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Scripture Reading: Zech. 6:12-13; 1 Pet. 2:4-5; Rev. 22:1-2
In the Old Testament the offices of the priesthood and the kingship were never combined. However, Zechariah 6:12-13 says, “Thus speaks Jehovah of hosts, saying, Here is a man, whose name is the Shoot; and he will shoot forth from his place and will build the temple of Jehovah. Indeed, it is he who will build the temple of Jehovah; and he will bear majesty and will sit and rule on his throne; and he will be a priest on his throne; and the counsel of peace will be between the two of them.” This is a prophecy related to the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus is the Shoot of David (cf. Jer. 23:5). He will shoot forth from His place and build up God’s temple. In the building up of God’s temple, the Lord Jesus bears the offices of both the priesthood and the kingship. In Him these two offices are combined.
First Peter 2:4-5 says, “Coming to Him, a living stone...with God chosen and precious, you yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” These verses speak of our being built up together into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood. Then verse 9 says, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood.” The holy priesthood in verse 5 is referred to as a royal priesthood in verse 9. The word royal refers to kingship; hence, the offices of the kingship and the priesthood are also combined in the believers who are being built up together.
Revelation 22:1-2 says, “He showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street. And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” In the New Jerusalem the river of water of life proceeds out from the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street. The New Jerusalem has only one street. In the original Greek the word street is singular; there is only one street. Since the New Jerusalem has only one street, how can the three gates on each of the four sides lead onto the same street? It must be that the street spirals down from the highest point at the center to all four sides at the bottom.
The throne is at the center, the highest point of the New Jerusalem, which is twelve thousand stadia tall. The walls surrounding the New Jerusalem, however, are only one hundred forty-four cubits tall. This indicates that the city proper is like a mountain with a height of twelve thousand stadia. In order to enter the gates and walk on the street, the street must reach all twelve gates; so the street must spiral upward. The higher it rises, the smaller the circle must become until the street reaches the throne at the peak. From the vantage point of the throne at the peak, however, the street spirals downward, becoming an expanding circle until it reaches the last circle at the base by all twelve gates.
On this street there is a river of water of life. Just as the street spirals downward, the river also flows downward. In addition to a river, there is also the tree of life. The word tree in the original language is also singular; there is only one tree. This tree is like a vine spiraling downward with the river, and its branches grow along the sides of the river, producing twelve kinds of fruit. These signs are very meaningful. They are more than just a beautiful picture; they are a picture of the Triune God as God, the Lamb, and the Spirit, who is symbolized by the water of life. The tree grows on the sides of the river, and the river in the middle of the street proceeds out of the throne continuously. Everyone who enters a gate, regardless of which gate, steps onto this street, drinks of the river in the middle of the street, and eats of the tree.
Recently, the Lord has been doing a strong work in the church. Many saints are willing to be built up according to the blueprint of God, and they also are willing to build up others by the Lord’s grace. There is a strong desire and feeling related to the building up of the church within all the saints here in Taipei. In our bread-breaking meetings and in our prayer meetings many saints are expressing their desire for this experience. This is evidence that the Lord is building up His church. When the responsible brothers brought this matter to the Lord and fellowshipped with one another, we all felt that one thing needed to be worked out in order for the building among us to progress. This matter involves our need for fellowship and blending in the spirit.
According to the revelation in the New Testament, those who have been redeemed by God are both the building material and the builders. The building up of those who are both the building material and the builders depends upon fellowship and blending. If we cannot fellowship and blend in the spirit, the building up will not be realized among us, no matter how much we speak of this matter.
We must see that the building up of the church is altogether a matter in the spirit. The building up of the church is not the result of forming a social group. A social group is easily formed when various members of a group contact and connect with one another. With a little organization and arrangement and with an orderly interaction among the members, a group can even increase in number. The building up of the church, however, cannot be accomplished in this way. Although the church is composed of human beings who are seemingly coordinated as a group of people, this is merely its outward appearance. The reality of the building up of the church is related to the saints being blended as one in the spirit. Strictly speaking, the building up of the church depends upon the spirits of the saints being blended as one. If the spirits of the saints cannot be blended together, the most that we will have is a human organization without the reality of the building up of the church. The building up of the church is entirely a matter of fellowship and blending in the spirit. When our spirits are released, there will be a blending in one spirit. This blending in the spirit is the real building up of the church. The building up of the church is a matter in life, as well as a matter in the spirit. This is the difference between the building up of the church and a social organization.
