Reigning in Life Issues in the Real and Practical Body Life with the Highest Virtues

The issue of our reigning in life by living under the ruling of the divine life, is the real and practical Body life expressed in the church life; for the Body life, we need to live a life of the highest virtues by reigning in life. Amen!

The Lord Jesus was One who reigned in life by living under the constant rule of the Father’s life within Him.

He lived under the Father’s authority and ruling to such an extent that the Roman centurion saw this and asked Him to simply speak a word, and his servant will be healed.

Instead of asking the Lord to come to his house and there to heal the servant who is not well, the centurion realized that the Lord is a man under authority, so He has authority over the sickness.

When we live under the ruling of the divine life within us, we will have the Lord’s authority, for we will reign in life.

On one hand, we need to receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, enjoying the Lord as grace until grace reigns in us and we are filled with the Lord as grace.

On the other hand, as we enjoy the Lord, we need to let Him rule and reign within us.

Many times we have an inner sense that we should not do something, we should not say a particular matter, or we should not go to a particular place; when we listen to the Lord within and allow the divine life to rule in us, we will reign in life.

We can reign in life only when we enthrone the Lord within us and allow Him to rule in us.

The apostle Paul was also a person who reigned in life, even though he went through a long and unfortunate voyage as a prisoner toward Rome.

His ship was battered by the storm, but the Lord appeared to him and told him that He had given him all the souls on that ship, and they would all survive if they stayed together.

Paul lived in Christ’s ascendency and ruled over the horrible weather, the terrible conditions he had as a prisoner, and over himself.

He lived a life that resembled the one that the Lord Jesus lived on earth a few years earlier, a life under the rule and reign of the Lord so that he may reign in life.

Reigning in life is not something deliberate, something that we willingly do because we need to take care of this or that; it is something spontaneous, issuing from our enjoyment of the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness.

May we learn to turn to the Lord, enjoy Him, even receive the abundance of grace, and allow this grace to reign in us, for when grace reigns in us, we reign in life.

The Issue of Reigning in Life is the Real and Practical Body Life expressed in the Church Life

The issue of our reigning in the divine life, that is, the result of living under the ruling of the divine life, is the real and practical Body life expressed in the church life (Rom. 5:17, 21; 12:5-8).

How can we have the practical and real Body life?

The Body of Christ is universal, but we today can express it and live it out on earth.

How can we do it? The real and practical Body life can be experienced by us only when we reign in life.

Our reigning in life issues in the real and practical Body life, which is expressed in the church life.

And we reign in life only when we subject ourselves to the Lord, being restricted by the divine life.

The highest peak of God’s economy is the reality of the Body of Christ; we endeavour to pursue and arrive at this high peak.

However, if we don’t experience reigning in life, if we don’t allow the divine life to rule in us and regulate us from within, it is impossible for us to be in the practical expression of the Body of Christ.

If we live with one another in a natural sense, if we just remain in our natural man as we meet with the saints, how can the Lord obtain the reality of the Body of Christ?

The reality of the Body of Christ is a matter of the saints living not in their natural life but by the divine life, denying themselves to live by the life of Christ in their spirit.

Each item in the living of the Body life seen in Rom. 12-13 requires that we are ruled by the divine life to live to the Lord (2 Cor. 5:14-15).

For us to live the real and practical Body life, we need to live to the Lord, and this takes place when we reign in life.

Rom. 12:1 says that we need to present our bodies with a living sacrifice.

How can we present our body as a living sacrifice? It is by reigning in life.

When the divine life rules and reigns in us, no matter how tired we are and how cold it is outside, we present our bodies as a living sacrifice for the church life.

But when we don’t reign in life, we don’t feel like going to the meeting or being with the saints.

When we reign in life, we’re saved from being fashioned according to this age, and we are transformed by the renewing of the mind, thus proving what the will of God is (v. 2).

Furthermore, when we reign in life, we will not think of ourselves higher than we ought to; we will think so as to be sober-minded, as God has apportioned to each of us a measure of faith (v. 3).

The Lord Jesus, our pattern for reigning in life, humbled Himself to the uttermost, even to the lowest place; He never thought of Himself higher than He ought to, even though He was God Himself.

Rather, He became in the likeness of men, humbling Himself, becoming obedient, even obedient unto death, and that the death of the cross (see Phil. 2).

This One lives in us.

When we live under the ruling of the divine life, we will not condemn others nor will we think we’re better than them; rather, we will be sober-minded and we will consider others to be better than us in the Body.

When we deal with others in the Body, even though they may have done something wrong, we will love them and lower ourselves to be under them to lift them up and shepherd them according to God.

We will not rebuke others; rather, we will seek to minister life to them.

When we reign in life, we will consider that in the Body of Christ, there are many members, and all the members do not have the same function; however, we need all the members’ functions (vv. 4-5).

When we live under the ruling of the divine life, we will serve faithfully in our particular service (v. 7), and we will seek to minister life to others.

As we reign in life, we will be able to teach, exhort, give in simplicity, lead in diligence, and show mercy in cheerfulness (vv. 7-8).

Furthermore, we will take the lead in showing honour one to another (v. 10).

The issue of our reigning in life is the real and practical Body life expressed in the church life.

When we live under the ruling of the divine life, we can live the proper church life in the local churches, and we will live in the reality of the Body of Christ.

