heaven and New Earth, time will cease. All things will be united in Christ, and nothing will exist outside of Christ. Death as the wages of sin will also be no more (Revelation 21:4). In 1 Corinthians 15:26, when the last enemy is destroyed, the Father becomes ALL IN ALL. Not some people in hell forever and some in heaven forever. But ALL PEOPLE ARE UNITED IN CHRIST. Amen.

Kingdom workers from afar, what is your present status? We see that unrest has broken out in the streets of your beloved countries. And anti-Christian forces are active as well. To put it mildly.

Prayers ascending...

Long ago, prosperity preachers were teaching that "godliness was gain". 1 Timothy 6:5. Other commercially-minded church people were "peddling the word of God for profit." 2 Corinthians 2:17 ESV.

Sexual misconduct was openly present in the churches and the Corinthians were scolded for "not putting the offenders out." 1 Corinthians 5:13.

Sounds quite familair, no?

Time for everyone of us to repent, come clean, and become good examples of walking with God's Son and serving others in His name. A good example is worth a thousand words. Or even a million.

If we repent, our lives will truly become the universal priesthood and our actions will become the "living sacrifices" spoken of by the Apostles. Others will observe that we have been with Jesus. And they will know we are Christians by our LOVE.

What is certain is that Gospel has not lost its power or relevance in the real world of today. The problem is not IT but US.

The Church After Covid-19

By: Irnawan Silitonga

This writing is a continuation of the previous one with the theme The Concept of Worship after Covid-19, but now with a broader theme. Before we move into the meaning of the Church, we absolutely need to understand that the Church has fallen. The Body of Christ has been torn apart into thousands of denominations (church organizations). If we do not see this, we can never understand what the Church truly is.

Many theologians say that the Church exists in two forms: the Visible Church and the Invisible Church. The visible one, they say, consists of the thousands of denominations or church organizations, while the invisible one refers to all the children of God who have been born again. This is a trick of theologians. They do not speak and think ‘AS THE BIBLE SAYS’. The Bible clearly states that the Church has fallen, and in the Book of Revelation there are two women who symbolize the Church: the first in chapter 12, who is the Bride of Christ, and the second in chapter 17, who is the harlot. Later, we will come to a detailed explanation of these two women who symbolize the Church. From the explanations in chapters 12 and 17, we CAN IDENTIFY THE CONDITION OF THE CHURCH TODAY. It is time for God’s people to wake up and stop being deceived by the words of theologians—even though they have been accepted for centuries. Covid-19 has truly exposed everything…

The Bible clearly says through Paul that after his departure, fierce wolves will come in, not sparing the flock, and they will work through some of the elders (church leaders) and will DRAW DISCIPLES AFTER THEMSELVES. How? BY FALSE TEACHING… (Acts 20:29–30). This HAS BEEN FULFILLED… The Church has been torn apart into thousands of organizations (denominations)… There are about 5,000 large organizations, and if we count the smaller ones, there are tens of thousands. If a glass has shattered into thousands of pieces, can we still say that those fragments are the glass?

Therefore, since the Church has been broken into fragments, God is calling HIS OVERCOMERS to represent the Church as the salt and light of the world. This is what is discussed in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. We will get to this explanation later…

So, my brothers and sisters, now is the time for God’s people to see what God is doing for His Church, especially through Covid-19. Some “servants of God” speak about the building up of the Body of Christ… but are they aware that the Body of Christ has already been shattered into pieces? Are they aware that perhaps they themselves are part of the cause of the Body being broken? We have already discussed in the previous writing the spirit of NICOLAITANS, JEZEBEL, and BALAAM that could even infiltrate servants of God at the level of Ignatius (117 AD)?

I will end this writing as an introduction… May God’s people not be easily deceived. Hallelujah.

In the previous writing, we emphasized that the church has fallen. The fall of the church is described in the Book of Revelation chapters 2–3, namely because of three teachings (Nicolaitans, Jezebel, Balaam). Now we will talk about the term TEACHING. When something has become a teaching, it can no longer be changed…

In Revelation 2–3 we see how something that at first was only an ACT later developed into a TEACHING. In Revelation 2:6, there were only the DEEDS of the Nicolaitans, but in Revelation 2:15, it had developed into the TEACHING of the Nicolaitans. For something to move from DEED to TEACHING requires time. At first, it is only the actions of a few people, then it becomes the actions of many people, and then leaders formulate it into a teaching. Once it has become a TEACHING, it is considered RIGHT, and usually no longer questioned…

Let me give a few examples within the Christian world of things that have become TEACHINGS. For instance, ‘tithing’. Tithing has become a teaching. Many of God’s people practice it, and leaders have formulated it, even writing about it and preaching it with conviction. We will not discuss the teaching of tithing here. I have made a video about tithing and proved from the Bible that it is a misguided teaching… yet many of God’s people still believe in tithing. Why? Because it has become a TEACHING.

The same goes for the teaching about the church, namely the ‘Visible Church’ and the ‘Invisible Church’, which I mentioned in the previous writing. This too has become a teaching. Leaders have written about it and also preached it with confidence… Hopefully, after finishing this writing, you can consider it and see that the teaching of the Visible and Invisible Church is truly excessive… Why? Because with this teaching, DIVISION IN CHRISTIANITY IS JUSTIFIED… Whereas we clearly know that division is caused by FEROCIOUS WOLVES attacking some leaders so that they draw disciples after themselves.

Thus, both tithing and the Visible/Invisible Church have become teachings. It is impossible to uproot these two teachings from Christianity. Those who disagree can only LEAVE THIS SYSTEM OF TEACHING. You can no longer change these two teachings… That is why when God works and gives NEW REVELATION, He does so OUTSIDE THE EXISTING SYSTEM. If you study movements within Christianity, you will see that ‘new wine’ cannot be put into ‘old wineskins’.

What does all of this have to do with what God is now allowing to happen, namely Covid-19? I believe that through Covid-19 there is a NEW MOVEMENT IN THE CHURCH… but you must COME OUT of the old system of teaching and keep following the Lord… Moving forward under His guidance… Let those who still feel comfortable with their old teachings remain… God is calling His overcomers OUT… The coming of the Lord is near… Arise, O overcomers… Hallelujah…

In the previous writing we affirmed that through Covid-19 THERE IS A NEW MOVEMENT WITHIN THE CHURCH… This time we will talk about this new movement, or more broadly, a journey of faith.

We will look at the example of Abraham as the father of faith. We know that when God called him, he was in Ur of the Chaldeans, and God’s command was clear that he had to leave his household. But in reality, Abraham left Ur of the Chaldeans with his father, and even Lot as well. Abraham did not fully obey God. He should have left Ur of the Chaldeans without his father or Lot. Later, it proved true that both of these people caused problems in Abraham’s journey of faith.

We know that there was strife between the herdsmen of Abraham and the herdsmen of Lot, so that the two had to separate. We will not discuss Abraham’s separation from Lot. Instead, we will discuss his separation from his father. After they left Ur of the Chaldeans toward the land of Canaan, because leadership was in the hands of Terah (Abraham’s father), they STOPPED at Haran… Abraham’s journey of faith came to a halt… and God had to call Terah home (through death) so that Abraham could continue his journey toward the Promised Land.

What can we learn from all this? Following God is a journey. We should not “fellowship with Terah,” which causes us to stop halfway in our journey of faith. We can certainly understand that Terah settled in Haran because of the sense of safety. Travel in those days involved dangers—not only robbers, but also many other discomforts. When they settled in Haran, their wealth increased. But once again, following God IS A JOURNEY… let us not stop halfway for any reason. After this Covid-19, we believe that God is working something new for His church… Do not let the “comfort zone” cause us to stop midway. But the overcomers will surely move, following God’s movement…

Next, let us look at the life of Jonathan, son of King Saul, who had a relationship with David and even made a covenant with him. Jonathan knew for certain that King Saul had been rejected, and that David had been anointed to replace him. Jonathan also believed that he would be the second in command under David when David became king.

But there was a great problem here. Jonathan did not want to leave King Saul, nor his palace with all its luxury… When Jonathan knew that Saul intended to kill David, he only informed him, then said, “…go in peace…” (1 Samuel 20:42). Jonathan should have gone with David and shared in his hardships—being pursued by Saul, fleeing from cave to cave. Wasn’t Saul also intending to kill Jonathan? (verse 33). If so, why did Jonathan remain with Saul? Perhaps because of his natural tie to Saul (his biological father), or perhaps for reasons of safety…

Later, when David was still being hunted by Saul, Jonathan tried to strengthen David’s faith in God and reminded him of their covenant… (1 Samuel 23:16–18). But verse 18 says that after strengthening David, he RETURNED TO HIS HOUSE… This was the problem… Then when David became king according to God’s promise… where was Jonathan??? Jonathan died TOGETHER WITH SAUL.

What lesson can we take from these two journeys? My brother, following God is not a game… We must be willing to break fellowship with those who have a ‘different calling’, whoever they may be… We must be willing to pay the price of discomfort… I am convinced, my brother, that

through this Covid-19 GOD IS DOING A NEW MOVEMENT… God is doing something new for His church… Isaiah 43:19 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?...”

In the previous article, we emphasized that God is doing something new for His church through the arrival of Covid-19. Isaiah 43:19 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” If God is creating a new movement in Christianity, then surely there is an older movement as well. How do we explain this new movement, which we believe God has begun through Covid-19, while the old movement still continues? This is what we will discuss in this article.

To explain this, we need to revisit the story of Jonathan that we mentioned earlier. We will look at the life journey of Jonathan, son of King Saul, who had a close relationship with David and even made a covenant with him. Jonathan knew for certain that King Saul had been rejected and that David had been anointed to replace him, and Jonathan was also confident that he would become second-in-command under David once David became king.

But there was a big problem. Jonathan did not want to leave King Saul—and, of course, his palace with all its luxuries… When Jonathan learned that Saul intended to kill David, he only informed David and said, “…Go in peace…” (1 Samuel 20:42). Ideally, Jonathan should have gone with David and endured hardships alongside him, fleeing from one cave to another because of Saul’s pursuit. Wasn’t Saul also intending to kill Jonathan? (verse 33). So why did Jonathan remain with Saul? Perhaps because of his physical bond with Saul (his father), or perhaps due to security concerns…

Later, when David continued to be pursued by Saul, Jonathan sought to strengthen David’s trust in God and reminded him of their covenant… (1 Samuel 23:16-18). But verse 18 says that after strengthening David, Jonathan returned home… This is the problem. Later, when David became king according to God’s promise… where was Jonathan? Jonathan died ‘with Saul’. Jonathan died with Saul because he was unwilling to sever his connection with Saul and move forward with David.

The story above helps explain the new movement that God has begun through Covid-19. This pandemic is truly extraordinary. The old pattern of worship in church buildings came to a sudden halt. Following government recommendations, all activities—including worship—were conducted at home. Home-based worship became a new pattern. Here, we can identify which movements are old and which are new. Church leaders who conduct online/live-streamed services with the intention of ‘returning to the old worship patterns’ before Covid-19, often collecting tithes or offerings, clearly belong to the old movement. In contrast, church leaders who also conduct online teaching or discipleship sessions with the purpose of ‘equipping the congregation’ so that the members—or more accurately, the fathers—can build the church in their own homes, belong to the new movement.

Saul’s movement represents the old movement, while David’s movement represents the new. Returning to Jonathan’s story… Even today, there are “Jonathans” who understand that Saul’s

movement has become merely religious, whereas David’s movement is fresh and new because God is with it. May these “Jonathans” take decisive steps to leave Saul’s movement and fully join David’s movement. May there no longer be any “Jonathans” whose one foot is in Saul’s movement while the other is in David’s movement…

Praise God… even though David’s movement is still being “pursued” by Saul, there will come a time, according to God’s promise, when David’s movement will rule alongside Him… Amen.

Revelation 1:6 emphasizes, “and has made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” This verse explains what Jesus is doing for His church: making His church into priests and kings, into a KINGDOM. In fact, making us a kingdom has always been His plan from the beginning. In the Garden of Eden, we can see that God intended for humanity to have dominion over everything by building a FAMILY, by building a KINGDOM. That is why 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are… a royal priesthood….” This means priests and kings… Therefore, training His people to function as priests and kings is God’s work in this era, because in the next era, God will establish His kingdom on earth.

However, as we discussed previously, the church has fallen due to the teachings of NICHOLAS, BALAAM, and JEZEBEL, so God works through HIS OVERCOMERS (Revelation 2-3). Not all church members—even those born again—will rule in the next era.

Now we will discuss why God allowed Covid-19 to happen, preventing His people from worshiping in church buildings. In the previous article (The Concept of Worship After Covid-19), we also discussed how almost all “buildings” carry the spirit of Nicholas, Jezebel, and Balaam, along with various rules ranging from tithes, firstfruits, and other organizational/religious regulations. God’s people are not focused on Christ within their hearts… there are too many external matters produced by these “buildings.” Most “buildings” preach the ‘COVENANT OF BLESSING’ (with its tithing laws, of course), which is not found in the Old or New Testament. In such ‘building’ conditions, how can God work to produce priests and kings who must also be INDEPENDENT in the Word and the Bread? Indeed, most ‘buildings’ are too attention-grabbing… whether it’s the preacher or the leaders, perhaps…

Covid-19 truly SEPARATES God’s people from the ‘building’ so that God can work to produce priests and kings in their own homes… In the previous article (no. 4), we tried to identify the movements of Saul and David. Church leaders who hold online services with the aim of DRAWING disciples back to the ‘CHURCH BUILDING PATTERN’, often enticing them with offerings, are in the ‘Saul movement’. But church leaders who hold online services to EQUIP disciples to become priests and kings, starting from their own homes and becoming independent in the Word… these leaders are in the ‘David movement’.

Leaders in the David movement do not take a single penny from the congregation for themselves or their ministry, even though they are entitled to support, because they have sown spiritual blessings… they are not paid, they do not eat from the ‘table of Jezebel’… they live from the ‘table of Elijah’, sometimes provided by the “ravens,” sometimes by a ‘widow of Zarephath’, or by ‘making a tent’ like Paul. Leaders in the David movement serve the congregation and do not take money from the congregation, let alone enrich themselves through their ministry…

It is very easy to distinguish who is in the Saul movement and who is in the David movement… MONEY… MONEY… MONEY… MAMMON… MAMMON… MAMMON… THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE… Saul took TAXES from the Israelites… David did not, my brother…

Returning to the topic of priests and kings, I have a conviction—though I could be wrong—that it is very difficult for someone to become a priest and king before God while entrenched in a ‘building’ like the ones described above, even for 10, 20, or 30 years…

In conclusion… let us look at the connection between FAMILY and KINGDOM mentioned above… Covid-19 brings family and kingdom close together… Hopefully, through Covid-19, priests and kings will arise in the context of FAMILY… in the context of HOME… Hallelujah.

This writing discusses the overcomers, because we already know that the church has fallen due to the teachings of Nicolaitan, Jezebel, and Balaam. In Revelation chapters 2–3, God calls His overcomers—people who may appear simple but are not defiled by the spirit of Nicolaitan, Jezebel, and Balaam.

We have also talked about Saul’s movement and David’s movement, and we have gained a clear understanding of the story of Goliath, a Philistine warrior who challenged the army of Israel led by Saul (1 Samuel 17). Goliath was a Philistine soldier with a large body, fully armed, and had been a warrior since youth. Therefore, not one of Saul’s soldiers dared to face Goliath. For 40 days, morning and evening, Goliath came forward to challenge the soldiers of Saul to single combat, yet not a single soldier dared confront him, including Saul himself.

But when David arrived at the battlefield and saw how Goliath challenged the army of Israel, he told Saul that he would face Goliath, who had mocked the army of God. Saul doubted David because of his youth and lack of proper armor. That is why Saul offered his own equipment for David to use against Goliath. But David could not use Saul’s weapons… David relied on God and had his own weapons… He only carried a staff, five stones, and a sling. With his own weapons, David struck Goliath down…

What is the connection between David’s story and the overcomers mentioned above? Overcomers may appear simple, unassuming like David, yet they have defeated the “Goliaths” in their own lives.

We have discussed Saul’s movement and applied it to the condition of the church after Covid-19. We have also tried to identify the people who support Saul’s movement. These are those who tend to want to return to the old patterns of worship—the ‘building-based worship’, with all its organizational rules and, of course, various types of offerings. Saul’s movement certainly comes with ‘full weaponry’. Perhaps besides the building, they have advanced musical instruments,

famous preachers, professional singers, etc. All of that is acceptable as long as the “building-based worship” DEFEATS GOLIATH… but honestly, with the rampant spirit of Nicolaitan, Jezebel, and Balaam in many existing ‘building-based worships’, I am not convinced it can strike down Goliath…

What about house worship, which may be very simple, without famous preachers, without sophisticated instruments, and of course, without offerings… The question for us is…perhaps this simple house worship is what actually DEFEATS ‘GOLIATH’… Once, Watchman Nee attended a worship service in England, specifically a Brethren movement service at that time. When asked about the atmosphere of the Brethren worship, Nee replied, ‘Good… good…’ but then slowly shook his head and said that the service was not suitable for striking down Satan in China… May our ‘house worship’ be sufficient to strike down the devils in Indonesia…

God has used Covid-19 so that His people may reassess whether the ‘building-based worships’ over the years have truly been able to strike down Goliath… May God’s people be guided to make the right and proper judgment… Amen.

We are still trying to compare the movement of Saul and the movement of David in relation to the condition of the church after Covid-19. We are convinced that there is a new movement that God is working in His church through this Covid-19, because the Covid-19 event is not a small, trivial matter that can be ignored. The whole world has experienced its impact, and God’s church has experienced it as well. Worship can no longer be conducted in the building, and we do not know whether Covid-19 will end quickly or slowly, or even if this virus will remain on earth. Therefore, we can confidently say that there is a new movement within God’s church after Covid-19.

We have tried to identify what Saul’s movement is and what David’s movement is. Those who try to maintain the old pattern of worship in the building with all its organizational rules and various kinds of offerings—in short, trying to preserve the pre-Covid-19 condition—represent Christians in Saul’s movement. But Christians who are in David’s movement are those who try to understand God’s purpose in allowing Covid-19, rather than opposing it. They do not wish for Covid-19 to end quickly but hope to quickly understand God’s intention and continue to follow His guidance.

There is a verse we need to reflect on now: “…David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.” (2 Samuel 3:1). If we apply this verse to our discussion, those who try to maintain the old pattern of worship with all its rules will become weaker. It should be emphasized here that we are not prophesying, but we are trying to understand God’s next movement after Covid-19.

In John 16:13 it is written, “…He will guide you into all the truth.” So, we are not speculating about what will happen to those in Saul’s movement, but we are trying to understand the Holy Spirit’s intention through all of this, because one of the works of the Holy Spirit mentioned here is to reveal to us the things that are to come… we need to understand the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s movement so we can determine our next steps.

Regarding David’s movement, it is said that ‘David grew stronger and stronger’. David was someone who brought the kingdom of Yahweh to the people of Israel. In this era, David’s movement aligns with God’s intention to establish His kingdom on earth. That is why ‘David grew stronger and stronger’.

We are not building our own kingdom… We are not building our own organization… We are only equipping God’s people to function as kings and priests, ready to welcome the Lord as the King above all kings…

So, my brother/sister, let us rise to continue following the leading of the Spirit. Let us not stubbornly force circumstances to return to the way they were before Covid-19. Move forward IN HIS MOVEMENT… not in our old movement… Once again, my brother/sister, SALUTE TO THE MOVEMENT…

Before continuing this discussion, it is important to reiterate that we are trying to understand God’s next movement after Covid-19. In the previous writing, we emphasized that God is doing and has done something new for His church through Covid-19—a ‘movement of David’, a movement of the Holy Spirit…

Now, we will discuss the approaching coming of the Lord. Through Covid-19, many of God’s children have been awakened to the nearness of His coming. However, some understanding of His coming is required before we can take steps to prepare ourselves and welcome Him. It should be emphasized here that we are not talking about the signs of the Lord’s coming. We are also not discussing the Antichrist. We are talking about the condition of the church after Covid-19 in relation to the approaching coming of the Lord.

To clarify this issue, we will examine the event of the Jewish people returning from exile in Babylon. As we know, not all the Jewish people returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile. Thus, there were two communities of God’s people: those in Babylon and those in Jerusalem. We know that, according to the prophets’ predictions, the Messiah would come to Jerusalem. The long-awaited Messiah for the Jewish people would not come to Babylon.

Similarly, with the condition of God’s church, not all of His people are in the right position to welcome the Lord’s coming. If God’s people are in ‘Babylon’, then talking about the Lord’s coming is useless because He will not come there.

After Covid-19, the condition of God’s people, including His servants, has been increasingly revealed by God… We have already discussed the movements of Saul and David, and it is hoped that we now have a clearer understanding of the church’s condition after Covid-19. In the following writings, we will also discuss the two women symbolizing the church in the Book of Revelation (chapters 12 and 17), which will further clarify our discussion. All of this is done so that the Overcomers will rise and prepare themselves to welcome His increasingly near coming.

To conclude this writing, we will quote Ezra 1:5: “Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem”. Here we see that those willing to return from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the house of God were those whose hearts were moved by God. Why must God move their hearts to return to Jerusalem? Because the journey at that time was fraught with many dangers, from robbers to natural hazards. Meanwhile, life in Babylon had become quite comfortable after about 70 years. They already had houses, gardens, possessions, and children and grandchildren. Only a few returned to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s will and plan for His people.

Similarly today, only a few are willing to leave their comfort zones and move in God’s next movement. Most of God’s people want to return to the pre-Covid-19 condition because that is their comfort zone, but God allowed Covid-19 to shake His people so that the Overcomers would rise, leave their comfort zones, and move forward in God’s next movement… Hallelujah… Amen.

Our discussion remains focused on the condition of God’s people after Covid-19, specifically whether God’s people are ready to welcome His increasingly near coming. We have already talked about the next movement of God by taking examples of movements that occurred in Israel, both what we call the ‘Davidic movement’ and the ‘movement of the people of Israel returning from Babylonian exile.’

Regarding the movement of the people of Israel returning from Babylon, in addition to rebuilding the Temple (the Zerubbabel group in 536 BC), the Ezra group restored the Jewish community returning from Babylon according to the Torah (458 BC), and also the Nehemiah group to rebuild the walls (445 BC), their return to Jerusalem was also driven by the hope of the coming Messiah.

There was disappointment among the Jews returning from exile as they faced unexpected situations. The rebuilding of the Temple was halted for about 14 years due to economic problems and challenges from surrounding populations. The Messiah they hoped would restore the kingdom for Israel did not appear. Some placed their hope in Zerubbabel, encouraged by the prophecies of Haggai, but it did not come to pass.

It must be understood that the restoration of God’s people at that time occurred through the orders of the Persian kings, namely Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes. Indeed, the orders of these Persian kings were political in nature. These kings hoped that their reign would be blessed by the prayers of those sent back to Jerusalem (Ezra 6:10). Here we see that God uses worldly governments for the restoration of His people.

Returning to the hope of God’s people in the Messiah: after the times of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, including the prophets of that era—Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi—and the awaited Messiah still did not come, there followed a period of 400 years without prophetic voice (commonly called the ‘Silent Years’). Then suddenly John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, followed by Jesus carrying out His ministry, proclaiming that He is the awaited Messiah.

We know the story that followed, where Israel did not accept Jesus as their Messiah and even accused Him of blasphemy for calling Himself the Son of God. They then crucified Him through the hands of Pilate, the Roman ruler at that time. To this day, the Jewish people still await a Messiah who, in their understanding, is a physical leader who will rebuild a physical Temple, free Israel from physical enemies, and bring peace to the world with Israel as the head and other nations as the tail.