First Peter 2:5 says that the church is a spiritual house. This indicates that the church is a living house. A physical house has an outward structure but no spirit or life. However, the church has both Spirit and life; it is a living house. As a living house, the Spirit of God flows through the church, and the life of God is blended with the church. The Bible also speaks of the church as the Body of Christ and likens it to a body (Eph. 1:23; 1 Cor. 12:12). Since the church is likened to a body that has hands, eyes, and ears, it must be coordinated together, and there must be fellowship, like the circulation of blood. First Peter 2:2-5 shows that our being built up together depends on growing. Building comes out of growing; the church is a building that grows. Our growing up together is a matter of being joined together in the spirit.
Now that the saints have a positive and deep response related to the building up of the church, we should not rely merely upon more coordination, more contact, and more meetings. If this is our response, we will surely fall into an outward form of organization. In the end we will become a people who merely have the same aspiration and same goal and who are united together to form a good Christian organization. This, however, is not the genuine building up of the church. The genuine building up of the church may have the appearance of a proper human organization, but it is intrinsically a matter of fellowship and blending in the spirit. When our spirit is blended as one with the spirits of the saints and woven into one, this is the building up of the church.
When we observe the human body carefully, we see that there are two indispensable lines, or systems, that function in the human body. In spiritual terms these two lines are authority and fellowship. Authority is often described in relation to order and coordination. For example, my upper arm is below my head, my forearm is below my upper arm, my wrist is below my forearm, my palm is below my wrist, and my fingers are below my palm. From this order we can see the matter of authority at every level. If my wrist or upper arm becomes dislocated, my entire body will be affected. Thus, there is a line related to authority and order in the human body.
Our body also depends on the circulation of blood, which is its “fellowship.” Although there are many members in my body, there is only one circulation of blood. My hand cannot say that my blood serves only it, nor can my foot make this claim. Every member is connected with the other members in my body through the circulation of blood. Every member renders a supply to the other members and receives a supply from the other members. We depend completely on the authority and fellowship of the members of our body. If there is a problem with either line, our body will be sick.
When the Old Testament refers to the building up of God’s people, from the time of the building of the tabernacle until the end of the book of Malachi, it reveals that God regarded the Israelites as one entity, in which there was a line of authority and a line of fellowship.
As soon as the children of Israel were formed into a nation at the foot of Mount Sinai and began to participate in God’s building, there were two lines among them: one line, involving Moses, was the line of authority, and the other line, involving Aaron, was the line of the priests. Every time Moses stood up, he represented authority, and every time Aaron appeared, he represented fellowship. In the line of Moses there were elders, leaders of the tribes, leaders of families, leaders of thousands, and leaders of hundreds, and among these there was an order of authority (Exo. 18:25-26). In the line of Aaron there were the high priest, the priests, and the Levites, who represented fellowship with God.
The duty of the priests was to go into the Holy of Holies and fellowship with God. This was especially true related to the high priest. When he went into the Holy of Holies to fellowship with God, he bore the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on his breastplate; this means that he brought all the people of Israel before God so that the Israelites could fellowship with God (28:29-30). On his breastplate there were precious stones inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. He wore the breastplate in order to understand God’s heart’s desire and to bring God’s fellowship to His people. Thus, the high priest received and relayed God’s intention to God’s people. On one hand, he brought God’s people into fellowship with God, and on the other hand, he enabled God’s people to understand God’s intention. As a result, God’s people were in one accord.
Before the priest relayed God’s desire to His people, the twelve tribes of Israel could have had twelve different opinions. With regard to a particular matter, the tribe of Judah could have proposed one way, whereas the tribe of Benjamin could have proposed another way. The tribe of Dan could have suggested one thing, whereas the tribe of Naphtali could have suggested another. It could have been that every tribe had its own opinion so that it was not possible for them to be one. However, when the high priest brought the names of the twelve tribes before God on his breastplate and fellowshipped with God, he received God’s desire. When he came out from God’s presence and brought God’s fellowship to the twelve tribes, there was only one opinion, one view, and one feeling among the twelve tribes. They were in one accord, and this one accord was based on God’s fellowship.
