How to be Useful to the Lord, Week 2, Chapter 3, Friday

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD

CHAPTER THREE

WEEK 2 - FRIDAY

Bible Reading: Mt 13:32; 25:1-13; John 7:38; 1 Co 18:1

Read and pray: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

BEING USED BY THE LORD AND THE OVERFLOW OF LIFE

WORKING FOR THE LORD ACCORDING TO THE OVERFLOW OF LIFE

Many children of God often think that working for the Lord is the same as being used by Him. It is true that being used by the Lord means working for Him, but what does it actually mean to work for Him? Today, thanks to the Lord’s mercy, we clearly see that working for the Lord is not about how many things we accomplish for Him but about how much of the Lord’s life overflows from us and is infused into others through us.

Brother Watchman Nee often said, “Authentic work is the overflow of life.” Undoubtedly, our work includes an aspect of accomplishing certain things. However, we do not work merely to accomplish tasks. Instead, we work to allow the Lord’s life to overflow, infusing and ministering His life to others—that is, dispensing the Lord Himself to them.

Let’s take the preaching of the gospel as an example. Our work for the Lord, in this regard, is, on one hand, to lead people to salvation and, on the other hand, to minister the Lord’s life to sinners.

Regarding the perfecting of Christians, on one hand, we need to nourish them, but on the other, our true intention is to dispense more and more of the Lord’s life to them. In our fellowship with the brothers or during our visits, we seem to be helping and perfecting others.

In reality, if these moments are up to standard, there should be the overflow of the Lord’s life and the dispensing of this life to the brothers. Even when we speak words of comfort and encouragement, there must be an overflow of the Lord’s life for the brothers. John 7:38 shows that the Lord’s intention is that we, who have His life, allow rivers of living water to flow from within us to meet the needs of many.

The reason why the Catholic Church and Protestant churches have become a great tree (Mt 13:32) is that they carry out many works and initiatives, but they lack inner life.

The Catholic Church undertakes many works and projects, but it is rare to find a true element of life in them. The same is true for many Protestant denominations. They have initiatives such as evangelistic missions, schools, and hospitals. However, in all these large-scale works, it is difficult for people to receive something of the element of life. Often, the same happens among us. Our activities, services, and works do not always have a real connection with the element of life.

THE OVERFLOW OF LIFE DOES NOT DEPEND ON ELOQUENCE OR GIFTS

A message from the pulpit may be convincing and inspiring, but that does not necessarily mean it expresses life and Christ to the listeners. A scriptural exposition may be interesting and satisfying, but it does not necessarily infuse the life of Christ into them.

On the other hand, a brother may stand up in a meeting and give a short testimony. His speech may lack eloquence and fluency, and he may seem unable to touch people’s emotions. Yet, after he speaks, the listeners feel that something inexplicable, something spiritual, has happened to them. It is as if the Lord has come to them and touched their deepest parts, even if they are unaware of it. This is the overflow of life to others.

Sometimes, when a brother speaks in a meeting, his voice is strong and clear, and his words flow easily. He can capture the audience’s attention and make everyone nod in agreement. However, once he finishes speaking, nothing remains. Such a message is like music that does not inspire. It is simply like sounding bronze or a clanging cymbal (1 Co 18:1). When the sounds end, nothing is left, and those who heard them received no life.

You may also visit someone. As you sit in front of them, they may not say a word, yet you feel something has entered you and touched your feelings. If you live according to the flesh, the feeling this person gives you may expose and condemn your flesh. If you love sins and the world, their presence may touch a specific sin or a specific aspect of the world and even convict you of it.

On the other hand, you may meet someone who talks a lot, but none of their words penetrate you or affect your feelings. It seems that everything they say is vain and useless.

The first person did not speak much to exhort you, but through a simple contact with you, they touched your problem. Meanwhile, the second person spoke extensively and quoted many verses, yet nothing had an effect on you. The difference between the two is that one can infuse life into others, even if their speech is not fluent, while the other cannot make life overflow, despite speaking many words. This is why we must understand that authentic work consists of the overflow and infusion of life.

Spiritual hunger is often sadder than physical hunger. In some local churches, people feel unhappy in their spirit when they attend meetings, while in others, they feel the presence of the Spirit. All of this depends on whether there is an overflow of life. If we try to convince others merely with doctrines, it will be useless. People can only understand spiritual matters when these things touch their life. Therefore, when we address spiritual matters, the question is: Are we touching something related to doctrine or to life?

One day, someone asked a brother, “Can a saved person remain in darkness?” The brother replied, “Are you in the light today?” That person asked a question with their mind, but the brother answered them in life to touch their inner feeling. That is why, even in our conversations with others, there is a difference between being in doctrine and being in life.

PAYING THE PRICE TO ALLOW GOD TO WORK IN US

One day, someone told me, “We cannot say that the five virgins in Matthew 25 are saved.” So I asked them, “Are all the wise ones saved? Are you wise?” (see verses 1-13).

We must understand that constant debates over doctrines are useless. We can only solve people’s problems by touching them in the aspect of life. It is only through the overflow of life that we can reach their inner being, and once we touch them in this way, something spiritual will enter them.

Thus, being used by God means working for Him, which, in turn, means allowing His life to overflow, infusing the divine life and God Himself into others. However, before we can dispense God to others, we ourselves must have God and have life.

We can never let flow what we do not have, what we have not experienced, or what we have not received. We can only let flow what we have first received ourselves. Therefore, a person who intends to work for God must first allow God to work in them. Only those who have allowed God to work in their life are fit to work for God.

This happens because a person can only experience God when they allow Him to work in them. By doing so, the life of God enters them through their experiences, and then they will be able to let flow to others the life they have received.

For this reason, we must pay a price. Allowing God to work in us is paying a price. Those who are unwilling to pay this price can only preach doctrines but cannot dispense life to others.

Enjoy more: Hymn 236

How to Be Useful to the Lord, Week 2, Chapter 2, Thursday

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD

CHAPTER TWO

WEEK 2 - THURSDAY

Bible Reading: Mt 19:16-22; 25:8-9; Lk 14:26-36; Jn 20:15-17; 21:15, 18

Read and pray: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Mt 6:24)

THE RESULT OF PAYING THE PRICE

What is the result of paying the price? The result is that, by giving yourself and everything you have to God, God and all that He has are mingled with you. Paying the price is not just so that you may receive a reward and be raptured in the future. On the contrary, it is so that you and all that you have may be taken, and that God and all that He has may be added and mingled with you.

Those who are raptured first are those who are full of God. Those who enter the kingdom to receive a reward are those who are full of Christ. Those who participate in the extraordinary resurrection are those who live in the power of Christ’s resurrection today. Strictly speaking, it is not those who do not pay a price who will enter the kingdom. On the contrary, only those who have paid a price and are, therefore, full of Christ will be able to enter the kingdom.

It is not the price itself that qualifies you to enter the kingdom, nor is it the price itself that gives you the qualification to be a king. On the contrary, it is the Christ with whom you are filled who leads you into the kingdom and qualifies you to be a king.

If you want to be full of Christ, you need to pay a price. The element of God cannot enter into you unless your own element is removed. If you lack God, you cannot mature early. If you lack Christ, you will lose your qualification to be a king. Therefore, the result of paying the price is not that you will enter the kingdom to receive a reward, but that you will receive more of God and Christ. However, those who are full of God and filled with Christ will mature and be raptured first, and only they will enter the kingdom and reign on the throne.

