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Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 12:1-8; 14:3-6, 26
In this chapter we want to see the sequence of the divine revelation in the first eight books of the New Testament. The books of the Bible were written by the inspiration of God, and even the arrangement of the books is also by the inspiration of the Spirit.
What God needed was a completed Christ, and the first thing that God did in the New Testament was to complete His Christ. Thus, the Gospels from Matthew to John unveil the completion of Christ. Many Christians know the birth of Christ, the incarnation of Christ, but they have never seen that the incarnation was the first step for God to complete His Christ. The last step of God’s completion of His Christ was Christ’s ascension into heaven that He might become the economical Spirit of power to be poured upon His Body. From incarnation to ascension was a process through which the Son of God, God’s anointed One, was completed. Through this process He was fully equipped, fully qualified. Now He is in the heavens with all His qualifications to be God’s Christ, God’s anointed One, to carry out God’s eternal commission.
After the Gospels this completed Christ was preached as the gospel. The gospel is not only a gospel of redemption, of forgiveness of sins, of life, or of grace. The gospel itself is this completed Christ. God’s completed Christ is the very essence of God’s gospel. The gospel of the highest standard is God’s completed Christ in God’s eternal economy. This One was preached in the Acts as the gospel. Thus Acts shows us the propagation of the pneumatic Christ. Through the preaching of this completed Christ, there was a great propagation. Christ was propagated through the preaching of Himself as the gospel, so thousands of believers were produced. Three thousand were added on the day of Pentecost (2:41). Then another five thousand were added (v. 4). Finally, Acts tells us that there were myriads of believers (21:20). Thousands and thousands were regenerated to be the multiplication of this completed and propagated Christ. This multiplication becomes the church. The term the church in Acts is not mentioned as a doctrine, a teaching, or even as a revelation but as a practicality. The church in Jerusalem (8:1), the church in Antioch (13:1), and the churches in Syria and Cilicia (15:41) are a reality in practice. The church becomes a practicality in the book of Acts.
The regenerated ones needed to have the proper, adequate, and full knowledge of what the Christian life is and of the purpose for the Christian life. Thus, the book of Romans reveals the Christian life for Christ’s Body life. The believers needed to know that the Christian life is Christ living in them and lived out of them to express Himself. The Christian life is Christ expressed for the church life. Romans tells us that we were condemned sinners (1:18—3:20) who were justified through the redemption of Christ (3:21—5:11). Then we are sanctified through the sanctifying Spirit with Christ as the sanctifying life (5:12—8:13). Romans continues to tell us that we will be glorified (vv. 14-39) and that we have been chosen (9:1—11:36). Chapter 12 shows us that we are members of the Body of Christ, and chapters 13 through 16 unveil the Christian life for the church life. Chapter 16 of Romans shows us the local churches (vv. 1, 4-5, 16, 23). The conclusion of the book of Romans is the practical church life in localities.
Those who are enjoying the Christian life for the church life still do not know how to meet, so the book of 1 Corinthians is needed. The book of 1 Corinthians particularly speaks concerning how to meet. First Corinthians is the only book, the unique book, that deals with all problems for the church meeting life. Chapters 1 through 11 and 15 through 16 deal with these problems by Christ as the sanctifying and transforming life (1:24, 30) through the cross of Christ (vv. 18, 23; 2:2). Chapters 12 through 14 show us that these problems need to be dealt with for the church meeting life, which is by the Spirit (12:1-3), with the word (14:3-6, 26; 12:8), and through the gifts (vv. 4-6). Paul deals specifically with the church meetings in chapter 14.
We have pointed out that the Brethren say that 1 Corinthians is merely a book on how to solve all the problems in the church, and those in Pentecostalism say that 1 Corinthians is the unique book that focuses on speaking in tongues. Neither of these topics, however, is the essential, underlying thought of this book. The underlying thought of 1 Corinthians is that we have to enjoy Christ. To have a proper meeting life, we do not just need to know Christ or to have a revelation concerning Him, to see Him. We have to eat Him and drink Him. Eating Jesus and drinking of Christ are the essential revelations in the book of 1 Corinthians.
In the summer of 1965 in Los Angeles, we had a conference on the tree of life. In those messages the central thought was that God is good for food (see The Tree of Life). God is edible, and Christ is our food and our drink. The tree of life is not good for knowledge but good for food. We must break the shell of the book of 1 Corinthians to see its essential revelation. The focus of this book is not to deal with all the problems. First Corinthians shows us that we need to enjoy Christ.
