A Timely Word Concerning the World Situation and the Lord’s Recovery
Message Three
The Universal History according to God’s Economy— the Divine History within the Human History
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Joel 1:4 What the cutting locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust has left, the licking locust has eaten; and what the licking locust has left, the consuming locust has eaten.
Eph. 3:16-19 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you…may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints…the breadth and length and height and depth…, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.
Word of Appetizer
What are the two history in the universe?
In this universe there are two histories: the history of man, the human history, and the history of God, the divine history; the former is like an outward shell, and the latter, like the kernel within the shell.
The history of man, the history of the world, the physical, human history, is outward; the divine history, the history of God with man and in man, is inward; it is a matter of the mystery of the Triune God in humanity.
Spiritual Burden
In the divine history what is being recovered today is God’s economy, which is focused on the central work of God—to work Himself in Christ into His chosen and redeemed people, making Himself one with them for His expression.
We need to have a clear vision of God’s economy and be governed, controlled, directed, preserved, and protected by this vision; today in the Lord’s recovery we must be strong and unshakable in the vision of God’s economy.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
In this universe there are two histories: the history of man, the human history, and the history of God, the divine history; the former is like an outward shell, and the latter, like the kernel within the shell.
In the divine history what is being recovered today is God’s economy, which is focused on the central work of God—to work Himself in Christ into His chosen and redeemed people, making Himself one with them for His expression.
The Experience of Life
We all were born in the human history, but we have been reborn, regenerated, in the divine history. If we are living in the church, we are living in the divine history; in the church life God’s history is our history; God and we have one history, the divine history; our God has a marvelous history that includes us; God’s history has become our history because He is in union with us.
Practice and Application
Our living, our daily walk, our schooling, our job, and our business must be a part of God’s history in His marvelous and excellent move on the earth today…We need to be one with God in His history, moving and energizing in His loving overcomers; that is, we need to be one with God in life, in living, and in our entire doing today on this earth! We need to write God’s today’s history!
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
Joel 1:4 What the cutting locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; and what the swarming locust has left, the licking locust has eaten; and what the licking locust has left, the consuming locust has eaten.
3:11 Hurry and come, all you surrounding nations, and be gathered. There cause Your mighty ones to descend, O Jehovah!
1 Cor. 1:2 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place…
I. In this universe there are two histories: the history of man, the human history, and the history of God, the divine history; the former is like an outward shell, and the latter, like the kernel within the shell
- We need to have a clear view of the divine history within the human history; the history of man, the history of the world, the physical, human history, is outward; the divine history, the history of God with man and in man, is inward; it is a matter of the mystery of the Triune God in humanity.
- We need to consider whether we are living merely in the human history or living also in the divine history; if our living is in the church, we are living in the inward, divine history.
- Our living, our daily walk, our schooling, our job, and our business must be a part of God’s history in His marvelous and excellent move on the earth today…We need to be one with God in His history, moving and energizing in His loving overcomers.
Key Verses (2)
Eph. 3:16-19 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you…may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints…the breadth and length and height and depth…, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.
4:4-6 One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
II. In the divine history what is being recovered today is God’s economy, which is focused on the central work of God
- The central work of God—to work Himself in Christ into His chosen and redeemed people, making Himself one with them for His expression.
- God’s ultimate move in His recovery to carry out His economy is to work Himself—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—into us and to become our life so that we may live Him out and express Him as His Body, the church.
- God’s economy is to make Christ everything, to make Christ the centrality and the universality, for the producing of God’s increase, His enlargement, which is the church; the increase, the enlargement, of God is the fullness of God for His expression.
Key Verses (3)
Acts 26:19 Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
Rom. 12:4-5 For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Rev. 19:7 Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.
II. In the divine history what is being recovered today is God’s economy, which is focused on the central work of God
- According to His economy, God will rule over the world, produce a situation for Israel to be His elect, gain the church as His mysterious people, and have the nations to be the peoples in the eternal kingdom of God; if we see this, we will know where we are, and we will know the meaning of our human life.
- We need to have a clear vision of God’s economy and be governed, controlled, directed, preserved, and protected by this vision; today in the Lord’s recovery we must be strong and unshakable in the vision of God’s economy.
- God’s ultimate move is to have Christ, the mystery of God, enter into us as our life so that we may become His living members and form His Body, which is the fullness of the One who fills all in all; eventually, the Body life will reach the reality of Romans 12, and this will be the preparation of the bride for the Lord’s coming back.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 The four stages of this one kind of locust is in four consecutive empires(Joel 1:4)
(Please give examples God has used the locusts to afford all the necessary facilities in the environment for the carrying out of His purpose.)
T2 The Bible is a record of two histories: the history of man, and the divine history(Joel 1:4; 2:28-32; 3:11-21)
(Please illustrate that what is the divine history.)
D2
T1 God’s history is of two portions(Micah 5:2)
(Please illustrate that What is the difference between the history of God with man, found in the Old Testament, and the history of God in man, found in the New Testament.)
T2 The history of God in the New Testament is a divine history in humanity(Rom. 5:10; Eph. 5:27; Rev. 19:7-9)
(Please illustrate that )
D3
T1 If our living is in the church, we are living in the inward, divine history(1 Cor. 1:2; Rom. 12:1-2)
(Please illustrate that in the church life God’s history is our history.)
T2 Our God has a marvelous history that includes us(1 Cor. 6:17)
(Please illustrate that this is God’s history in eternity past and this involves us.)
D4
T1 The divine history began with the eternal God and His economy(Eph. 3:16-19)
(Please illustrate that what is God’s intention in His economy.)
T2 March on as one with the energizing God(Eph. 3:16-19)
(Please illustrate that how do we write God’s today’s history.)
D5
T1 Have a clear vision of God’s economy(Acts 26:19)
(Please illustrate that the vision from God will always direct our steps and control our living.)
T2 If we see the vision, we will know where we are, and we will know the meaning of our human life(2 Tim. 1:9; Rom. 8:28-30)
(Please illustrate that if we have the vision of God’s economy, we shall automatically have only one choice, preference, taste, and ministry.)
D6
T1 Christ is our life, the church is Christ’s expression(Rom. 12:4-5)
(Please illustrate that what is God’s ultimate move.)
T2 The reality of the Body life , and the preparation of the bride for the Lord’s coming back(Rom. 12:4-5; Rev. 19:7)
(Please illustrate that from the very beginning, even from eternity, what is the Lord has desired.)
