Being Found in Christ and Doing all things in Christ who Empowers us to Magnify Him

In Phil. 4:13 Paul reveals the secret to us: doing all things in Christ as the One who empowers us; we need to be found in Christ, be a man in Christ, and do all things in Christ so that we may live Christ as our human virtues, thereby magnifying Him in His unlimited greatness. Amen!

May we have the same attitude as the apostle Paul, always forgetting what is behind and stretching forward to what is before so that we may be found in Christ and do all things in Christ.

May we all have an endeavouring spirit all the time so that we would learn the secret of being found in Christ and doing all things in Christ as the One who empowers us.

May we learn the secret of being empowered and of doing everything in Christ, the One who empowers us.

This secret is related to our experience; it is not merely a doctrine but something for us to experience.

The secret of being content in Christ, the secret of doing all things in Christ as the empowering One, is something to do with our daily living.

In Christianity, this matter of “I can do all things in Christ who empowers me” has been very much spoiled, for the so-called “prosperity gospel” misused it and misapplied it.

But this was the secret that Paul learned in his experience, and we all need to learn the secret of doing all things in Christ who empowers us.

May we not end up like the church in Laodicea, knowing so many things but being lukewarm toward the Lord, for we lack a pursuing spirit that is fervent in seeking the Lord.

The Lord knows our condition, and many times He shines on us to show us that we are so miserable, poor, naked, and blind, yet we may think we are rich, and clothed, and we see.

May we come to the Lord, again and again, to buy from Him, paying the price to buy what He is in His Divine Trinity so that we may see, be clothed, and be enriched with the Triune God.

May we pursue toward the goal day after day so that we may gain Christ, be found in Christ, and do all things in Christ as the One who empowers us.

First, we need to take Christ as our everything and gain Him in all things by continually denying the self and turning to our spirit.

Then, we need to give ourselves to pursue Christ and know Christ in experience so that we may do all things in Christ and be found in Christ.

May we be like Paul, those magnifying Christ and enlarging Him for His magnification among man.

When others see us, may they find us in Christ, and when they hear us, may they hear Christ speaking in us.

Aspiring to be A Man in Christ to be found in Christ by All Men in our Daily Life

In 2 Cor. 12:2 Paul said, I know a man in Christ…

Here he was referring to himself, for he was a man in Christ. He desired to be found in Christ by others.

Before he was converted to Christ, he was found in the Jewish religion by others; when they saw him, they found him in the law and its righteousness.

But after being converted to Christ, Paul aspired to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness which is out of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith (Phil. 3:9).

This one, who was altogether in the Jewish religion under the law and was found by others in the law, was transferred into Christ and became a man in Christ.

He expected that everyone – men, angels, and demons – would find him in Christ.

He aspired to have his whole being immersed in and saturated with Christ so that all those who saw him or observed him would find him fully in Christ.

When he was found in Christ, he would express Christ and magnify Him (Phil. 1:20).

We need to have the realization that we are men in Christ; we are no longer men of the world but men in Christ. And because we are in Christ, we can express Christ.

Day by day we need to remain in Christ, abide in Him, and be found in Christ (John 15:5).

The Lord told us that, if we abide in Him, He will abide in us, and we will bear much fruit.

Furthermore, if we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we can ask whatever we will, and He will do it for us and in us.

We need to realize that we are in Christ and Christ is in us. This is a fact.

However, what about our experience? Do we daily live in Christ? Do others find us in Christ?

Or do we work on our own righteousness which is out of the law, and others find us in this?

May we come to the Lord day by day to fellowship with Him and simply abide in Him.

As we open to the Lord day by day concerning our situations, our problems and the daily matters in our living, we abide in the Lord and He abides in us.

Then, when others meet us or observe us, they will find us in Christ.

When we go to work, we want to be found in Christ by all men.

When we are at home with our spouse and our children, we want to be found in Christ by all men.

May we live in the reality of abiding in the Lord all the time.

May we have the deep consciousness that, apart from the Lord, we can do nothing, so we depend on Him all the time.

