The Meek King Coming to Save

Don't Fret Because of Evildoers
…10Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. 11But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. 12The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth.…




Bible Verses


Mark 11:7  And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their
garments on it, and He sat on it.  8  And many spread their
garments in the road, and others spread layers of branches
full of tender leaves, having cut them out of the fields. 
9  And those who went before and those who followed cried out,
Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! 
10  Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!
Hosanna in the highest!

 Words of Ministry 

In Zechariah 9:9, and Psalm 118:26 we have the prophecy 

concerning Christ as the meek King mounting a donkey’s colt 

and entering Jerusalem triumphantly, to whom the crowds cried, 

“Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord.” This 

prophecy is actually related to Christ’s death. The Lord 

purposely went back to Jerusalem not to minister but to 

present Himself as the Lamb of God to be crucified. Therefore, 

His mounting a donkey’s colt and entering Jerusalem 

triumphantly was for His wonderful, all-inclusive death.

Garments [in v. 8] signify the human virtues of people’s 

conduct. The disciples honored the lowly King by putting their 

garments on the donkey and colt for Him to ride on, and the 

crowd honored Him by spreading their garments in the road for 

Him to pass through. In verse 8 we are told that others cut 

branches from the trees and spread them in the road. These 

were branches of the palm tree (John 12:13), signifying the 

victorious life (Rev. 7:9) and the satisfaction of enjoying 

the rich produce of this life as typified by the feast of 

tabernacles (Lev. 23:40; Neh. 8:15). A palm tree is rooted 

deeply in hidden springs and grows prevailingly upward into 

the air. This signifies the victorious life. In honoring the 

meek King with whatever they were, the people recognized that 

He was the One with the victorious life.

The Hebrew word hosanna means “save now” (Psa. 118:25). In the 

warm welcome of the King, the people shouted out a quotation 

from Psalm 118:26: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the 

Lord.” According to Psalm 118, only the One who came in the 

name of the Lord was qualified to be praised in such a way. 

Thus, the spontaneous praise of the people sovereignly 

indicated that this meek King came not in His own name but in 

the name of Jehovah. Those who welcomed the King indicated 

through their praise that He was the One sent by the Lord, 

thus the One who came in the name of the Lord. 

What Kind of Life Does Christ Want to Give Us?

 Bible Verses 
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life;
10:10 I have come that they may have life and may have it
abundantly.
1 Cor 15:45 ...the last Adam [Christ] became a life-giving
Spirit.

 Words of Ministry

What is this life that the Spirit gives? We know that there 

are many forms of life. In this world there are the plant 

life and animal life. The plant life is lower and the animal 

life is higher. Even higher than these two kinds of life is 

the human life. All these forms of life are wonderful; but 

there is a fourth kind of life—the divine life, which is 

God's uncreated life.

Being divine means being of God, having the nature of God, 

and being transcendent and distinct from all others. Only God 

is divine, so His life is divine. Furthermore, God's life is 

eternal and uncreated; it has no beginning and no end. All of 

us were born at a certain time and all of us realize that our 

human life will have a definite ending in death. However, 

God's life has no beginning, and it will continue in 

perpetuity. God's eternal life not only endures forever, but 

in quality it is absolutely perfect and complete, without any 

shortage or defect.

This eternal life is also indestructible and indissoluble. If 

you put the human life into the grave, it will soon decay and 

decompose. But if you put the eternal life into the grave, 

the grave will burst. If you place this life in any negative 

situation, that situation will be powerless to hold it down. 

The eternal life of God is an indestructible life, and 

nothing on earth, in heaven, or in hell can destroy it.

This is the life that Christ as the Spirit gives to us. It is 

much better than the religion that man has invented.

Rivers of Living Water

Bible Verses
John 7:37-39 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him
come to Me and drink. (38) He who believes into Me, as the
Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers
of living water. (39) But this He said concerning the Spirit,
whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for
the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been
glorified.

 Words of Ministry 
In the Gospel of John, at the end of the greatest religious
festival of that day, Christ stood up and said that if any
man was thirsty, he could come to Him and drink. In saying
this, Christ was speaking about the Spirit. It is strange
that the people could still be thirsty at the end of a great
religious festival. But the truth is that no outward
religious observances can satisfy a man's inner thirst. 
The
more we observe religious practices, the more we
 will be thirsty. 

What we need is a drink of the living water. 
Here
the Spirit is likened to “rivers of living water.” This 
living water was not there at the time Christ spoke these
words, because He had not been processed through His death
and resurrection [i.e. “glorified”]. But after His death and
resurrection, the process was completed, and today the Spirit
as the living water is here. In other words, He has passed
through the process of becoming a man, living a human life,
dying on the cross, and resurrecting to become the life-
giving Spirit. Now we do not need to sweat and struggle to
reach Him; He has become so enjoyable and accessible to us.
Now we can freely drink of the Spirit. This living water
fully quenches our inner thirst. 

Going to Jerusalem to Fulfill God’s Purpose -I

Going to Jerusalem to Fulfill God’s Purpose -I 

 Bible Verses 

Mark 10:1  And He rose up from there and came into the borders 

of Judea and beyond the Jordan…  32  Now they were on the 

road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus led the way before 

them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were 

afraid. And He took the twelve aside again and began to tell 

them the things that were about to happen to Him:

 Words of Ministry

[Part 1 of 2]

We need to ask ourselves why, after He had been ministering in 

Galilee for about three years, the SlaveSavior suddenly rose 

up and went to the south, to the district of Judea and beyond 

the Jordan. He did this because the time of His death was 

approaching. He had to die in the year prophesied by Daniel. 

