J.O.S.

1 Cor. 9:13. There are two types of ministry:

I. Temple ministry: serving outside the body.

II. Altar ministry: serving within the body. The altar ministry is the greatest ministry we can receive. The sons of Zadok were faithful to the Lord, and they were permitted to minister at the altar of burnt offerings. They had to be without blemish. Ezek. 44:15. A person must be on the altar of fire himself before he can bring other people’s flesh there. Our veil also must be torn from top to bottom. Sin in the flesh must die. Jesus offered Himself in the power of an eternal Spirit, and we are to do the same. That is why Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire. Christ’s flesh, which was given for the life of the world, is food in abundance. Sin came in through the first Adam, but it is totally driven out by the last Adam. We need the cross because that is where sin is put to death. Afterward we can be clothed with glory. We will never be finished with the cross as long as sin is present in our members. Once a preacher from a free assembly in Drammen got up in one of our meetings and said that we had to be finished with the cross sometime, because one day Jesus was taken down from the cross and laid in a grave. Later He rose again, etc. This sounds very pleasant, but then how would we be able to fulfill the Scriptures, which say that we must:

Paul saw another law in his members. If we do not see this “other law,” we do not know the liberty of Christ.

Receive the truth as it is, and then the Spirit of Christ will fill you beyond measure.

Acts 16:4-15. The Spirit of Jesus did not permit Paul and Timothy to enter Mysia to preach the Word of God. They were to pass by this place. They then came down to Troas. In the night, a vision appeared to Paul of a man from Macedonia pleading with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” Then they understood God’s will and sailed from Troas and came to Philippi in Macedonia. On the Sabbath day they went out of the city to the riverside, where the people usually gathered for prayer. There they met Lydia, a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God according to the Jewish faith. She listened, and the Lord opened her heart to heed the things Paul spoke.

No one in all of Mysia was ready and waiting for these liberating words, but here in Philippi they found Lydia right away. Balaam wanted to force his way into “Mysia” contrary to God’s will. But that never works. If you want to find a “Lydia,” pass by Mysia, and let the Spirit lead you. Use all your senses to find a listening soul. Listen to the Spirit and allow Him to lead you, for there are hungry souls—one here and another there.