Living a Life in Fellowship with the Lord

Introductory Word

Living a life in fellowship with the Lord is a crucial matter. A life in fellowship is the base of our pursuing life, our growing life, and our serving life. Eventually a life in fellowship should be the reality of our whole Christian life. Without such a life, we will not have the base to pursue the Lord, grow in the Lord, and serve the Lord properly.

We need to ask ourselves whether we are really touching the Lord in our Christian life, or are we still merely living a good life? If we have not learned how to touch the Lord, then we will not grow, develop, exercise, and operate properly. We will not become a blessing to the Body of Christ. Without touching the Lord everything we have learned will just be knowledge to us, and knowledge puffs up. What we have learned will only make us proud. All the life and truth we have received is like manna, but manna must always be something fresh. When it's not fresh, manna becomes stale and old. We can say that we received something a few days ago which is still manna to us, but actually it is no longer edible. It can no longer give us the strength we need. This is why it is so important for us to learn how to touch the Lord's living presence.

Living a life in fellowship is a matter of exercise. The first exercise for living such a life is related to two things: knowing and abiding. When we do not know something, then it is not really ours. But even when we know something it may still not be ours. We have to learn how to abide in what we know. Living a life in fellowship is a matter of both 'knowing' and 'abiding.' There are two things we need to know, and one thing in which we must abide. Firstly, we need to know the Spirit. Secondly, we need to know the divine provisions for a life in fellowship. Thirdly, after knowing these things we must abide in a proper exercise. As our knowledge advances, our abiding will become richer and deeper.

Knowing the Spirit:
1. God is Spirit (John 4:24).

After all that we have heard and all the teachings we have received, we may still not realize that God is Spirit. How many times, when we consider God, do we have that kind of an understanding? When we think of God there should be an instinctive reaction within us: God is Spirit! But if someone were to ask us to use one word to describe God, we would not answer with "Spirit." We would probably think of a word like "powerful," "mighty," "loving," or "kind." This is because we do not understand who our God really is. Our God is Spirit. Yes, He has done a lot of things, and He has a lot of bright attributes and virtues, but God is just Spirit. We can say that God is love, God is light, and God is holiness, but this does not say who He really is. To say that God is love is to say that the Spirit is constituted and composed of love. If we were to come to God and ask Him, "Who are You?" He would say, "I am Spirit." Then if we were to ask Him further, "What is in You?" then He would say, "Love is in Me." God is Spirit. God has love. When God manifests Himself, it is called light. When God is touched and enjoyed, it is called holiness. But who is our God? Our God is Spirit. We all need such a realization.

2. The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b).
3. Now the Lord is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17).

First, God is Spirit. Also, the last Adam, the Lord Jesus, became a life-giving Spirit. Further more, now the Lord is the Spirit. We must know these three facts. God is Spirit, the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit, and now the Lord is the Spirit, the processed Triune God. All of these items are so different from our concept. It is easy for us to hear a message about how powerful God is, how wise God is, or how kind and how loving God is. Such items are easy to take. But when we come to a message on the fact that our God is Spirit, we hardly know how to take it. This is true not only for us, but for all the Christians. The problem with Christianity in general is that they do not know that God is Spirit. It doesn't matter how rich or how glorious their history may have been in the past. They are institutionalized, organized, and divided because the vast majority of the dear believers in Christianity have no knowledge that God is Spirit. They also do not know that the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit, and that now the Lord is the Spirit. When we talk to brothers in the denominations we find out that they know many things that we know. But we also realize that there is a big difference, because they do not know that our God is Spirit. This is the most basic thing we must know.

Without knowing that God is Spirit, how could we ever touch Him? How could He meet with us? Without knowing that God is Spirit, how could He come into us to be our Savior? How could He strengthen us, anoint us, and meet all of our needs? The answer to all these questions is very simple: because our God is Spirit. He is the processed Triune God. He is God the Father, who is just Spirit. He is God the Son, who became the life-giving Spirit. Eventually the whole processed triune God is just the Spirit, because now the Lord is the Spirit.

