Taking the Way of Enjoying Christ in the Church and Dwelling in the House of God

God’s thoughts and ways to build up the church as the temple of the living God are higher than ours; we need to forsake our ways and thoughts and return to Jehovah our God to take the way of enjoying Christ in the church and for the church. Amen!

We may think we know the way to build up the church, and many genuine believers in Christ thought this way throughout the centuries, but unless we take God’s way to build the church, we do more damage than building up in the church.

God’s way to build up the church is by our enjoying Christ as the tree of life and ministering Christ to others as life, for only God’s life flowing in and out and among us can build up the church.

Therefore, God is concerned with our diet; it matters to Him what we eat.

For us to be delivered from the world, we need to eat Christ as the Passover lamb and take Him as the unleavened bread; this will cause us to be inwardly strengthened to get out of the world and step into the waters of baptism.

Then, as we wander in the wilderness of the soul, having the tabernacle church life, we need to eat Christ as our early-in-the-morning manna, opening to Him early in the morning and taking Him as our life and life supply.

Then, we can come to Him whenever we’re thirsty to take Him in as the living water, for He has been smitten on the cross, and out of Him flows the Spirit and the water of life to quench our thirst.

As we eat the Lord day by day, as we take Him in and are supplied with His life to go on with Him, we need to advance from a tabernacle church life to the temple church life.

We need to not only eat Christ as the manna, freely available in the morning, but we need to labour on Christ as the good land, obtaining a rich produce of Christ to bring to the meetings of the church for the building up of the church.

The Lord within us is aspiring to have the temple church life; He wants us to advance in our enjoyment and experience of Christ until we have a more solid, stable, enlarged, and glorious church life that expresses Him.

May we cooperate with the Lord and go on with Him step by step and day by day until we enter into the full enjoyment of our allotted portion of Christ.

May we labour on Christ day by day, enjoy Him as the rich, all-inclusive land, and bring the surplus of Christ to the church in the meetings of the church for the building up of the church as the organic Body of Christ.

We should not think we have arrived; we should not think that we know this, we heard this before, and we are already practicing this.

Rather, we should open to the Lord for HIm to take us on with Him until we are in the temple church life in reality, living in the reality of the Body of Christ.

God’s Desire is to Give Himself to us for our Enjoyment through Prayer, Fruit-Bearing, Ministering the Word, Preaching the Gospel, and Receiving His Leading

God’s thoughts and ways to build up the church as the temple of the living God are higher than ours; we need to forsake our ways and our thoughts and return to Jehovah our God to take the way of enjoying Christ in the church as the temple of the living God (Gen. 2:9; John 6:35, 57, 63; Isa. 55:6-13; 57:20; John 1:14; 2:19; 3:34; 17:17; Eph. 5:26; 2 Cor. 3:15-18; 6:16; Rom. 8:28-29; Rev. 22:1-2).

From the beginning of the Bible to the end of the Bible we see the matter of eating, that is, eating Christ as the tree of life for the building up of the church. In verse after verse, we see that we need to enjoy God for the temple of God and the house of God.

As children of God, we need to have a change in concept and realize that God’s desire is to give Himself to us for our enjoyment.

We need to be saturated with the riches and fatness of God’s house, drink the river of His pleasures, and enjoy the fountain of life in the house of God, for in His light we can see light (Psa. 36:8-9).

He makes known to us the path of life, and in His presence, there’s fullness of joy (Psa. 16:11).

As we enjoy the Lord, He makes known to us the path of life, and in His presence, there’s fulness of joy, for His commandment is clear, enlightening the eyes (Psa. 19:8).

As we enjoy the Lord, our head is lifted up and we offer sacrifices of shouts of joy, singing psalms to the Lord (Psa. 27:6).

May we not remain in ourselves but realize that God’s ways and thoughts concerning the building up of the church are higher than ours, and may we simply seek to enjoy God, for He gives Himself to us for our enjoyment in His house and for His house (Psa. 36:8-9; 16:11; 19:8; 27:6; 42:4-5; 48:2; 63:7; 66:1-2; 81:1; 89:15-18; 95:1-2; 100:1-2; 126:1-6; Neh. 8:10; 1 John 1:3-4).