If children spend all day thinking only about receiving their parents’ wealth but do not love their parents, they are as senseless as thieves. If we do not pay the price, love God, or seek the Lord, but spend all day only thinking about being raptured and receiving a reward, then we are simply daydreaming.

On the other hand, if children do not worry about their parents’ wealth but only love and seek to please their parents all the time, eventually, everything their parents have will be theirs. We should not consider the reward, the rapture, and the kingdom as the goals of our pursuit.

Madame Guyon said that if we seek the reward only for the sake of the reward itself, we become fallen. The goal of all our pursuits must be God and Christ, and we must pay any price to gain Him. If we sought Him with such singleness of heart, how could we not mature early? How could we not receive the reward?

If you have read the biography of George Müller, you will see that in all matters, he sought God’s direction and tried to perceive God’s feeling through fellowship. He wrote a book entitled Narrative of the Lord’s Dealings with George Müller.

Müller sought the Lord in fellowship in all matters of life, whether great or small. One particularly striking thing is that after his death, people tried to make an inventory of Müller’s possessions but found nothing because he had given himself and everything he had for the love of Christ.

In the eyes of men, he was utterly poor after his death, unlike many people today who leave behind great inheritances for their children to fight over. However, in the eyes of God, Müller was after God’s heart and pleasing to Him.

We have repeatedly said that the goal of paying the price is that we may gain God and have Him added to us and mingled with us, thus replacing everything that is ours. Those who desire this willingly reject their natural life and disposition and accept God’s life and nature.

They live and walk not according to their own wisdom but according to God’s wisdom, leaving behind their possessions, relatives, fame, and status, and desiring only for God to enter into them and become everything they have. This is what the Bible means when it says we must leave everything, follow the Lord, and lose all things to gain Christ. This is what it means to pay the price, and this is the result of paying the price.

Only those who pay the price see God working in them both to will and to do, see Christ being magnified in them at all times, whether by life or by death, and can say that for them, to live is Christ. They are full of Christ, full of God, and can be used by God.

In summary, the first requirement for us to be used by God is divine visitation, which does not come from us but from God. God’s visitation is His coming to us to visit us. This is the beginning of God’s process in using us. Whenever we have a desire to serve God, we can be sure that He has reached and visited us. However, merely having this desire does not qualify us to be used by God, for on our part, we still need to pay the price.

One day, God came to Isaiah, and as a result, Isaiah decided to go and work for God (Is 6:1-8). However, at that moment, he was not yet able to be used by God; he still had to pay a price. The result of paying the price is that by renouncing everything we have, we accept everything that God has. Only such people can be used by God. Therefore, paying the price is the basic requirement and factor for us to be useful to God.

Enjoy More: Hymn 307

How to Be Useful to the Lord, Week 2, Chapter 2, Wednesday

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD

CHAPTER TWO

WEEK 2 - WEDNESDAY

Bible Reading: Mt 6:24; 19:16-22; 25:8-9; Lk 14:26-36; Jn 20:15-17; 21:15, 18; Acts 2:44-45; 4:32; 1 Cor 9:24, 26; Gal 2:2; Phil 3:8; 2 Tim 4:7; Rev 3:18

Read and pray: "Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:13-14)

THE PURPOSE OF PAYING THE PRICE

The purpose of paying the price is to give God the opportunity to accomplish in us what He intends to do. The meaning of paying the price is that we allow God to have a place in us, to enter into us, be our life, and even fully mingle with us without any hindrance, limitation, or difficulty.

Our way of life, preferences, inclinations, future, and interests must be renounced in exchange for Christ, for He desires to fill the place of everything we have. We need to surrender all that we have. If we give more, we will receive more. If we give less, we will receive less. If we give nothing, we will receive nothing. If we give everything, we will receive everything.

We must pay the price and deny ourselves, renouncing family, career, and future, and setting aside everything that takes God's place. In this way, God will come to us to be our life, power, nature, and content. If someone believes in the Lord but is unwilling to pay the price to gain Christ, then the salvation he receives will consist only of the forgiveness of sins and the reception of eternal life.

The aspect of salvation that includes the forgiveness of sins and receiving eternal life was prepared by God for you, and all you need to do is receive it. However, for God to be mingled with you, you must renounce all that you have. For this reason, Matthew says we need to buy oil (25:8-9), and Revelation explicitly says we need to buy gold, white garments, and eye salve (3:18).

The term buy in these passages was spoken by the Lord Himself. Paul did not use the term buy, but instead, he said: "I have lost all things... to gain" (Phil 3:8). In principle, both losing and buying involve paying a price. The extent of your loss determines how much of Christ enters into you. If you are attached to what you already have, there is no way to gain Christ.

The first Christians sold everything they had for the love of the Lord (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32). Before, they were under the usurpation of those things, and God had no opportunity, space, or way in them. However, in the end, they realized that all those things should not be the goals of their pursuit, but God Himself should be their only goal.

For this reason, they hated all those things and lost them. The rich young man in the Gospels loved the Lord and wanted to follow Him, but in the end, he left sorrowful (Mt 19:16-22). Why? Because he had no intention of selling his possessions. Since he was dominated by all those things, Christ had no place in him.

Whenever a person is dominated by reputation, future, position, power, and relatives, there is no way for Christ to have the first place in them. The Lord said that no one can serve two masters (6:24). This means that no one can have two loves. This issue cannot be solved simply by faith.

Thus, at the end of the Gospel of John, a book that often refers to faith (1:12; 3:15-16, 18, 36; 6:40; 20:31), the issue of love is mentioned. Many Bible readers recognize that John 21 was added by the author as a later reflection. This Gospel undoubtedly ends in chapter twenty, but the writer added another chapter, chapter twenty-one, which is of a different nature.

The first twenty chapters of John speak about faith, but the last one speaks about love (vs. 15-17). Peter and John had no issue with faith. However, unless they left their fishing boats and nets, they could not gain Christ. Today, there are so many Christians who are in John 20, but how many are in chapter twenty-one?

Expressions like "more than these" (21:15) and "when you are old" (v. 18) indicate that we are required to pay a price so that Christ has the opportunity to fill us richly with Himself.

Although, in John 20, Peter was already saved, inwardly, he did not have much room for Christ. He had received eternal life in abundance, but he had not been sufficiently filled with Christ. For this reason, the Lord asked: "Do you love Me more than these?" (21:15). To have more love for the Lord required him to pay a price.

If we only have faith, we still cannot say that, for us, to live is Christ; we still cannot know the power of Christ’s resurrection, and we still cannot say that it is God who works in us both to will and to do. The Lord said that whoever does not renounce everything cannot be His disciple (Lk 14:26-36). If it were enough to simply have faith, then Paul would have had no need to run the race (1 Cor 9:24, 26; Gal 2:2; 2 Tim 4:7), nor would he have desired to receive the future reward (Phil 3:14).

Enjoy More: Hymn 183

How to Be Useful to the Lord, Week 2, Chapter 2, Tuesday

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD

CHAPTER TWO

WEEK 2 - TUESDAY

Bible Reading: 1 Cor. 3:8, 14-15; 9:18, 24-25; Phil. 1:21a; 2:12, 13; 3:8-10; 1; Heb. 10:35

Read and pray: "So, any of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33)

THE MEANING OF PAYING A PRICE

Paying a price is setting aside everything that is not of God in order to receive the second part of divine salvation. We must abandon everything that is outside of God, including the "I", the flesh, the natural being, the disposition, family, religion, wealth, reputation, position, and future.

