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First Corinthians 1:22-23 says, “For indeed Jews require signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness.” Then verse 24 continues, “But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Colossians 3:11b says, “Christ is all and in all.” The Jews require signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but Paul clearly told us that Christ is the power of God, the wisdom of God, and that Christ is all.
In order to meet the spiritual needs of many saints, we need to see the reality of the church. Actually, the reality of the church is a spiritual reality. The church has been on earth for two thousand years. Such a history of two thousand years shows us that the world has many different understandings and has made many comments concerning the church. In addition, even those who are in Christianity have different understandings and have made many comments concerning the church. Hence, we desire to come back to God and to His Word in order to see what the church really is and what the reality of the church really is. If the Lord opens our eyes to show us the reality of the church, we will sense that man’s understanding, and even our understanding, of the church does not match the criterion revealed in God’s Word. Man’s understanding of the church is altogether the understanding of an unlearned person, and it is altogether apart from God’s Word. This is not only true with secular people, but it is even the same with so-called Christians.
What then is the reality of the church? The reality of the church is the spiritual reality of Christ, which is just Christ Himself. The entire New Testament shows us what the church is. The church is the enlargement of the principle of Christ.
In the Bible we have Christ, Christians, and the church, but we do not have Christianity. Why is this the case? We need to spend some time to consider these four items: Christ, Christians, the church, and Christianity. In the Bible we can find the first three items, but we cannot find what people today call Christianity. This term Christianity is not revealed in God’s Word but is a human invention. Although this word is used frequently in many human writings, including books, newspapers, magazines, and treatises, we cannot find the word Christianity in God’s Word.
Spiritually speaking, Christ is God who became a man. Christ is God mingled with man. “Great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16a). In the universe and among the human race there is One who outwardly is a man but inwardly is God. His human name is Jesus, but His title according to His commission is Christ. Thus, Christ is God coming into man to accomplish what God wants to accomplish and do what God wants to do. In His commission His title is Christ. For instance, I am So-and-so Lee. My name as a man is Witness Lee. But suppose I was appointed to be a representative. Then my official name would be Representative Lee. Christ, however, was not merely a representative of God on the earth. To accomplish what God intended to accomplish and to do what God intended to do, Christ was God Himself in man.
We all know that God has an eternal plan. In order to carry out His eternal plan in man, God became flesh and came into a man. He became a real man; outwardly, He was a man, but inwardly, He was God. According to His office, this God-man was called Christ. What is Christ? Christ is God mingled with man, God joined with man. He is the crystallization of the union of God and man. If we want to know the church, we must know Christ. For example, we have a certain kind of water that we call honey-water. Why do we call it this? We call it this because there is honey in the water. Then, what is Christ? Christ is God mingled with man. God has been united and mingled with man, He cannot be separated from man, and His name is Christ. Hence, the principle of Christ is the mingling of God with man, the two becoming one. Just as water is blended with honey to become one, so God and man were mingled together to become one. This is the principle of Christ.
What is a Christian? A Christian is one who has Christ in him. The Greek form of the suffix -ian of the word Christian denotes man. Many people think that to be a Christian is comparable to being a disciple, but in fact, it is not so. Whereas a disciple may simply refer to an apprentice, a Christian refers to a Christ-man. For instance, suppose we have a glass that contains water. We would then call this glass a water glass. It was originally just a glass, but after we put water in it, it becomes a water glass. In the same way, formerly, you were just a man, but now you contain Christ. As a result, you are called a Christ-man. However, the term Christ-man sounds quite strange, so the Bible translators use the word Christian instead. Nevertheless, today many people have a misconception, thinking that a Christian is a disciple of Christ who learns of Christ, a person who does whatever Christ did. Actually, the word Christian in Greek simply means “Christ-man” — a person with Christ in him. Christ is in him, and he and Christ are joined together.
God is mingled with Christ, and Christ is mingled with man; this is a Christian. In other words, a Christian is one who has Christ in him. God is in Christ, and Christ is in the Christian. The people who have Christ in them are Christians. A saved person must have Christ in him. If he does not have Christ, he is not yet saved. When a person has Christ in him, he is a “Christ-man,” a Christian.
