We Exercise the Key of Denying the Self to Lock up the Self and Build up the Church

May the Lord have mercy on us to show us a vision of the self so that we may exercise the key of denying the self to lock up the self in all its expressions and in all situations, for when the self is locked up, the church is built up.

It is really the Lord’s mercy if we can see the vision of the Body and realise that the worst enemy of the Body is the self; our self – we ourselves – are the worst enemy of the Body, for the self is the soul declaring independence from God.

Because the self is independent, the self is the greatest problem and frustration to the building up of the Body. However, we may not realise what the self is, what are the expressions of the self, and why is it so damaging to live in the self.

If we see that the church is the Body of Christ and that Christ desires to build up His Body on earth, we will realise that the gates of Hades are ready to be open to pour out death into the church, and the first of these gates is the self.

Whenever we do something independent of the Lord and of the Body, we live in the self; when we live in the self, even though we may do good things and even spiritual things, we do not depend on the Lord and on the Body, and our work will damage the Body.

Throughout the centuries Satan has used this gate of Hades – the self – to come into the church and damage the church, hindering the building up of the church.

If we see this, if we realise that the self as the soul declaring independence from God is the greatest frustration to the building up of the Body, we will seek to depend on the Lord and on the Body, so that we may lock up this gate.

Because the Lord is one with the Body, if we are dependent on the Body we are also dependent on the Lord, and if we are dependent on the Lord, we also depend on the Body.

It is only when our self-life has been utterly been dealt with by the cross that we are able to touch the reality of the Body of Christ and come to know the Body in reality. When we cooperate with the Lord by exercising the key of denying the self, we will lock up this gate of Hades and Satan cannot damage the church through us.

Seeing some of the Expressions of the Self and Exercising the Key of Denying the Self

What are some of the expressions of the self, and where do we see them exposed or touched in the Bible? Well, with the self there are ambition, pride, and self-exaltation (see Matt. 20:20-28; 1 Pet. 5:5; Rom. 12:3; Num. 12:1-10; 16:1-3; Phil. 2:3-4).

Whenever we want to be above others and are proud of what we know and have, this is the self. When we have the ambition to be somebody in the church life, and when we exalt ourselves above others – whether in word, in deed, or just in attitude, this is an expression of the self.

Paul encourages that we would do nothing by way of selfish ambition nor by vainglory, but in lowliness of mind considering one another more excellent than ourselves, not regarding our own virtues but each the virtues of others also (Phil. 2:3-4).

With the self there are self-righteousness, self-justification, and exposing, criticizing, and condemning others (see Matt. 9:10-13; Luke 18:9-14; 1 Pet. 4:8; John 3:17; 8:11; Luke 6:37; Matt. 7:1-5).

When we do not forgive others, that is the self. When we justify ourselves and have our own righteousness, being righteous in our own eyes, that is the self. When we expose others and criticize others, that is the self.

With the self there are introspection and self-despising (see S.S. 2:8-9; 1 Cor. 12:15-16). When we look down on ourselves, being introspective in an unhealthy way, it’s a form of the self. When we introspect and wallow in the self…we are actually feeding the self.

When we are in the self, we can be offended by the church, the leading ones, or the saints (see Matt. 6:14-15; 18:21-35; Mark 11:25-26; Col. 3:13). Offenses always come, but do we get offended? We are not made of marble; we are human beings made of flesh, and when we live in the self, it is easy to be offended by others.

A good test of whether the gate of Hades is shut is our sensitivity to being offended – how quickly and easily are we offended determines how much the self is not shut up.

With the self there are disappointment and discouragement. Paul says that we do not lose heart (2 Cor. 4:1) though our outer man is decaying…but in the church life and in the Christian life we may be disappointed and even remain in this disappointment…we may have expectations that are not fulfilled and are therefore discouraged…

Whenever we are disappointed and discouraged, that is a manifestation of the self. The Lord is never disappointed or discouraged.

With the self there are self-love, self-preservation, self-seeking, and self-pity (Matt. 13:5, 20-21). We preserve our self so much…we seek the things that the self likes…and we pity the self whenever it is being offended or hurt…

With the self there are murmurings and reasonings (see Exo. 6:1-9; Phil. 2:14). When we murmur, complain, and have reasonings, that’s the self.

With the self there’s natural affection or friendship based on natural taste and preference (see Matt. 12:46-50; Phil. 2:2; 1 Cor. 12:25). In the Body of Christ there is no such thing as friendship or natural affection based on our natural taste.

When we open the gate of Hades by exercising our natural taste, preference, and affection, this will ruin the church.

