In His ascension
Christ was inaugurated, exalted, and enthroned
to execute God’s universal administration
and to carry out God’s New Testament economy:
Christ’s ascension
was His inauguration into His heavenly offices
for His heavenly ministry;
these offices include
His being
the Lord of all,
the Christ,
the Leader and Savior,
the Ruler of the kings of the earth,
the Head of the church,
the Minister,
and the High Priest:
The man from Nazareth
was inaugurated in His ascension
to be the Lord of all.
His inauguration
required a lengthy process
that began with creation
and continued with
incarnation, human living,
crucifixion, and resurrection.
In His ascension
Christ was inaugurated
as God and man,
as the Creator and a creature,
and as the Redeemer, the Savior,
and the life-giving Spirit
to execute God’s universal administration
and to carry out God’s New Testament economy.
Christ’s ascension
was God’s exaltation of Him:
The Lord Jesus
humbled Himself to the uttermost,
but God exalted Him
to the highest peak.
In ascension
Christ is the God-exalted One,
the One who has received a name
that is above every name:
The highest name in the universe,
the greatest name,
is the name of Jesus
—the name of
the incarnated, crucified, resurrected,
ascended, and exalted One.
God made the Lord Jesus, as a man,
the Lord in His ascension;
thus,
every tongue
will confess
that He is Lord.
In His ascension
Christ was crowned
with glory and honor.
In His ascension
Christ was inaugurated
into the headship of the universe;
the Head of the whole universe
is Jesus.
In His ascension
Christ was enthroned
to execute God’s universal administration
and to carry out God’s New Testament economy:
For Christ
to be seated
at the right hand
of the throne of God
indicates that He has been enthroned.
Christ is
now on the throne
to administrate
the entire universe;
He is
the unique Administrator,
the King of kings
and Lord of lords.
Christ’s administration
is related to the universe,
but His carrying out
of God’s New Testament economy
is to propagate Himself
for His reproduction
to build up
the church, His Body.
Christ’s work of propagation
is in His ascension:
The subject of the book of Acts
is the propagation
of the resurrected Christ
in His ascension,
by the Spirit,
through the disciples,
for the producing of
the churches
—the kingdom of God:
The propagation
of the resurrected Christ
in His ascension
produces the churches.
The churches
produced by the resurrected Christ
in His ascension
are the kingdom of God.
Propagation is carried out
by the Lord
on the throne
in the heavens;
this means
that His work of propagation
is in ascension:
The ascension
is the nature and the sphere
of the Lord’s work on earth.
The work of the Lord
in His recovery today
should be a work in ascension
—a work
that has a heavenly nature
and is in a heavenly sphere.
The ascended Christ
executes God’s universal administration
and carries out God’s New Testament economy
through His Body:
We need to see
that because the church
is the Body of Christ,
the position of the church
is exactly the same as
that of the ascended Christ:
The Body is
the Body of Christ,
the One who has been enthroned
and given the lordship and authority
in heaven and on earth and even under the earth.
He has received all authority,
and as the Body
we are identified with Him;
therefore,
we are in the heavenlies,
we have the authority,
and we can exercise the authority:
The authority of the Body
is the authority of the Head
exercised by the Body;
thus,
the authority of the Body
is the authority of the Head.
As the church, the Body of Christ,
we need to exercise the authority
of the resurrected and ascended Christ.
Christ executes God’s administration
and carries out God’s economy
through the prayer of the church:
The prayer of the church
as the Body of Christ
is the prayer
that exercises the authority of Christ
as the ascended Lord
and Head of the Body
for the fulfilling of God’s economy.
The central goal of the church’s prayer
is the goal of the eternal economy of God
—the goal of Christ
having a glorious church
as His counterpart
for His satisfaction.
The book of Acts
reveals that the apostles’ work
was done in full dependence on God
as indicated by their prayer;
they prayed themselves into God,
and they prayed God into them.
Christ executes God’s administration
and carries out God’s economy
through our correspondence
to the move of the ascended Christ
by doing a work of life
—a move in life
for the spread of the gospel.
