Summary:
To complete a project, you need to have zeal in your heart to do so. If you have no fire burning in you, it is impossible for you to complete this work. Majority of people start off with fire in their hearts but this fire and intensity is limited. Shortly when he meets with a setback, the intensity diminishes. As a result, human zeal brings disappointment. But the zeal of God is always hot and the power is infinite. It is impossible for you to complete the work on human zeal. With the zeal of God, the work will be completed. As a church, we are still a work-in-progress. In this process, have we already started to lose hope in the promises of God? Have our zeal died down? Have our hearts turned dull?

There are two cities recorded in Revelation - Babylon and the holy city, New Jerusalem.

Read Revelation 21:1-2;

1 ‘Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

John saw that the first heaven and earth had passed away, and that there was a new heaven and new earth. The holy city, New Jerusalem, had been made ready. It was beautiful and was the glorious church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

At the start of the book of Revelation, God allowed John to see the 7 churches full of imperfections, problems, weaknesses and failings. This may make people doubt and think: “How can this be the case when the church has the truth and abidance of the Holy Spirit?” This would have made John sorrowful.

The Lord allowed John to see that the new Jerusalem prepared was so beautiful. Definitely, John will be rejoicing in his heart that this truly is the glorious church. The vision of the new Jerusalem that was made ready would allow him to have a great joy in his heart.

Today, when we look at the true church, we see many problems, but let us not be too surprised. We also do not need to doubt and say, “If this is the church with the abidance of the Holy Spirit, how is it possible that we are in this situation?” Everyone knows that any project in the stage of preparation will be messy. After it is made ready and prepared, you will see the complete project. The true church is still a work in progress. God, through the eyes of John, allowed us to see the church that was made ready and prepared; this is so glorious! The content of this church that is made ready are things that we ought to be pursuing today. Read Revelation 21:9-10;

9 ‘Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ‘

The angel said to John, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” Then the angel carried him away to a high mountain and showed him a great city — the holy Jerusalem ascending out of heaven from God. The holy Jerusalem is the bride of the Lord. The bride of the Lord is the true church of God. Only when John was brought to this high mountain could he see this glorious great city.

When we look at the true church today, is it beautiful? We ought to be like John to be moved by the Holy Spirit and to ascend to this high mountain spiritually. Then, we will be able to witness for ourselves how glorious and beautiful is the true church. Then, we will have a clear boldness and hope and joy in this true church. Read Deuteronomy 34:1-5;

1 ‘Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord . ‘

Moses because of his sins was punished and hence unable to enter the land of Canaan. But God asked Moses to ascend to Mount Nebo so he could witness for himself this beautiful promised land of Canaan which God is going to give to his descendants. What is moving here is the Lord who showed Moses all that was in front of him. When we are at a high and elevated plane and we look at the vast horizon, we are unable to pinpoint the exact location. It is only when someone points to us where to look at then can we put our focus on that point. It is just like a little child who doesn’t know where to look; the parent would be there to point out the correct direction. Then, the child would look at the right things.

Not only was God beside Moses and pointing to him what he ought to be looking at so that he could look accurately, God also caused his eyes to see. If the location is far, though we are looking at the right direction, we are unable to see clearly. We require binoculars so that we are able to magnify our vision to see clearly. Moses did not have a pair of binoculars with him to see better but here it says that God helped him to see with his eyes. This word in the original text can be translated to mean ‘appear’ or ‘show’.

