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On the day of Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Spirit, which means that they were filled with the enjoyment of the Lord; because they were filled with the Spirit, others thought that they were drunk with wine—Acts 2:4a, 12-13.
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Actually, they were filled with the enjoyment of the heavenly wine; only after they were filled with this enjoyment did they begin to work with God in oneness with Him; Pentecost was the first day of the eighth week; therefore, concerning the day of Pentecost, we see the principle of the first day.
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With God it is a matter of working and resting; with man it is a matter of resting and working.
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In doing God's divine work to build the church, typified by the work to build the tabernacle, we must bear a sign to indicate that we are God's people and that we need Him; then we will be able to work not only for God but also with God by being one with God; He will be our strength to work and our energy to labor:
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We are God's people, and we should bear a sign that we need Him to be our enjoyment, strength, energy, and everything so that we may be able to work for Him to honor and glorify Him.
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The Sabbath means that before we work for God, we need to enjoy God and be filled with Him; Peter preached the gospel by the infilling God, the infilling Spirit; therefore, Peter had a sign that he was God's co-worker, and his gospel preaching was an honor and glory to God—v. 14.
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As God's people, we must bear a sign that we rest with God, enjoy God, and are filled up with God first, and then we work with the very One who fills us; furthermore, we not only work with God but also work as those who are one with God.
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In our speaking to God's people, we must always seek to bear a sign that our Lord is our strength, our energy, and our everything for ministering the word—2 Cor. 13:3; Acts 6:4.
Morning Nourishment
Exo. 31:13 …You shall surely keep My Sabbaths; for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am Jehovah who sanctifies you.Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, even as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth.
We need to be one with God in His work. This requires that we enjoy Him. If we do not know how to enjoy God and be filled with God, we will not know how to work with Him, how to be one with Him in His work.
The New Testament ministry of the apostles began with the enjoyment they had on the day of Pentecost. The disciples did not work for six days and then enjoy the Lord on the day of Pentecost. The actual situation was that the Lord had told them to wait until the Spirit came upon them to fill them…They were filled with the enjoyment of the Lord. Because they were filled with the Spirit, others thought that they were drunk with wine. Actually, they were filled with the enjoyment of the heavenly wine. Only after they had been filled with this enjoyment did they begin to work with God. This is the way to work with God, the way to work in oneness with Him. When Peter stood up with the apostles to preach the gospel and thereby do a work for God, they all were one with God in His work. (Life-study of Exodus, 2nd ed., pp. 1762-1763)
Today’s Reading
Pentecost denotes the fiftieth day after a period of seven weeks, or forty- nine days…Pentecost was the first day of the eighth week. Therefore, concerning the day of Pentecost, we see the principle of the first day. According to the Old Testament Sabbath, the day of man’s rest was his first day…According to the New Testament, the eighth day, the day of rest for man, was also the first day.According to the principle in the Old Testament, man’s day of rest is a day that comes after God’s work has been completed. Man does not rest after his own work is finished; he rests after the completion of God’s work and enjoys it. God works, and man enjoys. Man enjoys what God has accomplished in His work.
When man came forth from God’s creating hand, his first day was God’s seventh day. Therefore, he had enjoyment with God, he lived with God, he walked with God, and eventually, he was ready to work with God. God had put him into the garden of Eden to work it and to keep it (Gen. 2:15). Perhaps after enjoying rest with God on his first day, Adam worked to care for the garden for another six days. Then on what was his eighth day, another first day, he again rested with God. This is a cycle that would continue again and again with intervals of resting and working. With God it is a matter of working and resting; with man, a matter of resting and working.
After God gave the revelation concerning the tabernacle and the furniture, and after God selected the builders and gave Moses a charge regarding them, He went on to speak again of the Sabbath. It seems as if God were saying, “Do not forget My Sabbath…You should not think that because you are working to build My dwelling place, you can work every day continually. No, even in doing My divine work, the work of building the tabernacle, you must still bear a sign to indicate that you are My people and you need Me. Therefore, you need to enjoy Me first. Then you will be able to work not only for Me but also with Me and by being one with Me. I will be your strength to work and your energy to labor…You must do the work of building My dwelling place with Me, by Me, and in oneness with Me… You are My people, and you should bear a sign that you need Me to be your enjoyment, strength, and energy. You need Me to be your everything so that you may be able to work for Me. By working in this way, you honor Me and glorify Me. This is to bear a sign indicating that you are My people.” (Life- study of Exodus, pp. 1763-1764)
Further Reading: Life-study of Exodus, msg. 172