The universe
is for the human race,
the human race
is for the church,
and the church
is the increase of Christ.
is for the human race,
the human race
is for the church,
and the church
is the increase of Christ.
The greatest prophecy
in the Bible
is in Matthew 16:18:
“I will build My church”:
in the Bible
is in Matthew 16:18:
“I will build My church”:
The fulfillment of this prophecy
has not been fully realized,
so even today
the greatest prophecy
remains unfulfilled.
has not been fully realized,
so even today
the greatest prophecy
remains unfulfilled.
The central and divine thought
of the Scriptures
is that God
desires a building
that is the mingling
of Himself with humanity;
such a building
is God’s house,
His dwelling place.
of the Scriptures
is that God
desires a building
that is the mingling
of Himself with humanity;
such a building
is God’s house,
His dwelling place.
Preaching the gospel,
establishing churches,
and edifying the saints
are all part of
God’s main work
—the work of building.
establishing churches,
and edifying the saints
are all part of
God’s main work
—the work of building.
God’s building
is the corporate expression
of the Triune God:
is the corporate expression
of the Triune God:
God’s intention
is to have
a group of people
built up
as a spiritual building
to express God
and represent God
by dealing with His enemy
and recovering the earth.
is to have
a group of people
built up
as a spiritual building
to express God
and represent God
by dealing with His enemy
and recovering the earth.
God’s desire
to be expressed and represented
by man
on earth
can be fulfilled
only when we
are built up together.
to be expressed and represented
by man
on earth
can be fulfilled
only when we
are built up together.
The principle of God’s building
is that God
builds Himself in Christ into man
and builds man into Himself;
God’s mingling Himself with man
is God building Himself into man,
and man’s mingling with God
is man being built into God.
is that God
builds Himself in Christ into man
and builds man into Himself;
God’s mingling Himself with man
is God building Himself into man,
and man’s mingling with God
is man being built into God.
For the sake of His coming back,
the Lord needs the church
to be built up;
only the church
built up
according to the Lord’s desire
can be the steppingstone
into the age of the kingdom.
the Lord needs the church
to be built up;
only the church
built up
according to the Lord’s desire
can be the steppingstone
into the age of the kingdom.
For the building up of the church
as the house of God
and the Body of Christ,
we need to “disciple all the nations,
baptizing them
into the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
and to teach them
to observe all
that the Lord has commanded:
as the house of God
and the Body of Christ,
we need to “disciple all the nations,
baptizing them
into the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
and to teach them
to observe all
that the Lord has commanded:
To baptize someone
into the name of the Triune God
is to immerse him
into all
that the Triune God is,
into the sum total
of the Divine Being.
into the name of the Triune God
is to immerse him
into all
that the Triune God is,
into the sum total
of the Divine Being.
The baptism
ordained by the Lord
baptizes people
into the Body life
for the kingdom of the heavens.
ordained by the Lord
baptizes people
into the Body life
for the kingdom of the heavens.
All those
who are transferred into Christ
are the increase of Christ.
who are transferred into Christ
are the increase of Christ.
In order to have
the increase of Christ
for God’s building,
we must take
four steps
in our practice:
preaching the gospel
to gain an increase,
having home meetings
to keep the increase,
having group meetings
to teach and perfect the increase,
and having church meetings
in which all the saints
function by prophesying
for the building up
of the Body of Christ.
the increase of Christ
for God’s building,
we must take
four steps
in our practice:
preaching the gospel
to gain an increase,
having home meetings
to keep the increase,
having group meetings
to teach and perfect the increase,
and having church meetings
in which all the saints
function by prophesying
for the building up
of the Body of Christ.
Since the church
is the Body of Christ, His embodiment,
the growth of the church
is the growth of Christ:
is the Body of Christ, His embodiment,
the growth of the church
is the growth of Christ:
Only the growth of Christ
is the growth of the church:
is the growth of the church:
The growth of the church
is not determined
by an increase in its strengths or merits
but by the increase of Christ.
is not determined
by an increase in its strengths or merits
but by the increase of Christ.
The measure of the growth of the church
is not determined
by an increase in numbers
but by the increase of Christ.
is not determined
by an increase in numbers
but by the increase of Christ.
Only the increase of Christ
is the growth of the church.
is the growth of the church.
