I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey. (Exodus 3:8)
This summer break Christian Students on Campus will be reading through The All-inclusive Christ by Witness Lee.
The All-inclusive Christ is a typological exposition of the geographical features (ch. 1-8) and the historical conquest (ch. 9-16) of the land of Canaan.
Let’s unpack what this means.
The Old Testament is a book full of types—actual people, places, and things that prefigure Christ, the church, or New Testament spiritual realities. The New Testament authors made abundant use of the types in the Old Testament, and this approach to Scripture flourished in the early church through the allegorical method. One of the clearest examples of this is when Paul calls the historical Adam, “a type of Him who was to come” (Rom 5:14). Other notable types of Christ include, the Passover lamb, the manna from heaven, and the cleft rock flowing out water. These examples are uncontested and very clear to most readers.
The greatest type of Christ in the Old Testament is the land of Canaan. The good land was the focus of all the action in the Old Testament. It was central to God’s purpose. Just like God promised to bring Abraham into this land, God has promised to bring us fully into Christ. Exodus 3:8 shows that the good land is the goal of the Exodus. Our Christian life is not just about salvation from something (sin/the world), but more importantly salvation into something (Christ). Many Christians have come out of Egypt, but haven’t yet fully come into Christ. God wants to bring us fully into Christ.
Just like the good land provided for all the needs of Israel, God wants to bring us into a Christ who can meet all our needs. Christ is not simply a lamb; He is a land—an all-encompassing realm with an all-inclusive supply. The problem is that although Christ is in us, we are not that much in Him. How big is Christ to us? Have we sensed His spaciousness?
Our knowledge and experience of Christ should be constantly expanding. Once the children of Israel entered the good land, they had to fully possess it. All of us will probably admit that we haven’t gained Christ sufficiently—maybe only a fraction of what God has revealed to us in the Bible.
If we want to gain more of Christ our land, God tells us to do two things:
- Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are… for all the land that you see I will give to you. (Gen 13:14-15)
- Rise up; walk through the land according to its length and its breadth, for I will give it to you. (Gen 13:17)
We need to lift up our eyes to see Christ and we need to lift up our feet to walk in Christ. The Christ that we see is the Christ that we experience, and the Christ that we experience is the Christ that we gain.
So let’s lift up our eyes this summer to see more of the all-inclusive Christ. Let’s look beyond our present horizon. Let’s explore the land and expand our borders. Let’s walk around in Christ in full discovery mode. And let’s fight for each other this summer to possess as much Christ as possible!
As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him. (Col 2:6)
Summer 2017 Reading Schedule
|
The All-Inclusive Christ |
||||
|
Date |
Chapter |
Sections |
Key Verses |
|
| W | 5/17 | 1 | Christ the Reality of All
The Center of God’s Eternal Plan |
Gen 1:1, 9 |
| Th | 5/18 | 1 | The Battle for the Land
… Some Practical Examples |
Col 2:6-7 |
| F | 5/19 | 2 | The All-Inclusive Type of Christ
The Rest for the People of God |
Deut 12:9;
Heb 4:9-10 |
| M | 5/22 | 2 | The Goodness of the Land …The Difference Between our Goodness and Christ’s |
Exo 3:8;
Eph 3:17-18 |
| T | 5/23 | 3 | The Resurrected and Ascended Christ
The Experience of the Ascended Christ |
Deut 32:13 |
| W | 5/24 | 3 | Applying the Ascended Christ
Serving in the Ascended Christ |
Ezek 34:13-15 |
| Th | 5/25 | 4 | Water
Springs, Fountains, and Streams |
Deut 8:7 |
| F | 5/26 | 4 | The Valleys and the Hills
The Eyes of the Lord |
Phil 4:11-12 |
| M | 5/29 | 5 | Food
… The Experience of Wheat |
Deut 8:8;
John 12:24 |
| T | 5/30 | 5 | The Experience of Barley
The Vine |
Deut 8:10;
John 15:5 |
| W | 5/31 | 6 | Food [continued]
… The Olive Tree |
Zech 4:12-14;
Judg 9:9 |
| Th | 6/1 | 6 | The Animal Life
Milk and Honey |
John 6:54-55;
Num 13:27 |
| F | 6/2 | 7 | Minerals
… The Stages of the Spiritual Life |
Deut 8:9;
John 7:37 |
| M | 6/5 | 7 | Transformed from Clay to Stone
The Mountains and the Hills |
Matt 5:14;
1 Pet 2:4-5 |
| T | 6/6 | 8 | Minerals [continued]
… Applying the Copper |
Eph 3:8;
Deut 33:25 |
| W | 6/7 | 8 | Applying the Iron | Matt 18:18;
Rev 2:27 |
| Th | 6/8 | 9 | By the Lamb, the Manna, the Ark, and the Tabernacle
… The Manna |
1 Cor 5:7;
Exo 16:31 |
| F | 6/9 | 9 | The Ark
The Tabernacle |
Exo 25:21-22; 40:20-21 |
| M | 6/12 | 10 | By the Offerings and the Priesthood
The Tabernacle Filled with Glory |
Exo 40:34 |
| T | 6/13 | 10 | The Offerings | Lev 1:3; 2:1; 3:1; 4:2-3; 5:5-6 |
| W | 6/14 | 10 | The Priesthood | Lev 8:7 |
| Th | 6/15 | 11 | By the Governing Principles
The Presence of The Lord |
Exo 33:14;
Psa 119:105 |
| F | 6/16 | 11 | The Priesthood with the Urim and the Thummim
The Regulations of a Holy Life |
Lev 8:8;
Exo 20:26 |
| M | 6/19 | 12 | By the Formation of the Army
… From the Land to an Army—A Check List |
Josh 1:14-15 |
| T | 6/20 | 12 | Qualifications for the Army | Num 1:3 |
| W | 6/21 | 13 | The Opposing Factors
Independence and Individualism |
1 Cor 12:12 |
| Th | 6/22 | 13 | Strange Fire
… Murmuring |
Num 13:30;
Heb 4:11 |
| F | 6/23 | 14 | By Taking the Word of the Lord
… By Applying the Death of Christ |
Josh 1:2-3;
Col 3:5 |
| M | 6/26 | 14 | By Enjoying the Produce of the Land
… How to Fight the Battle |
Eph 6:12-13;
2 Cor 10:3-5 |
| T | 6/27 | 15 | Laboring on Christ
How to Labor on Christ |
Deut 14:22-23 |
| W | 6/28 | 15 | Exhibiting Christ
Two Ways of Enjoying Christ |
Deut 12:5;
Matt 18:20 |
| Th | 6/29 | 16 | The Increasing Scale of our Experience
… The Peace Offering |
Exo 12:16;
Josh 5:12 |
| F | 6/30 | 16 | The Temple
The City |
1 Cor 14:24-25;
Eph 2:19-22 |
Download a PDF of the Reading Schedule
How to Get the Most out of this Reading Schedule:
Pray
Before reading, begin with a short prayer to the Lord.
Pray-read
Read and pray over the verses for that day in order to receive the nourishing element of the word.
Read your daily portion
Now that your spirit has been engaged, read the daily portion, taking note of the words or phrases that the Lord speaks to you. Speak to the Lord with those same words, by rejoicing, requesting, or repenting. Do not rush through the daily reading just for the sake of finishing the schedule. The goal is not simply to finish. Our goal is to establish a daily life of enjoying God through the ministry.
Get companions
As you endeavor to keep the schedule, you may discover that it is difficult to do it by yourself. We encourage you to find some companions to help you read this book. Find at least one! If your companions are not in town, text, FaceTime, or call them to pray, stay encouraged, and stay on track.