Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 4:16; Eph. 2:15; 4:22-24; Col. 3:10-11
Ⅰ
Ephesians 4:22 says, “Put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man”:
Ａ
The old man refers to our natural life in our soul; the old man is our very being, which was created by God but became fallen through sin—Rom. 6:6:
１
The old man with all that it includes is a damage to the church life; wherever the old man is, there can be no church; this means that what we are, what we have, and what we do make the church life an impossibility.
２
If we continue to live according to the old man, the church life will be seriously damaged, even terminated; if we put off the old man with its former manner of life, we will have a marvelous church life, a church life that will be a miniature of the New Jerusalem; in such a church life it is impossible to have division.
Ｂ
The words manner of life imply a great deal; in every country of the world and among every people there is a characteristic manner of life:
１
The former manner of life includes everything related to us; we must put off whatever we are, whatever we do, and whatever we have; we are to put off our very way of living and our culture; the stronger our culture is, the more critical we will be of others—cf. Eph. 4:31-32; Col. 3:12-14.
２
If we truly desire to be renewed, we need to put off the former manner of life, which involves our way of living and our culture; in the new man there is no possibility for Greek and Jew, barbarian and Scythian, slave and free man to exist, because the former manner of life found among these peoples has been put away.
３
Whenever we return to the old manner of life, we will spontaneously sense that we are darkened within and estranged from God’s life—Eph. 4:17-19.
４
In order to have the church life, people from different cultures and countries have to put off the old man embodied in their former manner of life; in the church life there is room only for Christ—Col. 3:10-11.
５
How deplorable it is to see so-called churches formed according to nationality; instead of treasuring our heritage, we should disown it; we automatically prefer our old community life, but our way of life must become absolutely new in nature, manner, and practice.
Ⅱ
Since the new man in Ephesians 2:15-16 is a corporate man, the new man in 4:24 must also be corporate; according to Ephesians 4:24, we need to put on the very new man that has already been created in Christ:
Ａ
In baptism we put off the old man, which was crucified with Christ and buried; it was also in baptism that we put on the new man—vv. 22-24; Rom. 6:6, 4.
Ｂ
The putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man are accomplished facts; now we must experience and realize these facts by being renewed in the spirit of our mind—Eph. 4:23:
１
To put off the old man is to deny and renounce our old self by applying the cross to the self—v. 22; Matt. 16:24.
２
To put on the new man is to live and magnify Christ through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19-21a); this is to apply what Christ has accomplished in creating the new man (Eph. 2:15; 4:24).
Ｃ
Our spirit mingled with the Spirit of God must become the spirit of our mind (v. 23); then all our living will be by the spirit, and whatever we do will be according to the spirit; as we are renewed by this spirit, we put on the new man.
Ｄ
We need to walk according to the mingled spirit that is spreading into our mind and filling it; in this way the daily walk of the new man will be in the spirit of the mind; this is the secret of the church life—v. 23.
Ｅ
The new man is in our spirit; the way to put on the new man is for our spirit (which is mingled with the Spirit), in which are found God, God’s dwelling place, and the new man, to become the spirit of our mind—2:22; 4:23:
１
For the spirit to become the spirit of our mind means that the spirit directs, controls, dominates, overrules, and possesses our mind (cf. 1 Cor. 2:15-16; 2 Cor. 2:13; 10:4-5); when the spirit directs our mind, our whole being is under the control of our spirit.
２
How much we put on the new man depends on how much our spirit directs our being (1 Cor. 2:15); when our spirit dominates and directs us, there is no ground for culture, for opinions, or for ordinances; there is no room for our way because our whole being is dominated, controlled, governed, and directed by our spirit.
３
The more the mingled spirit penetrates, saturates, and possesses our mind, the more we let Christ’s mind become our mind—Phil. 2:5; 1 Cor. 2:16; Rom. 12:2.
