“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.

Seeing Everything Depends on God’s Mercy VS Not Seeing Everything Depends on God’s Mercy

 

Seeing Everything Depends on God’s Mercy VS Not Seeing Everything Depends on God’s Mercy

Romans 9:15 “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Romans 9:16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 

Aspect	Seeing Everything Depends on  God’s Mercy	Not Seeing Everything Depends on God’s Mercy
Meaning	To see that everything that happens to us is entirely out of God’s mercy — not of intention, effort, zeal, or ability. This is a fact, not a feeling.	To fail to recognize God’s mercy and instead attribute things to oneself, effort, luck, circumstances, or personal ability.
Reason	God opens our eyes (Eph 2:4; Matt 9:13) to see that He has mercy on whom He wills (Rom 9:15–18).	The mind, emotion, and will are too strong; the outer man is unbroken; natural life blinds the inner man.
Purpose	To produce humility, emptiness, submission, trust, thanksgiving, worship, tenderness, and compassion; to make us vessels of mercy prepared for glory (Rom 9:23).	To result in pride, self-exaltation, rebellion, complaint, hardness, coldness, and resistance toward God and others.
Explanation	Everything depends on the mercy of “the One who shows mercy,” not on the one who wills or runs (Rom 9:16). All spiritual adjustment depends on God’s mercy.	Emphasis is placed on human ability, zeal, or performance; circumstances are viewed as accidental or self-controlled, leading to extremes (“too much” or “not enough”).
Examples	Watchman Nee’s testimony: Had he gone to the U.S. two months earlier, he would not have met Miss Yu and would not have been saved. Israel’s whole history displays God’s mercy (Rom 9).	People labor many years yet remain lost; strong mind/emotion/will leading to confusion, striving, complaint, dissatisfaction, and spiritual stagnation.
Application	In all things look to God’s mercy, not to feelings. Allow the Spirit to adjust what is “too much” or “not enough.” Practice softness, obedience, and gratitude.	Depend on personal judgment and natural strength; fall into comparison, rushing, frustration, hardness, and self-driven zeal without the Spirit’s leading.
Burden	That every believer would at least once see clearly the fact: “Everything depends on God’s mercy.” This vision governs the Christian life and church life.	To expose the three strong elements of man—mind, emotion, will—which must be broken; otherwise one can never enter into the reality of mercy.
Prophesying Direction	Declare: “We stand, we remain, we follow the Lord today only because of mercy. All things are arranged by Him just right.”	Expose: Human zeal, intention, and running cannot accomplish God’s purpose (Rom 9:16).
Conclusion	“Everything is of God’s mercy.” Only mercy can adjust, renew, preserve, and bring us into glory (Rom 9:23).	Without seeing mercy, spiritual life cannot be rightly adjusted; even zeal becomes fleshly and ends in hardness and dryness.
Detailed Scriptures	Romans 9:18, 23 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and He hardens whom He wills. 23 And in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He had beforehand prepared unto glory. Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. Matthew 9:13 “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

 

Summary of Core Points:

1.      God’s mercy is a divine fact, not a feeling.

2.      All spiritual progress depends not on man’s will or effort but on God’s sovereign mercy.

3.      Seeing mercy produces humility, softness, and trust; not seeing mercy produces pride and hardness.

4.      God uses mercy to break the natural strength of mind, emotion, and will.

5.      Those who are vessels of mercy are prepared for glory, not by their doing but by God’s arrangement.

 

*Please refer to the May 2025 International Elders and Responsible Brothers Training, General Topic: Matthew Chapters 5-7, Part 4: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy and will receive mercy.