True submission is found when there is still obedience in spite of suffering. The suffering we experience is a test to us. It tests how thorough and absolute we are.
The Christian life isn’t striving to be good—it’s Christ living in us. Dead to sin, alive to God (Rom. 6:11). Rest in His finished work, let His Spirit lead. This is normal Christianity: Christ in you (Col. 1:27).
However, the church does not come from man’s thinking; rather, the church comes from God. The church is the issue of God’s moving and calling in man and of man’s answering God’s call.
What is the difference between the church and religion? No religion has been initiated or advanced by God. In contrast, the church is initiated and advanced by God. Religion is something conceived by man, who worships and serves God according to his thoughts about God.