Time really flies. Chennai, we have come to the last evening of this conference.
We really hope that the Lord will return soon, so that we can see the beauty of our Lord sooner. Then we can gather together in His very presence. I hope this hope is for every brother and sister.
I pray that He will use His word to encourage us.
The theme for the conference is, “You are My witnesses.” The burden I received is to fellowship concerning being conformed to His death.
I want to fellowship on two parts. In the last session, we already talked about the death of Christ. We mentioned its meaning, its power, and its effects in our lives.
Tonight, we would like to talk about the testimony of death and resurrection. I would like to ask the brothers and sisters to read God’s word together with me.
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
But put to death the Prince of life, the One whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.
Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.
But if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
The sons of Israel did so, as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the Lord spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging place and put them down there.
Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing; and they are there to this day.
Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.
Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man was standing opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand; and Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”
He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to Him, “What has my Lord to say to His servant?”
The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
We mentioned this last time in Philippians 3:10. This is the strong desire of Paul. He desired to know Christ more. He also knew that, in order to know Christ more, he had to have fellowship with Christ’s sufferings. Therefore, he needed to be conformed to His death.
He needed to be conformed into the likeness of His death. Then he continued to say, “In order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
We already mentioned that being conformed to His death is being conformed into the likeness of His death. That is a very important experience. For Christians, it is also a very fundamental experience, and it is a critical experience for us to pursue the Lord.
In order for us to have the knowledge of the Lord, and for all the truth concerning the Lord to become reality in us and to be manifested in our daily life, this experience of death is indispensable.
If we ignore this experience of death, if we do not pursue in this regard, then all other things are but doctrines to us. There will be no reality.
In recent years, I have had a deep feeling. We have heard many messages, and we have much knowledge concerning the Lord. Yet what we can express, either in our personal life or in our church life, is very little. So what is the critical point here?
Paul was very clear: we have to be conformed into the likeness of His death. Everybody needs to pursue in this area. Because if the difficulties of the natural man are not dealt with, then the grace of the Lord cannot be manifested in us, and the testimony will not be bright.
This is a very important issue. There is a very precious line in a hymn: “Those who are fit for need must go to Calvary.” If there is no experience of death in our lives, the things of the Lord cannot be accomplished in us.
Yes, we desire to know the Lord more. We hope to receive more revelation. We desire to have a real expression. Therefore, to be conformed to His death, to be conformed into the likeness of His death, has become the critical issue in our service and in our life.
We look to the mercy of the Lord. As we are coming to this end time, may the Lord again restore and recover this. Then brothers and sisters in various places can rise up and pursue. If that is the case, there is hope for the testimony of the Lord on this earth.
In the early church, we can see that the greatest testimony they could bear for the Lord Jesus was the testimony of death and resurrection.
In the first century, many apostles were eyewitnesses of the resurrection of the Lord. After Pentecost, they rose up as the testimony and witnesses of the Lord’s resurrection.
Of course, there are two aspects to their testimony. On the one hand, it is objective. They witnessed and testified to the fact that the Lord was raised from the dead, because many of them were eyewitnesses of the Lord’s resurrection.
Today, as we preach the gospel, many brothers and sisters work hard to testify to the Lord’s death and resurrection. We provide all kinds of evidence to show that the Lord died and that He was raised from the dead. Of course, this objective witnessing is very important.
But God does not only want us to testify objectively. We also need this subjective witnessing. That is to say, not only has the Lord been raised from the dead, but the disciples also need to experience death and resurrection. In our service and in our life, we need to testify of Him.
When we come to Philippians 3, we know Paul was the best example. Paul did not physically witness the Lord’s resurrection, yet in his spiritual experience he could prove that the Lord died and was raised from the dead.
While he was in this life, he pursued the experience of death and resurrection. In that experience, he was testifying of the Lord Himself.
Therefore, in his letters, he made very clear the relationship between the death of Christ and the life of Christ. This was not only revealed by the Lord to him; it was also his personal experience in his life and service.
He hoped that all Christians would understand the relationship between the death of Christ and the life of Christ. Brothers and sisters, if we are not clear about this relationship, our spiritual life can be very confusing, and the church’s service can be very chaotic.
The death of Christ is an important process. The life, or resurrection, of Christ is the important end and purpose. Yet between these two there is a very important relationship.
