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In this chapter we will fellowship concerning the history of the Lord’s recovery of spiritual life. World history calls the centuries leading up to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the Dark Ages. Most historians acknowledge the fact that those years were dark, but most do not realize what caused the darkness. We know, however, that those years were dark because at that time the word of God was completely sealed. Not only was the word of God sealed in letter; it was even physically locked up. The Roman Catholic Church prohibited people from reading the Bible. In their view, only the pope, bishops, and priests were qualified to read the Scriptures, and the interpretation of the Bible was altogether limited to what the pope taught. Hence, the Lord’s word, which is the light, was not among the human race at that time. Human history prior to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries was at its darkest hour.
It was in the sixteenth century that God raised up Martin Luther to bring in the Reformation. The first item God recovered through Luther was the truth of justification by faith. Luther taught that man is saved through justification by faith. This was truly the Lord’s doing. However, Protestantism has greatly exaggerated and excessively promoted the recovery of this truth through Luther. Although it was a great move of God, its spiritual value is actually not that great. Although I have not read many of Luther’s writings, I have read some of them. Forty to fifty years ago I truly appreciated Luther’s writings, but today when I read his books, I feel that they do not mean that much to me. I do not say this because I am proud but because when I read his books, regardless of the subject matter, I touch only doctrines and not life.
Even though his faith and his boldness have been admired by many, he was not always so bold. When the Roman Catholic Church sought to kill him, he relied on Germany’s political power for protection. Hence, he betrayed the matter of the church. It is not too much to say this. He betrayed the truth concerning the church in order to gain protection from Germany’s political powers.
In any case, when you read Luther’s books, you cannot readily find help for your spiritual life. Hence, the result of the Reformation was the coming forth of Sardis. The Lord’s word in His epistle to Sardis is, “You have a name that you are living, and yet you are dead” (Rev. 3:1b). Nothing in the midst of Sardis is lively and strong. This is the condition of the Protestant churches. The degradation of the Protestant churches into their present situation did not begin recently. Rather, they became dead and cold shortly after the Reformation began through Luther. The Reformers left the Roman Catholic Church, accepted the doctrine of justification by faith, and even established the so-called Lutheran Church. Several northern European countries, such as Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, accepted the Lutheran Church as their state religion. Up to this day the pastors of the German Lutheran Church are paid from the treasury of the German government. The kings of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway all serve as the heads of their state churches. The Reformers established the Lutheran sect and the Lutheran Church, but they sacrificed the truth concerning the church. Hence, from the beginning, even before Luther passed away, the Protestant churches were lifeless.
Church history shows us that God reacted to this situation. There was a reaction of life against the deadness and coldness of the Lutheran doctrines. At that time, both inside and outside the Catholic Church, there were some reactions of life. While Luther was still alive, several people who were quite strong in life rose up to react to Luther, letting him know that what he taught was all doctrines without life. Luther, however, greatly condemned and opposed them.
One of Luther’s contemporaries was a person by the name of Schwenckfeld (1489-1561), who was very strong in life. When I read his books on the experience of life, I noticed that he even referred to the tree of life and to Christ as the life-giving Spirit. Furthermore, he spoke extensively on the condition of Christianity being according to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and on how we can live according to the tree of life by walking according to the Spirit of life and by experiencing Christ. This was a great surprise to me. When we began to see these matters in the Word, we thought we were seeing what no one had ever seen before. Little did we know that Schwenckfeld had seen these things over three hundred years ago. When Schwenckfeld found that Luther would not accept what he had seen, he went into voluntary exile, which lasted for many years. Luther rejected his attempt at reconciliation, calling him a fool possessed by the devil. From this we can begin to understand why fundamental Christianity opposes us when we get into matters such as the Spirit of life. While the emphasis of fundamental Christianity is on doctrines, the emphasis of the Lord’s reaction is on life.
At that time God raised up people in the Roman Catholic Church such as Madame Guyon who also reacted in life. These people are called the mystics in church history. They reacted in life but were not very clear about the truth. Hence, their teachings and applications became mysterious. Furthermore, the experiences of Madame Guyon and Thomas à Kempis, author of The Imitation of Christ, leaned heavily toward asceticism. The teachings of the mystics, however, greatly influenced Protestantism. Those in the Protestant churches did not appreciate Schwenckfeld because he had been condemned by Luther, whom they highly respected. Therefore, they turned their attention to the mystical teachings of those such as Madame Guyon. Most people, however, did not know how to apply mysticism, which, though it contained some genuine things, was too mysterious.
