Brothers and sisters, will you turn with me to Ephesians?
We will begin reading from Ephesians 4, beginning with verse 11.
And He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:
till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.
We will continue reading from verse 15.
But speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him, Who is the head, even Christ;
from Whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.
Brothers and sisters, turn also to Revelation 21. We will read first from verses 9 and 10.
And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were laden with the seven last plagues; and he spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb.
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
Then we will continue with verses 22 through 26.
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof.
And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb.
And the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof: and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it.
And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there):
and they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
We thank God. When the Word of God is opened to us, we are able to see that glorious will in the heart of God.
That will is so great, so grand, and so rich, especially as it is manifested in us who are the first to trust in Christ.
The Word of God tells us that we who were brought from dust will be brought into a condition to experience all that Christ Himself has experienced. This is the reality of complete salvation.
Each one of us who has been saved by grace experiences this grace because we have accepted the Lord as our personal Saviour.
Through the Holy Spirit, God brings us into the Body of Christ. That is, we become the Church of Christ.
Therefore, when the time has come, God shall gather together all things as one and sum them up in Christ.
When we are able to see this glorious fact, then we are able to realize how great this grace is. We will surely not remain merely with the fact that we are saved.
Very clearly, then, we see that our relationship has been restored and reconciled to God. But this restoration to normality is only the beginning.
From that starting point, God begins His work upon us, making the experience of Christ—all that His Son has experienced—a reality in us.
Thus, we who are from dust are brought to this point: as the only begotten Son of God is beloved before God the Father, we likewise shall be beloved.
As the only begotten Son, in the bosom of the Father, receives all things, we likewise shall receive the blessing.
When God has handed all authority throughout the universe to the Son, we likewise partake in the joy of that as well. We praise and thank our Lord.
Therefore, as we come together to look upon the work of God once again, we cannot merely stay in this knowledge. We must ask God to show us more clearly and more deeply, and to bring us into an understanding of the completion of His arrangement.
Because we have believed in the Lord, God’s grace has already brought us into the Body of Christ. We thank the Lord that we have become the Body of Christ.
But, brothers and sisters, we must take note: now that God has gained us to be the Body of Christ according to His pleasure, we cannot say that God is not satisfied. Yet we may say that God is not fully satisfied.
Why do we say such words? In our midst, at this conference, there are many children—toddlers.
When they are born from their mother’s womb, can you say that this child is not a person? I believe none of us would dare to make that conclusion.
Even though the child is a baby, carried in the bosom and very small, you cannot say that the child is not a person.
If we realize this point, then we can understand a deeper matter: when does this child become a man?
The child is indeed a person, but in our concept the child is not yet grown. This is how both Chinese and Americans tend to view it.
When referring to a baby, people may not even refer to the baby as he or she; they may call the baby “it.” This reveals something of our concept.
In our concept, for a child to become a person in the full sense, the process of growth is very important.
We praise and thank the Lord. From the time we believe in the Lord, the Holy Spirit has placed us in the Body of Christ, and we are members of the Body of Christ.
Brothers and sisters, we must see very clearly: in our understanding, we are in the Body of Christ; yet in the arrangement of God, we are the Body.
However, we are not yet able to completely manifest the function of the Body. God has made it so that we are the Body of Christ.
God has placed individual members in the Church in order to make them the Body of Christ. Therefore, what is the function of this Body?
From the words of Ephesians 1, when all things are gathered and summed up as one in Christ, this is the function of the Body of Christ.
God says that when the Body of Christ is mature, it is the Body of Christ which is the fulness of Him Who filleth all in all.
Again, brothers and sisters, this brings us back to the point of growth—from being a baby to being full-grown.
Forgive me for saying this: in position, we are the Body of Christ. Yet in the plan of God, it is not His desire for us to remain only in position as the Body of Christ.
God desires to edify us unto the point that we are full-grown as the Body of Christ.
First, let us grasp this point: God desires the Body of Christ to come to its full measure. Then we will look into the Word of God to see how He brings us into this glorious reality.
We praise and thank our Lord. When we are brought, in fact, into the Body of Christ, we are able to see the glorious will of God manifested through us, point by point, until the will of God is complete.
Then we must ask: how is the will of God manifested from us, point by point and step by step?
If we look at this from the arrangement of salvation, how do we begin from merely being saved and enter into a condition in which we are victorious?
From being victorious, how do we come to the point at which we are completely filled with the glory and riches of Christ?
Brothers and sisters, this is the exact point to which we must pay attention in our time, in the New Covenant. How is the will of God to be completed, received, and passed on?