What can we learn from all these events? First, the restoration of the Temple can occur through the hands of worldly governments. In the case of the Jewish people, God used the Persian rulers. In the case of Covid-19, God has certainly used the government of Jokowi to restore His church. Are we aware that Jokowi’s order to worship at home is a form of restoration for His church? As we have discussed, almost every church building carries the spirit of Nicolaus, Jezebel, and Balaam. If Jokowi orders worship at home because of the Coronavirus, we should understand that worshiping at home is better because many church buildings have been contaminated by the spirits of Nicolaus, Jezebel, and Balaam.

Second, the Jewish people expected their Messiah to be a political, economic, and military leader in the physical sense, while Jesus came to build a spiritual Temple, restoring the spiritual kingdom… Israel failed to recognize their Messiah because they were too focused on the physical. We may also infer that the majority of Christians fail to recognize the coming of the Lord because they expect His coming to be physical. We will discuss the coming of the Lord further in the next section…

We continue our discussion regarding the coming of the Lord. As we mentioned in the previous writing, the Israelites who returned from Babylon were still waiting for the Messiah, whom they understood as a leader who would rebuild the physical Temple, restore the physical kingdom of Israel, and rule the world with Israel as the head and other nations as the tail. When Jesus came as the Messiah, He built the Temple, but in a spiritual sense (the believers), established a spiritual kingdom (the kingdom of heaven), and delivered Israel not from the hands of the Romans who ruled at the time but from the power of sin, the Jewish people could not accept Jesus as their Messiah. They could not accept Him because their concept was purely physical.

Today, the majority of Christians also hold a physical concept regarding the Lord’s coming. They expect Jesus to come physically, establish His physical kingdom, and center it in Jerusalem. This physical concept of the Lord’s coming is the result of teachings generally presented in “church buildings.” It is undeniable that teachings in these ‘buildings’ are largely physical. The prosperity theology that dominates many “church building” teachings is also essentially material in nature. The covenant taught in these “churches” is generally neither the Old Covenant (for Israel) nor the New Covenant (for the church and spiritual matters), but the ‘Blessing Covenant’ (a mixed and material-focused covenant). Given that God’s people have continuously been taught this Blessing Covenant, it is unsurprising that the majority hold a physical concept of the Lord’s coming. We will not delve too deeply into the Lord’s coming at this time. I have included a video of a seminar on the Lord’s coming in this writing.

It is hoped that after watching this video, we can understand that the Greek term PAROUSIA means PRESENCE, indicating that someone can BE in a place or present at a place without having to come there physically. This is what happened with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the coming of the Lord, but not His physical coming. If we examine the verses in John chapter 14, we can understand Jesus’ words to His disciples that He would come again soon (verse 18), assuring that He would not leave them as orphans. He only left them for a short time, then came again in the form of the Holy Spirit, another Comforter. The term “another” in Greek here means a different manifestation but the same essence. Therefore, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the spiritual coming of the Lord, not a physical or material coming.

Returning to the condition of God’s people after Covid-19: it has been mentioned that President Jokowi’s directive to worship at home was actually God’s way of restoring His church. Why? By worshiping at home, God’s people are expected to reconsider the true meaning of worship and the true meaning of following the Lord. The noisy, material-focused teachings dominating almost all “church buildings” need to be paused, so that God’s people, especially the fathers, can formulate the spiritual meaning of everything.

The situation of God’s people being forced to worship at home due to Covid-19 is actually an opportunity for the rise of spiritual victors—those who await the Lord’s spiritual coming as well…

We continue our discussion regarding the coming of the Lord. As we know, the majority of Christians hold a physical understanding concerning the Lord’s coming. They expect Jesus to come physically, establish His physical kingdom, and center it in Jerusalem. This physical concept of the coming is the result of teachings generally presented in church ‘buildings’. There is no denying that church ‘building’ teachings are indeed very physical in nature. The prosperity theology that almost dominates church ‘building’ teachings is a physical teaching. The covenants taught in church ‘buildings’ are also generally not the Old Testament (for Israel) nor the New Testament (for the church and the spiritual), but rather the Blessing Covenant (which is mixed and physical in nature).

Under the condition where God’s people are continually taught such a Blessing Covenant, it is not surprising that the majority of God’s people hold a physical concept of the Lord’s coming—just as they hold physical concepts regarding success and other matters. We will now discuss the coming of the Lord as written in Romans 8:19-21: "For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." (Romans 8:19-21).

These verses speak very clearly about the restoration of all things. It says that ALL CREATION waits for the moment when the children of God are revealed (manifested, displayed), for a purpose. What is that purpose? So that the creation itself (the context is ALL CREATION) may be LIBERATED—liberated from the bondage of decay.

How and when does the liberation of all creation from the bondage of decay begin? Liberation begins when the children of God are revealed (manifested, displayed). To understand how all creation will be liberated, it is helpful to look at Jude 14-15: “…Behold, the Lord comes with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment on all…”

Many people associate the term ‘execute judgment’ only with punishment, but Isaiah 26:9 states that judgment is also meant for people to know the truth. Just as the judgment of Covid-19 was intended for the earth to know the truth. Therefore, the restoration of all creation begins WHEN THE LORD COMES with thousands of His holy ones (the children of God), where these children of God will judge ALL CREATION so that ALL CREATION KNOWS THE TRUTH. If we link this coming of the Lord to Revelation 5:10, the children of God referred to are priests and kings who will rule on earth.

Thus, God is currently preparing His children to function as priests and kings to liberate His creation in the coming ages. THE COMING OF THE LORD WE ARE DISCUSSING HERE IS HIS COMING IN AND THROUGH HIS CHILDREN, NOT JESUS’ PHYSICAL COMING. Covid-19 is God’s way of preparing His children to serve as priests and kings.

Returning to the condition of God’s people after Covid-19: it has been previously mentioned that President Jokowi’s directive to worship at home was actually God’s way of raising up His victors, priests, and kings. Why? By worshiping at home, God’s people are expected to reconsider the true meaning of worship and the true meaning of following the Lord. The commotion of PHYSICAL TEACHINGS dominating almost every church ‘building’ must first be STOPPED, so that God’s people—especially the fathers—can formulate the spiritual meaning of everything, especially the spiritual meaning of His coming.

We return to reflecting on the condition of God’s people after Covid-19. This time, we will discuss the calling of the overcomers and relate it to the situation in which God’s people were “forced” to worship at home.

We have discussed extensively the fall of the church, both by looking at Paul’s conversation with the elders of Ephesus in Miletus (Acts 20:29-30) and by outlining the three false teachings (Nicolaitans, Jezebel, Balaam) that led God to call His overcomers to represent the church as the salt and light of the world (Revelation 2-3).

Who are His overcomers in this era? We should not quickly assume that they are the most famous people in the Christian world, great preachers with super busy schedules, or speakers at revival meetings endowed with the gift of divine healing, and so on. If we look at Revelation chapters 2 and 3, we can conclude that the overcomers are those who did not participate in the fall of the church. In Revelation 2-3, we see that the church’s fall was caused by issues of character and doctrine. Regarding character, only God can see whether someone is growing in Christ or not.

But regarding doctrine, we can assume that those teaching the doctrines of the Nicolaitans, Balaam, or Jezebel were famous or leaders in the Christian world. So, just because someone is well-known does not automatically mean they are an overcomer. Perhaps, God’s overcomers are simple people, not highly regarded by the Christian world—in short, they are not ‘on the Christian stage’.

Once, Watchman Nee spoke about these overcomers. Nee said that if you want to know who truly knows God, do not look in famous places… He meant that people who truly know God are usually not “on the Christian stage.” This statement is not without basis. If we look at those whom God rejects on the day of judgment, they often appear to be famous people with many gifts—people ‘on the Christian stage’ (Matthew 7:21-23).

Perhaps we should also consider the testimony of Billy Graham in his autobiography (Vol. 2, pp. 391-431). There, Billy Graham mentions at least two things he regretted. First, he felt that he had not given enough time to his family and could not watch his children grow into adulthood. He even advised young evangelists not to make the same mistake. Second, he regretted not spending enough time in prayer and Bible study for his own spiritual growth and personal knowledge of God. Often, he prayed and studied the Bible only to prepare his sermons. We mention this not to judge Billy Graham, but to learn that even those who are very famous in the Christian world have regrets that may surprise us.

Returning to the situation of the church after Covid-19, I see that the suspension of worship in ‘buildings’ and requiring God’s people to worship at home was God’s way of sending a message to His people to grow together with their families in Christ. It was also so that God’s people, especially their leaders, would have time for prayer and Bible study for their own growth in the Lord. And certainly, God’s purpose is that through “homes,” His overcomers will arise… Hallelujah.

We continue our discussion regarding the condition of God’s people after Covid-19. This time, we will talk about what God’s next program is after His church has fallen and split into thousands of denominations (church organizations).

The fall of the church was revealed to the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation, chapters 2–3. And God calls the overcomers in each church to represent the church and function as the salt and light of the world. We already know that the teachings of Nicolaus, Jezebel, and Balaam are the three doctrines that caused the church to fragment into thousands of denominations, as we see today. God does not intend to restore His church BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION AS A SINGLE ORGANISM. Even if history shows some partial restorations of certain truths, these are not restorations of the original unity of the church as one organism. We must fully understand that God’s next program is to call His overcomers to represent the fallen church.

God’s next program for the church, which has broken into thousands of denominations, is clearly depicted in the vision in Revelation chapters 4 and 5. Revelation 4:1 states, “After this I looked…” The phrase “after this” in the original language is META TAUTA, meaning “after all these things.” This means that after all of John’s visions about the seven golden lampstands, the Son of Man, and the seven churches and the calling of the overcomers, the vision in chapters 4 and 5 immediately follows. There is no time gap, and John remains in the Spirit to see the next vision. In other words, God’s next program after calling the overcomers is revealed in chapters 4 and 5.

The vision in chapters 4–5 concerns the THRONE. We will not discuss all aspects of the vision, but we will focus specifically on the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders, who will rule as priests and kings on the earth (Revelation 5:10). Therefore, if we combine John’s visions in chapters 2–3 with chapters 4–5, we can conclude that God’s next program, after the church has fallen into thousands of denominations, IS to prepare the Overcomers to function as kings and priests in the coming age.

The ministers during the church age as an organism were Apostles, Prophets, Shepherds, Evangelists, and Teachers, according to Ephesians 4. After the church fell, God seeks His overcomers to be trained to function as kings and priests. Of course, there are still people serving today as Apostles, Prophets, Shepherds, Evangelists, and Teachers—but they are not building the Body of Christ AS IF THE BODY OF CHRIST HAD NOT BEEN SHATTERED. Today’s denominational leaders who talk about building the unity of the Body of Christ are those who do not understand the condition of the church or God’s program for His church. While they speak of unity, they are actually reinforcing the “walls of their own denominations.

O God’s people… do not call a denomination a church… it is not a church… it is a BROKEN PIECE of the church. If a glass has shattered into thousands of pieces, not a single shard can claim to be the glass… THE GLASS NO LONGER EXISTS. May God’s people understand the current condition of His church… May God’s people understand His next program… Arise, O Overcomers!

Covid-19 is God’s way of moving forward toward His next program. Of course, denominational leaders have tried hard to return to the old patterns before the outbreak—even attempting to scold it. But God’s program cannot be stopped by anyone. The overcomers do not scold Covid-19; rather, they flow with God in His next program… Hallelujah.

We continue our discussion regarding His People after Covid-19. This time, we will try to identify two women mentioned in the Book of Revelation. We know that the Book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ and His church through symbolic language. And the woman is a symbol of the church. Why is that? We know that Adam is a symbol of Christ, so Eve, as the bride, is a symbol of the church. Many male figures in the Old Testament represent Christ, so naturally, their female counterparts represent the church. Joseph also symbolizes Christ, which is why Asenath represents the church, certainly in certain aspects. In this way, we see that the woman is a symbol of the church.

In the Book of Revelation, we find two women (chapters 12 and 17), both of whom symbolize the church. But before we continue, it is important first to clarify the concept of Babylon in chapter 17, because many interpret the great city of Babylon in this chapter as not being a symbol of the church. Let us examine some verses to identify who the great Babylon truly is.

The woman in chapter 17 is called a prostitute (Revelation 17:1). And this prostitute IS THE GREAT CITY (Revelation 17:18). The great city in the context of this chapter is Babylon (Revelation 18:2). Therefore, the woman who is a symbol of the church IS BABYLON. So, if we read chapters 17 and 18 as a whole, the prostitute woman is actually the great Babylon or the great city. Both are symbols of the church.

For now, we will only look at how the two women end. The woman in chapter 12 eventually gives birth to a male child who will shepherd all nations with an iron rod (12:5). The LAI translation uses a capital ‘C’ in ‘Child’, as if referring to Jesus. But this is impossible because it is Jesus who ‘gives birth to the church’, not the church that gives birth to Jesus. Therefore, the male child in this verse does not refer to Jesus. The male child here represents the overcomers, but we will not discuss this now. What is important is that we understand that the woman (church) in chapter 12 gives birth to the overcomers.

In contrast, the woman in chapters 17 and 18 ends with GOD’S JUDGMENT, which causes her never to rise again. This is a serious matter for God’s People because in 18:4 it is emphasized, “…come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins…”. So, there are God’s People within this woman, but they are commanded to leave…

At this point, we have not yet fully explained the identities of these two women through an exposition of Revelation, but what is clear is that both women represent the ‘church’. We will certainly reveal their identities in subsequent writings. But for now, I am convinced that Covid-19 is what will begin to clarify the identities of these two women. Covid-19 acts as a ‘catalyst’ that accelerates change; what was once unclear about the identities of these two women is now becoming increasingly clear… These two women must indeed be recognized so that God’s People can take precautionary action in anticipation of His coming. Because God’s command is clear: leave the woman in chapter 17. The woman in chapter 17 is called a mystery (17:5), and a mystery means something secret. Only those who have received understanding will no longer find the identity of this woman to be a secret.

In the previous discussion, we saw that a woman is a symbol of the church. In the book of Revelation, there are two women mentioned, in chapters 12 and 17. This time, we will look at chapter 17, where it is written that there are not just one, but two symbols of the church: the woman and the city (the great city of Babylon). The woman in chapter 17 is the same as the great city of Babylon (17:18). Nimrod was the first person to wield power on earth and built the city of Babylon (Gen. 10:8-10).

It is said in Genesis 10:9 that Nimrod was a mighty hunter before the Lord, as if Nimrod was someone serving God. However, Strong’s Concordance reveals that the Hebrew term translated as ‘before’ has a wide range of meanings. In Gen. 10:9, as in, for example, Num. 16:2, the Hebrew term translated as ‘before’ literally also means ‘rebel’. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, the name Nimrod means he who causes everyone to rebel against God. Therefore, Nimrod was someone who rebelled against God by BUILDING HIS OWN KINGDOM…

As we know, the book of Revelation is written in symbolic language. The woman and Babylon are symbols of the church. So, Nimrod, as the ruler of Babylon, is also a symbol of the ruler of the church, but we must remember that the church symbolized as the ‘prostitute woman’ (Rev. 17:1). To easily identify the term ‘prostitute’, we can remember that a wife’s main role is to receive the ‘seed’ from her husband. But a prostitute receives ‘seed’ from many men. Thus, the prostitute church is a church that receives the seed of the Word, but also receives other seeds. As we have learned, this prostitute church receives the seeds of the ‘teachings of Nicolas,’ ‘Jezebel,’ and also the seeds of the ‘teaching of Balaam.’

Before drawing lessons from the two women in Revelation, we need to further identify who the women in chapters 17 and 12 are. The woman in chapter 12 is in the ‘heavens’ (12:1), while the woman in chapter 17 is in a place with many waters (17:1). Many waters symbolize nations, multitudes of people, tribes, and groups—in short, many people (17:15), whereas heaven’ certainly represents something divine. So, the church in chapter 12 is not visible to the natural eye because it exists in the spiritual realm, while the church in chapter 17 is the multitude of people, which is obviously easy to see.

Let us draw lessons from the explanation above, which may surprise many of God’s people. The church of chapter 17 is easy to see because it is easy to identify who its ‘Nimrod (ruler)’ is, and it is also obvious because it ‘sits’ (rests) upon the many people. Meanwhile, the church of chapter 12, although its members are on earth, is not easy to recognize. Only those with spiritual eyes can see that, at present, there is ‘the Invisible Church’ on earth, which will ultimately produce the overcomers.

In the previous article, we discussed that Covid-19 acts as a kind of ‘catalyst,’ in the sense of accelerating a change… something vague becomes clear… the identity of the woman in chapter 12 and the woman in chapter 17 becomes increasingly clear… Why do God’s people need to see these two women? Because God’s command is clear as His coming approaches (Rev. 18:4): a command to COME OUT of the system of teachings of Nicolas, Jezebel, and Balaam that nest within the woman of Revelation 17. May God’s people stand forth in these last days… Hallelujah.

In the previous writing, we tried to identify the two female symbols in the Book of Revelation (chapters 12 and 17). Now, we will discuss judgment. We have previously touched on the end of these two women. The woman in chapter 12 ultimately gives birth to the sons of God, who will rule on earth as priests and kings. But the woman in chapter 17 ends with God’s judgment upon her.

Before we continue, we need to remember that God’s judgment has two aspects: the aspect of retribution/punishment, and the aspect of restoration/reform. Indeed, judgment is God’s retribution against those who do evil, because what a person sows, they will also reap. But the aspect of God’s restoration in judgment is rarely considered. In Isaiah 26:9, it is clearly written that the purpose of God’s judgment is so that people may know the truth. Through Covid-19, it is evident that the inhabitants of the world are learning what is true.

Let us read a few verses from Revelation 17–18, so that we may better understand the judgment that occurs upon the woman in this chapter. Revelation 18:20 says, “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has pronounced judgment for you on her.” Verse 24 of the same chapter says, “In her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth.” Revelation 17:6 says, “And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.”

We have seen that God’s judgment applies only to the woman in chapter 17, while the woman in chapter 12 does not experience God’s judgment. But what is interesting here is that God’s judgment upon the woman in chapter 17 is RELATED TO THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS AND WITNESSES OF JESUS. It is even said above that the saints, apostles, and prophets should rejoice… Why is that?

From the verses above, we can conclude that the woman in chapter 17 PERSECUTES the saints and witnesses of Jesus, and it is reasonable to think that the saints, apostles, and witnesses of Jesus are THE WOMAN IN CHAPTER 12. If we study church history, we can understand that the suffering of the saints and witnesses of Jesus was caused by the established religious system of the time. It is very natural that Saul’s movement persecuted David’s movement… That is also why Jesus suffered, not at the hands of the Romans, but by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious court. The Roman soldiers were only executors, but the decision to condemn Jesus to death was made by the Sanhedrin.

Let us reflect again on Covid-19. For me, Covid-19 is clearly God’s judgment on this earth. God’s judgment causes people to learn what is true. Many people fall down and worship God, acknowledging that only God should be exalted. The Bible says that God’s judgment always begins within His house. But I believe that the saints within the woman in chapter 12 will experience the fulfillment of Psalm 91:7, which says, “Though a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, it shall not come near you.” There is no need for this Psalm to be spoken… because IT HAS ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED FOR THE WOMAN IN CHAPTER 12.

Now we will conclude this writing by once again discussing the end of the woman in chapter 12. We have already discussed the end of the woman in chapter 17, which is God’s judgment. This time, we will look again at how the woman in chapter 12 gives birth to a male child who will rule the earth (12:5).

If we read the entire account of the woman in chapter 12 giving birth to the male child who will rule the earth, and compare it with the events described in Romans 8:19-21, we will recognize that the male child mentioned in Revelation 12 is none other than the children of God or the Sons of God as mentioned in Romans 8.

In fact, if we study the coming/presence of the Lord carefully, so that we DO NOT HAVE THE CONCEPT OF JESUS’ SECOND COMING IN THE FLESH, we will surely understand that the children of God or Sons of God who will rule the earth represent the Lord’s coming in the end times. I have made a video about the coming/presence of the Lord that corresponds with the three Jewish feasts (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles), titled The Trilogy of the Lord’s Coming/Presence, and I will not repeat it here.

So, in these last days, we are awaiting the appearance of the male child (the Manifestation of the Sons of God) who will rule the earth as priests and kings to restore His creation. All creation truly longs for the moment of His coming THROUGH and IN the Sons of God. This is God’s program in the end times.

Indeed, in these last days, difficult times will come (2 Timothy 3:1-9). People will love themselves and become servants of money… etc., etc. But according to the Father’s plan in heaven, suddenly like a thief (for those who are not watchful), the Lord comes through and in His sons to rule the earth… This is God’s program in the last days… and that is His coming…

But we must always remember one very important thing: the Sons of God are not born of the woman in Revelation 17, but of the woman in chapter 12. Therefore, it is crucial, as His coming approaches, for God’s people to identify these two women. We must be in the woman of Revelation 12, in my opinion… because if we remain in the woman of chapter 17, we are actually commanded to come out of her (Revelation 18:4). By being in the woman of chapter 12, we are in a position of watchfulness, awaiting the Lord’s coming in and through the Sons of God. We are the ones who will be revealed at His coming to rule with Him in the ages to come. What matters now is that we remain watchful and do not partake in the woman of Revelation 17.

Once again, God’s program in these last days is TO COME TO RULE THE EARTH THROUGH AND IN HIS SONS. God’s program in the last days is not a massive spiritual revival… not a mass harvest of souls… not a large outpouring of the Holy Spirit (whatever term is used)… not uniting the Body of Christ that has already fragmented into thousands of pieces… ALL OF THIS IS THE TALK OF THE WOMAN IN REVELATION 17… THIS IS THEIR BUSINESS… The Bible clearly states in 2 Timothy 3 that in the last days DIFFICULT TIMES WILL COME… NOT MASSIVE SPIRITUAL REVIVALS… May God’s people not be deceived…

Through the judgment of Covid-19, I am confident that God’s chosen people can increasingly discern the voice of the woman in Revelation 17 and the voice of the woman in Revelation 12. They can distinguish the voice of the True Shepherd from the voice of thieves and robbers…

So, what is the conclusion, the summary of all these writings? Stay at home… yes… stay at home… worship at home… church at home… awaiting the Lord’s coming at home… serving starting from home… The next step will surely be guided by the Lord, because in His chosen people there is the anointing of the Spirit so that we can understand the next steps… HALLELUJAH, AMEN.

The early church had a prayer that echoed through their gatherings, their worship, and even their suffering: “Maranatha!”—which means, “Come, Lord Jesus Come, Lord Jesus!” (1 Corinthians 16:22, Revelation 22:20).

They had walked with Christ. They had seen His glory. They had experienced the power of His resurrection, and every day they longed to see Him again. For them, life was not complete without His return. Their love for the Bridegroom was so strong that it shaped their entire worldview.

A bride who does not long for her groom is a bride whose love has grown cold. In the same way, a church that no longer longs for Christ’s return shows symptoms of love grown weak. And yet, love is the very foundation of the Kingdom—for “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Even when we were sinners, Christ loved us enough to die for us. When we receive this love, the natural response is to love Him dearly—and to love the people He died for.

The Cry of Maranatha and the Mission of the Church

The cry of Maranatha is not a passive longing; it is an active anticipation. Jesus Himself made it clear: “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

We cannot expect Jesus to return while neglecting the mission He entrusted to us: to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). The church that prays “Come, Lord Jesus” while refusing to preach the gospel to its neighbors, to its city, and to the nations, prays in contradiction. The bride who longs for her Groom must also prepare herself by carrying out His final command.

Why House Churches Matter

The return to house churches is not just about form; it is about heart. The early disciples met in homes, broke bread, prayed, and went out boldly to proclaim Christ (Acts 2:42–47). Their meetings were small, but their vision was global.

House churches today must recapture that same spirit. They cannot afford to turn inward, becoming safe bubbles of fellowship without mission. A house church without outreach and discipleship is no better than the traditional institutional church it seeks to reform.

