The book of Acts reveals a group of people who live in the divine history within human history by living, moving, and acting as one Body, the Body of Christ, and by rejecting themselves to live by another life, the divine life.
Outwardly, what we see in Acts is the life and work of the disciples of Jesus, but actually, what we see there is a group of people who live in the divine history within human history by calling on the name of the Lord, by suffering on behalf of the name of the Lord, and by speaking in the name of the Lord, the name of Jesus.
As we live in the continuation of the book of Acts, we need to be those who call on the name of the Lord in every place and at every time. A distinctive characteristic of the early believers is that they were callers, that is, they called on the name of the Lord.
This is not something new only in the New Testament, but this is a practice from the second generation of mankind, when man began to call on the name of the Lord.
We enter into the divine history within human history by calling on the name of the Lord from deep within, and we keep ourselves in God’s golden, divine history by calling on the name of the Lord.
Our history in the spiritual realm is a history of calling on the name of the Lord so that we may enjoy all the riches of Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ as the fulness of Christ.
Furthermore, as we live in the divine history within human, we will suffer on behalf of the name of the Lord.
The early disciples were often arrested, brought in front of the leaders, and beaten and charged not to speak of the name of Jesus. However, they could not but speak of what they have seen and heard from the Lord, so they testified of the resurrected Christ.
We should not be ashamed of the name of the Lord but rather call on His name, enjoy all His riches, and count it as an honor to suffer on the name of the Lord. It is a real honor to be dishonored on behalf of the Name, the very Name of the man-dishonored but God-honored Jesus (Acts 4:18-20, 29-31; 5:41-42; 9:13-16; 2 Cor. 6:4; 11:23; Col. 1:24-25).
Paul also rejoiced in his sufferings on behalf of the saints, knowing that he was filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ in his flesh for His body, the church.
We cannot participate in the Lord’s sufferings for the accomplishment of redemption, but we can all have a part in the sufferings of Christ for the producing and building up of the Body of Christ.
We carry out the divine history within human history by speaking boldly in the name of Jesus; this name is the expression of the sum total of what the Lord is in His person and work (Acts 9:27; Phil. 2:9-11; 1 Thes. 2:2; 2 Cor. 4:5).
We do not preach ourselves but Christ as the gospel, and being in the name of the Lord we are bold to speak Him to others, imparting the riches of Christ into them as the gospel. Amen, Hallelujah!
Living in the Divine History within Human History by Living, Acting and Moving as one Body, and Doing Everything in and for the Body
The book of Acts reveals a group of people who live in the divine history within the human history by living, moving and acting as one Body.
They did everything in the Body, through the Body and for the Body. On one hand they did everything in the name of the Lord, calling on the Lord’s name and preaching Christ as the gospel, and on the other, the disciples did everything in the Body and for the Body of Christ.
After the Lord died, resurrected, and ascended, He continued to live, act, move, and work on earth in thousands of people because He imparted Himself into them through His death and resurrection.
In John 12:23-24 the Lord Jesus, after entering the city of Jerusalem among the praises of the people, said that now is the time for the Son of Man to be glorified.
The disciples thought that this is the time for Him to be on the throne in Israel, but what the Lord meant by this was explained in v. 24, that is, He was going through death and resurrection to be multiplied.
The Lord produced much fruit through His life-releasing death and His life-dispensing resurrection. We are the many grains of the one grain that died to be reproduced.
In the Gospels we see Christ as the Head of the Body, and in the book of Acts we see the Body of Christ. In Acts we don’t see just the disciples doing many things; rather, we see the acts of Christ by the Spirit in the church as His body, His reproduction and duplication (Acts 1:14; 2:14a, 42; 9:4-5; 28:13-15).
In the Gospels we see Christ as the Head of the Body, and in Acts we see Christ by the Spirit in the church as His Body living, acting, and moving in oneness. This is something wonderful and unique – the disciples didn’t live or act by themselves or for their own church or ministry but for the Body and in the Body.
We need to always do things in the Body and for the Body, one with Christ and on one accord with the members of the Body. We should always have the sensation that, whatever we do in the church life in serving the Lord, our service is in the Body and for the Body.
We need to do everything in the Body, through the Body, and for the Body, for God to gain His corporate expression on earth. This means that we need to pray for one another, love one another, and shepherd one another, and we need to be in one accord in the Lord and in the church life.
We are part of the mass reproduction of Christ, the life we have in our spirit is the divine life of Christ, and Christ is our Head.
Our living today should be the living of the one new man, taking Christ as our life and person, and being the continuation and reproduction of Christ on earth, one with Him in our living in the Body and for the Body.
