![The work of each will become manifest; for the day will declare [it,] because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one's work, of what sort it is. 1 Cor. 3:13](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The-work-of-each-will-become-manifest-for-the-day-will-declare-it-because-it-is-revealed-by-fire-1024x576.jpg?resize=800%2C450&ssl=1 "The work of each will become manifest; for the day will declare [it,] because it is revealed by fire, and the fire itself will prove each one's work, of what sort it is. 1 Cor. 3:13")
In order for us to enter into the kingdom of the heavens, we need to not only call on the name of the Lord but even more, do the will of the heavenly Father, for it is possible for us to do things in God’s name yet not be approved by Him, for we do not do it in Him, with Him, and in His perfect will.
Wow! Oh, Lord Jesus!
Today we as believers in Christ need to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens so that, at the Lord’s return, we would be rewarded by Him with the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
As we live our Christian life, we need to pay attention to and do the will of our heavenly Father.
The Lord Jesus did the will of the Father, and He was limited and restricted not by any outward law or regulation but by the Father’s will.
When others were going to a feast, the Lord Jesus did not go with them, because the Father wanted Him to go a bit later; He then later went, but not openly.
At another time, the Lord went to a particular place, and He detoured to go through a city where there was a Samaritan woman who needed to drink the living water.
The things the Lord said and the works He performed were not His own things and works but what He heard from the Father and what He saw the Father doing.
The Lord Jesus said that He came to do the will of His Father, and, the Father was fully satisfied with Him.
The Father was so pleased with the Lord Jesus that at least three times He spoke from the heavens concerning Him, approving Him openly.
The Lord Jesus did the Father’s will even unto death, for He took the Father’s will, the cross, and died on the cross for us.
He drank the cup of God’s wrath so that we may drink the cup of His blessing.
He took the cup of suffering, now we partake of the cup of joy. He laid down His soul life and even His physical life for us so that we may partake of His divine life.
Now such a One lives in us. The One who does everything and speaks everything according to the Father’s will lives in us.
What kind of life does He live in us today? He lives in us a life for the Father’s satisfaction to fulfil the Father’s will.
The Lord Jesus lives in us today not to help us to do the right thing and reject the wrong thing; He lives in us to do the Father’s will in us.
When we are one with the Lord, when we exercise our spirit and are in the Lord, abiding in Him, we do the will of our heavenly Father, and the Father is satisfied with us, for Christ in us does the Father’s will.
To Enter into the Kingdom of the Heavens we need to do our Heavenly Father’s Will
When we speak of God’s will, many Christians want to know what is God’s will for their life.
However, Rev. 4:11 clearly says that all things exist and were created for God’s will. God has a will.
He wants to carry out His will.
When we are one with the Lord to do our heavenly Father’s will, we will be content, for His will is good and pleasant, and when His will is done, He is satisfied and we are satisfied.
Matt. 7:21-23 is a portion that troubles many Christians, and it should especially trouble many who today do great works of power in God’s name.
Here the Lord says that not everyone who says to Him, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of His Father who is in the heavens.
Many Christians on the judgment day will tell the Lord, Lord, was it not in Your name that we prophesied, and in Your name we cast out demons, and in Your name did many works of power?
And the Lord will declare to them on that day, Depart from Me, I never knew you. Wow!
What does this mean, and how does this relate to us?
It seems that there’s a possibility for us Christians to do great works for God, even miraculous works, yet not do our heavenly Father’s will, and the Lord will reject and disprove us at His judgment seat. Oh, Lord!
In Rom. 10:13 we are told that, if we call on the name of the Lord, we are saved; this is for our salvation.
When it comes to our reward, however, it is not enough just to call on the name of the Lord; we also need to do our heavenly Father’s will.
Not everyone who says, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens in its manifestation; it is those who both call on the Lord and do the will of the heavenly Father that will enter in.
Entering into the heavenly kingdom in its manifestation requires doing the will of the heavenly Father, while entering into the kingdom of God requires us to be regenerated with God’s life and nature (John 3:3, 5).
We need to not only be regenerated by calling on the Lord to receive His life and enter into the realm of the kingdom of God but even more, we need to do our heavenly Father’s will so that we may enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 25:11; Luke 6:46; 13:25).
The will of the Father includes our regeneration and goes even further.
