After presenting a revelation of the one new man created by Christ on the cross in Col. 3, in 4:7-17 we see a practical illustration of the revelation of the one new man and of the consciousness of the one new man.
This week in our morning revival we come to the topic of, Practicing the Church Life, Speaking the Same Thing, and Doing the One Work in the Consciousness of the One New Man.
First we have the revelation, and then we have the experience; revelation without experience is incomplete, as far as God’s work is concerned.
God begins His work always in the dispensing of a revelation. However, God doesn’t give a revelation for the sake of revelation; rather, He gives an unveiling and opens the spiritual scenery so that His people can enter into the experience of what they have seen.
Concerning the one new man, we need to enter into the experience of what we have seen and eventually we have to become what we have seen. We become the revelation we see. And when it comes to God’s revelations, these are progressive.
Brother Lee started speaking concerning the one new man in the late seventies, and then later we have entered into this matter again and again. There’s a feeling in the Body concerning the one new man; the Spirit has a burden, which is the burden of the Lord as the Head.
The Lord’s recovery – just like the divine revelation – is progressive. All of God’s recovery work in these last two thousand years or 1500 years has been progressive; beginning with Martin Luther all the way until today, the Lord’s recovery has been progressive.
Martin Luther discovered the matter of justification by faith, and this foundational truth is wonderful; today we stand on this foundation – we are still justified by faith, but we have enjoyed the Lord’s progressive revelation.
In God’s sovereignty, He has raised up His servants, the ministers of the age, to release messages and the word on the ministry of the age, and this brought us all the way to the New Jerusalem.
The Lord is burdened, and He is even impatient in a positive sense, for He wants His people to become the New Jerusalem, so that the consummation of the ages would come.
He wants to see the ultimate manifestation of His heart’s desire, His council, His economy. He has released the divine revelation – it’s all in the Bible and it has been opened up in the ministry books; furthermore, the apostle John has already seen the New Jerusalem, but when will it come to pass?
The Lord as the heavenly Intercessor is praying for us, His people, that we as His elect would not remain where we are but would go on with Him, advance with Him from level to level until we reach the New Jerusalem!
This is the commission of the Lord’s recovery on earth – we are not here as yet another Christian group that has a higher truth and better spirituality; we are here to fulfill God’s eternal purpose! We are here to work out the New Jerusalem by living it out in our lives today!
We are here to anticipate on a daily basis that final city, that glorious, eternal, mingling of divinity with humanity – the consummate divine and human structure, the New Jerusalem, the full expression of the Triune God in humanity for the whole universe to see!
With this as a frame, today we want to see a practical illustration of the revelation of the one new man and of the consciousness of the one new man as revealed in Col. 4.
Seeing a Practical Illustration of the Revelation of the One New Man on Earth
Many may consider Col. 4:7-17 as a set of greetings and exhortations to particular people that Paul knew in Colossae and Laodicea, but this reveals much more than that.
If we consider this portion in the light of the whole Epistle, we will realize that this passage is a practical application of what Paul covers earlier in this book – the one new man (Col. 3:11).
Paul tells us that in the new man there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.
In Col. 4 we see a practical illustration of the revelation of the new man given in 3:10-11; here we see different kinds of people being greeted, such as Jews, Greeks, circumcision, uncircumcision, slaves, and masters.
In v. 11 Paul refers to those who are of the circumcision. In v. 9 he refers to Onesimus, who has become a faithful and faithful brother; he was a slave belonging to Philemon, who was the father of Archippus (Philem. 1:10-13, 1-2).
Archippus was a master; Onesimus was a slave; those of the circumcision were brothers and sisters. Paul not only greeted them specifically but he presented a practical illustration of the living of the one new man.
Through his Epistle Paul reveals that in this region around the Mediterranean Sea there were many kinds of people, but the one new man had come into being and was living in a practical way.
Between Rome (where this epistle was written) and Colossae, there were many kinds of people and, even though travel was not convenient, there was a considerable traffic among the churches.
This is a a practical illustration and a good lesson for us today; today we have the modern and convenient means of transportation and communication, but is there this kind of traffic among the saints and the churches? D
o we have the reality of the one new man among the churches in the area we are in, the country we’re in, on our continent, and around the world?
Paul had the consciousness of the one new man, so in his book to the Colossian believers he mentioned many names such as, Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Mark, Barnabas, Justus, Epaphras, Luke, Demas, Nymphas, and Archippus.
He also refers to the brothers in Laodicea, the church in the house of Nymphas, and the church of the Laodiceans.
All these names indicate that with Paul there was a sense, a consciousness, of the new man; he didn’t just speak of the one new man but even more, he lived the church life with the consciousness of the one new man.
In the practical illustration of the revelation of the one new man we see that the new man who was living on earth in a practical way was constituted of many kinds of people, but the actual constituent was Christ and Christ alone.
The new man living on earth at Paul’s time was constituted of those who according to culture and social status were Greeks, Jews, circumcision, uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slaves, and free men, but the actual constituent of the new man was Christ and Christ alone.
