To abide in the Lord is to be one spirit with Him; the focus of God’s economy is the mingled spirit – the divine Spirit mingled with our human spirit; we need to be one spirit with the Lord and live in our mingled spirit so that we may abide in the Lord all the time. Amen!
As believers in Christ, we are not just those who believe what the Bible says; we are grafted into Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is not merely a historical figure or just God who became man to show us how to live a proper human life.
The Lord Jesus is a universal vine tree, and we believers in Christ are branches in Christ as the vine. Hallelujah!
We have been grafted into Christ at the time of our repentance and faith in Christ, and we simply need to abide in Him.
The Christian life is a grafted life, a life in the organic union with the Lord.
The Christian life is not a life according to a set of rules of dos and don’ts; rather, it is a spontaneous life as we abide in the Lord all the time.
The only One who can live the Christian life is the One who initiated it – Jesus Christ; we live the Christian life by abiding in Him, that is, by allowing Him to live in us and do everything in us. Hallelujah!
To abide in the Lord, we first need to that it is of God that we are IN CHRIST.
God put us here. God grafted us into Christ. We are in Him.
We don’t need to strive or try to be in Him; we simply are in Christ. Hallelujah!
We are in the Lord by virtue of being one spirit with Him.
The Lord Jesus said in John 15 that He is the vine and we are the branches; as long as we abide in Him, He abides in us, and He will bear fruit in us – even much fruit, for the Father to be glorified.
We have an organic union with the Lord; there is a mysterious and wonderful relationship between us and the Lord Jesus.
Day by day we can turn to Him, call on His name, and simply abide in Him by being one spirit with Him.
Humanly speaking, it is not possible for a person to abide in another person; spiritually speaking, however, God put us in Christ (1 Cor. 1:30) and now Christ is everything to us.
The sweetest and deepest relationship we have with the Lord, besides that of the Head with the Body, is that of the vine with the branches.
There’s nothing more intimate than this; the vine is in the branches and the branches are in the vine.
When we see that we are in Christ and He is in us, we will simply abide in Him.
We will no longer struggle to do this or that; we will simply abide in Him.
Our living will be His living and His words will be our speaking. We will be fully one with the Lord in spirit.
To Abide in the Lord is to be One Spirit with Him, Living in our Mingled Spirit Daily
John 15:4-5 is related to 1 Cor. 6:17, for both show an organic union in spirit between us and the Lord.
To abide in the Lord is to be one spirit with Him, that is, to live in the mingled spirit.
The apostle Paul didn’t use the phrase “abide in the Lord” in his ministry, but he repeatedly stressed the matter of being one spirit with Him.
This is the key: we are one spirit with the Lord.
The secret to abiding in the Lord is living in the mingled spirit, walking according to the Spirit, and living in one spirit with the Lord.
![But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for [the] Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. John 7:39 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. John 14:20](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/But-this-He-said-concerning-the-Spirit-whom-those-who-believed-into-Him-were-about-to-receive-1-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for [the] Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. John 7:39 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. John 14:20")
This is the true meaning of abiding in the vine. This is truly marvelous! Hallelujah!
We believers in Christ are joined to the Lord in spirit.
Among millions of Christians on the earth, how many realize that, when they received the Lord Jesus, they were joined to Him to be one spirit with Him?
Many know that Christ is their Savior to forgive their sins and give them peace, and they are hoping to go to heaven one day.
Little do they realize that, when they receive Christ, He is the life-giving Spirit coming into their spirit to be mingled with their spirit as one.
He who is joined to the Lord is not only forgiven of his sins, justified by God, and reconciled to God, but is even more one spirit with the Lord! Amen!
The essence of the New Testament is the two spirits – the divine Spirit and the human spirit – mingled together as one (1 Cor. 6:17; Rom. 8:4).
This is the central thought of God’s eternal economy.
God doesn’t want to remain in heaven by Himself alone, just helping these poor men who are on earth, giving them sone grace and some mercy.
The desire of God’s heart is to be joined to man as one.
