In the Lord’s Recovery we must have the Vision of God’s Economy and be Controlled by it

We in the Lord’s recovery must have a vision of God’s economy and be strong and unshakable in this vision; if we love the Lord and His recovery and if we mean business to practice the church life in the recovery, we need to endeavour to see all the visions concerning God’s economy and be governed and directed by this vision.

This week in our morning revival we come to a new series based on the 2022 spring ITERO entitled, God’s Economy in Faith.

In particular, this first week the title is, The Governing and Controlling Vision of God’s Economy in Faith.

This will be a series on the crucial verse of 1 Tim. 1:4, God’s economy, which is in faith.

The economy of God is carried out in the realm of faith, and every aspect of God’s economy requires faith.

May we receive the Lord’s mercy and grace to open our being so that He may perfect us and disciple us; may we be those who have a vision of God’s economy and allow this vision to control and direct us.

What directs, controls, and governs us in our daily living? Do we have a vision that governs us?

By the Lord’s mercy and grace, may we be able to stand before the Lord and before the saints, before the whole universe and even before Satan to say that, at least to a certain extent, we are governed and controlled by the vision of God’s economy, for we have been infused with this vision and it governs our daily living.

And may we be those who live, serve, and minister to others in the church life being governed by the vision of God’s economy; what keeps us on the Lord’s way and in the church life is not merely the knowledge of the truth or the practices of life but the governing and controlling vision of the economy of God.

When we have the vision of God’s economy, our life is full of meaning and purpose, for this vision motivates and energises us.

The vision of God’s economy gives us the boldness for us to go on with the Lord and in the church life, and this vision upholds us.

The vision of God’s economy is the underlying support for our Christian life, and it gives us endurance, preserving us and bringing us into the Lord’s up-to-date move.

May we open to the Lord concerning this matter so that we may testify like Paul, when he was before king Agrippa, that we could not be disobedient to the heavenly vision.

May this heavenly vision guide our steps and our service to the Lord, and may we remain in the vision of the eternal economy of God in faith so that we may be preserved, upheld, energized, emboldened, motivated, and filled with endurance as we follow the Lord.

We in the Lord’s Recovery must have the Vision of God’s Economy and be Controlled by it

In Rev. 21:9-10 the angel told the apostle John to come up and see the bride, the wife of the Lamb; he was probably expecting to see a person, but when he turned, he saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

We need to be carried away in spirit onto a great and high mountain to see a vision of God’s economy, and this vision needs to govern us. We must be brought into another realm – not just the so-called spiritual realm but the realm of God’s economy.

Yes, it is good to know the truth, have sound doctrines, and read the Bible and pray over it, but there must be a vision that we see and are governed by – the vision of God’s economy.

May we receive the grace from the Lord to be poor in spirit and pure in heart, and may we humble ourselves before Him so that we may see the vision of God’s economy. Our need is to see this vision and be governed, controlled, and directed by this vision.

Where there’s no vision, the people cast off restraint (Prov. 29:18a); however, when we are governed by the vision of God’s eternal economy, we are strengthened and emboldened, and we can follow the Lord in His up-to-date move.

If we have the vision of God’s economy as seen in the divine revelation in the New Testament, we will automatically have only one choice, one preference, one taste, and one ministry, which are all in God’s economy.

We will care only for Christ and the church, and our focus will be the enjoyment and experience of the all-inclusive and all-extensive Christ for the genuine and proper church life.

May all the saints in the church life in the Lord’s recovery be strong and unshakable in the vision of God’s economy, God’s eternal will.

Paul was this way; he saw the vision of God’s eternal economy and became a steward of God, carrying out his stewardship by ministering Christ to the saints for the building up of the church as the organic Body of Christ.

Because he saw this vision and was faithful to this vision, he could be very strong and steadfast, even in prison, and even to the end of his life.

Many Christians love the Lord and the Bible, and they think that the Bible teaches them to be good, ethical, godly, and spiritual; they believe that the Bible is the word of God for them to do what God wants them to do so that one day He would reward them with bringing them to heaven.

So much of what Christians believe today is for their own benefit; however, who cares for God’s benefit, His purpose, His goal?

What the Bible is mainly concerned with is the economy of God, but who today speaks concerning this?

They may talk concerning God’s plan for their life and their family or their church, but who cares for the eternal economy of God, what is in God’s heart, and what He wants to accomplish in order to satisfy the desire of His heart?

God has an economy according to which He wants to gain the Body of Christ to express Him in this age, the bride of Christ to match Christ for His wedding in the next age, and the New Jerusalem for eternity as the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

He wants to gain the bride of Christ to match Christ as His counterpart and come down with Him to carry out the final step of God’s economy.

The outward situation in the world today is ready for the Lord’s return, but we believers in Christ are not yet built up to be the Body of Christ and we’re not yet prepared to be His bride; this is because of the lack of the vision of God’s economy.