So there were no differences among the believers who are part of this new man. And there was no difference between the churches that are part of the new man. Hallelujah!
It is so encouraging and refreshing to see that the one new man not only is a wonderful divine revelation but even more, it can be lived out and expressed among the saints and among the local churches in a certain region!
Thank You Lord Jesus for the one new man who is not only a spiritual reality but can be lived out among us in the local churches! Amen, Lord, may we have the consciousness of the one new man in our daily living of the church life. May we allow this consciousness to control our daily living so that may we live the church life with the one new man in view. Amen, Lord, gain the reality of the one new man among all the local churches on the earth today. May there be much traffic, visitation, intimate knowledge and fellowship among all the saints and the local churches on the earth for the one new man to come into being practically!
Learning to Live the Church Life with the Consciousness of the One New Man
What does it mean that Paul had the consciousness of the one new man? To have a consciousness means that we have an inward seeing and realization that will control our daily living.
If we see the one new man, the result will be an automatic consciousness; if we just have the knowledge, we may not have the consciousness, but if we see something, if we really see something, we will have a certain kind of consciousness.
When we have the consciousness of the one new man, there’s no need for us to remind ourselves to do this or that – there will be a consciousness of the one new man within us.
Also, we will sense when there’s something that is anti-new man. We cannot create this consciousness, but we can pray that the Lord’s light would scare all our night and everything make bright so that the new man would become a reality for us.
May we humble ourselves, pray the prayer of the one new man, and be saved from stirring ourselves up but come to the Lord in His word and allow Him to impress us concerning the new man.
When the Lord shines on us concerning the new man, something in us will change; we cannot walk the same way, live the same way, and speak the same way, for we have the consciousness of the one new man.
This consciousness will check us, expose us, strengthen us, and encourage us; it will adjust us and it will always remind us.
Both in Colossians 4 and Romans 16 we see how Paul mentions a lot of names, greeting saints, houses, localities, and groups of people in a specific way. These are apparently exhortations with greetings and greetings with exhortations, but in reality Paul was doing to blend the saints together and have the one new man.
Like Paul and like the saints in Rome and in the Colossae area, we need to realise we are members of the one new man and have the consciousness of the one new man.
In Col. 4:16 in particular Paul’s word regarding the reading of the letters proves that there was no difference between the church in Laodicea and the church in Colossae; his word implies fellowship, oneness, harmony, and intimate contact.
Paul encouraged the saints in Colossae to read the letter he wrote them also in Laodicea, and that they also would read the letter he sent the Laodiceans.
In God’s eyes, all the local churches are the same – they are the golden lampstands, having the same divine nature.
While Christianity celebrates variety and differences, in the one new man we celebrate sameness, oneness, identical-ness, for in the one new man there is only Christ.
When we have the consciousness of the one new man, we will have the blending of the saints and of the churches; while we live in the local church enjoying the Lord with the saints, we are also in fellowship with the churches in other localities, and we are in harmony and oneness, not being separate but as one new man.
In spite of all the differences among nationalities, races, and classes, on earth there has to be in a practical way the one new man created in Christ Jesus; there are not merely local churches in various cities, but there has to be the one new man in a real and practical way.
It is shameful for the church in any locality to isolate itself from the other churches, for this is utterly contrary to the consciousness of the one new man.
Those who insist on having the attitude of isolating themselves from the other churches will cause the one new man to be fragmented, to be broken into pieces; such ones lack the sense, the consciousness of the one new man.
Lord, may Your living light scatter all our night and everything make bright so that we can clearly see the one new man! Amen, Lord Jesus, we humble ourselves before You so that we may be enlightened by You concerning the new man. Grant us to have the consciousness of the one new man so that, no matter what we do and where we are, we would live the church life with the consciousness of the one new man. Amen, Lord, may we realize there’s no difference between the local churches but rather there’s much fellowship, oneness, harmony, and intimate contact, for all the local churches are part of the one new man!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Colossians, msg. 31 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The One New Man Fulfilling God’s Purpose in Creating Man (2019 fall ITERO), week 9, Practicing the Church Life, Speaking the Same Thing, and Doing the One Work in the Consciousness of the One New Man.
- Hymns on this topic:
– God would have a group of people / Built together in His plan, / Blended, knit, coordinated / As His vessel—one new man. / God would come into this vessel / With His nature, life and ways, / Mingling Spirit with our spirits / For His joy and to His praise. (Hymns #1325)
– So, Lord, I give my heart to Thee today, / That it may be Thy home in every way, / A place for Thee to come and settle down, / And all Thy grand recovery work to crown / In one new man. (Hymns #1179)
– Oh, may Thy living light, Lord, / Scatter all my night, Lord, / And everything make bright, Lord, / For this I pray to Thee. / As for the church, I need / Thy revelation more, / The Body-life to know, / Thy wisdom to explore. (Hymns #426)
About aGodMan
