The Local Churches Typified in the Book of Psalms

Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee

Verse 11 indicates that the church life is the place of fullest blessing: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Here in the house of God we enjoy God as the sun and a shield. The sun is for supply, and the shield is for protection. Here in the church life the Lord is our supply and safeguard. Furthermore, here we enjoy His grace and His glory. Grace is the inner enjoyment, whereas glory is the outward expression. In the church life we have the inner enjoyment of grace and the outward expression of glory. Oh how blessed is the church life!

Psalm 84 concludes with the words, “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee” (v. 12). We may trust in God outside the local church, but it is rather difficult. We can testify, however, that it is very easy to trust in God in the church. The house of God is the proper place for us to exercise our trust in the Lord.

(Witness Lee, Genuine Ground, 70)

Then, Psalm 65:4 says that to dwell in God’s courts and be satisfied with the goodness of His house is blessed by God. “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.” In Psalm 36:8 we read, “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house,” and here, “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house.” If you would come to the local church and enjoy the goodness of the house of God, it is a strong proof that you have been chosen and blessed by God. I do not know what kind of wind He causes to blow us into His house, whether it is a wind from the west, the east, the north, or the south. Anyway, we are here. He has not only chosen us, but also caused us to dwell in His courts. Could you ever have dreamed that you would be in the local church? No, but praise the Lord, the Lord who has chosen us has also caused us to be here. The more we enjoy the fatness and goodness of the house, the stronger our assurance is that we have been chosen and caused by God to be in such a place.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 96-97)

Below Witness Lee remarks that, according to Psalm 68, believers can not only enjoy God in His dwelling, but can also enjoy God as their salvation and deliverance in the the local church.

After God’s dwelling place is built, we have the enjoyment in God’s house of all that God is, all that God does, and all that God can do. This is the sixth point in this Psalm. After verse 18 concerning God’s dwelling, we have such rich enjoyment in verses 19 and 20: “Blessed be the Lord: day by day doth he load us with good, the God who is our salvation. Selah. God is unto us a God of deliverances; and with God, the Lord, are the goings forth even from death.” In the house, in the church, in the sanctuary, God loads us with good day by day; hence we enjoy His goods; we enjoy His salvation, His deliverances, and His goings forth even from death. The going forth from death is a real deliverance. If we could go forth from death, we could go forth from the enemy. Everyone knows that whenever death comes to visit, there is no escape. This is really so. But we Christians may say today that whenever we are confronted with death, we can go forth from death. What a deliverance! We enjoy God; we experience God as our deliverance, as our going forth from death.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 108-109)

Main

God’s House

Zion

City of God

Bride

Practical Salvation

Built Up

Victory

Bibliography

Links