We cannot remain merely at the point of being saved. We cannot merely remain in the condition that we have become the Body of Christ.
We must see from the arrangement of God that He is not merely gaining many people to form the Body of Christ. God is bringing this Body of Christ into a glorious Body, a Body that completely contains the glory and fulness of God.
This is a fact that we who continue to follow the Lord must see.
Our brother has shared that the entire spiritual matter is a matter of battle. Why is it a matter of battle?
It is because God desires to complete what He has purposed to do, but God’s adversary is never willing for God’s work to be completed.
Therefore, spiritual warfare begins upon us. Even before we receive the salvation of God, the enemy causes us to reject God’s salvation.
When we see salvation and receive salvation, the enemy may seem to have no way with us. In one sense, this is true: he cannot hinder us from receiving salvation.
Yet, although he cannot prevent us from receiving salvation, he will hinder us from growing from the point at which we are saved.
I will not go into detail about that. But from church history until today, we can see this very easily.
So many children of God cannot go forward spiritually because of this very key point.
Therefore, when God places us in the Body of Christ, He continues to lead us into the experience of the fulness of Christ. Then we are able to see the complete reality of God’s salvation.
Oftentimes we say that what we receive from God is not a religion and not an organization. What we receive from God is complete salvation.
This perfect salvation exposes our shortcomings and our lack, and God uses the experience of Christ to fill that lack.
I believe many brothers and sisters understand this point. Our makeup consists of spirit, soul, and body.
Even though modern theology may challenge the truth that man is spirit, soul, and body, it can never change the fact that is revealed in the Word of God.
God’s Word shows us that we are made up of spirit, soul, and body.
If this is our entire makeup, then with man’s fall, what has fallen? Is it only the spirit? Is it the soul? Does it also include the body?
Brothers and sisters, this is very clear, because it is our experience. No one needs to force this experience upon us; very naturally, step by step, we experience it.
During yesterday’s meal, our brother asked us, “How many West Coast Christian Conferences have we held already?” I was stumped by that question.
I have come to the conference year by year, but I have not counted how many conferences there have been.
Yet there is one fact that I clearly see. When we had the first West Coast Christian Conference, some of the brethren sharing from the pulpit and some of the brothers and sisters in the audience are still with us now.
At that time, our hair was black. Yet if you look at the same brethren from that first conference until now, if their whole head is not white, perhaps you can see many white hairs.
That is our experience, is it not? This is how man has completely fallen in spirit, soul, and body.
As far as the salvation of God through His Son is concerned, that salvation completely deals with spirit, soul, and body.
When we say we are saved, as far as our spirit is concerned, it has been reconciled with God, and that relationship has been restored.
After we are saved, we know very clearly that there is a spiritual guidance within us, and we must pursue maturity. We thank the Lord that many brothers and sisters have followed on in this way.
This is the salvation of our soul. Even though our spirit has been saved, and our soul is being saved, if the Lord tarries, we shall all move into another state.
That is not our end. One day, we shall stand again. This is the redemption of our body.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, when we see the perfect salvation of God clearly, we are able to see that God works the same experience of Christ into us step by step.
We are saved, and we have eternal confidence. There is no issue with that. As far as the redemption of our body is concerned, that too is perfected by God in His grace. We do not need to worry about that.
But as far as the salvation of our soul is concerned, God is continuing to do His work in order to deliver us from our spiritual condition.
I cannot go into this in detail. I will simply give you the beginning and the end. At the beginning is the fall of Adam, and where did it begin? It began in the soul.
But we praise and thank God: in His salvation, He shows us that there is salvation for our soul.
Therefore, in our experience, we continue to receive the salvation of our soul. This stage is quite long; it continues throughout our lifetime before God.
The Lord removes, bit by bit, our fallen and corrupt state. As God removes it bit by bit, the Lord Himself fills us. This is the grace of God’s salvation.
It is God Himself Who is at work. When we see this arrangement of God, our hearts are filled with joy.
Before us, we do not see disappointment; before us, we shall never see a dead end. This is because, in the salvation of God, we continue to receive all that the Son is and all that He has done.
But, brothers and sisters, when we reach this point, we must take note of how this arrangement of God is to be done upon us.
Even though this experience begins individually, the experience of us individually does not always remain in that condition.
Why must we continue to emphasize and focus on the fact that the completion of the will of God—the testimony of God in the New Covenant—is upon the Church?
