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We have seen in the previous lesson that the believers can experience the dispensing of the Divine Trinity in serving and worshipping God. In this lesson we will see that the believers need to experience this dispensing also in working and laboring for the Lord.
The believers serve and worship God, and they work and labor for the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 15:58 Paul said to the Corinthians, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” According to the context of this verse, Paul is dealing with the matter of resurrection (vv. 1-58). This indicates that the truth of resurrection causes us to be filled with hope concerning our future, and it also causes us to be filled with faith in the work of the Lord with the expectation of pleasing the Lord in resurrection at His coming back.
The believers work and labor for the Lord by the Lord’s resurrection life and power, not by our natural life and ability. Paul worked and labored for the Lord by His resurrection life and power, as indicated in verse 10: “By the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me did not turn out to be in vain, but, on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I but the grace of God which is with me.” Grace, mentioned three times in this verse, is actually the resurrected Christ becoming the life-giving Spirit (v. 45) to bring the processed Triune God in resurrection into us to be our life and life supply that we may live in resurrection. It is by this grace that Saul of Tarsus, the foremost of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15-16), became the foremost apostle, laboring more abundantly than all the other apostles. His ministry and living by this grace are an undeniable testimony to Christ’s resurrection.
“Not I but the grace of God” equals “no longer I...but... Christ” in Galatians 2:20. The grace that motivated the apostle and operated in him was not some matter or thing but a living person, the resurrected Christ, the embodiment of God the Father becoming the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit, who dwelt in him as his everything. It was by this grace that Paul could be what he was. Throughout the centuries all the servants of the Lord have had this resurrected Christ living in them. We can testify that He lives in us, enabling us to do what we could never do in ourselves.
Our labor for the Lord in His resurrection life with His resurrection power will never be in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). Rather, our labor will result in fulfilling God’s eternal purpose through preaching Christ to sinners, ministering life to the saints, and building up the church with the experiences of the processed Triune God as gold, silver, and precious stones (3:12). Our labor will also be rewarded by the returning Lord in the day of the resurrection of the righteous (1 Cor. 3:14; Matt. 25:21, 23; Luke 14:14).
First Corinthians 15:58 speaks of something in resurrection and is closely related to resurrection. If we are in resurrection, this verse applies to us. But if we are not in resurrection, we may mistakenly think that this verse encourages us to strive and to be energetic. Based on verses 1 through 57, Paul encourages the believers to be steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. According to the natural life, we can be shaken even by a small thing. Only by the resurrection life in us can we be steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. Furthermore, resurrection also causes us to know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. Therefore, resurrection not only encourages us; it also motivates us to do the work of the Lord.
After the Lord’s resurrection, the apostles did not cease preaching the gospel of Jesus as the Christ (Acts 5:42). They went throughout the land preaching God’s word as the gospel, that is, proclaiming the Lord Himself as the gospel (8:4-5). As the believers work and labor for the Lord, they preach Christ as the gospel to sinners by preaching the word of God. Furthermore, they need to preach in season and out of season, that is, whether or not the situation is convenient and whether or not they are welcome (2 Tim. 4:2).
In 2 Timothy 4:2 Paul charged Timothy to proclaim the word. This word includes what Timothy had learned both of Paul and of the Old Testament (3:14-16). Thus, Timothy was not merely to teach a word about salvation but also to speak a completing word regarding God’s revelation concerning Christ and the church. Such a healthy word is the truth, the reality of the contents of God’s New Testament economy. We should also be charged to be ready to proclaim the word of God’s New Testament economy in season and out of season.
Those who work and labor for the Lord should cast out demons in the Lord’s name and heal the sick by laying hands on them (Mark 16:17-18). We should not think that since we are not in favor of the Pentecostal movement, we do not care for casting out demons and for healing the sick. On the contrary, we care for these things, but we should not practice them as particular items in our work. The particular items of our work are Christ and the church with the Spirit and the divine life. Nevertheless, as we preach the gospel in certain places, we shall encounter cases of demon possession. It is our duty to cast out the demons, to drive away the devilish power. There is no need for us to be asked to cast out a demon. Immediately, without being asked, we should fulfill our duty to cast out demons. If we meet those who are sick, we should wait to be asked before we lay hands on them for healing. If a sick person asks us to heal him by the laying on of hands in the name of the Lord and by prayer, we should do this, leaving the matter of healing to the Lord. Quite often we will see the healing; sometimes, however, we will not see the healing. Therefore, we should leave the matter of the actual healing to the Lord. However, we should be reminded to not allow the two items of casting out demons and healing the sick to surpass the main items of the gospel, which are Christ and the church.
The believers also have to be good ministers of Christ Jesus, ministering Christ as life to the saints with the nourishing words of the New Testament faith (1 Tim. 4:6). A minister of Christ does not mainly denote a minister who belongs to Christ, preaches Christ, teaches Christ, or tells others about Christ; instead, it denotes a person who ministers Christ to others, that is, serves others with Christ, ministering Christ as Savior, life, life supply, and every positive thing. Such a person differs from a teacher of the law and of other things (1:7, 3).
