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Scripture Reading: Rom. 12:3
God desires to gain churches for the local expression of His Body. No matter how large a locality is or how many saved ones there are in a locality, God desires that the saved ones in that place be the local expression of the Body. God desires that we not only maintain the oneness of the church in our locality, bearing a testimony of oneness, but even more that we express the Body of Christ in our locality. In fact, the oneness of the church is the oneness of the Body. Most people, especially medical doctors, readily admit the fact that the best example of oneness is our physical body. Very few things are more one than a body. Although there are many members in a body, the members are one.
Medical students have to spend several years in order to study the human body in depth. After they have diligently studied the human body for a number of years, they realize that it is difficult to commit every body part and detail to memory. There are many parts in a human body, and each part is complicated. Although there are many parts, they function entirely as one body. Since we have a body, we have some realization of the extent to which a body functions as one. If there is something lacking in the oneness of our body, we sense it immediately and are hindered in our movement. Similarly, if something is wrong with the oneness in the Body of Christ, the whole Body is hindered in its movement. When we serve together on the ground of oneness, not only do we need to be one in our condition, but even more we need to express the Body. The brothers and sisters may not have much feeling in regard to this point, but if the Lord opens our eyes to see the Body of Christ, such a seeing of the Body will subdue our whole being.
If God desired that each one of us be an individual Body, it would have been very convenient. However, God desires that we, though many, become one Body; this is rather difficult for us. When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, only twelve disciples were with Him, and they had quite a number of arguments and disputes. Today there are more than twelve people in the church. In the church in Taipei alone we have more than two thousand people. How can we become one Body? If we desire not to fight but to become one in the Body, one basic issue needs to be resolved; that is, every one of us needs the Lord’s dealing. Being dealt with in this regard is not to be dealt with in regard to defects or mistakes but in regard to our person. If the brothers and sisters continue to have the “I” in them, they cannot be members of the Body. If we would be members of the Body, our “I” must go.
To be a member, we must not have the “I.” We may use a simple illustration. Suppose a few brothers and I are serving the Lord together, either as elders or as responsible ones in the districts. In order to serve together, we must come together to discuss things. Hence, one day we may need to go to the place where we meet, and one brother may suggest that in order to save time we should hire a taxi. However, I may think that hiring a taxi costs too much and that we can get there by each riding a bicycle. While one party wants to save time, the other party wants to save money. Consequently, there may be an argument among us, and some may end up going by taxi, but I may declare that I dare not ride in the taxi. I may say that I dare not, but actually I am declaring that since my suggestion was not adopted, I do not want to be one with those taking the taxi. To be in coordination means that we need to put aside our own opinion. It is good to go by taxi, by bicycles, or even by foot. None of these ways offends the Lord or damages the Lord’s testimony. It does not matter which way we take. While the motive of some brothers is to save time, others may want to save money. In any case, if the brothers decide to go by taxi, I should not have another feeling and should simply go joyfully with the brothers in a taxi. Not only should I not have an opposing attitude, I should not even have any negative feeling concerning the matter.
We should not think that it is a small matter to argue about means of transportation. Actually, from the Lord’s perspective everything we do today is small. If we are faithful over small matters, the Lord can eventually set us over more important matters (Matt. 25:21). Often we are severely tested and tried in regard to small matters. Satan often tests us using small matters. In the previous example, I might harbor a thought in my heart that the brothers are wasteful. Due to having a problem and a negative feeling within, I will be filled with the presence of the “I.” When I first began to serve the Lord, I was quite young. One day a senior co-worker fellowshipped with me regarding one point that I cannot forget. This one thing has become a help to me over the years. He said to me, “Brother, we have risen up to serve the Lord because we have seen the light concerning the church. Hence, we should not serve the Lord in an organization.” At that time we were willing to serve the Lord on a pure and clean ground; thus, we found a small place and began to meet there.
One day we were about to preach the gospel, and an argument arose among us. Why would people such as we who serve the Lord argue so much? Our argument was due to a small matter, that is, whether or not to close or open a certain door. The place we were renting was located next to a street with no walls to separate the houses from the street. The door of the rented place opened directly to the street. One party proposed that we should close the door during the meeting time, but another party wanted to open the door so that it would be convenient for people to come and go. We were all brothers serving the Lord; nevertheless, we could not be one, because one side wanted to open the door, and the other side wanted to close the door.
During that time I went to the meeting hall almost every day. When I arrived at the hall, I would open the door and use two stools to hold the door open. After the meeting began and people started to trickle in, an elderly brother would immediately close the door. What he did caused me to feel uneasy within. Then one meeting would be finished, and after two hours the next meeting would begin. I would open the door again as I had done before, and soon afterward the same brother would close the door. The two of us did not have oneness in regard to this small thing; hence, we were divided over a small matter. This experience became a deep warning to me. Later, a senior co-worker rendered help to me; he said, “Not only is that brother who closed the door fleshly; you too are fleshly. Actually, there is nothing worth arguing about in regard to opening or closing a door. Not only in small matters like this, but even in large matters, there is nothing worth arguing about.” Can we not refrain from arguing with those with whom we serve in the church life? Only when we do not argue will we not offend God.
