BEING ONE WITH THE LORD IN HIS MOVE FOR THE UNIVERSAL SPREADING OF THE CHURCH AS THE
TESTIMONY OF JESUS


Message Three

Experiencing and Enjoying Christ as the Tree of Life, Growing Christ as the Tree of Life, and Planting Church Trees for the
Corporate Expression of the Triune God as Life
 

Scripture Reading: Gen. 2:9; John 11:25; 15:1; Eph. 4:15; Col. 2:19; Rev. 1:11-12, 20
Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of
life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live;
John 15:1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.
Eph. 4:15 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ,
Col. 2:19 And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews,
grows with the growth of God.
Rev. 1:11-12 Saying, What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to
Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. 12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven
golden lampstands,
Rev. 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the
messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
I. Day 1 For the universal spreading of the church as the testimony of Jesus, we need to experience and enjoy Christ as the
tree of life—Gen. 2:9; Rev. 2:7:
Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree
of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Rev. 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree
of life, which is in the Paradise of God.
A. The tree of life in Genesis 2:9 signifies the Triune God embodied in Christ as life to man in the form of food.
Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the
tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
B. We may experience Christ as the tree of life in our regenerated spirit; the church, the kingdom, the New Jerusalem, and all
spiritual and heavenly things issue from the experience of the tree of life—John 11:25; 15:1.
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live;
John 15:1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.
C. Eating the tree of life, that is, enjoying Christ as our life supply, should be the primary matter in the church life—Rev. 2:7:
Rev. 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the
tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.
1. For the church life we need to eat Christ as the tree of life—John 6:57b.
John 6:57 As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.
2. All the aspects of the all-inclusive Christ revealed in the Gospel of John are the outcome of the tree of life—1:51; 3:29a;
6:32-35; 8:12; 10:11; 14:6.
John 1:51 And He said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, You shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and
descending on the Son of Man.
John 3:29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy
because of the bridegroom's voice. This joy of mine therefore is made full.
John 6:32-35 Jesus therefore said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses has not given you the bread out of heaven, but My
Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the
world. 34 They said therefore to Him, Lord, give us this bread always. 35 Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes
to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst.
John 8:12 Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall by no means walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 10:11 I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way and the reality and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
3. The content of the church life depends on the enjoyment of Christ; the more we enjoy Him, the richer the content will be—
Eph. 3:16-19.
Eph. 3:16-19 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into
the inner man, 17 That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith,
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length
and height and depth are 19 And to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ,
that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.
4. To enjoy Christ as the tree of life requires that we love Him with the first love; to give the Lord the first place in all things is
to love Him with the first love, the best love—Rev. 2:4; Col. 1:18.
Rev. 2:4 But I have one thing against you, that you have left your first love.
Col. 1:18 And He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might
have the first place in all things;
D. Day 2 In Revelation 22:1-2 there is the river of water of life and the tree of life:
Rev. 22:1-2 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the
middle of its street. 2 And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each
month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
1. Because the tree of life is in the water of life, the way to enjoy the tree of life is to drink the water of life—John 4:14; Isa.
12:2-6.
John 4:14 But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him
will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life.
Isa. 12:2-6 God is now my salvation; / I will trust and not dread; / For Jah Jehovah is my strength and song, / And He has
become my salvation. 3 Therefore you will draw water with rejoicing / From the springs of salvation, 4 And you will say in that
day, / Give thanks to Jehovah; call upon His name! / Make His deeds known among the peoples; / Remind them that His name is
exalted. 5 Sing psalms to Jehovah, for He has done something majestic! / Let it be made known in all the earth! 6 Cry out and give
a ringing shout, O inhabitant of Zion, / For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
2. The essence of the tree of life is in the water of life; thus, in order to enjoy Christ as the tree of life, we must drink of the
river of water of life—John 4:14; 7:37; 1 Cor. 10:4; Rev. 22:1-2, 17d.
John 4:14 But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him
will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life.
John 7:37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me
and drink.
1 Cor. 10:4 And all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of a spiritual rock which followed them, and the rock was
Christ.
Rev. 22:1-2 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in
the middle of its street. 2 And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit
each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Rev. 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! And let him who is thirsty come; let him
who wills take the water of life freely.
E. The principle of the tree of life is dependence on God; the experience and enjoyment of the tree of life causes us to be
dependent on God—John 15:5.
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do
nothing.
F. The Lord wants to recover the church back to the beginning—to the eating of the tree of life—Gen. 2:9; Rev. 2:7; 22:14.
Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the
tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Rev. 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the
tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.
Rev. 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city.
II. Day 3 For the universal spreading of the church as the testimony of Jesus, we need to grow Christ as the tree of life within
us—Col. 2:19; John 11:25; 15:1:
Col. 2:19 And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and
sinews, grows with the growth of God.
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live;
John 15:1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.
