Page 22 - The Christian Life and the Church Life_Government of God

The Universal Government of God 21

Although We Have Been Born of God to Have a Spiritual Life and
to Be a New Creation, Our Being Still in the Old Creation

Although we have been born of God to have a spiritual life and to be a
new creation, we are still in the old creation. Here is an instance. You may
have the thought, “This person is of Chinese heritage or Chinese culture who
speaks Tagalog and Chinese, while we are Filipinos by birth.” Or you may
think and attribute certain situations to race, saying, “Oh, it is because of race;
it is because of nationality.” That is one hundred percent of the old creation.
There is no such thing in the one new man because we are all eliminated,
and Christ is all and in all. Just our thinking this, let alone speaking this, is a
serious matter. It is potentially a divisive matter. The heavens are watching
and will act: “No, I will not allow this to enter into My recovery on the earth.
I want to see one new man in reality and practicality.”
For this reason, we need God’s governmental dealings. In order for the
Christian life to grow, we need the discipline of God’s government. I say this
again, and the Lord, the Spirit, can bear witness with me: in all my travels
for the last twenty-five years, I do not have a judgmental attitude or a critical
spirit toward anyone or anything. I do not come to examine or keep a record
of defects. If I am aware of a shortage, the response is to minister life, truth,
and Christ. But there is a particular matter that saddens my heart, and I am
not alone among the serving ones. Brother Lee sent some of us here to fight
and to preserve the churches in Mindanao. It could happen here or in any
other country. Let us just say that over the twenty-five years since I began
coming here, I just have the sense that this brother is so dear but he has
not grown an inch in twenty years. That is just a discernment. It does not
lead to judgment and criticism. If you have a little boy who is now twelve
but whose body is the same as a seven-year old, what parent would not be
more than desperate and say, “I just want my son to grow normally?” We
need God’s governmental dealing for our growth in life. I can say two things
honestly about the Lord’s governmental dealings with me to the extent to
which I understand them. Without these dealings, I would not still be alive
physically, and I would not have grown however I have grown. This is part
of the Father’s care. We should not pray for dealings; we do not need to. We
should pray for normal growth and the Lord will supply grace upon grace;
but from time to time, there will be governmental dealings so we can grow.