Then what is the church? The church is a composition of all those who have Christ in them. I have Christ in me, you have Christ in you, and he has Christ in him. The Christ in each of us added together is the church. Even if there were no other Christians in Taipei except a few of us, when we were added together, we would still be the church in Taipei. What is the church? The church is the mingling of Christ with all those who belong to Him. Collectively, these ones are called the church. Some people say that they are going to church. In fact, to say this is not accurate. They are not going to church but to a meeting hall. The church, however, is not a meeting hall or a building. The church is Christ plus all those who belong to Christ. A person who belongs to Christ is called a Christ-man, and when a group of people who belong to Christ are added together, they are the church.
Because people do not know this, they think that the church is a place of worship. In the English language people always use the word church to refer to both the church and a place of worship. This is due to a lack of knowledge of the truth. Some who know the Bible have used the word assembly for the church. What is the church? The church is a group of people who have received Christ and who all have Christ in them. Please remember that God was in Jesus the Nazarene, whose name was Christ, and that this Christ has entered into many people. Individually, these ones are Christians, and corporately, they are the church. In the Bible another spiritual term for the church is the Body of Christ.
In the New Testament the title Christ has two different meanings or two different usages. In some places it refers to the Lord Jesus Himself, but in other places it refers to the corporate Christ. The individual Christ refers to the Lord Jesus Himself (Matt. 16:16), and the corporate Christ refers to the Lord Jesus and those who have Christ in them (1 Cor. 12:12). The church is the corporate Body of Christ.
Suppose I point at Brother Huang’s head and say, “This is Brother Huang.” Is this right? Yes, this is absolutely right. Suppose I point at Brother Huang’s body and say, “This is Brother Huang.” Is this right? Yes, this is also right. Brother Huang’s head is part of Brother Huang, and his body is also part of him. The two parts added together are Brother Huang. What is the church? The church is the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ is Christ. What is a Christian? A Christian is Christ. What is the church? The church is Christ. Why is this? It is because what is within a Christian is Christ, and what is within the church is also Christ.
Since degraded Christianity has not seen this due to a lack of light, many people say that the church is a charity organization or an evangelistic mission. These names are superficial and degraded and do not indicate the content of the church. The content of the church is Christ Himself. Christ is the church, and the totality of all Christians is the church. Some people believe in Buddha. The world calls this Buddhism. At the same time some believe in Christ, and the world calls this Christianity. Hence, Christianity has become one of the world religions. It has become a religious organization that is without Christ.
Although there is no such thing as Christianity in the Bible, in the human race there is Christianity. What is Christianity? Christianity is a religious organization that has lost Christ and is without Christ. Individually, a person who has Christ is a Christian; corporately, all those who have Christ are the church. However, today there is a group of people who belong to Christ in name but do not necessarily have Christ within them. In terms of being a religious organization, they can be considered a part of Christianity, but if they do not have Christ within them, they are not the church. In other words, what people consider to be Christianity is not the church. What people consider as Christianity is a religious organization, an evangelistic mission, but the genuine church is composed of those who have Christ in them as their life and content. Within these people, all their personality, disposition, thoughts, interests, desires, feelings, and contents are just Christ Himself. When people touch them, they do not touch merely their outward being, but they touch the Christ within them. For example, you may touch a water glass, but what you drink is the water in the glass. The reason it is called a water glass is that it contains water. Similarly, a group of people is part of the Body of Christ because within them they have Christ as their content and they are filled with Christ.
Paul says that the Jews required signs and that the Greeks sought wisdom. The Jews believed in God, but they required signs. Through and through, all that mattered to them were signs. The Greeks sought wisdom, and they talked about knowledge with regard to everything. However, Paul says that we who serve God do not preach the Jewish religion or Greek philosophy — we do not preach signs or wisdom — but we preach Christ (1 Cor. 1:22-23). Please bear in mind that the spiritual reality of the church is Christ Himself. To say this in the simplest way, Christians are those who have Christ in them, and the church is the sum total of all those who have Christ in them.
After hearing the gospel, someone may say, “I cannot believe right away. I have to do a little study first.” Outwardly speaking, this word is reasonable, but in fact, this is not the way to believe in Christ. For our education it is right to study, but it is not right when it comes to believing in Christ. For instance, when someone gives you an orange, do you study it before eating it? No one would study an orange before eating it. If you try to study the Bible before you believe in Christ, then I am afraid that after you have studied the entire Bible, Christ will still be Christ, and you will still be you. You will have nothing to do with Christ. Why will this happen? This will happen because although you may have used your mind to study Christ, inwardly you have never touched Christ. Even if after your thorough study, you finally approve of Christ, understand the doctrines of Christ, and are baptized, you still will not be a Christian if Christ has not come into you. Thus, you will still not be a saved person.