If the early church cried “Maranatha” daily, they also preached daily—from house to house, from village to village, even to the ends of the earth. The cry of the bride must be matched by the footsteps of the messengers.

Love That Compels Mission

Paul declared, “Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all” (2 Corinthians 5:14). True love for Jesus cannot remain private. It naturally overflows in witness. To love Him is to love the ones He died for.

This is why love and mission are inseparable. When house churches burn with love for Christ, they will also burn with love for the lost. Maranatha without mission becomes self-centered spirituality. Mission without Maranatha becomes dry activism. But when the two are united, the church becomes a living testimony of both longing and labor—waiting for the King while working in His harvest fields.

Finishing the Task, Welcoming the King

The cry of Maranatha will only be fulfilled when the task is finished. Every nation, every tribe, every people, and every language must hear the good news of Jesus. Revelation 7:9 gives us a picture of that completed mission—a multitude from all nations standing before the throne, worshiping the Lamb.

Until that day, our gatherings must be filled with both longing and labor. Every prayer, every fellowship, every meal shared in a house church must ask two questions:

1. Are we crying out, “Come, Lord Jesus”?
2. Are we reaching out, “Go, and make disciples”?

Only when these two walk hand in hand can the church truly prepare for her Bridegroom.

Conclusion: Rekindling the Cry

It is time to rekindle the Maranatha cry in the church—not as a mere word, but as a way of life. Let us be the bride who longs for her Groom, who carries His mission, who loves His people, and who labors until the task is done.

For when this gospel is preached to all nations, then the end will come.

Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus. Until then, send us into Your harvest.

The Concept of Worship After Covid-19

By. Irnawan Silitonga

Covid-19 has taught us many things as followers of Christ. One of them is about the concept of worship. Let us begin by paying attention to the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman (John 4). The Samaritan woman still had a concept of worship tied to a certain place or geographic location, along with its rules of course. But Jesus emphasized that the time has come when one must worship in spirit and in truth.

Worshiping in spirit and in truth is a matter of the inner being. A person may worship here or there… in this way or that way, without being bound to a particular method or rule… as long as all of it is an expression of his inner relationship with God. Some prefer worship in a church building, some prefer worship at home. Some prefer joyful songs, others prefer quiet songs… and so on. As long as it is the expression of one’s heart, then all of it is valid. Truly, worship is a personal matter. We cannot force others to worship according to our ways and rules.

If worship is personal, why then does Hebrews 10:25 say that we must not neglect our meeting together, as if worship is about gatherings? Some leaders even add that the gathering must be in a church building, with a pastor, a denomination, offerings, and so on. Let us first check the word ‘meeting’ in Greek. The Greek word used for ‘meeting’ in Hebrews 10:25 is ‘EPISUNAGOGE’. ‘Epi’ means ‘above’, ‘sunagoge’ means ‘gathering’. So ‘episunagoge’ means ‘a gathering above’. This does not mean a physical meeting, but a gathering in a higher realm, the spiritual realm. A Christian gathering is a gathering in a higher realm. That is why Paul said to the Corinthian church that even though he was not physically present, he was present in spirit (1 Corinthians 5:3).

Here is where our concept of worship must undergo a radical change. If thousands of Christians are gathering in a church building with a pastor, music, and offerings… do not be quick to assume that they are fulfilling Hebrews 10:25. For if most of them are not living in the Spirit, then they are not fulfilling Hebrews 10:25. On the other hand, if 2 or 3 gather in His Name, meaning in the Spirit… then those 2 or 3 are indeed fulfilling Hebrews 10:25, even if there is no pastor, no tithes, firstfruits, or other regulations. We must recognize them as fulfilling Hebrews 10:25.

If a meeting is held at home by a family with the father leading, in my opinion, it is easier for such a home gathering to fulfill Hebrews 10:25 compared to a church building with hundreds or thousands of people. Why? Because fellowship happens more easily at home than in a large building. It is not that church gatherings are wrong… but the time has come to question why many denominational leaders insist so strongly on church-building gatherings. It is time for us to examine their motivations…

In the previous writing, we discussed that worship is a personal matter, and that gatherings of hundreds or thousands of people do not necessarily fulfill Hebrews 10:25. In fact, perhaps a gathering of 2–3 people in a home fulfills Hebrews 10:25 more, because fellowship is easier to experience at home than in a building.

Now we will discuss further about worship as something personal. Let us once again pay attention to the conversation of the Lord Jesus with the Samaritan woman (John 4). In verse 10, Jesus says He will give living water, but in verse 14, Jesus says that the living water He gives will become a SPRING within a person’s INNER BEING. This means there is GROWTH. Naturally, we think someone grows when they eat. In this passage Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work”. So, if someone does God’s will and completes His work—which means they eat—then they will grow. That means the living water within will become a SPRING that keeps flowing outward.

Therefore, we must define worship as doing God’s will and completing His work. If someone carries out their worship correctly, then within them there is GROWTH—from water to spring. Have you seen that worship is a personal matter? If someone carries out daily activities according to God’s will for them, whether at home, at the office, or anywhere else, then as long as it is God’s will for them, they are WORSHIPPING. And the living water within them will grow into a spring.

Worship is not directly related to going to a building, singing songs, giving offerings, or even listening to sermons. Worship is directly related to the Father’s will for that person.

Now I will move on to a discussion that may be unpleasant, especially for denominational leaders. As long as apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists equip the saints so that they understand GOD’S WILL for themselves, that is very good. But what if what happens is something described in Acts 20:29–30? Here Paul says that some leaders will draw disciples to themselves. And this has already happened. The church that was originally an organism has become thousands of organizations or denominations. Doesn’t this mean that some leaders are drawing disciples to their denomination, their organization, or to themselves? If you don’t see this matter, I can only pray that you will. This is no small issue, because it means tearing apart the Body of Christ into thousands of denominations.

Let’s return to our main issue. Worship is a personal matter. A person’s worship is determined by whether they personally do God’s will for their life. In the current situation where the church has become thousands of denominations, can a leader confidently say that GOD’S WILL for someone is to go “worship” in their denomination, follow this or that liturgy, give this or that offering, carry out this or that program, and so on? While for ourselves, we do not yet fully understand God’s will—how then can we know it for others?

At this point I want to speak to leaders. Are you sure that God’s will for someone is to go and follow all the programs of your denomination? What if God’s will for them is something different? Are you truly equipping someone to understand GOD’S WILL for their life, or perhaps are you DRAWING someone to yourself?

Why do I write this? Because I love the Body of Christ. I see the Body of Christ being continually torn apart. May the saints learn to be independent in understanding GOD’S WILL for themselves. May the saints worship truly, in the sense of carrying out God’s will for their life and completing their part in His work. May it be that after COVID-19 the saints rethink their worship to God.

In the previous writing, we defined worship as doing God’s will and completing His work. Since worship is a personal matter, an individual’s worship is doing God’s will for himself. A person’s daily activities—whether at home, at the office, or anywhere else—if they are according to God’s will for that person, then in fact, he is worshiping.

We also discussed that worship must be in spirit and in truth. It is not about worshiping in this or that place, performing this or that ritual, but rather following the leading of the living water within one’s inner being. If a person diligently follows the leading of the living water within, then that living water will become a fountain that keeps flowing unto eternal life. Therefore, worship must follow the flow of the living water inside us. In other words, worship must “FLOW” according to the guidance of the spring within our inner being. It is this matter of “flowing” that we will now discuss.

Not many Christians like the term “flowing,” because it is unclear what must be done routinely. Most Christians prefer routine worship—on certain days, in certain places, with certain preachers, certain rules, certain styles of singing, certain denominations with all their specific regulations. Why is that so? Because certainty brings a sense of security, safety, and assurance without having to critically question everything. Meanwhile, Christ’s followers are those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4).

Let us look more deeply. Jesus came into the world not to bring religion, but to give living water. What is religion? Religion teaches and gives people rules about what is good and what is evil. Religion comes from the tree of knowledge. Jesus is the tree of life that gives life. Many Christians prefer religion rather than following the leading of the living water, because religion, once again, provides a sense of security, even though it binds with many rules. The word ‘Religion’ comes from the Latin term ‘Religare’. ‘Ligare’ means to bind, like a ship tied to an anchor. ‘Re’ means again. So, religion means ‘to bind again’. A Christian who lives by religion is actually bound again by various rules—rules about tithing, first fruits, liturgy, and so on. A religious Christian is like the Samaritan woman who thought worship had to be on this or that mountain… must, must, must. Do you want to be bound again by countless rules? Worship is not about following a string of regulations. Worship is about following the leading of the living water.

Let us reflect on why God allowed Covid-19 to happen in such a way that worship in church buildings was prohibited by the government. Have you ever thought that the “building” where Christians routinely worship is the SOURCE of many rules? Would you be upset if I told you that by routinely going to the “building,” you are actually being BOUND AGAIN by various regulations?

Jesus said, if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free. Free to follow the leading of the living water. Free to follow the Lamb wherever He goes.

In conclusion, worship must FLOW… Worship is not about following a thousand and one rules… Worship is about following the guidance of the spring within our hearts. Hallelujah.

We have already discussed that worship must flow like the living water within our inner being. We have also seen that the living water within us will grow into a spring as long as we continue to do God’s will and finish His work. We have also discussed that worship is not about following countless religious rules. Furthermore, we now understand that the “building” where Christians gather for worship has been the source of many regulations—starting from tithes, first fruits, and other organizational rules.

Now we will discuss the growth of living water in relation to worship in the ‘building’. As we know, in general, Christians feel comfortable if they have fulfilled their obligation in the ‘building’. On certain days, if they have not gone to the ‘building’, they feel they have not yet fulfilled their obligation before God. When Covid-19 came and the government forbade worship in church buildings, requiring people to worship at home, problems began to arise. Many Christians did not feel they were truly worshiping if the service was at home. To resolve this, the ‘building’ provided online services… and as for offerings, they could be transferred.

Why do God’s people feel that worshiping at home seems invalid… if there is no pastor, no offering, or perhaps no confession of faith, etc., it feels incomplete? The answer is simple… because the “building,” knowingly or unknowingly, has taught God’s people various rules—including that Sunday worship must be in the “building.” They teach that worship without a pastor is invalid, even though the Bible says that we are ALL priests and kings. They teach that if you don’t give tithes, first fruits, or any offering in the House of God, you won’t be blessed… and so on.

I want to respond first about the House of God and about ‘not being blessed’. Where does the teaching come from that the ‘building’ is the house of God, while the house of the congregation is not the house of God? The Bible says that WE are God’s house. But perhaps someone will argue that Israel as God’s people had the Temple. Fine, I’ll first accept that argument, which actually doesn’t understand the context of the Old and New Testaments. What if the situation was like when Jesus ‘overturned’ the Temple because it had become a marketplace? The Temple was no longer the House of God but had become a den of thieves. What if the “building” where Christians worship is filled with prosperity theology, preachers who love money… filled with quarrels over money and positions within the “building”? Wouldn’t the house of the congregation resemble the House of God more than the “building”? In the home of a believer, there is a father, with the help of a mother, raising their children in love—not taking tithes or offerings, even willing to sacrifice their lives for their children. John 10 says that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Isn’t there a good shepherd in the believer’s home? Can we be certain that in the ‘building’ there is always a pastor who is willing to lay down his life for his congregation? Perhaps they don’t even know them personally… since the congregation could number in the hundreds or thousands…

How can you dare to say that the ‘building’ is the House of God and the believer’s home is not the House of God? I want to speak to church leaders… Let us study the Bible more earnestly… Let us purify our motivation in serving God… Because we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account for everything.

Now I want to talk about ‘giving offerings in order to be blessed.’ The Father already loved the world when the world was still rebelling against Him. Jesus already died for us WHEN WE WERE STILL SINNERS… Reflect on this… What teaching says that we must give in order to be blessed? If it’s not witchcraft, it’s bribery. We give BECAUSE WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN BLESSED…

How can the congregation grow under such ‘building’ conditions? Growth happens when the congregation obeys the flow of living water within their inner being, not the ‘building’ in the condition I have described above.

In the previous discussion, we talked about the growth of living water connected to the habit of Christians going to worship in the ‘Building’. We already understand that the ‘Building’, where Christians usually worship, is the source of many regulations, starting from tithing, firstfruits, and other organizational rules. We also understand that the living water within a believer will grow into a spring only if that believer “flows” by following the guidance of the living water within.

We have also discussed the general condition of the ‘Building’, which is filled with commerce, just as the Jewish Temple was during the time Jesus ministered on earth. Believers who do not follow the flow of the living water within but only follow the rituals in the ‘Building’ will find it difficult to grow. A believer might faithfully attend the ‘Building’ and warm church pews for 10, 20, even 30 years without experiencing meaningful growth. Their revelation of the Bible does not significantly increase, their spirit does not burn more fervently, their character does not change much, their love for God and willingness to sacrifice does not deepen, they do not become more willing to carry the Cross… and perhaps, the living water within them even becomes weaker and drier. Why is that? Because worship is about following the guidance of the living water, not following the ‘Building’ with all its rules.

The Bible says, “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things…” (1 John 2:27). This verse does not mean we should not learn from others, because if that were the case, the Apostle John would not have written his letters. This verse emphasizes that within every believer there is an anointing (living water) whose teaching MUST BE OBEYED. That living water TEACHES the believer, but unfortunately, believers are too focused on the ‘Building’. They swallow the teachings of the ‘Building’ whole. When hearing the teachings of the ‘Building’, it should be like eating fish: take the meat, discard the bones.

Which ‘Building’ dares to say that its teaching is perfect? Which denomination dares to claim, ‘we are right, you are wrong’? Even though we often and almost always hear that, rest assured, my brother/sister… it is merely the preacher’s talk… not the VOICE OF GOD… Return to the living water and anointing within you. We are all priests and kings… we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord… That is why Jesus said, let none of you be called a leader, for I am your leader (Matthew 23:10).

But why are believers so drawn to the ‘Building’? Or more precisely, ‘drawn to its leaders.’ Some even say, ‘If Christians’ Lord is insulted, they can remain calm and patient… But do not ever attack their pastor, for they will usually strike back by saying… do not judge… do not touch the Lord’s anointed… that is between them and God… and so on… and so forth.

The last paragraph in our previous writing was: why are believers so attracted to the ‘Building’? Or more precisely, ‘attracted to their leaders’. Some even say, “if Christians are mocked because of their Lord… they can remain calm and patient… But don’t try to attack their pastor, usually they will strike back by saying… don’t judge… don’t disturb the one anointed by God… that is between him and God… and so on.”

Surely we ask, what is it about leaders? The answer is quite simple, leaders have a certain appeal. This appeal comes from the gifts that God has given, ranging from spiritual gifts, knowledge, eloquence, even physical appearance, and so on. None of that is wrong; what is wrong is when all of it is used to draw disciples NOT TO CHRIST BUT TO THE LEADER HIMSELF.

Before continuing our discussion, I would like to testify about the early days of my Christian life. At that time I was introduced to the writings of Watchman Nee. Watchman Nee was a great leader of God’s people. His movement in China, the “little flock”, is still felt today in the house church movement. But he was a man who suffered much because he followed the Lord radically. Nee ended his life in a communist prison after languishing and suffering for nearly 20 years. His writings are very well known in the Christian world, even to this day. I not only read but studied almost all of his books. And I was truly blessed and fully equipped to follow the Lord until today.

Yet strangely, I did not become a follower of Watchman Nee, nor was I a “Watchman Nee disciple”. But through his writings I became someone who desired to choose the will of the Father, whether it meant suffering or being misunderstood. I became deeply longing for the life of Christ. I was DRAWN through Watchman Nee’s writings not to himself or his movement, but I was DRAWN to the life of Christ.

In one of his writings, he explained how Mary broke her alabaster jar at Jesus’ feet and the fragrance filled the room. Nee explained that only those who have broken their “jar” can spread the fragrance of Christ to others. And throughout his writings, Watchman Nee emphasized that only those who willingly CHOOSE THE WILL OF THE FATHER and suffer because of it are the ones who can bring people TO CHRIST and not to themselves. Until today I have always longed for the WILL OF THE FATHER and to suffer because of it… Only in that way can I be used to lead people to Christ.

Back to our issue. In this modern era, there are many great preachers with such strong appeal that they can draw thousands or even tens of thousands of Christians. For me, this raises a question: are those thousands being drawn to Christ or not? If symptoms like what I described

earlier appear, namely that some would say, “if Christians are mocked because of their Lord… they can remain calm and patient… But don’t try to attack their pastor, usually they will strike back by saying… don’t judge… don’t disturb the one anointed by God… that is between him and God… and so on.” If such a symptom occurs, then it is very possible that the leader, whether consciously or unconsciously, has drawn people to himself.

We will discuss this matter of leadership further by explaining three teachings that cause the church to fall (Revelation 2–3). These teachings are NICHOLAITANS, BALAAM, and JEZEBEL….

We have already discussed that leaders possess a certain appeal. If a leader only uses their gifts and the grace of God upon them, but has not yet been shaped and had their “jar” broken, then they will attract disciples not to Christ but to themselves. We also understand that worship means following the guidance of the living water within our inner being. God’s people need to ask whether they are following the leader or following the living water within them. Learning from leaders is a necessity. Being equipped by leaders in order to follow Christ is God’s ordinance. But being drawn to leaders in such a way that one does not follow the guidance of the living water becomes a serious problem. Because if that is what happens, then in truth God’s people are not worshiping. That is why it is very important to talk about this matter of leadership.

We will discuss this issue of leadership by looking at three teachings in the Book of Revelation chapters 2 and 3, which caused the church to fall, namely the teachings of the Nicolaitans, Jezebel, and Balaam. These three teachings were, of course, taught by leaders. For now, we will only discuss the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

First, we must understand that the Book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ and His church, expressed through SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE. Revelation 1:1 affirms that, “… He (Jesus Christ) made it known to His servant John.” The phrase “made it known” comes from the Greek word SEMAINO, which originates from the word SEMA, meaning SIGN or SYMBOL. Therefore, Jesus Christ revealed to the Apostle John using symbolic language/signs. A symbol is a sign that contains meaning behind it. For example, in Revelation 12:1, a woman is described as clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. The woman here is symbolic, for no literal woman can be close to the sun, tread upon the moon, and wear a crown of stars. In the Bible, a woman is a SYMBOL of the church. Thus, the Apostle John saw a church completely under the authority of Christ (the Sun), no longer governed by the “reflection” of Christ (standing on the Moon), and led by the sons of God (the stars). This is how we should read Revelation 12:1.

Let us return to our subject and try to understand the term NICOLAITANS. Since Nicolaitans are symbolic, Nicolaitans do not refer to the name of a single leader. The term Nicolaitans comes from two Latin words: NIKO = to conquer, and LAOS = the laity. Thus, Nicolaitans means “to conquer the laity.” This teaching was used by leaders to justify their actions of dominating, controlling, and ruling over God’s people. One teaching of the Nicolaitans asserts that the church is an ORGANISM that needs to be ORGANIZED. To apply organization and hierarchy to the church

is considered valid and right. Incidentally, I wrote my thesis on leadership. So I studied various management theories, from classical management, human relations management, and many kinds of modern management.

The principle remains the same: an organization is merely a tool in the hands of leaders to manage a community so that its goals can be achieved. So it is natural for leaders to create organizations, whether political leaders (various political organizations), business leaders (companies), or social leaders (social organizations), and so on. But Jesus said in Matthew 20:25 that rulers exercise authority… but it shall not be so among you (verse 26). The authority and power of rulers are exercised through what we call ORGANIZATION. Without organization (hierarchy), rulers cannot exercise authority. Organization is indeed a TOOL in the hands of rulers to govern the people. Within an organization, the lines of command are clear, showing who is accountable to whom, and who has the right to govern whom.

But in the church, there must not be organization (hierarchy), for if there is, the AUTHORITY of the church changes drastically—from the authority of the Holy Spirit to the authority of man (leaders). Leaders HAVE NO AUTHORITY over the congregation. Leaders are SERVANTS of the congregation, and servants HAVE NO AUTHORITY over their masters. Have you ever reflected on the difference between an organism and an organization? The difference lies in the TYPE OF AUTHORITY. An organism, which is the church, has the authority of the Holy Spirit, while an organization has the authority of its leaders. That is why Jesus said, let no one among you be called leader, for I am your Leader. Here Jesus was speaking about AUTHORITY, not about the roles of apostles, prophets, shepherds, teachers, and evangelists in the church.

I must end this writing here… there is much more I could say on this topic. But I will close by saying that THE CHURCH IS AN ORGANISM where the AUTHORITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT prevails. But today the church has been torn apart into thousands of ORGANIZATIONS by leaders who uphold the teaching of the NICOLAITANS. The Book of Revelation says that God hates the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Why? Because this teaching has broken the church into thousands of fragmented organizations.

We have discussed the difference between an organism and an organization, which lies in the type of authority. The authority of an organism (the church) is the authority of the Holy Spirit—or more precisely, the authority of life (Life = zoe), because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit who gives life. If someone is “within the organism,” they will be led by the living water, whether at home, at work, or anywhere else. This person is worshipping, because worship is following the leading of the living water. Conversely, if they are ‘within the organization’, then like it or not, they must follow the leadership above them, where the highest level lies with the top leader, whether that be a pastor or a senior elder.

Here is where conflict arises: if this person has truly been born again (having the living water within), but “worships” within an organization, chaos occurs. Sometimes the authority of the organization aligns with the leading of the living water within them, but usually it contradicts it.

That is why those who serve full-time in an organization, following all its programs, often experience “dryness” and boredom. Such people feel the need for retreats, whereas serving under the leading of the living water itself is spiritual nourishment. Those who serve under the living water do not need retreats—their spirit only grows more fervent… never feeling “dry” or bored. But why do those within the organizational context often feel “dry” and bored? Because they are not following the living water, but only the directives of the organization.

Christians—even those called full-time ministers—can spend 10, 20, even 30 years in an organization, yet not grow much in life. Perhaps they grow in organizational skills, understanding more theology within that system, but hardly at all in receiving fresh and new revelations. Their sermons now may be the same as they were 10 years ago… Nothing new, just repeating the same things… This is a serious matter, my brothers and sisters. We must truly reflect on this. Worship is about following the Lord, and following the Lord means following the leading of the living water. Let us not drain our energy for 10, 20, or 30 years only to see no real growth in the freshness of the Word.

Let us look at the early church, which was an organism. They lived, moved, and served under the leading of the life-giving Spirit. One of the marks of an organism is spontaneous and flowing life. Peter and John held a “sudden” gospel rally without planning, without organizational meetings, without budgets and proposals… yet the congregation grew to about 5,000 people (Acts 4:4). The church prayed, unscheduled, but spontaneously… and the result was not only that the place where they prayed was shaken, but they were all filled with the Spirit and proclaimed the Word boldly… Miracles upon miracles happened spontaneously… Philip evangelized the Ethiopian eunuch, and after baptizing him, the Holy Spirit carried him to another place… with no follow-up program. Paul too served under the Spirit’s leading… sometimes the Spirit forbade him to evangelize in Asia and instead led him to Europe… Everything flowed according to the leading of the life-giving Spirit. Without organizational programs, without budget meetings and proposals, and without BUILDINGS, they only worshiped in homes… and within the first 200 years, the church had conquered the known world of that time. Why? Because they were led by the life-giving Spirit—led by the living water within them…

In the previous writing, we saw how the early church, as an organism, was led by the Spirit who gives life. Everything flowed according to the guidance of the living water within the hearts of the believers. Without organizational programs, without discussing budgets and proposals, and without BUILDINGS, where they only worshiped in homes… within the first 200 years, the church had conquered the known world at that time. On the contrary, today the church, which has become thousands of organizations with its luxurious buildings and diverse evangelistic programs, is unable to conquer the world as the early church once did.

