To seek the things which are above and to set our mind on them is to join ourselves to the Lord in His ministry in heaven. We need to join ourselves to the very One who is interceding, ministering, and executing God’s administration. Our living should be a kind of living in which we seek these heavenly things and set our mind on them. This means that we live in such a way as to join our heavenly Christ in His priesthood, ministry, and administration. If we all live in this way, the church life will be greatly uplifted.
Paul’s concept in the book of Colossians is that we should turn from everything earthly—from Judaism, Gnosticism, and asceticism—to the things above. We need to join ourselves to these things by setting our mind on them. Let us cooperate with Christ in His ministry in heaven. In our living our concern should be Christ’s heavenly priesthood, ministry, and administration. We should be concerned that the churches are supplied with the transmission from heaven. If this is our concern, we are seeking the things above and setting our mind on them.
Because Christ is interceding for a particular church, we also may become burdened to pray for that church. We then ask the Lord to transmit His heavenly supply into the saints in that locality. Whenever we receive news of a need in a certain place, we should immediately pray, joining ourselves to Christ in His intercession for that need. If we do this, we shall be setting our mind on the things above.
We are here on earth not for our employment, education, family life, or health. We are living for God’s economy, purpose, and administration. We are one with Christ in His heavenly priesthood and thus we have one living with Him. If we all have one living with Christ in a practical way, all negative things will be under our feet. Hallelujah, we have one living with Christ!
Our standard needs to be uplifted. We are not here to seek earthly things, but to have a living that is one with Christ’s living. Christ today is living as the High Priest, the heavenly Minister, and the universal Administrator. We need to join Him in His living and have one living with Him.
We also have one destiny and one glory with Christ. We are not aimless; we are people with a destiny and a goal. We are running the race with a definite goal in view.
Our destiny is glory. Today we are hidden in God, but when Christ is manifested, we shall be manifested with Him in glory (3:4). When we are manifested with Christ, we shall be on display to the whole universe. Even the demons will see us glorified. However, today we should not make a show, but should remain hidden in God, waiting for the time when we shall arrive at our destination and enter into glory with Christ. Then, at the appointed time, the time for a divinely-ordained display, there will be the manifestation of the sons of God in glory.
We can have one position, life, living, destiny, and glory with Christ only because we are one spirit with Him. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:17, “He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” Because we are one spirit with Him, we surely have one position, life, living, destiny, and glory with Him.
Our life is the Christ who dwells within us, and this life is hidden with Christ in God. On the one hand, this life is Christ in us; on the other hand, it is with Christ in God. Here we see a mingling involving God, Christ, and us. We are one with the Triune God and mingled with Him. Where He is, we are also. Furthermore, the life, living, destiny, and the glory of the Triune God all are ours.
Our opposers will say that this is heresy. However, it is altogether according to the Scriptures. With the Word of God as my basis, I can testify that we who believe in Christ have one position with the Triune God, one life with Him, one living with Him, and one destiny and glory with Him.
First John 4:15 says, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” What is this if not the mingling of God and man? God abides in us, and we abide in Him. Certainly, this refers to the mingling of the believers with the Triune God. Furthermore, 1 John 4:13 says, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” Praise the Lord that we are one with the Triune God and mingled with Him! With Him we have one position, one life, one living, one destiny, and one glory.