Furthermore, according to the type of the Passover Lamb, He 

had to die on the Passover, that is, on the fourteenth day of 

the first month of the Jewish calendar. Therefore, it is a 

very significant matter that, according to 10:1, the Lord left 

Galilee and went to Judea.

The Slave-Savior had been ministering in His gospel service 

for over three years in the despised region of Galilee, far 

from the holy temple and the holy city, the place where He had 

to die for the accomplishment of God's eternal plan. As the 

Lamb of God (John 1:29), it was necessary for Him to be 

offered to God at Mount Moriah, where Abraham offered Isaac 

and enjoyed God's provision of a ram as a substitute for his 

son (Gen. 22:2, 9-14) and where the temple was built in 

Jerusalem (2 Chron. 3:1). It must be there that He would be 

delivered, according to the counsel determined by the Trinity 

of the Godhead (Acts 2:23), to the Jewish leaders (Mark 9:31; 

10:33), and there be rejected by them as the builders of God's 

building (8:31; Acts 4:11). 

It should also be there that He would be crucified according 

to the Roman style of capital punishment (John 18:31-32) to 

fulfill the type concerning the kind of death He would die 

(John 3:14). Moreover, that very year was the year that 

Messiah (Christ) would be cut off (killed) according to 

Daniel's prophecy (Dan. 9:24-26). Furthermore, as the Passover 

Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7) He had to be killed in the month of the 

Passover (Exo. 12:1-11). Hence, He had to go to Jerusalem 

before the Passover (John 12:1; Mark 14:1), so that He might 

die there on the day of the Passover (14:12-17; John 18:28) at 

both the place and the time foreordained by God.

Christ, the Slave of Man -II 

 Bible Verses

Mark 10:45  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, 

but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Luke 22:27  For who is greater, the one who reclines at table 

or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at 

table? But I am in your midst as the one who serves.

Luke 12:37  Blessed are those slaves whom the master, when he 

comes, will find watching. Truly I tell you that he will gird 

himself and will have them recline at table, and he will come 

to them and serve them.

 Words of Ministry 

[Part 2 of 2]

The Lord says, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). What 

can serve man better than light? The Lord says, "I am the 

bread of life" (John 6:48). What can serve man better than 

bread? Whoever eats this bread shall live forever. Whatever 

the Lord does is for the purpose of serving. Hallelujah! We 

have a Lord who serves us. When we face a difficulty or when 

we do not have any way to work out a problem, it gives the 

Lord an opportunity to serve us. He is so great that He is 

able to serve us in everything. There is one more thing. The 

Lord washed His disciples' feet. This was something that Peter 

would "by no means" allow the Lord to do. But the Lord washed 

their feet; He served them (John 13:4-8).

I wonder how many people know how to enjoy the service of 

Christ. Many times we are misled to think that we should serve 

Christ. Have we ever asked Christ to serve us? Some brot

hers 

have said that their prayers are too cold and that they have 

to do something to stir themselves up again. At such times 

they should realize that Christ can serve them in that very 

matter. Some have felt that they have no interest in the Bible 

and worry about what they should do the next day. They should 

realize that in that very matter, Christ can serve them also.

This is too gracious! How can this be possible? However, the 

Lord said He will serve us again in the future [Luke 12:37]. 

Once we were indebted to the Lord and received His grace 

freely. We will forever be indebted to the Lord and will 

forever enjoy His grace. God has given Christ to us for the 

purpose of serving us. From the day that Christ was crucified 

on the cross until eternity, Christ will serve us. Although we 

do not quite understand this, we can enjoy it. 

The Forgiveness of Sins – Solving Our Problem

          Bible Verses 


Rom 5:12  Therefore just as through one man [Adam] sin entered
into the world, and through  sin,  death ; and thus death
passed on to all men because all have sinned--
Mark 2:5  And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the
paralytic, Child, your sins are forgiven.




       Words of Ministry 

As fallen human beings, our basic problem is our sin. When God created man, man was pure, clean, and without sin. Man had
been created in the image of God and according to the likeness
of God. Furthermore, God breathed into man the breath of life,
and man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). This breath of life
became the spirit of man within him. Therefore, man in God's
creation has the image of God, the likeness of God, and a
spirit within him. As a creature, he was clean, pure, and
complete. However, according to Genesis 3, the evil one, the
Devil, the enemy of God, came in to poison the man created by
God. Man was "bitten" by the serpent, and sin was injected
into man's being.

                       All the problems of mankind are the result of sin. Because of 

            sin, the situation of fallen mankind is hopeless. Because of 

                           sin, everyone has been corrupted. Do you not believe that 

 mankind, including you, has been corrupted? Do you not believe 

that your neighborhood, your city, and your country have been 

corrupted by sin? The whole world has been corrupted by sin. 

Therefore, in carrying out the gospel service, the first thing 

we must do is to show people how they may have their sins 

forgiven. Because all the problems of mankind are the result 

of sin, sin must be dealt with if people are to be restored to 

God.

Many of us can testify that in the past we tried our best to 

get a good education so that we might have a promising future. 

