Thursday September 8th

1. Eliseo Apablaza: "The foundation of the House"
---The work of restoration on the temple in Jerusalem, after the Babylonian captivity, began with the placement of the foundation. (Ezra chpt. 3). In terms of the New Testament, the temple is the Church, and its foundation is the revelation of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God", given to Peter for the first time in Caesarea-Philippi. (Matthew 16).
---This revelation about Jesus was very well-known in the days of the apostolic Church. However, toward the end of the first century, the apostle John's restoring ministry puts this revelation in its place again. When examining his Gospel and the First of his epistles carefully, it is clear that John's purpose was to restore this revelation, the corner stone in all restoration work.

2. Rodrigo Abarca: "The restoration of the testimony of Christ"
---The Kingdom of God has come to the earth in Christ. This Kingdom includes the entirety of God's thoughts and will. In that thought, man was created to express the Kingdom of God; that is to say, to express his testimony. But man fell, and the Kingdom was hidden from him. Without man, God cannot be expressed on the earth.
---Christ brought life, and by that life the Church was born. The Church must oppose Satan who has dominion over the earth. In that process, she has become contaminated and deformed. So, her restoration is nothing other than the recovery of what Christ is in his fullness. That's why the Church must separate from all that is earthly and carnal. Then she will have Christ's fullness and His testimony on the earth once again.

3. Christian Chen: "Lights in the world"
(Philippians 2:12-16; Rev.21:11).
---The world is in darkness and is contaminated, but we as the children of God are lights in the world (or "stars in the universe", as translated in some versions). And this is our testimony: that we are light. However, we are not light in ourselves, but rather lampstands that sustain the light.
---In the physical universe, God created the sun, the moon and the stars. The sun represents Christ; the moon, the Church; and the stars, each particular child of God. The moon doesn't have its own light, but rather the light that is reflected from the sun. Likewise the Church. In Revelation, the local churches are represented by lampstands, but at the end of the same book, the Church in eternity is a single lampstand. The light there will continue being He who is the only true light: Jesus Christ. (Audio)

Friday September 9th

1. Hoseah Wu: "From the cross to glory"
---Some biographies in Genesis illustrate the way of the Christian, from the cross to glory, from Abel (the altar, that is to say, the cross), to Joseph (the throne, that is to say, glory).
---Adam shows us how man moved away from God; Abel shows us the way back to God, the unique sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Enoch, on the other hand, teaches us that it is necessary to walk with God. (Audio)

2. Rubén Chacón: "The city of God"
---John's last vision in Revelation refers to the Church, the new Jerusalem. It shows us the final state of the Church in glory. However, today -although seemingly full of defects - the Church is already that city.
---In light of the New Testament, the church, in its local expression expresses the unity of Christ's body, that is to say, one in each city; it is idiosyncratic, that is to say, it has characteristics that distinguish it from those of another city -, and it is inclusive, because it embraces all the children of God in each locality.

3. Christian Chen: "Lights in the world"
(Part 2)
---The lights created by God express the reality of the children of God as lights in the world. Specifically, the moon represents the Church, because it doesn't have its own light, but rather only reflects the light of the sun.
---The history of 20 centuries of the Church can be related to the phases of the moon. Those 20 centuries are prophesied in the condition of the churches in the first century, starting from Pentecost.
---In the first third of the first century, Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, lived a spotless life (it is the fullness of the Sun of Righteousness); in the second third, the Church was developed from birth to maturity (the fullness of the full moon). In the third third, the Church is represented by the seven churches in Revelation (the seven phases of the moon).
---The restoration of the testimony of the Lord has to do with the Church; with the "fullness of the full moon", that which is not a certain level of doctrinal knowledge, but the correct attitude of reflecting Christ fully. (Audio)

Saturday September 10th

1. Hoseah Wu: "From the cross to glory"
(Part 2)
---Some biographies in Genesis illustrate the way of the Christian, from the cross to glory, from Abel (the altar, that is to say, the cross), to Joseph (the throne, that is to say, glory). Noah didn't only walk with God, but rather he had a secret walk with God. When this happens, God can reveal His heart to His servants. God communicated with Noah and let him know His purpose and how He was to carry it out.
---Abraham's life is very closely associated with the altars. Each one of them reveals an aspect in the believer's life. (Audio)

2. Gonzalo Sepúlveda: "The tears of the Restoration"
---Upon examining the biblical story about the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple, tears are a common feature. These, in turn, reveal the broken hearts of the restorers. This was so since Jeremiah, even before the fall of Jerusalem. Seventy years later, Daniel intercedes for Jerusalem and his people with tears. Then Ezra cries on two opportunities for the sin of Judah in the middle of the restoration period.
---Hardness of heart, arrogance and self-sufficiency are the greatest sources of difficulty in the work of restoration.

3. Christian Chen: "Lights in the world"
(Part 3).
---From the XVI Century, three great periods can be recognized in the restoration of the testimony of the Lord.
---a) XVI and XVII Century. The emphasis is on Justification by faith. Here figures such as the likes of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and George Fox (the Quakers) feature.
---b) XVIII Century and the first half of the XIX. The emphasis is on Sanctification by faith. Here those who figure are Count Zinzendorf, John Wesley and J.N. Darby.
---c) XIX Century (second half) and XX century. The emphasis is on Glorification by faith. The outstanding figures here are Robert Govett, Theodore Austin-Sparks and Watchman Nee. It is also necessary to include the Keswick Convention, especially at the end of the XIX Century.
---In these three great periods, God was advancing toward the full moon, that is to say, toward the full manifestation of the glory of God through the Church. How does the Church advance unto that fullness? "holding fast the word of life" (Phil. 2:16). (Audio)

Sunday September 11th

Hoseah Wu: "From the cross to glory"
(Part 3)
---Some biographies in Genesis illustrate the way of the Christian, from the cross to glory, from Abel (the altar, that is to say, the cross), to Joseph (the throne, that is to say, glory).
---Isaac represents the resurrection life. He dug wells, and although he had conflicts, he didn't desist. Jacob represents transformation. He fought with God and overcame, but at the same time he was defeated. His limp gave witness of this, announcing that he could not walk without God.
---Joseph is the greatest and most beautiful type of Christ. Loved by his father, he had a genuine concern for his brothers. He was destined to the throne, but before reaching it, he went through many difficulties. In that whole time, he knew how to remain silent under the hand of God.
---Finally, Benjamin was used by God to unite the family. When Joseph was not there, Benjamin was not the one who made their father's heart rejoice. Benjamin knew his father's heart, and he wanted all his brothers to be one.
---Through the lives of these patriarchs, God illustrates the way of the Christian to follow after Christ. (Audio)

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