THE ELDERSHIP IN GOD’S NEW TESTAMENT ECONOMY

SERIES TWO
KNOWING THE THREE ASPECTS OF THE LORD’S RECOVERY

Knowing the Three Aspects of the Lord’s Recovery

The Oneness of the Body of Christ
Message Three
Serving in Blending and Coordination

Scripture Reading: Col. 1:28; 1 Thes. 2:7, 11; 2 Cor. 12:15; 1 Cor. 12:24; 10:17; Acts 1:14; 2:46; 5:12; 15:25; Ezek. 1:5, 9-14, 20, 26; Rom. 12:4-5; Exo. 19:4; Isa. 40:31; 2 Cor. 12:9

I. In our service to God, we must be brought by God to the point where we have the consciousness of the Body and do not serve individually but in coordination with the brothers and sisters—Acts 1:14; 2:46; 5:12; 15:25:

A. We must realize that there are two kinds of coordination: one kind is the coordination involved in outward arrangements, and the other kind of coordination is a coordination that grows out of the life within and is spiritual—Exo. 4:14-16; Heb. 10:24:

1. Coordination requires that our natural being, the world, our disposition, and our flesh all be dealt with so that the Lord can grow out of us; when He grows out of you and me, we are spontaneously in coordination—John 15:5; 1 Cor. 10:17.

2. Many have had the experience that as soon as they were put in the coordination, their condition was exposed; once they began to serve, their self immediately became manifest, particularly in their opinions—cf. Acts 15:25.

3. The most important thing in the church service is not that we perform our tasks successfully; rather, the important matter in our serving together in coordination is how much our flesh, our disposition, and our individualism are being dealt with—cf. Gal. 2:20.

B. The greatest indication that we see the Body is that we cannot be independent; we feel that we need the Body, that we need the brothers and sisters—cf. 1:1; 12:20-22:

1. Coordination means that we cannot do anything without one another; there is a sense that we need others and that others need us—vv. 20-22.

2. Those who truly coordinate in spirit should have a strong feeling that they cannot do anything without the help and coordination of others; have the spirit of a learner and the spirit of needing help—v. 17-22.

3. Those who feels that we do not need one another; we do not need to fellowship; this is the greatest form of pride; it is the most offensive thing to the Lord and to the Body—vv. 15-18:

a. Those who do not need to coordinate are dry, lack blessing, and useless—vv. 14-22.

b. We should humbly minister to others and restrict our cleverness through coordination—Ezek. 1:9.

4. If we lack coordination with others, we will always criticize what they do; because we lack coordination in our service and do not rely and mutually depend on one another, we often step on others—cf. v. 12.

II. We must learn to serve in a blended way; without the blending, the Lord has no way to go on with us; blending is the Body, blending is the oneness, and blending is the one accord—1 Cor. 12:24; 10:17:

A. God has blended the Body together; the word blended means adjusted, harmonized, tempered, and mingled; God has blended the Body, adjusted the Body, harmonized the Body, tempered the Body, and mingled the Body; the Greek word for blended implies the losing of distinctions—vv. 24-25; 1:10:

1. In order to be harmonized, blended, adjusted, mingled, and tempered in the Body life, we have to go through the cross and be by the Spirit, dispensing Christ to others for the sake of the Body of Christ—Rom. 1:11; 2 Cor. 4:11-12:

a. Whatever we do should be by the Spirit to dispense Christ—Col. 1:24-25.

b. What we do should not be for our interest and according to our taste but for the church—cf. 2 Cor. 12:15a.

2. If we would practice the blending, we should not forget the matter of fellowship; fellowship is the basis for blending; by practicing fellowship we will lay the foundation for the blending—1 Cor. 10:16-17:

a. We should not be afraid of being known by others; the more we are known in a proper way, the better—Eph. 5:13b.

b. This will put down our pride, take away our boasting, annul our superiority complex, and even put aside our inferiority complex—1 Cor. 12:22-25.

3. Fellowship tempers us; fellowship adjusts us; fellowship harmonizes us; and fellowship mingles us; we should not do anything without fellowshipping with the other saints who are coordinating with us—cf. 10:16-17.

4. Fellowship requires us to stop when we are about to do something; in our coordination in the church life, in the Lord’s work, we all have to learn not to do anything without fellowship—Philem. 1:14; 1 Cor. 12:21.

