In the progressing stage of God’s full salvation, the stage of transformation, we corporately experience the dispensing of the Divine Trinity by entering into the kingdom of God, living in the church life, and living in the Body of Christ.
For the believers to corporately experience the dispensing of the Divine Trinity, three steps are needed. First, we need to enter into the kingdom of God and live the kingdom life. Second, we need to live in the church life by living the kingdom life. Third, we need to live in the Body of Christ by living in the church life. The sequence of these three steps is the kingdom, the church, and the Body of Christ. According to the order revealed in the New Testament, the kingdom comes first, then the church follows, and the result is the Body of Christ. This revelation indicates that one cannot live in the Body of Christ without first living in the kingdom and the church.
The kingdom, the church, and the Body of Christ are the framework and inward essence of our Christian living. Without the kingdom, the church, and the Body of Christ, God’s New Testament economy would not have a framework, an organic life essence, an essence that matches God’s being. Both the framework and organic life essence of God’s New Testament economy are closely related to the kingdom, the church, and the Body of Christ.
In the New Testament the first person to speak regarding the kingdom is John the Baptist. In Matthew 3:2 John said, “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” In 4:17 the Lord Jesus repeated his words. Then in 16:18 He spoke of the church: “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.” Following this, the Lord mentioned the kingdom again, saying to Peter, “I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens” (v. 19). Here the Lord indicated that He would give the keys of the kingdom of the heavens to Peter; thus, Peter would be able to open the door for people to enter into the kingdom so that the Lord might build them into the church.
In Acts there are many portions that speak of the kingdom and the church. Acts 1:3 tells us that after the Lord passed through suffering, He presented Himself alive to the apostles by many irrefutable proofs, appearing to them through a period of forty days and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God. This strongly proves that the kingdom of God was the main subject of the apostles’ preaching in carrying out their commission after Pentecost. Before the Lord Jesus ascended to the heavens and poured Himself out as the all-inclusive Spirit for the building up of the church, He taught His disciples regarding the kingdom. Without any knowledge or understanding concerning the kingdom, it would have been difficult for the Lord Jesus to bring them into the church. Therefore, in Acts 1 He thoroughly taught them regarding the kingdom. As a result, the church came into existence shortly thereafter.
In Acts the church is first spoken of in 5:11; then 8:1 speaks of the church in Jerusalem. In the subsequent chapters the church is repeatedly spoken of (v. 3; 9:31; 11:22, 26; 12:1, 5; 13:1; 14:23, 27; 15:3-4, 22, 41; 16:5; 18:22; 20:17, 28). However, even after the church was brought in, the kingdom continued to be preached. In 8:12 Philip announced the gospel of God’s kingdom to the people of Samaria. Then 14:22 says, “Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.” According to 19:8, Paul spoke boldly concerning the kingdom of God. Acts 20:25 says that he went about among the people, proclaiming the kingdom. Finally in 28:23 Paul “expounded these matters, solemnly testifying of the kingdom of God” to those who came to him at his lodging. These verses clearly show that the book of Acts begins and ends with the kingdom of God. Moreover, Acts also reveals that the kingdom and the church are a pair. Without the kingdom, the church life would not have a beginning, nor would it have a conclusion. The church life is closely related to the kingdom; the kingdom is the life pulse of the church. Hence, the kingdom is vitally important to the church life.
God first works to gain the kingdom so that the church may be built up. In this way the church becomes the organism of Christ, the Body of Christ, to express the Triune God embodied in Christ. This is the revelation of the New Testament.
In the New Testament Paul was the only person who spoke of the Body of Christ. He mentioned the Body of Christ in Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, and Colossians. The thought, concept, and revelation of the Body of Christ were brought in through Paul.
If we do not experience the church in its proper relationship to the kingdom and the Body of Christ, we will not have the framework or the life pulse revealed in the New Testament. Hence, it is vitally important for us to see the New Testament revelation and comprehend the New Testament teaching concerning the kingdom, the church, and the Body of Christ.
If we are serious in following the Lord Jesus in this age for the sake of His interests on earth, we will enter into the kingdom of God. We not only need to know the truth and doctrine concerning the kingdom but also the reality and practice of the kingdom. In other words, we need to live in the kingdom. In addition, we need to live in the church in reality and in practicality. This means that we need to practice the church life. We need to be a church person, living in the reality and practicality of the church according to the truth. No matter where we are, we must practice the church life. If we live in the kingdom and in the church, we will spontaneously live in the Body. If we as believers live in the kingdom, in the church, and in the Body to corporately experience the dispensing of the Divine Trinity, the Lord will have a way to accomplish His eternal purpose; moreover, we will receive a reward from Him at His coming back.
God planned to have the church for the expression of Christ. The only way for the church to be the expression of Christ is for her to be the Body of Christ. If we look at ourselves, we will realize that our body is simply our expression. Without a body, we would not be able to express ourselves. Likewise, apart from the church as His Body, Christ has no way to express Himself.
The church as the Body of Christ is not an organization; it is organic. The church is an organic Body composed of all the believers who have been regenerated and have the life of Christ to be the expression of Christ the Head. The Body is the fullness of the Head, and the fullness is the expression of the Head. Christ, the One who fills all in all (Eph. 1:22-23), needs a large Body to be His fullness. This Body is the church as His expression.
The church is the Body of Christ, and Christ is the Head of the Body (Col. 1:18). Therefore, the church and Christ are one Body, a mystical and universally great man, who has the same life and nature and enjoys the same position and authority.