Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
We found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us go into His tabernacle;
Let us worship at His footstool.
Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.
— Psalm 132:6-8
In the church life there should be nothing and no one but Christ. The Lord must be the center, substance, and reality of the church life.
He is the ark of the covenant. We know from the Bible that the ark contained three items: the tablets of law, the hidden manna, and the budding rod. This shows us that we need Christ in three aspects. We need Him as the reality of the tablets of law, which means that He rules the church. We need Him as the reality of the hidden manna, which means that He is our very life supply. We need Him as the reality of the budded rod, which means that He operates within the church life as the resurrection power. When the church life is healthy everyone disappears, and only Christ is here. In the church we should see nothing but Christ.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, pages 104-105.
Tomorrow: “Christ Must be the Substance of the Church Life (2)”