The Increase of Christ for the Building Up of the Church
Message Two
The Increase of Christ as Portrayed in the Gospel of John
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
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—John 3:29-30.
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—John 12:24.
Word of Appetizer
Why is the increase and spread of the church the increase and spread of Christ?
After passing through death, the Lord Jesus entered into resurrection to impart His divine life into those who believe into Him so that they could become His reproduction; through His death and resurrection, Christ has been propagated, increased, and spread; the church is the Body of Christ, even Christ Himself; hence, the church is Christ’s increase and spread on earth.
Spiritual Burden
The increase and spread of the church is the increase and spread of Christ, who passed through death and entered into resurrection to impart His divine life into those who believe into Him so that they could become His reproduction.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The increase and spread of the church is the increase and spread of Christ.
“He who has the bride is the bridegroom…He must increase”.
We need to see the oneness of the increase of Christ, a oneness in which all the regenerated ones, the grains, and the brothers are one; the oneness of the Body of Christ, the oneness of the increase of Christ, is the enlarged oneness of the Divine Trinity.
The Experience of Life
The unique way for us to become the increase of the unlimited Christ is to receive the Spirit and be filled with the Spirit; the more we have t he Spirit, the more we will be Christ’s increase; this increase begins with our regeneration, and it consummates with our being filled with the immeasurable Spirit.
Practice and Application
For Christ to increase continually, we need to contact people and help them to be regenerated, thereby producing new spiritual children.
We should not remain as whole grains; rather, we need to be broken and ground into fine flour so that we may be blended with others for making a loaf; this loaf is the Body of Christ
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
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—John 12:24.
The Increase and Spread of the Church Is the Increase and Spread of Christ
I. The increase and spread of the church is the increase and spread of Christ:
Through His death and resurrection, Christ has been propagated, increased, and spread.
• The church is the Body of Christ, even Christ Himself; hence, the church is Christ’s increase and spread on earth.
III. “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit“:
• These many grains are His many members that constitute His mystical Body—His eternal, boundless increase.
Key Verses (2)
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; …He must increase, but I must decrease —John 3:29-30.
For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit not by measure—John 3:34.
II. “He Who Has the Bride Is the Bridegroom…He Must Increase”
• The bride is a living composition of all the regenerated people; Christ increases by regenerating redeemed sinners, making them His bride, His wife.
• The Christ who is increasing is the immeasurable and unlimited Son of God; Such a One needs a universal increase to be His bride to match Him.
• Christ the Son gives the Spirit without measure to God’s people; the more we have the Spirit, the more we will be Christ’s increase.
Key Verses (3)
…I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God—John 20:17.
That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You …I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one … —John 17:21-23.
Many Brothers Are the Propagation of the Father’s Life;
The Brothers Are One
IV. ”Go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father,…”
• The many brothers are the propagation of the Father’s life and the multiplication of the Son in the divine life.
V. ”That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us…And the glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, even as We are one; I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one“
• We need to see the oneness of the increase of Christ, a oneness in which all the regenerated ones, the grains, and the brothers are one.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 The increase and spread of the church is the increase and spread of Christ (John 12:24)
(Please explain how Christ imparts His divine life into those who believe into Him so that they could become many grains.)
T2 The church is the Body of Christ, even Christ Himself (Eph. 1:22-23)
(Please explain that the church is Christ’s increase and spread on earth.)
D2
T1 “He who has the bride is the bridegroom…He must increase” (John 3:29a, 30a)
(Please explain that the bride of Christ is the increase of Christ.)
T2 All of the reborn people are the increase of Christ (1 Cor. 4:14-15; Philem. 10)
(Please explain that we need to contact people individually and help them to be regenerated, thereby producing new spiritual children.)
D3
T1 The more we have the Spirit, the more we will be Christ’s increase (John 3:34)
(Please explain that the unique way for us to become the increase of the unlimited Christ is to receive the Spirit and be filled with the Spirit.)
T2 This unlimited Christ must have a universal increase. (John 3:34-35)
(Please explain that the unlimited Christ gives the immeasurable Spirit in order to produce a universal increase.)
D4
T1 The way for a grain of wheat to multiply (John 12:24)
(Please explain that originally, He [Christ] was the one grain of wheat, but through death and resurrection He became the many grains, which are the multiplication of the one grain.)
T2 We should not remain as whole grains (1 Cor. 10:17)
(Please explain that we need to be broken and ground into fine flour so that we may be blended with others for making a loaf.)
D5
T1 As the unique grain, the Lord is the source of the church life. (John 12:24, 32)
(Please explain that although the church life portrayed by the house of feasting in Bethany was marvelous, it was necessary for the Lord Jesus to die so that this kind of church life could be multiplied.)
T2 The Father’s only Begotten became the Firstborn among many brothers (John 1:18; Rom. 8:29)
(He [Christ] was the Father’s only Son, how could He become the Firstborn among many brothers?)
D6
T1 The oneness of the increase of Christ (John 17:21-23a)
(Please explain that the most important aspects of the basis for our oneness.)
T2 While He [the Lord] was on the earth, He never acted outside of the Father (John 14:10; 5:17, 19).
(How should we exercise so that Christ may become our limitation, our sphere, and our everything?)