We also saw that the cause of the church—originally an organism but now thousands of organizations—was the action of its leaders who supported the teaching of Nicolas. Once again, NICOLAS represents the actions of leaders subjugating the laity by using a tool we have already discussed: organization. Now we will discuss another tool in the form of the teaching of SUBMISSION.

The Bible indeed teaches submission, but we must look at its context. Is this teaching within the context of the Old Testament (Israel) or the New Testament (the church)? Is the context within the family, or society (government)? Supporters of Nicolas’ teaching usually do not pay attention to context. For example, the law of tithing and the law of firstfruits. They love to quote Malachi 3:10 and apply it to the New Covenant people (the church). Yet we know that tithes belonged to the Levites. But they twist it… They say they are the “Levites,” even though Peter’s letter clearly states that the entire church is a royal priesthood. These supporters of Nicolas elevate themselves above God’s people and deceive them by cherry-picking verses without considering context. Of course, the verses they pick are the ones that support their position. The law of stoning rebellious children is never quoted—because what if the rebellious child belongs to a pastor? Would the congregation have to stone the pastor’s child???

Now let us return to the matter of submission. The supporters of Nicolas’ teaching love to quote verses like “Do not touch My anointed ones.” They also love to give examples of how David did not dare to harm Saul, even though Saul had been rejected by God. They also like to mention how Moses, who had taken a Cushite (Hamite) woman, was still defended by God when Miriam and Aaron criticized him. All of these examples are within the Old Testament context that applied to Israel. But when it comes to the church, one must not randomly apply Old Testament verses. The Old Testament was merely a SHADOW, while the reality of salvation is found in the Lord Jesus Christ (New Testament) – see Hebrews 10:1.

Now let us look at the teaching of submission in the New Testament. Submission in the New Testament is connected with the issue of AUTHORITY. Regarding authority, the Lord Jesus said, “Do not let anyone among you be called a leader, for I am your Leader… you are all BROTHERS.” This speaks of authority. None of us, as members of the church, has authority over another member. Of course, there are church leaders. But those leaders are servants whose role is to equip the congregation so that they may grow and obey the true Leader, the Lord Jesus. That is also why the New Testament mentions the term “one another” thirteen times. This means that as fellow members, we must SUBMIT to one another, WASH one another’s feet, ADMONISH one another… ONE ANOTHER… ONE ANOTHER… and ONE ANOTHER.

Submission in the New Testament context must ‘flow’. If two Christians are walking together, naturally, they will understand who should learn to submit to whom. If a church member rebels against a church leader, do not expect God to open the earth and swallow the rebel like He did with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram who rebelled against Moses. In the New Testament, submission speaks of humility.

But what if a church member rebels against the pastor? We will discuss this later… But we must first understand that THE POSITION OF PASTOR DOES NOT EXIST IN THE BIBLE. The gift of shepherding exists… but the POSITION, which implies authority over the congregation, DOES NOT EXIST IN THE BIBLE….

We will continue our discussion about one of the teachings of Nicolas, namely submission. This time, we will first discuss whether the position of Pastor (Shepherd) exists in the Bible, especially in the New Testament. The term shepherd (Greek: Poimen) appears 18 times in the New Testament. The term shepherd specifically related to church leaders appears 4 times, namely in Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34, John 10:2, and Ephesians 4:11. The rest of the references to shepherds point to the Lord Jesus and literal shepherds of sheep.

Now we will discuss whether shepherding is one of the GIFTS of leadership, or whether it is an OFFICE, as is common today. To understand this clearly, we must look at the history of how hierarchy (organization) entered the early church, which, as we know, was originally an organism.

We know that leadership in the early church consisted of elders assisted by deacons shepherding God’s people in a particular city. It should be remembered that the elders functioned as caretakers of the congregation in the context of an organism, since the early church was not an organization. The term elder is translated from two Greek words, Episkopos and Presbuteros. Episkopos means overseer (one who sees “from above”), while Presbuteros means an older person (spiritually mature). These two terms were used interchangeably, referring to one person. In other words, an elder was a spiritually mature person who functioned as an overseer in order to care for the church. All elders and deacons functioned in the context of an organism.

So why is it that today the church has split into thousands of organizations, each usually led by ONE pastor or ONE senior elder? History records a man named Ignatius (115 A.D.), a church leader in Antioch who was martyred under Emperor Trajan. It was Ignatius who first taught that Episkopos (bishop) was different from Presbuteros (elder). I will quote some of his words, written in ‘The Apostolic Fathers’ (1956) by J.B. Lightfoot.

“Therefore we must regard the BISHOP as we would the Lord Himself” (p. 65). “For as the Lord does nothing without the Father – being united with Him – so you must do nothing without the BISHOP and the elders” (p. 70). “Submit yourselves to your elders and your BISHOP, and you will be sanctified in all things” (p. 64). “Obey the BISHOP” (p. 72). “He who does anything without the BISHOP, elders, and deacons has an unclean conscience” (p. 74). “All of you follow your BISHOP” (p. 84). “He who does anything without the knowledge of the BISHOP is serving the devil” (p. 84).

Ignatius not only distinguished between EPISKOPOS (bishop) and PRESBUTEROS (elder), but also taught absolute submission to the bishop. After the distinction was made between bishops and elders, bishops in each city began to compete with each other, leading to the rise of Archbishops. Then the Archbishops competed, leading to the rise of Cardinals. Then Cardinals competed further, leading to the rise of the Pope. Thus hierarchy (organization) entered the organism (the church). By the 6th century, the hierarchy was fully established—that was the Roman Catholic Church. And then the church entered the DARK AGES for 1000 years.

Do you now see the seeds of Nicolas’ teaching here? The early church (organism) did not recognize the OFFICE of Pastor. If you are not convinced, look in the Bible—who was the Pastor of the church in Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, etc.?

In this writing, we will try to summarize the teaching of Nicholas, namely submission and organization within the church (hierarchy = ranks). We will re-quote the source or seed of this teaching from the words of Ignatius in the book ‘The Apostolic Fathers’ (1956) by J.B. Lightfoot, as follows…

‘Therefore we must regard the BISHOP as the Lord Himself’ (page 65). ‘For just as the Lord does nothing without the Father – because He is united with Him – likewise you should do nothing without the BISHOP and the elders’ (p.70). ‘Submit yourselves to your elders and your BISHOP, and you will be sanctified in everything’ (p.64). ‘Obey the BISHOP’ (p.72). ‘He who does anything without the BISHOP, elders, and deacons, this person is not pure in conscience’ (p.74). ‘All of you follow your BISHOP’ (p.84). ‘He who does anything without the knowledge of the BISHOP is rendering service to the devil’ (p.84).

By distinguishing between the Bishop and the elders, and teaching absolute submission to the Bishop, Ignatius unconsciously sowed the seed of Nicholas’ teaching, which later developed into hierarchy within the church—namely the Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and elders. Regarding absolute submission, we often hear the phrases, ‘Father can do no wrong’ or ‘The Pope has spoken,’ meaning that if the highest leader has made a decision, it should no longer be discussed. Nicholas’ teaching has already entered the church.

This teaching of Nicholas—absolute submission and hierarchy—essentially shifts the AUTHORITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT and replaces it with the AUTHORITY OF THE LEADER. Therefore, leaders can draw God’s people and then RULE, DOMINATE, and CONTROL them.

The church is an organism. Submission in the church is not absolute, because Jesus said, YOU ARE ALL BROTHERS, I AM YOUR LEADER. Submission in the church must be in the context of an organism so that the authority of the Holy Spirit is not displaced. Leaders are indeed given delegated authority, but still it is the authority of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if someone in the church submits to a leader, he is actually submitting to the authority of the Holy Spirit. But today, the church has been fragmented into thousands of organizations. There is no longer submission in the context of an organism, unless a person is outside the organization.

Once again, we emphasize that the chain of command or authority line within an organization is the authority of the leader or human authority. Whoever holds the highest rank is the one with the highest authority, regardless of whether he is led by the Holy Spirit or not. That is why there is no position of Senior Pastor in the Bible’s teaching about the church. Once the position of Senior Pastor is introduced, it is no longer the church of Jesus Christ, but the church of that Senior Pastor. The highest authority is not in the hands of the Lord Jesus, but in the hands of the Senior Pastor. I hope God’s people understand this…

This is the teaching of Nicholas that entered the early church through Ignatius. However, we should not consider Ignatius an oppressive leader. Ignatius was a brave man, who, while writing his letters, was on his way to Rome to die a martyr there. This is a serious lesson for us, especially leaders, that the spirit of Nicholas can still infiltrate us no matter how courageous we are in following the Lord.

For God’s people, the lesson is let us reflect more deeply… Who are we following? Are we obeying the authority of the Holy Spirit or the authority of the leader? Are we following the flow of living water in the freedom of the organism, or following a certain leader in the bondage of an organization? Let us always remember that WORSHIP IS FOLLOWING THE LEADING OF THE LIVING WATER WITHIN US.

In the previous writing we discussed the teaching of Nicolas, namely hierarchy and submission with the intention of controlling, dominating, and obtaining authority over God’s people. This time we will discuss the teaching of Jezebel, which caused the church to fall into adultery and idolatry. All the teachings in the Book of Revelation chapters 2–3, namely NICOLAS, JEZEBEL, and BALAAM, were carried out by the leaders. However, it must be emphasized that we are not talking about leadership. We are talking about the WORSHIP of God’s people, but because these leaders with their teachings influence the worship of God’s people, we must recognize their teachings. This writing is intended so that God’s people remain watchful and able to worship according to the teaching of Jesus in John 4, which we have already discussed, where worship is following the GUIDANCE of the living water within the believer’s spirit.

Let us look at Revelation 2:20, “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.” We know that the Book of Revelation is a revelation about Jesus and His church IN SYMBOLIC LANGUAGE. So Jezebel here is a symbol.

A symbol is a sign that has a meaning behind it. In Israel’s history, Jezebel was the daughter of the king of Sidon who married Israel’s king Ahab, that wicked man. Therefore, we must understand the history of Jezebel (1 Kings 16–21) in order to understand the meaning behind the symbol of Jezebel. For now, we will pay attention to only three things in Jezebel’s history: about seizing her husband’s authority in the case of Naboth, about the prophets of Baal who ate from Jezebel’s table, and about her character who loved to incite her husband (1 Kings 21:25).

Before we discuss Jezebel further, we need to first understand who Jezebel really was. In Revelation 2:20 above, Jezebel calls herself a PROPHETESS, meaning she claimed to be a spokesperson for God, someone who spoke in God’s name. But her teaching misled God’s people into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. If we apply this to today’s condition, then Jezebel is the teachers, and of course the leaders, who cause the congregation to worship idols. Of course, the idols of this age are not Baal or the Asherah poles worshiped by Ahab and Jezebel in the past. But the idols of modern times are MAMMON (Wealth). Thus, modern Jezebels are the proponents of the Prosperity Theology, wealth, or whatever it may be called.

Let us directly mention examples of these “Jezebel” teachings. In their blunt version, they like to quote the verse where it says, “Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy” (Genesis 26:12–13). And they teach God’s people that if you follow Jesus, then you will become rich, richer, and very rich… In their softer version, they like to quote John 10:10, teaching that Jesus came so that we may have abundant life… of course also materially. And in an even softer version, they quote Malachi 3:10, encouraging the congregation not to “rob God’s money.” They don’t care about context, or perhaps don’t understand that reading the Bible requires careful attention to context. What matters to them is getting richer, more prosperous, more secure… and so on…

In the next writing, we will discuss the three matters of Jezebel’s history mentioned above and interpret them for today’s condition…

In the previous writing we already gave examples of these “Jezebel” teachings, where in the blunt version they like to quote the verse that says, “Isaac sowed seed in that land… and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy” (Genesis 26:12-13). And they teach God’s people that if you follow the Lord Jesus then you will become rich, richer, and very rich… In the softer version, they like to quote John 10:10, teaching that Jesus came so that we might have life abundantly… of course also materially… And in an even softer version, they also quote Malachi 3:10, urging the congregation not to “rob God’s money”… They don’t care about context, or perhaps they don’t even understand that when reading the Bible you must pay close attention to context. What matters to them is becoming richer, prosperous, and successful… etc., etc.

Before we move into the three aspects of Jezebel’s history—seizing authority, Jezebel’s table, and her persuasive nature—and interpret them for today’s condition, let us first explain briefly about Jezebel’s teachings from the letter of Jude. The letter of Jude says that false teachers are those whose teachings “…pervert the grace of our God into sensuality” (verse 4, ILT version). This means teaching that the Father is full of love and therefore He will bless us… but the focus of the Father’s blessing is wealth, health, prosperity… In short, the focus is on the physical, outward, and material. God’s people who are constantly preached such teachings will not focus on the living water within them, let alone follow its leading. Yet God’s people need to be equipped in such a way that the living water within them continues to grow into a spring, so that they truly worship according to the teaching of the Lord Jesus in John 4. God’s people need to be equipped on how to bear the cross, seek the Father’s will, and learn to leave worldly desires, not seeking human glory but seeking God’s glory.

We need to recognize these false teachers according to the letter of Jude, namely those who were once saved out of Egypt but were later destroyed again because of unbelief (verse 5). False teachers are NOT PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN AGAIN. In fact, perhaps, they are people filled with many gifts, such as prophesying, casting out demons, and performing various miracles. But according to Matthew 7:21-23, the Lord Jesus will one day SPEAK PLAINLY to them. Before

the judgment seat of Christ, everything will be clear… who is truly God’s servant, and who TURNS OUT TO BE A SERVANT OF MAMMON. We must speak plainly now so that God’s people are NOT DECEIVED. It may be that followers of Jezebel’s teachings are respected figures in today’s fallen Christianity. Perhaps they hold high positions in Christianity, are very knowledgeable, skilled preachers, and respected by their congregations—congregations that may number in the hundreds or even thousands…

Now back to the three things about Jezebel. First, Jezebel was someone who usurped her husband’s authority (1 Kings 21). Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name. What does this mean today? Those who shift the authority of the Holy Spirit and introduce organization (hierarchy) into the church are those who usurp the authority of the Holy Spirit. Leaders who support the existence of hierarchy and organization in the church are the “Jezebels” of today. Perhaps they not only support it, but also enjoy those positions. Of course not only positions… they also gain money and human glory…

Second, Jezebel had a TABLE where the false prophets ATE (1 Kings 18:19). All false preachers whose focus is money surely eat from “Jezebel’s table.” Jezebel’s table was the royal table, with delicious food… False preachers who became rich in today’s fallen Christianity… are those who EAT FROM JEZEBEL’S TABLE. We say this not because we want to eat from “Jezebel’s table.” We eat and are sustained by God through “Elijah’s table.” Sometimes we are sustained by “ravens”… Sometimes by “a widow in Zarephath”… We live and eat because of God’s provision. Covid-19 has NO EFFECT AT ALL for us who eat from “Elijah’s table.” Covid-19 speaks only to those who eat from “Jezebel’s table”… Hopefully, they repent…

Jezebel also killed the prophets of the LORD (1 Kings 18:4). If we are cast out, considered “strange,” or rejected… that’s okay, my brother… it’s proof we are on Elijah’s side. Do not fear Jezebel’s threats… There are still “7,000” chosen ones of God who have never bowed to Mammon…

Third, Jezebel was a persuader. She had a strong-willed character, loved to dominate, and was fanatical in following her idols. In today’s fallen Christianity we also see that these “Jezebels” have such traits.

In the previous writing we discussed the teaching of Jezebel, where this teaching misled God’s people into committing adultery and eating food sacrificed to idols (Revelation 2:20). Now we will discuss the teaching of Balaam which also caused God’s people to commit adultery and eat food sacrificed to idols (Revelation 2:14).

We also already understand that the idol of this era is Mammon (Wealth). So, the teaching of Jezebel is a teaching that makes God’s people focus on Mammon. As a result of this teaching, God’s people worship, whether in Sunday services, giving tithes, first fruits, and following every church organizational program… all of these are aimed at prosperity, well-being, and other material blessings. God’s people are not focused on the living water, let alone following the guidance of the living water within them.

The teaching of Balaam is almost the same as the teaching of Jezebel because both cause God’s people to commit adultery and worship idols. The difference lies in WAGES. We know that Balaam “served as a prophet” but FOR WAGES. The teaching of Balaam is a teaching that supports the WAGE SYSTEM. In the Christian world, those who serve, certainly within an organization, are sure to receive WAGES, whether in the form of a monthly salary, love offering, or whatever it may be called.

The Bible does not support the WAGE SYSTEM. The early church did not recognize the wage system. New Testament ministry existed in the context of an organism. Everything moved according to the guidance of the living water. The authority of the Holy Spirit truly functioned. Sometimes the Holy Spirit moved the church in Philippi to help Paul. Sometimes Paul had to make tents to support his ministry. We never knew how much ‘salary’ Paul, Peter, and the other apostles received. Even if the early church collected money, it was usually to help the poor, widows, and those in need. New Testament ministers were not hirelings. They were not hired shepherds who ran away when the wolves came to attack the sheep…. They did not collect TITHES, FIRST FRUITS, or offerings from the congregation for their own interests. Indeed, Paul taught not to muzzle the ox while it treads out the grain, and he also said that it would not be too much if he received material blessings when he had sown spiritual blessings… but he did not ESTABLISH A WAGE SYSTEM as we see in today’s Christianity. Paul spoke like that WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF AN ORGANISM… where everything moved under the LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

This teaching of Balaam has turned the Christian world into a marketplace. Balaam was accustomed to selling his prophecies… In the Christian world, not only ‘prophecies’ are sold… almost everything can be sold. We will arrive at Revelation 17–18 to discuss this more deeply. What matters now is that we understand that the teaching of Balaam is what caused Christianity to become a marketplace with its wage system, of course.

In the situation where Christianity has become a marketplace and in the current situation where the Father allowed COVID-19, what can we learn? The lesson we must understand is TO STAY AT HOME. Just as going out of the house too often may cause us to be infected by Covid-19, likewise worshiping outside the house too often may cause us to be infected by the “marketplace virus.” Going out of the house should only be when it is truly necessary… Once again, worship means following the guidance of the living water within us, not necessarily going outside the house…

I am convinced that after Covid-19, if people ask, “Where is your worship?” The answer will be, “At home”… and no one will be surprised… because they will understand…

This writing is the conclusion to the theme “The Concept of Worship After Covid-19.” We need to review the important points from everything we have discussed, before we touch a little on the New Covenant, so that we can better understand the Father’s intention with the occurrence of Covid-19.

We have discussed that worship is following the leading of the living water within our spirit; thus, we can do God’s will and fulfill our calling, whether at home, at the office, or wherever God places us. Since many Christians already have the concept that worship must take place in a church building, we have explained Hebrews 10:25, showing that worship at home is actually more likely to fulfill Hebrews 10:25. Why is that? We also explained that church buildings are the source of regulations that cause Christians to focus on outward matters instead of inward matters.

And most seriously, most church buildings are places where the spirits of Nicolaitans, Jezebel, and Balaam take root… we have already explained this. So, what is the Father’s intention with the occurrence of Covid-19? The intention is to BREAK… to break the congregation’s attachment to the “BUILDING” and return them to their own homes, just like the early church, so that families can worship by following the leading of the living water… The Church functions as an ORGANISM…

What about the leaders? There is nothing wrong, as long as leaders EQUIP the congregation to grow in the Lord so that the congregation, in turn, can follow the leading of the living water within their spirit to build the Body of Christ—that is what the Bible teaches… But if leaders DRAW disciples to themselves, DRAW them to their organizational programs, DRAW money from them in the form of tithes, firstfruits, and so on… THAT IS A BIG PROBLEM… Why? Because in this way the church is torn apart into thousands of organizations and denominations… in this way the authority of the Holy Spirit is overthrown and replaced with the authority of the senior pastor, elder, or whatever the title may be… in this way the church becomes focused on the Old Covenant and outward matters… in this way the church becomes a den of robbers, where the struggle for money and positions happens within the “building”… in this way the church becomes identical to the world’s system… Leaders who DESTROY THE BODY OF CHRIST IN THIS WAY ARE SURELY CONTROLLED BY THE SPIRITS OF NICOLAITANS, JEZEBEL, AND BALAAM…

We will explain a little about the New Covenant, because with the leaders’ behavior described above, in reality they, knowingly or unknowingly, have led disciples astray and diverted them from the New Covenant that was ratified by the blood of Jesus and sealed by the Holy Spirit… Let us look at Hebrews 8:8-13. There are at least three points here, all of which are inward. First, the written Law (Torah) will be written by the Spirit into the hearts of believers. Second, knowing the Lord inwardly. Third, the forgiveness of sins in the true sense, not the symbolic one practiced in the Old Covenant with the blood of animal sacrifices. So, the New Covenant is inward… the first to come (OT) was natural, and then came the inward (NT)…

I once heard a sermon on the “COVENANT OF BLESSINGS,” which I believe is widely preached in church buildings, perhaps with slight modifications… At least seven points were presented there, with the fifth point being about tithing… The preacher called this the Covenant of Blessings… But clearly it is NOT the Old Covenant, and NOT the New Covenant either… This is more like a MIXED-UP COVENANT, a PATCHWORK COVENANT… not for Israel, nor for the Church… What happens if the congregation continuously listens to such a PATCHWORK COVENANT? What will the result be?

Let us return to our main concern. How should leaders build the congregation so that they WORSHIP ACCORDING TO THE TEACHING OF JESUS… Worship in spirit and in truth… What is the solution? The Father Himself has already worked out the solution through Covid-19… AT HOME… If leaders hold Online or Live Streaming services, as long as these are to EQUIP the congregation to follow the leading of the living water, that is very good… But if the intention is to DRAW disciples to the leader, especially still demanding their money through transfers and so on, this is behavior controlled by the spirits of NICOLAITANS, JEZEBEL, and BALAAM… but that is up to them… I can only give a reminder as His servant… after all, we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ… There nothing hidden will remain concealed… everything will be revealed… who is a servant of God, and who is a servant of Mammon…

I will close this writing with an expression… AT HOME… Yes, AT HOME… Speaking of the concept of worship… once again… AT HOME…  AMEN.

Leadership of an Organism

By: Irnawan Silitonga

The term leadership in the Indonesian Dictionary (fourth edition) refers to matters concerning a leader and the act of leading, while an organism is defined as a systematic arrangement of various parts of a living body with a specific purpose. As a noun in Biology, an organism is a living being. Thus, the meaning of organism here refers to the arrangement or interrelation between the ‘parts of a living body,’ such as the relationship between feet, hands, and other parts of a living being, in such a way that a certain purpose of the living being is achieved.

To better understand the meaning of organism, it is useful to first understand the term organization. In the same dictionary, organization is defined as a unit or arrangement consisting of parts (i.e., people) in an association for a certain purpose. Another definition of organization in the dictionary is a group of people cooperating to achieve a common goal. Therefore, it is clear that an organization is the interrelation between people within a structure, while an organism is the interrelation between hands and feet within a living being.

The interrelation between people in the context of an organization requires leadership. There needs to be a type of authority that regulates these interrelations. Authority in the organizational context is called the ‘chain of command.’ In an organizational structure, we can see a chain of command connecting one person with another. This chain of command determines who leads whom, and who is accountable to whom. The person at the very top of the organizational structure holds the highest authority.

Likewise, the interrelation between hands and feet in the context of an organism also requires leadership. There must also be a type of authority that regulates the interrelation between hands and feet. Authority in the context of an organism is called life. It is life itself that governs the interrelation between hands and feet. If there is no more life within the being, then there is no longer any authority governing the interrelation of hands and feet, and no movement of hands and feet—meaning death.

Therefore, it is clear that leadership in the context of an organization IS A PERSON (the one at the highest level of the structure), but leadership in the context of an organism IS LIFE. Speaking of leadership in the organizational context means speaking of a person and how that person leads. Meanwhile, speaking of leadership in the context of an organism means speaking of life and how life directs the hands and feet, or other parts of a living body.

