The Ascended Christ is the Son of Man and He’s our God, the Purchaser of the Church

The book of Acts shows us a vision of the all-inclusive Christ; the Christ preached by the apostles was not a simple or low Christ but an all-inclusive One, and in particular, today we want to see that Christ is the Son of Man and Christ is God.

Amen, Jesus Christ is both God and man!

The more we go on with the Lord in our Christian life, the more we love Him. The more we grow in life and in the knowledge of Christ, the more we appreciate Him. He gave us life, for He’s the Author of life.

He is our blessing, for He’s the Servant of God coming to serve us and bring us in the enjoyment of Himself as the real blessing. Even more, Christ is our Leader and our Saviour. When we believed into the Lord, we received the life of God and we were born again.

We may have thought that it was a series of coincidences that led us to believe in Jesus, but later we discovered that the Lord Jesus is the Leader and the Saviour.

As the Leader, Christ has been enthroned by God far above all to rule over the kings of the world and arrange the whole world situation.

Wow, there’s a Man in the glory, even there’s a Man on the throne, and He is far above all, ruling and reigning over all! Even though it may seem that it’s this president or that king who decides things and rules, it is actually Jesus Christ who is the Ruler over the kings of the earth!

He is ruling and reigning, He is arranging the whole world situation, and He is doing many things for one purpose: for God’s chosen people to receive His salvation.

God has a plan, an economy, according to which He is working Himself into man so that He may obtain a corporate expression of Himself, the Body of Christ, consummating in the New Jerusalem.

So Christ as the Leader, is arranging all things, both in the world situation and in our personal life so that we may come to know the Lord and receive God’s salvation.

Christ, as the Saviour comes to us to give us His salvation and to save us not only initially from eternal perdition but even more, He is daily saving us in His life!

As believers in Christ, we can testify that many times we have no idea where we are and what is going on with us and in us, but the Lord Jesus as our Leader, is arranging all things to work together for good so that He as the Saviour, would save us to the uttermost.

We are being saved daily in His life; we simply need to remain open to Him! Praise the Lord!

The Ascended Christ is the Son of Man to Comfort, Encourage, and Strengthen those Suffering for Him

In Acts 7 we see how Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and spoke the gospel at length, but the Jews were enraged and stoned him to death.

As he was being stoned to death, he looked up in the heavens and saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56). Wow!

We do not know whether Stephen ever saw the Lord Jesus physically, but at the time that he was being persecuted and was suffering for the Lord, the ascended Christ as the Son of Man, appeared to him. What a comfort this must have been to Stephen!

Christ is the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God to be the comfort, encouragement, and strength of the one being martyred for the Lord.

When the Lord Jesus went through death and entered into resurrection, He did not leave His humanity in the tomb; rather, He resurrected as a Man. The Christ who is now in the heavens still has His humanity, for He still possesses a human nature! Hallelujah!

May we not be deceived into thinking that Christ is now just God, having left His humanity in the tomb; rather, may we appreciate and know that Christ is both the Son of Man and the Son of God!

It is erroneous to teach that Christ is no longer the Son of Man, for in Acts we see that Jesus Christ possesses both divinity and humanity, being both the Son of God with divinity and the Son of Man with humanity. Praise the Lord!

In Acts 7 we see Stephen, a brother full of the Holy Spirit and with power, who was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ but rather, spoke the truth with boldness. Yet those around him hated him, persecuted him, and took him to a place where they stoned him to death.

As he was being stoned to death, he looked to the heavens and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

The Lord Jesus is in ascension, and He’s usually referred to as sitting at the right hand of God (Matt. 26:64; Heb. 1:3, 13), since He has accomplished everything, and now He just rests.

But because there was this dear member of His Body, Stephen, who was suffering for the Lord on the earth, the ascended Christ as the Son of Man was seen standing at the right hand of God.

He must have been greatly concerned for His persecuted one, appearing to him for his comfort, encouragement, and strength. What a scene!

