The saints need to see the basic point that the church is Christ Himself, that is, Christ Himself in the saints. Even though this is a very basic matter, the church is a great subject. We must look to the Lord for His mercy to see that the church is nothing other than Christ. Anything that does not match Christ is not the church. This may cause some people to ask, “What is Christ?” Christ is God becoming flesh, and God becoming flesh means that God is mingled with man.
God established a special law in the universe when He created everything: each is “according to their kind” (Gen. 1:11-12, 21, 24-26). God does not mix two things of different kinds together; He wants everything to be according to its kind. However, God also has a great intention to mingle Himself with man; God wants to mingle divinity with humanity in order to make them one. The issue of such a mingling contains both the element of man and the element of God. Both God and man are included in this mingling.
In God’s salvation the one goal that He wants to attain, the one matter that He wants to accomplish, and the one result that He wants to produce in the universe are to mingle the divine and human natures into one. Apart from this mingling, God does not allow different things to mingle and become one. The mystery of salvation hinges upon God and man becoming one. The center of salvation depends upon God working Himself into man and mingling man with Him. Regrettably, many saints do not see this matter, but if we take this matter away from God’s salvation, there would be no more salvation. If we take away the joining of God and man, the mingling of God Himself with man, there would be no salvation. The mystery of God’s salvation, the center of salvation, the mystery of life, and the mystery of union all hinge upon this: God entering into man and mingling Himself with man so that the two become one.
The first step of the mingling of God with man was in one person, that is, in Jesus the Nazarene, and this One is Christ. Christ is God becoming flesh, the mingling of God with man. When Jesus the Nazarene was on the earth, it would have been correct to say that He was a man, but it would also have been correct to say that He was God (John 1:1, 14). He is God and man mingled together. After the death and resurrection of Christ, this principle in Christ was expanded through the enlargement of the mingling of God and man. All the saved ones are His expansion and enlargement.
Through the death and resurrection of Christ, God in the Holy Spirit has entered into thousands, even millions, of people and mingled with them. The result of this mingling is an enlarged Christ. This enlarged Christ is a mysterious Christ, a corporate Christ. When God was incarnated in Bethlehem, the result of the mingling of God with man was small and individual. But through the death and resurrection of Christ, God in the Holy Spirit has entered into millions of people and mingled with them. The result of this mingling is an enlarged Christ, a universal Christ, a mysterious Christ. This Christ is the church, which is also called the Body of Christ. The church is the enlarged Christ, and this enlarged Christ is the same as Christ.
After we receive this word, we must apply it. For example, a person studying mathematics may understand theories of mathematics, but he still needs to solve math problems and apply the theories practically. All the serving brothers in the church should pay attention to how much our service contains the element of man and how much it contains the element of God. When we serve in our locality, we are often required to lead the saints to serve together, and sometimes we also make arrangements for the brothers who function as deacons. We should make these arrangements according to the mingling of God and man in us. Making practical arrangements should not come out of the human element of a certain brother but out of the mingling of God and man.
If we can sense only our self when we are doing things, it is not the church. The church is an entity composed of the mingling of God with man, an organism made up of the mingling of God with man. If we are acting without God, it is not the church. The church is an entity composed of the mingling of God with man. The nature of the church is God mingled with man; she is the mingling of God with man.
Today the situation in Christianity is very chaotic. Everyone says that he is right, and it seems as if it is quite difficult to judge who is right and who is wrong. However, if we have spiritual insight and knowledge, we will know what the church is. Everything has a nature, and its nature determines what it is. If we paint two chairs using gold paint, some people may think that the chairs are made of gold because they look only at the outward color. However, the final determination depends upon the nature of the two chairs. Today if some people put up a sign that indicates they are the church, it does not necessarily mean that they are the church. If someone contacts them, he will know whether they are actually a sect, because a sect will have a special belief, special name, or special fellowship.
We should not judge based on outward appearances without considering the inward nature. Therefore, regardless of where we are, we need to ask ourselves whether the nature of our church is the mingling of God with man or merely the element of our self. If all we have is our self, it lacks the nature of the church, and it is not the church. A cup of tea is the mingling of tea and water. If a cup of water has only the color of tea without the taste of tea, it is not a cup of tea. The church is the mingling of God with man; the church is Christ, the Body of Christ, and the fullness of Christ. The portion overflowing out from Christ is the church; the church is Christ Himself.
Whenever we have some activities in the church, regardless of whether it involves a decision, an arrangement, or a suggestion, we should always remember that God must be mingled with us, that we must be mingled with God, and that we must submit to God. We may make an arrangement, but we should be able to say, “I am mingled with God, and I live in God.” We need to pray first and ask, “O Lord, does this matter please You? Is this how You want to decide things? Is this how You want to arrange things? Is this what You want to do?” We need to continually touch the sense of the Lord’s presence within, and we need to put all our views, opinions, plans, and ideas under His feet, under the Lord Himself, and submit to His light. We should not choose according to ourselves; instead, we should choose what God chooses, suggest what God suggests, and decide what God decides. Then we will be able to see brothers moving on the earth according to the mingling of God and man.
If God finds a person on the earth and mingles Himself with him, such a one is surely in God’s move. Such a move becomes the move of the church. This is a very crucial and advanced point: the church is Christ—the mingling of God with man.