The Practical Expression Of The Church

Witness Lee speaks of the church in The Practical Expression of the Church, not only from the viewpoint of God’s eternal purpose, which is the church triumphant and universal, but also from the viewpoint of the believers’ experience and enjoyment of the riches of Christ, which produces a local expression of the church, an expression that displays the oneness of the Body of Christ and brings in God’s commanded blessing (Psalm 133).

While outward adjustment and efforts at self-improvement may produce temporary results, they quickly fade. The inward operation of the living Christ, however, produces genuine and lasting spiritual growth. The Experience of Christ as Life for the Building up of the Church unveils that this inward operation of life also results in the building up of the church as the expression of God. In each chapter, Witness Lee presents not only a clear vision of our enjoyable Christ but also many practical ways for us to enter into the enjoyment and expression of Christ in the church.

What is the mission of the corporate church? What is the mission of local churches regardless of denominations? What is the reason for the existence of the local church? These three questions not only deserve consideration by leadership but also need to be understood by the entire membership to enable productive kingdom work. It is so easy for a congregation to develop programs and activities based on what other groups are doing or on what are the perceived needs of the moment. These do have value; however, they tend to be based on our human concepts rather than the directives of Scripture. Terry Cross, Dean of the School of Religion at Lee University, describes this book as follows: “Another book on the church? This one is different. Thirteen seasoned professors with some 400+ years of combined ministerial experience engage various aspects of the mission of the church. Much like the pulse that beats from a strong heart, the idea of partnering with God’s mission as transformed participants in God’s work reappears throughout the chapters. While the focus of attention is different for each author, the theme beats the same pulse throughout—the mission of God is the heart of God and must be the heart of the church.” With additional contributions from: Bob Bayles Terry Cross Rolando Cuellar Tom Doolittle Jimmy Harper John Lombard Lisa Long Edley Moodley Mark Walker