This means that time and time again we open to Him and tell Him that we can’t do this or that without Him, and we invite Him into all the things we are doing.

We coordinate with the Lord and we let Him live in us.

May the saints, the family members, the workmates, and the ones around us find us in Christ.

May we even tell the Lord that we want to sink deep into God so that others would see Christ when they see us, for we are a man in Christ.

May we expect to be found in Christ by all those who observe us.

May we aspire to have our whole being immersed and saturated with Christ so that all those who observe us will find us fully in Christ.

It is only when we’re found in Christ that Christ can be expressed and magnified through us (Phil. 3:9; 1:20).

When we are found in Christ in all things and by all men, Christ is spontaneously expressed through us and He is magnified in us.

Throughout the day, as we do this and that, may others find us not in the things we do, in our anxiety, or in our sadness, but in Christ.

May we bring this matter to the Lord throughout the day and have many personal and intimate conversations with Him, telling Him,

Lord Jesus, we want to be found in Christ. We aspire to be a man in Christ. Save us from living out and being found in our own righteousness; keep us abiding in You! Amen, Lord, we want to abide in You today so that You can abide in us and be expressed through us. Apart from You we can do nothing. Apart from You, dear Lord, we don’t want to do anything. As we do this and that, we want to be one with You. Amen, Lord, as we speak something or go somewhere, we want to speak in You and go in You. Thank You for being in us and for us being in You. We want to sink deeper into God until all men will find us in Christ. Amen, Lord, we expect to be found in Christ by all those who observe us! We aspire to have our whole being immersed and saturated with Christ so that we can be found fully in Christ! Be expressed through us and be magnified in our daily living today!

Doing All things in Christ who Empowers us to Live Christ as our Human Virtues

The apostle Paul was a man in Christ and desired to be found in Christ by others.

Furthermore, he declared that he was able to do all things in Him, the very Christ who empowered him.

This word in Phil. 4:13 is an all-inclusive and concluding word concerning Paul’s experience of Christ.

It is the converse of the Lord’s word in John 15:5 concerning our organic relationship with Him: “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.”

This should be our experience today; apart from the Lord, we can do nothing.

We want to be found in Christ and do all things in Christ who empowers us.

We want to pursue Christ in order to gain Him and be found in Him.

We are in Christ, the One who empowers us to do all things.

He is the secret of sufficiency; by being in Christ, we can do all things in Him.

“All things” in Phil. 4:13 refers to the things listed in vv. 8-12.

When we are in Christ who empowers us, we can live a contented life, we can be true, honourable, righteous, pure, lovely, and well-spoken of.

Those who are found in Christ are empowered by Christ to live out Christ as every kind of virtue.

When we are found in Christ, we are empowered by Christ to live Him as our human virtues.

We were created in the image of God, in His attributes of love, light, holiness, and righteousness.

However, due to the fall of man, sin entered in, and our entire tripartite being became fallen.

Instead of expressing God’s attributes through our human virtues, we now express the self through the fallen virtues, and everything we do is selfish.

But praise the Lord, as men in Christ we now have Christ in us and we are in Christ!

On the one hand, by the empowering of Christ we can live a contented life, and on the other hand, we can be true, dignified, righteous, pure, lovely, and well-spoken of.

When we are found in Christ, He as the empowering One causes us to live Him as our human virtues and thereby magnify Him in His unlimited greatness. Amen!

To have such a living, to express and magnify Christ in our human virtues, is much more difficult than doing a Christian work.

Sometimes we hear stories of dear Christian workers who do a great work for the Lord, but then something in their being is exposed, and a particular virtue that they should have, they do not have; therefore, the whole work collapses.

Even in the church life, we may be able to give a good testimony before the saints, but when we come home and are with our spouse and children, we may not speak with them in a dignified way.

A sister may give a wonderful prophecy in the Lord’s Day meeting or may teach the children in the children’s meeting, but when she is at home, she may not speak with respect to her husband.