The two lines among the Israelites—authority and fellowship—complemented each other. If authority had been exercised without fellowship, the children of Israel would have merely reflected a human arrangement. If fellowship had been practiced without authority, the children of Israel would not have been able to carry out the fellowship. If Moses and those under him—elders, leaders of the tribes, leaders of the families, leaders of thousands, and leaders of hundreds—only exercised authority, the children of Israel would have been in a human arrangement under man’s rule. However, Moses’ authority was always carried out in coordination with fellowship. Hence, the line of authority was not according to human arrangement or man’s rule. Furthermore, God’s fellowship was coordinated with God’s authority so that there was no confusion. When the high priest touched the desire of God’s heart in fellowship, this fellowship was carried out by God’s authority. Authority needs to be coordinated with fellowship, and fellowship needs authority in order to be carried out. Among the Israelites these two lines were always coordinated. They were like two cords that were entwined as one. The situation of the Israelites corresponds exactly to that of a physical body, in which there is authority, order, and the circulation of blood. Authority keeps order among God’s people, and fellowship produces a flow among God’s people.
When Moses died, Joshua was raised up as God’s authority, and Eleazar, the high priest, coordinated with him (Josh. 14:1; 19:51). Then during the time of the judges, the judges continued the line of authority from Joshua, and there were priests who coordinated with the judges. At the time of the judges the two lines were coordinated, even though the priesthood was more prominent.
In the age of the kings, David, Solomon, and the kings who followed them were in the line of authority. However, even during this time, David never neglected the line of the priests. As soon as David began to reign, he arranged the divisions of the priests for their service in order to recover the priesthood. Solomon also appointed the divisions of the priests for their service (2 Chron. 8:14). From the time of David onward, the priests and kings coordinated together. Before the children of Israel became desolate through captivity, these two lines existed continually. After returning from their captivity, the Israelites recovered both of these lines through Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest. Zerubbabel was in the line of authority, and Joshua the high priest was in the line of fellowship (Hag. 1:12, 14; 2:4). From this point forward, there was the coordination of authority and fellowship until the end of the Old Testament.
The entire record of the Old Testament shows that the children of Israel were coordinated like a body. In this body there were two systems: one related to authority and order and the other related to fellowship and flow. Whenever the two systems were working together properly, there was the building of God among them. When the tabernacle was being built, Moses, who represented authority, was properly coordinated with Aaron, who represented fellowship. When the temple was built, David and Solomon, who represented authority, were properly coordinated with the recovered priesthood. When the temple was rebuilt, Zerubbabel the governor, who represented authority, was properly coordinated with Joshua the high priest, who represented fellowship.
We must have such a clear view. God’s building depends upon His people being blended, and the blending of the people is maintained by the lines of authority and fellowship. Without the two lines of authority and fellowship the people of Israel would not have been able to be blended. The children of Israel could act as one man and maintain their oneness because of these two lines. There must be fellowship related to the priesthood and authority related to the kingship in order for God’s people to be blended as one for the accomplishing of God’s building.
If we consider the history of the children of Israel further, we will realize that every instance of desolation began with the priests. This indicates that desolation is a result of the loss of fellowship; that is, it is a problem related to fellowship. When the tabernacle was built, there was a positive situation because of the coordination of authority and fellowship. Gradually, however, problems arose among the priests. In the book of Judges the priesthood was nearly nonexistent. There was even an incident where a Levite was hired as a “family priest” (17:7-13). Once there is a problem with the priesthood, the kingship will be affected and cease to function properly. Whenever there is a problem with fellowship, there will also be a problem with authority. Hence, in the book of Judges the authority with the judges was mostly improper, and the priesthood continued to deteriorate. This was particularly obvious in the case of Eli, who represented the fellowship in the priesthood. When there was a problem with Eli, there was also a problem with the tabernacle, which had been built out of the coordination of authority and fellowship. In the time of Eli the Ark was taken from the tabernacle. The tabernacle became empty, and the Ark was without a covering; the two were separated (1 Sam. 4:3-18). At this time the Israelites fell completely into a situation of desolation.
When David and Solomon were raised up by God, the people of Israel were revived. As soon as David was raised up, he understood God’s desire and restored the priesthood. Although David was a king, he paid close attention to the recovery of the priesthood. He arranged the divisions of the priests and strengthened their service, to the extent that he even put on the priestly garment, the ephod (2 Sam. 6:14). In this regard, David is a type of the Lord Jesus, who joined the priesthood with the kingship.
