How great is this power? Paul said that it is "according to the operation of the might of His strength." We should take note of the words "according to." We have to realize that the power which is toward those who believe is according to the operation of the might of His strength. In other words, the power that operates in the church is as great as the might of strength that operated in Christ. The might of strength which God operates in us is as great as the might of strength which He operated in Christ. There is no difference between the two. I do not know if you have seen this. If you have not seen this, you need to pray. You should not think that you are all right, just because you have read the book of Ephesians a few times and can memorize 1:19 and 20. Whether or not you can memorize them does not count; what counts is the revelation and the seeing. Paul prayed that we might see the surpassing greatness of God's power given to us. If we have not seen that the power in us is the same as the power that is in Christ, we still need to pray for the seeing. If the power that is manifested in us does not match the power that is manifested in Christ, we have to confess that there are still things we have not seen. We have to admit humbly that there are still many things we have not seen, and that God has to show them to us. But whether or not we have seen them, the fact remains: the power that is in those who believe in Christ is as great as the power that is in Christ. Thank the Lord that this is a fact. May the Lord open our eyes so that we would truly see. We do not ask God to transmit more power to us from the outside. We only need to ask God to help us discover and see more of what we have within us. If God opens our eyes and we see, we will praise Him for what we already have.

Now let us consider what this power has done. Paul said, "According to the operation of the might of His strength, which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead." This power enabled Christ to be raised from the dead. Every time we consider resurrection, it is a precious thought to us. Resurrection means to be loosed from the pangs of death (Acts 2:24). Death cannot hold Christ. No one who went into death could ever come back alive. There has never been such a person. Everyone died throughout the past ages, went into death, and remained in death; they could not come out. But here was a man who came out of death. This One is our Lord. He said, "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). He is the life; therefore, those who believe in Him will never die. He is the resurrection; therefore, those who believe in Him, though dead, will be raised up again. Everyone who went into death was imprisoned by death; no one could come out. Only one power was strong enough to enter death and come out of death. That power is the power of God. Brothers and sisters, when you see a man dying and you wish that he could live on, you will realize at that moment how great the power of death is. It is easy for man to enter into death, but it is impossible for him to come out of death. It is possible for man to refuse life, but it is impossible for man to refuse death. Satan's work comes through darkness and through death. But there is a power from God which can pass through death without being imprisoned by death; the authority of the devil cannot overcome it, nor can the power of Hades swallow it. This is resurrection. Resurrection is that which passes through death and which is not affected by death. This power is now within us. The power which raised Christ from the dead enables us to pass through death without being seized by death. This power enabled the Lord Jesus to be raised from the dead; it also enables us to resurrect from death.

This power from God not only raised Christ from the dead, but also seated Him "at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all." Furthermore, it "subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church." God made Christ the Head over all things to the church. Christ as the Head over all things is for the benefit of the church. This is why the church can receive the supply of power from the Lord. Brothers and sisters, the power within you is such a power. There is such a treasure within you. If you still say that you cannot make it to be a Christian, what more can God give to make you able? You should say to the Lord, "There is no need to give me anything anymore. You have done everything." This power is now installed within you. For a Christian, there is no unsolvable problem, and there is no unsurmountable temptation. The power within a Christian is the resurrection power; it is a power that transcends everything, that puts everything under Christ's feet. It is the same power that operated in Christ.

Paul was very careful in writing the book of Ephesians. He was afraid that we would be misled to think that this subjective work is something personal. Therefore, following the phrase "gave Him to be Head over all things," he added the words "to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all." The subjective work is not for individuals, but for the Body. God shows us that His plan for eternity is related to the church and not to individuals. It is the church that is involved with God's eternal plan. In eternity past, it was the church. In eternity future, it will be the church. Today God's work is also the church. Everything has to do with the church, not with individuals. If power is manifested in you today, it is for the church, not for you alone. God wants the church, not individuals, to receive this power. By ourselves, we can never acquire this power. We have to ask God to be gracious to us so that we see the Body of Christ, and see that our life is only preserved in the Body. An isolated member is worthless. For life to be preserved means that the life within is not disrupted, and the life within others is not disrupted. If a blood vessel breaks, and the leakage of blood continues, the whole body will die. On the positive side, when the ears hear, the whole body hears. When the eyes see, the whole body sees. What one member receives is received by all the members. Hence, we have to learn to live in the Body. We have to learn to consider less about ourselves and learn to appreciate the church. We have to learn to go on together with all other children of God. We have to see that the Body is the vessel that preserves life. Paul said, "The church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all." Such a surpassing greatness of power is experienced by those who know the church. If a person does not see the church and does not deny himself, there is no way for the surpassing greatness of power to be manifested in him. Hence, when we speak of God's subjective work in us, the basic unit is the church, not an individual.

May God open our eyes so that we may truly see His work within us. This great power comes from our seeing; it does not come from any other means of grace. The basic issue is the revelation and seeing. It is useless to merely listen to doctrines. If we hear many doctrines, but do not have any revelation, we will not experience any power in us, and the doctrines we have heard will be like delinquent accounts, which can never be cashed or used. May the Lord deliver us from such delinquent doctrines, and may He grant us a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we can truly see something.