God’s Will
Message One
The Mystery of God’s Will in the Universe Ultimately Being to Head Up All Things in Christ through the Church as the Body of Christ
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Eph. 5:17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Eph. 5:32 This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church.
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;
Word of Appetizer
What is God’s will in the universe?
The will of God is concentrated in Christ and is for Christ to have the first place in all things; God wants to have Christ with the church; the will of God is to obtain the church as the Body of Christ. Ultimately, God’s will in the universe is to head up all things in Christ through the church as the Body of Christ. In the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem as the center, all things will be headed up in Christ; this will be the complete fulfillment of Ephesians 1:10.
Spiritual Burden
God will subject all things under Christ by heading up all things in Christ through the church as the Body of Christ; When the church takes the lead to be headed up in Christ, God has a way to head up all other things. The church life is a life of being headed up; in the church life we are taking the lead to be headed up in Christ for this we need to grow in life. The heading up in the church life is by life and light.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
We need to understand what the will of the Lord is; God’s will is what He wants and what He intends to accomplish.
According to the good pleasure of His will, God predestinated us into sonship; We have been “predestinated according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
God’s will was hidden in Him as a mystery, so Ephesians 1:9 speaks of “the mystery of His will”
Ultimately, God’s will in the universe is to head up all things in Christ through the church as the Body of Christ.
The Experience of Life
We are headed up through the divine dispensing; God is working Himself into His chosen and redeemed ones through an administration that is a sweet dispensing, an intimate stewardship, a comfortable household arrangement.
God’s way to recover the oneness among His creation is to impart Himself into us as life; when God comes into us as life, the light of life shines within us; this life swallows death, and this light dispels the darkness.
Practice and Application
We all need to be delivered from the heap of collapse and headed up in Christ; the church life is a life of being headed up; in the church life we are taking the lead to be headed up in Christ; for this we need to grow in life.
When God comes into us as life, the light of life shines within us; if we are in the life and under the light, we will be delivered out of confusion, and brought into order, harmony, and oneness.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
Eph. 5:32 This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church.
Eph. 1:5 Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
Eph. 1:11 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,
Eph. 1:9 Making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself,
I. God’s will is what He wants and what He intends to accomplish
V. God’s will was hidden in Him as a mystery
- We need to understand what the will of the Lord is; the will of God is concentrated in Christ and is for Christ to have the first place in all things; Christ is everything in God’s eternal will; God wants to have Christ with the church; the will of God is to obtain the church as the Body of Christ.
- God has a will, in which is His good pleasure; God predestinated us to be His sons according to His pleasure, according to the desire of His heart.
- God’s will is His intention, and God’s counsel is His consideration of the way to accomplish His will, His intention; a council was held by the Trinity before the foundation of the world to make a counsel, a decision, which is His determined will.
- In eternity God had a will, but this will was hidden in Him; hence, it was a mystery; through His revelation in Christ, that is, through Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
Key Verses (2)
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. 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 …that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.
VI. God’s will in the universe is to head up all things in Christ through the church as the Body of Christ (1)
- God’s eternal intention is, in the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, who has been appointed to be the universal Head.
- Satan’s goal is to corrupt God’s creation and to cause confusion.
- God will subject all things under Christ by heading up all things in Christ through the church as the Body of Christ; when the church takes the lead to be headed up in Christ, God has a way to head up all other things.
- The church life is a life of being headed up; in the church life we are taking the led to be headed up in Christ ;for this we need to grow in life.
Key Verses (3)
Eph. 3:2 If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you,
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.
Rev. 22:1 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street.
Rev. 21:23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon that they should shine in it, for the glory of God illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
VI. God’s will in the universe is to head up all things in Christ through the church as the Body of Christ (2)
- We are headed up through the divine dispensing; God is working Himself into His chosen and redeemed ones through an administration that is a sweet dispensing, an intimate stewardship, a comfortable household arrangement.
- The heading up in the church life is by life and light; when God comes into us as life, the light of life shines within us; this life swallows death, and this light dispels the darkness.
- In the new heaven and new earth wth the New Jerusalem as the center, all things will be headed up in Christ; this will be the complete fulfillment of Ephesians 1:10; in the New Jerusalem everything will be saturated with life and will be under light.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 Understand what the will of the Lord us (Eph. 5:17, 1:9) (See Outline II A, B and C)
(Please illustrate that God’s will is what He wants and what He intends to accomplish)
T2 The will of God is concentrated in Christ. (Col. 1:18, Eph. 5:32) (See Outline II D, E and F).
(Please illustrate that God wants to have Christ with the church.)
D2
T1 According to the good pleasure of His will, God predestinated us unto sonship. (Eph. 1:5) (See Outline III)
(According to the good pleasure of His will, God predestinated us unto sonship, what does this reveal to us?)
T2 Being sanctified is to be mingled with God (Eph. 1:4)
(Please illustrate how God sanctifies us.)
D3
T1 The Will of God is for Christ to have the first place in all things (Eph. 1:10, 22)
(Ephesians 1:22 says, God gave Christ to be Head over all things to the church. What does this reveal to us?)
T2 The more we grow in life, the more we are one (Eph. 4:15, Col. 2:19)
(Please illustrate what is the one way to recovery among His creation.)
D4
T1 God first subjected His chosen people under one Head (Eph. 1:22-23)
(Please illustrate with experience that how the church life is a live of being subject in all things under one head.)
T2 Properly being under one Head, is from the growth in life (Eph. 4:15)
(Please illustrate with experience that the church being subject to one head, is in life)
D5
T1 The term “economy” can also be translated to “stewardship” or “household administration” (Eph. 1:10, 3:2)
(Please give examples to describe that stewardship has a connotation of dispensation.)
T2 There is intimate stewardship in God’s house, dispensing Christ to all the members of God’s household (Eph. 3:2)
(Please illustrate the Lord Jesus and Paul’s ministry, is a sweet and intimate stewardship).
D6
T1 The church life is a life of being headed up, thru life and light. (John 1:4, 8:12)
(Please illustrate with experience that because we are saturated with life under the light, we are not in a heap of collapse.)
T2 Life regulates people, light governs. (Rev. 22:1, 21:24)
(Please illustrate that in the church life, we enjoy the dispensing of life and light, and being headed up in one under Christ.)
