Banners for 2017 Thanksgiving Conference

Transcription

1 Banners for 2017 Thanksgiving Conference In the real church life the service to the Lord is rendered, the testimony of the Lord is seen, and the love toward the Lord is poured out; this is the real expression of the Body of the Lord, which is a vessel to contain the Lord and to express Him. Fellowship the circulation of the divine life in the Body of Christ is the reality of the church life, and this circulation of the divine life brings all the members of the Body of Christ into oneness. In order to practice the scriptural way to meet and to serve for the building up of the Body of Christ, we need a revived living and a labor in shepherding that flow out from our love of the Lord. The goal of the Lord s recovery is to bring forth the one new man, and this requires that we practice the church life in the consciousness of the one new man by taking Christ as our person, being constituted with Christ, and being renewed in the spirit of the mind.

2 Outline with Verses of the Messages for the 2017 Thanksgiving Conference November 23-26, 2017 GENERAL SUBJECT: THE GENUINE CHURCH LIFE TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page Message One: Basic Principles for the Practice of the Church Life 1 Message Two: The Church Life a Life of Being Headed Up in Christ 7 Message Three: The Issue of Life the Church Life as a House of Feasting for God s Building 13 Message Four: Fellowship the Reality of the Church Life 28 Message Five: Message Six: The Scriptural Way to Meet and to Serve for the Building Up of the Body of Christ 36 Practicing the Church Life in the Consciousness of the One New Man 42

3 Outline of the Messages for the Thanksgiving Conference November 23-26, 2017 GENERAL SUBJECT: THE GENUINE CHURCH LIFE Message One Basic Principles for the Practice of the Church Life MC Hymns: 831 Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 1:2, 10-13; 3:3-4; Eph. 4:3-6; 1 John 2:27; Rom. 14:1; Psa. 119:140 1 Cor 1:2 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours: 1 Cor 1:10 Now I beseech you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion. 1 Cor 1:11 For it has been made clear to me concerning you, my brothers, by those of the household of Chloe, that there are strifes among you. 1 Cor 1:12 Now I mean this, that each of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. 1 Cor 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul? 1 Cor 3:3 For you are still fleshly. For if there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and do you not walk according to the manner of man? 1 Cor 3:4 For when someone says, I am of Paul, and another, I of Apollos, are you not men of flesh? Eph 4:3 Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace: Eph 4:4 One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling; Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism; Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 1 John 2:27 And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in Him. Rom 14:1 Now him who is weak in faith receive, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his considerations. Psa 119:140 Your word is very pure, / And Your servant loves it. I. We must see and stand on the unique ground of the local churches of God the practice of the church life in the early days was the practice of having one church for one city, one city with only one church Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rev. 1:11: Acts 8:1 Acts 13:1 Rev 1:11 And Saul approved of his killing. And there occurred in that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and all were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Now there were in Antioch, in the local church, prophets and teachers: Barnabas and Simeon, who was called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen, the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. Saying, What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. A. To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours 1 Cor. 1:2: 1. The church being of God refers to the content of the church in its essence. 2. The church in Corinth shows the locality of Corinth for the existence, expression, and practice of the church; such a locality becomes the local ground of the local churches on which they are built respectively; thus, the locality spontaneously becomes the church ground. 1

