Among us, every one knows this truth: “Christ lives in me.” Although we all know this truth, we may not have the adequate experience. This is because to this day we are not accustomed to letting Christ live in us. Since the day we were born, we have been living by ourselves; as we grow up, we still live by ourselves. We do everything by ourselves. Whatever we want to say or do, we do so by ourselves. If there is any difficulty, we handle it by ourselves. If there is any weakness, we deal with it also by ourselves. If there is any sin that entangles us, we try to overcome it by ourselves. It is rare that we do not live by ourselves. We know that Galatians 2:20 says, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” We speak this and sing this, but in reality it is still “I” who live. No matter how many times we have spoken, sung, shouted, or prayed, “It is no longer I who live,” when it comes to our practical living, it is still “I” who live.
Not the younger ones here, but the older brothers and sisters can remember that since this work of the Lord in Taiwan began in August 1948, the central message preached by us has been, “Christ living in me.” I still remember that our message in the first conference was on “Christ and the cross.” If you read The Ministry of the Word from twenty years ago, you will see that the first of a complete series of messages was on “Christ and the cross.” Therefore, the truth concerning “Christ living in me” is not a new one. Today, twenty-eight years later, I come back to this. On the one hand, I am full of joy because I see growth in the young people. On the other hand, I am full of mixed feelings when I see the older brothers and sisters whom I have known for over twenty years.
From 1948 the church in Taipei began to have gospel marches. Particularly in 1949 we started going to New Park every Lord’s Day afternoon to preach the gospel. Each time we were able to get two to three thousand to hear the gospel and three to four hundred to give us their names. Many were saved there. Once saved, they came into our meetings and heard this central truth: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” However, after hearing this for a long period of time, the taste is gone. Even though in the meetings we can say, “It is no longer I who live,” once we go back home it is still we who live. This is because the teaching has become empty, having no effect.
Tonight before I came to the meeting, the Lord told me to speak on this familiar message-“Christ living in me.” However, the Lord also told me that I must not just speak a doctrine, but I must “negotiate” with you. I would like to ask you, after being saved for so many years, have you been living by Christ every day? This subject is my burden tonight.
I am afraid that among us there are still many who are not accustomed to living by Christ. For example, here is a brother. Let me ask you, “Suppose your wife who has always been nagging you does it again today. What will you do?” This brother may answer, “As one who is from Hunan I cannot take it, so at first I will rebuke her a little. Then, when I sense that I should not be so strong, I will stop being so strong.” I would say that this is altogether not Christ but he himself. Even the subsequent inner rebuking within him may not have been altogether of Christ, because not only a Christian but even every Chinese would behave this way. You see that the result of twenty years of listening to messages is: “It is no longer Christ who lives in me, but it is I, a Hunanese, who live.”
The difficulty is here: Although we have Christ, we are not accustomed to living by Him. Nevertheless, we should not be discouraged. We can begin to practice anew. How do we practice? If your wife nags you again today, do not consider who you are. Instead, you should pray, “Lord, You are in me, and I live by You. Lord, now my wife is nagging me again; what would You do?” I am convinced that if you are willing to ask the Lord in this way, immediately the Lord will say, “Let her nag some more. Isn’t her nagging just like music? While she is nagging, I am in you and will lead you to dance.” In this way, it is no longer you. It is no more your anger, your patience, or your self-cultivation. Instead, it is Christ within you leading you to dance. This is “no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.”
I know many sisters wish that they did not have a temper because anger destroys the good impression one makes on others. Thus, you all hate losing your temper and would rather be one who is gentle to gain others’ praise. But what happens? On the one hand, you often lose your temper; on the other hand, you do not know what to do about it. You have tried every possible way to not lose your temper. Now you know that this does not correspond with the light you have received from the truth. The light is: “I have been crucified with Christ. Regardless of whether or not I lose my temper, I am one who has already been crucified. It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” Do not care for your temper; just care for Christ. Do not deal with your temper; only deal with Christ. However, very few can ignore their temper to only care for Christ. This is not an easy matter.
Teaching is one thing, while experience is another. It is especially true with this particular teaching. Why is this? It is because this teaching is concerned with Christ coming into us to be our disposition, our life, and our person. This is not simple. You have your disposition, your life, and your person, yet today within you there is another One who wants to be your disposition, your life, and your person. You must put aside your disposition, life, and person and take Him completely to be your disposition, life, and person. This is not easy. It is easy to listen to the teaching and understand it, but it is not easy to apply it in your daily life. No matter what you do, there is still too much of yourself. It is one thing to speak the teaching but quite another to live it out.
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