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First Corinthians 12:12 says, “Even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.” So also is the Christ is a great and mysterious statement in the Bible.
First Corinthians 12:12 begins, “Even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body.” Bible expositors all admit that this verse refers to the church. The church is the Body of Christ, and in this Body there are many members. Moreover, all the members of the Body, being many, are one Body. Undoubtedly, this verse is speaking about the church. The strange thing, however, is that the conclusion to this word refers not to the church but to Christ — “so also is the Christ.” We may think it would be more logical to change Christ to church. But when the Holy Spirit inspired man to write the Bible, He did not say, “So also is the church,” but “so also is the Christ.” From this we see a mystery. This mystery shows that not only is the Head of the church Christ but that the church as the Body of Christ is also Christ.
Based on this we can determine that in God’s eyes, not only is the Head of the church Christ, but the church is also Christ. Christ Himself is the essence of the church. On the surface the sum total of all those who are saved is the church, the Body of Christ. However, according to the intrinsic, genuine nature of the church, the church is not merely the sum of all those who are saved; rather, the church is the total of all those who are saved who have Christ in them as their life and spiritual reality.
On the surface the church is a group of saved ones who have been added together, but on the inside the church is the Christ who is in these ones who are added together. You have Christ in you, I have Christ in me, and others have Christ in them. The aggregate of all of us who belong to Christ is “the Christ.” The totality of the Christ in us is still Christ. Thus, the church is not simply a group of people added together. Only when a group of people who have Christ in them are added together are they the church. Strictly speaking, it is the Christ in all of us added together that is the church.
What is the church? The church is Christ Himself, and Christ Himself is the church. Because the church is something spiritual, without Christ there is no church, and without Christ there is no reality of the church. The essence and the content of the church are just Christ. We can say that the reality of Christ is Christ Himself, the reality of spiritual matters is Christ Himself, and the reality of the church is also Christ Himself. Every genuine spiritual experience is an experience of Christ Himself and is Christ Himself. No Christian experience is something other than Christ Himself. If we have an experience that is not Christ Himself, this experience is religious and behavioral but not spiritual. Hence, any “Christian” experience that is not derived from the experience of Christ is something of religion, ethics, and good behavior. It is definitely not of the Spirit nor of Christ, because it is void of Christ’s nature.
Everything that we do in spiritual service — whether it be prayer, preaching the gospel, visiting the believers, or anything else — the inward element should always be Christ Himself, because the spiritual reality is Christ Himself. Christ is in you, Christ is in me, and Christ is in many others. The aggregate of the Christ in all of us is the church, and the church is Christ.
The church is not a building, a chapel, or a meeting hall. Moreover, strictly speaking, the church is not merely a group of people. The gathering of a group of people is not necessarily the church. If we gather a group of people together on the street and put up a “church” signboard next to them, they still are not the church. The church is the totality of the Christ in those who are saved. The church is Christ Himself.
We all should be clear that from the beginning of our Christian life, all our experiences — including repentance, believing in the Lord, baptism, attending the meetings, and preaching the gospel — are all experiences of Christ and are Christ Himself. What then is Christian service? Christian service is Christ. If the element in our service is not Christ, then our service does not have much value in God’s eyes. In John 15 the Lord Jesus clearly said, “He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing” (v. 5). Apart from the Lord, apart from Christ, we cannot even talk about service.
What counts and has spiritual value before God is what we do while we are abiding in the Lord and the Lord is abiding in us. For the Lord to abide in us means that the Lord is joined to us, and for us to abide in the Lord means that we are joined to the Lord. Only when we are in union with Christ will what we do be something that Christ does through us, and only this has spiritual value to God. All that we do out of ourselves, with ourselves, and by ourselves can gain the praises of man but not the acceptance of God. God accepts only Christ and that which is out of Christ. If you and I are not in Christ, we will not be acceptable to God. Not only will our sins be unacceptable to God, but even the good things we do by ourselves will not be accepted by Him. God accepts only that which is of Christ and has Christ as its intrinsic element and content. Only these things have spiritual value and are counted by God.
