a genuine church is enriched in Christ, awaits the Lord’s unveiling, and enjoys Christ

In the first chapter of 1 Corinthians we see a portrait of a genuine church in the focus of the Lord’s recovery, and yesterday we were enjoying the first 4 verses – this church enjoys God as grace and is called out by God to be the church of God.

This morning we were enjoying verses 5-9 from this same chapter, where Paul shows us that a genuine church is enriched in Christ, does not lack any gift, has the sign of eagerly awaiting the Lord’s coming, and is in the sweet fellowship and participation of Jesus Christ! How sweet and how wonderful! Here is 1 Cor. 1:5-9,

That in everything you were enriched in Him, in all utterance and all knowledge, Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, So that you do not lack in any gift, eagerly awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will also confirm you until the end unreprovable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Enriched in everything in Christ

Praise the Lord, we are enriched in everything in Christ, so that we do not lack any gifts! The genuine church is rich in Christ, and it does not lack any inward gifts which issue from grace – such as the eternal life and the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 6:23; Acts 2:38; Heb. 6:4).

Paul doesn’t refer here to outward miraculous gifts but to the Triune God as grace issuing in and becoming the gift – through our continual enjoyment of grace.

We enjoy grace upon grace in the church life, and we are rich in Christ, rich in the enjoyment of the Triune God, rich in the eternal life, and rich in the Holy Spirit!

Awaiting the return of the Lord

A normal sign of a genuine church and a genuine believer in Christ is that we await the appearing, the return, the unveiling of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

We are not focused on and we don’t emphasize outward things, careers, high positions, riches, working hard, good schools, etc – we await the Lord’s return!

As we enjoy grace upon grace, we are looking forward to the Lord’s second coming!

Our clear inward view is that we are only travellers, sojourners, and wanderers on the earth – our real home and the city which has foundations is in the heavens, from which we await to see the Lord’s return (Heb. 11:13; 11:10)!

Being confirmed unreprovable

This is what we aspire to, and this is what we live unto, that we may be confirmed until the end unreprovable – in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ! For this, we need to daily grow in life!

A genuine church is in a daily process of growth in the divine life – after its initial receiving of grace, the church enjoys grace and trusts in the God who is both the Alpha and the Omega to finish what He has begun in them.

God gives us grace and it is He who will also confirm us in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ – He is the giver of grace and the completer of our growth in life at the end. Lord, grow in us daily!

Called into the fellowship of Jesus Christ

1 Cor. 1:9 is a very sweet verse showing us that God is faithful (we are NOT faithful, but HE IS!) – He has called us into the fellowship, the participation in, the communion, and the enjoyment of Jesus Christ our Lord!

We have been called to enjoy the Lord – He is our portion, Christ is “theirs and ours” (1 Cor. 1:2). This is a sign of a genuine church: all the saints enjoy Christ in fellowship with Him and with one another! All our meetings should be full of feasting and enjoying Christ as the embodiment of the entire Triune God!

“Through whom you were called” implies that God has passed through a process so that He may be qualified to call us and that He would qualify us to be called by Him.

This is what Eph. 1:3-6 talks about – the Father chose us and predestinated us (in God’s eternal purpose, before the foundation of the world), the Son came to redeem us (two thousand years ago), and the Spirit seals us in our calling (starting from fifty days after the Lord’s resurrection).

The Triune God passed through a process to call the genuine church into the fellowship of Jesus Christ! All we have to do today is abide in Him, stay in this one spirit with the Lord, and enjoy this wonderful fellowship and communion!

Lord Jesus, we love You! Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for enriching us in Christ with all spiritual gifts – especially the eternal life and the Holy Spirit. Lord, keep us enjoying You as grace in the genuine church, so that we would eagerly await Your return. Come, Lord Jesus! Grow in us until we are confirmed unreprovable by You in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ! Keep us in this sweet fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, enjoying all He is!

References and Further Reading

• Sharing inspired from, A Genuine Church (by brother Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Focus of the Lord’s Recovery, week 6;
• Recommended: the footnote on 1 Cor. 1:9, God is faithful, through whom you were called INTO the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
• Hymns: new hymn, God has called us into the fellowship of His Son.
• Picture source: God is faithful.