The Ministry of the Word and God’s Dispensing for God’s Economy
Message Five
Cooperating with the Lord to Carry Out His Economy
by Being His Faithful Stewards
Who Minister the Word with a Burden from the Lord
and Who Coordinate with One Another in One Accord
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Isa. 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, the kings of Judah:
I. God’s eternal economy, which is God’s plan, is God’s household management, God’s household administration; God’s dispensing is for God’s economy—1 Tim. 1:3-4: (Monday)
A. Christ is the center, circumference, element, sphere, procedure, goal, and aim of God’s economy—Matt. 17:5; Luke 24:44.
B. The central subject of the Bible is God’s economy, and the entire Bible is concerning God’s economy—Luke 24:45.
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II. In order to carry out His economy, God must gain faithful stewards, dispensers, to dispense the supply of the divine life to the children of God—Luke 12:42; Titus 1:7: (Tuesday)
A. We all must be good and faithful stewards of God’s economy to dispense Christ as the manifold grace of God—1 Cor. 4:1-2; 1 Pet. 4:10.
B. We need to be the channels of the bountiful supply of the Spirit of grace to minister and dispense the word of God’s grace to the saints so that they may grow in life and enjoy Christ—Acts 6:4; 20:32.
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III. In carrying out the ministry of the word, we must have a burden from the Lord—Isa. 1:1; 2:1; Zech. 12:1; Mal. 1:1: (Wednesday)
A. We must learn to receive the burden and release the burden through prayer in our intimate fellowship with the Lord—Luke 1:53.
B. The revelation received by the prophet is the burden received by the prophet; without a burden, there is no ministry of the word, nor is there prophesying to build up the church—Isa. 1:1; Acts 6:4; 1 Cor. 14:4b.
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IV. We must be in one accord and coordinate with one another—Acts 1:14; 2:46: (Thursday)
A. The strongest sign that we have seen the Body is that we cannot be independent—1 Cor. 1:1; Matt. 5:3.
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B. God’s blessing is based on our one accord, being in harmony with one another in spirit, and having genuine coordination and genuine oneness—Acts 1:14; Phil. 2:3-4. (Friday)
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C. We need to be blended together by exercising and releasing our spirit to pray in one accord—Matt. 18:19; Acts 1:14. (Saturday)
V. To serve by coordinating with one another in the church is to overcome the degradation of the church by the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God and by eating Christ as the tree of life, the hidden manna, and the feast, for the ultimate consummation of God’s eternal economy—Rev. 4:5; 5:6:
A. To serve by coordinating with one another in the church is to enjoy Christ as righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; he who serves Christ in this is well pleasing to God and approved by men—Rom. 14:17-18.
B. To serve by coordinating with one another in the church is to build up the church by living a prophesying life, overflowing with the springing up and flowing out of The Triune God, for the constituting of the church as the fullness of God—John 4:14b; 1 Cor. 14:4b; Eph. 3:19.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
If indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you—Eph. 3:2.
Doing nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by way of vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one another more excellent than yourselves; Not regarding each his own virtues, but each the virtues of others also—Phil. 2:3-4.
Word of Appetizer
How can we be in one accord and coordinate with one another?
The most striking sign of seeing the Body is the inability to be independent; Paul wrote Sosthenes’ name in 1 Corinthians 1:1, showing that he had the consciousness of the Body and a spirit of coordination; because we do not sense that we need others and others need us to coordinate in the Body, there is rarely a teachable spirit among us, and rarely a spirit that needs help.
God’s blessing is based on our being in one accord, being in harmony with one another in spirit, having genuine coordination and genuine oneness; we need to be blended together by exercising and releasing our spirits to pray in one accord.
Spiritual Burden
In carrying out the ministry of the word, we must have a burden from the Lord; a spirit open to God is the condition for receiving a burden from God; we must learn to receive and release the burden through prayer in our intimate fellowship with the Lord.
