As members of the Body of Christ, we need to hold Christ as the head, and we need to grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things; in all the things of our daily living and human existence, we need to grow up into Christ, the Head (Eph. 4:15).
In thing after thing, matter after matter, and situation after situation, we need to grow up into Christ, the Head, so that we all may arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God.
How do we grow into Christ, the Head? It is by exercising our spirit to cooperate with the Lord in all these things, so that He may work Himself into us a little more day by day.
The Body of Christ today is in our mingled spirit; when we exercise our spirit and live in spirit, we are in the reality of the Body of Christ. All God’s requirements are spontaneously fulfilled in us when we live in the mingled spirit.
The Lord wants to gain the reality of the Body of Christ, which is the corporate living of the many God-men who are genuine men but live not by their human life but by the divine life in their spirit, allowing the death of Christ to operate in them so that they would live in resurrection as a new creation.
The way for us to live in the reality of the Body is by being in the mingled spirit; everything of God, Christ, the Spirit, and the Body is in the spirit, which is a mingled spirit – the divine Spirit mingled with our human spirit.
As we take care of our daily things and we travel, go to work, eat, prepare food, rest, walk, and do all kinds of things, we need to learn to exercise our spirit and live in the mingled spirit.
We may be late for work, the bus may be running late, or we simply have a break at work…in all these things, we need to open to the Lord and receive His dispensing so that we may grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things.
As we open to the Lord again and again, conversing with Him, telling Him about all things, and letting Him speak to us, He infuses us with His element, He works Himself into us, and we grow into Christ, the Head, in all things – little by little.
We need to Grow up into the Head, Christ, in All Things, until we Attain to a Full-Grown man
As we hold the truth in love, we grow up into Christ in all things, who is the Head. It is very significant that Paul says that we need to grow into the Head; this shows that our growth is not in ourselves or for ourselves, but in the Body, for the Body, and into the Head.
We need to be no longer children tossed about by waves of teachings (Eph. 4:14) but we need to hold the Head, and grow up into Christ in all things. Our growth in life should be the growth of the members of the Body under the Head.
What does it mean that we grow up into the Head? It means that we grow by caring only for Christ and the church; this is not merely some growing in honesty or sincerity, or some growth related to ethical behavior, but growth into Christ, the Head, as members of the Body.
Our growth in life in all things should be in the Body and for the Body, as we hold the Head, Christ.
Some Christians are apparently growing spiritually, but their supposed “growth” is not in the Body; the result of their growth is that they either become dissenting and critical, or they over function and overtake others’ function.
The growth of our human body is so gradual and little that it takes a long period of time to be seen and recognized; our growth in life into the Head, Christ, in all things may not be that fast, but it has to be steady, gradual, normal, and in the Body.
If the more we grow the more we become critical of others, despising them, having a problem with them, and considering ourselves better than them, then our growth is not into the Head or in the Body.
Paul doesn’t say that we need to grow into the Savior, into the Master, or into the Lord; he specifically says that we ned to grow up into the Head, Christ. This means we need to be in the Body, remain in the Body, and be built up with the fellow members of the Body, otherwise our growth will not be into the Head for the building up of the Body.
To grow up into Christ is to have Christ increase in us in all things until we attain to a full-grown man. We need to let Christ grow in us, increase in us, and spread in us day by day so that we may hold the Head, Christ, receive the growth from Him, and grow into Him in all things for the building up of the Body.
We need to honor Christa s the head, maintain an intimate connection with Him, and grow into the Head for the sake of the Body. When we hold Christ as the Head and grow into the Head for the sake of the Body, we are in the right place for optimal growth.
But if we don’t hold Christ as the Head and we don’t grow into the Head, Christ, the Lord may allow us to grow a little, but then our growth will stop, or else we will become a cancer in the Body. We need to desire to grow up into the Head, Christ, and He will release the full growth unto maturity.
Spirituality is a Body matter, and maturity is a Body matter; we can’t and shouldn’t be spiritual apart from the Body, and we shouldn’t seek growth in life apart from the Body, under Christ as the Head.
Lord Jesus, how we need to grow up into Christ, the Head, in all things, until we attain to a full-grown man! Grow in us, Lord, in all things day by day, until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God! Amen! Lord, save us from having a growth that is not in the Body and from the Head. May we grow into the Head, Christ, for the building up of the Body! May our spirituality and growth in life be under the head and in the Body, for the building up of the Body!
Growing up into Christ in All Things until we All are One in Christ
It is easy to read Eph. 4:15 and glance over “all things”, thinking we know what it means in a general way….but what does it mean to grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things? What are these “all things”?
Our human life, Christian life, and church life is filled with “things”; our daily living is full of things in which we need to grow up into Christ, the Head. Big things or small things – in all things we need to grow in the Lord.
Christ lives in us, but there are still many things we have not grown up into Christ; there are still many things that we do, use, and spend time with, without being in the spirit or walking according to the Spirit.