You have to die the right way. Then that will produce the effect of life in you. My brothers and sisters, can you hear this very clearly? You have to die the right way; then it will produce for you the effect of life.
We all know that we need to be conformed to His death. We need to die to the world. We need to die to ourselves. But that has to be in the likeness of His death.
If your death is not in the likeness of the death of Christ, then it will not produce any effect of life. The likeness of His death has nothing to do with morals, moral effort, or religion. It is not something made outwardly.
The death of the Lord has nothing to do with all of this. Yet it is an important reminder for Christians. Many of us may have realized the importance of His death, and in our lives we feel that we need to be conformed to His death.
Yet we may discover that, in Christian experience, many are only making a show of death. They did not really die, because it is merely mental knowledge to them.
When we have difficulties, when we are dealt with by others, and when the enemy tries to attack us through our circumstances, we know that we need to die. Then we say, “Okay, okay, then I die.” But actually, we did not really die.
Brothers and sisters, we need to truly understand the likeness of Christ’s death. When you die, you need to die the right way. It is very easy to remember: do not die in the wrong way.
If you die wrongly, it will not produce any effect of life, because that is artificial. It is not something real. You can deceive others and deceive yourselves, but you cannot deceive God.
The entire Bible speaks about this, because it is the most important work of our Lord. I often like to use two simple pictures to illustrate the important relationship between death and life.
We know that in the Bible, the lamb is an image of the Lord. The image of the lamb appears continuously from Genesis all the way to Revelation.
Concerning the image of the lamb, there are two simple pictures illustrating the work of the Lord. The first picture is the lamb upon the altar. The other picture is the lamb upon the throne.
The entire Bible is covered by these two pictures. From Genesis all the way to the Gospel of John, the picture concerning the Lamb is upon the altar, because our Lord is the Lamb who was slain.
From the book of Acts onward, because He was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven, we see the Lamb upon the throne. This is especially clear in Revelation 5.
God has never tried to embarrass us or make things difficult for us. Even though there is much meaning concerning death and life, the Lord has placed these two simple pictures before us.
Every one of us wants to be a follower of the Lamb. How do we follow Him? We follow Him from the altar to the throne. Whatever we are facing, we need to see these two pictures.
The Lamb upon the altar speaks of His death. The Lamb upon the throne speaks of His resurrection.
We know that our Lord is the Lamb who was slain. When He was put upon the altar, two major matters were resolved. He destroyed our sin.
Therefore, John the Baptist proclaimed:
Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
The death of the Lamb has dealt with and resolved all the difficulties caused by sin. It has removed all the power of the enemy. We can understand this.
But on the other hand, He was offered up, and there is a more important matter: He satisfied the demand of God. God’s demand is very high. Who can satisfy God? Only the Lamb who was slain can satisfy the heart of God.
He was offered as a burnt offering to God, and God’s heart was fully satisfied. Therefore, God began to bless man. After Mount Calvary, we come to Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit was poured down from heaven.
What does that mean? It means that God’s heart was fully satisfied. Therefore, the greatest blessing of God was poured out upon man.
The death of the Lord also opened up a new and living way. Through this way, we can return back to God, and our fellowship with our Father is restored. We who are fallen sinners can return, be reconciled to God, and enter into glory.
Therefore, the Lamb upon the altar has such important meaning. The death of the Lord has brought us such blessing. But God is not satisfied to have the Lamb upon the altar only. The Lamb has to be upon the throne.
This has to do with God’s eternal purpose. God desires to lead us back into His eternal plan, so that the grand will He planned in eternity can be realized.
When the Lamb is upon the throne, it speaks of His gaining authority over all things. In Revelation, the throne belongs to Him. Yet it does not stop there, because God desires all His blessed children to reign with Christ, so that His glory may be manifested in the entire universe.
But there is something very amazing: when the Lamb is upon the throne, He is still the Lamb who was slain. Therefore, the likeness of death has an eternal nature. Even when we enter into eternity, that nature is still there.
We thank our Lord. Our Lord has set a wonderful example for us, opening this way for us, so that all of us who are in Him will be like Him.
Today we need to go through the death of the Lamb; then we can reach the resurrection of the Lamb. Only when we have the experience of the Lamb upon the altar can we gain the glory of the Lamb upon the throne.
