The Local Churches are the Reproduction of Christ and the Reprint of the Spirit

The golden lampstand in Exodus 25 was designed by God Himself, and we need a spirit of wisdom and revelation to understand the intrinsic significance of the golden lampstand so that we may realize that it portrays the goal of God’s eternal economy.

The golden lampstand is not merely a lamp to shine in the Holy Place for the priests to see when they serve God; it has a special significance, and there are at least two other mentions of the golden lampstand in the Bible that show the same thing.

In Exodus 25 the golden lampstand signifies the Triune God Himself: the Father with His divine nature is signified by the gold, the Son as the image and expression of God is signified by the form or shape of the lampstand, and the Spirit is signified by the seven lamps of the lampstand – the seven Spirits of God.

This means that, when God gave Moses the design of the lampstand, He gave him the design of Himself and of what He wants us to become – the same as God in life, nature, expression, and function!

In Zech. 4 there’s another mention of the golden lampstand, and here it signifies the Spirit, the sevenfold intensified life-giving Spirit as the reality of Christ. First, the lampstand is a type of Christ (Exo. 25:31-40), then the lampstand is a type of the Spirit (Zech. 4:2, 6, 10).

Finally, in Revelation 1:11-12, 20 we see seven golden lampstands, which are the same in essence, nature, and expression – they are the duplication of the golden lampstand in Exo. 25 and Zech. 4.

The seven golden lampstands are the seven local churches, which shows us that the church today is the reproduction of Christ as the golden lampstand, and the church is also the reprint of the Spirit! Wow! According to the highest peak of the divine revelation in the Bible, the church today is the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit. What a high view of the local church!

If we see what the church is today, if we realize that the church is the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit, we will seek to be filled in spirit, live by the Spirit, walk by the Spirit, serve by the Spirit, walk according to the spirit, worship God in spirit, exercise our spirit, serve in spirit, minister Christ in spirit, and speak the Spirit as words of life to others for the building up of the church!

The Local Churches are the Reproduction of Christ and the Reprint of the Spirit

In Exodus 25 the golden lampstand is one, but in Revelation 1 there are seven golden lampstands; the one lampstand has been reproduced. The seven golden lampstands are the same in essence, expression, and function, and they are the reproduction of the one golden lampstand in Exodus 25. This shows us that the church today is the reproduction of Christ.

The church is not only the continuation of Christ, the enlargement of Christ, the spreading of Christ, or the Body of Christ; the church is the exact reproduction of Christ. This means that in the church there’s room only for Christ: here Christ is all and in all, He is all the members and He is in all the members.

All the local churches are golden lampstands which are the same in nature, essence, model, shape, and function.

The lampstand in Exodus 25 signifies Christ as the embodiment of God (Exo. 25:31-40), and the lampstand in Zechariah 4 signifies the sevenfold intensified life-giving Spirit as the reality of Christ (Zech. 4:2, 6, 10; Rev. 5:6). In Revelation 1, the seven golden lampstand signify the local churches; the local churches are the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit (Rev. 1:11-12, 20).

According to the lampstand in Exodus, the church today is the reproduction of Christ, and according to the lampstand in Zechariah, the church is the reprint of the Spirit. As the reprint of the Spirit, the church is the exact copy of the Spirit, and the essence of the church is the Spirit (Eph. 4:1-4), the function of the church is in the Spirit, and the Spirit is everything to the church.

If we want to be in reality the golden lampstand as the reprint of the Spirit, we need to be in spirit and do everything in the spirit! We need to be filled in spirit by singing, praising, praying, thanking, and exercising our spirit (Eph. 5:18).

We need to live by the Spirit and walk by the Spirit in our daily life and in the church life (Gal. 5:16, 25). We need to serve by the Spirit of God and have no confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3). We need to walk according to the mingled spirit, and we will fulfill the requirements of the law (Rom. 8:4).

We need to worship God – who is Spirit – in our human spirit, with the exercise of our spirit (John 4:24). We need to serve God in our spirit in the gospel of His Son (Rom. 1:9).