4 3. Those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints are the constituents as the framework of the church. 4. With all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place indicates that this Epistle has been and will be read by people in thousands of places throughout the generations; even today we are the recipients of this book. 5. Christ being theirs and ours means that Christ is the portion of the local saints in Corinth and of all the saints in whatever place, who participate in the fellowship (enjoyment) of Christ, into which all the believers have been called by the faithful God v Cor 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. B. Divisions among the saints are condemned by the apostle as the deputy authority of Christ the Head vv Cor 1:10 Now I beseech you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be attuned in the same mind and in the same opinion. 1 Cor 1:11 For it has been made clear to me concerning you, my brothers, by those of the household of Chloe, that there are strifes among you. 1 Cor 1:12 Now I mean this, that each of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. 1 Cor 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul? C. Christ is not divided Christ is unique, not divisible nor divided v Cor 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul? D. Division is of the flesh, according to the manner of man 3: Cor 3:3 For you are still fleshly. For if there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and do you not walk according to the manner of man? 1 Cor 3:4 For when someone says, I am of Paul, and another, I of Apollos, are you not men of flesh? E. We need to see our practice under today s divisive and confusing degradation of Christianity: 1. We do not and should not participate in the Catholic heresy, the Protestant denominations, and any kind of free groups of Christians. 2. But we recognize and receive the individual believers in Christ who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who are redeemed by His blood and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and who are not factious (Titus 3:10), not making divisions (Rom. 16:17), not worshipping idols (1 John 5:21), nor living in sin (1 Cor. 5:11), even if they are still related to any of the above-listed divisions. Titus 3:10 Rom 16:17 A factious man, after a first and second admonition, refuse, Now I exhort you, brothers, to mark those who make divisions and causes of stumbling contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them. 1 John 5:21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols. 1 Cor 5:11 But now I have written to you not to mingle with anyone who is called a brother, if he is a fornicator or a covetous man or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or a rapacious man, with such a one not even to eat. 3. We are one with all the believers who are in the Lord s recovery throughout the world, and in the principle of Philadelphia, we choose to love all the brothers Rev. 3:7. Rev 3:7 And to the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says the Holy One, the true One, the One who has the key of David, the One who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens: 4. We do not have any creed; we have only the unique Bible properly translated and interpreted by and according to the Bible itself. 2

5 II. We must see and keep the unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ Eph. 4:3-6: Eph 4:3 Eph 4:4 Eph 4:5 Eph 4:6 Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace: One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. A. The unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ is of the Spirit, which oneness believers should not break but keep diligently in the uniting bond of peace v. 3. Eph 4:3 Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace: B. In the whole universe there is only one unique Body of Christ, with the Triune God as its contents vv. 4-6: Eph 4:4 Eph 4:5 Eph 4:6 One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 1. The one Spirit is the essence of its contents. 2. The one Lord is the element of its contents. 3. God the Father is the source of its contents, as the One who is over all and through all and in all triunely. C. We must see and practice the blending of the universal Body of Christ: 1. God has blended the Body together (1 Cor. 12:24); this is the blending of all the individual members of the Body of Christ, the blending of all the churches in certain districts, the blending of all the co-workers, and the blending of all the elders. 1 Cor 12:24 But our comely members have no need. But God has blended the body together, giving more abundant honor to the member that lacked, 2. Such a blending is not social but the blending of the very Christ whom the individual members, the district churches, the co-workers, and the elders enjoy, experience, and partake of. 3. This blending is for the building up of the universal Body of Christ (Eph. 1:23) to consummate the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2) as the final goal of God s economy according to His good pleasure (Eph. 3:8-10; 1:9-10). Eph 1:23 Rev 21:2 Eph 3:8 Eph 3:9 Eph 3:10 Eph 1:9 Eph 1:10 Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things, In order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known through the church, Making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; III. We must practice the church life by submitting to the headship of the Lord and by being balanced by the Body: A. We must learn from the book of Acts and from the experience of the apostles and elders in Acts 15 never to make decisions on our own; furthermore, we should not make suggestions to others or give instructions to them; none of us is qualified to do this: Acts 15 be omitted. 1. We are not the Lord or the Master, and we are not the Lord of the harvest (Luke 10:2; John 4:35); only the Lord Jesus is the Lord of the harvest, the Master, and the Head of the Body, and we must honor Him by not making decisions in ourselves. 3

