Reigning in Life to be Brought into the Blending life of the Entire Body of Christ

When we are brought into the blending life of the entire Body of Christ, we can truly reign in life; we see this in the pattern of the apostle Paul in Rom. 16.

Reigning in life is found in Romans 5, and this is the key to all the experiences of God’s organic salvation.

The key for us to enjoy the matters of being renewed in our mind, transformed in our soul, conformed to the Lord’s image, enjoy life and peace, live the life of the Body of Christ, fellowship in the Body, and be in the blending life of the Body is reigning in life.

Unless we are reigning in life, that is, unless we are under the ruling of the divine life, we cannot have a proper and full enjoyment of God’s organic salvation.

This means that we need to daily receive the abundance of grace, enjoy grace, and partake of God as our enjoyment to be our everything, and we need to allow this grace to reign in us.

Instead of us being on the throne in our being, the Lord and the enjoyment of Christ need to be on the throne.

Instead of us deciding what to do, where to go, and what to say, we need to check with the Lord and allow the divine life to regulate us from within.

The divine life in us has its sense, and we need to follow the inner sense of life and peace in all things.

If we want to participate in all the wonderful, mysterious, and glorious matters presented in Romans 6-16, including the fellowship of the Body of Christ and the blending life of the Body of Christ, is for us to reign in life, that is, for us to be under the ruling of the divine life.

God’s wonderful organic salvation is applied to our being and experienced by us when we reign in life, that is, when we allow the divine life in us to rule and reign in our being.

As we learn to fellowship with the saints, as we are serving in the church life in many practical matters, we need to not only pay attention to the things we are doing but even more, be under the ruling of the divine life so that we may reign in us.

The reality of living in the Body of Christ is the divine fellowship; we participate in the divine fellowship, which is the fellowship of the Body of Christ, by reigning in life.

The more we remain in the fellowship of the Body of Christ, the more we reign in life.

The more we reign in life, the more we will be in the fellowship not only with the saints locally where we are but even more, with the saints all over the earth, in the Body of Christ.

Today the Lord wants to gain such a fellowship, not just locally fellowshipping with the saints where we are but even more, but the fellowship of the Body of Christ, the fellowship among the churches.

Thank the Lord that we can blend with the saints in the Body!

Reign in Life to be Brought in the Blending Life of the Body of Christ

As the churches fellowship in the Body of Christ, the Lord has a way of building up His Body and the God of peace will crush Satan shortly under our feet (Rom. 16:20).

The key is reigning in life; when we reign in life, we are brought into the blending life of the entire Body of Christ.

If we are reigning in life and we enter into the Body life, the church life in which we’re knit together, we are in the genuine fellowship of the Body of Christ.

In such a situation, the Lord builds up His church, and Satan is crushed under our feet by the God of peace.

Satan resists the building up of the church; he tries to attack the church with death, but the God of peace will crush Satan under the feet of the church.

We are here to bind Satan and put him under our feet, but we can’t do this individually; we can’t do it through our own spirituality.

We fight the battle in the Body. Romans 16 in particular shows us the excellent pattern of the apostle Paul in bringing all the saints into the blending life of the entire Body of Christ; it is in such a life that we can truly reign in life.

When we reign in life, we are brought into the blending life of the Body of Christ, and when we’re in the blending life of the Body, we are reigning in life.

We may have never read Romans 16 or, if we read it, we may have not been impressed with it, for in there we see a lot of greetings.

Paul greets so and so and then he also greets so and so, and he greets the church which is in his house.

He had a detailed knowledge and care of the saints, and he cared for them, having regard for them.

He greeted the saints generally and he also greeted them specifically.

Through his greetings and recommendations, we can see the mutual concern among the saints and the mutual fellowship among the churches.

As the churches all participate in the fellowship of the Body of Christ and are brought into the blending life of the entire Body, the God of peace has a way to crush Satan under feet and we are able to enjoy the rich grace of Christ.