His only desire is that we would enjoy Him. The secret of the Christian life is not how much we work for God but how much we enjoy Him.

We need to learn to simply turn our being to enjoy God, spend time in His presence, and forget about everything else except enjoying God.

We may think that we have some really pressing problems, such as a sickness in ourselves or in the family, or some limiting situations, and we may ask the Lord to do this or that for us to save us, heal us, and remove some of the limitations.

But the Lord doesn’t seem to care for these outward things that limit us and press us; He wants us to come to Him and enjoy Him – just enjoy Him!

He knows that our “Lazarus” is sick, but He doesn’t seem to answer our prayer; rather, He seems to delay His answer, and He may even wait until “Lazarus” dies, is buried, and even begins to stink.

Then, He comes in to be resurrection life to us. His ways are different from our ways, and His thoughts are different than ours.

He just wants us to enjoy Him. And to enjoy God is not only to be in His word with much prayer but to allow His words to abide in us so that we may bear fruit; fruit-bearing is to enjoy God (John 15:7-11).

Prayer is to enjoy God (Lam. 3:55-56); when we breathe ourselves out and breathe Him in, we enjoy what He is.

As we breathe out our sorrow, our sin, our sickness, and our problems, we breathe Him in with all His riches, life, and fullness, and we simply enjoy God.

Ministering the word of God is to enjoy God; as we eat God and take Him in, we live because of Him and we minister Him to others through our speaking (John 6:57, 63; 7:37-39; 1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Cor. 3:1-6, 18; 2:17; 13:3; Eph. 3:2; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; Jer. 15:16; Ezek. 3:1-4; Isa. 55:8-11).

We need to speak to others in the sincerity of God, even speak in Christ and allow Christ to speak in us and through us.

We speak in Christ, Christ speaks in us; this is a divine-human incorporation, for He speaks in us and through us.

Preaching the gospel is to enjoy God (John 4:10, 13-14, 31-34), and receiving the Lord’s leading is to enjoy God (Exo. 33:14). He leads us by His presence. His presence gives us rest. We want His presence to lead us.

Lord Jesus, we love You and we love the church. We forsake our own ways and thoughts and return to You. We take Your thoughts and Your ways, which are higher than our thoughts and our ways. We want to take the way of enjoying Christ in the church as the temple of the living God. Grant us to have a change of concept so that we may give ourselves to just enjoy God. Hallelujah, God’s desire is to give Himself to us for our enjoyment. We come to You, dear Lord, to just enjoy You. Bear fruit in us. Fill us to the brim with Yourself and have a way to overflow through us. Keep us in Your presence, Lord, for Your presence is everything to us. In Your presence, we have fulness of joy!

Take the Way of Enjoying Christ in the Church and Dwelling in the House of God

The secret of living the Christian life so that we may be overcomers is for us to take the way of enjoying Christ as the tree of life (Gen. 2:9; Rev. 2:7).

God doesn’t intend mainly that we do things for Him – His only desire is to give Himself to us as food for our enjoyment.

May we be those who taste and see that the Lord is good (Psa. 34:8) in the house of God, the temple of God, that is in Christ (John 2:19-22), in the church (1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 6:16), in our spirit (Eph. 2:22), and ultimately in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:22).

The temple of God is, of course, the church; also, this temple is Christ Himself, and it is our spirit, consummating in the New Jerusalem. Amen!

We should love the habitat of God’s house, the temple, and the place where His glory abides, remains, to be manifested (Psa. 26:8; 84:1; 29:9; Eph. 3:20-21).

The Psalmist desired to dwell in the house of God all the days of his life to behold the beauty of Jehovah and to inquire in His temple (Psa. 27:4).

What is the house of God? It is the enlarged, universal, divine-human incorporation for the Father’s manifestation, satisfaction, and rest (John 12:2, 20, 23).

We need to spend time with the Lord both personally and in the house of God.

We need to take at least fifteen or twenty minutes every day to be in His presence, opening to Him, and absorbing Him.

As we behold Him by spending time with Him, He infuses us with Himself, and we will dwell in His house.

This is what Moses did when he stayed on the mountain for forty days.

He did nothing except be in God’s presence and remain under the infusing of God’s element into him.