The sum of all these things relates to “all your possessions” mentioned by the Lord in Luke 14:33 and to “all things” mentioned by the apostle in Philippians 3:8. The Lord said that we need to renounce all possessions to follow Him, and the apostle said that we need to lose all things to gain Christ.

We must do this because God in Christ intends to work in us so that we can be united to Him and mingled with Him. We need to abandon and set aside everything that is outside of God, regardless of whether these things are good or bad, from the past or the future.

In this way, the price we must pay has many aspects, such as the price required in Matthew 5 to 7, 13, 24, and 25, the price in Philippians 3, and the price in Revelation 3:18. Additionally, there is also the price related to reward and punishment (1 Cor. 3:8, 14-15; 9:18, 24-25; Heb. 10:35). All of these prices involve one principle: the price we must pay is to lose everything that is outside of God.

We must set aside everything that is not in agreement with God and that opposes God, takes His place, and replaces Him. Otherwise, we will not give Him the proper opportunity or the sufficient foundation to work freely in us. Consequently, we will not experience God abundantly.

Do not think that renouncing everything, as the Lord said, is too much. Nor think that it is extremely difficult to abandon all things, as the apostle said. The Lord and the apostle said these things because, in order to experience and gain God, we must renounce everything that is not God, that is, we must abandon all things. This is not simply a condition; it is a necessity.

If we live on our own, God cannot be in us with life. If we trust in countless people, things, and matters, and do not commit fully to God, He cannot be all in our interior. If family, spouse, and children are more precious to us than God, then God cannot be all in us. If education, fame, position, and future are more beloved to us than God, then God cannot be our joy and our inner element.

Suppose that, although we believe in God, we live according to things that are outside of God, and these things are everything to us. Although there is no doubt that we are eternally saved, God’s intention to work in us to fully blend us with Him in unity is completely impossible and unfeasible. When we live this way, we not only fail to fulfill what is required of us, but also God’s intention cannot be fulfilled in us. We do not pay the price that is required for God to work in us and be mingled with us.

Some may say that, when talking about paying the price, we despise the effectiveness of the Lord’s salvation. Those who say this do not realize that what they are saying is not in accordance with the truth. The part of salvation that concerns the forgiveness of sins and receiving eternal life can only be obtained by faith. However, we must pay a price if we want God to enter into us and mingle with us, to work in us both to will and to do (Phil. 2:13) and empower us to live Christ (1:21a), always allowing Christ to be magnified in our body (v. 20b).

We cannot reach this level simply by faith. It is impossible to find a verse in the entire Bible that says we can obtain this result simply by faith. Paul explicitly said that, since God works in us both to will and to do, we must obey with fear and trembling (2:12). He also said that, if we desire to live Christ, we do not care about living or dying.

Not only that, if we want to gain Christ and know Him and the power of His resurrection, we need to lose all things and count them as rubbish (3:8-10). Isn’t this paying a price? The second part of God’s salvation requires that we pay a price. This is both a requirement and a fact.

Enjoy more: Hymn 275

How to Be Useful to the Lord, Week 2, Chapter 2, Monday

How to Be Useful to the Lord

Chapter Two

Week 2 - Monday

Bible Reading: Mt 5 - 7

Read and pray: "When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him." (Mt 5:1)

THE TWO ASPECTS OF THE PRICE

The price we must pay has two aspects. One concerns our inner feeling, and the other relates to the light of the truth given to us by the Lord. Normally, what we feel inwardly is mainly related to trivial matters.

The important, valuable, and profound things are most often found in the truth. This second aspect is especially seen in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is a book that speaks of the kingdom. The kingdom has a dual meaning concerning us. On one hand, it involves the government of the heavens, and on the other, it requires us to pay a price. Almost the entire book of Matthew deals with the requirement of paying a price. However, the most important chapters are 5 to 7, 13, 24, and 25.

Matthew chapters 5 to 7, which consist of the teaching given on the mountain, concern the reality of the kingdom. Chapter 13, which consists of the parables spoken by the sea, relates to the appearance of the kingdom. Chapters 24 and 25, which contain the prophecies given on the Mount of Olives, refer to the manifestation of the kingdom.

Both the reality and the manifestation of the kingdom were spoken on a mountain. This happened because only those who "go up the mountain" can participate in the reality of the kingdom today and enter the manifestation of the kingdom in the future. Although a crowd followed the Lord, only a small portion of them heard the message concerning the reality and manifestation of the kingdom. Those who heard were the ones who followed the Lord up the mountain and drew near to Him. In other words, they were the ones who paid a price and had fellowship with the Lord.

The word regarding the appearance of the kingdom was given by the sea, which signifies the world usurped and corrupted by Satan. Those who are in the world can only hear the word concerning the appearance of the kingdom. They cannot see the reality and manifestation of the kingdom because they have not paid the price of going up the mountain and coming to the Lord.

Although the teachings in these three sections of Matthew differ in content, they have one thing in common: the requirement that a price must be paid. In Matthew 5 to 7, the required price is that our entire being and human living must be completely surrendered to the Lord so that we may attain the surpassing righteousness, enter through the narrow gate, and walk on the constricted way.

Matthew 13 requires that we be free from the great tree and the leaven and that we be the wheat and the mustard seed. It requires that we be ground and trampled to provide the supply of life to others. Chapter 13 also requires that we be the treasure (including the precious stones) and the pearl. In other words, this chapter requires that we pass through the fire of the Holy Spirit and the pressure of sufferings to be valuable before the Lord.

In chapters 24 and 25, the price we are required to pay has two aspects: the aspect of life and the aspect of work. The aspect of life is that we need to buy oil, and the aspect of work is that we need to be faithful. Buying oil, the aspect of life, means leaving the external things of daily life and caring only for the Spirit who dwells in us. Being faithful in the aspect of work means using the gift we have received to supply others.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

PAYING THE PRICE AND RECEIVING SALVATION

We all know that God's salvation consists of two parts. In the first, we receive the forgiveness of sins and eternal life by faith, and in the second, God desires to work Himself into us so that we may be mingled with Him and become one with Him. The prerequisite for receiving the first part of God's salvation is faith.

Strictly speaking, the prerequisite for receiving the second part of God's salvation is paying a price. Since God's salvation consists of these two parts, there are two requirements for receiving them. To receive the forgiveness of sins and obtain eternal life, one simply needs to have faith. However, if we desire God to work Himself into us and mingle with us, we must fulfill the second requirement: paying a price.

Enjoy more: Hymn 177

How to Be Useful to the Lord, Week 2, Chapter 2, Sunday

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD

CHAPTER TWO

WEEK 2 - SUNDAY

Bible Reading: James 1:19-24

Read and pray: “You know these things, my beloved brothers. Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” (James 1:19)

KNOW AND MAINTAIN THE PROPER POSITION

In the life of the church, no one is just younger or just older; on the contrary, everyone is both younger and older as well. Despite this, everyone still needs to know their position and maintain it. At work, in the church, and even when everyone is gathered, the younger ones should behave as such and the older ones should behave as such. Each person should maintain their proper position firmly and pay the price to learn this.

Everything in the universe has certain principles. For example, no one who loses their proper position can be blessed. Anyone who abandons their position will certainly lose the blessing that rightfully belongs to them.