A. Christ as the embodiment of God is our tree of life, and this tree is growing in us—Col. 1:27 ; 2:9, 19; 3:4.
Col. 1:27 To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ
in you, the hope of glory,
Col. 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,
Col. 2:19 And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and
sinews, grows with the growth of God.
Col. 3:4 When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.
B. God in Christ has sown Himself into our spirit as the life seed to grow a tree, a miniature of the tree of life—Mark 4:2-8, 26-
29.
Mark 4:2-8 And He taught them many things in parables and said to them in His teaching: 3 Listen! Behold, the sower went out to
sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell beside the way, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 And other seed fell on the rocky place,
where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 And when the sun rose, it was
scorched; and because it had no root, it withered. 7 And other seed fell into the thorns, and the thorns came up and utterly choked it,
and it yielded no fruit. 8 And others fell into the good earth and yielded fruit, coming up and growing; and one bore thirtyfold, and one
sixtyfold, and one a hundredfold.
Mark 4:26-29 And He said, So is the kingdom of God: as if a man cast seed on the earth, 27 And sleeps and rises night and day, and
the seed sprouts and lengthens — how, he does not know. 28 The earth bears fruit by itself: first a blade, then an ear, then full grain in
the ear. 29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he sends forth the sickle, because the harvest has come.
C. In Genesis 2:9 the tree of life was unique, but today the tree of life grows in all of us, causing each one of us to be a small tree
of life; as small trees of life, we need to grow in life—1 Cor. 3:6-7; Eph. 4:15-16; 2 Pet. 1:5-11.
Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the
tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
1 Cor. 3:6-7 I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. 7 So then neither is he who plants anything nor he who waters,
but God who causes the growth.
Eph. 4:15-16 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, 16 Out from whom all the
Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of
each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.
2 Pet. 1:5-11 And for this very reason also, adding all diligence, supply bountifully in your faith virtue; and in virtue, knowledge; 6
And in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control, endurance; and in endurance, godliness; 7 And in godliness, brotherly love; and in
brotherly love, love. 8 For these things, existing in you and abounding, constitute you neither idle nor unfruitful unto the full
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he in whom these things are not present is blind, being shortsighted, having forgotten the
cleansing of his past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be the more diligent to make your calling and selection firm, for doing these things
you shall by no means ever stumble. 11 For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will
be richly and bountifully supplied to you.
III. Day 4 For the universal spreading of the church as the testimony of Jesus, we need to plant “church trees” for the
corporate expression of the Triune God as life—John 5:26; 11:25; 1 John 5:11-12; Rom. 8:2; 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11-12, 20:
John 5:26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son to also have life in Himself;
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live;
1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony, that God gave to us eternal life and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life;
he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
Rom. 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.
1 Cor. 1:2 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those
who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours:
Rev. 1:11-12 Saying, What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to
Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. 12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw
seven golden lampstands,
Rev. 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the
messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
A. In the eyes of God the universal church, the Body of Christ, has been formed; now, after the formation of this universal church
as a complete entity, there is the need for the spreading of the church—Acts 8:1; 9:31:
Acts 8:1 And Saul approved of his killing. And there occurred in that day a great persecution against the church which was in
Jerusalem; and all were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Acts 9:31 So then the church throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being built up; and going on in the
fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it was multiplied.
1. The local churches are established, not formed; the apostle Paul could plant a church, and Apollos could water it, but it was
God alone who formed it and gave it life, and it is God who gives it growth—1 Cor. 3:6-7.
1 Cor. 3:6-7 I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. 7 So then neither is he who plants anything nor he who
waters, but God who causes the growth.
2. The way to spread the church and to establish a church is to bring it to a certain locality and plant it—Rom. 16:5a; Col.
4:15.
Rom. 16:5 And greet the church, which is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia unto Christ.
Col. 4:15 Greet the brothers in Laodicea, as well as Nymphas and the church, which is in his house.
B. Although we cannot form the church, we have the position, the right, the opportunity, and even the commission to go to the
uttermost part of the earth to establish local churches—Acts 1:8; 13:1-3; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 1:11.
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in
all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 13:1-3 Now there were in Antioch, in the local church, prophets and teachers: Barnabas and Simeon, who was called Niger, and
Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen, the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 And as they were ministering to the Lord and
fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for Me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. 3 Then, when they had
fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Gal. 1:2 And all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:
Rev. 1:11 Saying, What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and
to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.
C. What we are doing today is simply establishing churches in different localities by planting “church trees”; this planting of
church trees is the establishing of the church—1 Cor. 1:1-2; 1 Thes. 1:1.
1 Cor. 1:1-2 Paul, a called apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother, 2 To the church of God which
is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours:
1 Thes. 1:1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to
you and peace.
D. Days 5-6 The local churches as church trees are golden lampstands, which are actually living, golden trees—Rev. 1:11-12, 20:
Rev. 1:11-12 Saying, What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos
and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. 12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I
turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,
Rev. 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are
the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
1. The golden lampstands signify the local churches as the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit—Exo. 25:31-40;
Zech. 4:2, 6, 10; Rev. 5:6; 1:11, 20.
