Enjoying Christ in the Church Life

In the early days I spent more time to enjoy Christ in my private life and less time to enjoy Him in the church life. Gradually, however, I have come to enjoy Him more in the church life than in my private life. There is no comparison between the enjoyment in the church life and the enjoyment in my private life. But this does not mean that I no longer enjoy Christ in my personal life. But the taste is not as sweet as the taste in the church life. I am always eager to attend a meeting to enjoy the top portion of Christ. How about you? Often in my private life I am tired and need to rest. When I work, I work with every fiber of my being. This tires me out. Thus, my private life is a time for me to rest my whole being—my spirit, my heart, my conscience, my soul, my mind, my emotion, my will, and every part of my physical body. After a time of rest, I am ready once again to attend the meeting for the choice enjoyment of Christ. This is the reason I am so rich in the enjoyment of Christ. Many are rather poor in the enjoyment of Christ because they spend too much time trying to enjoy Him privately and little time to enjoy Him corporately. I encourage you all to spend more time in the church life.

THE ONE, COLLECTING FLOW

I really enjoyed reading this portion of the ministry this morning. I hope you can also get something out of it. My prayer is that I will always be one seeking to stay in the Lord's flow!

A GENERAL SKETCH OF THE REVELATION

OF THE BIBLE

The revelation in the Bible is a complete whole. The Bible begins with God (Gen. 1:1) and ends with a square city (Rev. 21:10, 16). God is the origination, and the square city is the consummation. Hence, considered as a whole, the revelation in the Bible is a revelation of God issuing in a city. If you do not have this bird’s-eye view of the Bible, the thousands of verses will seem like a thick forest to you, and you will get lost amidst them. You will not know what you are reading or where you are going. You will have no way of knowing what the Bible talks about. If you get into all the details of things such as frogs, locusts, and horns found in the book of Revelation, you will be lost. Reading the Bible can be compared to reading a map of a city. First, you need to have a bird’s-eye view. Then you need to consider the main streets. This will afford you a general sketch of the city, and the sketch will guide you into all the details.

I would now like to present a general sketch of the revelation of the Bible. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created.” At the end of the Bible there is a city lying foursquare. The length of this city is the same as the breadth, for “the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal” (Rev. 21:16). This city has twelve gates, three on each of the four sides. God on the throne is both on the top of the city and in the center of the city (Rev. 22:1). We have seen that God is the origin, the beginning, and that the square city is the consummation, the ending. The city of New Jerusalem is a golden mountain, and God’s throne rests at the peak of this mountain. Now we must ask how this city is related to the very God who is the center of the city, how this city as the consummation can be the issue of God as the origination. There is a flow within this city spiraling down around the golden mountain. Revelation 22:1 says, “He showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” The river of water of life proceeds out of the throne and flows in the midst of the golden street. This flow connects God and the city.

THE ONE, COLLECTING FLOW

This flow did not start in Revelation 22; it began in the second chapter of Genesis. In Genesis 1 we see God as the originator and the origination. After man was created, he was placed in front of the tree of life, whence flowed a river (Gen. 2:9-10). Genesis 2:10 says that this river “was parted, and became into four heads,” flowing toward the four directions of the earth, indicating that the flow is for the entire earth. The picture in Genesis 2 is a miniature of the portrait in Revelation 22. In Genesis 2 we have God, out from whom flows a river. Man was put by this flowing river. Although in Genesis 2 there was a garden, there was no building. The difference between the garden and the city is that the garden is something of God’s creation in its natural state, whereas the city is something built up with certain materials. At the beginning of the Bible, we have a garden with all the natural things created by God. At the end of the Bible, as the result of God’s dispensing Himself into man, we have a city which has replaced the garden. Both at the top and in the center of this city is the throne of God, and out from this throne proceeds the living flow that spirals down the mountain. The more this river flows, the more of the city it reaches. Eventually, this one flow reaches all twelve gates on the four sides of the city.

No matter from what direction we approach the city, whether north, south, east, or west, we may immediately be in the flow. Those who come in from South America come in the south gates, and those who come in from Europe come in the west gates. After we enter into the city through one of these gates, we find ourselves in the flow. Praise the Lord, we are in the flow! Eventually, this flow gathers us together as one. In this flow we are truly one. Before we came into the flow, we were scattered. The Brazilians were Brazilians, the Danes were Danes, the Americans were Americans, and the Chinese were Chinese. Hallelujah, there is a collecting flow on earth today! Wherever this collecting flow comes, people have the opportunity to be gathered in by it. Sometimes I have tried to jump out of the flow, but I have been unable to do it. I am still in the flow. 

