Serving the Church of the Living God as the Organic Body of Christ (2)


	Serving the Church of the Living God as the Organic Body of Christ (2) The Local Churches are the Physical Manifestation of the Body of Christ We have seen that Paul's realization was that the church is the organic Body of Christ, and that as such it must have a physical manifestation. The local churches are for the physical existence and manifestation of the Body of Christ. This light concerning the local churches is a consummated truth, something that the Lord has delivered to His people in these days. It seems very basic, but for some reason for so many centuries it was never clearly seen until the Lord unveiled it to Brother Nee in the early part of the twentieth century. Even the Brethren did not clearly see the truth of the local churches as the physical manifestation of the Body of Christ. I visited Plymouth, England, to find some who were still meeting there among the Brethren, and I found that those among both the Closed and Open Brethren Assemblies were totally involved with issues such as whether their children should attend public school, or even whether their hall should have a septic system so they would not be connected (literally) to the world! Even among themselves, they cannot agree who is in fellowship and who is not. We must realize how precious the truth of the church is that we have received. The Brethren continue to meet as "chapels" within a city, and do not see the matter of the local church as the expression of the one Body of Christ in a locality. Because of this, any capable brother could come in and raise up a meeting within that city, and they would not have a problem with that. After visiting Plymouth I had a deep feeling of thankfulness to the Lord for revealing to us the local churches. This light that the Lord has given to us is so precious. The Truth of the Local Church Is Our Blessing and Our Limitation The light of this truth of the local churches limits us. Without its limitation, we could feel very free to develop things, but the light of the local church preserves us. In our flesh we may have the desire to develop a large work without the limitation of truth. Once we see the truth of the local churches as the physical expression of the organic Body, our labor can be protected. The local churches become the expression of this organic Body in various localities. This is marvelous. For some reason the Lord provides the churches with a form of leadership that can restrict even the operation of the one who raised it up. If the brothers taking the lead in a certain locality do not agree with my suggestions, for instance, I cannot go around them to do something with that church. I might be burdened for a church's increase, and I might truly know that if these brothers would take my fellowship they would grow, yet they may not do as I suggest. The local churches have the ability to restrain and confine any individual, regardless of how manifested that individual is. When we face a local church, every one of us must realize that here is a government set up by Christ, regardless of its size or make-up. Even the servant of the Lord who raised that church up must respect this. Paul respected the churches in such a way. To the Galatian churches he was nearly beside himself due to his concern over them, but he still could not directly touch the situation, even though he said that he wished that some of those meeting would cut themselves off from the church (5:12)! But regardless of how foolish or stubborn the leading ones were, Paul recognized that they were those to whom the Lord had committed the governance of these churches. So even a great apostle like Paul, when faced with such a situation, was restricted in what he could do. Within that restriction He still did everything he could to try to bring them to truth and to life, because he realized that these were the churches established by the Lord to be the living testimony of His organic Body. Learn to Labor First Where the Lord Has Placed You You have to be careful if you desire to take the lead in a church. The Lord has placed you in your locality to bear responsibility in that locality. Your heart should desire to see that your church becomes healthy. In a good sense, you should feel that your local church is the most crucial local church on the earth. This is not necessarily unhealthy, for you must learn to raise up your local church, since only when the church in your city is healthy can the Body of Christ be healthy. The saints you are with should receive the attention of your labor. Then if you learn how to serve in your locality, the Lord may use you in a wider capacity. Some run around to "help" other churches when they have not yet learned how to help those in their own church. Learn to labor among those the Lord has placed you with first. If you learn to help your own church, you may then be used to help others also. As one who is for the Body of Christ, and as one who is for the churches, the first thing you must do is care for your local church. The organic Body must first have its physical expression in your locality. In Our Labor We Must Realize That the Body is an Entity of Life For the Body to Function, the Churches Must Possess Life The second realization you must have is that for the church as the organic Body to function, it must be rich in life, it must be full of life, and it must have the vitality of life. If you go to a church and there is a good number participating in many activities, and yet there is very little life, you should realize something is wrong regardless of how good the saints are. A certain church may be somewhat old, but it is still organic. Once you lose the organic function of life, you can no longer proclaim that you are a local church. Instead you are a dead corpse masquerading as a local church. When you consider that the local church is a manifestation of the Body of Christ, you should realize that there is more involved than mere physical existence: the church must also possess the divine life. The stronger the life in a church, the more there is the Lord's move, the Lord's operation, the Lord's work, and the Lord's testimony. If the life element is missing in your locality, then the Lord has no testimony of His organic Body among you, regardless of how good or faithful the saints are. Furthermore, no matter how good your doctrines and teachings are, if you are without life, what you minister is not of the Body and cannot produce anything for the Body. We should realize that the church is the organic Body of Christ. It is a divine organism. The Body of Christ has a physical aspect for its existence: the local churches. The Body also has a specific content for its growth and function: the divine life. The church you serve, therefore, must be filled with life. As We Labor We Must Allow Christ to be the Person of the Body A Body Exists For the Sake of the Person For the church to be healthy there must be a third element, the Person of Christ. We ourselves as human beings have three aspects. Outwardly, we each possess a physical body for our existence. Then within our physical body there is another necessity: life. Furthermore, and most importantly, within this living body is a living person. Our person is the most crucial part of our being. Our body exists with life in order to express our person. It would be strange if we only paid attention to ourselves as a physical entity or a living entity, and yet totally ignored our person. It is our person that is the most crucial element of our being. This is why a disease such as Alzheimer's is so devastating, for it takes away something of the person while the body is still alive. Christ Must Be the Person of the Churches When we consider the church, which one of the three is most crucial? Without the local churches, the Body disappears and becomes a "ghost"! And without life, the Body is also gone. But even if the church is rich in life - meaning the needs and drives of life are evident, and the functioning of life can be seen - the church must still have the right Person. Christ is the Person of the Body, and He must have the full freedom within the Body as His expression. Therefore each member of the Body must be directly related to Christ. In all your exercise in the church, and in all your fellowship, you must be under the headship of Christ. You must have His direction. Christ must be the one initiating in you and living out through you. You cannot just allow someone to tell you what to do. You must follow the Lord and know Him as the one who is leading you, as you yourself function and serve in the church. You may have a lot of feeling about what you should do in your church, but you must be clear before the Lord. If Christ is able to operate and lead among you, your church will be as healthy it should be. It will not only have life for its existence, but also have Christ as its Person.