Living in Spirit in the Church Life as the Mystery of Godliness: God Manifested in the Flesh

We need to exercise ourselves unto godliness by exercising our spirit so that we may express the mystery of godliness – God manifested in the flesh.

Amen, Christ lives in us and, when we exercise our spirit and live in the spirit, we will express God and become part of the corporate manifestation of God.

In 1 Tim. 3:15 Paul writes to Timothy to know how to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God.

Then, in v. 16, he continues to say, Great is the mystery of godliness, He who was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Verse 16 continues the thought in v. 15; even though “the mystery of godliness” seems to refer to Christ, it actually refers to both Christ and the church.

Both Christ (the Head of the Body) and the church (the Body of Christ) are the mystery of godliness; Christ is the individual manifestation of God in the flesh, while the church is the corporate manifestation of God in the flesh.

Verse 16 ends with “being taken up in glory”, which seems to refer to Christ, but it actually refers to the church, which was not yet taken up in glory.

Praise the Lord for Christ, the Son of God, who was incarnated to become a man; He brought the infinite God into the finite man, and in Him, the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell.

He was the individual manifestation of God, and wherever He was, whatever He did, and whatever He spoke, He expressed God.

His secret was not that He was God, so He could do all these things; rather, He lived a crucified life, He lived in resurrection, and He did not live by His perfect human life but by the divine life.

Christ had the perfect human nature, the sinless humanity; however, He put it aside and lived by the divine life. He denied Himself, lived under the cross day by day and expressed the Father in everything He did.

Christ did not do His own work but the Father’s work, He didn’t speak His own words but the Father’s words, He didn’t seek His own glory but the Father’s glory, and didn’t express Himself but expressed the Father.

He is the pattern of a God-man, and we as the many believers in Christ need to follow in His footsteps by living in our mingled spirit so that the divine life may be expressed through us.

We may think that our humanity is a bit better than others, but we still need to deny ourselves, allow the cross to put to death the self and the flesh, and live by the divine life in our spirit so that we may live a crucified life, a life in resurrection.

Such a living will be for the manifestation of God in the flesh, for when we deny ourselves and live by the divine life, Christ has a way to be expressed through us.

We Exercise ourselves unto Godliness by Exercising our Spirit to Express the Mystery of Godliness: God Manifested in the Flesh

In 1 Tim. 4:7 we are told that we should exercise ourselves unto godliness. Godliness refers not only to piety but to the living of God in the church, that is, to God as life lived out of us to express God.

We need to exercise ourselves unto godliness by exercising our spirit so that we may express the mystery of godliness (1 Tim. 3:16) – God manifested in the flesh.

May we be reminded again and again to fan into flame the gift of God, for God didn’t give us a spirit of cowardice but of power and of love and of sober-mindedness.

The Lord Jesus is the mystery of godliness in our spirit (4:22), for us to express and practice this mystery, we need to exercise ourselves unto godliness by exercising our spirit.

Again and again, throughout the day we need to exercise our spirit; before we do anything or say anything, we need to exercise our spirit unto godliness.

We need to walk, live, have our daily life, and even have our whole being according to our spirit (Rom. 8:4); then, we will express the mystery of godliness, for God is manifested in us.

If we exercise our spirit and live in the spirit, our daily living will be affected; we will live a life in all godliness and gravity (1 Tim. 2:2).

The way we respond to our workmates and the way we relate to our spouse will be affected, and so will the choice of pictures we hang in our bedroom, the kind of clothes we wear, and our hairstyle.

We will no longer merely live according to how we feel, how we think, and how we want to, but we live in a mystery – the mystery of godliness, by exercising ourselves unto godliness, so that God may be manifested in the flesh.

We have a life of godliness in our spirit; Christ as the godly One with His life of godliness has come into us to live in us and make us part of the universal mystery of godliness – God manifested in the flesh.

The inward life of godliness wants to be manifested through us and have a testimony, and such a life will have an impact on those who meet us.

In whatever situation we are in, whatever we say, whatever we wear, and whatever we do, there should be an impression that God is manifested in us.

This is what the church life is: the manifestation of God in the flesh. For this to take place, there must be in the church the glorious union of God and man; inwardly we should have God, and outwardly God must be manifested in the flesh through a normal and proper humanity.

This is not mere piety but the living of God in the church, that is, God as life lived out in the church so that He may be expressed, so that He may be manifested.

In this way we become part of the universal mystery of godliness – God manifested in the flesh.

When God is manifested in the flesh, we will live a proper human life and have a behaviour that is fitting and normal for our respective age.

Whether we are elderly or young ones, whether we are brothers or sisters, once we live in the mingled spirit, we manifest God and become part of the mystery of godliness, having a daily human living that is genuine, both human and divine.

