Chapter 10: Ministering in the Attainment of the Testimony of the Fullness of Christ

Bible Reading: Revelation 21:1-2, 5, 10; 22:20

1. Ministering in the Attainment of the Testimony of the Fullness of Christ

   For the concluding message, we will refer to the book of Revelation as background for our message regarding the way of ministering.

   1. Awaiting the Return of Christ

      The last chapter of the book of Revelation written by the old Apostle John concludes with the words, “Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20) This points out another way of ministering, and this is ministering while awaiting the return of Christ. This is also one of the attitudes every Christian ought to have. In today’s Christianity, whenever we mention awaiting the Lord’s return, every person has his own viewpoints and opinions. Some make their explanations based on the Four Gospels, while a few on the Epistles. Now, how do we make ourselves ready to welcome the Lord’s return? Thank the Lord, the book of Revelation sums up the entire Bible by telling us how to await the Lord’s return.

   2. A Bride Beautifully Dressed Awaiting Her Husband

      Early on, we read Revelation 21 where it mentions the coming down of the new heaven and new earth. There is a Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Here, it tells us that when the Lord Jesus comes again, He will be the Groom and the church will be His bride. In a wedding ceremony, the bride has to be beautifully dressed before the groom comes to marry her. The Lord Jesus is already prepared and has long been waiting for the bride (the church) to be beautifully dressed. In other words, the moment the church is ready, the Lord Jesus will come right away to take her. As mentioned here, how then can the bride be beautifully dressed? This is explained by way of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem.

   3. The Appearing of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem

      Once the Holy City (the bride, the wife of the Lamb) comes down out of heaven, it signifies that the church is fully prepared, and Christ will return. Therefore today, no matter what we do to get ready for the Lord’s return, whether through preaching the gospel, edifying the saints, or being filled with the Holy Spirit, they can all be summed up to the appearing of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. Today, the reason why the Lord Jesus keeps delaying His return is because the church has not yet attained to the condition of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem.

   4. The Testimony of the Fullness of Christ

      What does this Holy City, the New Jerusalem signify? We must understand that every part of this city, the New Jerusalem, signifies Jesus Christ. This city reveals the greatness, power, holiness, authority, glory, riches, and beauty of Christ. In other words, this city manifests the complete fullness of Christ.

      City symbolizes testimony; because Jesus once told His disciples saying, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14) It means that the testimony is not to be hidden but must be seen by all. Therefore the Holy City, the New Jerusalem symbolizes the testimony of the fullness of Christ being manifested in the universe. If we read Revelation 1, it first records the appearing of the seven lampstands, thereafter, these seven lampstands shine out Christ, the Son of Man. Its spiritual meaning is that the church must reveal Christ, so that people may see Christ and gain Christ. This is the divine commission of the church in the end times.

   5. Serving in the Direction of the Testimony of the Fullness of Christ

      However, when we get to chapter 2, we see the conditions of the seven churches. Apart from the church in Philadelphia, the rest of the churches have shortcomings, weaknesses, and failures. This tells us that the churches failed to measure up to God’s standard, and had deteriorated and had become desolate. Therefore, in order that the church may be blessed, the Holy Spirit must do the work of getting the church back to God’s standard again. Hence, throughout the ages, God, through His Son Jesus Christ, has been constantly doing the work of restoration, establishing churches and building them up so that churches everywhere and throughout the ages may direct their goals toward the New Jerusalem and may continue to do the work of building up until the will of God may be fully realized. This is the significance of the appearing of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. Then, the Lord Jesus will return.

2. How to Usher in the Appearing of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem

   How then do we serve the Lord? Thank the Lord, the book of Revelation again points out a way, which is to serve the Lord so as to attain to the testimony of the fullness of Christ. In these end times, we must set our sights on the goal that God has instructed us, in order that we may attain to the testimony of the fullness of Christ. May churches in all places find favor with the Lord and be led by Him to manifest the testimony of the fullness of Christ. Thank God, the Lord Jesus Himself made the promise saying, “I will build up the church.” This signifies that in order to attain to the testimony of the fullness of Christ, everything has to be done by the Lord Himself. On the other hand, after He ascended on high, He sent down the Holy Spirit, and through His workers, He established the church. At the same time, He raised up all the saints to do each one’s work of building up the church. As far as experience is concerned, how do we usher in the appearing of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem? The first part of Revelation 21 mentions the way to usher in the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. We shall refer to this Holy City, the New Jerusalem which John saw,  as background to our message while we discuss some important experiences in ministering to the attainment of the fullness of the testimony of Christ.