6 Luke 10:2 John 4:35 And He said to them, The harvest is great, but the workers few; therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest that He would thrust out workers into His harvest. Do you not say that there are yet four months and then the harvest comes? Behold, I tell you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are already white for harvest. 2. If we tell others where to go, there would be no need for them to pray; instead, they would simply act on our word; to do this is to usurp the position of the Lord and to make ourselves the Lord; this is the greatest insult to the Lord. 3. Everyone must pray until he is clear about the Lord s leading; everyone must be brought into the presence of the Lord to contact Him. B. For the Lord s move we also need to be balanced by the Body: 1. Suppose the leading ones, after much prayer, are truly burdened about a certain matter; what they should do then is through fellowship pass on their burden to the saints and ask the saints to pray. 2. Eventually, the saints will receive a personal leading from the Lord, and they may move accordingly; in this way no one will be individualistic or rebellious. IV. We must practice the spiritual charter (spiritual rules and regulations) of the church, which is the cross, Christ as life, the Holy Spirit, the headship of Christ, the Body, a general attitude toward our fellow believers, and the Word of God: A. The altar in the temple (Ezek. 40:47) signifies the cross of Christ, and it is the center not only of the inner court but also of the entire premises of the temple; this altar, typifying the cross, is actually the center of the universe: Ezek 40:47 And He measured the court, a square, one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide; and the altar was in front of the house. 1. As the center of the universe, the cross points to the all-inclusive death of Christ, which involved God, man, and all the creatures; the death on the cross was the release of God (Luke 12:49-50; John 12:24) and the termination of man and all negative things (Rom. 6:6; Heb. 2:14; 9:26-28; Gal. 6:14; Eph. 2:14-15). Luke 12:49 Luke 12:50 John 12:24 Rom 6:6 Heb 2:14 Heb 9:26 Heb 9:27 Heb 9:28 Gal 6:14 Eph 2:14 Eph 2:15 I have come to cast fire on the earth, and how I wish that it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how I am pressed until it is accomplished! Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin as slaves; Since therefore the children have shared in blood and flesh, He also Himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death He might destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the devil, Since then He would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world. But now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested for the putting away of sin through the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is reserved for men to die once, and after this comes judgment, So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time to those who eagerly await Him, apart from sin, unto salvation. But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. For He Himself is our peace, He who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition, the enmity, Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace, 4

7 2. In Christ s death God passed through death in man to be released, and man died in God to be terminated; the death of the Lord was His release; the more we pass through the cross, the more Christ as life is released into others 2 Cor. 4:12. 2 Cor 4:12 So then death operates in us, but life in you. 3. The cross spreads in every direction and to every corner of God s building; thus, if we wish to contact God and enjoy His riches in His house, we must pass through the cross. B. If we do not have Christ as life, we do not have the church life; the church life is simply Christ as life realized by us in a corporate way John 10:10b; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Rom. 8:6. John 10:10b I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly. 1 Cor 15:45b the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. Rom 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace. C. If we check ourselves with the cross, and we honor, magnify, exalt, and respect the Lord Jesus Christ, we are in the right position to experience the Holy Spirit in our spirit; the Spirit is our charter; if we do not have the inner anointing of the Spirit while we are speaking, we should stop v. 16; 1 John 2:20, 27. Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God. 1 John 2:20 And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know. 1 John 2:27 And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in Him. D. In His ascension Christ was inaugurated into the full headship of the entire universe (Eph. 1:20-22; Acts 2:36); in the third heaven Christ was given to be Head over all things to the church, and He is also the head of every man (1 Cor. 11:3a): Eph 1:20 Eph 1:21 Eph 1:22 Acts 2:36 Which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, Far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come; And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified. 1 Cor 11:3a But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, 1. The headship of Christ does not allow for there to be any other heads or subheads; any other head is an insult to Christ Col. 2:19; Matt. 23:8-12. Col 2:19 Matt 23:8 Matt 23:9 Matt 23:10 Matt 23:11 Matt 23:12 And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God. But you, do not be called Rabbi, for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father, He who is in the heavens. Neither be called instructors, because One is your Instructor, the Christ. And the greatest among you shall be your servant. And he who will exalt himself shall be humbled, and he who will humble himself shall be exalted. 2. In order to know how to conduct ourselves in the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15), we first must be careful not to insult the headship of Christ in anything that we do. 1 Tim 3:15 But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. 3. Many brothers often unconsciously insult the headship of Christ by telling a saint what to do instead of encouraging him to learn how to contact the Lord. E. We must be regulated, restricted, and limited by the Body of Christ; on the one hand, we 5

