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The experience during times of genuine prayer enables us to touch the reality of the one new man—Col. 1:3, 9; 4:12; Phil. 1:20-21a:
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During times of genuine prayer, we are in our spirit, and we are one spirit with the Lord; it is at these times that we live Christ—1 Cor. 6:17; Phil. 1:20-21a:
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Our daily living should be the same as our experience in times of genuine prayer.
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Our experience in prayer should become a model of our daily Christian life.
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When we pray, we enter into fellowship with the Lord and become conscious of the fact that we are truly one spirit with Him and that He is actually one spirit with us—1 Cor. 6:17.
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If we keep ourselves in a praying condition, we will be outside of culture, and we will be one spirit with the Lord, enjoying His presence and spontaneously living Him.
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Whenever we experience genuine prayer, we are outside of our culture; in particular, we are outside of our cultural opinion—Col. 3:10-11:
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The more genuine prayer we have, the more we will have the experience of being outside of our cultural opinion.
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When we pray with others in a genuine way, we are truly one in the praying spirit:
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Then we touch the reality of the one new man.
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Then we realize that the new man is constituted with Christ alone and that in this realm there are no differences of culture.
Morning Nourishment
Col. 3:10-11 And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.1 Cor. 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.
We all love the Lord's presence and anointing, and we all love to have fellowship with Him. But how can we enjoy the Lord's presence and have fellowship with Him? The only way is to pray. When we pray, we enter into fellowship with the Lord and become conscious of the fact that we are truly one spirit with Him and that He is actually one spirit with us. The more we pray, the more we experience being one with the Lord, and the more we enjoy His presence and have fellowship with Him. What a marvelous reward! It is always difficult at first to have a proper prayer life. But if you practice this for a long period of time, it will get easier and easier, for you will realize the rewards of praying. (Life-study of Colossians, p. 582)
Today's Reading
Often when we pray, we do not enter into genuine prayer…. The main hindrance is not sin or worldliness; it is cultural opinion….However, if we persevere in prayer, we shall eventually pray in a genuine way. This means that in our prayer we are released from cultural opinions and enter into the spirit. Whenever we experience genuine prayer, we are outside of our culture; in particular, we are outside of our cultural opinion. During times of genuine prayer, we are in our spirit, and we are one spirit with the Lord. It is at these times that we live Christ.Furthermore, at such times of genuine prayer the death of Christ works within us in a prevailing way to terminate all the negative things in our being. Spontaneously, Christ's resurrection power also prevails in us. As a result, we are actually one with Christ and identified with Him. This experience during times of genuine prayer gives us a taste of the normal Christian life.
The more genuine prayer we have, the more we shall have the experience of being outside our cultural opinions, of being one spirit with the Lord, and of living Christ. The sad thing is that when we stop praying, we automatically revert to our culture. Then we strive to live according to our own asceticism. When we enter into genuine prayer, we are far away from asceticism and all other isms, for we are one with the living Lord. Furthermore, when we pray in this way with others, we are truly one in the praying spirit. Then we touch the reality of the one new man, where there is no Greek or Jew, barbarian or Scythian, circumcision or uncircumcision. We realize that the new man is constituted of Christ alone and that in this realm there are no differences of culture….In our natural life we make up our minds to do good, and we endeavor to accomplish what we have determined to do. This is the suppression of the self; it is not the living out of Christ.
To pray perseveringly means that we should never depart from the praying spirit. We should remain in a praying condition. To be in this condition is to be out of our opinion and to be one spirit with the Lord, living Him and taking Him as our life and as our person. Spontaneously we are away from everything other than Christ, and we are living by this living person… We must pray perseveringly in order to be preserved in such a praying condition. In other words, our daily living should be the same as our experience in times of genuine prayer. Our experience in prayer should become a model of our daily Christian life.
Gradually the Lord is showing us what it means to live Him. One aspect of living Christ is that of remaining in a praying condition. When we are in this condition, we are outside of culture. Because we are one spirit with this living person, taking Him as our life and as our person, there is no striving to live properly. Rather, as we are one with the Lord in spirit, the death of Christ is applied to us, and His resurrection power becomes prevailing in us. Then we spontaneously live Him. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 279-280)
Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msg. 33