Though Moses was unable to enter the land of Canaan personally, God graced him to show him the way and also let him see it. When he was able to see the promised Canaan land, Moses would have received great comfort and joy in his heart. He could pass away peacefully. Hence, we must ascend to this high heaven, the high mountain that allows us to see this glorious church is the Bible. Through the Word of God, we are able to see clearer and further. When we are able to see clearly this church that is so glorious, prepared,and ready, we will not be disappointed in the current true church that is a work in progress; we will neither slander nor leave the church; we will hold on to our faith; we will do our utmost to assist the church to progress from a work-in-progress to a completed work. Turn to Revelation 21:10;

‘“When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God delivers them into your hand, and you take them captive, ‘

The holy Jerusalem descended out of heaven from God. The new Jerusalem in the times of John would be the apostolic church. The apostolic church was not an organisation born out by the will of men. Instead, it was established by the Lord when He poured out the Holy Spirit on them and established them with his truth. Turn to Acts 1:6-8;

6 ‘Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The disciples were anxious of one question: Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?
All of them were very anxious to want to see the fulfilment of the kingdom of Israel. But the Lord Jesus told them clearly that the time which the restoration happens is appointed by the sole authority of the Heavenly Father. What He meant is that the day will not be revealed. Therefore, let us not be anxious and seek to find out when the restoration will happen for this is the date that has been appointed by the authority of the Heavenly Father. If there were Revelation telling you when this day is going to be, please do not believe. No one has the authority to know, only the Heavenly Father does. What we have to know is what the Lord Jesus told them: when you receive the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will establish the kingdom of God. Then, you must preach the gospel concerning the kingdom of God to all nations.

We saw how the Holy Spirit was poured down to the disciples and how the apostolic church was established. With zeal, the disciples started to preach the Word of God. The apostolic church is a church established by God when God poured out the Holy Spirit to them. Today, the TJC is like the apostolic church, established when God poured the Holy Spirit on us. Ever since the reformation of Martin Luther, they had a call to rebuild the apostolic church. Till today, there are many Christian denominations (protestants). Which of these Protestant churches have teachings that are the same as the apostolic church? If we were to objectively compare the doctrines, you will realise that the teachings of TJC is the same as that of the apostolic church; the Holy Spirit received is the same as that of the apostolic church — evident by tongue speaking. All these point clearly to the fact that the TJC is established when God sent His Holy Spirit together with His truth.

But there are a few who only see that the TJC was established by the 3 early workers. When they read about the failures of these 3 workers over the internet, they become disappointed and lose their faith in the church. But you can also see the other truth concerning the TJC. We have the abidance of the Holy Spirit of the Lord, we have the abidance of the truth with us. The truth that we have the abidance of the Holy Spirit versus the failures of the 3 early workers far exceeds the failure. This is because the failures of the workers do not represent the failure of the Holy Spirit. Workers who have failed form a part of history but the truth that the Holy Spirit continues to guide our church is up till today. It will continue up to the time when the Lord comes again.

If apostle John only saw the failures of the church leaders at that time (there were those that betrayed the Lord, some got apostate, committed sins), he would be disappointed and lose his faith towards the apostolic church. But John himself personally experienced how the Holy Spirit was poured down on the day of Pentecost and with that, the true church was established. Now, the Lord has caused him to see the glory of the holy city and Jerusalem. Though he saw many problems plaguing the 7 churches at that time, the Lord let him see ahead the glorious church that God had prepared. Because of that, his faith in the church was strengthened. We must be like John. Don’t look at the failures of the church leaders. Instead, see that in the true church there is the abidance of the truth and Holy Spirit of the Lord. This is the church of the Lord and the Lord will definitely help the church become a glorious one. Then, like John, we will be able to hold on to our faith right to the end. Read Revelation 21:11;

‘having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. ‘

John saw the glory of God in this holy city. Are we able to see the glory of God in existence in this new holy city of Jerusalem? Turn to Ephesians 1:23;

‘which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.’

Not only did Paul see that the church is the body of Christ, he even emphasised that it is the fullness of Him that will fill all in all. This is the one true God. Paul saw that the true church was filled with the glory of God. From Paul’s letters, we can see that the church had many problems and weaknesses and all the problems the church had caused Paul to be very sorrowful and these were like weights weighing him down. This is a fact but the other fact is this: the church is the place which the spirit of the Lord fills all in all. This is the church with the abidance of God. He believes that God will definitely complete the construction of the church.