In the last century William Law was raised up in Great Britain. He was a highly intelligent and very knowledgeable person and was also a proficient writer and capable speaker. In the first stage of his life, he laid great emphasis on doctrines, but one day his eyes were opened to see the inner life. At that moment he was completely changed and had a complete turn. After he experienced such a turn, he began to appreciate the teachings of mysticism, and he also simplified them, making them practical. Hence, it was through him that the teachings of mysticism spread out. Andrew Murray, who was also raised up by the Lord, received great help from him. The main matter that Andrew Murray learned was fellowship with the Lord, that is, contact with the Lord through prayer in spirit. He paid much attention to the matters of the power of the Holy Spirit, the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Of those who received help from him, the most prominent one was Mrs. Penn-Lewis. She was also the one who saw the most in her time concerning the cross. She saw a great deal and also spoke a great deal. Unfortunately, because she saw the cross and knew spiritual warfare, she became too affected by these matters and turned her attention to the matter of demons, thereby neglecting the development of life. Consequently, her feelings and thoughts were mostly concerning demons. Her case became something truly pitiful.
Around 1925 the Lord used some whom He had raised up on the earth to show the church the resurrection of Christ. When these ones saw it and spoke it, they were in spirit. With time, however, the principles of resurrection became empty doctrines. Hence, those who listened to them received merely doctrines.
Then the Lord brought a sister by the name of M. E. Barber to China. I do not believe she received anything from Schwenckfeld, so except for the things of Schwenckfeld, she brought all the items that we have mentioned to China and genuinely practiced them. She also shared all these things with Brother Watchman Nee, who was greatly helped by her. This was the way the Lord took.
Through Brother Nee, the Lord gradually went on step by step. Based on what I observed while I stayed by Brother Nee’s side, I concluded that what he genuinely saw and knew in his last years is partially represented by the book The Breaking of the Outer Man and the Release of the Spirit. Today when many people read this book, they overemphasize the breaking of the outer man and neglect the release of the spirit. Before that book was published in 1948, I had much contact with him in Shanghai for two years, and in our conversations he kept saying that our spirit must be released whether we are praying, preaching, or talking to people. He said, however, that it is often difficult for our spirit to be released. Hence, God raises up certain situations to break our outer man. Thus, the breaking of the outer man is not the goal. If we would release our spirit, there would be no need for the breaking. When some people read The Breaking of the Outer Man and the Release of the Spirit, they hold on to certain pages, chapters, or sections where Brother Nee speaks about being broken. However, he spoke about being broken for the release of the spirit, not for the sake of being broken. Nonetheless, when many people read this book, they pay attention to the breaking of the outer man and neglect the release of the spirit.
Brother Nee repeatedly stated that the human spirit must be released. Only when our spirit is released, can the Holy Spirit come forth, because the Holy Spirit is imprisoned in our spirit. Brother Nee also realized that the Holy Spirit is the reality of everything. He realized that no matter how much you speak concerning the cross, you cannot have the reality of the cross if you do not have the Holy Spirit. Regardless of how much you talk about life, you cannot have life apart from the Holy Spirit of God. You may speak a great deal about Christ, but if you do not have the Holy Spirit, you do not have the reality of Christ. Brother Nee realized that the Holy Spirit is the reality of all spiritual matters, and he also recognized the need for the release of the spirit. Thus, we can see the importance of the two spirits—the Holy Spirit and our human spirit.
What I would like to share with you now is a personal testimony of turning to the spirit. I hope that you will take it in and be impressed with it. I began to preach in Taiwan in 1949, and in 1958 I reached a turning point. At that time there was a storm in our midst. After observing the situation from many angles, I realized that although many had heard the doctrine of the cross and had even preached it, they still did all sorts of negative things. I was greatly troubled by this and asked myself whether or not the cross was truly effective. Furthermore, I also observed those who had learned about the principle of resurrection life. They preached the doctrine concerning this matter, but in the way that they conducted themselves in their daily walk, they were void of resurrection and life. Hence, within me I had a big question mark concerning the doctrines of the cross and resurrection.