In 1 Timothy 4:6 Paul does not say “being taught” but “being nourished,” indicating that his concept is that of supplying life to others. However, if we would minister Christ to others, we first must be nourished ourselves. Having been nourished with Christ, we will have Christ as food, as the life supply, to minister to others. Therefore, the words being nourished remind us that the work of a good minister of Christ is indeed a matter of life and is for the growth in life. As we minister to others, we need to exercise our spirit not to just pass on knowledge, but while giving forth a certain kind of knowledge, to supply something nourishing to others so that they may gain the rich Christ as food.
If we have a heart to care for others in the Lord’s recovery, we should not give them mere teaching but should exercise our spirit to minister spiritual food so that they may be nourished. With Paul and Timothy we see an excellent pattern. Today we should follow Timothy’s example. We first have to digest the Lord’s words, assimilate them, and allow them to saturate our inner being. Then we will be able to lay before the brothers the words with which we have been nourished by the Lord through the ministry. In 4:6 Paul specifically speaks of “the words of the faith” and the words of “the good teaching.” The words of the faith are the words of the full gospel concerning God’s New Testament economy. The words of the good teaching are the sweet words that contain and convey the riches of Christ to nourish, edify, and strengthen His believers. Actually, the words of the faith and the words of the good teaching refer to the same thing.
Many lovers and seekers of the Lord Jesus have lost the enjoyment of Christ because they have been deceived and frustrated. We should be deeply burdened by this matter. We must find a way to supply them with food and share with them the spiritual riches that the Lord has provided us. We must take up the burden to be good ministers of Christ, serving others with His riches. We first must be nourished and then minister this nourishment to all the people of God. If we would nourish others, we ourselves must follow closely the words of the faith and the words of the good teaching and be nourished with them. If a mother nourishes herself properly, she will know how to feed her children with healthy food. The nourishing food that the nursing mother eats and digests becomes the milk with which she nourishes her baby. As good ministers of Christ, we first must be nourished with the words of the faith and of the good teaching which we have closely followed, and then we shall be able to nourish others by ministering Christ as life to them. How wonderful the church life will be if we all do this!
Through their experience of the dispensing of the Divine Trinity, the believers should shepherd the saints as the flock of God according to God, that is, according to God’s nature, desire, way, and glory. In Acts 20:28 Paul reminded the elders in Ephesus to shepherd the church of God. The main responsibility of the elders as overseers is not to rule over the flock but to shepherd the flock, to take all-inclusive tender care of the flock, the church of God. Shepherding the flock of God requires suffering for the Body of Christ as Christ suffered (Col. 1:24). This kind of shepherding enables the elders to be rewarded with the unfading crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4).
Peter also said, “Shepherd the flock of God among you, overseeing not under compulsion but willingly, according to God” (v. 2). To shepherd according to God means to shepherd according to God’s nature, desire, way, and glory, not according to man’s preference, interest, and purpose. The elders should not shepherd the flock according to their own opinion, concepts, or likes and dislikes. Instead, they should shepherd the saints as the flock of God according to God’s choice, desire, intention, and preference.
The believers need to build up the church with the experiences of the processed Triune God as gold, silver, and precious stones (1 Cor. 14:4, 12; 3:12). In 1 Corinthians 3:12 Paul speaks of building on the foundation with three kinds of precious materials—gold, silver, and precious stones. This is very meaningful because these materials correspond to the three of the Divine Trinity. As a precious element, gold signifies something that does not change or become corrupt in nature, referring to the first of the Divine Trinity, God the Father. Hence, gold, which always remains the same, signifies the nature of God the Father. Silver signifies Christ the Son, the second of the Divine Trinity, and the redemption accomplished by Him. Precious stones are transformed substances; hence, they refer to the third of the Divine Trinity, the Spirit with His transforming work (2 Cor. 3:18).
The reason there is so little building among Christians today is that few believers experience the dispensing of the processed Triune God in the way of being transformed and conformed. If the believers do not care for the experience of the Triune God, they cannot build up the church. Although a good number of believers are in the denominations and are actually members of the church, they have been usurped and misused to be a part of only a denomination, an organization. In the Lord’s recovery we are not building up any kind of organization; we are building up an organism—the Body of Christ—by being constituted with the Triune God, that is, by experiencing Him as gold, silver, and precious stones.
As the believers work and labor for the Lord, sometimes they must pray and fast in order to deal with the power of darkness by casting out demons that insist on remaining (Matt. 17:21). In order to deal with the power of darkness, there is the need of the exercise of the authority of the heavenly King. As the heavenly King, the Lord Jesus has such authority, but we need to pray, even with fasting, to execute the Lord’s authority.
