THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians
Message Four
Knowing Christ and the Power of His Resurrection
Scripture Reading: Phil. 3:8-11; 1:19; Eph. 1:19-21; Rom. 1:4; Matt. 20:22-23; Col. 1:24; 2 Tim. 2:11
I. Paul aspired to know Christ—Phil. 3:10:
A. To have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ in Philippians 3:8 is by revelation, but to know Him in verse 10 is by experience—Phil. 3:8, 10.
B. Paul first received the revelation of Christ, then sought the experience of Christ—to know and enjoy Christ in an experiential way.
C. The one thing in the book of Philippians is the subjective knowledge and experience of Christ—Phil. 2:2; cf. 1:20-21; 2:5; 3:7-9; 4:12-13.
D. To know Christ is not merely to have the knowledge concerning Him but to gain His very person—2 Cor. 2:10; cf. Col. 2:9, 16-17:
1. To gain something requires the paying of a price; to gain Christ is to experience, enjoy, and take possession of all His unsearchable riches by paying a price—Eph. 3:8.
2. Christ has gained us, taken possession of us, that we might gain Him, take possession of Him—Phil. 3:12.
3. The Christian life is a life of gaining Christ in His full ministry in His three divine and mystical stages—incarnation, inclusion, and intensification—John 1:14; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Rev. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6:
a. Even though Paul had experienced and gained Christ tremendously, he did not consider that he had experienced Him in full or gained him to the uttermost; for this reason he was still advancing toward the goal—the gaining of Christ to the fullest extent—Phil. 3:12-14.
b. In order to gain Christ to the fullest extent, Paul not only forsook his experiences in Judaism but also would not linger in his past experiences of Christ and be limited by them; He forgot the past—v. 13.
c. Not to forget but to linger in our past experiences, however genuine they were, frustrates our further pursuing of Christ—v. 13; Heb. 6:1a.
d. Christ is unsearchably rich, and there is a vast territory of His riches to be possessed; Paul was stretching out to reach the farthest extent of this territory—Phil. 3:13.
II. Paul aspired to know the power of Christ’s resurrection—v. 10:
A. The power of Christ’s resurrection is His resurrection life, which raised Him from the dead—Eph. 1:19-20.
B. The Spirit is the reality of Christ’s resurrection and its power—Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 1 John 5:6.
C. The Spirit compounded with Christ’s resurrection and its power indwells our spirit to dispense Christ’s resurrection and its power not only to our spirit and soul but also to our mortal body—Phil. 1:19; Exo. 30:23-25; Rom. 8:10-11, 13b, 6b, 10; 2 Cor. 4:11.
D. We should cooperate with the resurrecting Spirit to recognize that we have been resurrected with Christ and to pursue the power of the resurrection of Christ—Col. 2:12; Eph. 2:6a:
1. It is also by this power of resurrection that we, the lovers of Christ are enabled to be conformed to His death, to be one with His cross—Phil. 3:10; cf. S. S. 2:14-15.
2. In order to experience the life-giving Spirit as the reality of the flourishing riches of the resurrection of Christ, we have to discern our spirit from our soul—Heb. 4:12; cf. S. S. 2:14-15.
E. Christ’s resurrection with its power in the life-giving Spirit is the sufficient grace of the processed and consummated Triune God—2 Cor. 12:9; 13:14; 1 Cor. 15:10, 45b, 58; cf. Exo. 3:2-6, 14-15.
III. Paul aspired to know the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings—Phil. 3:10:
A. With Christ, the sufferings and death came first, followed by the resurrection; with us, the power of His resurrection comes first, followed by the participation in His sufferings and conformity to His death—Matt. 20:23; Phil. 3:10.
B. We first receive the power of His resurrection; then by this power we are enabled to participate in His sufferings and life a crucified life in conformity to His death—v. 10; 2 Cor. 4:10-12.
