Search
Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:15-16; Col. 2:19
In the following chapters we will consider the service for building up the church. Since this is a major topic, we can give only some brief principles.
Ephesians 4:15 opens with holding to truth in love. It is very significant that truth and love are put together. If we can hold to truth in love, “we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ” (v. 15). We can grow up into the Head, Christ, when we have truth and love, that is, when we hold to truth in love.
Love and truth balance each other. Love makes people hot, whereas truth makes them cold. Love makes people foolish, whereas truth makes them clear. A person who merely has love may be hot yet foolish, and a person who merely has truth may be clear yet cold. We do not need to be cold or foolish; we need to be both burning and sober. Love can be compared to the fire in the boiler of a steam locomotive, which is the driving force of the train. Truth can be compared to the tracks by which the train is regulated. Combustion in the boiler generates the power that drives the train forward, and tracks keep the train safely on its path. This shows how Christians pursue the Lord and grow. When we have love within as our driving force and truth without as our regulating track, our pursuit of the Lord and our growth in life will be normal and free of problems.
At times fervent believers are not balanced by the truth; they go astray with their love and even run into trouble. This can be compared to starting the boiler in a train and setting the train in motion without laying the tracks. This train is bound to have an accident. Hence, we must have love, and we must have the truth; we must hold to truth in love if we are to continue growing in the Lord in order for our service to cause the genuine building up of the Body of Christ.
To hold to truth in love is to hold the truth, whether concerning God or man, with fervent love, not coldly. This is a great principle. Suppose a young brother wants to marry an unbelieving woman. As those who are learning to serve in the church, how should we help him? We cannot be cold and condemn him, saying, “Do not become dissimilarly yoked with an unbeliever; believers cannot marry unbelievers. If you do, you will violate the Scriptures and offend the Lord.” If we merely measure and condemn him with the truth, using the truth to deal with him, we are not holding to truth in love. We might think that we are helping the brother with the truth, but because of our lack of love, we will not obtain good results; rather, we will stumble those whom we are trying to help.
If we want to help ourselves and others, we must have love every time we hold to truth. In order to help this young brother, we need not necessarily say, “Do not become dissimilarly yoked with an unbeliever,” but we must have a fervent love for him. We must love this young brother and sense that the Lord has entrusted him into our care. Hence, we want him to be graced and to grow up into the Head, Christ, in this matter. Such a realization is necessary. Then we might not say much concerning how we feel, but we can lead him to pray and bring this matter to the Lord so that he can touch the Lord’s will. Then he will see the truth and receive help. In doing this, we will not only hold to truth, but we will hold to truth in love.
Another group of believers may care only for love but neglect the truth. This is the case with many sisters, who are often more loving than brothers but do not stand as firmly in the truth. Take the matter of marriage as an example. An older sister may be concerned for the marriage of a young sister and want to introduce an unbelieving friend to her. The older sister may consider that the young unbeliever has a good temper, comes from a good family, has a good education, and hence, in every respect is better than the brothers. The older sister may say, “I have met a young man who is truly gentle and in every respect is better than the young brothers among us. Out of my concern and love for this young sister, I feel that I should introduce this young man to her.” Although this older sister has a loving heart, she does not have the truth. The brothers often have the truth but are cold and lack a loving heart, but the sisters often are burning with love but unclear concerning the truth. The overemphasis of either truth or love will cause a loss to the Body of Christ.
Therefore, we must hold to truth in love. The brothers cannot have truth without love when they render help to others, and the sisters cannot have love without truth when they render help to others. We must always hold to truth in love. If we apply this principle to all things, we will daily grow in life, and those under our care will receive genuine help.
Ephesians 4:15 says, “Holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ.” This verse says that we grow up by holding to truth in love and that this growth takes the Head as its goal. In other words, our growth is to enter deeper into the Lord, that is, to be more subject to His authority. If we have truth and love and apply the truth by holding to it in love, we will grow up into the Head daily, and we will be increasingly subject to His authority.
Furthermore, the growth of a Christian is not for himself but for the other members. Because we grow, the brothers and sisters under our care will also grow. If we do not move forward, those who are with us will not move forward either. If we move forward, they will move with us. When we grow, those who are under our care will spontaneously grow.
Verse 16 speaks of the growth of the Body: “Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.” The growth of the Body of Christ is through the many joints of supply. In addition to these joints of supply, there are many parts, and each part has its measure. The joints supply the Body, and each part operates and functions according to its measure. For example, my arm has many parts. I have fingers, a wrist, a forearm, and an upper arm, and each part has a different measure. The function of my arm is manifested when each part operates according to its measure, and it is not manifested if the parts do not operate according to their measure. A doctor once told me that if a person covered his eyes and did not use them, in less than three years he would lose the ability to see. Hence, function comes from operation.
