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Scripture Reading: 1 John 1:1-4; Acts 2:42; 2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1; Jude 3; 1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Tim. 4:7; Eph. 4:14; Gal. 5:20; 1 Cor. 12:28
I. The intrinsic fellowship of the churches:
А. The flow of the divine life among and through all the members of the organic Body of Christ — 1 John 1:1-4.
B. The unique fellowship of the apostles, which is uniquely and universally of all the members of the organic Body of Christ — Acts 2:42.
C. The fellowship of the Spirit in the regenerated spirit of all the members of the organic Body of Christ — 2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1.
D. The fellowship based on the unique belief (the faith) of all the members of the organic Body of Christ according to the teaching of the apostles — the unique teaching of the New Testament — Jude 3; 1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Tim. 4:7; Acts 2:42.
E. Any special fellowship based on any wind of teaching being one of the three factors (a special fellowship, a special name, and a special ground) of a sect — Eph. 4:14; Gal. 5:20.
II. The organic relationship of the churches:
А. The unique relationship of the unique church (the universal church composed of all the local churches) — 1 Cor. 12:28.
B. Based on the unique and universal fellowship among all the members of the organic Body of Christ — cf. Phil. 2:1.
C. Practiced uniquely and universally among all the local churches as the unique, organic Body of Christ — the unique church in the universe.
D. No relationship limited in a local autonomy, and no federated relationship, but a unique relationship among all the local churches in the unique and universal, organic Body of Christ.
In the last three chapters we have seen three intrinsic matters related to the church: the church’s intrinsic essence, intrinsic growth, and intrinsic building up. The fourth intrinsic matter is the intrinsic fellowship of the churches for their organic relationship. The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia, meaning “joint participation, common participation.” This is a very sweet term, but it is difficult to get the proper, accurate, adequate, and equivalent term in the English language. The problem is that the proper meaning of the term fellowship, along with many other crucial terms in the Bible, has been spoiled by the traditional or religious interpretation in Christianity. To some, fellowship is “socializing.” Many people go to the denominational services for this reason. They have some form of worship, but their main interest is in socializing with one another. We must drop such a degraded concept. Our understanding of fellowship should be according to the pure Word of God.
The intrinsic fellowship of the churches is the flow of the divine life among and through all the members of the organic Body of Christ (1 John 1:1-4). First John 1:1-2 says, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life (and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us).” The “Word” mentioned here is unique, not common. John also uses this term in his Gospel. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The unique Word was in the beginning. In eternity past there was the Word. The Word that was in the beginning was with God and was God. The Word in 1 John 1 is the same Word mentioned in John 1. In John’s Gospel he introduces us to this Word. In his Epistle he refers us to this same Word, who is God Himself.
This Word is the Word of life. God is life, the Word that is God is life to us, and this life was manifested. This life is the Lord Jesus Christ. When He was manifested in His flesh, He was manifested as life. If we prayerfully consider the record in the four Gospels with all the stories recorded concerning Jesus, we can see that in His human living, life was always manifested. The Lord Jesus was a person who manifested life. The disciples, including John, saw that life. Therefore, John could testify and report to us the eternal life, which was with the Father.
In the Gospel of John the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and tabernacled among the disciples (1:14). John is reporting to us that which he saw and heard. He had heard, seen, and even handled the Word of life, which is the eternal life. Now he is testifying and reporting to us the eternal life. Then John goes on to say that he reported what he had seen and heard, not that we might have “life” but that we might have “fellowship.” First John 1:3 says, “That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” At this point John uses another word to replace the word life. The apostles saw and heard life, and they reported life, but it was for a strong purpose. John was saying, “We report to you life with the strong purpose that you may have fellowship with us.” This is “our fellowship.” Ours refers to the apostles. Our fellowship, the apostles’ fellowship, is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. They report the Son as life to us that we may share this fellowship with them. Then in 1 John 1:4, John says, “These things we write that our joy may be made full.” The apostles would be happy to see that the believers would have what they have. What they have is fellowship with the Father and the Son. If the believers participate in this fellowship, they will be happy.