Lord Jesus, we want to exercise ourselves unto godliness by exercising our spirit and by living according to the spirit. Amen, Lord, remind us to turn to You and live in the mingled spirit in all things. May we turn to You and exercise our spirit unto godliness before we speak anything. May we walk, live, have our daily life, and have our whole being according to our spirit so that God may be manifested in the flesh! Amen, Lord, may there be an outward expression of the inward life of godliness in our mingled spirit. May such a manifestation of godliness be a testimony and have an impact on those who meet us.

Living the Church Life as the Continuation of Christ’s Manifestation of God in the Flesh – the Great Mystery of Godliness

The church life is the expression of God; the mystery of godliness is the living of a proper church (1 Cor. 1:6; 14:24-25).

In the church life, we don’t merely talk about the truth or speak good teachings and doctrines in an objective way; in the church life the divine reality is constituted into our being to make us part of the mystery of godliness, God manifested in the flesh.

For us to live out the divine reality is to live out God, who is love, light, righteousness, and holiness.

The divine attributes of God are being worked into us to be lived out and manifested through us.

Then, when people come to our meetings, they do not just hear many wonderful things and high truths, but they see God manifested in the flesh.

In 1 Cor. 1:6 Paul said that the testimony of Christ is in them; even though the church in Corinth was plagued with problems, Paul still recognized that they are the church, for the testimony of Christ was in them.

The testimony of God in us is the reality of the church.

When others come among us and see Christ being manifested, they will be impressed, and they will worship God, for the testimony of Christ is in us.

May the Lord bring all the churches in such a reality, not only to be filled with the high peak speaking but also that there would be the testimony of Christ within us, so that when we speak, God would be manifested.

The church is the house of God and the Body of Christl through the church, God is being manifested in a corporate way.

We need to live the church life as a continuation of Christ’s manifestation of God in the flesh – Christ lived out of the church as the manifestation of God. Amen!

This is what the church is – the church is the pillar and base for the truth, upholding the truth, the reality, that God is manifested in the flesh; this is the mystery of godliness.

God needs such a pillar today, a built-up group of people who are standing upright, not only speaking forth the truth and confirming it in an outward way but also having this reality wrought into them.

His new name needs to be inscribed on us, the name of the city of our God needs to be inscribed on us, and we need to become the same as He is, expressing Him in all that He is.

The church life today should be the continuation of the living of Christ as the first God-man, for all believers in Christ are the many God-men to be the corporate manifestation of God in the flesh, the mystery of godliness.

Hallelujah, God became a man so that man may become God in life and nature but not in the Godhead to produce a corporate God-man for the manifestation of God in the flesh!

And we today are the members of the church to manifest God in the flesh, upholding the reality of the mystery of godliness for all to see.

Thank the Lord that He has committed this great and awesome responsibility to us.

Though the process of becoming the manifestation of God in the flesh seems slow, though we have many weaknesses and shortcomings, surely the Lord wants to gain this in us.

His word will not return to Him void but rather, it will accomplish what the Lord purposes.

We will become the corporate God-man, the corporate pillar and base of the truth.

We will not only announce HIm and speak the truth, but we will become the great mystery of godliness – the corporate manifestation of God on earth today!

Lord Jesus, we want to live the church life as the continuation of Christ’s manifestation of God in the flesh – the great mystery of godliness! Amen, Lord, live in us today for the corporate manifestation of God in the flesh. Make us a supporting pillar and an upholding base for the truth that God became man for man to become God in life and nature but not in the Godhead for the manifestation of God in the flesh! May our living in the church life today be a continuation of the living of Christ as the first God-man. Yes, Lord, gain Your corporate manifestation among us and through us – gain the reality of the great mystery of godliness in the church life!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. James Lee for this week, and portions from, The Conclusion of the New Testament (pp. 3665-3667) by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Knowing the Truth, being Absolute for the Truth, and Proclaiming the Truth in this Present Evil Age (2021 Memorial Day Weekend Conference), week 5, Upholding the Truth and Testifying to the Truth that the Church is the Pillar and Base of the Truth and the Corporate Manifestation of God in the Flesh.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – And confessedly, / Great is the mystery, / The mystery of godliness: / And confessedly, / Great is the mystery, / The mystery of godliness: / He who was manifested in the flesh, / Justified in the spirit, / Seen by angels, / Preached among the nations, / Believed on in the world, / Taken up in glory. (Scripture song)
  – Power divine wrought in us is the source so great; / Power divine is in us now to operate. / Hence will spring everything for our life within / And for godliness without, expressing Him. (Hymns #1211)
  – Fulness, increase, duplication, / His expression full, / Growth and spread, continuation, / Surplus plentiful, / Is the Church to Christ, and thereby / God in Christ may be / Glorified thru His redeemed ones / To eternity. (Hymns #819)