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We have seen that the expression of Christ is the church. But how can the church be expressed? Christ is expressed through the church, but how is the church expressed? We must see the expression of the church which is the expression of Christ.
Many people talk about the church as the expression of Christ, but after a little consideration we will ask, “Where is the church?” If we say that the church is the expression of Christ, then where is it? When people speak about the church as the expression of Christ, it sounds nice, but we must put nice things into practice. If you were to talk with me, I would reply, “Brother, it sounds good, but how can I get into it? It is marvelous that the church is the expression of Christ, but I would like to be in it. Tell me where it is.”
If we were to ask this practical question to so many teachers who teach concerning the church as the expression of Christ, we would put them into the corner. Immediately, they would become embarrassed and entangled. They would be confused and find it difficult to answer.
The church as the expression of Christ is so heavenly, so spiritual, and so wonderful. But we want to get into it; we want to have it! Since it is so heavenly and so wonderful, where is it? Where can we find such a wonderful thing?
The teachers may tell us that it is too spiritual and that it is not something of this earth but in the heavens. If this is the case, it is impossible for the church to be in any locality on this earth, and we must conclude that we will have to wait for eternity. Thus, there is no reason for us to have the church today, and it is needless to talk about the things of the church today. If we must wait for eternity, it is unnecessary to care for the church now.
You see, this is the problem. People have seen just one aspect but not the other. Regarding the church, there are two terms in the Bible: “the church of God” (1 Cor. 10:32) and “the churches of God” (11:16). Is the church one or many? The church of God is universal, but the churches of God are expressed in so many localities.
The church is the expression of Christ, but how can the church be practically expressed? Only by the local churches, by one church in each locality. As the expression of Christ, the church is universally one, but it is expressed in many, many local churches.
The church could never be expressed without the local churches. Every local church is the practical expression of the church. This is why in Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus mentioned the building of the church upon the rock. But in Matthew 18:15-20 the Lord said something about the local church. The church mentioned in Matthew 18 must be a local church, because it is a place where we can go. The Lord said that if you have some problem with a brother, go to him first. If he listens to you, the problem is solved. But if he does not, you must bring one or two with you to witness to him, expecting him to listen to them. If he still does not listen, then you are to bring the problem to the church. Of course, this must be the local church. It could not be the universal church. We could never bring a problem to the universal church.
Suppose you have a problem with a brother. Do you have a church to go to? Is there a place in your locality where you can go? If not, there is no practical expression of the church in your city.
What is the practical expression of the church which is the expression of Christ? It is the local churches. Without local churches there is no possibility for the church to be expressed. Without local churches the church only becomes a kind of term; it becomes something in the heavens, something in the future, something for us to look forward to but not so real and practical today on this earth.
According to the Bible, however, the church is exceedingly practical. In Matthew 18 the Lord Jesus tells us that if we have a problem with a brother and it cannot be solved with two or three brothers, we must bring it to the church. There is no doubt that this is the local church in practicality.
Then in the book of Acts we immediately see the first expression of the church on the earth: “The church which was in Jerusalem” (8:1). It does not speak of the church in the heavens, but the church in Jerusalem. It is a local church, and this local church is the expression of the universal church. In Acts 13:1 there is the local church in Antioch. This is another expression of the church, another local church. Now we can see one church with at least two expressions: one is in Jerusalem; the other in Antioch. All local churches are the expressions of the one (universal) church.
As we continue through the New Testament, we see “the church which is in Cenchrea” (Rom. 16:1) and “the church of God which is in Corinth” (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1). The Bible never speaks of churches in one place but always of the church in a certain place—in other words, the church in Jerusalem, the church in Antioch, the church in Cenchrea, and the church in Corinth. Every local church is an expression of the one church. The church is one, but the expressions of the church are many, and these many expressions of the church are the local churches. “The churches of Judea” (Gal. 1:22; 1 Thes. 2:14), “the churches of the Gentiles” (Rom. 16:4), the churches of Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:41), “every church” in every place (1 Cor. 4:17; Acts 14:23), “the churches of God” (1 Cor. 11:16), “the churches of Christ” (Rom. 16:16), “all the churches of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33), and “all the churches” (7:17) mentioned in the New Testament refer to local churches, which were many local expressions of the one universal church in the first century on this earth both in the Jewish world and in the Gentile world.
Regarding the local churches, three provinces of the ancient Roman Empire are mentioned in the New Testament: Asia, Galatia, and Macedonia. Because Asia, Galatia, and Macedonia were all provinces, the Bible mentions “the churches of Asia” (1 Cor. 16:19), “the churches of Galatia” (Gal. 1:2; 1 Cor. 16:1), and “the churches of Macedonia” (2 Cor. 8:1). There were many churches in one province because there were many cities in a province.