There are twenty marvelous items of Christ as our enjoyment in 1 Corinthians. In chapter 1 Christ is our God-given portion (v. 2). God has called us into the participation of Christ, the fellowship of Christ, that is, into the enjoyment of Christ as our portion (v. 9). This is why verse 2 says that Christ is “theirs and ours.” Christ is their portion and is our portion for us to enjoy. Christ is also God’s power and God’s wisdom to us as our righteousness concerning our past, our sanctification concerning our present, and our redemption concerning our future (vv. 24, 30). In chapter 2 Christ is the Lord of glory (v. 8) and the deep things of God (v. 10). In chapter 3 He is the unique foundation of God’s building (v. 11). No one can lay another foundation besides Him.
In chapter 5 Christ is our Passover feast (v. 7). He is the Passover lamb that became a feast for us to enjoy. A feast is not good for people to know or look at but for people to eat and enjoy. In chapter 5 Christ is also the feast of unleavened bread as the continuation of the Passover (v. 8; cf. Exo. 12:15-20). Christ as the unleavened bread is good for eating. In 1 Corinthians 10 Christ is the spiritual food, the spiritual drink, and the spiritual rock, out of which flows the living water (vv. 3-4). Christ as the real rock is following His believers and flowing out the living water to satisfy their thirst. In chapter 11 Christ is the head of every man (v. 3). In chapter 12 Christ is the Body (v. 12). How marvelous that Christ is both the Head and the Body. If we are in Christ, all the members of Christ become an enjoyment to us. When we are in Christ, all of us are excellent, wonderful, and enjoyable people.
In chapter 15 Christ is the firstfruits of resurrection (vv. 20, 23). Fruit, as the issue and produce of life, is good for eating. Christ is the firstfruits for us to enjoy, and He is also the second man (v. 47) and the last Adam (v. 45). The first man became hopeless. If there were only one man in the universe, we would not have any hope. But with the second man, Christ, there is a new beginning and there is hope. As the firstfruits, the second man, and the last Adam, Christ is everything. He is the first, the second, and the last. Christ, being the last Adam, is the conclusion of Adam. With Him and in Him Adam is over. Adam has caused us much trouble. He brought us sin, death, the curse, sufferings, and sickness. But Adam is finished, concluded, with Christ, because Christ is the last Adam. Eventually, Christ as the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit (v. 45). If Christ were not the life-giving Spirit, all that He is would have nothing to do with us. But as the life-giving Spirit, He makes every item of Himself so real and so practical.
By calling “O Lord Jesus,” we can enjoy Him as everything, as every item in 1 Corinthians. When we say, “O Lord Jesus,” we enjoy Him as the foundation. “O Lord Jesus” — we enjoy Him as the first, the second, and the last. “O Lord Jesus” — we enjoy Him as food and as drink. We have to learn how to “O Lord Jesus!”
Calling “O Lord Jesus” issues in a constant, warming presence within us. When we call on the Lord, there is a divine presence within us, warming us and bringing us a bubbling joy. We need to call on the name of the Lord during every occupation, at all times, and in all places, with our mouth, in the spirit, and in the heart. We need to open our mouth, exercise our spirit, and open our heart. To call on the name of the Lord is to experience the Divine Trinity.
The problems in the church life cannot be solved by any human methods. Over fifty years ago I began to labor in the ministry, and often the saints came to me with problems. Most of these problems were related to marriage. I thought that I could render the saints some way to solve their problems, but eventually I found out that this did not work. By reading the holy Word, I realized that we cannot solve any problem. The only way to solve people’s problems is to minister this enjoyable Christ. I began to tell people that they had to experience Christ and take Christ as their life and life supply.
Although I shared these things with the saints in the 1940s, I had not seen the matter of calling on the Lord’s name. In the years from 1966 to 1968 we began to practice pray-reading the Word and calling on the Lord’s name in Elden hall in Los Angeles. Elden hall is a memorial of pray-reading and calling on the name of the Lord. In one evening meeting the saints pray-read the entire book of Ephesians. That was marvelous. Our meetings were filled with calling “O Lord Jesus! Amen.”
One day in a meeting I stood up and told the saints that all of them could say something. When I said this to the saints, I myself did not know what to tell them to say. Then I said, “All of you can say four words.” At that moment I did not know what four words I would tell the saints to say. Then I said, “All of you can say, ‘O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!’” We practiced saying “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah” for a period of time. I thought that I had made a mistake in the order of these words by telling the saints to say Amen before Hallelujah instead of saying “Hallelujah, Amen.” Then I checked with the New Testament. Actually, the biblical way is not “Hallelujah, Amen” but “Amen, Hallelujah” (Rev. 19:4). In those years we sang the following song again and again:
In those days, around 1969, we were “crazy” in the enjoyment of Christ. Every day the saints would be calling “O Lord Jesus, Amen!” Before that time we seldom said Amen. Now to say Amen has become a custom among us. Today whenever you meet a brother, you say, “Amen.” This brother will respond by saying “Amen” to you. Our custom of saying Amen came from the song mentioned above. When we say, “O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah,” we have to testify that we enjoy the Lord. No one can deny this.
