Ⅳ
We need to have a vision concerning the church and see that the church is”Christly,”“resurrectionly,” and heavenly; these adjectives describe the facts conveyed in the Bible—vv. 17-23; 2:5-6:
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The church is a matter in Christ, in resurrection, and in ascension in the heavenlies—vv. 5-6:
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After Christ terminated the entire old creation through His all-inclusive death, the church was produced in His resurrection; the church is absolutely in resurrection, a new creation created in Christ's resurrection and by the resurrected Christ—1 Pet. 1:3; Eph. 2:6.
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The church has been resurrected with Christ, and now the church is in ascension, in the heavenlies, with Christ—v. 6.
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The church is of Christ, the church is of resurrection, and the church is of the heavens.
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Such a vision will govern us to the uttermost and rule out everything that is not Christly (of Christ), resurrectionly (of resurrection), or heavenly (of the heavens)—Acts 26:19.
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We need to learn that the way we look at God's people is a serious matter:
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Joseph's two dreams, both from God, unveiled to him God's divine view concerning the nature, position, function, and goal of God's people on earth—Gen. 37:5-9:
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In his first dream Joseph saw sheaves in the field (vv. 7-8); if we see this heavenly dream, then we see that in God's view all His people are sheaves full of life to produce food for the meal offering to satisfy God and man (Lev. 2:4-5).
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In his second dream Joseph saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him; in God's eternal view, His people are heavenly bodies full of light—Gen. 37:9; cf. Rev. 12:1.
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If we praise the Lord for His saints being full of life and light, we will be the first to participate in life—Gen. 12:2-3; Num. 24:9.
Morning Nourishment
Gen. 37:9 And he had still another dream…: There were the sun and the moon and eleven stars, bowing down to me.Rev. 12:1 And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon underneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
Eph. 5:8 For you were once darkness but are now light in the Lord; walk as children of light.
In the Bible there is the principle of confirmation by two witnesses. Thus, Joseph had two dreams. In Joseph's second dream he saw the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowing down to him (Gen. 37:9). This indicates that in the eyes of God all the condemned and accused people are full of light….The reigning aspect of the maturity of life never condemns others. Rather, it shepherds and appreciates them. It says,”Oh, the church life and all the saints are wonderful! The saints are sheaves full of life. How nourishing and satisfying they are! Furthermore, they are heavenly luminaries full of light.” If you say that it is a lie to speak this way and that you cannot do it, it means that you have not seen the dream, the vision. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1416-1417)
Today's Reading
[If you] have been in the church life a long time, do you still feel…the saints are wonderful? If you are honest, you will admit that you have criticized certain saints to your wife or husband…. Years ago, according to your natural view, all the saints were so good. But today you need the view of the heavenly dream. In Genesis 37 there are two dreams. One is of sheaves full of life, and the other of the heavenly host full of light. This is God's view, the heavenly view, of His people. Because I have this heavenly view, I am greatly encouraged. I am not working with”gophers” and”scorpions.” I am serving the sheaves, I am under the sun and moon, and I am walking among the stars. The dream Joseph saw is similar to the vision in Revelation 12, where God's people are signified by the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and with the crown of twelve stars upon her head. We need such a vision to see God's people from the heavenly viewpoint.One thing is certain: Whoever condemns the church or blames the saints will suffer the loss of life. There is not one exception to this. You may be right, and the church may actually be wrong. The condition of the saints may be that of”gophers” and”scorpions.” But if you condemn them, you will suffer the loss of life. However, if you say,”Lord, I praise You because Your people are full of life and light,” you will be the first to participate in life. For this reason, I dare not say that the brothers and sisters are not good. Rather, I always say,”Praise the Lord! How good the saints are!” When I do this, I enjoy life. But if I were to criticize the brothers and sisters, I would immediately suffer death. No one who speaks negatively concerning the church or the saints enjoys life. On the contrary, all those who speak negatively suffer death. We need to say,”Praise the Lord, my brother will be a heavenly light! If he is not so today, he will be in the future.” With God there is no time element. There is no clock in heaven, only eternity. As God views His people from the standpoint of eternity, He sees them all as sheaves full of life and as the sun, moon, and stars full of light.
Genesis 37 begins by telling us how Jacob loved his dear son Joseph, and how Joseph reported the evils of his brothers to his father. Then we are told about Joseph's dreams (37:5-10)…. Joseph's dreams reveal the actual situation of God's people in His eyes. God's people are all sheaves of life. A sheaf is a bundle of wheat full of life and life supply….Do not say,”I don't like the Israelites, because they are so evil.”….At [Balaam's] time, Israel actually was evil. Nevertheless, Balaam, under the control of God, said that God had not beheld iniquity in Jacob nor perverseness in Israel (Num. 23:21)….In God's eyes all His chosen people are sheaves of life, full of life supply. Furthermore, God's people are like stars shining in the sky. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1417-1418, 1423-1424)
Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 110-111; CWWL, 1984, vol. 2,”Elders' Training, Book 2: The Vision of the Lord's Recovery,” ch. 3