Hits: 1
7 replies on “The Vision and Experience of Christ in His Ascension (1) Christ Inaugurated, Exalted, and Enthroned to Execute God’s Universal Administration and to Carry Out God’s New Testament Economy through His Body”
Prophecy note, 22 March 2015
We need to see
the vision of the ascended Christ
and learn to pray
the prayer of authority.
We must realize the facts,
take the ground,
and claim
what the Head
has obtained and attained.
This is
the prevailing prayer
of the church.
This is
the prayer
of the age.
To pray means
that we realize
that by ourselves,
with ourselves,
and in ourselves,
we are nothing.
Therefore,
we do not want
to do anything
by ourselves.
Instead,
we want to do everything
in God,
with God,
and through God.
There are
two significances
of prayer.
First,
when we pray,
we pray ourselves into God.
Second,
when we pray,
we pray God into us.
We are
not that much
in God
nor is God
that much
in us.
Because we are distracted,
we get outside of God.
If we are going to do God’s work,
we need to get into God.
Furthermore,
God is
not that much
in us.
Therefore,
we need to pray God into us.
Then
we can do the work
in a way
in which
we are mingled with God.
In other words,
we are
in God,
and God is
in us.
We can arrive at
this situation and condition
by prayer.
When we pray,
we do not need to pray too much
for affairs or for the work.
We need to pray ourselves into God,
and we need to pray God into us.
This is
the principle of prayer.
To pray
means to stop ourselves
from doing anything.
We have to stop ourselves.
The book of Acts
shows us
that whenever
there was some activity,
the apostles firstly prayed.
They never initiated work
without prayer.
Whenever they wanted to do something,
they stopped themselves
by their prayer.
Their prayer
gave God a way
to come into them,
to fill them up,
and to saturate their very being.
Then
the apostles began to work.
That work
was not something
done by the apostles
independent from God.
Instead,
the work
done by the apostles
was only done
in full dependence on God.
Day 6
Christ has obtained
the lordship and the headship;
He is the Lord,
the Head over all things.
We need to see
the vision of the ascended Christ
and learn to pray
the prayer of authority.
We must realize the facts,
take the ground,
and claim
what the Head has obtained and attained.
This is
the prevailing prayer of the church.
This is
the prayer of the age.
To pray means
that we realize that
by ourselves, with ourselves, and in ourselves,
we are nothing.
Therefore,
we do not want to do anything
by ourselves.
Instead,
we want to do everything
in God, with God, and through God.
There are
two significances of prayer.
First,
when we pray,
we pray ourselves into God.
Second,
when we pray,
we pray God into us.
We are
not that much in God
nor is God that much in us.
Because we are distracted,
we get outside of God.
If we are going to do God’s work,
we need to get into God.
Furthermore,
God is not that much in us.
Therefore,
we need to pray God into us.
Then
we can do the work in a way
in which we are mingled with God.
In other words,
we are in God,
and God is in us.
We can arrive at
this situation and condition
by prayer.
When we pray,
we do not need to pray too much
for affairs or for the work.
We need to pray ourselves into God,
and we need to pray God into us.
This is
the principle of prayer.
When we want to preach the gospel,
we have to stop a while
to pray.
To pray
means to stop ourselves
from doing anything.
If we can do something
on our own,
we do not need to stop and pray.
We can just go ahead
and do it ourselves.
Many times
we carry out the service
in this way.
We do it
by ourselves.
This is wrong.
We have to stop ourselves.
The book of Acts
shows us
that whenever there was some activity,
the apostles firstly prayed.
They never initiated work
without prayer.
Whenever they wanted to do something,
they stopped themselves
by their prayer.
Their prayer
gave God a way
to come into them,
to fill them up,
and to saturate their very being.
Then
the apostles began to work.
That work
was not something
done by the apostles
independent from God.
Instead,
the work done by the apostles
was only done
in full dependence on God.
What is
the central goal of prayer?
The central goal of prayer
is for God
to have a glorious church.
The central subject of prayer
is to prepare
a glorious church for Christ,
a church that will match Him.
This is
the revelation of the whole Bible
and God’s central goal,
and we must pay special attention
to it.
This is also
the Lord’s desire.
Before He was crucified,
His prayer
revealed this desire (John 17).
