![That He might sanctify her, cleansing [her] by the washing of the water in the word. Eph. 5:26](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/That-He-might-sanctify-her-cleansing-her-by-the-washing-of-the-water-in-the-word-1024x576.webp?resize=800%2C450&ssl=1 "That He might sanctify her, cleansing [her] by the washing of the water in the word. Eph. 5:26")
The epistle of Paul to Ephesians reveals the living of the overcomers, those who live in the reality of the Body of Christ by living in the mingled spirit.
Though the word, overcomers, is not mentioned in this epistle, the principle of the living of the overcomers is seen in every chapter, and it is always related to living in the mingled spirit.
We thank and praise the Lord that He has revealed to us the highest peak in the divine revelation, which is that God became man to make man God in life and nature but not in the Godhead so that God and man would be fully one for God’s corporate expression in the universe.
How can such a reality be worked out practically? How can we become the reality of the Body of Christ so that the Lord can return to rapture His bride and end this age?
We need to heed the Lord’s call for overcomers.
He is calling for those who, right there in the situation that they are in, will overcome.
He is calling for those who pray not only for the salvation of sinners, the building up of the church, and the perfecting of the saints for their function in the Body but even more, they pray for God to gain what He is after: the overcomers.
It is only by praying that we can reach the high peak in God’s economy, the reality of the Body of Christ.
We cooperate with the Lord not merely by understanding what is God’s need and seeing what He desires but even more, by praying back to God His desire and opening our whole being so that He as the King of glory can come into our being and have a beachhead on earth.
The Lord really wants to gain a group of people who are fully open to Him from within.
He knows that the end is near, and He knows what He needs to gain; we simply need to open to Him.
As we take care of the human responsibilities we have, as we go to work or study, as we travel or take care of the daily chores, we need to turn our whole being to the Lord and just open to Him and align our heart’s desire with His heart’s desire.
When His heart’s desire becomes our heart’s desire, when He duplicates His heart’s desire in us, we will fully cooperate with Him for His desire on earth.
May we be those who are the overcoming ones in this age so that He may return for us and with us to end this age and bring in the millennial kingdom.
He cannot come back unless He has a stepping stone, a beachhead on earth. He can return only when He gains the cooperation He needs among us today.
May He not go to another group of people but may He have a way in us and with us, that we may hasten His return by our reaching the high peak of the reality of the Body of Christ by living in the mingled spirit.
Ephesians reveals the Living of the Overcomers who Live in the Mingled Spirit
![That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him. Eph. 1:17 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him [to be] Head over all things to the church, Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. Eph. 1:22-23](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/That-the-God-of-our-Lord-Jesus-Christ-the-Father-of-glory-may-give-to-you-a-spirit-of-wisdom-and-revelation-683x1024.webp?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him. Eph. 1:17 And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him [to be] Head over all things to the church, Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. Eph. 1:22-23")
Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians reveals the living of the overcomers, who live in the reality of the Body of Christ by living in the mingled spirit.
What is the reality of the Body of Christ? It is the highest peak in God’s economy and the top revelation of the Bible, revealed through a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Eph. 1:17, 22-23).
We need to know what is the reality of the Body of Christ and enter into this reality to have the living of the overcomers so that we may hasten the Lord’s return.
The reality of the Body of Christ is a living in the mingled spirit; our spirit mingled with the Lord’s Spirit is the dwelling place of God, the house of God, even today’s Bethel (v. 17; 2:22; 3:5, 16; 4:23; 5:18; 6:18; Gen. 28:12-17; John 1:51; Heb. 9:3-4; 10:19-22).
Our spirit is the dwelling place of God, the practical Holy of Holies, the place where the pneumatic Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God dwells today.
God today is not merely in the heavens: He dwells in Christ as the Spirit in our spirit.
The way we can have the living of the overcomers is by living in the mingled spirit.
It is not by improving ourselves or doing this or that; it is by contacting the Lord in spirit and living according to the spirit.
There must be a certain living on the whole earth, a living not by our natural life but by the divine life.
