Introduction

In the Old Testament many events took place. Often it seems that women caused the negative events and the men were mostly positive. This may cause you to wonder what is a woman's place in the Old Testament. The genealogy of the Lord Jesus in the first chapter of Matthew gives us a hint. All the happenings in the Old Testament are for the carrying out of God's economy so that the Savior can come. Within this process we can see a hidden element, that is, the sisters' operation and the sisters' function.

In the previous message we considered four allegories, that is, four women representing four crucial matters in the Bible: Eve as life, Sarah as the new covenant, Rahab as salvation, and Ruth as the kingdom. These four allegories are the totality of the Bible. The Bible is filled with many interesting stories. Although most of the stories in the Bible are written about men, the crucial things in God's economy are related to the four allegories mentioned above. These four items are represented by four women from the Old Testament.

Let us consider the matter of salvation. Who needs salvation? Sinners do. The Lord used a sinner to represent His salvation. This sinner was Rahab and she was a prostitute. A prostitute is the most sinful of sinners. At first no one likes to commit sin but eventually everyone gets involved with sin. In the Bible, even in the whole human race, no one can portray a sinner better than Rahab. All sinners are disgraceful and degraded. But the Lord came, through the spies coming to Rahab. When the spies came to Rahab she forsook the sin she was in. She joined herself to God's people and brought forth Boaz, an ancestor of David.

Why does the Bible use women to represent all the crucial things? Why does life come from Eve? Why does the covenant come from Sarah? Why is the sinner represented by Rahab? Why does Ruth represent the one who brings in the kingdom? Why did God not use men? It seems as if the Lord is saying, "As long as you are a man you will not go that deep, therefore you are disqualified." All the deep things are carried by women. A brother may minister many truths, but the sister experiences many things.

In this message we will find out how crucial the sisters are in the carrying out God's economy in the New Testament. The New Testament shows us four marvelous parables. The first parable is that of the ten virgins, secondly is the parable of two women at the mill, thirdly is the parable of the woman seeking the lost coin, and fourthly is the parable of the bride. These parables are in a sequence that shows the operation of a healthy sister. The ten virgins show us how to take care of our self. The two women at the mill stress the preparation of spiritual food. The woman seeking the lost coin stresses our labor. And finally the bride shows the bringing back of the bridegroom, the kingdom.

Each of these parables is preceded by a parable about brothers. The parable of the ten virgins follows the parable in Matthew 24 of the faithful steward. Matthew 24:45 tells us, Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has set over his household to give them food at the proper time? This verse refers to the function of the brothers in the church life. The Lord has set the brothers to have charge over the household. The sisters are not in charge. The slave or steward over the house is required to be prudent, wise, and faithful. The Lord desires to give food to others so His view of His household, the church life, is a matter of food supply. This parable is followed by the parable of the ten virgins.

The second parable, the parable of the two women, follows the parable of the brothers' labor in the field. In this parable you can see the brothers in the field, sweating. Their labor is visible. But the brothers only produce raw food that no one can enjoy. The sisters at the mill are grinding what the brothers have labored on into something very nourishing. The sisters are producing the real food.

The third parable of the woman looking for the lost coin follows the parable of the shepherd. In this parable you can see a brother taking the lead, bringing back the sheep that was lost. But the woman sweeping in the room is hidden from view. Her operation is hidden. If you try to open the door too wide for people to see, the wind can blow out your light. The real work of the sisters is done in secret.

From these examples you can see that what the brothers do is the outward shell but what the sisters do is the inward reality. Brothers, you must realize that from this perspective you are not that important. Sisters, you must realize that you are very important. The brothers are the stewards, laboring in the field. But the sisters have the oil, are able to process the real food, and to find the lost coin. In reality all the operation of the brothers must be backed up by the proper operation of the sisters. When the sisters ignore their place, even if the brothers are so good, it will still be hard to have the reality of the real church life.

I have seen this in a small church. The brothers' labor there is so good yet they never seem to grow in numbers. After considering their situation over many years my realization is that their lack of increase is from a lack in the sisters' operation. This church has many stewards but no burden, and many in the field but no one to grind the food. The brothers may continually pile up food but this food needs to be processed before it can be eaten. And the sisters' sweeping of the house is needed to find all the lost coins within the house. When the sisters' operation matches the brothers' operation the Lord can do so much.