The brother may give a good prophecy and may diligently serve in the practical service in the church life, but when he is at home, he may not speak to his wife in a dignified way. Oh Lord!

The Lord wants to empower us not just for the outward work we do for Him in the church life but especially for our daily living.

Actually, for our daily living, we need more power, because we are often less exercised when we’re at home with the family or at work with our workmates.

Therefore, we need to deny the self and turn to our spirit.

We need to realize that we are in Christ and Christ is in us.

If we want to experience Christ as the empowering One enabling us to do all things in Christ, we need to let Christ live in us (Gal. 2:20), be formed in us (4:19), make His home in us (Eph. 3:17), and be magnified in us (Phil. 1:20).

When we simply let Christ live in us, be formed in us, make His home deep down in our heart, and magnified in us, the way is prepared for Him to empower us.

By this empowering of the indwelling Christ, we will be able to live a life that is dignified, true, righteous, pure, lovely, and well-spoken of.

May the Lord cause us to realize that Christ is in us as the empowering One, and may we cooperate with His empowering day by day.

May we be those who live a life of the highest virtues by allowing Christ to live in us and empower us to live Christ.

When we are found in Christ, He will be expressed and magnified in us, and we will live Christ in our daily life.

Lord Jesus, apart from You we can do nothing! Amen, Lord, we can do all things in Christ who empowers us! We turn to You, Lord, and we want to be found in You in all things. Empower us to live Christ as our human virtues and magnify Him in His unlimited greatness! Amen, Lord, it is by the empowering of Christ we can live a contented life! Empower us from within so that we can be true, dignified, righteous, pure, lovely, and well-spoken of. May we live a life of these virtues day by day to express and magnify Christ. Lord, we let You live in us, be formed in us, make Your home in us, and be magnified in us. May Christ live in us day by day. May Christ be formed in us. May Christ make His home deep down in our heart. May Christ be magnified in us! Lord Jesus, we put ourselves aside and we exercise our spirit. We want to do all things in Christ and one with Christ!

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 brother Ricky Acosta in the message for this week, and portions from, The Conclusion of the New Testament (pp. 1554-1556), by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Knowing, Experiencing, and Enjoying Christ as Revealed in Philippians (2023 Memorial Day Weekend Conference), week 2, entitled, Learning the Secret of Doing All Things in Christ as the Empowering One for Us to Live Christ, Magnify Christ, and Gain Christ for His Glory in the Church.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – Growing up Into Him in All Things, sharing via, Living to Him.
  – Becoming a person who knows the Triune God, article by Ron Kangas in, Affirmation and Critique.
  – Remain in the Death of Christ to Receive More of His Life for a Fuller Entrance into New Jerusalem, a portion via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – Living Christ in our human virtues, a portion from, The Subjective Experience of the Indwelling Christ, Chapter 5, by Witness Lee.
  – Magnifying Christ in the Midst of Turmoil, article via, Shepherding Words.
  – What Does the Bible Say about How to Be Content? Read more via, Bibles for America blog.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – All my sicknesses I bring Him, / And He bears them all away; / All my fears and griefs I tell Him, / All my cares from day to day, / All my strength I draw from Jesus, / By His breath I live and move; / E’en His very mind He gives me, / And His faith, and life, and love. / I’m abiding in the Lord / And confiding in His word; / I am hiding in the bosom of His love. / Yes, abiding in the Lord / And confiding in His word, / I am hiding in the bosom of His love. (Hymns #564 stanza 3 and chorus)
  – We’ve found the secret of living, / We’ve seen the vision divine: / We are of God in Christ Jesus, / We’re abiding, abiding in the vine. / Abiding in the vine, / Abiding in the vine, / All the riches of God’s life are mine! / Praise God, He put us here, / Never to leave; oh, we’re— / Abiding, abiding in the vine. (Hymns #1162 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – I would give myself, Lord, / Fully unto Thee, / That Thy heart’s desire / Be fulfilled in me. / I no more would struggle / To myself reform, / Thus in me to hinder / What Thou wouldst perform. (Hymns #841 stanza 5)