THE HEAVENLY
MINISTRY OF CHRIST
Read and pray: “But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ,” (Ephesians 4:15)
DISTRACTED BY PROPHECIES
As soon as I was saved, I loved the Lord and His Word. When I was young, I loved the Bible and made a firm decision that I would understand all its verses. Moreover, I would devote my entire life to this. Today I already know that the Bible is too profound for me to comprehend it completely.
At first I thought that I was making very good progress in my efforts. I went out in search of books on the Bible and went wherever it was being taught. In the end I became captivated by the United Brethren.
When I began to attend their meetings, they preached on the seventy weeks of Daniel (9:24-27). In all my years in Christianity since I had been born again, I had never heard of the seventy weeks. I was fascinated.
Later, I heard about the ten toes, the four beasts, and the ten horns. Then I began to study these strange matters, although very biblical. During the years I spent among the United Brethren, I do not recall ever hearing a single message about Christ.
One day I realized how sad my situation was. I had learned everything about the prophecies; yet I was dead, powerless. Disappointed, I changed. The Lord turned me away from the ten toes, the ten horns, the four beasts, and the seventy weeks! I turned to Christ, to the Spirit, to life, and to the church! Since 1932, my attention has been concentrated on these matters.
Message after message, these are the topics you hear in the Lord’s recovery. I need to warn you, dear young people, not to be distracted from these matters by any others.
Perhaps someone will approach you and ask what the meaning of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls is. If you do not know, they will make you feel that your knowledge of the Bible is too small, that you only know about Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church.
Young people yearn for knowledge. If you allow yourselves to be distracted by prophecies, you will not be able to hold the Head. I do not mean that you should not study other subjects of the Bible. You should study them, but you should also realize that all these things are minor matters. The great subjects of the Bible are Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church.
DISTRACTED BY DOCTRINES
It is easy to be distracted. I know people who were distracted by Sabbath-keeping. Instead of caring for Christ, the all-inclusive Spirit, the divine life, and the church, they talk about the seventh day.
Others were distracted by the form of baptism. Some preacher may ask you what kind of baptism the church practices: sprinkling or immersion, in whose name, forward or backward, how many times. How would you answer? Would you be distracted?
A sister who attended a Lord’s table meeting in Los Angeles wrote to me objecting to the use of wine. How would you answer? I have already spent a good amount of time studying whether we should use wine or grape juice at the Lord’s table. Both sides have arguments in their favor. One cannot reach an absolute decision. What good, then, is it to argue about such matters?
The wearing of a veil by the sisters is another kind of question that may be asked of you. If you say that you are in favor of its use, they may question you about its color, shape, or size. Turn your back on all these questions that only cause distraction!
My advice is this: hold the Head! Christendom has thousands of divisions because of these distractions. When you are asked any of these questions, you may pray inwardly, “Lord, have mercy on me. Help me to hold You as the Head. I do not want to be seduced by any of these questions that only serve to distract us. I prefer to hold the Head.”
When Paul wrote about not holding the Head in Colossians 2:19, he was referring to those who distracted the church in Colossae with Judaism, Greek philosophy, and Gnosticism. Only when you hold the Head can you stay away from such distractions and then have reciprocity with the ministry of Christ in the heavens.
Only if you hold the Head will you grow. The reason so few Christians have reciprocity with the heavenly ministry of Christ is that they have stopped holding the Head.
Ephesians 4:14 says, “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.”
The winds that carry people about are teachings. They are not the winds of heresies only, but even of correct, biblical doctrine, which can carry us away: away from Christ (the Head) and from the church (the Body).
These winds are part of the satanic system to deceive believers and draw them away from Christ. How important it is to hold the Head and not allow any doctrine, no matter how biblical it may be, to distract us from Him!
GIVING THE LORD ROOM
As we hold the Head, we grow in Him (Eph. 4:15). Gradually we will realize that, in one matter after another, we are not in Christ. As we realize this, we can pray, “Lord, take control. I give You room in this aspect of my life.” This is the practical growth in life.
We belong to Christ; yet in many things we are not in Him. In these things He finds no room in us. In our manner of speaking, perhaps He finds no room. As we hold the Head, we may realize that our speaking is not in Christ. If we ask the Lord to take control in this area, we will grow in life with regard to our manner of speaking.
Many Christians love the Lord; yet He has no room in them, because they do not hold Christ. When they hold Him, the Spirit within them may, for example, question them concerning the way they dress. If they say, “Lord, I give You room to deal with the way I dress,” then He will come and take control.
The same may occur in the way a brother treats his wife or in the way a sister acts toward her husband. They may love the Lord; yet in their marital relationship they give Him no room to act. If they hold the Head, the Spirit within them will tell them that Christ finds no room in their attitude. As they open and give room to the Lord, He will occupy them more and more.
Therefore, giving the Lord room in daily life is the proper way to grow in life. You will not grow by accumulating biblical knowledge. To grow in life is to let the Lord take control in all practical matters.
As you do this in each matter, attitude by attitude, you will grow in those specific areas. The Lord will gradually fill you, and you will come to belong to Him in your whole being.
Thus you will mature. Through this growth in life your function will emerge, and the Body will be built up. This is a more excellent and deeper reciprocity with the Lord’s heavenly ministry. This is the way the churches are built up.
THE BUILDING UP OF THE BODY
May we all realize that in the divine economy nothing matters except Christ. We have been transferred into Him. He is our portion, enjoyment, and life. He is the life-giving Spirit. He must be everything to us. This vision will preserve us. We will not allow any doctrine to distract us; doctrines are like wild beasts waiting to devour us!
We need to hold the Head with fear and trembling. Then the Spirit, day by day, will continue to speak to us: “In this matter, you still keep room only for yourself. In that other matter, you have never yielded to the Lord. In this area, you have not given Him even one inch of room. In that area, you still close yourself to the Lord.”
If we hold the Head, our response will be, “Lord, in this case I give You room. In that other, I yield so that You may take control.” Such a response results in growth in life.
Christ grows in us as He is able to take more room. In this way our function will come forth, and the Body will be built up. This vital reciprocity with the Lord’s heavenly ministry is more excellent than outward activity in life to attract people to God’s move. Having reciprocity with Him in this deeper way makes possible the building up of His Body.
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