Now we must consider the meaning of this requirement. In the previous message we pointed out that the Passover lamb was a type of Christ and that manna was a type of Christ as our food. In Egypt the children of Israel enjoyed Christ as signified by the Passover lamb. This means that in “Egypt” we enjoy Christ as our Passover lamb. John 1:29 says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” In the “wilderness” we enjoy Him as our manna. Furthermore, we may enjoy Christ as our good land, living in Him and walking in Him. Christ is our land, our realm, our sphere, in which we may live and walk day by day. Christ is the sphere, the realm, of our living. We may live in Him and by Him. Christ is also our food, as typified by the produce of the good land. Christ as our food is not of one category, but of many categories, like the numerous courses of a bountiful feast. How bountiful are the riches of Christ in the good land! Christ is our good land today. All the riches of the good land are types of the riches of Christ.
Perhaps you have never heard that to enjoy Christ there is the need to set aside the top portion of Christ. We do not have the right to enjoy this portion of Christ at the time and place of our choosing. Only the common portion of Christ, not the firstfruit, can be enjoyed any time and at any place we desire (Deut. 12:15). This is not a doctrinal matter; it is true to our experience.
There are two aspects of the enjoyment of Christ. The one is the common aspect. Wherever we are, no matter the time or the place, we may enjoy Christ. This is the common enjoyment of Christ. The other aspect of the enjoyment of Christ is the enjoyment of the top portion, the choice portion, the firstfruit or firstling, of Christ. We can only have this aspect of the enjoyment of Christ in the proper church life. Have you experienced both aspects? Although Christ always remains the same, He nevertheless has a choice portion and a common portion. You may enjoy the common portion anywhere and at any time. You may enjoy Him in this way, while you are driving your car. However, you will never enjoy the top portion of Christ alone. Even if you were to fast, pray, and call on Him night and day for three days alone in your home, you would still not be able to enjoy the choice portion of Christ. If you want to enjoy this portion, you must come to the church, the place God has chosen.
In the Old Testament the place chosen by God was Jerusalem. But we need to know the striking features of God’s chosen place. Deuteronomy 12:5 says, “But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come.” In this verse we see the two outstanding features of God’s chosen place—His name and His habitation. Because the Lord’s name was there, that place was unique. His name was not there automatically; it had to be put there. As this verse indicates, God’s habitation was also there.
Deuteronomy 12:11 says, “Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.” In verse 5 God said that He would put His name there, but in verse 11 He says that He will cause His name to dwell there. Verse 11 proves that God’s name is living. The name is not merely a name, but a living person who can live and dwell in a certain place. These two matters, the name and the habitation, are the outstanding marks of the unique place chosen by God for our enjoyment of the top portion of Christ.
This matter is so significant that it merits repetition. The children of Israel could enjoy the rich produce of the good land in two ways. The common way was to enjoy the common portion of the rich produce of the good land at any time, in any place, and with anybody. The special way was to enjoy the top portion, the firstfruit, and the firstlings in the unique place chosen by God. The distinguishing features of this place were the name of God and the habitation of God. All this is a clear picture of our enjoyment of Christ. Our enjoyment of Christ is also of two aspects—the common aspect of enjoying Christ at any time and at any place, and the specific aspect of enjoying Christ at the place God has chosen. This unique place has the name of God and the habitation of God.
If we consider our experience, we shall see that we have two kinds of the enjoyment of Christ’s riches. Using the terms of this message, we may say that we have the common enjoyment of Christ and the special enjoyment of Christ. We have experienced the special enjoyment of Christ in the proper church life. Whenever we come to a meeting of the church, the enjoyment of Christ is high and rich. We all need to enjoy Christ both in our private life and in the church life. Although the enjoyment of Christ in the church life is wonderful, it cannot replace our enjoyment of Him in our private life. Likewise, the enjoyment in our private life cannot replace the enjoyment in our public life, in our church life. Many Christians today do not see these two aspects of the enjoyment of Christ. Some may even think that it is a waste of time to attend the church meetings. When they are in the meetings, they feel restricted. Some have said, “Instead of attending the meetings of the church, I like to stay home and enjoy my freedom. Whenever I attend the meeting, I feel imprisoned. I cannot keep from looking at my watch.” But even those who consider the church meetings a form of imprisonment must confess that many times they have had some enjoyment of Christ in the meetings. Although their enjoyment of Christ in the meetings might not have been very rich, at least they had an enjoyment of Him that they could not have had in their private lives, or even with their wives and a few close friends. Only in the meetings of the church can we enjoy the top portion of Christ.
In the early days I spent more time to enjoy Christ in my private life and less time to enjoy Him in the church life. Gradually, however, I have come to enjoy Him more in the church life than in my private life. There is no comparison between the enjoyment in the church life and the enjoyment in my private life. But this does not mean that I no longer enjoy Christ in my personal life. But the taste is not as sweet as the taste in the church life. I am always eager to attend a meeting to enjoy the top portion of Christ. How about you? Often in my private life I am tired and need to rest. When I work, I work with every fiber of my being. This tires me out. Thus, my private life is a time for me to rest my whole being—my spirit, my heart, my conscience, my soul, my mind, my emotion, my will, and every part of my physical body. After a time of rest, I am ready once again to attend the meeting for the choice enjoyment of Christ. This is the reason I am so rich in the enjoyment of Christ. Many are rather poor in the enjoyment of Christ because they spend too much time trying to enjoy Him privately and little time to enjoy Him corporately. I encourage you all to spend more time in the church life.