God’s desire
is for Christ
to increase and grow
in the church
and for Christ
to become
the content and element of the church
so that the church
would arrive
“at a full-grown man,
at the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ”
(Eph. 4:13):
is for Christ
to increase and grow
in the church
and for Christ
to become
the content and element of the church
so that the church
would arrive
“at a full-grown man,
at the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ”
(Eph. 4:13):
God’s work
is to cause
the measure of the stature of Christ
to increase in the church.
is to cause
the measure of the stature of Christ
to increase in the church.
God is expecting
the church to grow
to the full measure
of the stature of Christ,
because God’s desire
is for the church
to be the Body of Christ, His fullness.
the church to grow
to the full measure
of the stature of Christ,
because God’s desire
is for the church
to be the Body of Christ, His fullness.
The building up of the church
as the Body of Christ
is the increase of Christ
in the believers,
and this increase
is their growth in life:
as the Body of Christ
is the increase of Christ
in the believers,
and this increase
is their growth in life:
The church
as the Body of Christ
is an organism,
and the building up of the church
as an organism
is its organic growth.
as the Body of Christ
is an organism,
and the building up of the church
as an organism
is its organic growth.
Growth, increase, and building up
are not three different things;
they are synonyms
in relation to the organic Body of Christ.
The building up of the Body of Christ
is the growth of the Body
through the members
growing up into Christ, the Head,
in all things;
the Body grows
to build up the Body.
In His resurrection
the Lord Jesus
is building the temple, the Father’s house,
in a larger way,
making it
a corporate temple, the mystical Body of Christ:
Since the day of His resurrection,
the Lord Jesus
has been enlarging His Body
in His resurrection life;
He is still working
for the building of His Body
under the process of resurrection,
working on us
through the process of resurrection.
Christ,
who is resurrection and life,
changes death into life
for the building
of the house of God;
our living as Christians
is a life of changing death into life
for the building up
of the mystical Body of Christ.
who is resurrection and life,
changes death into life
for the building
of the house of God;
our living as Christians
is a life of changing death into life
for the building up
of the mystical Body of Christ.
The Father’s house
is a matter of the Triune God
—through incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection—
working Himself into the believers
in order to be fully mingled with them
so that He
may build them up
as an organism
for His dwelling and expression.
is a matter of the Triune God
—through incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection—
working Himself into the believers
in order to be fully mingled with them
so that He
may build them up
as an organism
for His dwelling and expression.
By the Spirit
and through His death and resurrection,
the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ,
is building an organism, the church,
which is
His Body and the Father’s house,
produced by the mingling
of the Triune God
with His chosen and redeemed people
for His corporate expression;
this is
the increase of Christ
for the building up
of the church.
and through His death and resurrection,
the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ,
is building an organism, the church,
which is
His Body and the Father’s house,
produced by the mingling
of the Triune God
with His chosen and redeemed people
for His corporate expression;
this is
the increase of Christ
for the building up
of the church.
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7 replies on “The Increase of Christ for God’s Building”
Prophecy note, 28 August 2016
The universe
is for the human race,
the human race
is for the church,
and the church
is the increase of Christ.
The greatest prophecy
in the Bible
is in Matthew 16:18:
“I will build My church”:
The fulfillment of this prophecy
has not been fully realized,
so even today
the greatest prophecy
remains unfulfilled.
The central and divine thought
of the Scriptures
is that God
desires a building
that is
the mingling of Himself with humanity;
such a building
is God’s house,
His dwelling place.
Preaching the gospel,
establishing churches,
and edifying the saints
are all part of
God’s main work
—the work of building.
God’s building
is the corporate expression
of the Triune God:
God’s intention
is to have
a group of people
built up
as a spiritual building
to express God
and represent God
by dealing with His enemy
and recovering the earth.
God’s desire
to be expressed and represented
by man
on earth
can be fulfilled
only when we
are built up together.
The principle of God’s building
is that God
builds Himself in Christ
into man
and builds man
into Himself;
God’s mingling Himself with man
is God
building Himself into man,
and man’s mingling with God
is man
being built into God.
For the sake of His coming back,
the Lord
needs the church
to be built up;
only the church
built up
according to the Lord’s desire
can be the steppingstone
into the age of the kingdom.