“We have started this work but it is God that will bring it to completion.”
Do we just see the church filled with many problems? Are we unable to see that the church is filled with the Holy Spirit? Perhaps we have yet to receive the Holy Spirit but we see for ourselves how those who received the Holy Spirit prays. Then, we know that the church is filled with the spirit of God. Just like what John said in 1 John 3:24;

‘Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

1 John 4:13;

‘By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ‘

How can we be so sure that God is with us in the church?

1. We keep to the commandments of God
   Just like what Jesus said in Matthew 28:20;

‘teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.’

Without the teachings of God, how can we expect Him to abide in us?

1. The Holy Spirit abides in us
   He lives in us through the Holy Spirit. This was promised to us before the Lord ascended to heaven. If God gives us the Holy Spirit, we know that we are in Him and He in us. Though we see the failures and weaknesses of the church, it is even more important to see that this is the church with the abidance of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God. The abidance of the Holy Spirit and truth testifies that this is the church of God. The spirit of the Lord will definitely complete the work that this church will be a glorious church. Turn to Zechariah 1:16-17;

16 ‘‘Therefore thus says the Lord : “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts, “And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.” ’ 17 “Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The Lord will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”’

Because the chosen people of God sinned against Him, God departed from Jerusalem. God allowed Jerusalem to be destroyed by enemies. He allowed His people to be taken to captivity by Babylon. But God also prophesied that they would return 70 years later back to Jerusalem. After 70 years, God led the people to come back to Jerusalem to rebuild this holy temple. The hearts of the people were full of zeal. They have learnt a very precious teaching from Jerusalem. They love Jerusalem and want to rebuild this holy temple. Hence, the first thing that they did was to rebuild the holy temple. Pitifully, they met with difficult obstacles and these caused them to halt their work. This is not something that they could resolve. They believed that God was going to help them but was unable to see how He could do so. They thought that they are now back in Jerusalem to do this work of rebuilding but God has not returned to Jerusalem to help them rebuild the holy temple. As a result, many of them were disheartened and disappointed. They stopped their work for about 16 years, “We have returned to Jerusalem but God has not returned.” 16 years just passed by.

When they were in utter dejection, we saw that God moved prophet Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people to restart the work of rebuilding the temple. Especially prophet Zechariah, he was sent by God to proclaim God’s work. V16;

‘‘Therefore thus says the Lord : “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the Lord of hosts, “And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.” ’

“I am returning to Jerusalem. My house shall be built in it. The surveyor’s line shall be stretched around Jerusalem.”
God personally restarted this work of rebuilding the holy temple but did the people of God restart this work of the holy temple? God has returned to Jerusalem, has all the chosen people of God returned to Jerusalem? V17;

“Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The Lord will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”’

This is what the Lord says and once He has said this, He will bring it to pass. This is the root of our faith and ought to be our motivation force to restart the work. Why are there so many problems? These problems can never be overcome by human strength. Why do we still have the faith to continue the work of rebuilding? Because the Lord proclaims! “ “I am returning to Jerusalem. My house shall be built in it. My city will be stretched to prosperity!” This is the motivation of our faith! Zechariah 1:14;

‘So the angel who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I am zealous for Jerusalem And for Zion with great zeal.’

To complete a project, you need to have zeal in your heart to do so. If you have no fire burning in you, it is impossible for you to complete this work. Majority of people start off with fire in their hearts but this fire and intensity is limited. Shortly when he meets with a setback, the intensity diminishes. As a result, human zeal brings disappointment. But the zeal of God is always hot and the power is infinite. It is impossible for you to complete the work on human zeal. With the zeal of God, this will be completed. This is why God says that He is zealous for Jerusalem. Because He is zealous, He will bring this project to completion. We must see the church as the church filled with the spirit of God. We should be able to see how God has returned to Jerusalem and how God is zealous for Jerusalem. Then, we will have this zeal to be co-workers of God to rebuild the holy temple with God. With a heart of great joy, we can march towards Zion.