Nevertheless, the problem of sin remained unsolved and caused 

more and more corruption. But on the day we believed in the 

Lord Jesus and received Him, our sins were forgiven. This was 

the reason the Lord said in 2:5, "Child, your sins are 

forgiven!"

The Secret to Counteracting Anxiety

 Bible Verses 

Phil. 4:6  In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  (7)  And the peace of God, which surpasses every man's understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.  (11)  Not that I speak according to lack, for I have learned, in whatever circumstances I am, to be content.  (13)  I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.

           


        





                                           Words of Ministry

If we have learned the secret, we shall know how to
counteract anxiety. If you are in poverty, there is no need
for you to be anxious or to worry. The Lord is still at hand,
and He will take care of you. By nature, we are given to
worry, to anxiety. This is true as much of the rich as it is
of the poor. Those who are poor have their particular
worries, and those who are rich have theirs. Only those who
are truly in Christ in their experience and who are inwardly
empowered by Him have no need to worry or to be anxious.

As a human being, Paul did undergo suffering with respect to
material needs. Paul was not an angel, and he was not like a
lifeless statue without feelings. No doubt, he had learned
the secret of sufficiency in Christ. When he was in want and
was tempted to worry about his situation, he applied this
secret. Then, in his experience, this secret eliminated his
worry. Therefore, he could have the boldness to testify that
he knew both how to be abased and how to abound. The very
fact that Paul knew how to be abased indicates that he
experienced feelings of abasement. He knew what it was to
have worry and anxiety in times of suffering. But at those
times he applied the secret of the indwelling Christ. He
applied the very Christ in whom he could be found. This
Christ is real, living, near, available, and prevailing. This
was the Christ who was Paul's secret.

Using a Stoic term, Paul could say that he had learned, in
whatever circumstances he was, to be content. Although Paul
used a Stoic word, he was by no means a Stoic. On the
contrary, he was a person in Christ, and he experienced
Christ and applied Him in all circumstances. Paul could be
content not because he had been instructed by the Stoics, but
because he applied the very Christ in whom he lived and in
whom he remained. Again I say, this Christ became Paul's
secret.

A Living That Is True and Dignified

 Bible Verses

Phil. 4:8  Finally, brothers, what things are true, what 

things are dignified, what things are righteous, what things 

are pure, what things are lovely, what things are well spoken 

of, if there is any virtue and if any praise, take account of 

these things.

          Words of Ministry

The first governing aspect of a life that lives Christ is 

"whatever is true." The word true here means truthful 

ethically, not merely true in matter of fact. In the 

expression of a life that lives Christ there can be no 

falsehood, no lying. Everything we do or say must be 

truthful. No one who lives Christ should practice falsehood 

of any kind. A life that is the expression of Christ is a 

truthful one.

The second aspect is "whatever is honorable." The Greek word 

rendered honorable means venerable, worthy of reverence, 

noble, grave, implying the idea of dignity, which inspires 

and invites reverence. A life that lives Christ will be 

honorable, noble, grave, solid, weighty, and dignified. We 

should not think that only older people should be weighty. 

All the young people, even the teenagers, should also have 

dignity. Even a young brother in junior high school should 

have dignity, for he has God within him. He is a vessel 

containing God as his worth, weight, and dignity.

To have dignity is not to act important; it is to live God. A
jewelry box containing a diamond ring has dignity not because
of the box itself, but because of the diamond. It is the                        
diamond in the box which gives dignity to the box. In like
manner, we are a vessel containing Christ. If we live Him, we       
shall have true dignity. When others see us 
bearing such a 
dignity, they will have a deep respect for us. 

The dignity
implied in the Greek word for honorable always
 inspires a
profound respect. This dignity is the second 
governing aspect
of the expression of a life that lives Christ.

Being Guarded by the Peace of God

Choose your right way by God's sight

Bible Verses 
Phil. 4:7  And the peace of God, which surpasses every man's
understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in
Christ Jesus.
John 14:27  Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your
heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 Words of Ministry 
The issue, the result, of practicing the organic union with
the Lord is that the peace of God guards our hearts and
thoughts in Christ Jesus (v. 7). The peace of God is actually
God as peace (v. 9), infused into us through our fellowship
with Him by prayer. This peace is the counterpoise of
troubles and the antidote to anxiety (John 16:33).

Bad news or difficult situations may cause us to worry or to
be anxious. We find the antidote to this anxiety when we
pray, practice communion with God, and enjoy the organic
union [a living oneness with the Lord]. Then spontaneously,
even unconsciously, the peace of God is transfused into our
inner being. This transfused peace becomes the counterpoise
of trouble and becomes the antidote to anxiety. From
experience we know that through prayer we receive this
antidote to anxiety when the peace of God is infused into us.
Having the peace of God as the counterpoise to our troubles
does not mean that the troubles will disappear. The troubles
remain, but we have a counterpoise. Furthermore, the poison
of anxiety is still within us, but we have an antidote--the
peace of God transfused into our being through our fellowship
with God in prayer. When we enjoy God as our peace, we are
made calm within.
                                                               

Peace By Mind, by faith, by reality.

The Greek word rendered "guard" may also be rendered "mount 
guard over." The God of peace patrols or stands guard before
our hearts and thoughts in Christ. This means that in Christ
Jesus the peace of God patrols as a guard who goes back and
forth before our hearts and our thoughts. The peace of God
which patrols within our inner being in such a way keeps us
calm and tranquil. Even though we may have many troubles and
much anxiety, nothing will disturb us. From experience we
know that the peace of God infused into us keeps us calm.