   1. Christ as the Head Who Leads

      Revelation 21:5 says, “He who was seated on the throne said.” These words tell us that Christ, who was seated on the throne, had come out and had spoken. Its spiritual meaning is that Christ is the Head who leads. This is the first point essential in the attainment of the testimony of the fullness of Christ.

      1. Christ is the Head – Seated on the Throne

         “Throne” is the king’s seat. “Seated on the throne” means the king is sitting on his throne and ruling with authority. Psalm 103:19 says, “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.” Brothers and sisters, any church that has Christ seated on the throne is a church that directs its goal toward the testimony of the fullness of Christ. May I ask if the church you are serving is one in which Christ is the head? Is the Lord seated on His throne? 

      2. Giving Out Orders – “Said”

      “He who was seated on the throne said.” The word “said” denotes giving out orders. Therefore if a church has the throne of Christ, then Christ will speak in that church. Today, there are some churches in which the moment you set foot inside, you will encounter the kingship of Christ; it makes you not dare to behave casually. However, there are also quite a few churches wherein the moment you enter, you will notice that here and there, man’s viewpoints and man’s opinions thrive, propositions vary, and things are in total confusion. I hope that through this, the Lord will restore us back to the Bible, and with a reverent heart, we may learn to listen to the Lord’s voice and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us.

      While the Lord Jesus was on earth, He once visited the home in Bethany. There Mary, Martha, and Lazarus received Him. It was indeed a beautiful and inspiring picture, particularly when we see Mary sitting down at the Lord’s feet listening to Him speak. O, the most important thing in the church is none other than to let Jesus speak and express His heart’s desire. Martha was not aware of this at that time, she figured that doing the external chores was what mattered most. Receiving and serving the Lord out of a sincere heart is indeed important, nevertheless, the most important and greatest blessing is to allow the Lord to speak. Therefore in order for a church to be built up, the first and foremost thing is to let Christ be enthroned and be the one to speak, because the church is the place where the Lord speaks, directs, and gives out orders.

      Let us look at the recordings in Acts 2:1-2. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound… came from heaven.” That sound from heaven was the special characteristic of the church. If no sound came from heaven, then no church will possibly be birthed. It is that sound from heaven that shook men’s hearts and caused man’s natural self to fall prostrate before God. The sound from heaven also denotes that the One seated on the throne is speaking. This is the first characteristic of a church that desires to attain to the testimony of Christ’s fullness. Hence, in ministering, we must learn to fear the Lord and not to speak casually nor give opinions as we please, nor to make out any plans or strategies on our own. Instead, we must come before the Lord in total humbleness, learn to listen to His voice, and wait for Him to speak. In the last days, God speaks to us through His Son (Hebrews 1:2). Where the Lord speaks, there the will of God is.

      At times, God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. Acts 13 records that when some prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch were worshiping and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:1-2) Hence, in ministering, it is a must that we learn to listen to the Holy Spirit speak. If the church is led by the Holy Spirit, only then will it be able to enter into the fullness of Christ.

      Then in Acts 15, when problems arose in the church ministries, the Bible records, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” (v. 28) This means that the feelings from the Holy Spirit are expressed through our lips. This way, the decisions that we make become an actual reflection of the Holy Spirit’s decisions. O, this is a church where the Holy Spirit speaks. Hence, the letters written to the seven churches in the book of Revelation all conclude with the same statement:  “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” This tells us time and again that the church is not only the place where the Lord speaks, at the same time, it is where the Lord expresses His will through the Holy Spirit.