Ｆ
When we believed in the Lord Jesus, the life-giving Spirit came into our spirit, bringing with Him the new man as a finished product; now the new man must saturate and spread into every part of our being; this spreading is both the putting on of the new man and the renewing.
Ｇ
We should not live according to the vanity of the mind but according to the spirit of the mind; this is the key to the daily living of the corporate one new man, the secret to having a church life filled with the character of God, the aroma of Christ, and the oneness of the Spirit—Eph. 4:3-4, 17-18, 23-24.
Ｈ
By our loving the Lord and by the exercise of our spirit in prayer and in reading the Word day by day, our mind is filled with the mingled spirit; this changes and renews our mind; for us to be renewed in our mind is to get rid of all the old concepts concerning the things of the human life and be made new again by the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the enlightening of the Holy Spirit—Psa. 119:105, 130; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Deut. 17:18-20.
Ｉ
The only possibility of God’s purpose being fulfilled in this age, to have the one new man in reality, is if we would all be willing to be renewed in the spirit of our mind.
Ⅲ
The central point of Paul’s word to the Colossians concerns the renewing of the mind unto the full knowledge of Christ, who is the image of God; the new man was created in our spirit and is being renewed in our mind unto full knowledge according to the image of Christ—Eph. 2:15; Col. 3:10-11:
Ａ
Because the new man was created with us who belong to the old creation, he needs to be renewed; this renewing takes place mainly in our mind, as indicated by the phrase unto full knowledge—v. 10.
Ｂ
The creation of the new man according to God has already been completed, but in our experience the new man is being renewed unto full knowledge little by little; the more we put on the new man, the more we are renewed according to what God is, and the more we bear His image, the expression of what He is—v. 10.
Ｃ
To be renewed is to have God’s element added into our being to replace and discharge our old element—Rev. 21:5a; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 4:16:
１
Our natural and national mentality was educated and built up according to our racial and cultural background; this is the greatest hindrance to the practical existence of the new man.
２
In order for the one new man to come into full existence, we must experience a thorough renewal of our mind, which has been built up according to our nationality and culture.
Ｄ
Newness is God; therefore, to become new is to become God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead:
１
God is forever new, and He infuses His ever-new essence into our being to renew our entire being—Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:10.
２
The Spirit of God renews us by infusing our inward parts with God’s attributes, which are forever new, can never become old, and are everlasting and unchanging—Rev. 21:5a.
３
The renewing Spirit imparts the divine essence of the new man into our being to make us a new creation, the new man—Titus 3:5; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15.
Ⅳ
We need to be those who are being renewed day by day with the fresh supply of the resurrection life to replace our culture and to become the one new man in reality by becoming as new as the New Jerusalem—2 Cor. 4:16:
Ａ
Putting on the new man does not take place once for all; on the contrary, it is a lifelong matter, a gradual process that goes on throughout our Christian life.
Ｂ
We, the regenerated believers, as parts of the new man, should walk in the newness of the divine life in resurrection and serve in newness of spirit—Rom. 6:4; 7:6.
Ｃ
The believers should be renewed to be as new as the New Jerusalem since they all are becoming the New Jerusalem by walking in newness of life (6:4) and building the New Jerusalem by serving in newness of spirit (7:6).
Ｄ
Our being renewed in the spirit of our mind is for our daily transformation into the image of Christ through the consuming of our outer man by the suffering in our environment for the renewing of our inner man—2 Cor. 4:16:
１
While we are in the midst of suffering, we need to receive the renewing; otherwise, the suffering we pass through means nothing to us; within us there is a refuge—our spirit—Psa. 91:1; 27:5; 31:20; Isa. 32:2; 2 Tim. 4:22; Gal. 6:17-18.
２
God arranges our environment so that little by little and day by day our outer man will be consumed and our inner man will be renewed by the fresh supply of the pneumatic Christ as the resurrection life—2 Cor. 4:16.
Ｅ
In order to be renewed day by day, we need to be revived every morning—Matt. 13:43; Luke 1:78-79; Prov. 4:18; Judg. 5:31; 2 Cor. 4:16.
