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Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:15-16; Col. 2:19
In the previous chapters we emphasized that in order for the church to be built up, we must know the authority of the Head, and we must know God’s heart. One is a matter of authority, and the other is a matter of love. Authority eliminates problems, and love brings in the riches. In a normal and strong church all the serving ones manifest these two aspects. On the one hand, they know the throne and authority; therefore, problems, conflicts, and unnecessary situations are spontaneously eliminated. On the other hand, they touch God’s heart and have the same love toward all the saints. Hence, their service is solid and full of the element of building.
In this chapter we will focus on the building up of the church being not only a matter of authority and love but also of the manifested function of the members. Both Ephesians 4:15-16 and Colossians 2:19 show that in order for the Body, the church, to be built up, the function of the members must be manifested. The church is not built by external influences but by the Body itself. In order for the Body to be built, each one part must function according to the operation of its measure.
Some believers think that the building up of the church is the responsibility of the full-time workers. This is an inaccurate concept. Ephesians 4 shows that the church is not built up directly by the four kinds of gifts. Rather, these gifts perfect the saints unto the work of the ministry so that all the saints may manifest their function (vv. 11-12). It is through the manifested function of every saint that the church is built up. If we read chapter 4 carefully, we will see that these gifts—the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers—build up the church only indirectly, not directly.
Bible translators have different views about verses 11 and 12. According to the Greek text, however, these two verses say, “He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.” This shows that the gifts perfect the saints so that the saints can participate in the building up of the Body of Christ. Without being perfected by the gifts, the saints will not be able to fulfill their responsibilities, but after being perfected by the gifts, the saints should manifest their function, which results in the building up of the Body of Christ. From this we see that the gifts do not build up the church directly; their work in building up the church is indirect.
Although some understand that the perfecting of the saints is the responsibility of the gifts, they mistakenly include the work of the ministry and the building up of the Body of Christ as part of this same responsibility; that is, they believe that all these three aspects of building up are done by the gifts directly. However, this understanding is not supported by the context of the chapter. Although verse 12 speaks of the building up of the Body as it relates to the gifts, verse 16 explicitly associates the building up of the Body in love with the operation in the measure of each one part. If we read only verse 12, we may think that only the gifts can build up the Body. However, verses 15 and 16 clearly show that the building up of the Body is an issue of the functioning of each one part. The building up of the Body is carried out by the gifts indirectly and by all the saints directly.
We need to consider this more deeply, because it is not merely a matter of translation or exposition but of practice. The general understanding in Christianity is that the building up of the church is the responsibility of the clergy, meaning that the church is built by pastors and preachers. Consequently, the saints are not considered as builders but as those who need to be built up. Thus, they have no responsibility for the building up. This understanding, however, is incompatible with the New Testament, which states that every believer is responsible for building up the church. The building up of the church is not the responsibility of a special minority of believers.
We must be very clear that the building up of the church is the responsibility of all the saints; the church cannot be built up merely through the efforts of a few members. If the local brothers and sisters expect a group of workers to build up the church and do not endeavor to build up the church themselves, the building up of the church will be frustrated. According to the light in Ephesians 4, the gifts merely perfect the saints, who are then directly responsible for the building up of the church.
The physical growth of a person follows this same principle. An infant may be only twelve inches long when he is born, but when he is an adult, he may be five or six feet tall. His growth and increase in stature, however, are not the issue of external influences; rather, his growth is the result of the operation in the measure of each one part of his body. Parents often consult a doctor when they see that their child is not growing, but the doctor cannot cause the child to grow. The most that a doctor can do is to help the parts of the child’s body to function properly so that it is possible for the child to grow. For example, if the child has a problem with his stomach, the doctor can help his stomach function properly. If the child has a problem with his ears or nose, the doctor can treat his ears or nose so that the child’s growth will not be hindered. Sometimes a child may not have any obvious problems, but he still does not grow. Then the doctor may prescribe some multivitamins to strengthen the functioning of the various organs of the child. This further shows that the doctor is not directly responsible for the physical growth of the child. At the most, a doctor can help to perfect the physical parts of the child’s body. When each part of the body is properly functioning according to its measure, the properly functioning parts will be directly responsible for the growth of the child.
Similarly, in the Body of Christ the gifts are not directly responsible for the growth of the Body. This responsibility belongs to all the saints. The responsibility to perfect the saints belongs to the gifts. For example, a brother may be an “ear” in the Body of Christ; if he has a problem, he can be perfected by a gift who functions as a “spiritual ear doctor.” When this member is “healed,” that is, perfected, the growth of the Body will no longer be hindered. Other brothers and sisters may lack spiritual food and spiritual vitamins, but a minister of the word can supply them with the word of God as food. As a result, the brothers and sisters will receive spiritual nutrients and become strong to function. This shows that the gifts do not build up the church directly. The building up of the Body of Christ depends on the operation in the measure of each one part of the Body, which brings out the function that is needed for growth. We should never expect a group of workers to build up the church in our locality; the workers can only perfect the saints. The church is built directly by the saints in the church, the members in the Body.