B. Among us we should have the blending of all the individual members of the Body of Christ, the blending of all the churches in certain districts, the blending of all the co-workers, and the blending of all the elders—Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:24:

1. Blending means that we should always stop to fellowship with others; then we will receive many benefits; if we isolate and seclude ourselves, we will lose much spiritual profit; learn to fellowship; learn to be blended—vv. 23-24.

2. When we blend together, we have the cross and the Spirit; without the cross and the Spirit, all that we have is the flesh with division; blending requires us to be crossed out; blending requires us to be by the Spirit to dispense Christ and to do everything for the sake of His Body—Col. 1:24-29; 2 Cor. 4:12.

3. Such a blending is not social but the blending of the very Christ whom the individual members, the district churches, the co-workers, and the elders enjoy, experience, and partake of—1 Cor. 12:24; 10:16-17.

C. The way to be blended is by much and thorough prayer, as fine flour of the wheat, with all the members of our group, with the Spirit as the oil, through the death of Christ as the salt, and in the resurrection of Christ as the frankincense—John 12:24; 1 Cor. 10:17.

III. The central point in Ezekiel 1 is the revelation that God needs a group of living creatures who can coordinate together as one corporate entity, the corporate Christ, for His expression, move, and administration; coordination is the key to understanding the vision in Ezekiel 1—vv. 5, 10, 12, 20, 26.

IV. The coordination of the four living creatures is not in themselves but in God and by the divine power, the divine strength, and the divine grace, because the eagle’s wings are the means by which they are coordinated and move as one—vv. 9, 11; Exo. 19:4; Isa. 40:31; 2 Cor. 12:9; 1 Cor. 15:10:

A. God Himself is the coordinating factor that enables all the parts of the divine building to be one—Exo. 26:29-30; cf. 1 John 4:8; 2 Tim. 1:6-7; 1 Cor. 12:31; 13:5, 7.

B. Whatever we are in ourselves, have in ourselves, and do in ourselves results not in coordination but in division and separation—cf. Phil. 3:3; Rom. 8:16.

C. The wings of an eagle are not only for moving but also for protection; whatever we do and whatever we are must be by the grace of the Lord and the power of the Lord—1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Cor. 1:12; 4:7.

D. At the same time, we are under the overshadowing, the covering, of the Lord’s grace and the Lord’s power—Psa. 17:8; 57:1; 63:7; 91:4; 2 Cor. 12:9b.

E. The living creatures look like a man, but they move like an eagle—Ezek. 1:5, 24; 3:13:

1. This indicates that we must always express ourselves like a normal man—1:5.

2. However, the moving and overshadowing wings should give others an impression of the Divine Being, an impression that we have God with us as our power and protection—vv. 23-26.

V. Ezekiel 1:9 and 11b-12 present a beautiful picture of the coordination that we need in the church life:

A. Each of the living creatures faces one direction (respectively facing north, south, east, and west), and two of their wings spread out and touch the adjacent creatures’ wings, forming a square—vv. 9-10.

B. No matter in which direction the living creatures are moving, there is no need for any of them to turn; one simply goes straight forward; one returns, moving backward; and the other sides move sideways—vv. 9, 12.

C. This is a beautiful picture of the coordination in the church as the Body of Christ, in which each member has his particular position and function, or ministry—Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:14-30; Eph. 4:7-16; 2 Tim. 4:5; Col. 4:17.

D. When one member functions, he moves “straight forward” to fulfill his function, and the other members accommodate him by moving in the same direction, some moving “backward” and others moving “sideways,” doing everything through the cross and by the Spirit to dispense Christ into others for the sake of His Body—Ezek. 1:9, 11b-12; 1 Cor. 12:14-30.

E. In the church service we all need to learn not only how to walk straight forward but also how to walk backward and sideways—Ezek. 1:9, 11b-12:

1. In coordination there is no freedom or convenience; coordination keeps us from making turns—cf. Eph. 3:18.

2. Before doing anything, we need to stop to fellowship and coordinate with those who serve with us—Ezek. 1:9.

3. Fellowship blends us, mingles us, adjusts us, tempers us, harmonizes us, limits us, protects us, supplies us, and blesses us; the Body is in the fellowship—cf. v. 4; 2 Cor. 13:14.