Ｆ
We are renewed day by day through four items: the cross (vv. 10-12, 16-18); the Holy Spirit by which we are reconditioned, remade, and remodeled with the divine life (Titus 3:5); our mingled spirit (Eph. 4:23); and the holy word of God (5:26).
Ｇ
We need to come to the Lord’s table in newness (Matt. 26:29); the Lord never takes an old table; we need to be renewed by learning to say, “I’m sorry; forgive me.”
Ⅴ
The renewing of the new man depends on our seeking the things which are above—Col. 3:1-2; Eph. 2:5-6:
Ａ
To seek the things which are above is to respond to and reflect Christ’s activities in His heavenly ministry—Heb. 2:17; 4:14; 7:26; 8:1-2; Rev. 5:6; Col. 3:1-2:
１
There is a transmission taking place from Christ in heaven to us on earth by means of the all-inclusive Spirit in our spirit—Eph. 1:19, 22-23; 2:22:
ａ
Our spirit is the receiving end of the divine transmission, whereas the throne of God in heaven is the transmitting end—Rev. 5:6.
ｂ
By turning to our spirit, we are lifted into heaven; because of the transmission from the throne of God in heaven into our spirit, when we experience and enjoy Christ here on earth, we are simultaneously in heaven—4:1-2.
２
In His heavenly ministry Christ is shepherding people, and we need to cooperate with Him by shepherding people; if this fellowship is received by us, there will be a big revival on the earth to bring the Lord back—1 Pet. 5:1-4; cf. Matt. 9:36; 10:1-6; John 21:15-17; 1 Pet. 2:25; Heb. 13:20.
Ｂ
If we turn to the heavenly Christ with all His activities and set our mind on these things, the renewing of the new man will take place spontaneously—8:1-2; 12:2; Col. 3:2.
Ｃ
This consummates God’s intention in making the believers the new man as the new creation to consummate in the New Jerusalem; the new man as the masterpiece of God’s work is an absolutely new item in the universe, a new invention of God—vv. 10-11; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15-17; Eph. 2:10, 15.
Ｄ
God’s goal is to have the one new man that ultimately will consummate in the New Jerusalem, which will be the final consummation of the one new man.
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 4:22 That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit.Rom. 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin as slaves.
[The old man (Rom. 6:6) refers] to the natural life in our soul [and] is our very being, which was created by God but became fallen through sin, and it is the same as the “I” in Galatians 2:20. It is not the soul itself but the life of the soul, which has been counted by God as hopeless and has been put on the cross and crucified with Christ. Formerly, our soul acted as an independent person, with the old man as its life and personality; now, since the old man has been crucified, our soul should act only as an organ of Christ and should be under the control of our spirit, having Christ as its life. (Rom. 6:6, footnote 2)
Today’s Reading
Ephesians 4:22 indicates that the old man is all-inclusive…. [In this verse] Paul speaks of putting off, as regards our former manner of life, the old man. The former manner of life includes everything related to us: what we are, what we have, our family life, and our social life. Paul’s meaning here is that we must put off whatever we are, whatever we do, and whatever we have. We are to put off our very way of living.The old man with all it includes is a damage to the church life. Wherever the old man is, there can be no church. This means that what we are, what we have, and what we do make the church life an impossibility.
Ordinances, doctrine, and the old man are the three main negative things that damage the church life. If we have ordinances, the church life is gone. If we are occupied with doctrine, it will not be possible to have the proper church life. In addition, if we continue to live according to the old man, the church life will be seriously damaged, even terminated. However, if we have no ordinances or doctrines and if we put off the old man with his former manner of life, we shall have a marvelous church life, a church life that will be a miniature of the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth. In such a church life it is impossible to have division.