At the same time,
we can see
the same desire
in Paul’s Epistles.
This does not mean
that we should pray less
for other things;
it merely shows us
the central goal
of all our prayers.
Once we have this goal in us,
we can raise other prayers
to a higher level.
If we see
that the gospel
not only brings men
out of death
and into life
but also joins men
in an unspeakably wonderful union
with the glorious Christ,
our prayer for the world
will only increase;
it will not decrease.
Ever since His ascension
the Lord has been ministering
in the heavens.
For this ministry
to be worked out
on the earth,
however,
requires a correspondence to it
on our side.
Nearly twenty centuries
have gone by,
but not much
has been fulfilled
on earth.
Thus,
as this age
draws to a close,
there is
an urgent need
for us
to correspond to
the Lord’s ministry.
During the time of the Acts,
the disciples
were moving on
with the Lord
in life.
This was so
in the case of
Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch;
Ananias and Saul;
and Peter and Cornelius.
All three
were moves in life
that corresponded to
the Lord’s ministry
in the heavens.
Day 5
The New Testament
tells us
that the exalted Christ
has been given
to be the Head
over all things.
He is the Head
over the entire universe.
He is the Head
over the earth,
over the earthly governments,
and over all the rulers.
Hence,
He is
the King of kings,
the Ruler of the rulers,
and the Lord of lords.
He is
not only the Head over all things,
but He is
also the Head over all things
“to the church” [Eph. 1:22].
His government
is to the church
that it may be carried out
through the church.
The Head executes His government
to the church
and through the church
to reach
every part of the earth.
In God’s government,
His exalted Christ
is the Head,
and the church
is the Body of this Head.
The Head cannot do anything
without the church
because the Head executes everything
through the Body.
Christ as the exalted Head
rules over
and governs
the entire world
through the church.
Do not misunderstand my word
to mean that the church
must get involved in politics.
When the Bible tells us
that the exalted Christ as the Head
is executing
His governmental administration
through the church
which is His Body,
it means
that the church
stands with Him.
He is executing
the divine administration
on the throne
in the heavens,
and His Body
is standing
on this earth
as a universal man,
cooperating with Him,
executing the divine administration
throughout the entire world.
This is
above all the politics.
This is
to rule over the earth
with the Head
in the heavenlies
with the divine power.
Because the church
is the Body of Christ,
the position of the church
is exactly the same as
that of Christ.
Wherever the Head is,
the Body also must be.
Whatever the Head has,
the Body also must have.
In addition,
we need to realize
that we are
members of the Body of Christ.
Since the Body
is identified with the Head,
the position of the Body
is exactly the same as
that of the Head.
Another main point
concerns the authority of the Body.
I specifically use the word authority
rather than the word power
or even the word right.
What is
the authority of the Body?
The authority of the Body
is the authority of the Head
exercised by the Body.
Thus,
the authority of the Body
is the authority of the Head.
Although the Body
has this authority,
this authority
is not merely objective
but is very subjective.
This means
that this authority
must be assumed and exercised
by the Body.
To assume something
means to take something upon oneself.
As the church, the Body of Christ,
we need to assume
the authority of Christ.
The Body
is the Body of Christ,
the One who has been enthroned
and given the lordship and authority
in heaven and on earth and even under the earth.
He has received all authority,
and as the Body
we are identified with Him.
Therefore,
we are in the heavenlies,
we have the authority,
and we can exercise the authority.
If such is the case,
as those who are serving the Lord,
we will serve
not only with power
but also with authority.
Look at the situation
on the day of Pentecost.
Peter and the others
served God with authority,
not merely with the power
that is according to
the concept of many Christians today.
Peter and the others
declared,
“Therefore
let all the house of Israel
know assuredly
that God has made Him
both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus
whom you have crucified” (Acts 2:36).
He is the Head,
and we are the Body.
We are one with Him.
Therefore,
we have
not only the power
but also the authority
over all things.
Day 4
The Lord, as the ascended One,
is carrying out
His universal and eternal propagation.
Who can explain
why the earth today
is filled with Christians?
Why are there
so many believers
in the world?
