Propagating the Resurrected, Ascended, And All-Inclusive Christ As the Development of The Kingdom of God
Message Eight
The Development of the Kingdom of God
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
To whom also He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many irrefutable proofs, appearing to them through a period of forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.-Acts1:3.
Establishing the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and saying that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.-14:22.
Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, unhindered.-28:31.
Word of Appetizer
What is the main subject of the apostles’ preaching in Acts?
The kingdom of God is the main subject of the apostles’ preaching in Acts (8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31); this is indicated by the fact that the resurrected Christ, in His appearing to the apostles through a period of forty days, spoke to them concerning the kingdom of God (1:3).
In the Gospels the Lord Jesus Himself had announced the succeeding ministry of the resurrected and ascended Christ in heaven carried out through His believers on earth.
Spiritual Burden
The churches and the kingdom of God go together; the churches produced by the propagation of the resurrected Christ are the kingdom of God on earth today；We in the churches are the propagation of Christ and the expansion of Christ, and we are enlarging the kingdom of God.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is regeneration, and the development of the kingdom is the believers’ growth in the divine life; The kingdom of God is the church life today, in which the faithful believers live, and it will develop into the coming kingdom as a reward to be inherited by the overcoming saints in the millennium.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Acts is a record of the succeeding ministry of the resurrected and ascended Christ in heaven carried out through His believers on earth.
The kingdom of God is the main subject of the apostles’ preaching in Acts.
The kingdom of God is the spreading of Christ as life into His believers to form a realm in which God rules in His life.
The churches and the kingdom of God go together; the churches produced by the propagation of the resurrected Christ are the kingdom of God on earth today.
Paul’s proclaiming the kingdom of God in 28:31 was the propagation of the resurrected, ascended, and all-inclusive Christ.
The Experience of Life
Christ is the seed of the kingdom of God to be sown into God’s chosen people to develop into God’s ruling realm；All the believers in Christ can share the kingdom in the church age for their enjoyment of God in His righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Practice and Application
The kingdom of God is the spreading of Christ as life into His believers to form a realm in which God rules in His life; The entrance into the kingdom of God is regeneration, and the development of the kingdom is the believers’ growth in the divine life.
through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God, because the whole world opposes our entering in; to enter into the kingdom of God is to enter into the full enjoyment of Christ as the kingdom. Satan is fighting against God’s spreading of His kingdom on earth; the prevailing ministry for the propagation of Christ is a fighting, a battle, for God’s kingdom.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
To whom also He presented Himself alive after His suffering by many irrefutable proofs, appearing to them through a period of forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.-Acts1:3.
And when He was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation; Nor will they say, Behold, here it is! or, There! For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.-Luke.17:20-21.
Acts is a record of the succeeding ministry of the resurrected and ascended Christ in heaven carried out through His believers on earth
The kingdom of God is the main subject of the apostles’ preaching in Acts
.In Acts the Lord’s ministry in heaven, carried out through His believers in His resurrection and ascension, spreads Him as the development of the kingdom of God for the building up of the church throughout the entire world to constitute His Body, His fullness, to express Him, even the fullness of God for God’s expression.
.The kingdom of God is the main subject of the apostles’ preaching in Acts; this is indicated by the fact that the resurrected Christ, in His appearing to the apostles through a period of forty days, spoke to them concerning the kingdom of God.
.The kingdom of God is the Savior as the seed of life sown into His believers, God’s chosen people, and developing into a realm over which God can rule as His kingdom in His divine life.
.The kingdom of God is the church life today, in which the faithful believers live, and it will develop into the coming kingdom.
.The Lord’s word in Luke 17:20-21 indicates that the kingdom of God is not material but spiritual.
Key Verses (2)
Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.-John.3:5.
But when they believed Philip, who announced the gospel of the kingdom of God and of the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.-Acts.8:12.
Therefore, brothers, be the more diligent to make your calling and selection firm, for doing these things you shall by no means ever stumble. For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly and bountifully supplied to you.
-2 Pet. 1:10-11.