Paul had great gifts, a fruitful ministry, and great revelation. Yet he never lost the focus of his life. He knew this was the most important thing.
Our responsibility is to die to ourselves, and it is God’s responsibility to raise us from the dead so that we can live in a glorious way. This is such an important truth, but it has been ignored among God’s people.
We like to use our own methods, talents, and abilities. As a result, we cause many troubles. Brothers and sisters, we have to enter into the experience of His death and resurrection. Then we can testify of Him.
The apostle Paul not only had this understanding; he also made clear the path into this experience. I hope this truth can be received and esteemed by brothers and sisters in various places.
From the nineteenth century and twentieth century onward, this truth has been recovered, and it has ushered in a glorious testimony on earth. The saints in China in the 1930s pursued very hard in this area, and it also ushered in a period of glory.
Yet we feel that this truth is fading away. We need to pray and look to the mercies of the Lord, so that we may have a true union with His death and with His resurrection.
In Romans 6, Paul speaks about how we can enter into the death of Christ. He uses baptism to illustrate this point. We really need to pay attention to these words.
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
The matter of baptism has everything to do with the death of Christ. The word “baptized” is a very important word.
I remember that I was baptized when I was sixteen years old. When we were baptized, a brother said, “Once you get into the water, do not be afraid. We are going to submerge you in the water for two or three seconds. That is for you to die for two or three seconds. Then, when you get out of the water, you are raised from the dead.”
Later, I felt that in many places people are baptized, and then after baptism they are gone. They were only there for two or three seconds. After baptism they became alive, and then they ran away.
No, no, no. Paul also says that once you are out of the water, you should walk in newness of life. Because baptism is only for two or three seconds, the death is not quite thorough. After baptism, the person returns to his old way. Is that not true?
Brothers and sisters, it is a very important moment when we step into the water. We are accepting the fact of being dead and buried with the Lord.
Paul uses the word “baptized.” It is a very precious word, because being baptized is not just a matter of two or three seconds. It is actually a lifetime matter. It is an experience that extends through time.
We were once baptized into water, but in our experience, spiritually, we need to reach that gradually.
Before I came, I was thinking whether I could find a good example for illustration purposes. I thought perhaps I could talk about Chinese pickled vegetables. But I felt that might be a little rough and perhaps not appropriate. As a matter of fact, I do not know how to pickle vegetables.
Later, I tried to find the word “baptized” in the Greek dictionary. Very amazingly, the dictionary says that about two hundred years before the Lord, there was a Greek named Nicander. He was a poet and also a physician, yet he wrote a recipe for pickles.
I am going to talk about pickles tonight, because in that recipe there is a good explanation concerning the word “baptized.”
In Greek, there are two words related to the process. It is just like when we make pickles. First, you dip the vegetable in hot water. That dipping is one word for baptizing, but that is not enough.
After the dipping, you take out the vegetable and immerse it in vinegar. You have to let the vegetable stay in the vinegar for an extended period of time.
Therefore, in this word there is an action for a moment, and there is also an action for a permanent change. This explanation opened the eyes of many Bible students, and they came to understand the true meaning of baptism in the Bible.
Indeed, when we believed in the Lord and were baptized, the brothers put us into the water and dipped us into the water. They could not keep us in the water for an extended time; otherwise, we would die.
When we come out of the water, the whole matter is not yet complete. We need to begin to experience the immersion. From that starting point until we meet the Lord, we need to remain immersed.
For our lifetime, we are in this experience. If the vinegar does not go thoroughly into the vegetable, then the pickles are not good. The issue of baptism is whether we have been immersed thoroughly or not.
Why do some brothers and sisters seem to bring you grace, while some do not seem to taste that good? The issue is whether they have been immersed thoroughly or not.
Paul pursued hard to be conformed to the death of Christ. Therefore, Paul was more like Christ. Every time you came to him, you received grace from him, because he had been immersed more thoroughly.
Brothers and sisters, concerning being conformed to the likeness of His death: the more thoroughly we die, the more glory we can have in resurrection, and the more power we may have.
We know that while Paul was on this earth, he pursued this matter hard. In Philippians 3:11, he says, “In order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Paul was a human being. When he was in difficulty, he knew how to die to himself. Sometimes he probably also felt that he did not die the right way. Therefore, he used the words, “In order that I may.”