The reality of the Body of Christ is the reality in Jesus, the actual condition of the life of Jesus as recorded in the four Gospels, duplicated in us, the many members of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:1-6, 15-16, 20-24; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:19-21a; 4:11-13).
Such a reality, the life of Jesus as He lived when He was on earth, needs to be duplicated in us as the perfected God-men through the renewal of our mind by the renewing Spirit mingled with our regenerated spirit.
What we see in the world is the deceit of Satan himself, being expressed through those whom he deceives and usurps.
There are such things as cultural wars, ideologies, and all kinds of things that our mobile devices are pushing out to us as notifications.
But all these are one big deceit. The reality is in Jesus the God-man.
![But you did not so learn Christ, If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him as the reality is in Jesus, That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit, And [that] you be renewed in the spirit of your mind And put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality. Eph. 4:20-24](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/But-you-did-not-so-learn-Christ-If-indeed-you-have-heard-Him-and-have-been-taught-in-Him-683x1024.webp?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "But you did not so learn Christ, If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him as the reality is in Jesus, That you put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the lusts of the deceit, And [that] you be renewed in the spirit of your mind And put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality. Eph. 4:20-24")
The reality is the living of the overcomers, which is a duplication of the living of Christ in His perfected God-men.
The actual condition of the life of Jesus as recorded in the four Gospels must be reproduced and duplicated in us as we allow Him to renew us in the spirit of our mind.
The Spirit mingled Himself with our spirit, and now we’re in a renewing process.
By being regenerated with the divine life we have acquired a certain life with a certain living; now we are being perfected and renewed in the spirit of our mind so that we may live a certain kind of life, the reality in Jesus.
May we forget about what the world pushes to us and puts in front of us and simply focus on the Lord to enjoy Him, partake of Him, and grow in Him.
May we pay attention to our spirit, live in the mingled spirit, and have the living of the overcomers which will bring the Lord back.
May we allow the Lord to live in us again the same kind of life that He lived while He was on earth.
Such a living is not impossible; we should reject the thought that only when we’re older and more mature in the Lord it is possible to have a God-man living. It is possible for us to learn Christ as the reality is in Jesus.
It is possible for us to enjoy Christ, partake of Christ, and live Christ, for He is in us, we are in Him, and we are being renewed in the spirit of our mind so that we may have the living of the overcomers, the reality of the Body of Christ, by living in the mingled spirit.
Lord Jesus, we choose to turn to You in spirit and live in the mingled spirit. Hallelujah for our regenerated spirit where Christ as the Spirit dwells! Spread in our inner being, dear Lord. Spread into our mind, emotion, and will. We want to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. We want to learn Christ as the reality is in Jesus so that our living may be a duplication of the life of Christ as recorded in the Gospels. Amen, Lord, live in us today. Keep us in our spirit. Keep us living one spirit with You. May we have the living of the overcomers, the living in the reality of the Body of Christ, for You to gain what You are after today! Hallelujah, we can learn Christ as the reality is in Jesus by living in the mingled spirit to live in the reality of the Body of Christ!
Praying over God’s Word to be Sanctified, Beautified, and Prepared as the Spotless and Pure Bride of Christ
![That He might sanctify her, cleansing [her] by the washing of the water in the word, That He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish. Eph. 5:26-27](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/That-He-might-sanctify-her-cleansing-her-by-the-washing-of-the-water-in-the-word-That-He-might-present-1024x1024.webp?resize=750%2C750&ssl=1 "That He might sanctify her, cleansing [her] by the washing of the water in the word, That He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish. Eph. 5:26-27")
On one hand, we need to be produced as the Lord’s overcomers individually by our living in the mingled spirit; we need to personally have the living of the overcomers in our daily life.
No one can live Christ for us: we need to choose Christ, choose our mingled spirit, and live in the mingled spirit.
On the other hand, Ephesians reveals that God’s desire is related to the church, which is the Body of Christ (1:22-23), the kingdom of God, the household of God (2:19), and the temple, the dwelling place of God (2:21-22).