Lord Jesus, make us persons who do everything in the Body, through the body, and for the Body. Thank You for regenerating us with Your life to make us members of Your Body. Amen, Lord Jesus, we call on Your name and we want to live in the divine history within human history by living, moving, and acting as one Body, the Body of Christ. Make us Your continuation, Your reproduction, Your duplication and increase on earth. May the Head be expressed through all the members of the Body in our daily practical living.
Living in the Divine History within Human History by Rejecting ourselves and Living by Christ as the Divine Life
The book of Acts reveals a group of people who live in the divine history within human history by rejecting themselves and living by another life – Christ as the divine life; this corporate living of Christ is the reality of the Body of Christ.
Paul spoke of this in Eph. 4:20-21, when he mentioned the reality which is in Jesus. The reality in Jesus is the actual condition of the life of Jesus spoken of in the four Gospels; the Lord wants this life to be reproduced in us and propagated by us.
When Peter was in prison in Acts 5, the angel told him to go and speak all the words of this life (v. 20). The life that is indicated by this life in Acts 5:20 is the divine life preached, ministered, and lived by Peter that overcame the Jewish leaders’ persecution, threatening, and imprisonment.
Peter lived by the divine life and expressed this life to such an extent that his life and work made the divine life real and present in his situation, and even the angel saw this and pointed it out.
We need to reject ourselves and live by another life, the divine life in our spirit, so that this life would be made visible and real to those around us, and our living would be a duplication of Christ’s living.
Paul, for example, didn’t live and serve God by himself; he lived Christ and served God by the Spirit in his spirit (Rom. 1:9; Phil. 3:3). We need to serve God in spirit, in the mingled spirit, enjoying the bountiful supply of the all-inclusive Spirit of Jesus in our spirit.
We also need to live within the veil (that is, live in our spirit as the practical Holy of Holies) and outside the camp (outside the human organization of religion) (see Acts 16:6-7; 17:16; 19:21; Rom. 8:16; 2 Tim. 4:22; 1 Cor. 6:17; Rom. 1:9; Phil. 3:3; Heb. 6:19-20; 13:13).
As believers in Christ and disciples of Jesus, we need to reject ourselves and live by the divine life in our spirit, and we need to live in the spirit and outside of every vestige of religion.
Being religious is doing things, acting, and moving without the presence of the living Christ.
Whatever we do today in the church life and in our daily living needs to be with the exercise of our spirit; when we do things for God in the church without the exercise of our spirit, we are merely performing a routine and a form.
Exercising our spirit brings us within the veil and propels us outside of the camp of religion.
For us to live in the divine history within human history and by the divine life in our human life, we need to be vessels open to the Lord, loving Him, receiving Him, being filled with Him, and letting Him be everything to us and do everything in us, through us, and for us (see Acts 9:15; 2 Cor. 4:7; Rom. 9:21, 23; cf. 2 Kings 4:1-6).
We need to realize we are vessels to contain Christ, be filled with Christ, and express Christ. And in our earthen, weak, and fragile vessel we have a glorious treasure: the treasure of the Lord’s face, His presence, His very person.
The living Christ is in us as our treasure, and we need to enjoy Him, be open to Him, love Him, receive Him, and be filled with Him. No matter how tired we are, He is our treasure – He’s not a doctrine or a teaching, but a living person within us to be our treasure and to live in us!
Lord Jesus, we open our whole being to You without any reservation. We give ourselves to love You, receive You, be filled with You, and let You be everything to us and do everything in us, through us, and for us. Lord Jesus, You are the treasure within our earthen, weak, and fragile vessel. We want to reject ourselves and live by the divine life in our spirit by being constantly open to You and loving You. Oh Lord Jesus, be everything to us, through us, and for us. Live in us, Lord, and spread in all our being as the treasure in our vessel!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ed Marks for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1964, vol. 2, “A General Sketch of the New Testament in the Light of Christ and the Church, Part 1—the Gospels and Acts,” chs. 6-8, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Propagating the Resurrected, Ascended, and All-inclusive Christ as the Development of the Kingdom of God (2018 fall ITERO), week 2, The Continuation of the Book of Acts — Living in the Divine History within Human History.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Oh, the church of Christ is glorious, and we are part of it— / We’re so happy that the Lord has made us one! / There’s a Body in the universe and we belong to it— / Hallelujah, for the Lord has made us one! / Hallelujah for the Body! / We are members of the Body! / We are wholly for the Body! / Hallelujah, for the Lord has made us one! (Hymns #1226)
# Exercise the spirit! / Human thought reject; / Meet with one another, / Body life respect…Exercise the spirit! / Soulish life deny; / Helping one another, / On the Lord rely. (Hymns #866)
# Oh, Lord, let our every action, / Everything we do and say, / Come from Thee alone, experienced / In a real and inner way. / We reject the empty teachings, / Leave the methods and the strife. / Let our only way of living / Be the overflow of life! (Hymns #1136)
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