We Become God’s Fellow Workers by Growing in Life and by Being Transformed

All the believers in Christ have the privilege to be God’s fellow workers, those who work the work of the Lord (see 1 Cor. 16:10) and even abound in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58).

The way to do this is not by seeing the need to do something for God and going to do it right away, but by first allowing Christ to work Himself into us and make His home in our heart (Eph. 3:17) so that He may grow in us and fill our entire inner being with Himself (Col. 2:19).

As Christ grows in us, as we grow in the divine life, we are also being transformed in His image (2 Cor. 3:18), and there will be something flowing out of us as rivers of living water for others to drink and be satisfied (John 7:37-38).

We can be God’s co-workers and work for the Lord first by allowing God to work Himself into us and saturate us and then simply flow Him out as living water for Him to work Himself into others for the producing of the church as God’s farm, God’s building, and God’s house (1 Cor. 3:9).

Lord, work Yourself into us! Mingle Yourself with us more today. We give ourselves to You that You may grow in us, increase in us, and make Your home in our heart. We want to first let You work Yourself into us, so that we may flow You out for others to receive You! Make us such co-workers of God!

The Church is God’s Farm – We Need to Grow in Life

According to 1 Cor. 3:6-9 we see that some ministers of Christ cooperated with Him to bring us to Christ and we became plants in the farm of God. We were planted in the church as God’s farm, and we are watered here that we may grow in life every day.

How wonderful – the church is God’s farm, something related to life, where life grows and is multiplied!

As plants in God’s cultivated land we need to grow in life, otherwise, we will be useless! As long as we are alive, as long as we have breath, we can grow in life and we need to be desperate to grow in life.

On the one hand, there are many ministers of Christ around us cooperating with Him to plant us, water us, and take care of us, but on the other hand, it is God who gives the growth.

The purpose of our growth in life is that we may produce Christ and manifest Christ. We need to grow in life unto maturity that we may express Christ and produce Christ!

Lord, grow in us! May today be a day of normal growth in the divine life. Give us today’s growth in life, Lord, and save us from not growing! We open to You, Lord, as the One who can give the growth – Grow In Us Today!

Being Transformed to Become Precious Materials

Normally in a farm all you see is plants, animals, and life growing everywhere – you don’t see any precious materials as the result of the plants growing…. But the church is God’s farm, God’s building, and we are both plants growing in life and precious materials for the building of God!

First, we grow in life by daily enjoying the Lord, eating Him in His word, by prayer, fellowship, etc. As we grow in life, we are being transformed into precious materials for God’s building!

As we experience the Father’s divine nature through His precious and exceedingly great promises, as we enjoy Christ’s redemption and His effective blood, and as we experience the transformation of the Spirit day by day we become gold, silver, and precious stones fit for God’s building (see 2 Pet. 1:4; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:12; 2 Cor. 3:18).

The result and the issue of our growth in life is that a metabolic process takes place within us – our natural man is being discharged and eliminated, and God’s element is added to us for our transformation into precious materials.

Through our growth in life and our experience of Christ we are being transformed, as revealed in 2 Cor. 3:18 and Rom. 12:2.

Day by day we behold the Lord, we enjoy Him in His word, we fellowship with Him and with the other saints, and we grow in life with the result of being transformed into the same image as Christ to become fit for God’s building!

Our growth in life causes us to be transformed and have something solid in us to build God’s house.

Plants, Minerals, Building, and Working with God

What is the connection between all these? Why can’t we just be simple and “work for God” as we see it fit, as we see the desperate need around us? We need to come to the Lord and ask Him,

Lord, how do YOU want me to work for You and with You? Lord, what does it mean that we are plants in God’s farm and precious materials in God’s building? Unveil us to see the intrinsic significance of these things and how they are practically related to us.

In order for us to work together with God as His fellow workers, we first need to realize that we are God’s workmanship, God’s work. We first need to have God wrought into our being to be God’s work, God’s farm, God’s cultivated land.

As we allow the Lord to make His home in us, as Christ grows in us, we are being transformed to become precious materials for God’s building.

There’s a metabolic process that is going on in us right now, not only physically (to digest and assimilate the food we ate recently) but also psychologically (we assimilate knowledge, learn to love, and develop our will) and spiritually (we grow in the divine life and Christ grows in us).

God’s element is being wrought into us, and our old element is being discharged – we are becoming gold, silver, and precious stones by experiencing Christ in the virtues and attributes of the Triune God! The product of our enjoyment of Christ is the many precious materials for God’s building.

When we thus become God’s work, when we have Christ growing in us and we’re being transformed to be precious materials, we can also work together with God to minister Christ to others for their growth in life and for their transformation.

We need to grow in life and be transformed so that we may minister something of the Christ we experienced and enjoyed to others for their growth in life and transformation!

Lord Jesus, save us from our natural concepts of Working For God. Lord, save us from our natural endeavors of doing something for You. We want to grow in life, Lord, and be transformed, that we may become Your work. Work Yourself into us more today, Lord, and grow in us that we may be transformed and become precious materials for Your building. May we be those who minister the Christ we experienced and enjoyed to others for their growth in life and transformation!

References and Further Reading

• Sharing inspired from brother James Lee’s sharing in the message and portions in, Life-study of 1 Corinthians (msgs. 25, 30-31), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Unique Work in the Lord’s Recovery, week 5 (entitled, The Iniquity of the Sanctuary versus Building with Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones).
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Splendid church life! His green garden! He has brought us, praise the Lord, To experience the Christ Who’s growing here!
  # The Church of God—we are the church, / So important to God’s great plan; / Organic, full of God’s rich life, / We’re born into the living church.
  # Oh how can this miracle be? The Triune God flowing in me! / Oh, I’ve got rivers of life flowing out of my innermost being!
• Pictures credit: 1 Cor. 3:9 via here, and 1 Cor. 3:12 (by a friend on Facebook).