We are expected to see this difference clearly before we address church leadership, because if we do not firmly distinguish between organization and organism, we will not understand what church leadership truly is. We may carelessly equate church leadership with corporate leadership. Today, many corporate leaders establish “churches” because they think leading a church is the same as leading a company. Even many so-called servants of God also lead “churches” as though they were companies.

Before closing this writing, we must clearly see that the Bible says THE CHURCH IS A BODY. The church is an organism. Church leadership is the leadership of an organism. If we cannot agree on this, then indeed this simple and short writing need not be continued… it is better to read leadership books written by management experts and apply them to “church leadership.” But if you believe and understand that the church is a body, and that church leadership is the leadership of a body, then perhaps this writing can provide you with some input so that we may build the church as it is now being built by the Lord Jesus.

We have already explained that the authority of an organism is the life of the organism, or the life of the creature itself. And we have understood that the church is an organism. To speak about church leadership is to speak about the authority of the organism, namely life. In the context of an organization, authority belongs to a person, the highest person in that organization’s structure. In the church, however, no one has authority. The authority of the church is life, and only Jesus said, I am the Life. There is not even a term such as delegated authority within the church. In the church THERE IS NO DELEGATED LIFE. Jesus never delegated His life… He gave His life so that EVERYONE WOULD OBEY LIFE. This matter must be clear because church divisions begin with leaders who FEEL they have authority in the church. Neither you nor I have authority over the church—not even delegated authority. The term delegated authority only applies in the context of an organization. Therefore, now we will speak clearly about life, so that every church member who longs to serve the Lord and build the church can do so correctly.

The Bible begins to speak about life in the story/parables of the Garden of Eden. The two trees in the Garden of Eden are two kinds of life: the tree of life represents the life of Christ, and the tree of knowledge represents another kind of life (death) ruled by the devil. To make this clearer, let us examine Genesis 2:17: “...for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”. When Adam ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge, he did not immediately die physically but lived over 900 more years. Why was that? Yet the Bible clearly says, ON THE DAY you eat of it, you will surely die.

The Hebrew term for ‘die’ in that verse is ‘MUT TAMUT’, where ‘MUT’ means die. Therefore, ‘MUT TAMUT’ cannot be translated simply as ‘die’. The actual meaning of ‘mut tamut’ in English is ‘DYING YOU WILL DIE’. ‘Dying’ refers to a CONDITION OF DEATH IN PROCESS. ‘You will die’ means you will eventually experience PHYSICAL DEATH. So ‘MUT TAMUT’ in that verse carries the meaning that when you eat of the tree of knowledge, YOU ARE IN A CONDITION OF DEATH IN PROCESS LEADING TO PHYSICAL DEATH. Thus, on the very day Adam ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge, ADAM ENTERED A CONDITION OF DYING. The Bible uses the term ‘death’ for this condition of dying. So, this dying condition is actually a TYPE OF LIFE, namely a life ruled by the devil (Hebrews 2:14).

This type of life, ruled by the devil and called death by the Bible, is what Adam passed down to all his descendants. This life of death is utterly meaningless. The book of Ecclesiastes explains this kind of life with the phrase ‘under the sun’ or under heaven’, which appears around 52 times. The conclusion of Ecclesiastes is that all is meaningless—whether rich or poor, wise or foolish, and so on. Why meaningless? Because this life of death is ruled by the devil and HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

A person living this life of death may still achieve things and be religious. Religion comes from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because religion teaches people about good and evil. But all of it is meaningless, because it has nothing to do with the life of Christ. That is why Jesus came not to bring a religion—not even the Christian religion—but to bring life, His own life (John 10:10).

We also need to briefly look at the term ‘life’ in the Greek language. The Greek uses three terms to explain life. The first is ‘BIOS’ (this appears in the Gospel of Luke regarding the widow who gave her whole livelihood). ‘BIOS’ is common life. The second is ‘PSUCHE’, or soul-life (the human type of life), from which comes the term psychology. The third is ‘ZOE’. This is the kind of life possessed by the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit. And this is the kind of life that Jesus gives to every believer.

Returning to church authority: the authority of the church is ‘ZOE’. The leadership of the church is the leadership of Zoe. As we emphasized earlier, we do not have authority in the church. Why? Because you and I were born into this world with the life of DEATH, that meaningless life ruled by the devil. When we believe in the Lord, we are given a new life, which is Zoe, and this Zoe grows and will eventually swallow up Death. But we have no authority or right over Zoe. Jesus only gives Zoe, and He does not delegate the authority contained in Zoe. That is why Jesus said, ‘I will build My church’. Only ‘I’, that is, Zoe, can build the church. If that is the case, then why are there leaders in the church? To understand leadership in the church, we will discuss ‘headship’ in the next writing…

It has been previously emphasized that only Jesus, who is the Zoe (Life), can establish and build the Church. Jesus said, I will build My Church. We have also emphasized that leaders within the church (organism) have no authority over God’s people. But why are there leaders in the context of the organism? This is what we will discuss now. To understand this, we need to know the concept of headship, both in the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT).

The use of the term ‘head’ (Hebrew: R’OSH) in the OT carries the meaning of authority or leadership. Let’s look at some examples. Moses appointed heads to lead the tribes of Israel (Deuteronomy 1:5). Jephthah also had military control over the army of Israel (Judges 11:11). In the Hebrew-English Lexicon by Brown, Driver, and Briggs, the term R’OSH is translated as follows: First, literally the physical head of a human or animal. Second, the peak of a mountain or hill. Third, a chief city, high priest, or head of a family. Fourth, in front, as in the position of a leader in war. Fifth, principal, the best.

There is no doubt that in the OT, the term R’OSH (Head) was applied to human leaders. These leaders had authority to regulate and direct their subordinates. In fact, in the OT, a hierarchy of authority also existed. If we compare this with our current situation, then leadership in the OT context was organizational leadership, or institutional leadership.

But in the NT, the matter of leadership is very different. The Greek term KEPHALE, translated as head, has a very different meaning from the word head in the OT. There are about 75 cases where this term appears. In the Gospels, it appears 33 times, 31 of which refer to the human head physically. The other two refer to the cornerstone. In Acts, one of its five occurrences refers to the cornerstone, while the other four refer to the physical human head. There are 12 occurrences in the Epistles, most of which point to Jesus as the head of the Church, or explain the relationship between husband and wife. Not a single instance of the term KEPHALE refers to leaders within the Body of Christ. LEADERS WITHIN THE BODY OR ORGANISM OF THE CHURCH ARE NEVER CALLED THE HEAD. The hierarchy or chain of authority that is so evident in OT leadership DOES NOT EXIST in the NT.

From these facts, it is clearly proven that the Church is a body or organism, and that ONLY JESUS IS CALLED THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. The Church is not an organization, but clearly an organism. When the church is organized and has a head of organization—whatever the title may be, whether senior elder, senior pastor, or shepherd—THAT IS NOT THE CHURCH THAT THE LORD JESUS IS BUILDING TODAY.

The Bible gives a clear name for the “church” where a man (Senior Pastor, Senior Elder, or Shepherd) is its head. Later, we will reach the Book of Revelation, where chapters 17–18 describe it, and we will discuss it as the Bible states.

It has been emphasized in the previous writings that THE LEADERS WITHIN THE BODY OR ORGANISM OF THE CHURCH ARE NEVER CALLED THE HEAD. The hierarchy or levels of authority clearly seen in Old Testament leadership DO NOT EXIST in the New Testament. From these facts it is evident that the church is a body or organism, and that ONLY JESUS IS CALLED THE LEADER, THAT IS, THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. That is why Matthew 23:10 affirms, “Nor are you to be called leaders, for you have one leader, the Messiah.” The church is not an organization, but an organism. When the church is organized and has a head of the organization, or a human leader—whatever the title may be, whether senior elder, shepherd, or pastor—THEN THAT IS NOT THE CHURCH THAT THE LORD JESUS IS BUILDING TODAY.

So then, does the Organism not have human leaders? Now we will discuss human leaders in the context of the Organism, which we call Body Leadership, as opposed to leadership in the context of Organization.

Let us examine Colossians 2:19 and Ephesians 4:16. We will not discuss the whole of these verses, but only compare and connect them through the term ‘growth’ which appears in both verses. Colossians 2:19 says “the growth from God” (Indonesian LAI translation). Actually, Colossians 2:19 uses two Greek terms ‘auxano’ and ‘auxesis’ which LAI translates as ‘the growth from God’. This translation is less accurate because it should be translated as ‘may increase with the increase of God’ (Young’s Literal Translation). This means that the growth of the body IS THE GROWTH OF ELOHIM. In other words, the growth of the church as an Organism is THE GROWTH OF THE LIFE OF ELOHIM. This verse also mentions the function of the ligaments and joints that support and unite. Meanwhile, Ephesians 4:16 emphasizes that “the growth of the body happens because it is joined and held together by every supporting ligament, as each part does its work”. If we compare these two verses, we can conclude that the growth of the church as an Organism is the growth of the Life of Elohim, where the leaders (‘ligaments and joints’) function to support and unite the body.   

What we have discussed above is about Body Leadership. We see here that the leaders (ligaments and joints) MUST ABSOLUTELY MOVE AND FUNCTION ACCORDING TO THE AUTHORITY OF LIFE. In the context of the Body, it is impossible for ligaments and joints to act independently and damage the body. Thus, the leaders of the Organism are entirely under the authority of life and have no authority whatsoever over the body or its members. Leaders in the context of the Organism can only EQUIP and SERVE the Body. If a leader does not obey the authority of Life, then he himself is cut off and separated from Life, while the Body remains unaffected. Why? Because the growth of the Body IS DETERMINED ONLY BY THE GROWTH OF LIFE.

Have you seen the true existence of the leaders of the Organism? First, they have no authority because authority remains in Life. Second, they can only equip and serve the Body as true servants. Third, they cannot control the Body, let alone take material gain from it. If we exist in the condition and reality of leadership in the context of the Organism, then we too will behave as described above. If there are leaders who behave as though they have the right to control, to take advantage, and so forth, this proves that they are not in the context of the Organism.   

In the following writings, we will explain these Organism leaders further by comparing them with leaders in the context of Organization.

We have seen that the leaders of the organism (Body leadership), who in Colossians 2:19 are called ligaments and joints, are entirely dependent on the Life of Christ. That is why the advice for leaders in the New Testament is focused on character building that results from the growth of Life. Paul’s advice to Timothy, Titus, and other passages in the New Testament that touch on leadership all focus on building Christ’s character in the leaders themselves. The emphasis for leaders in the context of the Body is example. Example in devotion, sacrifice, bearing the cross, following the Lord, denying oneself, and being a servant in the true sense—not having authority or taking any advantage over other members of the Body. This is not surprising, since the growth of the Church or the Body is absolutely determined by the growth of Life. Therefore, the role of leaders is to be AN EXAMPLE AND MODEL IN FOLLOWING THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

To identify these Body leaders more clearly, we will try to compare Body leadership with Organizational leadership in the Christian world today. This is necessary because no one can recognize something without recognizing its opposite. One would not know what sweetness is without knowing bitterness, or what it feels like to be healthy without ever being sick… and so on. The Bible, especially the book of Revelation, also describes two women (Revelation 12 and Revelation 17) as symbols of the church, so that we can recognize and also know where we stand today in following the Lord.

Let us first look at Revelation 17:3, “... I saw a woman SITTING on a BEAST...” We already know that the Book of Revelation is a book that speaks of Jesus Christ and His church in symbolic language (Revelation 1:1). We have discussed this before, so we will not repeat it here. The beast in Revelation represents HUMAN GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEMS. Thus, the woman sitting on the beast represents a church supported by human governmental systems. We also know that Organization is the tool used by leaders to rule. Leaders who use Organization as a tool do so because they WANT TO CONTROL AND RULE GOD’S PEOPLE. They say that the church is an organism THAT NEEDS TO BE ORGANIZED.

We already know that the leaders of the organism (joints and ligaments in the Body) HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO CONTROL OR RULE GOD’S PEOPLE. The Body leaders can only BE AN EXAMPLE and TAKE NOTHING FROM GOD’S PEOPLE. Do these organism leaders not have the right to receive material blessings from God’s people? Of course, they do, because the Bible says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain”. But these Body leaders do not use human governmental systems, with organization as the tool, to take money from God’s people.

There is testimony from a certain leader that his ministry has successfully drawn hundreds of billions of rupiah from God’s people. Such a testimony is very foreign to Body leaders, because there is no example of it in the New Testament, even though in fallen Christianity such testimony is considered PROOF OF GOD’S ABUNDANT BLESSING. Foreign to Body leaders does not mean we do not understand why he could draw hundreds of billions from God’s people. Clearly, he can draw such enormous sums because HIS MINISTRY IS SUPPORTED BY HUMAN GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEMS, as we see in Revelation 17:3 above. We say this not because we envy that our ministry cannot draw hundreds of billions from God’s people. The leaders of the Organism long to follow the example of the Lord Jesus as the Head of the Church, and if the Lord wills, we are ready to die as martyrs for Him. But we say this so that God’s people may identify and distinguish between the church of Revelation 12 and the church of Revelation 17.

The following writings will continue comparing the church of Revelation 12 and the church of Revelation 17 so that God’s people may be clearer in following the Lord...

To be able to see and understand the difference between the leadership of an organism and the leadership of an organization, and how deep this difference is, we will examine Matthew 7:21-23. But before that, let us look at these facts within Christianity. Many people do not realize how serious the consequences are of organizing the church, which is actually an organism. They do not see the spirit behind all of this, nor do they see what the Bible reveals about it. The teachings of theologians that have been accepted without question regarding the Visible Church (the visible church = the countless denominations or church organizations) and the Invisible Church (all the true children of God) have further blinded God’s people to the seriousness of this issue. God’s people have become accustomed to calling a denomination a church.

We have already affirmed that the symbol of the woman in the Book of Revelation points to the church. Because Adam is a symbol/figure of Christ and Eve naturally represents the church (Romans 5:14), and in Revelation 17:5 it is said concerning the name or identity of this woman that it is a mystery. The mystery referred to in the Bible is something HIDDEN or not visible to the majority. But for those who have received revelation, like the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos, for them this woman is no longer a secret or a mystery. Hopefully, in the days leading up to the Lord’s coming, many of God’s people will see as the Apostle John saw.

Now let us examine Matthew 7:21-23. Here the Lord Jesus frankly rejects those who “prophesy in the Lord’s name, cast out demons in the Lord’s name, and perform many miracles in the Lord’s name.” The Lord does not deny their claims or confessions. But the Lord emphasizes that they are workers of iniquity (verse 23). The Greek term ANOMIA, which the Indonesian Bible translates as “workers of iniquity,” means “lawlessness.” We know that the law of the church is the law of Life. The authority of the church is the authority of Life, and this authority of Life only applies when the church is not organized. Once the church is organized, the head of the church becomes the head of that organization. The authority of the church then becomes human authority, as the head of the organization. This does NOT FOLLOW THE LAW OF LIFE. If the law of Life is followed, it means that Jesus, as the head of the church, governs the ENTIRE BODY through His Life.

The term ‘anomia’ is used in 1 John 3:4, “…for sin is ANOMIA against God”. A TRANSGRESSION OF GOD’S LAW. What is God’s law? It is the LAW OF LIFE. Because Elohim is Life. How serious it is to transgress this law of Life. By organizing the church, it means rejecting the authority of Life and replacing it with a human leader as the head of that organization. We can surmise that the people mentioned in Matthew 7:21-23 are leaders. Well-known individuals, because their ministry involves prophesying in the name of the Lord, casting out demons, and performing many miracles—all of which would naturally attract the attention of God’s people.

Have you seen the difference between leaders of the organism and leaders of the organization? Sooner or later the difference will surely become evident, because Jesus will frankly reveal it at the judgment seat of Christ. But how much better it would be if God’s people recognized it now so that they can take the right steps. Hopefully…

This time we will look at the form of organism leadership and the form of organizational leadership. We will revisit the woman in the book of Revelation chapters 12 and 17. Let us first look at the woman in Revelation chapter 17.

Revelation 17:18 affirms, “And the woman whom you saw is the GREAT CITY, which reigns over the kings of the earth”. Who is this great city? Revelation 18:2 explains to us that this great city is BABYLON. Thus, it is clear that the woman in chapter 17 is Babylon. Here, the woman as a symbol of the church is called Babylon.

Let us examine Genesis chapters 10 and 11 to see who founded this city of Babylon. We will see that Nimrod was the first person to have authority on earth (Genesis 10:8). Many people assume that Nimrod was someone who served and lived BEFORE the Lord (Gen. 10:9). But we know that Strong’s Concordance reveals the fact that the Hebrew term translated as BEFORE (verse 9) has very diverse meanings. In Gen. 10:9, as in Num. 16:2, the Hebrew word translated BEFORE also has the literal meaning of REBELLION. And in the Jewish Encyclopedia, the name Nimrod means ‘he who makes everyone rebel against God’. The ILT (Indonesian Literal Translation) Bible provides a footnote for the translation BEFORE, which is “STIFFLY AGAINST.” Thus, it can be concluded that Nimrod was someone who rebelled and stood stiffly against God, and Nimrod established his own kingdom, one of which was Babylon.

Nimrod was the first leader to have power on this earth. And he rebelled against God by establishing his own kingdom. One of Nimrod’s goals was to MAKE A NAME (Gen. 11:4). Everything we discussed about Babylon as a city founded by Nimrod is historical fact. But Babylon in the book of Revelation becomes a symbol of the church. From this we can understand that the leader of the church in Revelation 17 is a Nimrod. For now, let us keep in mind our understanding of Nimrod as a church leader of Revelation 17, who rebelled against God, built his own kingdom, and had the goal of making a name.

Now we will look at the form of church leadership symbolized by Revelation chapter 12. This woman wears a crown of twelve stars on her head (verse 1). The number 12 in the Bible speaks of leadership. A crown also speaks of leadership. Stars in the book of Revelation symbolize the children of Elohim. The form of leadership here is a team that is egalitarian (equal). Not a single star is greater than the others. All the stars are arranged in such a way as to form leadership, a crown that leads this woman. Thus, this woman is led by a team leadership of the children of Elohim.

Back to our issue. Organism leadership is the leadership of the woman of Revelation 12, while Organizational leadership is the leadership of Revelation 17. One is singular, the other is plural and equal. There are many comparisons we could make between these two forms of leadership, but for now let us try to go straight in and see practically in the world of Christianity.

If you worship in a certain building, it may not take long to find the “Nimrod” there. He is the one who has power there. He is the one who makes and designs the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, just like the work of a manager. Perhaps all the assets of that community belong to him. In fact, that kingdom truly belongs to him and his family. This does not necessarily mean that this “Nimrod” is an evil person before men, but we are speaking of matters before God and His Word. He who has ears… let him hear.

We have already seen a glimpse of how church leadership is symbolized by the woman in Revelation 17, namely the “leadership of Nimrod.” Now we will look further into what motivations were within Nimrod himself. Why we need to examine this is because God sees the heart. God sees what is inside the human being. Of course, God also judges the deeds of man, since each person will be judged according to his deeds. But the value of those deeds is determined by the condition of a person’s heart.

Let us look at an example of how God judged Moses’ actions. When the Israelites worshiped the golden calf, Moses became so angry that he threw down and broke the two tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were written. Yet God did not condemn Moses for this. However, when Moses struck the rock so that water came out and the Israelites could drink, God became angry with Moses and did not allow him to enter the land of Canaan. The Bible records that the Israelites embittered Moses’ heart so that he spoke rashly. Moses’ bitter heart caused him to be careless in his words, and God considered him guilty for not honoring His holiness. Here we see that the condition of a person’s heart greatly determines how God evaluates both their deeds and their words.

Before we look into Nimrod’s heart, let us examine a case where James and John became so angry when Jesus was not received by the Samaritans on His way to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–56). James and John asked if Jesus wanted them to call down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans. But Jesus rebuked them and said, “…Ye have not known OF WHAT SPIRIT YE ARE” (Young’s Literal). James and John did not realize that they were being influenced by a spirit that was not the Spirit of God, which caused them to speak that way.

Now back to Nimrod’s heart. From Genesis 10–11, we know that Nimrod’s actions in building his own kingdom were motivated by his desire to make a name for himself. But if we compare this with Nebuchadnezzar’s pride when he also built Babylon (Daniel 4:30), then in fact the deepest motivation of Nimrod was pride. It was this spirit of pride that motivated Nimrod to build his own kingdom.

The problem is not as simple as we might think. The motivation of pride is often so deeply hidden that even we ourselves do not realize it. If the light of God were to shine into the deepest part of our hearts… perhaps we would be shocked to discover that much of our diligence, persistence, and zeal actually springs from this spirit of pride…

That is why for us who are called to serve the Lord and long to build the Body of Christ, we must allow ourselves to be shaped by God. We need to learn much and go through God’s process… We need many clashes, conflicts, sufferings, and hardships before we can truly build the church as an organism… If we are not sufficiently broken by God, perhaps this spirit of Nimrod dominates our every step, and in the end, we may only be building our own kingdom… May it be the Life of Christ that motivates us and not the spirit of Nimrod…

We will use two terms to try to compare the leadership of the Organism and the leadership of the Organization. These two terms are essence and expression. According to the Indonesian Dictionary, essence means the nature, core, or main point. Meanwhile, expression means the act of revealing or the process of stating. What is stated can be feelings, ideas, or other things.

What, then, is the true nature, core, or main point in the leadership of the organism and the organization? We will be helped by two Bible verses to clarify this matter. First, Acts 20:30, “Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” Second, Ephesians 4:11-12, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” These two verses speak about leadership with two very different results. The first kind of leadership produces division in the Body, while the second builds up the Body of Christ. The essence, the core, or the main point of the first type of leadership, which tears apart the Body, is DRAWING DISCIPLES TO FOLLOW THE LEADER. Meanwhile, the essence, the core, or the main point of the second type of leadership, which builds the Body of Christ, is EQUIPPING. This is the difference in their essence.

The leadership that DRAWS DISCIPLES is organizational leadership, while the leadership that EQUIPS THE SAINTS is organism leadership. If organizational leaders read an explanation like this, they would certainly deny it. But let us look at the issue with a clear mind.

Isn’t it undeniable that the thousands of church organizations are divisions? Whatever reasons people give to justify the existence of these thousands of organizations, the Bible and church history prove that these thousands of organizations or denominations ARE CHURCH DIVISIONS. If one or several leaders establish a church organization, isn’t the purpose to gather disciples into that “organizational container”? And if the disciples have already entered that “container,” then other organizations are expected not to draw those disciples into their own “organizational containers.” Although in reality, what is called church growth, according to a survey, is half nothing more than the transfer of disciples from one “organizational container” to another…

Speaking about drawing disciples into an organizational container can be extended to drawing money from the disciples for the development of that organization. False teachings such as tithing, firstfruits, and other money-related practices must be carried out for the survival of the organization. Why do we say these are false teachings? Because tithing and firstfruits were indeed original teachings for the people of Israel under the Old Covenant. But these teachings were falsified when they were applied in the context of the New Covenant. Thus is fulfilled what Acts 20:30 says above. Drawing disciples and drawing money from disciples are marks of organizational leadership, even though of course there are a few organizations funded by the leader himself due to his wealth… but this is the exception.

Let us now look at the essence of organism leadership, which is equipping. The leaders of the organism do not draw disciples to themselves, much less draw money from them for the growth of their ministry. The leaders of the organism live from “Elijah’s table” and not from “Jezebel’s table,” as we explained previously. The Covid-19 pandemic did not affect the ministry of organism leaders at all. For leaders whose ministry was disrupted and even declined because of Covid-19, this clearly proves that they are within the context of an organization.

