Scripture Reading: Rom. 12:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:25-27; Eph. 4:12-13, 15-16
In the previous chapter, Life and Feeling, we saw that the presence of feelings proves the existence of life. In this chapter we want to go on to consider the meaning of the feeling of the Body of Christ.
First let us consider love. One amazing thing about love is that the Bible says, "We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers" (1 John 3:14). All those who have passed from death into life love one another. All those who are members in the Body love one another. This love is produced by life and is spontaneous. You do not have to ask a person in the meeting whether he is a Christian, and if he says yes, you do not have to ask whether Christians should love one another. In the same way, he does not have to say that he will start loving other Christians just because you have told him so. This is not the way God's children behave. Everyone who is genuinely born of God has God's life. Those who are saved by God spontaneously love their fellow members. Whether or not a person has been told to love another one, he will have a feeling of love for his brothers. It is true that we often have to remind others to love their brothers. But these reminders will not supply what they do not already have; it will only make them more zealous for what they have. If love is there, it is there. If it is not there, it is not there. Once we meet one of God's people, we spontaneously love him. We cannot explain, but within there is such a feeling; within there is such a love.
A brother had a son. When others asked him, "Now that you are a father, do you love your son?", he answered, "A week before I became a father, I kept wondering how I could love my son. But the minute my son was born, my heart spontaneously went out to him when I saw him, and I loved him." Love is an inner feeling; it is something produced from the inside, rather than something taught from the outside. Every child of God who is redeemed by the Lord's blood, who has received the Lord's life, and who is baptized into the Body of Christ spontaneously loves his fellow members. Many times we meet someone who genuinely belongs to the Lord. It does not matter whether he is from far away or from the same city or whether he is cultured or uncultured. It does not matter what nationality he has or what job he occupies. The minute we find out that he is a Christian, spontaneously there is a love for him. Love is a feeling of life. As long as we are in the Body, we will have this feeling.
Those who have seen the Body of Christ have a feeling for the Body of Christ. Once they do anything sectarian or anything that divides God's children from one another, they feel uneasy inside. Since they love all those who belong to God, they cannot divide God's children from one another. In the Body, love is something spontaneous, while division is something unnatural. A man has two hands, and it would not matter how many things one hand said against the other hand, the two hands can never be separated from each other; it is impossible to divide the two. Some think that as long as they have left the sects, they know the Body of Christ. But in reality, leaving the sects does not necessarily mean that one has seen the Body of Christ. Those who have seen the Body of Christ will surely forsake the sects, but it does not follow that those who have left the sects have seen the Body of Christ. Many people have outwardly left a sect, but actually they build up another sect for themselves. Their leaving of a sect is only an attempt to accentuate their "distinctiveness"; they do not see that all the members are our brothers and are equally lovable. All sectarian spirits, all divisive attitudes, and all outward moves and inward thoughts that cause separations between God's children are proof of the lack of vision concerning the Body of Christ.
The Body of Christ will deliver us from the sects as well as from sectarianism. It will deliver us from ourselves as well as from individualism. Many people do not live according to the principle of the Body. Rather, they live according to the principle of individualism. This individualism can be found everywhere. In the prayer meetings, some can only pray by themselves; they cannot pray with others. Their bodies may be kneeling down with others, but in their feeling they are praying by themselves. They can only have others listening to their prayers; they cannot listen to the prayers of others. They do not respond to the prayers of others and cannot say amen to them. They do not join themselves to the feelings of others. They pray according to their way and leave others to pray according to their way. It seems as if their prayers are totally unrelated to the prayers of others. When they come to the meetings, they only care to speak their part. Then they have nothing more to do with the others; whatever prayer, burden, or feelings others may have seem to be totally unrelated to them. This is the principle of individualism; it is not the principle of the Body. Such ones do not see the Body, and they cannot work together with others before the Lord. Sometimes when three, five, ten, or twenty brothers are speaking together, you can sense that some of them can only speak about their own burden; they have no heart to speak or hear about the burdens of others. If you sit down with them for an hour or two, the only time they are alert is when they are talking about their own affairs. When the subject is about other people, they begin to wander around in their mind. If you talk to them afterwards, you will find that they did not hear a single thing that the others said. These small indications tell us whether or not a man has seen the Body of Christ.
Individualism can develop from one individual to a few individuals. In the church, sometimes we see three or five people, or eight or nine people being knitted together into a tight circle. Only the few within the circle are one with each other and can love each other. All the other brothers and sisters do not fit in. This proves that these ones have not seen the Body of Christ. There is only one Body of Christ; there cannot be several Bodies. If a man sees the Body of Christ, he cannot have any form of individualism; he cannot form parties and cannot have his little circles. If you see the Body of Christ, you will detect individualism as soon as it appears. You will sense that it is wrong, and spontaneously you will not dare to move in that direction. When you and a few others try to do something by yourselves, the Body-consciousness will tell you that you are not blended in with the other children of God. This Body-consciousness will not let you go; it will nag you, speak to you, rebuke you, hinder you, and tell you that you are wrong. This feeling of life will deliver you from all forms of divisions.