When this work is done in each of us individually, that is merely the beginning. Bear in mind that this is only the starting point; we must not remain there.
I believe, brothers and sisters, that you are very familiar with the Lord’s parable to the disciples. I will not go into it in detail, but I will point out something for you to consider.
When the Lord told the disciples how the plan of God would be executed and completed on earth, did He not tell them the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, especially in Matthew 13?
At the very beginning, He gave two parables. The first parable, brothers and sisters, is the parable of the sower.
In the parable of the sower, we see the complete reality of this matter. I will not speak about seed sown upon the rocks or by the wayside.
Even the seed of life that was sown on the good ground was able to bear fruit.
When the Lord spoke of bearing fruit, He told us that some bear fruit thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold.
Now here is my question. We need not consider those on the rock or by the wayside, and perhaps we need only mention those among thorns.
You cannot say that those sown among thorns do not have life. But their life is very weak; there is little function in that life.
The Lord has placed His desire upon the seed sown in the good soil.
Even in that parable, the Lord says it is good ground, good soil. That is to say, when the work of God is sown in this ground, there is a response.
Yet the issue is not merely that there is a response. The issue is fruitfulness.
Some bear fruit thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold.
Brothers and sisters, you make the conclusion: is the Lord satisfied with thirtyfold fruit? You cannot say that the Lord is not satisfied. Yes, the Lord is somewhat satisfied.
But, brothers and sisters, I say He is somewhat satisfied; He is not completely satisfied. Likewise, the conclusion is the same with sixtyfold.
We thank God. The Lord shows us thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. The first two are good, but we must ask: what is it that God desires? In all of God’s arrangement, what is God after?
God is willing to accept thirtyfold. God can accept sixtyfold.
But God is completely satisfied only with a hundredfold.
Brothers and sisters, even though this is a parable given by the Lord, when the Lord gave this parable, He was speaking of the requirement of God the Father in His working.
When we return to the New Testament, we see that God has completely placed His desire upon the edification of the Church.
When we read Ephesians 4, we see very clearly that the Lord has given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
God has given us such grace for a very clear purpose: it is for the perfecting of the saints.
What is the result of that work? It is for the edification of the Body.
Through the work of His Son, God works upon us step by step until we become a full-grown Body.
Each one of us who is saved by God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, has already been placed in the Body.
God now has this Body of Christ. In this, God is somewhat pleased; yet God is not completely satisfied, because this Body of Christ has not yet borne the hundredfold fruit.
How, then, will this Body of Christ bear fruit? Let us not first ask whether it is possible for the Body to bear a hundredfold fruit. Yes, it is possible.
But that is not our work. It is the Lord’s work as He continues to work.
How will the Lord complete this formation? This is the focal point of receiving and passing on the testimony of Christ in the New Testament.
When the Lord speaks to His disciples concerning these matters, He shows us very clearly how the Body of Christ will mature.
Because our time is limited, we cannot go into too much detail. But we must summarize: how can the Church grow mature, and what is the standard of that maturity?
From the Lord’s words, we must say that the Church is called the Body of Christ.
Let me ask, brothers and sisters: if you see a body that has movement but has no head, how would you receive such a body?
You cannot merely see the fact of the body. You must also see that this Body has a Head.
This Head is not only in His proper place; this Head is also governing and ruling over all activity.
We praise and thank our Lord. When God has placed us in the Body of Christ, He has already completed this: the Head was there long ago.
Only when this Body is connected is the complete condition of the Body manifested.
But this is only the outward phenomenon. If the relationship between the Head and the Body is to be manifested, there are practical realities that must be faced.
The first thing is that we must acknowledge the authority and position of the Head.
The second point is that we must be under the governing of this Head. This is very simple.
Brothers and sisters, when God has placed us in this position as the Body of Christ, this shows us something practical concerning our relationship with the Lord.
He is our Saviour; that is correct, because we are saved by Him. But when we go a step further, not only is He our Saviour, but He is also our Lord.
Brothers and sisters, this is our problem today. We can accept the Lord as our Saviour, but by our natural inclination, we are not so willing for the Lord to be our Master.
That is where our difficulty lies, and that has also been the issue throughout church history.
This is the same issue in God’s work of completing the glorious Body of Christ. Among those who belong to God, the position of Christ is often not very clear.
In our hearts we know that He ought to be our Lord, but in reality we do not allow Him to be Lord.
This is the source of many spiritual difficulties. If the Lord cannot be Lord in the Church, then the Church has the position of the Body but not the reality of the Body.
