“Those Who Cover the Root, God Protects VS Those Who Expose the Root, God Does Not Protect”

 

“Those Who Cover the Root, God Protects VS Those Who Expose the Root, God Does Not Protect”

Mark 1:44 “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest…”

Mark 5:19 “Go home to your friends and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”

Mark 5:43 “He strictly charged them that no one should know this…” 

Category	Those Who Cover the Root  — God Protects	Those Who Expose the Root  — God Does Not Protect
Meaning	Keeping spiritual experiences, power, revelation, and hidden life with God inwardly; preserving the spiritual root.	Making spiritual experiences, revelations, and abilities public prematurely; exposing the root.
Reason	God protects what is hidden in Him—real spiritual roots and inner life. Covering prevents satanic touch.	Exposure invites pride, the flesh, and satanic attacks, producing dryness and loss of protection.
Distinction	Covering = preserving depth; sharing only under God’s leading.	Exposing = sharing for self-glory, curiosity, or without divine guidance.
Explanation	- Paul hid his heavenly vision for 14 years and only spoke “out of necessity” (2 Cor 12:1). - Hiddenness produces depth; the deeper the root, the safer the life.	- Exposure turns testimony into “news,” losing the treasure (Nee). - The more one exposes, the more death enters the work.
Examples  (Biblical)	- Paul: 14-year vision hidden until necessary (2 Cor 12:1,5). - Jesus repeatedly charged those healed not to tell others (Mk 1:44; 5:43; 7:36).	- David numbered the people, exposing self-strength; plague came (2 Sam 24). - People testify to glorify their own “faith,” losing healing (Nee).
Examples  (Spiritual Lessons)	- True roots are always hidden before God (Watchman Nee).	- Using experiences as advertisement brings spiritual death (Nee).
Application	- Guard inward experiences; share only for others’ benefit. - Maintain hidden life in secret with the Father (Matt 6:6).	- Avoid boasting or publicizing spiritual achievements. - Never share everything—only what God allows.
Interrelationship	Covering → Protection → Deeper Life → Effective Testimony	Exposure → Attack → Dryness → Death in the Work
Burden	Preserve hidden life so God can continually work in us.	Warning: Exposure opens doors to satanic attacks and loss.
Prophetic Speaking Guidance	- Speak from spirit, not from self-promotion. - Testify only for building others.	- Avoid turning testimony into performance. - Never use God’s work as advertisement.
Scripture  References	2 Corinthians 12:1 “It is necessary to boast, though it is not profitable; but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 12:5 “Of such a one I will boast, but of myself I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.” Mark 7:36 “The more He charged them, the more widely they proclaimed it.” 2 Samuel 24 (Summary) David numbered the people; judgment came upon Israel and seventy thousand died. Matthew 6:6 “When you pray, enter into your inner room… your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Key Points Summary:

1.      True spiritual “roots” must remain hidden.

2.      Testimony is proper only under God’s leading.

3.      Exposure invites satanic attacks.

4.      Hiddenness preserves life, depth, and divine protection.

5.      God protects those who hide themselves in Him.

 

Conclusion: 

Covering is divine protection; hiddenness preserves life and depth in God.

Exposure removes protection; the root becomes vulnerable and attacked.

  

*Please refer to the May 2025 International Elders and Responsible Brothers Training: General Topic: Matthew Chapters 5-7 - Extremely Important Aspects - Week 5: The Kingdom's People Have Personal Prayer Experiences, Contacting Their Heavenly Father in Secret, and Experiencing the Secret Enjoyment of the Father.

“Hidden Life vs. Manifest Life”

 

“Hidden Life vs. Manifest Life”  

Matt 6:1 – Do not practice righteousness before men to be seen by them.
Matt 6:3–4 – Give in secret; the Father who sees in secret will reward.
Matt 6:6 – Pray in your inner room; the Father sees in secret. 