In contrast, if someone were to stand up and say, “Jesus is not God,” not only should we dispute this, but we should also speak to him in a strong way, saying, “If you do not repent, I cannot serve the Lord together with you.” Because this matter concerns the truth, it is not a small matter like opening or closing a door. In serving the Lord, we will encounter severe tests, particularly in regard to small things; Satan always hides himself in small matters in order to tempt us. Many times it is because of small things that the brothers are not in one accord. For instance, when the brothers go to visit the saints without one accord, one brother will agree only with his own way and another will simply do whatever he wants. In the end no one will do any visiting, and each will say, “Forget about it. If you want to go, you go. But I will do it according to my way.” Such discord is often not in regard to large matters but is related to small matters. Small matters are a serious test to the brothers and sisters and are the source of many of our problems.
When the responsible brothers say that it is time for us to preach the gospel, we may say, “How can we preach the gospel when the spiritual atmosphere is so cold? We should do the work of edification first.” We might think to ourselves, “If they insist on preaching the gospel, they will surely fail.” If one day their preaching proves to be a failure, we might say, “Did I not tell you that this way does not work?” Surely such speaking will satisfy our self and vindicate that our view is higher and our suggestions are better. However, we must remember that in this matter there is no right or wrong; neither is there a regulation or standard concerning how things should be done. We can preach the gospel first, or we can edify first. The Lord Jesus is our Savior. Regardless of whether we preach the gospel first or endeavor to edify the saints first, He will continue to be our Savior. If we preach the gospel now, He is the Savior, and if we preach the gospel two weeks later, He will still be the Savior. If you feel that you should preach the gospel, we thank and praise the Lord. If you feel that you should not, we also thank and praise the Lord. Whether we preach the gospel or not, we still need to come together and pray. Whenever we encounter a situation in which there is a dispute, if we pray together, the result will be that we will follow the Lord’s feeling and allow the Lord’s will to be carried out.
Please remember that it is only when we coordinate together to serve, not when we merely unite together, that we are the Body. Only when we are serving together and there is neither “you” nor “I” is there the Body. When there is “you,” there is no Body, and when there is “I,” there also is no Body. If “I” is here, there is no way to have the Body, and if the life of “I” is here, the life of the Body is absent. We should use all our strength and even be willing to be martyred in order to guard the matters of the Lord’s person and the basic truths related to Him. Besides this, we are all brothers and sisters, and there is nothing worth arguing about in regard to our service.
If we are serving with a responsible brother who wants to meet at midnight, we should not argue about it, neither should we have much feeling about it. The Lord Jesus is still the Savior whether we meet at noon or midnight. We should have nothing to argue about. If we are a responsible one, we may fellowship regarding our feeling with the brothers and sisters. However, no matter what the brothers feel to do, we should not argue nor have any feeling whatsoever. This requires that our self, that is, our natural man, be dealt with. We need to receive such a serious dealing. In our coordination in the service, we should not argue. There is no need for us to argue about anything other than the person of the Lord and the basic truths. By the Lord’s mercy and His grace, there is absolutely no dispute among us today concerning the Lord’s glorious person and concerning the basic truths. If any dispute exists among us, it must be due to the presence of the flesh and the “I.” If it were not due to the presence of the flesh and the “I,” there would be no opinions for us to argue about.
In our service we desire to serve not only in oneness but also in the Body. The service in the Body comes from growth in life. In order for a locality to experience the Lord’s presence and God’s blessing, it must manifest the Body in that locality. In the Body there is no difference in rank. No one is higher, and no one is lower. No one is greater, and no one is smaller. Strictly speaking, in the church there is no high or low, and there is no great or small. The Lord Jesus said, “It shall not be so among you; but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave” (Matt. 20:26-27). Hence, whoever wants to be great will be a servant and will learn to serve others. In the Body there is no high nor low and no great nor small. There is only the cross.
The entire New Testament emphasizes three major points: the cross, the church, and the kingdom. The cross produces the church, and the church ushers in the kingdom. Without the church, the kingdom of God cannot be ushered in. The Lord said, “Upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens” (16:18-19). When there is the church, there can be the kingdom. The church ushers in the kingdom. However, we must remember that the church is produced entirely out of the cross. If there is no cross but only the natural man, there is no church. In contrast, if there is the cross and no natural man, there is the church. We must be dealt with by the cross.
If Christians gather together and do not receive the dealing of the cross, there cannot be the reality of the church among them. If we would have the reality of the church among us, the cross must also be among us. The cross must do a severe work within each one of us until we are all terminated one by one. In this way, although we are physically present, the “I” is no longer present. Every “I” is on the cross. Pride is “I,” arrogance is “I,” opinion is “I,” and insisting on our way of doing things is also “I.” In the church there cannot be an “I.” The “I” must be placed on the cross. If there is an “I,” there is no church; thus, “I” must be on the cross. It is through the cross that the church is produced.