If we have Body-consciousness, we immediately will see that the Body is one. Once we see this, we will not be individualistic in our spiritual work. If we want to participate in the Lord's work, we need to deal with this one matter — individualistic works. Some people can only do things well when they are doing it alone. If they cannot do it alone, they cannot do it well. They only regard the things that they are doing as having any spiritual value, and what others do has no spiritual value at all. When they preach and no one is saved, they feel sorry. When others preach and some are saved, they feel strange. This is being individualistic in one's work. Whenever God's children see the oneness of the Body, they will also see the oneness of the work, and they will be delivered out of individualistic work into the work of the Body. This does not mean that we no longer work by ourselves. It means that we no longer consider any work to be our own. It does not matter whether a work is done by us or not, as long as someone is doing it, we are satisfied.
After we become Christians, we should have a desire for spiritual things and seek after them. But this does not mean that we should have a competitive and ambitious spirit, much less a spirit of jealousy. The proper attitude in the work is this: We should hope that whatever we can do, others can do the same as well, and that whatever we cannot do ourselves, others will be raised up to do it. It is hoping that both we and others can do better. We can only be used as a vessel in the work; we cannot take over the work; we cannot claim the work and the result of the work as our own. If we think that something can only be done by us, we have not seen the Body. If we see the Body, we will see that the result is all for the benefit of the Head and the Body, whether we or others are doing it. All the glory goes to the Lord, and all the blessings go to the church.
The Lord has assigned a portion to each one of us. We should not consider ourselves greater than what we are. We should be faithful to the portion that the Lord has assigned to us, and we should honor the portion that the Lord has assigned to others. Many young people are always comparing themselves with others; they say that they have this and that, and that others do not have this and that. Or they say that they do not have this and that, and that others have this and that. Actually, it is impossible to make such comparisons. It is like adding a chair to a table and asking whether it is two or one. A table plus a chair is just a table plus a chair. If you ask whether the hands are better or the eyes are better, I can only say that both are good. Those who see the Body will see that all the members have their functions; they will see that they are only one of the many members. They will not place themselves in a conspicuous position and make comparisons with others or usurp their places.
Once a Christian sees the Body, it will be impossible for him to be proud or jealous anymore. Since the Body is one, it will be the same if the work is done by others or by ourselves; there will be no difference at all. Whether the work is done by you or by others, the glory ultimately goes to the Lord alone, and the blessings go to the church. If you see the Body of Christ, spontaneously you will have this feeling within you. You will sense that the Body is one and that the work is also one.
Those who see the Body will spontaneously see the need of fellowship. They will spontaneously see that they cannot act independently. Fellowship is not a formal acquaintance but a spontaneous issue of the life of the Body. The common notion of fellowship among God's children is to visit a brother or a sister when we are free and chat with them a little. For most people this is fellowship. But fellowship really means a realization that we cannot go on alone, that we need to do everything together, with other members and with the Body as a whole. Although we cannot have all the brothers and sisters in the whole church come together, we can have two or three brothers come together and work according to the principle of the Body. We have to learn the principle of fellowship when we pray. We have to learn to fellowship when we encounter difficulties, and we have to learn to fellowship when we are seeking God's will, when we are not clear about our future, and when we do not understand God's Word. Fellowship means I cannot pray by myself, that I have to find two or three brothers to deal with a matter together. It means that I do not understand God's will by myself and that I seek to understand it together with two or three brothers. It means that I am confused about my own future and that I seek fellowship and I consider my future together with two or three other brothers and sisters. It means that I do not understand God's Word by myself and that I find two or three brothers to study God's Word together with me. Fellowship is to acknowledge that we are short, that we are inadequate, and that we need the Body. Fellowship is the acknowledgment of our own limitations and of the possibility of making mistakes by ourselves; it is receiving help from those who have spiritual discernment before the Lord. (This does not mean to ask for help only from those who are affectionate towards us.) I cannot go on by myself; I need the help of other brothers and sisters. The Body of Christ is a matter of life, and this life has feelings. This feeling will tell you that without fellowship, you cannot go on.
Once a person has a feeling for the Body, he will see his place in the Body at the same time. In other words, he will see that he is only a member in the Body. Every member has its use. A member is different from a cell. A body can survive without a cell, but it cannot survive without a member. Of course, every cell has its use too. But the Bible tells us that we are members in the Body of Christ; we are not cells in the Body of Christ. Unfortunately, many Christians are like cells in the Body; they do not act like members. They do not have any specific function in the Body of Christ, and they never take care of their responsibility. It seems that their presence in the meeting is not indispensable and that nothing is missing when they are not there. They do not function in the Body because they have never seen the Body. They never realize their ministry when they are among the brothers and sisters. They do not see what they should do. If they see the Body, they will spontaneously see that they are members; they will realize that unless they minister life to the Body of Christ, the Body will suffer. Brothers and sisters, none of us can be a passive member in the Body. As long as we are a member of the Body, we cannot be passive, and we cannot be a bystander in the meetings. When we come to the meeting, we should realize that we are a member in the Body of Christ and that we have to pray. They may be audible prayers or silent prayers. But we must at least pray and minister life to the Body. Some Christians are suppliers of life; once they come to a meeting, the meeting receives their supply even when they do not open their mouth to speak. Their very presence is a life supply to others. Wherever they go, death is swallowed up. Brothers and sisters, once we see the Body of Christ, we will inevitably see ourselves as members.