8 must stay within our measure as members of the Body (Eph. 4:16); on the other hand, we must fully accomplish, fill up the full measure, of our ministry in and to the Body (2 Tim. 4:5); all that we say and do must be in the Body, through the Body, and for the Body. Eph 4:16 Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love. 2 Tim 4:5 But you, be sober in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelist, fully accomplish your ministry. F. Christians are divided because they lack a spirit of generality; they may talk about the Body in Romans 12, but without Romans 14 we can never have the Body life: Rom 12, 14 be omitted. 1. In order to practice the Body life revealed in Romans 12, we must learn the practical lessons of receiving the believers, as revealed in Romans 14, so that the church life may be all-inclusive, able to include all kinds of genuine Christians. Rom 12, 14 be omitted. 2. Such receiving requires the transformation mentioned in Romans 12:2; if we remain natural, we will be unable to receive those whose views are different from ours in doctrine or in practice. Rom 12:2 And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect. 3. As long as one is a genuine Christian and has the fundamental faith of the New Testament, we should not exclude him, even though he may differ from us with respect to doctrine; rather, we should receive him in the same one Lord 14:1. Rom 14:1 Now him who is weak in faith receive, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his considerations. G. Your word is very pure, / And Your servant loves it Psa. 119:140: 1. The Scripture, the word of God, is the very breathing out of God; God s speaking is God s breathing out; hence, His word is spirit, or breath; thus, the Scripture is the embodiment of God as the Spirit 2 Tim. 3:16; John 6:63. 2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for John 6:63 correction, for instruction in righteousness, It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 2. The Spirit is therefore the very essence, the substance, of the Scripture, just as phosphorus is the essential substance in matches; we must strike the Spirit of the Scripture with our spirit to catch the divine fire. 6

9 Message Two The Church Life a Life of Being Headed Up in Christ Scripture Reading: Eph. 1:10, 22-23; 3:15-17; 4:15; 1 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 1:4; John 8:12 JL Hymns: 840, 981 Eph 1:10 Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; Eph 1:22 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, Eph 1:23 Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. Eph 3:15 Of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named, Eph 3:16 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, Eph 3:17 That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, Eph 4:15 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, 1 Cor 11:3 But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. 1 Tim 1:4 Nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God's economy, which is in faith. John 8:12 Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. I. God s eternal intention is to head up all things in Christ, who has been appointed to be the universal Head Eph. 1:10, 22: Eph 1:10 Eph 1:22 Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, A. It is God s eternal purpose that in the economy of the fullness of the times, He might head up all things in Christ v. 10. Eph 1:10 Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; B. Through the dispensations of God in all the ages, all things will be headed up in Christ in the new heaven and new earth; this will be God s eternal administration and economy Rev. 21:1-2. Rev 21:1 Rev 21:2 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. II. Satan s goal is to corrupt God s creation and to cause confusion Rom. 8:19-23: Rom 8:19 Rom 8:20 Rom 8:21 Rom 8:22 Rom 8:23 For the anxious watching of the creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, In hope that the creation itself will also be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans together and travails in pain together until now. And not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves, eagerly awaiting sonship, the redemption of our body. A. When Satan injected himself into man, Satan became death and darkness to man; sin brings in death, death brings in darkness, and darkness brings in confusion. B. The entire universe is a heap of collapse caused by Satan injecting himself as the factor of 7

