Live Christ, Magnify Him, Now and New Jerusalem

In Philippians 1:20-21 Paul presents “my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul, by living Christ, allowed Christ to be magnified through him.

The front of a building is its façade. Today we must have Christ living out of us as our façade, our front. We exist not only with God the Father over us, through us, and in us but also with Christ living in us, that we may live by Christ and that we may live Christ. Eventually, we magnify Christ (Phil. 1:20). The first thing that can be seen in the New Jerusalem is the pearl gates. These gates are the magnification of Christ, and today we must exist in a way that Christ is magnified in our existence.*

To live Christ is by praying for others and others praying for us (Phil. 1:19) and by “the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (also 1:19). These prayers are for the living and magnifying of Christ, not for outward circumstances. Christ can be lived by us and magnified through us in any situation (Paul wrote this when he was in prison with the possibility of being killed).

In the new creation all situations will be wonderful and New Jerusalem will magnify God in Christ Jesus to the uttermost. But for now let’s pray for one another’s’ living and magnifying Christ.

* From chapter 41, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986

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Posted by Don on September 15, 2023

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