Many do a lot of positive and great things in the name of God, and the Lord does not say they don’t do these works, but He does not approve of them.
Many today and throughout the centuries have done this great work and those great miracles in the Lord’s name.
Some wrote amazing theological papers, uttered sermons that were so powerful, and preached the gospel in so many places and to so many people.
But they did this in the Lord’s name yet on their own; they did not do the will of their heavenly Father.
They felt good about it, others praised them, and they were very much appreciated, maybe even a statue was raised for them after their death or books were written about them; but in God’s eyes, they are disproved.
Even more, the Lord will call them, workers of lawlessness.
We could be doing what we view as spiritual work in very crucial matters, and there needs to be such work done, but if we’re the source, we will be disproved by the Lord at the judgment seat.
If we are the source of the work and we do not do our heavenly Father’s will, the Lord will not approve it.
Sometimes it is manifested that someone has a great gift from God, and he is able to open up the word of God or preach the gospel with power; if such a one does not do the will of the heavenly Father, taking the Father as the source, he is not approved by God.
Many times we see such ones taking themselves as the source and doing their own work, and they eventually end up doing a great division in the Body of Christ, keeping everything under their control and setting up their own “kingdom” within God’s kingdom.
They still do great work for God, but now they are used by the enemy to divide the Body of Christ. Oh, Lord Jesus!
To call on the Lord suffices for us to be saved, but to enter into the kingdom of the heavens, we also need to do the will of the heavenly Father (Rom. 10:13; 12:2; Matt. 12:50; Eph. 5:17; Col. 1:9). Amen!
Since entering the kingdom of the heavens requires doing the will of the heavenly Father, it is clearly different from entering the kingdom of God through regeneration.
The entrance into the kingdom of God is through being born of the divine life (John 1:12-13; 3:5-6), and the entrance into the kingdom of the heavens is through living by the divine life (Matt. 7:21; 12:50).
May we be such ones today, those who seek the Lord, do the will of our heavenly Father, and take the Father as the source in all things, not doing our own work within the kingdom of God.
May we open to the Lord regarding this matter and give ourselves to Him in prayer,
Lord Jesus, we want to do the will of our heavenly Father! Thank You for saving us from eternal perdition and for regenerating us with Your life when we repented and called on the name of the Lord. Hallelujah, we are now in the kingdom of God, for we are children of God, born of God! Amen, Lord, we want to not only be in God’s kingdom but also be rewarded with an entrance into the kingdom of the heavens in its manifestation at the Lord’s return. We want to be those who live by the divine life, always depending on the Lord, so that we do not do our own work or say our own words but take God as the source of all things. Save us from doing a work for God in the name of God but outside of the will of our heavenly Father. Save us from doing great works for God but not being approved by God. Oh Lord, we take You as our source. If You don’t initiate something, we don’t want to initiate it. Oh Lord, keep us one spirit with You. Be the source of all our work for the Lord! May we be those who are approved by God at the judgment seat!
Do the Will of our Heavenly Father by Living by the Divine Life and Taking God as our Source in All Things
May we heed the Lord’s word of warning in Matt. 7:21-23 and pray over these verses so that the Lord will fill us with a holy fear of God in our work for the Lord.
Just because we can do something for God, we have the capacity to do it, and it works out that the result is a great work for God, does not mean that He approves it. Wow!
There is much work that needs to be done for the Lord and in the church life.
There is much work that needs to be done. But who is the source? Who is taking the lead and initiates it: is it us or is it the Lord?
![Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, [was it] not in Your name [that] we prophesied, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name did many works of power? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness. Matt. 7:21-22](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Many-will-say-to-Me-in-that-day-Lord-Lord-was-it-not-in-Your-name-that-we-prophesied-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, [was it] not in Your name [that] we prophesied, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name did many works of power? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness. Matt. 7:21-22")
This word is not just for those who take the lead and are in danger of replacing the Lord as the Head and the Source in initiating the work; this is a word for all of us, the believers in Christ.
Just because the saints agree that we should do this or the leading ones encourage the saints to do a particular work does not mean that we do the will of the heavenly Father; we need to first take the Father as the source and do all things by the divine life of our Father.
We are heavenly people who do not do things just because they need to be done nor do we just work for God because there’s the need for such a work to be done.