F. If brothers with different functions do not know to coordinate, they will compete and even strive against each other, which could result in division—cf. Phil. 1:17; 2:2; Gal. 5:25-26:

1. When a brother who is burdened for the gospel is functioning, moving straight forward, the brother who is burdened for shepherding should learn to walk backward; the other saints should follow these two, walking sideways—cf. Ezek. 1:9, 11b-12.

2. To walk backward and sideways is to say Amen to another’s ministry, function, and burden—Rom. 12:4; cf. 1 Cor. 14:29-31.

3. If we care only for our particular service and do not have these four kinds of walk, eventually we will become a problem in the church—cf. 3 John 9.

4. The one who is walking straight forward has the responsibility of following the Spirit—Ezek. 1:12; cf. Acts 2:14; 16:6-10.

G. We should apply this matter of coordination not only in a particular local church but also among the churches; this means that we are followers of the churches—1 Thes. 2:14; Col. 4:16.

VI. In order to coordinate with others, we need to deny our self, experiencing the dealing of the cross, and live and act by God’s grace and God’s power, signified by the eagle’s wings—Ezek. 1:9, 11; Isa. 40:31:

A. We must not act or do anything to express our self; rather, we must do things in the Father’s life with the Father’s nature to express the Father; this is glory, and it is in this glory that we all are one—John 17:22-24; 1 Thes. 2:12.

B. In order to coordinate with others, we need to take the forgiving Lord as our forgiving life to forgive others and seek to be forgiven, letting the peace of Christ arbitrate in our hearts—Col. 3:12-15; Eph. 4:32.

C. In order to coordinate with others, we need to deal with the idols in our heart, counting all things as loss on account of Christ and counting them as refuse that we may gain Christ—Ezek. 14:3-5; Phil. 3:7-8, 12-14.

D. If we abide in God, rely on God, dwell in God, and express God, we can coordinate together in God—Ezek. 1:12; John 15:5, 7; 8:31; Psa. 90:1; 26:1; 31:20; 91:1, 9, 14; Phil. 1:20; 1 Cor. 10:31.

VII. The living creatures follow the Spirit, indicating that in order to coordinate with others in the Body of Christ, we need to walk by the Spirit and according to the spirit—Gal. 5:16, 25; Rom. 8:4:

A. Our spirit is universally spacious; God dwells in our spirit, and our spirit is today’s Jerusalem—Eph. 2:22; Num. 16:22; Heb. 12:9:

1. When the Bible speaks of “your spirit,” it includes the spirits of all the saints—Gal. 6:18; Phil. 4:23; 2 Tim. 4:22; 1 Cor. 6:17.

2. “The words ‘our spirit’ [in Romans 8:16] include Paul’s spirit, Martin Luther’s spirit, John Wesley’s spirit, Brother Nee’s spirit, your spirit, and my spirit”—Life-study of Ephesians, p. 213.

B. The book of Ephesians reveals that we need to be in the mingled spirit to be in the blending for the reality of the Body of Christ—1:17; 2:22; 3:5, 16; 4:23; 5:18; 6:18; cf. Lev. 2:4; 1 Cor. 12:24.

VIII. In order to coordinate with others, we need to be one with the coordinating Triune God—1 Cor. 6:17; Matt. 18:19:

A. The move of the Divine Trinity with the divine coordination in Matthew 12:28 is an excellent and beautiful example for us to follow; this is a good pattern that our Head has set up for our coordination as members of His Body:

1. The way the Lord cast out demons, by another One and for another One, shows that He did not act individualistically but with humility and selflessness—v. 28.

2. The Son as the center of the Divine Trinity was altogether not by Himself, for Himself, or to Himself; whatever He did was by the Spirit of God and for the kingdom of God the Father—v. 28; John 5:19.

3. This shows us the harmony, beauty, and excellency in the Divine Trinity—Matt. 12:28; John 5:19.

4. Today in the church life the Body of Christ has not been built up adequately because of the shortage of the proper coordination—1 Cor. 10:17; cf. Rom. 12:4-5.

5. We may do something according to the will of God, but what we do should not be by ourselves but by some others; furthermore, what we do should not be for ourselves but for the interest, the right, of God on this earth—vv. 4-5.

B. Every day we need to move out of ourselves and into the coinhering and coordinating Triune God—2 Thes. 3:5; Jude 19-21; John 17:17.