In the family, the more children behave properly as children, the more firmly they occupy the position of children, and the more parents behave properly as parents, the more firmly they occupy the position of parents. The same happens in the church: the more the saints develop normally, the more firmly they maintain their position.

The Bible says that the younger ones should be submissive to the older ones (1 Peter 5:5) and the older ones should take care of the younger ones (cf. verses 1-3). We should all know our position without waiting for others to give orders or take necessary steps. We must always maintain our position, paying the price to learn this lesson.

Everyone should clearly know their position. For example, someone who has truly learned this lesson and knows their position would not have the courage to say anything about the food placed before them, regardless of how bad it tastes. Even if the food were poisoned, all they would do is refrain from eating it.

They cannot say what they like because they are not in the position to say anything, and the moment is not appropriate for it. Whoever has truly learned this lesson will make every effort to speak at the right moment. However, if the moment is not right, they will remain silent.

Someone who has truly learned this lesson always maintains their position. When the moment is right to discuss something in a meeting, they speak. However, outside the meeting, once the discussion is over, they refuse to speak. Knowing our position and maintaining it is paying the price to learn this lesson.

We must always learn to pay the price, for only then can we be useful in the Lord’s hands. When we gather, the position of the younger ones and the position of the older ones must be clearly defined. The clearer this situation is, the more blessings there will be.

In the church, the more visible the order, the stronger the church will be. The younger ones should not feel ashamed, and the older ones should not feel proud. We should not think that those who correct us are mistreating us.

We must realize that the fact that the younger ones can listen to the older ones is something extremely glorious and sweet. Our position is to obey the older ones, whether they are right or wrong. We are not in the position to say anything before them. Once we say something recklessly, we lose the blessing.

Noah made a serious mistake when he became drunk and exposed himself. However, when Ham, the father of Canaan, spoke about what happened, he lost the blessing (Genesis 9:20-27). When there are gossip and murmuring in the church, the blessing is lost. Do not think that speaking a little is nothing; in fact, a small spark can start a great fire. In daily life, we need to learn the lesson of knowing our position. To do so, we must pay a considerable price.

Enjoy more: Hymn 264

How to Be Useful to the Lord, Week 1, Chapter 2, Saturday

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD

CHAPTER TWO

WEEK 1 - SATURDAY

Bible Reading: Mt 5:1; 8:23; 9:10; 13:12, 10, 36; 16:13; 17:1-2; 24:1-3; Jd 7:4-8

Read and Pray: “When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him;" (Mt 5:1)

LEARNING TO PAY THE PRICE IN DAILY LIFE

TRUE SEEKING TAKES PLACE IN DAILY LIFE

At one point or another, we all make the decision to seek spiritual growth and to be useful to the Lord. However, seeking by our own decision can often become a matter of formality and thus incompatible with reality. True seeking must take place in every aspect of daily life.

You can enjoy the view of the mountains and rivers on your trips while seeking. You can talk with a friend about all kinds of things while paying the price. We should pay the price and follow the Lord in every aspect of daily life.

There’s no way to know if the Lord ever presided over a formal meeting while He was on earth because He was not bound by formalities. On the contrary, He led the disciples to follow through with daily life. Even while traveling, they still followed Him (Mt 5:1; 8:23; 9:10; 13:12, 10, 36; 16:13; 17:1-2; 24:1-3). In the Old Testament, Gideon and his followers were tested in daily life in the matter of how they drank water (Jd 7:4-8). This should be the principle of spiritual seeking.

We should not only pray when we enter a room, nor preach and work only when we enter a meeting place and step up to the pulpit. If we pray, preach, or work only in those moments, we are merely fulfilling religious formalities.

We can seek God at any time, whether we are on the mountain or by the sea, on the road or at home. It is in daily living that people can detect whether we are truly seeking the Lord and whether we can truly be used by Him.

If we cannot work for the Lord in daily life, we certainly cannot work for Him at scheduled times. The true worker is the one who can provide spiritual help and provision for others in each of their movements and actions throughout the course of common daily life. Only that is reality.

Our living must be genuine, not religious. Every person and thing we come into contact with and meet every day, in every moment and place, are opportunities for us to pay the price and seek to be useful to the Lord.

A BASIC PRICE TO PAY

One basic price we need to learn to pay in daily seeking is that the younger ones should receive help from the older ones, who, in turn, should do their best to help the younger ones. In order to be manifested before the Lord as those who truly seek spiritual growth, we must pay attention to these two issues. On one hand, we must do everything possible to receive help from those who can provide it, and on the other, we must do everything possible to help those in need. True seeking is this.

However, what usually happens is that the younger ones seek out the younger ones and the older ones seek out the older ones. This is neither seeking nor paying the price. This most likely happens because of self-preference. Seeking only those who are your age to talk intimately with is not paying the price, but rather tied to preference.

You should put an end to this practice of spending time only with those whose tastes and temperaments are like yours. It is because of the unwillingness to pay the price that the younger ones do not seek the older ones. It is also because of this unwillingness that the older ones do not seek the younger ones. This kind of situation is, most of the time, caused by being in the flesh and unwilling to deny the "I".

In the first chapter of the Song of Solomon, she who seeks follows the Lord, but still has to tend to the goats (v. 8). If we neglect the younger ones, we are not very useful to the Lord. The older ones should seek to help the younger ones because they feel the responsibility to do so. The younger ones should seek the older ones because they feel the need to receive help. This is what proper service consists of.

We should not wait for the meeting time to serve. On the contrary, we should serve while working in the office, doing housework, and even away from home, traveling in our free time. This can be compared to a mother who cannot forget her children, whether she is at home or away, at work, taking care of some matter, or engaging in recreational activities. The true lessons of seeking are learned in daily life, and the true moment of service happens in regular moments.

Enjoy more: Hymn S-73

How to Be Useful to the Lord, week 1, chapter 1, Friday

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD

CHAPTER ONE

WEEK 1 - FRIDAY

Bible Reading: Gn 22:1-2; Php 3:5-6, 8, 10, 13

Read and Pray: "Brothers, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, (Php 3:13)

THE PRICE IN PHILIPPIANS:

GIVING UP ALL THINGS TO GAIN CHRIST

The price in Philippians 3 is different from the price in the Gospels. The price in the Gospels refers to everything we have, while the price in Philippians 3 refers, above all, to all the things that enable us to serve the Lord. For example, all things in Philippians 3 denote our abilities in service (v. 8). We may have the ability to serve, preach, testify, and visit the saints. We may also have eloquence and experience. All these things are included in the price that is required of us in Philippians 3.

The revelation in Philippians 3 is that we must follow the experience of Christ and the power of His resurrection (v. 10). Therefore, we need to pay the price, renouncing everything we have: our theology, eloquence, doctrines, knowledge, and experience, in exchange for Christ, the experience of Christ, and the gain of Christ. Paul renounced all things to gain Christ (v. 8). In other words, he gave up all his abilities in God's service to gain Christ as his ability.

We need to set aside our ability, eloquence, doctrines, and messages, and let Christ be our ability, eloquence, and message. It is only by paying the price in this way that we can gain Christ.

Let’s use the example of visiting the saints as an illustration. Once we frequently go out to visit the saints, we gradually learn something about this matter. Soon, we may think we are experienced in the subject. However, if we do not give up our experience in this matter for Christ, we will not be able to experience Him through the visits. Once we desire to preserve our ability, Christ has no chance to manifest. However, if we visit the saints by setting aside our experience, we will no longer depend on our ability. We consider the ability to visit the saints, which was a gain for us, as loss for Christ. Although we have the ability, we give it up and consider it as refuse. In return, we gain Christ and experience Him.

