Immanuel - God with us

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and will bear a son, and she will call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23)

Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)

Christ is Immanuel - God with us. He is our Savior, Redeemer, Life-giver and indwelling Spirit. Actually the content of the entire New Testament is an Immanuel (Matthew 1:23; 18:20; 28:20, Revelation 21:3), and all the believers in Christ, as the members of Christ, are a part of this great Immanuel, the corporate Christ. which will consummate in the New Jerusalem. (2010 Summer Training, Message #5, II.G)

http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/ns/63
1. Christ is God incarnated,
Born according to God's plan
To bring divinity, into humanity,
By mingling with man.

Christ is God incarnated,
He became the Son of Man;
A man of flesh yet without sin,
Accomplishing redemption,
He was a perfect man.

* And He shall be named Jesus,
And called Emmanuel,
Hallelujah! God with us,
In man He came to dwell.

2. Christ is God incarnated,
How wonderful! How marvellous!
Incarnated so that He could
Live inside of you and me,
He's mingling now with us.

Christ is God incarnated,
He became the first God-man.
Oh! How glorious!
Now He lives inside of us,
Fulfilling God's great plan.

Partakers of God's nature

(1) Then a sprout will come forth from the stump of Jesse, ...

(2) And the Spirit of Jehovah will rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of Jehovah.
(6) And the wolf will dwell with the lamb; And the leopard will lie down with the kid, ...
(7) The cow and the bear will graze; ...; And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
(8) The nursing child will play by the cobra's hole, ...
(9) ... For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah, ... (Isaiah 11:1-9)

Because the church life is a foretaste of the coming age, what will happen in Isaiah 11 should be among us today as a foretaste; among us there should be no "wolves", "leopards", "bears", "lions", and "vipers". (2010 Summer Training, Message #7, II.H)

We were wild, self-centered, individualistic, rebellious, ambitious, independent, and negative, but now we have become partakers of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). The Potter (Isaiah 29:16, Romans 9:21) is shaping us up to be meek, obedient, peaceful, joyful, pleasant, life-giving, harmonious, Christ-centered and Body-conscious. Awesome!

http://www.hymnal. net/hymn. php/ns/290
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgHChEH-Uvk
http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/ns/290c/gb=1
1. Your love and beauty has drawn me;
To run after You lovingly.
In Your chambers I am brought,
Nourished by You, dear Lord.
* My Beloved, I belong to You.
My love, you're so beautiful.
We're the same in life and in nature,
United in love forever.

2. I partake of Your nature divine,
I enjoy Your divine life to shine.
Renewed in submission sweet,
Rise up with You to meet.

3. Viewing You like a dove uniquely,
Trusting You singly as a lily.
Transformed and built up to be
Your rest and joy wholly.

4. Let us go to the fields, my Beloved,
Working here with You, Lord, in love.
Your queen longs to be matured,
And hopes to be raptured.
* Set me as a seal on Your heart,
In Your love, keep me—ne'er apart.
Lord, make haste, I long for Your coming,
Come quickly, Beloved, we're waiting!

Here is the Chinese version: http://www.hymnal. net/hymn. php/ns/290c

Great Light - Great Salvation

(2) ...Upon those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death Light has shined. (3) You have multiplied the nation; You have increased their gladness; ... (4) For You break the yoke of their burden And the staff on their shoulder, ... (Isaiah 9:2-4) ...那些住在死蔭之地的人，有光照耀他們。你使這國民繁多，加增他們的喜樂；...因為他們所負的重軛和肩頭上的杖，就是欺壓他們之人的棍，你已經折斷...

When God in Christ as the Spirit shines in us,
darkness is expelled;
our real condition is exposed;
all the germs are killed;
we are healed;
we are enlivened;
we are released from our bondage;
we are supplied, comforted and encouraged;
we are revived, restored, and reconstituted;
even we are becoming light! (Matthew 5:14, Ephesians 5:8, Revelation 21:24)

O how great His salvation!
(A little overflow from the 2010 summer training, Message #6)

http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/1065
1. O how great His salvation!
O how great His salvation!
O how great His salvation!
Jesus saves me now!

* Jesus breaks every fetter!
Jesus breaks every fetter!
Jesus breaks every fetter!
Jesus sets me free!