Only when Christ is lived out and expressed through Christians as a result of gaining ground, growing, and being formed in them, will their service be real Christian service. Every morning many saints serve together to clean the meeting hall. However, there is a spiritual question here. When they clean the meeting hall, are they cleaning it with their own zeal or by touching Christ, being filled with Christ, and contacting Christ? Cleaning merely by zealousness is different from cleaning by touching Christ. Is there a difference between cleaning the meeting hall and cleaning a school? If there is no difference, I am afraid that what we do is nothing but the result of our zeal.
Please bear in mind that there is an absolute difference between spiritual service and secular work. We do not need to touch Christ to engage in secular matters, but we must contact Him for the service of the church. We need to contact Christ when we clean the windows. We need to contact Christ when we minister the word. We need to contact Christ when we pray. In whatever we do, we need to contact Christ within. All that we do, pray, and speak should come out of our inward union and contact with Christ. Then when people contact us, they will sense that we are filled with Christ. In this way Christ will pass through us and come out of us. Then when we go to visit the believers, preach the gospel, or lead people to salvation, Christ as the electricity will flow out from us into them.
What is spiritual service? Spiritual service is outward action that issues from touching the inward feeling of Christ; this action is Christ’s coming out of us. When the Holy Spirit is in us, Christ is in us, for the Spirit is the realization of Christ. When the Spirit touches us, it is Christ who is touching us, and when the Spirit motivates us, it is Christ who is motivating us. Before we go to clean the meeting hall, if we first have fellowship with the Lord at home and let the Lord supply our whole being, then when we clean the windows or the chairs, there will be the overflow of Christ — Christ will come out of us. Then anyone who contacts us will sense the flavor of Christ in us. Although we may be only cleaning, we are still able to give people a flavor that is spiritual and heavenly — the fragrance of Christ.
Many times when we listen to someone’s preaching, we cannot sense the flavor of Christ in him. This is because he is disconnected from Christ, and in his living there is a barrier between him and Christ. He has not yet dealt with certain matters before God, and his spirit has lost contact with Christ. Thus, he speaks using merely his mind, memory, and thoughts. We sense his eloquence, but we cannot sense the Lord’s presence with him, neither can we touch spiritual reality. He has lost his fellowship with Christ, and his preaching is merely doctrinal, without the Spirit. This kind of preaching is not spiritual because it is void of Christ. Whatever we do in our service should have Christ and should be Christ.
Not only should our service be Christ, but our spiritual ability should also be Christ Himself. What is spiritual ability? Christians often mention the word gift. A gift is a spiritual ability. For example, if you are able to preach the word, this is your spiritual ability. If you preach the gospel better than others and bring many people to salvation, this is your spiritual ability. Some have this kind of ability, and others do not. The Bible shows us that there are many gifts, but we must understand that spiritual gifts are Christ Himself. Spiritual gifts, spiritual abilities, come through the Holy Spirit and are functions of Christ in man.
First Corinthians shows us that the church is the Body of Christ and that every saved one is a member of the Body. In the human body the blood circulation of the members is the blood circulation of the body, and the blood circulation of the body is the blood circulation of the members. The blood circulation of the ears is the blood circulation of the body, and the life of the ears is the life of the body, the life of the head. Thus, the life in Christ, the Head, and the life in the church, the Body, are both Christ Himself.
The same life has the same blood circulation. When this life comes to the ears, it becomes the life of the ears, and when this life comes to the eyes, it becomes the life of the eyes. There is only one kind of life in the body, and there is only one blood circulation in the body. The life and the blood circulation are the same in every part of our body. Moreover, it is wonderful that when the life and the blood reach the eyes, the eyes can see; when the life and the blood reach the ears, the ears can hear. This life, this blood circulation, enables every part of the body to have its own function.
A newborn baby can barely see with its eyes, hear with its ears, walk with its feet, or do things with its hands. The baby’s four limbs are all there and more or less have some function, yet they are not fully developed. Just as every member of our physical body has its own function, as saved ones and members of the Body of Christ, we each have our own function. The function of the ears is to hear. Hearing is the ability of the ears, which in biblical terms, is the gift of the ears. Hence, one’s gift is one’s function. The Bible tells us that some in the church can speak for the Lord and preach the gospel as the mouth. This kind of speaking is a gift and is referred to in the Bible as prophesying. Some may not possess this kind of gift and function, but those who do have the prophesying gift may not possess the gift and function that others have. To illustrate, the feet cannot speak, but they can walk; the hands cannot walk, but they can do things; the mouth cannot do things, but it can prophesy. This shows us that the hands have the gift of doing things, the nose has the gift of smelling, and the mouth has the gift of prophesying. Actually, these gifts are the functions of the different members.