The church is also the new man (2:15; 4:24), and even the corporate warrior fighting the battle for God and the bride of Christ, the wife of Christ.
Christ gave Himself up for the church in the past; He is sanctifying the church in the present; and in the future, He will present the church to Himself glorious, without blemish, pure and spotless as His bride, His wife.
He loves us to sanctify us and He sanctifies us for presenting us to Himself.
Eph. 5:26 says that Christ sanctifies the church by the washing of the water in the word.
This water in the word is the living water, the flowing water, the flowing life of God typified by the flowing water out of the rock (Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4; John 7:38-39; Rev. 21:6; 22:1, 17).
On one hand, the blood of Christ flowed for our redemption to wash away our sins (1 John 1:7; Rev. 7:14).
On the other hand, the water of life in God’s word washes away the blemishes of the natural life of our old man, such as the spots and wrinkles and any such things mentioned in Eph. 5:27.
Christ wants to gain not only individual believers who have a spotless living but a corporate Body, the Body of Christ, even the bride of Christ composed of the overcomers who have the living of the overcomers.
He wants to gain a glorious church which He presents to Himself at His coming back.
How can we become such a bride of Christ, the spotless and glorious church that expresses God?
It is by being in the word of God in a living way so that the water in the word would cleanse us, wash us, and remove anything natural from us.
On one hand, when we pray over the word of God, we receive spirit and life (John 6:63).
On the other hand, the word of God is the sword of the Spirit, and it divides the spirit from the soul (Heb. 4:12).
There is a killing power in the word of God; as we pray-read the word, we are not only nourished but also certain elements are killed within us.
We may be troubled by doubts, hatred, jealousy, pride, or selfishness, and we may have no way to deal with these things.
But when we take in the Word of God with its killing power, the more all the negative elements within us are put to death.
![We need to experience the killing power of God's word. As we pray-read, we are nourished on the one hand, but certain elements are killed on the other hand. Perhaps you are troubled by doubts, hated, jealousy, pride, or selfishness ... The more we take in the word with its killing power, the more our pride and all the negative elements within us are put to death. By pray-reading, the inward adversary is slain... by the word we have taken into us. The battlefield for the spiritual warfare...is within us; in particular it is in our mind... The way to slay [the adversary in our mind] is to pray-read the word. As we pray-read God's word , the elements of the adversary within our mindwill be killed one by one. In this way we shall gain the victory... When the negative things in us are killed through prayer-reading, the Lord is victorious. Because He is victorious, we are victorious also. Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 820-821, by Witness Lee](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/We-need-to-experience-the-killing-power-of-Gods-word-683x1024.webp?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "We need to experience the killing power of God's word. As we pray-read, we are nourished on the one hand, but certain elements are killed on the other hand. Perhaps you are troubled by doubts, hated, jealousy, pride, or selfishness ... The more we take in the word with its killing power, the more our pride and all the negative elements within us are put to death. By pray-reading, the inward adversary is slain... by the word we have taken into us. The battlefield for the spiritual warfare...is within us; in particular it is in our mind... The way to slay [the adversary in our mind] is to pray-read the word. As we pray-read God's word , the elements of the adversary within our mindwill be killed one by one. In this way we shall gain the victory... When the negative things in us are killed through prayer-reading, the Lord is victorious. Because He is victorious, we are victorious also. Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 820-821, by Witness Lee")
By our pray-reading of the Word of God, the inward adversary is slain, the doubts in our mind are removed, and pride, selfishness, and anything negative are put to death.
At the same time, we are richly supplied with the divine elements for us to have the living of the overcomers for the reality of the Body of Christ.
The church is filled with the beautifying, bride-preparing Spirit, who is mingled with our spirit, so that we may become Christ’s holy, beautiful, God-expressing bride, a bride without any blemish or imperfection (Eph. 5:18, 26-27; Isa. 60:7, 19; 62:3; Exo. 28:2; cf. Psa. 27:4; 48:2; 50:2; 110:2-3, 7; 60:21; 61:3).
