I.　In order to become the one new man in reality and practicality, we need to grow up into Christ in all things—Eph. 4:15-16, 24:

A.　No matter who we are or where we are from, we all need to grow up into Christ in all things, that is, in every single thing, whether big or small—v. 15:

1.　We have Christ in us, but there are still many things in which we have not grown up into Christ; in these things we are not in Christ but are outside of Christ.

2.　To grow up into Christ is to grow up into the Spirit; we need to get into the Spirit in all things.

B.　When we all grow up into Christ in all things, we all will be one in Christ; this is the universal one new man—v. 24:

1.　When we grow up into Christ in all things, we will no longer be different kinds of persons—Col. 3:10-11.

2.　If we grow up into Christ in this way, spontaneously we all will take Christ as our person—Eph. 3:17a:

a.　Christ as the person in the one new man is not individual or local but universal.

b.　"If all the brothers and sisters in all six continents take Christ as the person, then spontaneously all the brothers and sisters on the earth in His recovery will be the one new man" (One Body, One Spirit, and One New Man, p. 91).

II.　For the one new man, we need to labor and struggle to present all the saints full-grown in Christ—Col. 1:28-29:

A.　The Greek word rendered full-grown in verse 28 may also be translated perfect, complete, or mature.

B.　Paul's ministry was to dispense Christ into others so that they would be perfect and complete by maturing in Christ unto full growth.

C.　Our goal in preaching the gospel to sinners and in fellowshipping with the saints is to minister Christ into them so that they may mature in Him and be presented full-grown in Him; this is for the growth of the new man—3:10-11.

D.　If we would present everyone full-grown in Christ, we must do the following:

1.　Minister Christ as the portion of the saints—1:12.

2.　Minister the unsearchable riches of Christ for the building up of the church to fulfill God's eternal purpose—Eph. 3:8-11.

3.　Complete the word of God with the full revelation of Christ and the church—Col. 1:25-27.

4.　Minister Christ as the mystery of God—2:2.

5.　Minister the church as the mystery of Christ—Eph. 3:3-4; 1:22-23.

6.　Minister Christ as life to His members so that they may live by Him and grow with Him unto maturity—Col. 3:4; 2:19.

E.　Presenting others full-grown in Christ is a very difficult task; this task can be accomplished only by labor in which we struggle according to the operation of God—1:29:

1.　The principle set up in Genesis 2:5 is that man tills the ground, and God sends the rain; if we apply this principle to the matter of presenting the believers full-grown in Christ, we will see that we must labor according to Christ's operation.

2.　What Paul did in struggling to present others full-grown in Christ is an example of laboring to perfect the saints for the building up of the Body of Christ.

III.　In His recovery the Lord desires to recover the perfecting of the common members of the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:11-16:

A.　"We have to bear the responsibility for the annulling or for the developing of the saints' functions" (The Advance of the Lord's Recovery Today, p. 43).

B.　We need to uproot the old way and plant the new way, which gives the believers equal opportunity to function as the organic members of the organic Body of Christ—v. 16.

C.　Paul's thought concerning the perfecting of the saints is that God's intention is to have every believer able to do the things that the gifted persons do—v.11.

D.　"Our lack is in the actual practice of the God-ordained way. According to the actual practice, the God-ordained way replaces the papal system and the clergy-laity system" (Elders' Training, Book 11, The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (3), p. 90):

1.　The recovery according to the Lord's mind is to get His believers out of the papal system and the clergy-laity system.

2.　"The church is the Body of Christ and the new man….Where is such a corporate man, comprising the living, active, functioning members of the Body of Christ?" (p. 89).

3.　The Lord wants to recover the perfecting of the saints so that each one part of the Body of Christ may do the work of the ministry by operating in its measure for the building up of the organic Body of Christ—vv.12, 16.

IV.　The God-ordained way is carried out by labor—Col. 1:29; 1 Thes. 1:3:

A.　Our Christian work should eventually become a labor, something that is deeper and harder than work—Col. 1:29.

B.　The labor of love involves endeavoring and struggling—1 Thes. 1:3.

C.　"We in the Lord's recovery should be laborers and strugglers. Anything that needs labor or struggling will not go very fast or grow very fast" (Messages to the Trainees in Fall 1990, p. 97).

D.　"You must not practice the new way according to the tide of your emotions. To take the new way, you must labor definitely and regularly in a practical way. Then eventually you will see the fruitful result. This result is not a matter of fortune; it is a matter of laboring day and night" (pp. 105-106).