Hymn: 1226

Scripture Reading:

Eph. 3:9-11 And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things,

in order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known through the church, according to the eternal purpose which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Tim. 3:15 But is I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth.

Eph. 1:22-23 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

Eph. 5:22-23 Wives, be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord; for a husband is head of the wife as also Christ is Head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the Body.

 

I. The church—the hidden mystery in God’s eternal economy:

A. God’s eternal economy (eternal plan, eternal purpose)—Eph. 3:11:

1. Of God’s will—Eph. 1:5, 9, 3:11.

2. According to God’s good pleasure (God’s heart pleasure), which He purposed in Himself—Eph. 1:9; John 3:16.

3. Made in Christ—Eph. 3:11, 1:9.

B. The mystery of Christ—Eph. 3:4:

1. From the ages hidden in God who created all things—Eph. 3:9.

2. Not made known to the men in other generations—Eph. 3:5a.

3. Revealed to the apostles and prophets in their spirit by revelation in the New Testament age—Eph. 3:5b.

4. To make the multifarious wisdom of God known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies—Eph. 3:10.

5. Through the church—Eph. 3:10.

II. The seven aspects of the church:

A. The called out assembly—Matt. 16:17-18.

B. The house of God—1 Tim. 3:15; Heb. 3:6; 1 Pet. 4:17:

1. The dwelling place of God.

2. The household of God.

3. The pillar and base of the truth.

4. The manifestation of God in the flesh.

C. The kingdom of God—Rom. 14:17.

D. The Body of Christ—Eph. 1:22-23:

1. Composed of the members.

2. Baptized in the one Spirit.

3. Constituted with the unsearchable riches of Christ.

4. With Christ as the head.

5. With the individual Christ to be the corporate Christ.

6. To be the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

E. The counterpart of Christ—Eph. 5:22-23:

1. A great mystery with regard to Christ and the church.

2. The church as the bride, the wife, of Christ as the Bridegroom, the Husband.

3. To be married at Christ’s coming back.

4. To be consummated the New Jerusalem.

5. To be a couple in eternity.

6. Typified by Eve as the counterpart of Adam.

F. The new man—Eph. 2:15, 4:24:

1. Created by Christ—Eph. 2:15.

2. In the new man there being no room for Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man.

3. Christ being all the members and in all the members.

4. To be put on by the believers.

G. The golden lampstands—Rev. 1:20b:

1. The lampstand typifying Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God—Exo. 25.

2. The seven golden lampstands signifying the seven local churches as God’s testimony in the New Testament—Rev. 1:11-12, 20b.

 

Reference: The Conclusion of the New Testament, messages 189-190, 207-210, 213, 216, 219.

 

Excerpts from the ministry:

THE CHURCH—THE HIDDEN MYSTERY IN GOD’S ETERNAL ECONOMY

God’s Eternal Economy

Within Himself God purposed to carry out this desire, to get what He wants, and that became His will. What God wants is the church. From this we can see that the church is God’s good pleasure, God’s will, God’s purpose, and God’s oikonomia. Furthermore, all this is a mystery, a hidden, mysterious story. This indicates that the church is a great matter, for the church is God’s desire, God’s good pleasure. God’s will is to have the church, and He has purposed to carry out the desire to have the church which He wants. Therefore based upon His desire, will and purpose, God made a plan, an oikonomia, a household arrangement, a household administration. Therefore, God’s economy is His planned administration to carry out His eternal purpose to have the church. God had a desire, a good pleasure, according to which He has a will. Based upon His will, God made a purpose, a determined intent. He then made a plan to administrate His purpose, and this plan is to dispense Himself as life, life supply, and everything into His chosen people. This is the economy of God. (The Conclusion of The New Testament, p. 2050)

The Mystery of Christ

The mystery of the universe is God. The mystery of God, the New Testament reveals, is Christ (Col. 2:2). The mystery of Christ is the church (Eph. 3:4). Actually these are simply three stages of one mystery. God is to be found in Christ, and Christ is to be found in the church. The church, then, is the mystery of Christ, who in turn is the mystery of God, who Himself is the mystery of the universe. In Ephesians 3:4 Paul speaks of the mystery of Christ. The mystery of God in Colossians 2:2 is Christ, whereas the mystery of Christ in Ephesians 3:4 is the church. God is a mystery, and Christ, as the embodiment of God to express Him, is the mystery of God. Christ is also a mystery, and the church, as the Body of Christ to express Him, is the mystery of Christ. Hence, the church is actually a mystery within a mystery, for the church is a mystery in the third stage. The first stage is God Himself as the mystery of the universe; the second stage is Christ as the mystery of God; and the third stage is the church as the mystery of Christ. (pp. 2053-2054).