The price in Philippians 3 is not a price experienced in the initial stage of the Christian life. The price experienced in the initial stage of a Christian is the price of the Gospels. The price of Philippians comes after the price of the Gospels. Whoever has not paid the price of the Gospels cannot pay the price of Philippians 3.

The price of the Gospels does not require any qualification: it is the initial price; whereas the price of Philippians 3 requires certain qualifications. Only after paying the price of the Gospels can a person serve in Acts, and only after serving in Acts can they have the experience and qualifications to pay the price of Philippians 3.

After paying the price of the Gospels, a person will have many experiences in the service of God. However, if they stop there, holding on to those experiences instead of letting go of them, they will not have any new experiences and will be unable to have more experiences of Christ. For this reason, Paul said that we must forget the things which are behind and reach forward to those which are ahead (Php 3:13).

Regardless of how good they were, our past experiences are the things that are behind and must be forgotten (cf. vv. 5-6). If we preached the word once and three thousand souls were saved, we still need to give up that experience and consider it as refuse to gain the living Christ.

Unless we are willing to let go of the experiences of the past, we cannot have a new experience of Christ, and without that experience, we will not have new usefulness in service. There are some whose usefulness before the Lord is old: it is neither new nor alive, for they are not willing to pay the price mentioned in Philippians 3 and, therefore, lack the experience of Christ and the power of His resurrection.

The price of Philippians 3 can be compared to the offering of Isaac on the altar by Abraham (Gn 22:1-2). Abraham had received Isaac as a promise from God; nevertheless, he still had to offer Isaac again. Similarly, we still need to offer to the Lord the lessons we have learned before Him in the past. This is the price of Philippians 3, which is a higher price.

The price of the Gospels is paid by a follower of the Lord in the initial stage of their experience. The price of Philippians is paid by someone who has been serving the Lord in some way and has a considerable degree of knowledge of the Lord, a considerable degree of spirituality, a considerable degree of accomplishment, and a considerable degree of experience. At this point, the price revealed in Philippians 3 will require them to give up all these “considerable degrees,” that is, to give up all things.

Although they are good and are “Isaacs,” all these things are from the past. Therefore, the person must forget them and pay them as the price to gain some new experiences. Only in this way will they have new and vigorous usefulness in service.

THE PRICE IN REVELATION:

BUYING THREE THINGS

Another passage in Scripture that very clearly mentions paying the price is Revelation 3:18. This passage speaks of buying three things: refined gold, white garments, and eye salve. All these things relate to a price. Moreover, it is the Lord who asks us to buy them. Gold signifies the nature of God, the element of God.

In the church in Laodicea, there was much clay, but very little gold. In other words, there were many things among them that were outside of God and very little of the element of God. Consequently, the Lord advised the Christians to buy gold. Regarding the white garments, the white color denotes purity, the absence of mixture, and the garments symbolize a walk and conduct that express the purity of God. Third, the eye salve is to anoint the eyes. When the eyes hurt and cannot see, one needs to buy eye salve to heal them and make them good again.

In normal situations, the inner nature of a Christian should be pure, and their outward living should be bright and shining. All these items require us to buy something, to pay a price. God's intention is to fulfill His eternal purpose through man. Thus, after the Lord calls us, we need to pay the price to be useful to Him.

Enjoy more: Hymn 467

How to Be Useful to the Lord, Week 1, Chapter 1, Thursday

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD  

CHAPTER ONE  

WEEK 1 - THURSDAY  

Bible Reading: Mt 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 19:21, 27; Mk 12:42, 44; Lk 9:62; Acts 1:13-14  

Read and pray: “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Lk 14:33)

THE PRICE IN THE GOSPELS:  

LEAVING EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW THE LORD  

The Gospels mention numerous times when the Lord called different people. Strictly speaking, the Lord’s calling is not primarily for people to be saved, but for them to follow Him. For example, there are Bible verses such as: “Come, follow Me” (Mt 4:19), “Follow Me” (9:9), “Sell your goods... then come and follow Me” (19:21), “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead” (8:22), and “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk 9:62).

These verses repeatedly reveal to us how great the price is that must be paid by those who wish to follow the Lord. In the Gospels, the only requirement the Lord had for those called by Him was that they leave all their possessions (Lk 14:33). This was how the first disciples were called to follow the Lord. Peter said, for example, “We have left all and followed You” (Mt 19:27). “All” means “everything.” If a person with five thousand dollars offers five thousand, and another with fifty thousand dollars offers fifty thousand, then both have given everything they had to pay the price. In the eyes of the Lord, they both paid the same price.

One day, the Lord praised the widow who put two coins in the treasury because she had given all she had, even her entire livelihood (Mk 12:42, 44). Therefore, for us, paying a price does not necessarily mean investing the most, but giving all we have.

The one who gives everything is the one who pays the price. The Lord never considers what we pay. On the contrary, what He considers is whether we have given everything. The “everything” required in the Gospels is everything we have, including parents, spouse, children, brothers, sisters, house, business, academic degree, position, fame, preferences, ambitions, and life. All these items are the price required in the Gospels.

Many of us today, however, have not severed relationships with relatives. This does not mean we should visibly break off all human relationships. On the contrary, it means we should sever all emotional ties. In summary, the Lord desires that we give up everything we have. This is the hardest demand He has for us.

Every time we touch the Lord, He will require something from us. It will always be like this. The Lord is never satisfied with the price we have already paid: Every time He touches us, He will ask for something. We experience the most visible presence of the Lord when He requires something from us. From our side, the only time we do not realize that He is requiring something of us is when we lose our fellowship with Him. From the Lord’s side, His demands will cease only when the new heaven and the new earth are established.

Today is the time for the Lord to use man and win him to do His work. As a result, He will continue to require something from us, and His requirements will grow. At first, the Lord’s requirements are small, but gradually they become larger, deeper, and more difficult. If we try to suppress the sense that He is requiring something from us, we will suffer great loss because our fellowship with Him will be interrupted. After a long time, the Lord will no longer be able to do His will in us, and as a result, He will be forced to turn to someone else. However, if we agree to His requirements, if we learn to obey, and if we are willing to pay the price, our sense will become more and more sensitive, to the point where we feel almost all day long that the Lord is asking something from us.

If we do not cooperate with His requirements and are not willing to pay the price, there will be two results. First, from our side, we will be like the young man who went away sorrowful (Mt 19:22). Second, from the Lord’s side, He will not be able to manifest our usefulness to Him. For this reason, we would rather make mistakes trying to obey than completely disobey, and it is better to obey too much than too little. If we respond to the Lord’s requirements, there will also be two results. First, we will be filled with joy, and second, the Lord will be able to manifest our usefulness.

We must realize that the basic requirement to be used by the Lord is to agree with His demands. A person who agrees with the Lord’s demands can be used by Him even if they do not have great knowledge of the truth. They can still be used by the Lord even if they do not pray frequently. The power we receive when we pay the price to respond to the Lord’s demands is often greater than through numerous prayers.

The power we receive when we pay the price to respond to the Lord’s demands is often greater than through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. People pay attention to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but they do not see that, on the day of Pentecost, those who received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit paid a high price. They left everything to be in the upper room in Jerusalem and continued in prayer with one accord (Acts 1:13-14).