 

Ministry Excerpts:

HAVING THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE BODY
IN OUR SERVICE IN COORDINATION

In our service to God, we must be brought by God to the point where we have the consciousness of the Body and do not serve individually but in coordination with the brothers and sisters. We must be brought to a point where the brothers’ move is our move, and our move is the brothers’ move. Regardless of the circumstance we are in, our feeling should always be that what the brothers are doing is no different from what we are doing. The two should be the same.

Not only so, whenever there is a problem in our coordination with the Body, we should sense it immediately. When our coordination with all the members is normal, we may not have much feeling that we are in coordination. This is similar to the coordination in our body. In a normal situation the members of our body do not have much feeling about each other’s existence. However, when a certain member has a problem, then there is a consciousness. Therefore, if we sense the existence of a certain member, then that member must have a problem. When we are particularly conscious of our eyes, something must be wrong with our eyes.

Life Issuing in Spontaneous Coordination

We must realize that there are two kinds of coordination. One kind is the coordination involved in outward arrangements such as sweeping the floor, cleaning the chairs, and dusting the windows. This kind of coordination is not very deep. The other kind of coordination is a coordination that grows out of the life within and is spiritual. This coordination is deeper and more real. This kind of coordination requires that our natural being, the world, our disposition, and our flesh all be dealt with so that the Lord can grow out of us. When He grows out of you and me, we are spontaneously in coordination.

Coordination Making Our Self Manifest

While learning to serve the Lord, many have had the experience that as soon as they were put in the coordination their condition was exposed. When they were at home praying, reading the Word, or pursuing the Lord, they did not sense their own condition very much. When they went out by themselves to preach the gospel and distribute gospel tracts, they also were not very conscious of their condition. However, once they began to serve together with the saints, their self immediately became manifest, particularly in their opinions, because opinions are the best representative of a person’s self.

Coordination Being Mainly Not for Right or Wrong
But for Dealing with Our Self and Individualism

Suppose five of us are serving in coordination to dust the chairs, and suddenly I suggest that we turn the chairs over with the legs pointing upward. How would you react? This would be a test to you. Immediately opinions and thoughts would rise up from within you. You must realize that the most important thing in the church service is not that we perform our tasks successfully. Rather, the important matter in our serving together in coordination is how much our flesh, our disposition, and our individualism are being dealt with. When we who serve the Lord are coordinating together, the main thing is that our flesh and our disposition are dealt with. The emphasis of our service in coordination is not on whether a certain matter is right or wrong nor on whether the reason behind a matter is right or wrong. Rather, the emphasis is on whether or not our person is right and on whether or not the life is right.

The biggest reason the church service is not strong and does not have much blessing is that the reality of coordination is missing. Our coordination in service has to be so real that it surpasses human organization and is as organic as the human body. (CWWL, 1950-1951, vol. 3, “Being Apt to Teach and Holding the Mystery of the Faith”, msg. 5)

Lacking a Feeling for Coordination

Another problem among us is that although the serving ones are capable, they do not have a feeling for coordination in their spirit when they come together to serve. It seems as if everyone is able to serve without others. Consequently, few among us have the spirit of a learner and the spirit of needing help. Those who truly coordinate in spirit should have a strong feeling that they cannot do anything without the help and coordination of others. Our present coordination is one of formality. They do their part without needing anyone else. We may not argue, but there is not much interdependence in spirit. This shows that our spirit of service is improper.

This is the situation of those who work with the young people and the children. The coordination is formal; everyone does what he should do when it is his turn. This is cooperation, not coordination. Coordination means that we cannot do anything without one another. There is a sense that we need others and that others need us. Those who work with young people should be like this; all the service of the church should also be like this. It is normal when the deacons and elders mutually need one another, and the saints feel that they cannot do anything without the elders and deacons.

Today we have rules and arrangements. The elders do things pertaining to elders, and the deacons do things pertaining to deacons. Everyone works when it is his turn. However, we do not have a deep feeling that we cannot go on without the elders and deacons in our service. Some brothers not only lack a sense of the need for the elders and deacons, but they even think that elders and deacons are unnecessary. This is dangerous.

