Gaining the Christ unveiled in the Book of Zechariah

I thought it might be worthwhile to share with you some of the riches our dear Lord dispensed to the saints in the meeting on last Lord’s Day (14 April 2013). We were covering the portion “A Word concerning the Human Spirit and Aspects of Christ Unveiled in Zechariah for His Move on Earth” from the HWMR Crystallization-Study of Daniel and Zechariah – Volume Two.

Scripture reading: Zech. 2:1f, 5, 8f, 11; 10:1, 3; 11:7; 12:1, 10

The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. Thus declares Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him. – Zech. 12:1

In His creation, God made three crucial items—the heavens, the earth, and the spirit of man. The heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and God put a spirit within man so that man may contact God, receive God, worship God, live God, fulfill God’s purpose for God, and be one with God.

For this reason, God intends that man should be governed by his spirit—and not his soul (i.e., his mind, his will and his emotions). A man who is under the governing of his spirit is a spiritual man (1 Cor. 2:14f; 3:1; 14:32; John 3:6; Eph. 3:16; 1 Pet. 3:4; Dan. 6:3, 10).

Properly understood, Zechariah charges us to pay full attention to our human spirit so that we may receive the Christ revealed in this wonderful book and may comprehend all that is revealed therein concerning Christ (Eph. 3:17-18a; 3:5; Gen. 2:7; Isa. 42:5; John 4:24; Phil. 4:23).

The way to fulfill God’s economy is by Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit in our human spirit. Zechariah reveals that the building of the church will be consummated by Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit of grace to be the topstone of grace (Zech. 4:6f, 12-14; 3:9; 12:1, 10’ Rev. 4:5; 5:6).

Much of Christianity today remains ignorant of the fact that man has a spirit. Many believe that man has only a body and a soul. Seeing that God formed the spirit in man as the organ by which man receives God, joins with God and mingles with God is crucial to our dwelling in Christ and Christ dwelling in us—the mutual “abiding in the Vine.”

But, once we realize that we have a spirit by which to contact God, we must also learn to exercise our spirit. It is by the exercise of our spirit—our spiritual “muscle”—that we experience and enjoy Christ as the sevenfold intensified Spirit in many different aspects.

We must exercise our spirit to experience and enjoy Christ as a man with a measuring line in His hand, measuring God’s people in order test them, judge them, examine them and make them His possession for His kingdom. When we agree to buy something, we test it, judge it, and examine it before we make it our possession.
When Christ comes as the man with a measuring line in Zechariah 2:1 and 2, He is not coming to judge and examine us in a negative way. The scriptures plainly say that He is coming to measure the greatness of Jerusalem, His city; He is not coming to measure to see how short we are—how we do not “measure up” to His expectations of us.

We must exercise our spirit to experience and enjoy Christ as the One sent by Jehovah. But He is also the Sender! The Triune God is both the Sender and the Sent One to care for His people, who are so dear to Him. Whoever touches us—His people—touches also the very pupil of His eye (Zech. 2:8f, 11; cf. John 14:26; 15:26).

We must exercise our spirit to experience and enjoy Christ as the good Shepherd, shepherding us in Favor (grace) and Bonds (binding into unity in Him and with the saints). His shepherding grace is for our being joined and mingled with God and His shepherding in Bonds are for our being bound into oneness in His Name and for His purpose (Zech. 11:7; 2:1f, 5, 8f, 11; John 21:15-17).

We must exercise our spirit to experience and enjoy Christ as the One who sends “rain.” The Lord is so full of grace and supply to us. Nevertheless, we should not hesitate to ask Him to send us even more favor; more grace; more “rain” (Zech. 10:1; 12:10; Ezek. 34:26).

We must exercise our spirit to experience and enjoy Christ as the One who shepherds us in such a way that, having been visited by the Lord in His grace, we weak sheep are infused by Him, transfused by Him, and transformed by Him to become horses of majesty (Zech. 10:3; cf. 9:13, 16; Dan. 11:32b).

Finally, we must exercise our spirit to experience and enjoy Christ as the Lord who strengthens us in Himself so that we may “walk about in His name (Zech. 10:12; Col. 3:17). “Jehovah will be King over all the earth; and in that day Jehovah will be the one God and His name the one name” (Zech. 14:9).

As you have already begun to see, dear brother, all of our experience of Christ is not to make us better individual Christians just so we can stand around awaiting our own death or the Lord’s return. Rather, the all-inclusive Christ is working in us as the sevenfold intensified Spirit in our spirit in order to gain the building of God for the manifestation of God and His testimony (witness) in the earth (Zech. 4:9; 6:12-15; Matt. 16:18; John 1:1, 14; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Rev. 4:5; 5:6; 21:2).

Not only should we conduct ourselves in such a way that we “let all things be done for the building up,” but God Himself has ordered His entire economy so that “all things” are accomplished for the building of His house, His dwellingplace and His expression consummating in the New Jerusalem.

This is so rich! Amen!

Let me end by sharing this wonderful paragraph from The Holy Word for Morning Revival:

Zechariah is a book unveiling Christ as God’s center and circumference, yet this Christ is intimately involved with human history. Not just anyone can know this One, but God’s chosen people who realize that they have a spirit can know Him. In reading the book of Zechariah and in contacting the Christ revealed in this book, we must first know that we have a spirit. Then we need to exercise our spirit to pray, saying, “Lord, I want to gain the Christ who is unveiled in Zechariah.” If we exercise our spirit in this way, we will sense something living touching us deep within. This is why there is in this book such a verse as [Zechariah] 12:1, a verse that charges us to pay full attention to the receiver within us, our human spirit, that we may receive the Christ revealed in the book of Zechariah. [Emphasis added.]

We sang this hymn, also. I think you will enjoy it and it will help you touch your spirit in order that you might contact God in a richer way and gain more of the Christ revealed in Zechariah:

1. God's glorious substance Spirit is,
His essence, holy and divine;
To contact God and Him enjoy,
His Spirit I must touch with mine.

2. The spirit is the innermost,
The part of man most deep and real;
If he would contact God in life,
'Tis with the spirit he must deal.

3. The worship which the Father seeks
Is in the spirit's strength alone;
His Spirit into man's would come,
That His and man's may thus be one.

4. When Spirit unto spirit calls
The two commingle and are one;
Man's spirit is the Spirit's home,
The Spirit doth man's life become.

5. Man's spirit must God's Spirit touch
If in God's fulness he would live;
'Tis only with the spirit thus
That he to God may worship give.

6. In ministry and fellowship
Man to the spirit we must bring;
All ministry should turn to prayer,
Spirit to spirit answering.

7. In spirit we must pray and serve,
In spirit touch the life divine,
In spirit grow, in spirit build,
That Christ thru us may fully shine.

8. Lord, to the spirit I would turn
And learn to truly contact Thee;
Thy Spirit thus will flow with mine
And overflow eternally.

May the Lord Jesus, Who has become the life-giving Spirit, be with your spirit! Amen.