I have a little experience in this matter. When I was forty, I was restricted to complete bed rest due to an illness. For six months I did not get out of bed. When I became healthy and gained weight, I got out of bed and quickly discovered that my legs were too feeble to walk and that I could not even stand. My feet and my legs had been functioning for forty years; I had been able not only to walk but also to run and jump. I never would have thought that after six months of bed rest, my legs would not be able to function. I needed to lean on two people in order to begin to walk again. Initially, my legs would get tired after one minute, and I would need to sit down. After practicing for some time, I was able to walk for ten minutes. This experience shows that the ability of our legs, including their strength to walk, comes from their operation. Our legs lose their function if they do not operate for a long time. Therefore, although each part of the Body has a function, each part must operate according to its measure in order for that function to be manifested. Every brother and sister in the church is a member of the Body of Christ and has a measure. We do not manifest our function because we do not operate according to our measure.
If every joint of supply supplies the Body, and each part operates according to its measure to bring about its function, all the parts of the Body will be joined together and knit together. Then the various members will no longer be disjointed; rather, the Body will be joined and will be one. Some churches have an atmosphere in which the saints are not joined or knit together. This situation is caused by a lack of supply from the saints who are joints of supply and by a lack of functioning in the saints. If every joint of supply would receive something from the Head to supply the Body and if every believer would function according to the operation of his measure, the whole church would be joined and knit together. Then through every joint of supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, the Body will cause its own growth unto the building up of itself in love.
Colossians 2:19 says, “Holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.” This verse and Ephesians 4:15-16 speak of the same matter.
Holding the Head means to be joined to the Head, that is, not leaving the Head but being subject to the authority of the Head and taking the Head as the source in all things. This includes growing up into the Head, Christ, in all things and also all the supply being from Him, as in Ephesians 4:15. Being supplied is a matter of the joints, and being knit is a matter of the sinews. This is the same as “being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply” in Ephesians 4:16. The growth of the Body in Colossians 2:19 is caused by the increase of God’s element in the believers. If in the church those who are joints and sinews grow up into the Head, are subject to the authority of the Head, and hold the Head in all things, the Body will be supplied by the joints and knit together through the sinews. As a result, God’s element will increase in the believers, and the Body will grow.
The growth of the Body in verse 19 refers to building up. As God’s dwelling place, the church must be built up, and as the Body of Christ, the church needs to grow. The dwelling place is the Body, and the Body is the dwelling place; therefore, building is growing. For us to build up the church is for us to cause the Body of Christ to grow.
For over two thousand years of church history, few believers have paid much attention to these two portions in the Bible. I believe that in these last days the Holy Spirit will show us the significance of these verses and reveal more light. Thus, we should memorize these two portions and keep them in our heart.
God wants every believer to serve Him. This is a basic matter in the Bible. Most believers have the erroneous concept that God wants man merely to be saved. However, the Bible reveals that God’s purpose in saving man is not merely for man to be saved but for man to serve Him. Every believer should serve God. Regardless of our profession, we should serve God. Our worldly professions are secondary; our primary profession is to serve God. First Peter 2:9 says that to be saved is to become a royal priesthood. We need to sense within that we are priests of God. Whether businessmen, doctors, or teachers, regardless of our profession, we should have the sense that we are on the earth to be priests. A priest is a person who serves God exclusively. The title priest is not a designation for a minority. Catholics have the erroneous concept that only those who are ordained as priests can serve God. However, every Christian should be a priest.
According to the New Testament, the believers are members one of another and are coordinated in one Body. A Christian is not a complete entity; he is merely a member of the Body, a part. Hence, when we serve the Lord, we should serve in the position of a member, in coordination with others. Just as a member cannot function apart from the other members in a body, so also we cannot have an individualistic service in the church.
We must be clear that our service in the church is the service of the Body. Once we are separated from the Body, there cannot be any service. Any service that is apart from the Body is abnormal. A nose is very becoming and useful on a person’s face, but if it is cut off, it is frightful, unsightly, and useless. A hand is dexterous and becoming on a person’s body, but a severed hand that is still moving would be a frightful sight. Such is any service that is apart from the Body.
Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 are two crucial chapters in the Bible concerning the service of the Body. In Romans we are being saved by the Lord for His service (12:1). In 1 Corinthians we are members of the Body of Christ; hence, we must not act or serve alone (12:14-22). If we see these two points, there will be fewer problems in our service for building up the church.
There are two crucial principles concerning our service for building up the church.
When serving in the church, we must see authority. The matter of authority must be settled if we are to coordinate and serve with the saints in the church. Otherwise, our service will lack the element of building and will eventually cause problems in the church.
