THE FOURTH SERIES:
THE PATHWAY OF THE LORD’S RECOVERY
Crucial Principles in the Administration of the Church
Message Three—The Body of Christ Being Organic
Scripture Reading: John 15:1; Eph. 4:4-6; Col. 1:28; Eph. 4:22-24, 30
I. The Body of Christ as the axis of God’s economy is the organism of the Triune God—Eph. 4:4-6; Col. 1:28: (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
A. The church is not an organization manufactured by man, but an organism produced by the Triune God as life. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
B. The true vine, a portrait of Christ, is an organism by which the Triune God accomplishes His eternal economy—John 15:1. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
C. This organism is the structure of the union and mingling of all the believers with the Triune God—Eph. 4:4-6: (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
1. God the Father is the person—v. 6. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
2. God the Son is the element of life—v. 5. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
3. God the Spirit is the essence of life—v. 4. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
II. In the organism of the Triune God, whether it be the living or the service, whether it be the growth or the building, everything is organic: (The Mysteries in God’s New Testament Economy, msg. 3)
A. The growth of this divine organism and the organic building up of the organism by itself—Eph. 4:11-16: (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
1. The gifted ones in this organism perfect others to be like them to do the work of ministry for the organic building up of the Body of Christ—vv. 11-12. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
2. The growth of this organism in the divine life equals the organic building up of the organism by itself in the divine life—vv. 13b-16: (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
a. Holding to truth in love and growing up into the Head, Christ, in all things—vv. 13b, 15. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
b. Out from the Head, all the Body, being fitted together through every joint of the supply and being knit together through the operation in measure of each one part, growing gradually unto the organic building up of itself in love—v. 16. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
B. The living of this organism: (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
1. Being the corporate and organic living of the Body of Christ—Rom. 12:5: (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
a. All the members live together by taking Christ as life—Col. 3:3-4a. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
b. All the members care for one another—1 Cor. 12:25-27. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
2. Being an organic living produced by the union and mingling of the Triune God with the tripartite man—Rom. 8:2-13: (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
a. By the law of the Spirit of life—v. 2. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
b. First, by being made alive in the spirit by the Spirit of Christ—vv. 9-10. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
c. Next, by being made alive in the mind of the soul by the spreading of the Spirit of God—v. 6b. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
d. Finally, by being made alive in the mortal body by the indwelling Spirit of God—v. 11. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
e. Setting the mind on the Spirit—v. 6b. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
f. Walking only according to the Spirit—v. 4b. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
g. By putting to death the practices of the body by the indwelling Spirit of God—vv. 11, 13. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
C. The service of this organism: (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
1. Being the corporate organic service of the Body of Christ—Rom. 12:4-8: (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
a. Every member is necessary—1 Cor. 12:14-22. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
b. Every member functions organically according to the operation in measure of each one part—Eph. 4:16. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
2. Being the organic service of the New Testament priesthood of the gospel—1 Pet. 2:5, 9: (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
a. Preaching the gospel to save sinners and offering them as sacrifices to God—Rom. 15:16. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
b. Nourishing the believers and helping them to grow so that they can offer themselves as living sacrifices to God—John 21:15; 1 Pet. 2:2; Rom. 12:1. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
c. Perfecting the saints that they may do the work of ministry unto the organic building up of the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:11-16. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
d. Leading the saints to prophesy, to speak for God, for the organic building up of the church—1 Cor. 14:1, 3-5, 12, 24, 29. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
e. Laboring and struggling in all wisdom to present to God every saint full-grown in Christ—Col. 1:28-29. (2011 MDC, msg. 6)
III. If we practice the points mentioned above, Ephesians 4 will be fully recovered and the building up of the organic Body of Christ will be taking place on this earth as a strong testimony of the resurrected Christ, consummating in the New Jerusalem, as the consummation of the Holy of Holies—Eph. 4:11-16; Rev. 21:2-3, 16, 22. (Elders’ Training, Book 09: The Eldership and the God-Ordained Way (1), ch. 7; 2005 WT, msg. 3)