There are three major points we need to see when we study the significance of fellowship in the first four verses of 1 John 1. First, fellowship is something of the divine life. Second, this fellowship is the apostles’ fellowship. Third, the apostles expected to see that the believers would share in this fellowship. When we say that this fellowship is something of life, we mean that it is the flow of the divine life. It is the issue of the eternal life and is actually the flow of the eternal life within all the believers who have received and possess the divine life.
The divine life flows. At the conclusion of the Bible the last chapter of Revelation gives us quite a meaningful picture. There is the throne of God and of the Lamb (22:1). Out of this throne proceeds a current, a flow, which is the flow of the water of life, and this flow is a river. When a flow becomes a river, it is a very strong flow. The river in Revelation is the river of water of life (v. 1).
The last two chapters of Revelation present a picture of the New Jerusalem, a foursquare city that is a high mountain, twelve thousand stadia high (21:16-17). There are three gates on each of the four sides of the city (vv. 12-13). At the top of the mountain is the throne of God and of the Lamb. A river flows out from the throne and reaches every part of the city, because it spirals down the mountain from the throne and passes by all twelve gates of the city. There is only one river, flowing in the one street (22:1) and watering every part of the city. Since the river is a spiral, it will pass through everywhere in the holy city, no matter where you are in it. This is a physical picture showing us the invisible things of the Spirit.
Today God is on the throne. Surely, He is on the throne in the heavens, but if the throne were just in the heavens, it would be too far for us to reach. Hebrews 4:16 charges us to “come forward with boldness to the throne of grace.” If the throne of grace were so far away, we could not reach it during our morning watch with the Lord. When we come to the Lord in the morning, however, we can touch Him on the throne of grace right away. This is because the throne is not only in the heavens but also in our spirit (see footnote 1 on Hebrews 4:16, Recovery Version). A river flows out of the throne. Within us there is a river that not only flows but also spirals to reach every part of our being. According to the picture in Revelation, the river flows to reach all twelve gates of the entire city. This river of water of life is the fellowship of the divine life, which John speaks of in his first Epistle.
It may help us to understand this fellowship, this flow of the divine life, if we consider the circulation of blood in our human body. There is only one circulation of blood in our body, and it reaches every member of our body. No member of our physical body is independently autonomous of the other members. All the members of the body participate in the one blood circulation. There are many members but only one flow of blood. The intrinsic element of the human body is its blood. This circulation of blood in our human body is a picture of the intrinsic fellowship in the Body of Christ.
Whatever the church is, is intrinsic. It cannot be divided. The essence of the church is intrinsic, its growth is intrinsic, and its building up is intrinsic. Furthermore, the fellowship of the churches is also intrinsic, just as the blood circulation within our body is intrinsic. The local churches, as the unique, organic Body of Christ, cannot be separately autonomous since they participate in the one intrinsic fellowship, the one flow of the divine life.
If our physical body were divided into autonomies, we would be good for nothing but a funeral. The members of our physical body are not autonomous, nor are they federated together. The United States of America may be considered as an organized federation of fifty states. Our government is a federal government. The fifty states are not divided but federated together as one nation. The church, however, is neither autonomous nor federated because the church is not organized like a country. The church is the universal Body of Christ, an organism.
Our physical body is a picture of the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:4-5). Our body has only one head, yet there are many members under this one head. All the members have only one head, and according to the blood circulation with the nerves, every member is connected to the head directly. The blood circulation, however, does not reach the members directly. It must flow through other members. The picture we need to see is that the blood circulation in our body is intrinsically one. In like manner, the fellowship, the flow of life in the Body of Christ, is intrinsically and uniquely one. The flow of blood in our physical body is a good illustration of the fellowship, the flow of the divine life.
When we believed in the Lord Jesus, we were brought into this fellowship. When we called on the name of the Lord, we may say that the Spirit came into us, that God came into us, or that the divine life came into us. When we believed in the Lord Jesus, we received Him into us, and He is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17). The Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God, and the Triune God is the divine life. The One who is now in us is the divine life, which is the Triune God, who is the Spirit and who is Jesus Christ. The divine, eternal life is a person, Jesus Christ. This One is the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b), and this life-giving Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God. The consummation of the Triune God is within us as the divine life, and this divine life is flowing within us all the time. He is flowing within you, within me, and within all the members of His great, universal Body. Within His universal Body is one flow, the flow of the divine life, the current of the water of life. The water is the divine life, and the divine life is the Triune God. The Triune God flows!