Through proper fellowship and in coordination with the proper authority, the holy temple was built. The Israelites were completely revived, and the glory of God was manifested among them. Nevertheless, history often repeats itself. Eventually, there was a problem in regard to the priesthood. During the age of the kings the function of the priests was not always manifested. As a result, the doors of the temple would be closed, and no offerings would be made upon the altar. However, when a king was revived, he would open the doors of the temple and call the priests back to resume their service. He also would ask them to read the books of the law. In this way God’s people were brought back into fellowship with God, and God’s fellowship was brought to His people. In the books of 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles many kings were not proper before God, because they lost the coordination of fellowship in the priesthood. However, when a king was revived, there was a recovery of the priestly fellowship.
This situation continued until the temple in Jerusalem was torn down, and the people of Israel were taken into captivity. This was a second occurrence of desolation. After seventy years elapsed, they were revived again through the coordination of the priestly fellowship and authority. Through this coordination the holy temple was recovered and built up again.
According to the history in the Old Testament, the Israelites had three great revivals. The first revival involved their coming out of Egypt. Then through the coordination of fellowship and authority they built God’s tabernacle at the foot of Mount Sinai. The second revival took place with the rising up of the kings, such as David and Solomon, who built the temple through coordination with the priests. The third revival occurred when the children of Israel returned from the land of captivity. At this time the temple was rebuilt through the coordination of Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor. Then, under the leadership of Ezra the priest and Nehemiah the governor, more Israelites returned, and the city of Jerusalem was rebuilt. This record shows that every time the people of Israel were revived, there was building through the coordination of fellowship and authority. Whenever there was a coordination of fellowship and authority, God’s people were in a normal condition. However, whenever there was a loss of fellowship, there was desolation. With the loss of fellowship, the exercise of authority lacked balance, and their condition became abnormal.
Consequently, the recovery of a proper condition among the Israelites depended upon the coordination between fellowship, represented by the priesthood, and authority, represented by the kingship. When Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor returned to Jerusalem and began to rebuild the holy temple, the first thing that they restored was the altar. Later, under the leadership of Ezra the priest, the book of the law was restored. Through the priesthood God’s people were brought into fellowship with God, and God’s fellowship was brought to His people. This enabled Nehemiah to continue to restore Jerusalem, the holy city. The city represented the matter of authority, and Nehemiah, who was the governor, represented the line of authority. Joshua and Ezra represented the line of the priesthood, which restored fellowship with God. Zerubbabel and Nehemiah represented the line of authority, which restored matters such as administration, authority, and order. At this time both the holy temple and the holy city were recovered, and God’s people were brought back to a normal condition and formed into one entity.
The Old Testament presents a type, whereas the New Testament is the reality. On the day of Pentecost the number of disciples increased from one hundred twenty to more than three thousand (Acts 2:41). Later, another five thousand were added (4:4). In the book of Acts we can see clearly that there was a line of authority among the disciples. Although the Bible does not use this term, we can surely sense that Peter, John, and James represented God’s authority. The elders in the churches also represented this authority. At the same time, the service of the apostles and the saints was full of fellowship. They fellowshipped with God and brought God’s fellowship to His people. During the days of the early church there was order and authority, as well as the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Regrettably, this condition did not last long. The church gradually became desolate, just as the Israelites in the Old Testament; that is, the church had problems related to the matter of fellowship. Once the fellowship was lost, the authority became improper. This authority became so improper that eventually the church fell completely into the realm of human organization, being entirely under man’s rule. The eventual result of this fall was the establishment of Roman Catholicism, which brought God’s people into an improper situation of utter desolation.
For the church to be recovered, the reality of the priesthood had to be restored, just as in the Old Testament. When Luther rose up to recover the matter of justification by faith, the matter of fellowship with God was restored. Although Luther paid attention to the matter of authority and order, it was the Moravian brothers who recovered the matter of authority and order in the eighteenth century. They also experienced the matter of fellowship. In the nineteenth century the Brethren had a very strong recovery of the aspect of fellowship. They fellowshipped with God and with one another; this was truly a great blessing from God to them. Their fellowship was such that they were in one spirit as one man. Gradually, authority and order were also recovered among them.
Our own history also began with the recovery of fellowship. Not only was personal fellowship with God recovered but also mutual fellowship with one another in the Lord. Then the Lord began to show us truth and light concerning the church, the Body, and service in coordination so that we would know the matter of authority and order. Based on His leading among us, there has been the appointment of elders and the arrangement of service. Even now the matter of authority and order is becoming more and more practical among us.