Being Constituted a Drink Offering

 Bible Verses
Phil. 2:17  But even if I am being poured out as a drink
offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I
rejoice, and I rejoice together with you all.
2 Tim. 4:6  For I am already being poured out, and the time
of my departure is at hand.

Words of Ministry
The drink offering was additional to the basic offerings
revealed in Leviticus chapters one through seven. The basic
offerings were types of various aspects of Christ. The drink
offering was a type of Christ as enjoyed by the offerer, an
offering that fills him with Christ as the heavenly wine and
even causes him to become wine to God. The Apostle Paul
became such a drink offering by so enjoying Christ that he
could be poured out by the shedding of his blood upon the
believers' faith as a sacrifice to God.

The burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering,
the sin offering, and the trespass offering were the basic
offerings, but the drink offering was not. The five basic
offerings covered in chapters one through seven of Leviticus
are types of various aspects of what Christ is to God on our
behalf. If we read Numbers 15:1-10 and 28:7-10, we shall see
that the drink offering was something additional. If one of
the basic offerings was offered without the drink offering,
this was an indication that there was something lacking with
the presentation of the basic offering. The one who offered
the basic offering must have been rather poor. Actually the
drink offering signifies that the offerer himself becomes the
drink offering. However, this does not mean that the offerer
can be such a drink offering according to his own natural
constitution. Rather, he must enjoy Christ to such an extent
that Christ fills him, saturates him, and permeates him.
Christ is the heavenly wine for our enjoyment. When we enjoy
Him by taking Him into us, we shall become filled with Him
and thoroughly saturated with Him. In this way we shall
become the wine to be poured out as a drink offering upon the     
offerings we present to God.
                                                                                                       



With the typology in the Old Testament as a basis, Paul came
to regard himself as a drink offering poured out upon the 
sacrifice and priestly service of the believers' faith. For 
years Paul had been drinking of Christ and enjoying Him so
that he came to the point that he was filled with Christ and
saturated with Him. Eventually, Christ as the heavenly wine
caused Paul to become a constitution of wine in his very
being. This was the reason Paul could consider himself wine
poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice he offered
to God as a priest.

Children of God

 Bible Verses 
Phil 2:15  That you may be blameless and guileless, children
of God...
2 Pet. 1:4  Through which He has granted to us precious and

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,

exceedingly great promises that through these you might
become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption which is in the world by lust.

Words of Ministry 

The expression "children of God" is very rich in its
implications. It implies that God has actually been born into
us and that we possess His life and nature. Christians often
say, "I'm just a sinner saved by grace." Although this, of
course, is true, it is very shallow compared with the
revelation in the New Testament. If we know the truth of the
Word, we shall not say we are merely sinners saved by grace.
We shall have the assurance to declare, "I'm a child of God
born of the Spirit!" If you have truly seen the vision that
you are a child of God, you will be filled with joy, wonder,
and praise. In a proper sense, we need to boast of our status
as God's children. No doubt, we are sinners who have been
saved by God's grace. But because we have also been born of
God, we are now His children. How marvelous!

According to Paul's word in 2:15, we are to be children of
God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverted
generation. The generation in which we live is crooked,
warped, and twisted. We, however, as children of God, must be
different. Because we are God's children, we should be both
blameless and guileless, without blemish. We can be children
of God only by having the life of God. How marvelous it is to
have God's life! All those who are truly the children of God
need to realize that they have the divine life within them.

Along with the divine life, we also have the divine nature (2
Pet. 1:4). Although we cannot fully define the divine nature,
we know that as God's children we partake of it and have it
within us. Every living thing acts according to its own
nature. Everything it does comes out of its nature. For
example, a peach tree produces peaches because it is in
keeping with the nature of a peach tree to do so. It would be
absurd for anyone to charge a peach tree not to bring forth
apples, but only to produce peaches. As ridiculous as this
is, in principle many Christians are doing this very thing.
In giving commandments to others to behave in a certain way
or to improve themselves, they neglect the fact that as
children of God all genuine Christians have the divine
nature. This nature should govern and direct us. Everything
in the Christian life is according to the nature of God. How
wonderful that we have God's life with His nature!

Boasting in the Day of Christ

Bible Verses
Phil. 2:15 That you may be blameless and guileless, children
of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and
perverted generation, among whom you shine as luminaries in
the world,  (16)  Holding forth the word of life, so that I
may have a boast in the day of Christ that I did not run in
vain nor labor in vain.

Words of Ministry 

In verse 15 Paul refers to "children of God without blemish 

in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation." As 

children of God, we have God's life and nature (2 Pet. 1:4). 

Being children of God with the divine life and nature, we are 

luminaries which reflect the light of the sun (Christ). As 

such, we are without blemish in the midst of a crooked and 

perverted generation. "Without blemish" is the total quality 

of being blameless and guileless. The Greek word translated 

perverted means warped or twisted. There can be no doubt that 

today's generation is twisted and warped. In this kind of 

generation we should shine as lights in the world.

In verse 16...The Greek word for "holding forth" also means
applying, presenting, offering. As God's children, we need to
present the word of life to others. If the Philippian
believers did this, Paul would be able to boast in the day of
Christ that he had not labored in vain. The day of Christ is
the day of the Lord's second coming.…  In that day all
believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to
receive the reward each deserves (2 Cor. 5:10).