Whether or not the various functions of our body can be expressed depends entirely on our growth in life. A newborn baby has eyes, yet he can hardly see; he has ears, yet he can hardly hear; he has a mouth, yet he cannot speak; he has feet, yet he cannot walk. This is because the baby has not yet been developed or grown up. Although we are saved and are members of the Body of Christ, due to our lack of growth in life, we cannot prophesy for the Lord, even though we may be the mouth. Although we may be the hands and should be doing certain things in the church, although we may be the feet and should be moving and running in the church, due to our lack of growth in life, our functions have not been developed to the degree that they become useful and are manifested.
Some people may ask, “Do we all have a gift?” Just look at our body. Is there any member of our body without a function? In the same way, every member of the Body of Christ has a gift. Without a gift, there is no ability, and without a gift, there is no function. There is no Christian who does not have a spiritual function in the church. In God’s ordination every saved one is a member of the Body of Christ and has his own function. However, the question is whether or not he has the growth in life. God has already ordained that every saved one be a member and that every member have a gift, an ability, and a function. However, the question is whether or not these saved ones have the growth in life. Without the growth in the spiritual life, their spiritual abilities, spiritual functions, cannot be expressed.
Why do we say that spiritual gifts are Christ? We say this because without Christ’s life, we cannot be the members of the Body of Christ, and we therefore do not have the functions of the members or the spiritual gifts. When Christ’s life comes into you, you become the mouth; when Christ’s life comes into me, I become the feet; and when Christ’s life comes into someone else, he becomes the hands. It is wonderful that when the same Christ, the same life, enters into you, you become the mouth; when He enters into me, I become the feet; and when He enters into someone else, that one becomes the hands. This means that not only are the members Christ, but also the life of the members and the nature of the members are Christ. We are the members of the Body of Christ. Thus, our inner nature, our inner life, is Christ.
For example, there are nominal Christians who have not repented, have not received salvation, and do not have the Lord’s life. Someone spoke to them about believing in the Lord, so outwardly they “believed” in the Lord. Someone told them about baptism, so they were baptized. Nevertheless, having “joined” the church in this way, does this make them members of Christ? No it does not. Why not? It does not because they do not have Christ in them. You are a member of Christ because Christ is in you; I am a member of Christ because Christ is in me; and everyone who is a member of Christ is so because Christ is in him. Moreover, it is a wonderful fact that when Christ’s life comes into us, it makes you the mouth, me the feet, and someone else the hands. Although it is the same life of Christ that we receive, this life becomes different members in different people. Some are one kind of member, and others are other kinds of members. In addition, even though they all are members, the functions of some have been manifested, but the functions of others have not. The reason some are able to manifest their functions is because Christ has increased in them and developed in them to the extent that their functions are manifested in a matured way. However, some are not able to manifest their functions because, despite the fact that they are saved and have Christ, Christ does not have the ground to grow in them. Thus, their functions are not yet manifested.
We have to see what it is to be a member of the Body of Christ. We should ask, what is the ability of a member? What is the function of a member? If Christ has not entered into you, you are merely an individual and not a member of the Body of Christ. When Christ comes into you, you become a member of the Body of Christ, but you still may not have a function because Christ has not yet been developed in you. If Christ has the ground in you to develop and mature, your spiritual gift will be manifested spontaneously. Therefore, we have to see that we are responsible if we do not have any serving function. If we do not have any function, it is because although we may already have the life of Christ and the Spirit of Christ in us, we have not given Him the opportunity and ground to grow and develop in us.