Many people would like to receive the power generated by the outpouring of the Spirit, yet they are not willing to learn the lesson of paying the price. For this reason, they do many works, but their works cannot last and do not have lasting effect. If the worker wants their work to continue and endure for a long time, they must learn the lesson of paying the price. The permanence of a work depends on how much the worker has learned this lesson. The power to do the Lord’s work is in learning this lesson, and for that, one must pay a price. A person’s usefulness before the Lord is based on the price they have paid before the Lord.

We all admire the way people like Paul and Peter were useful to the Lord, yet we forget that they paid a high price before the Lord. If we are not useful to the Lord today, the only reason for that is that we are not willing to pay a price, we are not willing to respond to His demands, and we are not willing to give up our reputation, education, position, future, and all our life. For this reason, we do not feel the Lord’s presence, we rarely have contact with Him in fellowship, and naturally, we have little usefulness before Him.

Enjoy more: Hymn S-1

How to Be Useful to the Lord, Week 1, Chapter 1, Wednesday

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD

CHAPTER ONE

WEEK 1 - WEDNESDAY

Bible Reading: Gn 8:1-5; 22:1-2; Ex 19:20; 1 Kings 18:42; Is 6:8; Mt 5:1; 8:19-29; 16:24-97; Lk 9:59-62; Rom 9:15-18; Eph 2:4-5, 8; Phil 3:7-8; 2 Tim 4:6-8; Rev 1:9-10; 21:10

Read and Pray: "Then a scribe approached Him and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’" (Mt 8:19-20)

PAYING A PRICE

The visitation of the Lord marks the beginning of the use of man by God. Without the Lord’s visitation, we cannot be called. Therefore, it is the Lord's responsibility to visit us. However, the Bible reveals that although the Lord is responsible for visiting us, we also have a responsibility: to pay a price (Mt 8:19-29; 16:24-97; Lk 9:59-62).

Moses and David in the Old Testament, and Paul and Peter in the New Testament, paid a price through the Lord’s visitation. When the Lord met Paul on the road to Damascus, He did not immediately grant him power, revelation, or gifts. On the contrary, the Lord told him to enter the city and let a small disciple named Ananias tell him in a few words what he should do (Acts 9:5b-6, 10-17).

Once he was willing to pay the price, Paul was greatly used by the Lord (Phil 3:7-8). On one hand, the Lord always visits man, but on the other hand, man must always pay a price. Therefore, our usefulness to the Lord begins with His visitation but also depends on our willingness to pay a price.

The price to be paid after answering the Lord’s call has no limits. No one can say they have paid the full price and there is nothing more to pay. Not even the apostle Paul could say this. On the contrary, he always forgot what lay behind and pressed on toward what was ahead, reaching for the goal, until one day he even gave up his own life (vs. 12-14; 2 Tim 4:6-8).

When Paul wrote the fourth chapter of 2 Timothy, he had already paid nearly all the price he could; yet, he continued to press on. We have all been visited by the Lord, and the visitations we received were the same. However, because of the differences in the price each of us has paid, our usefulness in the hands of the Lord may be different from others. Since Paul paid a higher price than others, his usefulness was also greater than theirs.

Some may say that the Lord has mercy on whom He wills (Rom 9:18). However, this word was spoken about the Gentiles, like Pharaoh, who had not yet been visited by God (vs. 15-17). We, who have been saved by grace, have already received the Lord’s visitation (Eph 2:4-5, 8).

Therefore, now the question is not whether we have received the Lord’s visitation but whether we are willing to pay a price. Our usefulness in the hands of the Lord entirely depends on the price we pay. If we pay a high price, our usefulness will be great; if we pay a low price, our usefulness will be limited.

Through the years, the Lord’s visitation has not been rare, yet He is always groaning because the price we are willing to pay is too low. This is why the Lord’s work today can only advance slowly, and the Lord still cannot return. The Bible clearly reveals that the Lord expects man to pay a price and be used by Him by answering His call.

In Isaiah 6:8, the Lord said, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”. Perhaps we do not have a sufficiently deep understanding of this word. This word implies that in the universe, the Lord has a great desire in His heart and waits for man to respond to His call. He intends to operate in any age, but there are not enough people willing to pay the price and answer His call.

Whenever there is someone on earth willing to pay the price and answer the Lord’s call, the Lord will certainly use him. The extent of the human response determines the extent of the use the Lord will make of the man.

THE BIBLICAL MEANING OF
“GOING UP THE MOUNTAIN”

The first person in the Bible to “go up the mountain” was Noah. He reached Mount Ararat while he was in the ark, passing through the flood (Gen 8:1-5). The emphasis of the judgment through the flood was not on judging sin, but on the world that offended God. The fact that Noah went up the mountain symbolizes that he was being freed from judgment and escaping all situations of rebellion against God.

When he reached the mountain, all situations of rebellion against God ceased. Therefore, going up the mountain in the Bible to be in the presence of God means, first, being free from rebellion. Although the whole world had plunged into a state of rebellion against God, those who went to the mountain with Noah escaped rebellion.

Second, it indicates ascension to heaven through death and resurrection. Once freed from rebellion and passing through the flood, a type of death and resurrection experience, Noah entered a new era to represent the authority of God on earth. The meaning of Noah going up the mountain is the same as for all those who have gone up the mountain after him.

Every time God leads someone to go up a mountain, He intends for them to be freed from rebellion and pass through death and resurrection, in order to reach a condition of representing God’s authority on earth. This is the essence of the human experience of going up the mountain.

OBTAINING REVELATION

In the Bible, there is another aspect of the meaning of going up the mountain: obtaining revelation. In many examples, from Abraham’s ascent to Mount Moriah (Gen 22:1-2) to John’s stay on the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9; 21:10), the emphasis in these experiences is on receiving revelation. Abraham’s ascent to Mount Moriah was initially for consecration, but ultimately, it was for revelation. By going up the mountain, Abraham came to know God as “Jehovah-Jireh” (The Lord Will Provide) and to understand God’s work on earth, for God’s promise to Abraham had to do with the work He would accomplish on earth.

After Abraham, Moses and Elijah also received revelation when they went up a mountain (Ex 19:20; 1 Kings 18:42). In the New Testament, when the Lord took His disciples up a mountain, it was also for revelation (Mt 5:1). Finally, the purpose of John being taken to a mountain while on the island of Patmos was, above all, to receive revelation. In John’s experience of going up the mountain, we see the extreme significance of this matter: being freed from rebellion, passing through death and resurrection, representing God’s authority on earth, and receiving a deeply mysterious revelation.

The fact that one must go up the mountain to receive revelation indicates that, in order to receive it, one must pay a price. In other words, going up the mountain is paying a price. The Lord’s teaching on the mountain in Matthew 5-7 came after He taught in the synagogues (4:23) and was independent of His teaching there. The teaching in the synagogues was common, general, and heard by a large number of people.

However, after teaching in the synagogues, the Lord took His disciples to the mountain. The teaching on the mountain was related to the kingdom of heaven; this teaching was important, specific, and was heard only by those who went to the Lord, following Him to the mountain. Going up the mountain is paying a price and drawing near to the Lord. Throughout all generations, few have been able to comprehend the teaching in Matthew 5-7 because few were willing to pay the price.

If we want to receive revelation, we must sincerely make the decision to pay a price and draw near to the Lord. There are basic requirements for us to have the experience of going up the mountain and receiving revelation. It was by fulfilling these requirements, paying the price, and drawing near to the Lord that Abraham, Moses, and the Lord’s disciples were able to receive revelation. This was especially true for John on the island of Patmos; he received revelation while paying the price and drawing near to the Lord on the Lord’s day (Rev 1:10). We all must learn this lesson.