The whole earth
is in the hands of
the undefeatable One,
and this One
is carrying out His propagation.
As the ascended Christ
is carrying out His propagation,
His main work
is not fighting.
Instead of fighting,
the ascended Lord’s work
is mainly propagating Himself
throughout the earth.
In the Lord’s recovery
we have
people of different colors:
black, white, brown, yellow, and red.
We all
are part of Christ’s propagation.
We have been produced
by the resurrected Christ
in His ascension.
Propagation is
a matter of production.
To propagate, therefore,
is to produce.
The propagation of
the resurrected Christ in His ascension
produces the churches.
The churches
are the produce of
the resurrected Christ in His ascension.
Hence,
the churches
are the produce of
Christ’s propagation.
The first mention
of the word church in Acts
is in 5:11.
Thereafter,
this book
speaks of the church many times.
The churches
produced by
the resurrected Christ in His ascension
are the kingdom of God.
Concerning the kingdom,
we should not follow
the teachings of those
who claim
that the kingdom of God
is not present today.
In the book of Acts
we see
that the churches and the kingdom of God
go together.
In fact,
the churches
actually are the kingdom of God.
In Acts
the kingdom of God
is first mentioned in 1:3,
and then
in a number of other verses.
We should be impressed with
the subject of the book of Acts,
a book that stands
as the backbone of the New Testament.
Acts unveils Christ in His ascension
propagating Himself
to produce the churches,
which are the kingdom of God on earth today.
Following the book of Acts,
we have the Epistles.
The Epistles,
as the continuation of Acts,
edify the saints
so that the churches
may be fully built up
as the Body of Christ.
The consummation of
this edifying and building up
will be the New Jerusalem.
If we see the place
occupied by the book of Acts
in the New Testament,
we shall realize
that this book, the backbone of the New Testament,
stands in a crucial position.
The subject of Acts
is the propagation of
the resurrected Christ in His ascension,
by the Spirit,
through the disciples,
for the producing of
the churches
—the kingdom of God.
We have seen something
concerning the propagation of
the resurrected Christ.
Now
we need to see
that this propagation
is carried out
by the Lord
from the throne
in the heavens.
This means
that His work of propagation
is in ascension.
However,
much of today’s so-called Christian work
is not a work in ascension.
We hope
that the work in the Lord’s recovery
will be in His ascension.
The ascension
is the nature and the sphere
of the Lord’s work on earth.
Therefore,
the work of the Lord today
should have a heavenly nature
and should be in a heavenly sphere.
It is in His ascension
that Christ is propagating Himself.
We know
that His ascension
came after His death and resurrection.
Christ’s work in His ascension
takes place
in the nature of His resurrection.
Therefore,
this work
is not natural;
it does not have
anything of the natural man.
Rather,
it is
of the divine life in resurrection,
and it is carried out
in the atmosphere and condition
of His ascension.
Where are we working today?
We all
should be able to say
that we are working
in Christ’s ascension.
Day 3
It is always an honor
for a person
to have a high rank.
The ascended Christ
is glorious in state
and honorable in rank.
He has received such glory
and has entered into such an honor.
This glory and honor
are the crown
with which He has been crowned.
On earth in His suffering of death,
Christ was crowned with thorns.
But in heaven on the throne
in His enjoyment of exaltation,
He is crowned with glory and honor.
Let us look away
from everything
to the ascended Christ
who is crowned with glory and honor.
Another aspect of Christ in ascension
is that He is the One
enthroned for God’s administration.
Hebrews 12:2 says
that Christ “has sat down
at the right hand
of the throne of God.”
For Christ
to be seated
at the right hand
of the throne of God
does not mean
that He is seated
next to the throne of God,
at God’s right hand.
In Revelation
we see
that there is only one throne
of both God and Christ,
one throne
for both God and the Lamb.
Christ has been enthroned
in His ascension.
His ascension
was for His enthronement
for God’s administration.
According to the book of Revelation,
the throne
on which the ascended Christ
is sitting
is the throne
of the divine administration:
“I saw
in the midst
of the throne
and of the four living creatures
and in the midst
of the elders
a Lamb standing
as having just been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of God
sent forth into all the earth” (Rev. 5:6).
