We finish Chapter 9 today by reading the final section, “Spiritually Receptive,” where Watchman Nee brings everything together around one confronting reality: brokenness opens a person to receive life from the rest of the Body. We look at how an unbroken intellect can leave a believer spiritually untouched for years, even while sitting faithfully in meetings, listening to teachings, and gathering knowledge, because the outward man is still resisting the inward flow of Christ through His people. Alongside Nee’s reading, we continue drawing from Bonhoeffer’s Life Together, looking at the difference between humanly built Christian community and the actual life of the Body through the released spirit. We end with some very serious questions about what we are actually building together, whether we are truly receiving life from one another, and whether much of what we currently call church bears any resemblance to what the Father originally intended for His Son. Questions at the end of the episode: When we gather together, is it actually the Body of Christ expressing the life of the Head, or have we accepted something far below what the Father intended for His Son?Have we built gatherings around personality, intellect, gifting, presentation, charisma, and preference, while the released spirit remains almost completely absent?Are we truly receiving life from one another through the shared Spirit of Christ, or are we simply exchanging information, doctrines, opinions, and polished teachings?When we listen to others speak, are we contacting the spirit, or are we sitting there inwardly analysing, evaluating, comparing, and measuring everything through self?Has intellectual Christianity left us spiritually untouched while convincing us we are deeply mature?Have we become so full of our own understanding, our own preferences, and our own conclusions, that there is almost no openness left in us to receive from the rest of the Body?And honestly, when the Father truly gets what He has always wanted in His Son, a corporate expression of shared life through broken and open vessels, will much of what we currently call church even resemble it at all?The Release of the Spirit https://dci.org.uk/zipped/ReleaseOfTheSpirit.pdf About Alex Alex is from the UK and he teaches and disciples across nations after years serving in Poland. His heart is the maturing of sons, believers growing into the fullness of Christ and revealing His life on earth. He serves within Firm Foundation, a work the Father is unfolding, joining partners who carry the same call. Through the Firm Foundation Focus podcast, Alex helps sons mature in Christ, discover the Father’s eternal purpose, and live Their way of life. Check out the Firm Foundation website for more information ffdiscipleship.co.uk
