The Ministry of the Word and God’s Dispensing for God’s Economy
Message Four
The Measure of God’s Rule and the Ministry of Spiritual Warfare
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Eph. 2:6 And raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus,
I. But we will not boast beyond our measure but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us to boast—2 Cor. 10:13: (Monday & Tuesday)
A. The apostle Paul was bold, but he was not without boundaries; this indicates that he was under the Lord’s restriction, and his ministry to the gentile world was according to God’s measure—Eph. 3:1-2, 8.
B. There is a Ruler and a Measurer, who is the God of measure; therefore, we must remain within the restriction of the rule and measure of God—2 Cor. 10:13.
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C. In the service of the church, we need to see that God has measured to us only this much, and we should not overextend ourselves; we should move and act according to how much God has measured to us—2 Cor. 10:12-14. (Wednesday)
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II. When we live with Christ in His ascension as a new creation in resurrection, we engage in spiritual warfare for the kingdom of God—S. S. 4:8; Eph. 2:6; 6:10-12: (Thursday)
A. In ascension we look with Christ from the lions’ dens, from the leopards’ mountains; the lions’ dens and the leopards’ mountains signify the heavenlies, where Satan and his subordinates are—S. S. 4:8b.
B. We must live in ascension, far above the evil forces, and here we fight against Satan and his power of darkness—Eph. 3:10; 6:12.
C. Spiritual warfare is necessary because Satan’s will is set against God’s will; our fighting is to subdue Satan’s will and defeat God’s enemy; God’s will is focused on Christ, and it is to make Christ to have the first place in all things; what God wants is Christ with the church—Matt. 6:10; Col. 1:15-18; Eph. 1:22-23.
D. To engage in spiritual warfare, we must maintain the position of ascension; the position of ascension enables us to be victorious in the warfare—S. S. 4:8; Eph. 2:6; 6:10-12.
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E. God’s intention is not to save us out of the chaos but to have us be one with Him to conquer the devastating chaos of Satan in the old creation and to carry out the divine constructive economy for the new creation—Eph. 3:8-10; 2 Cor. 5:17. (Friday)
F. We need to engage in spiritual warfare for the divine building, which is the building of the church as the Body of Christ; the goal of spiritual warfare is to bring in the kingdom of God—Matt. 16:18; Rev. 12:10.
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III. On the day of His wedding, Christ will marry those who have been fighting against God’s enemy for years; that is, Christ will marry the overcomers, who have already overcome the evil one—Rev. 19:7-9, 11-16: (Saturday)
A. When Christ comes to fight against Antichrist and his armies, He as the Son of Man needs a counterpart to match Him; this counterpart is His bride—Rev. 14:14; 19:7-9.
B. The warfare fought by the overcomers is a warfare of life against death, and they reign in life; the overcomers conquer the devastating chaos of Satan and triumph in the divine constructive economy—Matt. 16:18; Rom. 5:17, 21.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
But we will not boast beyond our measure but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach even as far as you. For we are not extending ourselves beyond our bounds… —2 Cor. 10:13-14.
And raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus—Eph. 2:6.
Word of Appetizer
How should we engage in spiritual warfare for the kingdom of God?
Spiritual warfare is a necessity because Satan’s will is set against God’s will; our fighting is to subdue Satan’s will and defeat God’s enemy. When we live with Christ in His ascension as the new creation in resurrection, we engage in spiritual warfare for the kingdom of God; if we are to engage in spiritual warfare, we must maintain the position of ascension; the position of ascension makes us victorious in warfare, because only in the position of ascension do we have heavenly authority and can pray with authority to deal with God’s enemy.
Spiritual Burden
In the service of the church, we need to see that God has measured only this much to us, and we should not overextend ourselves; we must know our limits; we should be like Paul, moving and acting according to the measure that God has measured to us.
If we are to engage in spiritual warfare, we must maintain the position of ascension; we need to engage in spiritual warfare for the divine building, which is the building up of the church as the Body of Christ; building the church is a fighting service. The work of the church is to bring in the kingdom of God; the church must release the power of the kingdom of God on earth through prayer.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
“But we will not boast beyond our measure but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us”.