The four parables covered in this message show us the totality of today's church life. What is happening in the church today begins with the purity in life and continues with the producing of food and the laboring in the church to bring the Lord back. But these four parables do not stand out by themselves. Each of them follows a parable concerning the brothers. The brothers have a certain portion, and the sisters have another portion.

I. The Parable of the Ten Virgins -- (Matt. 25:1-13)     

A. Sisters here represent the totality of the church life.

Every saved brother and sister, old or young, is included in the ten virgins.     

B. Our stand         

1. Sisters take the lead in presenting ourselves before the Lord in purity and simplicity

It is hard for brothers to be pure. The brothers spend at least eight hours a day working in an impure environment. There are many temptations in the world. But the sisters' purity and simplicity will encourage a brother into that purity. A wife can help her husband through her enjoyment of the Lord in a pure way. When sisters operate in this way they not only preserve oil for themselves but they also gain oil for others. Even in the church life when the brothers get caught in the work, in numbers, sisters should take the lead to just love the Lord in purity, as a chaste virgin. Be so pure in giving your love to the Lord and in giving your love to the church for God's economy.         

2. Waiting for the Lord to come back          

3. Exercising to bring the Lord back

Every Christian is waiting for the Lord to come back. We are always waiting for the One we love, but more than that, we exercise to bring Him back. Consider this, until there are five prudent virgins, prepared and equipped with oil, the Lord cannot come back. You can bring the Lord back by equipping yourself with oil. Brothers need many things, teachings, revelations, visions; they even need to be prudent and faithful as stewards to carry God's testimony. But sisters only need one thing, oil. Sisters are committed with purity and simplicity, waiting for the Lord's return and even bringing Him back. The secret to accomplishing this is to be rich in oil.     

C. Our living          

1. In prudence -- pay the price in our daily life to purchase the oil, to gain the Spirit.

Oil needs to be purchased. The five wise virgins told the five foolish virgins to go purchase oil. To purchase means to pay the price. In other words, to love the Lord is not so simple. Loving the Lord requires a price. A wife may feel that her husband does not understand how busy she is. Her husband spends his days in an air-conditioned office, but the wife spends her days doing housework and caring for the children. She may feel that she does not even have time to exercise her spirit to touch the Lord. But this is only because she does not know how to buy the oil. Your day may be difficult, your children may be naughty, you may be frustrated, but this is the time to pay the price. When things are difficult, call on the name of the Lord more. Pay the price to buy the oil to gain the Spirit.         

2. Be watchful -- live a watchful life to be ready to enter into the wedding feast

To get yourself ready you must be watchful. A thief will surprise you when you are not watchful. When you are traveling or doing something out of the ordinary you are very watchful. But nobody is watchful in their daily life, when their life is caught in routine. It is possible to spend years caught in your routine with no change. So the Lord spoke to the ten virgins to be watchful. Be watchful that your daily life will not become buried in routine.

II. The Parable of Two Women in the Mill (Matt. 24:40-41)     

A. Laboring together with the brothers in the practical church life

I like this parable because both the brothers and the sisters are needed. Without the brothers, the sisters will not make it because there will be no raw material for you to process. The raw material comes from the brothers. Right after the brothers labor, the sisters labor together with the brothers in the practical church life.     

B. The brothers labor in the field to produce the harvest.

We should pray for the brothers' labor to be so proper.     

C. The sisters labor in the mill to process what the brothers produce.

Paul said that he does not like a woman to teach. To teach is to produce raw food. But Paul never said that he does not allow a woman to feed. There is a difference between teaching and feeding. A brother sharing a message may be just teaching. But after the teaching, the sisters have a marvelous function. What the brother speaks in his message is raw. The sisters have the ability to grind it. After a conference the sisters should be so busy grinding what was spoken in the mill. This grinding makes whatever the brothers shared become partake-able, edible, enjoyable, real food for others to eat. The sisters' job is to make the raw food edible so that all the saints can enjoy it.          

1. Based on the fine nature the Lord has given us.

Sisters have a much finer humanity than brothers. Their humanity is much more delicate. This enables them to see more of spiritual things.          