The first stanza of Hymns, #12 says,
O God, Thou art the source of life,
Divine, and rich and free!
As living water flowing out
Unto eternity!
God is a flowing river who flows in all His chosen and redeemed believers. This flow is the fellowship of the divine life. According to 2 Corinthians 13:14, this is the fellowship within the Triune God. This verse says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” The Father is the source as love. Out of this love, grace comes forth through the Son. This grace through the Son reaches us as the fellowship of the Spirit, who is the consummation of the Triune God. The love of God in the grace of Christ becomes the fellowship, the flow, of the Holy Spirit. This fellowship has been neglected and even ignored by many Christians. Very few Christians know this flow. If you know this flow, you are greatly blessed.
The intrinsic fellowship of the churches is the unique fellowship of the apostles, which is uniquely and universally of all the members of the organic Body of Christ (Acts 2:42). The flow was first the fellowship of the divine life of the Divine Trinity. Then this fellowship was passed on to the apostles, who were among the first group of believers on earth. Therefore, this flow became the fellowship of the apostles. All the early apostles were in the flow of the divine life. Furthermore, in those early days all the believers continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles. There was only one teaching and one fellowship. The apostles did a wonderful work to impart the divine life into people and bring them into the flow of this divine life. This flow, this fellowship, became the new believers’ fellowship. Their fellowship was the fellowship of the apostles, and the fellowship of the apostles is the fellowship of the Triune God.
The three of the Godhead are fellowshipping among Themselves. This fellowship among the three of the Triune God is with the apostles, and it is also with us. We must realize that today in the universe there is a flow, which is just God Himself as the water of life flowing out of the Triune God through the apostles and into us. He not only flows into us but also through us into new believers. When we preach the gospel and the ones to whom we preach receive the Lord Jesus, we are giving them an “injection” of the water of life. When they receive the water of life, they are brought into this wonderful fellowship.
We may not fully understand this fellowship, yet it is a wonderful fact. Whenever we meet a genuine believer, no matter what nationality or race he may be, something “jumps” within us. This experience may be compared to what happened when Mary, the mother of Jesus, went to see Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb (Luke 1:41). Something within her was leaping. John the Baptist exulted (v. 44) upon meeting the Savior, while both of them were still in their mothers’ wombs. We may say that there was a fellowship between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ even before they were born. Today we are the “mothers” who have the Lord Jesus within us. When we Christians meet one another, something within us “jumps.” We have to go along with the “jumping” within us. That inward “jumping” is the intrinsic fellowship.
This intrinsic, unique fellowship is among all the members of the Body of Christ to make them one, regardless of their outward differences in race or culture. When I was a youth, the Chinese people hated the Japanese because they had invaded China. I was brought up in that atmosphere, but the Lord saved me, and in 1933 I was called by the Lord to quit my job and serve Him full time. The same day that I dropped my job, I received an invitation from Manchuria, inviting me to speak. While I was speaking there, some Japanese believers came to me, told me that they were Christians, and invited me to come to their place to share with them. I went to their place and met with them according to their custom. Even though I had grown up in an atmosphere in which there was much hatred for the Japanese people, something was “jumping” within me as I met with them because they were my Christian brothers. I loved them, and I was so happy to meet with them. My love for them was something in the flow of the divine life, the fellowship, within me.
If we follow the intrinsic fellowship, there will be no problems between us. When we are centered on the outward things, trouble comes. In some places in the United States the white people and the black people would not meet together to worship the Lord. This is because of their centering on outward things rather than on the intrinsic fellowship. Problems among the saints are also due to focusing on something outward rather than on the intrinsic fellowship of life.
Christians love one another until they focus on outward things such as what group they meet with or what doctrines they agree on. One Christian may believe in pre-tribulation rapture, and another believes in post-tribulation rapture. They may argue and fight over their doctrinal disagreements. As long as we are centered on doctrines, there will be division. There are many doctrines, but there is only one intrinsic fellowship. If we care only for the intrinsic fellowship, the flow of the divine life, which is like the blood circulation in our body, we will be fine. We must limit ourselves to the flow, the fellowship of the divine life. We should live in and care for this intrinsic fellowship, which is of the Triune God, of the apostles, and of all the believers.