However, we must remember the lessons of history. It is not easy to maintain a normal condition of fellowship in coordination with authority. If we are not careful, fellowship will be lost, and only authority will remain. If this occurs, the exercise of authority will not be balanced, and our condition will become abnormal. I am speaking concerning this matter with a fully guarded heart. I hope that all the brothers and sisters would have such an inner sense. There is a danger that we would gradually lose the matter of fellowship. If the fellowship among us is weakened, authority will become more prominent than fellowship. This will result in an unbalanced and abnormal situation. Since there is such a danger among us, we should be on guard. This does not mean that we should do away with authority and order; rather, it means that we should strengthen the matter of fellowship. Otherwise, we may speak of building up and endeavor to practice the building up, but the more we endeavor, the stronger authority will become and the weaker fellowship will become. This will result in an unbalanced situation. Hence, before we endeavor to strengthen the building up of the church, we must have a clear view concerning this matter. If we lack the balance from fellowship while pursuing the matter of building up, the aspect of authority will become stronger and stronger among us, while the aspect of fellowship will lose more and more ground. This will cause an extreme imbalance among us, and eventually, we will become altogether abnormal.
Fellowship refers to personal fellowship with God and mutual fellowship among us. These are not two different kinds of fellowship but rather two aspects of one fellowship. Proper fellowship always includes fellowship between us and the Lord and between us and the saints. Inwardly, we must have a clear flow of fellowship with God and with the saints, just as the blood in a physical body flows to the head and to all the members. No member can say that his blood flows only to the head but not to the other members. If his blood does not flow to the other members, there will be a big problem in the circulation of blood. This is a very clear example. Fellowship does not refer only to fellowship with God, but even more, it refers to fellowship with other saints in the fellowship of God.
In the past, when we spoke of fellowship with God, we often considered it only in relation to our fellowship with God. Even when we spoke of fellowshipping with the saints, our understanding was limited to the thought of interacting with the saints. Actually, this is not the meaning of fellowship. Fellowship with God includes fellowship with the saints, and fellowship with the saints comes out of fellowship with God. Fellowship includes more than outward communication and outward associations; it involves the blending of the spirits of the saints in the Spirit of God, all of whom are blended as one.
If we exercise according to this understanding, we will discover that there is no difference between fellowshipping with the saints and fellowshipping with God. When we fellowship with God, our spirit has a clear way to fellowship with the saints, and when we fellowship with the saints, praying, worshipping, giving thanks, and praising, our spirit has a clear way to fellowship with God. These two aspects of fellowship speak of one flow, not two flows. When a light bulb is connected to the power plant through the flow of electricity, it is also connected to other light bulbs. At the same time, when a light bulb is connected to other light bulbs, it is also connected to the power plant. There is only one flow, not two flows.
We must see that the fellowship of the church is the fellowship of God and the fellowship of the Body. The fellowship of the Body is the fellowship of the saints with God; it is also the fellowship among the saints in the fellowship of God. It is regrettable that we consider fellowship with God and fellowship with other saints as being two different things. We must be corrected and begin to see that these two aspects of fellowship are related and are even one. When we fellowship with God, our fellowship includes the brothers and sisters, and when we fellowship with the brothers and sisters, our fellowship includes God. In one spirit the saints fellowship with one another and with God. If this is not our experience, our fellowship is problematic.
In the past we were very short in regard to the matter of fellowship in the spirit. On one hand, many serving ones were lacking in their fellowship with God, and on the other hand, when we came together, we lacked a genuine fellowship in the spirit with one another. For example, in the elders’ meetings many things are discussed and many opinions are voiced, but it is rare for our spirit to come forth and be blended as one in the Spirit, touching God’s feeling in our fellowship. This indicates that we are lacking in the matter of fellowship in the spirit. This situation also exists among the co-workers. In a recent meeting some co-workers acknowledged that there was no fellowship in the spirit among the co-workers, even though they lived, ate, and served in the same place, and even though there was never disagreement or disharmony.
Many of us have been meeting and bearing responsibility in the same place for many years, but how frequently is our spirit open to one another and blended as one in order to have genuine fellowship? Many responsible brothers and sisters in the districts admit that they rarely have fellowship, even though they serve together. Although they do not fight, argue, or strive, they also do not fellowship.
