The Governing Principles of the Practice of the Local Church

7. Practical Virtues for the Church Life [Romans 12:9-21; Hebrews 13:1-7, 16-19]

In this short portion from his book The Christian Life Witness Lee teaches that practical human virtues, expressing Christ’s divine attributes, are needed for the successful practice of the Body life within the local church.

In the church life, we live a life that is Christ Himself with His divine attributes expressed in His human virtues. His attributes are divine, but His virtues are human. The human virtues are to manifest the divine attributes, and the divine attributes are to be expressed in the human virtues. This is for us to be a part of His organic Body. We live a life that is Christ Himself not just for the individual Christian life, but for the Body life. We live as parts of His organic Body for the universal consummation of the eternal economy of God.

(Witness Lee, Christian Life, 15)

Witness Lee expounds from 2 Peter 1:3-4 in his book The Fulfillment of God’s Purpose by the Growth of Christ in Us concerning the divine power giving us all things relating to life and godliness. All that we need in order to live the Christian life and the church life issues from the divine seed implanted into us.

The submission comes out of the seed that has been sown into us. The divine power has given us all the things pertaining to life and godliness. This power is the Spirit within us. We also have been given the great and precious promises in the Word outside of us. We should not keep away from the Spirit within and the Word without. We have to continually contact the Spirit within and pray-read the Word without. We do not merely study the Word as a book. We pray-read the Word by calling upon the name of the Lord. We have the Spirit within as the divine power and the holy book without as the great and precious promises. All the riches of the divine life are our portion for us to enjoy. When we enjoy these riches, we will have the expression of life, godliness, in our living. Our living will be one of godliness, the expression of God as life.

Whatever we need will be supplied to us. Submission, patience, humility, love, power, and mercy are all in the divine seed within us. The Body life, the local church life, is included in this godliness. The local church life has been given to us. Perhaps we have seen the New Testament church, so we agree to come together and practice it. But if we do this without the enjoyment of Christ, our practice will be a mess. We need to call on the name of the Lord, be filled within, and enjoy His Word. This is to render Him the adequate cooperation. Then we will enjoy the current of the heavenly electricity flooding us with the riches of life. Spontaneously, we will have the proper church life. The church life comes out of the divine seed within us. It is not something made up by us. The church life is a great item of godliness. We have the church life within already. What we need now is to develop it. The fruit is included in the seed, and the seed has been given to us. If we develop the seed, we will develop the fruit.

(Witness Lee, Growth of Christ, 66-67)

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