Crystallization-Study of Numbers (2)
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Message Two
The Growth and Maturity Required for the Formation of the Army
to Protect God’s Testimony and Fight for His Move on Earth
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
From twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go forth for military service in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their companies.-Num.1:3.
Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. -Eph.4:13.
Word of Appetizer
What is this related to In order “to go forth for military service,” an Israelite male needed to be at least twenty years old?
this is related to growth and maturity. According to Numbers, neither children nor women were numbered；That only males who were twenty years old and upward were able to engage in warfare signifies that among the believers, only those who are mature in life and strong are able to fight in spiritual warfare.
Spiritual Burden
In the Lord’s recovery today, there is an urgent need for the growth and maturity in life required for the formation of God’s army to protect God’s testimony and fight for His move on earth.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The emphasis of Numbers is how the Israelites, who had been redeemed, received revelation, and been trained by God, were formed into an army to protect God’s testimony and fight for His move on earth.
In order “to go forth for military service,” an Israelite male needed to be at least twenty years old; this is related to growth and maturity.
In order for the children of God to reach the spiritual age of twenty, they need to pass through the first three stages of the experience of life and enter into the fourth stage.
The prayer at the incense altar issued in the numbering of the children of Israel for the formation of an army to fight for God’s interest on the earth.
The Experience of Life
Since the time of our regeneration, the Lord has been working in us so that we may have His image; When the Lord has fully worked His image into us and is fully expressed through us, we will be mature in life.
maturity is reached by the subduing of the will; If we have a submissive will, our will becomes like the tower of David that holds all kinds of weapons for warfare.
Practice and Application
If we want to fight the spiritual warfare and deal with God’s enemy, we must first deal with our flesh, self, and soul-life; Engaging in spiritual warfare to deal with Satan and recover the earth for God requires that we be wholly and absolutely for God and obey Him completely; We cannot preserve ourselves or leave one bit for ourselves.
The more we pray at the incense altar, the more we will realize that the need for maturity is desperate, and the greater will be the urgency to pray for the growth in life unto maturity.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
From twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go forth for military service in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their companies.-Num.1:3.
These are the ones who were called from the assembly, the leaders of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel.
And Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name. -16~17.
But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ.-Eph.4:15.
I.the Formation of the Army to Protect God’s Testimony and Fight for His Move on Earth
II. In order “to go forth for military service,” an Israelite male needed to be at least twenty years old
.Since the earth created by God was ruined by Satan, God needs to gain a group of people to be formed into an army for His move on earth.
. Numbers shows how God formed His redeemed people into an army to surround and protect His testimony.
. There were approximately two million Israelites, but only 603,550 were twenty years old and upward and were able to go forth for military service.
. Numbers mentions the age for those enlisting in the army, which was twenty years old and upward, yet this book does not mention the age for retirement.
.According to Numbers, neither children nor women were numbered.
. Those who were numbered needed to be confirmed by Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the twelve tribes.
Key Verses (2)
……holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.-Col.2:19.
That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, …….-Eph.3:17
But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.-2Cor.3:18.
Your neck is like the tower of David, Built for an armory: A thousand bucklers hang on it, All the shields of the mighty men.- S.S4:4.
III.In the Lord’s recovery today, there is an urgent need for the growth and maturity required for the formation of God’s army; we need to grow in life unto maturity
. Spiritually, males who are twenty years old and over signify those among God’s people who, regardless of their natural status, are strong in spirit and mature in the divine life.
. The growth of life is the increase of the element of God, the increase of the stature of Christ, the expanding of the ground of the Holy Spirit, the decrease of the human element, the breaking of the natural life, and the subduing of every part of our soul.
.To be transformed is to be metabolically changed in our natural life, whereas to be matured is to be filled with the divine life that changes us.
. To be mature is to have Christ fully formed in us; it also means that we have been fully transformed into His image.
. Chapter 3 of Song of Songs shows us the maturity of the seeking one, and chapter 4 explains that maturity is reached by the subduing of the will.
Key Verses (3)
For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.-Phil.3:3.
Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,-Eph.4:13.
Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil.-6:11.
IV. In order for the children of God to reach the spiritual age of twenty, they need to pass through the first three stages of the experience of life and enter into the fourth stage
V. The prayer at the incense altar issued in the numbering of the children of Israel for the formation of an army to fight for God’s interest on the earth
. The first stage of the experience of life is being in Christ, the second stage is abiding in Christ, and the third stage is Christ living in us, which is also the stage of the cross.
. In the third stage the seeking believers deal with the flesh, the self, and the natural constitution with the natural strength and ability.
. The fourth stage of our spiritual experience and spiritual life is the highest stage—Christ’s full growth in us—the stage of spiritual warfare, where Christ is fully grown and matured in us.
. As a result of the prayer at the incense altar, the Lord conducts a “military census” of the saints in the churches; those who are numbered are qualified to go to war for God’s move on the earth.
. The intercession offered at the incense altar is for the growth and maturity of the believers so that an army can be formed.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 In order for the children of Israel to be formed into an army, they needed to be numbered（Exo1:2~3、19~20）
（Please illustrate that The numbering of the Israelites is based on three basic matters）
T2 only those who are mature in life and strong are able to fight in spiritual warfare.（Num1:3，(Josh. 14:10~11）
（Please illustrate that those who are mature in life and are able to fight for God’s testimony are not, and should not be, limited by age.）
D2
T1 for the growth and maturity required for the formation of God’s army（Col.2:19，Eph.3:17）
（Please illustrate that In order for us to grow in life, our heart must be open to the Lord with experience.）
T2 we need to grow in life unto maturity（Heb.6:1，Matt.5：48，Cal4:19）
（Please illustrate that What is the reason for the immaturity of our lives.）
D3
T1All the weapons for spiritual warfare are kept in our subdued and resurrected will.（S. S. 4:4，2Cor.10:3~5
（Please illustrate that The secret of the maturity of the seeking one in Song of Songs 3 is that her will has been completely subdued and resurrected.）
T2 Those who are rebellious toward God in the Bible are called stiff-necked（Exo.32:9，Acts.7:51）
（Please illustrate that An unsubdued will is, on the one hand, stubborn, and on the other hand, weak with experience.）
D4
T1 to pass through the first three stages of the experience of life and enter into the fourth stage（Gal.2:20，Eph.6:11）
（Please illustrate that What the experience of life in the fourth stage is？）
T2 the third stage is Christ living in us, which is also the stage of the cross（1 Sam. 15:3;Matt.16:23~25，Phil.3:3）
（Please illustrate that In the third stage the seeking believers deal with the flesh, the self, and the natural constitution.
D5
T1（The fourth stage of our spiritual experience is the stage of spiritual warfare.（Eph.4:13-16 ;6:10~18）
（Please illustrate that What is included in the experience of life in the fourth stage.）
T2in order to fight the battle, we must first know the Body（Eph.4:16）
（Please illustrate that In order to know the Body and live in the Body, we must first deal with the flesh, the self, and the natural constitution.）
D6
T1 reach the incense altar and intercede for God’s move.（Exo.30:11~16，Num.1:45~46，Tim. 2:3）
（Please illustrate that The relationship between prayer at the incense altar and the formation of an army.）
T2 The more we pray at the incense altar, the more we will realize that the need for maturity is desperate（1Cor.14:20，Heb.5:14）
（Please illustrate that The intercession offered at the incense altar is for the growth and maturity of the believers so that an army can be formed.）