May we be like the apostle Paul, having an intimate concern for the saints, for their situation, their function, and their going on.

May we have the fellowship of concern, caring for the saints and the churches.

We may not have Paul’s measure in caring for others, raising the churches, preaching the gospel, and suffering for the Lord, but we can exercise our spirit to enjoy the abundance of grace and reign in life.

As we reign in life, we will be brought into the blending life of the entire Body of Christ, and we will be full of care and love for the members of the Body that the Lord brings our way and we interact with.

Paul greeted the saints one by one, mentioning at least twenty-seven names; this shows that he had a considerable amount of knowledge, understanding, and care with regard to every one of them (Rom. 16:1-16).

What about us: do we experience reigning in life to such an extent? Do we care for the welfare of the saints?

Do we reign in life to the extent that we enter into the blending life of the entire Body of Christ, or are we primarily focused on our local church, our local situation, and our own condition before the Lord?

Paul’s recommendations and greetings express both the mutual concern among the saints and the mutual fellowship among the churches (see Col. 4:15-16).

This needs to be our situation today in the church life as we reign in life.

Lord Jesus, we want to reign in life to the extent that we are brought into the blending life of the entire Body of Christ! Amen, Lord, may there be such a sweet fellowship among the churches so that the Body of Christ may be built up and the God of peace would crush Satan under our feet! Oh Lord, we open to You; keep us receiving and enjoying the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness so that we may reign in life. Keep us under the rule of the divine life in our spirit so that we may reign in life in our daily life and in the church life. Grant us to have the intimate concern of the shepherding life toward the saints, not only those in our locality but toward all the saints. May we be like Paul, expressing the mutual concern among the saints and being in the mutual fellowship among the churches!

Serving the Lord in the Church life, Risking our Necks for the Church, and Dealing with Ambition, Pride, Self-Justification, and Not Conforming to Christ’s Death

The apostle Paul initiated the fellowship of concern for the saints; he was concerned for the saints, for those who served the Lord, and for the churches (see Rom. 16:1-19, 21-23).

The greetings he wrote in the last chapter of Romans show how far-reaching his concern was. Such a concern needs to be among us today.

Furthermore, like Phoebe in Rom. 16;1, we need to be those who serve the Lord.

When we reign in life, we give ourselves to serve the Lord in the church life.

We may have a full-time job or we may serve the Lord with our full time; either way, we will serve the Lord in the church.

When Paul described Phoebe he showed how she was appreciated and regarded. She served others at any price and at any cost.

If we mean business with the Lord in the church life, we will also serve the church and care for it regardless of the cost.

If we reign in life, being under the ruling of the divine life, we will have a heart to serve the Lord in the church.

All the saints are serving ones, for they live to the Lord and, no matter what they do in terms of having a full-time job or being job-dropping, they serve the Lord in the church.

Rom. 16:4 further shows that Prisca and Aquila risked their necks for the church.

All the churches of the Gentiles and Paul also gave thanks to the Lord for such ones, for they did not count their own life as dear to them.

Rather, they were willing to care for the churches at the cost of their own lives.

Paul laid forth before us the pattern of this dear couple, who served the Lord in the church and were willing to risk their own necks for the church.

We need to be such ones, those loving the Lord, serving Him in the church life, and being willing to risk our lives for it.

Because we love the Lord and take Him as our Master, we love the church and are willing to pay the cost for the church and for the churches.

May we be saved from only caring for the church in our locality.

May we be enlarged and broadened in our care for others.

May we have an enlarged heart so that we may embrace all the churches.

May the Lord bring us into the blending life of the Body of Christ.

As we see these high matters related to the reigning in life to become the same as Christ in life, nature, expression, and function, we need to realize that there is a danger.

The more we know of the high peak truths and the more we are filled with the excellent knowledge of Christ, there may be some hidden matters that cause our life to leak away and lead us to be proud, rather than humble.