Both Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3 indicate that in order to put on the new man, we first need to put off the old man. Ephesians 4:22 says, “Put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man.” The words manner of life imply a great deal. Before you were saved, you had a certain manner of life. Perhaps you worked five days a week and then in the evenings or on the weekends amused yourself with certain worldly entertainments. To some, the manner of life may be gambling. To others, it may be going to certain places or eating certain foods. These are all part of the manner of life. In every country of the world and among every people there is a characteristic manner of life.
If we truly desire to be renewed, we need to put off the former manner of life. By putting off our manner of life, we put off the old man in a practical way. To bury the former manner of life is virtually the same as burying the old man. Therefore, my burden in this message is not simply to encourage you to put off the old man; it is specifically to encourage you to put off your former manner of life.
Many of the saints in the Lord’s recovery still hold on to their old manner of life. Do not say that I am legal, conservative, or old-fashioned in telling you to put off your former manner of life. To have this attitude toward what I am saying here is a sign of being caught in the evil current of today’s satanic system. We should not be swept along by the current of this age; instead, we should bury our former manner of life and even hold a funeral for it. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 589-590, 218-219)
Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 25, 71
Morning Nourishment
Col. 3:10-11 And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.If we get into the depths of the book of Colossians, we shall see that it deals not with sin or with the law, but with man’s culture. Culture is the unconscious living of every human being…. What defrauds us of the enjoyment of Christ and frustrates the church life is our culture. Today mainly we are not troubled by the sinful things, as in 1 Corinthians, nor by the law, as in Galatians. But we are all unconsciously and subconsciously under the influence of culture. When we came into the church life, we brought our culture with us. This culture is now undermining our enjoyment of Christ. Culture is the systematic method we have developed to exist and to maintain our being. The stronger our culture is, the more critical we shall be of others. Based upon the culture we have, we develop our type of asceticism, our own practices to restrict the indulgence of the flesh. Our asceticism is the method we devise to restrain ourselves and to keep from doing sinful things. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 275-276)
Today’s Reading
In his Word Studies of the New Testament Vincent says that in the Greek language the words rendered “cannot be” [in Colossians 3:11] are very strong and mean that there is no possibility. In the new man there is no possibility for Greek and Jew, Barbarian and Scythian, bondman and free man to exist, because the former manner of life found among these peoples has been put away. No doubt, in the church in Colossae there were people from all these backgrounds. Nevertheless, according to Paul’s word in Ephesians 4:22, they all had to put away their former manner of life. By doing this they were renewed.Through regeneration, the one new man has been put into us, those who formerly had been under the influence of the differences caused by Babel…. What should we do about this heritage? We should bury it. This means that we must put off the former manner of life. Do not justify your manner of life or glory in it. The issue is not which manner of life is right and which is wrong. Every way of life involves ordinances and must be put off. How deplorable it is to see so-called churches formed according to nationality!… When we come together for the practice of the genuine church life, we must all put off our national heritage and forget it. Instead of treasuring our heritage, we should disown it. On the positive side, we need to see that the new man has already been created and, by regeneration, has been put into our spirit. The need now is for our spirit to become the dominant part of our being. This means that our spirit mingled with the Spirit of God must become the spirit of our mind (4:23). If our spirit is the spirit of our mind, then all our living will be by the spirit. Whatever we do will be according to the spirit. This spirit of our mind will then become the renewing spirit. As we are renewed by this spirit, we put on the new man.
Whenever we return to the old manner of life, we shall spontaneously sense that we are darkened within and estranged from God’s life. If we persist in living according to the former manner of life, we shall eventually become calloused and insensitive.
Consider how many terms Paul uses to describe the life of fallen man in verses 17 through 19. He refers to vanity, darkness, estrangement, ignorance, and hardness. Whenever we live according to our old community life, we do not sense any shining or brightness within. We may reason that it is permissible to do a certain thing, but we realize that it causes us to be alienated from the life of God and to be in darkness. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 219, 221-222, 780)
Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msg. 33; Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 93
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 4:17 This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk in the vanity of their mind.23 …Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
[“The Gentiles” in Ephesians 4:17] are the fallen people, who have become vain in their reasonings (Rom. 1:21). They walk without God in the vanity of their mind, controlled and directed by their vain thoughts…. Hence, the basic element in the daily life of fallen mankind is the vanity of the mind.