We are members of the Body of Christ. As members severally of this Body, we should seek to profit the Body. We should seek for ways to supply life and power to the Body. Even if we do not open our mouth in the meeting, we should pray silently, and even if we do not speak, we should always be looking to God. This is being Body-conscious. Once we see the Body, we will no longer say that we are dispensable or unimportant. Once we see the Body, we will say that we are a member of the Body and that we have a responsibility to fulfill. We should speak, and we should pray. When we come to the meeting, we will do whatever God tells us to do. We cannot be a bystander. Brothers and sisters, if we see the Body, we will not act in any other way. When we function this way, the life of the meeting will swallow up all death. Many meetings do not have enough power because the presence of death is too strong; there are too many bystanders in these meetings.
If you see the Body of Christ, you will also have the sensation that you are under the authority of the Head. You will feel that God's children are lovable, that division is wrong, and that fellowship is vital. You will also feel that as a member of the Body of Christ, there are responsibilities that you have to fulfill. These feelings are feelings of the Body. At the same time, once you feel that you are in the Body, you will feel that you are under the Head. Those who feel that they are in the Body also feel that they are under the Head. If a man knows the life of the Body of Christ, and if he is conscious of the fact that he is a member, he will also be conscious of the authority of the Head.
Moreover, we must submit not only to the direct authority of the Head, but also to the indirect authority of the Head. My arms are not only under the authority of my head; when my shoulders move, my arms move with them also. My arms submit to the Head by submitting to the shoulders. Those who see the Body of Christ surely see the need for submission to God's appointed authorities in the Body of Christ.
Sometimes someone will tell you to do something, and after you pray about it, you may feel that the Lord does not want you to do it. When you act accordingly and put the matter aside, you feel happy; you feel that you have obeyed the Lord's word and that it was right for you not to listen to man. But more than once have you not felt that when you ignored the words of others, you were actually disobeying the Lord? More than once have you not felt that a person or a few persons really knew the Lord, and that the Lord had put them there to represent His authority, and that if you went against them, you would be going against the Lord? If you see the Body and see the authority of the Head, you will see that there are always one or more persons who are ahead of you in the Body, to whom you should submit yourself. Not only must you see the Head, you must also see those who represent the Head and realize that going against them is going against God.
Brothers and sisters, if the Lord opens your eyes, you will see the Body, and you will see authority. Why do the different parts of the human body always work harmoniously together? The body is always one because there is authority in the body. If the body is not upheld by authority, all the members will be in confusion. Suppose the stomach is hungry and wants to eat, yet the mouth refuses to cooperate and to take in the food. Can the body still survive? As long as one part of the body rejects the authority of the body, the whole body will become sick. Cancerous tumors are dangerous diseases. These tumors grow when some cells of the body do not follow the law of the body and begin to grow independently. The body does not need such growth, yet they continue to grow. They take away much of the nourishment of the body for their own growth. They only care for their own growth and do not care whether the body wants them to grow. They do not submit to the authority of the body, and they act independently. The more they grow, the more damage the body suffers. In the end, a few insubordinate cells can kill the whole body. Authority is the law of the body, while insubordination is a disease in the body. If a man does not know authority, how can he say that he knows the Body of Christ? When three or five people come together, those who know the Body can always find who the authority is and to whom they should submit. Everyone has his authority to whom he should submit. The hands submit to the arms, while the arms submit to the shoulders. This is something very spontaneous and comely. Even if there are only three or five persons, if they practice this, they will see the Body of Christ manifested among them.
Many Christians speak carelessly and act carelessly. They do not listen to others, and they think that they themselves are the greatest; it seems as if they have never found anyone to whom they can submit. This proves that they have never been restricted by the Body, and they have never submitted themselves to the authority of the Head. May the Lord be merciful to these ones. If we are truly dealt with by the Lord, if our flesh is truly touched, and if the "backbone" of our natural life is truly broken, we will immediately see that our hands and our mouth can no longer be free. The Body will restrict us, and we will no longer be able to rebel against God's appointed authority.
May the Lord deliver us from mere doctrines. May the Lord lead us on to a full knowledge of the Body of Christ. May this feeling follow us all the time so that we no longer act according to our own will or live foolishly or carelessly. If we do this, we will receive a rich supply from the Body, and through the Body we will express the Lord's testimony on the earth.
