Outline
Ⅰ
We are disciples of Christ, those who are following and learning Christ according to the reality that is in Jesus, which is the actual condition of the God-man living of Jesus recorded in the four Gospels; this is to experience Christ in His experiences so that we might become His organic reproduction and duplication for Him to have a corporate expression of Himself for His glory in the church and in the New Jerusalem—Matt. 5:1; 28:19; Eph. 4:20-24; 3:21; Isa. 43:7; Rev. 21:11:
A
We are being discipled from being a natural man to being a God-man, living the divine life by denying our natural life according to the model of Christ as the first God-man; this is to learn Christ and be taught in Him as the reality is in Jesus, to be renewed in the spirit of our mind by the word of God so that we may become a new and corporate God-man—Eph. 4:23; Deut. 17:18-20:
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"If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free"—John 8:31-32, 36; 15:7.
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By the prayerful reading of the Scriptures and by having an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the churches through the ministry of the word, we are being discipled by the Lord through being transformed by the renewing of our mind—Eph. 6:17-18; Rev. 2:7; Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23.
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For us to be renewed in our mind is to get rid of all the old concepts concerning the things of the human life through receiving the new thoughts of God by the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the enlightening of the Holy Spirit—Psa. 119:105, 130.
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In order to be the Lord's disciples who are being saved in Christ Himself as life to reign in life over Satan, sin, and death, we must be reconstituted with the holy word of God so that we may be instructed, governed, ruled, and controlled by the word of God—Rom. 5:10, 17; Deut. 17:18-20; 2 Tim. 3:15-17.
Morning Nourishment
Rom. 12:2 And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.Eph. 4:23 And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
We should not be fashioned according to this age. This means that we should not be fashionable. Rather, we should be transformed by the renewing of the mind…The renewing taught by the Scriptures is the renewing of the mind; it is altogether a matter related to the mind. The mind is our mentality, our philosophy, our religious concepts, our views concerning people and things, etc. We need to be renewed mainly in our mind.
Ephesians 4:23 says, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” The preceding verse says to put off the old man (v. 22), the succeeding verse says to put on the new man (v. 24)…The spirit of our mind is the regenerated spirit mingled with the Spirit of God spreading into our mind to exercise control over it. In this way our mind is renewed. Furthermore, Romans 8:6 says, “The mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” This also shows us the importance of our mind. Our mind can be renewed only by our setting it on the spirit. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, “The Organic Aspect of God’s Salvation,” p. 407)
Today’s Reading
Not only so, the New Testament teaches us to have the mind in us which was also in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:5). This is equivalent to taking the mind of Christ Jesus as our mind. By regeneration we have the life of God, by sanctification we partake of the nature of God, and by renewing we have a change in our mind.The way of renewing lies in prayer and in reading the Scriptures, because for us to be renewed in our mind is for us to get rid of all our 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. When you read the Bible and become familiar with it, the Holy Spirit will enlighten you and guide you. When the Holy Spirit comes to enlighten you while you thus pray and read the Word day by day, the mind in you is being changed from the old to the new. Your view is different, and your being is renewed.
Such a renewing of the mind issues in the transformation of the believers in their spiritual life. Titus 3:5 refers to the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. The washing of regeneration washes away our old life; following this, the renewing of the Holy Spirit changes our mind. When our mind is renewed, our whole being is transformed. This is to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. The washing of regeneration purges away all the things in the old nature of our old man, whereas the renewing of the Holy Spirit dispenses the new things, the divine essence of the new man, into our being. Through this we turn from the old condition in which we were into a completely new condition, from the state of the old creation into the state of the new creation.
Today our problem is due mostly to our mind…Sometimes when someone has something wrong in his mind, he begins to have wild imaginations. A wife may begin to weep when she indulges in wild imaginations. All these matters are related to the mind. God Himself has become our life, He is changing our disposition, and He is also renewing our mind. Thus, we can have the proper concepts and can pursue Christ in a proper way…Our disposition needs to be sanctified so that we may partake of God’s holy nature; our mind also needs to be renewed so that we may be transformed in our spiritual life. This is the saving that God renders to us in the organic aspect of His salvation. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, “The Organic Aspect of God’s Salvation,” pp. 407-409)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 3, “The Organic Aspect of God’s Salvation,” ch. 3; CWWN, vol. 17, “Notes on Scriptural Messages,” pp. 111-120