In verse 29 there are two important words: nourish and cherish. To nourish is to feed. In the past many of us attended so-called Christian services or read the Bible without receiving any nourishment. But if we take Christ as our person, we shall experience Him nourishing us. We shall continually have the sense of His inward nourishment. To be nourished by Christ is to be supplied with His riches. I believe that we all have experienced the nourishment that comes from taking Christ as our person.
Nourishment brings about transformation. We all become what we eat. This means that if we eat Christ, we shall eventually be constituted with Christ. We shall be transformed by the element of Christ that has been dispensed into us. The more we take Christ as our person, the more He nourishes us. Through Christ’s nourishment we are transformed. This means that we become a new person with a new element and substance. Hallelujah, Christ nourishes us with Himself, with the riches of all He is! What we need today is not doctrine or religion, but the enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ.
In these messages our burden is not to pass on more teachings to the saints. Our burden is to minister the living Christ. Today the need of the Lord’s people is to take Christ as their person for nourishment. Because we are conscious of this need, we are not interested in mere objective teachings. Our desire is to help others come in touch with the living Christ, to open to Him, and to take Him as their life and person. I hope that many will say, “Lord, I have been a Christian for years, but I have not taken You as my person. Lord, by Your mercy, I want to begin now to take You as my person.” If your husband or wife troubles you and you are tempted to exchange words, that is the time to take Christ as your person. Instead of arguing with others or defending ourselves, we should allow Christ to make His home in our heart.
Many of us can testify that we have been “wrecked” by Christ. On the one hand, Christ rescues us; but on the other hand, He “wrecks” us and makes us useless for anything other than Himself and the church life. The more we take Christ as our person, the more He “wrecks” us. Actually, this ministry is a “wrecking” ministry. Through it, thousands have been “wrecked” for Christ and the church. Now nothing other than the living Christ and the proper church life can satisfy us.
Along with the nourishing we have the cherishing. To be cherished is to be softened by being warmed. When we are hard and cold, we need Christ to cherish us. We need Him to warm our hearts. After some experiences of His warming, we are softened. Many can testify that through their contact with the church in the Lord’s recovery, they have been warmed and softened. Before coming into the church life, they were somewhat cold and hard. But Christ, the nourishing and cherishing One, has made them warm and soft. Many of us can give testimony of what it is to be cherished by Christ in such a tender, intimate way.
Just as a mother cherishes a child by holding the child to her breast, so the Lord cherishes us by holding us close to Him. Although I am an elderly person, I still need Christ’s cherishing. Sometimes I tell Him, “Lord, You know how small I am.” He replies, “Yes, I know. This is why I am here not only to sanctify, cleanse, and nourish you, but also to cherish you.” How tender, sweet, and warm the Lord Jesus is! By resting on Him, we who once were hard and cold become soft and warm. Such a change takes place through the Lord’s care for us from within. Inwardly the Lord warms us and softens us as we enjoy His tenderness, sweetness, and lovingness. Praise Him, He is the cherishing One! May we all take Christ as our person and experience more of His sanctifying, cleansing, nourishing, and cherishing. In this way we enjoy Him and experience Him in a living way.