Today the resurrection life is in us in the same way as the resurrection life was in Jesus the Nazarene. This resurrection life lives within us, persons of flesh. When our life in the flesh passes through the cross, the resurrection life is manifested from within us, and this results in the presence of God. In this way God’s blessing is brought in, full of God’s abundance. This is the church of God and the glory of God. In the church the extent of the manifestation of God’s glory, the extent of God’s blessing, the extent of our enjoyment of God’s riches, and the extent of our touching God’s presence depend on how much we have been broken by receiving the dealing of the cross. We should not listen to or speak about this matter as a doctrine; rather, we should experience it day by day in our living.
Whenever we are making a proposal, we should sense that the Lord’s cross is present. Many brothers and sisters did not argue or fight when they loved the world instead of the Lord and did not care about anything related to the church. They were not interested in anything related to the church, because their attention was focused on the world. Such people certainly have no need to argue or fight. The sad thing is that when they receive grace and turn to love the Lord, they begin to serve the Lord with their opinions, demanding that others do things according to their way. They may have an opinion concerning the way we should read the Bible or concerning how we pray, whether we should pray loudly or quietly. At first they expect everyone to be the same as they are. Actually, no one should expect others to be the same. If we consider each one of us, no one has the same face. Each of our faces is unique. Moreover, some of us are big in stature, and some are small. None of us are exactly the same.
It is a pity that whenever we touch the things of the Lord, we tend to insist that others be the same as we are. Often we do not support or say Amen to those who are different from us, and we do not go along with them. For instance, we may feel that it is time to preach the gospel, but others may talk about having daily fellowship with the Lord and returning to His presence. If this is the case, we might condemn them for being mystics and say that they are taking the way of Madame Guyon. Consequently, a debate may ensue in which we clearly indicate that we disagree with them. Conversely, if we are persons learning to touch the Lord through fellowship, we may think that those zealous for the gospel are fleshly and that we should not take part in their activity. In both illustrations the “I” can be fully seen. If others are talking about fellowshipping with the Lord, although we may feel that this is the time to preach the gospel with zeal, we should say, “Thank and praise the Lord, for years I have not learned this lesson. I pray that the Lord would have mercy on me to open my eyes that I may see. I need to be broken and learn to fellowship with the Lord.”
Often when we are serving with others, we may observe them in order to see what kind of temperament and personality they have. If we are a slow person coordinating with a quick person, we may feel that we simply cannot serve with him. We may hold the opinion that a quick person cannot make it into the Holy of Holies and that because there are many curtains within the tabernacle, a person should not move too quickly. In fact, a person who walks quickly may be more spiritual than one who walks slowly. We should not measure others according to these things. These outward matters are all related to the flesh and according to our preference. It does not matter whether a person walks quickly or slowly; the Lord Jesus is still the Savior. When we serve the Lord together, any kind of proposal should be allowed. What matters are not the proposals but whether there is proper coordination. This is a matter of principle.
A brother may say, “The more a certain brother opens his mouth, the less I can say Amen to him, because my spirit does not respond.” We need not argue regarding whether or not our spirit responds; rather, we should be concerned about whether or not the “I” within us has the ground. We cannot say that we have never touched the Spirit in another brother’s prayers. When we touch God through one of his sentences, we should say Amen. In our coordination of service we must learn to always place ourselves under the cross. The brothers can propose anything as long as no proposal is from the “I,” and the brothers can do anything as long as the proposal from the “I” is placed under the cross. Whatever the brothers propose matters, but the proposal from the “I” does not matter. There is no “I” in coordination. If we serve together in this way, our problems will cease to exist, and in all our serving we will be filled with the Lord’s presence. There is no need to talk about submitting to authority or walking according to rules, and there is no need to talk about staying within the limit of our authority in our appointed service. There is even less of a need to inquire concerning whether and to whom the elders have granted the authority to decide what to do and what not to do.
Such considerations are important in the political arena and in secular society, but there is no such thing in the church of God. In the church there is only the cross. Every one of us — whether we are an elder, a deacon, or a brother or sister in a district meeting — should take the cross. If each of us takes the cross, there is no need to talk about authority, walking according to rules, the limits of one’s authority, or the right procedure for doing things. We need to see that a condition of harmony, one accord, and oneness is the proper condition of the Body. When each of us takes the cross, allowing the cross to crucify the “I,” the Holy Spirit will have the ground, Christ will have the sovereign rule over us, and God’s presence and God’s blessing will surely be among us. We do not need to exhort the brothers and sisters, because exhorting avails nothing. Neither do we need to help the brothers and sisters to make decisions or resolutions. We need only to share with them that the secret of the church life is to have no “I,” no self, that is, to live under the killing of the cross. This is not a doctrine but should be a reality in all our serving.
If the Lord would give us grace, we should learn to serve without the “I.” We are laboring and paying a price to serve; however, if we do not receive the Lord’s mercy, we may end up taking a man-made, mechanical way to carry out the church life. Only by taking the way of coordination in the Body will we be able to think so as to be sober-minded, not thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think (Rom. 12:3). It is only in this way that we can endeavor to function in our measure, in exactly the place that is suitable for the power of the Holy Spirit to be released and in which He is able to manifest His gift in every believer. As a result, the Lord’s presence, leading, blessing, and riches will be expressed among us. The key to all these matters is receiving the dealing of the cross.