As for the expression of organizational leadership and organism leadership, we will explain further…

We have briefly discussed the essence of organismic leadership and organizational leadership. The essence of organizational leadership is drawing disciples to the leaders (Acts 20:30). Meanwhile, the essence of organismic leadership is equipping the saints (Ephesians 4:12). This does not mean that organizational leaders do not equip the saints, but there is an action of drawing disciples to the leaders that has caused church divisions into thousands of denominations, and this action by the leaders cannot simply be ignored. In fact, the Bible says

that this action is caused by fierce wolves attacking the Body of Christ. Therefore, even though these denominational leaders equip the disciples, it must be said that they do so WITHIN THE CONTEXT of drawing disciples into their organizations.

This is different from organismic leaders. These leaders are truly aware that they are merely joints and ligaments in the Body, fully obedient to the authority of Life. Through the process of God’s breaking, these leaders no longer have the “Nimrod power” to draw disciples to themselves. All they can do is equip the disciples, nothing more than that. They can only learn to be examples for the disciples in following the flow of Life.

Now we will talk about the expression of organizational and organismic leadership. By expression, I mean the manifestation or the process of revealing an essence. Essence is something that is often not easy to see or recognize. Only after it is expressed or revealed can the essence be detected.

What is the expression of organizational leadership? I would explain it with one term: PERFORMANCE. Why performance? Because its essence is drawing disciples, Christianity—and even worship—has become a performance. The stage of the Christian world is full of performances. All these performances exist because their essence is to draw disciples.

Let us discuss the average Sunday pulpits in the Christian world. In general, sermons have become something pleasant to hear. Messages about bearing the cross, denying oneself, the breaking of the flesh, and choosing the Father’s will regardless of the consequences have become rare. These pulpits have become performances. Isn’t a performance supposed to be something that pleases people?

Furthermore, people must also pay to see a performance. Without hesitation, a famous preacher once said that if you eat at a restaurant, of course you have to pay. Likewise, “watching at church” must also be paid for, in the building where you are watching that performance.

Not to mention when we talk about worship and praise to God. Everything is arranged in such a way that praise becomes something attractive. The buildings in the Christian world with their complete stages are not without essence. There is an essence behind all these performances… and that essence is drawing disciples.

Through Covid-19, these performances in the Christian world were forced to stop. The Father in Heaven designed all this so that the Lord’s disciples would pause and reflect at home… Because at home it is impossible to have a performance, it is hoped that the Lord’s disciples can understand the true meaning of worship, following the Lord, being the church… and so on.

Today we will talk about sorcery in the church. Let us look at Revelation 18:23, “…by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.” Young’s Literal translates the term ‘deceived’ as ‘led astray’. ‘Astray’ here means ‘to go in the wrong direction’ or ‘to have the wrong result’. So, ‘led astray’ means being LED in the wrong direction and producing the wrong outcome as well. This verse is speaking about leadership, but leadership that causes those being led to go in a deviant (wrong) direction.

This verse also emphasizes that deviant leadership is related to sorcery. This means that the deviation in leadership is caused by the leader using sorcery, whether consciously or unconsciously. The Greek term for sorcery here is PHARMAKEIA, whose other occurrence is only in Galatians 5:20. The term ‘Pharmakeia’ comes from ‘Pharmakeus’, which means ‘Medication’ (pharmacy). Strong’s defines it as ‘the use of medicine, drugs, or spells.’ One of the meanings of ‘spells’ here is ‘words that are thought to have magic power’ or ‘a quality that a person has that makes him/her so attractive.’ So, ‘Pharmakeus’ meaning Medication is the use of drugs in such a way that a person is made to “fly” or not fully conscious, thus making the one speaking to them appear very attractive.

The context of Revelation 18:23 is the symbol of the woman (the church of Revelation 17) that we have discussed a lot. The leadership of the woman in Revelation 17 is very attractive, and makes many people follow her. It is said that this woman sits on “many waters,” where water is a symbol of many people (Revelation 17:15). So, through the leadership of the woman in Revelation 17, many of God’s people are drawn and follow her, as if under sorcery or like drinking a drug that makes them not fully conscious.

Why are many of God’s people drawn and bewitched by the leadership of the woman in Revelation 17? According to the Epistle of Jude, these false teachers, “…turn the grace of our God into licentiousness…” (verse 4, ILT version). This means, these leaders teach about the GRACE OF GOD but direct it toward CARNAL MATTERS. Even when quoting very spiritual verses, they direct them toward the physical. For example, a verse they often quote, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). They say this abundance means abundance in spiritual life, physical life, health, prosperity, being free from problems, disasters, and so on. But this verse is about Life (Zoe life), where the abundance of Zoe means the abundance of knowing God (John 17:3), the abundance of understanding and obeying His commands (John 12:50). The abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, and so on—the fruits of the Spirit, because the fruits of the Spirit are contained within Zoe Life. John 10:10 is not at all speaking about physical matters. And that is just one verse. What about verses about tithing, firstfruits, wealth through sowing, and so on? Every verse is used by the woman of Revelation 17 and DIRECTED TOWARD THE PHYSICAL.

Who wouldn’t be attracted if the preaching says that following God will make you rich, successful, prosperous, free from problems, free from sickness, the head and not the tail, and so on? Many of God’s people are not aware that they HAVE BEEN BEWITCHED. God’s people are “flying” and no longer fully conscious. If the Lord Jesus is insulted, they remain calm…but if their pastor is criticized…they immediately attack with verses, especially the verse “DO NOT JUDGE.” God’s people who defend their pastors WITHOUT COMMON SENSE clearly show the sign of being “unconscious” and already bewitched…

What about organism leadership? Yes…they also have a “sorcery power,” but the “sorcery power” of Life, making people long for the Life of Christ…making people willing to suffer as long as they grow in Life…willing to be misunderstood as long as Life abounds…

Today we will talk about the judgment of the Church. First, we must understand that everything that happens in this universe is within the arrangement of the Father. Not a single event occurs without the decision of the Father. The Bible affirms that even a bird falling to the ground does not happen outside the Father’s will (Matthew 10:29). Whoever causes the bird to fall—whether it is shot by a hunter, whether it deliberately drops itself, or whether it dies of old age—whatever the cause, clearly NO BIRD WILL FALL WITHOUT THE FATHER’S WILL. I do not like to play around with terms such as the Father’s PERMISSION, the Father’s WILL, or other such terms, but I am speaking of the ARRANGEMENT and SOVEREIGNTY of the FATHER over this universe.

Why do I need to emphasize the Father’s sovereignty? Because I want to affirm that the occurrence of Covid-19 IS THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE FATHER BASED ON HIS SOVEREIGNTY. I also do not like to talk about conspiracy theories or associate certain names with Covid-19. For believers, such matters are of no importance at all. What matters for us is WHAT COVID-19 MEANS FOR THE CHURCH. What is the Father’s purpose with Covid-19?

Let us look at Isaiah 26:9, which says, “…for when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.” It cannot be denied that the people of the earth have learned what is right through Covid-19; therefore, Covid-19 is the FATHER’S JUDGMENT UPON THE EARTH. Throughout the Bible, His coming to judge is also spoken of. The important question for us is: whom does the Father want to judge first? The Bible is also clear on this matter—that the Church, His people, are to be judged first (1 Peter 4:17). I appreciate Watchman Nee’s explanation that the Father in heaven does not have much time to judge everyone right now. He only has time for His children.

Now we move into the theme or topic of our discussion. We have repeatedly explained about the church symbolized by the woman in Revelation chapter 12 and the woman in chapter 17. Now we are speaking about the woman in chapter 17. Revelation 18:10 says, “…Woe! Woe to you, great city, mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your judgment has come.” Who is this great city, Babylon? The Bible itself answers in Revelation 17:18, “The woman you saw is the great city…” Therefore, the woman of Revelation 17 IS the great city of Babylon.

There are many reasons why the woman of Revelation 17 faces the Father’s judgment. For now, let us examine the term GREAT, which characterizes this woman of Revelation 17. If Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, is the HOLY city, then the woman of Revelation 17 is the GREAT city—or we might even say MEGA.

Indeed, the spirit of the woman of Revelation 17 is to be GREAT, regardless of whether it is HOLY or not. GREAT refers to material matters, while HOLY refers to spiritual matters. When we hear sermons that use the grace of God but are directed toward material things, these are characteristics of sermons of the woman in Revelation 17. Teachings that are self-serving, that

seek to please the ears of the masses, that motivate believers to succeed materially, that emphasize tithes, firstfruits for the NEW COVENANT believers—all of these are marks of the woman of Revelation 17 who desires to be GREAT…but instead, they bring about the FATHER’S JUDGMENT. Through Covid-19, this spirit of becoming GREAT has been weakened to the point where “the former glory” will never rise again… (Revelation 18:21).

Yet we must realize that the Father’s judgment is an expression of His love, because through this judgment the woman of Revelation 17 LEARNS WHAT IS RIGHT, just as Isaiah 26:9 says.

Today we will talk about trade inside the church. Trade only exists in the church symbolized by the woman in Revelation 17. The woman in Revelation chapter 12 does not trade. The leadership of the organism does not engage in trade within their ministry.

We will look at what the woman in Revelation 17 trades. Let’s read Revelation 18:12–13, “merchandise of gold… and even human lives.” All the merchandise listed in these verses is symbolic because the book of Revelation uses symbolic language. Gold is a symbol of God’s nature, the gifts of the Spirit, everything related to God’s characteristics, while human lives symbolize all human strengths contained within the soul. Human strengths in knowledge, eloquence, singing, playing music, and so on… All of these are traded by the Woman of Revelation 17.

We all know that the purpose of trade is to seek profit. No one trades to suffer loss. So the leadership of the woman in Revelation 17 aims to profit from her ministry. The profit here comes in the form of material things and also human glory, praise, and honor. The Pharisees and Sadducees in the time of the Lord Jesus did all these things. They traded in the Temple. And we know how the Lord Jesus reacted to all this. If the Lord Jesus were to come physically to the church buildings today, how do you think He would react? And how would He react if He came into homes and saw families worshiping together? I am sure you already know the answer…

Covid-19 is His reaction and judgment against trading in the Temple. But let us not be too quick to assume that the woman of Revelation 17 will repent. The sickness of trading in the Temple can only be healed if His servants are broken and processed in such a way that they grow into fathers. No father trades and seeks profit from his own children. A father sacrifices for his children. If a father is gathered with his children, and suddenly a lion comes to attack… then a father will not hesitate to strike the lion and fight to the last drop of blood for his children. But a hired hand who seeks profit… when the wolf comes… he flees, leaving the sheep behind to save himself.

The father we mean here is not about gender. Mother Teresa was a father to those she served, because she was ready to die for the poor she ministered to in India. In her ministry, Mother Teresa did not seek profit. Paul was also a father, because he was poor but enriched many of those he served.

I once wrote about being a Father and a Manager. Let me quote it so we can see whether today’s pastors or church leaders resemble more a Father or a Manager…

I long to share with you about fathers and managers. What is meant by father and manager is both are leaders, but they lead in different contexts. A father is a leader in the context of family, while a manager is a leader in the context of an organization. A father leads his children, while a manager leads his subordinates.

In many ways, what a father does and what a manager does are almost the same. Just as a manager makes plans, a father also makes plans for his children. A manager organizes, likewise a father sets tasks and responsibilities, though not as complex as a manager, and assigns them to his children so the family’s goals can be achieved. A manager exercises leadership, likewise a father motivates, directs, and encourages his children toward the established goals. A manager carries out supervision, likewise a father watches over his children to prevent deviation. At first glance, father and manager look similar.

But in reality, father and manager are very different. This difference lies in the fact that a father has a blood relationship with those he leads, while a manager has an organizational relationship with those he leads. This difference also causes the authority they each possess to be very different. A father has authority over his children solely because of the blood relationship, while a manager has authority over subordinates because of his position within the organization.

Now I am ready to address the core issue. Should the church leader be a father or a manager? Is the relationship between church members and their leader one of the blood of Christ or one of organization? Could the church have a leader who is both a manager and a father? Is the church an organization or an organism? Is the church an organism that needs to be organized? Can an organism be organized, like we organize hands, feet, eyes, ears, and other members of the body? Is the church the Body of Christ or a body in the organizational sense? Is the church a family or a “big family” institution?

For some people, the questions above are not very important, because they have no impact on their lives and ministry. But for others, the questions above mean everything. Here I want to share my conviction with my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ. I am simply sharing it as an input for you. For me, the church is an organism that cannot be organized. For me, the church is a family in the truest sense, not a “big family” institution. For me, the church is a Body, not an Organization. For me, fellow church members have a relationship because of the blood/life of Christ, not because of an organization. For me, the church needs the leadership of a father, not a manager. For me, a manager cannot become a father in the church, because they belong to different realms. This is my conviction, beloved.

I believe that today God’s people desperately need fathers, not managers. God’s people need father-child relationships, not manager-subordinate relationships. A father-child relationship is a blood relationship, a relationship through the Life of Christ. God’s people need the warmth of fellowship, not more projects planned by managers. God’s people need to know the true family, which is God, not a “big family” institution.

Will we grow to become a father or a manager? For me, this is a very important question.

Yes… in essence, a Father will never trade in the church…

Today we will talk about church leadership symbolized by a woman (the symbol of the church) in the Book of Revelation chapter 12, which we call the leadership of the organism. Let us look at Revelation 12:1, “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” As we know, the book of Revelation uses symbolic language, so the sun, moon, and stars are also symbols.

Let us start with the symbol of the sun. Whom does this sun represent? Malachi 4:2 says, “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings…” The sun of righteousness here clearly refers to Christ, the True Sun. Thus, the sun is a symbol of Christ Himself.

The woman in Revelation 12 is said to be clothed with the sun, meaning this woman is so close to the sun that she is “FILLED” with it. Again, we are speaking symbolically, because no physical woman could be close to the sun, whose surface temperature is 5500 degrees Celsius. So, a woman clothed with the sun symbolizes the church filled with and entirely permeated by Christ.

Now, what about the moon? We know that the sun has energy of its own because of nuclear reactions within its core. These reactions allow the sun to radiate light and heat that give life to the earth. The moon, however, does not emit its own light or heat. The moonlight we see at night is actually reflected sunlight. Thus, the moon’s light is only a reflection of the sun’s light.

So, what is the “reflection” of Christ? The “reflection” of Christ is the Law of Moses. Hebrews 10:1 states, “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves…” The reality of salvation is Christ, while the law is only a shadow.

The woman we are discussing here is not only clothed with the sun, but also standing with the moon under her feet. This means the church here lives in the reality (essence) of Christ and no longer under the law, including the rules of tithing, firstfruits, and other outward, physical ordinances. This church’s worship has entered into the essence, namely following Christ’s leading inwardly, not following organizational rules, liturgies, building regulations, and the like.

An important question for us now, which is our main point, is: why is this woman/church able to live in the essence of Christ, and not in the shadow of the law? This is because the leadership of this church is the leadership of the “stars” (the crown of twelve stars is a symbol of leadership). Stars are essentially also suns, but they are so far away from the earth that they appear small and not as bright as our sun.

Now, let us look at the church organizations we commonly see today. Why are tithes, firstfruits, and other types of offerings always emphasized by their leaders? Why do their sermons generally always end up focused on material blessings? Concepts of success, the coming of the Lord, being blessed by God, church growth, worship—all these almost always lead to outward, physical, and even worldly matters. This is because their leaders themselves do not live in the essence of Christ.

This is different from the leadership of the organism. They are satisfied with Christ. For them, serving is an expression of their satisfaction in Christ. Their teaching is inward and spiritual. They are not seeking money, human glory, or human honor… for if they do, they are not truly servants of Christ…

We will conclude this short writing by explaining the outcome of organizational leadership and organism leadership. We already know that these two kinds of leadership are symbolized by the two women in the Book of Revelation chapter 12 and chapter 17.

Let us first look at the result of organism leadership in chapter 12:5, “She gave birth to a male child, who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron…” The Indonesian Bible translation (LAI) capitalizes the word “Child” in this verse, thus leading to the interpretation that this male child is the Lord Jesus Christ and that this woman is, of course, Mary. But such an understanding confuses the very nature of the Book of Revelation as prophecy. The Book of Revelation reveals about the Lord Jesus Christ and what will happen to His church. Revelation 1:1 emphasizes, “…what must soon take place…” The Book of Revelation does not tell about what has already happened. Therefore, it is clear that this male child does not refer to the Lord Jesus Christ.

If so, who then is this male child? It is affirmed that this male child will rule all nations with a rod of iron. If we look at the overcomers in chapter 2:26–27, “To the one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron…” The overcomers from the seven churches, who had fallen to the teachings of Balaam, Nicholas, and Jezebel, will receive the reward to reign in the age after this present age ends. Therefore, we can be sure that this male child represents the overcomers throughout this age. These overcomers will be rewarded in the coming age to reign together with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We see that the result of the leadership of the woman in Revelation 12 is THE OVERCOMERS. The leadership of the woman in Revelation 12 is the leadership of the ‘Star’ as we have previously discussed. It is a leadership that brings the woman of Revelation 12 to live in the realm of ESSENCE, the realm of REALITY, the realm of ‘HEAVEN’, as written in chapter 12:1. Heaven here means the spiritual realm, a realm of higher dimension. The gathering of the woman of Revelation 12 is also a gathering in the higher realm, as has been explained earlier regarding ‘episunagoge’ in Hebrews 10:25 (‘Epi’ = higher, ‘Sunagoge’ = gathering). The worship of this woman is no longer about “on this mountain” or “on that mountain”, because this woman has worshiped in spirit and in truth (John 4). The woman of Revelation 12 is NOT ENSLAVED by the rules of tithes, first fruits, and other organizational regulations, because by this leadership of the “Star,” she has trampled the “Moon.”

However, we must understand that the woman of Revelation 12 cannot be easily seen by physical eyes, because she is in “Heaven” (12:1). Only those who live in the spirit can see this woman. This is different from the woman of Revelation 17, who sits upon many waters, where “waters” symbolize many people (17:15). The leadership of Revelation 17 is very enchanting, or more precisely, highly seductive, as we have already discussed. But the outcome of the leadership of the woman of Revelation 17 is THE JUDGMENT OF GOD. The judgment of God is such that this woman of Revelation 17 will never rise again.

In conclusion, we must take heed of Revelation 18:4 which says, “…Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, and so that you will not receive any of her plagues” The victorious saints will surely flee from the leadership of the woman of Revelation 17… Hallelujah

Where Do Christian Religious Rules Come From and What Is Their Purpose?

By: Irnawan Silitonga

It seems we should begin by explaining the title above. The Christian religious rules in question refer to requirements such as attending church on Sundays in a specific building, performing certain rituals, paying certain amounts of money—whether called tithes, firstfruits, or faith pledges—as well as doing other things according to the regulations set by that denominational building. We call these rules “religious rules.”

It should also be explained that I am a Christian, meaning a ‘follower of Christ’. By ‘follower of Christ’, I mean someone who follows the guidance of Christ within my heart, and I do not follow any religious rules in Christianity unless Christ Himself leads me inwardly to do so. Of course, my ID card states my religion as Christianity, because the government requires that one’s ID must list a specific religion. I obey Romans 13 in this matter.

When speaking about the ‘purpose’ for which these Christian religious rules were made, we need to understand that these rules were created by Christian religious leaders. Thus, the meaning of ‘purpose’ in the title refers to the motivation of these Christian leaders in making such religious regulations. I should also explain that I am not a Christian religious leader. I hold no position, receive no salary of any kind, in the world of Christianity. We worship as a family of five, following Christ’s leading every day, because we have three children. So, worship happens at home.

Regarding the phrase ‘where do Christian religious rules come from’, it should be emphasized that I do not recognize any Christian tradition unless it aligns with what is written in the Bible. In other words, I only refer to what the Bible says. This must be made clear, because when it comes to the requirement of Sunday worship, some leaders connect it with Orthodox Church customs, the Catholic Church, or other traditions as justification. Our only question is: did the early church, as recorded in the Book of Acts, sanctify Sunday as their gathering day? And is there any command or regulation in the New Testament to sanctify Sunday? This brief writing upholds the innocence of the Bible. The Bible is without error in its original text, although we need to use textual criticism to find the earliest possible form of the text.

Perhaps we should begin by defining what ‘religion’ is according to the Bible. Let us look at Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve fell into sin by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they realized/knew that they were naked, and thus they felt ashamed. They regarded nakedness as something ‘evil’ and shameful. This was the result of eating from that tree—they gained knowledge they did not previously have.

In truth, being naked was neither ‘evil’ nor something to be ashamed of, for God had placed Adam and Eve naked in the Garden of Eden. But God placed them there without knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:22). The problem for Adam and Eve came when they acquired that knowledge. As long as they did not have the knowledge of good and evil, their nakedness was not an issue and did not cause shame. The glory of Elohim ‘covered’ them so they felt no shame. Sin caused them to lose the glory of Elohim, and they became ashamed of their nakedness, for sin causes mankind to fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

Because of their shame, Adam and Eve made an effort of their own: sewing fig leaves together to cover their nakedness. This attempt to cover themselves was the first religious effort made by mankind. From then on, all the descendants of Adam and Eve would create religious efforts according to their own knowledge of good and evil. Therefore, the definition of religion according to the Bible is: mankind’s effort to cover its nakedness because of losing the glory of Elohim due to sin. Every nation, tribe, or race has the tendency to be religious, and this tendency exists because mankind has eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Atheism is also a religion—namely, a religion without God.

We continue our discussion about ‘religion’ and examine whether Christianity has become a ‘religion’. We have discussed that religion is humanity’s attempt to cover its nakedness due to losing the glory of God because of sin. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden tried to cover their nakedness by sewing fig leaves together and making loincloths. This was their way, based on their knowledge of good and evil, to cover their shame from losing the glory of God.

But God was not pleased with Adam and Eve’s way. Genesis 3:21 states, “And YAHWEH God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” Garments of skin indicate that an animal was sacrificed, foreshadowing that Christ would be sacrificed to resolve the problem of human sin.

How did Christ resolve human sin? We know that sin caused humanity to lose or fall short of the glory of God. Suffering, disease, murder, and all the bad things in human life began with the loss of God’s glory. Therefore, God resolved the problem of sin by giving Christ as the glory of God to humanity.

Colossians 1:27 declares, “… Christ in you, the hope of glory” (ILT). Young’s Literal Translation says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Let’s look at Colossians 3:4 to understand the meaning of “Christ in us is the hope of God’s glory” Colossians 3:4 states, “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (ILT).

Through His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, Jesus poured out the Life-giving Spirit (zoe) into the believers’ inner being. 1 Corinthians 15:45 (ILT) states, “… the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit (zoe).” Thus, Christ, who is the glory of God, has become Life (zoe) in our inner being. Therefore, the glory of God dwells within us. And as we know, the ‘zoe’ life given to us is still in seed form and must grow. As ‘zoe’ life grows, we move from glory to glory.

We must remember that the glory of God we have is within us and not yet revealed. However, as written in Colossians 3:4 above, when Christ is revealed at His coming, we will also be revealed with Him IN GLORY. At His second coming, we will receive the manifested glory of God, visible to all creation (Romans 8:19–21).

What is the connection between the glory of God within us and the ‘religion’ we are discussing? The connection is this: religion is something external. Religious people can be recognized with the physical eye. Everything related to religion can be seen outwardly—places of worship, liturgy, creeds, written rules, preachers, and so forth. Most importantly, THE GLORY OF RELIGIOUS PEOPLE IS ALSO VISIBLE TO THE PHYSICAL EYE. But the glory of God within us cannot be seen physically.

Christianity has also become a religion because almost everything related to Christianity can be seen outwardly—church buildings, liturgy, preachers, pastors’ robes distinct from the congregation’s clothing, organizations, and so on. Most importantly, its glory is also visible to the physical eye. This is why many within Christianity prefer religion over simply following Christ’s guidance within. But religion is humanity’s effort to cover its nakedness, and God is not pleased with such religious efforts.