10 death into God s creation Heb. 2:14; Rom. 8: Heb 2:14 Rom 8:20 Rom 8:21 Since therefore the children have shared in blood and flesh, He also Himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death He might destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the devil, For the creation was made subject to vanity, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, In hope that the creation itself will also be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. C. God is working to liberate His creation from bondage and to bring it into liberty by heading up all things in Christ Eph. 1:22, 10. Eph 1:22 Eph 1:10 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; III. We all need to be delivered from the heap of collapse and headed up in Christ Col. 1:12-13: Col 1:12 Col 1:13 Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light; Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, A. The collapse of the universe caused by the rebellion of Satan and the fall of man gives God an excellent opportunity to manifest His wisdom Eph. 1:8; 3:10; Rom. 11:33. Eph 1:8 Eph 3:10 Rom 11:33 Which He caused to abound to us in all wisdom and prudence, In order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known through the church, Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and untraceable His ways! B. According to the Bible, God s salvation is to save us not only from our fallen, sinful condition but also from the heap of collapse Eph. 2:1-8, Eph 2:1 Eph 2:2 Eph 2:3 Eph 2:4 Eph 2:5 Eph 2:6 Eph 2:7 Eph 2:8 Eph 2:21 Eph 2:22 And you, though dead in your offenses and sins, In which you once walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit which is now operating in the sons of disobedience; Among whom we also all conducted ourselves once in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest; But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, Even when we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) And raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, That He might display in the ages to come the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. IV. The church life is a life of being headed up in Christ 4:15; 1 Cor. 11:3: Eph 4:15 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, 1 Cor 11:3 But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. A. God will subject all things under Christ by heading up all things in Christ through the church 15: Cor 15:20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 8

11 1 Cor 15:21 For since through man came death, through man also came the resurrection of the dead. 1 Cor 15:22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Cor 15:23 But each one in his own order: the firstfruits, Christ; then those who are Christ's at His coming; 1 Cor 15:24 Then the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to His God and Father, once He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 1 Cor 15:25 For He must reign until God puts all His enemies under His feet. 1 Cor 15:26 Death, the last enemy, is being abolished. 1 Cor 15:27 For He has subjected all things under His feet. But when He says that all things are subjected, it is evident that all things are except Him who has subjected all things to Him. 1 Cor 15:28 And when all things have been subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to Him who has subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all. B. The church is the heading up of God s chosen ones under the headship of Christ 11:3; Eph. 1:10; 2:21-22; 4:15: 1 Cor 11:3 But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head Eph 1:10 Eph 2:21 Eph 2:22 Eph 4:15 of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, 1. In the proper church life we are being headed up in Christ 1:10. Eph 1:10 Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; 2. If we do not know what it is to be headed up in Christ, we cannot know the church. 3. In the church life, we are taking the lead to be headed up in Christ; for this, we need to grow in life 4:15. Eph 4:15 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, C. The first step in the heading up of all things in Christ is for God to bring His chosen ones, His sons, out of the universal collapse and to place them under the headship of Christ 1:22; 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:10, 19. Eph 1:22 Eph 4:15 Eph 5:23 Col 1:18 Col 2:10 Col 2:19 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, For a husband is head of the wife as also Christ is Head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the Body. And He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things; And you have been made full in Him, who is the Head of all rule and authority. And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God. D. When the church takes the lead to be headed up in Christ, God has a way to head up all other things Eph. 1:22-23, 10: Eph 1:22 Eph 1:23 Eph 1:10 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; 1. The church is the vessel used by God to solve His problems and to fulfill His purpose, which is to manifest Himself through man by mingling Himself with man 3:9-11. Eph 3:9 And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things, 9

