Living in the Reality of the Kingdom of God
Message Two
Living the Kingdom Life by Living a Hidden Life
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Matt. 14:23 And after He sent the crowds away, He went up to the mountain privately to pray. And when night fell, He was there alone.
Matt. 6:6 But you, when you pray, enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Isa. 45:15 Surely You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.
Word of Appetizer
Why is the principle of the kingdom people is that they live a hidden life?
The principle of the kingdom people is that they live a hidden life, not performing their righteous deeds before men—deeds such as giving, praying, and fasting; our Father is in secret, and He sees in secret; the kingdom people, as children of the heavenly Father, must live in and care for the Father’s secret and hidden presence. The saints who grow openly do not grow in a healthy way; we all need some secret growth in life, some secret experiences of Christ; we need to pray to the Lord, worship the Lord, contact the Lord, and fellowship with the Lord in a secret way.
Spiritual Burden
We need to learn from the pattern of the Lord living a hidden life in His going up to the mountain privately to pray. We have to learn to leave the crowds, our family, our friends, and the saints in the church to go to a higher level on a “high mountain”; we have to get to a higher level, separated from the crowd and the earthly things, to be with the Father privately and secretly to have intimate fellowship with Him.
May the Lord grant us grace and do a deeper work in us through the cross so that we may strike deep roots and live a hidden life in the depths to fulfill God’s requirements and satisfy His heart.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
We need to learn from the pattern of the Lord living a hidden life in His going up to the mountain privately to pray.
The principle of the kingdom people is that they live a hidden life, not performing their righteous deeds before men—deeds such as giving, praying, and fasting.
“Surely You are a God who hides Himself, / O God of Israel, the Savior”.
Psalm 42:7 says, “Deep calls unto deep”.
The Experience of Life
“Whom having not seen, you love; into whom though not seeing Him at present, yet believing, you exult with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory”; it is a wonder and a mystery that the believers love One whom they have not seen.
The Christian who parades all his virtues before men and who does not have anything in the depth of his being has no root; he will not be able to stand in the day of trial and temptation; may God work in us so that we can take root downward.
Practice and Application
We have to learn to leave the crowds, our family, our friends, and the saints in the church to go to a higher level on a “high mountain”; we have to get to a higher level, separated from the crowd and the earthly things, to be with the Father privately and secretly to have intimate fellowship with Him.
We all need some secret growth in life, some secret experiences of Christ; we need to pray to the Lord, worship the Lord, contact the Lord, and fellowship with the Lord in a secret way.
Because we have been planted in Christ as the reality of the good land, we need to take time to absorb Him (especially in our times with Him in the morning).
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 The Lord went up to the mountain privately to pray (Matt. 11114:23, Luke 6:12)
(Please illustrate that to pray with others is good, but often we need to pray by ourselves.)
T2 Working for the food which abides unto eternal life (John 14:23; 6:27)
(Why the Lord Jesus went to the mountain right after this miracle?)
Day 2
T1 The righteous deeds of the kingdom people (Matt. 6:1, 3-4)
(What is the intention of the Lord giving us the the new law of the kingdom on the mountain?)
T2 We must do our righteous deeds in secret, for our Father is in secret (Matt. 6:4, 6, 18)
(Please illustrate that the effect of doing our righteous deeds in secret is that the self and the flesh are killed.)
Day 3
T1 The genuine growth in life is to cut off the self (Matt. 6:6, 18)
(Please illustrate that any time you exhibit yourself in your righteous deeds, you are not healthy.)
T2 The universe indicates that God is hidden, that God is secret (Matt. 6:6, 18 )
(Please illustrate that our human life loves to make a display, a public show, but God’s life is always hidden.)
Day 4
T1 We may know God as the almighty One, …but as the One who hides Himself, He is unknown to them (Isa. 45:15; 1 Kings 19:12)
(Why did Isaiah come to this conclusion: “Surely You are a God who hides Himself, / O God”.)
T2 Elijah was a man of like feeling with us (James 5:17; 1 Kings 19:9-10)
(Please illustrate that Elijah wanted Him to be a God who would manifest Himself; he had not realized that God is a God who hides Himself.)
Day 5
T1 Deep calls unto deep (Psa. 42:7)
(Please illustrate that only a call from the depths can provoke a response from the depths.)
T2 Roots are the hidden life, whereas leaves are the manifest life (Isa. 37:31)
(Please illustrate that the trouble with many Christians is that, while there is much apparent life, there is very little secret life.)
Day 6
T1 If you want to have Paul’s work, then you need to have Paul’s “root”(2 Cor. 12:2)
(Who do we say “Paul’s roots were deep beneath the soil!”)
T2 Whatever secrets we have with the Lord must be preserved (2 Cor. 12:3-4)
(Please illustrate that bearing testimony is one thing; delighting in exhibiting one’s experience is quite another.)
