All who have been regenerated are placed on the line of the Spirit, the line of life. Here there is the mutual sharing of life, and this line extends and spreads to become a net. The net of the line of life is the fellowship of life. We can use electricity as an illustration. There are many electric lamps in a meeting place, yet the electricity in the lamps and the electricity in the power plant are one. When the electric current is flowing, the lamps shine. The flowing of the electric current is the fellowship of the electricity. A meeting place is full of electric lights. The lamps and the power plant are full of electric current and transmission. Therefore, there is a great deal of the fellowship of electricity between the lamps in a meeting place and the power plant. Likewise, in the net of the line of life there is much fellowship of life. First John 1 says that the apostles reported the eternal life to the believers that the believers might enter into the fellowship of the apostles; it also says that the fellowship of the apostles was with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. This fellowship is the flow of life, which is like the electric current both in the electric lamps and in the power plant. Therefore, this fellowship is in reality the church as the one Body.
However, if a person is only regenerated, but his soul is not transformed or renewed and his body is full of fleshly lusts, then according to the outward soul and body, there is no church, even though according to the spirit and the life within, the church is there. This is because the church is the mutual flow of the life within the saints. If we live in our soul and body instead of living in the flow of life in our spirit, the flow of the fellowship of life will be cut off. Once the flow of life is cut off, there is no fellowship and therefore no church. On the contrary, if we all live in the spirit, having fellowship with one another and with God in spirit, then the church is here. Today, however, the real situation is not like this. If we live in the spirit, there is the fellowship of life. If we come out of the spirit and live in the soul, even complaining about one another or criticizing one another, there is no fellowship of life. Then in practicality there is no church. In other words, if we live in the spirit, there is the church; if we live in the soul, there is no church.
Therefore, we all have to ask the Lord for mercy and grace for our soul to be transformed. Our soul, whether good or bad, right or wrong, needs to be transformed. Every one of us needs to be transformed in our soul. We should not argue in our soul. Paul said in Philippians 2:14, “Do all things without murmurings and reasonings.” Murmurings and reasonings are manifestations of arguing in our soul. In the church we should not debate or argue; in the church there is only the life-giving Spirit. You have to realize that even if all your reasons are right, the spirit in you is gone and you have no life to supply others; there is no building but a full tearing down instead. We have to see that the activities of the soul are exceedingly dreadful. We must be watchful to always be filled with the Spirit and to deny ourselves. Those brothers and sisters who like to reason need to call upon the name of the Lord all the time, pray-read the Word, and be filled with the Spirit in their spirit.
By birth we love reasoning. Once a person begins to reason, he falls into his soul. Then he is full of criticisms and judgments. When he considers the elders, they are not good; when he considers this brother and that sister, neither the brother nor the sister is good. Nobody is good; only he is good. Eventually, he may be disappointed, saying, “Forget about it; I will not go to the church anymore!” However, if he does not come to the church meetings, his days will be full of sufferings. It will be impossible for him not to come because the line of life within him is still pulling him. He may say, “Forget about it,” because of the outward situation, yet within him there is a disagreement. There is an urging within him to come back to the church. You can see from this that we should not live in the soul; rather, we must live in the spirit. Whenever you see a brother whom you do not like, you have to call, “O Lord Jesus!” Whenever you see a sister whom you do not like, you have to call, “O Lord! In the beginning was the Word. O Lord! The Word was with God, and the Word became flesh.” If you practice doing this, it will be effective. If you are willing to practice this every day, your spirit will be filled with the Holy Spirit, your soul will be transformed, and your mind will be renewed.