The One New Man Fulfilling God’s Purpose in Creating Man
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Message Five
Laboring according to God’s Operation to Present Every Believer Full-grown in Christ for the Function and Consummation of the One New Man
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, Out from whom all the Body,……causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.—Eph.4:15-16
Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ; For which also I labor, struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power.—Col..1:28-29
Word of Appetizer
What need we do for the practical existence of the one new man and the function and consummation of the one new man?
For the practical existence of the one new man, we need to labor and struggle to present all the saints full-grown in Christ.
When the one new man was created in our spirit through regeneration, it was complete as far as organs are concerned; however, because the new man has not yet been completed in function, there is the need for growth and renewing. The one new man needs to grow and develop; as a result, the one new man will be perfect in function.
Spiritual Burden
When the one new man was created in our spirit through regeneration, it was complete as far as organs are concerned; however, because the new man has not yet been completed in function, there is the need for growth and renewing.
In order to arrive at a full-grown man for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, we need to grow up into Christ in all things. We all need to grow up into Christ in all things, that is, in every single thing, whether big or small.
For the practical existence of the one new man, we need to labor and struggle to present all the saints full-grown in Christ.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
For the one new man we all need to arrive at “a fullgrown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”.
In order to arrive at a full-grown man for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, we need to grow up into Christ in all things.
For the practical existence of the one new man, we need to labor and struggle to present all the saints full-grown in Christ.
When the one new man was created in our spirit through regeneration, it was complete as far as organs are concerned; however, because the new man has not yet been completed in function, there is the need for growth and renewing.
The New Jerusalem will be the final consummation of the universal one new man.
The Experience of Life
We all need God to grow, to increase, in us. God entered into us when we were regenerated, and now He is increasing within us by adding more of Himself to us. What we absorb of Christ into us—the element of the riches of Christ as the soil—becomes the increase of God in us.
Practice and Application
In order to arrive at a full-grown man for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, we need to grow up into Christ in all things. We all need to grow up into Christ in all things, that is, in every single thing, whether big or small.
For the practical existence of the one new man, we need to labor and struggle to present all the saints full-grown in Christ. Our goal in preaching the gospel to sinners and in fellowshipping with the saints is to minister Christ into them so that they may mature in Him and be presented full-grown in Him.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ—Eph.4:13
I. For the one new man we all need to arrive at “a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”.
- A full-grown man is a mature man; for this, maturity in life is necessary.
- The fullness of Christ is the Body of Christ, which has a stature with a measure.
- To arrive at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ is necessary for the practical oneness—the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of Christ.
- From the oneness in reality (vv. 3-6) we need to proceed to the oneness in practicality until we arrive at the three things mentioned in verse 13—the oneness, a full-grown man, and the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Key Verses (2)
That we may be no longer little children……But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.—Eph.4:14-16
II. In order to arrive at a full-grown man for the fulfillment of God’s purpose, we need to grow up into Christ in all things.
- To be no longer children (v. 14), we need to grow up into Christ; this is to have Christ increase in us in all things until we arrive at a full-grown man.
- Whereas taking Christ as our life is for the increase of the measure of the stature of the Body, taking Christ as our person is for the growth of the one new man.
- We all need to grow up into Christ in all things, that is, in every single thing, whether big or small.
- We grow up into the Head; the word Head here indicates that our growth in life by the increase of Christ should be the growth of the members in the Body under the Head.
- To grow in life is to grow with the growth of God; this means that true growth is the increase of God, the addition of God.
- Ephesians 4 speaks of the perfecting of the new man through the growth of life.
Key Verses (3)
Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ; For which also I labor, struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power.—Col..1:28-29
And He Himself gave some as apostles……For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ—Eph.4:11-12
III. We need to labor and struggle to present all the saints full-grown in Christ.
IV. the function of the new man
V. The New Jerusalem will be the final consummation of the universal one new man.
- For the practical existence of the one new man, we need to labor and struggle to present all the saints full-grown in Christ. Our goal in preaching the gospel to sinners and in fellowshipping with the saints is to minister Christ into them so that they may mature in Him and be presented full-grown in Him; this is for the growth of the new man.
- When the one new man was created in our spirit through regeneration, it was complete as far as organs are concerned; however, because the new man has not yet been completed in function, there is the need for growth and renewing. The growth of the new man results in the function of the new man.
- God’s goal is to have the universal one new man, which ultimately will consummate in the New Jerusalem.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 the three things that we arrive at mentioned in Ephesians4:13(Eph.4:13)
（Please illustrate that from the oneness in reality we need to proceed to the oneness in practicality.）
T2 We are perfected through being fed. This feeding causes us to grow. (Eph.4:16)
（Please illustrate that the members of the Body are perfected not by teaching, but through the feeding that causes them to grow.）
D2
T1 In order to grow into the Head, we must surely be in the Body.(Eph.4:15)
（Please illustrate that the spiritual meaning of growing into the Head）
T2 growing up into the Head in all things(Eph.4:15)
（Please illustrate by experience that to grow up into Christ is to grow up into the Spirit.）
D3
T1 To grow in life is to grow with the growth of God. (Col. 2:19)
（Please illustrate that true growth is the increase of God, the addition of God）
T2 We must come to the Word of God to eat each day. (Col. 2:19)
（Please illustrate that the growth of the Body is the product of enjoying Christ, holding Him as the Head, and absorbing His riches.）
D4
T1 distinguish between something that is perfect, or complete, organically and something that is perfect according to its function.(Eph.2:15;4:13-16)
（Please illustrate that in Ephesians 2 we see the creation of the new man organically, but in Ephesians 4 we see the perfecting of the new man in relation to his function.）
T2 the perfecting of the new man through the growth of life(Eph.4:13-16)
（Please illustrate that how the organically perfect new man will become perfect functionally）
D5
T1 present every man full-grown in Christ(Col.1:28)
（Please illustrate that our goal in preaching the gospel to sinners and in fellowshipping with the saints）
T2 struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power. (Col.1:28;Gen.2:5)
（Please illustrate that in presenting others full-grown in Christ we need to follow the principle set up in Genesis 2.）
D6
T1 The measure of our growth will be the sphere, the realm, of our function. (Eph.4:16)
（Please illustrate that we should not function in an individualistic way. Rather, we should function in the Body in the way of coordination. ）
T2 God’s intention is to have every believer able to do the things that the gifted persons do. (Eph.4:11)
（Please illustrate that the truth that the apostle Paul mentioned concerning the perfecting of the saints is the opposite of the practice of traditional Christianity. ）
