u/hikaruelio

> No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. (Matthew 9:16-17)

What does this mean? What are the patch and garment, and the wine and wineskin in these two verses?

> But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. 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 (Philippians 3:7-8)

In these verses, and in this chapter, it seems Paul is desperately seeking to "gain Christ", at the loss of all other things. What exactly was Paul seeking to obtain? And, what does it look like for us today to "gain Christ"?

Here's a gem from the ministry I wanted to share with you all:

> An all-too-common attitude to the things of the Lord is that, 'What I know, I know; and what I don't know, I don't know, and can do quite well without.' But in Christ, the things we do not know, others do, and we may know them and enter into the enjoyment of them through others.

> Let me stress that this is not just a comfortable thought. It is a vital factor in the life of God's people. We cannot get along without one another. That is why fellowship in prayer is so important. Prayer together brings in the help of the Body, as must be clear from Matthew 18:19-20. Trusting the Lord by myself may not be enough. I must trust him with others. I must learn to pray 'Our Father...' on the basis of oneness with the Body, for without the help of the Body I cannot get through. In the sphere of service, this is even more apparent. Alone I cannot serve the Lord effectively, and he will spare no pains to teach me this. He will bring things to an end, allowing doors to close and leaving me ineffectively knocking my head against a blank wall until I realize that I need the help of the Body as well as of the Lord. For the life of Christ is the life of the Body, and his gifts are given to us for the work that builds up the Body.

> The Body is not an illustration but a fact. The Bible does not just say that the Church is like a body, but that it is the Body of Christ.

• Watchman Nee, "The Normal Christian Life", Chapter 11, pp 143-144

George Cutting (1834-1934) once said in a conversation, "Brother, do you know, I cannot do without Him? And do you know, He cannot do without me?"

This is quoted in Watchman Nee's The Normal Christian Life. The context is the topic of God's eternal purpose, which is stated to be that God would have many sons conformed to the image of the Firstborn Son (Christ) expressing His glory.

I found the sentiment quite deep. I am curious to hear thoughts on what this actually means, and if anyone has experience of this.