Your death has to be in the likeness of the death of the Lord. If there is something that is not quite right, it cannot be replaced by any other thing, because God Himself will decide on that.
Paul pursued all his life before the Lord. Sometimes he succeeded, and sometimes he did not, just like you and me. Sometimes he died the right way, and there was an effect of life in him. Sometimes he did not die rightly, and there was no effect.
Romans 6 teaches us that, in order to enter into the death of Christ, it is through baptism. This is such an important matter. We need to pray to the Lord, “Lord, baptize us thoroughly.”
Paul first tells us that entering into His death is through baptism. Then, in Romans 6:6 and Romans 8:13, he continues to tell us how to enter into the experience of death and life.
There is an important relationship between these two verses. Simply put, Romans 6 speaks about a fact: our old man has been crucified with Him.
This is also what Paul says in Galatians:
I have been crucified with Christ.
When Jesus Christ was crucified, you were already there with Him. That is an unchangeable fact. It is something we need to hold on to by faith.
But what is the difficulty? We have many feelings. When we look at Romans 6:6, it says our old man has been crucified with Him. Yet when we turn to our feelings, we feel that we are still very much alive. Where is the death?
As we read the Bible, it is a fact. But when we turn to our feelings, we feel another way. Which one do you believe? Which one do you believe?
For most of us, we trust our feelings. But if we are to hold on to the truth, we need to put aside our feelings. We need to say to ourselves, “No, that one is true, and this one is false.”
Very amazingly, the Holy Spirit will lead us into the reality of this. We should not care too much about our feelings. We need to hold on to the fact in the word of God.
Then we have the practice recorded in Romans 8:13. That is a continuous application. To “put to death” the deeds of the body is actually a continuous action.
Therefore, we need to put the fact in Romans 6:6 into application in Romans 8:13. Inside of us, the Holy Spirit will remind us. Whenever we have evil thoughts, we need to put them to death by the Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters, this is a very important thing. Do not look lightly on a difficulty as though it were only a small chick. The chick will one day grow into a hen, and a hen is harder to deal with.
This is a great grace that God has given to us. Romans 6:6 is something we can apply in our experience.
In the Old Testament, we have a very good example. It speaks of how Joshua led the people of Israel across the Jordan into the land of Canaan and how they conquered the entire land of Canaan.
For the people of Israel, crossing the Jordan was a very important crossing. As they crossed the Jordan, God commanded them to follow the ark of the covenant, because the ark of the covenant was the ark of testimony.
Therefore, we can say that this experience has to do with the testimony of the Lord. The priests were shouldering the ark, and at that time the waters of the Jordan were overflowing their banks.
But when the priests set their feet in the river, the waters departed. The waters were piled up in a heap at a city called Adam, a distance that I estimate to be about sixty miles.
Several million people were crossing the Jordan. If only a narrow way had been opened, it would have taken a long time. Therefore, they crossed all at once.
As they crossed the Jordan, God asked them to do something very special. The priests stood still in the middle of the river. God asked the tribes to take twelve stones, one for each tribe.
They took twelve stones and placed them in the middle of the river. This speaks of death and life. The twelve stones placed in the middle of the river speak of our death with Christ.
Joshua 4 says that those twelve stones are there to this day. They cannot be moved. This speaks of the fact in Romans 6:6: we have been crucified with Christ. No one can take those stones back out of the water.
For the people of Israel to enter the land, the first thing they needed to do was cross the Jordan. They had to experience the fact of death with Christ.
After they crossed over, they were circumcised. That is, the flesh was cut away. The place was called Gilgal, meaning to roll away.
On the fourteenth day of the first month, they celebrated the Passover. From that point onward, they began to eat the produce of the land of Canaan. On that day, the manna stopped falling, and they entered into the abundance of Christ.
This is a very important record in the book of Joshua. What is the Jordan? It is Romans 6:6. What is Gilgal? It is Romans 8:13.
Whenever they engaged in war and finished the battle, they returned to Gilgal. The Lord uses this picture to show us the important principle concerning the use of the death of the cross.
The land of Canaan was occupied by the enemy. Seven tribes occupied the entire land, and Israel had to enter into battle to conquer it.