Therefore, when we look at this matter of the Body of Christ, we must see accurately that Christ is our Lord.
Brothers and sisters, this is something we cannot neglect.
Remember, we have continued to mention this fact: in the fulness of time, God will gather all things as one and sum them up as one in Christ.
This is based upon the fact that all things are in Christ. But being in Christ must not be merely a matter of position.
The fact of our being in Christ must be a reality. If our position in Christ is not a reality, then it may sound good when we say that we are in Christ, but it has no function in us.
Many times among the children of God, matters that are very small and trivial become causes for fighting. Why is there a need for fighting?
Forgive me for giving a practical example. Some brothers and sisters may argue concerning the breaking of bread: should we take one cup, or should we partake in other ways?
Brothers and sisters, the fact of one cup is very evident. But how we partake of this one cup in a practical way is not set out in detail by the Word of God.
Even in this practical matter of how we partake of one cup, there can be much difficulty.
A few weeks ago, I had fellowship with some brethren in Canada, and I broke bread with them.
There was a vessel there that represented the fact of the Lord’s blood. It was not one cup but a small tray.
If we take note only of outward matters, then we will have difficulties. Personally, if one uses a small tray to hold the symbol of our Lord’s blood, I may ask why one does not use a cup instead.
But I am not concerned merely with the vessel, whether it is a small tray or a cup. I am concerned with what is in the vessel.
Of course, such matters can be connected with truth. But even matters such as these can bring many unpleasant issues among the children of God.
If our focus is not upon the cup itself but upon what the cup represents of the Lord, then we take note of the reality represented by that cup.
Personally, I feel that there is no need for fighting over whether it is a small tray or a cup that contains what it contains.
Brothers and sisters, you understand what I am getting at. If we acknowledge the Lord as our Lord, our focus will not be upon visible matters that affect our following of the Lord.
Of course, this does not take away from the fact that one day the brethren may see that it is better to hold the wine in a cup. I would absolutely say amen to their decision.
But simply because they are holding the wine in a small tray, I would not say that I would not partake of the blood.
May the Lord give us a deep impression. As we live in the testimony of the Lord’s Body, the first thing we must see is: Who is Lord?
If the Lord is not Lord in the Church, I do not know how that church can manifest the Body of Christ.
But, brothers and sisters, we must see that in the edification of the Body, the first point is that Christ is Lord.
Our salvation is from Him and is completed by His finished work. Therefore, we must allow Him to be Lord.
By nature, we are not very willing to allow the Lord to be Lord. But through the working of the Holy Spirit, the Lord brings us to acknowledge the fact that Christ is Lord.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, when we enter into the testimony of the Body, there are many things we could say. But for the sake of time, I must mention this: if what God desires to complete is that we become the Body of Christ, how do so many individuals become one Body?
The Lord did not say that one of us can be the Body. The Lord says that there are many members in one Body.
How can so many members be manifested as one? The first point is that we must acknowledge the Lord. We are all in Christ.
What fills us is Christ, and we must also manifest Christ.
Brothers and sisters, if the Holy Spirit enlightens us, then we shall see what many believers are manifesting now.
I have absolutely no intention of judging brothers and sisters. We are all like this. But from the positive side, if the Lord is the Head of the Body, and we are governed and directed by Him, then we are here to manifest Him.
If we say something or do something that has nothing to do with Him, we must ask for the Lord’s mercy.
In Christianity today, there is a teaching that is very popular. It emphasizes a great need for evangelism.
But when some speak about evangelism, it can confuse us. They speak of preparation for pre-evangelism.
There is value in developing relationships with others before presenting the gospel. We are not saying that this method is wrong.
But if preaching the gospel remains only at this point, then when will we be ready to preach the gospel?
Many Christians find this very logical. I cannot say that it is unreasonable, but we must deal with this issue appropriately.
We cannot use such a method to take the place of the gospel itself.
Neither should we allow others to say, “All Christians are good people. Let us all learn to be good people along with you Christians.” If that is the case, where is the position of our Lord?
What are we following after—to become a good person? This is a very evident matter.
Using our brother’s words concerning spiritual warfare, we must say that hidden in this matter there can be the hand of Satan at work.
Brothers and sisters, hear me correctly. I did not say that the issue itself is the hand of Satan at work. I say that hidden in such a matter may also be the working hand of Satan.
This is because we have not placed the Lord in the proper position. Whatever matter falls into the hands of man will change.
This is also a lesson found throughout church history.
We praise and thank our Lord. When the Lord manifests His Body, He is always the Head.