      Because of the Lord’s mercy, from the day I was called to serve the Lord, I never stopped learning how to obey the teachings of the Anointing. I must admit that for the first ten years, I incurred a lot of shortcomings and weaknesses. Each time we met to discuss matters at great length, because of differences in opinions, we often hurt one another’s feelings and ended the discussion on a sour note -- making it hard for the parties involved to step down with grace. Did we pray? Yes, we prayed. What message did we preach? We preached Christ enthroned and Christ as Head of the church. However, when it came to ministering, Christ was no longer the head but I was. Thank the Lord, after a while, I was able to obtain the Lord’s favor again and was led out of that congregation. He let me encounter difficulties in my ministry that made me feel so helpless such that I have to come before Him with bended knees several hours a day. I experienced continuous emptying by the Lord for several months before I finally came to touch the throne and understood what it meant to let the throne voice out and let the Lord speak. It was at this time that the Lord gave me a great spiritual turnaround in my ministry. At the same time, the Lord called me to put up an assembly in Taipei. At first, there were only a few people, but gradually it grew. Although the scale was not really big, it allowed me to learn one vital lesson, and that is, to fall prostrate and listen to the voice from the throne; at the same time to allow Christ to be the Head, thus entering into the actual experience of listening to the Lord speak. Before I decide on anything, I would first wait before the Lord, seek Him time and again, and inquire from Him the things I ought to do. When the Lord told us to preach the gospel, the co-workers and I would kneel down before the Lord and inquire about how we should preach, where we should preach, and when we should preach. This waiting and inquiring went on for a week or two, until finally we were able to attain clarity from what seemed so unclear before. Indeed, when we preached the gospel, many were saved. Again we fell facedown before the Lord and inquired, “Lord, when will the baptism be?” Step by step, we learned to obey the leading of the Lord and were able to experience a little bit of what it means for the church to enter into the fullness of Christ.

   2. Renewal by the Holy Spirit

      Revelation 21:5 says, “Behold! I am making everything new.” This tells us that the way to attain the testimony of the fullness of Christ is to accept renewal by the Holy Spirit. As far as representation is concerned, we notice that in the middle of the great street of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, a river of the water of life flows out from the throne of the Lamb into the entire city. Spiritually, this refers to the renewal by the Holy Spirit. In terms of spiritual experience, the day we were saved, we already obtained the washing of rebirth, nonetheless, we still have to continue receiving the renewal by the Holy Spirit without any disruptions. (Titus 3:5) A church that is not renewed by the Holy Spirit will become like the church in Laodicea. When you enter, you will encounter a deathly silence, full of worldly smell. On the contrary, when a church is renewed by the Holy Spirit, the moment you enter, you will discover that it is full of life and vitality, and overflowing with spiritual and heavenly atmosphere. Whether it is meeting together, having fellowship, singing hymns, praying, etc., the Holy Spirit is doing its work of renewal in that church. Behold! The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, in it everything has been made new. Let us take a further look at the conditions of a church that is being renewed by the Holy Spirit.

      1. Get Rid of Staleness – Bring Forth Freshness

         The human body that God created has a specific law called metabolism. If metabolism fails, the whole body becomes weak, withers, and dies. People who have kidney disease have poor blood circulation in their bodies, therefore a machine is needed to purify the blood. Because the moment the body loses its metabolism, it will die. In the same way, the church is the body of Christ. If there is no renewal by the Holy Spirit or if there is no spiritual metabolism to get rid of staleness and usher in freshness, the church will not only fail to progress, even spirituality will no longer be present. Therefore, it is a must that the church receives renewal by the Holy Spirit.

      2. Get Rid of Old Ways – Usher In New Ways

         What is the condition when one experiences renewal of the Holy Spirit? As far as experiences are concerned, it is to pray in the Holy Spirit, read the Word of God with one’s spirit, listen to the message (word) and be renewed by the Holy Spirit. All the ministries and activities of the church must never lack the renewal of the Holy Spirit in order for it to become a church that serves in the new ways of the Spirit. This is the work that the Holy Spirit wants to do.

         The assemblies in each locality, when first raised up by the Lord, have freshness indeed. But after five, ten, fifteen or more years have gone by, they gradually become stale; even ministering becomes traditional. Bible study becomes routinary. During Sunday morning worship, people pay ear service to the messages. If busy, one simply excuses himself from attending prayer meetings. Very rarely does one share in the Bible study meetings. Ministering gradually falls into a pattern of habit, tradition, and obsolescence. Romans 7:6 says, “By dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” This means we must serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

         Today, although churches of Christ around the world have obtained new life from the Lord and a new position, yet they are retreating to the ministry of the Old Testament times. The New Testament ministry is one that enters into the testimony of the fullness of Christ -- by enabling people to meet the Lord. However, to be able to reveal Christ, one needs renewal by the Spirit to get rid of the old way of the written code and tradition. The so-called “serving in the new way” does not mean displaying new tricks. The question is about whether or not the ministry has the free leading of the Holy Spirit. Because our Lord Jesus is forever fresh and the work of the Holy Spirit is always onward, therefore we must serve in the new way of the Holy Spirit.