When a saint learns to be under the authority of the Head and to touch the love of God, spontaneously there will be an operation according to his measure. This operation will generate a function that enables him to minister in the church. The authority of the Head and the love of God cause an operation according to the measure in each saint, and in this operation there is a function that builds up the church.
The Greek word rendered “operation” in Ephesians 4:16 is also used in 3:7 and in Colossians 1:29. It relates to the exertion of a strong, driving power that energizes us; it is not a weak power. When a brother or a sister is under the authority of the Head and touches God’s love, he or she experiences an exerting power, a driving, inward operation. While the operation in a large member may be large and the operation in a small member may be less, there is still a function that comes forth from these operations. For example, whenever I see the young people, I have a burden to speak to them. Hence, I have an operation that causes my mouth to function by speaking.
When people listen to messages, their ears operate to hear, their eyes operate to see, and their mind operates to comprehend and remember. In order to understand my messages, a person must watch while listening and remember while comprehending. This is all according to the operation in the measure of one’s ears to listen, one’s eyes to watch, and one’s mind to comprehend and remember. In the same way, every member in the Body has a measure and an operation according to this measure. The result of this operation is a function that results in the building up of the Body.
This is the key. If we touch the authority of the Head as well as the love of God, we will surely experience an inward operation. Whether we are an “eye,” an “ear,” or something else in the Body, we will surely experience a continuous operation when we touch the authority of the Head and the love of God. This operation produces a function that builds up the Body of Christ. The key to building up depends on the function that is according to the operation in the measure of each one part.
A member must have spiritual experiences in order for his function to be manifested. Without spiritual experiences, there is no spiritual function. For instance, I may be someone who has touched God’s love and who loves the brothers and sisters, but I may not have learned many lessons or have had many spiritual experiences. This will limit the operation of love within me and limit the manifestation of my function. Motivated by love, I may want to fellowship with a brother, but without spiritual experiences, I will not be able to help the brother. Without spiritual experiences, there will be no way to manifest my function according to the operation of love.
If a brother complains to me about another brother, I will not be able to help him without some spiritual experiences in this regard, and thus there will be no manifestation of function. The most I will be able to say is that the brother needs to forgive. If he responds that he cannot forgive the brother, I can exhort him to consider the other brother more excellent than himself. If he again responds that he cannot do this, I will only be able to give him another teaching, such as the need to be humble. But even this further exhortation will have no impact. Without learning lessons and having spiritual experiences related to such things, we can give others only doctrines and general exhortations. We may touch God’s love and may fervently love the brother, but no function will be manifested without having genuine spiritual experiences before God. Consequently, we will be a loving brother who has no manifested function. We often visit people in the way of love, but there is no manifestation of function in our visiting. Sometimes, even though the brothers and sisters tell us their problems in tears, we have no way to help them, because we are lacking in spiritual experiences.
Twenty-two years ago I was quite young and limited in experience, and I had not been serving the Lord very long. One day a sister in her fifties came to see me. As soon as she began to speak, she had only critical words for her husband, saying, “Brother Lee, my husband is so mean to me. He never gives me a pleasant look. He is away from home all day long even when he is not at work, and as soon as he gets home, he quarrels with me. I cannot bear this. Please pray that my husband would change.”
As she continued to speak, I was unsure of how to help her at first. However, I did know that this kind of disharmony in a family cannot be attributed to just one person. If her husband needed to be dealt with before the Lord, she did as well. As she spoke, I began to realize that she also had many problems. For example, she was very proud in her husband’s presence, and she was unwilling to bend or obey. If her husband was stubborn, she would be even more stubborn. If her husband was unhappy and had a long face, she would have an even longer face. When her husband came home late, she would wait to open the door and would greet him with an unpleasant expression on her face. In part, her reactions caused her husband to like her less and less and to want to be at home less and less.
After gaining a broader view of the problem, I said, “Sister, I will pray for your husband as you requested, but you must promise me that you will change your attitude toward him. As soon as he comes home in the evening and knocks on the door, you should open the door for him with a pleasant smile on your face. It would also be good if you could prepare a snack for him.” Upon hearing this, the sister said, “I cannot do that.” I responded, saying, “I know that we cannot do it in ourselves, but the Lord can. Is not the Lord in us as our life? Have a time of prayer with the Lord and ask the Lord to supply you in order to do this.”