Exo. 25:31-40 And you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand with its base and its shaft shall be made of beaten
work; its cups, its calyxes, and its blossom buds shall be of one piece with it. 32 And there shall be six branches going out of its
sides; three branches of the lampstand out of one of its sides, and three branches of the lampstand out of its other side; 33 Three
cups made like almond blossoms in one branch, a calyx and a blossom bud; and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other
branch, a calyx and a blossom bud — so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 34 And there shall be on the lampstand
four cups made like almond blossoms, its calyxes and its blossom buds; 35 And a calyx under two branches of one piece with it,
and a calyx under two branches of one piece with it, and a calyx under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going
out of the lampstand. 36 Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it one beaten work of pure gold. 37
And you shall make its lamps, seven; and set up its lamps to give light to the area in front of it. 38 And its tongs and its firepans
shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 And see that you make them according
to their pattern, which was shown to you in the mountain.
Zech. 4:2 And he said to me, What do you see? And I said, I see that there is a lampstand all of gold, with its bowl on top of it
and its seven lamps upon it, with seven pipes for each of the lamps on top of it;
Zech. 4:6 And he answered and spoke to me, saying, This is the word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might nor by
power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts.
Zech. 4:10 For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice when they see the plummet in the hand of
Zerubbabel; they are the eyes of Jehovah running to and fro on the whole earth.
Rev. 5:6 And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as
having just been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Rev. 1:11 Saying, What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos
and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.
Rev. 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw upon My right hand and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars
are the messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
2. In figure, the golden lampstand signifies the church as the embodiment and the expression of the Triune God—vv. 11-12.
Rev. 1:11-12 Saying, What you see write in a scroll and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos
and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. 12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I
turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,
3. As saints in the local churches, we all are parts of a wonderful golden tree.
4. The symbol of the golden lampstand indicates that the Triune God is a living tree, growing, budding, and blossoming, and
the description of the lampstand conveys the idea of growth—Exo. 25:31-32; Eph. 4:14-16:
Exo. 25:31-32 And you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand with its base and its shaft shall be made of beaten
work; its cups, its calyxes, and its blossom buds shall be of one piece with it. 32 And there shall be six branches going out of its
sides; three branches of the lampstand out of one of its sides, and three branches of the lampstand out of its other side;
Eph. 4:14-16 That we may be no longer little children tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching in the sleight
of men, in craftiness with a view to a system of error, 15 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who
is the Head, Christ, 16 Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich
supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in
love.
a. The lampstand is growing through the branches and within them; this indicates that Christ is growing in us—Col. 2:19 ;
John 3:29a, 30a.
Col. 2:19 And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the
joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.
John 3:29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with
joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This joy of mine therefore is made full.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
b. It is crucial for all the branches to give the lampstand a free way to grow in them and through them—Eph. 4:15-16.
Eph. 4:15-16 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, 16 Out from whom
all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in
the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.
c. The more the lampstand grows in the branches, the more it will blossom and shine, and the more light there will be—v.
15; 5:8-9.
Eph. 4:15 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ,
Eph. 5:8-9 For you were once darkness but are now light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (For the fruit of the light
consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),
5. To plant a church tree is to establish a local church as a golden lampstand.
E. Our burden is to bring the church as a tree to every city, town, and village and plant a church there—Acts 8:1; 13:1; Col. 4:15-
16:
Acts 8:1 And Saul approved of his killing. And there occurred in that day a great persecution against the church which was in
Jerusalem; and all were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Acts 13:1 Now there were in Antioch, in the local church, prophets and teachers: Barnabas and Simeon, who was called Niger, and
Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen, the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
Col. 4:15-16 Greet the brothers in Laodicea, as well as Nymphas and the church, which is in his house. 16 And when this letter is
read among you, cause that it be read in the church of the Laodiceans also, and that you also read the one from Laodicea.
1. We all need to be faithful to carry out the burden to establish local churches by planting church trees—Rom. 16:16b; Gal.
1:2; 1 Thes. 1:1; 2:14.
Rom. 16:16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
Gal. 1:2 And all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:
1 Thes. 1:1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace
to you and peace.
1 Thes. 2:14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus, for you also suffered
the same things from your own countrymen, even as they also from the Jews,
2. The married couples should be like Prisca and Aquila, who planted a church tree wherever they went; wherever they were,
they were willing to bear the burden of the practice of the church by opening up their home—Rom. 16:3-5a; 1 Cor. 16:19.
Rom. 16:3-5 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 Who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not
only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; 5 And greet the church, which is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my
beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia unto Christ.
1 Cor. 16:19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you much in the Lord, with the church, which is in their
house.
3. If we all have the desire to establish churches by planting church trees, the establishing of the churches will be very fast and
prevailing—Acts 19:20.
Acts 19:20 Thus, the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.