Ⅲ
The word of God is still growing and being multiplied as the continuation of the book of Acts (6:7; 12:24; 19:20):
Ａ
Grew in Acts 6:7 refers to the growth in life, indicating that the word of God is a matter of life that grows as a seed sown into man's heart for the increase of Christ, the growth of God, within us (Mark 4:14; Col. 2:19).
Ｂ
Multiplied in Acts 12:24 refers to the increase of Christ in numbers; actually, the multiplication of the disciples depends on the growth of the word.
Ｃ
New disciples are "added to the Lord" to become the parts of Christ, the members of Christ (5:14; 11:24; Rom. 15:16).
Ｄ
We need to encourage the new believers "to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart"; this is to be persistently faithful to the Lord, cleave to Him, and live in close fellowship with Him (Acts 11:23).
Ⅳ
The book of Acts reveals a group of people who live in the divine history within human history by calling on the name of the Lord, suffering on behalf of the name of the Lord, and speaking in the name of the Lord, the name of Jesus:
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Joel's prophecy and its fulfillment concerning God's New Testament jubilee have two aspects: on God's side, He poured out His Spirit in the ascension of the resurrected Christ; on our side, we call on the name of the ascended Lord, who has accomplished all, attained unto all, and obtained all (Acts 2:16-18, 21; Joel 2:28-29, 32a):
１
Our divine history in the midst of human history is a history of calling on the name of the Lord to enjoy the riches of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ as the fullness of Christ (Rom. 10:12-13; Eph. 3:8, 19; 1:22-23).
２
By calling on the name of the Lord, we keep ourselves in God's golden, divine history—a history that begins with Enosh (Gen. 4:26), continues through the Old and New Testaments (Job 12:4; Gen. 12:8; 26:25; Deut. 4:7; Judg. 15:18; 1 Sam. 12:18; Psa. 116:4, 13, 17; 80:18; 88:9; 1 Kings 18:24; Isa. 12:4; Lam. 3:55, 57; Psa. 99:6; Isa. 55:6; Jonah 1:6; 2 Kings 5:11; Isa. 41:25; Acts 2:21; 7:59; 9:14, 21; 22:16; Rom. 10:12-13; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Tim. 2:22), and concludes with the last prayer in the Bible (Rev. 22:20).
Morning Nourishment
Acts 6:7 And the word of God grew, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly; and a large number of the priests obeyed the faith.12:24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.
5:14 And believers were all the more being added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.
[In Acts 6:7] grew refers to growth in life, indicating that the word of God is a matter of life that grows as a seed sown into man's heart (Mark 4:14). (Acts 6:7, footnote 1)
[In Acts 11:23, "to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart" is to] be persistently faithful to the Lord, cleave to Him, and live in close fellowship with Him. (Acts 11:23, footnote 2)
Today's Reading
According to Romans 15:16, Paul offered the saved sinners to God as acceptable sacrifices. All the unbelieving sinners are in Adam. When we preach the gospel to them and they receive the Lord, they are transferred out of Adam into Christ. When someone believes into Christ, he becomes a part of Christ. The unbelievers who are transferred into Christ are the increase of Christ. When I am preaching the gospel to offer saved persons to God, I am offering Christ—not the individual Christ but the corporate Christ. In the Old Testament the priests offered bulls and goats as sacrifices. God was pleased with that because they were types of the coming Christ. Our work today in the New Testament age is to preach the gospel to save sinners, to make them parts of Christ. When we offer these ones to God, God considers them as parts of Christ....Because we are members of Christ, we can say that we are Christ. Paul says in Philippians 1:21, "To me, to live is Christ." When we were offered to God, we were offered to God as Christ. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, "The Advance of the Lord's Recovery Today," p. 24)In the New Testament, calling on the name of the Lord was first mentioned by Peter...on the day of Pentecost, as the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy [Joel 2:32]. This fulfillment is related to God's outpouring of the all-inclusive Spirit economically upon His chosen people that they may participate in His New Testament jubilee. Joel's prophecy and its fulfillment concerning God's New Testament jubilee have two aspects: on God's side, He poured out His Spirit in the ascension of the resurrected Christ; on our side, we call on the name of the ascended Lord, who has accomplished all, attained unto all, and obtained all. Calling on the Lord's name is vitally necessary in order for us, the believers in Christ, to participate in and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ with all He has accomplished, attained, and obtained (1 Cor. 1:2). It is a major practice in God's New Testament economy that enables us to enjoy the processed Triune God for our full salvation (Rom. 10:10-13). The early believers practiced this everywhere (1 Cor. 1:2)....In 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul indicated that in the early days all the Lord's seekers practiced such calling. Undoubtedly, he was one who practiced this, since he charged his young co-worker Timothy to do this that Timothy might enjoy the Lord as he did.
Calling on the name of the Lord is not a new practice that began with the New Testament. Rather, it began with Enosh, the third generation of mankind, in Genesis 4:26. It was continued by Job (Job 12:4; 27:10), Abraham (Gen. 12:8; 13:4; 21:33), Isaac (Gen. 26:25), Moses and the children of Israel (Deut. 4:7), Samson (Judg. 15:18; 16:28), Samuel (1 Sam. 12:18; Psa. 99:6), David (2 Sam. 22:4, 7; 1 Chron. 16:8; 21:26;...Psa. 17:6),...and others (Psa. 99:6), all of whom practiced this in the Old Testament age. Isaiah charged the seekers of God to call upon Him (Isa. 55:6)....It is God's commandment (Psa. 50:15; Jer. 29:12) and desire (Psa. 91:15; Zeph. 3:9; Zech. 13:9) that His people call on Him. This is the joyful way to drink from the fountain of God's salvation (Isa. 12:3-4) and the enjoyable way to delight oneself in God (Job 27:10), that is, to enjoy Him. Hence, God's people must call upon Him daily (Psa. 88:9). (Acts 2:21, footnote 1)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, "The Advance of the Lord's Recovery Today," chs. 1-2; CWWL, 1985, vol. 3, "Elders' Training, Book 5: Fellowship concerning the Lord's Up-to-date Move," ch. 3