With the self there are the matters of being opinionated and dissenting (John 11:21, 23-28, 39; Acts 15:35-39; cf. 1 Cor. 7:25, 40). When we express our opinions, that is the self; when we are being dissenting, that is the self.

When we are in the self, we are individualistic and independent (1 Cor. 16:12). These are some of the expressions of the self, and when we pray over these and ask the Lord in His word concerning the self and our situation, we will exercise the key of denying the self.

Lord Jesus, have mercy on us and expose the self in its many forms, manifestations, and expressions. We want to exercise the key of denying the self to close and lock up the gates of Hades expressed through the self, and we want to be for the building up of the Body. Expose the murmurings, reasonings, natural affection, self-love, self-preservation, self-seeking, and self-pity. Lord, shine on our disappointment and discouragement. Shine on our being offended and on introspecting and self-despising. Lord, what about our self-righteousness, self-justification, and exposing, criticising, and condemning others. Oh Lord, what about our ambition, our pride, and our self-exaltation!

Exercising the Key of Denying the Self to Lock up the Self and Build up the Church

If we exercise the key of denying the self to lock up the self, it is impossible for us to be offended. It is easy to be offended, and whenever we live in the self, we are offended again and again.

Blessed are those who are not offended!

The Lord will allow both things that are true and untrue to be spoken to us and about us, and if we live in the self, we will get offended.

If we still can be offended, it is a proof that we are full of self. If the self has been locked up, we will not be offended no matter how others do to us or how they treat us (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60).

There is no excuse for being offended. The One who should have been offended the most was the Lord Jesus, because He came to save us and give His life for us, yet we mistreated Him and crucified Him; but He did not get offended, for He was not living the self.

We should not give ourselves an excuse to be offended, and we should not allow ourselves to be offended. Rather, we should exercise the key of denying the self to lock up the self and build up the church.

If we exercise the key of self-denial, we will not be offended even though others will be offended; we will lock the self, and we will not be offended. We need to learn to exercise the key of denying the self to lock up the self in every situation.

There’s not one situation too small for you to lock up the door of Hades again and again, not only in the church life but also in the family life and in our marriage life.

Especially when it comes to our mouth…yes, our mouth is tied to our spirit, but it also has a direct connection to our mind, which embodies Satan’s thoughts.

So oftentimes for us to shut up the self and lock it up we need to lock up our mouth. We don’t know how much of what we say to our spouse and to the saints is careless, like an unlocked door of Hades, being something through which Satan can come in and spread death to destroy, damage, and tear down the building of God…

We need to learn to exercise the key of denying the self to lock up the self and build up the church. Whether a situation is for us or against us, whether the brothers love us or hate us, we must lock up the self (see 2 Cor. 12:15).

If the brothers mistreat us or there are misunderstandings, we need to lock up the self; we should not give room to vindication or to revenge. We should not let this happen, for once we open this door, it will lead to another thing, and we will be full of self-justification.

This of course doesn’t mean that in the church life we don’t practice righteousness and fairness in a proper way – we are still in the kingdom, and we do practice this, but in a personal and subjective way, we need to lock up the self so that the church may be built up.

Lord Jesus, we want to learn to exercise the key of denying the self to lock up the self and build up the church. May we realise that, if we still can be offended, we are full of self, so we need to lock the self up so that we would not be offended no matter how others treat us. Amen, Lord, we want to learn to exercise the key of denying the self to lock up the self in every situation, whether small or big, whether in the church life or in our family life. Oh Lord, may we lock up the self by denying the self so that the church may be built up!

This article can also be read in the Romanian language / Citiți acest articol în limba română vizitând următorul link, Să exersăm cheia lepădării de sine pentru a închide sinele și pentru a zidi biserica.

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1978, vol. 1, “The Exercise of the Kingdom for the Building of the Church,” ch. 4, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Development of the Kingdom of God in the Church Life and the Christian Life (2019 spring ITERO), week 5, The Exercise of the Kingdom for the Building Up of the Church.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Oh, may Thy living light, Lord, / Scatter all my night, Lord, / And everything make bright, Lord, / For this I pray to Thee. / I hardly know myself; / Deceived so much by pride, / I often think I’m right / And am self-satisfied. (Hymns #426)
  # I long for fellowship in spirit, / Long that my spirit forth may come, / Long to be saved from self-deception, / And every hindrance overcome. (Hymns #847)
  # How precious is Thy Body, Lord; / How costly in Thy sight. / I’d ne’er bring anything of self, / For she is out from Thee. (Song on, How glorious is Thy church, Oh Lord)