Stephen saw the ascended Christ as the Son of Man; this indicates that the Christ who is in the heavens still has His humanity – He still possesses His human nature. Praise the Lord!

Stephen was one with the Lord; he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he did not care for the environment.

Rather, he looked intently into heaven, and he experienced what he spoke of; in Acts 7:2 he said that the God of glory appeared to Abraham, and now he saw the glory of God and Jesus as the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (v. 56). How wonderful!

Even though those on the earth persecuted Stephen and the earth was closed to him, the heavens opened to him, for Christ as the Son of Man was for him and with him.

How comforting this was to Stephen, and how encouraging and strengthening was this vision to him! Thank the Lord that today He is not only the Son of God possessing divinity but even more, the Son of Man possessing humanity.

He is sitting at the right hand of God in the heavens, and whenever someone is persecuted for His sake, He is standing and revealing Himself to the persecuted one, for this is a member of His Body.

Oh, may we know and enjoy the ascended Christ as the Son of Man today!

As the Son of Man, He understands us with our human sufferings. He appears to us and comforts us as we go through hardships and trials. May we open to Him and look away unto Him day by day!

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Son of Man in Your ascension! Hallelujah, Jesus Christ is both the Son of God with divinity and the Son of Man with humanity! Praise the Lord, there’s a Man in the glory, and His life is for us! Amen, Lord, we open to You and we come to You as we are. We love You! We come to You to contact You and enjoy You. Thank You for being the Son of Man in ascension. May we see You and enjoy You as the Son of Man. You understand our human sufferings. You understand us thoroughly; there’s nothing You do not know. We just open to You and we come to You with all our problems, hardships, trials, and sufferings. Thank You for being there for us not only as the Son of God but even more as the Son of Man. Hallelujah, even when the earth seems to be closed to us and those around us hate us and persecute us for the Lord’s sake, the ascended Christ as the Son of Man is for us, and the heavens are open to us! Amen, Lord, may we see You as the Son of Man for our comfort, encouragement, and strength in our Christian life!

Christ is our God – He’s the Purchaser of the Church, having Obtained the Church with His own Blood!

On the one hand, the ascended Christ is the Son of Man, being with us in our weakness, sickness, sufferings, and persecution to be our comfort, strength, and encouragement. On the other hand, the Christ revealed in the New Testament and in particular in the book of Acts is God – Christ is our God! Hallelujah!

Acts 20:28 tells us that God purchased the church with His own blood. The church of God was obtained by God through His own blood. How about that!

How can God have blood? God in Himself does not have blood, for He is God; however, in His incarnation, God has blood.

God wants to obtain the church, a corporate expression of Himself in humanity; for this, He became a man. God was incarnated to be a man, Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14). As God, He does not have blood; as man, He has human blood. God’s own blood is the blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7).

Christ as our God is the Purchaser of the church, having obtained the church through His own blood! Hallelujah!

Jesus Christ came as God incarnated, and God was both in Him essentially for His living and upon Him as power economically for His work. Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit; He had the divine essence and the human essence.

Then, when Christ was baptised by John the Baptist, the Spirit descended upon Him for His work economically, and He started His ministry on the earth.

Jesus Christ had God both within and without, both essentially for His living and for His work. He was both God and man – He was a God-man.

Then, when He went to the cross, He took upon Himself all the sins of the world, and He was judged by God.

While He was on the cross being judged by God according to His righteousness, holiness, and glory, the Spirit left Christ economically; however, the divine essence was still within Him.

God forsook Christ on the cross economically, for His Spirit cannot rest upon a sinner; this was an economical matter related to the carrying out of God’s judgment.

The Lord Jesus still had the Holy Spirit within Him, essentially, for He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and was born of God and with God.

God could never leave Christ or forsake Him, essentially; He only left Him economically. The Spirit who descended upon Christ as power at the beginning of His ministry left Christ when He was judged by God on the cross.