The Lamb, the Redeemer, the One
slain on the cross for our sins,
is now on the throne
carrying out God’s administration
over the entire universe.
The Lord Jesus
has been enthroned
to execute God’s governmental operation
in the universe.
As the Lamb
with the seven eyes, the seven Spirits of God,
He is carrying out
God’s administration
for the accomplishment of God’s economy.
As the One
who passed through the process of
creation, incarnation, human living,
crucifixion, and resurrection,
the Man-Savior with His wonderful status
has been inaugurated
into His heavenly office
to execute God’s administration
and to carry out God’s New Testament economy.
Christ is
now on the throne
to administrate
the entire universe.
He is
the unique Administrator,
the King of kings
and the Lord of lords.
All the rulers of the earth
are under Him.
He is the Administrator
to execute
God’s administration
and also to carry out
God’s New Testament economy.
His administrating
is related to the universe,
but His carrying out
of God’s New Testament economy
is to propagate Himself
for His reproduction
to build up
the church, His Body,
which will issue in
the New Jerusalem.
How wonderful!
In Revelation 21:23
we see
that the Lamb, Christ,
as the lamp
shines with God as the light
to illumine the city
with the glory of God,
the expression of the divine light.
Just as the light
is in the lamp,
so God
is in Christ.
Since God is in Christ
sitting on the throne,
both God and Christ
sit on one throne
in the heavens.
The fact
that God in Christ
is sitting on the throne
means that God
administrates the entire universe
from within Christ
and through Christ,
just as the light shines
from within the lamp
and through the lamp.
From this
we can see
that Christ
is enthroned with God.
God is on the throne,
and this very God
is in the enthroned Man-Savior.
As we consider this,
we see
that the enthronement of the Man-Savior
involves the Divine Trinity.
Christ has been enthroned
in His ascension.
His ascension
was for His enthronement.
The Man-Savior, as the ascended One,
has been crowned with glory and honor
and has been enthroned
for God’s administration.
Day 2
In his Gospel
Luke displays and presents to us
mainly five crucial and excellent aspects
concerning the Man-Savior:
His birth, ministry, death,
resurrection, and ascension.
His resurrection
was God’s vindication
of Him
and of His work,
His success
in all His achievements,
and His victory
over the universal enemy of God.
His ascension
was God’s exaltation of Him.
In ascension
He was made
the Christ of God
and the Lord of all
to carry out His heavenly ministry on earth
as the all-inclusive Spirit
poured out
from the heavens
upon His Body
composed of His believers
In ascension
Christ is the God-exalted One,
the One who has received the name
which is above every name.
How marvelous
Christ is!
He humbled Himself
to the uttermost,
but God exalted Him
to the highest peak.
The name referred to
in Philippians 2:9
is the name of Jesus,
as indicated in the following verse.
From the time of Christ’s ascension,
there has never been a name on earth
above the name of Jesus.
God has exalted Jesus
to be the Lord of all.
Therefore,
it is altogether right
for us
to call “O Lord Jesus.”
We need to confess the Lord’s name
openly.
In the New Testament
there is the clear word
that we are to call on
the Lord’s name.
By His exaltation
the Lord has been given a name
which is above every name.
There has never been a name in history
higher than the name of the Lord Jesus.
The highest name in the universe,
the greatest name,
is the name of Jesus.
In Philippians 2:10
are the three levels of the universe:
heaven, earth, and under the earth.
Those who are in heaven
are angels,
those who are on earth
are men,
and those who are under the earth
are the dead.
The day is coming
when those on every level
will bow their knees
and confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord.
To openly confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord
is to call on the Lord.
The Lord Jesus as a man
was made the Lord
in His ascension
by God.
Thus,
every tongue
should confess
that He is Lord.
This confession
is to the glory
of God the Father.
The Greek word rendered “to”
in Philippians 2:11
means “resulting in.”
Our confessing
that Jesus is Lord
results in
the glory of God the Father.
In ascension
Christ is the One
who has been crowned
with glory and honor.
Hebrews 2:9 says,
“We see Jesus,
who was made a little inferior
to the angels
because of the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honor.”