Whether or not his labor was actually in vain would be
determined by the deeds of the believers in Philippi. Suppose
the believers there did all things without murmurings or
reasonings and thus became blameless and guileless, children
of God without blemish in the midst of a warped and twisted
generation. Suppose, moreover, that the saints in Philippi
were shining forth as luminaries in the world and presented
the word of life to those around them. If such were their
situation, Paul would be able to rejoice and even boast at
the time of the Lord's coming back.

Work Out Your Own Salvation

Bible Verses 

Phil 2:12  So then, my beloved, even as you have always 

obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much rather in my 

absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;  

(13)  For it is God who operates in you both the willing and 

the working for His good pleasure.

 Words of Ministry 

To work out our own salvation is to carry it out, to bring it 

to the ultimate conclusion. We have received God's salva tion, 

which has as its climax to be exalted by God in glory as the 

Lord Jesus was. We need to carry out this salvation, to bring 

it to its ultimate conclusion, by our constant and absolute 

obedience with fear and trembling. We have received this 

salvation by faith. Now we must carry it out by obedience. To 

receive salvation by faith is once for all; to carry it out 

is lifelong.

In verse 13 Paul goes on to say, "For it is God Who operates 

in you both the willing and the working for His good 

pleasure." The word "for" at the beginning of this verse 

gives the reason we need to obey always. It is because God 

operates in us. In God's economy [plan] we have the Lord 

Jesus as our pattern, as the standard of our salvation, and 

we also have God operating in us both the willing and the 

working to carry out our salvation, to bring it to its 

ultimate conclusion. It is not that we by ourselves carry it 

out, but that God operates in us to do it. The only thing we 

need to do is to obey the inner operating of God. 

Paul's word about obedience in verse 12 answers to what he 

has previously said about Christ becoming obedient (v. 8). 

The Bible underscores the importance of obedience. For 

example, in 1 Samuel 15:22 we are told that to obey is better 

than sacrifice. We who have received Christ as the pattern of 

our salvation must learn to always obey with fear and 

trembling. Within we should have fear as the motive, and 

without we should have trembling as our attitude, an 

indication that we have no confidence in ourselves.

Willing and Working His Good Pleasure

 Bible Verses

Phil. 2:13  For it is God who operates in you both the 

willing and the working for His good pleasure.

Rom. 8:6  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the 

mind set on the spirit is life and peace.

         Words of Ministry 
In verse 13 Paul says that God operates in us "both the
willing and the working for His good pleasure." Where within
us does this willing take place? It must be in our will. This
indicates that God's operation begins from our spirit and
spreads into our mind, emotion, and will. We have pointed out
that the grace of Christ is with our spirit. However, God's
operating to will in us involves not only our spirit but also
our will. Therefore, God's operation must spread from our
spirit into our will.

As God operates the willing within us, He carries out His
working. This corresponds to Romans 8, where we see that God
works not only in our spirit, but also in our mind and
eventually in our physical body (vv. 6, 11). We will in our
will, and we work in our body. The Triune God operates in us
from our spirit, through our will, and then into our physical
body.
God's operating is for His good pleasure. His good pleasure
is the heart's desire of His will (Eph. 1:5) that we may
reach the climax of His supreme salvation. Every living being
has a good pleasure. This is especially true of God. For this
reason, Paul speaks of God's good pleasure. The good pleasure
of a mother can be observed in the way she loves her child.
Using this as an illustration of God's good pleasure, we may
say that God's good pleasure is to love us in a way that
makes Him happy. God's working in us is to enable us to reach
the climax of His supreme salvation. Praise Him that we are
now in God's good pleasure! As He operates in us, we
cooperate with Him by obeying Him.

Salvation, God, Luminaries, Word of Life

Bible Verses 

Phil 2:12  So then, my beloved, even as you have always 

obeyed...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;  

(13)  For it is God who operates in you both the willing and 

the working for His good pleasure.  (14)  Do all things 

without murmurings and reasonings  (15)  That you may be 

blameless and guileless, children of God without blemish in 

the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom 

you shine as luminaries in the world,  (16)  Holding forth 

the word of life...

 
      Words of Ministry

In verses 12, 13, 15, and 16 we have four wonderful matters:
salvation, God operating in us, lights or luminaries, and the
word of life. The salvation in verse 12 is actually the very
God who operates in us in verse 13. The One who operates in
us both the willing and the working for His good pleasure is
Himself our salvation. As believers, we are children of God,
children of the One who is operating in us. Because we are
children of God, we most assuredly have the divine life and
divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). How could a child not have the
life and nature of his father? It is simply not possible for
someone to be born of a particular person and not have the
life and nature of that person. In the same principle, it is
not possible for us to be genuine children of God, born of
Him, and not have His life and nature. We have been truly
born of God and not merely adopted by Him.

We definitely do not claim that man is evolving into the
Godhead. However, we definitely teach according to the Word
of God that, as true believers in Christ, we have experienced
a divine birth. God has actually been born into us, and
thereby we have His life and nature. Because we are children
of God with the life and nature of God, we shine as lights in
the world. The Greek word rendered lights in 2:15 means
luminaries which reflect the light of the sun. In this
universe there is only one source of light, and this source
is God. As those luminaries, we also hold forth the word of
life.