So Christ shed His blood on the cross, and since Christ is God, it was God who shed His blood to purchase the church. God secured, purchased, and redeemed the church with His own blood, which is the blood of Jesus His Son. Hallelujah!

God treasured the church so much that He gave up everything in order to purchase the church. When we see this, we realise the value of the church as a treasure to God. He treasured the church, and He acquired the church with His own precious blood.

This is how we should also value the church today.

Christ died on the cross as the God-man, and the blood He shed there for our redemption was not only the blood of the man Jesus but also the blood of the God-man!

Amen, the blood through which God obtained the church is God’s own blood! May we see that Christ is God, and as God, He purchased the church with His own blood!

May we treasure the church the same way God treasures the church, and may we love the Lord Jesus, the ascended Christ, as the Purchaser of the church!

Paul saw how much God treasures the church, and he charged the elders as overseers to also treasure the church as God did. May we see the value of the church, and may we appreciate what the Lord Jesus did to obtain the church!

Lord Jesus, unveil us to see that Jesus Christ is God! Hallelujah, the ascended Christ is both the Son of Man and the Son of God, and Jesus is God! Wow, Lord, may we see that Christ as our God is the Purchaser of the church! Praise the Lord, Christ has obtained the church with His own blood! Amen, Lord, thank You for becoming a man. Thank You for being God incarnated to be a man in order to obtain the church with Your own blood. Hallelujah, God secured, purchased, and redeemed the church with His own blood! Wow, God has blood, for He became a man and purchased the church with the blood of Christ! Praise the Lord, Christ died on the cross as the God-man! Amen, Lord, the blood You shed on the cross for our redemption was not only the blood of the man Jesus but also the blood of the God-man! Praise the Lord, we were purchased by God with His own blood! Oh Lord, may we value the church the same You do. May we treasure the church and give ourselves up for the church, Your treasure and heart’s desire!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers, and portions from, Life-study of Acts, msgs. 21 and 53, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, One Accord and Crucial Aspects of the Book of Acts (2025 April ITERO), week 4, The Resurrected, Ascended, and All-inclusive Christ – day 5.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – This God-man entering into resurrection, a portion from, The Economy of God and the Building Up of the Body of Christ, Chapter 3, by Witness Lee.
  – Exodus (Program #78) – The Blood of the Covenant (1), via, Bible study radio.
  – Christ being a man, a portion from, The Life and Way for the Practice of the Church Life, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee.
  – The Church – A Pearl of Great Value, via, Living to Him.
  – “There’s a Man in the glory” – the significance of the ascension of Jesus, article by Ron Kangas in Affirmation and Critique.
  – New Jerusalem: Our Master Bought Us, via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – Knowing Christ in His Resurrection as the Son of God Designated in Power with His Human Nature, video message by brother Ron.
  – Discovering the Indwelling Christ as the Spirit by Calling on Him, via, Holding to Truth in Love.
  – The pneumatic Christ in the Gospel of John, article by Ron Kangas in, Affirmation and Critique.
  – The all-inclusive Christ in the New Testament, article in Conversant faith.
  – Message 7: The Ministry of Christ in His Ascension (1), message by brother Lee.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – ’Tis that look that melted Peter, / ’Tis that face that Stephen saw, / ’Tis that heart that wept with Mary, / Can alone from idols draw: / Draw and win and fill completely, / Till the cup o’erflow the brim; / What have we to do with idols / Who have companied with Him? (Hymns #437 stanzas 6-7)
  – I will sing of my Redeemer, / And His wondrous love to me; / On the cruel cross He suffered, / From the curse to set me free. / Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer, / With His blood He purchased me, / On the cross He sealed my pardon, / Paid the debt, and made me free. (Hymns #305 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – Behold Him there, the risen Lamb! / My perfect, spotless Righteousness, / The great unchangeable I AM, / The King of glory and of grace. / One with Himself, I cannot die; / My soul is purchased by His blood; / My life is hid with Christ on high, / With Christ, my Savior and my God. (Hymns #327 stanzas 5-6)