May we allow the Lord to be victorious in our being day by day by experiencing the slaying Spirit mingled with our spirit so that everything of God’s adversary can be killed within us.
When this happens by our pray-reading the word of God, we are enabled to rule in the divine life of the Spirit over Satan, sin, and death for God’s dominion and to live a healthy Body life, a healthy church life (Eph. 6:10-18; Psa. 48:12-13).
The church is the product of the Spirit operating to nourish, beautify, and saturate us with the divine elements, and also of the Spirit working as the slaying Spirit to slay all the negative elements in our being.
The same Spirit operates in us to beautify us and to slay the adversary in us so that we may both express God and represent Him with His dominion.
For such a bride the Lord will return.
Lord Jesus, keep us coming to You in Your word to pray and read Your word so that we may be nourished and have the adversary slain within us. Operate in us through Your word. May Your living word work in us to add the elements of God for our beautification as the bride of Christ. May Your slaying Spirit operate in our being as we pray-read the Word so that the adversary would be killed within us. Amen, Lord, be victorious in our entire being so that we may rule in the divine life of the Spirit over Satan, sin, and death! Fill us with the beautifying, bride-preparing Spirit, and make us the holy, beautiful, God-expressing bride that has no blemish or imperfection! Amen, Lord, gain the bride that You desire for You to return!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Minoru Chen in the message, and portions from, Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 47, 54-55, 59, 69, 94-95, 97, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Kings (2022 summer training), week 10, entitled, The Lord’s Recovery – to Build up Zion.
- Further reading on this topic:
– The Spirit and Life in the Word Issuing in the Church, via, Four Crucial Elements of the Bible, The—Christ, the Spirit, Life, and the Church, by Witness Lee.
– Living in the Mingled Spirit, The Secret of the Christian Life, article at, Holding to Truth.
– Living a Life according to the Highest Peak of the Divine Revelation, message via, One Month Perfecting Training, the Lord Needing the Overcomers.
– 365 days of prayer, praying for the Lord’s need and for the raising up of the overcomers.
– A talk on, The Mingled Spirit and why is it so significant in our daily lives, via, Church in Arcadia.
– The ministry of Christ in the stage of intensification, article by Ed Marks for, Affirmation and Critique.
– Our Church Life in the Face of Covid-19 (5): The Practice of the Church Life during the Community Quarantine, via the Lord’s recovery in the Philippines. - Hymns on this topic:
– Christ is our inner life; He’s in our spirit now; / Not far away from us—He’s right inside! / And as we turn to Him and take Him as our all / He will become in us our inner life. / Out from our inner life will come our daily life, / And all our living be filled up with Christ. / Then as we live by Him, He lives His life in us, / And He becomes to us our daily life. (Hymns #1216 stanzas 2-3)
– Overcomers Christ will take, / Those who all for Him forsake, / Those who of first love partake— / Win in time! / All the deadness overcome, / With the living Christ be one, / Toward the goal now swiftly run— / Win in time! (Hymns #1304, stanza 5)
– Who will now be washed by water in the Word? / “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!” / Spots and wrinkles cleanse before the shout is heard, / “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!” / We can almost see His glory in the sky; / It must be the dawning of that day is nigh. / How our hearts would leap if we should hear the cry, / “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!” (Hymns #1309 stanza 3 and chorus)
About aGodMan
In the past, Christ gave Himself up for the church; in the present, He is sanctifying the church; and in the future, He will present the church to Himself as His counterpart for His satisfaction. Therefore, loving is for sanctifying, and sanctifying is for presenting. In Ephesians 5:26 Paul says that Christ sanctifies the church by cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word. According to the divine concept, water here refers to the flowing life of God typified by flowing water (Exo 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4; John 7:38-39; Rev. 21:6; 22:1, 17)… The redeeming blood of Christ… washes away our sins (1 John 1 :7; Rev. 7:14), whereas the water of life washes away theblemishes of the natural life of our old man, such as “spot or wrinkle or any such things” (Eph. 5:27),… in order that the church may be holy and without blemish. It is such a glorious church that Christ will present to Himself at His coming back… Eventually, the church presented to Christ will be a God-expressing one. Such a church will also be holy and without blemish. To be holy is to be saturated and transformed with Christ, and To be without blemish is to be spotless and without wrinkle, with nothing of the natural life of our old man. Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 454-455, by Witness Lee
The book of Ephesians shows us the living of the overcomers, the living in the reality of the Body of Christ, which is living in the mingled spirit.