         In terms of experience, if the church is one that has been renewed by the Holy Spirit, not only have its viewpoints changed, even its methods have also changed. Some Christians who have been saved for thirty years come to the meetings every Sunday and listen to the messages; however, when they go home, they totally do not give any thought to spiritual matters; later, by coming under grace, they received renewal by the Holy Spirit; Jesus has now taken His rightful position in their lives and the world has gone out from them. Now, they come every Sunday morning to listen to the message, in the afternoon they join the small group meetings in pursuit of the Lord; they also join visitation groups and go out to preach the gospel; they rid themselves of their past old habits. They no longer follow the trend of this world, instead, they are mindful of heavenly and spiritual matters. They now follow the Holy Spirit.

   3. Christ is All

      Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” (Revelation 21:6) The significance of this statement is so rich and full. “Alpha” is the first letter in the Greek alphabet, just like our letter “A” in the English alphabet. “Omega” is the last letter in the Greek alphabet, just like letter “Z” in the English alphabet. These two letters encompass all the letters of the alphabet. Spiritually, it means that Christ is all.

      1. Christ is the Alpha

         Christ is the “Alpha” denotes that Christ is the beginning, the initiator, and the author.  Therefore, all life, work, and ministry in the church must be initiated and begun by the Lord. Anything that is not begun by the Lord will not be accounted for, because the Lord Himself warned us saying, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.” (Matthew 15:13)

         Every time we touch on this very serious matter, I feel very ashamed deep within because in our everyday living, even in our work and ministry, there are many matters wherein we are the ones initiating. The Lord, who is the Alpha, tells us that He is the Beginning as well as the Author.

      2. Christ is the Omega

         Not only is Christ the Alpha, He is also the Omega. “Omega” speaks of Christ as the Finisher. All the ministries in the church must be finished by Christ. They must never be accomplished through man’s ability, wisdom, or methods. It was because of this that Paul rebuked the believers in Galatia saying, “After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Galatians 3:3)

         There was one time when I went back to Taipei. Right after my preaching, a sister came and talked to me. She had invested a large sum of money to open a restaurant, but her business did not go well; in fact, it was getting worse. She prayed, but the Lord did not listen. Time and again she confessed her sins, but the Lord still did not open a way for her. She now plans to close down her business, so I asked if she had inquired from the Lord before she opened the restaurant, but she could not answer me. All of a sudden, she was brought to an awakening by my question. I told her, “Since you were the alpha, the Lord will let you be the omega as well.” From here, we can see that if it is not the Lord who initiated the beginning, He will not take responsibility over the finishing. This same principle holds true in our various ministries. Not only that, even if Christ had done the beginning, we still need to look upon Him to do the finishing. Some brothers had been preaching the gospel for a long time without seeing any results. This is because they did not let the Lord be the Alpha. It does not mean that we need to do all the good works and all the good deeds. Indeed, we must work hard and not be lazy, nevertheless, we have to let the Lord be our Alpha. At the same time, we must be careful to allow Him to be the Omega by completely relying on Him to accomplish it.

      3. Christ is All

         Alpha is the first letter and Omega is the last letter. These first and last letters encompass all the other letters. The spiritual meaning refers to Christ, who is all and in all. Brothers and sisters, in the eternal plan of God, Christ is to be the all. Hence, Colossians 1:18 says, “And He is the Head of the body, the church, He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.” A step further, we see in Colossians 3:11, “but Christ is all and in all” meaning, He is in all and He encompasses all. In terms of experience, the ultimate finality of our life, work, and ministry is Christ becoming our all. Such is the way to attain to the testimony of the fullness of Christ.

         Therefore, whether we fail or we triumph, may the Lord open the eyes of our inner being so that we may truly see Christ to be our all. What is the church from a corporate point of view? Its significance is that Christ is the content of all things.

