Presenting Every Man Mature in Christ by Ministering Christ to them for the New Man

Col. 1:28 Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ.

We need to grow unto maturity to become a part of the corporate full-grown man that fulfills God’s eternal purpose (Gen. 1:26).

The goal of Paul’s ministry was to present every man full-grown in Christ for the one new man (see Col. 1:28-29). For this, he struggled, strived, and even travailed so that Christ would be formed in the saints and that they would grow in the divine life unto maturity.

The goal of our ministry shouldn’t be only to save people; we are not here to merely preach the gospel and get people saved. Our goal should be to minister Christ to others so that they would grow in the divine life unto maturity for the one new man.

If we look at our Christian life and work, do we minister Christ to others for their growth in life unto maturity? Do we merely do a Christian work, or do we struggle according to the operation of God within us to work together with God for many others to grow in the divine life unto maturity for the one new man?

We need to enter into this labor and struggle to present all the believers full-grown in Christ by ministering Christ as life to them so that they would live by Him, Christ would be formed in them, and they would grow with Christ unto maturity.

Our parents have struggled with us when we were children, but their struggle was even greater as we grew more in life and became teenagers, went to high school, university, etc. Even after we got a job and then got married, our parents still struggled inwardly and did their best to help us grow and develop in the human life to be proper persons.

In a similar manner, we don’t just preach the gospel to get people saved so that “they would go to heaves” and everything is fine. We need to daily enjoy Christ and grow in Him, and we need to labor and struggle for those around us to enjoy Christ and grow in Him unto maturity.

When we all grow up into Christ in all things to be a full-grown man, we all will be one in Christ, and the new man will come into being for the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose.

Laboring and Struggling to Present All Believers Full-Grown in Christ

For the one new man we need to labor and struggle to present all the believers full-grown in Christ, ministering Christ as life to them so that they can live by Him and grow with Him unto maturity. Witness Lee, Life-Study of Colossians.

The Apostle Paul announced Christ, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that he may present every man full-grown in Christ (Col. 1:28).

The goal of Paul’s ministry and service was not just to save many people and establish churches for God’s kingdom on earth; he labored and struggled according to God’s operation which operated in him in power so that he would present every man full-grown in Christ.

What about us? What is the goal of our ministry? We have a responsibility not only to preach the gospel to sinners for them to be saved but also to minister Christ to others for them to grow in life unto maturity.

We are not called to merely “teach others” or to “preach the gospel”; we need to cooperate with the Lord to care for the believers and minister Christ to them for their growth in life unto maturity. “Full-grown” in Col. 1:28 means mature, complete, or perfect.

Many Christian workers today take things such as expanding their church or ministry, healing and deliverance, a good teaching, family counseling, etc as their goal. We must come back to the word of God and, in whatever we do, we must aim to impart Christ as life to others so that we may present them mature in Christ.

After we preach the gospel and help someone be saved by the Lord, we should continue to care for him by imparting Christ to him for his growth in life.

There is a struggle in the physical parents when the children are born, and this struggle increases as they grow in life. There was a struggle in the Apostle Paul for the growth in life and maturation of the saints.

But on the whole earth, WHO is struggling and striving according to the operation of God within him to present every saint full-grown in Christ? Paul travailed in birth, struggled, and strived; do we strive for others to grow in life?

If the enemy can succeed to stop or hinder the growth in life of the saints, he delays the fulfillment of God’s plan. God needs a transformed and mature full-grown corporate man who can fulfill His purpose.

There is a real labor and struggle to not only get people saved but care for them and minister Christ to them for their growth in life.

For the one new man we need to labor and struggle to present all the believers full-grown in Christ, ministering Christ to them so that they can live by Him and grow with Him unto maturity (Col. 3:4; 2:19). Our goal in preaching the gospel to sinners and in fellowshipping with the saints is to minister Christ into them so that they may mature in life and be presented full-grown in Him; this is for the growth of the new man (Col. 3:10-11; Eph. 4:13-14). (W. Lee, Life-Study of Colossians, p. 129)

A part of our priesthood of the gospel is presenting every man full-grown and mature in Christ. Saving people is only the beginning, meeting with them from time to time at the Table Meeting is part of it, but daily we need to struggle and labor so that we may minister Christ to others for their growth in life unto maturity.

