The Local Churches Typified in the Book of Psalms

The Victory of God over His Enemies Being in His Dwelling

According to Psalm 68:21-23, God’s glorious victory is enjoyed by His people in His house. A common pitfall in the Christian life is individual seeking to become a victorious and overcoming Christian apart from the church, the local church, and the Body of Christ. Eventually and invariably, all such individual endeavors end up in failure. We must realize that our strength and our victory lie not in ourselves but in the church as God’s dwelling. Many believers’ experiences may concur with Witness Lee’s, which he relates below:

After I was saved, I heard many messages and read many books which told how to be a victorious Christian. These messages and books indicated that I had many enemies: the world is my enemy; my self is my enemy; my temper, my hatred, and all my problems are my enemies. Then these messages and books indicated many wonderful ways to overcome these enemies. Some said that I must pray much; others said that I must pray with fasting; still others exhorted me to pray with fasting and without sleep. But none of these ways worked. Then I was told that Christ was crucified on the cross, and all the enemies including myself were crucified there too; now I must reckon upon this. I tell you, I tried to reckon for a long time, but I never succeeded. I filled many notebooks with these ways and methods of being an overcoming Christian. One day I threw them all away. There were so many good instructions, concepts, teachings, and suggestions, and I greatly appreciated them. But one day I began to realize that by coming into the local church and staying in the local church, every problem is solved and every enemy is overcome. It was so wonderful; I cannot tell you how wonderful it was! When I stayed in the local church, the world was gone, my temper was gone, and my problems disappeared. I am speaking from actual experience; I have been learning this for over thirty years. I have tried many methods and ways. I searched the Bible to find the will of God. Eventually that did not work, and I found nothing. But when I came into the local church and stayed there, the will of God was spontaneously made clear. I tried to solve my problems as an individual again and again, but could never overcome. When I stayed in the local church, however, all the enemies fled. I had no intention of defeating them; they all fled. From my experience I can boldly testify and declare that the best way to solve your problems, to overcome your enemies, to know the Lord’s will, and to obtain the Lord’s blessing is simply to stay in the local church and praise the Lord. Just do it. Just try it. This one kind of medicine heals all kinds of diseases.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 109-110)

In the following portion Witness Lee shows, based on Psalm 76:1-4, that God defeats His enemies in His dwelling place, typified by the local churches.

Psalm 76 tells us that God’s dwelling place is where God defeats His enemies. According to the arrangement of all the Psalms, this signifies that the defeat of the enemies of God follows the desolation, just as Psalm 76 follows Psalm 74. This certainly fits today’s situation. Today, after the desolation of the church, God is defeating His enemies in the local churches.

Verses 1 and 2: “In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.” Salem means peaceful, perfect and complete. That is where God’s tabernacle is located. It is marvelous! Zion means a fortress, or safety. Therefore Salem signifies peace, and Zion speaks of the safety of a fortress. Here in God’s dwelling place we have peace, and here we have safety. Verse 3: “There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.” You must underline the word “there.” It is in God’s dwelling place, in the local churches, that God defeats and destroys His enemy and smashes all his instruments of war. Verse 4: “Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.” The desolaters of God’s sanctuary are the mountains of prey, but Zion is more excellent and more glorious than all the desolaters. Do not forget that all these Psalms are written in poetic form; hence, we must understand them in a poetic way.

(Witness Lee, Christ and the Church, 133-134)

In this age, God fulfills His purpose of defeating His enemy through the church, the Body of Christ. Witness Lee shows us through the Psalms that our spiritual victory is supplied in the church—which, in practicality, is in the local churches. Furthermore, the believers in a local church who exercise themselves to give Christ the preeminence in all things afford Christ the way to come in to rescue the local church from desolation and do the work of spiritual restoration.

Main

God’s House

Zion

City of God

Bride

Practical Salvation

Built Up

Victory

Bibliography

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