The Coordination in One New Man

Scripture reading:

Rom. 12:5        So we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

1 Cor. 12:13   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.

Eph. 2:15       Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.

Col. 3:11       Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircusmcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.

I. The vision and the work of the Body of Christ:

A. We also need to know the Body in practice. Locality as the church ground of a local church separates the church in existence but does not divide the church in essence. The existence of the churches is separated, but their essence is inseparable…. All the local churches are one Body in essence. Essentially, we are still just one Body on the entire globe. All the problems of the church today are due to ignorance concerning the Body of Christ. The biggest problem is not knowing the Body and not caring for the Body. (Elders’ Training Book 11, The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (3), ch. 12; 2012 ITEROS, msg. 6)

B. There should be only one work in the Lord’s recovery—the work of the one Body. Whenever we do something, we must have a proper consideration for the Body and care for how the Body would feel about what we are doing. (2007 MDC, msg. 3; 2012 ITEROS, msg. 6)

II. The basic principle of maintaining the oneness of the Body of Christ:

A. We need to take Christ as the unique center of the Christian life and the church life:

If as individuals and local churches we desire to keep the oneness and avoid division, we must take Christ as the center and the essence of our Christian life and our church life. Christ Himself, not the things related to Christ, should be our center. Teachings, ministries, gifts, and other matters must be all for Christ as our center. The only way to be genuinely one is to acknowledge Christ as our unique center. If we have Christ as our center, we are one. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 3, “ The Oneness of the Body and the Service in the Church Life”, ch. 4)

B. We need to be general:

In order to keep the oneness of the Body that is in the local churches, we must be general. If a local church is to be a genuine church, it must be a local expression of Christ. This expression of Christ must be general, not special. If anything is special in the local churches, it must be Christ as our unique center. Taking anything else as the center will cause the church to cease being general and will result in division. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 3, “ The Oneness of the Body and the Service in the Church Life”, ch. 4)

C. We need to purge away our background:

We have come from many backgrounds and have been unconsciously influenced by those backgrounds. If we mean business to allow the Lord to have genuine recovery among us, we must allow the Lord to purge away our various backgrounds. If we hold on to the old things, although we may desire to go the Lord’s way, we will become a stumbling block to the Lord’s recovery. We must realize that every old thing that is not purged out of us may eventually become a stumbling block that will frustrate many from the Lord’s way and even hinder the Lord from having a full recovery of His testimony. (CWWL, 1964, vol. 3, “ The Oneness of the Body and the Service in the Church Life”, ch. 4)

D. We need to obey the deputy authority:

The first thing in the coordination of the work is the coordination of the authority of God. Once we do not have the coordination of authority, all the other coordinations are empty. (Church Affairs, ch. 10)

E. We need to live in the divine fellowship:

The divine fellowship is the reality of living in the Body of Christ. Fellowship tempers us, adjusts us, harmonizes us, and mingles us. (2012 ITEROS, msg. 6)

III. Types of the coordination of the new man

A. Coordination in daily life:

Mainly concerning about the coordination with local saints, such as the basic necessities between different cultures.

B. Coordination in service:

Mainly concerning about coordination with severing ones and arrangement of the propagation, such as how to approve proposal, how to practice the God-ordained way according to the local situation.

1. The relationship between the co-workers and the elders:

The work early in Taiwan, the function of the system of co-workers was stronger than the function of elders, and the elders just cooperated with the co-workers. When Brother Lee was at USA, there was no system of co-workers. When Brother Lee started to practice the new way, he limited the function of co-workers and encourage the function of the elders. So in different countries, the role of co-workers and elders is different. In the new propagated countries, the role of the co-workers is strong because the saints are new, while in the formed churches, the role of the elders is strong.

2. The relationship between the church and the work:

Before brother Nee release “The Normal Christian Church Life”, co-workers were sent to propagate in other places with the mode of cooperation. This is called path of Antioch. After brother Watchman Nee’s ministry was recovered, the co-workers needed to strength the testimony of the central city and take care for other places at the same time. This is named path of Jerusalem.

IV. The factors influencing the coordination in the new man:

A. The differences of custom and culture:

Custom and culture in different countries will affect the coordination of the new man.

B. The skill of speaking:

Our attitude, expression, and tone will affect our coordination.

C. The difference of the service structure:

The service core in different countries and regions are different on making decisions even though they all have the serves core.

D. The concept of service:

Because of our concept of service, we may think about things incompletely, which will cause the disharmony in our coordination.

E. The difference of the practice of the new way:

The differences concerning the degree of the understanding of the new way will cause friction in the practice.

F. The attitude toward the deputy authority:

Obeying the deputy authority will reduce friction in the coordination; otherwise the friction will be caused.

G. Natural construction, flesh, and self are three big “worms” destroying our coordination in the one new man:

People’s envy, strife, style, opinion and excuses will affect the coordination in the one new man.