Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (1)
Message Four
The Kingdom as the Subduing of Rebellion
and as the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Mark 4:39 And having awoken, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Be silent! Be still! And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Mark 9:1-2 And He said to them, Truly I say to you, there are some of those standing here who shall by no means taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come in power. And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up alone into a high mountain privately. And He was transfigured before them.
Word of Appetizer
Please explain what we see in Mark 4:35-41 that the kingdom of God is the power to subdue rebellion?
The record in Mark 4:35-41 is a picture of rebellion and of the kingdom of God as the power to subdue rebellion. The fallen angels in the air and the demons in the water collaborated to frustrate the Lord Jesus from going to the other side of the sea, because they knew that He would cast out the demons there. The Lord rebuked the wind and commanded the sea to be silent because of the rebellious angels and demons who were behind the scene. After the Lord rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea, the wind ceased and there was a great calm, for the rebellion of the evil angels and demons had been subdued by the power of the kingdom.
Spiritual Burden
We need to know, experience, and testify that the kingdom of God is the power to subdue rebellion and is the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus.
As God incarnated, the Lord Jesus came to establish the kingdom of God—to establish a realm in which God can carry out His purpose through the exercise of His authority.
For the Lord Jesus to be transfigured meant that His humanity was saturated and permeated with His divinity; this transfiguration, which was His glorification, was equal to His coming in His kingdom.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The kingdom of God is the power to subdue rebellion.
The kingdom of God is the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus.
“Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
The Experience of Life
Christ has been sown into our hearts as a seed; this seed will grow and develop until it blossoms and is manifested in glory; When Christ is transfigured within us, that transfiguration becomes the kingdom of God ruling over everything in our life.
Practice and Application
If we are willing to lose our soul-life for the Lord’s sake, we will experience a prevailing transfiguration in the church life; this transfiguration will be a genuine revival.
In the church we all need to learn to lose our soul, to lose our soulish enjoyment. By losing our soul, a transfiguration will take place. Then in the Lord’s transfiguration we shall be rewarded positively, and the Lord will save our soul.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 In the universe there are two great things: believing unto salvation and submitting to authority. In other words, to trust and obey (Acts 26:18, Col. 1:13)
(Please illustrate that there are two principles in the universe: God’s authority and Satan’s rebellion.)
T2 The matter of authority is mentioned in the very beginning of the Bible (Isa. 14:13, Gen. 1:26)
(Please illustrate that God desired that His creatures would accept His authority; however, both kinds of creatures rejected His authority.)
Day 2
T1 As God incarnated, the Lord Jesus came to establish the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:10, Gen. 1:26)
(Please illustrate that what God’s two purposes in creating man are.)
T2 Satan’s kingdom is against God’s kingdom (Matt. 12:28, Mark 3:27)
(Please illustrate that when the Lord destroys Satan’s kingdom by preaching the gospel, He brings in God’s kingdom.)
Day 3
T1 Satan not only has a home but also a kingdom (Mark 3:23-25, Col. 1:13)
(Please illustrate that Satan has his own kingdom, which is the power of darkness.)
T2 The kingdom of God is the power to subdue rebellion (Mark 4:39, Eph. 6:12)
(Please illustrate that why, after the Lord rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea, the wind ceased and it became perfectly calm. )
Day 4
T1 We need Him to grow in us until He is transfigured (Mark 9:1-2)
(Please illustrate that if the Lord is not yet yet been transfigured, others will not be able to see the kingdom of God in you.)
T2 The kingdom of God is actually the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus (Mark 1:15, 9:1)
(Please illustrate that why there is a lack of God’s kingdom among many true Christians today. )
Day 5
T1 The way to build the church is through death and resurrection (Matt. 16:21, Mark 8:35-36)
(Please illustrate that the loss of the soul is the basic factor for us to be built together.)
T2 Our willingness to lose the soul for the Lord’s sake will cause the church to be transfigured (Mark 8:35-36)
(Please illustrate that in the church we all need to learn to lose our soul, to lose our soulish enjoyment.)
Day 6
T1 Glory is God being manifested (Matt. 13:43, Phil. 3:21)
(Please illustrate that for the Lord Jesus to be transfigured meant that His humanity was saturated and permeated with His divinity.)
T2 When the kingdom is realized, our humanity will be glorified by the glorious divinity within us (Rom. 8:30, 2 Thess. 1:9)
(Please illustrate that to be glorified is to be permeated by the glory of God; it is not something that comes from the outside, but from the inside.)