12 Eph 3:10 Eph 3:11 In order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known through the church, According to the eternal purpose which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord, 2. Eventually, the Body with Christ as the Head will be the universal Head over all things 1: Eph 1:22 Eph 1:23 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. V. In the church life we are being headed up through the divine dispensing in the divine economy 3:15-17; 4:15; 1 Tim. 1:4: Eph 3:15 Eph 3:16 Eph 3:17 Eph 4:15 Of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named, That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, 1 Tim 1:4 Nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God's economy, which is in faith. A. The divine economy has come into us v. 4: 1 Tim 1:4 Nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God's economy, which is in faith. 1. Christ is the divine economy; thus, when we received Christ, we received the divine economy into us John 1: John 1:12 John 1:13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, Who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 2. The divine economy has come into us as an administration, arrangement, and plan that puts everything in order. B. God is working Himself into His chosen ones through an administration that is a sweet dispensing, an intimate stewardship, a comfortable household arrangement Eph. 1:10; 3:2; 1 Tim. 1:4; 3:15: Eph 1:10 Eph 3:2 Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 1 Tim 1:4 Nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God's economy, which is in faith. 1 Tim 3:15 But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. 1. The heading up of all things in Christ takes place by an intimate stewardship, by a comfortable household arrangement Eph. 3:2. Eph 3:2 If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 2. The way to behave in God s house is to have a pleasant household administration, an intimate stewardship, and to dispense Christ to all the members of God s household 1 Tim. 3:15; 1:4. 1 Tim 3:15 But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. 1 Tim 1:4 Nor to give heed to myths and unending genealogies, which produce questionings rather than God's economy, which is in faith. 3. God s abounding grace will accomplish the heading up of all things in Christ; this abounding grace is working on us so that all things might be headed up in Christ 10

13 Eph. 1:7-8, 10. Eph 1:7 Eph 1:8 Eph 1:10 In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses, according to the riches of His grace, Which He caused to abound to us in all wisdom and prudence, Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; 4. The more we, God s inheritance, are saturated with the Spirit as a living seal, the more heading up there will be in the universe vv. 11, 13. Eph 1:11 Eph 1:13 In whom also we were designated as an inheritance, having been predestinated according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will, In whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in Him also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise, VI. The heading up in the church life is by life and light John 1:4; 8:12: John 1:4 John 8:12 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. A. God s way of recovery is Christ versus Satan, life versus death, light versus darkness, and order versus confusion. B. The collapse comes from the factor of death; the heading up comes from the factor of life Ezek. 37:4-10. Ezek 37:4 Ezek 37:5 Ezek 37:6 Ezek 37:7 Ezek 37:8 Ezek 37:9 Ezek 37:10 Then He said to me, Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus says the Lord Jehovah to these bones: I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. And I will put sinews on you and bring flesh back on you and cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you will know that I am Jehovah. So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh came back, and skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, Prophesy to the wind; prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus says the Lord Jehovah, Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them; and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. C. God s way to recover the oneness among His creation is to impart Himself into us as life Rom. 8:6, 10-11, Rom 8:6 Rom 8:10 Rom 8:11 Rom 8:19 Rom 8:20 Rom 8:21 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. For the anxious watching of the creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was made subject to vanity, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, In hope that the creation itself will also be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. D. In order to be delivered from the heap of collapse in a practical way, we need to grow in life; the more we grow in life, the more we will be headed up and the more we will be rescued from the universal collapse Eph. 4:15; Col. 2:19. Eph 4:15 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, 11

14 Col 2:19 And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God. E. When God comes into us as life, the light of life shines within us; this life swallows death, and this light dispels the darkness John 1:4; 8:12; Eph. 5:8-9: John 1:4 John 8:12 Eph 5:8 Eph 5:9 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. For you were once darkness but are now light in the Lord; walk as children of light (For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 1. When we are full of Christ as life, we are under the light and are controlled by the power of light. 2. As God is light, so we, the children of God, are children of light, and we are even light itself because we are one with God in the Lord 1 John 1:5; John 12:36; Eph. 5:8; Matt. 5:14. 1 John 1:5 And this is the message which we have heard from Him and announce to you, John 12:36 Eph 5:8 Matt 5:14 that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. While you have the light, believe into the light, so that you may become sons of light. Jesus said these things, and He went away and was hidden from them. For you were once darkness but are now light in the Lord; walk as children of light You are the light of the world. It is impossible for a city situated upon a mountain to be hidden. 3. In the life and under the light, we are delivered out of confusion, brought into order, harmony, and oneness, and headed up in Christ Eph. 1:10. Eph 1:10 Unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; 12