In one province you may have many churches, but in one city you should not have many churches. One city should only have one church, one local church. So Revelation 1:11 tells us that in the province of Asia there were at least seven local churches in seven cities. There was a church in the city of Ephesus, in the city of Smyrna, in the city of Pergamos, in the city of Thyatira, in the city of Sardis, in the city of Philadelphia, and in the city of Laodicea. In each one of these seven cities, there was one local church. In many cities there are many local churches, but in one city there must be only one local church. The local churches are the expressions of the one universal church. When we say the practical expression of the church, we mean the local churches.
We are all aware of the confusion of the denominations and how wrong they are. There is no need to mention them. But I do have a burden to speak of the so-called free groups. I have read some books and heard many teachers say that wherever two or three are meeting together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is the church. This kind of writing and speaking, in a sense, encourages people to meet just by two or three, especially in today’s confusion and differences of denominations. People see the evil influence of the denominations, so they decide to meet in their homes or other places based upon the principle of meeting by two or three.
The scriptural ground used by all those meeting by two or three is Matthew 18:20. But they actually misinterpret, misuse, and even usurp this verse. They say, “The Lord Jesus tells us that where two or three are meeting in His name, He will be in their midst. Is not this good enough? Is not this the church?” Some Christian teachers, based upon this verse, even insist that there is no need of the local church. They say that as long as two or three meet in the name of the Lord Jesus, it is the church. A number of people have been influenced by this kind of teaching. They simply do not care for the principle of one local church in one city. They think that as long as two or three meet in the name of the Lord, they also are the church. But if we read Matthew 18 carefully, we will see that two or three cannot be the church if there are more believers in one locality. It tells us clearly that if we have some problem which cannot be resolved with two or three believers, we must bring the problem to the church.
Let us read Matthew 18:15-20 again in order to have the Word accurately impressed upon us. Then we can never be led astray. “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not hear you, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church [The church is another body, including the two or three]; and if he refuses to hear the church also, let him be to you just like the Gentile and the tax collector. Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens. For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.”
In these verses the Lord’s word is very clear and definite that two or three meeting in His name are one thing, and the church is another; the two or three cannot be the church, but only a part of the church, if there is in their locality a church existing of more than two or three. Therefore, even if we meet in the name of the Lord by two or three, having the Lord in our midst, we still cannot be the church if our number of two or three does not include all the saints in our locality. To have the Lord’s presence is one thing, but to be the church is another. This passage does not mean that to have the Lord’s presence means that we are the church. We must all be definitely clear that this kind of teaching about two or three meeting in the name of the Lord to be the church is absolutely wrong! This kind of inaccurate teaching has opened and still opens the back doors for division and confusion. It encourages and justifies divisions. If we take this kind of back door, there will be no limitation to us and no lessons for us to learn. The local church—that is, only one church in one city—is a real restriction and a real limitation. But praise the Lord, this restriction is a kind of protection. When we are restricted, we are protected.
Do not accept this kind of teaching of two or three meeting together to be the church. It is really dangerous. If you take this teaching, a time will come when you will feel unhappy with those with whom you are meeting. You will look at Brother So-and-so and say that you simply do not like him. Of course, he is probably one of the leading ones in the meeting. As you look at the others, you will think that some are not so bad, but most of them you simply do not like. Later, you will speak with someone: “Brother, what do you feel about these people here?” He will probably have the same feeling. Then you two will come together to pray, seeking the Lord’s mind. The more you pray, the more you are burdened that you must start another meeting in one of your homes, and you feel that this is of the Lord. You say, “We should not follow man; we have to follow the Spirit. Moreover, we have the scriptural ground in Matthew 18:20. The Lord is not so narrow. He is merciful. As long as we call upon Him, He will be good to us.”
This is the real situation today. But we must be made clear by the Lord’s Word that to meet in the Lord’s name and have the Lord’s presence and blessing in our midst is one thing, while the church is another. We should not confuse these two. Regardless of how good the Lord is to us, the one can never be the other.
You may love the Lord and help many people to be saved. Perhaps in the beginning you only had two or three, but in half a year you may have fifteen. Then in another six months you may have twenty-five or possibly more. But parents always produce children after their kind. So after about two years, two or three brothers among your new group will feel unhappy with you because you are now the leaders, and they will repeat your previous performance. They will consult and pray until they feel that they should form another meeting of two or three. They feel that they have the Lord’s leading and the scriptural ground in Matthew 18:20. They will do exactly as you did.
