Lesson Book, Level 5: The Church—The Vision and Building Up of the Church

Lesson: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

The vision concerning the church _les.1

Outline
Text
I. God’s eternal purpose being the church
II. The church being the building up of all God’s chosen, redeemed, regenerated, and transformed people, not a physical structure
III. The church being the organism of the Triune God, not an organization
IV. The essence of the church is of life, not of knowledge
V. The nature of the church being of heaven, not of earth
VI. The foundation of the church being Christ
VII. The church being glorious
Conclusion
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

God’s purpose for the church _les.2

Outline
Text
I. To express God through the sonship
II. To make God’s wisdom known to the enemy
III. To head up all things in Christ
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The status of the church (1) _les.3

The assembly, the house of God, and the kingdom of God
Outline
Text
I. The assembly of the called out ones — ekklesia
II. The house of God
III. The dwelling place of God
IV. The kingdom of God
A. Being the living of the church
B. The entrance into the kingdom of God
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The status of the church (2) _les.4

The Body of Christ
Outline
Text
I. Christ being the Head
II. We being the members of the Body of Christ
III. The Body receiving from the Head
IV. The fullness (expression) of Him who fills all in all
V. The fullness (expression) of God
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The status of the church (3) _les.5

God’s masterpiece, the new man, and the counterpart of Christ
Outline
Text
I. God’s masterpiece
II. The new man
A. Created by Christ on the cross
B. Bearing God’s image to express Him
C. Fighting as a warrior
III. The counterpart of Christ
A. The church as the bride, the wife, of Christ as the Bridegroom, the Husband
B. To be married at Christ’s coming back
C. To be consummated in the New Jerusalem
D. To be a couple in eternity
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The status of the church (4) _les.6

The golden lampstands
Outline
Text
I. The golden lampstands typifying Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God
A. Gold signifying the Father’s divine nature, the divine substance, essence
B. The form signifying the Son as the embodiment of the Godhead in His humanity
C. The seven lamps signifying the Spirit as the expression
II. The golden lampstand signifying Israel as God’s testimony in the Old Testament and in the millennium
A. Shining through the seven eyes (Spirits) of Jehovah
B. As the seven eyes of Christ (the Stone-Savior for God’s building)
III. The seven golden lampstands signifying the seven local churches as God’s testimony in the New Testament
A. Shining in the dark age as in the night, bearing the testimony of Jesus
1. With the Father’s divine essence
2. In the Son’s human form
3. Through the Spirit’s expression
B. To be consummated in the New Jerusalem
C. Expressing the processed Triune God in eternity
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The two aspects of the church — universal and local _les.7
The formation of the church _les.8

Outline
Text
I. Christ’s crucifixion to redeem people for the church
II. Christ’s resurrection to regenerate people to be living members of the church
III. Christ’s ascension to pour out the spirit on His people to form the church
A. Being universal
B. On the day of Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius
C. By Christ the Head
D. Through the outpouring of the Spirit
1. The baptism in the Holy Spirit
2. On the one hundred twenty believers
3. On the believers in Cornelius’s house
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The establishment of local churches _les.9

Outline
Text
I. The need for establishing churches
II. Being local
III. The pattern of the apostles in the New Testament
A. Starting from Jerusalem
1. The first local church — the church in Jerusalem
2. Composed of:
a. The elders
b. The serving ones
c. The believers
B. Spreading to Judea, Samaria, and Galilee
C. Reaching Antioch in Syria
1. The church in Antioch
2. Including prophets and teachers
D. Spreading in the provinces of Syria and Cilicia
1. Churches established
2. Strengthened by the apostles Paul and Silas
E. Turning to Asia Minor
1. Churches established in the cities of Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in the province of Galatia — the churches in Galatia
2. Elders appointed in every one of these churches
F. Spreading to the province of Asia in Asia Minor
1. Churches established in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea
2. Elders as overseers appointed in these churches by the Spirit
G. Reaching Europe — churches raised up in the province of Macedonia
1. The church in Philippi, comprising the saints with the overseers and deacons
2. The church in Thessalonica
H. Spreading to the province of Achaia, next to Macedonia — churches raised up in:
1. Corinth — the church in Corinth
2. Cenchrea — the church in Cenchrea, with a deaconess
I. Spreading to Italy
1. The church raised up in Rome — the church in Rome
2. Meeting in the house of Prisca and Aquila
IV. The government of the established local churches
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The failures in the churches, the degradation and recovery of the church _les.10

