This set of fifteen free eBooklets, “Gaining Christ by Pursuing Him,” focuses on our experience of Christ as revealed in chapters 3 and 4 of Philippians.
“Not many Christians speak of their conversion in the way Paul spoke of his. Have you ever heard anyone say that at the time he was converted Christ gained him so that he might gain Christ? We need to realize that Christ has gained us that we might gain Him. Then we need to use Paul’s expression to uplift our conversation about conversion. Christ gained us not merely for the sake of forgiveness, redemption, salvation, or heaven. I repeat, He gained us for the definite purpose that we might gain Him…
“Christ wants us to gain Him. The Lord’s aim in His salvation is to seize us that we might take full possession of Him. Not even when Paul was writing to the Philippians did he regard himself as having gained Christ in a full way. Rather, he was still pursuing Christ in order to gain Him.”
Witness Lee, Life-study of Philippians, pp. 191-192
Individual eBooklets are available on Apple Books, on Google Play, as a PDF, as an EPUB, and as an audiobook. Free to download and share. Expand the titles below for links.
In Philippians 3:8 the apostle Paul says, “I count also all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee considers the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, including the contrast between the law and Christ, the excellency of the person of Christ, the all-inclusiveness of Christ, and the excellent knowledge of Christ.
Philippians 3:7-8 says, “But what things were gains to me, these I have counted loss on account of Christ. But surely I count also 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 refuse that I may gain Christ.” In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee offers a deeper view of these verses. “Many of us have known Philippians 3:7 and 8 for years, and we are very familiar with these verses. However, we probably have not touched the depths of this part of chapter three. Without this, we cannot be initiated into the genuine experience of Christ. You may have heard many messages on how Paul counted all things loss on account of Christ and on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. But has knowing these verses in an objective way brought you into the real experience of Christ? I believe that, if we are honest, we shall have to admit that we have not experienced Christ according to these verses. The reason for this lack of experience is that, until now, we have not probed into the depths of Paul’s thought in this portion of the Word.”
In Philippians 3:9 we see that the apostle Paul’s earnest desire was to be found in Christ, and in this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee explains what this means and how we, too, can be found in Him. Paul “expected to be found in Christ by all those who observed him—the Jews, the angels, and the demons. This indicates that he aspired to have his whole being immersed in Christ and saturated with Christ so that all who observed him could discover him in Christ.”
In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee considers the two kinds of knowing that the apostle Paul uses in Philippians 3. “To have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ in Philippians 3:8 is by revelation. But to know Him in verse 10 is by experience—to have the experiential knowledge of Him, to experience Him in the full knowledge of Him. Paul first received the revelation of Christ and then sought for the experience of Christ—to know and enjoy Him in an experiential way.”
Philippians 3:10 speaks of the power of Christ’s resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, and the matter of being conformed to His death. In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee presents the relationship among these matters, our spiritual experience, and the resurrection the apostle Paul refers to in verse 11.
In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee considers the way the apostle Paul speaks of his conversion in Philippians 3. “Have you ever heard anyone say that at the time he was converted Christ gained him so that he might gain Christ? We need to realize that Christ has gained us that we might gain Him. Then we need to use Paul’s expression to uplift our conversation about conversion. Christ gained us not merely for the sake of forgiveness, redemption, salvation, or heaven. I repeat, He gained us for the definite purpose that we might gain Him.”
In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee considers the apostle Paul’s speaking in Philippians 3:13-16, including the unique goal of God, the basic principle of the Christian life, and the extraordinary expressions Paul uses in this Epistle.
“In chapters one and two of Philippians Paul’s intention was to have communication, fellowship, between him and the believers in Philippi that he might share his experience of Christ so that the believers might be encouraged to have a full participation in his enjoyment of Christ. At the beginning of chapter three, Paul changes his emphasis.” In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee considers this change of emphasis and Paul’s basic concept in Philippians 3.
In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee presents two important matters from the fourth chapter of Philippians: thinking the same thing and rejoicing in the Lord. This rejoicing affords us the strength to have one mind, to think the same thing.
In the closing verses of his Epistle to the Philippians, the apostle Paul extends a brief word of greeting (vv. 21-22) and blessing (v. 23). In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee opens up this brief word and presents the revelation found in it.
In Philippians 4:13 the apostle Paul testifies, “I can do all things in Him who empowers me,” and then in Colossians 3:17 he charges the believers to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. These two verses correspond to one another, and in this booklet taken from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee considers them and what they reveal about doing everything in the name of the Lord.
In Philippians 3:9 the apostle Paul says, “And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ…” What does it mean to be found in Christ? What does Paul mean by a righteousness “which is through the faith of Christ”? In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee answers these questions and expounds this passage of Paul’s writing.
In Philippians 3:7-16 the apostle Paul uses at least three different Greek words to express the idea of gaining, indicating the Lord’s desire that we gain Him, obtain Him, and lay hold of Him. In this booklet taken from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee reveals that these expressions point to three stages of the securing of Christ. “In this booklet I am not burdened to cover either the initial gaining of Christ or the final laying hold of Him. My burden is related to the process of the continual obtaining of Christ, the process which takes place between the initial gaining of Christ and the final laying hold of Him.”
In this booklet compiled from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee expounds the word out-resurrection in Philippians 3:11. “The term ‘out-resurrection’ is found in the Bible only in Philippians 3:11. The Greek prefix ek means ‘out.’ Here Paul adds this prefix to the usual Greek word for resurrection. What was his reason for doing this? According to his vision and experience, Paul realized that God’s intention in the universe is altogether related to something which is new, something in resurrection, but resurrection in a very particular sense, not resurrection in an ordinary sense.”
In this booklet taken from Life-study of Philippians, Witness Lee focuses on two words found in Philippians 3:14: goal and prize. The apostle Paul speaks of the goal and the prize, but what is the goal and what is the prize? Many would answer that both the goal and the prize are Christ. Although such an answer may be regarded as correct, there is something very particular concerning these words that we can see in Philippians 3:10-14.
The eBooklets in this set are taken from Life-study of Philippians by Witness Lee.
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