Enjoy More: Hymn 65

How to Be Useful to the Lord, Week 1, Chapter 1, Tuesday

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO THE LORD ¹

CHAPTER ONE

WEEK 1 - TUESDAY

Bible Reading: Acts 9:3-5; 22:6

Read and pray: “And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’” (Acts 9:4)

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD'S PLAN AND MAN

God has a plan. All of God's work in the universe, from ages past to eternity future, is carried out according to His plan. This plan must be fulfilled by man and also in man. Therefore, God desires to gain all His created and redeemed people for the fulfillment of His plan.

Do not think that God’s using us today is an accident. God’s use of us is entirely based on His predetermined plan. Everyone whom God uses is within the sphere of His plan. Since God's plan is fulfilled only in man, God needs to use man greatly. Just as an individual, being a citizen of a certain country, is within the sphere of that country’s utility and can be used by it, so we, who belong to the kingdom of God, are within the sphere where we can be used by Him.

THE NECESSITY OF GOD'S CALLING

All who have been saved have the position and potential to be used by God. God confirms man's usefulness to Him not only when He creates and redeems him but also when He calls him.

The reason God created and redeemed man is that He intends to use him. However, from man’s perspective, creation and redemption alone are not enough to convince him that God intends to use him.

Therefore, God must also call man to confirm His intention of using him. In other words, we may feel that, although God has created and redeemed us, He may not necessarily use us.

Only when we have clarity about God's calling to us can we say with conviction that He intends to use us. Therefore, for us, God's calling is a confirmation of His intention to use us. Now, the question we must ask ourselves is: “Has God called us? And how do we know that He has called us?”

THE VISITATION OF GOD

We may have the concept that understanding God's calling is a difficult matter. In reality, we only need to ask ourselves whether, from the day we were saved until now, we have ever had the feeling of wanting to be used by the Lord or have ever heard, deep within us, a gentle and soft voice saying that the Lord desires to use us.

If we have had this feeling, then we can know that the Lord has called us. For us, having a heart willing to be used by the Lord is the result of an extraordinary work of the Lord. This work is far greater than the Lord’s work in creating us.

The Lord’s work in creating us was not as great as His work in placing within us a heart willing to be used by Him. His working in man in this way is His greatest way of visiting him. In other words, this work happens when He comes to man and visits him.

How did we come to have a heart willing to be used by the Lord? Before, we did not even care about Him, yet to our surprise, we now have the desire to serve for His use. This proves that this is the Lord’s visitation and that His grace has come to us.

For the past thousands of years, God has come to man and visited him countless times. Unfortunately, not many in the church today have sensed His visitation. God always comes to man, yet man often puts Him aside. We should not think that to receive God’s calling, we need to hear a thunderous voice or see a great light, as Paul did on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:3; 22:6).

In reality, in principle, the gentle and soft voice within us is no different from the calling Paul received on the road to Damascus. We can use the light of the sun as an illustration. Although there is a difference between the mild light of dawn and the intense rays of midday, the sun is the same.

Similarly, although God sometimes calls man in an extraordinary way, most of the time, He appears to and visits man in an ordinary way. God's visitation to man is the confirmation of His desire to use him and the beginning of His use of man.

_____________________

¹ This book consists of messages given by Brother Witness Lee in April and May 1955 in Baguio, Philippines. It comprises six chapters that speak on how a Christian can become useful in the Lord’s hands to carry out the divine commission in God’s economy of grace.

Enjoy more: Hymn 208

Study of Acts, chapter 28, message 72, week 33, Tuesday

ETUDE QUOTIDIENNE DES ACTES

MESSAGE SOIXANTE-DOUZE

CONCLUSION (2)

SEMAINE 33 – MARDI

Lecture biblique : 1 Co 12:13 ; 15:45 ; Hb 10:12, 14

Lire et prier : "Et vous vous êtes revêtus du nouvel homme qui se renouvelle dans la connaissance complète, selon l'image de celui qui l'a créé ; dans lequel il n'y a ni Grec ni Juif, ni circoncision ni incirconcision, ni barbare, ni Scythe, ni esclave, ni libre ; mais Christ est tout en tous" (Col 3:10-11).

LE NOUVEL HOMME, DANS LEQUEL CHRIST EST TOUT

Dans Colossiens 3:10-11, Paul dit : "Et vous vous êtes revêtus du nouvel homme qui se renouvelle dans la connaissance complète, selon l'image de celui qui l'a créé ; dans lequel il n'y a ni Grec ni Juif, ni circoncision ni incirconcision, ni barbare, ni Scythe, ni esclave, ni libre ; mais Christ est tout en tous."

Ici, nous voyons non seulement qu'il n'y a pas d'homme naturel dans le nouvel homme, mais qu'il n'y a aucune possibilité ni place pour une personne naturelle. Dans le nouvel homme, il n'y a de place que pour Christ. Il est tous les membres du nouvel homme et il est dans tous les membres. Il est tout dans le nouvel homme. En fait, Il est le nouvel homme, Son Corps (1 Co 12:13).

En écrivant ces mots, Paul a dû penser : "Je n'aurais pas dû parler aux frères de Jérusalem des Juifs et des Gentils. Je ne suis pas allé vers les Gentils ; je suis allé vers le peuple choisi de Dieu. Tous ceux qui ont été sauvés par mon ministère sont le peuple de Dieu. Il les a choisis avant la fondation du monde. Il n'y avait certainement rien de mal à aller vers eux. Dans le nouvel homme, il n'y a ni Juif ni Grec, seulement Christ."

Dans Colossiens 3:10 et 11, Paul est clair, catégorique et absolu. Cela doit être le résultat des deux années qu'il a passées sous garde à Césarée. Tandis que les Éphésiens, Philippiens et Colossiens ont été écrits lors du premier emprisonnement de Paul à Rome, Hébreux a été écrit après sa libération. Dans Hébreux, il est allé encore plus loin.

Avant d'écrire cette épître, il a dû penser : "Pourquoi ai-je si peu parlé dans Éphésiens de Christ abolissant toutes les ordonnances ? J'aurais dû entrer dans bien plus de détails. De même, ce que j'ai dit dans Philippiens et Colossiens était trop court. Je dois écrire une épître plus longue pour montrer que toutes les choses du judaïsme ont disparu et que Christ est supérieur à elles."

LE CHRIST RÉVÉLÉ DANS HÉBREUX

Dans les treize chapitres d'Hébreux, Paul déprécie les choses du judaïsme. Il découpe même chacune des questions cruciales du judaïsme. Il montre que les Juifs ont Dieu, mais les croyants ont l'Homme-Dieu, Jésus-Christ. Il montre également que les anges sont des serviteurs. De plus, il montre que Christ est supérieur à Moïse, Aaron et Josué.

Dans Hébreux, Paul nous dit aussi qu'il n'y a plus d'offrande pour le péché. Selon la volonté de Dieu, Christ, Celui qui est tout-inclusif, est l'unique offrande. Ainsi, dans l'univers, il n'y a qu'une seule offrande qui est conforme à la volonté de Dieu. Dans Hébreux 10:9-10, il dit : "Alors, il ajouta : Me voici, ô Dieu, pour faire ta volonté. Il retire le premier pour établir le second. C'est dans cette volonté que nous avons été sanctifiés, par l'offrande du corps de Jésus-Christ, une fois pour toutes."

