As lovers of the Lord who are in the progressive experience of Christ in the divine romance, we share in the work of the Lord; we work in the Body and for the Body, we work together with the Lord and one with Him, and we give all our love to the Lord in our work for Him.
Our Christian life should be a divine romance between us and the Lord; we need to daily develop and advance in our fellowship with the Lord in an intimate, personal, spiritual, and private way.
We all are in a process of loving the Lord more; the enemy, however, is seeking to dim our love for the Lord and cause us to not love Him so much.
But praise the Lord, He is calling us again and again, whether we fail or we backslide; He comes to us, draws us to Himself, and calls us to go on with Him.
The Lord Jesus is our Beloved; though we may be secluded in our introspection, He still comes and reveals Himself to us as the One in resurrection and ascension, infusing us with Himself and drawing us to Himself.
Our pursuing power after the Lord depends on His drawing; we need His drawing, His attracting, His appearing.
He brings us on with Him little by little, day by day, until we become the same as He is.
He is our Solomon, and we are the Shulammite, the counterpart of Christ, the feminine form of Christ, to match Him in every possible way. Amen!
May our Christian path be like the light of dawn, like the sun rising in its might until the full day!
May we be those who remain in the divine romance with the Lord until we are fully transformed into His image to match Him for our marriage!
If we look at ourselves, we have to admit that we’re weak, we can’t do it, and we can’t be what the Lord requires us to be.
But we can come to Him, pray and open to Him, and acknowledge that, though we’re feeble and weak, we still aspire to be the overcomers, so we give ourselves to the Lord for Him to do it in us.
The Lord is not looking for the strong ones, the mighty ones, or the giants in faith; He is looking for those who depend on Him, trust in Him, and rely on Him for everything.
From the morning to the evening, breath by breath, we depend on the Lord. He is our life and our life supply.
The requirements for being well-pleasing to God are beyond our reach and much more than we can do, but we come to the Lord and we allow Him to live in us.
We see His heart’s desire to obtain overcomers, but the downward trend of the church’s degradation is so prevailing that only by depending on the Lord can we be anything or do anything.
We really need the Lord; we depend on Him, and we do not trust in our own understanding, knowledge, might, strength, or ability. Only He can do this in us.
We can Share in the Work of the Lord, having been Transformed and having a Sharp Discernment
![Your neck is like a tower of ivory; / Your eyes, [like] the pools in Heshbon / By the gate of Bath-rabbim; / Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, / Which faces Damascus. Song of Songs 7:4 Oh, you are beautiful, my love! / Oh, you are beautiful! Your eyes are [like] doves behind your veil; / Your hair is like a flock of goats / That repose on Mount Gilead. Song of Songs 4:1](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Your-neck-is-like-a-tower-of-ivory-Your-eyes-like-the-pools-in-Heshbon-By-the-gate-of-Bath-rabbim-683x1024.webp?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "Your neck is like a tower of ivory; / Your eyes, [like] the pools in Heshbon / By the gate of Bath-rabbim; / Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, / Which faces Damascus. Song of Songs 7:4 Oh, you are beautiful, my love! / Oh, you are beautiful! Your eyes are [like] doves behind your veil; / Your hair is like a flock of goats / That repose on Mount Gilead. Song of Songs 4:1")
In the fifth stage of the Song of Songs in our loving relationship with the Lord as described in this book, the lover of Christ shares in the work of the Lord (Song of Songs 7:1-13).
In v. 4 the Spirit reviews the loving seeker’s beauty in her submissive will (signified by the neck) wrought by the Spirit’s transforming work through sufferings for the carrying out of God’s will.
Her beauty is seen in the expression of her heart, which is open to the light, clean, full of rest, and accessible (signified by the eyes being like pools, Song of Songs 1:15; 4:1; 5:12) and in her spiritual sense of high and sharp discernment (signified by the nose). Amen!
The Lord considers it beautiful when we have a submissive will as we pass through the transforming work of the Spirit through sufferings for the carrying out of God’s will.
