The church is not in the natural realm but in resurrection. Hence, our natural mind and emotions are problems to the church because they cannot touch resurrection. What is resurrection? Resurrection has a principle—any object that is of resurrection is not the same as it was originally. Consider a flower seed for instance. Its original shape is round and small, and its color is brownish-yellow. But after it is planted into the ground, dies, and resurrects, what comes forth is unconfined, big in shape, and green in color. This is resurrection. What is planted is the original form, but what comes out is another form. Hence, we are not saying that our mind is useless but that our mind, like a seed, has to be put to death and then to live again. Then our mind will be a mind of resurrection. Similarly, we are not saying that our emotion is useless. Spiritual men are very emotional. The difference is that if our emotion is a natural emotion, it will be a spiritual harm, but if our emotion is put to death and passes through resurrection, it will become a spiritual benefit.
In the matter of following and serving the Lord, we need a strong will. Our will has to be so strong that we are able to push forward despite repeated frustrations. This is to be spiritual. If our will is natural, it is like crude steel, having little use. However, if the steel is well-refined, it can be made into different kinds of springs for watches, being firm and at the same time pliable. After the steel is refined by fire and passes through hammering and high pressure, it is no longer crude steel but wrought steel. This steel is not only firm but pliable. The will of some people is natural and has not passed through the dealing of death. It is like crude steel that has not been forged or hammered. A will that is like crude steel is a problem to the church. Where there are such saints, there are problems. In fact, people with this kind of will are unbearable. However, if their will passes through death and enters into resurrection, the resurrected will becomes a spiritual will that is both firm and pliable and is a benefit to the church.
Our natural mind, emotion, and will have to pass through death and resurrection. How can this be accomplished? How can our mind, emotion, and will be put to death? Suppose you are a person who is rich in thoughts. When you serve in the church, it is easy for your thoughts to come out. At such times, you have to learn to reject your mind, your thoughts, and your ideas by the Holy Spirit, putting aside your mind, your thinking, and your train of thought by the Holy Spirit. This putting aside of your mind is to put it to death. If your thoughts and mind are something that God wants, after you have put them to death, God will surely raise them up. This is the same with our emotion and will.
When we are serving together with the saints, if our mind and ideas come out quickly, we have to reject them immediately. If our emotion comes out, we have to reject it in the same way. It is the same with our will; we have to reject it. We have to learn to reject all that is natural and inborn and put it aside. If we reject our mind, emotion, and will in this way and turn to our spirit, we will touch the Spirit. In the Spirit there is resurrection, and in resurrection there is the church. This is the sequence in which the church is produced not only in Christ’s work but also in our experience.
In our experience, if we want to express the church in our living, we have to begin from resurrection. Again and again we have to learn to put our natural mind, emotion, and will aside, reject and deny them, and turn to the spirit. Once we turn to the spirit, we will touch the Holy Spirit, and once we touch the Holy Spirit, we will touch resurrection. In this way you will be in resurrection, I will be in resurrection, this brother will be in resurrection, and everyone will be in resurrection. What comes out of resurrection is the church. At that time what we live out will be the church, resurrection, and the oneness. This is also the fullness of Christ as the One who fills all in all. This is the Body of Christ. With this, our sweeping the floor will express the church, our preaching the gospel will express the church, our visiting people will express the church, and our praying will also express the church. Whatever we do will express the church. There will be no divisions, no sects, no opinions, no sin, no death, no world, and no flesh. Everything will be spiritual, of resurrection, and in oneness. All we will have will be just Christ Himself, the One who fills all in all.