4. We have a spirit (Rom. 1:9).

After knowing that God is Spirit, we must also know that we ourselves have a spirit. After hearing this we might say, "But this is for kindergartners! I already know I have a spirit!" We shouldn't be too quick. Knowing something doctrinally is different from knowing something experientially. To know that we have something is one thing, but to really enjoy it, experience it, and have the reality of it is another thing. We must know that we have a spirit. When we really know that we have a spirit, then we treasure it. We use it. We take care of it. We exercise it and feed it. But why is it so easy for us to take care of so many things, but not take care of our spirit? Taking care of our spirit is at least as important as taking care of our health and our appearance. To take care of so many things instead of our spirit means that we do not really have a spirit in our practical experience. We must take care of our spirit.

When God was creating the universe, He first made the heavens and then laid the foundations of the earth. Then what did He do? He formed the spirit of man within him (Zech. 12:1). To God, the human spirit is crucial. From His point of view, a person could even be blind and it would not really matter. A person can afford to be without sight, but a person can never afford to be without a spirit. A person can be blind, but a person must have a spirit. We need to be impressed with this. We

can lose everything, we can drop everything, and we can forget everything, but we must never forget about our spirit.

5. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6).
6. We are joined to the Lord; we are one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17).

That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Not only do we have a spirit, but our spirit is regenerated. Because we have a regenerated spirit, we are able to worship God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6). First, we have a regenerated spirit. Once our spirit is regenerated it should become the leading part of our person, so that we worship God in spirit. We must realize that we are joined to the Lord as one spirit. We are one spirit with the Lord.

These are six points that we should remember. The first three points are related to the Triune God, and the last three points are related to us. Concerning the triune God, we must see that God is Spirit, the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit, and now the Lord is the Spirit. Concerning ourselves, we must see that we were created with a spirit, our spirit is regenerated, and we are joined to the Lord by being one spirit with Him. If we do not have these realizations we will never do well in our Christian life. We must realize that our Christian life is a life according to spirit. When our spirit is gone from our practical experience, our Christian life is also gone. When our spirit is healthy, our Christian life is also healthy.

Knowing the Divine Provisions for a Life in Fellowship
1. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from every sin (1 John 1:7,9).

After seeing that God is Spirit, that we have a spirit, and that we are joined to the Lord as one spirit, we need to know the divine provisions for a life in fellowship. What does the Lord provide for us to have a life of fellowship with Him? The first provision is the blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses us from every sin. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and righteous to forgive us all our sins and to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). No matter how spiritual we are, we must always pray, "Lord, cleanse me with Your precious blood." A true servant of the Lord treasures the operative effectiveness of the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood is operative, effective, and living. This blood takes care of us by cleansing us from all our sins.

Even though we have a spirit which is joined to the Lord we are still living on this earth, and we still have a fallen nature which is operating. For this reason the Lord said that His blood is always effective and available. When we thank the Lord for His divine provisions, we first must say, "Lord, I am so thankful for Your precious blood. Your blood cleanses me from all my sins and my iniquity. Wherever I am, whatever I am, no matter how weak or poor I am, I can still come to Your presence because of Your precious blood." Every time we pray we should learn to begin with the cleansing of the Lord's precious blood. Even if we are unaware of any weaknesses or shortcomings, even if we don't feel like we have committed any kind of sin or shown any love for the world, we must realize that we are still a defiled people. Because we are defiled, we must always remind ourselves that we need the Lord's precious blood. This is the first provision for a life in fellowship.

2. The Spirit witnesses with the effectiveness of the blood (1 John 5:6).

The second provision is closely related to the first one. After we are cleansed with the Lord's blood, the Spirit witnesses with the effectiveness of the blood. When we come to the Lord's presence, first there is the blood, and then there is the Spirit. The Spirit is the anointing element. When we take the blood, the anointing comes. When we take the blood, the Lord's presence comes, and we are able to enjoy the supply of the Spirit. In our experience, as soon as we enjoy the blood, we also enjoy the Spirit. As soon as we apply the effectiveness of the blood, we are brought into the enjoyment of the life-giving Spirit. The Spirit testifies and witnesses with the blood.