These four important matters are very subjective and
experiential. We have received a salvation which is God
Himself. Now there is operating in us this very God, the One
who is real in our experience as our subjective salvation. He
is not dormant, passive, or idle. His operating in us is His
energizing in us. How wonderful that we have been born of
this energizing God! Hence, we have His energizing life and
nature. Spontaneously we reflect the light which comes from
God as the universal source. In the midst of a crooked and
perverted generation, we shine as lights, as luminaries, in
the world. Therefore, we can hold forth the word of life to
those around us. 

The Real Exaltation from a Crucified Life

Bible Verses 

Phil 2:3  Doing nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by way 
of vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one
another more excellent than yourselves;  (4)  Not regarding
each his own virtues, but each the virtues of others also. 
(5)  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus




Words of Ministry 

Nothing was more troubling to the Apostle Paul than to learn
that the saints in Philippi were living in the way of
vainglory. He was very concerned that they live a crucified
life. As we have seen, this life is Christ Himself as the One
who emptied Himself and humbled Himself. Taking this
crucified life as our pattern opens the gate of resurrection
and brings us into the power of resurrection. The exaltation
which is of God will never come by way of rivalry or vain-
glory. The more we seek vainglory, the more shameful our
situation will be. To pursue vainglory is not a glory at all;
it is a shame. Likewise, when we are in rivalry with others,
the result is never exaltation. Inevitably the result is that
we are brought low. The highest life on earth is the
crucified life. Whenever we live a crucified life, God will
bring us into the power of resurrection, and in this power we
shall be exalted.

During the years I have been in the church life, I have known
many cases of those who were in rivalry for vainglory.
Without exception, all those who engaged in such rivalry went
downhill. It is utterly foolish to have rivalry in the church
life. Furthermore, none of us in the church life should hold
to any personal standing. Of course, we must stand firm for
the Lord's testimony. However, we should not claim any
standing, title, or position for ourselves. Making such
claims will never bring us into the power of resurrection. I
earnestly hope that none of the saints in the church life
today will seek glory for themselves. Instead of seeking
glory, we should seek Christ and Him alone. Then we shall
experience the crucified life.

Because among the saints in Philippi there was rivalry for 

vainglory, it was necessary for Paul to present Christ as the 

pattern of a crucified life. Paul presents this pattern in 

Philippians, not in other books, because in Philippi rivalry 

for vainglory was a definite problem. As long as certain of 

the saints there were seeking glory for themselves, there was 

rivalry. Therefore, Paul showed them that Christ, the Son of 

God, had a very high position. He possessed the very form of 

God and had the right to be equal with God. Nevertheless, He 

did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but 

emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the 

likeness of men. Then, being found in fashion as a man, He 

humbled Himself and became obedient even unto the death of 

the cross. Those Philippian saints who were seeking position 

and title for themselves surely needed to live according to 

Christ as the pattern of a crucified life.

Work Out Your Own Salvation

 Bible Verses 

Phil 2:12  So then, my beloved, even as you have always 
obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much rather in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 
(13)  For it is God who operates in you both the willing and
the working for His good pleasure.



Words of Ministry

To work out our own salvation is to carry it out, to bring it
to the ultimate conclusion. We have received God's salvation,
which has as its climax to be exalted by God in glory as the
Lord Jesus was. We need to carry out this salvation, to bring
it to its ultimate conclusion, by our constant and absolute
obedience with fear and trembling. We have received this
salvation by faith. Now we must carry it out by obedience. To
receive salvation by faith is once for all; to carry it out
is lifelong.

In verse 13 Paul goes on to say, "For it is God Who operates
in you both the willing and the working for His good
pleasure." The word "for" at the beginning of this verse
gives the reason we need to obey always. It is because God
operates in us. In God's economy [plan] we have the Lord
Jesus as our pattern, as the standard of our salvation, and
we also have God operating in us both the willing and the
working to carry out our salvation, to bring it to its
ultimate conclusion. It is not that we by ourselves carry it
out, but that God operates in us to do it. The only thing we
need to do is to obey the inner operating of God.

Paul's word about obedience in verse 12 answers to what he
has previously said about Christ becoming obedient (v. 8).
The Bible underscores the importance of obedience. For
example, in 1 Samuel 15:22 we are told that to obey is better
than sacrifice. We who have received Christ as the pattern of
our salvation must learn to always obey with fear and
trembling. Within we should have fear as the motive, and
without we should have trembling as our attitude, an
indication that we have no confidence in ourselves.

Confessing Jesus is to Call His Name

 Bible Verses 

Phil 2:12  So then, my beloved, even as you have always 
obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much rather in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 
(13)  For it is God who operates in you both the willing and
the working for His good pleasure.



Words of Ministry

To work out our own salvation is to carry it out, to bring it
to the ultimate conclusion. We have received God's salvation,
which has as its climax to be exalted by God in glory as the
Lord Jesus was. We need to carry out this salvation, to bring
it to its ultimate conclusion, by our constant and absolute
obedience with fear and trembling. We have received this
salvation by faith. Now we must carry it out by obedience. To
receive salvation by faith is once for all; to carry it out
is lifelong.