         Speaking from personal experience, we are saved by first listening and believing in the gospel, then knowing that Jesus is the Savior, and acknowledging that He is the Son of God and that we are sinners deserving doom and death. We thus call on the Lord Jesus and consequently, He comes into our lives and fills us with peace and joy.

         Then as we move another step forward, we experience Jesus to be our Shepherd. When I am in lack or in need, I would call on the Lord, and He would provide for me in due time. I also experienced the Lord to be true and living. Gradually, I came to experience His presence in my prayers. He often talks to me and I become aware that He is not only alive, He also leads me personally by His hand. At the same time, through the Holy Spirit, He often teaches me on what I am or am not supposed to do. So gradually, I came to know that Jesus is my Shepherd. Since the Shepherd leads His sheep out, He walks in front of them. The sheep listens to the Shepherd’s voice and He calls them by name.

         Slowly, as I attended meetings, I heard from the messages that Christ is my all. At first, I felt that this is something so mystical. Later, because of the emptiness within, I wondered if perhaps listening to music would brighten up my mood. So I turned on the music recorder and felt somewhat soothed within. However, deep within my spirit, I still had the feeling of dissatisfaction. Helplessly I came before the Lord praying, “Lord, I feel so empty within.” Amazingly, while I was praying, joy and glory filled my spirit. Only then did I truly experience Christ to be my contentment. He alone is the reason for my joy. In the past, I thought that material pleasures are joy to me, but now I realized that they are all but smoke and clouds that pass me by. They simply disappear in the twinkling of an eye.

         Later, I discovered that I have a very bad temper. When ministering with others, I often lose my temper. I found it really hard to change myself. Until one day as I entered into praying in the Spirit, I felt that the Lord was in me and I in Him; the great love of the Lord encompassed me inside out. The urge to lose my temper fell off my mind that day. It was then that I discovered that Christ had become my life. From that day on, step by step, I experienced Christ to be my strength, my rock, my fortress, my light, my peace, my joy, and my all…

         This is true not only for individuals, but for the church as well. David, in his old age, wrote a psalm saying, “Lord, You are my Lord.” David had experienced Christ to be the Head. “Apart from You, I have no good thing.” Meaning, Christ is my all. "The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.” Whenever we replace the Lord with money or other material wealth, we tend to become worrisome and anxious. The moment you let your children take the place of Jesus, they will not only disobey you, but will hurt your feelings; because God has designated Christ to be our all and to be the church’s all. So how do we attain to the testimony of the fullness of Christ? We have to allow God to work in us to an extent that every bit and every drop is all about Christ.

   4. Filled with the Holy Spirit and Life

      Revelation 21:6 says, “To him who is thirsty, I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.” This spring symbolizes the Holy Spirit and life. Spring water flows without ceasing and is abundant without limit. This signifies the fullness of the Holy Spirit and of life. Therefore, to drink from the spring of the water of life means to be filled with the Holy Spirit and life.  

      Brothers and sisters, in order to attain to the fullness of Christ, the church needs the filling of the Holy Spirit and life. Life is the content, therefore, this life needs to grow and must be in balance with the Holy Spirit. Today, there are churches that give undue emphasis to the filling of the Holy Spirit, yet neglect the growth of life. It is because of the Lord’s mercy and grace that we have been able to give equal importance to both life and the Holy Spirit. This is because we are walking the pathway of life and we are pressing on in accordance with the Holy Spirit, so that life and the Holy Spirit may overflow in the church.

      Let us take a look at the book of Revelation. From the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, there is a river of life flowing down. This river of life symbolizes the flow of the Holy Spirit; in it  is the fullness of life. The river in Ezekiel chapter 47 and the river in Revelation chapter 22 are two distant rivers having close similarities. Both rivers are flowing down with trees on both sides. Trees symbolize abundant life. The bounty of life has reached a point where twelve kinds of fruit are yielded every year. There are twelve months in a year. Twelve is a number denoting fullness. Yielding fresh fruit every month denotes life in its fullness. I wonder if our brothers and sisters from overseas have tasted the world-famous Philippine ice cream called Magnolia. Magnolia produces a flavor of ice cream every month. The tree of life yielding twelve kinds of fruits in a year implies abundance and denotes freshness.

