The greatest of all gifts and the most excelling gift for the building up of the church is prophesying (see 1 Cor. 1:2, 9, 24, 30; 5:7-8; 10:3-4; 15:45). All the believers have this gift, and this excelling gift of prophesying is produced in the growth in life through the enjoyment of Christ (see 1 Cor. 14:12).
As we enjoy the Lord every day, we are being transformed to become the precious materials for the building up of the church (1 Cor. 3:6, 9-14). Also, an issue of our enjoyment of Christ is that we develop the gift of prophesying for the building up of the Body. As we enjoy the Lord, we become the materials for the building and we develop the skills to build up the Body!
the enjoyment of Christ issues in growth
We grow in life by enjoying Christ. When we enjoy the all-inclusive Christ every day in His Word, in our personal time with Him, in turning to Him again and again all throughout the day, this enjoyment will have an issue. Firstly, the enjoyment of Christ issues in the growth in life so that we may become the materials for the building up of the church.
On the one hand we are like plants, growing in life by absorbing the rich Christ as the soil we’re planted in, and on the other hand we are precious materials for God’s building. The growth in life issuing from the enjoyment of Christ produces precious materials (gold, silver, precious stones) through transformation for God’s building (1 Cor. 3:6, 9-14).
the enjoyment of Christ issues in prophesying
On the one hand, as we enjoy the Lord, we grow in life and we are being transformed to be the materials for God’s building. On the other hand, the issue of our enjoying Christ as the all-inclusive One issues in the development of gifts for functioning to build up the Body of Christ – out of which gifts prophesying is the excelling gift (1 Cor. 14:1, 12, 39).
As a result of our enjoying the Lord, on the one hand we become the building materials for God’s house, and on the other hand we develop the skills, the function, to build up the Body with the Christ we have enjoyed. We need to enjoy the Lord more so that we may speak Christ, dispense Him, through our prophesying in the meetings.
How do we build up the church? On the one hand it is the Lord Jesus that builds up His church (see Matt. 16:18), and on the other hand it is the functioning of the members of the Body through prophesying that builds up the church. When we come to the meeting, we need to bring something of our enjoyment of Christ to share for the building up of the church.
The top development of the gifts as an issue of the enjoyment of Christ is to prophesy, to speak for the Lord, to speak forth the Lord, to speak the Lord into people, ministering Christ, dispensing Christ, into people. When we are full of the enjoyment of Christ, we can share with others the Christ that we have enjoyed. (Witness Lee, Further Light concerning the Building up of the Body of Christ, pp. 7-9)
prophesying with clear words for building up
The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians that when he came to them he didn’t come in excellence of speech or wisdom, as he announced the mystery of God. Rather, he determined to know nothing else among them but Jesus Christ, and this One crucified (1 Cor. 2:1-2). Also, his speech wasn’t in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power (1 Cor. 2:4).
Our speaking in the meetings shouldn’t be with persuasive or enticing words, but in demonstrating the Spirit. We simply need to exercise our spirit and speak one with the Spirit in our spirit to minister Christ to the saints.
When we prophesy for the building up of the church we should use clear and plain words as the Lord gives them to us, not eloquent speaking or persuasive words. Paul spoke the clear and plain word by prophesying in the meetings (1 Cor. 14:6) – he even gave up speaking in tongues in a meeting because it was not building up the saints.
When we come together with the other believers we should speak something for Christ by exercising our spirit! We speak not in a timid or weak way but in a strong way, with a strong spirit, to impart the living Christ into others. As we enjoy the Lord, we gain something of Christ that we share with others, and in the meeting we all speak!
Lord Jesus, keep us enjoying You. We treasure our time with You in the morning, being in Your presence and enjoying You in Your Word. Lord, we want to enjoy You more every day so that we may grow in life and be transformed to be the building materials for Your house. Also, Lord, we want to develop our function to speak, to prophesy, from what we enjoyed of You. May we function in the way of life to minister Christ to the saints by prophesying!
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired from, The Excelling Gift for the Building Up of the Church (chs. 1-2), as partially quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Taking the Lead as Elders and Responsible Ones, week 4.
- Buy the morning revival book online via LSM.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Take time to receive Him—the blessing’s outpoured, / And we may obtain it by reading His Word;
# “I will build My church upon this rock,” said the Lord Jesus, / And we see the building of His purpose and His plan;
# What then, brothers? What then, sisters? / What then, shall we do? - Picture source: peaceful flower.
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Lord Jesus, keep us enjoying You. We treasure our time with You in the morning, being in Your presence and enjoying You in Your Word. Lord, we want to enjoy You more every day so that we may grow in life and be transformed to be the building materials for Your house. Also, Lord, we want to develop our function to speak, to prophesy, from what we enjoyed of You. May we function in the way of life to minister Christ to the saints by prophesying!