Outline
Text
I. The failures in the churches
II. The degradation of the church
A. As described in the New Testament
B. After the New Testament time
III. The recovery of the church
A. Typified by the return of the children of Israel from their captivity
B. Indicated in the later Epistles of the New Testament
C. To be recovered:
1. From the divisive and apostate ground with its deviation from the truths concerning:
a. The person of the Triune God
b. The person and work of Christ
2. Back to the unique and pure ground of the oneness of the Body of Christ with its truths concerning:
a. The New Testament faith and God’s economy
b. The person and work of Christ
c. The person and the dispensing of the Triune God
d. The church, the Body of Christ, the corporate Christ
e. The universal and local aspects of the church
3. To build the Body of Christ, the temple of God, the house of God
4. To establish the kingdom life
Conclusion
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The seven churches in revelation signifying the seven stages of the church _les.11

Outline
Text
I. The church in Ephesus
A. The condition of the church at this stage
B. The Lord’s promise to the overcomers of this stage
II. The church in Smyrna
A. The condition of the church at this stage
B. The Lord’s promise to the overcomers of this stage
III. The church in Pergamos
A. The condition of the church at this stage
B. The Lord’s promise to the overcomers of this stage
IV. The church in Thyatira
A. The condition of the church at this stage
B. The Lord’s promise to the overcomers of this stage
V. The church in Sardis
A. The condition of the church at this stage
B. The Lord’s promise to the overcomers of this stage
VI. The church in Philadelphia
A. The condition of the church at this stage
B. The Lord’s promise to the overcomers of this stage
VII. The church in Laodicea
A. The condition of the church at this stage
B. The Lord’s promise to the overcomers of this stage
Conclusion
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The consummation of the church _les.12

Outline
Text
I. All the members of the church are produced in the church age
II. The New Testament overcomers are also perfected in the church age
A. The perfection of the New Testament overcomers in the church age
B. The reward of the New Testament overcomers
1. At the end of the church age
2. In the age of the millennium
III. The immature believers will be perfected in the age of the millennium
A. Through the Lord’s dispensational and governmental discipline
B. As illustrated by the case of the unfaithful slave
C. As illustrated by the case of the slothful slave
IV. All the regenerated and perfected believers of the New Testament will be the components of the New Jerusalem, which is the church’s ultimate consummation
A. Consummated in enjoying the eternal and divine life of the processed and consummated Triune God
B. Consummated in experiencing the mingling of humanity with divinity
C. Consummated in expressing the Triune God in His ultimate manifestation for eternity
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The indirect building up of the Body of Christ by the gifts to the Body _les.13

Outline
Text
I. Christ’s prophecy on building the church
A. Building the church on this rock
B. The gates of Hades not being able to prevail against the church
II. The way Christ builds up the church
A. By the gifted persons and the perfected saints
B. By the ascended head giving the gifts to His Body
C. The gifts to the church — some apostles
D. The gifts to the church — some prophets
E. The gifts to the church — some evangelists
F. The gifts to the church — some shepherds and teachers
G. For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of ministry unto the building up of the Body of Christ
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The direct building up of the Body of Christ by the perfected saints _les.14

Outline
Text
I. Being willing and ready to be perfected
II. The saints being perfected by the perfecting gifts with the life supply as the nourishment for the growth in life
III. Unto the work of the ministry — unto the building up of the Body of Christ
IV. Until we (the gifted persons and the saints) all arrive
A. The oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God
B. A full-grown and mature man
C. The measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ
Conclusion
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The building up of the Body of Christ in oneness _les.15
The increase and the spread of the church _les.16

