This message was given during the first meeting of a conference on Practicing to Live with the Present Christ, given by Titus Chu in Chicago, IL on the weekend of April 1-3, 1994
Among seeking Christians today, there are three basic groups. One group can be called “the mystics.” These are they who seek after the Lord’s presence. They give themselves to learn the lessons of the cross and the inner life. They love the Lord’s presence. Madame Guyon is an example of someone of this category. Another group could be called “students of the Bible.” This group desires to understand all the facts, teachings, types, and prophecies of the Bible. They love the Word. The Plymouth Brethren would well represent this line. Such believers are typically interested in talking about teachings of the Bible. The third group of believers we call the “Lord’s recovery.” What distinguishes the Lord’s recovery from other Christian groups? The present Christ. The recovery struggles to progress just as Christ is progressing step by step towards His goal.
What It Means to Live With the Present Christ
A. To Have the Lord’s Presence is to Be One with Christ in All He Is, All He Has Accomplished, and All He Desires.
The Lord’s presence is not a sensation. Many of those of the “mystic” school seek the sensation of the Lord’s presence and comfort. Those who seek the present Christ, however, should realize that to have the Lord’s presence is to have all that He is, all that He has accomplished, and all that He desires. When we live in the presence of this Christ, we are enjoying all that He is: He is God and He is man. In His presence we enjoy Him as life, light, truth, and righteousness, as well as all the divine attributes manifested in Him with His human virtues. We also enjoy what He has accomplished: He has lived a human life; He has died an all-inclusive death; He has done so much through His resurrection and ascension; and He is enthroned far above all. I not only enjoy the forgiveness of sin, I also enjoy being enthroned with Him. Furthermore, in the presence of such a One, we participate in accomplishing what His heart desires. He is after something. We also experience being one with Him in this.
B. To Live with The Present Christ is to Have the Normality of the Christian Life
To live with the present Christ is to have Christ as the normality of your Christian life. It is normal, as a Christian, to always have something fresh of Christ. In our experience, our Christ should always be getting better and better. A Christian should never be content to live in “the good old days.” Such Christians give the impression that the Christ they had when they were young was better than the Christ they could enjoy today.
C. To Live with the Present Christ is to Have the Practice of Having the Present Christ as the Foundation for All Our Spiritual Living, Growth, and Reality of All Spiritual Things
This exercise of laying hold of the present Christ should be the foundation for all our spiritual life, growth, and whatever is spiritual in our life. In other words, the practices of reading the Bible every day, of prayer, of prophesying, of serving in the Body – all these become merely empty practices if they are not done in the presence of the present Christ. Even all your spiritual growth becomes old the moment you stop enjoying such a Christ. Without the present Christ, all spiritual things become “things to do.” In the church life there are many things that we do which are related to our spiritual life.
D. To Live With the Present Christ You Must Be Desperate in His Presence to Have the Person of the Present Christ, which Requires:
1. A pure heart to see God alone in all conditions, situations, happenings, and environments.
To live with the present Christ, you must be desperate to have this One by seeking His presence, which means firstly that you need a pure heart. The pure in heart are those who see God (Matt. 5:8). This means that you become one who is able to see God in all situations regardless of your condition.
2. A desire to live in His presence, knowing while we are away from the present Christ in His presence, our Christian life is void and not countable.
We also must realize that, as long as we are away from the presence of the present Christ, our Christian life does not count as anything before the Lord. Our going to the prayer meeting is “voided” before the Lord. Our spiritual “exercise” in the church life is valueless to God. Therefore we must seek to have the presence of the present Christ.
3 & 4. A life of laboring in spiritual things to obtain the present Christ in His presence and spending periods of time daily to come to the Lord’s presence.
We need a life of laboring in spiritual things to obtain the present Christ in His presence. You also need to spend periods of time daily to come to His presence. In the past we were more exercised to come to the Lord by calling on His name in any place and at any time. That practice gradually faded out among us. This degradation occurred because we did not schedule specific times during the day to which we adhered. I don’t trust the freedom of “any time, any place.” I trust a determined time. You can touch the Lord at any time and in any place, but you should start with a set time every morning. During such a time you should call on the Lord, read the Bible, and pray to abide in the Lord’s presence.
5. To be with the saints together in spiritual things, either in meetings or in private.
Finally, to have the presence of the present Christ we should be with the saints in spiritual things, whether in meetings or in private fellowship. All these things are needed if we are to know such a Christ. May the Lord bring us into the practical exercise that ushers us into the presence of a Christ who is so present, rich, and full of purpose.
