Week 13 - Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Heavens

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1 Monday Scripture Reading: Matt. 4:15-17; 1 Pet. 1:19; 1 John 2:1-2 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him (Romans 5:9) The Power of the Blood of Jesus After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, God gave Him the commission of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of the heavens, as we read in Matthew 4:17: From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The primary content of the gospel is the kingdom of the heavens; it is the kingdom of God which has come to the earth. Though the Lord had received the personal commission to preach the gospel, He did not do it alone, but called His disciples to participate in this work and cooperate with Him. Today He is also calling us in the same way. The beginning of the Lord s work of preaching the gospel was in the region of Galilee, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned (vv ). When the Lord Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom of the heavens for people s salvation, He always stressed the importance of repentance. For anyone to realize his sinful condition, he firstly needs to be enlightened. Thank God that the Lord Jesus came and shined on us with a great light! This light shined on us, we were enlightened regarding our sins and confessed them. Then the blood of Jesus Christ cleansed us, and we were forgiven by God. This was my experience of salvation. Before I received the Lord s light, I did not see my sinful condition; until one day I was enlightened and, having repented, confessed my sins: Oh Lord, I didn t know I was sinful. But now, because of Your light, I can see how many sins I have! Lord, I repent. Forgive me! Through His precious blood shed on the cross, the Lord forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. So we are justified and qualified to be separated by God, that is, sanctified. Finally we are reconciled to God, and His glory can be restored in us. The blood of Jesus shed on the cross is truly precious (1 Pet. 1:19). It is not only the blood of Jesus the Son of Man but is the blood of the very Son of God. Therefore He forgives us the sins we have previously committed and also those that we will commit in the future because of still living in our soul-life (1 John 2:1-2). Thus, by believing in the Lord Jesus we are justified by Him (Rom. 5:1, 9). Being justified is to become righteous before God, satisfying His righteousness, that is, fulfilling what He has ordained. This is the process each one of us goes through when we are saved. We were sinners, but the Lord Jesus suffered in our place the punishment we deserved and shed His blood so that we could receive salvation. What great grace and mercy we received through the salvation He has given us! Hallelujah! We have the forgiveness of our sins through the precious blood of Christ. Your What is the process we go through to be saved? THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLE JOHN IN HIS MATURITY - Lessons Learned from the First Ministers of the Past 1

2 Tuesday Scripture Reading: Gen. 3:22-24; John 1:12-13; Phil. 2:12; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23 In this manner, therefore, pray:...your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9a-10) Receiving God s Life and Commission As we have seen previously, after Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he was driven out of the garden of Eden. Due to this transgression, the sinful nature entered into Adam and contaminated all of humanity. Seeing that man had become knowledgeable of good and evil, the Lord God drove him out of the garden of Eden. After man was driven out, God put cherubim to the east of the garden and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life (Gen. 3:22-24). The sword is related to God s righteousness; the cherubim to His glory; and the flame of the sword to His holiness. Because man sinned he lost these divine attributes; however, through the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus, the way to the tree of life was opened to every one who believes in Him (Heb. 10:19-20; Rev. 22:14). By faith our sins are forgiven, we are justified and sanctified and God s glory is restored to us. This enables us to come back to the garden of Eden, which represents the kingdom of God. Thus we are reconciled to God, receive His eternal life and come back to enjoy His presence. This is the gospel of our salvation, the gospel of grace, through which we can eat the fruit of the tree of life and be regenerated, that is, be born of God and receive the divine life (1 Pet. 1:3, 23; cf. John 1:12-13). Regeneration is only the first stage of God s work in us. The life we receive is like a seed that needs to develop. A plant s process of growth is the same that happens in a human life: in the beginning there is only an embryo that develops, becomes a fetus, and continues growing until the baby is completely formed in order to be born. After the child is born it must be taken care of, fed, educated, sent to school, etc. Spiritually speaking, we who have been born of God need to develop our salvation, grow and mature (Phil. 2:12). We also need to receive from God the commission of bringing His kingdom to the earth. God s kingdom is the place where He reigns and does His will. Therefore, the gospel of the kingdom presents a higher demand to His children. Thank God for the full gospel! Amen! God s commission to His children is to bring in His kingdom. Your What is the primary purpose of receiving the gospel of grace? THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLE JOHN IN HIS MATURITY - Lessons Learned from the First Ministers of the Past 2