May we come to God’s word today and allow Him to both nourish us with His rich elements and slay the adversary within us.
Amen, may we cooperate with the Lord to be His beautiful, spotless, pure bride for Him to return to present to Himself.
Christ has redeemed the church for himself but today he is sanctifying the church as his bride from all the spots and blemishes,
today the Lord needs to remove the natural life, and the old creation and the best way the Lord can do that is by being sanctified by the washing in the water of the word and we can washed in the water of the word by pray reading the word
when we pray read the word it kills all the negatives this so that eventually the Lord can present the Church glorious to himself so if we want to be glorious and bride we need to pray read the word
Ameeen brother!
O sanctify us,transform us by pray reading your word in our mingled spirit!
We have the victory in Christ!
Hallelujah!
Amen brother. If we are to be the very person of Christ on earth, we must exercise our regenerated mingled spirit.
Our Jesus gave Himself up for us and now He is sanctifying us so that, one day, He may present us to Himself as His perfect counterpart.
Whereas the blood of Christ washes away our sins, the water of life in the word washes away the blemishes of our natural old life.
We need to pray-read the word, allowing the flow of life to saturate & transform us with Christ so that nothing of our natural old man would remain.
Only the word has the power to kill the old man.
We must allow the Lord to slay the adversary within our being, especially within our diseased mind.
In the past Christ have up Himself for the church, in the present He is sanctifying her and in the future He will present her to Himself as His glorious counterpart.
Praise the Lord that today we, with our human spirit mingled with the Holy Spirit, are in the process of sanctification through the washing of the water in the word, to be made holy that corporately, in the church we would express God with the duplication of the life of Jesus in us.
For this our mind needs to be renewed and our “inward adversary” – the negative things which originate with our old man – needs to be slain through our pray reading.
Aaaameen. Lord thank you for Your Word. It is the power to slay the enemy within and without.
May we be those who pray read and read pray your word to become your overcomers.
In this way we will be full of the Spirit without spots and blemishes beautifully prepared by Yourself to be Sanctified and Presented as Your beautiful bride.
In this way we we will take care of the Brothers and Sisters struggling in the Churches. Make us such organic living patterns Amen
Amen Lord give us a hunger for your word washing and cleaning us that you may present us holy and spotless your bride
Aaaaameeen! Lord Jesus we love You!
Thank you Lord, we are those who are the living overcomers, who are living in the reality of the body of Christ by living in the mingle spirit which is the dwelling place of God, the house of God. We are your church filled with the beautifying, bride-preparing Spirit, who is mingle with our spirit, so that we may become Christ’s holy, beautiful, God-expressing bride, a bride without blemish or imperfection.
Amen brother!
Amen Lord sanctify us, wash us, beautify us, and deal with the adversary within our minds. Cause us to pray-read Your word more and more!
We need to experience the killing power of God’s word. As we pray-read, we are nourished on the one hand, but certain elements are killed on the other hand. By pray-reading, the inward adversary is slain…by the word we have taken into us.The way to slay [the adversary in our mind] is to pray-read the word. As we pray-read God’s word, the elements of the adversary within our mind will be killed one by one. Hallelujah for God’s word!
Amen, By our pray-reading of the Word of God, the inward adversary is slain, the doubts in our mind are removed, and pride, selfishness, and anything negative are put to death.
At the same time, we are richly supplied with the divine elements for us to have the living of the overcomers for the reality of the Body of Christ.