Then, when he went down to the people, others saw his face shine; he absorbed the Lord in his fellowship with Him to the extent that God shined through him.

When we fellowship with the Lord, we will be filled with Him and we will shine with Him.

Then, we will express Him even without being conscious of it.

Many times, however, we come to the Lord to ask Him if we should go here, do that, or make this or that choice.

Many times our mind is busy with questions and inquiries for the Lord, and instead of spending time with Him, we pray for things.

As we pray, we actually think about it, we consider what is the best option, and we may just want God’s blessing on our choice.

Many times, however, we don’t have the Lord’s leading in a certain matter, no matter how much we pray about it.

This is because the Lord doesn’t want us to just come to Him and ask Him about this or that, but to come to Him and just spend time with Him day by day.

If we just forget about our problems, enquiries, decisions, and other things, and just contact the Lord, absorb Him, and enjoy Him.

As we absorb the Lord and enjoy Him, we will have His presence, which is His leading.

This is to take the way of enjoying Christ in the church as the temple of God.

In Christ, in the church, and in our spirit, we enjoy the “located God” as the fatness of the house of God to saturate us, as the river of His pleasures, to quench our thirst, and as the fountain of life and light to feed us and enlighten us (Psa. 36:8-9).

May we come to the altar of God, to God our exceeding joy, and just praise Him (Psa. 34:4).

It is in the house of God, the temple of God, that we enjoy the salvation of God’s countenance, God’s presence (42:5) so that He can be the salvation of our countenance (v. 11).

Hallelujah, blessed are those who dwell in the Lord’s house, for they will be praising Him (Psa. 84:4-5).

Blessed are those whose strength is in the Lord, in whose hearts are the highways to Zion.

It is in the Lord’s house that we praise the Lord’s name forever and ever (145:2), and praise Him while I live, singing psalms to our God while we have being (146:2).

He is holy, and He sits enthroned upon our praises (22:3).

Through Him, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise continually to God, that is, the fruit of lips confessing His name (Heb. 13:15; Phil. 2:11).

Lord Jesus, we want to learn the secret of living the Christian life so that we may be an overcomer. Amen, we take the way of enjoying Christ in the church and for the church! Save us from merely doing things for God or in the name of God; bring us into the enjoyment of God. Hallelujah, God gives Himself to us as food for our enjoyment. We want to enjoy God in the house of God. Oh Lord, we desire and seek to dwell in Your house all the days of our life to behold Your beauty and inquire in Your temple. Hallelujah, Christ is our life and life supply in our spirit! We come to You, dear Lord, by exercising our spirit. We come to enjoy the salvation of God’s presence so that You can be the salvation of our countenance. We praise You, Lord Jesus! We praise Your name forever and ever! We praise God while I live and we enthrone You on our praises! Praise the Lord!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ed Marks in the message, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1958, vol. 1, “How to Enjoy God and How to Practice the Enjoyment of God“, pp. 382-383, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Kings (2022 summer training), week 6, entitled, Going on with the Lord from the Tabernacle Church Life to the Temple Church Life for the Building up of the Body of Christ as the Temple of the Living God.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Splendid church life! His green garden! / He has brought us, praise the Lord, / To experience the Christ Who’s growing here! / He is full of rich enjoyment / To His saints in one accord; / He is new and fresh, available and dear. / I’m so happy in this lovely place, / In the garden growing in His grace! / There is no finer pleasure / Than to eat the living tree / And to get the living water into me. (Hymns #1237, stanza 1 and chorus)
  – How may we express such oneness, / be divine and shining too? / Hallelujah, eating Jesus is the way! / He’s the tree of life, the manna, / and the feast that’s ever new— / Hallelujah, we may eat Him every day! / We are one by eating Jesus! / We’re divine by eating Jesus! / How we shine by eating Jesus! / Hallelujah, eating Jesus is the way! (Hymns #1226, stanza 4)
  – Here, Lord, we give ourselves to Thee; / Receive us into Thy wise hands; / Bend, break, and build together in Thee / To be the house to meet Thy demands… / Then we shall be Thy Bride beloved, / Together in Thy chamber abide, / Enjoy the fulness of Thy love. / How Thou wilt then be satisfied! (Hymns #837, stanzas 6 and 8)