3 Wednesday Scripture Reading: Rom. 13:11-14; Heb. 4:1-10 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it...let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest (Hebrews 4:1, 11) In the Church there is Growth in Life When we receive salvation through the gospel of grace, the problem of our sins is solved, and God s life is given to us through regeneration. However, we need to grow spiritually so that when we enter the kingdom of the heavens we may receive the reward. For this to happen and that we might be prepared to reign in the coming age, the Lord has put us in the church. The Lord revealed the church in Matthew chapter sixteen. The church today is the reality of the kingdom of the heavens and therefore has the keys of the kingdom. Those who are in the church are part of the reality of this kingdom. When the Lord Jesus returns, there will be the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, for He is going to establish His kingdom on the earth for a thousand years. According to the book of Hebrews, the entrance into the millennial kingdom is compared to the entrance into God s rest which He promised to His people (Heb. 4:1). The Lord ordained for the people of Israel that the seventh day would be the day of rest (v. 4). This day represents the last thousand years, that is, the rest that will take place during the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens (v. 9). God s desire is that we would enter into His rest (v. 11). Although the kingdom has not yet been manifested, we in the church are already in its reality. The church is the proper environment for the growth of all those who have been regenerated. The practical living of the church is wonderful, and the meetings are very enjoyable. This is good, but it should not be our goal. Our goal is the growth in life. Therefore we need to live in the reality of the kingdom, with the goal that the seed of the divine life sown into us would germinate, gradually grow and mature, and thus we would be prepared for the Lord s return (Rom. 13:11-14). The primary requirement for God s life to grow in us is that we deny ourselves. This is the most important point of the gospel of the kingdom of the heavens. Despite the fact that we enjoy seeing the Lord s blessings in the church, we only attain the true joy when we deny ourselves for the sake of the Lord s will. We praise the Lord for the church and for the opportunities He allows us to have daily for us to grow in life! The most important point of the gospel of the kingdom is to deny ourselves. Your Have you taken advantage of the opportunities to grow in life? THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLE JOHN IN HIS MATURITY - Lessons Learned from the First Ministers of the Past 3

4 Thursday Scripture Reading: Col. 1:28-29; 1 Pet. 2:2 As you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12) Loving the Saints and Praying for the Growth of God s Life in Them The church life is not just in the meetings. Therefore we cannot remain satisfied merely with the saints enjoyment when they are singing and speaking the hymns. The main goal of being in the church life is to seek spiritual growth in order to bring in the kingdom of the heavens. The main concern we must have in caring for the saints is the growth of God s life in them (1 Pet. 2:2). When the millennial kingdom is manifested, we don t want it to also be manifest that those who were closest to us did not grow. On the contrary, when the millennial kingdom is manifested, we want those we have cared for to have a better position and a greater commission than we will have. Moreover, we cannot let those who already have some growth in life be comfortable (Col. 1:28-29). God, who is love, is in us; therefore, love for the saints rises up from our spirit. When we realize that a certain brother is not willing to deny himself, we must receive the burden of loving him and helping him grow in the divine life. How can we manifest our love and care for a brother or sister? We can do this by praying for them: O Lord Jesus, enlighten this brother. May Your great light cause him to see not only his condition but also help him to deny his soul-life so that he may have the opportunity of being under the fire of the Spirit in order to be purified. We need to pray for the saints; not only for their needs and difficulties, but mainly when we see that they are not growing in the divine life. Hallelujah! While we are living in the church life we all have many opportunities to deny ourselves and grow in life. As we are seeking this growth, we must also love and pray for the other saints. May God s life grow in all the members of the church, until we together reach maturity. Amen! Growing in God s life. Your Have you been concerned about the saints and been praying for them? THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLE JOHN IN HIS MATURITY - Lessons Learned from the First Ministers of the Past 4

5 Friday Scripture Reading: Matt. 24:45-46; 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 6:17b-18 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:16). For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged (1 Corinthians 14:31) Feeding the Fellow Servants in the Meetings Paul warned the saints in the church in Corinth to grow in God s life and not walk according to men; for some had been saved through him and were thinking of themselves as of Paul. Others were saying they were of Apollos a very eloquent Jew who was a learned man with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, who aroused great appreciation in some saints. Others yet admired Peter and said they were of Cephas. Finally, there were those who said they were of Christ (1 Cor. 1:12; cf. 3:4). Being of Christ is completely correct, but if we have an attitude of dividing ourselves from those whom Christ has received, we are also taking sides and displeasing the Lord. If we are really of Christ, our heart will be open to receive all those whom the Lord has received. When we bring people to meet in the church, we must not lead them to follow men or stress doctrines that produce discussions. We must help them to feed on the word of God, which is life, that they may grow spiritually. We must help new Christians feed on the word of God. A very effective way to do this is to read with prayer, that is pray-read. After reading a verse, we can take it as our prayer, that is, we can pray to God using His own word (Eph. 6:17b-18). In every church meeting we gather together in groups of three or four people to read the word with prayer. Since the word of God is living, the Spirit will surely lead us to emphasize a certain word or phrase of the verse we have read. When we proclaim it to the other saints, we will be encouraging them and bringing forth life, as Jesus said, The words which I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63b). This is wonderful and it is what we must practise. The church meetings are not for us to perform rituals or formalities. They are the best environment for us to feed on the word of God and carry out our function as members of the Body of Christ. In the meetings, each one of us has the liberty to call hymns according to the feeling of the Spirit. We may also pray-read, prophesy and speak for God to build up the church. Hallelujah! Thank the Lord that today in the meetings of the church everyone can function and feed the fellow servants (1 Cor. 14:26, 31; cf. Matt. 24:45-46). The meetings are for us to feed on the word and carry out our function. Your What are the ways of feeding on the word of God? THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLE JOHN IN HIS MATURITY - Lessons Learned from the First Ministers of the Past 5

