The Body Of Christ A Reality

In this little volume of collected messages, Watchman Nee attempts to show us the reality of the Body of Christ, proving that the body of Christ is founded on life and life consciousness, built on a living relationship between members and head.

Christ is revealed in a rich and marvelous way through types in the Old Testament. In Christ as the Reality Witness Lee provides exposition of some of the deepest and richest types of Christ as revealed in the five offerings in the book of Leviticus, including the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering.

We live in a wired world where 24/7 digital connectivity is increasingly the norm. Christian megachurch communities often embrace this reality wholeheartedly while more traditional churches often seem hesitant and overwhelmed by the need for an interactive website, a Facebook page and a twitter feed. This book accepts digital connectivity as our reality, but presents a vision of how faith communities can utilize technology to better be the body of Christ to those who are hurting while also helping followers of Christ think critically about the limits of our digital attachments. This book begins with a conversion story of a non-cell phone owning, non-Facebook using religion professor judgmental of the ability of digital tools to enhance relationships. A stage IV cancer diagnosis later, in the midst of being held up by virtual communities of support, a conversion occurs: this religion professor benefits in embodied ways from virtual sources and wants to convert others to the reality that the body of Christ can and does exist virtually and makes embodied difference in the lives of those who are hurting. The book neither uncritically embraces nor rejects the constant digital connectivity present in our lives. Rather it calls on the church to a) recognize ways in which digital social networks already enact the virtual body of Christ; b) tap into and expand how Christ is being experienced virtually; c) embrace thoughtfully the material effects of our new augmented reality, and c) influence utilization of technology that minimizes distraction and maximizes attentiveness toward God and the world God loves.

This issue of The Ministry of the Word contains the six messages from the Thanksgiving weekend conference held in Charlotte, North Carolina, November 22-25, 2018. The subject of this series of messages is "The Reality of the Body of Christ." The banners in the following section embody the crucial truths and the main burden of the conference. The Announcements section at the end of this issue contains a list of upcoming conferences and trainings hosted by Living Stream Ministry and a website link for information related to similar events in Europe.