Message Eight
The Overcomer’s Living (3)
—Conquering Deadness, Lukewarmness, and Barrenness
to Propagate the Resurrected Christ

Scripture Reading: Heb. 7:25-26; 8:1-2; Rev. 1:12-18; 2:1, 7-8,10-12, 17-18, 26-29; 3:1-2, 5-7, 12-14; 20-22; John 15:2, 16-17

I. In His heavenly ministry in ascension, Christ is functioning as our great High Priest, for the producing of the golden lampstands, the overcomers in the local churches—Heb. 7:25-26; 8:1-2; Rev. 1:12-18; 2:1, 7-8, 10-12, 17-18, 26-29; 3:1-2, 5-7, 12-14, 20-22:

A. He takes care of the churches as the lampstands in His humanity as the Son of Man to cherish them by trimming the wicks and adding more oil—Rev. 1:13; Exo. 25:38; 30:7; cf. Zech 4:12-14.

B. He takes care of the churches as the lampstands in His divinity with His divine love, signified by the golden girdle on His breasts, to nourish the churches with His divine and mystical ministry of three stages—incarnation, inclusion, and intensification—Rev. 1:13; John 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Rev 4:5; 5:6.

II. In order to be overcomers, we need to conquer the deadness of Sardis, the lukewarmness of Laodicea, and the barrenness of the degenerating believers—Rev. 3:1-2, 14-16; John 15:2:

A. We need to conquer the deadness of Sardis, presenting our bodies a living sacrifice to God, and being transformed from the fashion of this age by the renewing of our mind—Rom. 12:1-10.

B. We need to conquer the lukewarmness of Laodicea by the seeking of the riches of Christ, not being slothful in zeal, and being burning in spirit, serving the Lord—Rev. 3:17-18, 20; Rom. 12:11.

C. We need to conquer in desperation the barrenness of the degenerating believers, fearing to be cut off from the enjoyment of Christ’s supply in this age, and caring for the discipline in the coming age—John 15:2a, Matt 25:24-30:

1. If we are barren, we should not believe that we are continuously enjoying Christ—John 15:4-5.

2. Matthew 25 tells us that if we do not make a profit with the Lord’s talent, we will be disciplined in the coming age.

3. We must carry out the practice of the vital groups in desperation. We should pray desperately for the Lord to give us some fruit and remove our barrenness. This should be a matter of life or death with us. If we are desperate, I believe that the fish will come to us. The Lord will send them to us.

III. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and I set you that you should go forth and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you; these things I command you that you may love one another” — John 15:16-17:

A. The Lord gained only one group; all those dealings were for one thing—to group them together—Matt. 20:20-28; Luke 22:24; Acts 1:14-15.

B. No meeting can be as practical as a group meeting to communicate with and blending together with the brothers and sisters—2:46-47.

C. Our spiritual condition for the day depends on our feeding before the Lord in the morning—Exo. 16:21-22.

D. I get through offenses by receiving the word as the Spirit. The word I receive as the Spirit then becomes the sword to slay the enemy—Eph. 6:17-18; Matt.10:39; Luke 9:23-25; 14:26-35.

E. “For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst” —Matt. 18:20.

F. When we come together, we should pray for our being blended together; eventually, we need to go out to bring people to Christ and to keep people in Christ and in the church—John 15:16-17.

G. The resurrected Christ propagates in His ascension, by the Spirit, through the disciples, for the producing of the Churches—the kingdom of God—Acts 1:2, 8; 2:1-4; 6:7; 8:1; 13:1-3; 28:31.