He is not only the Head. He is the beginning, the end, and everything in between.
Besides this point, there is another important matter: how can so many members be as one?
We have considered that Christ is our Lord. As we follow on, we must remember that we are many individual members, those who are first to trust in Christ.
How do we who are first to trust in Christ become one Body? You may say that as long as Christ is our Lord, we are one Body.
But the Lord brings us a step further. On the one hand, He shows us that He is our Head.
At the same time, He causes us to see that we who first trust in Christ are members thereof.
The Word of God tells us this very clearly. When we speak of the Church as the Body, 1 Corinthians 12 is very clear.
We are not all hands. We are not all feet. We may say, “It would be great if we were all mouths; then we could say whatever we want and eat whatever we want.”
But the Lord does not show us this. He shows us that each member has its particular function.
These functions must be in harmony and must be coordinated. Then you see a complete Body.
Look at our own makeup. We have feet, eyes, a nose, and each organ has a specific function.
In our own bodies, there is no conflict among the organs.
If you are bitten by a mosquito, what is your reaction? You strike at it.
Let me ask you, brothers and sisters: are you hitting yourself, or are you striking the mosquito?
Very clearly, you are dealing with the problem. Even though you strike yourself, you are not seeking to harm your body; you are striking at the mosquito.
You can see that this is a very harmonious and fluid action.
Let me tell you a joke. When I was young, I was very naughty. When I was in school, I was often disciplined by the teacher.
In my day, if you were naughty, the teacher would call you to the front, tell you to put out your hand, and give you a stick. You were told to strike yourself.
You would strike yourself, but you would strike only the skin. You would never have the thought that you wanted to harm your own body.
Therefore, we praise and thank our Lord. When we read the Word of God, it tells us very clearly that He has made us His Body.
This Body will be brought to the measure of the stature of Christ.
How can this condition be brought about? In the book of Ephesians, we first see that He is our Head.
Then all the members are jointly fitted together and compacted into one Body.
Brothers and sisters, in this world it is difficult for man to get along, regardless of the society in which we live. There will always be obstacles.
But this is the work of God upon us. He will work until there is no hindrance at all.
Perhaps some of our experiences and understandings are not completely the same. Yet these differences will not hinder us from being united in life and fellowship.
How can the Body increase? How can we be united in one faith?
In our present condition, it may not be possible for us to be fully united as one in faith. But that is not the central issue.
As long as we live in the desire of God and make His desire our desire, there will be a day when the Lord brings us into the unity of the Spirit and of the faith.
Of course, because of the fall of man, this area is not easily corrected. But when the Lord places us in the right position and causes us to see the proper goal, gradually we shall be brought to the completion of the Lord’s desire.
Brothers and sisters, I look at the time and know that I do not have much time. But there is one matter I must say.
In our present condition, we cannot say that there are not certain matters about which we have reservations. But that is not the issue.
The issue is this: as we live today, what is our purpose?
When we stand in such a position of grace, what must we receive from God in order to manifest Him?
Of course, in spiritual matters there are many lessons we must learn and many experiences we must pass through.
But, brothers and sisters, regardless of how much lack we may have, what God has determined, He will finish.
This is the issue: we are in this way. How can God finish what He has determined to do?
Let us use simple words to encourage one another. First, this is God’s own work. It is not something we can change.
What God wants to finish, He will complete. But God has His arrangement, and because He has His own arrangement, we also have our responsibility.
Did we not say that in the parable there is the bearing of thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold fruit? What is the meaning of this in the Lord’s parable?
I will simply tell you the end, and I am sure the brethren will fill in the gaps. In the passages we read, we read Revelation.
When we read Revelation, we see a glorious fact: God will manifest the full Body of Christ, and that is the Lamb’s wife.
How is this manifested? It is manifested in the New Jerusalem.
This is also our glorious hope as we await the Lord.
When the New Jerusalem is revealed, what condition will it be in?
Normally, we focus our eyes upon the streets of gold and the city of precious stones. From outward matters, we may consider what the New Jerusalem is like.
But we thank the Lord that when He shows us the New Jerusalem, He shows us more than streets of gold.
He shows us the relationship between the Church and God, and how close and intimate that relationship is.
Brothers and sisters, we have already read the passage in Revelation. It says that on that day there is no need for the light of the sun or moon.
This is because God Himself and the Lamb have become the light thereof.
Yet the passage also tells us that there is no temple therein. Where, then, is the temple? How is the light manifested?
This brings us to a matter that is even more amazing.