Some elderly women who live in villages and may be considered nearly illiterate have received Christ. Such ones do not know Genesis, nor are they clear about Revelation, but they have received Christ inwardly and have contacted Christ. They pray all the time and allow Christ to fill them. When you contact them, you sense a sweet and glorious flavor, because what you touch is neither Christianity nor doctrines but a living Christ. Although they cannot read much and are not eloquent in prayer, when you pray with them, you sense a sweetness, and you have the feeling that they have brought you to Christ. Why is this? This is because they have Christ in them, and they are filled with Christ inwardly.
This is a Christian. This is the church. This is the reality of the church. Not only so, this is spiritual reality. The genuine church is not the Christianity seen by men outwardly. Neither is it the doctrines of Christ that are outwardly studied by people. The genuine church is the living Christ who has become our life and content. This is the reality of the church, the spiritual reality.
Now we have to see how we who are saved can know more of Christ, be filled more with Christ, and have more experiences of Christ. We have to see that the spiritual reality of the church is Christ Himself. Unless we know Christ, experience Christ, and are filled with Christ, all our works in the church will be void of spiritual value and of spiritual reality, because all spiritual reality is just Christ Himself. We all have Christ and are saved, but how can we be filled with Christ? How can we experience Christ? How can we know Christ? Here we will briefly cover one principle.
The first step for man to receive Christ is believing. Once you believe, you are saved. However, for a person to further receive Christ, he must not only have faith but also have love. Not many Christians know what it is to love Christ, and not many Christians realize that if they do not love Christ, they will not be able to experience Christ or be filled with Him. In the Bible there are stories of three people that show us specifically how a person has to love Christ in order to experience and know Him. Interestingly, these three people are all females, and all of them have the name Mary. One is the Mary who gave birth to the Lord Jesus (Matt. 1:16). Another is the Mary of Bethany, who was a sister of Lazarus and who anointed the Lord Jesus with fragrant ointment (John 12:3). The third is Mary the Magdalene, who went to the tomb of the Lord Jesus after His resurrection and wept before the empty tomb, and to whom the Lord eventually appeared (20:1). These three different Marys loved the Lord in three aspects — in His birth, in His death, and in His resurrection.
Those who experience the Lord also experience Him in these three aspects: in His birth, in His death, and in His resurrection. It is wonderful that there is a Mary in each of these three aspects. The Lord’s birth was through a Mary; before the Lord’s death there was a Mary; and after the Lord’s resurrection there was also a Mary. Spiritually speaking, we all are “Marys.” Just as Christ was begotten in Mary, Christ was also born in us. First, we must experience Christ’s coming into us; second, we must experience Christ’s death; and third, we must experience Christ’s resurrection. Paul says, “To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Phil. 3:10). One who experiences Christ should have these three aspects in his experience: letting Christ come into him to be born in him, experiencing Christ’s death, and experiencing Christ’s resurrection.
We can easily understand Christ’s being in us, but we may not understand that much about Christ’s resurrection. One thing is certain: if we want to experience Christ’s death and resurrection, we must be a “Mary.” According to the record of the Scriptures, there is only one kind of person who has the experience and knowledge of Christ’s death and resurrection. The name of such a person is Mary. Without being a Mary, even though we may be saved, we still have no way to experience Christ. Without being a Mary, even though we may be saved, it is as if we do not have Christ. For Christ to be born in us and to fill us, and for us to pass through Christ’s death, be delivered from the old creation, pass through Christ’s resurrection, and enter into the new creation, we must be a Mary. The record of the Scriptures is very meaningful. Nothing is by chance or by coincidence. The birth of Christ needed a Mary, the death of Christ needed a Mary, and the resurrection of Christ also needed a Mary. They were three different persons, yet they all had the same name. This is a lesson from God.
