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Scripture Reading: 1 Tim. 1:3-7; 3:15-16; 4:6-8; 2 Tim. 1:7; 4:22
The Bible is a book with many items, but within the many items there is a center, the kernel. When we look into the whole Bible, it may be very hard to find the kernel if we stay in our mentality and do not exercise our spirit.
This is like the physical life in our body. We can see the parts of the physical body, such as the skin, the meat, the bone, and the muscle, but we cannot see the physical life. Regardless of what kind of instrument we would use, we could never see that life with our eyes. Humanly speaking there is no way to see it and no way to make it manifest to our view. However, we all know that this does not mean that there is not such a thing as physical life. The human physical life is more than real. If it were not real, we could not speak and move. We have all the parts, but our ability to move is not in the physical, visible realm. It is in something that is invisible. The Bible is exactly the same. This is why many top scholars after reading the Bible see nothing of the kernel. They see history and part of science. Others see some doctrines, stories, and prophecies, such as the big image with a golden head in Daniel. The things concerning God’s mystery and God’s economy can only be revealed in our spirit. When we exercise our spirit, then all these things will rise up within us as a vision.
In my path of over fifty years in the Christian life, I have passed through many things. I am grateful for God’s mercy that His grace has kept me in His presence. But I can testify of one thing that preserves me all the time—a clear vision. A clear vision is the real preserving power. The Bible has so many items, and Christianity has such a long history of nearly two thousand years. The Christian religion has many books with thousands of opinions and concepts. We are in the Lord’s recovery, and sooner or later some of the opinions will touch us. For instance, suppose you meet a Christian teacher. He may talk with you in a very nice way and ask if you know what the seventy weeks in Daniel 9 are. You may be quite interested and like to listen, but this will cause you to be trapped. This dear one may be a very eloquent speaker with a phonetic presentation to attract you to the seventy weeks. Fifty years ago I heard many messages on the seventy weeks. Also, messages were given on the one thousand two hundred sixty days, the one thousand two hundred ninety days, and the one thousand three hundred thirty-five days. These are all in Daniel. This is in the Bible, and this is the holy Word, but we may be trapped by a hunger for knowledge.
The two books to Timothy must be put together as one. The verses we have read are the very kernel of these two books. In these verses we have the word mystery mentioned again, but here the mystery is of godliness. This is not another mystery; this is the same mystery, which is the mystery of the universe, the mystery of God, and the mystery of Christ. All these are different aspects of one mystery, and this mystery in the two books to Timothy is called the mystery of godliness. This word godliness means “God-likeness, liken to God, or like as God”; that is, we have the appearance, the expression, and the manifestation of God. The manifestation of God is called godliness. So the mystery of godliness means that God in His mystery can be manifested and expressed. First Timothy tells us that godliness is God “manifested in the flesh” (3:16). The mystery of godliness is God manifested in human beings. The mystery of God and the mystery of Christ are just God manifested in humanity. God manifested in humanity is the mystery of godliness. How much is implied and expressed in such a short word!
We also have the word economy in 1 Timothy 1:4. There it says that some kinds of teachings stir up questionings rather than God’s economy, which is an economy to dispense God into His chosen people. The apostle Paul warned us in these two books that among so-called Christians there are many other teachings. He even charged Timothy, his young co-worker, to take care that some not teach different things. To teach different things does not mean to teach a wrong doctrine or to teach heresies but just to teach things different from what we have been taught concerning the economy of God.
If we read 1 Timothy, we can see clearly that these things include the law of Moses. Some taught the law, and some taught the genealogy, which is the history of the Old Testament. The law of Moses is in the Bible as well as the history. Both are in the holy oracle and are not wrong. The law of Moses is built upon three columns, three pillars. One is circumcision, the second is the Sabbath, and the third is the Levitical diet. As a young male of the race of Israel, you must be circumcised on the eighth day, and this is once for your whole life. Then, after this, every seventh day you must keep one day as the Sabbath. Not only so, every day you have to keep the holy diet three times. These are all in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament these three pillars have all been removed. First, the Lord Jesus removed the pillar of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:1-8). Second, Paul was so bold to remove the pillar of circumcision (Gal. 5:6; 6:15). Finally, the pillar of the holy diet was removed in Acts 10. All these things are in the Bible, but they are not the kernel.