The intrinsic fellowship of the churches is the fellowship of the Spirit in the regenerated spirit of all the members of the organic Body of Christ (2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1). Second Corinthians 13:14 refers to the “fellowship of the Holy Spirit,” and Philippians 2:1 mentions “fellowship of spirit,” indicating the human spirit. Therefore, the intrinsic fellowship is of the divine Spirit residing in our human spirit.
We believers come from many different backgrounds and cultures. Regardless of our differences outwardly, however, we all have the same intrinsic fellowship. Japanese, Korean, black, and white all become one in this fellowship. If we do not follow the outward things but follow only our spirit with the Spirit, we are in the flow. In the Lord’s recovery we practice this universal oneness in the flow of the divine life. Many have testified that our meetings are a wonder because all the races are meeting together as one. We can meet as one because we care only for the intrinsic fellowship.
The fellowship is based on the unique belief (the faith) of all the members of the organic Body of Christ according to the teaching of the apostles — the unique teaching of the New Testament (Jude 3; 1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Tim. 4:7; Acts 2:42). We all have to know our faith, the objective faith. This faith is our Christian belief, the things in which we believe, not our believing act. All the members of the organic Body of Christ have a fellowship that is based on the faith, the unique belief. Whatever we believe is according to the teaching of the apostles, the unique teaching of the New Testament.
The fellowship among believers must not be based on any wind of teaching (Eph. 4:14). If our fellowship is based upon different teachings that are winds, these teachings will be one of the three factors of a sect: a special fellowship, a special name, or a special ground. Any of the three will cause us to become a sect or division (Gal. 5:20). Therefore, we must avoid any special fellowship, which is based on any wind of teaching.
The organic relationship of the churches is the unique relationship of the unique church — the universal church composed of all the local churches (1 Cor. 12:28). Today in the Lord’s recovery there are about eleven hundred fifty churches throughout the earth. There are many local churches, but there is only one unique, universal, and intrinsic fellowship, which is for the organic relationship of the churches.
The elders of each of the local churches should consider what kind of relationship they have with the other churches. Is their relationship limited to the brothers in their locality, or are they in fellowship with all the churches in the Lord’s recovery? The leading brothers in a certain locality may have “private talks” with one another. When another leading brother from another locality comes to join them, they may then stop their talk. Before the other leading brother joined them, they talked freely. When he arrived, they stopped their talk. This leading brother was excluded from their private relationship. Two churches may be very close to one another geographically, yet their relationship is separate. These two churches may not want to let each other know about their affairs. It is hard to see two elders from two different churches talking freely. Do not misunderstand what I am trying to say here. I am not for the federation of the churches, nor am I for their autonomy. I am only for the unique and universal fellowship, which is for the organic relationship among all the churches. The relationship of every church should be the unique, universal fellowship of the divine life. In this fellowship the churches should not have anything private, except certain cases of individuals involving confidential and personal matters.
Some may say, “Don’t the churches keep their accounts separately?” Two leading brothers may be talking about their financial situation locally, but when a leading brother from another locality joins them, they may change the subject. They want to keep their account private. But our finances are not something that we need to keep secret. There is nothing wrong with a poor local church, which is short of money, fellowshipping with some other churches to let these churches know their need. Otherwise, how can one church discover the needs of another? There may be a church that is quite rich, having a large surplus of funds. If this church does not have the liberty to ask concerning another church’s needs, how will it be able to help? The surplus of a local church is not just their surplus. It is the surplus of the Body. It is altogether right for a rich church to tell the poor churches that they have a surplus. It is also right for the poor churches to tell the rich ones about their needs. One church may have material surplus, whereas three other churches may be in desperate need. If our relationship is limited only to our locality, the Body of Christ suffers greatly.
