Everyone likes a good mystery, and probably the greatest mystery of all is in the Bible. And if it weren't for Paul's writings, we still might be trying to figure it out. And I have to be honest and say, if it weren't for the ministry of both Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, I never would have seen what the Bible was talking about on this matter!
Paul tells us clearly in Colossians 1:25-27: I became a minister according to the stewardship of God, which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God,
the mystery which has been hidden from the generations, but now has been manifested to His saints.
To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
In all his years of ministry Witness Lee shared a lot on this mystery, which he shows from the Word has two parts. One part is the mystery of God which is mentioned in Colossians 2:2: "That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ."
It's almost like the whole focus of the gospels is that Christ wants to become the life-giving Spirit so that He can get into His disciples! In John 20:22 it says, "And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit." The second mystery is the mystery of Christ which is mentioned in Ephesians 3:4--By which, in reading it, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ. It's clear from the New Testament that God wants all His regenerated believers to meet as the church.
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| My granddaughter making a snow angel. |
Furthermore, according to verse 27, this mystery is Christ in us, the hope of glory. The goal of this mystery is to produce the church. Paul was troubled by the situation at Colosse. The Jewish and Gentile believers were neglecting Christ and the church; they were focusing their attention on such things as Judaistic observances and heathen philosophy….Therefore, Paul wrote the Epistle to the Colossians in order to complete the word of God.…What is the completion of the word of God, the completion of the divine revelation? In simple terms, to complete the word of God is to experience Christ subjectively and to enjoy Him in our daily living so that the proper church life may come forth to express God. This revelation is the completion of the word of God” (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Colossians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1979, Print).Following this passage, he mentions that in order to minister Christ to others for the producing of the church we need to daily spend time with the Lord in His word with prayer. This will cause us to experience the riches of all that Christ is. Then when we are with our fellow believers, there will be something bubbling up in us from our enjoyment of God's word to help build up the church.
You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Colossians given in 1979 on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.
Other Posts on the Life-Study of Colossians:
What is God's Will in Colossians 1:9?
What is the Stewardship of God in Colossians 1:25?
What is the Hope of Glory in Colossians 1:27?
What is the Mystery of God in Colossians 2:2? (Part 1)
What is the Mystery of Christ in Ephesians 5:32? (Part 2)
What is the Greatest Mystery?
What is God's Intention for Your Life?
From the Life-Study of Colossians - What Happens When We Pray?
How Does God Get the One New Man in Colossians 3:10?
What Does Colossians 2:7 Say About Spiritual Growth? (Part 1)
What is the Goal of Spiritual Growth in Colossians 2:19? (Part 2)
What is Christ Doing at the Right Hand of God in Colossians 3:2?
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