Having the Greatest Form of Pride

Those who live in the workers’ home are bright and capable. They seem to be independent and do not need others. This is very dangerous because it is the greatest form of pride. If four brothers are living in the workers’ home, they should depend on one another, and others should sense their dependence on one another. Sadly, this is not the atmosphere among us. For example, if it is my turn to preach the gospel, I will either do everything or do nothing. From the human perspective, this may be considered to be coordination, but this coordination is according to regulation and arrangement. There is no sense of needing others in spirit. Some may think that coordination is unnecessary and troublesome and that it is better to not coordinate.

Those who do not need to coordinate are dry, lack blessing, and useless. The fact that we are clever, capable, and do not need one another’s help is a great danger. This is a sad and pitiful situation. The fearful thing is that this situation is hidden and not very apparent. This situation can be compared to leprosy. If it is manifested, it is easier to deal with it.

This shows that we lack the fellowship of the Body. When we come together, we seldom have thorough fellowship. For example, when saints from other cities visit Taipei, we sit together for a meeting. After the meeting, however, we all go our separate ways without fellowshipping. This was not our situation during our first six years in Taiwan. In those years, whenever we had a conference, we came together and had much fellowship. Now we are all capable, brilliant, and knowledgeable. We do not need one another; we do not need to fellowship. This is the greatest form of pride. It is the most offensive thing to the Lord and to the Body. We should humbly minister to others and restrict our cleverness through coordination.

Needing Fellowship and Coordination
in the Body and in Life

If we lose the principle of coordination and dependence in the Body, we will not be strong in our administration of the church and ministry of the word. Once we lose this principle, we will not have much blessing. Our coordination should not become mechanical, and we should not work only when it is our turn. We should have the feeling that we cannot do anything without others, that we truly need one another. If we come together and assign work, with each doing only his own work, our situation is similar to the division of labor in a civic organization or a large institution. This lack of the flavor of coordination among the members of the Body must be dealt with.

What does it mean to see the Body? The greatest indication that we see the Body is that we cannot be independent. We feel that we need the Body, that we need the brothers and sisters. Presently, however, our coordination can be compared to work in an organization. It seems that we are moving like a machine and that we lack the sense of the fellowship of life.

The Lack of Coordination Producing Criticism

If we lack coordination with others, we will always criticize what they do. Even if we do not express it, we are filled with criticism, and we disapprove of what others do. Such people are narrow and pitiful. In our service we should not expect others to be like us, nor should we expect to be like others. However, because we lack coordination in our service and do not rely and mutually depend on one another, we often step on others. We either do not walk, or we step on others when we do walk. We either do not work, or we do the job of others. We either are not concerned, or we criticize the work of others. When a certain matter is in other’s hands, we are not able to do anything, but when an opportunity comes to us, we do it according to our way and discard the help of others. Although this condition is not apparent among us, it will be in our future, because we are not willing to submit to others. This is a foolish way.

GOD HAVING BLENDED THE BODY TOGETHER

God has blended the Body together (1 Cor. 12:24). The word blended also means adjusted, harmonized, tempered, and mingled. God has blended the Body, adjusted the Body, harmonized the Body, tempered the Body, and mingled the Body. The Greek word for blended implies the losing of distinctions. One brother’s distinction may be quickness, and another’s may be slowness. But in the Body life the slowness disappears and the quickness is taken away. All such distinctions are gone. God has blended all the believers of all different races and colors. Who can make the blacks and the whites lose their distinctions? Only God can do this. A husband and a wife can have the harmony in their marriage life only by losing their distinctions.

Being Harmonized, Blended, Adjusted, Mingled, and Tempered in the Body Life

In order to be harmonized, blended, adjusted, mingled, and tempered in the Body life, we have to go through the cross and be by the Spirit, dispensing Christ to others for the sake of the Body of Christ. The co-workers and elders must learn to be crossed out. Whatever we do should be by the Spirit to dispense Christ. Also, what we do should not be for our interest and according to our taste but for the church. As long as we practice these points, we will have the blending.