15 John 12:1 John 12:2 John 12:3 John 12:4 John 12:5 John 12:6 John 12:7 John 12:8 John 12:9 John 12:10 John 12:11 Message Three The Issue of Life the Church Life as a House of Feasting for God s Building EM Hymns: 433, 437 Scripture Reading: John 12:1-11 Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Therefore they made Him a supper there; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of the ones reclining at table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of ointment, of very valuable pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was about to betray Him, said, Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? But he said this not because it mattered to him concerning the poor, but because he was a thief, and holding the purse, carried off what was put into it. Then Jesus said, Leave her alone; she has reserved it for the day of My burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me. Then a great crowd of the Jews found out that He was there, and they came, not because of Jesus only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. And the chief priests took counsel to kill Lazarus also, Because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed into Jesus. I. Life meets the need of every man s case to build the house of God John 2:18-22: John 2:18 John 2:19 John 2:20 John 2:21 John 2:22 The Jews then answered and said to Him, What sign do You show us, seeing that You do these things? Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then the Jews said, This temple was built in forty-six years, and You will raise it up in three days? But He spoke of the temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. A. The need of the moral is life s regenerating 3:3, 6, 14-16, 29-30, 34. John 3:3 John 3:6 John 3:14 John 3:15 John 3:16 John 3:29 John 3:30 John 3:34 Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, That everyone who believes into Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This joy of mine therefore is made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit not by measure. B. The need of the immoral is life s satisfying 4:4-7, 10, 13-18, 24, 28-29, 34. John 4:4 John 4:5 John 4:6 John 4:7 John 4:10 John 4:13 And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob gave to Joseph his son; And Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from the journey, sat thus by the well; it was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give Me something to drink. Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. Jesus answered and said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again, 13

16 John 4:14 John 4:15 John 4:16 John 4:17 John 4:18 John 4:24 John 4:28 John 4:29 John 4:34 But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water springing up into eternal life. The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water so that I will not thirst nor come here to draw. He said to her, Go, call your husband and come here. The woman answered and said, I do not have a husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I do not have a husband, For you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness. Then the woman left her waterpot and went away into the city, and said to the people, Come, see a man who told me all that I have done. Is this not the Christ? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. C. The need of the dying is life s healing vv , John 4:46 John 4:47 John 4:50 John 4:51 John 4:52 John 4:53 He then came again to Cana of Galilee, where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain royal official, whose son was sick in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and asked Him to come down and heal his son, for he was about to die. Jesus said to him, Go, your son lives. The man believed the word which Jesus said to him and went his way. And as he was now going down, his slaves met him and said that his child was living. So he asked them the hour in which he got better. They said then to him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. Then the father knew that it was in that hour in which Jesus said to him, Your son lives; and he believed, he and his whole house. D. The need of the impotent is life s enlivening 5:2-3, 5-9, 17, 19, 25-26, 30, John 5:2 John 5:3 John 5:5 John 5:6 John 5:7 John 5:8 John 5:9 John 5:17 John 5:19 John 5:25 John 5:26 John 5:30 John 5:39 John 5:40 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the moving of the water. And a certain man was there, who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness. When Jesus saw this one lying there and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, Do you want to get well? The sick man answered Him, Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me. Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your mat and walk. And immediately the man became well, and he took up his mat and walked. Now it was the Sabbath on that day; But Jesus answered them, My Father is working until now, and I also am working. Then Jesus answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing from Himself except what He sees the Father doing, for whatever that One does, these things the Son also does in like manner. Truly, truly, I say to you, An hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son to also have life in Himself; I can do nothing from Myself; as I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that testify concerning Me. Yet you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. E. The need of the hungry is life s feeding 6:5-13, 32-33, 35, 48-51, 57, 63. John 6:5 John 6:6 John 6:7 John 6:8 Jesus then lifting up His eyes and seeing that a great crowd was coming toward Him, said to Philip, Where shall we buy bread that these may eat? But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He was about to do. Philip answered Him, Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that each one may take a little. One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, 14