In verse 13 Paul goes on to say, "For it is God Who operates
in you both the willing and the working for His good
pleasure." The word "for" at the beginning of this verse
gives the reason we need to obey always. It is because God
operates in us. In God's economy [plan] we have the Lord
Jesus as our pattern, as the standard of our salvation, and
we also have God operating in us both the willing and the
working to carry out our salvation, to bring it to its
ultimate conclusion. It is not that we by ourselves carry it
out, but that God operates in us to do it. The only thing we
need to do is to obey the inner operating of God.

Paul's word about obedience in verse 12 answers to what he
has previously said about Christ becoming obedient (v. 8).
The Bible underscores the importance of obedience. For
example, in 1 Samuel 15:22 we are told that to obey is better
than sacrifice. We who have received Christ as the pattern of
our salvation must learn to always obey with fear and
trembling. Within we should have fear as the motive, and
without we should have trembling as our attitude, an
indication that we have no confidence in ourselves.

Confessing the Highest Name

 Bible Verses 

Phil 2:12  So then, my beloved, even as you have always 
obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much rather in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 
(13)  For it is God who operates in you both the willing and
the working for His good pleasure.



Words of Ministry

To work out our own salvation is to carry it out, to bring it
to the ultimate conclusion. We have received God's salvation,
which has as its climax to be exalted by God in glory as the
Lord Jesus was. We need to carry out this salvation, to bring
it to its ultimate conclusion, by our constant and absolute
obedience with fear and trembling. We have received this
salvation by faith. Now we must carry it out by obedience. To
receive salvation by faith is once for all; to carry it out
is lifelong.

In verse 13 Paul goes on to say, "For it is God Who operates
in you both the willing and the working for His good
pleasure." The word "for" at the beginning of this verse
gives the reason we need to obey always. It is because God
operates in us. In God's economy [plan] we have the Lord
Jesus as our pattern, as the standard of our salvation, and
we also have God operating in us both the willing and the
working to carry out our salvation, to bring it to its
ultimate conclusion. It is not that we by ourselves carry it
out, but that God operates in us to do it. The only thing we
need to do is to obey the inner operating of God.

Paul's word about obedience in verse 12 answers to what he
has previously said about Christ becoming obedient (v. 8).
The Bible underscores the importance of obedience. For
example, in 1 Samuel 15:22 we are told that to obey is better
than sacrifice. We who have received Christ as the pattern of
our salvation must learn to always obey with fear and
trembling. Within we should have fear as the motive, and
without we should have trembling as our attitude, an
indication that we have no confidence in ourselves.

The Real Exaltation from a Crucified Life

 Bible Verses 

Phil 2:3  Doing nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by way 

of vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one 

another more excellent than yourselves;  (4)  Not regarding 

each his own virtues, but each the virtues of others also.  

(5)  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus

Words of Ministry

Nothing was more troubling to the Apostle Paul than to learn 

that the saints in Philippi were living in the way of 

vainglory. He was very concerned that they live a crucified 

life. As we have seen, this life is Christ Himself as the One 

who emptied Himself and humbled Himself. Taking this 

crucified life as our pattern opens the gate of resurrection 

and brings us into the power of resurrection. The exaltation 

which is of God will never come by way of rivalry or vain-

glory. The more we seek vainglory, the more shameful our 

situation will be. To pursue vainglory is not a glory at all; 

it is a shame. Likewise, when we are in rivalry with others, 

the result is never exaltation. Inevitably the result is that 

we are brought low. The highest life on earth is the 

crucified life. Whenever we live a crucified life, God will 

bring us into the power of resurrection, and in this power we 

shall be exalted. 

During the years I have been in the church life, I have known 

many cases of those who were in rivalry for vainglory. 

Without exception, all those who engaged in such rivalry went 

downhill. It is utterly foolish to have rivalry in the church 

life. Furthermore, none of us in the church life should hold 

to any personal standing. Of course, we must stand firm for 

the Lord's testimony. However, we should not claim any 

standing, title, or position for ourselves. Making such 

claims will never bring us into the power of resurrection. I 

earnestly hope that none of the saints in the church life 

today will seek glory for themselves. Instead of seeking 

glory, we should seek Christ and Him alone. Then we shall 

experience the crucified life.

Because among the saints in Philippi there was rivalry for 

vainglory, it was necessary for Paul to present Christ as the 

pattern of a crucified life. Paul presents this pattern in 

Philippians, not in other books, because in Philippi rivalry 

for vainglory was a definite problem. As long as certain of 

the saints there were seeking glory for themselves, there was 

rivalry. Therefore, Paul showed them that Christ, the Son of 

God, had a very high position. He possessed the very form of 

God and had the right to be equal with God. Nevertheless, He 

did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but 

emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the 

likeness of men. Then, being found in fashion as a man, He 

humbled Himself and became obedient even unto the death of 

the cross. Those Philippian saints who were seeking position 

and title for themselves surely needed to live according to 

Christ as the pattern of a crucified life.

Work Out Your Own Salvation

Bible Verses 

Phil 2:12  So then, my beloved, even as you have always
obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much rather in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 
(13)  For it is God who operates in you both the willing and
the working for His good pleasure.

 Words of Ministry 

How is it possible for us to work out our own salvation? If
we could work out our salvation, would that not make
salvation a matter of our own works? Suppose I fall into a
pit and someone rescues me. That is salvation. But if I
succeed in delivering myself, that is not salvation, but my
own working. Since salvation is not of works, but of grace,
what does Paul mean by telling us to work out our salvation?