What I am talking about is not the way of federation. We do not want to have a federation. The way we should take is the way based upon the unique and universal fellowship of the churches. Some brothers overseeing a needy church in a certain locality may be too proud to tell the other churches that they are in need. This is wrong. This kind of pride causes separation. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this needy church taking the opportunity to fellowship with another local church who has more money. The church who has the surplus should consider the need of the needy church as their need. The Bible frequently charges us to take care of those in need. If we care for individuals in this way, should we not care for the churches in the same way? The churches are not divided or separated, regardless of how far they are from one another geographically. The churches are one. How good it is that the churches can go on together in oneness!
The churches should not keep matters related to their going on with the Lord private, but as we have mentioned, there are individual cases within a local church that must be kept private. If someone is in immorality or some sinful situation, this must be a private matter within that local church. Such matters should be kept secret. To expose the personal matters of others that are shared with us in confidence is unlawful. Medical doctors are not allowed to expose the defects of their patients. Pastors are not allowed to publicly expose the moral failures of their church members. This is unlawful. A local church is not for condemning people. It is for rescuing, recovering, and loving people. The church has not been commissioned to condemn people or to “arrest” people like a police station. A local church should be a loving organ that loves the sinners, the backsliders, and the fallen ones. Its function is not to condemn but to rescue.
Galatians 6:1 says that if one among us is overtaken by some offense, we should exercise a spirit of meekness to recover him. A part of the word recover is the word cover. When we are attempting to recover someone, we must cover him. To cover is to protect. We should protect a sinful one. This does not mean, however, that we tolerate the sin. We cannot tolerate the sin, but we must take care of the sinful matter privately with a view to rescuing the sinning one. There is no need for other churches to know about this kind of situation.
For the need and going on of the churches, however, there is the need of much fellowship. All the local churches are one church. There is an organic relationship among all the churches. Their relationship is not organizational. The relationship of the churches must be organic according to the divine life and based on the organic fellowship of the divine life. If we keep this view, we will be saved from many problems.
When the first group of apostles was on the earth, the churches were organically one. After a time, however, the churches began to degrade and became divided. In the beginning of the fourth century, in A.D. 325, Constantine called a council at Nicaea. He presided over that council to force all the principal teachers of that day to be one. Eventually, the issue of this kind of endeavor was the formation of the Catholic Church. Actually, there is nothing wrong with being “catholic” in the proper sense. To be catholic is to be universal or all-inclusive. In the proper sense all the churches should be “catholic”; they should be universally one. The word catholic, however, has been spoiled. The Catholic Church has created a great hierarchy. This hierarchy came out of the erroneous teaching of Ignatius that an overseer, a bishop, is higher than an elder. From this erroneous teaching came the hierarchy of bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and the pope in the Catholic Church. This teaching is also the source of the episcopal system of ecclesiastical government. Such hierarchy annuls the headship of Christ. We should hate such a hierarchical practice.
When the Brethren were raised up, they strongly attacked the hierarchical practice of Catholicism. Eventually, however, the Brethren became divided over their doctrinal teachings. John Nelson Darby was accused of attempting to unify the churches in the way of federation. One teacher, G. H. Lang, in reacting against Darby, taught that every local assembly should be autonomous. This teaching of autonomy ruined the Brethren, causing division after division.
In relation to the church, the practice of autonomy is wrong, and the practice of federation is also wrong. The church is neither federated nor autonomous. We should care only to practice the Body life of the church as the organism of the Triune God. In the Lord’s recovery we do not practice autonomy or federation. We only have a practice based upon the unique and universal fellowship in the Body of Christ. The church in one locality should not have the attitude that they have nothing to do with the church in another locality. We have to admit that such an intrinsic realization of the separate, autonomous relationship of the churches has been creeping into and, even to some extent, has been existing in the recovery. This realization is intrinsically wrong. The churches should not practice having a separate, autonomous relationship among them. It is also wrong for the churches to practice a federated relationship. We should practice the unique relationship based upon the unique and universal fellowship of the Body of Christ.
The organic relationship of the churches is based on the unique and universal fellowship among all the members of the organic Body of Christ (cf. Phil. 2:1). This organic relationship is practiced uniquely and universally among all the local churches as the unique, organic Body of Christ — the unique church in the universe. The churches should have no relationship limited in a local autonomy, and no federated relationship, but a unique relationship among all the local churches in the unique and universal, organic Body of Christ.
