God’s Will
Message Eight
Meeting to Know and Do the Will 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:
Heb. 10:25 Not abandoning our own assembling together, as the custom with some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more as you see the day drawing near.
Psa. 73:16-17 When I considered this in order to understand it, it was a troublesome task in my sight, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
1 Cor. 14:26 What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation…
Word of Appetizer
Spiritual Burden
We need to realize that besides our inner life with the Lord, nothing is as crucial, important, and profitable as the church meetings; we must do whatever we can not to miss any meetings; we do God’s will through exhibiting Christ in the meetings.
The Lord desires to recover the church meetings in mutuality with all functioning for the building up of the Body of Christ; In the practice of the scriptural way to meet and to serve, we emphasize prophesying—the excelling gift for the building up of the church.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
To meet is to know and do the will of God; our goal, our purpose, on earth is to do the will of the Father, and we do this by coming to the meetings of the church.
We need to realize that besides our inner life with the Lord, nothing is as crucial, important, and profitable as the church meetings. In the meetings God makes His will known to us. We do God’s will through exhibiting Christ in the meetings.
Since the Father’s eternal will and the desire of His heart are to build up the church as the Body of Christ, we do His will by functioning in the meetings according to the scriptural way to meet for the building up of the Body.
The Experience of Life
Psa. 73:16-17 When I considered this in order to understand it, it was a troublesome task in my sight, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
Once we are in the sanctuary—in the spirit and in the meetings of the church—we receive another view, a particular perception, of our situation; in our spirit and in the meetings we receive divine revelation.
Practice and Application
Our meetings are to exhibit Christ, so when we come to a meeting, we need to bring with us the Christ whom we have enjoyed; we exhibit Christ in the meetings by offering to God Christ as the reality of the offerings, enjoying Christ together with God; we must labor on Christ, our good land, so that we may reap some produce of His riches to bring to the church meeting and offer.
In the practice of the scriptural way to meet and to serve, we emphasize prophesying—the excelling gift for the building up of the church; God desires that each of the believers prophesy, that is, speak for Him and speak Him forth.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
Heb. 10:25 Not abandoning our own assembling together, as the custom with some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more as you see the day drawing near.
1 Cor. 14:23-24 If therefore the whole church comes together in one place, and…if all prophesy and some unbeliever or unlearned person enters, he is convicted by all, he is examined by all.
Psa. 73:16-17 When I considered this in order to understand it, it was a troublesome task in my sight, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
I. To meet is to know and do the will of God
II. The crucial, important, and profitable of the church meetings
III. In the meetings God makes His will known to us
- Our goal, our purpose, on earth is to do the will of the Father, and we do this by coming to the meetings of the church.
- We need to realize that besides our inner life with the Lord, nothing is as crucial, important, and profitable as the church meetings; the church—the dwelling place of God—is a meeting or an assembly of the called-out ones; the Christian life is a meeting life.
- In our meetings there are many wonderful things underneath the surface, one of which is knowing God’s will; when the psalmist went into the sanctuary of God, he was able to know God’s will; once we are in the sanctuary—in the spirit and in the meetings of the church—we receive another view, a particular perception, of our situation.
Key Verses (2)
Col. 1:12 Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light.
1 Cor. 14:26 What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
IV. Since the will of God is in Christ, concentrated in Christ, and for Christ, and Christ is everything in the will of God, we do God’s will through exhibiting Christ in the meetings
- The will of God for us is that we would experience and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ and live Him as our life.
- Our meetings are to exhibit Christ, so when we come to a meeting, we need to bring with us the Christ whom we have enjoyed.
- We exhibit Christ in the meetings by offering to God Christ as the reality of the offerings, enjoying Christ together with God.
- We need to function in the meetings to exhibit Christ.
- As Christians, we are members of Christ, and our most important service is to meet.
Key Verses (3)
Eph. 3:9 And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God…
1 Cor. 14:23-25 If therefore the whole church comes together in one place…. But if all prophesy and some unbeliever or unlearned person enters, he is convicted by all, he is examined by all…
1 Cor. 14:26 What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
1 Cor. 14:31 For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be encouraged.
V. Since the Father’s eternal will and the desire of His heart are to build up the church as the Body of Christ, we do His will by functioning in the meetings according to the scriptural way to meet for the building up of the Body
- The meetings of the believers should always be linked to God’s New Testament economy; we should come to the meetings with a vision of the divine economy, and what we speak in the meetings should focus on the economy of God.
- The recovery according to the Lord’s mind is to bring His believers out of the clergy-laity system and to replace this system with the scriptural way to meet and to serve for the building up of the Body of Christ.
- The Lord desires to recover the church meetings in mutuality with all functioning for the building up of the Body of Christ.
- In the practice of the scriptural way to meet and to serve, we emphasize prophesying—the excelling gift for the building up of the church.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 The gathering of God’s people is just God’s dwelling place (Exo. 15:13; 1 Cor. 14:23)
(Please illustrate that in the New Testament, God’s habitation is the church.)
T2 In the meetings God makes His will known to us (Heb. 10:25)
(Please illustrate that the importance of the meetings.)
D2
T1 Our spirit and the local church are the places where we receive divine revelation (Psa. 73:16-17)
(Please illustrate that in the sanctuary of God, in the meetings we may obtain the revelation we need.)
T2 “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.” (Psa. 73:16-17, 25)
(Please illustrate that What did [the psalmist] perceive?)
D3
T1 The meeting is not a worship service (1 Cor. 14:26)
(Please illustrate that the meeting is the responsibility of the saints; all the brothers and the sisters who come to the meeting should bear responsibility for the meeting.)
T2 The meetings are the main place for Christians to function (1 Cor. 14:26)
(Please illustrate that the meetings are the best opportunity for us to exhibit Christ.)
D4
T1 Functioning in the meetings according to the scriptural way to meet (1 Tim. 1:4; Eph. 3:9)
(Please illustrate that what we speak in the meetings should focus on the economy of God)
T2 Replacing the clergy-laity system with the scriptural way to meet. (1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 4:12, 16)
(How to practice and then there will be no clergy or laity among us?)
D5
T1 When we come to the church meeting, we should have something of the Lord to share with others (1 Cor. 14:23, 26)
(Please illustrate with experiences that how can we prepare ourselves for the meeting before the meeting and in the meeting.)
T2 The church meeting is altogether a meeting in mutuality (1 Cor. 14:26; Heb. 10:25)
(Please illustrate that a proper church meeting, therefore, must be unique in two things—in mutuality and in speaking)
D6
T1 With only one man speaking and the rest listening, a congregation can be built up, but the Body of Christ can never be built up (1 Cor. 14:1, 4)
(Please illustrate that to build up the organic Body of Christ, all of us need to speak.)
T2 Many portions are presented in the meeting, many things can be touched (1 Cor. 14:24-25, 31)
(Please illustrate with experiences that a meeting in which all the saints are speaking for the Lord is full of nourishing, cherishing, adjusting, and correcting.)