The key to understanding Paul's word is to know the meaning
of salvation in this verse. Salvation here is not salvation
from the lake of fire. Rather, it refers to what Paul has
already said about salvation earlier in this Epistle. The
words "so then" in verse 12 indicate that what Paul says in
this verse is a consequence of what has gone before. Working
out our salvation is the result of taking Christ as our
pattern, as seen in the preceding verses. As our pattern,
Christ is our salvation. However, this salvation needs to be
worked out by us.

In order for this to be accomplished in our experience, the
pattern must be subjective to us as well as objective. If it
were only objective, it could not be the salvation worked out
by us. The salvation here is not the salvation we receive; it
is the salvation we work out. The salvation we receive is the
salvation from God's condemnation and from the lake of fire.
There is no need for us to work out that kind of salvation.
The salvation here in Philippians is salvation of another
kind, or of a different degree. It is higher than that
mentioned in Acts 16:31, where the jailer is told that if he
believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, he and his household will
be saved. The salvation in 2:12 is actually a living Person.
This Person is the very Christ whom we live, experience, and
enjoy. A pattern which is only objective could not be our
salvation in this way. The fact that salvation is a living
Person and that this Person is our pattern indicates that the
pattern is subjective as well as objective.

An Objective and Subjective Pattern

 Bible Verses

Phil 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ 

Jesus,  6  Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider 

being equal with God a treasure to be grasped,  7  But 

emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the 

likeness of men;  8  And being found in fashion as a man, He 

humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and that 

the death of a cross.  9  Therefore also God highly exalted 

Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,  

12  So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not 

as in my presence only but now much rather in my absence, 

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;  13  For 

it is God who operates in you both the willing and the 

working for His good pleasure.

 

Words of Ministry 
In 2:5-8 Paul presents Christ as our pattern. This pattern is
not only objective, but also subjective. However, when I was
young, I was taught only about the objective aspect of Christ
as our pattern. I was told that in His life on earth Christ
set up a pattern and that we should follow in His footsteps.
Now we must go on to ask where is this Christ who is our
pattern. Is He in heaven, or is He in us? Verse 9 indicates
clearly that God has highly exalted Christ. Thus, there can
be no doubt that as our pattern Christ is in heaven. However,
if Christ were only in the third heaven objectively, how
could we take Him as our pattern today? It would be
impossible. In order for us to take Christ as our pattern,
this pattern must be subjective.

In Philippians 2 Paul does not charge us to take the
objective Christ as our pattern and then imitate Him. Trying
to imitate Christ in this way is like a monkey trying to
imitate a human being. We should not take verses 5 through 8
out of context. When we consider these verses in context, we
see that the pattern is our salvation and that this salvation
is God Himself operating in us to save us in a practical way.
Although in ourselves we cannot work out our salvation, the
One who is able is now operating in us to will inwardly and
to work outwardly. Our responsibility is to cooperate with
Him. When we cooperate with God's operation in us, we take

Christ as our pattern.                                                                                       

The word "for" at the beginning of verse 13 indicates that
God's operating in us is related to our working out our own
salvation with fear and trembling. God operates in us both
the willing and the working for His good pleasure. Surely the
working in verse 13 refers to the working out in verse 12. We
may confess that we are not able to work out our own
salvation. Yes, in ourselves we are not able. But God, the
One operating in us, is able. Since He is operating in us
both the willing and the working, we can work out our own
salvation. Paul's word about God operating in us is a
indication that the pattern is subjective as well as
objective. Doctrinally, the pattern is objective;
experientially, it is very subjective.

Living a Crucified Life

Bible Verse

Phil 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ 

Jesus, (6)  Who, existing in the form of God, did not 

consider being equal with God a treasure to be grasped,  (7)  

But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in 

the likeness of men; (8) And being found in fashion as a man, 

He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, and 

that the death of a cross. (13) For it is God who operates in 

you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure.

Words of Ministry  

The pattern presented in these verses is now the life within
us. This life is what we call a crucified life. The seven
steps of Christ's humiliation are all aspects of the
crucified life. Although Christ had the expression of deity,
He laid aside this expression. However, He did not lay aside
the reality of His deity. He laid aside the higher form, the
form of God, and took on a much lower form, the form of a
slave. In this, He emptied Himself. Surely this is a mark of
a crucified life. Then, after becoming a man and being found
in the appearance of a man, Christ humbled Himself even unto
the death of the cross. This was the crucified life lived out
in a full and absolute way.

Christ is not only an outward pattern for us; He is also the
life within us. As this inner life, He would have us
experience Him and thereby live a crucified life. In this
crucified life there is no room for rivalry, vainglory, or
self-exaltation. On the contrary, there is self-emptying and
self-humbling. Whenever we experience Christ and live Christ,
we automatically live such a crucified life. This means that
when we live Christ, we live the One who is the pattern of a
crucified life. Then we also shall empty ourselves and humble
ourselves.

If we did not have the crucified life within us, we could
never live according to the pattern presented in Philippians
2. Only the crucified life can live such a pattern. If we
still do things out of rivalry and vainglory or are still
ambitious to be leaders or elders, we are not living a
crucified life. We are not emptying ourselves or humbling
ourselves. However, we have a life within us that truly is a
self-emptying and self-humbling life. This life never grasps
at something as a treasure. Instead, it is always willing to
lay aside position and title.