Outline

«　WEEK 5　DAY 5　»

　　Heb. 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all respects like us, yet without sin. Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.

　　About eight years ago, there was no feeling of happiness or pleasantness with the church in Anaheim. This was because of the black, burned-out, charred wicks. But one day Christ as our High Priest came to dress the lamps of the lampstand, the church in Anaheim, by trimming the wicks to cut off all the black, charred wicks. This was a cherishing, to make the church in Anaheim happy, pleasant, and comfortable…One day the Lord Jesus as the High Priest in His humanity came to snuff all the negative things. Then we became happy, pleasant, and comfortable. This is Christ’s taking care of the church in His humanity to dress the lamps of the church.

　　I thank the Lord that today in His recovery He is the High Priest in His humanity…Our Christ is the same as we are. He has been tempted in everything like us, so He can easily be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses [Heb. 4:15]. This means that He always sympathizes with our weaknesses in His humanity. He is the High Priest in His humanity taking care of us by cherishing us all the time. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” p. 156)

　　Christ is not only human but also divine. He is the Son of Man wearing a golden girdle, signifying His divinity as His divine energy. His divinity as the divine energy nourishes the churches in many ways.

　　On the one hand, He trims the wicks of the church lamps, cutting away all the wrongdoings, shortages, failures, and defects mentioned in the seven epistles to the seven churches. Christ does the best trimming work in His humanity to cherish the churches. On the other hand, in each of these seven epistles, we see Christ’s nourishing. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 156-157)

　　In the Old Testament there was the lampstand in the tabernacle. Every morning these lamps were trimmed by having their charred wicks snuffed (Exo. 30:7). In addition, they were kept supplied with oil (27:20)…In Revelation 2 and 3 our High Priest was trimming the seven lampstands. He was cutting away those things that were not needed and that frustrated the shining. At the same time He was supplying the oil that was needed and that would make the lampstands burn brightly. The seven lampstands were receiving His trimming and His infilling.

　　Of all the things He trimmed away, to me the most striking is the synagogue of Satan (2:9)…That the Lord speaks of Judaism in such a way indicates that by the time of the church age, Judaism had become satanic… When you hear that it has become satanic, you may want to protest. Nonetheless, this is the word of our heavenly High Priest. What can we learn from this? Our old religious concepts are against God’s economy and need to be trimmed away. These concepts are black, charred, and dark. They are one of the things that hinder the shining of the local churches. Thus, we need our High Priest to step in and trim them away.

　　Another thing that chars the wick is worldliness. Our heavenly High Priest cannot tolerate this. Pergamos speaks of the marriage of the church with the world (Rev. 2:12-17). When the Lord comes to the church in Thyatira, He condemns them for tolerating the woman Jezebel (v. 20)…All that she represents must be trimmed away. Lukewarmness must be trimmed away, along with religion, worldliness, and the evils of Jezebel. Morning by morning the priests did this trimming work. (CWWL, 1980, vol. 2, “The Mending Ministry of John,” pp. 356-359)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1980, vol. 2, “The Mending Ministry of John,” ch. 14