THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Church
Message Five
Planting the Church Tree for the Universal Spreading
of the Testimony of Jesus
Scripture Reading: Gen. 2:9; John 11:25; 15:1; Eph. 4:15; Col. 2:19; Rev. 1:11-12, 20
I. For the universal spreading of the church as the testimony of Jesus, we need to experience and enjoy Christ as the tree of life—Gen. 2:9; Rev. 2:7: (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
A. The tree of life in Genesis 2:9 signifies the Triune God embodied in Christ as life to man in the form of food. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
B. We may experience Christ as the tree of life in our regenerated spirit; the church, the kingdom, the New Jerusalem, and all spiritual and heavenly things issue from the experience of the tree of life—John 11:25; 15:1. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
C. Eating the tree of life, that is, enjoying Christ as our life supply, should be the primary matter in the church life—Rev. 2:7. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
D. In Revelation 22:1-2 there is the river of water of life and the tree of life: (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
1. Because the tree of life is in the water of life, the way to enjoy the tree of life is to drink the water of life—John 4:14; Isa. 12:2-6. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
2. The essence of the tree of life is in the water of life; thus, in order to enjoy Christ as the tree of life, we must drink of the river of water of life—John 4:14; 7:37; 1 Cor. 10:4; Rev. 22:1-2, 17b. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
E. The principle of the tree of life is dependence on God; the experience and enjoyment of the tree of life causes us to be dependent on God—John 15:5. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
F. The Lord wants to recover the church back to the beginning—to the eating of the tree of life—Gen. 2:9; Rev. 2:7; 22:14. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
II. For the universal spreading of the church as the testimony of Jesus, we need to grow Christ as the tree of life within us—Col. 2:19; John 11:25; 15:1: (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
A. Christ as the embodiment of God is our tree of life, and this tree is growing in us—Col. 1:27; 2:9, 19; 3:4. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
B. God in Christ has sown Himself into our spirit as the life seed to grow a tree, a miniature of the tree of life—Mark 4:2-8, 26-29. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
C. In Genesis 2:9 the tree of life was unique, but today the tree of life grows in all of us, causing each one of us to be a small tree of life; as small trees of life, we need to grow in life—1 Cor. 3:6-7; Eph. 4:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:5-11. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
III. For the universal spreading of the church as the testimony of Jesus, we need to plant “church trees” for the corporate expression of the Triune God as life—John 5:26; 11:25; 1 John 5:11-12; Rom. 8:2; 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11-12, 20: (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
A. In the eyes of God the universal church, the Body of Christ, has been formed; now, after the formation of this universal church as a complete entity, there is the need for the spreading of the church—Acts 8:1; 9:31. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
B. 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—Acts 1:8; 13:1-3; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 1:11. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
C. What we are doing today is simply establishing churches in different localities by planting “church trees”; this planting of church trees is the establishing of the church—1 Cor. 1:1-2; 1 Thes. 1:1. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
D. The local churches as church trees are golden lampstands, which are actually living, golden trees—Rev. 1:11-12, 20: (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
1. The golden lampstands signify the local churches as the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit—Exo. 25:31-40; Zech. 4:2, 6, 10; Rev. 5:6; 1:11, 20. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
2. The symbol of the golden lampstand indicates that the Triune God is a living tree, growing, budding, and blossoming, and the description of the lampstand conveys the idea of growth—Exo. 25:31-32; Eph. 4:14-16: (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
a. The lampstand is growing through the branches and within them; this indicates that Christ is growing in us—Col. 2:19; John 3:29a, 30a. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
b. The more the lampstand grows in the branches, the more it will blossom and shine, and the more light there will be—v. 15; 5:8-9. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
IV. Our burden is to bring the church as a tree to every city, town, and village and plant a church there—Acts 8:1; 13:1; Col. 4:15-16: (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
A. We all need to be faithful to carry out the burden to establish local churches by planting church trees—Rom. 16:16b; Gal. 1:2; 1 Thes. 1:1; 2:14. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
B. The married couples should be like Prisca and Aquila, who planted a church tree wherever they went; wherever they were, they were willing to bear the burden of the practice of the church by opening up their home—Rom. 16:3-5a; 1 Cor. 16:19. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)
C. If we all have the desire to establish churches by planting church trees, the establishing of the churches will be very fast and prevailing—Acts 19:20. (2009 MDC, msg. 3)