Message Three:
The Operation of the Sisters in Relation to Jesus Christ and His Accomplishments
Introduction
This message will show us some living examples related to the sisters'
function. When the Lord was on this earth, there were many dear sisters
involved in the process He went through. In the beginning, during, and
at the end of the Lord's process, there were many sisters operating
to support Him. Before the Lord came, there were sisters praying. To
bring the Lord to earth, there were some faithful sisters obeying Him
in purity. While the Lord was on the earth exercising to fulfill His
commitment, some sisters were with Him, serving and supporting Him.
When the Lord was on the cross, four sisters and one brother stood by
Him when all the rest had disappeared. The first one to witness the
Lord's resurrection was a sister. And finally, the brothers and the
sisters in one accord brought in the reality of the church life.
All of these points show us the principle of operation in the church
life. The church life has the same Christ as the four Gospels. In the
Gospels, there is the incarnation of Christ. In the church life is the
presence of Christ. In the Gospels, there is the preparation for salvation.
In the church life there is the fulfillment of salvation. In the Gospels
there is the need of the kingdom to go to the Gentiles. In the church
life there is the need for the gospel to be preached over all the earth.
In the Gospels Christ died on the cross. In the church life there are
times of trial. In the Gospels, there is resurrection. In the church
life there is the experience of Christ's resurrection. Outwardly all
of these experiences seem to only involve brothers, except for incarnation.
The brothers are always on show. But the reality comes from the faithful
exercise of the sisters.
I. Exercising a prayer life for Christ's incarnation as well as His
second coming – Anna (Luke 2:37)
From her youth, Anna was in the temple day and night, praying for the
Lord's coming. Today there is the same need for the sisters to pray
desperately for the Lord's coming back. Don't be concerned with how
many are in your meetings. Just pray for the Lord to return.
II. Exercising purity and obedience for Christ's incarnation
as well as His living presence in today's church life – Mary (Luke
1:46-47)
Two thousand years ago the Lord lived among the Jews physically. Today,
in the church life, in principle, we need the living presence of the
Lord. His living presence comes to the church life not only by the brothers'
speaking and admonishing, but also by the sisters' purity and obedience.
If you want to understand the high things in the Bible, firstly you
must be pure. In the Bible, sisters are often used as examples of purity.
If you desire to see the church life filled with the living presence
of the Lord, the secret is that many of the sisters must exercise a
pure love towards the Lord.
Mary was so pure when she declared, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and
my spirit has exulted in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46-47). Mary didn't
consider how great it was for her to be the mother of the Lord Jesus.
Rather, when the angel told her she would conceive and bear a son, the
Lord Jesus, her response was, "I will just obey the Lord. Whatever God
says, let it be a reality. My soul and my spirit are all just focused
on the Lord Himself."
The secret of a prevailing church life comes from a group of sisters
exercising such purity. It is not that profitable for the sisters to
be overly involved in doing many things. What is really worthwhile is
when all the sisters can testify, "I love the Lord, my soul magnifies
the Lord, and my spirit exults in my Savior. In my daily life, I obey
the Lord's word." The disciples in the New Testament did not respond
to the Lord in this way. Rather, Peter told the Lord, "Behold, we have
left all and followed You. What then will there be for us?" (Matt. 19:27).
Peter left a small sea and an old boat to follow the Lord at an exciting
time, when crowds were seeking the Lord out. And he wanted to know what
his reward would be. But Mary magnified the Lord and exulted in God
her Savior. The difference between them lies in how God made man and
woman. Sisters, don't try to change your God-given nature. Just be a
sister — so sweet, so pure, and so obedient. The result of your
purity and obedience will be the living presence of the Lord Jesus in
the church life.
Don't criticize the church when you feel the saints are dead and dry.
When the church is dead, all that the sisters have to do is love the
Lord, magnify the Lord, and exult in their Savior. Then the Lord's presence
will return. The sisters should not care how things are arranged in
the church life. Just love the Lord, and be so pure and obedient before
Him. Then wherever you are the Lord's presence will be there. Brothers
are also a blessing to the church, but in different ways. A sister's
portion is to love the Lord and enjoy His presence. A sister can bring
the Lord's presence into the church life.
III. Exercising diligence and love in providing for the Lord's
needs and comfort as well as the church's needs and comfort
The church
has needs, and one of those needs is a need for comfort. The church
should be a house of comforting. When you are religious you are not
comforting, but harsh. To be religious is to believe in something subjectively.
For example, in the church life, you may believe a certain brother is
right but another brother is wrong. Or you may believe that a certain
event did or did not happen. This is religion.
