We need to be enlightened to see what the economy of God is, and when we see God’s economy, we are commissioned to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is; we owe it to those around us to speak the gospel of the mystery to them so that they would know what is the meaning of their life.
Today we live in an age of mystery, for God, Christ, the church, the things concerning God, and the way to contact God and experience Him, all these are a mystery.
It is such a mystery that God wants to enter into man and be related to man; it is a great mystery that God wants to be wrought into man, be one with man, be built up in man and with man, and have a corporate expression in man.
The reason all things exist is for the economy of God, His plan, the hidden mystery in His heart.
This economy of God was hidden from the ages and from generations; many tried to look into it, many tried to understand why this and that happened, and many desired to know what is the purpose of their existence.
But praise the Lord, in the New Testament we have a revelation of the mystery hidden deep in God, the mystery that is in God’s heart – the economy of God.
God has an economy, which is His eternal intention with His heart’s desire to dispense Himself into us to be our life, nature, and everything, so that we may be made the same as He is and become His corporate expression, His Body on earth, and consummate in the New Jerusalem.
For this, God created the heavens, the earth, and millions of things in it; we all are created for God’s economy, and all men are meant to be part of God’s economy.
Even in today’s situation with the pandemic, when we are not allowed to have interactions with others or do our daily things as we used to do them, even though we are so limited and restricted, and there’s such a disease spreading around, we need to realize that we live in a mystery, the mystery of God’s economy.
In all things that happen to us as believers, we need to realize that God desires to work Himself into us and build us together in spirit so that we may be God’s corporate expression, the Body of Christ, which will consummate in the New Jerusalem.
One day this mystery will be consummated, and we will see all things clearly; until then, we live in this mystery, we are mysterious people, we are passing through a mysterious inward process of transformation, and we will be mysteriously conformed to the image of Christ, the firstborn Son of God, to be His many brothers and the many members of the Body of Christ to express Him corporately.
Being Enlightened concerning the Economy of the Mystery of God and Enlightening others to see this Mystery
God created all things – but for what purpose? Why do all things exist, why do all men exist, and why does God do things and speak things to man?
There is a mystery hidden in God, who created all things (Eph. 3:9); this mystery was hidden in Him throughout the ages.
Because of this mystery, God created all things, and there was an Adam, Abel, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, and all the prophets.
Because of this mystery, Israel was captured and taken into Babylon, and there was a recovery.
This mystery is nothing else but the economy of God, and when Paul saw this mystery, it was like a great video that was played before his eyes, and he could not but testify concerning it and preach the gospel of the mystery.
Paul was commissioned to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is!
On one hand, we need to be enlightened and see the mystery hidden deep in God – and for this, we need to exercise our spirit and open to the Lord as we read His word; once we see the economy of the mystery, we are enabled to enlighten all that they may see what is the economy of the mystery!
Our responsibility to others is to enlighten all.
Once we see a vision of God’s economy, we need to realize that there are millions of unsaved people who don’t know the meaning of their human life, and there are millions of brothers and sisters who are not enlightened concerning the economy of the mystery hidden deep in God!
In the New Testament, a mystery refers not only to things that are hidden and unknown to us; it also refers to things that are hidden in God’s heart (see Mark 4:11; Rom. 16:25-26; Col. 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3; Eph. 1:9; 3:3-4, 9; 5:32; 6:19).
It is the Lord’s mercy and grace that He has enlightened us to see what the economy of the mystery is; by His mercy that we can see the economy of God and we can live a life in His economy.
We are blessed to have the ministry of the age based on the apostles’ teaching and see the mystery hidden in God’s heart; what a blessing it is to have the economy of the mystery made known to us!
But there are so many unbelievers, friends, relatives, and believers that we know and do not see this economy of God! God’s mystery is His hidden purpose, which is to dispense Himself into His chosen people; for this, there’s the economy of the mystery of God.
First, there’s the mystery itself, and then there’s a way to work it out; this way is God’s arrangement to work it out by dispensing – this is His economy.
What is this mystery hidden in God’s heart?
It is God’s eternal economy (Eph. 1:10; 3:9; 1 Tim. 1:4), which is His eternal intention with His heart’s desire to dispense Himself in His Divine Trinity as the Father in the Son by the Spirit into His chosen and redeemed people to be their life and nature so that they may be the same as He is as His duplication (see Rom. 8:29; 1 John 3:2) to become an organism, the Body of Christ as the new man (Eph. 2:15-16), which will become the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2 – 22:5). Wow!
This truly is a mystery, and the way we live in this mystery is by living a daily life under the divine dispensing!
We are created as vessels to be open to the Lord; He has created us, redeemed us, cleansed us, and regenerated us, and now He is dispensing Himself into us.
He arranges all kinds of circumstances and situations to work with His inward dispensing because this is the way the economy of the mystery is accomplished!
And one day there will be the manifestation of this accomplished mystery! Amen, may we be enlightened to see this mystery and may we enlighten others also to see this mystery hidden deep in God!
