Jesus Living again in us is the Continuation of Christ for His Corporate Expression

Acts 27-28 shows us Paul’s life of living Christ, magnifying Christ, doing all things in Christ, and being found in Christ, for here we see Jesus living again in a member of His Body; today we’re the Lord’s continuation, for Jesus lives in us as His many members until He obtains the New Jerusalem, His corporate expression! Amen!

When we look at the book of Acts, we are amazed to see that it does not have an ending; the last verse of this book is open-ended, for the Lord continues to live in us, the many members of the Body of Christ.

The continuation of the book of Acts is actually the continuation of Christ, which is us, the believers in Christ.

In particular, the continuation of Christ is the corporate living of the perfected God-men as the reality of the Body of Christ.

Though Christ is not here with us and among us physically, He is within us, and He lives in us, the many believers in Christ.

The Father has been working, the Son is working, and the Holy Spirit is working; the work of the Triune God is to propagate the resurrected Christ through His believers so that He may gain the kingdom of God.

This continuation of Christ has been prophesied by Isaiah and Micah, and the Lord Jesus also prophesied concerning it when He said, I will build My church.

Isaiah prophesied that the Lord will see a seed and He will extend His days; we are the seed He obtained through death and resurrection, and we are the extension of His days.

Isaiah also said that Christ will see the fruit of the travail of his soul, and He will be satisfied; the Lord obtained the fruit of the travail of His soul, and He is satisfied.

Micah also prophesied concerning the continuation of Christ when he said that Christ’s goings forth are from the ancient times, from the days of eternity.

These goings forth are still happening today, for today Christ is going forth in us, the believers in Christ. Praise the Lord!

The Lord Jesus also prophesied concerning His continuation when He spoke that He would build His church; the church as His Body is His continuation today.

A very good pattern of a person who lived Christ and expressed Christ is the apostle Paul; he didn’t just complete the word of God by his writings but even more, he called on the Lord’s name, lived by the all-inclusive Spirit, lived in the mingled spirit, and rejoiced in the Lord.

He was allied with God and God assisted him as he spoke the gospel boldly in the name of Jesus to spread the Lord’s testimony on the earth! Hallelujah!

How Paul Lived Christ, Magnified Christ, and Did all things in Christ – he was Jesus Living Again

In Acts 27-28 we see Paul’s fourth ministry journey; this was his being brought to Rome as a prisoner, and he had an unfortunate imprisonment voyage. Yet in all the things that happened to him, we see Paul’s life, behaviour, and character.

He was not stressed or depressed because the ship was in the storm for a long time, nor was he worried or anxious about what would happen if the ship were shipwrecked. Rather, he lived in ascendancy, one with the Lord, and his life was a life of living Christ and magnifying Him.

In these chapters, we see in particular Paul’s life of living Christ, magnifying Christ, doing all things in Christ, and pursuing Christ in order to be found in Christ (Phil. 1:19-21a; 3:8-9, 14; 4:13).

Paul did not just speak about this and write these things in his epistles; he also lived them. Paul lived the very life that he aspired to live in Philippians 3; he pursued Christ in order to be found in Christ (vv. 9, 12).

Though he had a rough and difficult voyage, Paul lived a life of ascendancy and dignity, and he was full of wisdom. Yes, he was the prisoner in this situation, yet he behaved like a king.

Even more, he had the foresight and wisdom to handle matters, and the Lord was with him.

He was one of the two hundred seventy-six passengers, yet he was the centre, the focus of the situation, whether they were on the ship or on the island where they wintered after the ship was destroyed.

In all circumstances, whether on the ship or on the shore, Paul lived Christ, magnified Christ, and did all things in Christ, for he was Jesus living again.

Paul was the continuation of Jesus on the earth, Jesus living again in one of His many members.

He wrote in his epistles that we need to walk in the Spirit; now, throughout his voyage and on the island of Malta, Paul was one who walked in the Spirit. His living was the expression of the life-giving Spirit.

He preached the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ as the life-giving Spirit; now when he was among those who were shipwrecked on Malta, he lived such a Christ as the all-inclusive Spirit.

He wrote later that all things will turn out to his salvation through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ and through the petitions of the saints; now he lived this, he experienced his, and all things turned to his salvation.

When he was on the sea in the storm, the Lord made the apostle Paul not only the owner of his fellow voyagers but also their life-guarantor and comforter (Acts 27:22-25).

The Lord kept him in His ascendancy and enabled him to live a life far beyond the realm of anxiety.