4. I will sing Hallelujah!
I will sing Hallelujah!
I will sing Hallelujah!
Jesus shines in me!

Jesus Lord, You're our first love

But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. (1 Corinthians 8:3)
但若有人愛神，這人乃是神所知道的。

Enjoy this hymn and memorize the 1st stanza. Sing it to the Lord. Amen.

http://www.hymnal. net/hymn. php/ns/118
1. Jesus Lord, You're our first love;
You're the One we love the best.
When our heart is loving You,
How we're filled with Your sweet rest!

2. Lord, we love You for Yourself,
Not for what You give or do.
Nothing else could e'er compare
With the joy of loving You.

* Lord, we've been drawn off by many things;
Now we turn our heart back—how it sings!
We repent of loving other things—
Jesus, Lord, You're our first love.

3. Never more could we desire
Anything that's less than You,
And to this we would aspire—
Simply to be filled with You.

4. Jesus Lord, You're our first love;
You're the One we love the best.
When our heart is loving You,
How we're filled with Your sweet rest!

Here is the Chinese version. http://www.hymnal. net/hymn. php/ts/316

Begone, unbelief

But without faith it is impossible to e well pleasing to Him, for he who comes forward to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) 人非有信，就不能得神的喜悅；因為到神面前來的人，必須信有神，且信祂賞賜那尋求祂的人。

These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have affliction, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33). 我將這些事對你們說了，是要叫你們在我裏面有平安。在世上你們有苦難，但你們可以放心，我已經勝了世界。

Exercise your faith during hard times and enjoy this hymn, written by Brother John Newton.

http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/nt/716
1. Begone, unbelief,
My Savior is near,
And for my relief
Will surely appear;
By prayer let me wrestle,
And He will perform;
With Christ in the vessel,
I smile at the storm.

2. Though dark be my way,
Since He is my Guide,
'Tis mine to obey,
'Tis His to provide;
Though cisterns be broken,
And creatures all fail,
The word He hath spoken
Shall surely prevail.

4. Why should I complain
Of want or distress,
Temptation or pain?
He told me no less;
The heirs of salvation,
I know from His Word,
Through much tribulation
Must follow their Lord.

God's eternal economy is to ...

What is the difference between a God-man and a good man?

1. Peter is a God-man (Acts 3:6-9; 8:17), a reproduction of Jesus. Simon is not (Acts 8:19-20).

2. Paul is a God-man (Acts 14:9-11; 19:11; 28:3-6), a duplicate of Christ.
The seven sons of a chief priest are not (Acts 19:13-16).

3. No longer I, but Christ (Galatians 2:20). For to me, to live is Christ (Philippians 1:21). Let's not become workers of lawlessness in Matthew 7:22-23.

4. He is the first grain and we are many grains (John 12:24). He is the firstborn Son of God and we are many sons of God (Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:18). He is Christ the Head, we are Christ the Body (Acts 9:4; 1 Corinthians 12:12).

5. To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). God desires to work Himself into our inner being as His continuation and expansion. God does not want us to work for Him with our own natural strength.

Sing the following hymn and enjoy God's duplicating work in us. Amen!
http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php?t=ns&n=180
God's eternal economy
Is to make man the same as He is
In life and nature,
But not in the Godhead
And to make Himself one with man
And man one with Him
Thus to be enlarged and expanded in His expression
That all His divine, that all His divine
Attributes may be expressed in human virtues.

Lord, gain my heart

And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the endurance of Christ. (2 Thessalonians 3:5) 願主修直你們心中的途徑，引導你們的心，進入神的愛以愛神，並進入基督的忍耐以忍耐。

Herein is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10) 不是我們愛神，乃是神愛我們，差祂的兒子，為我們的罪作了平息的祭物，在此就是愛了。

http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/nt/547
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S17PKHt2XbY
1. Something every heart is loving:
If not Jesus, none can rest;
Lord, my heart to Thee is given;
Take it, for it loves Thee best.

2. Thus I cast the world behind me;
Jesus most beloved shall be;
Beauteous more than all things beauteous,
He alone is joy to me.

3. Bright with all eternal radiance
Is the glory of Thy face;
Thou art loving, sweet, and tender,
Full of pity, full of grace.

4. When I hated, Thou didst love me,
Shedd'st for me Thy precious blood;
Still Thou lovest, lovest ever,
Shall I not love Thee, my God?

5. Keep my heart still faithful to Thee,
That my earthly life may be
But a shadow to that glory
of my hidden life in Thee.