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 is the power to conquer rebellion?
The record in Mark 4:35-41 paints a picture of rebellion and of God’s kingdom as the power that conquers rebellion. The fallen angels in the air and the demons in the water conspired to prevent the Lord Jesus from crossing to the other side, for they knew He was going to cast out demons there. The Lord rebuked the wind and commanded the sea to be still, because behind the scenes were the rebellious angels and demons. 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 was conquered by the power of the kingdom.
Spiritual Burden
We need to know, experience, and witness that the kingdom of God is the power that conquers rebellion and the transformed image of the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus is God become flesh to establish the kingdom of God, to build a realm so that God can exercise His authority within it to accomplish His purpose.
The Lord Jesus being transformed means His humanity was permeated and saturated by His divinity. This transformed image, which is His glorification, is equivalent to His coming in His kingdom.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The kingdom of God is the power that conquers rebellion.
The kingdom of God is the transformed image of the Lord Jesus.
“Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
The Experience of Life
Christ as a seed has been sown into our hearts. This seed will grow and develop until it flowers and appears in glory; when Christ is transformed within us, this transformed image becomes the kingdom of God, governing every matter in our lives.
Practice and Application
If we are willing to lose our soul life for the Lord’s sake, we will experience a significant transformation in the church life; this transformation will be a true revival.
In the church life, we all need to learn to lose our soul and soul’s enjoyment. By losing our soul, transformation will come; then in the Lord’s transformed image, we will receive a positive reward, and the Lord will save our soul.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 There are two major things in the universe: believing in salvation and submitting to authority, that is, believing and obeying (Acts 26:18, Col. 1:13)
(Please illustrate that there are two principles in the universe: one is the principle of God’s authority, and the other is the principle of Satan’s rebellion.)
T2 The Bible begins by talking about the issue of authority (Isa. 14:13, Gen. 1:26)
(Please illustrate that God wants His creation to accept His authority, but both angels and men have rejected God’s authority. )
Day 2
T1 The Lord Jesus is God becoming flesh to establish God’s kingdom (Matt. 6:10, Gen. 1:26)
(Please illustrate that what God’s two purposes in creating man are.)
T2 Satan’s kingdom is opposed to 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 is the ability to conquer 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 transformed (Mark 9:1-2)
(Please illustrate that if the Lord is not yet transformed in us, others will not see God’s kingdom in us.)
T2 God’s kingdom is actually the transformed image 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 fundamental factor for us to be built together.)
T2 To lose our soul for the sake of the Lord will cause the church to be transformed (Mark 8:35-36)
(Please illustrate that in church life, we all need to learn to lose our soul and our enjoyment of the soul.)
Day 6
T1 Glory is God being manifested (Matt. 13:43, Phil. 3:21)
(Please illustrate that the Lord Jesus being transformed means that His humanity is saturated and permeated by 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.)
