We need to learn the secret of being content in all things and all environments, the secret to living Christ; this secret is Christ Himself, for we are able to do all things in Christ who empowers us.
Paul testified in Phil. 4:12-13 that he knew how to be abased and how to abound, for in all things and in everything he learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack, for he was able to do all things in Him who empowered him. What a secret!
Paul was in prison when he wrote this, and even in such a situation he said that he learned the secret, for Christ was the secret of his sufficiency.
To learn the secret means that we are in a new situation, a new environment, and now we need to learn the secret of living in that environment.
In our Christian life, whenever we are in a certain environment for a long period of time and we get used to it and live Christ in it, the Lord changes it, for He wants us to be fresh and new with Him.
In all the environments that He arranges for us we need to be initiated by Him to learn the secret of living Christ, taking Him as our secret of sufficiency, and practice being able to do all things in Christ who empowers us.
Our Christian life and experience is a mystery, and we need to learn and be initiated into living Christ in all kinds of situations, environments, and circumstances; again and again we need to open to the Lord to enjoy Him, live Him, let Him make His home in our heart, be formed in us, and be expressed through us.
We need to be fresh and new with the Lord; whenever we are shined on that we are lukewarm and old, we need to have a fresh turn to the Lord, asking Him to grant us seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.
Christ is our freshness, and we want to enjoy Him and experience Him for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ.
As the Lord’s disciples, we are learners; we learn how to live Christ, how to abide in Christ, how to dwell in Him, and how to do all things in Christ who empowers us.
Hallelujah, on one hand Christ came into us at the time of our regeneration, and on the other, we were put into Christ! It is of God that we are in Christ Jesus, and today we can experience living in Christ and being one spirit with Him so that we may be able to do all things in Christ who empowers us!
Learning the Secret of being Able to do all things in Christ who Empowers us Inwardly
The secret Paul was speaking of in Phil. 4:12 is revealed in v. 13 where he says, I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.
The secret of sufficiency is Christ. The secret of being content no matter what the outward circumstances are is Christ. The secret of being content whether hungry or full, being received or being rejected, abounding or lacking – the secret is Christ.
Paul was a man in Christ (2 Cor. 12:2) and he desired to be found in Christ by others; now he declared that he was able to do all things in Him, in the very Christ who lived within him and empowered him. What an all-inclusive and concluding word on Paul’s experience of Christ!
The Lord Jesus spoke about it in John 15:5 when He said that, Apart from Me you can do nothing; now Paul testified that he can do all things in Christ who empowered him.
In our organic relationship with the Lord, we can do all things in Christ who empowers us, and apart from Him we can do nothing.
Christ empowers us; this means that Christ makes us dynamic inwardly. We may be a little tired or wearied because of the enemy’s tiring and wearing out work, but when we turn to the Christ who dwells in us, He makes us dynamic inwardly, and we are able to do all things in Christ who empowers us.
Christ dwells in us (Col. 1:27); He is our hope of glory, and He empowers us from within to live the Christian life and to manifest and express Christ.
Christ empowers us from within, making us dynamic and living from within (not from without); by such an inward empowering we are able to do all things in Christ. Amen!
Paul had been altogether in the Jewish religion under the law, and he had always been found by others in the law; at his conversion he was transferred from the law and his former religion into Christ, and he became “a man in Christ” (2 Cor. 12:2).
Hallelujah, at the time of our regeneration we have been transferred from anything of the old things into Christ to be men in Christ!
Now our expectation is that we would be found in Christ by all who observe us; whether it is our family members, our work mates, our class mates, our friends, everyone needs to find us in Christ.
Our aspiration should be that our whole being would be immersed and saturated with Christ so that all those around us would find us in Christ; when we are in Christ and Christ is in us, we are able to do all things in Christ who empowers us inwardly.
When we are found in Christ, Christ is expressed and magnified (Phil. 3:9; 1:20).
When we are found by others in Christ, as those enjoying the Lord, we will also bring others into the enjoyment of the Lord. May this be our daily experience; may we learn the secret of being able to do all things in Christ who empowers us inwardly!
