LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Living Waters Magazine Nr. 27
May - June 2004
A great house or a small house?
In the New Testament it is clear that the Church is called the "House of God", or a "Habitation of God". In the previous edition of "Living Waters" we looked at some aspects of the Church as a House, at its restoration, its edification, and the service that the saints can offer within it.
If we come to take a closer look at the spiritual reality of what we call the "House of God", other important matters arise, such as its dimensions, its limits, and its mission in the world. The immeasurable growth of the so-called Church, and its hybrid character with the world, makes it difficult to establish the limits of the true House of God today. In this sense, the expression "Great House", from 2 Timothy 2:20, in which there are both honorable and dishonorable vessels, is very valid. As is the figure of the mustard seed in Matthew 13, in which, being a regular seed, ends up being the size of a tree, where the birds of the air come to roost.
Is the Church a great house or a small house? In the New Testament, two houses represent this very well; the temple of Jerusalem, on one hand, and Martha, Mary and Lazarus' house in Bethany, on the other. There are two houses here, with very different histories, dimensions, and characteristics. They represent this longstanding duality of the "House of God" very well.
We ask the Lord that through these messages our eyes may be enlightened to see what this House means to God.
Summary
COVER THEME
He Came to Serve
God intends for everything that is in Christ to end up being fully embodied in the Church.
Rodrigo Abarca
Toward the Third Step
The place of gifts, ministries and operations in the edification of the Church.
Eliseo Apablaza
The Salvation of the Will
An effective and true salvation has to save a man's will.
Roberto Sáez
LEGACY
Bethany: The Lord's Thought for His Church
Seven aspects in which Bethany represents the local assembly of believers.
T. Austin-Sparks
The Church in the Desert
Israel in the desert as a type of the Church in the world.
C.H. Mackintosh
FAMILY
Remember Jesus Christ
A call to the daughters of God, to be women conformed to His heart.
Marcela Azzolini
REPORTS
I Escaped from Hitler Twice
The Fred Wertheim story.