The Ministry, Vol. 12, No. 04

Book excerpt: This issue of The Ministry presents the first eight messages given during the 2006 fall term of the full-time training in Anaheim, California. The general subject of this series of messages is "The Reality of the Body of Christ." What is the reality of the Body of Christ? The reality of the Body is first the Spirit. The Spirit is the Spirit of reality (John 16:13), and the Spirit is the reality (1 John 5:6). The Spirit is the essence and the reality of the Body (Eph. 4:3-4; 1 Cor. 12:12-13). From the divine viewpoint, the reality of the Body of Christ is the Spirit. The reality of the Body of Christ is also the corporate living of a group of God-men. As this group of God-men are denying their natural human life by the power of Christ's resurrection, they are being conformed to the mold of Christ's death, and the more they love the Lord, experience Him, and enjoy Him, the more they welcome their being pressed into this mold. As a result, they live God, yet they live God, Christ, and the Spirit in and through their human life. Thus, the Triune God is expressed corporately through this group of God-men. That is the reality of the Body of Christ. In the section on reports, we include a report concerning the Lord's fresh move in Montreal, Canada.