Knowing, Experiencing, And Enjoying Christ
As Revealed In Philippians
Message Five
Knowing the Fellowship of Christ’s Sufferings
and Being Conformed to His Death
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Phil. 3:10 To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
Col. 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His Body, which is the church.
Word of Appetizer
What are the two categories of Christ’s sufferings?
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.
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.
Spiritual Burden
Like Paul, we should aspire to know and experience Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings and to be conformed to His death as the mold of the Christian life.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Paul aspired to know the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings; 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.
In Philippians 3:10 Paul spoke of “being conformed to His death”; this expression indicates that Paul desired to take Christ’s death as the mold of his life. Being conformed to Christ’s death indicates that His death is a mold. The mold of Christ’s death refers to Christ’s experience of continually putting to death His human life that He might live by the life of God.
The Experience of Life
The sufferings of Christ fo st in us leads us, carries us, bears us, and places us into the mold of Christ’s death.
Practice and Application
We first receive 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.
Our life should be conformed to such a mold—dying to our human life in order to live the divine life. If we allow our circumstances to press us into this mold, our daily life will be molded into the form of Christ’s death.
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 The participation in Christ’s sufferings-“the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10; Col. 1:24)
(Please illustrate that 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.)
T2 Enjoying death through the power of resurrection (Phil. 3:10; 2 Tim. 2:11)
(Please illustrate that like A. B. Simpson, we shall go all the way to Calvary, not sorrowfully and with weeping, but joyfully and with singing.)
Day 2
T1 The sufferings of Christ (Col. 1:24; John 1:10-11)
(Please illustrate that the two kinds of sufferings the Lord Jesus had.)
T2 Not all the sufferings you undergo are for the building up of the Body (Phil. 3:10; Col. 1:24)
(Please illustrate that how we differentiate between two kinds of sufferings, the sufferings of Christ and the sufferings that come from our mistakes.)
Day 3
T1 The sufferings of Christ for His Body are still going on, and we need to share in them (Phil. 3:10; Col. 1:24)
(Please illustrate that 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.)
T2 Not all of the sufferings experienced by Christians are of the same category (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:10)
(Please illustrate that what are at least three kinds of sufferings Christians may experience.)
Day 4
T1 Conformed to His death (Phil. 3:10; Rom. 6:5)
(Please illustrate that the death of Adam is terrible, the death of Christ, however, is precious and lovable.)
T2 To be conformed to the death of Christ indicates that Christ’s death is a mold (John 11:25; Phil. 3:10)
(Please illustrate that the resurrection life puts us all into the mold of Christ’s death to conform us into the form of His death.)
Day 5
T1 Being conformed to Christ’s death should be our experience day by day (Phil. 3:10; Gal. 2:20)
(Please illustrate that The mold of Christ’s death refers to Christ’s continually putting to death His natural life so that He might live by the life of God.)
T2 The way to know Christ in an experiential way (John 6:57; Matt. 16:24)
(Please illustrate that what are the four important matters in Philippians chapter 3 verse 10.)
Day 6
T1 The form of Christ’s death does not bear any indication of the natural man, the old man, or the self (Matt. 16:24; Rom. 6:3-4)
(Please illustrate that in Christ’s death our natural man with the natural life, the old man, and the self are continually put to death.)
T2 The mold of Christ’s death is to live a life of denying our natural life under the crucifixion of Christ (Rom. 6:3-4)
(Please illustrate that in everything we must deny our natural life. This is to apply death to ourselves.)