If a person wants to allow Christ to be born in him, and if he wants to experience Christ’s death and resurrection, this person must be a Mary. What is it to be a Mary? When we read their stories, we have to bow our heads and worship the Lord. Perhaps they did not have much learning, talent, or knowledge, but they did have a love for Christ and the experience of letting Him pass through them. The first Mary loved the Lord Jesus to the extent that she forsook her own status. When the angel told her that she would conceive in her womb and bear a son, she replied, “How will this be, since I have not known a man?” Then the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:28-35). For this pure virgin to receive this commission, she had to sacrifice her status. Even her fiancé misunderstood her and wanted to send her away. This shows that this Mary had experienced the Lord Jesus, allowed Him to pass through her, and entirely disregarded her own status.
Everyone who experiences the Lord must be one who loses himself. Today some Christians do not give Christ the way to pass through them and to fill them because they are not willing to sacrifice their status. They are truly saved, but they do not let Christ pass through them. What is the reason that they do not allow this? They do not allow this because they have their own status and are not willing to sacrifice or lose it. One who truly loves the Lord and wants to experience the Lord must be one who sacrifices his own status. Mary was a virgin, but she was willing to sacrifice her status of being a virgin. If she had maintained her status of being a virgin, the incarnation of Christ could not have happened in her.
Although many among us have been saved, Christ still does not have a way to pass through us. What is the reason that He does not have a way? It is because we stay in our status and are not willing to forsake it. We all know about the great and famous revival of the Moravians in history. The unique reason for that revival was that there was a person who allowed Christ to pass through him. A young count named Zinzendorf loved the Lord to the extent that he forsook the title of count and became even more common than the common people. Because he sacrificed his own status, Christ had the way to pass through him, to fill him, and to gain ground in him so that he could be an outlet. This led to a big revival.
Today our big problem is that even though we preach Christ, very few of us are willing to sacrifice our own status. If a boss is willing to not act like a boss due to his love for the Lord, this is to sacrifice his status as a boss. If a person is not willing to sacrifice his status, Christ will not have the way to pass through him. Some Christians are very spiritual, but the problem we find in them is that they want to maintain their status. Despite the fact that they love and pursue the Lord, they still have this problem. It is this problem that prevents Christ from passing through them. A man should maintain his status as a man; however, as a lover of the Lord, he must be willing to cooperate with the Lord when the Lord requires him to sacrifice his status.
Perhaps someone will ask, “What does it mean to sacrifice one’s status?” I will give you some examples. Suppose a saint who is a manager says to his employee, “Tomorrow is the Lord’s Day. Go and hear the gospel.” This is an example of one who is not willing to sacrifice his status. Suppose a wife says to her maidservant, “Amah Wang, if you do not believe in Jesus, you will not be saved.” Although her word is right, Christ will not be able to come out of her because she remains in her status. Some people bring their status with them when they come into the church. A saint who is in a suit may not shake hands with another saint who pulls a cart for a living. He will shake hands only with a boss. This is status. This is not to say that those who love the Lord and are touched by the Lord’s love will be unethical people. In fact, they will be very ethical and will love their colleagues and servants even more. If a manager is touched by the Lord, he will be able to exhort his employee, saying, “In the flesh I am your manager, and you are my employee. But in fact, we both are sinners. What a sad thing it will be if you do not receive the Lord Jesus! I look to the Lord that you would sincerely listen to the gospel.” Please remember that this is not a doctrine but is Christ’s coming out of a person.
Sometimes people are willing to give up everything except their status. The rich fellowship with the rich, the learned fellowship with the learned, the students fellowship with the students, and those who have a position fellowship with others who have a position. Some people may say, “Birds of a feather flock together.” In principle, however, as Christians we are all the same species. The problem is that outwardly we all have a status that we are not willing to sacrifice. As a result, the Christ within us cannot come out of us. Why is it that we still have a status, and why are we not willing to lose our status? It is because we do not love the Lord enough.
As human beings, we should keep our status; however, as lovers of the Lord, we should overflow life and release Christ. Please remember that the first requirement for the overflow of life is to lose one’s status. The reason that your servants and employees are not saved is that you are not willing to lose your status. As men, we have our own status; however, as lovers of the Lord, we have no status. If for the Lord’s sake, the richer saints in the church fellowship with the poorer saints, what a beautiful scene this will be! If as a rich person with a high status and a good family, you invite some poor saints to your home to have fellowship, how beautiful this will be! This is not to say that you must do this in order to be a Christian; rather, this is to say that even though you are saved, Christ will not be able to have a way in you or to pass through you if you do not lose your status. May the Lord have mercy on us to show us that the church is Christ Himself and the outflow of Christ’s life.
