Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (4)
Message One
The Faithful Witness of God for the Testimony of Jesus
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Rev. 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood.
I. Christ is the faithful Witness of God, the testimony and expression of God; His expressing God is His witnessing—Rev. 1:5; 3:14: (Monday)
A. Christ is the Witness of God, the testimony and expression of God; the church is the testimony and expression of Christ; as such, the church is the reproduction of the testimony and expression of God in Christ—1:5.
B. Revelation presents to us the revealed Christ and the testifying church, which is the testimony of Jesus; Christ is the testimony of God, and the church is the testimony of Jesus, the enlarged Christ as the corporate expression of the Triune God—John 1:18; 5:31-37; 8:14; Rev. 1:2, 5, 9; 19:10; cf. Gen. 1:26.
II. The testimony of Jesus is the seven golden lampstands—golden (divine) in nature, shining in darkness, and identical with one another—Rev. 1:1-2, 9-12:
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A. The golden lampstand symbolizes the Triune God; the Father as the substance is embodied in the Son, the Son as the embodiment is expressed through the Spirit, the Spirit is fully realized and expressed as the churches, and the churches are the testimony of Jesus—Exo. 25:31-40; Zech. 4:2-10; Rev. 1:10-12. (Tuesday)
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B. To experience the golden lampstands as the testimony of Jesus, the corporate expression of Jesus (Acts 9:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12), we must be filled with the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7) by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus continually (1 Cor. 12:3, 13; Rom. 10:12-13; Lam. 3:55-56) to bear the brands of Jesus (Gal. 6:17) as brothers and fellow partakers in the tribulation, kingdom, and endurance in Jesus (Rev. 1:9-10). (Wednesday)
C. The beating of the gold to form a stand signifies the believers’ participation in Christ’s sufferings; everything that goes on in our environment is for the producing of the beaten lampstand—Exo. 25:31; Col. 1:24.
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D. Enlightening rests with the mercy of God; whenever God comes and bestows His mercy, the light of His countenance is our light, His appearing is our vision, and His presence is our gain—Rom. 9:15; Acts 9:3-4; Isa. 50:10-11; Num. 6:25-26. (Thursday)
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III. The testimony of Jesus is the great multitude serving God in the temple, the whole Body of God’s redeemed, who have been raptured to the heavens to enjoy God’s care and the Lamb’s shepherding with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies and in Christ that can be enjoyed today—Rev. 7:9-17; Eph. 1:3; Gal. 3:14; Gen. 12:2: (Friday)
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A. The Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd us and guide us to springs of waters of life—Rev. 7:17a. (Saturday)
B. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes—7:17b.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood—Rev. 1:5.
The mystery of the seven stars…and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches—v. 20.
Word of Appetizer
Who is God’s faithful witness? What is the testimony of Jesus?
Christ is God’s faithful witness, God’s testimony and expression; He expresses God, and that is His testimony. Revelation presents to us the revealed Christ and the witnessing church, which is the testimony of Jesus.
The testimony of Jesus is the seven golden lampstands—golden in nature (divine), shining in the darkness, and identical to one another. The testimony of Jesus is the great multitude serving God in the temple, that is, all of God’s redeemed people who have been raptured into the heavens to enjoy God’s care and the Lamb’s shepherding, receiving all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies and in Christ, which we can enjoy today.
Spiritual Burden
Christ as Jehovah and as a man is the King who supplies, cares for, and covers God’s people; Christ is the King who rules and a man who is like a hiding place from the wind and a covering from the storm, like rivers of water in a dry place, and like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
The testimony of Jesus is the great multitude serving God in the temple, that is, all of God’s redeemed people who have been raptured into the heavens to enjoy God’s care and the Lamb’s shepherding, receiving all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies and in Christ, which we can enjoy today.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Christ is God’s faithful witness, God’s testimony and expression; He expresses God, and that is His testimony.
The testimony of Jesus is the seven golden lampstands—golden in nature (divine), shining in the darkness, and identical to one another.
The testimony of Jesus is the great multitude serving God in the temple, that is, all of God’s redeemed people who have been raptured into the heavens to enjoy God’s care and the Lamb’s shepherding, receiving all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies and in Christ, which we can enjoy today.
The Experience of Life
To experience the golden lampstand as the testimony of Jesus, which is the corporate expression of Jesus, we must be those who are filled with the Spirit of Jesus by continually calling on the name of the Lord Jesus and who bear the brands of Jesus on our bodies; everything that happens in our circumstances is for the producing of the beaten lampstand.
Our service today in time is a preparation for our service in eternity; God’s unique goal in time is to dispense Himself into us day by day; only when God comes in and God goes out of us do we have a service.
Practice and Application
To be enlightened, we must:
Receive the Lord’s light, setting our heart to simply love and seek the Lord.
Open ourselves to the Lord, turn our heart to the Lord, and present ourselves before the Lord without any reservation or holding back; those who are closed to the Lord specialize in condemning and criticizing others.
Stop ourselves; to stop ourselves is to stop our views, concepts, feelings, impressions, opinions, etc.
Not contradict the light brought by the Holy Spirit who speaks within us, nor contradict the ministers of the Holy Spirit who speak outside of us.
Continually live in the light.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 Revelation Presents the Revealed Christ and the Testifying Church (Rev. 1:11-12)
(Please illustrate that God is the light, the Lamb is the lamp, and the church is the lampstand.)
T2 All the Lampstands Are Identical to One Another (Rev. 1:20)
(Please illustrate that the differences among the local churches are not positive but negative.)
Day 2
T1 The Lampstand Is One in Essence but Seven in Expression (Rev. 1:20)
(Please illustrate that the lampstand implies the significance of The Triune God.)
T2 The Essence Is the Father, the Embodiment Is the Son, and the Expression Is the Spirit (Rev. 4:5)
(Please illustrate that the church is the embodiment of Christ and the reproduction of The Spirit.)
Day 3
T1 We Cannot Shine to Express God without the Seven Spirits of God (Rev. 5:6)
(Please illustrate that whenever we are filled with the sevenfold Spirit of God, we are living and shining.)
T2 As the Lampstand, the Gold Was Hammered for the Shining of God’s Light (Exo. 25:31, 36)
(Illustrating with an example that if we have never experienced any trouble, never experienced the hammering of gold, we cannot shine.)
Day 4
T1 As Long as We Touch God, We See the Light (2 Cor. 4:6)
(Please illustrate that the enlighten is not of our striving but of God’s mercy.)
T2 The Light within Us Is Always Waiting for Us to Receive Its Enlightening (Eph. 5:14)
(Please illustrate that in order to receive the enlighten, in what four aspects must we cooperate with God’s mercy?)
Day 5
T1 The World Always Persecutes the Church (John 16:33; Rev. 7:9)
(Please illustrate that all of God’s redeemed ones have experienced some kind of calamity, suffering, persecution, and hardship; no Christian can avoid these things.)
T2 Our Service in Time Is a Preparation for Eternity (Rev. 7:15)
(Please illustrate that today is our time to learn, and when the Lord comes will be our time to formally serve.)
Day 6
T1 The Blessings God Promises We Can Enjoy Today (Rev. 7:16-17)
(Please illustrate that Christ promises that every one who believes into Him will be satisfied and covered.)
T2 The Blessings God Promises We Can Enjoy Today (Rev. 7:16-17)
(Please illustrate that we will forever need a Shepherd to shepherd us.)