In the church as the new man, we should live not according to the vanity of the mind, but according to the spirit of the mind (Eph. 4:23). This is the key to the daily living of the corporate one new man…. We need to walk according to the spirit that is spreading into our mind and filling it. In this way the daily walk of the new man will be in the spirit of the mind. This is the secret of the church life. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 783-784)
Today’s Reading
In Ephesians 3:16 Paul… speak[s] of the inner man: “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man.” The inner man is our regenerated spirit with God’s life as its life…. We need to be strengthened into our inner man… so that Christ will be able to make His home in our hearts…. Since our heart is the totality of all our inward parts and the center of our inward being, when Christ makes His home in our heart, He is able to control our entire inner being and supplies and strengthens every inward part with Himself.[In] chapter 4, we see that the strengthened spirit must become the renewing spirit in our mind. In 4:23 Paul says, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”… The spirit here is the regenerated spirit of the believers mingled with the indwelling Spirit of God. Such a mingled spirit spreads into our mind and thereby becomes the spirit of our mind. It is in such a spirit that we are renewed for our transformation (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18). Our strengthened spirit is the means for our entire being to be renewed. When our spirit has become strong, it will spread into our mind and cause it to be renewed. When our spirit renews our mind, it proceeds to renew our emotion and our will. By such a renewing spirit the church has the proper living as the one new man.
As we walk according to the spirit of our mind, we are renewed. To be renewed is not to be adjusted, corrected, or improved in a mere outward way. It is to have a new element, the divine element, wrought into us. This means that in the church life we should not care for outward correction or adjustment; we should care for inward renewing. If we would be renewed, we need to put off the old man and put on the new man. Notice that Paul does not say that we should try to improve the old man. Many saints do not have the intention of putting off the old man and of putting on the new man. Instead, their intention is to improve themselves, even to perfect themselves. They may try to adjust themselves in order to adapt to the church life. This is a mistake. In the genuine church life there is no adjustment or correction; there is simply the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man. Actually, this putting off and putting on is the renewing.
For something to be renewed means that the old element is replaced by a new element. Our spirit is a renewing spirit because it is indwelt by the living Christ as the renewing element. Because we have the element of newness in our spirit, we can be renewed in the spirit of the mind as the renewing spirit spreads into our mind. The more we turn to the spirit of the mind and walk in the spirit of the mind, the more our mind will be renewed. Then in a practical way the old element is replaced by the new element. In this way we put off the old man and put on the new man. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 785-786, 789-790)
Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 47, 94; Life-study of Colossians, msgs. 37, 58-59
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 2:15 …That He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.4:24 And put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.
Col. 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.
In Ephesians 2 we are told that the new man was created, but in Colossians 3:10 we are told that the new man is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…. Because we who belong to the old creation were involved in the creation of the new man, he needs to be renewed. This renewing takes place mainly in our mind, as indicated by the phrase unto full knowledge. In our spirit the new man has already been created. Before the new man was created in our spirit in resurrection, we did not have the Spirit of God or the life of God within us. Although we had a spirit, our spirit did not contain the divine life. But at the time the new creation took place in our spirit in resurrection, the Holy Spirit with the divine life was added into our being. This addition of the Spirit and the divine life to our spirit produced a new being, the new man. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 232-233)
Today’s Reading
Our mind, which represents our soul, needs to be renewed. Eventually, when our body is transfigured, it also will be renewed…. On the one hand, in our spirit the new man was created with new elements, the elements of the divine life and the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, in our soul the new man is being renewed.[In Ephesians 4:24] we are only told that the new man was created according to God Himself, whereas in Colossians 3:10 we see that the new man is being renewed according to the image of the One who created him…. The renewing of the new man results in full knowledge, and this full knowledge is according to the image of God.