We need to realize that we are not sufficient in ourselves but our sufficiency is of God, and we are ministers of the Spirit – the Spirit who gives life (2 Cor. 3:5-6). We need to speak the words of life, having the Lord’s instant speaking as spirit and life and speaking the words of this life in spirit (John 6:63).

Lord Jesus, we want to be filled in spirit, live by the spirit, walk by the spirit, and serve by the spirit! Lord, we worship You in spirit with the exercise of our spirit, and we want to serve You in our mingled spirit! Amen, Lord, make us the ministers of the Spirit and of life, those filled with the Lord’s instant words as spirit and life. Lord, may our entire being, living, walk, and daily activities be in spirit so that we may be in reality the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit, the golden lampstand!

Seeing that the Church is Absolutely something of Christ and in the Spirit

Before the Lord gave the Apostle John what to write to the seven churches in Asia, He showed him the seven golden lampstands (Rev. 1:11-12). John knew of the golden lampstand in the Holy Place, but here were seven identical golden lampstands, and the Lord said that these lampstands are the seven local churches (Rev. 1:20).

What is the church? The church is the lampstand. In the Lord’s recovery we all have to see that the church is so high and so pure. The church is nothing less than Christ and the Spirit because both Christ and the Spirit are the lampstand and the church is also the lampstand. This is a picture of regeneration and transformation. Christ has been regenerated into our being, and we are being fully transformed into His being (2 Cor. 3:18). He is the lampstand, and the church is also the lampstand. We have to see what the church is to such an extent. If we see this vision of the church, we will be afraid to exercise our flesh. We need to see that the church is absolutely something of Christ and in the Spirit. (Witness Lee, The Church — the Reprint of the Spirit)

The church is absolutely something of Christ and in the Spirit. If we are in Christ by being in our mingled spirit, we are the church, but if we are still in our flesh or living in our self, we are outside of the church.

Many times we need to admit that we are not in the spirit, and so we live just like the other human beings part of the fallen race, the descendents of Adam. But whenever we exercise our spirit and live by the spirit, we are the church as the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit.

Whether or not we are actually the church depends upon whether or not we are in the Spirit. The church is something absolutely of Christ and in the Spirit. We need to see the vision of the church as the golden lampstand.

God is embodied in Christ, and Christ became the life-giving Spirit; God in Christ as the Spirit is now reproduced, continued, and realized in the church as the golden lampstand. If we see that the church is the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit we will be afraid to exercise our flesh and we will deny the self so that we may live in spirit, walk by the spirit, and do everything in the spirit for the building up of the church.

Whenever we live in spirit and do everything in the mingled spirit we are the golden lampstand in reality for God’s expression on earth.

Lord Jesus, grant us a vision of the church as the golden lampstand. May we see that the church is absolutely something of Christ and in the Spirit. Lord, we want to walk in the spirit and be in Spirit today. Thank You for regenerating Yourself into us; now go on in us to transform us into Your being, Your image, to make us Your expression. Lord, amen, may all the local churches be golden lampstands shining out with Christ as the light and expressing the Spirit! Praise the Lord for the church, the reproduction of Christ and the reprint of the Spirit!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, brother Ed Marks’ sharing in the message for this week, and The Church—the Reprint of the Spirit, chs. 1-3 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Exodus (3), week 4 (week 28), The Intrinsic Significance, Subjective Experience, and Organic Maintenance of the Golden Lampstand for a New Revival.
• All Bible verses are taken from, Holy Bible Recovery Version.
• Hymns on this topic to strengthen this burden:
  # Churches shine, Jesus’ testimony bright; / They’re Christ’s reproduction, Spirit’s reprint; / God Himself’s their light, their one expression; / Christ’s appearance and virtues they possess. (Song on the church as the reprint of the Spirit)
  # Once He was the only God-man; / Now we are His duplication. / As the many grains we’re blended / As His corporate reproduction. (Song on the church as Christ’s reproduction)
  # Lord, I thank You for another new day to live You; / Another day for me to practise being one spirit with You. / Remind me this whole day to reject my self, / Not to trust myself, / And not to live by myself. / Strengthen me to live by You. / Make this a day for me to live You out. / Taking You as my everything, / Abiding in You as a branch in the vine. (Song on living Christ)