There are two hymns which describe this. Hymn 38 says that the Lord has given us so many gifts, but not one is greater than His blood. This is a very good song. To sing this is to tell the Lord, "Lord, I am so thankful that You have given me so many things, but among all the heavenly things that You have given to me, the greatest thing is Your precious blood." Then the second song, Hymn 279, is deeper. "First the blood, and then the ointment." This shows us how the Spirit witnesses with the blood. When we say, "Oh Lord, I take Your blood," then we are brought to the Spirit and to the Lord's presence. The Spirit witnesses with the effectiveness of the blood. "First the blood, and then the ointment. Cleansing, then anointing comes." We should learn to enjoy these songs, because they are very profound and nourishing. How do we know that the blood works? When we say, "Lord, cleanse me with Your blood!" the Spirit comes.

3. The Spirit washes us, justifies us, and sanctifies us, calling us righteous (1 Cor. 6:11).

The third provision for a life in fellowship is that the Spirit washes us, justifies us, sanctifies us, and calls us righteous. First there is the blood, then there is the Spirit, and then there is the Spirit's operation. The Spirit not only comes to witness with the blood, but it also washes us, justifies us, and sanctifies us, calling us righteous. This is the third provision for a life in fellowship.

4. The life-giving Word is spirit and life (John 6:63).

The fourth provision is the very word of God, the Bible that God has given to us. This word is also the Spirit. John 6:63 says, "The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life." This means that the Bible is a provision to us. The Bible is spirit and life. John 6:63 does not say, "The words which I have spoken to you are doctrines and are teachings." No, His words are Spirit and life! Yet how many times when we pick up the Bible do we have this realization? "I am picking up the Bible, so I am picking up Spirit and life. I am opening up the Bible, so I am opening up Spirit and life." When we come to the Bible like this, then we can touch the Lord. We are able to be in the Lord's presence.

Usually we pick up the Bible in the name of pursuing the truth. But if there is no Spirit, there is no truth. There is only doctrine. What is the difference between truth and doctrine? When the word goes through the process of being infused through our spirit, and is substantiated through our spirit, then that very word becomes truth. When the word is without the element and the essence of our spirit, then it becomes a dry doctrine. In the same way, what is the difference between ministering and teaching? Ministering means to speak the truth with the Spirit. Teaching means to speak the truth with knowledge. We need to remember that the spirit is the reality and the substance of the Bible. "The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life." When we have the Bible without spirit and life it becomes merely a book of doctrine. Every time when we come to the Bible we should practice this. We should open up our Bible with the realization that we are opening up Spirit and life. When we come to the Bible, we are coming to Spirit and life. When we take in the Bible, we are taking in Spirit and life. The Lord has not only given us the Spirit, but He has given us the Bible. The life-giving Word is Spirit and life.

There are four basic, divine provisions the Lord has given to us for a life in fellowship: first, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from every sin; second, the anointing Spirit witnesses with the effectiveness of the blood; third, the Spirit washes us, justifies us, and sanctifies us, calling us righteous; and fourth, the life-giving Word is spirit and life.

Abiding in the Proper Exercise for a Life in Fellowship

Once we know the divine provisions for a life in fellowship, we must in a proper exercise. To abide in something means to not get away from it. To enjoy a life of fellowship we need to exercise ourselves properly in regard to four practices. The first practice is knowing how to call, to sigh, and to groan. The second practice is knowing how to enjoy a proper hymn at the proper time to meet a particular need or for the proper enjoyment. The third practice is loving the Word, which means loving to recite the word, speak the word, read-pray the word, and pray-read the word. And the fourth practice is having the habit of prayer, which means speaking to the Lord about whoever we are, whatever we have done, and whatever has passed through our person. We should not think we know these four practices. Just as with the human spirit, we think we know, but we do not really know. For us to have a life in fellowship we need these four healthy practices.