It is beauty in the Lord’s eyes when we have a heart that is open to the light, clean, full of rest, and accessible.
It is so lovely to Him when we have a spiritual sense of high and sharp discernment.
After passing through various stages of transformation, we become the duplication of Christ, the same as He is; when others see us, they see the Lord, and when we speak something, we give forth the fragrance of Christ.
We are becoming the same as Christ to match Him and marry Him.
But this is not the end. Solomon had many vineyards, and much labour is required to maintain them; the country girl, who has become his Shulammite, must become his co-worker.
As believers in Christ who are in the process of being transformed to be conformed to the image of Christ, we can share in the work of the Lord.
We must become His co-worker in His labour in the vineyards, that is, among the churches.
For us to share in the Lord’s work, however, we need to be qualified; our qualification depends upon the spiritual equipment.
We can share in the work of the Lord depending on our being equipped with all the attributes of the divine life and by giving the Lord our love in our work for Him.
May we remain in the process of being transformed, subdued, and purified to the extent that we can share in the work of the Lord.
The work is His, not ours, but He calls us and, out of love for the Lord, we work together with Him in His vineyard.
As we work with the Lord, one with Him, we have a sharp sense of discernment, and we can “smell” when a certain situation is not right.
The situation outwardly may be quite good, and the saints may be going on in a good way, but we have a certain sense inwardly that something is not right, and we can pray about it before the Lord and intercede together with our co-workers, our co-labourers in the work of the Lord.
May we be transformed and subdued to the extent that we have a sharp and high sense of spiritual discernment to sense what is of the processed and consummated Triune God and what is not of Him.
Our will is subdued and submissive to the Lord, and in resurrection our will is like an armoury, strong on the Lord’s side and ready to fight the battle one with Him.
Lord Jesus, take us in the process of being transformed in our soul and subdued in our will to the extent that we share in the work of the Lord. Go on in us, Lord, and take us on in You. We open to the Spirit’s transforming work through sufferings for the carrying out of God’s will! May our hearts be open to the light, clean, and full of rest and accessible! Amen, Lord, advance in us and work Yourself into us until we have a spiritual sense of high and sharp discernment. Keep us in the divine romance, going on with You step by step and stage by stage until we as lovers of Christ share in the work of the Lord!
We Share in the Work of the Lord by Working together with Him in and for the Body
![Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the fields; / Let us lodge in the villages. Let us rise up early for the vineyards; / Let us see if the vine has budded, / [If] the blossom is open, / [If] the pomegranates are in bloom; / There I will give you my love. Song of Songs 7:11-12](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Come-my-beloved-let-us-go-forth-into-the-fields-Let-us-lodge-in-the-villages-1024x1024.webp?resize=750%2C750&ssl=1 "Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the fields; / Let us lodge in the villages. Let us rise up early for the vineyards; / Let us see if the vine has budded, / [If] the blossom is open, / [If] the pomegranates are in bloom; / There I will give you my love. Song of Songs 7:11-12")
Song of Songs 7:11 says, Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the fields; let us lodge in the villages.
As we advance with the Lord and are transformed, we share in the work of the Lord by working together with Him.
As lovers of Christ, we want to carry out with our Beloved the work that is for the entire world, not just for our own locality; fields signify the whole world.
And we are willing to sojourn from one place to another, as signified by “lodging in the villages”.
We share in the work of the Lord not by being sectarian or localists, that is, focusing only on the local church where the Lord placed us, but by being in the Body and for the Body.
We carry out the Lord’s work not in a sectarian way but by keeping it open so that others can come to sojourn there and work there.
Our work for the Lord is in the Body and for the Body; we share in the work of the Lord by being one with Him to work with Him and with the saints for the Body.
We and our Beloved work diligently not for ourselves, for our own work, or to increase our following or ministry, but in the churches and for the Body.
We labour with the Lord in the churches for others to bud, blossom, and bloom (v. 12); here we render our love to our Beloved.