Brother Lee uttered a word of love to the co-workers and elders, and he identified four matters, which he called gophers: ambition, pride, self-justification, and not conforming to the death of Christ.

We may know the truth concerning reigning in life, but if pride is in us, we are disqualified from reigning in life; we will be proud about what we know, but we will not reign in life.

All ambition, pride, self-justification, and not conforming to the death of Christ needs to be dealt with.

If we have these items among us and in us, they will annull whatever benefit we receive from the high peaks of the divine truths.

They work hiddenly in our being to eat up any growth in life, annull our function, and not let us advance with the Lord.

Thank the Lord for releasing the deeper and higher truths among us in the church life today.

We are grateful to Him for bringing us to the highest peak for Him to gain the reality of the Body of Christ.

But whether or not we are in the reality of the Body depends on whether or not we deal with these inward gophers, these hidden matters in our being.

The enemy lurks and uses this kind of things to frustrate what the Lord wants to do.

Instead of allowing pride, ambition, and self-justification prevail in our being, may we enjoy the love of God, the grace of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14).

May we be those who participate in the sweet fellowship of the Spirit, the fellowship of the Body of Christ, and be brought into the blending life of the entire Body of Christ so that the Lord may gain a dispensational instrument for Him to close this age and return soon.

Lord Jesus, we want to be those reigning in life who serve the Lord in the church life. Amen, Lord, we love You and we give ourselves to serve You in Your house. Grant us to have Your heart for the saints so that we may have the intimate care, the intimate concern, for the members of Your household. We are here for You, Lord, that You may gain what You are after in us. Save us from any hidden pride, ambition, and self-justification. Save us from not being conformed to the death of Christ. Oh Lord, we want to go on with You according to Your word. We want to climb on the highest peak of being in the reality of the Body of Christ so that You may gain what You are after for You to return. We are willing to deal with any ambition, pride, and self-justification. Have Your way in us and among us. May we enjoy the love of God and the grace of Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit so that the Lord may have a full way among us today!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ray Mulligan in the message for this week, and portions from, life-study of Romans, msgs. 25-27, 30, 46-49 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord’s Recovery Before His Appearing (2023 July Semiannual Training), week 8, entitled, Reigning in Life.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – The need of the blending for the building up of the Body of Christ, a portion from, Practical Points Concerning Blending, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee.
  – The Way of Blending and the Leadership in the Ministry in the Lord’s Recovery Today, article via, A Faithful Word.
  – The Uniqueness of the Lord’s Recovery, a new hymn via, Hymnal.net.
  – The Factor of Blending for the Reality of the Body of Christ, outline via, The Church in Regina.
  – The blending of the Body of Christ, a portion via, e-shepherding.
  – Members of the Corporate Christ, article via, Affirmation and Critique.
  – Concerning receiving other believers according to God’s receiving and Christ’s receiving, a portion via, A Faithful Word.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Now in all the churches flowing, / Brotherly love. / Light and life and love bestowing, / Brotherly love. / In the oneness all believing, / Fellowship with all receiving, / Nevermore the Spirit grieving, / Brotherly love. (Hymns #1277 stanza 1)
  – Oh, how we need the churches, / All of them, great or small! / We need their many portions / To profit us withal. / Yes, Lord, enlarge the churches; / We love their needs to bear. / Enlarge our hearts, Lord Jesus, / In fellowship and prayer. (Hymns #1265 stanza 2)
  – Intercede! Intercede! For Your people, meet Your need! / Hallelujah! Get Your Bride this way. / Have Your way! Have Your way! Do a building work we pray— / Hallelujah—in our life each day! / Through the cross of Jesus, / By the Spirit filled, / We are blending, building up! / We all are one! / We are…Jerusalem! / Dear Lord Jesus, we ask You to come! (Song on, Blend us, Lord, Blend us, Lord, stanza 4)