What the summer school of truth is is a yearly time for the young people (junior high to high school) to come together and cover a specific aspect and enjoy the Lord. This summer I covered The Vision and the Building Up of the Church. After reading a lesson each person was assigned a point and had to share on that point. I have written out each testimony for you to read.
Lesson One
The Vision Concerning the Church
6. The Foundation of the Church Being Christ
Every house needs a strong foundation to stand, just as the Church needs Christ for its foundation. We see this revealed and ministered through the apostles. Christ was the foundation of the apostles and they ministered this foundation Christ to other. The foundation of the apostles and prophets is the revelation they received for the building of the Church. We should take Christ as our foundation, and not be distracted by the world. Ephesians 2:20
Lesson Two
Gods Purpose for the Church
3.To head up all things in Christ
The third main aspect of the church in Gods economy is the heading up of all things in Christ. We have seen that the first item of the sonship is of the church positively. The second item is that the church might make known to the principalities and powers the manifold wisdom of God, in defeating the enemy negatively. Now the third item is the heading up of all things in Christ universally. The church has to have the sonship, Satan has to be subdued and cast out, and the whole creation has to be brought into the proper order and oneness.
Lesson Three
The Status of the Church (1) The Assembly, the House of God, and the Kingdom of God
4. The Kingdom of God
A. Being the Living of the Church
The kingdom of God is the living of the church. Roman 14:17. people believe the kingdom has not yet come. In Roman 14:17 it says, God is, which is in the present tense. So the kingdom is todays church life. This verse proves that the kingdom is the living of the church life. When the authority of Gods kingdom works in us, righteousness peace, and joy will be in our daily life. This is the expression of Christ. So such a living is the kingdom of God as the living of the Church.
Lesson Four
The Status of the Church (2) The Body of Christ
The organism of the Triune God is a Body (Ephesians 4:4). The very abstract and mysterious God has an organism. God is invisible, yet He has a visible organism, the Body of Christ. The church as the Body of Christ is for His fullness, His expression. The definition of the church as the fullness of Christ may be illustrated by a cup that is filled with water to the extent that it overflows with water. The water within the cup is seen and expressed when it over flows from the cup. The overflow of the water is the fullness of the water, and the fullness of the water is the expression of the water that is inside the cup. John 1:16 says, “for of His fullness we all received, and grace upon grace.” We received of the fullness of the incarnated Christ who came as grace and truth (v.17). The word became flesh, and He was full of grace and truth (v.14). The fullness of grace and truth is the fullness of the incarnated Christ. To fill a cup with water until it overflows is to have “water upon water“. The Lord Jesus was full of grace, grace upon grace. Of His fullness we all have received, grace upon grace. The fullness is the expression of the riches. A persons body is his fullness, his expression. A husky American man who has enjoyed so much of the rich foodstuffs of America, may be considered as the fullness of America, the expression of America. The church as the Body of Christ is the expression, the fullness, of Christ.
Lesson Five
The Status of the Church (3) Gods Master piece, the New Man, and the counterpart of Man
3. The counterpart of Christ
In the Bible we see that the Church is a counter part to Christ. Threw this we also see the church comes out of Christ and is unto Christ. Adam and Eve is a picture of this. First God made Adam, but Adam needed a counter part to help him, to match him. none other than Eve would satisfy for she was the same in life, nature, and form. She was his counterpart. Genesis 2:24 says that man and wife are one flesh. This is Christ and the Church. Adam and Eve are one and Christ and the church are one. So we see the church bears the same image and has the same stature as Christ. In love there is satisfaction and rest, a wife is this to her husband. So being the church we have to render to Christ the adequate satisfaction and rest in love. So we as the church should love Christ. Christ needs a counterpart and the church is Christs counterpart.
Lesson Six
The Status of the Church (4) The Golden Lampstands
In Lesson six we see the church as the Golden Lampstands. Revelation 1:12 shows 7 lampstands. Revelation 1:20 shows us that the seven lampstands are the seven churches. We see the lampstand in Exodus, Zechariah, and Revelation. In each book the lampstand signifies something.
Exodus - Christ
Zechariah - Nation of Israel
Revelation - The Church
All of these are the embodiment of the Triune God.
Lesson Seven
The Two Aspects of the Church Universal and Local
4. The Genuine Ground
A. The Ground of Locality - One City, One Church
In the Bible the church does not beat any particular name. In this respect, the church is like the moon. The moon does not have a particular name; its name is simply the moon. We do not name the moon the American moon, the Chinese moon, the Korean moon, or the German moon. There is only one moon, not many moons. However, we may speak of the moon in Seoul, the moon in LA, or the Moon in London. This does not denote many moons, but one moon appearing in different cities.