Lord, we want to learn the secret of being able to do all things in Christ who empowers us inwardly. Thank You for transferring us out of any religion, culture, and thing into Christ; we are now men in Christ, and we can be found by others in Christ. Amen, Lord, may all those who observe us find us in Christ. May our whole being be immersed in and saturated with Christ so that we may fully be in Christ. You make us dynamic inwardly, Lord, and You are the secret of our sufficiency. We want to be found in You and be able to do all things in Christ who empowers us inwardly.
Christ Empowers us Inwardly to live a life that is True, Dignified, Righteous, Pure, Lovely, and Well-spoken of
On one hand, by the inward empowering of Christ, we can live a contented life (Phil. 4:11-12); on the other hand, by the inward empowering of Christ, we can be true, dignified, righteous, pure, lovely, and well-spoken of (v. 8).
As persons in Christ, who empowers us, we are able to live out every kind of virtue.
When we are found in Christ and we live Christ, we can live out the divine virtues expressed through our human virtues, and we can therefore magnify Christ in His unlimited greatness.
These six virtues mentioned in v. 8 are actually part of God’s expression, His image.
God created us in His image, that is, in His attributes of love, light, holiness, and righteousness; through the fall, we have lost the image of God, but through regeneration, we have received the life that can actually express God in us.
In our human nature we have some virtues, but there’s no reality; there’s no way that we would continually be loving, caring, full of light, righteous, or holy.
However, when we are in Christ and are able to do all things in Christ who empowers us, we can live out the virtues of things that are true, dignified, righteous, pure, lovely, and well-spoken of; these are the expression of the divine attributes.
The Christ who lives in us empowers us for us to live a life of the highest human virtues; in this Christ who empowers us, we can be true, dignified, righteous, pure, lovely, and well-spoken of.
Living such a life of the highest human virtues is not easy; it is more difficult to live such a life than to do a Christian work.
It is easier to preach the gospel, teach the Bible, and even establish churches, than to live a life of the highest human virtues, a life of being able to do all things in Christ who empowers us.
In order for us to live Christ as our human virtues for the expression of the divine attributes, we need to be empowered by the indwelling Christ.
This means that we need to cooperate with the indwelling Christ so that He may live in us (Gal. 2:20), be formed in us (4:19), make His home in us (Eph. 3:17), and be magnified in us (Phil. 1:20).
If we don’t let Christ live in us, be formed in us, make His home in us, and be magnified in us, He cannot empower us to live a life that is true, dignified, righteous, pure, lovely, and well-spoken of.
Many times we think that for Christ to empower us is for us to do a Christian work, a great work for Him; yes, we do need Christ to empower us to do a work for Him, but actually we need Christ to empower us from within so that we may live a contented life and a life of expressing Him through our human virtues.
We need Christ’s inward empowering to live a contented life and a life of magnifying Christ in His unlimited greatness. When Christ empowers us, we magnify Christ, we enlarge Him in the view of others, making Him great in their view and extolling Him.
Lord, thank You for being in us as the empowering One; it is by Your empowering that we can live a life expressing the highest human virtues. Amen, Lord, we need Your inward empowering not only to live a contented life but also to live You as our human virtues and thereby to magnify You in Your unlimited greatness. It is only by Your inward empowering that we can live a life that is true, dignified, righteous, holy, pure, lovely, and well-spoken of. Amen, Lord, may we experience You as the empowering One enabling us to do all things in You by letting You live in us, being formed in us, make home in us, and be magnified in us!
This article can also be read in the Romanian language / Citiți acest articol în limba română vizitând următorul link, Putem face toate lucrurile în Cristos care ne întărește să trăim cele mai înalte virtuți.
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Ed Marks for this week, and portions from, The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 351 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Experience of Christ (2019 Memorial Day Conference), week 4, Abiding in Christ as the Empowering One—the Secret of Experiencing Christ.
- Hymns on this topic:
# I am able to do all things / In Him who empowers me. / Nevertheless you did well / To have fellowship with me / In my affliction. (Song on, Secret to be content)
# I am crucified with Jesus, / And He lives and dwells with me; / I have ceased from all my struggling, / ’Tis no longer I, but He. / All my will is yielding to Him, / And His Spirit reigns within; / And His precious blood each moment / Keeps me cleansed and free from sin. (Hymns #564)
# I am the vine, / You are the branches; / He who abides in Me / And I in him, / He bears much fruit, / For apart from Me, / Apart from Me / You can do nothing. (Scripture song)
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