General Service in Malang, August 01, 2010 (Sunday Morning)

Matthew 25:8-13
25:8 "And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
25:9 "But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'
25:10 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
25:11 "Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'
25:12 "But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'
25:13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."


There will be a separation between the wise virgins and the foolish ones at the time of Jesus' second coming in glory as King of kings, as heavenly Bridegroom.

The foolish virgins are the Churches of God who do not watch so they do not know God and He does not know them.

On the contrary, the wise virgins are the Churches of God who watch so they know God and He knows them.

How can we know God and be known by Him?
1 John 2:3
2:3. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

It is when we obey God's commandment or the true teaching Word.

Matthew 7:21-23
7:21. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
7:22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
7:23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'


Not knowing God or not being known by Him, one will be perished before Him.

The greatness of our ministry or offering is not the measurement of entering into the kingdom of heaven. The measurement is our OBEDIENCE to the true teaching Word.

All matters in our lives must be in line with the true teaching Word!

Ministering God greatly but disobeying the true teaching Word means being evil-doers, neither knowing God nor being known by Him. Consequently, one is driven out of the door of heavenly kingdom.

These days we have to prioritize the true teaching Word more than all things!

The foolish virgins are the Churches of God who do not watch and are not obedient so they do not know God and He does not know them. Consequently, the door of the marriage supper of the Lamb is shut and they are left at the time of Jesus' second coming and perished.

On the other hand, the wise virgins are the Churches of God who watch and obey Him. They know Him and He knows them so the door of the marriage supper of the Lamb is opened and they may welcome Jesus' second coming and get entry into the marriage supper of the Lamb of God.

Obedience becomes the experience of the sons of God from age to age so they have opened doors as follows:
  1. The age of Father God = the first age (from Adam to Abraham).
    Noah and his family were obedient.

    Genesis 6:13-14,22
    6:13. And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
    6:14 " Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.
    6:22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.


    Being obedient means believing and entrusting ourselves fully to the Lord, so Noah made the ark, not using his logic.

    Genesis 7:1,16
    7:1. Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
    7:16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.

    As the result, Noah and his family got the opening of the door of the ark.
    The meanings are below:

    • Having salvation or being free from the judgment of God.
    • Having the joy of Bride (Noah's marriage got entry into the ark).
    • Having the protection and the preservation of God miraculously.

  2. The ages of the Son of God (from Abraham to Jesus' first coming).
    Martha was obedient.

    John 11:38-42
    11:38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
    11:39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."
    11:40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"
    11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
    11:42 "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."

    Formerly, Martha had hard heart and used her logic until she did not obey the true teaching Word and kept rottenness in her life. If the door of Lazarus' tomb had not been opened, the rottenness would have been greater in her life to go toward perdition.

    Nevertheless, Martha got meek, believed and entrusted herself fully to God.
    As a result, she had the opening of the door of the tomb, meaning the hand of God heals all things that have been rotten and destroyed physically and spiritually. He heals what have been rotten and destroyed because of sins and the peak of sin, i.e. sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-giving in marriage.

    Do not keep sins! Do not let the worms of sin gnaw on us and make us perished because we will not be known at the time of Jesus' second coming. Let us confess the sins now!

  3. The age of Holy Spirit God (from Jesus' first coming to His second coming).
    Jesus has not come a second time yet because He still gives us chance to be obedient and to get the opened doors.

    The church in Philadelphia was obedient.

    Revelation 3:7-8
    3:7. "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens":
    3:8 "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it;
    for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

    The church in Philadelphia was powerless but obedient to the Word.
    As a result, they got the key of David to open all doors even the door of heavenly kingdom.
    The key of David is the description of the goodness and mercy of God we have in the shepherding.

    Psalm 23:6
    23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

    Obedience is the character of shepherded sheep.

    Having the key of David means below:
    • Getting the door of lifting up.
      David has fallen into sin with Bathsheba but he had the lifting up.
      The key of David is able to lift us up from the falls into sins even the peak of sin.
      It is able also to lift us up from physical failures.

    • Getting the door of success even the success in the future.
      David was chosen from among his brothers.

    • Getting the door of victory.
      David defeated Goliath. There was a great victory behind his simplicity.

    • The door of heavenly kingdom is opened.
      Revelation 3:12
      3:12 "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

    We only need to obey, believe, and entrust ourselves fully to the Lord and He will open the doors.
God blesses you.