We are here not merely to overcome our temper, our lusts, our self, and our flesh, nor are we here just to be kind and sympathetic to others.
We are here for the Father’s will to be done.
This means that we need to walk on a constricted way, taking the will of our heavenly Father as the way for us to walk.
If the Father initiates a work, we are one with Him to do it, but if He does not initiate it, we need to refrain from doing it.
We need to learn to live by the life of our heavenly Father and do the will of the Father.
Our Christian life is the living out of the Father’s life in us and the doing of the will of the Father in our living.
The will of the Father is to build up the church (Matt. 16:18) as the Body of Christ upon Christ as the rock.
We need to live in the life of our heavenly Father and by His life, and our work is to build up the church upon Christ as the unique foundation, the rock.
This is fully developed in Acts, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.
As the sons of our heavenly Father, we need to live by the life of our Father and build up the church as the Body of Christ for the Father to have a corporate expression on earth.
If we do not do this, the Lord will not punish us today; we are in the age of grace, and just as salvation is through grace by faith – and it is optional, so our work today may not be adjusted or exposed by the Lord, but the day of judgment will expose it.
What a shame it will be in that day for so many Christian workers whose work will be rejected by the Lord!
In Matt. 7:22 “on that day” refers to the day of the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:13; 4:5; 2 Cor. 5:10).
On the day of judgment, when we all believers in Christ will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, many will say that they prophesied, cast out demons, and did great works of power in His name, but the Lord will reject them.
He will say, I never knew you (Matt. 7:23); this doesn’t mean He never met them but that He never approved them or acknowledged them.
![For we must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things [done] through the body according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:10 So then do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each from God. 1 Cor. 4:5](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/For-we-must-all-be-manifested-before-the-judgment-seat-of-Christ-that-each-one-may-receive-the-things-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "For we must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things [done] through the body according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:10 So then do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each from God. 1 Cor. 4:5")
The Lord Jesus rebuked those who prophesied, cast out demons, and did works of power in His name because, as “workers of lawlessness,” they did these things out of themselves, not out of obedience to God’s will.
This same word for “knew” was translated as “acknowledge” in Rom. 7:15, where Paul said that, what he works out, he does not acknowledge. Oh, Lord Jesus!
The Lord does not deny that these workers did many great works in God’s name; He will simply say that they are workers of lawlessness because they did not do the will of the heavenly Father.
They did many things in God’s name and it seemed that God was with them, blessing their work; however, the Lord did not approve their work. Oh, Lord.
This should be a word of warning to all of us.
Even in writing this article, and in maintaining this website with much enjoyment from the word and the ministry, we want to take the Father as the source, live by the Father’s life, and speak the words that the Father gives us to speak.
We do not want to do things just because we can do them or are burdened to do them, nor do we want to initiate any work simply because there’s a need for that work and we are qualified to do it.
May the Lord have mercy on us.
May we be those who live by the Father’s divine life and do the will of our heavenly Father to build up the church as the Body of Christ.
May all we do be in the line of the divine will, so that, at the Lord’s judgment seat, He would reward us with entering into the joy of our Master, the kingdom of the heavens.
Lord Jesus, we want to do the will of our heavenly Father in our daily life and in our work for God. We take You, Father, as the source of our work. We don’t want to initiate anything; be the source of all we say and do. Oh Lord, we want to live by Your divine life today so that we may express You and build up the church as the Body of Christ. May our living today be by the Father’s life, according to the Father’s nature, and for the Father’s will to be done. Keep us one spirit with You today. Keep us in the Body, in the fellowship of the Body of Christ so that we may be balanced, coordinated, and built up. Amen, Lord, save us from being workers of lawlessness, those who do many works in Your name but without Your approval. Keep us coming to You in all things and depending on You in all that we do. May all our works be done in line with the will of the heavenly Father!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Matthew, msg. 24 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Being a Vessel unto Honor, a Fully Equipped Man of God, by being Empowered in the Grace which is in Christ Jesus to Fully Accomplish our Ministry in the Unique Ministry of God’s Economy (2024 April ITERO), week 2, God Calling Us according to His Own Purpose.
- Similar articles on this topic:
– What Does It Mean to Be Born Again? Via, Bibles for America blog.
– A Son expressing the Father, a portion from, Basic Training, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee.
– Loving The Father vs. Loving The World, via, Living to Him.