Concerning prayer, Acts 1:14 shows that after the Lord’s resurrection, the disciples “all continued steadfastly with one accord in prayer.” God needs His chosen people to pray regarding what He has promised to do in His New Testament economy. God in heaven needs men on earth to cooperate with Him for the carrying out of His plan. Prayer is also related to the ministry of the word (6:4). Prayer is not only to entreat the Lord to do things for His move. Prayer is also to cause our spirit to be exercised and strengthened. Hence, prayer should precede the ministry of the word. Without such prayer, the ministry of the word may not be enlivened and empowered.
In Acts 13:2 the prophets and teachers in Antioch were ministering to the Lord and fasting. They were not conferring with men, nor were they forming an organization; rather, they were fasting and ministering to the Lord. They were ministering to the Lord directly. This means that, spiritually speaking, they were not at the altar in the outer court but were at the incense altar in the Holy Place. In the Old Testament the priests ministered at two places. When they served the people of God, they ministered at the altar in the outer court, offering sacrifices to God for the people. But when they served the Lord directly, they were at another place—the incense altar in the Holy Place—ministering directly to the Lord through their prayers.
The believers who work and labor for the Lord will be rewarded by the returning Lord in the day of the resurrection of the righteous (Luke 14:14; John 5:29; Rev. 20:4-6; 11:18; 1 Cor. 4:5). In 1 Corinthians 3:14 Paul says that if anyone’s work which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward. The work that remains must be of gold, silver, and precious stones, the product of faithful ministers of Christ. Such a work will be rewarded by the coming and judging Lord.
This reward is fully related to the kingdom. To be rewarded is to be given a rich entrance into the kingdom, that is, to enter into the joy of the Lord and to reign as a co-king with Christ in the enjoyment of eternal life in the coming age. In Matthew 24:45-47 the Lord Jesus said, “Who then is the faithful and prudent slave, whom the master has set over his household to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his possessions.” We are blessed if we are faithful toward the Lord and prudent toward the believers. To give them food is to minister, at the proper time, the Word of God with Christ as the life supply to the believers in the church life. Then we will be rewarded with the authority to rule in the manifestation of the kingdom, and we will be set over all the possessions of the Lord. Matthew 25:21 says, “His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your master.” This indicates that if we are faithful over a few things in this age, the Lord will reward us with ruling authority in the coming kingdom, and we will bear even more responsibilities. We will also participate in the joy of our Master, that is, the enjoyment of the Lord as our inward satisfaction. This is the greatest reward. It is better than the glory and position in the kingdom.
The believers need to experience the divine dispensing of the Triune God in working and laboring for the Lord. They work and labor for the Lord by His resurrection life and power, not by our natural life and ability. The resurrected Christ has become the life-giving Spirit to bring the processed Triune God in resurrection into us to be our life and life supply so that we may live in resurrection. He lives in us, enabling us to do what we could never do in ourselves. Our labor for the Lord in His resurrection life with His resurrection power will never be in vain. Resurrection not only encourages us; it also motivates us to do the work of the Lord.
As we work and labor for the Lord, we preach Christ as the gospel to sinners by preaching the word of God. We do not merely teach the word of salvation; we speak a completing word regarding God’s revelation concerning Christ and the church. Such a healthy word is the truth, the reality of the contents of God’s New Testament economy. We need to proclaim in season and out of season, that is, whether or not the situation is convenient and whether or not we are welcome. While working and laboring for the Lord, we should also cast out demons in the name of the Lord and heal the sick by laying hands on them. However, we should be reminded to not allow casting out demons and healing the sick to surpass the main items of the gospel, which are Christ and the church.
We also have to minister Christ as life to the saints with the nourishing words of the New Testament faith. If we would minister Christ to others, we first must be nourished ourselves. Being nourished with Christ, we will have Christ as food, as the life supply, to minister to others. Also, we need to exercise our spirit not merely to pass on knowledge but, while giving forth a certain kind of knowledge, to supply something nourishing to the saints. How wonderful the church life will be if we all do this! Furthermore, if the elders shepherd the saints as the flock of God by experiencing the dispensing of the Divine Trinity according to God, that is, according to God’s nature, desire, way, and glory, they will be rewarded with the unfading crown of glory.
Paul reminds us to build up the church with the experiences of the processed Triune God as gold, silver, and precious stones. We need to experience the processed Triune God as these precious materials; then we can build up the church as the Body of Christ. As we work and labor for the Lord, sometimes we must pray and fast in order to deal with the power of darkness by casting out demons that insist on remaining. To pray is mainly to cause our spirit to be exercised so that the ministry of the word may be enlivened and strengthened. If we work and labor for the Lord in this way, we will be rewarded by the returning Lord in the day of the resurrection of the righteous. To be rewarded is to be given a rich entrance into the kingdom, that is, to enter into the joy of the Lord and to reign as co-kings with Christ in the enjoyment of the eternal life in the coming age.