When Joshua came outside the city of Jericho, suddenly a Person appeared. Because that Person had His sword drawn in His hand, Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”
The Person said, “Neither for you nor for your adversaries. I have come as captain of the host of the Lord.” At that moment Joshua bowed, and Joshua knew how to be humble.
Joshua had led all the people of Israel across the Jordan. He was the greatest hero and the greatest leader among the people. Everybody revered him, and perhaps he felt that he himself was the captain.
But thank God, Joshua knew the death of Christ. He did not put himself in an important position. He bowed before that Person.
Then that Person said to him, “Take off the sandals from your feet, for the ground where you are standing is holy.” Joshua did so.
From that day on, Israel continued to win battles. No matter how strong the enemies were, they could not stand against the people. As we read the book, we are amazed. It seems that the people of Israel were fighting, yet no battle was fought merely by them, because the captain of the host of the Lord was with them.
How did they fight against Jericho? They marched around the city. The priests were in front, and they circled around and around. On the last day, they circled a few more times, and then everybody shouted. At that shout, the walls of Jericho fell.
Brothers and sisters, the death of Christ and the life of Christ are such important experiences. This is the matter to which we should give our attention.
Only when you cross the Jordan and remain in Gilgal will the captain of the host of the Lord lead you into battle.
Sometimes we hear brothers and sisters pray, “Lord, help us, help us.” But the Lord will not help you if you ignore the order. The Lord works according to His will.
Who can become the army of the Lord? All those who are willing to cross the Jordan and stay in Gilgal become the army of the Lord. The Lord can lead them into victory.
The captain of the host of the Lord, in my understanding, refers to the Holy Spirit. In spiritual warfare, we are led by the Holy Spirit.
In the beginning of the book of Acts, this group of people had come to Calvary, to the death of the Lord, and had listened to and obeyed the word of the Lord. One hundred and twenty gathered together in the upper room.
Suddenly, the Holy Spirit was poured down upon them, because they were exercising the principle of the death and life of Christ.
When Peter rose up and preached the gospel, three thousand believed. Then five thousand believed. The enemy could not stand.
Was it because of Peter’s message? It was a wonderful message, and many people throughout church history have tried to discover the power in that message. But I can assure you that if you preach that same message today, I am not sure whether even one person will believe in the Lord.
It is not a matter of the message. It is the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is willing to do His work, but He has nothing to do if we are not willing to die. If we are willing to die, He can find His way.
Joshua could lead the people of Israel to conquer the entire land. The people of the Lord could again gain their inheritance. They killed thirty-one kings in the land of Canaan.
Today we need to know the source of the power. The death of Christ and the life of Christ are what we need to know before the Lord and pursue after.
There is a very important relationship between Romans 6 and Romans 8:13. Not only that, when we come to 2 Corinthians, Paul continues to speak of the effect of His death and His life.
Here there are some true words concerning our experience. First, the apostle says that for the sake of Christ we are being delivered over to death.
The words “delivered over” are very important. God is never passive in what He does. He does not merely react when we are attacked by the enemy. No, our Lord never does something passively.
Being delivered over speaks of His active working. We can see this in Acts 2:23, where God delivered the Son to death. This was an active action for His purpose.
This is also active in our lives. Why is God so active? Because His Son is the Prince of life.
When our Lord came out of the Jordan after baptism, the Holy Spirit found that this Person did not live in Himself at all. Therefore, the Holy Spirit urged Him to enter into the wilderness and be challenged by the devil.
This was an active action by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual warfare is led by the Holy Spirit, because our Lord is one with God Himself. He was not like Adam, who fell; He overcame the devil.
This is an important principle. If you understand the meaning of this word, then you will know why you have such experiences. With God, nothing is coincidental.
Nothing that happens to us is coincidental. God is delivering us into these circumstances. How does He do that? First of all, He gives us the life of His Son. The power of life is already in us. The effect of the death of Christ is already in us.
Therefore, God can deliver us into such circumstances. For what purpose? To test us, so that we can testify of Him in such circumstances.
If God had not given us this life, then we would not have this power. But unfortunately, we ourselves often do not know what is in us.
When difficulties come, we say, “Lord, we are dead. Lord, save us. Lord, change our circumstances.” We do not know the heart of the Lord.