– Calling on the Name of the Lord, via, LSM Newsletters.
– Christ’s human living with the Father, a portion from, The Divine Economy, Chapter 6, by Witness Lee.
– A Harmonious Coordination between Generations to Advance God’s Move, via, Shepherding Words.
– Discovering the Indwelling Christ as the Spirit by Calling on Him, via, Holding to Truth in Love.
– Live the Father’s Life for New Jerusalem, via, New Jerusalem blog.
– What is the Kingdom? More via, The Hearing of Faith. - Hymns on this topic:
– That we the Kingdom enter in, / Surpassing righteousness we need, / Exceeding that which is of law; / From life alone it must proceed. / That we the Kingdom enter in, / We need to do the Father’s will, / Not by our choice to work or act / But His one purpose to fulfill. (Hymns #943 stanzas 3-4)
– This life self-glory doth renounce / And ever for God’s kingdom prays; / It trusts in God for every need / And seeks His kingdom first always. / ’Tis strict with self, with others kind, / And always dealing with the Lord; / It ever does the Father’s will / And acts according to His word. (Hymns #944 stanzas 5-6)
– By Thee, O God, invited, / We look unto the Son, / In whom Thy heart delighted, / Who all Thy will hath done; / And by the one chief treasure / Thy bosom freely gave, / Thine own pure love we measure, / Thy willing mind to save. (Hymns #42 stanza 1)
About aGodMan
Life-study of Matthew, 2nd ed., pp. 285-286, by Witness Lee
In order for us to enter into the kingdom of the heavens, we need to not only call on the name of the Lord but even more, do the will of the heavenly Father! It is possible for us to do things in God’s name yet not be approved by Him, for we do not do it in Him, with Him, and in His perfect will. Wow!
Amen Lord Jesus!
Recover the Father’s will in us, through us and with us day by day! Keep us in the principle of doing the Father’s will!
Brother, we who aspire to be in the kingdom of the heavens should not merely be focused on dealing with negative things like our temper, lust, self, flesh & anxiety.
Our living should also be a positive matter of doing the will of the Father.
Only those who do the Father’s will in this age will enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the next age.
Praise the Lord! 🙌😃🙋🏼
To call on the Lord suffices for us to be saved, to be regenerated to enter into the Kingdom of God.
But to enter into the Kingdom of the Heavens we must do the will of the Father.
His will is for the building of the church so whenever we call, prophesy, cast out demons or do works of power it must be for the accomplishment of His will.
Lord, we want to be known by You. Do keep us living by Your life today, amen!
08/02/24 God Calling Us according to His Own Purpose (Week 2, Day 5)
The New Testament reveals that the church and the kingdom are closely related. The Lord’s word in Matthew 16:18-19 indicates that the kingdom of the heavens is wrapped up with the church: “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of the Heavens.”
The phrase “Kingdom of the Heavens” in verse 19 is interchangeably used for the word church in verse 18. This proves that the genuine church is the Kingdom of the Heavens in this age. Where the genuine church is, there the Kingdom of the Heavens is also. Actually, the reality of the Kingdom of the Heavens is realized today in the spirits of those believers who are faithfully calling on the Lord’s name and doing the will of God. These faithful believers shall then enter into the manifestation of the Kingdom of the Heavens in the coming age as their reward.
What then is the Kingdom of the Heavens? According to the Bible, there are two aspects of God’s kingdom, with respect to the two aspects of our salvation:
1.) Kingdom of God, as the spiritual realm of God’s kingdom, where all the saved sinners who believed and received Christ as their Lord and Savior have entered. By entering into the Kingdom of God, they thus are saved from eternal perdition into the Lake of Fire. By being regenerated, that is, having received the divine life of God, they were transfered from the kingdom of Satan into the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:5; Col 1:13), the realm where God can rule over His believers, His many children, to cooperate with Him to accomplish His plan according to His will ~ to make them the corporate Sons of God for His enlarged expression.
As believers in Christ, in order for us to grow unto maturity, that is, unto Sonship, we must first know the will of God and then do the will of God to accomplish His plan. Many loose believers do not study the Word of God, therefore, do not know nor can do the will of God, which is to live and walk according to the will of God.