Aspect	Hidden Life	Manifest Life
Meaning	A life cultivated before God in secret—praying, giving, fellowshipping, and growing inwardly without seeking human attention.	A life displayed openly to gain human approval or glory through outward religious acts.
Reason	God’s life is essentially hidden (Col 3:3). True growth occurs only when the self and flesh are dealt with in secret (Matt 6:4, 6, 18).	The natural life loves recognition. The self seeks glory from people (John 5:44), and the flesh desires to be noticed (Matt 6:1–2).
Distinction	God-centered, inward, rooted in reality, unseen by people.	Human-centered, outward, focused on appearance and public display.
Explanation	Secret prayer, giving, and fasting kill the self and the flesh. Hidden dealings with God produce genuine spiritual growth.	Displaying righteous acts feeds the ego and stops spiritual development.
Purpose	To grow in divine life and express the Father’s hidden nature.	To receive praise from people, satisfy the ego, and seek honor.
Examples	• Praying in secret (Matt 6:6) • Giving privately (Matt 6:3–4) • Fasting without outward display (Matt 6:17–18) • Believers whose hidden works were revealed only after death	• Giving with trumpet-blowing (Matt 6:2) • Praying on street corners (Matt 6:5) • Fasting with a gloomy appearance (Matt 6:16) • Boasting of spiritual activity
Application	• Practice prayer, giving, and serving in hiddenness. • Allow inward reality to exceed outward display. • Do works “in secret” for spiritual health.	• Avoid boasting or showcasing spiritual practices. • Examine motives—are they to be seen by men? • Guard against seeking human praise.
Interrelationship	Hidden life is the true expression of divine life. The more hidden the inner reality, the purer the outward expression.	Manifest life is the expression of the natural life—self and flesh. The more outward the display, the less inner substance.
Burden	• Lead believers to pursue inward growth. • Expose the subtlety of the self and the flesh. • Help saints live according to the Father’s hidden nature.	• Warn against displaying righteousness. • Reveal the danger of outward show that halts inner growth.
Prophetic Fellowship	• Encourage saints to gain hidden experiences of Christ. • Emphasize inward reality over outward form. • Point out motives and direct believers to seek the Father in secret.	• Expose hypocrisy and the self’s desire for recognition. • Call saints back to secret practices before the Father.
Conclusion	Hidden life is the normal life of kingdom people. It is the nature of the divine life. Real growth happens only in secret before God.	Manifest life belongs to the natural man. It brings no growth, causes loss of reward, and produces hypocrisy.
Scripture References	Matt 6:16–18 – Fasting should not be outwardly visible. Col 3:3 – “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” John 5:44 – Seeking glory from one another prevents believing.	Matt 6:2 – Hypocrites give to be honored by men. Matt 6:5 – They pray to be seen by men. Matt 6:16 – They make their faces gloomy to show they are fasting. Matt 23:5 – “All their works they do to be seen by men.”

 

Core Summary:

Hidden life is the divine way of spiritual growth—secret prayer, hidden giving, and inward dealings with the self and flesh.
Manifest life is the natural, fleshly expression that seeks glory from men and hinders true growth.
Kingdom people must live according to the Father’s hidden life, not the natural life that desires display.

 

*Please refer to the May 2025 International Elders and Responsible Brothers Training: General Topic: Matthew Chapters 5-7 - Extremely Important Aspects - Week 5: The Kingdom's People Have Personal Prayer Experiences, Contacting Their Heavenly Father in Secret, and Experiencing the Secret Enjoyment of the Father.

Hidden Life vs. Deep Life

 

Hidden Life vs. Deep Life

Matthew 13:5–8, 23

(Parable of the sower—full passage included)

5 And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth.

6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered.

7 And others fell on the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them.

8 And others fell on the good earth and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

23 But the one sown on the good earth, this is he who hears the word and understands, who indeed bears fruit and produces, one a hundredfold, and one sixty, and one thirty.

Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

 

Aspect	Hidden Life	Deep Life
Meaning	Fellowship with the Father in secret, alone, unseen by others; forming a hidden foundation, not displayed outwardly.	The depth of life comes from “rooting downward,” allowing the Lord to work in our inner being so that our deep can respond to the deep of others.
Reason	The Lord Jesus’ pattern: He left the crowds and even His disciples, went up the mountain alone to be with the Father, and acted wholly in oneness with Him.	Without a deep inner life, one can only meet superficial needs and cannot truly supply others’ deep spiritual needs.
Distinction	Focuses on “being with the Father,” “being on the mountain,” “being in prayer,” and the unseen parts of the life.	Focuses on the root system of life: being rooted and grounded in Christ to supply others’ deeper needs.
Explanation	Corporate prayer is good, but it cannot replace personal secret communion; the Lord instructed us to “enter the inner room and shut the door.”	Deep spiritual supply must come from a deep-rooted life—without roots there is no fruit, nor endurance under trials.
Method	Leave the crowd, leave busyness, leave earthly things; ascend to a higher mountain; fellowship alone with the Father.	Daily allow the Lord to deal with stones, thorns, anxieties, and deceit; absorb Christ and take root in Him.
Purpose	That our actions may be in oneness with the Father, not driven by outward stimulation or success.	That life may “root downward and bear fruit upward,” supplying others and standing firm in the kingdom life.
Examples	After feeding five thousand, the Lord withdrew and went up the mountain alone to pray (Matthew 14).	The parable of the sower—only deep soil allows roots; Song of Songs 4: the bride becomes “a locked garden.”
Application	Maintain daily secret prayer time; shut the door, face God alone, and not rely on outward environment or meeting emotions.	Do not be a “rocky-ground believer”; daily absorb Christ and deal with the heart so spiritual life may gain depth.
Interrelationship	Hidden life → produces deep life. Without deep roots, hidden life is not genuine.	Deep life → strengthens hidden life. The deeper the roots, the richer the secret fellowship.
Burden	That God’s people would not remain in outward activity and excitement without true inward source.	That the Lord would work deeply within His people, rooting His life firmly within them, unshaken by outward things.
Prophetic Instruction	Lead the saints into an “inner-room” prayer life; exercise to be alone with the Father and avoid superficial spirituality.	Lead the saints to “root downward”; deal with stones and thorns so that hearing of the word is not merely outward.
Conclusion	Without hiddenness, there is no real life; without secret prayer, there is no spiritual reality.	Without deep rooting, there is no stable spiritual supply; only deep calls unto deep.
Related Scriptures	Matthew 14:14–23 14 And He came forth and saw a great crowd, and He was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick. 19 And after commanding the crowds to recline on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up to heaven, He blessed them; and He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. 22 And immediately He compelled the disciples to step into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23 And after sending the crowds away, He went up to the mountain privately to pray. And when evening fell, He was there alone. Luke 6:12 12 And in those days He went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.	Psalm 42:7 7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and Your billows have gone over me. Isaiah 37:31 31 And the remnant that has escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. Matthew 13:5–8, 18–23 (Parable of the sower—full passage included) 5 And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered. 7 And others fell on the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them. 8 And others fell on the good earth and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 23 But the one sown on the good earth, this is he who hears the word and understands, who indeed bears fruit and produces, one a hundredfold, and one sixty, and one thirty.

 

Core Summary Points:

• The hidden life concerns inward fellowship, secret dealings, and the unseen foundation before God.
• The deep life concerns rooting, depth, spiritual solidity, and inner capacity to supply.
• One produces the other: hidden life → depth; deep life → stronger hiddenness.
• Without both, spiritual living becomes superficial and outward.
• Christ Himself is the model of hiddenness and depth.

Conclusion:

The Christian life requires both hiddenness and depth.
Without a hidden life of prayer, there is no spiritual reality; without deep rooting in Christ, there is no endurance, fruitfulness, or inner capacity to supply others. Only the deep can respond to the deep.

 

*Please refer to the May 2025 International Elders and Responsible Brothers Training: General Topic: Matthew Chapters 5-7 - Extremely Important Aspects - Week 5: The Kingdom's People Have Personal Prayer Experiences, Contacting Their Heavenly Father in Secret, and Experiencing the Secret Enjoyment of the Father.