For the building up
of the church
as the house of God
and the Body of Christ,
we need to “disciple
all the nations,
baptizing them
into the name
of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit”
and to teach them
to observe all
that the Lord
has commanded:
To baptize someone
into the name of
the Triune God
is to immerse him
into all
that the Triune God is,
into the sum total
of the Divine Being.
The baptism
ordained by the Lord
baptizes people
into the Body life
for the kingdom of the heavens.
All those
who are transferred into Christ
are the increase of Christ.
In order to have
the increase of Christ
for God’s building,
we must take
four steps
in our practice:
preaching the gospel
to gain an increase,
having home meetings
to keep the increase,
having group meetings
to teach and perfect the increase,
and having church meetings
in which all the saints
function by prophesying
for the building up
of the Body of Christ.
Since the church
is the Body of Christ, His embodiment,
the growth of the church
is the growth of Christ:
Only the growth of Christ
is the growth of the church:
The growth of the church
is not determined
by an increase in
its strengths or merits
but by the increase of Christ.
The measure of
the growth of the church
is not determined
by an increase in numbers
but by the increase of Christ.
Only the increase of Christ
is the growth of the church.
God’s desire
is for Christ
to increase and grow
in the church
and for Christ
to become
the content and element of the church
so that the church
would arrive
“at a full-grown man,
at the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ”
(Eph. 4:13):
God’s work
is to cause
the measure of the stature of Christ
to increase in the church.
God is expecting
the church to grow
to the full measure of
the stature of Christ,
because God’s desire
is for the church
to be the Body of Christ, His fullness.
The building up of the church
as the Body of Christ
is the increase of Christ
in the believers,
and this increase
is their growth in life:
The church
as the Body of Christ
is an organism,
and the building up
of the church
as an organism
is its organic growth.
Growth, increase, and building up
are not three different things;
they are synonyms
in relation to
the organic Body of Christ.
The building up
of the Body of Christ
is the growth of the Body
through the members
growing up
into Christ, the Head,
in all things;
the Body grows
to build up the Body.
In His resurrection
the Lord Jesus
is building
the temple, the Father’s house,
in a larger way,
making it
a corporate temple,
the mystical Body of Christ:
Since the day of His resurrection,
the Lord Jesus
has been enlarging His Body
in His resurrection life;
He is still working
for the building of His Body
under the process of resurrection,
working on us
through the process of resurrection.
Christ,
who is
resurrection and life,
changes death into life
for the building
of the house of God;
our living as Christians
is a life of
changing death into life
for the building up
of the mystical Body of Christ.
The Father’s house
is a matter of
the Triune God
—through incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection—
working Himself
into the believers
in order to be fully mingled
with them
so that He
may build them up
as an organism
for His dwelling and expression.
By the Spirit
and through His death and resurrection,
the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ,
is building
an organism, the church,
which is
His Body and the Father’s house,
produced by the mingling
of the Triune God
with His chosen and redeemed people
for His corporate expression;
this is
the increase of Christ
for the building up
of the church.
Day 6
Jesus said to her,
I am
the resurrection and the life;
he who believes into Me,
even if he should die,
shall live.
In My Father’s house
are many abodes;
if it were not so,
I would have told you;
for I go to prepare
a place for you.
in John 2,
the purpose of life
is shown.
The principle of life
is to change death into life.
The purpose of life
is to build the house of God.
The principle of life
is for the purpose of life.
The changing of death into life
is for life’s building,
the building of God’s house.
…the sign of building up
the mystical Body of Christ
in John 2.
We need to realize
that the rebuilding
of the destroyed temple
has already been accomplished.
In Christ’s resurrection
we all have been resurrected.
Peter tells us
that we have been regenerated
through the resurrection of Christ
(1 Pet. 1:3).
This means
that in God’s view,
according to His accomplishment
in His economy,
the Body of Christ
has already been built.
in the book of Revelation
indicates this.
For example,
the apostle John
does not say
that the New Jerusalem
will come;
he tells us
that he saw the New Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven
from God.
Approximately nineteen hundred years ago,
John saw the New Jerusalem.
This shows us
that, according to God’s way of seeing,
the Body of Christ
has already been built up.
is simply a matter of
the changing of death into life
for the building up
of the mystical Body of Christ.
