Book Description

This is a special combined issue (July/August 2005) of The Ministry. It contains a complete record of the messages given in Anaheim, California, during the 2005 Summer Training on the Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians and Song of Songs 7--8. Ten messages were given on 1 and 2 Thessalonians and two messages were given on Song of Songs 7--8. The relationship between these books is remarkable: At an intrinsic level, the crystals in Song of Songs 7--8 interface beautifully with those in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In Song of Songs 7 we see the type of the deified lover of the Lord becoming His co-worker, working with Him for His Body. This matches what is revealed in 1 Thessalonians concerning Paul and the brothers as patterns [1:5]...Song of Songs 8 expresses in type the longing of the lover of the Lord to be raptured, hoping to be transfigured and praying for the Lord to make haste to come. This matches, in spirit, what is revealed particularly in 1 Thessalonians, which ends every chapter with the mention of the Lord's coming back (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:15-17; 5:23). The crucial truth and burden embodied in these twelve messages may be summarized in two sets of statements. The first set of four statements concerns the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians: (1) we need to see a vision of the church in God the Father with His life and nature and in the Lord Jesus Christ with all He is and has done; (2) faith as the nature and strength of the work, love as the motivation for and characteristic of labor, and hope as the source of endurance are the structure of a holy life for the church life; (3) to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls us into His kingdom and glory, is to live God and express God in our daily living by walking according to the mingled spirit; and (4) in order to live a holy life for the church life, we need to cooperate with God's operation to establish our heart blameless in holiness and to sanctify us wholly, with our spirit, soul, and body preserved complete. The second set of two statements concerns Song of Songs 7--8: (1) as we become the same as Christ in life, nature, expression, and function, we are qualified to work with Him for His Body; (2) as we trust in the Lord helplessly, depend on Him as our love and strength, and listen to His speaking, our hope is to be raptured through the redemption of our body, and our prayer is--"Come, Lord Jesus!" We include reports concerning the Lord's move in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, and concerning the need for a property in London. The Announcements section contains dates and locations for upcoming Living Stream Ministry trainings and conferences.