However, comfort comes, in principle, from the sisters. At the end of
the Lord's life, when He was ready to fulfill His ministry, He needed
to do several things. Firstly, He needed to change the age from the
Jews as the center to the Gentiles. Secondly, He needed to clear up
the worship of God and make it so healthy and proper. Thirdly, He needed
to make Himself available as the Savior. While He was doing all these
things, He stayed in the village of Bethany.
A. The Lord's preparation for salvation started in Bethany (Mark 11:1-11)
Have you ever considered what was involved in giving hospitality to
Jesus? Jesus never traveled by Himself. There were many with Him, including
the twelve disciples, and other men and women. To take care of the Lord
meant to also care for those with Him. This was not easy. The Lord was
able to go through this time of trial and carry out what had been committed
to Him because of Mary and Martha. They honored the Lord to the uttermost;
Mary even anointed His feet with costly ointment from an alabaster box.
They did everything with diligence and comforting to sustain the Lord.
Today we must exercise in the same way, with diligence and love in caring
for the saints.
If Mary would have told the Lord that there were too many people with
Him and that they could not all be cared for, He would not have been
so restful. But every night He was able to get a good rest because the
sisters' serving upheld Him. Every night the Lord Jesus went to enjoy
the sweet love expressed through the sisters' diligent serving to prepare
Himself for the next day's trial.
Sisters, don't despise yourselves. The church life needs this kind of
support. It is marvelous to give hospitality to the saints. This is
a comfort to the church and to the saints.
B. He went through the process of cursing the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14)
This act changed the kingdom from the Jews to the Gentiles.
C. He cleansed the temple (Mark 11:15)
The purging of the temple was a powerful act. The Lord used a whip and
threw over tables. He was able to do this because the previous night
He had rested under the careful, loving service of the sisters. And
He knew that that night He would return to Bethany again to be served
with tenderness and love.
D. He was tested and examined by the chief priests, scribes, elders,
Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees (Mark 11:27; 12:13, 18)
The Lord was examined by all these people to make sure that He was qualified
to go to the cross and die. We may consider that it was difficult for
the all-mighty God to be confined in Mary's womb for nine months. But
I would say that this time of testing before His crucifixion was more
difficult. The Lord needed to take care of the transfer of the kingdom,
clean up the way of worship, and be tested by many people. At this time,
who was backing Him up? The disciples were just giving Him headaches.
But every night Jesus went out of the city and stayed in Bethany, at
the house of two sisters. There He was comforted through the diligence
of these sisters.
E. This time of testing concluded with the poor widow's offering
of two copper coins (Mark 12:42)
The widow's offering shows that only a sister could have this kind of
purity in giving everything she has to Christ. When a sister gives herself
to the Lord, she is mainly giving her person. When a brother gives himself
to the Lord, he is giving his career, his future, his job, his education
and his success. In this respect, man is more complicated than woman.
At the end of the Lord's time of testing there was a proper consecration.
Yet this consecration came from a poor widow who had nothing. She was
so simple, just giving herself to the Lord.
IV. Being desperate in God's kingdom and humbling ourselves –
the Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:27)
This Canaanite woman had a demon-possessed daughter. She was desperate
for her daughter to be healed. She followed after the Lord crying out,
"Son of David, have mercy on me!" and would not be silenced. The disciples
wanted the Lord to do a miracle just to get rid of her. Her persistence
forced the Lord to tell her that He was sent only to the lost of Israel,
and that it is not proper to throw the children's bread to the dogs.
Her response was that even the little dogs can eat the crumbs that fall
from the table. The Lord had been rejected by the Jews, so He was travelling
through Gentile territory. This Canaanite woman grasped the opportunity
to be with the Lord. At this point the Lord's economy went to the Gentiles.
This big turn came because of a humble sister's cry. May the sisters
be so desperate, praying and crying out for God's kingdom and for the
Lord's mercy.
V. Exercising the denying of the self life by standing with
the crucified Christ in the church life (John 19:25)
When the Lord Jesus was on the cross, the brothers ran away but the
sisters were there. It must have been very difficult to see the Lord
on the cross, especially for those who loved Him so much. May the Lord
raise up such sisters in the church life. We should learn to tell the
Lord, "Lord, I am not greedy. I don't care if I will be the wife of
an elder or an apostle. Rather, I love to be someone who denies myself
to the uttermost, to stand with You, even in Your death." How precious
this is, and how blessed the church is if many sisters exercise in the
church life in this way.
VI. Exercising purity and love in seeking and witnessing the resurrected
Christ in the church life (John 20:1, 11, 14)
VII. Working steadfastly and positively in the church life with the
brothers
in one accord for God's kingdom (Acts 1:13-14)
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