Because I was greatly disturbed by these matters, I did not trust in these doctrines anymore. Therefore, from February through April of 1958, in at least three or four consecutive conferences, the Lord began to release messages among us saying that doctrines are futile and that we must eat the Lord, drink the Lord, and enjoy the Lord. If you read the books put out by us, you will see that before 1958 we did not have such expressions and utterances as eating the Lord, drinking the Lord, and enjoying the Lord. These messages were later published in the book How to Enjoy God and How to Practice the Enjoyment of God. Ever since the Lord brought about this turn in me, I have no longer preached doctrines of knowledge. No matter how much you preach the dealing of the cross, and no matter how much you preach concerning resurrection life, it is of no profit. The only thing that is profitable is the Lord Himself in us becoming not only our life but also our life supply. When we live by Him, what we live out is the genuine life, the genuine spirituality, and the genuine church life. If we are not in spirit, what we do may be more evil than what unbelievers do. Regardless of how many years you have been saved, if you do not live in spirit, you are capable of doing any kind of evil thing.
Hence, in 1958 I had a turn within. I turned from expounding doctrines to paying attention to the spirit. The Lord has shown me that in our relationship with Him, in our spiritual life, and in our church life, everything hinges on Him as the Spirit entering into our spirit and upon our living by this Spirit to enjoy all His riches. From that time onward I have been constantly turning. Even until now I feel that the turning has not stopped but is still going on.
Why do we so easily lean toward matters such as the dealing, breaking, and suffering of the cross? This is because these things correspond to, and are very close to, our natural concept. We must be cautious when learning the lessons of being broken and being dealt with. If we overemphasize them, we may easily fall into Hinduism, which mainly teaches people to suffer hardship and to be saved through suffering. There is a certain famous preacher in India who brought all these Hindu teachings on suffering into Christianity. As a result, today many Hindus have accepted Christianity, but their practical lives are still according to the Hindu practice of suffering. The Chinese people are similar. Chinese culture is a combination of Confucianism and Buddhism. Confucianism stresses the improvement of behavior, whereas Buddhism emphasizes suffering. These two “isms” form the Chinese ideology and philosophy. This kind of ideology and philosophy was passed down from our ancestors and has become deeply rooted in us so that we still have these things within us, more or less. Even many Westerners are like this. Church history tells us that in the beginning the Roman Catholic Church taught people to improve their conduct by enduring sufferings. They even had a special kind of chair with many spikes that people would sit on when they were aroused in their fleshly lusts.
Matters such as suffering, behavior improvement, being broken, being dealt with, and bearing the cross correspond to our natural concept but are lacking in revelation. The book of Ephesians, on the other hand, is not according to our natural concept but is full of revelation. In Ephesians the cross is mentioned only once in relation to the fact that Christ has slain the enmity through the cross (2:16). The cause of this enmity was the law of the commandments in ordinances. The enmity was slain not for redemption or for salvation but for the Jews and the Gentiles to be created in Himself into one new man. In Ephesians 4 there is a word concerning putting off the old man as regards the former manner of life and being renewed in the spirit of the mind (vv. 22-23). Chapter 5 speaks about cleansing the church by the washing of the water in the word and removing the spots and wrinkles (vv. 26-27). If you read Ephesians again, you will notice that this book, which speaks specifically concerning the church and the church life, speaks very little about negative things.
Let us consider the positive matters that are revealed in Ephesians. Chapter 1 says that the church is the Body of Christ, the fullness of the One who fills all in all (v. 23). The Brethren saw the matter of the church as the Body of Christ as early as the nineteenth century. However, they never said that the Body grows by feeding on the riches of Christ. Every mother knows that children need the supply of food to grow. If there is no supply, how can the Body grow? Therefore, chapter 3 speaks concerning the riches of Christ (v. 8). If you read all the books in Christianity, you would not find one book on the unsearchable riches of Christ. Even our books prior to 1960 never mentioned the unsearchable riches of Christ. This was because in those days we did not sufficiently see the positive side. We mentioned the Body of Christ, but after a certain amount of speaking, we reverted back to speaking about the cross. We said that without the dealing of the cross we could not become the Body of Christ. We also said that if we are not broken, it will be difficult for us to be in coordination with others. If we were all broken by the cross, could the Body of Christ be produced simply by our coming together? It could not. The Body of Christ in chapter 1 grows by feeding on the riches of Christ in chapter 3. Suppose you have a newborn child who is less than twenty-four inches long and weighs only six and a half pounds. If you spanked him every day to make him bear the cross and to cause him to be dealt with, I am afraid that in less than three weeks you would have to hold a funeral for him. It would be better to permit him to be a little bit naughty and to make him eat plenty of food so that he may become strong. If he is disobedient, you may have to discipline him, but afterward you should make him eat some more. The point is to get him to eat. If you only discipline him, “break” him, and deal with him, but do not give him anything to eat, he will be finished. He will be dealt with so severely that he will be skinny, pale, and dry.