Outline
Text
I. The increase of the church
A. The need to increase
B. The wrong concepts
C. The normal way
D. The God-ordained way to increase the church
II. The spread of the church
Conclusion
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The meetings of the church for the building up of the church _les.17

Outline
Text
I. The church meetings are ordained by God for the believers
II. The believers are a meeting people
III. The purpose of the church meetings
IV. The goal of the church meetings — to exhibit Christ in all the saints
V. The types of church meetings
A. Meeting to break bread
B. Meeting to pray
C. Meeting to exercise the spiritual gifts
D. Meeting to read the Word
E. Meeting to listen to messages
VI. The size of church meetings
A. In the believers’ homes
B. In a larger meeting place
VII. Examples of the meetings in the New Testament
A. The first meeting of the church before Pentecost
B. The first meetings of the church after Pentecost
VIII. How to meet
A. Being gathered into the Lord’s name
B. Meeting with the basic factors and elements — the word, the spirit, praying, and singing
Conclusion
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The prayer ministry of the church _les.18

Outline
Text
I. The principle of God’s work
II. The prayer ministry of the church — binding and loosing what has been bound and loosed in heaven
III. Examples of prayer in Acts
IV. Two types of prayer
A. Prayer to have fellowship with God
B. Prayer for God’s work
V. Individual and corporate prayer
VI. Pray specifically and persistently
VII. Pray at set times and all the time
VIII. Pray with the Word and a note book
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

The holy, royal, and gospel priesthood for the building up of the church _les.19

Outline
Text
I. The definition of a priest
II. The holy priesthood
III. The royal priesthood
IV. The gospel priesthood
V. How to practice the priesthood
A. Be revived every morning to be saturated with the Lord
B. Bear the people on your heart to the Lord in prayer
C. Beget through gospel visitation
D. Nourish through shepherding
E. Teach in small groups
F. Build through prophesying
Conclusion
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

Our entrance into the church _les.20

Outline
Text
I. Chosen and predestinated by the Father
II. The redemption of Christ through His blood
III. The resurrection and ascension of Christ
IV. The outpouring of the Spirit on the Body
V. Entering the church by believing and being baptized
VI. Having no exit from the church
VII. Being absolute for the building up of the church
A. Not disobedient to the heavenly vision
B. Not discouraged
C. Always pursuing the goal
Questions
Further references

Our attitude in the church life _les.21

Outline
Text
I. Being conscious of the Body
II. Loving the brethren
III. Having no division
IV. Being delivered from independence
V. Staying in fellowship
VI. Learning to be a member
VII. Submitting to authority
VIII. Having no ambition
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

Young people for the building up of the church _les.22

Outline
Text
I. God calling the young people for His move
II. Being caught and occupied by God
III. Purposing in our heart not to be defiled
IV. The need for companions
V. Praying and seeking the truth with companions
Conclusion
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

Our need to serve for the building up of the church _les.23

Outline
Text
I. The gospel needs to be preached
II. The saved ones need to come to the full knowledge of the truth
III. The local churches need to be established in every city
IV. We must pray for His move
Hymn #1248 (verse one)
V. We must go to disciple all the nations
VI. We must teach them what we have been taught
VII. We must go and establish local churches throughout all the earth
VIII. We will bring the Lord and the kingdom to earth and will receive a reward
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

Our patterns for the building up of the church _les.24

Outline
Text
I. Jesus Christ our Lord being a pattern for us
II. Peter being a pattern for us
III. Paul being a pattern for us
IV. John being a pattern for us
V. Being faithful to the end for the building up of the church
Questions
Quoted portions
Further references

Ru Библия читать онлайн
Es Biblia leer en línea
Zh 閱讀中文聖經

Living Stream MinistryLSM