The entire Christian life
consists of two matters:
changing death into life
and building up
the mystical Body of Christ.
This is
the proper, genuine, and complete
Christian life.
There is
no third item
in our Christian life.
Now we are
in this building
by our daily living,
and our daily living
is a matter of
changing water into wine.
our Christian life
by saying that the Christian life
is the changing of
death into life,
water into wine,
for the building up
of the Body of Christ.
What is our living?
Our living
is the changing of death into life.
What are we doing here?
We are carrying out
the work of building up
the church, the Body of Christ.
This is our living,
and this is our goal.
Our living is
the changing of death into life.
Our goal is
the building up of the church.
We have
a living of
the eternal life, the eternal zoe,
for the purpose of
building up
the mystical Body of Christ.
of the Father’s house
was God incarnate, God manifested
in the flesh.
The second stage
is Christ resurrected
with all His believers, the many sons
built up together
to be the church.
Eventually,
this church,
the second stage of the Father’s house,
will consummate in
the coming New Jerusalem.
It is
of vital importance
that we see
what the Father’s house is.
The Father’s house
is a matter of the Triune God
—through incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection—
working Himself into His believers
in order to be fully mingled with them
that He may build them up
as an organism
for His dwelling place and expression.
This is also
for their dwelling place.
Therefore,
the sign of the Father’s house
points to the mingling
of the Triune God
with His redeemed people
to produce
a mutual dwelling place,
a dwelling place
for both God
and His chosen and redeemed people.
is not building
a heavenly mansion.
On the contrary,
by the Spirit
and through His death and resurrection,
He is building
an organism, the church,
which is
His Body
and the Father’s house.
This house
is composed of the mingling a
of the Triune God
with His chosen and redeemed people.
May we all
be nourished with the truth
concerning the mingling of God with us
to produce
a mutual dwelling place.
Day 5
Jesus answered and said to them,
Destroy this temple,
and in three days
I will raise it up.
But He spoke of
the temple of His body.
When therefore He
was raised from the dead,
His disciples remembered
that He had said this,
and they believed
the Scripture
and the word
which Jesus had spoken.
that growth, increase, and building up
are three different things.
With organic matters
such as a tree or a person,
growth, increase, and building up
are synonyms.
They are also synonyms
in relation to
the organic Body of Christ.
They are different terms
referring to the same thing.
The organic building up
of the Body of Christ
is the increase of the Triune God
in the believers,
and this increase
is the believers’ growth in Christ.
we are
members of the organic Body of Christ,
and on the other hand,
we are
the builders of this Body.
We, the members of the Body,
are the builders of the Body.
The growth of
all the members of a man
is the building up of this man.
If the members of a child’s physical body
do not grow,
he is not being built up.
The growing members
are the building members.
The members of a person’s physical body
are the builders of his body
by their growth.
Ephesians 4:16 says
that all the Body
causes the growth of the Body
unto the building up of itself.
…A little boy
builds himself up
by growing.
The feeding of the mother
helps the growth of this boy,
and his growth
builds him up.
Thus,
the boy builds himself up
by his growth.
When his growth stops,
there is no more building.
This is
an illustration
of the organic building up
of the church,
which is
a great lack
among today’s Christians.
If there is
no growth in life,
there is
no building up.
The organic building up
of the Body of Christ
is the growth of the Body
through the members of the Body
growing into Christ, the Head,
in all things.
The growth in life
is the organic building,
and the growth in life
is our getting into Christ
more and more.
He Himself raised up
His dead and buried body.
The body of Jesus
that was destroyed on the cross
was small and weak;
the Body of Christ in resurrection
is vast and powerful.
Which do you prefer to have
—the body of Jesus
or the Body of Christ?
After the Lord’s resurrection,
His Body, that is, the temple,
was reared up
on a much larger scale.
The body
the enemy destroyed by crucifixion
was merely the body of Jesus;
what was raised by the Lord
in resurrection
was not only His own body,
but everyone who is joined to Him
by faith.
the Lord Jesus
has been enlarging His Body
in resurrection life.
What an immense Body
Christ has today
in His resurrection!
Can you measure
the size of the Body of Christ?
Although it once was possible
to measure
the size of the physical body of Jesus,
it is impossible
to measure
the immensity of the Body of Christ.
