Being full of the stature of Christ is a Body matter – it cannot be accomplished individually. We need to remain in the Body and experience Christ for the Body so that we may attain to maturity in the spiritual life.
Also, as we let the life of Christ grow in us and saturate all our inward parts, we become filled with the life and nature of Christ, full of the stature of Christ. When we attain to this level of spiritual maturity, we will be on the throne, unshakable and undisturbed by anything and anyone.
Furthermore, a condition of one who is full of the stature of Christ is that he reigns with Christ. He allows Christ to reign in him, he enjoys the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, and he reigns with Christ over everything.
Also, he is one with Christ to deal, together with Christ with the enemy. He doesn’t “fight” with the enemy – he is already in a position of victory with Christ, and he deals with the enemy. Such a one is simply mature, fully grown, reigning in life over everything, and he only waits to be raptured by the Lord.
We need to let the Lord grow in us to the stage that we are eagerly expecting His imminent return to transfigure our body into the body of His glory so that we may fully match Him! The divine life in us needs to grow to the highest level until we are the Bride speaking one with the Spirit, Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:17)
Lord, grow in us to such an extent that we would reign in life with You over everything! Bring us on unto maturity that we may be on the throne. Take us all the way through until we are eagerly expecting and hastening Your return!
One who is Full of the Stature of Christ Reigns with Christ
A child cannot reign – the level of his life is not enough for him to be able to reign. The divine life in us needs to grow to the point that we reign in life with Christ over all things and situations. When the divine life in us reaches maturity, we will automatically reign in life.
Authority depends on the level of life – when we are mature in life, we will reign in life. The more we cooperate with the Lord that He may increase His stature in us, the more we will spontaneously reign in life.
We need to receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness so that we may reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:17, 21). When grace reigns in us, we reign in life.
When the divine life is allowed to fill every part of our being and we let the Lord rule in us, we will also reign in life. The more we let the Lord reign in us, the more we reign in life. When the divine life in us matures, our life will attain the full stature of Christ, and we will be able to reign with Christ (Rom. 5:17, 21; 2 Tim. 2:12).
When the divine life in us reaches maturity, we will be seated with Christ on the throne and we will reign with Him, and we will eagerly expect the Lord to rapture us to be with Him in glory, to bring in His kingdom, and to defeat the enemy.
In ourselves it is impossible to be one with the Lord and to reign even over ourselves, our things, or our family; but as the divine life in us grows unto maturity and brings us to maturity, we will be ruling and reigning in life with Christ!
Lord Jesus, grow in us unto maturity. We want to cooperate with You and give You the preeminence in our being so that You may reign in us. Lord, gain us and gain many saints to attain maturity in the divine life! May the divine life in us and in many grow unto maturity until we reign in life with Christ over all things. Lord, may Your life in us mature to the point that we reign in life with You!
One who is Full of the Stature of Christ Deals, together with Christ, with the Enemy
Children or teenagers are not qualified to fight in the warfare, and they do not have the authority or courage to defeat the enemy. But when we are full of the stature of Christ and our life has reached full maturity, we are qualified to fight the spiritual warfare.
In a sense, we don’t “fight with the enemy to subdue him” – Christ has already won the victory, and we are one with Him, we enthrone Him, and we stand in His victory.
In physical life when there’s a victorious and just king, mighty in war and righteous in his dealings, all the crooked and unrighteous people run away from him and his dominion. Christ has won the victory, He is mighty and powerful, and we are joined to Him in His victory.
When the divine life in us reaches the level of maturity, we are full of the stature of Christ and the spiritual warfare is over – we are in the position of victory and we only need to deal, together with Christ, with the enemy!
The Lord Jesus continually fought with Satan during His human life on earth, and on the cross He defeated him, in His resurrection He openly shamed Satan, and in ascension He is far above his reach. Now Christ deals with His enemy through the church until Satan becomes His footstool (Heb. 1:13).
When we grow in life unto maturity and are full of the stature of Christ, we don’t need to fight – we simply need to stand with Christ in victory and deal with the enemy (see Heb. 2:14; Phil. 2:9-11)!
When we arrive at the stage of dealing, together with Christ, with the enemy, this is a proof that our life has reached the highest peak and that we are full of the stature of Christ. When our life reaches this stage, every part of our being has come to maturity, and we are waiting to be raptured to enter into the glory with Christ (Rev. 12:5; 14:1).
This is the climax of our Christian experience. The consummation of our experience of Christ in the Body, the full stature of Christ in us, is that we are waiting to be raptured.
It is only when we are raptured that our body will be transfigured and we will have a body of glory, and we will be permeated with the Lord to become His fullness (see Song of Songs 4:8).
Lord, we praise You for Your divine life in us. Grow in us more and more every day. Bring us all the way to maturity to reach the highest peak of our Christian experience, the full stature of Christ. Lord, gain so many among the brothers and the sisters in the church life who would give You the highest cooperation for You to grow in them until they are mature enough to deal with Your enemy. Lord, bring us to the stage that we are mature in life and we eagerly expect Your return to transfigure our body and bring us into Your glory!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Minoru Chan’s speaking in the message for this week, and portions from, The Experience of Life (ch. 19), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Entering into the Fourth Stage of the Experience of Life to Arrive at a Full-Grown Man for the Fulfillment of God’s Purpose, week 6 / msg 6, The Fourth Stage of the Experience of Life (5) – Full of the Stature of Christ.
- Hymns on this topic:
# How I love Your reigning life, Lord. / How I love abundant grace. / How I love to have Your presence, / As I live before Your face. / By Your life, Lord, I am reigning. / I am over, over everything. / As I’m joyfully confessing, / Jesus, as my Lord and King.
# In fulness of the seasons / God’s Christ will head up all. / Then all will own His reigning / And worship, great and small. / Such reign in life and glory / The Church e’en now foretastes / And to His rule submitting / Unto His kingdom hastes.
# I dare not be defeated / Since Christ, my conquering King / Has called me to the battle / Which He did surely win. / Come, Lord, and give me courage, / Thy conquering Spirit give, / Make me an overcomer, / In power within me live.
# Hallelujah! Christ is Victor, / Tell with every breath, / That the Savior still is conqu’ror / Over sin and death. / Hallelujah! Christ is Victor, / Tell where’er you go, / That the Lord is still the conqu’ror, / Over every foe.