C. Christ’s sufferings are of two categories: those for accomplishing redemption, which were completed by Christ Himself, and those for producing and building the church, which need to be filled up by the apostles and the believers—Col. 1:24; 2 Cor. 1:5; Matt. 20:23:
1. We cannot participate in Christ’s sufferings for redemption, but we must take part in the sufferings of Christ for the producing and building up of the Body—cf. Rev. 1:9; 2 Tim. 2:10; 2 Cor. 1:5-6; 4:12; 6:8-11.
2. Christ as the Lamb of God suffered for redemption; Christ as the grain of wheat suffered for reproducing and building—John 1:29; 12:24:
a. The Lord, as a grain of wheat that fell into the ground, lost His soul-life through death that He might release His eternal life in resurrection to the many grains—10:10-11; 12:24.
b. The one grain did not complete all the sufferings that are needed for the building up of the Body; as the many grains, we must suffer in the same way the one grain suffered—vv. 24-26:
(1) As the many grains, we also must lose our soul-life through death that we may enjoy eternal life in resurrection—v. 25.
(2) This is to follow Him that we may serve Him and walk with Him on this way, the way of losing our soul-life and living in His resurrection—v. 26.
(3) The way for the church to come into being and to increase is not by human glory; it is by the death of the cross—vv. 20-24; 2 Cor. 4:11-12.
Ministry Excerpts:
KNOWING CHRIST
Philippians 3:10a indicates that Christ lives in us for us “to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” The word “know” here is equal to “experience.” To know Christ means to experience Him, to enjoy Him, to participate in Him, and to partake of Him. To know Christ is thus to apprehend Him by experiencing Him. We know Christ in order to gain Him. To have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ (v. 8) is by revelation, but to know Christ is by experience—to have the experiential knowledge of Him, to experience Him in the full knowledge of Him. First we receive the revelation of Christ, and then we seek the experience of Christ—to know and enjoy Him in an experiential way. (Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 142)
Revelation and Experience
Paul lived in a condition of not having his own righteousness but having the righteousness of God, in order to know (to experience) Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. To have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ in verse 8 is by revelation. But to know Him in verse 10 is by experience—to have the experiential knowledge of Him, to experience Him in the full knowledge of Him. Paul first received the revelation of Christ and then sought for the experience of Christ—to know and enjoy Him in an experiential way.
After we receive the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, we shall be willing to suffer the loss of all things and count them refuse in order to gain Christ and be found in Him. As a result, we shall know Christ experientially. Therefore, verse 9 comes out of verse 8, and verse 10 comes out of verse 9. If we do not have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ (v. 8), we shall not be found in Christ, for it is having the excellency of the knowledge of Christ which makes us willing to suffer the loss of all things and count them as refuse in order to gain Christ and be found in Him. Then, once we have gained Christ and are found in Him, we shall know Him; that is, we shall enjoy Him and experience Him. (Life-study of Philippians, msg. 21)
Gaining Christ and Being Found in Him
To know Christ is a result of being found in Him. All the words between “be found in Him” in Philippians 3:9 and “to know Him” in verse 10 describe in what condition Paul aspired to be found in Christ. He was willing to suffer the loss of all things and count them to be refuse that he might gain Christ and be found in Him to know Him. According to Paul’s concept, if we would know Christ, we must first be found in Him. Moreover, to be found in Him requires that we count all things loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ and then suffer the loss of all things and count them to be refuse. Only when we have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, a vision of the supreme preciousness and surpassing worth of Christ, shall we be willing to let go of everything else and count those things as refuse. Then we shall gain Christ and be found in Him. We shall be those who live in Christ and who are found by others in Christ. Being found in Him, we shall surely know Him. (Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 142)
If we would understand 3:8-11, we need to pay attention to the way these verses are composed. In Greek verses 8 through 11 are one long sentence. Verse 10 begins with the infinitive to know. This infinitive phrase is related to the phrase gain Christ and be found. This indicates that to know Christ is a result of being found in Him. All the words between be found in Him in verse 9 and to know Him in verse 10 describe in what condition Paul aspired to be found in Christ. He was willing to suffer the loss of all things and count them to be refuse that he might gain Christ and be found in Him to know Him. According to Paul’s concept, if we would know Christ, we must first be found in Him. Moreover, to be found in Him requires that we count all things loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ and then suffer the loss of all things and count them to be refuse. Only when we have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, a vision of the supreme preciousness and surpassing worth of Christ, shall we be willing to let go of everything else and count those things as refuse. Then we shall gain Christ and be found in Him. We shall be those who live in Christ and who are found by others in Christ. Being found in Him, we shall surely know Him.