The Lord
continues to build His Body
in resurrection,
and Satan keeps on helping this.
The house of God
is still increasing in resurrection
with the Body of Christ.
Today,
we are
still within “the three days,”
because the Lord
is still working
for the building of His Body
under the process of resurrection.
A great part of the Lord’s Body
has already been raised,
but there are still
some members of His Body
who are not yet raised.
Therefore,
the Lord’s Body
is still in the process of resurrection.
Even with yourself,
only a part
has been transformed,
which means
that only a part
has been resurrected.
The Lord
continues to work on you
through the process of transformation.
You are still
in the process of resurrection.
The church today
is still
in the three days’ process
of resurrection.
Day 4
But holding to truth in love,
we may grow up into Him
in all things,
who is the Head, Christ,
out from whom
all the Body,
being joined together
and being knit together
through every joint
of the rich supply
and through the operation
in the measure of each one part,
causes the growth of the Body
unto the building up of itself
in love.
is the Body of Christ, His embodiment,
the growth of the church
should be the growth of Christ.
The growth of the church
is not determined
by an increase in its strengths or merits
but by the increase of Christ.
The measure of the growth of the church
is not determined
by an increase in numbers
but by the increase of Christ.
God does not measure the church
by any criterion or ruler
other than Christ.
His desire
is for Christ
to increase and grow
in the church
and for Christ
to become
the content and element of the church
so that the church
would arrive
“at a full-grown man,
at the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ”
(Eph. 4:13).
…Only the increase
of the measure of the stature of Christ
is the growth of the church.
in all the localities
to consider
whether they
have had
an increase of the element of Christ
in the past two years.
Has there been an increase
of the measure of the stature of Christ?
I am not asking
whether we have had
an increase in love,
whether our zeal
has been intensified,
or whether we
have had an increase in numbers.
My question is,
“Has the element of Christ
increased among us?
Has the measure of the stature of Christ
increased?”
This is
what God is after.
This is
His focus.
God’s work
has been to cause
the measure of the stature of Christ
to increase in the church.
God is expecting
the church to grow
to the full measure
of the stature of Christ,
because God’s desire
is for the church
to be the Body of Christ, His fullness.
Only the element of Christ
can be the element of the church,
and only the growth of Christ
is the growth of the church.
Only Christ is
the reality of the church.
Everything related to the church
should be Christ.
needs the circulation of the blood,
the Body of Christ also
needs the circulation of the divine life.
Our body is organic,
so its building up
is organic
according to the circulation of life
by the growth in life.
When Christians
talk about
the building up of the church,
not many
think of this building
in an organic way.
They do not think about
the building up of the church
in the organic sense
but in the organizational sense.
The Lord
desires to build up the church
organically
because the church
is the organic Body of Christ.
as the church of God,
is an organism of the Triune God,
not an organization of human beings.
This is strongly proven
by the vine tree
in John 15.
The Lord Jesus said
that He
is the vine tree
and that His Father
is the husbandman (v. 1).
A tree
is not an organization
but an organism.
The vine tree
is the organism of the Triune God.
The vine tree
is not something organized
but something of life
that grows up
as an organism.
Nothing inorganic
can be added
to an organism
like a tree.
can be grafted into a tree
if it is
of the same family
as the tree
into which
it is grafted.
Grafting is
altogether an organic matter.
According to Genesis 1,
all the different kinds of life
are after their kind.
The human life, however,
is after God’s kind.
Man was made
in the image and likeness of God,
so man is
in the category of God.
Because we were made
in God’s image and likeness,
we can be grafted
into God.
This grafting
brings us
into an organic union with God.
The organism of the Triune God
is in this organic union.
The church as the Body of Christ
is an organism,
and the building up of the church
as an organism
is its organic growth.
Day 3
Go therefore
and disciple all the nations,
baptizing them
into the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them
to observe all
that I have commanded you.
And behold,
I am with you all the days
until the consummation of the age.
that it is impossible
to have
the recovery of the church life today.
However,
if the recovery of the church life
is not possible,
then the Lord Jesus
has no way
to come back.
…Only the church
built up
according to the Lord’s desire
can be the stepping-stone
into the age of the kingdom.
In Matthew 16:18
the Lord said,
“I will build My church.”