In Colossians Paul uses the phrase full knowledge three times (1:10; 2:2; 3:10). The problem with the Colossians was that they had the wrong kind of knowledge. They had taken in philosophies that were not according to Christ. In 2:8 Paul speaks of philosophies that are according to the tradition of men and according to the elements of the world, but not according to Christ …. Concerning the new man, our mind needs to be renewed unto such a full knowledge according to the Christ who is the expression of the invisible God. Our mind needs to be renewed to such an extent that we have a clear view of Christ as the image of God …. The Colossians could be deluded because in their minds they did not have the full knowledge according to God’s expression. The same is true of Christians today. Some have been carried away because in their minds they were not renewed unto full knowledge according to the all-inclusive Christ as the image of God.
When our mind concerning… [some]thing is renewed, our emotion with its love will be renewed also. When the mind is renewed, the emotion is spontaneously renewed as well. Our experience confirms this…. The more my mind is renewed unto the proper knowledge of Him, the more I love Him. I can testify that, even though I am an elderly person, my love for Him is fresh. In fact, I love Him more today than ever before. As I speak of Him, a fire is burning within me. The renewing that has taken place in my mind unto full knowledge according to the image of God has created appreciation within me for the Lord. This causes me to love Him… [and] say, “Lord Jesus, I want to follow You at any cost. I am willing to pay any price, even the price of my life, to be one with You and be for You. Lord, I want to take You as my life and as my person. I want to live You, grow You, and produce You. Lord Jesus, I am here for You and for You alone.” (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 233-236)
Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msgs. 28, 52, 61-63
Morning Nourishment
2 Cor. 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart; but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.Eph. 4:22-23 That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man…and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
God has the best provisions to help us to receive the renewing. The first provision is the cross, the putting to death of Jesus. According to 2 Corinthians 4, Paul was always under the killing of the cross, the Lord’s death.
The second provision is the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5 speaks of the “renewing of the Holy Spirit.”… [The Holy Spirit’s] main work is first to regenerate us and then to renew us every day. We are receiving the new supply of the Spirit daily to renew us metabolically…. The third provision God gave us is our mingled spirit, our human spirit mingled with the divine Spirit. In our human spirit, the Holy Spirit dwells, works, and renews us. Ephesians 4:23 says that we need to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. Our spirit is the place where we receive the renewing. Our mingled spirit spreads into our mind, thus becoming the spirit of our mind. It is in such a spirit that we are renewed for our transformation. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 2, “Being Renewed Day by Day, ” pp. 351-352)
Today’s Reading
Many times when we are suffering, we are questioning, “Why am I suffering? What is the reason?”…While we are in the midst of suffering, we need to receive the renewing. Otherwise, the suffering we pass through means nothing to us. Within us there is a refuge. This refuge is our spirit. We need to turn from our mind to our spirit. Then we are safeguarded, hidden, and concealed from any attacks. It is in our spirit that we will be renewed.In addition to the cross, the Holy Spirit, and our spirit, we have the holy Word. The Head of the Body cleanses the church, His Body, by the washing of the water in the word (Eph. 5:26). Because I have studied the Bible for such a long time, I can recall chapters such as Matthew 1 and Romans 8…. When I think about Romans 8:4—to walk according to the spirit— I get washed. We all need to receive the washing of the water in the word daily.
We may feel that many of the things that we pass through are not fair, but we need to realize that the cross is not fair. When Pilate sentenced the Lord Jesus to death, was that fair?… Everything that happened to the Lord Jesus was not fair. We should not say, “This is not fair.” No suffering is fair. The Lord could respond to us in this way: “Yes, the suffering itself is not fair, but My calling you to suffer is fair. I am fully right in placing you into this unfair treatment so that you can receive the renewing.”… [When we are suffering], we have to learn how to turn to our spirit. That is our refuge, our hiding place, to receive the renewing…. We may not even be able to take the situation we are in, but when we come to the Word, regardless of what chapter or verse, the word will wash us. There is water in the word to wash us. Washing is a synonym of renewing. By these four items—the cross, the Holy Spirit, our mingled spirit, and the holy Word—we can receive the renewing.