The kernel of the Bible is this: The mystery of the universe is God, the mystery of God is Christ, and the mystery of Christ is the church. This God is triune, dispensing Himself into our being so that we may become members of the Body of Christ, which is the church; and we are tripartite, having a human spirit as a receiver to receive the Triune God. Day after day and morning and evening, we can drink of Him for the church life. Paul charged Timothy to take care of some and tell them that they should not teach different things but speak the same thing. The same thing is Christ and the church, the mysteries of God’s economy.
We can find different teachings other than God’s economy in the Bible, even in 1 and 2 Timothy. Many other doctrines, such as the seventy weeks with the seven last years in Daniel, can raise question after question. Then we will argue and be snared. This is the very reason that many Christians are divided.
What is the Lord’s recovery? The Lord’s recovery is to bring us back to the beginning, to a beginning without any questions, and to a beginning without any division. At the very beginning all the apostles spoke the same thing. Peter, John, and Paul all spoke the same thing. We must be recovered back to the beginning to speak the same thing, which is Christ and the church. We care for Christ and the church. We care for our daily and hourly drinking of the one Spirit. We care for a living testimony to our in-laws, our cousins, our neighbors, our classmates, our schoolmates, and our colleagues. We care for the complete gospel of God to be preached to the sinners, for the proper church life, and for taking Christ as our life and person. We care for these kinds of things. We do not care for the ten horns in Revelation or the ten toes in Daniel. These are in the Bible, but we do not care for them, because they are not the kernel of the Bible. We only care for Christ and the church as the mysteries of God’s economy.
In the first chapter of 1 Timothy, Paul urged Timothy to charge some not to teach different things (v. 3). He said that some have missed the goal, misaimed (v. 6). What is the goal? The goal is the church. We may say that the goal is Christ, the goal is the church, and the goal is the New Jerusalem. This is altogether the same thing. We are in the central lane, driving the car toward the goal, but there are many distractions. Some have missed the goal, thinking that they are teachers who can teach people this doctrine and that doctrine. Paul charges us not to care for these kinds of doctrines but always to be preserved in the central lane. The central lane is the mystery of God and the mystery of Christ. The central lane is Christ and the church. The central lane is that the Triune God today is altogether the compound Spirit, that we have a regenerated spirit mingled with the divine Spirit, and that we can enjoy Him in our spirit as our everything to have a practical, present church life. Only such a clear vision can preserve us all the time in the central lane.
Paul goes on to tell us that we have to exercise ourselves unto godliness (4:7). This word exercise is a translation of the Greek word that means all kinds of exercise in the Olympic sphere. In the ancient time, during the Olympic games there was much bodily exercise. However, we Christians need to have another kind of exercise, exercise unto godliness. To exercise ourselves unto godliness is to exercise our spirit so that the mystery of godliness might be touched. In order to prove that this exercise is the exercise of our spirit, we have to go to 2 Timothy, where Paul says that God has given us a spirit that is strong, loving, and sober; such a spirit is with a strong will, a loving emotion, and a sober mind (1:7). We all have to exercise ourselves unto godliness. We have to exercise our spirit because the very mystery of godliness is right in our spirit. Second Timothy 4:22 tells us that the Lord is with our spirit. The Lord Jesus is the very mystery, and this mystery is in our spirit. If we are going to express this mystery, if we are going to practice this mystery, then we all have to exercise our spirit.
What is it to exercise ourselves unto godliness, and how can we exercise ourselves unto godliness? Let us suppose that while a few single brothers are living together, one comes in and starts to talk about some worldly things. While this brother is talking about worldly things, right away the others have to exercise their spirit not to join that talk. If they join that talk, they will fall into a snare. By saying, “O Lord Jesus,” they exercise their spirit. Right away, this exercise unto godliness will help that brother come back to his spirit.
