God’s unique desire and the goal of His administration is to give Christ the preeminence, the first place, in all things (Col. 1:18). From the current world affairs to the seemingly insignificant details of our lives, “all things” are arranged by God for the fulfillment of His eternal desire that Christ would become the preeminent One in the universe (Dan. 4:34-35). When we join ourselves to God’s purpose and give Christ the first place in every detail of our lives, we become channels through whom He can freely carry out His move on the earth today (Matt. 6:10).
God is determined to carry out His intention on earth, but He has limited His move to the degree to which Christ has the first place within us. Therefore, we must cooperate with God by giving Christ the preeminence in our being (Col. 1:18; 3:11), for without such cooperation God’s move on earth would stand motionless (Matt. 18:17-18). God will use and even arrange all things in our environment so that He can become everything to us and thus carry out His move through us. According to Romans 8:28-29, all things work together for good so that those who love God and are called according to His purpose can be conformed to Christ’s image. God the Father arranges all persons, matters, and things in our personal universe for the purpose of making Christ preeminent. The “all things” in our family life, work life, and church life are the means and vehicle used by God to conform us to the image of Christ, linking us to God’s goal and enabling Him to move through us.
We must see that the circumstances which God allows for us are necessary for us to know and experience Christ as the preeminent One in God’s move. We must be willing to allow all things to work together in our environment so that we would be conformed to the image of Christ. The more we allow Christ into our circumstances and the more we are conformed to His image, the more Christ will become our all and in all, and the more our moving will be joined to His move (Eph. 1:10; Col. 3:11). The key here is our spirit-directed will. When we exercise our will to choose the things of Christ, we move out of ourselves to agree with God’s arrangement and desire for us to know Christ as the preeminent One in all things. It is by accepting God’s ordination of “all things” that we enjoy His dispensing, that Christ becomes the preeminent One in our being, and that we allow God the way to carry out His move through us today.
Further Reading:
Witness Lee, Life-Study of Daniel, Message 12 (Nook, Kindle, iBooks, Print).
Witness Lee, The Believer’s Experience of Transformation, Chapter 7 (Print).
Watchman Nee, Messages Given during The Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry, Chapter 8
Witness Lee, Life-Study of Ezekiel, Message 9 (Nook, Kindle, Print).
(Most references in the Further Reading can also be viewed on www.ministrybooks.org.)
Praise the Lord! There is a way to move out of ourselves and cooperate with GOD. The key is our spirit-directed will. When we exercise our will to choose the things of Christ, we move out of ourselves to agree with God’s arrangement and desire for us to know Christ as the preeminent One in all things
Thy kingdom Come Thy Will Be Done OUR FATHER In Heaven
The direction of God’s move is toward making Christ the preeminent One in every believer. This is fascinating. It takes all the “seemingly insignificant details of our lives” far beyond their meaning! “All things” are working together to give Christ the first place. As we allow Him to operate within and afford Him the opportunity to gain more ground, He will carry out His eternal purpose.
As I am browsing through the ministry reading, I picked up a few specific burdens. These points will provide some aid in my walk with Christ. In the resumption ministry, our brother speaks of following the Spirit. In order to follow the Spirit, the love of Christ must constrain us. The Spirit directed will is the determining factor, but we must be constrained. The prerequisite is to just open the iron clad fortress of our being, by saying, Lord Jesus, gain me.