2. Based on the commitment we have received.

We have seen something. We have seen that God has an economy and that God's economy should become our daily exercise in our operation.          

3. Based on the diligence we exercise.

We should be diligent to grind the food from the messages we hear. As a ministering brother I am not supposed to give you milk. I am supposed to give you hard food and you are supposed to grind it to make it edible. In grinding it you produce soft food, enjoyable food to supply the whole church life. This surely requires diligence. A lazy person cannot do this work.          

4. All these are carried out while working for our living.

The two men laboring in the field were working for their living. The women grinding in the mill were working for their living. For the women, their living becomes a life supply to others.          

5. This watchful daily life is based on the realization of the Lord's coming.

This parable reminds us that we do not know when the Lord is coming back. Two were in the mill but only one was taken. You have to realize that tomorrow may be too late. You may not have another chance. So be sober today about every minute before the Lord.

III. The Parable of the Woman Seeking the Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)     

A. Followed by the parable of the Shepherd looking after the lost sheep     

B. This very exercise indicates that a sister:          

1. Works closely with the Spirit -- lights a lamp

The story in Luke 15 refers to the Spirit's work. However, it mentions a woman. A woman lights the lamp. When the sisters in the church life operate, especially when they labor with others, they have to be extremely careful. Without the Spirit you cannot do much. Even lighting the lamp must be done with the Spirit. Those who work in an office are constantly battling. They are abused by their boss and by their colleagues. This can cause them to become coldhearted. But if you stay at home with your children you can be very sweet. Your dealings with your neighbors and your husband can be very sweet. It is easy for a woman to make friends. But it is also easy to lose friends. If this happens it shows that in the process of laboring in the church life the lamp is not there. For your labor with the saints, first light the lamp. Don't get caught in your emotions. In all your activities you must first work closely with the Spirit.         

2. Works in a much smaller operating field -- in the church life (sweeps the house)

It is good to be a sweet sister operating in your local church. If your local church is small, operate in a small way. If your local church is big, operate in a big way. In this parable the woman closed the door, lit the lamp and operated in that little room. She swept the house. Sweeping meets to look around. In the church life we should always be looking around.

Today I met a brother in the elevator that I did not recognize. But I found out that he has been in the church life for a long time, even spending some time in a church that I served. This reminded me that we do not sweep the house. There are many lost coins in the house. When the sisters get too emotional, trying to see who is good, they don't look down to see the lost coin on the floor. Our problem is that we only see what stands out. In the church life no one bothers to sweep the floor because everyone is too busy with new fruit. If some sisters begin to work with the Spirit to sweep the house, they will find so many lost coins already there.         

3. Exercises genuine care with diligence -- seeking carefully for the lost coin         

4. Bears the saints and unbelievers -- not tolerating if even one is lost

This is not the brothers' job. This is a job for sisters.         

5. Does this in the church life -- calls friends and neighbors to rejoice together

You need this kind of exercise.

IV. The Bride For the Bridegroom (John 3:29)     

A. Not in the work but

In John 3:29 John's disciples were concerned that Jesus' disciples were baptizing more people. Brothers are always troubled about who has more numbers. But John answered, "It is the bridegroom who has the bride." In other words, John was telling his disciples that they cared too much for the work. As long as you are a brother I will say the same thing, brothers, we are too much in the work. Our whole thought is to gain increase, to do more, to develop more. But the Lord does not desire this. The Lord desires something of life. That is why the Bible says, He who has the bride is the bridegroom. This is not a work, this is an organism.          

1. In life

How does life come? Ephesians tells us clearly that the Lord as the husband loves the wife. The bridegroom loves the bride. Christ loves the church.          

2. Through the washing of the water in the word (Eph. 5:26)

The Lord purifies, sanctifies the church. How can the bride become a reality? Forget about the work. It is not good for sisters to talk about how many people have been gained. A sister's talk should be washed by the water in the word, so that we can present ourselves to the Lord without blemish. Sisters, don't get caught in the work. Don't even get so excited about how many have been baptized. Just be in life, enjoying the washing of the water in the word.     

B. Prepares herself to be ready -- not individually but corporately

Enjoy life in the church life. How marvelous it is that the bride who prepares herself is not one person but a corporate body.

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