All of these points mean that we should fellowship. When a co-worker does anything, he should fellowship with the other co-workers. An elder should fellowship with the other elders. Fellowship tempers us; fellowship adjusts us; fellowship harmonizes us; and fellowship mingles us. We should forget about whether we are slow or quick and just fellowship with others. We should not do anything without fellowshipping with the other saints who are coordinating with us. Fellowship requires us to stop when we are about to do something. In our coordination in the church life, in the Lord’s work, we all have to learn not to do anything without fellowship. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “The Divine and Mystical Realm”, ch. 6)

If we would practice the blending, we should not forget the matter of fellowship. Fellowship is the basis for blending. Thus, we must practice the fellowship. By so doing we will lay the foundation for the blending. However, instead of practicing the fellowship, we have practiced hypocrisy for years; we have all been hiding ourselves under a mask. Without the foundation of intimate and thorough fellowship, there can be no blending.

We should not be afraid of being known by others. The more we are known in a proper way, the better. This will put down our pride, take away our boasting, annul our superiority complex, and even put aside our inferiority complex.

Have the Blending among Us

Among us we should have the blending of all the individual members of the Body of Christ, the blending of all the churches in certain districts, the blending of all the co-workers, and the blending of all the elders. Blending means that we should always stop to fellowship with others. Then we will receive many benefits. If we isolate and seclude ourselves, we will lose much spiritual profit. Learn to fellowship. Learn to be blended. From now on, the churches should come together frequently to be blended. We may not be used to it, but after we begin to practice blending a few times, we will acquire the taste for it. This is the most helpful thing in the keeping of the oneness of the universal Body of Christ. Today it is very convenient for us to blend with one another because of this modern age with its modern conveniences.

Having the Cross and the Spirit When We Blend Together

When we blend together, we have the cross and the Spirit. Without the cross and the Spirit, all that we have is the flesh with division. It is not easy to be crucified and to do all things by the Spirit in ourselves. This is why we must learn to be blended. Blending requires us to be crossed out. Blending requires us to be by the Spirit to dispense Christ and to do everything for the sake of His Body.

We may come together without much blending because everyone stays in themselves. They are afraid to offend others and make mistakes, so they keep quiet. This is the manner of man according to the flesh. When we come together, we should experience the terminating of the cross. Then we should learn how to follow the Spirit, how to dispense Christ, and how to say and do something for the benefit of the Body. That will change the entire atmosphere of the meeting and will temper the atmosphere. Blending is not a matter of being quiet or talkative but a matter of being tempered. We can be in harmony, because we have been tempered. Eventually, the distinctions will all be gone. Blending means to lose the distinctions. We all have to pay some price to practice the blending.

A group of elders may meet together often without being blended. To be blended means that you are touched by others and that you are touching others. But you should touch others in a blending way. Go through the cross, do things by the Spirit, and do everything to dispense Christ for His Body’s sake. We should not come to a blending meeting to be silent. We have to prepare ourselves to say something for the Lord. The Lord may use you, but you need to be tempered and crossed out, and you need to learn how to follow the Spirit to dispense Christ for His Body’s sake.

The Blending Not Being Social

Such a blending is not social but the blending of the very Christ whom the individual members, the district churches, the co-workers, and the elders enjoy, experience, and partake of.

The New Testament tells us, first, that we are grains of wheat. In John 12:24 the Lord Jesus was the unique grain. Through His death and resurrection He released His life into us, making us the many grains. This is very good. However, the New Testament goes on to tell us that as grains, eventually we need to become a lump (1 Cor. 5:6-7a). This means that we need to become dough. The making of dough requires the blending of grains of wheat; but before being blended, the grains need to be ground into fine flour.

The New Testament also tells us that eventually we all become a loaf (1 Cor. 10:17). In a sense, the grains, the fine flour, the lump, and the dough are nothing until they become a loaf. After we become a loaf, we mean something and we are something in the hand of the Lord. The loaf is the group. At the Lord’s table, we often praise the Lord for the loaf, the bread, yet in actuality we may not be a loaf. A number of saints among us may never have been ground or broken. Although we are grains, it is possible that we have never been broken and ground into fine flour. On the other hand, we may be broken, yet we may never have been blended together. Thus, we are far from being a loaf. The way to become a loaf is to be blended together in the groups. The loaf is the group.