It is not easy for a person to yield to the Lord, and it is even more difficult to yield to man. Although the sister was very troubled, she had to yield to the Lord in order for there to be any hope that her husband would yield as well. When she went home, she knelt down and wept bitterly in her room, saying, “Lord, I cannot do this. I cannot do this.” In her prayer, however, she was deeply touched by the Lord, and she yielded to Him. Then she inwardly yielded to her husband as well. That evening she dressed neatly, prepared some snacks, and waited for her husband to return. When her husband returned around twelve o’clock and knocked on the door, she immediately opened the door and had a much more agreeable attitude. This went on for several evenings, and soon there was a completely different situation in their house. After the sister yielded in this way, her husband began to yield as well.
In order to help people practically, it is not enough to have merely love; we must have spiritual experiences as well. Once there is experience, various functions will be manifested. We must learn the lessons of touching the authority of the Head, accepting the ruling of the Head, and letting the Lord subdue us in every matter. We can truly help others only in the matters in which we have been subdued. Function is based on experience.
This is even a principle in worldly matters. If we have not learned English, how can we teach others English? We may love a person and desire to help him learn English, but if we do not know any English, we cannot help him. This principle applies in spiritual matters. If we have not experienced consecration, we cannot help an unconsecrated person pass through the gateway of consecration. If we want to help others to not love the world, we must first deal with the world ourselves. Likewise, if we have not learned the lesson of the cross and our flesh has not been crucified, we cannot help others experience the cross.
Furthermore, if we try to render help without having learned a spiritual lesson, we can be negatively affected. For example, if we visit a brother who has not been meeting for a long time, he may say that he loves the Lord but that his problem is really related to a brother who is an elder in the church. Then he may begin to complain about how he was wronged and offended by this elder. If we have not learned the proper spiritual lessons, we can be influenced by the complaining brother. We may even become angry with the elder, causing us to eventually not want to meet as well.
Often a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law may not get along well, even though both are sisters in the Lord. If another sister in the Lord goes to visit them and only the mother-in-law is at home, the mother-in-law may say, “It is so good of you to come, sister. My daughter-in-law quarreled with me again this morning. Even though she is a believer in the Lord and a responsible one in the church, she is so disrespectful toward me.” Hearing such words may cause the visiting sister to become angry and echo the words of the mother-in-law. When this happens, the circle of the quarreling expands from two sisters to three sisters.
I am not speaking from my imagination. Such situations often occur in the church because the saints are full of love but have not learned the lessons of being under the authority of the Head or of letting the Spirit operate within them. Hence, their function is not manifested. Spiritual experiences are our equipment. We must have the proper equipment in order to help others be built up.
Spiritual experiences not only enable us to help others; they also burden us to help others. Every burden to serve comes out of a spiritual experience. Our spiritual experiences determine the nature of our burden; without spiritual experiences, there is no burden.
For example, we care about the souls of sinners and are burdened to lead them to salvation because we ourselves have been saved. Our experience of salvation spontaneously causes us to care about those whom we encounter. This is a simple example. Furthermore, if we are consecrated persons who daily live in the experience of consecration, it is easy for us to tell whether or not a believer has passed through the gateway of consecration. When we encounter those who have not passed through this gateway, we are spontaneously burdened to help them pass through the gateway.
In order to manifest our function in the church and to build up the church, spiritual experience is the first requirement. Spiritual lessons and experiences are the equipment that enable us to build up others. We should place ourselves in the Lord’s hands, accept His ruling, and obey the leading of the Spirit so that we may have spiritual experiences in many things.
In order for our function to be manifested, we must live in the fellowship of the Spirit. Only by being in this fellowship can we have a living operation according to our measure, and only by being in this fellowship can we have a genuine burden and a living supply to minister to others. Service is not possible when we are not in this fellowship. We must be very clear concerning this principle.
In order for our function to be manifested, we must obey the inner leading. We must learn to obey the inner operation and leading in our visitations, in our helping of others, in our speaking, and in our activities in the meetings. Many saints think of service as being a matter of zealousness, but they are not sensitive to the inner operation, the inner leading of the Lord, within them. When a person is zealous, he may grab his Bible to visit this one and that one or to do this thing and that thing. Such visitation and service, however, have little spiritual value and will not yield much spiritual result.
The Bible says that the function of a member comes out of an inner operation that is according to the measure of each one part (Eph. 4:16). This operation involves leading. We should learn to know the inner leading so that we may know whom the Lord wants us to visit and what He wants us to say. We can serve well only when we function according to the leading.
We must know these three points in experience in order to serve in a way that builds up the church. It is not enough for just the full-time workers to learn these points; everyone in the church needs to learn them. I hope that we all can clearly see that the building up of the Body of Christ depends on every member functioning according to the operation of their measure. This involves more than touching the authority of the Head and the love of God. Genuine function issues from having spiritual experiences, being in the fellowship, and following the inward leading of the Lord. As those who are learning to serve the Lord, we must be subject to the authority of the Head and touch the love of God, and we must learn to follow the inner operation to manifest our function. This will build us up and enable us to build up others in the Body of Christ. May the Lord grace us!
