Msg. 12 Practicing the Church Life According to the Framework of the God-Ordained Way

GENERAL SUBJECT:
CRUCIAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

Message Twelve
Practicing the Church Life According to the Framework of the God-Ordained Way

Scripture Reading: Rom. 15:16; 1 Thes. 2:7; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Cor.14:31

I. God’s eternal purpose is to have a Body for Christ; the steps to achieve this goal lies in our begetting by preaching the gospel, nourishing by home meetings, teaching by group meetings and building up by church meetings—Rom. 15:16; 1 Thes. 2:7; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Cor. 14:3-5:

A. Begetting—preaching the gospel and saving the sinners—Rom. 15:16:

1. Being one with the Lord and not fearing difficulties.

2. “Go therefore and disciple all the nations”—Matt. 28:19.

B. Nourishing—feeding the Lord’s sheep—1 Thes. 2:7, 11:

1. Feeding the new believers, as a nursing mother would cherish her own children—v. 7.

2. Newborn babies need special care.

C. Teaching—perfecting the saints to build up the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:11-12.

1. In the small group meetings, the believers have mutual fellowship and intercession, mutual care and shepherding, mutual teaching and studying of the truth, and mutual instruction in the pursuit of the growth in the spiritual life, for the promotion of the preaching of the gospel, the care for the new ones, the conducting of the small group meetings, and all other kinds of service in the church life.

2. The small group meetings are the main part of the life and service of the church.

D. Building—speaking for the Lord to build up the church through prophesying—1 Cor. 14:31:

1. To speak for God and to speck forth God and to supply Christ to others.

2. To speak the words for building up, encouragement and consolation for the building up of the church—vv. 3-5.

II. The new way is the scriptural way of meeting and serving to build up the Body of Christ—Acts 2:42; 5:42; Eph. 4:12:

A. We must build up a new habit to contact people, changing from big meetings in the meeting hall to the meetings in the homes, not inviting people to come but going to people’s home.

B. The success of the new way hinges on bringing the saints into the truth, bringing the church to the homes, and having the outreach of the gospel through our daily living—1 Tim. 2:4; Acts 2:42; 5:42; 2 Tim. 4:2.

C. The way the Lord is leading us is to preach the gospel widely, to retain the new ones, and to perfect the new ones—Eph. 4:12.

III. The crucial point of the God-ordained way is the group meetings; therefore, we must endeavor to build up the group meetings; when the group meetings are built up strongly, the church will also be very strong—1 Cor. 14:26; Acts 2:46-47:

A. Brothers and sister in a small group need to build up and support one another.

B. Recovering dormant and lost saints.

C. Preaching the gospel to relatives, friends, and neighbors.

IV. “No church or leading one should prohibit others form taking this way; we should not criticize, condemn, or oppose the new way; all the leaders of the churches around the globe should say ‘Amen’ to this way, whether or not they agree with it.” (The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, ch. 15)