Ephesians 1 is on the Body of Christ, whereas chapter 3 is on the riches of Christ. What does chapter 4 speak about? Chapter 4 speaks about the Body arriving at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. How does the Body grow? The Body grows by receiving the supply. Ephesians does not mention dealings. It speaks only of the supply. Paul preached to us the unsearchable riches of Christ that we “may be filled unto all the fullness of God” (3:19b). This is the supply.
In the past when we spoke on Ephesians, we spoke concerning the Body, but we did not preach the riches of Christ. We spoke concerning the growth, yet we did not touch the matter of how we may be filled unto the fullness of God. In other words, we did not see that the church is produced by being supplied with the riches of Christ. Many of our hymns, such as those on the exhibition of Christ and the enjoyment of the riches of the land of Canaan, were written after 1960. Prior to 1960, these matters were not in our literature. When we mentioned anything in our books about Canaan before 1960, we said that it referred to the air, which is the spiritual battleground, because there were seven tribes in Canaan, typifying the spiritual forces of evil in the air. Therefore, we spoke concerning fighting the battle there daily. In the past we never told people how rich the produce of the land of Canaan was or how we should bring the produce to God and enjoy it with God, thereby bringing forth spiritual worship and a corporate life before God. We did not say these kinds of things prior to 1960.
The Lord is truly advancing. In the last fifteen years He has advanced quite far. We must endeavor to catch up with the present age. We do not mean that what we taught in the past was wrong, but the past is the past. The past cannot match today. Today we see the positive side of spiritual matters. Today in the book of Ephesians, I focus solely on the positive things instead of on the negative things.
The Body of Christ is produced not by our teachings or by our cultivation and much less by our being dealt with. The Body of Christ comes out of the supply of the riches of Christ. In chapter 1 we see the Body, in chapter 3 we see the riches, and in chapter 4 we see the growth. It is not a matter of being dealt with, of being broken, or of bearing the cross. In the previous message we saw that it is by the Spirit’s strengthening us into our inner man, Christ’s making His home in our heart, and God’s filling us that the church is produced.
Furthermore, in the past we saw the church only as the Body, but we did not have much impression of the church as the new man. The Body needs the supply of the riches, but the new man needs someone to be his person. No matter how much we are dealt with, we cannot produce a person. We may bear the cross daily, but we cannot produce a person. The person of the new man does not come from our being dealt with, being broken, or bearing the cross. Rather, this person is the all-inclusive Christ becoming our indwelling person. I hope that from now on we would completely turn to the positive things. Whenever we sit down together to fellowship, we should share about how Christ is making His home in us to be our person, declaring, “Hallelujah, the Lord of all lives in me!”
Formerly, we overstressed the first part of Galatians 2:20, which says, “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live...” It is true that it is “no longer I,” but who is it then? We did not pay enough attention to the next phrase, which says, “But it is Christ.” It is not merely His power or His virtues but Christ Himself! It is Christ who lives in us, yet we neglected this matter. Whether or not we are crucified, Christ is in us, and Christ lives in us. He is not only our life but also our person making His home in us. Today the Lord is taking us onward in a definite way. We must look at the positive side. We must put together the crucial items in each chapter of Ephesians. Is the Christ who is making His home in us a poor man? No! The Christ who is making His home in us is unsearchably rich. If our wife bothers us, why should we determine to endure the pain and take up our wife as a cross when the unsearchable riches of Christ within us can be our supply? We should enjoy Christ more so that we may supply our wife. We should change our concept and our speaking and say to her, “Oh, dear wife, I have treated you wrongly. From the day we got married, I have been taught to take you as my cross. Since then, I have truly wronged you in bearing you as my cross. Today, however, I declare to you good news of great joy: you are not my cross but rather my joy and my comfort!” When we get married, we do not need our wife to be a cross to deal with us. Rather, we need our wife to be our co-enjoyer because Christ is so rich! I am afraid that some of the sisters are still bearing the cross. Quickly lay the “cross” aside, consecrate this matter, and let us enjoy Christ. Christ, who is unsearchably rich, is making His home in us so that we may be filled unto all the fullness of God.