Therefore,
we believe
that it is altogether possible
to have
the recovery of the proper church life
today.
We have
the Lord’s promise
and His word of assurance.
in the recovery today
is not according to our plan;
it is according to
the Lord’s covenant
and His word of assurance.
The Lord Jesus
said that He
would build His church.
This is taking place today,
not according to our plan
but according to the Lord’s word.
to baptize the nations
“into the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
(Matt. 28:19).
There is
one name
for the Divine Trinity.
The name is
the sum total of the Divine Being,
equivalent to His person.
To baptize people
into the name of the Triune God
is to immerse them
into all
that the Triune God is.
Once we believe into Christ
and are baptized
into the person of the Divine Trinity,
we should daily enjoy the Triune God
by participating
in the love of God the Father,
in the grace of Christ the Son,
and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Eventually,
we will enjoy the Divine Trinity
in His divine dispensing
to the fullest
in eternity.
baptized the new converts,
not only visibly into water,
but also invisibly
into the death of Christ,
into Christ Himself,
into the Triune God,
and into the Body of Christ.
The water,
signifying the death of Christ with His burial,
may be considered as a tomb
to terminate
the old history
of the baptized ones.
Since the death of Christ
is included in Christ,
since Christ
is the very embodiment
of the Triune God,
and since the Triune God
is one with the Body of Christ,
so to baptize new believers
into the death of Christ,
into Christ Himself,
into the Triune God,
and into the Body of Christ
is to do just one thing:
on the negative side
to terminate their old life,
and on the positive side
to germinate them
with a new life,
the eternal life of the Triune God,
for the Body of Christ.
Hence, the baptism
ordained by the Lord here
is to baptize people
out of their life
into the Body life
for the kingdom of the heavens.
are in Adam.
When we preach the gospel to them
and they receive the Lord,
they are transferred
out of Adam
into Christ.
When someone
believes into Christ,
he becomes
a part of Christ.
The unbelievers
who are transferred into Christ
are the increase of Christ.
the God-ordained way
was invented by us,
and we saw
that this God-ordained way
revealed in the Scriptures
is of four steps:
begetting, feeding, perfecting, and building.
We need to beget, to produce,
new believers.
Then we need to feed them
that they may grow.
Then we need to perfect them,
not by one teacher
but through the mutual teaching
in the groups.
In the groups
everyone is a teacher,
and every teacher is a student.
Through the mutual teaching in the groups
the new ones are perfected
unto the work of the ministry
as pointed out in Ephesians 4:12.
This makes them qualified
to prophesy,
to speak for the Lord,
for the building up of the church.
Day 2
You yourselves also,
as living stones,
are being built up
as a spiritual house
into a holy priesthood
to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ.
But you are
a chosen race,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people acquired for a possession,
so that you
may tell out
the virtues of Him
who has called you
out of darkness
into His marvelous light.
to have an eternal building,
…creation was
a work of preparation.
God’s main work
is the work of building.
When we read the Bible,
we may pay attention to God’s creation,
but not to God’s work for His building.
God’s selection, predestination,
calling, redemption, and salvation
are all for the building.
Even regeneration
is for God’s building.
Whatever God is doing today
—in preaching the gospel,
edifying the saints,
or establishing churches—
is part of His building work.
In other words,
these activities
are part of
God’s main work,
the work of building.
God has a goal,
and this goal
is to build
a universal dwelling place
for Himself.
are the two key words
in the entire Bible.
Life is
God in Christ
as the living content,
and building is
the corporate expression
of the Triune God.
What a pity
that both life and building
are almost altogether neglected
by today’s Christianity!
For the proper church life,
both must be fully recovered.
is to have
a group of people
built up
as a spiritual building
to express God
and to represent God
by dealing with His enemy
and recovering this lost earth.
is that God
builds Himself into us
and builds us into Him;
that is,
God mingles
Himself with us,
divinity with humanity,
as one building.
To create
is to bring something
into existence
out of nothing.
Building,
on the other hand,
means that two things
that are already here
are put together.
God is here,
and man is here,
but now
there is
the need of some work
to bring God
together with man
as one
and to bring
so many persons together
as one
in God and with God.
This is
the work of building.
and what He still is doing,
is working Himself into us,
working us into God,
and bringing
all of us together
as one
in God
and through God.