      The book of Ezekiel gives a more detailed recording of the river. Wherever the river flows, there will be large numbers of fish. Fish symbolize believers who are saved. This depicts the constant increase in the number of people being saved in the church. Thank the Lord for His blessings. For the past three years, although we did not hold any specific large scale gospel crusade meetings, yet because the fullness of the Holy Spirit and life has filled the church, the Lord added to our numbers daily those who were being saved. On the contrary, if a church has only a handful of people joining the meetings, how can the testimony of the fullness of Christ be known? It does not mean that having a great number of people is all that matters, but rather, it is whether or not a church is concretely manifesting the testimony of the fullness of Christ.

      Praise the Lord, in a span of three years, our branch in Manila had more than one thousand baptized believers. In May, another baptism will be held. I hope that before long, all the seats in the newly expanded assembly hall will be filled to overflowing. Just like what the book of Ezekiel describes about the large numbers of fish; that the number of people being saved will keep on increasing. We notice the presence of fishermen as well. This pertains to the increase in the number of those being called to serve the Lord full-time. All these speak about the condition of the filling of both the Holy Spirit and life. May the churches in every locality be filled with the Holy Spirit and life. Brothers and sisters, today, if we fail to walk in the pathway of life, we tend to drift away easily. “Life” is the central thought in the New Testament Bible, particularly in the entire Gospel according to John, which expounds on “life.” Therefore, we ought to minister in the pathway of life, so that we will be able to attain to the testimony of the fullness of Christ.

   5. Overcomers

      Revelation 21:7 says, “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” It means that this group of overcomers are the ones who will inherit the riches of the New Jerusalem. Who does the Bible refer to as overcomers? They are those whom the Lord has called; those who are representatives of the church. They represent the church in sufferings. They are also those who bring about the accomplishment of God’s will.

      1. The Calling of the Overcomers

         Revelation 2 and 3 talks about the time when churches become desolate, this is when the Holy Spirit repeatedly mentions the phrase “he who overcomes.” From the church in Ephesus up until the church in Laodicea, the Holy Spirit has been calling for overcomers. In the same manner, the Lord is repeatedly calling for the overcomers in the church today. Just when a great number of Christians have fallen weak, have failed, have backslidden, or have become untrue, there will be a group of Christians who will still follow the Lord from beginning till end, and remain faithful in serving Him. When others have become desolate, this group of overcomers continues to move forward. When others have no concern whatsoever for the church, zeal for the Lord’s temple continues to consume this group of overcomers.

      2. Overcomers Signify the Suffering Church

         Overcomers also represent the church that suffers in order to fill up what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions. (Colossians 1:24) Jesus Christ had already accomplished redemption on the cross for us today, and we need not do anything more; nevertheless, He still left something for the church. This implies that He expects the church to suffer with Him so that the church may grow. Hence, Paul told the Galatian believers saying, “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you…” (Galatians 4:19) Therefore the church has to have a group of overcomers who will be representatives of the church in suffering. Any church with people who are willing to represent the church in suffering for Christ will certainly achieve progress, attain abundance, and make continuous advancements. On the contrary, if one cannot find people in a church who are willing to suffer for the Lord, then that church will remain outside the testimony of the fullness of Christ. Of course, we are not supposed to brag of ourselves as overcomers while others are failures; nevertheless, we must not allow ourselves to fail because failure is abnormal. Today, many Christians have a wrong concept: they regard failure as something natural while being overcomers as something hard to achieve. They are not aware that failing is abnormal, while overcoming is normal. Our Lord is an overcomer and we have become overcomers with Him. Hence, there is no reason for anyone to fail.

         Overcomers are the representatives of the church. They represent the church in suffering in order to fill up what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, so that Christ may be formed in the church. Therefore when you and I experience the cross and accept its tearing work, then life will emanate from us, just like what Paul said, “Death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” Paul was an overcomer. Because he suffered much for Jesus and for the church, as a result, life continued to flow out from him. The life that he imparted had offered help and provision to all the saints. During these last days, God is calling on overcomers to suffer with Him, so that they may enjoy glory together with Christ in the age to come.