Some argued with me by saying that what we taught was merely a psychological thing. I responded by saying, “It may be psychological. Let us try by calling ‘O George Washington!’ or ‘O Confucius!’” When we call on these names there is no sensation of something moving within us, nor is there any feeling of enjoyment. But whenever we say, “O Lord Jesus,” something within is touching us, anointing us, and moving within us. The feeling within is so dear, so loving, and so sweet. In this kind of prayer there is a warming presence within us because He is living and moving within us. When we keep our mouths shut, it is hard for Him to move in us. But when we say, “O Lord Jesus, Amen,” He moves within us.
Sometimes people ask me, “Brother Lee, what is your secret of health? How could you live so long?” One of the secrets is “O Lord Jesus.” If you have a problem with indigestion, try calling “O Lord Jesus” for five minutes. Calling will help you to digest your food. Calling on the Lord will make you happy, will take away your burdens, and will especially take away your human anxiety. In human life day by day there is continuous anxiety. Those who call “O Lord Jesus” again and again throughout the day do not have anxiety. By calling on the Lord all our anxiety will be gone. The Lord is living within us. We need to open our mouth, exercise our spirit, and open our heart to release Jesus by calling on His name. In this way we enjoy Him in all His marvelous aspects in 1 Corinthians. The concluding aspect in this book is that Christ is the life-giving Spirit. When we call, “O Lord Jesus,” we enjoy the Triune God and all our problems are solved.
After I saw this matter, I began to minister to the saints in a different way. The wives or the husbands came to visit me with problems, and they asked me what to do. I told them that they simply needed to call, “O Lord Jesus.” I charged them that they needed to learn to say, “O Lord Jesus, O Lord Jesus.” Some asked me what they should do about their bad temper. I told them that when they are going to lose their temper, they should call, “O Lord Jesus, O Lord Jesus, O Lord Jesus.” If we would call upon the Lord’s name again and again, our temper would be gone and the joy would come. We practiced calling so much nearly twenty years ago, but today we practice very little. In 1969 when we came to the hall, the meeting was filled with “O Lord Jesus.” But today our meetings are full of dumbness. May the Lord recover the “O Lord Jesus” among us. All of us have to learn to say, “O Lord Jesus, O Lord Jesus.”
When I was a young believer, I was taught that we have to realize we have been crucified with Christ and reckon ourselves to be dead. I tried to realize that I was crucified with Christ and to reckon that I was dead with Christ, but that did not work. Then I found out what does work. What does work is to say, “O Lord Jesus.” When you call on the Lord’s name, you will experience His death and His resurrection. During the years around 1969 we gave many messages concerning calling on the name of the Lord. Our homes should be filled with calling on the Lord’s name.
I hope that when we go out to baptize people and set up meetings in their homes, we will take the lead to call on the name of the Lord, leading the new ones into calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. This will strengthen, enrich, and establish the home meetings. We all need to do this. The preaching in dead letters does not work. We must believe in the living Spirit, who moves when we call on the name of the Lord Jesus. Whenever we say, “Lord Jesus,” we have the feeling within that the living Spirit is touching us.
By calling on the Lord’s name we enjoy all the items of what He is, and we have a stand, a ground, a base, and a strong support to come to the meeting. When we come to the meeting calling on the Lord’s name, we come as a living person full of Christ. If we are those who call on the Lord’s name, there will be no need for us to try to think of what to say in the meeting. If we open up our mouth, something of Christ will come out of us. This is the way to have the church meetings. If we all would be those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus again and again day by day, whenever we come together the meeting will be high, living, and a real exhibition of Christ. Hymns, #864 declares in the chorus:
We need to bring the surplus of Christ to every meeting in order to exhibit Christ. We need to enjoy Christ in our daily life and come together to exhibit Him.
Second Corinthians, the eighth book of the New Testament, shows us the ministers of the New Testament. When we enjoy Christ in our daily life, we are constituted with His unsearchable riches. Thus, we become the ministers of the New Testament, who dispense the riches of Christ into others. The Spirit, who is the ultimate expression of the processed Triune God becoming a life-giving Spirit, imparts the divine life, even God Himself, into the believers and apostles, making them ministers of a new covenant, the covenant of life (2 Cor. 3:6). Hence, their ministry is one constituted with the Triune God of life by His life-giving Spirit. All the apostles’ works are to carry out this unique ministry of ministering Christ to people for the building up of His Body.