Another illustration is with a husband and his wife. We all know that there is nearly not one couple on this earth that has never exchanged words. All the husbands are experts, and all the wives are specialists in exchanging words. In exchanging words between husband and wife, no one would lose the case. The more they say, the more they have to say. The more they argue, the more they have to argue. Learn to exercise yourself unto godliness. Suppose that after a meeting a married brother goes back home, and his dear wife suddenly becomes unhappy with him. He should not ask her, “Why are you unhappy?” This is not exercising unto godliness. This is exercising unto the exchanging of words. He should not use his tongue but use his spirit. Then he will be exercised unto godliness, and after two minutes his wife will be happy.
If the elders in the churches do not know how to exercise themselves unto godliness, there will be many things that will cause them to be unhappy with others. All the elders have a lot of opportunity to be offended by others. In the church life nothing is so troublesome, so burdensome, as the eldership. To be an elder is not an easy thing; it is a heavy task. The elders have to learn to exercise themselves unto godliness. If one elder would say to another that he does not agree with what the other mentioned, then this elder does not exercise himself unto godliness. The other elder right away has to exercise his spirit. Otherwise, they will argue, fight, and kill the spirit. Eventually, the church life will be deadened. For the church life all the elders have to learn how to exercise themselves unto godliness.
Before we say anything, we have to exercise our spirit. Before we say anything, we have to exercise ourselves unto godliness. Then our spirit will lead us. Whatever we say will be a kind of godliness. Whatever we say will be God manifested in the flesh. This is the exercise unto godliness. We all have to learn this. In everything we have to exercise ourselves unto godliness. Before we go shopping, we have to exercise our spirit unto godliness. We have seen clearly that we have a mingled spirit. So we must walk, have our daily life, and have our whole being according to our spirit. This is one aspect.
The other aspect is more practical. Before doing anything we have to exercise ourselves unto godliness. Even if we are going to put on our necktie, we have to exercise ourselves unto godliness. In practice, just to walk according to the spirit is not so adequate. We all have to exercise ourselves unto godliness. The most prevailing way is to call on His name. I assure you from my experience that this really works. We must practice this in our daily life. Even if we are going to comb our hair, we have to say, “O Lord Jesus, I am combing my hair.” If so, there will be a kind of godliness with our hair. Godliness is God manifested in humanity, and this is worked out by exercising ourselves. This is practical and can be practiced in our daily life. If all of us exercise ourselves unto godliness in such a way, we will be a real testimony; we will have a harmonious church life that will be prevailing.
Do not be occupied with doctrine. Be preserved in the central lane, which is Christ and the church, the mystery of God, the mystery of Christ, and the Triune God dispensing Himself into our being in our regenerated spirit. We only care for this. We are drinking all the day of this Triune God in our spirit, and whatever we do, we must exercise ourselves unto godliness. This is the practical way to live out Christ in our daily walk for the church life. This will be our practical testimony, the harmony in our church life, and a shame to the enemy. This will be a real glory to our Christ. This will bring in the kingdom. This will pave the way for the Lord to come back, and this will tell the whole universe that this is not a religion but a practical Christ lived out of all His lovers. This kind of church life is what the Lord is after today.
Our burden, commission, and mission is to have such a church life upon the earth today in all the major cities. We do not expect to have a big number or a mass movement. We do expect, however, that in the major cities a good number of Jesus lovers will live by Christ in such a practical way, exercising themselves unto godliness. In every aspect of their life, in every aspect of their daily walk, God is manifested. There is godliness in every aspect of their daily life.
Spend time to fellowship and pray; then you will get the enlightenment and a type of eternal warning. Never be trapped or distracted by any other teaching. We only care for God’s mystery, God’s economy, Christ and the church, and the Triune God dispensing Himself into us. We only care for drinking Him. We only care for the exercise unto godliness. Brothers and sisters, this is what the Lord is after today. This is the real recovery that the Lord wants. The full recovery of the Lord today is just a proper church life in which we live by Christ and exercise ourselves unto godliness.
