Living in the Reality of the Kingdom of God
Message Eight
The Kingdom of God—the Realm of the Divine Life and of the Divine Species
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Matt. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Matt. 28:19-20 Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age.
Word of Appetizer
Matt. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. What is the gospel of the kingdom? How is the gospel of the kingdom different from the gospel of grace?
The gospel of the kingdom [Matt. 24:14], which includes the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24), brings people not only into God’s salvation but also into the kingdom of the heavens (Rev. 1:9). The gospel of grace emphasizes forgiveness of sin, God’s redemption, and eternal life, whereas the gospel of the kingdom emphasizes the heavenly ruling of God and the authority of the Lord. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole earth for a testimony to all the nations before the end of this age. The strongest sign of the consummation of the age, will take place before the great tribulation. Thus, the most important sign of the consummation of the age is the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to all the inhabited earth.
Spiritual Burden
We need to follow the Lamb wherever He may go (Rev. 14:4) to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the whole inhabited earth for the propagation and development of the seed, the gene, of the kingdom to consummate this age. God’s unique purpose in this age is to have the gospel preached so that the church as the Body of Christ might be built up to consummate the New Jerusalem.
To disciple the nations is to teach them the divine truths in the divine and mystical realm so that they may learn Christ as the reality is in Jesus.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
We need to follow the Lamb wherever He may go (Rev. 14:4) to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the whole inhabited earth for the propagation and development of the seed, the gene, of the kingdom to consummate this age.
The heavenly King sent His disciples with His authority to disciple all the nations, making them the kingdom people for the establishing of His kingdom, which is the church today on this earth.
The Experience of Life
The Triune God in humanity (Col. 2:9) is the seed, the gene, of the kingdom of God to be sown into God’s chosen people so that He might grow in them, live in them, and be expressed from within them to develop into God’s ruling realm.
We are being discipled from being a natural man to being a God-man, living the divine life by denying our natural life according to the model of Christ as the first God-man.
Practice and Application
We need to follow the Lamb wherever He may go (Rev. 14:4) to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the whole inhabited earth for the propagation and development of the seed, the gene, of the kingdom to consummate this age.
What we do should not be done merely by ourselves but by some others; furthermore, what we do should not be for ourselves but for the interest, the right, of God on this earth.
To disciple the nations is to teach them the divine truths in the divine and mystical realm so that they may learn Christ as the reality is in Jesus.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 The Lord’s gospel service was to sow the divine life into the people whom He served (Mark 1:15; 4:26)
(Please illustrate that the growth of this life depends on the condition of the ones served, and its issue differs according to their various conditions.)
T2 The kingdom of man is a matter of organization; the kingdom of God is absolutely a matter of life (Mark 1:15; 4:26)
(What is the kingdom of God? )
Day 2
T1 The kingdom of God is actually God Himself sown into human beings and developing in them into a kingdom (Mark 4:26, 28-29)
(Please illustrate that in the Gospels we have the sowing of this seed of the kingdom; In Acts we have those who could then sow it into others.)
T2 In the Epistles we see the growing of the seed of the kingdom (1 Cor. 3:9b, 6; Rev. 14:15)
(Please illustrate that the harvest of this seed is found in the last book of the New Testament, the book of Revelation.)
Day 3
T1 The Israelites were afflicted and in anguish under the hands of the chief priests and scribes, the evil shepherds (Matt. 9:12, 36)
(Please illustrate with bible verses that the heavenly King considered the Israelites as sheep and Himself as the Shepherd.)
T2 The Lord took the opportunity given Him by the Pharisees’ question to give a revelation of Himself as the Physician (Matt. 9:11-12)
(Please illustrate that in calling people to follow Him for the kingdom, Christ ministered as a Physician, not as a Judge.)
Day 4
T1 Within the Divine Trinity there are many divine excellencies, divine virtues, and divine attributes (Matt. 12:28; Heb. 9:14)
(Please illustrate that how to see the excellency in the Divine Trinity from”But if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you”. )
T2 A good pattern for our coordination (Matt. 12:28; Heb. 9:14)
(Please illustrate that if we want to be coordinated with all the members in the Body, we have to learn of Christ our Head, taking Him as our pattern.)
Day 5
T1 This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole earth for a testimony to all the nations before the end of this age (Matt. 24:14; Acts 20:24)
(Please illustrate that the difference between the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of grace.)
T2 The first [of the seven seals] is a white horse and its rider, signifying the spreading of the gospel (Rev. 6:2)
(Please illustrate that we should not feel shameful when we preach the gospel.)
Day 6
T1 To disciple the nations is to cause the heathen to become the kingdom people for the establishing of His kingdom (Matt. 28:19-20)
(Please illustrate that we have been sent by the Lord not only to bring people to salvation but also to disciple the nations.)
T2 The baptism ordained by the Lord for the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 28:19-20)
(Please illustrate that to baptize new believers into the death of Christ, into Christ Himself, into the Triune God, and into the Body of Christ is to do just one thing.)