He created man in His image and according to His likeness and He yearned to be one with man organically.
Sadly, man was seduced and became fallen, and Satan came in to hinder God’s desire.
But four thousand years after man’s creation God Himself came to be a man; He went through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection, and in resurrection, He changed His form to be a life-giving Spirit to enter into all those who believe into Him.
He told His disciples that He would be not just with them but also in them as the Spirit of reality.
Hallelujah, Christ is not just with us but even more, He is in us as the Spirit!
Now we know that Christ is in the Father, the Father is in the Son, we are in Christ, and Christ is in us (John 14:15-20). Hallelujah!
God in Christ as the Spirit is now in us to be one with us, and it is here, in the mingled spirit, that we need to live, act, speak, and have our entire being.
What God is after is not the improving of our behaviour or causing a change in our conduct; He wants to mingle Himself with us and make Himself fully one with us and us one with Him.
God’s Spirit and our spirit mingle together as one; this is God’s economy, and this is the church, the Body of Christ, and the New Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
The union of these two spirits is the deepest mystery in the Bible; the divine Spirit and the human spirit are one, and for us to abide in the Lord we need to be one spirit with Him.
Amen, one spirit with Him all the time!
We cannot fully explain in an adequate way what it means to have a mingled spirit.
God created the whole universe with so many things in it just so that He would become the Spirit and enter into our spirit to be mingled with our spirit.
When God the Spirit enters into our spirit and we are one spirit with Him, this gives meaning to our human life.
This is why we wake up in the morning – to be one spirit with the Lord and do all things in oneness with Him.
We go to work for this, we take care of our family for this, and we do all things for this, that we would be one spirit with the Lord in all things!
We were crucified with Christ, we were raised with Him, we follow Christ, and we serve Christ – all these things are real to us in our mingled spirit. Amen!
The expression “one spirit” indicates the mingling of the Lord as the Spirit with our spirit.
Our spirit is now a mingled spirit – the mingling of our spirit with the Lord’s Spirit as one spirit; this is both the Spirit of the Lord and our spirit mingled together into one (Rom. 8:4; 2 Cor. 3:17; 1 Cor. 15:45).
May we realize that all our spiritual experiences are in this mingled spirit, and may we live one spirit with the Lord today.
Our fellowship with the Lord, our prayer to Him, and our living with Him are all in the mingled spirit. Hallelujah!
Lord Jesus, we want to abide in You by being one spirit with You today! Hallelujah, the Lord as the Spirit came into our spirit to be mingled with our spirit, and now we are one spirit with the Lord! Amen, Lord, cause us to see that we are one spirit with you. May we see the essence of the New Testament – the divine Spirit mingled with the human spirit as one spirit! May we live in this mingled spirit today and do all things in the spirit. Oh Lord, how we praise You for coming into us as the Spirit to be mingled with us and be everything to us. Hallelujah, we can live in the organic union with the Lord in spirit by exercising our spirit and by living in our spirit. We love You, Lord, and we want to live one spirit with You today. We exercise our spirit to fellowship with You, enjoy You, pray to You, and live for You and in You. Keep us in our spirit today in all the things of our daily living. Oh, what a miracle, our dear Lord, that we are in You and You are in us, and we are one spirit with You!
Whatever God Intends to Do or Accomplish is Related to our Mingled Spirit
The focus of God’s economy is the mingled spirit – the divine Spirit mingled with the human spirit, and whatever God intends to do or accomplish is related to this focus (see Eph. 3:5, 9; 1:17; 2:22; 5:18; 6:18).
This is why the word “spirit” is mentioned so many times in the New Testament, and we believers in Christ and disciples of the Lord Jesus need to be in spirit, walk according to the Spirit, set our mind on the spirit, and do all things in the mingled spirit.
It is difficult for the translators to figure out what spirit is the New Testament talking about, for many times it is the mingled spirit, the Spirit with our spirit, and at other times it is the Spirit of God.
As human beings with a human spirit, we receive the divine Spirit into our spirit and the two spirits mingle together as one; now we have a mingled spirit.
