Phil. 3:7 But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. (8) But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ.
[Part 2 of 2]For thousands of years, Satan, the enemy of God, has been using religion, philosophy, and culture to possess people and to keep them from experiencing Christ. Man was made for Christ. God created man in the image of God (Gen. 1:26), and the image of God is Christ (Col. 1:15). Man was made in the image of God for Christ. But Satan uses religion, philosophy, and culture to hook people and to keep them from Christ. Although the more simple people may be hooked by material things, the more thoughtful ones are hooked by religion, philosophy, and culture. Although it is easy to overcome the influence of material things, it is very difficult to overcome religion, philosophy, and culture. Every nationality and culture has its particular type of logic and philosophy. The British, for example, are noted for their diplomacy, which embodies their logic and philosophy. The Chinese and Japanese are steeped in their own national logic and philosophy. Every nationality is strong in its particular kind of cultural peculiarity. As a result of all the different kinds of logic and philosophy, Christ does not have a way with any group of people on earth today. This word about our national philosophy and domestic logic is extremely practical. It exposes a hidden substitute for Christ and a subtle enemy of the experience of Christ. By the Lord's mercy and grace, may we learn to say that on account of Christ we count as loss our national philosophy and domestic logic, realizing that these things are a substitute for Christ and keep us from the deeper experience of Christ. Yes, we have experienced Christ to a certain degree, but our experience has been severely limited and blocked by our national philosophy and domestic logic. May the enemy's subtlety be exposed and may we truly count all things loss, including our own philosophy and logic, on account of Christ and the experience and enjoyment of Him!
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Philippians, pp. 149-150, 152-153. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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