Whenever we come to the Lord’s table, we need renewing. When the Lord Jesus established the table, He said, “I shall by no means drink of this product of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of My Father” (Matt. 26:29). The Lord …will never take an old table. The table He set up was new, and the table He will take in the kingdom of His Father will be new. We have to come to the Lord’s table in a new way, in the principle of newness. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 2, “Being Renewed Day by Day, ” pp. 352-353)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, “The Organic Aspect of God’s Salvation, ” ch. 3; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “The Secret of God’s Organic Salvation—‘the Spirit Himself with Our Spirit, ’” ch. 3
Morning Nourishment
Col. 3:1-2 If therefore you were raised together with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the earth.Colossians 3:1 indicates clearly that we have one position with Christ. How could we seek the things which are above if we were not above also?
The way to seek the things which are above is to turn to the spirit and call on the name of the Lord. There is a transmission taking place from Christ in heaven to us on earth by means of the all-inclusive Spirit in our spirit (Eph. 1:19, 22-23; 2:22)…. Because of the transmission from the throne of God in heaven into our spirit, when we enjoy the Lord here on earth, we are simultaneously in heaven. Then in our experience we are in Christ, in the Father, and in heaven. Then in the spirit we are one in position with Christ, seeking the things which are above. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 3604)
Today’s Reading
Speaking for the Lord, speaking forth the Lord, and speaking the Lord into others is for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ. With only one man speaking and the rest listening, a congregation can be built up, but the Body of Christ as an organism can never be built up…. For us to come together to build up the Body of Christ organically, the practice of one man speaking and the rest listening is not prevailing. All the members need to speak for the Body of Christ to be built up. One saint can speak for two minutes, another for five minutes, and another for three minutes.Suppose that…two hundred meet together for ninety minutes, and everyone bears the responsibility to have something to speak for the Lord. If each one speaks for three minutes, thirty saints will be able to speak. This will be a refreshing meeting. Whenever a new one speaks, his speaking is especially fresh and refreshing. Everyone will say Amen to his speaking. To build every part of the Body of Christ, we all need to rise up to speak for the Lord.
Our church meetings should be a feast of the riches of Christ. When we are invited to a feast, we do not partake of only one dish…. If we had many kinds of dishes in a meeting, how wonderful that would be! None of us would get bored of such a meeting. Our meetings need to be feasts full of enjoyment.
A meeting in which all the saints are speaking for the Lord is full of nourishing, cherishing, adjusting, and correcting. A brother may be in the meeting who has a habit that is not so fitting for the church life. With only one person speaking and the rest listening, a message may never be given that touches this brother’s habit. But if twenty or thirty saints speak in the meeting, eventually someone will speak something that touches this brother’s habit. Because many portions are presented in the meeting, many things can be touched. In such a meeting, the saints get corrected without anyone knowing. Furthermore, the saints get built up, supplied, furnished, and equipped. This is why the apostle Paul had the burden to stress prophesying.
In building up the Body of Christ, you are not excelling if you do not prophesy. Prophesying is the excelling gift for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Our prophesying is so that “all may learn” (1 Cor. 14:31). If we do not learn first, how can we say something for others to learn?… We learn to prophesy through experiences, by being equipped with the Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17), by praying unceasingly (1 Thes. 5:17-20), by praying ourselves into the Spirit, by living and walking by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25), and by practicing. If we do these things, we will learn to speak in a particular way for the Lord. (CWWL, 1988, vol. 4, “The Excelling Gift for the Building Up of the Church, ” pp. 449-452)
Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msgs. 31, 75-76, 357; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John, ” ch. 13; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups, ” chs. 4, 11