Authority in the church does not refer to the establishment of popes, as is practiced among Catholics. Authority concerns order in the Body. Every member in our body has its place. For example, I have shoulders, and my arms are attached to my shoulders, and my hands, including my fingers, are attached to my arms. Every member of my body has a certain position, and this position is its order. Similarly, there is order in our service in the church because it is the service of the Body. If we are subject to the authority of the Head, we will know our position and our order in the church. We will spontaneously know where we should be, whom we are in front of, and who is in front of us.
Some may think that it is difficult to know one’s order in the church. They may ask, “What is my order, and whose authority should I be under? What should I do if I am in the wrong order or under the wrong authority?” Such questions are theoretical; they are not practical. We should question only whether we have seen the authority of the Head and whether we are subject to the arrangement of the Head. If we know the authority of the Head and are subject to His arrangement, we will spontaneously know our position and order in the church.
Those who have touched the authority of the Head and rest in their position in the Body will have spontaneous and harmonious coordination with others. Such ones will not despise their portion or shrink back, nor will they highly regard themselves or put themselves before others. Rather, they will fulfill their function in the church as becoming, beautiful members.
If all God’s children knew the authority of the Head, that authority would become the power of the church. Once the authority of the Head is honored, the church will have the presence of the Head and the riches of the Head. The building up of the church depends on God’s throne being in the church. For the genuine building up of the church, the first matter that every serving one should touch is the authority of the Head. Those who have touched the authority of the Head will never be disconnected from the church, nor will they serve God in an individualistic way. Under the authority of the Head, there is no room for zealous or capable persons. If zealous and capable persons who do not know the throne serve in the church, they will trample and tear down others. Only those who know authority and are subject to the Head can supply the Body of Christ and build up the church of God.
We must also serve in love. This love is important and significant. Ephesians 1:4 and 5 say that before the foundation of the world God predestinated us in love to be His sons. Hence, the divine love was in eternity past, before the foundation of the world. This love is God Himself (1 John 4:8), and it is His heart.
In order to participate in the service that builds up the church, we must first touch the authority of the Head, and then we must touch love. This love has also been poured out in the church through the Holy Spirit. In the Body of Christ there is the element of love. When we touch this love, we cannot but love God and the brothers and sisters, our fellow members. Furthermore, when we see the believers in pain or in weakness, we spontaneously feel their pain. Their pain becomes our pain, and their weakness becomes our weakness because we are related to them and cannot be separated (2 Cor. 11:29).
We may not be able to feel the various parts of our body loving one another, but they do. If my finger is cut by a knife, I would feel the pain immediately. If I bruise my foot, my whole body will suffer. Physiologically, you might say that this is a function of the nerves, but spiritually, this is a matter of love.
First Corinthians 12:26 says that in the church, the Body of Christ, when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; and when one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it. This shows a relationship of love. We can have such intimate relationships in the church because we all have the divine love.
The service that builds up the Body comes out of our love of the Body. In order to help others in the church, we do not necessarily need to preach, nor do we need power, but we must have love. Some believers seek the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but the true experience of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is to be filled with love. The more we receive God’s love, the more we will be filled with the Holy Spirit. Love is the expression of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). The Holy Spirit in us is a matter of love.
The divine love motivates and empowers us for our service. We need such love in order to preach the gospel with power. We need to love the souls of sinners so that we would weep within when we see one who is not saved. Then our gospel preaching will be powerful. Similarly, we help the saints because we love them; we should feel sad when we do not pray for them and be bothered when we do not care for them. The care and service that issue from this love will be powerful, effective, and long lasting. The service of some of the believers in the church is not long lasting, because they lack the love of God.
We must not merely talk about serving in coordination. Without love, there is no service, and all our activities will be empty and rigid. True and living service comes out of love. The serving power, the helping power, and the edifying power are in this love. Thus, the Lord Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another (John 15:12). Without loving one another, we cannot bear fruit (v. 16). The Lord also said that by this love men will know that we are His disciples (13:34-35). If the saints would love one another, the world will believe that Christ was sent by God (17:21). Of the seven churches in Asia, only the church in Philadelphia was approved by the Lord (Rev. 3:7-13). The word Philadelphia is composed of two Greek words, one based on phileo, which means “love,” and the other on adelphos, which means “brother.” Therefore, Philadelphia means “brotherly love.” The church in Philadelphia was full of brotherly love and was therefore approved by the Lord.
We need to see the authority of the Head, and we must have the love of the Body in order to build up the church. If we do not have the love of God, we will have problems. We often say that the Lord is taking the way of recovery in the church. However, if we do not have love among us, our work of recovery is empty and without spiritual value.
We should pray for the Lord to have mercy on us so that we would not only have the authority of the Head but also love the Body. Then we will hold to truth in love and grow up into Christ the Head in all things. This will cause the growth of the Lord’s Body unto the building up of itself in love.
