The Christian Life, the Church Life, the Consummation of the Age, and the Coming of the Lord
Message Six
Entering into the Intrinsic Significance of the Reality of the Body of Christ —the Highest Peak in God’s Economy and the Top Revelation of the Bible
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Rev. 14:1 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
Word of Appetizer
What is the reality of the Body of Christ?
The overcomers typified by Zion are the reality of the Body of Christ and consummate the building up of the Body in the local churches to bring in the consummated holy city, New Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies as God’s dwelling place in eternity; in the new heaven and new earth, the entire New Jerusalem will become Zion, with all the believers as the overcomers.
The reality of the Body of Christ is the corporate living by the perfected God-men, the overcomers, who are genuine men not living by their life but by the life of the processed God, whose attributes have been expressed through their virtues.
Spiritual Burden
The Lord’s recovery is to build up Zion — the overcomers as the reality of the Body of Christ consummating in the New Jerusalem; in the church life we must endeavor to reach today’s Zion.
Our living with all that we have is in the Body, through the Body, and for the Body; in order to be blended for the reality of the Body of Christ, we have to go through the cross and be by the Spirit to dispense Christ to others for the building up of the Body of Christ.
CONCLUDING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
The Revelation of the Truth
The reality of the Body of Christ is the highest peak in God’s economy and the top revelation of the Bible, revealed through a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
The overcomers typified by Zion are the reality of the Body of Christ and consummate the building up of the Body in the local churches to bring in the consummated holy city, New Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies as God’s dwelling place in eternity; in the new heaven and new earth, the entire New Jerusalem will become Zion, with all the believers as the overcomers.
In order to live together with other members in the reality of the Body of Christ, we all need to have the consciousness of the Body of Christ.
For the reality of the Body of Christ, God has blended the Body together; the word blended means “adjusted,” “harmonized,” “tempered,” and “mingled,” implying the losing of distinctions; the purpose of the blending is to usher us all into the reality of the Body of Christ.
The Experience of Life
Wherever there is Body-revelation, there is Body-consciousness, and wherever there is Body-consciousness, individual thought and action are automatically ruled out; what we do not know, another member of the Body will know; what we cannot see, another member of the Body will see; what we cannot do, another member of the Body will do; when we are dry and have no way to go on, we need other brothers and sisters to intercede for us before we can get through.
Practice and Application
We need to ask God to operate in us the willingness to let ourselves be conquered, captured, and defeated by Christ so that He can be the Victor in our experience; on behalf of the church, the overcomers take the stand of Christ’s victory in the midst of sufferings.
It is essential for the growth and development of the Body that we each recognize our measure and not go beyond it; we should learn to be blended with other brothers and sisters.
In order to be blended for the reality of the Body of Christ, we have to go through the cross and be by the Spirit to dispense Christ to others for the building up of the Body of Christ.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—
TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1: The Body of Christ is the continuation of Christ’s life on earth (Eph. 1:23).
(Please expalin that everything of Christ is expressed through His Body.)
T2: Know and experience the reality of the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:17; Acts 2:14).
(Please explain that in Acts 2 the Body of Christ was preaching the gospel.)
Day 2
T1: The God-men who were perfected and matured are Zion, the overcomers (Rev. 14:1; 21:16).
(Please explain why in the new heaven and new earth there will be no more Zion, only Jerusalem.)
T2: The characteristics, the life, the blessing, and the establishment of Jerusalem come from Zion (Rev. 14:1, 21:16 ).
(Please explain the relationship between Zion and Jerusalem.)
Day 3
T1: The reality of the Body of Christ is a kind of corporate living, not a living by any individual (Phil. 4:5-9).
(Please explain that the reality of the Body of Christ is the corporate living by the perfected God-men.)
T2: The power of resurrection strengthened us to live the life of a God-man (Phil. 4:5-9).
(Please explain according to your own experience how we can live such a corporate living.)
Day 4
T1: Being delivered from individualism (1 Cor. 12:27).
(Please explain that being a Christian is something one does for himself, whereas being a member is something for the Body.)
T2: The function of one member is the function of the whole Body (1 Cor. 14-36).
(According to the First Corinthians 12:14-36, which two erroneous concepts members may have?)
Day 5
T1: The consciousness of the Body (Col. 4:7-17).
(Please explain that all the names mentioned by Paul in Colossians 4:7-17 indicate that with him there was a sense, a consciousness, of the Body.)
T2: A member of the Body must be limited by the other members (Eph. 4:7; 2 Cor. 10:14).
(Please explain that the Body of Christ is not only a protection to the members but a limitation to all the members.)
Day 6
T1: God has blended the body together (1 Cor. 12:24).
(Please explain the meaning of the word “blending”.)
T2: The purpose of the blending (1 Cor. 10:17).
(Please explain that the purpose of the blending is to usher us all into the reality of the Body of Christ.)