In dealing with other people, in our actions, in our behavior, in our attire, in our managing our affairs, in treating others, in the family life and work life, in all things – we need to get into the Spirit, live by the spirit so that Christ may grow in us in all things.
In some aspects, we cannot deny, we have grown into Christ, the Head, but there are many aspects in which we didn’t grow into the Head, Christ. For example, what about the matter of our speaking, our talking to others?
Psa. 141:3 says, Set a watch, o Jehovah, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Can we control our tongue? Can we temper our speaking and not say things when we’re not supposed to speak?
In the matter of our speaking we need to grow up into Christ, opening to the Lord to receive His divine dispensing and be inwardly strengthened so that God will be watching over our mouth and we will speak when and what He wants us to speak. We need to be those who have a reverential fear of God as we say something, realizing that in this matter of speaking we want to let Christ grow in us for the building up of the Body.
There are still many things in which we have not grown up into Christ; in these things we are not in Christ but are outside of Christ.
Take the matter of driving: are you one with the Lord as you drive? When someone seems to be sleeping at the wheel when the light is green, what is your reaction?
In the matter of our use of the internet, which is now so accessible – even in our own pockets, on our smart phone; can you say that you have grown up into Christ, the Head, in the way you use your phone and you browse the internet?
Is the Lord the Head over how you use your phone, your tablet, or your computer? We all need to grow up into the Head, Christ, in this matter.
In the matter of eating, preparing food, the food we eat, and taking care of our health, have we grown up into the Head, Christ? In being with our spouse, raising our children, going on holidays, or taking care of the chores around the house, are we growing up into Christ, the Head?
The more we grow up into Christ, the Head, in all things, the more we all will be one in Christ. We all should have the sense of growing and advancing in Christ in thing after thing, in all things, for the building up of the Body.
Lord Jesus, may we grow up into Christ in all things by always checking with You, praying to You, and learning to be one with You in all things. Keep us touching You, Lord, and holding You as the Head, so that we may receive the growth that comes out from You in all things. Keep us contacting You as we travel to work, drive, work in the office, take care of chores, do shopping, and spend our time online. Lord Jesus, cause us all to grow up into Christ in all things until we all are one in Christ!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ron Kangas for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 45 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Knowing Life and the Church, msg. 6 (week 6), Living in the Resurrection Life of Christ under the Unique Headship of Christ and Growing Up into the Head, Christ, in All Things for the Reality and Building Up of the Body of Christ.
- Hymns on this topic:
# But holding to truth in love / We may grow up in all things / Into Him who is the Head / Christ is the Head / Out from Whom all the Body / Being joined together and / Being knit together through / Ev’ry joint of the rich supply / And through the operation / In the measure of each one part / of each one part / Causes the growth of the Body unto the / building up of itself in love. (Scripture song)
# To the Head fast holding ever, / That we may together grow, / From the Head supplies incoming / Thru us to the Body flow. (Hymns #913)
# We want to grow to utmost height, / Until Your Body comes in sight. / Yourself in man will then be shown; / Your plan at last by all be known! (Song on growing for the Body)
About aGodMan
We must grow up into Christ in all things….Regardless of whether you are from Africa or Australia and regardless of whether you are white, yellow, or black, we all must grow up into Christ in all things. Here all things means every single thing, whether big or small; we must grow up into Christ in all things. Even today there are still many things in which we are not in Christ but are outside of Christ. We need to grow up into Christ in all things, both big and small. You have Christ in you, but there are still many things in you that have not grown up into Christ. This is entirely a matter of the Spirit. To grow up into Christ is to grow up into the Spirit. Your speaking must be in the Spirit; your actions, your adornment, and your attire must all be in the Spirit; your dealings with others, your managing of affairs, and the way you treat people must be in the Spirit. You need to get into the Spirit in all things. (Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1977, vol. 3, “One Body, One Spirit, and One New Man,” p. 339)
Praise the Lord! Amen!
Praise the lord …
Ephesians 4:15 says ” But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ.” We grow by caring only for Christ and the church, that is, by handling truth in love. If we would be no longer little children tossed to and fro and carried about, we need to grow up into Christ, not up into ourselves or into something else apart from Christ. In other to grow into the Head (Christ), we must surely be in the Body. If we do not remain in the Body, we may have a certain kind of growth, but it will not be the growth into the Head. O Lord keep us together in the Body to have normal grow in life into the Head!
Amen, this is the prayer of the body…
Amen!
To grow up into Christ in all things (every single thing) is entirely a matter of the Spirit!
It’s a wonderfull actuality! We need to have all Things in Crist and gown up in Him, in all things! Amen!
There were no Road maps to help the Apostle Paul after his conversion. He had the Books of Moses that he had become knowledgeable in and that was about it. Paul went away from all the leading brothers for a long time many years away from all outward interference. At which time and during which time he learned directly from the Lord Spirit. A long season of trial, and error. Thank You Lord for Paul’s example.