Last week we were enjoying what the church as the kingdom of God is – a realm of life, light, love, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. What a pleasant and delightful realm, and how real it is that we can now be in the kingdom of God by being in the genuine church life and in our mingled spirit! This week we are now getting into THE WAY to build up the church by denying our self, taking up our cross, and losing our soul life. Or, as brother Dick T. put it,
The way to build up the church as the kingdom of God by exercising the keys of the kingdom – denying the self, taking up the cross, and losing the soul life – to lock the subjective gates of Hades and to open the windows of heaven.
The Lord strongly desires to return
Ever since the Lord Jesus was on earth, His desire was to return and bring in the kingdom of God in full. His desire is much stronger these days as we can see that the age of the church is coming to an end and the Lord wants to bring in the age of the kingdom.
Our desire is to render all the cooperation that we can so that He may return soon! He said, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). When the church is sufficiently built up, the end will come!
The way to build up the church – death and resurrection
What is the way to build up the church? As revealed by the Lord in Matt. 16:16-18 and then in 21-26, the way the church is built up in a practical way is through death and resurrection.
The Lord Jesus builds up the church through His death and resurrection – if He would have not died on the cross for us and if He would have not resurrected, there would be no church. It is the same with us today – if we do not die to ourselves and if we don’t live the resurrection life in the church life, we do not build up the church.
The church exists in the realm of resurrection, in the realm of transfiguration – it cannot exist in the natural life or with fleshly people. Peter was in the natural realm and offered his good advice to the Lord, trying to stop Him from going to the cross – but this good opinion of Peter was in the natural realm and it was a hindrance to the building up of the church!
As long as we are in a natural realm or in a fleshly condition, we are through with the church. O, Lord, save us from living in our natural man and turn us to our spirit!
The keys to the gates of Hades
Hades is the realm of death, a region where death prevails. In Matt. 16 we can see that the gates of Hades are in contrast to the building up of the church. The Lord Jesus overcame Hades – He went into death, took a tour of Hades, and triumphed over death in resurrection: He could not be held by death!
Death cannot overcome the resurrection life! Today, we have the keys to the gates of Hades: though the gates of Hades may be bigger than the keys, the keys have authority over them and control them! We in the church have the keys to denying our self, losing our soul life, and taking up our own cross.
[sharing inspired from, The Exercise of the Kingdom for the Building of the Church, ch. 3, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Four Great Pillars in the Lord’s Recovery. ]
Thank You Lord for bringing us into the kingdom of God. We want to see the real situation today and cooperate with You to hasten Your return. Build up Your church! Gain the building up of the Body of Christ, the church, which will bring You back! Lord, save us from living in the natural realm – may we exercise to be in our spirit and live according to our mingled spirit! Praise the Lord, death cannot overcome the resurrection life!
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