1. Knowing how to call, to sigh, and to groan.

The first practice is knowing how to call, to sigh, and to groan. We should know how to call upon the Lord's name. The Bible tells us, "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10: 13). When Saul of Tarsus was arresting the saints in the book of Acts, he was arresting all those who called upon the name of the Lord. In other words, at the beginning of the church age, immediately after the Lord had done a marvelous work in Jerusalem, all of the saints were callers. They knew how to call upon the Lord. This should also be our practice. While we are driving, or working, or just by ourselves, we should call on the name of the Lord. Then we should also know how to sigh and to groan. To groan is to draw out what is deep within us. To call, to sigh, and to groan are similar to breathing. We have a good hymn on breathing out ourselves and breathing in all His fullness (Hymn 255). Breathing as described in this song is related to calling, sighing, and groaning. What does it mean to breathe? Breathing is something that is simply with us all the time to keep us alive. As long as we are living, we are breathing. Spiritually speaking, for us to be alive we should be calling, sighing, and groaning. This will allow us to be in the Lord's presence.

2. Knowing how to enjoy a proper hymn at the proper time to meet a particular need or for the proper enjoyment.

The next exercise is knowing how to enjoy a proper hymn. It is easy to sing a hymn and be in the Lord's presence when we are meeting together with the saints. But we are not always in such a healthy atmosphere. Furthermore, we still have a lot of hard times and difficulties ahead of us. We do not know how many more frustrations will confront us in the coming days. So we must learn how to enjoy the hymns, and that means to sing by the anointing. Often we sing hymns by our emotion or excitement, and not by the anointing. We should not just enjoy songs to be touched in our emotion or stirred up in our excitement. This is not so healthy. When we sing a song, we must ask ourselves, do we really feel the anointing? To sing with the anointing does not mean to stir ourselves up. It means to enjoy the Lord's presence through our singing. We should never lose our ability to be in the Lord's presence. This does not mean that we should no longer sing with excitement or emotion. But even singing with excitement or emotion must still bring us to the anointing.

We should know how to enjoy a proper hymn, and we should also know how to enjoy it at the proper time to meet a particular need. The hymns in our hymnal are the cream of hundreds of years of the Lord's work. The Lord's work within so many saints over so many years is condensed in this little hymnal. There are many treasures here which we must learn so that we will be able to enjoy the Lord's presence through these songs. For example, suppose the Lord touches a brother to give himself to the Lord and serve full-time. That brother should find a particular song to meet that need. Hymn 626 may be the right song for such a time: "Olives that have known no pressure, no oil can bestow." Verse four says, "If Thy mind and mine should differ, still pursue Thy way." Then the brother can pray, "Lord, I know that You want me to serve You, but I want to get a job and become a professional. Lord, please don't let me go. Still pursue Your way." The song continues, "If Thy pleasure means my sorrow, still my heart shall answer 'Yea!'" Then the brother can pray, "Lord, this is very hard. It is very hard for me, but still my heart answers 'Yea!'" Then the hymn continues, "'Tis my deep desire to please Thee, though I suffer loss. E'en though Thy delight and glory mean that I endure the cross." Songs like this will carry us through the hard times. Such a song meets the need for a particular situation. When we sing the right song to meet our need at the proper time, it can regulate, turn, and affect our whole person.

3. Loving the Word - loving to recite the word, speak the word, read-pray the word, and pray-read the word.

The next exercise we need for a life in fellowship is to love the Word. We should love to recite, speak, read-pray, and pray-read the word. Reciting the word enriches and releases our spirit the most. A person who can recite the word is a person who knows how to release his spirit. Reciting also enriches and develops our ability in ministering. If we have a habit of memorizing and speaking the Bible then our ministering will become rich, because the word of God will be mingled with our speaking. Reciting the word also generates the anointing. A person who knows how to memorize Bible verses can easily be brought to the Lord's presence, and to be in the Lord's presence is to be in the anointing. When a person is anointed, his speaking and his fellowship will be anointed.