I am full of regret that my messages in the past brought you much hardship. I often said that your wives were your crosses and that some of you, due to your strong dispositions, needed not only a wife but also several children. I also warned you that by marrying, you get yourself into bondage and chains. Now I would like to tell you that the marriage life is a life of happiness. However, it is a life of happiness not in the flesh but in enjoying and sharing Christ together. I would like to annul the teachings I gave in the past. Do not come to me and say, “Brother Lee, did you not teach concerning the cross before?” Yes, I taught in that way before, but today—September 4, 1975—I solemnly declare that those teachings are annulled. I do not annul all the previous teachings, only the teachings concerning bearing the cross and suffering hardship. Empty yourself and come take in something positive. The church is the Body of Christ, which is supplied by Christ daily. When we eat the riches of Christ, we become healthy and strong. In the local churches there should be no “little caterpillars.” Rather, we should all be tall and strong as a result, not of being taught, but of eating Christ. The Spirit’s strengthening us, Christ’s making His home in us, and God’s filling us issue in the church.
Ephesians 1:17-20 says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him, the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength, which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies.” We all need to learn to eat these words. Here Paul wants us to see the power of surpassing greatness. The word power is a very particular word. The literal translation of the Greek word is dynamo. A dynamo is a dynamic power, an exploding power. This is the power according to the might of His strength. The word operate, which also means “energize,” is also a literal translation of a Greek word. According to the might of His strength, God caused the power to be energized in Christ in raising Him from the dead. Christ’s being raised from the dead was not a simple matter. He was raised not only from the tomb but also from the dead. The dead are in Hades, which has the power to hold the dead. Acts 2:24 says, however, that it was not possible for Christ to be held by death. He broke forth from the imprisonment of death and Hades. Today this great power is also operating in us.
Furthermore, this mighty power also seated Christ at God’s right hand in the heavenlies. This shows us Christ’s ascendancy and transcendence. Moreover, He is far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come. We know that gravity is a tremendously great force. Christ in His resurrection and ascension overcame three layers of forces. The first layer—Hades, the power of death—is underneath the earth. The second layer—the force of gravity—is on the earth. The third layer is the obstruction from the rulers and authorities in the air. After His resurrection the Lord Jesus overcame Hades, the earth’s gravity, and the rulers and authorities of the air. Then He ascended to the heavenlies. How surpassing is the greatness of His power!
Furthermore, God subjected all things under Christ’s feet and gave Christ to be Head over all things to the church. This is the great power that operated in Christ. Hallelujah, this great power is also in us today!
Ephesians 3:20 says, “To Him who is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us.” God’s doing is not according to the power from heaven or according to the power from an outside source but according to the power that operates in us. There is a dynamo in every one of us. Verse 16 says, “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit.” It is according to this power that God is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think. Every one of us has this power within us, like a generator running inside of us. Unfortunately, instead of turning on the generator inside us, we often pay attention to the outward dealings. Consequently, the power that should be operating in us is inoperative. What is it to exercise the spirit and to turn to our spirit? It is to forget about everything outward and to turn on the generator. When we turn on the switch, the generator inside immediately starts to run.
We must see that Christ in us has unsearchable riches. We must also see that the all-inclusive Spirit in us is a dynamo. It is not a matter of how we act outwardly, how we behave outwardly, or how we improve ourselves. It is a matter of turning on the generator inside. Once the generator inside is turned on and starts running, it generates the power of surpassing greatness. This power is so great that there is no way to describe it other than to say, “What surpassing greatness!” This great power enabled Christ to overcome Hades, the force of gravity, and the evil authorities in the air. It enabled Christ to ascend to the highest place in the universe and then to enter into our spirit. What great power this is! Today this dynamo is in us.