When we live with Christ in His ascension as the new creation in resurrection, we engage in spiritual warfare for the kingdom of God.
On the day of His wedding, Christ will marry those who have fought against God’s enemy for years; that is to say, Christ will marry the overcomers who have already overcome the evil one.
The Experience of Life
The word “measure” indicates being ruled by God; for our work and experience, God has apportioned only this much to us; there is a Ruler and Measurer, who is the God of measure, the ruling God; therefore, we must remain within the limits of God’s rule and measure. If we spread the work according to the Spirit, there is always a certain limit; we have no peace within to go beyond a certain boundary to spread the work.
When we live with Christ in His ascension as the new creation in resurrection, we engage in spiritual warfare for the kingdom of God; the position of ascension makes us victorious in warfare, because only in the position of ascension do we have heavenly authority and can pray with authority to deal with God’s enemy.
Practice and Application
In the service of the church, we need to see that God has measured only this much to us, and we should not overextend ourselves; we must know our limits; we should be like Paul, moving and acting according to the measure that God has measured to us.
If we are to engage in spiritual warfare, we must maintain the position of ascension; we engage in spiritual warfare to conquer the satanic chaos and triumph in the divine economy; the overcomers conquer the destructive chaos of Satan and triumph in the constructive divine economy; they are not delivered out of the present chaos, but through the processed and consummated Triune God as the all-sufficient grace, they are able to conquer the chaos.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 Our work and experience are all according to the measure of the rule which God has apportioned to us (2 Cor. 10:13-14)
(Please illustrate that when we testify of our experiences, we must remain within the measure that God has measured to us.)
T2 Do not expect limitless spreading (2 Cor. 10:13-14)
(Please illustrate with experience that if we do our spreading work according to The Spirit, there will always be a certain limitation.)
Day 2
T1 God’s way of dealing with us is to go up and come down, come down and go up (2 Cor. 10:15-16)
(Please illustrate with experience that when we are spiritually asleep, God comes to stir us up; but when we are too active, He restrains us.)
T2 God is a God of measure, apportioning a certain measure to us (2 Cor. 10:15-16)
(Please illustrate that it is God ruling, limiting us within our measure.)
Day 3
T1 Paul’s bonds and imprisonment were all God’s sovereign restriction (Eph. 3:1-2)
(Please illustrate that Paul wanted to pass through Rome to go to Spain; but Paul never reached Spain, instead, he arrived in Rome in chains.)
T2 We must know how much measure God has measured to us and how large the sphere is (2 Cor. 10:15-16)
(Please illustrate that such restriction and limitation are a very practical dealing with our flesh.)
Day 4
T1 There are three wills in the universe (Matt. 6:10)
(Please illustrate what the three wills in the universe are.)
T2 The extent of our heavenly condition determines the extent to which we can cast out the authority of darkness (Eph. 2:6)
(Please illustrate that only those in the heavenly realm can deal with the authority of darkness in the air and cast it out.)
Day 5
T1 The destiny of the Satanic chaos is the lake of fire, and the ultimate consummation of the divine economy is the New Jerusalem (Eph. 1:10)
(Please illustrate that in the Bible, and in our experience, the Satanic chaos always goes along with God’s economy.)
T2 We are not saved out of the chaos, but are to stand against the chaos (Eph. 1:10, 1 Tim. 6:12)
(Please illustrate that God does not want us to be saved out of the Satanic chaos, but God wants us to conquer the Satanic chaos.)
Day 6
T1 The church today is a model of God’s ruling (Rev. 12:10)
(Please illustrate the mission of the church, which is the purpose of the church’s heavenly warfare.)
T2 Conquering all the Satanic chaos and carrying out the divine economy according to the truth (Rev. 2:4, 5, 7)
(Please illustrate what situations Revelation 2 and 3 reveal that we must be in to conquer all the Satanic chaos and carry out the unique divine economy.)
