Scripture Reading:John 1:4; 12:24; 15:1, 4-5; 1 John 5:16; 2 Cor. 4:12
Ⅰ
In God's economy we are not only eaters of the tree of life, but we are also branches of this tree, and we may eventually become a smalltree of life, a reproduction of Christ as the tree of life—1 Pet. 2:21; John 1:4; 12:24; 15:1, 4-5:
A
God's intention is that all the believers in Christ become a reproduction of Christ, the God-man—12:24; Rom. 8:29:
１
In order to become a reproduction of Christ, we need to be reborn of the pneumatic Christ in ourspirit and then be gradually transformedby the pneumatic Christ in our soul—John 3:6; 2 Cor. 3:18.
２
As we become a reproduction of Christ, spontaneously we will live Christ by the bountiful supply of His Spirit—Phil. 1:19, 21.
B
In Genesis 2:9 the tree of life was unique, but the tree of life has been planted into us and is growing in us, causing us to becomea small tree of life.
Ⅱ
As a reproduction of Christ as the tree of life, we have the ministry of life—1John 5:16; 2 Cor.4:12:
A
Because we are believers in Christ and children of God, we not only haveeternal life and may experience eternal life, but we also can minister this lifeto other members of the Body of Christ—1 John 5:11-16.
B
To minister life is to impart life; when we have a surplus of life, we can minister from this supply to others—1:1-2; 2:25; 5:11-13, 16.
C
The service in the church is a life-ministering service—a service of supply-ingothers with the divine life—2 Cor. 4:12:
１
We need to be impressed with this point and look to the Lordthat our service would becomean outlet for His life—John 11:25; 1 John 1:2.
２
The life that we supply to others is in the Spirit, the Spirit is min-gled with our spirit, and the life of God is located, abides, and grows in the mingled spirit—1 Cor. 15:45b; 6:17; Rom. 8:4:
ａ
If we would supply the saints with life, we must release our spirit,for the divine life is in our mingled spirit—7:6; 1:9.
ｂ
If our spirit cannot be released, the divinelife has no way to be released—8:10.
D
If we would live asa reproduction of Christ as the tree of life, we need to be deeply impressed with the necessity of being able to minister life—1 John5:11-16:
１
The service that God wants from us does not focus on doing a work but on ministering life—v. 16.
２
In order to minister life to others, weneed to be joined to Christ, abidein Christ, and give Him the ground in us to fill us so that His life, nature,likes, and inclination become our life, nature, likes, and incli-nation—2:27; Eph. 3:16-17.
E
To minister life is to have the outflow of life;our service is God's flowing out to supply others with the divine life—John 19:34; 7:37-39:
１
Life is the content of God and the flowing out of God; God's content is God's being, and God's flowing out is the impartation of Himself aslife to us—Eph. 4:18; Rev. 22:1.
２
In order for life to be released from our spirit, our outer man must be dealt with and broken—2 Cor. 4:16; Heb. 4:12:
ａ
If our outer man is not broken, there cannot be a pure flow of the divine life—John 7:38.
ｂ
If we want the divine life to be released from within us, we must be subdued in our soul and let our spirit dominate and rule over every matter; then the Lord's life will be able to flow out—Eph. 3:16-17.
３
Having the outflow of life requires that we be one with Christ in His life-releasing death;this is to be identified with the smitten Christ typified by the smitten rock—John 19:34; Exo. 17:6:
ａ
When we are one with Christas the smitten rock, the divine life as the living water flows out of us—v. 6; John 7:38.
ｂ
Our human life, our natural life, must be smitten so that the liv-ing water may flow out from within us—2 Cor. 4:10-11, 16.
ｃ
If we are one with the smitten Christ, we will experience the cru-cifixionof our naturallife, and then as Christ's divine life flowed out as living water through the smiting of His human life, we alsowill experience the flow of the water of life through the smiting ofour natural life—vv.10-12.
F
If we would minister life to others, we need to be aware of the attack upon the church by death, the gates of Hades—Matt. 16:18; Rom. 5:17:
１
What is of God is characterized by life, and what is of Satan, by death;in the church everything that issues from God is life, and everything that issues from Satan is death—John 11:25; Heb. 2:14.
２
Satan's greatest fear with regard to the church is her resistance to his power of death—2 Tim. 1:10.
３
The eternal life within us can overcome death both in ourselves and in other members of the church—1 John 5:11-13, 16.
４
As a reproduction of Christ as the tree of life, we need to experience eternallife and minister this life to others by being a channel throughwhich eternal life can flow—John 7:37-39; Phil. 1:24-25.