Lord Jesus, we want to live under the ruling of the divine life day by day so that we live the real and practical Body life expressed in the church life. Amen, Lord, we do not live to ourselves but to the Lord, the One who loved us and gave Himself up for us. We give ourselves to You, Lord. We offer our bodies as a living sacrifice for the practical church life. Hallelujah for the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness! We love to enjoy You, Lord Jesus, and to be filled with grace! May grace reign in us so that we may not be fashioned according to this age but be transformed by the renewing of the mind. Yes, Lord, may our mind be renewed so that we do not think of ourselves higher than we ought to think but so as to be sober-minded. May the divine life rule and reign in us so that we may be able to serve in the Body in a proper way for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ!

Live a Life of the Highest Virtues for the Body Life by Reigning in Life

The key to unlocking, enjoying, and experiencing all the riches in God’s organic salvation is reigning in life.

The way for us to enjoy every aspect of God’s organic salvation is to be under the rule of the divine life.

When we reign in life, we live a life of the highest virtues for the Body life in the church life.

This is seen in Romans 12 and 13.

When we live under the rule of the divine life, we will love one another without hypocrisy, and we will love one another warmly and from the heart, having a brotherly love (Rom. 12:9-10).

This is something that the Lord desires to recover among us in the church life.

We do not just nod and say hi to others when we meet them; we love the saints, we love them fervently, and the brotherly love is warm and full of affection.

We should love without hypocrisy and love one another warmly in brotherly love.

This is not something we need to “work on” or “improve”; rather, this is the spontaneous issue of our living under the ruling of the divine life in our spirit.

When we meet the saints, we spontaneously smile and warmly greet them, for we love the Lord and we love the saints.

We love to be in one another’s homes, be involved with one another, visit one another, and participate in a sweet, harmonious fellowship in the church life.

Rom. 12:9-21 describes a life of the highest virtues for the Body life; such a living is possible only when we are reigning in life.

When we reign in life, we will cling to what is good and we will abhor what is evil.

We will love one another warmly in brotherly love, taking the lead in showing honour one to another.

When we allow the divine life to rule and reign in us, we will not be slothful in zeal; rather, we will be burning in spirit, serving the Lord (v. 11).

And when tribulation comes, we endure (v. 12), and we will also persevere in prayer.

We will love the saints and contribute to the needs of the saints; furthermore, we will pursue hospitality.

When others weep, we will weep with them, and when they rejoice, we will rejoice with them (v. 15).

If we do not live under the rule of the divine life, when others weep, we may stay away from him, for we are rejoicing.

But the divine life within us is an all-fitting life, a life that can meet all kinds of situations and needs; when this life reigns in us, we will sympathize with the saints who are going through tough times, we may even weep with them, for our heart goes out to them, and their pain is our pain.

And when others rejoice, we don’t criticize them or hope they get over it; rather, we rejoice with them, no matter how we feel at that time.

When others lose their job, we won’t think, He needs that dealing, let the Lord deal with him; rather, we will empathise with him and weep with him.

We will care for others, and love them, and it will matter to us how they are doing.

When we live under the ruling of the divine life, we will be of the same mind toward one another, not setting our mind on the high things but going along with the lowly (v. 16).

If others do evil to us, we will not repay them evil for evil; rather, we will take forethought for things honourable in the sight of all men (v. 17).

As far as it depends on us, we should live in peace with all men (v. 18).

There may be offenses and we may apologise, but others may not want to forgive us; as far as it depends on us, we want to live in peace with all men.

In this way we live the real and practical Body life in the church life, reigning in life by being under the ruling of the divine life.

Lord Jesus, we want to live a life of the highest virtues for the Body life by reigning in life. Amen, Lord, we enthrone You in our being and we want to live under the ruling of the divine life in our daily life and in the church life. May love be without hypocrisy among us in the church life as we love one another warmly in brotherly love. Amen, Lord, may all the saints reign in life by living under the ruling of the divine life so that we may be burning in spirit, not slothful in zeal, serving the Lord! Hallelujah, when we reing in life, we live the real and practical Body life in the church life! We rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep! Amen, Lord, may we be of the same mind toward one another, not setting our mind on the high things but going along with the lowly. We want to live in peace with all men, as far as it depends on us.

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, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “Crystallization-study of the Complete Salvation of God in Romans,” chs. 2, 4-6, 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 experience of reigning, a portion from, The Experience of Life, Chapter 17, by Witness Lee.
  – We Reign in Life Now and in New Jerusalem, article in, New Jerusalem blog.
  – Christ Growing in Our Heart (4): The Significance of Speaking in the Experience of Jacob and Joseph, article via, Living to Him.
  – All spiritual matters and virtues being a matter of God working in man, a portion from, Messages Given During the Resumption of Watchman Nee’s Ministry (2 volume set), Chapter 6, by Watchman Nee/Witness Lee.
  – A Story of Consecration: Loving Jesus with Our Best, article via, Bibles for America Blog.
  – The Ministry Produced through Revelation and Suffering, Part One: Revelation (3), article via, Shepherding Words.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – The Lord enthroned within our hearts / His Kingdom doth establish there, / Assuring His full right to reign / And for God’s purpose to prepare. / ’Tis by His ruling from within / His fulness vast is testified; / ’Tis when His inner kingdom rules / His Body’s blessed and edified. (Hymns #942 stanzas 3 and 5)
  – Christ to me is so subjective, / Life imparting all the way; / As the Spirit He revives me / And refreshes day by day. / Christ to me is so subjective, / All my being He transforms; / By the mind and will renewing / To His image He conforms. (Hymns #537 stanzas 2-3)
  – 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. / To maintain the sweet communion, / Brotherly love; / Fellowship and healing union, / Brotherly love. / Love believing for the brothers, / Hoping all things for the others, / Suffering all with one another, / Brotherly love. (Hymns #1277 stanzas 1-2)