Living in the Reality of the Kingdom of God
Message Seven
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. 6:10 Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.
Col. 1:13 Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
Word of Appetizer
What is the purpose of spiritual warfare?
The purpose of spiritual warfare is to bring in the kingdom of God. Spiritual warfare is necessary because Satan’s will is set against God’s will. Spiritual warfare has its source in the conflict between the divine will and the satanic will.
Spiritual warfare is the warfare between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan; The kingdom of God will not come automatically; in order for the kingdom of God to come, there is the need of spiritual fighting; As the church, our fighting is to subdue the satanic will and defeat God’s enemy.
Spiritual Burden
The kingdom of God will not come automatically; in order for the kingdom of God to come, there is the need of spiritual fighting. “Your people will offer themselves willingly / In the day of Your warfare, / In the splendor of their consecration”. In a spiritual sense, we are now in the day of Christ’s warfare, and for Him we need to be a voluntary offering, a freewill offering. In order to engage in spiritual warfare to defeat God’s enemy and bring in the kingdom of God, we need an absolute and thorough consecration to the Lord; in the eyes of God, such a consecration is a matter of splendor.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The purpose of spiritual warfare is to bring in the kingdom of God; As the church, our fighting is to subdue the satanic will and defeat God’s enemy.
The Father has “delivered us out of the authority of darkness” and has “transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love”.
In the kingdom of the Son of God’s love, there is only one person—the all-inclusive Christ—and one way—the cross. In the kingdom of the Son of God’s love, Christ has the first place, the preeminence, in all things.
The Experience of Life
The Father has “transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love”. The Son as resurrection is now the life-giving Spirit, and He rules us in His resurrection life with His love. Here, under the heavenly ruling and restriction, we have genuine freedom in love, with life, and under light.
Practice and Application
In order for the kingdom of God to come, there is the need of spiritual fighting; in a spiritual sense, we are now in the day of Christ’s warfare, and for Him we need to be a voluntary offering, a freewill offering. In order to engage in spiritual warfare to defeat God’s enemy and bring in the kingdom of God, we need an absolute and thorough consecration to the Lord; in the eyes of God, such a consecration is a matter of splendor.
In the kingdom of the Son of God’s love, Christ has the first place, the preeminence, in all things. To give the Lord the first place in all things is to love Him with the first love, the best love. In order to give Christ the preeminence, we must be willing to be adjusted, to be broken, and to be made nothing so that He can have a way in us, through us, and among us for the building up of His organic Body.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 Spiritual warfare (Matt. 6:10; Eph. 6:11-12)
(Please illustrate that what three wills there are in the universe.)
T2 The controversy in the universe began with the rebellion of the archangel against God (Eph. 6:11-12)
(Please illustrate that that rebellion was the beginning of all the fighting that is now taking place among nations, in society, in the family, and in individuals.)
Day 2
T1 Today the church is a model of God’s reign (Matt. 12:28; John 14:30)
(Please illustrate what the commission of the church is, which also is the purpose of the church’s spiritual warfare.)
T2 God’s kingdom is legal, whereas the kingdom of Satan is illegal (Matt. 12:26, 28)
(Please illustrate that this kingdom, organized by Satan’s rebellious force, is absolutely illegal.)
Day 3
T1 God is light, and Satan is darkness (Col. 1:13; Heb. 2:14)
(Please illustrate that to be delivered out of the authority of darkness is to be delivered from the devil, who has the might of death.)
T2 What is the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:13; 1 John 5:12)
(Please illustrate that to be transferred into the kingdom of the Son of the Father’s love is to be transferred into the Son who is life to us.)
Day 4
T1 All things were created according to God’s will (Rev. 4:11)
(Please illustrate that God is a God of purpose, having a will of His own pleasure.)
T2 We can accomplish the Father’s will only by His life (Rom. 12:2)
(Please illustrate that the New Testament reveals that the Father’s divine, eternal will is to build up the church.)
Day 5
T1 In His economy God gives us one person and one way (Matt. 6:9-10; Col. 2:14-15)
(Please illustrate that what this one person and this one way are.)
T2 The one person is the preeminent, all-inclusive Christ, and the one way is the cross (Col. 2:14-15, 20-21)
(Please illustrate that how we can apply the cross to every problem.)
Day 6
T1 Christ is the preeminent and all-inclusive One, the centrality and universality of God (Col. 1:15, 18)
(Please illustrate that Christ is first in everything in the new creation and both in creation and in resurrection.)
T2 For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell (Col. 1:19)
(Please illustrate that what is the fullness spoken of in this verse.)
