The Believers (1)
Message Seven
Vessels of Mercy unto Honor and Glory, Grains of Wheat, and Branches of the Vine
THE EXTRACT OF THE OUTLINES
Scripture reading:
Rom. 9:21 Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?
I. The believers in Christ are vessels of mercy to honor and glory; we are containers to contain Christ as mercy, honor, and glory—Rom. 9:21, 23: (Monday)
A. God’s purpose in creating man was to make man His vessel to contain Christ as life and be filled with Him for the building up of the Body of Christ, consummating in the New Jerusalem, that He might be expressed—Gen. 2:7; Rom. 9:21, 23.
B. We were created as vessels of mercy to contain Christ as the God of mercy—Rom. 9:11-13, 16, 20-21, 23; Lam. 3:21-23.
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C. We were created as vessels unto honor to contain Christ as the God of honor; vessels unto honor are inoculators who inject others with an inoculant to counter the degradation of the church—2 Tim. 2:20-22; 1 Sam. 2:30. (Tuesday)
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D. We are vessels unto glory to contain Christ as the God of glory; glory is God Himself expressed and manifested—Jer. 2:11; Eph. 1:17; Col. 2:9. (Wednesday)
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II. The believers in Christ are grains of wheat—John 12:24: (Thursday)
A. The many grains of wheat produced through Christ’s death and resurrection are for the forming of one bread, which is the Body of Christ—1 Cor. 10:17; Lev. 2:4-5.
B. The Lord fell into the ground as a grain of wheat and lost His soul-life through death so that He might release the fire of His eternal life to the many grains in resurrection—John 12:24-26; 1 Cor. 15:31, 36.
C. Our outer man falls into the ground and dies like a grain of wheat, being gradually broken and consumed, so that our inner man can be renewed day by day—Titus 3:5; Eph. 4:23, 26.
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III. The believers in Christ are branches of the vine—John 15:1, 4-5: (Friday, Saturday)
A. The vine and its branches, which are Christ and the believers in Christ, are the organism of the Triune God in God’s economy to grow with the riches of God and express His divine life—John 15:1-5.
B. Apart from Christ as the vine, we are nothing, we have nothing, and we can do nothing; we need to abide in Him, living not by what we are or can do, but by Christ Himself—John 14:6a.
C. To abide in Christ is to abide in His love, that we may love Him and love one another, bearing fruit to express the divine life—John 15:9-10, 16-17.
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? … In order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory—Rom. 9:21, 23.
I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing—John 15:5.
Word of Appetizer
What one word can be used to summarize Paul’s fourteen Epistles?
“Open vessel.” God wants an open vessel. Paul tells us in Rom. 9:23 that God made us “vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory.” Then 2 Cor. 4:7 says, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” These two verses can be regarded as the basic secret to our experience of Christ and the church. You may have heard many messages concerning Christ and the church, but if you do not know that you must be an open vessel, there is still no way for Christ and the church. … An open vessel is one who does nothing but simply remains open to be filled. The processed God—The Triune God, the all-inclusive Spirit, the compound Spirit—is waiting here to gain an entrance so that He can enter into you.
Spiritual Burden
God’s purpose in creating man was to make man His vessel, His earthen vessel, to contain Christ as life and be filled with Him for the building up of the Body of Christ, to consummate the New Jerusalem as God’s corporate great vessel for His expression.
The believers in Christ are grains of wheat; the many grains of wheat produced through the death and resurrection of Christ are for the forming of one loaf—the Body of Christ.
We are the branches of Christ as the true vine, and we need to live Christ, grow Christ, express Christ, and propagate Christ in every aspect; this is to “walk worthily of the Lord to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and growing by the full knowledge of God.”
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The believers in Christ are vessels of mercy to honor and glory; we are containers to contain Christ as mercy, honor, and glory.
The believers in Christ are grains of wheat.
The believers in Christ are branches of the vine.
The Experience of Life
Because of God’s mercy, we responded to the gospel when others did not; we received the word concerning Christ as life when others rejected it; we took the way of the Lord’s recovery when others drew back from it.
When our heart turns to the Lord, we behold the Lord Spirit, who is the presence of Christ in our spirit, and we “are being transformed… from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.”
The believers in Christ are grains of wheat; our outer man is being broken and consumed, just as a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, so that our inner man may be renewed day by day.
Practice and Application
We must contact God as the merciful One every morning so that we may live in the reality of the kingdom by showing mercy to others and not judging them.
A spiritual Christian who is for the building up of the Body of Christ must “read” three things every day—he needs his Scripture reading; he needs to read his inner sense; and he also needs to read his environment and circumstances, that is, the people, matters, and things around him; we should cooperate with the operating Spirit and accept the environment that God has arranged for us.
To abide in Christ is to keep ourselves in fellowship with Him daily and hourly, not allowing anything to come between us and Him. If we abide in His written word by coming to Him for life, His instant word will abide in us as The Spirit and life.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1: An open vessel does nothing but just stays open to be filled (Rom. 9:21, 23)
(Please illustrate which two verses can be considered the basic secret for us to experience Christ and the church.)
T2: We are vessels to contain mercy, honor, and glory (Rom. 9:21, 23)
(Please illustrate that we are vessels, not instruments or weapons—we are containers.)
Day 2
T1: After the healthy word is committed to faithful men, it becomes the good deposit (2 Tim. 2:2; 1:14)
(Please illustrate that Paul charged Timothy to commit these things to other faithful men who would be competent to carry out the same ministry; what does this indicate?)
T2: Vessels to honor are inoculators (2 Tim. 2:21, 2, 15)
(Please illustrate that inoculators are teachers, soldiers, contenders, farmers, and workmen; how do they minister Christ to others to withstand the degradation of the church?)
Day 3
T1: We are earthen vessels, and the Lord Jesus is the treasure within us (2 Cor. 4:7)
(Please illustrate with experience that in the whole universe, there is nothing as precious as beholding the face of Jesus.)
T2: We are like mirrors, beholding and reflecting the glory of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18)
(Please illustrate that beholding is for us to see the Lord ourselves, and reflecting is to let others see the Lord through us.)
Day 4
T1: The believers are symbolized by the many grains of wheat (John 12:24-26)
(Please illustrate that the many grains produced through Christ’s death and resurrection are for the forming of one bread—the Body of Christ.)
T2: After the many grains are produced, they need to be broken, ground into powder, and blended together in one bread to be offered to God (John 12:24-26)
(Please illustrate with experience that God puts us in certain environments to break us, so that He can work Himself into us.)
Day 5
T1: The believers are the many branches of the vine (John 15:4-5)
(Please illustrate that the vine in John 15 is the universal vine, comprising Christ and the believers as His branches.)
T2: We are the branches of the vine and need to abide in the vine (John 15:4-5)
(Illustrate how any insulation will cut us off from the rich supply of the vine.)
Day 6
T1: If we walk worthily of the Lord, we will bear fruit in every good work (Col. 1:10)
(Please illustrate that bearing fruit here in Col. 1:10 refers to living Christ, growing Christ, expressing Christ, and propagating Christ in every aspect.)
T2: The more we love Him, the more we are qualified, equipped, and even perfected to speak (John 21:15)
(Please illustrate with experience that if we love the Lord more, we will surely be filled with Him; because we are filled with the Lord, we speak the Lord Jesus.)