2.) Kingdom of the Heavens, which is the reign of Christ, together with His Overcomers, over the nations on the earth for a thousand years. The Overcomers are those believers who have grown unto maturity in the divine life and have lived and walked according to the will of God. These Overcomers shall receive the incorruptible crowns (crowns of righteousness), as their reward, at the Lord’s second coming, to rule with Him over the nations for a thousand years (1Cor 9:25; 2Tim 4:8; Rev 2:10). They are thus saved from being disciplined for a thousand years into the Outer Darkness (Mat 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).
To enter into the first aspect of the kingdom, the Kingdom of God, all we need to do is just receive the divine life of God by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. But to enter into the second aspect of the kingdom, not only do we need to call on the Lord’s name, but we should also do the will of God.
Matthew 7:21-23 say, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, was it not in Your name that we prophesied, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name did many works of power? And then I will declare to them: I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.”
These verses show us that calling on the Lord’s name is not a guarantee that we can enter into the Kingdom of the Heavens. Much more, prophesying, casting out demons, and doing works of power in the Lord’s name may not qualify us to enter into the Heavenly Kingdom. The least qualification that God needs us to do is to live, walk, and do things according to His will and for His interest.
We may be doing the things of God, but not according to the will of God. We might be doing the spiritual things by ourselves and for our self-ambition, self-gain, and self-glory (Phil 1:17; 2:3). In God’s eyes, these are works of lawlessness, and these would disqualify us from entering into the Kingdom of the Heavens. Only those who are faithfully calling on the Lord’s name and doing the will of God can enter into the manifestation of the Kingdom of the Heavens in the coming age.
Matt. 7:23 And then I will declare to them: I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.
The New Testament reveals that God’s divine, eternal will is to build up the church. HWMR – W2D5
The kingdom people are not for anything other than doing the will of the Father. We are not here merely to overcome our temper, our lusts, our self, and our flesh, and to be kind and sympathetic to others. We are here for the accomplishment of the will of the heavenly Father. 💚
Listen to the audio version of this article via,
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https://youtu.be/OOz6g9MlSPY
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Amen! The Lord Jesus says that if we do the will of the Father in heaven we are His family. If we do the Father’s will, we will be in the kingdom of heaven.
The Father is king in heaven, king of all creation. As a kingdom is a land where the king has the supreme will, we owe the Father our doing His will if we hope to be in His kingdom. Even in Israel, even when it had human kings, God was the true king. His laws are the will of a king.
However, God is also Father, He cares for us and saves us and enlightens us. He teaches us and disciplines and forgives us. He helps us to the fullest extent. When I find myself tempted to reject His will, it helps to remind myself how much good God has done for me, how much grace the Father has done for me.
Doing His will is right in itself, and yet what God the Father has done for us makes it easier to do His will. After all, if my parents want me to do something or not do something, I remember all they did for me and their love for me. And that love is worth what they ask I do (within reason). God’s past present and future love is likewise worth my obedience to His will. And what a wonderful honour, that as we do His will we aren’t just His subjects and servants, we are His family.
This is a most sobering word. Thank you brother.
Our God’s desire is not to punish us. He wishes to reward us. Burning our works is not for humiliation’s sake. It is practical. You see, all our works will go through fire and only that which was done through Him will remain. He needs to build with good materials. So He proves it by fire. Note, He doesn’t put us in the fire, just our works. Thank you Lord.
When we do things for the Lord, what we might characterize as good things, but do not ask His will, aka, do not do it through the Spirit, we are therefore not in His will, and our work, though perhaps helpful here and now, has no eternal value.
God knows our heart. He knows how we love Him. He knows we wish to please Him. He knows all this. But He is building something and needs our cooperation to get the proper materials. Thus, we must do all things through Him. We must do this for His good pleasure because His good pleasure is to reward us.
Understand, it is not the work that is unworthy, generally speaking. It is the fact that we did it from “good” flesh, rather than from Him, from the Spirit, according to His will. For example, you are painting a room, and decide to paint it yellow. And you paint it yellow. No reward. Or, you ask the Lord, may I paint this room yellow Lord? Would that also please You or would You prefer another color? The Lord answers, “I think yellow would be fine.” Reward. It is now within His will. It is not the yellow room that matters, you see, it is only His will.
Oh Lord, help us to do all things with You. To consult You. To wait upon You. To practice being Your worthy spouse and counterpart, Your building, unto eternity.