III. The kingdom of God is the spreading of Christ as life into His believers to form a realm in which God rules in His life
V. The churches and the kingdom of God go together; the churches produced by the propagation of the resurrected Christ are the kingdom of God on earth today
.To enter into this kingdom, people need to repent of their sins and believe in the gospel so that their sins may be forgiven and so that they may be regenerated by God to have the divine life, which matches the divine nature of this kingdom.
. All the believers in Christ can share the kingdom in the church age for their enjoyment of God in His righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
.The resurrected Christ, who is propagating Himself in His ascension, by the Spirit, and through the disciples, is the reality of the kingdom of God; the kingdom of God is His expansion.
.We in the churches are the propagation of Christ and the expansion of Christ, and we are enlarging the kingdom of God.
Key Verses (3)
Establishing the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and saying that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.-Acts.14:22.
……many came to him at his lodging, to whom he expounded these matters, solemnly testifying of the kingdom of God and persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning until evening.- 28:23.
Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, unhindered.- 31.
through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God
a fighting, a battle, for God’s kingdom
proclaiming the kingdom of God
- In Acts 14:22 Paul entreated the believers who were continuing in the faith to realize that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God, because the whole world opposes our entering in; to enter into the kingdom of God is to enter into the full enjoyment of Christ as the kingdom.
- In Acts 19 we see that Satan is fighting against God’s spreading of His kingdom on earth; the prevailing ministry for the propagation of Christ is a fighting, a battle, for God’s kingdom.
VII. Paul’s proclaiming the kingdom of God in 28:31 was the propagation of the resurrected, ascended, and all-inclusive Christ；This is proved by the words teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, which things go together with the kingdom of God.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 The Gospel of Luke is a narrative of the ministry of the incarnated Jesus; Acts is a record of the succeeding ministry of the resurrected and ascended Christ (Act1:8-9)
（Illustration what the difference between Acts and Luke.）
T2 The kingdom of God is the main subject of the apostles’ preaching in Acts（Act8:12，14:22）
（Illustration The kingdom as God’s reign in a particular way in the sense of life goes in parallel with the church.）
D2
T1 The kingdom of God is the Savior himself（Luke17:20~21）
（Illustration Wherever the Savior is, there the kingdom of God is.）
T2 The entrance into the kingdom of God is regeneration, and the development of the kingdom is the believers’ growth in the divine life（John3:5，2Pet1:3~11）
（Illustration In the Gospels the Lord Jesus Himself had announced the gospel of the kingdom.）
D3
T1 the resurrected Christ, in His appearing to the apostles through a period of forty days, spoke to them concerning the kingdom of God（Act1:3）
（Explain the reason why when the Lord spoke regarding the kingdom in the Gospels, the disciples were not able to understand what He was teaching them.）
T2 the kingdom of God is a matter of life（Mark4:26~29）
（Illustration The kingdom in its reality is a matter of Christ as the seed of life sown into us and growing in us unto maturity）
D4
T1 the kingdom of God is a kingdom of the divine life. (John3:5）
（Illustration we know the kingdom of God by the divine life）
T2 The kingdom of God is the ruling, the reigning, of God with all its blessing and enjoyment（2Pet1:3~11）
（Illustration The kingdom of God is the spreading of Christ as life into His believers to form a realm in which God rules in His life.）
D5
T1 The kingdom of God is the expansion of Christ（Act8:1、12）
（Illustration the expansion of Christ is the churches.）
T2 The churches and the kingdom of God go together（Act14:22，20:25）
（Illustration the churches produced by the propagation of the resurrected Christ are the kingdom of God on earth today.）
D6
T1 Satan is fighting against God’s spreading of His kingdom on earth（Act19:9、23~41）
（Illustration In Acts 19 we see that the prevailing ministry for the propagation of Christ is a fighting, a battle, for God’s kingdom.）
T2 the kingdom of God is actually the propagation of the resurrected Christ(Act28:31）
（Illustration To teach concerning Christ is to spread the kingdom of God.）
