Msg. 2 Practicing the Three Aspects of the Lord’s Recovery in a Balanced Way

GENERAL SUBJECT:
CRUCIAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

Message Two
Practicing the Three Aspects of the Lord’s Recovery in a Balanced Way

Scripture Reading: 2 Sam. 7:12-14a; Phil. 1:19-21; Rom. 14:17; Rev. 3:7-8; John 21:15-17

I. The city of New Jerusalem is squared; there are three gates on four sides, and it is perfect and complete in three equal dimensions; in every aspect and from every side it is one hundred percent balanced; it is neither too much to one side nor too much to another—Rev. 21:13, 16; Exo. 26:2-8; 1 Kings 6:20.

II. The high peak of the divine revelation—John 1:14; 1 John 3:1-2:

A. The highest peak of the divine revelation given to us by God is: God becoming man that man might become God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead; this is the essence of the entire Bible, the “diamond” in the “box” of the Bible—2 Sam. 7:12-14a; Rom. 1:2-4; Eph. 3:17a.

B. We need to be constituted with the truth—1 John 1:8; 2:4; 2 John 1-2:

1. The intrinsic element of the divine revelation must be wrought into and constituted into our being—Col. 3:16; 1 John 1:8; 2:4; 2 John 2.

2. The best way of the saints being constituted with God’s words: PSRP—Eph. 6:17-18a; 2 Tim. 3:15-16; Col. 3:16; 1 Cor. 14:31.

III. The life of a God-man—Rom. 6:4-6; Phil. 3:10; 1:19-21:

A. We need to live the life of a God-man according to the high peak of the divine revelation—Phil. 3:10; 1:21; Gal. 2:20.

B. The life of a God-men is a life lived out by the believers, who have been regenerated to become God-men, not by the life of their old man but by the divine life in their new man—Rom. 6:4-6; Eph. 4:22-24.

C. Being conformed daily to the death of Christ by the power of Christ’s resurrection and living and magnifying Christ through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ—Phil. 3:10; 1:19-20.

D. Overcoming the self, the flesh, and the involvements of the flesh—sin, Satan, and the world—Matt. 16:24; Gal. 5:24; Rom. 8:3; Heb. 2:14; John 12:31.

E. Reigning as kings by the reigning life of Christ to conquer all persons, matters, and things contrary to God and be the overcomers of the Lord in this age—Rom. 5:17, 21; Rev. 2-3.

IV. The practice of the church—Matt. 16:18-19; Rev. 1:4, 11; Rom. 14:17:

A. The universal Body of Christ being the universal house of God and the kingdom of God as well—Eph. 1:23; 1 Tim. 3:15-16; Matt. 16:18-19.

B. Appearing in various cities as local churches, with one city having only one church in order to keep the oneness and prevent division—Deut. 12:5-18; Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rev. 1:4, 11.

C. The unique church of God is expressed as many local churches throughout the whole globe, yet they are still the unique universal Body of Christ and should not be divided into sects or denominations—1 Cor. 10:16-17.

D. Although the local churches in various localities are many, they all take the eternal economy of God as their center to bear the unique testimony of Christ, not teaching any doctrine that is unrelated to the eternal economy of God and has nothing to do with the testimony of Christ—1 Tim. 1:3-4.

V. The Church in Philadelphia—“have kept My word and have not denied My name, brotherly love”—Rev. 3:8, 7 and footnote 1:

A. The characteristic of the overcomers in Philadelphia is their arriving at the highest peak of the divine revelation of God’s economy—Rev. 3:8.

B. The characteristic of the overcomers in Philadelphia is their God-man living by enjoying the riches of Christ as their indwelling treasure—3:7; Matt. 16:24-25.

C. The characteristic of the overcomers in Philadelphia is their brotherly love; love prevails among them so that they shepherd people and nourish them with the healthy teaching of the economy of God—Eph. 4:11; 5:29.

D. What the New Testament reveals and pays attention to is summed up in three matters: truth, life, and the gospel; truth is for life, and life is for the gospel; truth, life, and the gospel are a threefold cord twined together; the threefold cord must be twined together; only then will our gospel preaching produce lasting results—John. 15:16.

VI. May we receive the Lord as our mercy and grace to take the God-ordained way for the church, the way of Philadelphia, to enter into a new revival, to be the instrument for the Lord to end this age and bring in the Kingdom age—Rev. 3:7-13.