THE STATUS OF THE CHURCH

The Called Out Assembly

In the Bible the church is first called the assembly. This is revealed by the Lord Jesus Himself in Matthew 16:18, where He speaks concerning the universal aspect of the church, and in 18:17, where He speaks concerning the local aspect of the church. The Greek word translated “church” in these verses is ekklesia, composed of two words: ek, out, and kaleo, called. Put together, these two words mean a called out congregation or an assembly of the called ones. Hence, according to the literal sense of the word, the church is the assembly of those called out of the world by God. In ancient times the mayor of a city would sometimes call the people together as a congregation, as an assembly, for a particular purpose. The Greek word used to denote such a gathering is ekklesia (cf. Acts 19:41). The point we would emphasize here is that the word ekklesia, according to biblical usage, refers to the church as a called out congregation. The church is a congregation called out of the world unto God for His purpose. It is much better to translate ekklesia not as church but as assembly. The Brethren teachers insisted on this, and the congregations among the Brethren were known as the Brethren assemblies. I agree with their use of the word assembly. (pp. 2215-2216)

The House of God

Three verses which reveal that the church is the house of God are 1 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 3:6; and 1 Peter 4:17. In 1 Timothy 3:15 Paul says, “If I delay, that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth.” As God’s dwelling place, the church is both God’s house and His household, His family. In the Old Testament the temple and God’s people were two separate things, but in the fulfillment in the New Testament the dwelling place and the family are one. According to God’s New Testament economy, God’s house is His family. Another verse that speaks of the church as the house of God is Hebrews 3:6. This verse refers to “Christ, as a Son over His house, whose house we are.” In Old Testament times, the house of God was the house of Israel (Lev. 22:18; Num. 12:7), symbolized by the tabernacle or the temple among them (Exo. 25:8; Ezek. 37:26-27). Today the house of God is the church. The children of Israel, as people of God, are a type of us, the New Testament believers (1 Cor. 9:24-10:11). Their history is a prefigure of the church. The church has a twofold function. To Christ, the church is the Body; to God, the church is the house. Christ is the Head, and the church is the Body of the Head. This is one function of the church. God is the Father, and the church is His house. This is another function of the church. Just as Christ is the Head and the church is His Body, so God is the Father and the church is His house. The church as the Body of Christ is an organism. In like manner, the church as the house of God is a living entity, a living house.

First Peter 4:17, another verse that refers to the church as the house of God, says, “Because it is time for the judgment to begin from the house of God.” Here we see that disciplinary judgment begins from God’s own house. God’s house, or household, is the church composed of the believers. From his house, as His own house, God begins His governmental administration by His disciplinary judgment over His own children, that He may have strong ground to judge, in His universal kingdom, those who are disobedient to His gospel and rebellious to His government. (pp. 2227-2228)

The Kingdom of God

Ephesians 2:19 says, “You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God.” The term “fellow citizens” indicates the kingdom of God. All the believers, both Jewish and Gentile, are citizens of God’s kingdom, which is a sphere wherein God exercises His authority. As long as anyone is a believer, he is a citizen of the kingdom of God. This citizenship involves rights and responsibilities, two things that always go together. We enjoy the rights of the kingdom, and we bear the responsibilities of the kingdom.

In 2:19 Paul covers two aspects of the church: the kingdom, indicated by the term “fellow citizens,” and the family of God, indicated by the phrase “the household of God.” God’s house is a matter of life and enjoyment; all believers were born of God into His household to enjoy His riches. God’s kingdom is a matter of rights and responsibilities; all believers who were born into the house of God have the civil rights of and their responsibility in the kingdom of God. Therefore, in 2:19 two profound matters are covered: the kingdom of God with its rights and responsibilities and the house of God with its enjoyment of the Father’s life and riches. Ephesians 2:19 speaks of the saints, the household of God, and the kingdom of God. The saints are individuals, but the household of God is corporate and results in the kingdom of God. If there were no household, there could be no kingdom. First, we are saints, individuals. Then, corporately, we are the house of God resulting in the kingdom of God. (pp. 2235-2236)

The Body of Christ

Ephesians 1:22 and 23 reveal that the church is the Body of Christ. “He subjected all things under His feet, and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.” The church is not an organization but an organic Body constituted of all the believers, who have been regenerated and have God’s life, for the expression of the Head. The Body is the fullness of the Head, and the fullness is the expression of the Head. Christ, as the One who fills all in all, needs the Body to be His fullness. This Body is His church to be His expression. The church is the Body of Christ, and Christ is the Head of the church (Col. 1:18). Hence, the church and Christ are one Body, the mysterious, universal great man, having the same life and nature. Christ is the life and content of the Body, and the Body is the organism and expression of Christ. As the Body, the church receives everything from Christ; everything of Christ, therefore, is expressed through the church. The two, Christ and the church, are mingled and joined as one, with Christ being the inward content and the church, the outward expression. (pp. 2245-2246)

