SPECIAL FELLOWSHIP CONCERNING THE WORLD SITUATION AND THE LORD'S MOVE
Message Four
Bearing the Ultimate Responsibility in God's Ultimate Move
Scripture Reading: Phil. 1:21a; Eph. 4:16, 24; Rev. 1:2, 9, 11-12; 19:7; 5:6; Acts 20:24
I. We need to bear the ultimate responsibility related to the world's ultimate situation, God's ultimate move, and God's ultimate recovery:
A. Our ultimate responsibility is to be saturated and permeated with Christ for the church as the Body of Christ, the one new man—Eph. 3:16; 4:12, 16, 24:
1. We must realize the great responsibility we have regarding preaching the gospel, teaching the divine truths, and meeting according to the way ordained by God; however, we should not be satisfied with these three things, for they cannot fulfill God's desire—Matt. 24:14; 28:19.
2. God's desire, His good pleasure, is for us to live Christ and to have Christ as the reality, the real contents, of the church life, making every local church a golden lampstand—Eph. 1:5, 9; Phil. 1:21a; 2:13; Rev. 1:11-12:
a. Then the Body life will reach the reality of Romans 12, and this will be the spontaneous preparation of the bride for the Lord's coming back.
b. This is the goal of the Lord's recovery; the world situation has been prepared for this purpose—Matt. 16:18; Eph. 4:16; Rev. 1:5; Acts 17:26.
3. Our ultimate responsibility is to be a living witness to Christ in our daily life and to meet in our locality in such a way that we may be the Body, the new man, the lampstand, and the bride—Eph. 4:16, 24; Rev. 1:12; 19:7.
B. Our ultimate responsibility is to bear the testimony of Jesus—1:2, 9:
1. The book of Revelation presents the testimony of Jesus, which is the church as the corporate expression of Christ—vv. 2, 9, 20; 19:10b.
2. Revelation is an unveiling of Christ, and Christ is expressed through the church; therefore, the church is the testimony of Jesus revealed in this book—1:1, 13, 20; 19:10b:
a. The living person of Jesus is the image, expression, and testimony of God, and the church today is the testimony of Jesus, His corporate expression—2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15, 18; 3:10-11, 15.
b. As believers in Christ, we all are reproductions, "photographs," of Jesus; now God has a corporate expression—the church—which is the testimony of Jesus, who is the expression of God—John 1:14, 18; 12:24; 2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:16.
C. Our ultimate responsibility is to spread the testimony of Jesus by establishing local churches as golden lampstands—Rev. 1:11-12, 20:
1. The spreading of the Lord's recovery must be considered part of our ultimate responsibility—Mark 16:15, 20; John 15:16; Acts 1:8.
2. For the universal spreading of the church as the testimony of Jesus, we need to plant "church trees" as golden lampstands for the corporate expression of the Triune God—1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11-12, 20:
a. Although we cannot form the church, we have the position, the right, the opportunity, and even the commission to go to the uttermost part of the earth to establish local churches by planting church trees—Acts 1:8; 13:1-3; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 1:11; 1 Cor. 1:1-2; 1 Thes. 1:1.
b. The local churches as church trees are golden lampstands, which are actually living, golden trees—Rev. 1:11-12, 20.
c. In figure, the golden lampstand signifies the church as the embodiment and the expression of the Triune God—vv. 11-12.
d. We all need to establish local churches by planting church trees, golden lampstands—Rom. 16:16b; Gal. 1:2; 1 Thes. 1:1; 2:14.
II. In order to bear the ultimate responsibility in God's ultimate move, we need to know and experience Christ as the center of the divine administration according to God's eternal economy—Rev. 4:2; 5:6; 22:1:
A. Christ in His ascension has been enthroned to execute God's administration, His governmental operation—Heb. 12:2; Rev. 3:21; 22:1; 5:6.
B. Christ as the embodiment of God is the Administrator of the universe today; all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him—Matt. 28:18.
C. After the Lord Jesus was crucified and buried, God resurrected Him and set Him at His right hand, making Him the Lord of all the universe—Acts 2:34-36; Phil. 2:5-11.
D. According to the book of Revelation, the throne on which the ascended Christ is sitting is the throne of the divine administration—Rev. 4:2, 5; 5:6; 22:1:
1. The Lamb, the Redeemer, the One slain on the cross for our sins, is now on the throne carrying out God's administration over the entire universe—John 1:29; Rev. 5:6.
2. The Lord Jesus has been enthroned to execute God's governmental administration in the universe:
a. As the One enthroned as the heavenly Administrator in God's universal government, Christ is the Ruler of the kings of the earth; the affairs of the nations are under His rulership—1:5a.
b. In God's governmental administration, Christ is the Leader and the Savior and the One who has the key of David—Acts 5:31; Rev. 3:7.
III. If we would fulfill the ultimate responsibility in God's ultimate move, we need to follow the Lamb wherever He may go—14:4b:
A. To follow the Lamb is to be one with the crucified, resurrected, ascended, and enthroned Redeemer in His move to carry out the divine administration for the consummation of the divine economy—1:5; 5:6; 14:4b.
B. We all should follow the Lamb on the journey ordained by Him—Acts 20:24:
1. We need to seek out the journey that the Lord has ordained and faithfully walk on it, paying any price to wholeheartedly continue on our journey until we reach the end—2 Tim. 4:7.
2. The journey that the Lord has ordained for us is the race that is set before us—Heb. 12:1-2.
IV. Bearing the ultimate responsibility in God's ultimate move requires faithfulness; thus, we should ask the Lord for mercy to be faithful—1 Cor. 4:2; 7:25; Matt. 24:45; 25:21, 23; Rev. 17:14.