If we work in this way, the ones around us will receive much help.
May we be those who share in the work of the Lord not by working for the Lord but by working together with Him, even one with Him, and may this be in the Body and for the Body.
For us to work together with the Lord, we must be mature in life, and we must be constituted with the truth so that we may teach the high truths.
We need the maturity in life in order to share in the Lord’s work.
To work with the Lord in the churches, we need the maturity in life, we need to be one with the Lord, and our work must be in and for the Body of Christ.
There are many believers in Christ who have the maturity in life, but they may not be one with the Lord in their work together with the Lord.
To share in the work of the Lord, we need maturity in life and we need to labour one with the Lord, keeping our work open to the whole Body.
Our working together with the Lord is not just in one city or for the locality where we are; it has to be for the entire world.
This is what Paul did: he established local churches and then worked to bring them into the full realization of the Body of Christ.
He preached the gospel for sinners to be saved and become members of the Body of Christ; then, they were formed into the local church in that locality.
Paul didn’t stop there: he sent them letters, his epistles, and through these he blended the churches together, asking them to pass the letter they received to another local church.
Furthermore, he blended the saints in a certain local church, in a certain area, and in a certain country by sending them letters and mentioning them with specific greetings (Rom. 16:1-24).
The problem with us is that we are for our own place; we may be very much for our local church, but we may not open our work to others in the Body.
To share in the work of the Lord is to work together with Him (2 Cor. 6:1a); to work with Him, we need maturity in life, we need to be one with the Lord, and our work must be for His Body (Col. 1:28-29; 1 Cor. 12:12-27).
Hallelujah for all the local churches in every country, every continent, and on the whole earth!
Our work together with the Lord, our sharing in the Lord’s work, is not only in our local “vineyard” but in all the vineyards, for the building up of the Body of Christ.
May we be like the loving seeker of Christ in our work with the Lord, telling Him, Let us rise up early for the vineyards; / Let us see if the vine has budded, / If the blossom is open, / If the pomegranates are in bloom; / There I will give you my love (Song of Songs 7:12).
As we share in the work of the Lord, working together with the Lord and having the Body of Christ in view, we give our love to the Lord at the place of His work.
We relate the work to the Lord Himself – it is His work, we share in the work of the Lord, we care for all the churches as the Body of Christ, and we give our love to the Lord as we work together with Him.
May this be our experience as we advance in our progressive experience of Christ in the divine romance.
Lord Jesus, we love You and we want to work together with You in the Body and for the Body. Bring us on to maturity so that we may share in the work of the Lord and work together with Christ in the church for the building up of the Body of Christ. May we work with the Lord be in the principle of the Body and for the building up of the Body. Amen, Lord, may we have the maturity of life, labour one with the Lord, and work with Christ for the Body! Broaden our vision, Lord, and enlarge our hearts as we labour together with the Lord in the local churches. Hallelujah for all the local churches throughout the world! Let us go forth into the fields and lodge in all the villages and visit all the gardens! It is here, in our working with the Lord for the Body that we give You, dear Lord, all our love!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ed Marks in the message, and portions from, Life-study of Songs, pp. 57-61, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Loving the Lord and loving one another for the organic building up of the church as the Body of Christ (2022 fall ITERO), week 2, entitled, Song of Songs – the Progressive Experience of an Individual Believer’s Loving Fellowship with Christ for the Preparation of the Bride of Christ.