In this way, the divisions will be endless. Yet all the groups are in the same city, and in some places the different meetings are not distant from one another. They are not only in one city but also in close proximity. All of them claim to be meeting in the name of the Lord and testify that they have the presence of the Lord. The Lord has really answered their prayers, they say, and they have brought a good number of people to the Lord. They will ask, “If we are wrong, how could the Lord answer our prayers and bless us?”
But if we take this way, there will be no lessons for us to learn. There will be no limitations and no restrictions—only many back doors and “fire escapes.” Please listen to the clear word of the Lord. The church in the universe is one, and the expression of the church in any locality must also be uniquely one. There is no choice. If we mean business with the Lord for the Body life and the oneness of His Body, why must we be separated? Why do we not come together as one unique local expression of the church since we are all in the same city?
If I am in a certain city, regardless of how I feel about those who are meeting there as the unique local church and regardless of how they treat me, I have no choice. I have to learn the lesson of the cross. I must learn the lesson of brokenness and self-denial. I have no ground, no right, and no standing to start another church in that locality as long as a unique one is there already. I must be restricted and limited. This is the real lesson.
The first year I went to Shanghai was in 1933. At that time there was a brother in the church who was exceedingly active. He invited me to his home, and we had some fellowship. For a short time I thought this brother was quite good, but not long after, I discovered that he was exceedingly ambitious to be one of the elders. But he was not the right person to be an elder, so he was not confirmed as one. Then he became a real problem to the church life because he was ambitious to be one of the elders. The church was very patient with him for fifteen years. But in 1948 he established a meeting in his home and turned his back upon the church.
Thus, we see that without the limitation of the unique local church, we are free to behave as we like, and there is no lesson for us to learn.
We must read Matthew 18:15-20 again and see not only the church but also the authority of the church. There is restriction and limitation. How I thank the Lord for His restriction and limitation through the church. Many times we wanted to do something, but because of the limitation and restriction of the church, we could not do as we pleased. We felt somewhat unhappy at the time, but later, when we looked back, we had to say, “Lord, how we thank You. That was a real protection and blessing to us.” It was not only an outward blessing but also a subduing and reducing of the self. We all must be reduced and restricted.
By the Lord’s wisdom and sovereignty, wherever there is a local church, that must be the unique expression of the Lord’s Body in that city. If we are going to stay in that locality, we must be one with that church. Then we will learn the lessons, and there will be no divisions, back doors, or “fire escapes.” Every side will be closed. We must be restricted. But praise the Lord, it is by these restrictions that we are protected. The expression of the church is the local churches, and a local church is always unique. It is this unique expression of the church in every locality that is a lesson and restriction to us as well as a protection.
We must not be confused by today’s situation but simply come back to the pure light of the Bible. Christians today have not seen clearly and definitely that the expression of the church is the local churches. Some always consider that wherever and whenever Christians meet together, it is good enough. This kind of consideration has been much encouraged by many Christian teachers and writers. Many messages and books encourage people to meet freely in their homes, on the campus, in the factories, and in so many quarters. People simply do not have the concept of the local church as the unique expression of the Lord’s Body in their locality.
We need to have our eyes opened, for if we have not seen the local church, we are in darkness and under a blindfold. We may think that we are right, but in reality we are entirely wrong. We need a clear vision of the Lord’s way concerning the church—that is, the local church is the unique expression of the church in every locality. If we see this vision, all problems will be solved.
The Lord’s recovery is mainly twofold: the spirit and the local expression of the church. We must have these two sides, these two aspects. The aspect of the spirit is for life, and the aspect of the local church is for the way. We need the life within, and we need the way without—the Lord will recover both.
In the past forty years the Lord has shown the church the need for the expression of the Body. But we must point out that the expression of the Lord’s Body is only in one unique way: the local church. Regardless of how much you talk about the expression of the Body and are for the expression of the Body, until you have a unique, proper, practical, and living local church in your locality, you can never have the proper expression of the Body.
Today we are in the recovery of the Lord. On one hand, the Lord has shown us that we must experience Him as the life-giving Spirit in our spirit all the time, and at the same time He has also directed us to come together as the proper expression of His Body on the unique ground of the locality where we live. This is the local church. It is so real, so practical, so living, yet so simple. We must not be influenced by the present situation of today’s Christianity but come back to the pure word of the Lord.
In the training meetings at Los Angeles in 1965, the Lord impressed us with two little phrases which we have never forgotten: in the spirit and on the ground. The one must be our life, and the other must be our standing.