We have seen that the glory of religious people is external, in the sense that it can be seen with physical eyes, and therefore their glory is human glory. In contrast, the glory that Elohim gives to believers is internal, because Christ as the glory of Elohim dwells within the hearts of believers. However, the glory that is now internal will be revealed at the coming of Christ, and even all creation is eagerly waiting for it (Romans 8:19-21).

Now we will look at the initial cause of why early Christianity (the church described in the Acts of the Apostles) became the Christianity we see today. Generally, Christian leaders in the Christian world do not discuss this clearly and precisely. Many leaders even claim that the early church was the same as the current denominations. They usually refer to denominations as the church, meaning the church as Jesus called it, ‘*I will build My church*.’

Let us now see what the Bible says. Note Acts 20:29-30: “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them”. In this context, Paul was on his way to Jerusalem, and he emphasized to the elders in Ephesus (leaders of the early church) during their meeting in Miletus that THERE WOULD BE AN ATTACK OF SAVAGE WOLVES AGAINST THE CHURCH LEADERS.

We should note that this attack would cause some church leaders TO DRAW DISCIPLES TO FOLLOW THEM. How do these leaders draw the Lord’s disciples? Of course, WITH FALSE TEACHING. In the beginning, the Lord’s disciples only followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but now they follow this or that leader. The right path here is the path of following the Holy Spirit wherever He leads, for in this book the Holy Spirit is mentioned 70 times speaking, forbidding, and whispering to the Lord’s disciples.

Now we will see what kind of savage wolves attack the church leaders. Paul certainly did not mean literal wolves, but the devil. We can see the devil’s temptation in ‘attacking’ Jesus in the wilderness to understand this. Matthew 4:8-9 says: “The devil… showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor… All this I will give you if you bow down and worship me” The Greek term ‘doxa’ translated as ‘splendor’ actually means ‘glory’. So, the devil offered the glory of the kingdoms of the world to Jesus, as long as He would bow down and worship him. This is the “savage wolf” that tempted Jesus, offering worldly or human glory to Him.

Now, the devil attacks church leaders with the same tactic: offering human or worldly glory as long as the leaders follow and bow to him. Many leaders do not realize that denominations are human kingdoms. The glory of their leaders is also human glory. Next, we will discuss the difference between the glory of the early church and the glory of the denominations.

To discuss the glory of the early church, let’s look at Paul’s writings and also examples in the Acts of the Apostles. Let’s start by noting that Paul’s ministry was an ‘inward’ ministry. This means Paul’s ministry, as will be explained below, emphasized the ‘inward’ matters of the church. For example, in Ephesians 1:3 it is written, “Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing …” (ILT). This does not mean God does not care about our physical needs, but Paul’s focus was ‘inward’.

Let’s see how Paul explains this ‘inward’ ministry, especially in his second letter to the Corinthians. Throughout this letter, Paul explains about himself and his ministry. He did this because the church in Corinth had been influenced by some false teachers who not only preached another gospel different from Paul’s, but also incited the Corinthians to criticize him and doubt his apostolic authority.

Paul uses several expressions to explain his ministry, which he received by God’s mercy (II Corinthians 3:6-9). We will look at some of them. First, the ministry of the New Covenant. Paul explains the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. It is emphasized that the New Covenant does not consist of written law but of the Spirit. The written law kills, but the Spirit gives life (‘zoe’). The ministry of the New Covenant is ‘inward’ because it is not focused on outward things. It focuses on how a person’s inner being is renewed day by day through the work of the life-giving Spirit (‘zoe’). Unlike ‘outward’ ministry, which we will discuss later and which focuses on measurable and visible success, ‘inward’ ministry is not easy to measure. Who can measure how much of Christ’s life (‘zoe) is within a person’s inner being? Only God knows how much and how deep His work is in someone’s heart.

Second, Paul uses the term the ministry of the Spirit (II Corinthians 3:8). This ministry is compared with the Old Covenant ministry that led to death. That ministry was accompanied by God’s glory, reflected on the face of its servant, Moses, so much so that the Israelites could not bear to look at him. Paul emphasizes that if the ministry leading to death came with such glory, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit be accompanied by God’s glory. We must note that God’s glory in the Old Testament was often visible to the physical eye, but in the New Testament it is not.

The glory of God in the ministry of the Spirit was not reflected on Paul’s face in such a way that the Corinthians could not look at him. Why did the glory on Moses’ face make Israel unable to gaze at him? This is because the ministry of the Spirit is ‘inward’, whereas Moses’ ministry was ‘outward’. God’s glory in the ministry of the Spirit resides within the servant’s inner being. There are people who could see God’s glory radiating within Paul, but those who saw it were likely those who also had God’s glory within them.

Thus, the glory of an ‘inward’ ministry is not easily visible to the physical eye. This is different from most ministries in today’s Christian world, where glory is easily seen outwardly—such as the size of a congregation, the building used for worship, or the social status of its members. This shows the difference between most modern Christian ministries and ‘inward’ ministry.

It is worth noting how Paul defended himself when people doubted whether he was a servant of Christ. In defending himself, Paul did not prove how God blessed him so that he appeared to have no problems or sufferings. On the contrary, when proving that he was a servant of Christ, he revealed the hardships and sufferings he endured (II Corinthians 11:23-28): hard labor, frequent imprisonments, facing death many times, being flogged by the Jews five times, beaten three times, stoned, and so on.

So, if the glory of the early church’s ministry was ‘inward’, we can conclude that the early church also possessed an inward glory.

In fact, if the glory of the early church’s ministers was ‘internal’, and naturally their teachings were also ‘internal’, then it is already proven that the glory of the early church was ‘internal’. Nevertheless, let us look at some examples in the book of Acts that show the glory of the early church was indeed ‘internal’.

First, in the book of Acts, which only has 28 chapters, there are expressions such as ‘the Holy Spirit leads’, ‘the Holy Spirit whispers’, ‘the Holy Spirit forbids’, and ‘filled with the Spirit’, along with similar phrases, occurring 70 times. This proves that the early church was completely led by the Holy Spirit, and we know that the Holy Spirit dwells within the hearts of believers. The power of the Holy Spirit within believers was so real that we must conclude that the glory of the early church was ‘internal’.

Second, it is undeniable that the majority of early church members were not wealthy, influential, or educated. This does not mean that if someone is poor, God’s glory automatically dwells within them. But in the case of the early church, God did choose those who were not influential, even despised by the world (I Corinthians 1:26-28). Yet, all of them were filled and led by the Holy Spirit. That is why we emphasize that the glory of the early church was ‘internal’.

Third, let us look at the case of Ananias and Sapphira, and draw conclusions from it (Acts 5:1-11). In the early church, offerings for the church were given voluntarily according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. The collected funds were mainly distributed to poor members, widows, and those in need.

A man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of land and gave the proceeds to the apostles. However, they held back part of the money and only gave the remainder. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, Peter said that while the land remained unsold, it was theirs, and even after being sold, the money was still theirs to manage. But Ananias and Sapphira acted as if they were giving the ‘entire’ amount. Because of this deception, God judged them severely, and they died.

Naturally, we ask, what motivated Ananias and Sapphira to act in this way? If we read the previous verses, we see that there was a man named Joseph who was honored by the apostles and called the son of encouragement. Joseph sold a field he owned and gave the money to the apostles. It is very likely that Ananias and Sapphira wanted the same honor and praise from the apostles, just like Joseph. But because they lied, they came under God’s judgment.

What lesson can we take from this case? We see that those who sought human glory (wanting praise and recognition) immediately faced God’s severe judgment. From this case, we conclude that the early church truly upheld the glory and honor of God. Those who sought human honor and outward glory had no place in the early church. From this case, we conclude that the glory of the early church was ‘internal’ and not ‘external’.

Today we will discuss what kind of glory these denominations have. Is their glory 'inner' like the early church, or is it external, human, and even worldly?

To explain this matter, we need to look at the Book of Revelation and pay attention to the woman in chapters 17-18. It should be emphasized that Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ (and, of course, His bride) given to the Apostle John 'in symbolic language’. Revelation 1:1 states, "…He signified it to His servant John" (ILT). The term 'signified' is translated from the Greek 'semaino,' which comes from the root word 'sema’, meaning 'symbol' or 'sign’, Therefore, John received the revelation conveyed in symbolic language. Throughout the Bible, a woman is a symbol of the church, because Adam is a symbol of Christ, and Eve is a symbol of the church (Romans 5:14).

Let us look at the woman in Revelation 17 and 18. Revelation 17:18 states that the woman John saw is the great city, while Revelation 18:2 declares that Babylon is the great city. Thus, the woman is called the ‘great city’, which is Babylon. In Revelation, Babylon is symbolic, but in Genesis, Babylon was an actual city built by Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-10). Nimrod and his followers built the city and tower with the motivation to ‘make a name for themselves’ (Genesis 11:4). The term 'name' is translated from the Hebrew 'shem’, meaning a memorial sign, glory, or authority of a person. Therefore, Nimrod and his followers sought glory and authority by creating a memorial for themselves.

Furthermore, the woman is seen sitting on a beast (Revelation 17:3). In the Bible, a beast symbolizes a human government system (Daniel uses this symbol). This means that this church became a ‘great city’ because it was supported by a human governmental system (hierarchy or levels of authority). There are many more characteristics attributed to this woman, but for now, it is sufficient to prove that this woman is the Catholic Church (the mother) and her daughters, the Protestant churches (Revelation 17:5)—or more precisely, Catholic and Protestant denominations.

Let us look again at who Nimrod really was. Many think that Nimrod was one who served and lived before the Lord (Genesis 10:9). But we know that Strong’s Concordance reveals that the Hebrew word 'PANIM' translated as 'before' (in verse 9) has a wide range of meanings. In Genesis 10:9, as in Numbers 16:2, 'PANIM' can literally mean 'in rebellion’. And in the Jewish Encyclopedia, the name Nimrod means ‘he who made all the people rebel against God’. The ILT (Indonesian Literal Translation) notes that 'before' here means 'stubbornly opposed.' We can conclude that Nimrod was one who rebelled against and stubbornly opposed God, and Nimrod established his own kingdom, one of which was Babylon.

From this brief explanation, is it not clear that these denominations are human kingdoms established by ‘Nimrods’? And it is also clear that the motivation of these ‘Nimrods’ is to seek name, reputation, or human glory. Thus, the glory of the early church was 'inner’, while the glory of denominations is 'outer,' human, and worldly.

This fulfills what we discussed regarding Matthew 4:8-9, where the fierce wolf's attack against Jesus was also directed at church leaders. Thus, the "fierce wolf" attack on church leaders leads them to seek human glory rather than the glory of God.

We have briefly discussed that due to the attack of “fierce wolves” on church leaders, they began to seek human glory, or honor from people, rather than the glory of God. It must be emphasized here that if people respect us for our wealth, education, or other physical matters, it does not necessarily mean we are seeking human glory. Just as when someone seeks money, it cannot be immediately concluded that they love money.

The Bible affirms that the love of money is the root of all evil. Loving money is a matter of one’s heart. A poor person can also greatly love money. Conversely, a rich person does not necessarily love money, although the Bible warns to guard one’s heart as wealth increases. There are also many other warnings for the rich. Therefore, the issue we are discussing is that the attack of “fierce wolves” on church leaders will cause THEIR HEARTS to seek human glory.

Let us look at these verses related to our discussion. Galatians 1:10 says, “...am I now trying to win the approval of human beings? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (ILT). John 12:42-43 says, “...many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God” (ILT).

The matter of ‘seeking human glory’ is not trivial. A church leader who seeks human glory or tries to please people can no longer be called a servant of Christ. Church leaders who refuse to be cast out of the ‘synagogue’ or the Christian world will become hypocritical religious leaders. They believe in a certain truth but do not confess it openly because of the ‘Pharisees’. Such behavior from hypocritical religious leaders is what Jesus rebuked in Matthew 23. Christian leaders who fear being excluded from the Christian world will inevitably act hypocritically.

Of course, the matter of ‘seeking human glory’ in the Christian world does not stop there, because in the Christian world there are “follow-up blessings,” namely money and positions that could not be obtained in the early church. Generally, Christian leaders do not understand the false teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans that cause them to gain money and positions that could not be obtained by the apostles in the early church, whether Peter, Paul, or John (Revelation 2-3).

We will now move on to the first religious rule, which is that one MUST attend Sunday services at a certain denominational building. The religious rules mentioned earlier in this writing, such as having to attend Sunday services, perform certain rituals, pay a specific amount of money—whether called tithes, firstfruits, or faith pledges—as well as doing other things according to the rules of that denominational building, which we call ‘religious rules,’ are actually interconnected. Why are they connected? Because we will later see that the motivation of the leaders in making these religious rules is the same: seeking human glory as a result of the attack of “fierce wolves.”

We begin with the first religious rule: attending Sunday worship in a specific building (a denominational building). There has been much discussion and differing opinions on this matter. Even among Christian leaders, there are various views regarding why the congregation must worship on Sunday. This short piece does not aim to discuss in detail the necessity of attending Sunday worship. What we will focus on is the MOTIVATION of Christian leaders who insist that the congregation must worship on Sundays.

If one reads the New Testament with a ‘clear mind’ — I will explain later what I mean by that — it becomes clear that there is no explicit command for the church to worship on Sunday or to keep Sunday holy. In fact, the early church did not sanctify Sunday, except that there is an example of them gathering on ‘the first day of the week’ (Sunday). Initially, the early church gathered daily to pray and break bread, and then there is an example of them meeting on ‘the first day of the week’ (Sunday). Thus, if Christian leaders insist on Sunday worship, it is merely an interpretation, and there is certainly a motivation behind it.

Let’s examine a few reasons typically presented by Christian leaders. First, Sunday is the day of Jesus’ resurrection, therefore we must celebrate it and keep it holy. The question is, WHERE IS THE COMMAND TO CELEBRATE THE DAY OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION? Jesus’ explicit command was related to HIS DEATH. Jesus clearly said, DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME (Luke 22:19; I Corinthians 11:24-25). The church must remember Jesus’ death with the symbols of bread and wine, and the early church celebrated it DAILY (Acts 2:46-47). Christian leaders match the day of Jesus’ resurrection with the day the church should gather and worship. THIS IS THE FIRST “MATCHING INTERPRETATION”.

Second, the Lord’s Day in Revelation 1:10. The Greek phrase ‘ho kuriakos hemera’, translated as ‘the Lord’s Day’, appears only once in the New Testament. Christian leaders interpret ‘the Lord’s Day’ as Sunday. Meanwhile, in the Old Testament, the Lord’s Day refers to the day of God’s judgment or the day God visits His people. Therefore, it is more accurate to interpret ‘the Lord’s Day’ in Revelation 1:10 as the day the Lord visited the Apostle John, that is, the day when ‘I was in the Spirit’. Again, we see a “matching interpretation” from Christian leaders by interpreting the Lord’s Day as Sunday.

Third, the Jewish Sabbath has been changed into the “Christian Sabbath”, which is Sunday. Notice Colossians 2:16-17: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Therefore, the Sabbath has been fulfilled, and its fulfillment is Christ. The Jewish Sabbath no longer applies to believers, let alone a “Christian Sabbath”, which is Sunday. This interpretation is no longer just “matching”, but outright fabricated, interpreting the Bible as one pleases. There are, of course, other reasons put forward by Christian leaders, but for now, this will suffice.

Now I want to explain what I mean by a “clear mind”. A person with a “clear mind” is someone who studies the Bible with no hidden agenda other than a sincere desire to know God. Again, I emphasize that if someone has no hidden agenda, it is clear to them that there is no requirement for the congregation to worship on Sunday.

The hidden agenda of Christian leaders is to DRAW DISCIPLES TO THEMSELVES (Acts 20:29-30). Christian leaders who draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves need a specific day to gather with them. That is why they create a religious rule requiring Sunday gatherings. THERE IS A HIDDEN MOTIVATION BEHIND THIS RELIGIOUS RULE. Meanwhile, Jesus clearly said that WORSHIP MUST BE IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH. This is the rule that Jesus Himself made (John 4).

We have stated that the motivation of Christian religious leaders in requiring congregants to worship and sanctify Sunday is to draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves. Let us now look at the form of worship that Jesus taught His church, or His sheep.

John 4 recounts the conversation between the Samaritan woman and Jesus. The Samaritan woman had a religious concept, saying that worship must be on Mount Gerizim (Samaria) or in Jerusalem (Israel). Her concept of worship was the same as that of Christian leaders who require Sunday worship. For those with a religious mindset, worship must be ‘on this mountain or in that place’. But Jesus affirmed that the time had come for people to worship in spirit and truth, for such worship is what pleases the Father.

Worship in spirit and truth is inward worship. Those who worship in spirit and truth are not visible to the physical eye. But those who worship according to religious rules—religion—are visible to the physical eye. We have explained this before. Therefore, Jesus taught His disciples, His sheep, to worship in spirit and truth.

How do we worship in spirit and truth? By ONLY listening to Jesus’ voice and following Him. Jesus said clearly, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). That’s why Revelation 14:4 emphasizes of His chosen people (the firstfruits of the church), “…They follow the Lamb wherever He goes…” This is why the apostle John said about His chosen ones,

“…Therefore you do not need anyone to teach you…” (1 John 2:27). This does not mean God’s chosen people never learn from leaders—John also sent letters to them so they could learn from him. However, it means GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE DO NOT FOLLOW ANY LEADER EXCEPT BY HEARING JESUS’ VOICE AND FOLLOWING JESUS.

Thus, His chosen people worship in spirit and truth. They are led by the Holy Spirit daily. If on Sunday the Holy Spirit leads them to stay home with family, eat, drink, and praise God, they obey. Wherever the Holy Spirit leads them, they follow. THERE ARE NO RELIGIOUS RULES EXCEPT OBEYING THE HOLY SPIRIT’S LEADING. This is worship in spirit and truth.

Such worship, as described above, will never be taught by Christian leaders, because if people worship in spirit and truth, Christian leaders cannot draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves. That is why Christian leaders make religious rules—MANDATING attendance in a certain building on Sunday. The hidden motivation is clear to His chosen people: to draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves. And all this is caused by the attack of fierce wolves.

It’s worth noting the difference between an “ordinary wolf” and a “fierce wolf.” An “ordinary wolf” generally attacks thugs at bus terminals or markets, and people avoid them. From their appearance and clothing, people can identify such thugs. But a “fierce wolf” attacks Christian leaders, whose “religious robes” actually deceive the congregation, making them harder to recognize. However, once again, His chosen people have an inner anointing, so they will understand (I John 2:20,27).

Today we will discuss the next religious rule, which is the requirement to give money to a certain denominational building, whether in the form of tithes, first fruits, or faith pledges. Let’s begin with examples from the early church and the New Testament teachings regarding monetary offerings.

First, let’s take an example from the early church in managing offerings. In Acts 2:44–45, it says, “... all that they had was held in common, and there were those who sold their property and possessions and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had need.” The phrase ‘held in common’ does not mean that a person could not have private property. In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, Peter clearly stated, “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal?...” (Acts 5:4). Therefore, the meaning of “held in common” is that all offerings collected into the church treasury were distributed to all members according to their needs. As a result of this method of managing money, no one was in need (Acts 4:34).

The church’s funds were specifically distributed to widows regularly in daily service (Acts 6:1). When the number of disciples increased and problems arose, the apostles appointed seven men full of the Spirit to oversee this distribution to the widows, while the apostles focused on prayer and the Word. It is clear that the early church received money from wealthier members (those who owned land or extra houses), who gave it voluntarily through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and the money was redistributed to other members according to their needs.

Second, the apostles’ ministry concerning finances. Galatians 2:10 affirms, “They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do”. The ‘they’ here refers to James, Cephas, John, and of course, Paul. For the apostles, giving money to the poor among the church members was an important ministry. Paul even organized offerings from certain churches for the believers in Jerusalem who were in need.

Third, what about the needs of the apostles and church leaders? There is no indication that the apostles received regular offerings from the church, such as a monthly salary. Paul occasionally received help from the church in Philippi or from others. To meet his own needs and those of his companions, Paul also worked making tents. For elders who lead well and work hard at preaching and teaching, they should be “worthy of double honor,” which can be interpreted as financial support (I Timothy 5:17). However, there is still no indication of them receiving regular financial support from the church.

Thus, these are some examples from the early church and its ministers regarding church finances. Next, we will further elaborate on Paul’s teachings about finances.

Before we delve into Paul’s teaching about church finances, it is important to first understand his attitude towards money. Why? Because anyone’s teaching on church finances will inevitably be influenced by their *inner condition* or personal attitude toward money. If someone hopes to ‘get rich’ from their ministry, they will certainly find Bible verses—whether from the Old or New Testament—that support this desire. They will likely find strong support for teachings on tithes, first fruits, faith pledges, and similar concepts. In reality, it is pointless to try proving biblical teachings about church finances to someone who seeks wealth through ministry. Hopefully, this short writing will not be read by such people—though it’s unlikely they would read it anyway. Therefore, let us first examine Paul’s attitude toward money in his ministry.

Acts 20:33 states, "I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing”. In I Timothy 6:5-10, Paul writes, "…who think that godliness is a means to financial gain… But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that… Those who want to get rich fall into temptation… For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith…". Paul had no financial issues—he didn’t expect silver, gold, or clothes from anyone, because he served the Lord without seeking monetary gain. For him, food and clothing were enough. He also occasionally made tents to provide for his needs and those of his fellow workers.

Paul’s focus in ministry was clear: "…I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me…" (Acts 20:24). Whether he received human honor or not, whether he got money from his ministry or not, even if he died for serving God—it did not matter to him. What mattered was finishing the race and completing the task Jesus gave him. No wonder, at the end of his life, he said, "I have finished the race" (II Timothy 4:7).

If someone enters ministry with the same mindset as Paul, they will easily grasp biblical teaching about church finances. In Christianity, entering ministry—say, as a “full-time” worker in a denomination or as a pastor—usually comes with specific job descriptions and a monthly salary. Or, if one pioneers a ministry, they will gather followers—and often, their financial support. This is normal in modern Christianity because it has become a system (‘kosmos’).

Due to this ‘system’ created by Christian leaders, ministry in the Christian world often becomes a profession, like being a doctor or an employee in a company. The Bible clearly reveals the origin of this ‘kosmos’, whose ruler is the devil—but that’s a discussion for another time.

Therefore, it is nearly impossible for someone to have Paul’s attitude toward money unless they serve outside the Christian ‘kosmos’. Paul received his task directly from the Lord Jesus. He didn’t work for any person or organization. He was a free man, fulfilling the mission Jesus gave him. Thus, to truly understand Paul’s biblical teachings on church finances, we must have the same attitude and ‘inner condition’ as Paul. Without it, one will inevitably create religious rules to justify their position within the Christian system.

There is one more thing that needs to be clarified before we look into some facts regarding Paul’s teaching on church finances. In the time of Paul and Peter, the church was still in its state as an organism, where each member was directly led by the Holy Spirit. However, in the time of the apostle John, the church experienced a change in its ‘basic nature’, causing John to have no fellowship (‘koinonia’) with the churches, especially those in Asia Minor where he ministered. This is why John wrote a general letter (I John) to the churches, so that whoever received his teaching could have fellowship with him (I John 1:3).

When the early church was still an organism, there was no teaching of Balaam as described in Revelation 2:14. But in John’s time, some people had already embraced this teaching. Let’s look at II Peter 2:15 and Jude 1:11 respectively: “… following the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness… for the sake of reward, they rushed headlong into Balaam’s error…”. The way of Balaam and the error of Balaam are related to the desire for payment in ministry. Simply put, the teaching of Balaam is a teaching that justifies a wage system for serving God.