Serving by coordinating with one another in the church is by the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God, overcoming the degradation of the church by eating Christ as the tree of life, the hidden manna, and the feast, for the ultimate consummation of God’s eternal economy.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
God’s eternal economy, which is God’s plan, is God’s household administration, God’s household management; God’s dispensing and distribution are the process and procedure to accomplish God’s economy; therefore, God’s dispensing is for God’s economy.
To accomplish His economy, God must gain faithful stewards, dispensers, to dispense the supply of the divine life to the children of God.
In carrying out the ministry of the word, we must have a burden from the Lord.
Serving by coordinating with one another in the church is by the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God, overcoming the degradation of the church by eating Christ as the tree of life, the hidden manna, and the feast, for the ultimate consummation of God’s eternal economy.
The Experience of Life
The wonderful divine transmission should happen every day; God bountifully supplies the Spirit of grace, and we should continually receive and dispense the Spirit of grace; the Christian life is a life of grace, an experience of grace, so that we may carry out the stewardship of grace and dispense grace.
Serving by coordinating with one another in the church is enjoying Christ as righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; “for he who serves Christ in this is well pleasing to God and approved by men”.
Practice and Application
In carrying out the ministry of the word, we must have a burden from the Lord; a spirit open to God is the condition for receiving a burden from God; we must learn to receive and release the burden through prayer in our intimate fellowship with the Lord.
We must be in one accord and coordinate with one another; we must always have an attitude of respecting others, cooperating with others, and coordinating with others; we should serve others according to our portion and also respect the portion of others, for both are entrusted to us by the Lord; we need to be blended together by exercising and releasing our spirits to pray in one accord.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 Christ is everything in God’s economy (1 Tim. 1:3-4)
(Please illustrate that Christ is the element, sphere, procedure, goal, and mark of God’s eternal economy.)
T2 God’s economy is to gain a corporate expression (Rev. 21:2)
(Please illustrate that God’s economy does not care for our attainments, but is to deliver us from the natural ego to be God’s habitation with all the saints.)
Day 2
T1 God’s dispensing is entirely a matter in His economy (Eph. 3:2, Col. 1:25)
(What is the “stewardship”?)
T2 All members are stewards of the varied grace of God (1 Pet. 4:10)
(Please illustrate that on the one hand, we are members of the body of Christ; on the other hand, we are God’s stewards.)
Day 3
T1 The encumbrance is the enlightening in the spirit, the understanding fixes the enlightened thought, and adds the inward word (Isa. 13:1, Zech. 12:1)
(Please illustrate that the final step of the encumbrance within us is to release the inward word.)
T2 In the ministry of the word, the greatest difficulty is having no burden (Zech. 12:1)
(Please illustrate that in our serving of God’s word, we should not pay attention to changing the messages of the pulpit, but should pay attention to whether there is God’s speaking.)
Day 4
T1 To coordinate means I cannot do without you, I feel the need for you, and you also feel the need for me (1 Cor. 1:1, Matt. 5:3)
(Please illustrate what kind of heavy feeling a person who truly coordinates in spirit will have.)
T2 In the coordinating of the body, everyone must function, and everyone must respect what others do (1 Cor. 1:1)
(Please illustrate that the strongest feeling of seeing the body is the inability to be independent, and the desperate feeling of needing the body and needing the brothers and sisters.)
Day 5
T1 Positively doing our portion, and learning to receive the help of others (Phil. 2:3-4)
(Please illustrate that no one can do our portion, and on the other hand, we must also admit that we cannot replace others.)
T2 In our service, we must always avoid changing people’s practices (Phil. 2:3-4)
(Please illustrate that we must always have an attitude that our spirit is cooperative, coordinating, and respectful towards others.)
Day 6
T1 We come to the prayer meeting as the corporate body to pray (Matt. 18:19, Acts 1:14)
(Please illustrate that our prayer meeting may have no line and no goal; we just come together to express our own feelings.)
T2 Long prayers will kill the prayer meeting (Matt. 18:19, Acts 1:14)
(Please illustrate that the prayer meeting needs many timely, fresh inspirations with fresh points.)