- Hymns on this topic:
– I’m my Beloved’s sweet; / His desire is for me. / Come, let us go forth into the fields; / In love, together, let’s / Lodge in the villages, / Enjoy the love twixt You and me. / Let’s rise at dawn’s first hue, / See the vineyards, I and You, / Enjoy together our labor’s fruit; / See if the vine has bloomed, / The pomegranates, too; / There I will give my love to You. (Song on, I’m my beloved’s sweet)
– Lord, deliver us from our work, / From the work of any sect; / For Thy Church alone we’d labor / And its building up effect. / For the Church should be our service, / Not our aims to satisfy; / This, the perfect will of God is, / And with it we must comply. (Hymns #914 stanza 8 and chorus)
– I am my beloved’s, / And his desire is for me. / Come, my beloved, / Let us go forth into the fields; / Let us lodge in the villages. / Let us rise up early for the vineyards; / Let us see if the vine has budded, / If the blossom is open, / If the pomegranates are in bloom; / There I will give you my love. (Scripture Song)
About aGodMan
Song of Songs 7:11 reveals that she wants to carry out with her Beloved the work that is for the entire world by sojourning from one place to another. This indicates that she is not sectarian. In the Lord’s work it is not easy to keep our work open, to not keep our work “in our pocket.” We must learn to keep the work open, so that others can come to sojourn there and we can go to sojourn elsewhere. This is to keep one work in one Body. [Verse 12 signifies that] she and her Beloved work diligently not for herself but in the churches, for others to bud, blossom, and bloom, in which she renders her love to her Beloved. If we work in this way, others will receive much help. To share in the work of the Lord is not to work for the Lord but to work together with the Lord. Life-study of Song of Songs, pp. 59-61, by Witness Lee
To work with the Lord we need the maturity in life, we need to be one with the Lord, and our work must be for the Body of Christ.
May the Lord save us from doing a sectarian work, focusing only on our own home meeting or area; may we work together with the Lord for the Body!
Amen, may we learn to blend and give our love to the Lord as we visit the saints and the other local churches!
As lovers of Christ, we need to share in His work and be open to others to share in the one work of the one Body.
We should work diligently with Christ for others to bud, blossom and bloom in the church life. The Lord doesn’t want us to work for Him, but to work together with Him.
This requires maturity in life and the teachings of the higher truths.
Jesus is our Solomon and we are His Shulammite.
Our work should be for the Body, not just for our local church.
We must have a broad vision as our brother Paul did.
Dear brother, to be the counterpart of Christ – to be today’s Shulamite – we need a submissive will, an open heart and a high sense of spiritual discernment.
As such a one, and being mature in the divine life, we may be equipped to work with Christ for His Body.
Practically this means our concern is for the whole earth, with the raising up of local churches throughout the whole earth, sojourning and lodging in them to take care of these “vineyards” for the Body of Christ.
However, we must not keep such a work in our pocket but be open to others to sojourn there.
Amen my beautiful brother, thank you for your shining, for your caring and for being the expression of the One who fill all in all.
I was just touch also that That the Lord in all is sovereignty and might, love us with His divine love coming to us as a man to dine at His table so we can grow in life unto maturity and to pray the the prayer as the golden lampstand and to see the vision of his destination in this age.
Aaaaamen Brother. To become the same with and in Christ in life, nature and function we think would be the end but this is not so.
We need to go on to become Christ counterpart in His work, sharing in His work.
In getting to this stage our qualification depends on our being equipped with all the attributes of the divine life this would enable us to work with the Lord.
This work is both local and universal.
In this work with the Lord, we are the mature ones, one with the Lord and with His Body. Amen
Amen brother!
S.S. 7:11-12 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the fields; let us lodge in the villages. Let us rise up early for the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, if the blossom is open, if the pomegranates are in bloom; there I will give you my love.
Amen Lord bring us into co labouring with you for the universal body of Christ
I love the fact that Shulammite, the feminine form of Solomon, is derived from the root meaning peace. The end of Song of Songs 6 is our story too. Solomon typifies Christ. As country girls (us), we become His Shulammite, His lover and co-worker. And to become a Shulammite means that in the maturity of Christ’s life, the lover of Christ becomes the reproduction of Christ, the same as He is in life, nature, expression, and function but not in the Godhead to match Him for the marriage- [footnote 6:13, 1 ]. Christ has many vineyards which require much labor. Christ’s lovers need to share in the work of the Lord. May the redeeming God continue to work within us and bring us such virtues to be matured in the divine life so that we may qualify to share in the Lord’s work.