Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1)
Message Eight
Christ as the Feast of Tabernacles and as the Spirit
Flowing out of the Believers as Rivers of Living Water
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Lev. 23:43 So that your descendants may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt…
John 7:37-39 …Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Word of Appetizer
How do we enjoy Christ as the Feast of Tabernacles?
God established the Feast of Tabernacles so that the Israelites would remember how their forefathers lived in tents (tabernacles) while wandering in the wilderness; the word “tabernacles” in the name of the feast implies the thought of remembrance; their coming together to celebrate this feast, to worship God and enjoy the produce of their beautiful land, is a picture of harmonious reality.
The reality of the Feast of Tabernacles is a time of enjoyment, a remembrance of how we experience God, and how He dwells with us; today, we enjoy Christ as the Feast of Tabernacles, coming together corporately to fellowship and enjoy the riches of Christ as the produce of the beautiful land, which reminds us that we are still in the wilderness and need to enter the rest of the eternal tabernacle, the New Jerusalem.
Spiritual Burden
Today we enjoy Christ as the Feast of Tabernacles, coming together corporately to fellowship and enjoy the riches of Christ as the produce of the beautiful land, which reminds us that we are still in the wilderness and need to enter the rest of the eternal tabernacle, the New Jerusalem.
Christ, the last Adam, through His resurrection and in His resurrection became the life-giving Spirit, to impart life and to enter into those who believe in Him, like rivers of living water flowing forth; the normal Christian life lies in our knowledge and experience of that Spirit; the life-giving Spirit is the Lord Spirit, which is the Spirit-Christ, for the metabolic change of believers and the growth and building up of the Body of Christ.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
We can enjoy Christ as the Feast of Tabernacles; the reality of the Feast of Tabernacles is a time of enjoyment, a remembrance of how we experience God, and how He dwells with us.
Christ, the last Adam, through His resurrection and in His resurrection became the life-giving Spirit, to impart life and to enter into those who believe in Him, like rivers of living water flowing forth.
The Experience of Life
Today we enjoy Christ as the Feast of Tabernacles, coming together corporately to fellowship and enjoy the riches of Christ as the produce of the beautiful land, which reminds us that we are still in the wilderness and need to enter the rest of the eternal tabernacle, the New Jerusalem; when we live in the “tabernacle” of church life, we are waiting for the ultimate completion of this tabernacle, the ultimate “tabernacle” – the New Jerusalem.
The Christ who is breathed into the disciples is the life-giving Spirit; He is that Spirit, so He can be breathed into the disciples; He is that Spirit, He can live in the disciples, so that the disciples can also live by Him and live together with Him; He can dwell in the disciples, so that the disciples can also dwell in Him.
Practice and Application
If we are to follow the footsteps of Abraham’s faith, we must live the life of the altar and the tabernacle, with Christ as our life, and the church as our life; the meaning of building an altar is that our life is for God, God is our life, and the meaning of our life is God; pitching a tent is to express and proclaim that we do not belong to this world, but to another home.
The Spirit is the living seal, permeating us with divine elements. We must pray, “Lord, please don’t just seal me once, but permeate me all the time. I need Your sealing, I need Your permeation.”
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 The whole life of a Christian should be a feast (Lev. 23:39, 43)
(Please illustrate that God established seven feasts for His chosen people every year; the first feast is Passover, and the last feast is the Feast of Tabernacles, the spiritual meaning of which is explained.)
T2 The Israelites coming together to celebrate is a true picture of harmony (Lev. 23:39, 43)
(Please illustrate that the inner spiritual meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles.)
Day 2
T1 The reality of the Feast of Tabernacles (Heb. 11:9-10, Rev. 21:2-3)
(Please illustrate that how the Feast of Tabernacles reminds us that people today are still in the wilderness and need to enter the eternal tabernacle of the new Jerusalem to enjoy rest.)
T2 The “Tabernacle” in the name of the Feast of Tabernacles suggests the thought of remembrance (Heb. 11:9-10, Rev. 21:3)
(Please illustrate that how the Feast of Tabernacles is only a type of Christ, Christ is the reality.)
Day 3
T1 The meaning of the altar is that our life is for God (Gen. 12:7-8)
(Please illustrate that the meaning of our life is God, so we put everything on the altar.)
T2 We are sojourners and pilgrims by faith (Gen. 12:7-8, Heb. 11:9-10)
(Please illustrate that how pitching tents is an expression and declaration of our non-belonging to this world.)
Day 4
T1 Before Christ was glorified, there was no Spirit (John 7:37-39)
(Why was God unable to enter into man and be man’s life before the death and resurrection of Christ? )
T2 The Spirit today is the ultimate fulfillment of the Trinity (John 1:14, 1 Cor. 15:45)
(Please illustrate that what the two major events are in human history and divine history. )
Day 5
T1 The Word, after a long process, finally became Spirit, to enter into believers (John 20:22, 1 Cor. 15:45)
(Please illustrate that what two steps the Lord took to accomplish God’s eternal purpose.)
T2 The death and resurrection of the Lord caused Him to be changed from flesh to Spirit (John 20:22, 1 Cor. 15:45)
(Please illustrate that how Christ is the embodiment of the Father, and the Spirit is similarly the realization and reality of Him.)
Day 6
T1 We can only experience the death of Christ in the Spirit (Rom. 8:13)
(Please illustrate that how the normal Christian life lies in our knowing and experiencing the Spirit.)
T2 The composite anointing Spirit (Exo. 30:23-24, 1 John 2:20)
(Please illustrate that what components are included in the composite anointing Spirit, which blends the divine Trinity and the humanity of Christ. )
