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Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee
In verse 20 the Lord said that if anyone hears His
voice and opens the door, He will come in to him. As we have pointed out, the
Lord is standing outside the degraded church, knocking at her door. The door
is the door of the church, not of individuals, but the door is opened by
individual believers. The Lord is dealing with the whole church, but the
acceptance of the Lord’s dealing must be a personal matter. The Lord’s dealing
is objective, but the believers’ acceptance must be subjective. If we hear the
Lord’s voice to the church and personally open the door, the Lord will come in
to us, and His presence will be our portion.
In verse 20 the Lord also said that, after He comes
in to him who opens the door, He will dine with him and he with Him. According
to the Greek, the word “dine” signifies the principal meal of the day at
evening. To dine is not merely to eat one item of food, but to partake of the
riches of a meal. This may imply the fulfillment of the type of the children
of Israel eating the rich produce of the good land of Canaan (Josh. 5:10-12).
The dining promised here is not only for the future but also for today. If you
are an overcomer, when the Lord comes in the kingdom, you will have the
special privilege of eating with Him. Before that day, however, you may enjoy
His dining with you.
Many Christians borrow verse 20 for preaching the
gospel in an inadequate way. They tell the sinners that Christ is knocking at
the door of their heart and that if they open the door, He will come in. This
is all they say. Have you ever heard a message telling you that, if you open
the door, Christ will come in to you and dine with you?
If we have an overall view of the seven epistles in
Revelation 2 and 3, we shall see that the Lord exalts the eating of Himself,
the taking in of Himself as our life supply, that we may grow, be transformed,
and be the same as He is. This is absolutely a matter of eating Jesus as the
tree of life, the manna, and as the biggest meal of the day. As the Lord
exalts the eating of Himself, He simultaneously repudiates four kinds of
teaching: the teaching of Balaam (2:14), the teaching of the Nicolaitans
(2:15), the teaching of Jezebel (2:20), and the teaching of the depths of
Satan (2:24). If you do not have the ability to discern counterfeit currency
from genuine currency, it is better not to accept any currency at all; rather,
accept only genuine gold. Likewise, it is better not to accept teachings, but
only to take the living Christ.
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