１
Preaching the gospel, edifying the saints, administrating the church, and praying are all a kind of warfare (Eph. 1:17-18; 3:8, 14-19; 4:12; 6:10-12).
２
If our eyes have been opened by the Lord, we will see that the nature of our work in serving the Lord is that of warfare.
Ⅵ
A reward, or compensation, was given to Aaron and his sons as the priests and to the serving Levites (Num. 18:8-32):
Ａ
The priests and the Levites had no portion other than Christ; Christ was their house, inheritance, land, clothing, food, and everything (v. 31).
Ｂ
Today, in the New Testament, the Levitical service is combined with the priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5, 9):
１
There is no difference between the priests and the servants of the priests; the believers in Christ are both the priests and the serving Levites.
２
The only reward, the only compensation, for our priestly and Levitical service is Christ (Matt. 25:23; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 3:20-21).
Morning Nourishment
2 Tim. 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing.Once the name of the Lord is upon [a saved person], the authority of the Lord follows. Once the authority of the Lord comes upon him, Satan's authority is removed. Therefore, strictly speaking, preaching the gospel, bringing salvation to men, and leading them to the Lord is a kind of spiritual warfare.
Edifying the saints is also a matter of spiritual warfare. To edify the saints is to deliver them from the rule of Satan, that is, from sins, the world, the flesh, and everything relating to the old creation, all of which are used by Satan to rule over man. Thus, they will be further delivered from the satanic power of darkness, they will know the name of the Lord more deeply, and they will allow the Lord to increase His reign in them and thereby let the kingdom of God come more fully upon them. (CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, pp. 522-523)
Today's Reading
Second Corinthians 10:3-5 says, "Though we walk in flesh, we do not war according to flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful before God for the overthrowing of strongholds, as we overthrow reasonings and every high thing rising up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought unto the obedience of Christ." This word shows us that even after a Christian is saved, it is possible that a large portion of his mind and thoughts remains the stronghold of Satan, and many of his ideas and concepts still serve as the base usurped by Satan. Therefore, when the apostles edify the saints, their purpose is to cast down through warfare all the strongholds and bases of Satan in the saints and eventually bring their thoughts into captivity unto the obedience of Christ. Hence, edifying the saints is also a kind of spiritual warfare.Moreover, even administering the church is a warfare. The purpose of administering the church is to deliver the church out of the power of darkness, to let God gain the place of rule in the church, to let the name of God be exalted in the church, to let His will be done in the church, and to let the glory of God be increasingly manifested in the church. Hence, administering the church is also a kind of warfare.
Even all our prayers, whether they be for ourselves, for our family, for the revival of the church, or for anything else, are for the purpose of delivering us out of the satanic power of darkness; hence, they are also a kind of warfare.
If our eyes have been opened by the Lord, we will see that the nature of our work in serving the Lord is that of warfare. All our spiritual work, whether it be delivering men from sin, from the world, from illness, or from problems, has an ultimate goal: to rescue men out of the power of Satan and drive out the satanic power of darkness from within men so that men might be gained even more by God. Thus, God's name will be sanctified in men, God's kingdom will reach unto men, His will shall be done in men, and thereby His glory will be manifested upon men. Therefore, the nature of all this work is that of spiritual warfare. (CWWL, 1953, vol. 3, "The Experience of Life," pp. 523-524)
A reward, or compensation, was given to Aaron and his sons as the priests...and to the serving Levites (Num. 18:8-32). This reward (v. 31) was altogether Christ. The priests and the Levites had no portion other than Christ. Christ was their house, their inheritance, their land, their clothing, their food, and their everything.
Today, in the New Testament, the Levitical service is combined with the priesthood. There is no difference between the priests and the servants of the priests. This means that the believers in Christ are both the priests and the serving Levites. The only reward, the only compensation, for our priestly and Levitical service is Christ. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 190-191)
Further Reading: Life-study of Numbers, msgs. 26-27