When we were first raised up by the Lord and were serving Him zealously, we were very fresh and genuine, but we were also rather childish. When we served together, we would speak whenever we felt to say something, and we would argue with one another whenever we disagreed. After a period of time we learned to be political. On the surface we were at peace with one another, but when we came together, we could not touch one another’s spirit. If a brother made a suggestion, the other brothers would agree, and the sisters would indicate their support of the brothers’ decision. However, our real feeling often was far different, but no one was willing to speak up. Some learned not to say anything or complain, and others would begin to complain as soon as the meeting was over.
This is also the case when we pray. In the service meeting many prayers are perfunctory and not out of the spirit. This can be likened to a business with two sets of accounting books: a public set that meets the requirements of the tax agencies and a hidden set that has the actual numbers of the business. We must ask ourselves whether we have two sets of prayers and two faces when we pray. Do we have a public set when we deal with others?
Currently, in every meeting hall there are several elders and co-workers, and we come together once a week to pray and fellowship. Nevertheless, I am concerned that when we come together and serve, we never open up our spirit to one another. We sit down to discuss and arrange things, but we do not exercise our spirit and allow our spirit to come forth to be blended with one another. When a senior brother takes the lead in a certain matter, our spirit is closed. Sometimes we may participate in the prayer with a few words, asking the Lord to bless whatever is decided. This kind of prayer, however, is rather perfunctory, because our spirit is not stirred up. In contrast, when we give a message, we know that our spirit must come forth; consequently, we pray desperately to release our spirit. On one hand, we do not have adequate fellowship with God, and on the other hand, we lack fellowship with one another. Due to this severe lack I feel that we cannot speak on the matter of building so quickly. Instead, we must strengthen our fellowship, recover our fellowship, and let fellowship balance the exercise of authority.
I have a very heavy burden. When the saints in various districts come together to coordinate, we should try our best to change the focus of our meeting to one that pursues fellowship. In this kind of meeting, every saint should open his spirit to God and to the brothers and sisters. When we come together, instead of considering so many things, we should simply release our spirit. When I pray, I should release my spirit. When you pray, you should release your spirit. This will allow our spirit to come forth in a genuine way without any outward pretense. If we practice to worship, praise, give thanks, and petition together, there will be a fellowship and blending in the spirit.
If we fellowship and blend in one spirit in this way, we will quickly be harmonized, even if we have different opinions. However, if we do not have adequate prayers that blend us in the spirit, we will only voice our opinions when we discuss matters, and the more we discuss, the more opinions we will have. Furthermore, there will be no edification in the spirit. When we come together, we should not care for our opinions, we should care only that our spirit would come forth. If we release our spirit, we will be blended as one in a thorough fellowship. In this way the Holy Spirit will bring us to a point where we have the same feeling, the same view, and touch the heart of God. Then when we speak of building up and practice the building up, authority and order will be balanced by fellowship. This is the genuine fellowship and blending in the spirit and the genuine building up.
I hope that we can all see this need. We must begin to make adjustments. The elders should change the way that they meet. When they arrive in the meeting, they should first release their spirit, and discuss things only after they exercise their spirit and fellowship. We must release our spirit in order to truly honor one another. We should release our spirit by worshipping, giving thanks, praising, and petitioning the Lord together. When we are blended in the spirit in this way, it will be easy to take care of everything. Similarly, when the co-workers come to the co-workers’ meeting, they should not care for anything other than being blended in the spirit. All the brothers and sisters who serve should come together and be blended in the spirit.
I hope that we can learn to first be blended together in the spirit, putting practical matters temporarily aside. Rather than starting with the needs of the brothers and sisters or even the affairs of the whole church, we should first blend our spirits together. Similarly, the brothers and sisters who are serving should also come together and blend their spirits. This is a severe lack among us. We are busy discussing and making arrangements, but we lack fellowship in the spirit. This puts the cart before the horse and sacrifices substance for the shadow. Now when we serve, we are like the dry bones in Ezekiel 37; we are piled together, but we are not fresh or living, and we are not joined, or linked, together. Instead, we are separated and scattered.
In addition to the bread-breaking meeting, we should come together often during the week to blend our spirits together. We should come together in the morning and in the evening to blend our spirits together; our spirits must be blended. Before doing anything, we first must blend our spirits together. This can be likened to mixing flour. If the flour is not well mixed, it will not be possible to make steamed buns or dumplings. If we do not blend our spirits well, our leading in a meeting or our visitation with the brothers and sisters will be futile. Without fellowship and blending, our leading will be dry, and our visitation will be dead and empty. It is not too much to say that our spirits are scattered and isolated from each other. Our spirit needs to be released from layer upon layer of bondage. When we begin to practice this, we will not be accustomed to releasing our spirit with others. This can be likened to the hinges on a window being rusty and stiff because of a lack of use. A door with rusty hinges may need to be pried open with a little force. Furthermore, the door will need to be opened with regularity in order to not become stuck once again. As we begin to practice the matter of fellowship and blending, we may need to use a little “force” in order to release our spirit.