The city is the ground on which the church is built. Therefore, taking the city as the ground, we may denote the church according to the city. For example, you may say that you are a member of the church in LA. Since my wife and I live in Anaheim, California, we are members of the church in Anaheim. Many of the saints attending this conference came from different cities. We use the names of these cities to denote the different local churches. Because of this, we may say that there are many churches. But actually, the many local churches are simply the one universal church appearing in many cities.
When the one moon is seen in LA it is the moon in LA. When it appears in New York, it is the moon in New York. There is only one moon. The moon in America is the moon in Korea, and the moon in Korea is the moon in China. There is only one moon, but this one moon appears in different cities. Therefore, it is correct to speak of the moon in a certain city. It is the same with the church.
We may say that there are many churches, yet the many churches are still just one church. Are we all in different churches, or are we in just one church? The proper answer is that, locally speaking, we are in many churches, but, universally speaking, we are all in one church. Are you in the local churches, or are you in the universal church? It is wise to answer, “I am in the universal church by being in a local church.” We are not in the Roman Church, the British Church, The American Church, or the Korean Church; we are in the universal church by being in the local churches. Since we are now in the city of LA, we should say that we are in the universal church by being in the church in LA. Although my wife and I reside in Anaheim, we should remember that during our stay with the saints in LA, we are not in the church in Anaheim, but in the church in LA.
Now let me ask, of what church are you a member? The best answer is that you are a member of the universal church which Jesus Christ is building, by being a member of a proper local church. While we are in LA, we are members of the universal church by being members of the church in LA. This is the proper practice of the church. We are members of the universal church by being members of one of the local churches. As long as we are members of a proper local church, we are members of the churches universally.
The ground of the church in LA is the city of LA. Therefore, in one city there can be only one church (Titus 1:5. Furthermore, the city can never be divided; a city always remains one city. Thus, the ground of locality is permanently one. just as the city cannot be divided, the church ground can never be divided. Since we do not have two cities in LA, we do not have two churches in LA. In LA there is only one city; hence in LA there is only one church. This unique ground keeps the church in oneness.
Today, in a given city there may be many so-called churches. Below is a list I recently required of the names of churches in one city.
African Methodist Episcopal
Anglican
Assembly of God
Baha'i
Baptist
Southern Baptist Convention
Buddhism
Christian-Disciples
Christian Reformed Church in America
Church of the Brethren
Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science)
Church of God
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church of the Nazarene
Episcopal
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Mennonite
Methodist
United Methodist
Eastern Orthodox churches
Pentecostal
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Reformed Church in America
Roman Catholic
Seventh-day Adventist
Society of Friends (Quaker)
Unitarian Universalist Association
Wesleyan Church
Worldwide Church of God
This may be likened to one city having many city halls. If a particular city has more than one city hall, this would mean that city is divided. In any city there is only one city hall. This preserves the oneness of the city. A local church is built on the ground of its locality. This unique ground may be termed the ground of locality. The ground of locality is a protection which ensures that a church in a particular locality will always be preserved in oneness.
Lesson Eight
The Formation of the Church
After seeing the vision of the church, Gods purpose for the church, the status of the church, and the universal and local aspects of the church, we need to see the formation of the universal church and the establishment of local churches in the next two lessons.
Many Christians prefer on “church” over another because it appeals to their personal preference, or they form their own church when they want to do something different. We must refer to the Bible to see who is qualified to form the church, and to see how the local churches are established.
We need to realize that none of us is qualified to form the church. Only the Lord Jesus is qualified for this. in Matthew 16:18 He says, “I will build My church.” He is the unique one who is qualified to form the church.
Lesson Nine
The Establishment of Local Churches
2. Being Local
Why is there a need to establish the churches? The universal church has already been formed by the Triune God, but where can people see it? This glorious church must be practical and real to people. Local churches are needed so that people may see Gods glory. Before the Lord ascended to heaven, He said in Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the remotest part of the earth. He desires that man would express Him everywhere, from Jerusalem to the remotest part of the earth. Local churches are His practical expression and His testimony. Therefore, local churches must be established all over the inhabited earth for the sake of His testimony. The apostles, in Acts, began to establish the local churches and we are continuing this process until the Lords return.
Lesson Ten
The Failures in the Churches, the degradation and recovery of the churches
3. Recovery of the Church
A. Typified by the return of the children of isreal from their captivity
In history the recovering of the children of Isreal means to be brought out of Babylon, or out of the world. When we say recovered, it means two things, one positive and one negative. Positively it means to be brought up to Jerusalem. Negatively means brought out of Babylon. The recovery of the church is also shown by the rebuilding of the temple of God, in Jerusalem after the Lords people returned. Due to the degredation of the Church, the Lords people have been in captivity. This is the situation of many Christians today. The believers have been scattered away from the proper ground of oneness. Thi iss where there is a need for a revival and a recovery.
Lesson Eleven
The Seven Churches in Revelation signifying the seven stages of the church
6. The church in Philadelphia