V. RECEIVING THE WORSHIP
WHICH WE RENDER BY HIS SPIRIT
God the Father receives the worship which the believers render by His Spirit (Phil. 3:3—here the word serve means "serve in worship"). If we worship God the Father by rituals in a religious way, we will not be able to touch Him. However, whenever we worship Him by the Spirit, we are able to touch Him and are brought out of ourselves into the realm of the heavens. When we worship God the Father by the Spirit of God, He is wrought into our whole being that we may experience and enjoy God the Father, whom we worship by the Spirit of God.
SUMMARY
The progressing stage of God’s full salvation is composed of freedom from sin, sanctification, growth in life, transformation, building up, and maturing. In the initial stage we receive the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit— and are joined to Him as one. In the progressing stage we need to further experience and enjoy the processed Triune God in the dispensing of the Divine Trinity, that is, to enjoy God the Father in the love of the Father, Christ the Son in the grace of the Son, and the Spirit in the fellowship of the Spirit. When we experience and enjoy God the Father in the love of God, we first experience and enjoy God as our Father. God regenerated us through the resurrection of Christ and brought us into a relationship of life with Him. Thus, we have both the Father’s life and nature, just as Christ has, and become God’s children. Whenever we fellowship with the Father, we can sense that He is over us, overshadowing us; that He is through us, going through us; and that He is dwelling in us. Moreover, God the Father can be seen by us. If we are pure in heart in seeking God, we will see Him, and He will reveal Himself in us, dispense Himself into us, and infuse Himself into our entire being. Furthermore, when we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us in order that He may give us His love, sympathize with us, and comfort, encourage, and strengthen us. At the same time, He also receives the worship which we render by His Spirit that He may be wrought into our whole being for us to experience and enjoy Him.
QUESTIONS
- Briefly enumerate the items that compose the progressing stage of God’s full salvation.
- How do we experience and enjoy the processed Triune God in the progressing stage of God’s full salvation?
- How can we experience and enjoy God as the Father?
- Briefly explain how God the Father is involved with the believers in a triune way.
- How can we believers see God and enjoy His drawing near to us?
(Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 3, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)