His building work
by coming
as the divine person
to be incarnated
into humanity
to build a man with God,
that is,
to build a God-man.
In the four thousand years
from the time of Adam
to the time of Christ,
there were
many millions of people,
but not one of them
was a building of God with man.
Before the incarnation,
God was God,
and man was man.
God and man, man and God,
were never mingled as one
until the day
that God Himself
was incarnated
to be born
in a manger
as a man.
This man was
a unique man,
God mingled with man,
a man with God,
a God-man.
What God did
to work Himself into man
and work man into Himself
was the beginning
of the divine building.
is the mingling of God and man.
…In God’s creation
heaven was heaven,
earth was earth,
God was God,
and man was man.
The two sides
were never mingled together.
In God’s work of building, however,
God wants to build Himself into man
and to build man into Himself.
When these two
are mingled and built together,
they become
a building in the universe,
which may be called
the universal house.
This building,
or we may say
this house,
is constituted
through the mingling of God and man.
It is
the house of God,
and it is also
the house of man.
It is
God taking man as His dwelling place,
and it is also
man taking God as his habitation.
In other words,
it is
the mutual abode
of God and man.
Day 1
In order that
now to the rulers and the authorities
in the heavenlies
the multifarious wisdom of God
might be made known
through the church.
…Upon this rock
I will build My church,
and the gates of Hades
shall not prevail against it.
was made and arranged by God
for the purpose
that the human race
may exist
so that Christ
may come
to be incarnated,
to become a man,
to impart Himself
to the human race,
to make a part of the human race
a bride for Himself
as His increase.
Now we can see the central position
that the church
has in this universe.
The universe
is for the human race,
the human race
is for the church,
and the church
is the increase of Christ.
to find anyone
who has pointed out
that the building up of the church
is a great prophecy.
…In Matthew 16:18
the Lord Jesus said,
“I will build My church.”
You may say
that this is a promise,
yet we still have to realize
that this is a prophecy.
Probably none of the disciples,
including Peter,
had ever realized
that there was
such a thing in the universe.
Suddenly
the Lord Jesus told Peter,
“I will build My church.”
At the time
the Lord spoke this word,
this was
a great prophecy
concerning the church,
and it still is
a great prophecy.
This is
because nearly twenty centuries
have passed
since the Lord spoke this word,
yet we still cannot see
that the church
is fully built up.
The fulfillment of
this prophecy in Matthew 16:18
has not been fully realized,
so even today
this prophecy
still remains unfulfilled.
in the entire Scriptures
is not that God
is seeking a physical habitation.
A physical habitation
can never satisfy God.
The central and divine thought
of the Scriptures
is that God
is seeking a divine building
as the mingling
of Himself with humanity.
He is seeking
a living composition
of living persons
redeemed by and mingled with Himself.
God began and is still carrying out
the work of the divine building.
Even today
God is doing
the work of the divine building,
which is
to mingle Himself with man.
We preach the gospel
not merely to win souls or save souls
from hell
but to minister God Himself
through the Spirit
to man
so that God
can be mingled with man.
In this way
we gain the materials
for the divine building.
Likewise,
we minister Christ
to the saints
so that they
can be mingled and built up together
with Christ.
This is
the basic and central thought
behind what we do.
I have not been able to help anyone
to be mingled with Christ
more and more,
my ministry
is a complete failure.
The success of a ministry
is in ministering Christ into people
and helping them
to mingle with Christ.
Before we come
under such a ministry,
we may have
only a little of Christ,
but after we come,
we gain much Christ.
This ministry
ministers Christ to us,
helps us
to grow in Christ,
and mingles us with Christ
all the time.
This carries out
the building,
which is
the divine mingling
of God Himself with man.
To be mingled with God
day by day
is a deep, basic, and central matter.
that after His work of creation,
God’s work of building
is to mingle Himself with man.
In every spiritual experience,
God must be mingled with us
as the divine building.
It is not sufficient
to be humble
or to love and submit.
There must be
the divine building,
which is
the mingling of God within.
By this word
we can now understand
what the building of God,
the house of God,
and the dwelling of God
are.
The dwelling place of God
is the mingling of God with man.
This is
also the building of the church.
By the grace of God,
may we more and more see
the mingling of God with man
as the real, divine building.