If a brother is anointed when he speaks, it means that he has experienced three things. First, this brother has paid the price to do the groundwork. Second, this brother has learned to abide in the anointing. And third, this brother has been through many hardships. The groundwork, the abiding, and the suffering of hardships are the three prerequisites for a speaker. If a brother wants to eventually speak for the Lord, he must remember these three things. Firstly, he must lay the groundwork by memorizing Bible verses. Secondly, he must learn to abide in the Lord's presence. And thirdly, he must allow the Lord to work on him. He shouldn't pray for hardships, but he should pray, "Lord' You must work on me. If You work on me, I will cooperate with Your working." A brother like this will have the riches and the anointing, and will also be broken. Every person on this earth goes through hardships. There is no such thing as, "Because I follow the Lord, my life is hard." As long as a person is alive on this earth, his life is hard. But if we have a lot of riches through reciting and memorizing verses, and we have learned how to be an anointed person by being in the Lord's presence, then when the hardships come they will release the precious things within us.

The day Mary broke her alabaster flask on the Lord a precious fragrance came out. However, many human vessels have been "broken," but with nothing inside. Of all the human vessels that have been broken in the past, how many of them had a fragrance? We should not think that hardship automatically means something. Hardship means something only to those who love the Lord. The Bible says that God causes all things to work together for those who love Him. When we recite verses and abide in the anointing, then the hardships that come will release the fragrance within us.

We should not only learn to recite and speak the word, but we should learn to read-pray and pray-read the word. What is the difference between pray-reading and read-praying? Pray-reading is a strong exercise, while read-praying is related to sensing the anointing and turning the word into prayer. For example, to pray-read the beginning of Genesis is to exercise like this: "In the beginning! Amen! In the beginning, God! Amen!" If you read-pray the verse, it may be like this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." After reading this there is no feeling, so you move on to the next verse. "And the earth was waste and empty...." There is still no feeling. But then when you come to "the Spirit of God," something touches you. "The Spirit of God moved." This touches you again. Then you turn what touches you into prayer: "The Spirit of God moves! Lord, thank You! Everything can be void, everything can be hopeless, but You move as the Spirit. Lord, please move in me. Please move over me." This is called read-praying. First you read, and then you pray. This should be our healthy exercise.

4. Having the habit of prayer - speaking to the Lord about whoever we are, whatever we have done, and whatever has passed through our person.

The last exercise we need is the habit of prayer. Prayer should become part of our person, even to the degree that we don't know when we are praying because we are praying all the time. In the beginning when we learn to pray we need to spend time and discipline ourselves. But eventually prayer just becomes our person. We simply have a habit of prayer. When we drive a car, we begin to pray. We might speak out loud, or quietly within our heart. When something happens to us, we just begin to pray. This means that prayer has become our person.

In what way should we have a habit of prayer? By speaking to the Lord, regardless of who we are and what we have done. This is the hardest part, because no one wants to admit how ugly they really are. Everyone prefers to think that they are better. When we feel so aware of our poor condition, we should learn to tell the Lord, "Lord, I never realized I am that bad." Have we realized this yet or not? We need to pray like this. "Lord, I never realized that I am that terrible." The Lord might even say, "You are much worse than you even realize. You just don't know it yet." But whoever we are, and whatever we are, and whatever we have done, we should just learn to speak to Him. We should not say, "I really blew it this time. I'd better not come to the Lord." When we are young in our Christian life we often do this. We commit a sin, so then we don't pray for three days because we hope that the Lord will forget about it. Then we wait until we feel better about ourselves. We don't need to do this. Whatever we have done, we should just tell Him. Even when we are in the midst of something that we know is wrong, we should just pray right there at that moment. There is nothing to be afraid of. At such a time we should remember the divine provisions. We have the Lord's blood, the Spirit witnesses with the blood, and the Spirit operates to cleanse us, justify us, and sanctify us. This will turn us to the Lord's presence. When we speak to the Lord this way, it will eventually become our habit of prayer.