In conclusion, let us look at the picture in Revelation 22. In the New Jerusalem there is a river of water of life flowing from the throne. The throne is a matter of authority, and the flowing water of life is a matter of fellowship. The flow of water signifies fellowship, and this flow is related to authority. This is the source of the building up of the New Jerusalem. In the church today the water of life from the throne should be flowing freely among us. Nevertheless, in our present condition it is not flowing freely. Although the water of life may flow to you, it is not easy for it to flow out of you to others. Thus, it ceases to flow. The water of life must flow into us and out of us. When the flow of life comes to us from the throne, it seems to run into barriers that prevent it from flowing out of us. In order for the church to be built up, we need to be transformed. However, this transformation can be produced only from the flowing of the water of life. Genesis 2:10-12 shows that the flowing river produces gold, bdellium (pearl), and onyx (precious stones). The New Jerusalem is built with these three kinds of precious materials. Without the flow of life, without the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, there is no way for gold, pearl, and precious stones to be produced.
In this city of pure gold, the New Jerusalem, there is a throne, and a river of water of life proceeds out from the throne, flowing downward in a spiral fashion to encircle the entire city. The entire city is in this flow and is full of life. Is this the condition that we see in the church today? I am afraid that instead of life we have death, and instead of a flowing condition there is a stagnant condition. Hence, those of us who are serving, whether as elders, co-workers, or responsible ones, must release our spirit whenever we come together so that our spirits may be blended.
In learning to pray in a blended way in the spirit, the main point is to put aside the self; it is not to deal with our sins. According to our experience, if we deal with the self, our sins will be dealt with spontaneously. This can be likened to a person wearing an old, filthy, and stinking garment. He does not need to wash or patch it up, much less sterilize it. All he needs to do is to take it off and throw it away. This solves the problem.
Ephesians 4 says that we should put off the old man and put on the new man (vv. 22, 24). If we compare the reference to the new man in chapter 4 with the new man in 2:15, we can see that the new man is the church. When we put off our self and live in the church, we are putting off the old man and putting on the new man. We do not need to deal with our shortcomings and weaknesses. Our self is like an old, filthy rag that needs to be taken off and discarded; then we will not be in our self. Furthermore, we will live in the church and put on the church as the new man.
I have learned a secret: We do not need to focus on dealing with our sins, which often only brings us into death. We only need to put off the self by coming to the meeting, by releasing our spirit, by living in the Body, and by blending in the spirit. This is to put off our old man and to put on the new man, the church. In this way we will be sanctified, victorious, and strong.
O Lord, have mercy on us. In the building up of Your church, we want the line of fellowship as well as the line of authority. O Lord, we earnestly hope that everyone among us would be a royal priest who has the flow of life from the throne. We hope that in everyone of us there would be an expression of both the priesthood and the kingship. Lord, we look to You to fill us so that there is a balance among us between the priesthood and the kingship. We pray that You will bring us into continual fellowship with You so that the saints will enter into Your fellowship. Dear Lord, recover this matter! May all the saints long for this matter and pursue this matter in the spirit! Lord, we desire to have this balance. We desire that fellowship will balance authority and that authority will be coordinated with fellowship. O Lord, how we pray that we would have such a normal condition among us, with Your throne being established with its full authority and with the Holy Spirit flowing from the throne in full fellowship. Lord, grace us, that we may have a situation of life with authority so that all of us can fellowship in one spirit and be blended and built up together. Lord, if we are short in this, we will have no way to build up the church on this earth. O Lord, we submit to You, asking You to give us grace, asking You to manifest the priesthood and the kingship among us, and asking You to manifest the reality of living water that flows from the throne. Oh, it is so glorious that fellowship can be coordinated with authority! Lord, may Your building be fulfilled here. May Your plan be accomplished here. We earnestly desire that You would cause every saint to respond to this matter and that we would all rise up to pray, to fellowship, to release the spirit, and to blend with one another in the spirit! O Lord, fulfill this desire! In the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
