Ⅲ
Ministry is the issue of revelation plus suffering—what we see is wrought into us through suffering; hence, what we minister is what we are:
Ａ
Although the ministers are many, they have only one ministry—the ministry of the new covenant for the accomplishing of God’s New Testament economy; our working together with Christ is to carry out this unique ministry, the ministering of Christ to people for the building up of His Body—Acts 1:17; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Cor. 4:1; 6:1a.
Ｂ
As a whole, the Body has one, unique corporate ministry, but because this ministry is the service of the Body of Christ and because the Body has many members, all the members have their own ministry for the carrying out of the unique ministry—Acts 20:24; 21:19; 2 Tim. 4:5; Col. 4:17.
Ｃ
The ministry is for ministering the Christ whom we have experienced, and it is constituted with, and produced and formed by, the experiences of the riches of Christ gained through sufferings, consuming pressures, and the killing work of the cross—Acts 9:15-16; Col. 1:24; Phil. 3:10; 1 Tim. 4:6; 2 Cor. 1:4-6, 8-9, 12; 3:3, 6:
１
The ministry of the Spirit is for us to arrive at the high peak of the divine revelation by our ministering Christ as the Spirit, who gives life—vv. 8-9, 6, 3; Rev. 22:17a.
２
The ministry of righteousness is for us to enter into the God-man living by our ministering Christ not only as our objective righteousness but also as our subjective and lived-out righteousness for the genuine expression of Christ—Rom. 5:17; Phil. 3:9; Rev. 19:8.
３
The ministry of reconciliation is for us to shepherd people according to God (in oneness with Christ in His heavenly ministry of shepherding) by our ministering Christ as the word of reconciliation so that we can bring God’s people into their spirit as the Holy of Holies for them to become persons in the spirit—2 Cor. 5:18-20; John 21:15-17; 1 Pet. 5:2-4; 2:25; Rev. 1:12-13; Heb. 10:19, 22; 1 Cor. 2:15.
４
By our fully entering into such a wonderful ministry in its three aspects, the Lord will have a way to bring the churches into a new revival.
Ｄ
Tribulation is the sweet visitation and incarnation of grace with all the riches of Christ; grace visits us mainly in the form of tribulation—2 Cor. 12:7-10:
１
Through tribulations the killing effect of the cross of Christ on our natural being is applied to us by the Holy Spirit, making the way for the God of resurrection to add Himself into us—1:8-9; 4:16-18.
２
Tribulation produces endurance, which brings forth the quality of approvedness—an approved quality or attribute resulting from the enduring and experiencing of tribulation and testing—Rom. 5:3-4.
Ｅ
God poured out Himself as love in our hearts with the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us, as the motivating power within us, that we may more than conquer in all our tribulations; therefore, when we endure any kind of tribulation, we are not put to shame but live Christ for His magnification—v. 5; 8:31-39; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; Phil. 1:19-21a.
Morning Nourishment
2 Cor. 4:1 Therefore having this ministry as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart.Rom. 5:3-4 And not only so, but we also boast in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces endurance; and endurance, approvedness; and approvedness, hope.
Ministry is the issue of revelation plus suffering. Without revelation, one…has nothing to minister. But though one may have revelation, if he lacks suffering, he still has no ministry….Ministry is something higher and deeper [than teaching]. Gift is superficial and costs little, while ministry is weighty and costly. If you have received revelation from God, He will put you into suffering in order that you may have ministry.
From the writings of the apostle Paul, we can see that before he endured suffering, he received revelation. When he received the revelation, he did not immediately go out to pass it on as teaching or knowledge. To do so would not have been ministry; it would have been a sort of teaching or an exercise of gift. But after receiving the revelation, the Lord put him into some suffering. Hence, in all his Epistles we have this sequence: first, the revelation; second, the sufferings; and third, the ministry which came out of the first two. To receive revelation is one thing; to have that revelation wrought into our being is something else. (Watchman Nee—a Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, p. 193)
Today’s Reading
The measure of life, the amount of reality, and the riches of Christ we are able to minister to others depend entirely upon two elements: how much revelation we have received and how much suffering we have undergone regarding that which has been revealed to us.I was with Watchman Nee for years…. He was a person of the cross. The sufferings he received from all directions were just the working of the cross, and the revelation he received concerning the cross was wrought into him…. I can testify from the depths of my being that what he did was a ministry; what he did was what he was. (Watchman Nee—a Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, pp. 194-195)
Our natural being needs to be sanctified, transformed, and conformed. Therefore, God brings in certain tribulations and sufferings for our good….Tribulation and suffering are for our transformation. We all appreciate peace, grace, and glory, but no one likes tribulation.
Tribulation is actually the incarnation of grace with all the riches of Christ…. If we say that we appreciate grace but not tribulation, it is like saying that we love God but not Jesus. However, to reject Jesus is to reject God. Likewise, to reject tribulation is to reject grace….The incarnation of God was His gracious visitation…. If we love His visit, we must love His incarnation. It is the same with grace and tribulation. Tribulation is the incarnation of grace visiting us. Although we love God’s grace, we must also kiss the tribulation, which is the incarnation of grace, the sweet visitation of grace.
The experience of tribulation produces endurance (Rom. 5:3). Endurance is more than patience; it is the product of patience plus suffering. None of us was born with endurance; it is produced by the suffering of tribulation. Endurance produces approvedness (v. 4). Approvedness is an approved quality resulting from the endurance of tribulation and testing. Thus, approvedness is a quality or attribute that can be approved. At times, it is difficult for young brothers to have the approval of others. They need the endurance which produces a quality that is easily approved by others. Tribulation issues in endurance, and endurance brings forth the quality of approvedness. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 105-106)
Further Reading: Watchman Nee—a Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, chs. 14-16, 22; Watchman Nee, The Treasure in Earthen Vessels (booklet); Life-study of Romans, msg. 9