Let’s see how this teaching of Balaam entered the church. It began when some church leaders drew the Lord’s disciples to themselves (Acts 20:30). Leaders were supposed to only equip the Lord’s disciples (Ephesians 4:11-12). However, when leaders drew the disciples to themselves, they began to need money to build their ministry (read: enterprise).

They needed a place (building) to gather the disciples, and money to meet their own needs and those of their co-workers. Therefore, they began to collect money from the congregation through various false teachings such as tithes, firstfruits, faith pledges, and others. None of these practices were ever done by Paul or the other apostles, who only equipped the Lord’s disciples without drawing them to themselves.

These leaders who drew the Lord’s disciples now needed to manage finances for various purposes and also pay those who worked with them. Here we begin to see the teaching of

Balaam: those who ministered (read: worked) began to receive regular wages, whether called a salary, love offering, or any other term. Thus began the wage system in serving God.

In fact, church leaders who followed the teaching of Balaam inevitably engaged in trade within their ministry. Traders sell goods or services, and these leaders sold their preaching and Bible teaching services. Some even sold what they called ‘anointing oil’ to the congregation. I once watched on television (TBN: ‘Trinity Broadcasting Network’) decades ago, where Benny Hinn sold ‘anointing oil’ for $20 for just a small bottle. Christianity has become filled with commerce, from books to Christian souvenirs, all bringing profit to leaders.

In a church whose ‘basic nature’ has been altered by this teaching of Balaam, it is no longer possible to apply Paul’s teaching on church finances. Paul’s teaching can only be applied to those ministering outside the teaching of Balaam—the teaching that justifies a wage system in ministry. Paul’s teaching applies only to those serving within the context of the church as an organism.

Now we come to some facts related to Paul's teaching on church finances. Once again, it should be remembered that Paul's teaching can only be applied to those who serve God in the context of the church as an organism. The Christian world (hierarchical church) that has been infiltrated by the teaching of Balaam can no longer apply Paul's teaching on church finances, because the context has changed. In the science of interpretation (hermeneutics), anyone who takes verses out of context and applies them directly to the present situation violates what is called in hermeneutics the principle of ‘context’, in this case, ‘historical context’. Therefore, this brief writing is indeed intended for those who serve God in the context of the church as an organism.

Let us begin with some facts. First, do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain (I Corinthians 9:9 and I Timothy 5:18). These verses do not support the wage system at all as it exists in the Christian world. The church in Corinth, which Paul pioneered, criticized Paul regarding the validity of his apostleship. This happened due to the presence of false teachers/apostles who were teaching in the Corinthian congregation. These false teachers naturally expected money from the congregation in Corinth, because a clear measure of whether someone is a false teacher often relates to money. Therefore, Paul refused to receive money from the Corinthians, even though it was indeed his right as a servant of God to be supported occasionally (I Corinthians 9:12). We need to emphasize the word ‘occasionally’, because Paul never received regular financial support from any church, including those he pioneered. The church in Philippi only helped Paul occasionally.

Furthermore, Paul taught Timothy that elders who lead well and also preach and teach are worthy of double honor, meaning they should receive financial support from the church. Even here, we do not see any indication that it must be given regularly. In fact, true widows should receive regular support from the church’s finances (I Timothy 5:3). Supporting widows regularly was indeed a custom of the early church (Acts 6:1).

Second, giving must be done willingly (2 Corinthians 9:7). Paul never taught tithing, first fruits, or faith pledges as is commonly done by teachers in the Christian world.

Third, giving to the poor and helping churches in need. For Paul, ministry to the poor and to churches needing assistance was important (Galatians 2:10). Paul also brought aid to the church in Jerusalem to be given to its members who were in need. The finances of the early church were indeed prioritized for widows and the poor. This contrasts with the Christian world today, where money collected is generally used for the needs of the ministers and their ministry, including buildings and other expenses.

In truth, Paul's teaching on church finances is not difficult to understand. It is clear that church money was primarily given to members in need, while church ministers only occasionally received support from church finances. This is the core of Paul's teaching on church finances. The early church never used its funds to build buildings, because during the first 200 years of Christianity, no buildings were constructed. Since Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity (AD 313), the construction of buildings, cathedrals, and so forth began. Buildings were indeed needed by church leaders who gathered the Lord’s disciples. However, the early church met only in homes.

We have affirmed Paul’s teaching on church finances, as well as the example from the early church, namely that CHURCH FUNDS WERE PRIMARILY GIVEN TO MEMBERS IN NEED. Meanwhile, church ministers only occasionally received support from church funds. Even widows, who were truly widows, were to receive regular financial support in the daily ministry of the church.

Before we discuss Christian rules/teachings such as tithes, first fruits, faith pledges, and others regarding finances, we need to first compare the management of finances in the early church with the financial management generally found in denominations in the Christian world today. This is very important to understand, because this matter concerns the ‘nature’ of the church that has changed due to the attack of savage wolves on some early church leaders (Acts 20:28-30).

It is undeniable that, in general, in denominations, finances are controlled by leaders (often just one person called the ‘senior pastor’), and used to meet the leaders’ needs, as well as to fund the expansion of their ministries. This expansion includes building costs, ministry expenses, and so on. Of course, there is money for ‘*diaconal*’ ministry, BUT THIS IS NOT THE MAIN FOCUS AS IN THE EARLY CHURCH. Many Christians do not understand this and consider it a normal development of Christianity. The problem is, the Bible does not say so.

Let us honestly discuss why there has been a shift in church financial management, from being focused on the needy to being focused on leaders’ needs and ministry expansion. This happened because the church’s ‘nature’ has changed due to attacks from savage wolves. Leaders draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves, thereby exercising authority over them (justified by Jezebel’s teaching). Leaders who were once SERVANTS of God and the church have now become MANAGERS who control everything.

As we know, managers function to plan, organize, lead, motivate, and create systems of control, especially financial control. Denominational leaders act as the BOSS of a company, and it is not uncommon for all “church assets” to belong to the leader personally. This is clearly not the church that Jesus built when He said, ‘I will build My church’. But all this has been justified by the teachings of Nicolaitans (subjugating the laity) and Balaam (commerce). The change in the church’s nature due to “savage wolves” attacking the leaders is clearly written in Acts 20:28-30 and Revelation 2-3.

In such a situation, it is natural that denominational finances are PRIMARILY DIRECTED TOWARD LEADERS’ INTERESTS. Just as company managers in the world would never prioritize employees’ needs over the leaders’ needs and company growth, so it is in denominations.

The Bible exposes this change in the church’s nature, especially through the writings of the apostle John. Christianity, which was once an ‘organism’ led directly by the Holy Spirit, has become a ‘hierarchy’ where ultimate authority is in the hands of the senior leader, perhaps even as the ‘*owner*’. John used the term ‘kosmos’ (system=world) in his writings to describe this condition. We will not discuss that here.

These church MANAGERS inevitably create rules/teachings related to finances—tithes, first fruits, faith pledges, and others—to draw in money for their needs. The PRIMARY PURPOSE and MOTIVATION is clearly for the leaders’ needs and ministry expansion. We will call these teachings FALSE TEACHINGS, because none of the apostles of Jesus ever practiced or taught them. Of course, some church managers do not teach these false doctrines, but their role as MANAGERS still fulfills the false teachings of Balaam, Nicolaitans, and Jezebel.

So far, we have discussed two Christian religious rules that are obviously related: having to come on Sundays to a certain denominational building, and having to collect money for that denominational building. Now we will discuss the ways/teachings/rules of Christian leaders to get the Lord’s disciples to give them money.

Let’s start with a Bible verse used to connect the two religious rules above. We’ll take just one example from a senior pastor’s teaching on YouTube. I must mention the teacher’s name and YouTube channel so that we can all verify it. The channel is ‘El Channel’, the teacher is Rev. Stephen Tong, and the title is ‘Why Do We Worship on Sunday, Not Saturday’?

The first religious rule—worship on Sunday—we won’t discuss again, but at minute 1:50, Rev. Stephen Tong quotes I Corinthians 16:2: “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up at home...” He connects this with Acts 20:7: “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day...” From these two verses, he concludes that the first day of the week is the holy day or the Lord’s day, and THE CHURCH GATHERS AND GIVES MONETARY OFFERINGS. On another occasion, he also teaches that the congregation must give tithes because it belongs to God and cannot be called an offering. Only after giving God’s portion (the tithe), money given for God’s work or other purposes can be counted as an offering.

Let’s examine the context of I Corinthians 16:2. Verse 1 says: “Now about the collection for the Lord’s people...” The context is collecting money for the saints. Paul advises that this collection should not be made when he arrives, but that everyone should set aside money at home so that it can be gathered when he comes. The money was to help the saints in the Jerusalem church. This was part of Paul’s and other apostles’ ministry to care for those in need (Galatians 2:10).

So how could Rev. Tong take this verse (I Corinthians 16:2), pair it with Acts 20:7, and teach that the early church gathered on Sundays and gave money? In fact, the early church did not make Sunday a holy day at all. At first, they broke bread daily to commemorate the death of Jesus with bread and wine (Acts 2:46). The example of meeting on the first day in Acts 20:7 was because Paul was leaving the next day, and the meeting went on until dawn. This was not a regular, rule-based meeting.

The clear rule Paul gave for church gatherings is in I Corinthians 14:26: “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” So, when the church gathers, every member should bring something—not money—but a psalm, teaching, revelation, or spiritual gift, for the purpose of building up one another. Paul never said, “When you gather on Sunday, because we sanctify Sunday...” — not at all.

Why would a pastor of Rev. Tong’s stature resort to such ‘fit-the-verse’ tactics to teach that the congregation must come on Sundays, to a certain building, and give money? The truth is, it doesn’t matter whether a pastor is senior or not—they all share the same interest: they need money from the congregation for their own purposes and to expand their ministry. Meanwhile, Paul and the other apostles never practiced or taught such things. Therefore, the rules requiring people to come on Sundays to a denominational building and give offerings are rules made by Christian leaders—not ones found in the Bible.

Let us continue with the next religious rule still related to money, namely the rule of tithing. Not all denominations enforce the rule of tithing, but all denominations certainly collect money (in whatever form the rule takes) from the congregation for the needs of the leaders and the development of their ministries. This is quite common in the Christian world, but we must emphasize once again that the apostles never practiced or taught such things. This happened because the early church leaders were attacked by savage wolves, causing the church to split into tens of thousands of denominations (Acts 20:28–30).

We will not discuss tithing in detail here. Many arguments have already been made that the New Testament does not teach tithing. For now, we will only focus on the priesthood in the context of Israel and in the context of the church. We know that in Israel, the priesthood followed the order of Aaron, meaning only the tribe of Levi could serve in the Temple. But in the church context, all are priests (I Peter 2:9), where the Temple is the members of the church themselves. The question now is: what priestly order applies in the church?

Hebrews 7 clearly explains that the priesthood of Christ follows the order of Melchizedek. The book of Hebrews details the differences between the Aaronic priesthood and the Melchizedek priesthood because the central theme of Hebrews is the matter of priesthood. Hebrews 8:1 emphasizes, “The main point of what we are saying is this: we do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven”.

One thing we must understand about the priesthood is what law governs it. The Aaronic or Levitical priesthood was clearly governed by the Law of Moses. But the Melchizedek priesthood is governed by another law. Let us look at Hebrews 7:12, which says, “For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also”. This means that since the priesthood of Jesus is not Levitical, the law that governs it must also change. Not even a fragment of the Law of Moses may enter into the Melchizedek priesthood. Jesus made it clear that not one jot or tittle would disappear from the Law until it was fulfilled—and Jesus fulfilled the Law completely.

Now, consider Hebrews 7:15–16: “And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.” The term ‘life’ here comes from the Greek word ‘zoe’, which is the kind of life that God Himself has and lives. Thus, the rule or law governing the Melchizedek priesthood is the LAW OF LIFE (‘zoe’). This is the purpose for which Jesus came to earth: to give His Life (‘zoe’) to everyone who believes (John 10:10).

How do we live according to the Law of Life (‘zoe’)? We know that the ‘zoe’ given to us is still in seed form, placed by the Holy Spirit into our spirit or inner being. We must follow the leading of this ‘zoe’ life in our daily walk. Wherever the ‘zoe’ life leads, we must obey. This is the true meaning of worship as taught by Jesus—in spirit and in truth—not in man-made religious rules established by Christian leaders. By following the leading of the ‘zoe’ life, the ‘zoe’ within us will grow, and we will come to know the true God and Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

Therefore, the rule of tithing no longer applies to the church. The church must live under the law of life (‘zoe’) in daily life. The law of life (‘zoe’) is the same as the law of love that Jesus gave to His disciples (John 15). The law of love is called the new commandment—not because it was unknown in the Old Testament era, but because love is the very essence of the Law of Moses.

Let us continue with the next religious rule related to money, namely the rule of the ‘firstfruits’ offering. The teaching of the ‘firstfruits’ offering, as far as I have heard on YouTube, began with Pastor Niko N. in 2012. His interpretation of the ‘firstfruits’ offering is that the entire income for the month of January must be submitted to his denomination in February. The verse used to support this teaching is Proverbs 3:9-10: “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

Of course, many people, including pastors, have opposed this ‘firstfruits’ teaching. But what caught my attention was Pastor Niko’s statement, roughly: ‘If those who oppose are people out there, that’s normal. But if the people here (his congregation, i.e., his followers) oppose, that’s extraordinary’. We will not respond to the ‘firstfruits’ teaching itself, because in my opinion it is far too deviated from Biblical teaching. This teaching is more than just outright fraud by a leader seeking to draw money from his followers. Instead, let’s take a verse from James 1:18: “That we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (ILT). In the New Testament context, the firstfruits are believers who mature earlier, and therefore are “harvested” at the coming of Jesus Christ (Revelation 14:4,15).

What we will respond to is Pastor Niko’s statement that if outsiders oppose, that’s normal. Why respond to this? Because to me, his statement represents the general condition of the Christian world. The Christian world consists of leaders who draw the Lord’s disciples to become their own followers. This is what is called a denomination, even though these leaders call it a church.

The leaders who draw the Lord’s disciples to become their followers have been justified in the Christian world through the false teaching of ‘NICOLAITANS’ (Revelation 2:6,15). This is not the name of an actual leader, for in John’s time no church leader was named Nicolas. In keeping with the symbolic language of Revelation (Revelation 1:1), ‘Nicolaitans’ means: Niko = conquer (Latin term), Laos = laity (common people). Thus, the teaching of the Nicolaitans is the doctrine that justifies the conquest of the laity by leaders. This means the leader has subjugated the laity so that they become his followers. Some followers are so devoted to their leader that whatever he says is considered true by these fanatical followers.

In such a condition, leaders can freely make religious rules for their followers. For such a leader, it doesn’t matter if “outsiders”, as Pastor Niko puts it, oppose his teaching. What matters is that his followers obey it. These followers already feel blessed, attracted, in awe, and respectful toward their leader, making it nearly pointless to explain what the Bible actually says about his teaching.

But clearly, any religious rule is essentially intended to bind the follower to the leader.

We will continue discussing religious rules related to money, namely the ‘faith promise’, and we will conclude this short writing. Perhaps it is better if I share my personal testimony regarding the teaching of the ‘faith promise’. At that time, five of us were building a ministry together, and I happened to be the youngest among them. So, when we needed a building for worship services, we applied the faith promise teaching to all members of our congregation. Since the five of us served as pastors/elders, naturally, we had to set an example for the others.

At that time, I also made a faith promise—a certain amount of money to be given for the construction of the building, which had to be paid every month. For our situation then, the monthly amount we promised was quite significant. I did not know that the building was registered under the name of the most senior among us and an influential church member. I must honestly admit that we five leaders often quarreled and each wanted to be the most important, so conflicts arose in every elders’ meeting. When we eventually split, the building naturally became the personal property of the senior leader and the influential person.

If we followed a ‘sense of justice’, all the elders should still have been able to use the building for their respective ministries. But in reality, the building was controlled by the senior leader and the influential member. In short, the building had become ‘private property’. Cases like this happen frequently in the Christian world, and there are even senior leaders who openly claim all church ‘assets’ as their own.

What I want to emphasize in this story is our “tactic” of drawing money from the congregation through the faith promise teaching, which ultimately only served our personal desires as leaders. Yet the New Testament’s teaching on monetary offerings is clear—it must be given willingly, without coercion, and according to what one has, not what one promises.

From my experience above, in truth, any method or teaching by Christian leaders to draw money from the congregation violates the principles of the early church’s finances. This is because the purpose and motivation of these leaders no longer align with the purposes and motivations of the early apostles of Christ.

I will close this short writing by reminding all of us, as those who serve, that our ministry in this world will be judged before the judgment seat of Christ. Nothing hidden will remain concealed. May we receive grace so that we serve with purposes and motivations pleasing before Him, and thus be able to serve Christ in the age to come. Amen.

Before John is given visions of heaven, angels, judgments, and the final victory of Christ, the book of Revelation begins with something far more personal — letters from Jesus to His Church, over which He is Lord and rightful Head.

In Revelation 2 and 3, the risen Christ dictates seven messages to seven real churches in the Roman province of Asia (modern-day Turkey). Each church was located in a city with its own history, culture, and spiritual challenges. These letters are not just archaeological relics — they are mirrors for us today, revealing whether we truly live under His Lordship.

When we hear or read the word church today, our modern mindset might instantly picture a grand cathedral with stained glass windows. But in the context of the early believers, it referred to small gatherings of people meeting in someone’s home—a simple assembly of Christ’s followers. This is assembly of believers that is being referred by Jesus as Church.

Each letter follows a pattern:

Jesus reveals Himself with a title connected to that church’s need — showing His authority to rule His people.

He commends them for what is good under His reign.

He rebukes them where they’ve resisted His authority or wandered from His commands.

He calls them to repent and gives a promise to the overcomer, as only the Lord of the Church can.

And in some cases, the most shocking detail is this: the people who claimed His name had locked Him outside their fellowship, refusing His Lordship and forcing Him to knock for re-entry (Revelation 3:20).

Let’s walk through each letter, hear what Jesus — the Lord of the Church — said, and learn the lessons for us today.

1. Ephesus – The Loveless Church (Revelation 2:1–7)

City background: Ephesus was the greatest city in Asia Minor — a bustling port, a major trade route hub, and home to the massive Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World). Spiritually, it was a battleground of the gospel versus idolatry. Paul, Timothy, and John himself had ministered here.

Commendation:

"I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars." (Revelation 2:2, NKJV)

This was a theologically sharp church. They had endured hardship for Christ’s name without quitting, demonstrating loyalty to His Lordship.

Rebuke:

"Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love." (Revelation 2:4, NKJV)

Their service was solid, but their love for Christ — their Lord — had cooled. Passion had been replaced with routine. They were like a marriage that still functioned but had lost its romance, forgetting that the Lord wants relationship before mere duty.

Lesson for today: Doctrinal accuracy and hard work cannot replace intimacy with Jesus as Lord. A church can be “correct” but still cold toward its Master.

2. Smyrna – The Persecuted Church (Revelation 2:8–11)

City background: Smyrna was a beautiful, wealthy seaport with strong loyalty to Rome. The emperor cult (worship of Caesar as lord) was mandatory, and refusing meant severe persecution — but the believers knew there was only one true Lord.

Commendation:

"I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)." (Revelation 2:9, NKJV)

The believers were poor materially — probably because persecution cut them off from trade — but rich in faith toward their Lord.

Rebuke: None.

Encouragement:

"Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer... Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10, NKJV)

Lesson for today: In a world chasing comfort, Smyrna reminds us that faithfulness to the Lord in trials is priceless. Earthly loss is nothing compared to eternal reward from His hand.

3. Pergamum – The Compromising Church (Revelation 2:12–17)

City background: Pergamum was the political capital of the province, famous for its massive altar to Zeus and its temple to the Roman emperor. The city was a spiritual stronghold of idolatry — “Satan’s throne” — yet the church was called to remain under Christ’s rule.

Commendation:

"You hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr." (Revelation 2:13, NKJV)

They stood firm against outside pressure and even endured martyrdom for their Lord.

Rebuke:

"But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam... to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality." (Revelation 2:14, NKJV)

False teaching had crept in, undermining obedience to Christ’s Lordship.

Lesson for today: Persecution often strengthens the church, but compromise weakens it from the inside. Standing against error is as important as enduring hardship, because both are matters of submitting to the Lord’s authority.

4. Thyatira – The Corrupted Church (Revelation 2:18–29)

City background: Thyatira was smaller but commercially active, known for its trade guilds. Membership often required attending idol feasts, making it hard for Christians to earn a living without moral compromise.

Commendation:

"I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first." (Revelation 2:19, NKJV)

They were growing in love and service to their Lord — more active than before.

Rebuke:

"Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel... to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols." (Revelation 2:20, NKJV)

In their desire to be loving, they tolerated teaching that defied the Lord’s commands.

Lesson for today: Love without submission to Christ’s truth leads to moral collapse. True love honors His Lordship by rejecting what He rejects.

5. Sardis – The Dead Church (Revelation 3:1–6)

City background: Sardis had been a powerful city but had twice been conquered because of overconfidence. It was known for wealth, but its glory days were long past.

Rebuke:

"You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain." (Revelation 3:1–2, NKJV)

They had the appearance of vitality, but were spiritually lifeless before their Lord.

Commendation: Only a few remained faithful:

"You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white." (Revelation 3:4, NKJV)

Lesson for today: A church’s reputation can be misleading. God sees reality, not image. True life comes from daily dependence on the Lord, not past achievements. Today we are surrounded by noises: sermons, songs and endless religious activities—but the real question is, is there true life in them, or are they empty and lifeless?

6. Philadelphia – The Faithful Church (Revelation 3:7–13)

City background: A small city often shaken by earthquakes, with little political clout. Yet it was strategically located to spread the gospel eastward.

Commendation:

"You have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name." (Revelation 3:8, NKJV)

Their obedience showed they lived under the Lord’s command.

Rebuke: None.

Promise:

"See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it." (Revelation 3:8, NKJV)

Lesson for today: God’s opportunities don’t depend on human power. Faithfulness to the Lord, not size, is the measure of a church’s strength.

7. Laodicea – The Lukewarm Church (Revelation 3:14–22)

City background: Laodicea was rich, famous for its banks, fine black wool, and medical eye salve. But its water supply was piped from hot springs far away, arriving lukewarm — a perfect metaphor for its spiritual condition.

Rebuke:

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot... So then, because you are lukewarm... I will vomit you out of My mouth." (Revelation 3:15–16, NKJV)

They saw themselves as rich and self-sufficient, but Jesus — their rightful Lord — saw them as wretched, poor, blind, and naked.

Tragic reality:

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock." (Revelation 3:20, NKJV)

Jesus was outside the church that bore His name, no longer enthroned as Lord in their midst.

Lesson for today: Comfort and wealth can dethrone Christ in practice, even if His name is on the sign. The cure is repentance and renewed submission to His Lordship.

How They Locked Jesus Out

By trusting in money, programs, and reputation instead of His presence and authority.

By tolerating sin in the name of love or acceptance, rejecting His right to rule.

By letting doctrinal correctness replace passionate devotion to the Lord.

By resting on past glory instead of present obedience to His commands.

Seven Timeless Lessons

1. Ephesus: Keep love central — truth without love grows cold under His Lordship.

2. Smyrna: Faithfulness in trials is richer than comfort when your Lord is worth dying for.

3. Pergamum: Guard against compromise with sin that defies the Lord’s commands.

4. Thyatira: Love must be anchored in truth if Christ is to remain Lord.

5. Sardis: Wake up — reputation is not reality before the Lord’s eyes.

6. Philadelphia: God honors faithfulness over size or status when He is your Lord.

7. Laodicea: Wealth without Christ as Lord is poverty.

Final Call

Every letter ends with this challenge:

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:22, NKJV)

Jesus is still walking among His churches today as Lord. The question is — would He find the door open in ours, ruling as Master, or would He be knocking from outside, asking to be let back in?