Many Christians have the concept that they are not of much use in the church. They think that although they are saved ones, they are not able to do anything. For example, there was once a person in Shanghai who did not pursue spiritual matters very much after he was saved. Although he regularly attended the meetings and sometimes prayed with tears, his mind and his thinking could not be turned around. He did not sin, but neither did he love the Lord. When people exhorted him to love and serve the Lord, he would tell them that since he was merely occupying a seat in the meetings and could not minister the word, preach the gospel, or care for the saints, it did not make any difference whether or not he was in the church. However, not long after he said this, the Lord did a work in him, and he became ill. The Lord worked in him, causing him to sense the Lord’s loveliness. Then this brother began to pursue the Lord, to spend much time in prayer every day, to consecrate himself to the Lord, to allow the Lord to reign in him in both big and small matters, and to practice to be in the Lord’s presence and to walk with the Lord. Thus, he allowed the Lord to have the first place in him. After he had such a turn, his function in the church was manifested. Not only did he know how to read the Bible properly, but when he stood up to read the Bible in the meetings, his reading was full of feeling. At this time his gift was manifested. When he spoke concerning a few verses from the Bible, people could sense the shining and the authority of God. This was not the eloquence of man but the gift of God.
When a baby is first born and is lying on the bed, his feet are lovely, but they cannot walk because they are not yet developed. Day after day, however, through eating and drinking, the baby’s feet grow and become strong, and eventually, the day comes when he is able to stand. Some time later he is able to walk and run. Surely this is a kind of miracle. A baby who originally could not walk is now able to walk and run. Spiritual gifts mature and develop in the same way. Without life, there is no spiritual ability, and without life, there is no spiritual function. Many people have been saved for years, yet their functions are not yet manifested. They do not know how to preach the gospel, visit the believers, or lead others. The only reason for this is that the life in them has not grown or matured and that Christ has no ground in them. Hence, their spiritual ability, their spiritual gift, is not manifested.
When we see how the Lord has cared for us and preserved us, borne our sins, and given us His life and everything, a love for Him will be generated in us. It is in this love that we consecrate ourselves to Him and allow Him to enlighten us and show us the things in us and our relationships with others that are not pleasing to Him and need to be dealt with. At this time if we submit to Him and deal with these matters, we will have joy, strength, and peace within. Moreover, we will be able to care for, preach the gospel to, and shepherd people. Once Christ’s life is developed and matured in us, our function will immediately be manifested.
How much of our gift is manifested and how useful we can be in the Lord’s hands do not depend on the Lord but depend entirely on us. Have we given the Lord the opportunity and the ground in us? Who is reigning in us — the Lord or our flesh? These questions are too great and too crucial. If these questions have not been answered, and we have not dealt with them, even though we are saved, Christ still will not be able to grow in us or be developed in us so that our function can be manifested. The leading ones and serving ones in the church should spend much time to pray for all the saints that their spiritual gifts will be manifested and developed.
We should never think that we are not gifted; instead, we should go to the Lord and pray, asking the Lord to have mercy on us that we may be willing to hold on to Him, to give Him the ground in us, and to let Him gain us so that the life in us may be developed. Once this life is developed, the functions, the gifts, will be manifested. If someone is the feet, once he is developed, he will be able to walk. If someone is the hands, once he is developed, he will be able to do things. If someone is the eyes, once he is developed, he will be able to see. The manifestation of all the gifts depends on whether or not we are willing to give the Lord the ground for His life to develop in us.
There is no one who is saved who is not a member of the Body of Christ, and there is no one who is a member who does not have a gift or function. If there is a member who seems not to have any function, it is because he has not given Christ the opportunity to develop and mature in him. Hence, we have to pray, to come back to the Lord, to put ourselves aside, and to entrust ourselves entirely to the Lord. No matter what we do, we have to look to the Lord so that to the extent that the saints have received gifts, to that extent they will exercise their gifts. How much of our gift we can exercise is based on how much the life in us has developed. The development of this life is based on our fellowship with the Lord, and our fellowship with the Lord is based upon our love for the Lord.
Thus, we have to love Him and consecrate ourselves to Him. We have to deal with anything that we sense is not according to His heart. If our fellowship with the Lord is not that deep or intimate, we need the Lord to have mercy on us that we would strengthen our fellowship with Him and allow Him to have the ground in us in a deeper way. When the Lord has the ground in us, the Holy Spirit will have the ground in us, and our spiritual gift will be manifested. In this way the Body of Christ will function, the condition of the church will be normal, and God will be able to gain true worship.
