Ephesians 5:25 says that Christ “loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” This verse indicates that Christ is a church-loving Christ. Galatians 2:20 says that Christ loved me and gave Himself for me. Although Christians pay attention to this verse, they may not also pay attention to Ephesians 5:25, where we are told that Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for the church.
In 5:25-27 we see that Christ gave Himself up for the church, not merely to save the church from hell and bring her into heaven, but to sanctify her and to cleanse her by the washing of the water in the Word. Through this washing He will present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. The church Christ will present to Himself will be holy and without blemish.
Christ’s purpose in giving Himself up for the church was to sanctify her. He will not only separate the church to Himself from everything common, but will also saturate her with Himself so that she may be His counterpart. This is accomplished by the washing of water in the Word. How Christ loves the church! The Christ who dwells within us is the Christ who loves the church. Having given Himself up for the church and to the church, He is now sanctifying her. In His love for the church, He is cleansing and purifying her to make her holy and without blemish.
According to 5:27, the day is coming when the church will not have spot or wrinkle. Spots come from wounds, and wrinkles come from oldness. Through Christ’s sanctifying work, the church will eventually be without spot or wrinkle. She will be holy and without blemish. To be holy is to be saturated and transformed with Christ, and to be without blemish is to be spotless and without wrinkle. One day the church will be fully transformed. Only Christ can bring the church to such a condition. The Christ who is the embodiment of God is the Christ who loves the church and is cleansing her by the washing of the water in the Word.
I have the assurance that before the Lord comes back, He will fully recover the proper church life. Many Christian teachers, however, do not believe that this is possible. According to them, we cannot have the church life in this age; they say the church life is possible only in the age to come. Those who hold this view say that we should not talk about the church, but simply love the Lord, preach the gospel, and help the believers to be spiritual. Many of those who take such a position are opposed to the Lord’s present recovery. But in spite of all opposition, we have the assurance that the church life will be recovered in full in this age, not in the age to come.
It is contrary to the Scriptures to say that the church life will be in the coming age. The next age will not be the age of the church; it will be the age of the kingdom. In this present age, before His coming back, the Lord must have the church life to shame the enemy. I believe that for centuries Satan, the enemy of God, has been challenging Christ concerning the church. Perhaps Satan has said to Him, “Where is Your church? Show me the church You have promised to build. Some of Your servants even teach that it is not possible to have the church life in this age.” Perhaps Christ is saying to Satan, “Satan, look at the local churches on earth today. Consider how many of My people are testifying that it is possible to have the church life in this age. They are not only for the church life, but are in the church life in a practical way.”
I believe that in the coming years the Lord will spread the church life to England, Germany, France, and Italy. Furthermore, I believe that one day there will be a church in Rome and even in Jerusalem, where the church life began more than nineteen centuries ago. Acts 1:9-12 tells us that Christ ascended from the Mount of Olives, and Zechariah 14:4 reveals that Christ will return also to the Mount of Olives. In the same principle, the Lord began His church in Jerusalem and, I believe, will send the recovery of His church back to Jerusalem.
For years I was deeply troubled by the loss of mainland China. After more than twenty years of labor, in 1948 there were churches in all the leading cities of China. Then suddenly everything was lost. One day, after many years had passed, I saw something encouraging about this. I realized that in the 1920s the Lord desired to have the proper church life. However, because Europe and the United States had been spoiled by religion, the Lord was forced to go to a heathen country in the Far East for the recovery of the church life. Brother Nee once told us that the Lord went to China because it was virgin soil for the cultivation of the church life. However, the Lord knew that, primarily because of language, China was not the best place for the spread of His recovery. Much of what the Lord had revealed to us was buried in the Chinese language. Nevertheless, God used the virgin soil of China as a nursery. Watchman Nee was sown as a seed into this soil, and the church life began to grow. Then, through the loss of mainland China, the recovery was transplanted to the United States. However, the United States is not the goal; it is a stepping-stone for the spread of the recovery to Europe and eventually to Jerusalem. The Lord began from Jerusalem and then spread the church to Greece and Italy. I believe that He will also go back to Jerusalem by way of Italy and Greece. I long for there to be a church in Jerusalem waiting for the Lord Jesus when He returns.
Concerning the recovery of the church life, the Lord Jesus cannot be defeated. When the Japanese army took over the Philippines during World War II, General MacArthur was forced to withdraw. But he vowed to return. As we all know, General MacArthur did return to the Philippines. In like manner, no matter what Satan does to damage the church, the Lord Jesus will return, and His church will be waiting for Him. There may be a church in the city of Jerusalem. Perhaps the meeting hall will not be far from the Mount of Olives, the place from which He ascended and to which He will descend in His coming back. It would be a shame to the Lord Jesus to come back without having a church in Jerusalem ready for Him. The Lord will not suffer such a shame. For this reason, He is waiting for His recovery to spread to Europe and, ultimately, to Jerusalem.
May the Lord inspire us concerning His move in His recovery! May He spread the church life throughout Europe, the Middle East, and to Jerusalem. Perhaps one day we shall hold a prayer meeting in the garden of Gethsemane, which is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, and pray fervently to the Lord for His coming back!
We all need to enjoy Christ and to experience Him as the church-loving Christ. Because we also love the church, we are one with Him for the spread of His recovery throughout the world and back to Jerusalem. Oh, how Christ loves the church! He is in us as the church-loving Christ. His love for the church makes us willing to give our all for the recovery of the church life.