In Revelation 1:18 John testified of Jesus Christ as the One who said that He is the living One, and He became dead but is living forever and ever. This is a word spoken to the churches. Today He is living in the heavens at the right hand of the throne of God, but this is not the point of emphasis. The importance of His being the living One is that He is living in us. He is living forever and is living in us. He told us that today He is still living. Therefore, He wants us to leave every kind of death and rise up to be the living church. This is the thought in Revelation 1, and it is the very point which I want to convey to you in this chapter. Praise the Lord, we can be regenerated because of Him, and after regeneration we can also live by Him!
Now we are clear that from eternity past, in the Lord was life. Then in time, the Lord became flesh, not only as the Lamb to solve the problem of our sins but also as the bronze serpent to solve the problem of our sin. Furthermore, He was resurrected from the dead to become the life-giving Spirit. Today if we open to Him from our innermost being to receive Him, He will come into us, and we will receive life and be regenerated. After this, He will be in us as our food to supply us that we may live and have life abundantly for us to live by Him.
How do you live by Him? First, you must realize that formerly you had only your life, but now it is no longer you but the Lord Jesus who is living within you. Therefore, today you are a dual person. Outwardly it is you, and inwardly it is the Lord Jesus; within you there are two lives. Second, God does not want you to live by your original life. God wants you to live by your second life, which is God Himself. Third, this second life is in your spirit. Thus, if you want to live by this life, you need to live by your spirit. Fourth, in your speech and action you should learn to slow down and not be in haste. You need to examine whether you are still living by your former life or are living by your second life. Are you speaking and doing things according to your emotions and moods or according to the spirit? Not only in big things but even in every small thing in your daily life, in every detail, you should carefully ask yourself, “Is this of my original life, or is this the Lord living within me? Am I speaking and doing things according to my emotions and moods or according to the Lord in me?”
In this matter we must be diligent to have daily exercise. This is vastly different from self-cultivation or any religious doctrine. Rather, this is the living God, the living Lord, who is in us to be our life. In actuality, this is not a doctrine; rather, this is a spiritual, divine fact. This living Lord passed through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection to become the life-giving Spirit. Today if you receive Him, you will be regenerated and He will live in your spirit. If you live by Him and not by yourself, you will be living Christ. This is being born to live, being regenerated to live Christ, to live Him out. This is the genuine Christian life, which is victorious and spiritual.
The issue of this living is the church. Therefore, for the church life we must all live in our spirit, exercising to live by the Lord.