The Way to be Blended Being by Much and Thorough Prayer

The way to be blended is by much and thorough prayer, as fine flour of the wheat, with all the members of our group, with the Spirit as the oil, through the death of Christ as the salt, and in the resurrection of Christ as the frankincense. We need to pray over all these points with much and thorough prayer. We need to be blended into a dough for the Lord. Our becoming dough implies our being broken, our being ground, and our being blended. According to the type of the meal offering in Leviticus 2:1-13, to be blended requires the adding of oil so that the flour will not be dry. It is impossible to blend fine flour that is dry; oil is needed to make the flour moist. In the same way, we need the Spirit as the oil to “moisten” us so that we can be blended together.

To be blended together, we also need the salt, that is, the death of Christ, to kill all the germs within us. We need to realize that we have many germs in our being. All these germs need to be killed by the death of Christ. Then, we also need to be in the resurrection of Christ. In the blending we need to experience the Spirit as the oil, and we also need to pass through the experiences of the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. If by the Lord’s mercy we are able to experience such a blending, we will be absolutely different from what we are today. It is not enough just to put people together and call them a group. That can be done very quickly. The proper grouping with the blending of the members will take time. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 3, “Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups”, msg. 10)

THE PRACTICAL CONDITION OF COORDINATION

Living and Acting by God’s Grace and God’s Power

Ezekiel 1:11b says, “Their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.” This indicates that the four living creatures were arranged not in a line but in a square. We have pointed out that in the Bible the wings of an eagle signify the grace and power of God. If the four living creatures were not joined together by the wings to form a square, they could not be coordinated. This indicates that the coordination of the living creatures is in the Lord and by the grace of God.

If as believers in Christ we are not in the Lord and in the grace of God, we cannot be joined to others. But if we abide in God, rely on God, and express God, we can coordinate together in God. Our coordination, therefore, is not based on our ability and talent but on our dwelling in God and depending on God. If we all abide in God, trust in God, and express God, God will become the power and the means of our coordination. We will then coordinate and move in oneness because we are in God.

Just as the boards of the tabernacle in the Old Testament were held together by the gold to be one entity, so the living creatures are joined by the wings to be one unit. If the overlaying gold were removed from the boards of the tabernacle, the tabernacle would collapse. If the living creatures did not have wings, they could not be joined together. The meaning in both cases is the same: We are held together because we are in God. The crucial point here is that the oneness and coordination of the four living creatures depend on the eagle’s wings, that is, upon the grace and power of God. God’s grace and power make the living creatures one entity and are the means by which they coordinate.

This picture of coordination corresponds to the teaching in the New Testament. Romans 12:5 says, “So we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” First Corinthians 12:13 says, “For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.” These verses reveal that we are joined together as one Body and coordinate as one Body because of Christ and the Spirit. If Christ and the Spirit were taken away from us, we could not be one and coordination would be impossible. The coordination in the church requires that we all deny the self and live in the Lord. Without the eagle’s wings we are separated, but with the eagle’s wings we are coordinated.

Walking According to the Spirit

The second aspect of the practical condition of coordination is walking according to the Spirit (Ezek. 1:20). The living creatures follow the Spirit. Wherever the Spirit goes, there the living creatures go also. This indicates that if we, as living creatures in Christ, would be coordinated, we must walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25). We must not follow ourselves. If we deny ourselves and walk according to the spirit (Rom. 8:4), we will have genuine coordination. However, if we walk in an arbitrary way according to self-will and if we live in the flesh, we cannot coordinate together.

Moving Straight Forward and Accommodating Others

Another aspect of the practical condition of coordination is moving straight forward and accommodating others. When the living creatures move, they go straight forward; they do not make any turns. If one living creature takes the lead to move straight forward toward the east, the other living creatures also move in this direction. This indicates that everyone functions properly in coordination. In the church life today, every member has his own function (1 Cor. 12:14-30) and moves in a straight forward direction to fulfill his function, without turning to do something else.

As one of the four living creatures moves forward in a particular direction, the others accommodate him by moving in the same direction, walking backward, sideways to the right, or sideways to the left. Only one living creature at a time can move forward. However, in moving with him, the others do not turn; rather, they walk backward or sideways. Regardless of the direction in which the living creatures move, one moves forward, one moves backward, and the others move sideways. Thus, those who move backward and sideways accommodate the one who moves forward.

This should be the situation in the church life today. Often we need to move backward or sideways in order to accommodate the one who is moving forward. In the meetings or in the practical service, as someone is exercising his function, moving forward, we need to accommodate him by moving either backward or sideways. This is coordination.