If we look at the way he lived and how he behaved, we will observe that his life was fully dignified, having the highest standard of human virtues expressing the most excellent divine attributes.

We truly see Jesus living again in him the same kind of life He had lived on the earth years before. The Lord Jesus was in the heavens, but He was still here on earth, living again in His divinely enriched humanity in the apostle Paul!

The same One who lived in the Gospels the life of a God-man, now continued to live in the Acts through one of His many members!

Paul was the continuation of Jesus, for he lived Christ. He witnessed Christ in his living, and he was a living witness of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and God-exalted Christ!

He didn’t try to escape or somehow be released, nor did he try to have a better situation and improve his status. Rather, he lived Christ, magnified Christ, did all things in Christ, and was found in Christ. How wonderful!

Furthermore, when they arrived in Rome (Acts 28:14-16), the brothers came to meet him, for they had heard of his unfortunate voyage, and they encouraged him much.

On the one hand, he enjoyed the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, he appreciated and was encouraged by the fellow members of the Body, having the petition of the saints and their encouragement.

The warm welcome of the brothers in Rome and the loving care of those in Puteoli (vv. 13-14) show us the beautiful Body life that existed in the early days among the churches.

How sweet was the atmosphere, and how wonderful was the mutual care among the saints!

In the outward human history, the apostle entered as a prisoner in bonds in the region of the dark capital of the Satan-usurped empire.

Actually, in the divine and mystical realm, in the divine history within the human history, Paul was an ambassador of Christ with His authority (Eph. 6:20; Matt. 28:18-19).

As such a one he had come into another part of the participation in the Body life of Christ’s church in God’s kingdom on the earth! Praise the Lord!

When Paul saw the brothers, he thanked God and took courage (Acts 28:15); he was quite human, for though he was encouraged by the Lord directly (23:11) and was very courageous throughout his voyage, he still took courage at the brothers’ warm welcome.

What a pattern the apostle Paul was to us of being the continuation of Christ, Jesus living again in one of His members on the earth!

Lord Jesus, we want to live Christ, magnify Christ, and do all things in Christ. Thank You for showing us the pattern of Paul, who expressed Christ even in his long unfortunate voyage to Rome in Acts 27-28. Oh Lord, may we be those who magnify Christ today! Keep us in our spirit throughout the day. May our life with our daily living be an expression of Christ. We exercise our spirit to enjoy and partake of the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and we rely on the petitions of the saints, the supply in the Body! Live in us today, Lord Jesus! May all things around us and may all things related to us turn out to salvation today. We care only for living Christ to be His continuation today. Amen, Lord, may our living be a testimony of Christ, Jesus living again! Live again in us today. Keep us in the Body, depending on the Body and being one with the Body! Oh Lord, gain what You are after in us so that You may obtain Your corporate expression on the earth, the continuation of Christ!

The Continuation of Christ is Jesus Living again in His Members for His Corporate Expression

The book of Acts is a wonderful book showing us both the continuation of Christ in and through the many disciples of Christ and His continuation in one particular person, the apostle Paul, who was Jesus living again in the last two chapters of this book.

What God is after today is the continuation of Christ, the corporate living of the perfected God-men who live a God-man life.

God the Father is fully satisfied with Christ, His beloved Son; He wants Christ to be reproduced and lived out in His many sons, the many believers in Christ.

Today we believers in Christ are the continuation of Christ; we continue Christ by living Christ, magnifying Christ, and being found in Christ.

His divinity is in us, and His divinely enriched humanity is in our spirit. The wonderful, excellent, and mysterious God-man Jesus Christ, who lived in the Gospels, now continues to live in us, the continuation of Christ, as His many members!

The continuation of Christ is nothing but Jesus living again in us, the members of the Body of Christ, for God to gain a corporate expression.

We are all witnesses of Christ; we enjoy Him, we love Him, we eat Him in the Word (Jer. 15:16; John 6:63; 6:57), and we live because of Him.

Our daily living today needs to be in the spirit, by the Spirit, and according to the Spirit.

We may not be imprisoned for the Lord’s sake as Paul was, but in our situation, wherever we are, the Lord Jesus wants to continue His living in us.

May we be Jesus living again today for His corporate expression.

On the corporate side, the Lord placed us in the Body, and as the members of the Body, we need to be built up together and rely on the supply of the Body in all things.

We need to live the Body life, the life of the Body of Christ, and love one another, care for one another, and depend on one another’s portion in love.