To gain Christ is one thing, and to experience Him is another. We may illustrate this difference by the difference between buying groceries and eating food which has been purchased and prepared. Gaining Christ may be compared to buying groceries, and the experience of Christ may be compared to the eating of the food we have first purchased and cooked. However, before we buy any groceries, we must first have the excellency of the knowledge of groceries. Before we purchase anything, we are first attracted by the excellency of the knowledge of that thing. Thus, first we have the excellency of the knowledge of the groceries, then we gain them by buying them, and finally we enjoy the food by eating it. In like manner, Paul first received the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, then he paid the price to gain Christ and be found in Him, and finally he experienced Christ and enjoyed Him. Paul realized that to gain Christ and be found in Him always results in knowing Him, in enjoying and experiencing Him.
A Higher Knowledge of Christ
Our experience of Christ can never surpass the excellency of our knowledge of Christ. Rather, the excellency of the knowledge of Christ always exceeds our experience of Christ. There has never been a case where a believer’s experience of Christ surpassed his knowledge of Christ. If we do not have a higher knowledge of Christ, we cannot have a higher experience of Christ. This is why it is very important that we not be limited by our past knowledge of Christ.
You may know that Christ is joy, peace, and rest. Before you were saved, you did not have the peace. But now that you have received the Lord, you have peace and joy. By no means do I belittle these aspects of the knowledge of Christ. I certainly enjoy the Lord Jesus as my peace, rest, and joy. Nevertheless, we should not be content with such a limited knowledge of Christ, but should advance in our knowledge of Him. Oh, how we need the excellency of knowing Christ!
The excellency of the knowledge of Christ will attract us to Christ and motivate us to lay aside everything other than Him. If we see the surpassing worth of Christ, we shall be willing to count as loss not only worldly, material things, but even our culture, religion, and philosophy. I repeat, it is the excellency of the knowledge of Christ which causes us to drop everything else so that we may gain Christ and be found in Him.
Our Shortage in Living Christ
During the years we have been in the Lord’s recovery, we have come to know that the Lord is the all-inclusive Spirit and that we are one spirit with Him. The Lord is now the Spirit dwelling in our spirit. Although we know this as a doctrine, in our daily life much of the time we do not live one spirit with the Lord. Instead, we often live in our culture. We may pray, “Lord, we thank You that You are the life-giving Spirit and that we are one spirit with You.” Nevertheless, day by day we do not live Christ moment by moment. We do not practice being one spirit with Him all the time.
Recently the Lord has pointed out to me my shortage in living Christ. Most of the confession I make to Him is related to this lack. Day by day, I spend too little time living one spirit with the Lord. Too much of the time I live in something other than Christ, in many good things that are not Christ Himself. Because this is our situation, all of us need the Lord to have mercy on us.
Both we and the Lord have come to a point of crisis. A critical situation definitely exists among many of us today. Yes, we have seen the vision that Christ is our life, that He is the life-giving Spirit, and that we are one spirit with Him, and we talk a great deal about Christ. However, in our practical life day by day, we do not live Christ every moment. We are not found by others in Christ continually. We may be very familiar with 3:7-10. But how much have we gained Christ, how much are we found in Christ, and how much do we experientially know Christ? Because of our urgent need to experience Christ, it is not my burden in these messages to present Bible teachings. It is to minister Christ to the saints that they may grow in the divine life, which is Christ Himself, and may advance in the experience of Christ and enjoyment of Christ. (Life-study of Philippians, msg. 21)
SEEKING TO KNOW THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION
We seek to know not only Christ but also the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. “To know Him” refers to knowing Christ in a general way. But knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings are details related to knowing Christ. Actually to know Christ is to know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.