When the New Jerusalem is manifested, it will be in the new heaven and the new earth. All things will have been made new by God’s hand, and all things will have become one in Christ.
There will be no obstacle between God and His people.
Here is what is amazing: we see that the New Jerusalem is the Lamb’s wife.
Very evidently, this is the relationship between the Lamb and His wife, the relationship that fulfills God’s desire.
But here is what is wonderful. At the end of Revelation 21, it says that the nations shall bring their glory and honor into it.
The kings of the nations shall also bring their glory and honor into it.
Brothers and sisters, if we are not careful, we may simply read past this. But if we take note, how can this happen?
You may ask, “How can glory be brought not directly to God or to the Lamb, but to the city?”
How is it possible that the city is there while God and the Lamb seem to be put aside?
If we said these words ourselves, we would be heretical. But these are not words spoken by man; the Lord Himself has spoken them.
This is the declaration in heaven: all shall bring their glory into the city.
How do you explain this? How do you understand this, brothers and sisters?
If we do not see the fact that we who first trusted in Christ are used by God as a channel for all things to be gathered together as one in Christ, then we cannot understand this declaration.
If we do not see that this Body of Christ is in complete union with the Head, then there is no way for us to understand the words of the Lord.
But we praise and thank Him. In the dispensation of the fulness of times, the Church, Christ, and God shall be united as one.
This is something we dare not even imagine, yet it is a proclamation which God Himself has proclaimed.
How does this end come? In the New Jerusalem, the glory of Christ is there, and all that God and Christ have is manifested.
Of course, the New Jerusalem is the reality of the union of God and His people. But we must ask: on what basis can this group of people be placed in such a position?
Then we return to our experience. What is thirtyfold? What is sixtyfold? What is a hundredfold?
When we see that God will bring the Church into the fulness of Christ, just as Christ is, how do we attain to that in our present condition?
When God shows us the requirement, or standard, of the maturity of the Church, we praise and worship our Lord.
According to the Word of the Lord, I will briefly mention that there are two very basic principles concerning the maturity of the Church.
First, the number must be fulfilled.
When we see the gospel preached throughout the world, this has to do with fulfilling the number of those who are saved.
But the maturity of the Body of Christ cannot be fulfilled merely by numbers.
We must be filled with the increase of the fulness of life in Christ.
These are the words of Ephesians: we must grow unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.
When we look at ourselves, we ask: how can the fulness of Christ be in the Church as we are?
Then we see the meaning of thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. But may the Lord focus our eyes upon a hundredfold.
When our brother shared with us concerning the condition of the Church in Revelation, we can easily see one thing.
The Church can be brought into glory and manifested when Christ is revealed.
This is because throughout the ages, in all the churches in various locations, there is a group of overcomers who receive the fulness of Christ and bring that fulness into the Church.
When this takes place, brothers and sisters, the Church is mature.
The maturity of the Church is not merely having conferences or meetings here and there.
The maturity of the Church comes when people come into the presence of God, receive the life of God, and receive the fulness of Christ.
When the gospel is preached, the number is brought toward fulfilment. But in spiritual life, believers must receive the fulness of Christ.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, when we consider the receiving and passing on of the testimony of Christ in the New Testament, we pray that the Lord will enlighten the eyes within us so that we may see the Church.
We must not only see the Church; we must see the maturity of the Church. In God’s eyes, it is the glorious Church.
In the ages to come, it is the Church that will manifest and reveal the fulness and riches of God.
In order for the Church to be brought into such a condition, may the Lord deeply impress upon us this desire and longing to bear fruit.
If we dare not say a hundredfold, then at the very least, may the Lord help us to be those who bear a hundredfold.
At the very least, let us stand in the position of bearing fruit thirtyfold. May the Lord work graciously so that, in the New Covenant, we may know how to manifest the will of God.
Let us have a word of prayer.
Lord, may the Holy Spirit speak these words even more clearly and heavily upon our hearts.
Lord, what man is able to speak for You is so small. But when You directly speak to us, then we are made alive.
Lord, may You reveal even more of Your Word within us. Show us, as we live in the New Covenant, how honorable is the position in which You have placed us.
Therefore, Lord, we look to Your mercy to help us overcome the world and the flesh, that we may be brought into the condition of choosing You solely and wholly.
May the Church grow unto the full measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.
Lord, we thank Thee because Thou hast spoken these words to us.
Lord, may You use the working of the Holy Spirit to complete Your work, that Your heart may be satisfied and that we may rejoice with You.
May our glory, honor, worship, and adoration be Thine. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.