Especially as we hear that some go through sufferings and trials, we need to learn to comfort one another with the comforting which the God of comfort also comforted us.

We should not think that the more spiritual or mature saints don’t need comforting or encouragement; we all need the mutual shepherding, and we need to learn to shepherd one another by visiting one another to cherish and nourish one another in the Lord.

Just as Paul needed the encouragement of the brothers who came to visit him, so we as the many members of the Body of Christ need not only the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ but also the petition and care from the members of the Body of Christ.

This is the church life today for God to have a corporate expression on earth. May we be Jesus living again, both personally and corporately.

The ultimate issue of the church will be the New Jerusalem in eternity future as God’s full and eternal expression (Rev. 21-22).

Hallelujah, the New Jerusalem will be the consummate corporate expression of God in humanity for all to see!

This should be the reality and goal of all our gospel preaching as we follow the pattern of the apostle Paul: “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, unhindered” (Acts 28:31).

May this be our reality today. Especially as we see war and hear rumours of wars, as we see famine and death around us, we need to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the whole inhabited earth so that the Lord may gain His testimony on the earth!

Lord Jesus, we are one with You for You to gain a corporate expression on the earth today! Amen, Lord, gain the church, the Body of Christ, for You to have a corporate expression of Yourself. May our humanity be uplifted with its human virtues so that Christ with His divine attributes be expressed through us. Oh Lord, may we see that we are Your ambassadors today, having Your authority, and we are also members of the Body, depending on the Body! Keep us enjoying the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ and keep us depending on the supply of the Body! Amen, Lord, gain the proper church life today! May You gain the corporate living of the perfected God-men as the reality of the Body of Christ. Oh Lord, we give ourselves to You today! We want to be those proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, unhindered! Amen, may this gospel of the kingdom be preached to the whole inhabited earth for a testimony!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers, and portions from, Life-study of Acts, pp. 600-603, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, One Accord and Crucial Aspects of the Book of Acts (2025 April ITERO), week 1, The Continuation of the Book of Acts— the Corporate Continuation of Christ.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – The corporate expression of the pneumatic Christ in the Gospel of John: the kingdom of God, article by Ron Kangas in, Affirmation and Critique.
  – How To: Do the Work of God | College Conference, via, CSOC UT Austin, Christian students on Campus video.
  – The church being the corporate Christ, a portion from, Five Emphases in the Lord’s Recovery, Chapter 5, by Witness Lee.
  – Taking the Lead to Be Patterns, via, Living to Him.
  – Crucified with Christ – a personal experience with a corporate goal and result, article by James Fite in, Affirmation and Critique.
  – How Do We Live Our Christian Life? More via, Bibles for America blog.
  – The living of Jesus on the earth being a model of a living shared by God and man, a portion from, The High Peak of the Vision and the Reality of the Body of Christ, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee.
  – Philippians (Program #33) – The Bountiful Supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ for Magnifying Christ, via, Bible study radio.
  – Obtaining that for which we have been obtained, a portion from, The Experience of Christ, Chapter 20, by Witness Lee.
  – Bountifully Supplied to Exist, Live, & Magnify Christ, via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – Our need to persecute Christ, a portion from, The Experience of Christ, Chapter 20, by Witness Lee.
  – My Personal Testimony – Pursuing Christ, Living the Church Life, and Enjoying the Ministry, via, Holding to Truth in Love.
  – Gaining Christ by Pursuing Him – This set of fifteen free eBooklets, “Gaining Christ by Pursuing Him,” focuses on our experience of Christ as revealed in chapters 3 and 4 of Philippians. Via, LSM.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Live Thyself, Lord Jesus, through me, / For my very life art Thou; / Thee I take to all my problems / As the full solution now. / Live Thyself, Lord Jesus, through me, / In all things Thy will be done; / I but a transparent vessel / To make visible the Son. (Hymns #403 stanza 1)
  – Oh, what a thought! Oh, what a boast! / Christ shall in me be magnified. / In nothing shall I be ashamed, / For He in all shall be applied. / In woe or blessing, death or life, / Through me shall Christ be testified. (Hymns #499 stanza 3)
  – We’re Thy total reproduction, / Thy dear Body and Thy Bride, / Thine expression and Thy fulness, / For Thee ever to abide. / We are Thy continuation, / Thy life-increase and Thy spread, / Thy full growth and Thy rich surplus, / One with Thee, our glorious Head. (Hymns #203 stanza 4)