When we speak to unbelievers we should aim to minister Christ to them for their salvation, and when we contact the saints we should aim to minister Christ to them for their growth in life unto maturity in the divine life.

Lord Jesus, we want to exercise our priesthood of the gospel by laboring and struggling on behalf of the saints for them to grow in life unto maturity for the one new man. Lord, we want to be those who minister Christ to others whenever we meet them so that we may present them full-grown in Christ. Save us from having a Sunday-morning-going-to-meeting church life. Bring us on to maturity, and make us those who consider the others, pray for them, labor on their behalf, struggle before You for them, and minister Christ to them for their growth in life unto maturity!

We Need to Grow up into Christ in All Things for the Reality and Practicality of the One New Man

In order to become the one new man in reality and practicality, we need to grow up into Christ in all things.

When all the believers in Christ grow in Christ in all things, the one new man will come into being all over the earth. If we all take Christ as our life and our person, we will grow in life unto maturity and there will be one new man on the earth.

When we grow up into Christ in all things, we will no longer be different kinds of persons; we will no longer seek to be different or prefer some saints or churches over others. Rather, we will spontaneously take Christ as our person and as our life (Col. 3:4, 10-11; Eph. 3:17), and we will be one in Christ.

Our holding Christ as the Head, taking Him as our person, and enjoying Him as our life will bring us into a genuine oneness with all the believers in Christ on earth. Outwardly we may look different, dress differently, speak different languages, eat different food, etc, but intrinsically there will be no differences.

No believer who takes Christ as his life and person is living in his culture or his natural man anymore. When he meets with other saints, he will not express his culture or disposition – he will simply express Christ and minister Christ for the one new man.

When we grow up into Christ in all things to be a full-grown man, we will all be ONE in Christ, and this will be the universal one new man for the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose!

In human life, the younger we are, the more immature we tend to be; the more immature we are, the more we think we know everything and we are the best, but the more we grow in the human life the more we realize we need others’ help and portion.

In the spiritual realm, the more we grow in the divine life by taking Christ as our life and person, the more we depend on the Body of Christ and the more we become the one new man in reality and practicality.

May we delay the Lord no longer but be inspired, pray, and cooperate with the Lord until we all arrive at a full-grown man. Sooner or later, we will all arrive at a full-grown man, so why not sooner than later?

The Lord will gain some overcomers who are full-grown in the divine life – so why not us, why not now, and why not here?

We need to make ourselves available to the Lord to do what He desires in us and bring us into and through the process of maturity for a full-grown man for the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose!

Lord Jesus, we open to You. We give ourselves to grow in life a little more today. Lord, cause us to grow up into Christ in all things to be part of the full-grown corporate one new man that fulfills Your purpose. We take You as our life and person for the one new man. Grow in us more and more each day. Bring us all on to maturity so that You may have the one new man in reality and practicality! We simply make ourselves available to You and open to Your growth in us unto maturity!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ron Kangas’ sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of 2 Peter, msgs. 6-7, as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Genesis (3), week 6 / msg 6, The Process of Maturity.
• Picture credit: Col. 1:28 picture via, Christian Pictures Blog.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Only Christ, our Person, must remain; / From our aims, our goals we must refrain, / Till the church be only Christ Himself / Built up as the one new man, / Thus fulfilling God’s great plan of— / Mingling fully with the human race / To obtain a proper dwelling place, / ’Stablishing His kingdom’s rule and grace; / Over all the earth. (Hymns #1180)
  # “The new way brings forth the new man, / The new man walks on the new way.” / Lord, give this new vision to us, / To all of the churches today. / And as we begin this new year, / Make every new day a new start, / Make us the new persons in You: / New spirit, new mind, and new heart. (Song on the New Man)
  # Now we’re one His purpose to fulfill, / As the one new man of His plan. / Unto Him be glory in the church, / And in Jesus Christ forevermore—Amen! (Hymns #1232)