The second aspect in the relationship of the Body of Christ is its relationship with the Spirit as its essence, reality, secret, and effectiveness. The essence and the reality (Eph. 4:4a; 1 John 5:6) are related to the intrinsic nature and the outward condition of the Body of Christ. They refer to the intrinsic being and the outward manifestation of the Body of Christ. Every matter has an intrinsic nature and an outward reality. There is an essence within us Christians, and the reality we manifest without should be the living out of this essence. Our essence is the Spirit, and the reality we live out should also be the Spirit. If we are not like this, we are “low-grade” Christians, lacking the intrinsic essence and the outward condition.
Since our intrinsic essence and outward reality are the Spirit, who is the pneumatic Christ, we should have fellowship with Him, allowing Him to fill us and saturate us. He is within us as our essence, saturating us so that there is the manifestation without as the reality of our Christian life. This then is the intrinsic being and the outward manifestation of the Body of Christ, the church. In this age today, what human society needs is a lamp which shines brightly. The Body of Christ, the church, filled with the Spirit within and manifesting the reality of Christ without, can shine this light to illuminate this dark age. The Lord Jesus said that we who belong to Him are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14). We are able to illuminate those who are in darkness. We cannot be like general Christianity, having just a name yet not the substance. We need to be filled with the Spirit within so that we can live Christ out.
The living of the Body of Christ also takes the Spirit as its secret and its effectiveness (Phil. 4:12b; Rom. 15:13). The Spirit, who is our inward essence and outward reality, is also the secret and effectiveness of our practice of the Body life. This concerns the skill and ability of the Body of Christ and refers to the skillfulness and achievements of the Body of Christ. We should not think that it is merely in our work that we need superior skill and capabilities; even in living the life of the Body of Christ, we also need technique and skills. Sometimes due to our lack of skill in speaking, we offend a lot of people and ruin matters. This is due to our lack of technique and skill in speaking. It is not simple to be a Christian. Before we were saved, we took our own way; after we are saved, we are bound together with Christ. Our living is like a three-legged race. We are regulated and restricted by Him in every aspect. If we are not wise and are short of technique and skill in our living, we will feel awkward and clumsy. But if we have the Spirit as the secret, knowing how to follow Christ, we will become happy and comfortable.
Immediately after some couples get married, during their honeymoon, they are sweet to one another. But after a few days, the real situation is exposed and they get into an argument. At that time they need to learn about each other and pick up some skill in conversing with each other in their daily living so that they may know how to speak, how to express themselves, and even how to be upset. Some get divorced simply because they do not have the skill to conduct themselves and they do not know the technique of being a human being. We who have God have the Spirit within us, who is our technique. Sometimes situations may arise in a home. If we are in our spirit, we would know how to speak and how to handle the situations; and in most cases, this could calm the wind and the waves. It is the same in the church life. Many times some things are not necessary. The unnecessary arguments and friction are due to our lack of the Spirit as the secret; there is no tactfulness nor refined skill in our living. This phrase refined skill implies beauty. Our living needs refined skill in order to be beautiful. If our behavior has this refined skill, our living will be full of merit.
If we can take the Spirit as the secret of our living, our behavior will be skillful, and we will not have arguments or discord. Our living will surely be full of merit. Therefore, in the living in the Body of Christ, in our speaking and in coping with situations, we need to have much prayer, receive more of the Spirit, allow more of the cross of Christ to break us, and live more by the resurrection of Christ. By doing this, our living in the Body of Christ will be full of skill and merit.
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