However, if everyone goes his own way and does not accommodate others, we cannot be a corporate entity and we cannot coordinate together. The move of the living creatures is not individual—it is corporate. The living creatures move by coordinating together. If we would participate in such a coordination, we need to deny ourselves, experience God’s grace, and follow the Spirit in a corporate way.

I believe that in the Bible the clearest picture of coordination is found in chapter one of Ezekiel. A central feature of the vision of the four living creatures is their coordination. Here we see not the move of an individual living creature but the corporate move of four living creatures. This portrays the move not of believers in an individual way but of the church in a corporate way. We, the living ones who are in the grace and power of God, have become one entity. Everyone has his ministry and carries out his proper function. This means that everyone goes forward in his own direction without making any turns. Although the directions may differ, the move is the same. When someone goes toward the north, all the others follow him to move in this direction. If someone else moves south, all the others move with him toward the south. Whenever someone is moving forward, all the others accommodate him by moving either backward or sideways. If we study the clear picture of the coordination of the living creatures in Ezekiel 1, we will understand what coordination is. (Life-Study of Ezekiel, msg. 8)

THE EXCELLENCY IN THE DIVINE TRINITY

In Matthew 12:28 the Lord said, “If I [the Son], by the Spirit of God [the Triune God including the Father], cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God [the Triune God] has come upon you.” Matthew 12:28 seemingly is a simple word, but we need to look into this verse to see its deeper meaning and revelation. We need to ask, “Couldn’t the Lord Jesus have cast out these demons by Himself? Couldn’t the Lord have said that He cast out demons by Himself in order that His own kingdom might come upon the people? What would have been wrong with this?” If the Son would have done this, He would have acted individualistically. At that time He was among the Pharisees, who were proud, selfish, and individualistic. They would not work with anyone else. There was no humility among them, and they were full of self-seeking, selfishness. Now there was One, condemned by them and standing in front of them, telling them that He did something in a different way. The way He cast out demons showed them that He was humble. He was not individualistic. He was not doing something by Himself and for Himself. He was doing something by the Spirit of God and for the kingdom of God. He never did anything by Himself or for Himself. Is this not beautiful? This shows us the excellency in the Divine Trinity.

A Good Pattern for Our Coordination

This is surely a good pattern for our coordination. The Lord has produced a Body constituted with many members, so all the members should learn of Him. He was working by the Spirit of God for God the Father. He never did anything by Himself or for Himself. Is this not a pattern for us to be coordinated in His Body? We should behave ourselves just like our Head. He behaved Himself in a way of neither doing anything by Himself nor doing anything for Himself. Today in the church life the Body of Christ has not been built up adequately because of the shortage of the proper coordination. If we want to be coordinated with all the members in the Body, we have to learn of Christ our Head, taking Him as our pattern. We should not do anything by ourselves or for ourselves. I may do something according to the will of God, but what I do should not be by myself but by some others. Furthermore, what I do should not be for myself but for the interest, the right, of God on the earth. This is a beauty, and this beauty is a real excellency, a real divine attribute, and an excellent virtue that we need to copy.

I questioned Matthew 12:28 quite often. I wondered why the Lord did not say that He cast out demons by Himself for His own kingdom. Instead, He said that He cast out demons by another One and for another One. His spirit was so humble, so selfless. He did nothing by Himself or for Himself. With Him there was no self, no element of selfishness. This is a beauty.

This is a good pattern that our Head has set up for His Body, of which we all are members. As members of Him, we should behave, act, and live according to what He did and was. When we do things, we should learn to do them not by ourselves. We are the doers, but we should not be the channel. We need someone else to be our channel through which we do things. Furthermore, we should not be the beneficiary of what we do. Someone else should be our beneficiary to receive the very benefit of our doing and of our being. (CWWL, 1988, vol. 1, “Living In and With the Divine Trinity”, ch. 5)

Moving out of the Self and into God the Father if We Desire to be One with Others

When we are with the Lord in the Father and in the glory, we are one. But when we are in ourselves, we cannot be one with others. In ourselves we are one only with ourselves, not with anyone else. If we desire to be one with others, we need to move out of the self and into God the Father. No one can make this move for us; we are responsible to do it ourselves. When we move out of ourselves and into the Father and into the Father’s glory, we are one and are even perfected into one. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “Truth Messages”, ch. 6)