Cela indique que toutes les offrandes de l'Ancien Testament ont été retirées et remplacées par Christ en tant qu'unique offrande. Dans Hébreux 10:12 et 14, il dit : "Mais Jésus, ayant offert un seul sacrifice pour les péchés, s'assit à la droite de Dieu (...) Car, par une seule offrande, il a perfectionné pour toujours ceux qui sont sanctifiés."

Dans Hébreux 13:8, Paul dit : "Jésus-Christ, hier et aujourd'hui, est le même et le sera pour toujours." Avant Hébreux 13:8, Christ a changé car Il a traversé l'incarnation et la résurrection. Par l'incarnation, Il s'est revêtu de la nature humaine. Cela signifie qu'Il est passé d'un Être qui n'avait que la nature divine à un Être qui possède à la fois la nature divine et la nature humaine. Avant, Il était seulement Dieu, mais Il a changé et est devenu l'Homme-Dieu.

De plus, dans Sa résurrection, Il est devenu, comme le dernier Adam, l'Esprit qui donne la vie (1 Co 15:45). Après être passé par le processus d'incarnation, de vie humaine, de crucifixion, de résurrection et d'ascension, Il n'a plus changé et ne changera plus. Ainsi, Paul a eu l'audace de dire que Christ, hier et aujourd'hui, est le même et le sera pour toujours.

Dans Hébreux 13:13, il continue : "Sortons donc à lui, hors du camp, portant son opprobre." Ici, le camp représente l'organisation humaine, en particulier celle du judaïsme. Les paroles de Paul se basent sur le fait que Christ a été crucifié hors de la ville, hors du camp. Puisque Christ a été rejeté et a souffert hors du camp, nous devons sortir à Lui hors du camp.

Lorsqu'il a écrit cette partie d'Hébreux, Paul pensait peut-être : "Je me suis trompé en retournant à Jérusalem. Jérusalem était le camp. Il n'était pas nécessaire d'y retourner pour prendre soin du judaïsme, car cela revenait à retourner dans le camp. Nous devons oublier Jérusalem et sortir du camp, et porter l'opprobre de Christ."

Paul est sorti du camp et a porté l'opprobre de Christ. Lorsqu'il voyageait de Césarée à Rome, il était hors du judaïsme, portant l'opprobre comme prisonnier. Mais en portant l'opprobre hors du camp, il a exalté Christ. J'espère que nous passerons tous du temps à méditer sur les deux questions abordées dans ce message : la vie de Paul comme un merveilleux témoin de Christ et la révélation divine complète dans les livres des Éphésiens, Philippiens, Colossiens et Hébreux.

Dans ces livres, il n'y a aucune place pour aucune mixture. Dans ces épîtres, il n'y a de place que pour Christ.

Profitez davantage : Hymne 107 

Study of Acts, chapter 28, message 72, week 33, Monday

DAILY STUDY OF ACTS

MESSAGE SEVENTY-TWO

CONCLUSION (2)

WEEK 33 – MONDAY

Bible reading: Lv 11:4-8; Ph 2:4

Read and pray: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Eph 2:14-15).

THE ABOLITION OF ORDINANCES

In Ephesians 2:14 and 15, Paul says: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.” I believe that what he saw and experienced in Acts 15-28 led him to write such categorical words. As he was writing this, he may have thought: “All the ordinances of the law have been abolished. Circumcision, the Nazirite vow, and even the vow I took have been abolished.”

Paul may have regretted the vow he made in Acts 18 as well as circumcising Timothy in Acts 16. If I had been with him while he was writing Ephesians, I might have asked him: “Brother Paul, I would like to learn from you. Since Christ has abolished all ordinances, why did you still circumcise Timothy in Lystra?” If someone had asked Paul this question, he might have answered: “I did that a long time ago, and I regret it. I will never circumcise anyone again.”

When Paul wrote Ephesians 2, he was far more perfected than when he circumcised Timothy in Acts 16. His experiences in Acts 15-28 led him to be more categorical about circumcision. I do not believe that, without the experiences recorded in these chapters, Paul could have written a chapter like Ephesians 2.

It is useful to compare Paul’s words about circumcision in Galatians with what he says regarding the abolition of ordinances in Ephesians 2. Probably, the Epistle to the Galatians was written before Acts 16. In Galatians 6:15, he says: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.” In reality, these words still leave some room for the practice of circumcision. But in Ephesians 2, his words are absolute, and there is no basis for the practice of circumcision.

Paul learned from everything that happened in Acts 15-28. I believe that during the two years he was detained in Caesarea, he reviewed everything that had taken place. In doing so, he may have thought: “If I have the chance, I would like to write another letter and say something more complete about circumcision than in Galatians. I will not only say that circumcision is nothing nor uncircumcision, but I will say that all ordinances, especially those regarding circumcision, have been abolished. If I could rewrite the Epistle to the Galatians, I would tell the believers that circumcision was abolished at the cross. I would tell them not to practice circumcision because it offends and insults the Lord. We should no longer practice anything that the Lord abolished at the cross.”

By studying the Bible, we can compare Ephesians and Galatians regarding the ordinances on circumcision. If we do so, we will see that what Paul says in Galatians is neither as categorical nor as complete as what he says in Ephesians. In Ephesians 2, he leaves no room for circumcision.

A WARNING ABOUT MUTILATION

In Philippians 3, Paul uses a very strong negative term to refer to circumcision: mutilation. In Philippians 3:2, he says: “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!” The expression “the mutilation” here can also be translated as “false circumcision,” and it is a term of contempt. Since there is no conjunction between the three clauses, they must refer to the same type of people.

Dogs are unclean (Lv 11:4-8), the workers are evil, and the mutilation refers to those who deserve contempt. “Dogs” refers to the Judaizers. By nature, they are unclean dogs; by their behavior, they are evil workers; and in their religion, they are the mutilation, shameful people. Paul is certainly very categorical in exhorting the Philippians to beware of dogs, evil workers, and the mutilation. Here, he affirms that the Judaizers, those who promote circumcision, are dogs.

What do you think Paul would have said if, in light of his words in Philippians 3:2, he had been asked about James? He might have said: “James is certainly not a dog, but in a certain way, he acted like one. He is my dear brother. Since I respected him, I went to see him. But when he spoke to me, I heard something that sounded like a dog’s barking.”

By reading Philippians 3, we see that Paul was strengthened by his experiences in Acts 15-28, and especially by the time he spent in Caesarea. Through this strengthening, he told the believers to beware of dogs and mutilation. In Philippians, he no longer even speaks of circumcision but instead uses a term of contempt—mutilation. How categorical he was in writing this epistle!

When writing Philippians 3, Paul was more categorical than when he wrote Galatians and Romans. In Romans 2:28-29, he says: “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” In reality, what he says here about circumcision is not very categorical. Some basis for the practice of circumcision still remains. But in Philippians 3:2, there is no room for circumcision, which is now called false circumcision, or mutilation—a practice promoted by dogs.

In Philippians 3:8, Paul says: “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” The word “rubbish” refers to “garbage, waste, refuse, that which is thrown to the dogs, dog food, excrement.”

First, Paul exhorts the believers to beware of dogs, then he indicates that what these dogs, the Judaizers, teach is dog food. Once again, we see Paul’s progression in his writings.

Enjoy more: Hymn 339