We have seen that the meetings which the early disciples had with the Lord Jesus can be classified into two kinds: meetings with the resurrected Christ and meetings for the ascended Christ. According to the record of the last chapters of the Gospels and the first chapters of Acts, we can only have these two kinds of meetings—there could not be a third. It is quite interesting, as we have seen, that of the four Evangelists, two are for the resurrected Christ and two for the ascended Christ. John tells us that He is our life; so He could never leave us. Matthew tells us that He is Emmanuel, God with us; so Matthew also tells us, “Lo, I am with you all the days, even unto the completion of the age.” Therefore, these two Gospels emphasize the resurrected Christ, the One who is always with us. But Mark and Luke, including the Acts, testify that this resurrected Christ has ascended to the heavens. The meetings for the ascended Christ are not recorded by Matthew nor John, but by Mark and Luke.
What is the difference between meeting with the resurrected Christ and for the ascended Christ? There is a big difference. We meet with the resurrected Christ mainly for our enjoyment. Our meeting with the resurrected Christ as the life-giving Spirit is mainly for breathing Him in, that we may partake of something of Him. Consider all the meetings the disciples had with the resurrected Christ: the main thing in all those meetings was the breathing and the eating. On the evening of the first Lord’s day the resurrected Christ came and breathed upon them (John 20:22). Then at the Sea of Tiberias He asked them: “Children, have ye any meat?” And He said, “Come and dine” (John 21:5, 12, 15). By breathing and eating, we enjoy the Lord. We meet with the resurrected Christ, the present Christ, for our enjoyment of Him. This Jesus, so near to us, so present and available, is for our enjoyment. He is not for our education, not for our being taught, but for our enjoyment by breathing and eating. Of course, this is something which is entirely missed by Christianity. However, I have full assurance that the Lord will recover this and that He has begun the recovery already. Praise the Lord that some are already learning how to meet with the resurrected Christ for their enjoyment. If we are not learning this, our meetings are meaningless and to no avail. We all must learn how to breathe Him in and feed upon Him for our satisfaction. Sooner or later, the Lord will make this so clear to all the local churches. We will forget about the old way of meeting—no more mere teaching and ministry, just breathing and eating and enjoying Christ.
Now we need to see more regarding the meetings for the ascended Christ. To meet together is not just a matter of enjoying Christ, but also a matter of functioning that the church may be built up. To meet with the resurrected Christ is for our enjoyment, but to meet for the ascended Christ is for the building up of the church. For the building up of the church we need to function, and to function we need the gifts. On the Day of Pentecost three thousand were added to the church. A little later five thousand more were added. All these were brought in by meetings for the ascended Christ. To build up the church we need to bring new ones in and build others up one with another. All this requires the function, the gifts. And we have been clearly told that all the gifts have been given, not by the resurrected Christ, but by the ascended Christ. “Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high He led a train of vanquished foes, and gave gifts unto men” (Eph. 4:8). By His ascension He has received the gifts, and He has given the gifts to His church for the building up of the Body.
Here we must go a little slowly that we may be more clear. If the Lord Jesus was only resurrected, we could have full satisfaction with Him, but the church could never be built up. In the meetings recorded in Matthew and John, there was the breathing, the eating, and the full satisfaction, but it was rather difficult for the church to be built up. In fact, without the ascension of Christ, it is impossible. Not one of the disciples including Peter had received any gift. Not one of them had any function and could perfect others. They came together to breathe in the Lord and to feed on Him, but that was all they could do. Why did they not have the gifts? Because even Christ had not yet received the gifts. As far as life is concerned, resurrection is sufficient, but as far as gifts are concerned, resurrection is not sufficient. Resurrection is for life, but the ascension is for the gifts. All the believers received resurrection life by and with Christ’s resurrection, but none obtained any gifts until the Lord ascended on high and poured down the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). It is so clear. Meeting with the resurrected Christ is for our personal breathing, eating and satisfaction, but for the perfecting of the saints, for the building up of the Body, we need to meet for the ascended Christ.