Literature

In Genesis 8, after the judgment came on the earth, Noah and his household came out of the ark onto dry land and saw a freshly washed and new earth, with nothing of the old remaining. There he built an altar.

When Noah was called to build the ark, the earth was corrupted, full of wickedness, violence and flesh (Gen. 6:1-13). God desired to wipe out the old to make way for the new — to end the old, fallen generation and initiate a fresh, new beginning to recover His own purpose on the earth.

Now we have the church life. But what is the nature of this life? Where did it come from? How can we maintain it? The church life didn’t originate from us, so we have no way to maintain or upkeep this life.

For those who receive and carry this calling, there is a common condition whose thread can be traced to link the saints not just in the local churches, but also many other brothers and sisters throughout history. In the past 2000 years, many saints were hidden in monasteries, nunneries, or in certain denominations, yet they were not denominational; they were not divisive; they did not identify with those systems.

From where does the church receive power to shine in the dark age? We can say that the world today is suffering more lies, more subtleties, and more evil than in previous ages. What gives God’s people power to shine, what empowers them to rise above the worldly trend unto a minister’s calling?

1 Corinthians 15 shows us Paul’s understanding of the resurrection life: while he was facing those who denied the resurrection — a generation of religious people and worldly philosophers alike — Paul insisted that we be recovered back to the essential experience of the Bible, and that we enter into the reality of the resurrection, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep: Christ.

The Bible gives us a fundamental understanding to enter into the essential experience of our salvation — to come to the “norm” of a believer’s life and develop the full functionality and faculties of a spiritual living. As Christians, our “norm” should be a life in resurrection.

When man fell, the life relationship between God and man was damaged. Through Eve, who was ignorant, naive and independent, the serpent came in between, rooting the nature of sin into our beings. From generation to generation, this sin has been passed on as a curse. How can we escape?

And from there they journeyed to Beer; that is the well where Jehovah said to Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. Then Israel sang this song: Spring up, O well! Sing to it! The well, which the leaders sank, Which the nobles of the people dug, / With the scepter, with their staffs…