Ministry Excerpts -Young People's Training

THE CHURCH AS CHRIST’S COUNTERPART

The church is also Christ’s counterpart, His wife (Eph. 5:25-27, 32). The church as the counterpart of Christ implies satisfaction and rest in love. Every husband needs satisfaction and rest, which are found in love. The brothers who are husbands can testify that our satisfaction and rest can only be in our wives. If we say that we are the church, then we must ask if Christ has His rest among us. This is serious. Do not be so quick to claim that you are the church. To be the church is to render to Christ the adequate satisfaction and rest in love. Christ needs such a wife. The church is not merely a gathering of God’s called ones. It is a satisfaction and rest to Christ in love.

THE CHURCH AS THE TEMPLE

To God the Spirit, the church is the temple. First Corinthians 3:16 says, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” The believers as a corporate unit in a certain locality are the temple indwelt by the Spirit of God. Hence, to God the Spirit we are the temple filled with Himself. It is not simply a matter of having the manifestations of certain gifts, such as healing and speaking in tongues. It is a matter of having the corporate indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is the reality of the church life.

THE CHURCH AS THE ARMY

To the enemy, Satan, the church is an army (Eph. 6:11-13). Being the army is not an individualistic matter. At most, you and I can only be soldiers. But all the soldiers must be formed and constituted into an army. Whenever we are detached from the army, we are in a very dangerous situation. We must have the protection of being in the army. Because many Christians today are not in the army, they are constantly under the attack of the enemy. The church is absolutely a corporate entity. All the aspects of the church we have covered—sonship, family, Body, counterpart, temple, and army—are corporate entities.

THE CHURCH AS THE NEW MAN

In addition to all these aspects, the church is also the new man (Eph. 2:15-16). The church as the new man is for our living. Hallelujah, on earth there is such a new man living here! To the Father, the church is the sonship and the family; to the Son, the church is the Body and the counterpart; to the Spirit, the church is the temple; to Satan, the church is the army; and for our living the church is the new man. Praise the Lord that we are the new man! Individualistically we are not the new man. God has one corporate new man—the church.
After seeing all these aspects of the church, can we still be individualistic? I can testify that after I saw all this, my individualism was killed. I have seen that the church is absolutely a corporate entity. With respect to the Father, to the Son, to the Spirit, to the enemy, and for our living, the church is a corporate entity. Hallelujah, the church is the sonship, the family, the Body, the counterpart, the temple, the army, and the one new man!

Practice, and turning to the Spirit!

THE NEED OF PRACTICE

I have concluded that nothing works except the all-inclusive Christ as the life-giving Spirit. As long as I live by Him and take Him as my life, my person, and my everything, I have no need to overcome sin. He is the way. I do not need to seek holiness. Holiness is mine because Christ is mine. If the married sisters try to submit to their husbands, it will never work. The only thing that works is Christ as the life-giving Spirit. There is no need to retreat into your private room and pray. No, as you are about to do anything, stop and examine whether you are taking Christ as your life, whether you are living by Christ at that very moment and are taking Him as your person. You should say, “Lord, be one with me. I take You, Lord, as my life, my person, and my everything.” If you practice this, there will be a great difference in your daily living. You will have victory, holiness, and life.

TURNING TO THE SPIRIT

There is only one place where we can experience Christ— in our spirit. The mind, the emotion, and the will do not avail in this matter; only the spirit avails. We must constantly turn to our spirit. Some may ask how we can know whether or not we have turned to our spirit. Although it is difficult to say what the spirit is, you do know quite well what your mind, emotion, and will are. As long as you are not in the mind, emotion, and will, then you must be in the spirit. If you are a married brother and are about to talk with your wife, examine whether or not you are in the mind, emotion, or will. If you are in none of these places, then you must be in your spirit and you can freely converse with your wife. There are only four chambers of your being in which you can dwell: the chambers of the mind, emotion, will, and the inner chamber of the spirit. If you are in your spirit, then you may say to your wife, “Dear, I’m not in my mind, emotion, or will. Therefore, because I know that I’m in the spirit, I have the confidence to talk to you.” I’m certain that you could never attend a movie in your spirit. Try to lose your temper in your spirit. I doubt if you can do it. Whenever we get into our spirit, all the bugs and pests are exterminated. The most effective pesticide is our spirit, the unique place to experience Christ.

Young people, you need to experience Christ and to practice living by Christ. If you do a work among other young people without living by Christ, it will be a shame. To talk to people without taking Christ as your life is a disgrace. We all must learn to live by Christ. I do not care whether or not you are able to preach the gospel. I only care for one thing— whether or not you are living by Christ. As long as we live by Christ, our preaching of Christ will be prevailing. But if you attempt to carry on a work without taking Christ as your life, as your person, and as your everything, it will be a shame to the Lord’s recovery.