Christ Being in Resurrection
Christ today is in resurrection. He is no longer natural and no longer in the flesh—He is in resurrection, and the reality of resurrection is the Spirit. Christ is now in resurrection as the pneumatic Christ, as the life-giving Spirit. Since He is the pneumatic Christ in resurrection, it is in resurrection that we meet Him and experience Him.
Christ and His resurrection are one. Christ Himself is the power of His resurrection, and the Spirit as the reality of the power of Christ’s resurrection is Christ in resurrection. We need to experience this power that we may gain Christ. Because Christ is now in resurrection, we cannot know Him experientially unless we know the power of His resurrection.
Christ’s resurrection power is not an outward physical power; it is an inward, intrinsic power. As such, it is a life power. Christ has manifested in His resurrection the intrinsic power of the divine life. This is the power of His resurrection. By experiencing the power of Christ’s resurrection we obtain Christ in reality. The more we experience the power of Christ’s resurrection, the more we obtain Him. (Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 142)
Experiencing Christ in the Power of Resurrection
In order to experience Christ, we must be in the power of resurrection. We cannot be in our natural life. The more we know the power of Christ’s resurrection, the more we shall participate in the sufferings of Christ and thereby have the fellowship of His sufferings. If we experience the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, we shall then be conformed to His death. As we are conformed to the death of Christ, we are ushered into the power of His resurrection. It is by this resurrection power that we know Christ and experience Him.
In verse 10 Paul says, “To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death.” According to this verse, Paul aspired not only to know Christ, but also to know the power of Christ’s resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. The power of Christ’s resurrection is His resurrection life which raised Him from among the dead (Eph. 1:19-20). The reality of the power of Christ’s resurrection is the Spirit (Rom. 1:4). To know, to experience, this power requires identification with Christ’s death and conformity to it. Death is the base of resurrection. To experience the power of Christ’s resurrection, we need to live a crucified life according to the pattern of His life. Our conformity to His death affords a base for the power of His resurrection to rise up that His divine life may be expressed in us. (Life-study of Philippians, msg. 21)
SHARING IN HIS SUFFERINGS AND KNOWING
THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS
The process of obtaining Christ, as revealed in Philippians 3:10, is to know Him by knowing the power of His resurrection. However, if we would know the power of Christ’s resurrection, we must share in His sufferings and know the fellowship of His sufferings. The participation in Christ’s sufferings—“the fellowship of His sufferings”—(Phil. 3:10; Matt. 20:22-23; Col. 1:24) is a necessary condition for the experience of the power of His resurrection (2 Tim. 2:11) by being conformed to His death. Paul was pursuing to know and experience not only the excellency of Christ Himself but also the life power of His resurrection and the participation in His sufferings. With Christ the sufferings and death came first, followed by the resurrection. With us the power of His resurrection comes first, then the fellowship of His sufferings and conformity to His death. We first received the power of His resurrection. Then by this power we are enabled to participate in His sufferings and live a crucified life in conformity to His death. Such sufferings are mainly for producing and building up the Body of Christ.
Needing to Share in the Sufferings of Christ for His Body Which Are Still Going On
In a very real sense, Christ’s sufferings have not yet been completed. Consider Paul’s word in Colossians 1:24: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf, and fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His Body, which is the church.” As the Head, Christ’s sufferings for the accomplishment of redemption are complete, but the sufferings of Christ for the producing and building up of the Body are not yet finished. Such sufferings are also called “His sufferings.” Furthermore, in Colossians 1:24 Paul regarded his own sufferings as the filling up of what is lacking of Christ’s sufferings for His Body. For this reason, Paul indicates in Philippians 3:10 that we still need to share in Christ’s sufferings. The sufferings of Christ for His Body are still going on, and we need to share in them. When Christ was on earth, He suffered. As those who follow Him, we must share in His sufferings for His Body. If we would know Christ by experiencing the power of His resurrection, we must share His sufferings.
There is a difference between those sufferings which are for our transformation and those which are for the Body. Paul’s word in 3:10 does not refer to suffering for transformation. If we compare 3:10 with Colossians 1:24, we shall see that the sufferings about which he is speaking in 3:10 are those which make up the lack of Christ’s afflictions for the Body. It is when we suffer for the Body that we experience the power of Christ’s resurrection.
Being in the Power of His Resurrection Rather Than Our Natural Life
In order to experience Christ, we must be in the power of His resurrection. We cannot be in our natural life. The more we know the power of Christ’s resurrection, the more we shall participate in the sufferings of Christ and thereby have the fellowship of His sufferings. To know Christ in these aspects is truly to experience Him and enjoy Him.
It is crucial for us to realize that Christ is in resurrection. When we experience Christ in His resurrection, we are infused with all the elements of resurrection, and this infusion enables us to partake of His sufferings for the Body. In other words, we must have the dispensing of Christ’s resurrection so that we may experience His cross, His death. It is by knowing Christ’s resurrection that we experience His death.
Whereas Christ first passed through death and entered into resurrection, we first enjoy His resurrection and then we experience His death. The more we know His resurrection, the more we shall be put into His death to share in the fellowship of His sufferings.
In 1 Corinthians 1:9 Paul speaks of being called by God into the fellowship of His Son. All believers desire to enter into the fellowship of the Son of God. However, in Philippians 3:10 Paul speaks of the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, something in which we are not naturally inclined to share. But the more we experience Christ’s sufferings, the more we shall gain Christ. In other words, the more we experience the cross, the more we experience Christ. God gives us the cross, and the cross gives us Christ. We all need to have more experience of these things. (Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 142)
Filling up What Is Lacking of the Afflictions of Christ
In 1:24 Paul says, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf, and fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His Body, which is the church.” When I first read this verse, I was surprised and troubled. I wondered how there could be any lack in the sufferings of Christ. At the time, I was fully under the religious concept that it was impossible for Christ to have any lack. Nevertheless, in this verse Paul says clearly that he was to “fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ.”
Two Kinds of Suffering
Are not the sufferings of Christ already complete? How can it be necessary for the afflictions of Christ on behalf of the Body to be completed? The Lord Jesus underwent two kinds of suffering: the suffering for redemption and the suffering for producing and building up the Body, the church. None of us can have any share in His suffering for redemption. To say that we can participate in this suffering is to speak blasphemy. He alone is the Redeemer, and the suffering for redemption was fully accomplished by Him. We are neither qualified nor positioned to share in the Lord’s suffering for redemption. In typology, on the day of atonement, only the high priest, who made atonement for the people, was allowed to enter into the Holy of Holies. The high priest was a figure of Christ as the unique One capable of accomplishing redemption and qualified to do it.
A number of verses speak of Christ’s sufferings for the accomplishment of redemption. For example, 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” Christ, the righteous One, died for the unrighteous ones. He was the only One qualified to bear this kind of affliction. Hebrews 9:26 and Isaiah 53:3-5, 7-8 also indicate that Christ suffered to accomplish redemption on our behalf. In this suffering we have no share. It was borne by Christ alone.
Although we cannot participate in Christ’s suffering for redemption, if we are faithful to Him, we must share in His suffering for the producing and building up of His Body. Paul was a pattern for us in this matter. Immediately after his conversion, he began to share in this suffering of Christ, to partake of the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His Body.
This is contrary to the concept that nothing related to Christ can be lacking. According to this concept, whatever Christ is and does is complete. But here is a word telling us that at least one thing related to Christ is lacking—His afflictions for producing and building up His Body. For the producing of His Body, Christ suffered a great deal. But because this suffering has not been completed by Christ Himself, there is the need for His faithful ones to make up this shortage. Paul did not suffer for redemption, but he did suffer for the producing and building up of the Body of Christ.