Lord, unveil us to see the mystery hidden in God’s heart – God’s eternal economy. May we realize that God’s intention with His heart’s desire is to dispense Himself into man to be everything to man so that man may be the same as He is as His duplication to be the Body of Christ as the new man consummating in the New Jerusalem! Amen, Lord, unveil us to see what the economy of the mystery is, which has been hidden in God! We exercise our spirit and we open to You, dear Lord. Enlighten us, and have a way to enlighten many others through us to see the economy of the mystery! Oh, that all may see the economy of God, the eternal economy that the Triune God has!
Preaching the Gospel of the Unsearchable Riches of Christ and of the Economy of the Mystery Hidden in God
Paul was a true seeker of God, and he pursued to know God to the point that he actually met God; when he met God in Christ, he asked Him a question, Who are You, Lord?
What he saw in Acts 9 and what he heard from the Lord was something that captured him for his entire life, and he was governed by the heavenly vision.
Wherever he went, he “played the video” that was shown to him, for he saw something that was hidden deep in God – he saw the economy of the mystery hidden in God.
Paul preached the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ, and he also preached the gospel concerning the economy of the mystery hidden in God (Eph. 3:8-9).
On one hand, he ministered the riches of Christ, for he was a faithful steward in God’s economy to dispense the riches of Christ to men both for their salvation and for their growth in life unto the building up of the Body.
On the other hand, Paul preached the gospel concerning the economy of the mystery hidden in God.
He even considered it as his obligation – he owed to all men (first the Jews and then the Gentiles) the gospel, for he saw something of God’s economy and he was a steward of this mystery.
We have been shown mercy by God to see something of the economy of the mystery hidden in God, and we are entrusted with this wonderful stewardship of ministering the riches of Christ as the gospel and enlightening all concerning the economy of the mystery.
We owe the gospel of the riches of Christ and the economy of God to those around us; it is our obligation for us to minister the unsearchable riches of Christ to others and to enlighten all that they may see the mystery hid from ages!
The gospel concerning the economy of the mystery hidden in God is to produce the church for God’s expression and glorification according to God’s eternal purpose (Eph. 3:10-11, 21).
This is the gospel we must announce today – the gospel concerning the mystery hidden in God, in order enlighten all so that they may see what is the economy of the mystery hidden in God, who created all things for the fulfillment of His will, the desire of His heart, and His eternal purpose (Eph. 1:5, 9, 11; 3:8-11).
May the Lord raise up some evangelists among us, those who know the economy of the mystery and who perfect us all to function like them; these evangelists do not replace our function but rather enable our organic function of preaching the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ and of the economy of the mystery of God!
Our preaching of the gospel of the mystery hidden in God is our doing our part in the completing of the mystery.
Ezekiel realized his responsibility before God; he realized he had to speak what God put in him – whether positive things or warnings – concerning those who are unrighteous and rebellious and under God’s judgment.
And the Lord told him that if he speaks to them, he will be innocent of their blood, but if he holds back, their blood is on him, for he didn’t speak.
We all need to be perfected to function in our measure in speaking to others the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ and of the economy of the mystery hidden in God.
The Lord has put many people around us, and even during this pandemic with all the social distancing, we still have a few people here and there that the Lord speaks to us that we should minister to them.
We may have a high school reunion, we may have a few neighbors, there may be some workmates that we’re burdened for, there may be some parents of the children in our kids’ school, or there may be some people whom the Lord burdens us for – may we be faithful to speak to them concerning this mystery!
Yes, we all live in this dreadful situation with the virus spreading everywhere and all men being reluctant to approach others, but we must announce the gospel concerning the mystery hidden in God in order to enlighten all that they may see what is the economy of the mystery hidden in God!
And when we speak to others, we can just tell them of the mystery we live in – the mystery that is hidden in God, the mystery that is the meaning of our human life!
Lord Jesus, we give ourselves to You and to the Body to be perfected to preach the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ and of the economy of the mystery hidden in God. May we realize that the gospel concerning the economy of the mystery hidden in God is to produce the church for God’s expression and glorification according to God’s eternal purpose. Amen, Lord, You have shown us what the economy of the mystery is, and now we owe this to those around us! May we be those who announce the gospel concerning the mystery hidden in God in order to enlighten all so that they may see what is the economy of the mystery hidden in God! May we realize we live in this mystert and that this mystery is the meaning of our human life, and may we speak this to those around us! Yes, Lord, enlighten so many that they may see Your economy, the mystery hidden deep in Your heart!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ron Kangas for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1987, vol. 1, “Bearing Remaining Fruit,” ch. 26, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Christian Life, the Church Life, the Consummation of the Age, and the Coming of the Lord (2020 fall ITERO), week 1, The Consummation of the Age – the Age of Mystery.
- Hymns on this topic:
– What miracle! What mystery! / That God and man should blended be! / God became man to make man God, / Untraceable economy! / From His good pleasure, heart’s desire, / His highest goal attained will be. / From His good pleasure, heart’s desire, / His highest goal attained will be. (Song on, What miracle! What mystery!)
– And to enlighten all / That they may see / What the economy / Of the mystery is…Which throughout the ages / Has been hidden in God, / God who created all things. (Song on, And to Enlighten All)
– God’s intention in this universe is with humanity, / So the Lord became the Spirit just with man to mingled be. / We rejoice that we can all partake of His economy. / Yes, mingling is the way. (Hymns #1199)
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