When you encounter such a person, such a thing, or such a difficult enemy, actually it is God who is leading you into such a situation, because He has a desire. He wants you to experience and manifest the power that is in you.
A capable person likes to have an opportunity to show his capability. In the same way, God has given you a power beyond your understanding. You are a person with power. Are you afraid of the devil? Are you afraid of yourselves? Are you afraid of difficulties? You do not have to be.
Look at Caleb and Joshua. How precious their desire was. When they saw the enemies in the land of Canaan, they had no fear at all. They said, “They are our food.” The more of them there were, the more food they would have.
Yet when we face a small enemy, we say, “Lord, just drive it away.” Brothers and sisters, now we know why God leaves us in the end times.
Today we are in the most difficult, dangerous, and corrupt time. Please remember this: the Lord’s life is already in us. The Holy Spirit is already in us.
Many times we grieve the Holy Spirit because we do not know how to use this weapon. The death of Christ is power in itself. It is a sharp weapon that can destroy everything. It is the sharpest weapon we can have.
But today we should know how to use this weapon. We need to pursue before the Lord.
We should consider the difficulties in our environment and circumstances as opportunities granted by God. This is what it means to be delivered over.
Sometimes we cannot defeat a big enemy. But the smaller enemies are opportunities for us to learn to be conformed to His death. First deal with those small enemies. Then you will gain experience, know more, and continue to pursue.
The second word is “carrying”: carrying the death of Christ in the body. Paul was a person who truly knew the heart of the Lord.
To carry means to take upon ourselves, to bear. Carrying, or bearing, is our responsibility. Being delivered over is God’s responsibility. To carry is our responsibility.
One aspect is that the death of Christ can be carried with us. Nowadays, many countries have very advanced weapons, but you cannot carry them around. You cannot carry a battleship around with you. Even if you were given a tank, you could not carry it around.
But this death you can carry. It is like carrying a cell phone with you.
Carrying is our learning and our application. You have to carry it wherever you go.
Modern people are very troubled because we often forget things and misplace things. There are two reasons for this. One is that we are advancing in years. When we are old, we easily misplace things.
But even younger people are often forgetful. Why? Because they have so many things. Therefore, they forget this or forget that, because their life is not simple.
Many Christians’ lives have become very complicated. Yet Paul reminds us that we are carrying about the dying of Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, we need to remember this. You may forget to bring anything else, but you can never forget to carry about the dying of Jesus. Wherever you go, you need to carry it.
You can apply it to whatever circumstances you are in. It is a weapon you can apply regardless of what you have. It is such a precious thing.
We thank the Lord. In the first century, God gave the apostle Paul not only revelation and understanding concerning the truth of the cross; he also knew the path into this truth.
Paul himself pursued very hard in this regard. He set such a good example. In the first century, he bore a glorious testimony of the Lord. Today he has left us with these words, leaving us great help.
Therefore, I hope, brothers and sisters, that we can understand this matter from his letters and find a way to enter into this experience.
We need to pursue hard to be conformed into the likeness of the Lord’s death, so that the life of Christ can be manifested in our body.
If we can stand firm in this fundamental and basic experience, then the Holy Spirit can manifest His great power in us and show forth the glory of our resurrection life.
Time has come to its end. God has measured to us this opportunity. I hope every brother and sister can become His witness, and that the church in every place can also become His testimony.
Let us have a word of prayer.
Lord, I want to thank You with all my heart, because You have chosen us from among many thousands. We are no better than others. We are people with many difficulties, and we have been corrupted by sin. But You have never forsaken us. You have chosen us to be Your witnesses.
Lord, You are so great. You are so righteous and holy. What kind of testimony can we bring to You? But the things You have accomplished and the work You have done enable us to become Your witnesses. We want to thank You for this with all our hearts.
You have destroyed all the power of the enemy. You have removed all the corrupted things. All these ways have been placed before us.
We pray that You will be gracious to us so that we can be like the apostle Paul, with a strong desire to be conformed into the likeness of Your death, so that Your resurrection life can also be manifested in us.
Lord, we pray that by the Holy Spirit You will lead us into the reality of these words, so that the reality experienced by the saints in the early church may also be true in us today, in these end times.
From the depth of our hearts, we give You thanks. Thank You for listening to our prayer. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen.