THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Divine Dispensing
Message Seven—The Divine Dispensing in the Ministry of Paul
Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 2:2; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8, 10; 2 Cor. 4:5; Rom. 10:12; Eph. 4:5; Rom. 8:3, 32; 1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17; Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:3
I. Paul has presented us many items of what Christ is; in Paul’s ministry Christ is ministered solely—1 Cor. 2:2:
A. First of all Paul ministered Christ as God the Creator; His creation has a goal, that of dispensing Himself into His created man—Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8, 10.
B. Paul ministered Christ as the Lord of all; the Lord of all does not mean the Lord of all things, but the Lord of all men—2 Cor. 4:5; Rom. 10:12; Eph. 4:5.
C. God sent His Son to dispense God into us; the main purpose of Christ’s coming is to dispense Himself into us—John 10:10b.
D. Christ as the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit; our Christ is the Spirit that dispenses life into us—1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17; 1 Pet. 5:10.
E. Christ is the embodiment of the Triune God; whatever God the Father is, whatever God the Son is, and whatever God the Spirit is, is all embodied in this one Person; for dispensing God into us—Col. 2:9.
F. The Lord Jesus is the effulgence, the expression, of God’s glory, and He is the very image, the expression of God’s substance; this is for the purpose of dispensing and infusing God into our being—Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:15.
G. Christ is the Apostle sent by God to minister God Himself to us—Heb. 3:1.
H. Christ is the Captain of God’s salvation for dispensing the life of God into us—Heb. 2:10.
I. Christ is also the Savior; for the purpose of dispensing God into us, His saved ones—Titus 2:13.
J. Hebrews 6:20 tells us that Christ is the Forerunner; He was the forerunner, running from anything other than God into God; Christ took the lead to run this race, and He is bringing us into God.
K. As our High Priest He prays for us and takes care of our case; He sustains us and supplies us with all our need for the purpose of dispensing God into us—Heb. 4:14; 7:26.
L. Christ is also the offerings for sin and sins; taking away our sin, to remove the obstacle so that God can have a free way to dispense Himself into us—Heb. 9:26, 28; 10:12.
M. Christ is also our Passover; for the dispensing of life into the redeemed ones—1 Cor. 5:7.
N. First Timothy 2:5 says that Christ is our Mediator; there were problems between us and God, but Christ is our Mediator to make everything right so that God can dispense Himself into us.
O. Christ is the surety of the better covenant; Jesus Christ is both the guarantee and the guarantor for dispensing God into us—Heb. 7:22.
P. Christ is the Mediator between God and us, and He is also the Mediator of the new covenant, the new contract; the Lord Jesus always wins our case before God—Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24.
Q. Christ is the beginning and the ending, of our faith; this faith is for God to dispense Himself into us for our enjoyment—Heb. 12:2.
R. Christ is the great Shepherd of the sheep; to feed us with God as our nourishment so that we may have more and more of the divine life dispensed into us—Heb. 13:20.
S. The divine riches, the unsearchable riches, of Christ; so that all the believers might receive more of God, more of the divine life—Eph. 3:8.
T. The divine life is the first item of the divine riches which God dispenses into us—Col. 3:4.
U. Whenever the divine life is dispensed into us, we have the power and wisdom, the righteousness, sanctification, and redemption—1 Cor. 1:24, 30.
V. The Lord Jesus Christ is our foundation so that God may dispense Himself into us all the time in a solid way—1 Cor. 3:11.
W. Our Lord Jesus is our food, our drink, and our clothing; we eat of Him, we drink of Him, and we put Him on as our clothing—1 Cor. 10:3-4; Gal. 3:27.
X. The Lord Jesus is also our treasure within us; such a treasure within us is God dispensed into us—2 Cor. 4:7.
Y. He is also our savor, a fragrant smell outside of us; this is the issue of God’s dispensing Himself into us—2 Cor. 2:14.
Z. Christ is our home; we are living and dwelling in Him; so that God can dispense Himself into us—Phil. 3:9a.
AA. According to Colossians 1:27 Christ is our hope of glory; God infuses us and dispenses Himself into us, and this dispensing brings us into glory.
AB. Christ is the Firstborn Son of God—Col. 1:18; Rom. 8:29; Heb. 1:5-6.
AC. He is Head of all things so that God might be dispensed into us—Eph. 1:22.
AD. Christ is the Head of the Body; whatever Christ, the Head, attained and obtained is transmitted to the church, His Body—Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23.
AE. He is our husband so that He might dispense all the riches of God which are embodied in Him into our being—Col. 2:9; 2 Cor. 11:2.
AF. Christ was the first one raised from among the dead as the firstfruit of resurrection; since He, the Head of the Body, has been resurrected, we, the Body, shall also be resurrected; this is also to enjoy the dispensing of the divine life—1 Cor. 15:20, 23.
AG. As the last Adam, Christ on the one hand terminated the old man, and on the other hand, He became the life-giving Spirit so that God could be dispensed into us to be our life that we may be God’s new creation—1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 5:17.
AH. Christ is not only the last Adam but also the second Man; as a part of the second Man, our origin is God, and our nature is heavenly; this is also for the dispensing of the divine life—1 Cor. 15:47.
AI. What a wonderful Christ! He is so rich for the dispensing of God into our being—Eph. 3:8; Rom. 8:10, 6, 11.
II. The entire church is the issue of the dispensing of our Father; the church is altogether a matter of the dispensing of life; the church is the total dispensing of God into His chosen people—Eph. 1:22-23:
A. In that one resurrection of Christ, that one delivery, millions of children were born, they are just the totality of God’s dispensing; and this totality becomes the church which is His Body; this is also His fullness—Eph. 1:22-23.
B. When Christ is ministered and the church is produced, they two become the corporate Christ; the ministered Christ with the church produced out of Him becomes the corporate Christ—1 Cor. 12:12.
C. God has been dispensing Himself throughout all the generations, and the ultimate issue will be the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth; we need to live by the divine dispensing day after day we all must be under this dispensing—1 Thes. 3:16; Rev. 21:2.
Ministry Excerpts:
In this message we come to God’s dispensation in the ministry of Paul. Paul has presented us many items of what Christ is. Thirty-four items are covered in this message, all of which are concerning Christ in God’s dispensation. In Paul’s ministry Christ is ministered solely (1 Cor. 2:2):
AS GOD THE CREATOR
First of all Paul ministered Christ as God the Creator (Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8, 10). God the Creator is not just for creation. His creation has a goal, that of dispensing Himself into His created man.
AS THE LORD OF ALL
Paul ministered Christ as the Lord of all (2 Cor. 4:5; Rom. 10:12; Eph. 4:5). The Lord of all does not mean the Lord of all things, but the Lord of all men. This is a quotation from Romans 10:12 which says that “the same Lord of all is rich to all who call upon Him.” How can He, as the Lord of all, be rich to you? He has to be dispensed into you. If the Lord Jesus has not been dispensed into you, and you do not have Him within you, He cannot be rich to you for your enjoyment. The Lord who is within you is the Lord of all, who is rich to you.
As the Son of God
Romans 8:3 reads, “For, the law being impossible in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” When the law could not work out God’s purpose, He sent His Son to fulfill His purpose. Never forget that the purpose of God is to dispense Himself into us. The law cannot give us life (Gal. 3:21) for the dispensing of God into us. The law can only require us to do good. The law could not dispense anything into our being, so God sent His Son to dispense God into us. The main purpose of Christ’s coming is to dispense Himself into us.
As the Spirit that Gives Life
Christ as the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17). We could also substitute the word dispensing for the word giving. He became the life-dispensing Spirit. Our Christ is the Spirit that dispenses life into us. If Christ had not become the Spirit, He could not get into us. Spirit in Greek is pneuma, which also means air or wind. Christ is the Spirit, the air, and the wind for getting into us. Nothing could get into us so easily and thoroughly and continuously as the air. While I am speaking and you are listening, we are unconsciously getting air into us. This is a picture of Christ. We have our life in Him just like we have our life in the air.
Why do we call upon the Lord’s name? This is our breathing. Even this is our deep breathing. Physically speaking deep breathing is very healthy. To cry, O Lord Jesus! is deep breathing. If you practice this, you will see how healthy you will be. Sometimes it may seem that you cannot bear the murmuring and the long face of your wife. Then you need to call upon the Name. Don’t forget that you are Enosh, a fragile man, who calls upon the name of the eternal One (Gen. 4:26). If you call upon the name of the Lord Jesus you will be energized. For example, you should not drive a car with a flat tire. That means it is short of air. Too many Christians today are short of the spiritual air. They have a “flat tire.” Some do not come to the meetings because they have a “flat tire.” They may say that they have problems with their wife or problems with a certain brother or problems with the elders. This is a flat tire. Don’t blame your wife or that certain brother or the elders. Blame your flat tire. You have to go to the “gas station” and get some air for your flat tire. Where is the gas station? It is the church! Come to the church, and you would get the air. You will be filled up with the living air. Call on His name to be filled with air. This is the Spirit that dispenses life.
As the Embodiment of the Triune God
Christ is the embodiment of the Triune God (Col. 2:9). Whatever God the Father is, whatever God the Son is, and whatever God the Spirit is, is all embodied in this one Person. Within Him are all the divine riches for dispensing God into us.
As the Effulgence of God’s Glory and the Image of the Substance
The Lord Jesus is the effulgence, the expression, of God’s glory, and He is the very image, the expression of God’s substance (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:15). He is the very expression of what God is. Again this is for the purpose of dispensing and infusing God into our being.
As the Apostle
Christ is the Apostle sent by God to minister God Himself to us (Heb. 3:1). A sent one, an apostle, is the one who brings something to others. Christ was the first Apostle in God’s New Testament economy sent by God and from God to bring God to us.
As the Captain of Salvation
He is not only the Apostle, but also the Captain of salvation (Heb. 2:10). God’s salvation is a fighting, a battle. For fighting there is the need of an army, and for the army there is the need of the captain. Christ is the Captain of God’s salvation for dispensing the life of God into us.
As the Savior
Christ is also the Savior (Titus 2:13). By reading Titus 2:13 carefully you can see that our Savior is just the great God. Jesus Christ is both the Savior and the great God to us. He is the great God becoming our Savior for the purpose of dispensing God into us, His saved ones.
As the Forerunner
Hebrews 6:20 tells us that Christ is the Forerunner. We are all runners, running from all the things outside of God. We run into God. The first One who was running into God was the man Jesus Christ, the Nazarene. He was the forerunner, running from anything other than God into God. He is now within the veil in the Holy of Holies where God is. He was the first to get there. He was the forerunner, and we also are running the same race. We are running into God. Christ took the lead to run this race, and He is bringing us into God.
As the High Priest
As our High Priest He prays for us and takes care of our case (Heb. 4:14; 7:26). He sustains us and supplies us with all our need for the purpose of dispensing God into us.
As Offerings for Sin and Sins
Christ is also the offerings for sin and sins (Heb. 9:26, 28; 10:12). First of all He is the sin-offering. He is the offering for sin in the singular number, referring to our sinful nature. Then He is also the offering for sins, in the plural number. These are our trespasses and offenses and wrongdoings. Christ is the offering both for sin and sins. Sin is the biggest obstacle which frustrates God from dispensing Himself into us. Christ has solved this problem, taking away our sin, to remove the obstacle so that God can have a free way to dispense Himself into us. He “offered one sacrifice for sins,” dealing with all our trespasses and wrongdoings. Hallelujah! Today the way is fully cleared up for us to contact God and for God to dispense Himself into us. There is a free way and a free course for God to dispense Himself into us.
As the Passover
Christ is also our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7). Because we have Christ, nothing can condemn us (Rom. 8:1). Even God cannot condemn us (Rom. 8:33). We have such a Passover. On the day of the Passover the blood of the lamb was shed for all the children of Israel, and God’s condemnation passed over them. That was the Passover so that the children of Israel might eat the meat of the lamb to receive life. So the Passover is for the dispensing of life into the redeemed ones.
As the Mediator
First Timothy 2:5 says that Christ is our Mediator. A mediator is a middle man. When there are problems between two parties, there is the need of a mediator. There were problems between us and God, but Christ is our Mediator to make everything right so that God can dispense Himself into us.
As the Surety of the Better Covenant
Christ is the surety of the better covenant (Heb. 7:22). With an agreement or contract, there is the need of a guarantee or a guarantor. Jesus Christ is both the guarantee and the guarantor for dispensing God into us. In order for God to dispense Himself into us He made a covenant with us. To assure us of His dispensing Himself into us, God signed the contract. Christ is the guarantee and the guarantor, the surety, of this contract.
As the Mediator of the New Covenant
Christ is the Mediator between God and us, and He is also the Mediator of the new covenant, the new contract (Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). This means that Christ is like an attorney who is always pleading our case before God. The Lord Jesus always wins our case before God. We have a good attorney. He wins the case for us, and He also protects God so that God can continue to flow into us. Our attorney has fully taken care of the case according to the contract which was sealed by His blood (Heb. 10:29).
As the Author and Perfecter of Faith
Faith is the way to enjoy God, but we do not have faith in ourselves. Our faith can only last a short time. But Christ is the Author, the Originator, and the Perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2). This means that He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the ending, of our faith. In other words He is our faith, and this faith lasts forever. If you feel that your faith is weak, you had better call on the Lord’s name: Lord Jesus! O Lord Jesus! After calling a few times you will have faith within you. Faith is nothing less than Christ Himself. He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. When we have Him we have faith, and this faith is for God to dispense Himself into us for our enjoyment.
As the Great Shepherd
Christ is the great Shepherd of the sheep (Heb. 13:20). What is the difference between a shepherd and a priest or between a shepherd and a forerunner? None of the other titles is so tender as shepherd. The shepherd is very tender toward the sheep. We are God’s flock, and this flock needs the shepherd. A shepherd takes care of all the needs of the flock. His main goal is to feed the flock. He does everything for the flock so that the flock may eat properly. This is the dispensing of life. The feeding on the grass is to receive the life supply, so the shepherd’s business is to dispense life into the sheep. Our great Shepherd, Christ, feeds us with God as the green pasture. This is to dispense God’s divine life into our being. Many Christians are familiar with Psalm 23 which says that the Lord is our Shepherd, but they may not realize that Christ is our Shepherd to dispense God into us as our nourishment so that we may have more of the divine life. This point has been neglected among the Christians. Our burden is to tell all the Christians today that the Lord Jesus shepherds us to feed us with God as our nourishment so that we may have more and more of the divine life dispensed into us.
As the Divine Riches
The next item is the divine riches, the unsearchable riches, of Christ (Eph. 3:8). Paul said that he preached the unsearchable riches of Christ. Paul was not preaching mere doctrine. He preached the unsearchable riches of Christ so that all the believers might receive more of God, more of the divine life.
As the Divine Life
By enjoying the divine riches, you have the divine life (Col. 3:4). The divine life is the first item of the divine riches which God dispenses into us.
As Power and Wisdom: Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption
Whenever the divine life is dispensed into us, we have the power and wisdom, the righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor. 1:24, 30). Christ is God’s power and wisdom. When He is dispensed into us He becomes our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
As the Foundation
Christ is also the foundation (1 Cor. 3:11). We are not a floating people. We are a people founded on the solid foundation. I am not afraid of all the attacks of the opposing ones because I am solidly founded. I have a solid foundation, my Lord Jesus Christ. The more they attack, the more I enjoy the dispensing of God because I am on a solid foundation. Our standing is not sinking sand; our foundation is the solid rock. The Lord Jesus Christ is our foundation so that God may dispense Himself into us all the time in a solid way.
As the Believers’ Food, Drink, and Clothing
Our Lord Jesus is our food, our drink, and our clothing (1 Cor. 10:3-4; Gal. 3:27). We eat of Him, we drink of Him, and we put Him on as our clothing. In the wilderness the Israelites ate the spiritual food, the manna, and drank of a spiritual rock which followed them. Paul told us that the rock was Christ. Paul also told us that “as many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” This means we put Him on as our spiritual clothing. Hallelujah! He surely is the reality of all our daily necessities.
As the Believers’ Treasure Within
The Lord Jesus is also our treasure within us (2 Cor. 4:7). As we enjoy Him by eating of Him and drinking of Him and putting Him on as our clothing He becomes our treasure. Such a treasure within us is God dispensed into us.
As the Believers’ Savor Without
He is also our savor, a fragrant smell outside of us (2 Cor. 2:14). Christ has infused us with God, and this infused God becomes a sweet fragrance for others to enjoy. This is the issue of God’s dispensing Himself into us.
As the Believers’ Dwelling Place
He is also our dwelling place. Christ is our home. We are living and dwelling in Him. Paul aspired to be found in Christ (Phil. 3:9a). When we stay in a house a long time, that house becomes our dwelling place. Christ is our dwelling place so that God can dispense Himself into us.
As the Hope of Glory
According to Colossians 1:27 Christ is our hope of glory. We have a hope waiting for us. We are going into glory. Glory is our goal! We can arrive at our goal by being infused with God all the day. God infuses us and dispenses Himself into us, and this dispensing brings us into glory. This is our hope.
As the Firstborn Son of God
Christ is the Firstborn Son of God (Col. 1:18; Rom. 8:29; Heb. 1:5-6). According to Colossians 1:18 the Lord Jesus is the Firstborn from among the dead. This means He is the Firstborn in resurrection, in the new creation. Romans 8:29 says that “whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He should be the Firstborn among many brothers.” Through His resurrection He has brought forth many sons of God, many brothers of the Firstborn. Hebrews 1:6 says, “And, when He brings again the Firstborn into the inhabited earth, He says, And let all the angels of God worship Him.” In His first coming He was God’s only begotten Son (John 1:18; 3:16). Through the process of the death and resurrection the only begotten Son became the Firstborn among many brothers (Rom. 8:29).
As the Head of All Things
Ephesians 1:22 says that “He subjected all things under His feet, and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church.” God’s great power that operated in Christ gave Him to be Head over all things to the church. The headship of Christ over all things is a gift from God to Him. It was through God’s surpassingly great power that Christ received the headship over the whole universe. He is Head of all things so that God might be dispensed into us.
As the Head of the Body
Christ is the Head of the Body (Col. 1:18; Eph. 1:22-23). Christ is not only the Head of all things in a general way, but also the Head of the Body, the church. Whatever Christ, the Head, attained and obtained is transmitted to the church, His Body. In this transmission the church shares with Christ all His attainments: the resurrection from among the dead, being seated in His transcendency, the subjection of all things under His feet, and the headship over all things.
As the Husband
Second Corinthians 11:2 reads, “For I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband, to present a pure virgin to Christ.” He is our husband so that He might dispense all the riches of God which are embodied in Him (Col. 2:9) into our being.
As the Firstfruit
First Corinthians 15:20 says, “But now Christ has been raised from among the dead, the firstfruit of those who have fallen asleep.” Verse 23 says, “But each one in his own order: the firstfruit, Christ; after that those who are Christ’s at His coming.” Christ was the first one raised from among the dead as the firstfruit of resurrection. Since He, the Head of the Body, has been resurrected, we, the Body, shall also be resurrected. This is also to enjoy the dispensing of the divine life.
As the Last Adam
Christ was the last Adam. First Corinthians 15:45 says, “So also it is written, The first man, Adam, became a living soul; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.” As the last Adam, Christ on the one hand terminated the old man, and on the other hand, He became the life-giving Spirit so that God could be dispensed into us to be our life that we may be God’s new creation.
As the Second Man
First Corinthians 15:47 says, “The first man is out of the earth, earthy; the second Man is out of heaven.” Christ is not only the last Adam but also the second Man. The first Adam is the beginning of the old man in the old creation; the last Adam is the ending, the termination of the old man in the old creation.
We believers were included in the first man by birth, and we became a part of the second Man by regeneration. Our belief has transferred us out of the first man into the second. As a part of the first man, our origin is the earth, and our nature is earthy. As a part of the second Man, our origin is God, and our nature is heavenly. This is also for the dispensing of the divine life.
All these points indicate that Christ is everything to us so that God can dispense Himself into us. What a wonderful Christ! He is so rich for the dispensing of God into our being. (The Divine Dispensing of the Divine Trinity, ch. 7)
The Church Produced
Now we come to the issue of God’s dispensing. In order for God to dispense Himself into us, Christ is many items. In the foregoing message we covered thirty-four of those items. Of those thirty-four items, one item is very significant, that is, Christ is the firstborn Son of God. In that one resurrection of Christ, that one delivery, millions of children were born. They are just the totality of God’s dispensing. And this totality becomes the church which is His Body (Eph. 1:22-23). This is also His fullness. Without the church, Christ has no fullness. This fullness of Christ is the house of God where God dwells. The fullness contains God, it is the temple of God. The temple is not only God’s house, but also our house. Not only does the Father live in this house, but all the children live in this house, too. Here in Stuttgart God has a temple as His own house which has become our house. We who are the children, the issue of His dispensing, and the Father, the source of this dispensing, dwell together in this house. This is the church life. Such a church life is the total issue of God’s continuous dispensing.
Christ Ministered and the Church Produced
When Christ is ministered and the church is produced, they two become the corporate Christ. The ministered Christ with the church produced out of Him becomes the corporate Christ (1 Cor. 12:12). The church itself is the fullness of Christ, the expression of Christ (Eph. 1:23); whereas the corporate Christ, that is, the individual Christ with the church as His Body, is the fullness of God, the expression of God (Eph. 3:19). First the church is the fullness of Christ, then Christ and the church become the fullness of God. God is manifested in such a corporate Christ who is the new man (Eph. 2:15; 4:22-24; Col. 3:10-11). This new man has Christ as his Head and the church as his Body, as a universal man for God’s expression and satisfaction. This will consummate in the New Jerusalem. God has been dispensing Himself throughout all the generations, and the ultimate issue will be the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth. The New Jerusalem will be just the fullness of the Triune God. Even as the church today is the fullness of Christ, so in the same principle, the New Jerusalem will be the fullness of the Triune God. Looking at the New Jerusalem, you can see that God is expressed in His fullness to the uttermost. It is the Triune God expressed in full in His dispensation. That will be the fulfillment of Ephesians 1:10. At the fullness of times God will head up all things in Christ. Today God only heads up the church in Christ on a smaller scale. But when the new heaven and the new earth come, God will head up the entire universe in Christ. That will be the total expression of God through His dispensing of Himself into His chosen people throughout all the generations.
You all need to see this. You need a vision that will change your concepts and your view and revolutionize your entire being. Then you will hate the ethical things such as improving your behavior and character. Then you will aspire for the divine things. You will aspire for the divine dispensing of the divine life, the divine nature, and the divine glory to be increased in your being. This is the Christian life, and this is the church life. This is the life that God is after. God wants a group of people redeemed and regenerated and living by the dispensing God. We need to live by the divine dispensing. Day after day we all must be under this dispensing. (The Divine Dispensing of the Divine Trinity, ch. 8)