The Apostle Paul was a pattern for the believers to follow (1 Tim. 1:16). We must consider Paul as a pattern, not as someone who was so high that no one else can be like he was. Because by the Lord’s mercy Paul was set up to be a pattern for us, whatever he was, we can be also. We must believe in the Lord’s mercy. If the mercy of the Lord made Paul a pattern, then His mercy can accomplish in us the same thing that it did in Paul. This means that just as Paul suffered for the producing and building up of the Body of Christ, so we must also suffer for the church.
Christ, of course, took the lead to suffer for the producing and building up of His Body. But the apostles and believers must follow Christ’s footsteps in suffering this kind of affliction. In John 12:24 the Lord Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” This verse does not speak of Christ’s redeeming death, but of His producing, generating death. Christ fell into the ground and died as a grain of wheat in order to produce many grains for the church. According to John 12:26, those who desire to serve Him must follow Him in this regard.
In Luke 12:50 the Lord Jesus said, “But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straightened till it be accomplished!” The word baptism in this verse refers to Christ’s all-inclusive death on the cross, a death that was not only for redemption, but also for producing the Body through the release of the divine life. As the Lord’s word to His disciples in Mark 10:38 and 39 makes clear, they also were to share in the baptism with which He Himself was to be baptized.
In Philippians 3:10 Paul speaks of knowing the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. These sufferings are not for redemption, but for the building up of the Body. We cannot have fellowship in Christ’s sufferings for redemption, but we need to have much fellowship in Christ’s sufferings for the church.
Suffering for the Saints
In 2 Timothy 2:10 Paul says, “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake.” This verse is a further indication that Paul suffered for the sake of the elect, God’s chosen people.
Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 1:5 and 6 say, “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” This is another indication of how much Paul suffered for the saints.
The Goal of Our Work
We need to follow the early apostles in making up the lack of Christ’s afflictions for the church. We also need to share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings for the building up of the church. The goal of our Christian work must be the building up of the church. However, if we care only for such activities as preaching the gospel or teaching the Bible, we may be welcomed and appreciated. But if the goal of our preaching and teaching is the building up of the church, we shall be opposed by the religious ones.
What is our goal in preaching the gospel? It is not simply to save sinners from hell. It is to obtain material for the building up of the Body of Christ. When I was in religion, I heard many messages encouraging us to preach the gospel. We were always asked to consider God’s love and sympathy for pitiful sinners, and we were told to have the same feeling toward them. Sometimes preachers would say, “Thousands are going to hell every day. Is your heart untouched by this?” Some would be inspired by this preaching and with tears respond to the altar call to become ministers of the gospel. The term “soul winning” is very common in today’s Christianity. But what is the purpose of soul winning? Have you ever heard that soul winning is for Body building? Nevertheless, Paul’s goal in preaching the gospel was the building up of the Body. This is why he was persecuted and why he suffered.
For the sake of the Body of Christ, the church, we need to fill up what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ. I can testify that I have been attacked and opposed simply because of my stand for the recovery of the church life. If you choose to stand for the church, be prepared for attack, misunderstanding, and rumors. Many evil things will be spoken concerning you. The reason for this is that the matter of the church stirs up the authority of darkness. Therefore, those who stand for the church must be prepared for the attack of the enemy. The Lord Jesus said, “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). This word indicates that the gates of Hades, the power of darkness, will do everything possible to frustrate the building up of the church. Praise the Lord that He has promised that the gates of Hades will not prevail!
If we are faithful and honest with respect to the Lord’s ministry and the stewardship of God for the building up of the church, we shall suffer attack, opposition, and evil speaking. In view of this, we need to look to the Lord that we may be covered by His prevailing blood. We also need to pray that the Lord may hide us in Himself as our high tower. As we hide in the Lord during times of suffering and affliction, we share in the fellowship of His sufferings. In this way we fill up what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for the sake of the church. (Life-study of Colossians, msg. 12)