Have You Ever Wondered What Gaining Christ is In Philippians 3:8?

   Food is a great picture of a lot of spiritual experiences.  And in Chapter 21 of the Life-Study of Philippians, Witness Lee gives a great illustration about food to help get what it means to gain and experience Christ. 

     Here’s the verses that bring this out:   But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the  loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ... Philippians 3:8 

Here’s the illustration and the connection that he gives on page 172:

…Gaining Christ may be compared to buying groceries, and the experience of Christ may be compared to the eating of the food we have purchased and cooked. However, before we buy any groceries,  we must first have the excellency of the knowledge of the groceries…In like manner, Paul first received the excellency of the knowledge of  Christ.  Then he paid the price to gain Christ and be found in Him, and finally He experienced Christ and enjoyed Him…(Lee, Witness. Life Study of Philippians.  Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1980, Print).

    So here’s  my own application of this. This past year I heard and read some interesting stuff about quinoa.  It sounded amazing--it’s a complete protein, and  it’s a seed and not a starch like rice so it’s better for your body. You could say according to verse 8 I received the excellency of the knowledge of quinoa.  Then I went to Costco and bought a bag of it.  

      I knew I would need to Google some recipes with quinoa so that I could get my family to eat it, which in this illustration would be  experiencing  it.  So I made Mexican quinoa casserole, and I made a condiment platter of avocados, lettuce, tomatoes and onions and served it with beans.  Needless to say everyone enjoyed eating that quinoa casserole because it was delicious! So we all had the full experience of quinoa.

    So I guess this sentence on page 173 really wraps this up for me: “Our experience of Christ can never surpass the excellency of our knowledge of Christ.” His bottom line in this chapter is the more we SEE who Christ is, we'll be spontaneously infused with His worth and that’s what motivates us to count all other things loss and to pursue to gain and experience Christ.  

Blog update 11-9-17:  Here's a song from the New York City Young People's CD entitled Overcome!  This song is called Pursue Him and Know Him.

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Philippians given in 1980 on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. The commentary is excellent.

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Philippians:

What is the Bountiful Supply of the Spirit in Philippians 1:19?
What Does It Mean to Magnify Christ in Philippians 1:20-23?
How Does Religion, Philosophy & Culture Relate to Philippians 3:5-6?
Have You Ever Wondered What Gaining Christ is in Philippians 3:8?
Why Does Paul Put Anxiety and Prayer Together in Philippians 4:6?
What's Paul's Secret in Philippians 4:12?
What Does It Mean to Live Christ in Philippians 1:19-21?
From the Life-Study of Philippians: What's the Theme of the Bible?
What is the Sacrifice of Faith in Philippians 2:17?