The mingled spirit can be illustrated with orange juice being poured into a cup of water; the two liquids mix so much that you can’t tell which one is which.
Many times we have certain feelings within, which do not come from our mind or emotion but from the Lord Spirit in our spirit.
We may want to go somewhere or do something, and we may check with the Lord, and pray much to Him, and He may not give us any answer.
We are waiting for a sign or a response from the Lord, but the way He speaks to us is by means of our spirit, for we are one spirit with Him.
We simply open to Him, contact Him, and enjoy Him, and He gives us a certain feeling from Himself that we should do this or go to a particular place.
We and the Lord are one.
This is what Paul did and this is how he lived; when he did not have anything from the Lord to write concerning marriage, he gave his own opinion, for he knew he also has the Spirit. Amen!
Whatever God intends to do or accomplish is related to our mingled spirit; we are one spirit with the Lord, and when we’re in our spirit, God can do everything that He desires to do.
By being one spirit with the Lord, we can experience and enjoy Him as the all-inclusive One (1 Cor. 1:2, 24, 30; 2:7-8, 10; 3:11; 5:7-8; 10:3-4; 11:3; 12:12; 15:20, 23, 45, 47).
Christ is all-inclusive and extensive; He is universally vast and inexhaustibly rich, but all His riches can be enjoyed and experienced by us in our spirit. Amen!
Praise the Lord for our mingled spirit!
We may have many problems, and the church life in our locality may also have many problems, but as we see in 1 Corinthians, there are at least twenty aspects of the all-inclusive Christ for us to enjoy in our spirit. He is everything to us.
We can experience Christ and take Him as everything because we have become one spirit with Him.
For anyone who is one spirit with the Lord, the supply is inexhaustible.
The Lord is inexhaustible, so the supply cannot be exhausted. Amen!
Sometimes in serving the Lord, we may feel that we are burned out, for we are exhausted and worn out with so much service.
When we have such a feeling we need to realize we are serving in a wrong way; we serve by our natural strength, which leads us to being exhausted.
We need to turn to our mingled spirit and remain in the mingled spirit.
We live and serve not in and by our own strength or out of our zeal for the Lord; we live and serve by abiding in the Lord, by being one spirit with Him.
May we deal with any problems that arise between us and the Lord and may we choose to remain in Him by being one spirit with Him and living in our mingled spirit today!
Lord Jesus, thank You for our mingled spirit. Hallelujah, the focus of God’s economy is the mingled spirit – the divine Spirit mingled with our human spirit! Amen, Lord, we want to focus on our spirit. Your focus is on the mingled spirit, and we want to live in the mingled spirit. We set our mind on our spirit. We exercise our spirit. We choose to be in our mingled spirit. Amen, Lord, we want to live one spirit with You today. Praise You for being the Spirit with our spirit. We are one spirit with the Lord! We want to experience and enjoy You as the all-inclusive One! Amen, Lord, we exercise our spirit to partake of Your riches in spirit. We are one spirit with You, and the supply is inexhaustible! Hallelujah, the inexhaustible supply is in our mingled spirit today for us to abide in the Lord and live the Christian life! Amen, Lord, we want to live in our spirit and be one spirit with You in all things so that You may live in us and we may become Your expression!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother James Lee in the message for this week, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1979, vol. 2, pp. 170-174, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Christian Life (2024 Memorial Day Blending Conference), week 4, Abiding in Christ as the True Vine.
- Similar articles on this topic:
– The Secret of the Christian Life—Living in the Mingled Spirit, via, Holding to Truth in Love.
– The mingled spirit in Ephesians, a portion from, Messages to the Trainees in Fall 1990, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee.
– What is the Focus of the Bible and the Center of the Universe? More via, Living to Him.
– The mingled spirit – the key to the Christian life, article by Ron Kangas in, Affirmation and Critique.
– 3 Key Verses on the Holy Spirit with Our Human Spirit, via, Bibles for America blog.
– New Jerusalem: God Mingled with His People, via, New Jerusalem blog.
