Living and Serving according to God’s Economy
concerning the Church
Message Two
The Joy of the Triune God Becoming Our Joy
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Rom. 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.
John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full.
Rom. 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Word of Appetizer
How can the joy of the Triune God become our joy?
A Christian should be a joyful person—joyful in the Spirit; the Lord is our joy when we are in Him; when we are abiding in the Lord, no matter what problem we have, we are joyful, and any difficulty deepens our joy in the Lord.
If we are joyful, this indicates that the Holy Spirit in us is also joyful. There may be nothing in the outward environment to make us joyful, but the Lord who lives in us is our joy.
Spiritual Burden
Enjoying the Lord has many aspects—the joy of the Lord’s presence, the joy of living in the divine romance, the joy of the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity, the joy of drinking of the river of God’s pleasures, the joy of knowing God’s love, the joy of doing God’s will, the joy of contentment in all circumstances, and entering into the joy of the Lord in the kingdom.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
The Triune God is a God of joy; Romans 15:13 says, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace”; Christ is also joy to the believers.
The joy of the Triune God is becoming our joy; in His person Christ is our joy; in the church as the kingdom of the Son of God’s love, we experience and enjoy Christ in His all-inclusiveness; a Christian should be a joyful person—joyful in the Spirit.
The Experience of Life
For us to be branches of the divine vine is a matter of joy—a joyful life. This joy is Christ Himself; when He abides in us, His joy abides in us to be the source of our joy that our joy may abound and become full and that we may live our days with joy.
If we abide in the Lord and keep abiding in Him by abiding in His love, we will be filled with joy; the Christian living is a life of eating, drinking, and enjoying the Lord day by day.
Practice and Application
The secret to the Christian life is not how much we work for Him but how much we absorb Him and enjoy Him. In order for us to be faithful, normal, and proper Christians, the primary matter that we need to take care of is enjoying the Lord; this needs to be a vision to us.
Our spirit needs to take the lead in enjoying the Lord. We must learn to directly use our spirit and let the soul be a follower of the spirit. When we are abiding in the Lord, no matter what problem we have, we are joyful, and any difficulty deepens our joy in the Lord.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 Joy is one of God’s attributes (Rom. 15:13; John 15:11)
(Please illustrate that in His person Christ is joy to the believers.）
T2 We must rejoice in the Lord (Phil. 3:1; 4:4)
(Please illustrate that rejoicing in the Lord is a safeguard, a security.)
Day 2
T1 All people need joy (Gal. 5:22; 1 Thes. 1:6)
(Please illustrate that if we are in the Spirit, we shall be joyful with God and praise Him.）
T2 The Lord is the cause of our rejoicing (Matt. 5:12; Rom. 14:17)
(Please illustrate that the kingdom life that we live in the church today, is constituted of the joy of the Holy Spirit with righteousness and peace.)
Day 3
T1 After God created man, He placed him in front of the tree of life (Gen. 2:9)
(How do we know that God wants to be man’s enjoyment.）
T2 The food which abides to eternal life is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (John 1:16-17)
(Please illustrate with examples that the Lord Jesus repeatedly revealed that He was food for man to eat and enjoy.)
Day 4
T1 The focus of our remembrance of the Lord is our eating and drinking of Him (1 Cor. 11:24-25)
(Please illustrate how is the true remembrance of the Lord.）
T2 Not how much we work for Him, but how much we enjoy Him (John 6:57; 1 Cor. 1:4)
(Please illustrate that God does not intend for us to do anything for Him, God’s only desire is to give Himself to us to be our enjoyment.)
Day 5
T1 Our spirit needs to take the lead in enjoying the Lord (Luke 1:46-47)
(Please illustrate that in the enjoyment of the Lord, our spirit has to take the lead.）
T2 After he has received the Lord, he needs to continue his Christian life by enjoying the Lord (Col. 1:12)
(Please illustrate that the matter of the enjoyment of Christ is not according to our natural concept.)
Day 6
T1 By believing into the Lord and loving Him, we obtain great joy (1 Pet. 1:8)
(Please illustrate that we love Him whom we have not seen because of believing, that is, because of the faith.）
T2 Our surroundings and circumstances may be miserable, but we ourselves must be joyful (Phil. 4:11)
(Please illustrate with experiences that a Christian must be a joyful person, this does not mean that our circumstances will be wonderful.)