May we open to the Lord and ask Him concerning both us and our fellow believers in Christ all over the earth,

Lord Jesus, grant us to have a clear, controlling vision of the economy of God! May we see God’s economy, which is in faith, and may the vision of God’s economy direct and control our heart and our living. Save us from focusing on doctrines, teachings, and Christian practices; may our unique focus be the economy of God. Amen, Lord, we are here for Your purpose, Your heart’s desire. We are not here only for our benefit, and we come to You not only for us to have our needs met. We give ourselves to You for Your need, for Your purpose. Have mercy on us, dear Lord, that we may have the heavenly vision of God’s eternal economy and that this vision would govern and control us in our daily living and our service to the Lord!

Endeavouring to See all the Visions concerning God’s Economy and being Unshakable in them

What God desires to gain on earth is not just a lot of Christians who do their best to obey Him, read the Bible, go to church, and do the right thing according to what the Bible says.

God is not fully satisfied with many more people being saved and brought into the kingdom of God.

What God desires today is to carry out His economy, and His eternal will, and the center of the economy of God is to have the Body to express Christ.

For Him to gain the Body of Christ, the church in this age, He is dispensing Himself in Christ as the Spirit into the ones who believe into Him so that they would be members of the organic Body of Christ.

Every believer in Christ is a member of the church of God, the Body of Christ.

Through regeneration, we become children of God and members of the Body of Christ.

But this is not the end; the process of God’s full and complete salvation includes regeneration, renewing, transformation, building up, conformation, and glorification.

We need to continue to enjoy and experience Christ step by step, day by day, and stage by stage until we are fully matured in the divine life and fitted together with the saints in the Body of Christ as functioning members for the building up of the Body.

God’s economy is to have the church, a proper church in the biblical sense and not what we see today in Christianity.

What we see today on earth in a general sense among Christians is a lot of organizations, denominations, and divisions with many free groups, movements, and churches of this and that kind.

We need to see the vision of God’s economy and be governed, controlled, and directed by this vision as revealed in the holy word of God.

When we see the vision of God’s economy, we will realize that God has only one church, there is only one Body of Christ, and according to God’s purpose, He is dispensing Himself into us day by day and even moment by moment for Him to obtain the church, the Body of Christ.

When we see the vision of God’s economy, it will govern us and will open the door for indescribable blessings to be poured upon us and upon the local church.

Paul was under the authority of the heavenly vision, and the vision of God’s economy needs to govern us and control us.

Even more, we need to be strong and unshakable in the vision of God’s economy, God’s eternal will (Rev. 4:11; 1 Cor. 15:58).

Everything that was created and that exists is for the will of God.

Man may rise against God and speak his own things, and Satan may do so much to deceive both unbelievers and believers from God’s purpose, but God still has an economy, and we need to be those who have a vision of God’s eternal economy.

If we mean business with the Lord to practice the church life in the Lord’s recovery, if we love the Lord and His recovery, we need to be those who endeavour to see all the visions concerning God’s economy (Jer. 29:13; 33:3; Deut. 29:29).

If we seek the Lord with all our heart, we will find Him, and He will show us many wonderful things in His economy.

May we no longer linger, remain, wander, in the realm of being spiritual, victorious, overcoming, and so forth; may we see the divine dispensing and give ourselves to the Lord to serve Him and live under the governing and controlling vision of God’s economy.

May we be brought into the realm of God’s economy with His dispensing and may we seek the Lord, search for Him, pray, and even cry out to Him,

Lord Jesus, we want to be governed by the visions concerning God’s economy. We mean business with You, Lord, and we want to practice the church life according to what the Bible reveals. Unveil us to see a vision of God’s eternal economy. May this vision become the governing and controlling factor of our life and service to God. Bring us out of the realm of merely being victorious, spiritual, and overcoming; may a clear, controlling vision of God’s economy direct our heart! May we be strong and unshakable in the heavenly vision of God’s economy, God’s eternal will. Amen, Lord, dispense Yourself more into our being for the producing and building up of the church as the Body of Christ, the bride of Christ, consummating in the New Jerusalem!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers, and portions from, Life-study of Zechariah, pp. 88-90 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, God’s Economy in Faith (2022 spring ITERO), week 1, entitled, The Governing and Controlling Vision of Gods Economy in Faith.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – God would have a group of people / Built together in His plan, / Blended, knit, coordinated / As His vessel—one new man. / God would come into this vessel / With His nature, life and ways, / Mingling Spirit with our spirits / For His joy and to His praise. (Hymns #1325)
  – Oh, may a clear, controlling vision of / The Lord’s economy direct my heart, / And burn in me until my spirit’s wholly set afire! / With spirit strong and active we’ll press on / To consummate God’s goal— / New Jerusalem, Hallelujah! (Song on, God has called us for His purpose)
  – God’s intention in this universe is with humanity, / So the Lord became the Spirit just with man to mingled be. / We rejoice that we can all partake of His economy. / Yes, mingling is the way. (Hymns #1199)