– Forming in a mingled spirit, a portion from, Crystallization-Study of the Complete Salvation of God in Romans, Chapter 3, by Witness Lee.
– Living in the Mingled Spirit, The Secret of the Christian Life, via, Holding to Truth in Love.
– The mingled spirit, article by John Pester in, Affirmation and Critique.
– Do You Know the Two Spirits—God’s Spirit Mingled with Your Human Spirit? Article via, Bibles for Australia blog. - Hymns on this topic:
– Now within the Lord’s recov’ry, we’re so glad to find the way / To experience the Triune God and live by Him today— / Get into the mingled spirit, and within the spirit stay; / Yes, mingling is the way. (Hymns #1199 stanza 3)
– I am one with Thee, Lord Jesus, / One in spirit now with Thee; / All Thyself I now possess, Lord, / All Thou art now lives in me. / One with Thee, one with Thee, / One with Thee, one with Thee; / Day by day I share Thy riches, / Thou art everything to me. (Hymns #474 stanza 1 and chorus)
– O Lord, Thou art the Spirit now / Who in my spirit makes His home; / He mingles with my spirit too, / And both one spirit thus become. / Lord, teach me how to exercise / My spirit now to contact Thee, / That in Thy Spirit I may walk / And live by Thy reality. (Hymns #493 stanzas 4-5)
About aGodMan
Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1979, vol. 2, pp. 170-174
Now that we have received the Lord, all we need to do is abide in Him.
We abide in the Lord by exercising our spirit and living in our spirit.
Many times we have a spiritual “stomachache” because we don’t abide in the Lord; we need to deal with any problems and just abide in Him by being in our spirit.
May we be those praying unceasingly, calling on the name of the Lord all the time, to abide in Him!
To abide in the Lord requires we see the focus of God’s economy which is the mingled spirit.
The Lord as the Spirit is mingled with our regenerated, human spirit to be one spirit. When we walk according to our spirit we are abiding in the Lord.
If our attitude, reaction or intention stops our abiding in the Lord then we need to pray to receive His forgiveness and cleansing.
In this way by unceasingly praying we can continue in the mutual abiding so that we experience Him as the present and practical Christ.
Aaaaameeen! Lord Jesus we just want to abide in You!
According to our experience, It is difficult to know when we are abiding in Christ, but it is easy to know when we are not abiding in Him!
Anything related to the physical life that is functioning normally produces no feeling or sensation, wow, when we are abiding in the Lord, we may have no sensation!
Amen Lord, for the living and practical Christ to be our experience today!
Yes amen. I like the way the reading put it together this morning.
You don’t know when you’re abiding in the Spirit but you know as soon as you’re not.
You will instantly get the feeling that something is not right.
How blessed we are to have a present & practical Christ abiding in us.
It’s not always easy for us to have the sensation that our Jesus is there in our regenerated spirit because this is very much a matter of faith.
However, whenever we sense that our mind, emotions & will aren’t one with Christ, we can know that we have ceased to abide in the vine.
We need to immediately cease what we are thinking or doing and return to our spirit where Christ abides.
The problem is never with Christ; it’s always because we have strayed and we need to turn back to our spirit.
Amen. Lord Jesus, You are our living and practical Christ!
yes by ourselves we can do nothing only when we abide in Him and call upon His name we have His appearing constantly.
The joy of crying out His name gives us an uplift of life and light as our reality in the midst of our circumstances, how wonderful this person has become the gladness of our heart.
because the Lord is the Spirit and that He is with our spirit, we can abide in Him and He in us!
This means we need to walk ( live, act, and have our being according to the mingled spirit) and not walk according to the flesh.
Praise the Lord! 😃🙌
Amen, Lord keep us abiding in you.
I was encouraged to realised that when we are abiding we may not feel anything, but when we break the union with the Lord we will feel the pain instantly.
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Ameen for the practical and present Christ who as the Spirit is in our spirit.
So we can abide in Him today by minding just the spirit and setting our being and our mind on the spirit.