Malaysia Campus Blending Conference (Nov 15-17, 2024)
O how deep and how far-reaching
Is Thy love, dear Lord, to me!
Far beyond my pow’r to fathom,
Deeper than the deepest sea!
It has caused Thee death to suffer
And to me Thyself impart,
That in Thee I might be grafted
And become of Thee a part.
- Hymns, #152
In the recent 2024 Malaysia Campus Blending Conference, we witnessed over two hundred young people from all over Malaysia gathered together at Eden Residence. Some paid the price to travel by plane from the East across the ocean, and some travelled from the North for more than seven hours on road! To many this was a “waste,” but to those who love the Lord, He is altogether lovely and worthy of our offering, to break our alabaster flask of ointment, to pour ourselves on Him! We can truly testify that this was a time of feasting for many of us.
Five messages were released to deliver the burden underlying the general subject of this conference — “Living in the Divine Romance and Pursuing the Growth in Life unto Maturity in the Church to Become the Bride of Christ to be Presented to Christ.”
The Church—The Central Item in God’s Economy
“Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love, predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”
The book of Ephesians reveals that the church as the Body of Christ is what God desired and planned to have in the eternity past. The church is God’s will and God’s good pleasure, and she is what God determined to gain in His counsel. The church did not come about by accident or all of a sudden. We marvel that, before the foundation of the world, before we were even created, God has selected us, marked us out beforehand, predestinating us to be His many sons! This is God’s intention for the church; this is our destiny! The church is the central item in God’s economy. May the Lord gain us to be Christ-centered and church-centered!
Christ Loved the Church and Gave Himself Up for Her
Ephesians 5:25 reveals to us that Christ loved the church and “gave Himself up for her”; in Acts 20:28, we see the precious love of God for the church which He “obtained through His own blood”! Through this conference, our vision concerning the exceeding worth and preciousness of the church was renewed and uplifted. There was a transfer of the center of our life—we who once lived for ourselves, for our own future, now take Christ and the church as the center of our living! As the young people in the Lord’s recovery, we declare with a strong spirit of faith: “I love the church! Even as Christ also loved the church!” We believe therefore we speak! We reject Satan’s lie and take God’s valuation of the church as our valuation. We can love the church as Christ loved the church, because we have this church-loving Christ in us.
The Value and Preciousness of the Church in the Eyes of God
“Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a merchant seeking fine pearls; And finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Again, in Matthew 13:45-46 we were deeply impressed that Christ is like a merchant who was seeking fine pearls, that is the church for His kingdom. After finding one pearl of great value, He went to the cross joyfully and willingly, and sold all that He had and bought it for the kingdom. When we see the precious love of God for the church and the preciousness, the exceeding worth of the church in the eyes of God, we would treasure the church as God did! There is no price too great for us to pay. It is when our mind is renewed, we will have a divine sense of value. This view changes us, it affects our entire being, even our entire life! To the disciples who followed the Lord for three and a half years, they were indignant, saying “Why this waste?”, considered Mary's love offering to the Lord a waste. Yet, Mary grasped the opportunity to pour upon the Lord the best that she had (Matt. 26:6-13). We too must seize the opportunity to choose the most excellent portion!
Specific Fellowship: Joining the Two-Year Full-Time Training in Malaysia and Testimonies
“For all these things the Gentiles are anxiously seeking. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
As the younger generation in the Lord’s recovery in Malaysia, we are privileged to give ourselves to join the Full-time Training in Malaysia (FTTMY) at the best years, the prime of our lives. There was specific trumpeting from many who have gone before us, as a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, cheering us to also take the same way—to be trained and perfected under the training of the ministry. Their testimonies encouraged us to answer the call whatever the cost, reckon all things as loss, to pay the price, to gain Christ. Having seen the vision of Christ and the church, we would no longer take another way. Our heart is set on God’s economy.
Precious Lord, my flask of alabaster
Gladly now I break in love for Thee;
I anoint Thy head, Beloved Master;
Lord, behold, I’ve saved the best for Thee.
Dearest Lord, I waste myself upon Thee;
Loving Thee, I’m deeply satisfied.
Love outpoured from hidden depths within me,
Costly oil, dear Lord, I would provide.
- Hymns, #1159
Christ Sanctifies the Church by Cleansing the Church by the Washing in the Water in the Word
“That He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish.”
The best way for us to prepare ourselves for the FTTMY is by spending time in the word. We should aggressively pursue and study the truth, reading the Bible and dive into all the riches in the ministry. In the word of God, there is the washing of the water in the word, sanctifying us from all our earthly defilement, and beautifying us from all the spots and wrinkles or any such things which signifies our natural life. Truly, this weekend we experienced a “spiritual bath”, being washed in the water in the word.
Living in the Divine Romance in the Church for the Growth, Transformation, and Maturity in Life to be the Bride of Christ to be Presented to Christ Himself
“If we really love the Lord, we will surely have the growth and transformation in life.”
As we see the preciousness of the church and learn to treasure the church as the Lord does, we were also brought to see that what the Lord desires for the church is her growth, transformation, and maturity in life. If we say we love the church, we will pursue the growth in life. In Song of Songs, we see the lover of Christ pursuing Christ in a personal and intimate way. When she began to pursue her beloved, her beloved called her “a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots” (1:9); she was full of natural strength in her pursuit of the Lord. Nevertheless, she was not troubled; she just love and appreciate the Lord, breaking her alabaster flask of ointment to the Lord (v. 12). By loving and appreciating her beloved in such a way, she was transformed to have eyes like doves (v. 15). Let us give ourselves to love the Lord, live the church life whole-heartedly, and pursue the growth in life, that bride of Christ can be mature, fully prepared for His coming!