      3. Overcomers Usher in the Accomplishment of God’s Will

         Overcomers eventually usher in the accomplishment of God’s will. They are people who accomplish God’s will. In terms of Old Testament representation, the 600,000 Israelite soldiers and the 2 to 3 million people who came up out of Egypt did so with great strength and vigor. They helped the elderly and supported the young in walking through the wilderness. However, in the end, those who were twenty years old and above perished in the wilderness, except for Caleb and Joshua, who led the next generation of Israelites into the beautiful land of Canaan. The beautiful land of Canaan represents the fullness of Christ. Who were those able to make it into the land of Canaan? Undoubtedly, only Caleb and Joshua; they were the ones who followed the Lord wholeheartedly -- year in and year out through thorns and brambles, they experienced tremendous sufferings. They represent the overcomers who ultimately led the generation after them to enter into the fullness of Christ, thereby accomplishing God’s will. May all of us be Calebs and Joshuas who will bring the church to enter into Christ’s fullness.

   6. A Full Knowledge of Christ

      Lastly, John was led by an angel to a great and high mountain where the Holy City, the New Jerusalem was shown to him, enabling him to touch on the content of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem.

      1. The Holy Spirit Reveals Christ

         Revelation 21:10 records, “And He carried me away in the Spirit and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem…” The words “carried away in the Spirit” refers to obtaining the revelation by the Holy Spirit; while “the Holy City, the New Jerusalem” signifies the testimony of the fullness of Christ. Another way to put it is that it is the enlargement of Christ. Jesus took on flesh and became a Man. Now that this city has appeared; it means that Christ has enlarged. Being carried away in the Spirit and seeing the city means the Holy Spirit has revealed Christ. The words “showed me” means having obtained revelation and knowledge. Spiritually, it means that when we obtain revelation from the Holy Spirit, we will have a full knowledge of Christ.

         Now, how do we attain to the fullness of Christ? We need to come together and pursue to know Christ until we have obtained a full knowledge of Him.

         Brother Sparks once shared this testimony on the pulpit: One time, while he was having a conversation with Brother Meyer about Jesus Christ; he failed to notice that the sky outside has turned gray, and it was almost time for the meeting to start. As they were discussing and sharing about Christ, they became more and more engrossed, because they had come to touch not only on the fullness of Christ, but also on the glorious eternity. As a matter of fact, there is no concept of time in eternity. Nevertheless, since it was about time for the meeting to start, they could do nothing but to part ways, yet carrying with them the hope that in future eternity, they would get to know Christ in the resurrected body and in time eternal. O, how immensely great Christ is! Today our physical bodies live but for a few decades only. How, then, can we know Christ fully? May the Lord be gracious to us so that in the days to come, we may diligently pursue to know Him more.

      2. Comprehend How Wide, Long, High, and Deep Christ is Together with All the Saints

         Here, it tells us that the Christ whom John knew was an enlarged Christ. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he said that Christ has unsearchable riches, so wide, so long, high, and deep; in other words, without limit and without end. Therefore only when saints throughout the ages and throughout all generations come together will they be able to understand Christ. Why do we need to assemble together? So that together with all the saints we may understand the width, length, height, and depth of Christ and His unsearchable riches.

         Let us take the Bible study meeting as an example. We thank the Lord that during the past two years, the Thursday night Bible study meeting in our church in Manila has been enjoying the Lord’s mercy and grace. Brothers and sisters scramble and vie with each other to share about Christ, and time is usually not enough for all the sharings. In this meeting, everyone points out a little bit of his experiences, enlightenment, or principles he receives concerning the Christ he has known. You display the riches of Christ; he also displays the riches of Christ. This way, everybody contributes a point or two of what he knows about Christ; and through mutual fellowship, everyone gets to appreciate and enjoy the fullness of Christ. O, dear brothers and sisters, after this special conference comes to an end and all of us return to Manila, there will be two nightly meetings, one each on Saturday and Sunday, where representatives from the localities of the churches overseas will come together and share their knowledge of how wide, long, high, and deep and how precious Christ is. By sharing our knowledge about the fullness of Christ with one another, Christ, whom God has filled, will in turn fill us too.

      3. Attaining to the Testimony of the Fullness of Christ

         Ephesians 4:13 says, “Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” It means that if the whole church knows Christ, this church will grow and mature until it finally attains to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. That is also the time of the appearing of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. Christ is in the church, and for the fact that we know Him, we will gradually mature until we have attained to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, which is depicted by the bride beautifully dressed who had attained to the testimony of the fullness of Christ, and then, Christ will return. 

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