The Counterpart of Christ

In this exhortation in Ephesians 5:22-23, Paul presents the church as the counterpart of Christ. This reveals that the church is actually a part of Christ, for the church comes out of Christ and is unto Christ, just as Even came out of Adam and was unto Adam (Gen. 2:21-23). …The church as the counterpart of Christ implies satisfaction and rest in love. Every husband needs satisfaction and rest, which are found in love. The brothers who are husbands can testify that our satisfaction and rest can only be in our wives. If we say that we are the church, then we must ask if Christ has His rest among us. This is a serious matter. A group of Christians should not be so quick to claim that they are the church. To be the church is to render to Christ the adequate satisfaction and rest in love. Christ needs such a counterpart. The church is not merely a gathering of God’s called ones. The church, as Christ’s counterpart, is a satisfaction and rest to Christ in love.

In Colossians 2:2 Paul speaks of the mystery of God, which is Christ, and in Ephesians 3:4, of the mystery of Christ, which is the church. In Ephesians 5:32 Paul says, “This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church.” The fact that Christ and the church are one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17), as typified by the husband and wife being one flesh, is the great mystery. It surely is a great mystery that the church as Christ’s counterpart comes out of Christ, has the same life and nature as Christ, and is one with Christ. (pp. 2275-2276)

The New Man

The book of Ephesians reveals that the church is the Body of Christ (1:22-23), the kingdom of God, the household of God (2:19), and the temple, the dwelling place of God (2:21-22). In 2:15 and 4:24 we see that the church is the new man. Ephesians 2:15 says, “Having abolished in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, making peace.” Ephesians 4:24 says, “And have put on the new man, which according to God was created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Furthermore, Colossians 3:10 says, “And having put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” The Greek word for church, ekklesia, means those called out for a gathering; hence, an assembly. This is the initial aspect of the church. From this aspect we need to go on to the aspects of the house of God and the kingdom of God. These are higher than the initial aspect but not as high as the aspect of the church as the Body of Christ. Yet the new man is still higher than the Body of Christ. Thus, the church is not just an assembly of believers, a kingdom of heavenly citizens, a household of God’s children, nor even a Body for Christ. In an even higher aspect, the church is the new man to accomplish God’s eternal purpose. The emphasis on the church being the Body of Christ is on life, whereas the emphasis on the church being the new man is on the person. As the Body of Christ, the church needs Christ as its life. As the new man, the church needs Christ as its person. The body without life is not a body but a corpse. However, when the body makes a move, it is decided not by life but be the person. Hence, in the new man we need to take Christ as our person. The new man as a corporate person should live a life as Jesus lived on earth, that is, a life of truth, expressing God and causing God to be realized as reality by man. (pp. 2301-2302)

The Golden Lampstands

One of the crucial symbols in the Bible is that of the lampstands. Revelation 1:12 says, “I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and having turned I saw seven golden lampstands.” Revelation 1:20b explains that “the seven lampstands are seven churches.” The church, therefore, is signified by a golden lampstand.

In the Bible the lampstand is always related to God’s building. The first time it was mentioned was in Exodus 25:31-40 when the tabernacle was built. The second instance was in the building of the temple in 1 Kings 7:49. The third instance had very much to do with the rebuilding of God’s temple in Zechariah 4:2-10. In Revelation 1 the lampstand is related to the building of the churches. In Exodus 25 the emphasis is on Christ being the lampstand as the divine light, shining as the seven lamps with the Spirit (the oil). In Zechariah 4 the emphasis is on the Spirit (v. 6) shining as the seven lamps which are the eyes of Jehovah (vv. 2, 10). The seven eyes of Jehovah are the seven Spirits of God (Rev. 5:6) for God’s intensified move. This indicates that the lampstand in Zechariah is the reality of the lampstand in Exodus, and the lampstands in Revelation are the reproduction of the lampstand in Zechariah. Christ is realized as the Spirit, and the Spirit is expressed as the churches. The shining Spirit is the reality of the shining Christ, and the shining churches are the reproduction and expression of the shining Spirit to accomplish God’s eternal purpose that the New Jerusalem as the shining city may be consummated.

The revelation concerning the golden lampstand is found in Exodus, Zechariah, and Revelation. In Exodus the lampstand signifies Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God. In Zechariah the lampstand signifies the nation of Israel as God’s testimony. In Revelation the lampstands signify the church as God’s living embodiment for the testimony of Jesus. Hence, the lampstand is a symbol of Christ, the nation of Israel, and the church. Furthermore, as we shall see, the lampstand signifies the embodiment of the Triune God. With Christ, with Israel, and with the church the golden lampstand is a portrayal of the embodiment of the Triune God. (pp. 2327-2328)

 

Question:

1. According to the Bible, prove that the church is the mystery of God’s eternal economy.

2. What are the seven aspects of the church?

3. According to the Bible, prove that the church is the new man.

4. Briefly describe the development of the revelation of the golden lampstand in the Bible.