Here glory and honor
are considered a crown.
Glory is the splendor
related to Jesus’ person;
honor is the preciousness
related to Jesus’ worth.
As the ascended One
crowned with glory and honor,
Christ is in
a state of glory
and has
a rank of honor.
In Christ’s ascension
God inaugurated Him
into the headship
of the universe.
Acts 2:36 says,
“Therefore
let all the house of Israel
know assuredly
that God has made Him
both Lord and Christ,
this Jesus
whom you have crucified.”
This verse indicates
that in Christ’s ascension
God completed
the headship of Christ.
In the heavens today
there is
a man,
a man of Nazareth,
a man by the name of Jesus.
This man
is not an ordinary man;
He is
an extraordinary man.
He is God
who became a man
and died on the cross
to accomplish God’s eternal purpose
and destroy His enemy.
He has two natures
—the divine nature
and the human nature.
He is
now in the heavens
not only as God
but also as man.
In His ascension
this man Jesus
was made Head
over all things
to the church.
The Head
of the whole universe today
is Jesus.
Day 1
The Lord’s ascension
was not the end of His activity.
Rather,
the Man-Savior’s ascension
was another initiation.
Christ’s ascension
was His inauguration, His initiation,
into His heavenly ministry.
His conception
was the initiation of
His life and ministry on earth;
His ascension
was the initiation of
His living and ministry in the heavens.
Hence,
Christ’s ascension
was not the termination of His activity;
instead,
it was His initiation
into further activity
—His ministry in the heavens.
God seated Christ in the heavens,
made Him
both Lord and Christ,
exalted Him
to be a Leader and a Savior,
made Him
the High Priest,
and designated Him
to be the Judge of
the living and the dead.
The ascension of Christ
is really the inauguration of Christ.
When a president of the United States is elected,
he does not officially take office
until the day of his inauguration.
Before his inauguration
he has been elected the president,
but it is not official.
It is not until the day of his inauguration
that he officially becomes
the president of the United States.
On the day
Jesus was born,
He was our Savior,
but it was not official.
There was
no inauguration.
Even after Christ
was crucified and resurrected from the dead,
it was not announced
to the whole universe.
Not until the day
Jesus was exalted
by the right hand of God
to the highest place in the universe
did God make the declaration.
It was at this time
that God inaugurated Christ
into His post.
Before this inauguration date,
and even before the forty days
when the Lord was with His disciples
following His resurrection,
Jesus had a secret ascension.
In the morning of His resurrection
He went to the Father.
Forty days later,
Jesus had
the public ascension.
It was universally open.
All the disciples
saw Jesus ascending
and the angels declaring
that He would return
in the same manner.
It was this declared ascension
that was the inauguration of Jesus.
Then
everything became official.
He became
the official Savior.
Now
we know the meaning
of the ascension of Christ.
It was
His official inauguration.
First of all,
He was made the Lord.
As God,
before His incarnation,
the Lord Jesus
was the Lord already.
But after His incarnation,
this very God
became a man.
God was the Lord,
but man was not.
Yet the Lord
became a man,
and this man
was crucified on the cross,
buried,
and resurrected from the dead.
It was at this time
that the man Jesus
became the Lord.
For God to be the Lord,
there is
no need of
any kind of inauguration.
But for a small man
from a lowly town
in a despised country
to be made the Lord
requires
a real inauguration.
He was not made the Lord
as God.
As God
He was Lord already.
Now this man from Nazareth
was inaugurated
to be the Lord of all.
If we would understand
the Man-Savior’s ascension,
we need to see
that it is His inauguration
into His heavenly office.
This inauguration
required a lengthy process
that began with creation
and continued with
incarnation, human living,
crucifixion, and resurrection.
This process involved the Man-Savior
as God, man, Creator, creature,
Redeemer, Savior, and life-giving Spirit.
The Lord Jesus
was inaugurated
to execute
God’s administration
and to carry out
God’s New Testament economy.
In the objective aspect,
the Lord’s ascension
caused Him
to be crowned with glory and honor
and to be enthroned for God’s administration
and made Him
the Lord to possess all
and the Christ to carry out God’s commission.