6 Saturday Scripture Reading: Rom. 14:1, 3; 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God (Romans 15:7) The Complete Gospel Is for Everyone Regarding the building of the church, we have received much help from the ministry of brother Watchman Nee. He was converted to the Lord in his youth and also preached the gospel to his colleagues at school. Many were saved and felt the need of being together to feed on the word of God. Since they didn t belong to any Christian group, they began to meet at school to pray-read the Bible. The moral condition of the young people, the students, at that time was better than that of today. Presently, worldly practices are infiltrating the schools, and the teenagers are influenced to be involved increasingly early with sin, violence, fornication, alcohol and drugs. In this prevailing situation that is oppressing the young people, we have the burden to preach the gospel of grace and also the gospel of the kingdom. Although there were already many Christian groups at the time the Lord used our brother Watchman Nee to preach the gospel to his fellow-students, God s burden was to recover the oneness of the church. By reading the word, Watchman Nee realized that the emphasis in the New Testament was to have one church in each city, that is, the Christians who were living in the same city bore the testimony of the oneness of the church there (1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11). Then Watchman Nee began to put the vision he had received into practice: one church in each city. Thus all the people who were gained through preaching the gospel began to be part of the church in the city where they lived. And after some years many churches emerged in that country. With the Communist invasion in China, the church suffered much persecution. At that time many coworkers of brother Watchman Nee migrated to Taiwan, where the church had a new beginning; with emphasis on the oneness of the church in each city. We thank God that His revelation has come to us. This revelation is progressive, and through it the Lord has advanced increasingly by enlarging our heart. Today in Brazil, based on the commission to bring life to all, we have received the children of God not excluding those who have practices that are different from ours. We have received all those whom the Lord has received and have loved all those whom He loves (Rom. 14:1, 3; 15:7). Praise the Lord for the church! Commissioned to bring life to all. Your What has your attitude been regarding receiving the children of God? THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLE JOHN IN HIS MATURITY - Lessons Learned from the First Ministers of the Past 6

7 Powered by TCPDF ( Sunday Scripture Reading: Eph. 1:13; 1 Pet. 1:9 And if children, then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together (Romans 8:17) The Way from Grace to Glory Thank the Lord for His light! In every age and place, in every dispensation, God brings us His light. The Jews knew what the kingdom of the heavens was. They believed in God, but they were living in their religion. Other people, however, have had no idea what the kingdom of the heavens is for instance, decades ago in China, when the gospel of grace for salvation reached there. The gospel of grace basically leads sinners to recognize their sins, and once they are convinced of their sinful condition, to repent before God. When they were formerly in darkness they disagreed with being called sinners. After they were saved, however, even their habits and customs changed, because the old customs were not important to them anymore. This happened because they were enlightened by the Lord s great light. Thus, by believing in the Lord, they received forgiveness from God, were justified, sanctified and reconciled and became children of God. Upon receiving God s life, they were saved in their spirit (Eph. 1:13). Currently, however, the Lord s light on us has become more intense and has shown us that the most important item in the church life is to follow the Lord by denying ourselves in order to grow in the divine life and reign with the Lord. This is the gospel of the kingdom, and it is for the salvation of our soul (1 Pet. 1:9). Thank the Lord for His grace and mercy! The story of each one of us is that we were sinners, but the Lord saved us. He not only saved us from sins but also justified, sanctified, reconciled and regenerated us. Then, in order for His life to grow in us, He put us in the church, where we have the opportunity to deny ourselves. This is the complete gospel of God, which ranges from the salvation of our spirit unto glorification and the entrance into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. If we allow God s life to grow in us unto maturity, we will reign with the Lord when He comes in glory in the coming kingdom (Rom. 8:17). Therefore may we take advantage of the daily situations to deny our self and put into practice all that we have received from the Lord. Amen! Denying our self and putting into practice what we have received from the Lord. Your What is the effect of receiving the complete gospel of God? THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLE JOHN IN HIS MATURITY - Lessons Learned from the First Ministers of the Past 7