Pursuing Christ

Let's Pray:

Lord, thank You for Your revelation and for Your move. We praise You that You have shown us Your economy, with Christ as the centrality and the universality. Oh, what a Christ we have!
　
Hymn: 1205
　
Press on, press on toward the goal-
The all-inclusive Christ.
To gain the prize of God's high call,
Press on, press on to Christ!

Pressing on! Pressing on!
Pressing on! Hallelujah for the prize
We're pressing on! On and on!
To gain the Christ of God!
　
Today's Verses and Footnotes: Phil. 3:7-16

Key Verse:

Phil. 3:7 But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ.

Phil. 3:8 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
　
Life Supply:

After we receive the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, we shall be willing to suffer the loss of all things and count them refuse in order to gain Christ and be found in Him. As a result, we shall know Christ experientially. Therefore, verse 9 comes out of verse 8, and verse 10 comes out of verse 9. If we do not have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ (v. 8), we shall not be found in Christ, for it is having the excellency of the knowledge of Christ which makes us willing to suffer the loss of all things and count them as refuse in order to gain Christ and be found in Him. Then, once we have gained Christ and are found in Him, we shall know Him; that is, we shall enjoy Him and experience Him.

To gain Christ is one thing, and to experience Him is another. We may illustrate this difference by the difference between buying groceries and eating food which has been purchased and prepared. Gaining Christ may be compared to buying groceries, and the experience of Christ may be compared to the eating of the food we have first purchased and cooked. However, before we buy any groceries, we must first have the excellency of the knowledge of groceries. Before we purchase anything, we are first attracted by the excellency of the knowledge of that thing. Thus, first we have the excellency of the knowledge of the groceries, then we gain them by buying them, and finally we enjoy the food by eating it. In like manner, Paul first received the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, then he paid the price to gain Christ and be found in Him, and finally he experienced Christ and enjoyed Him. Paul realized that to gain Christ and be found in Him always results in knowing Him, in enjoying and experiencing Him.

You may know that Christ is joy, peace, and rest. Before you were saved, you did not have the peace. But now that you have received the Lord, you have peace and joy. By no means do I belittle these aspects of the knowledge of Christ. I certainly enjoy the Lord Jesus as my peace, rest, and joy. Nevertheless, we should not be content with such a limited knowledge of Christ, but should advance in our knowledge of Him. Oh, how we need the excellency of knowing Christ! (Life-Study of Philippians, pp. 172-173)
　
Questions:

1. How did Paul come to know the excellency of Christ? (See Phil. 3:8 note 3)

2. How do we know Christ and the power of His resurrection? (See Phil. 3:10 note 1, note 2)

3. What is "pray-reading the word"? (See Eph. 6:17-18)