THE PRACTICE HANDBOOK FOR THE DISTRICT SERVING ONES
SERIES ONE
BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR THE DISTRICT SERVING ONES
Message Four
Living in the Fellowship of the Body
1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Phil. 1:4-5 Always in my every petition on behalf of you all, making my petition with joy, for your fellowship unto the furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now.
HAVING TO LIVE IN THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE BODY
IN ORDER TO LIVE IN THE BODY
In the Body of Christ, fellowship is very practical; moreover, the Body of Christ cannot leave this fellowship even for one moment. If a believer desires to live in the Body, he must live in the fellowship of the Body. Once he loses the fellowship of the Body, he will definitely be disconnected from the Body. If one remains in the Body, he is in the fellowship of the Body. The fellowship of the Body is difficult to define. Portions from the Word of God, such as 1 John 1, show that this fellowship is related to God’s eternal life: “The life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us” (v. 2).
Furthermore, Philippians and 2 Corinthians both show that this fellowship is in the Holy Spirit. “If there is therefore any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of spirit” (Phil. 2:1). “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). Since the Spirit is the realization of Christ, when the Spirit is in us, Christ and God are in us. The Spirit in all of us is one and the same. The Spirit in you is the Spirit in me. There is one Spirit in all of us. This Spirit becomes our fellowship and also enables us to have fellowship with one another.
FELLOWSHIP BEING THE FIOW OF LIFE
WITHIN THE CHILDREN OF GOD
The Holy Spirit Flowing within Us
Simply speaking, fellowship is the flow of life, the flow of the Holy Spirit, within the children of God. The fellowship of the Body is when the life of God flows among us, when the Holy Spirit flows within us. An illustration of this flow, this fellowship, is our own physical body. The Word says that the life of the flesh is in the blood (Lev. 17:11). Doctors tell us that the blood in our body is flowing very quickly; it flows very quickly and also through our body many times every minute. The blood in our hand flows rapidly to our feet; the blood in our entire body moves and flows continually.
In medical science this flow of blood is called circulation. This means that the circulation of blood is the flow of blood; the flow of blood is the fellowship of the body. We cannot say that the blood in our body is the blood of our hand or the blood of our feet. If the blood in a person’s hand stops moving and remains in that particular place, the hand becomes dead. This indicates that his blood flow has a problem and that his body is in an abnormal situation. We need to be active, to exercise, so that we may accelerate and increase the blood circulation in our body. The faster the blood circulates in our body, the healthier our body becomes. Due to this circulation, all the improper things in our body are removed, and all the nutrients we need are supplied to us. Thus, the circulation of blood in our body has at least two functions: it supplies the nutrients that are needed, and it removes all the extra and improper things. This maintains the metabolism in the body so that the body can grow gradually. The blood circulation is the fellowship of the body.
The Circulation of the Life of Christ in Us
There is also such a fellowship in the Body of Christ. The fellowship of the Body is the circulation of the life of Christ in us, which is also the circulation of the Spirit of life in us. The circulation of the Spirit of life within us has at least two functions: it brings in the spiritual supply we need, and it discharges all the improper, useless, and dead things from within us (Titus 3:5). Whenever there is a lack of fellowship among God’s children, there is a lack of spiritual supply among them. Furthermore, there is the accumulation of many improper things within them, which creates problems; as a consequence, the Body of Christ becomes ill. We need to see that in order for the life of Christ to be continually living and strong, as the children of God, we need to have continual fellowship among us. Whenever this fellowship is stopped, the supply of life is stopped, and death is brought in; thus, the Body of Christ suffers loss related to spiritual death.
THE MEMBERS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
NEEDING ONE ANOTHER
The Flow of Life in the Body Carrying Away Difficulties
We often feel that we are unable to bear a particular burden. We may feel oppressed and troubled. Although we try to fight and overcome, we still have no way. A very simple and convenient way is to go to our brothers and sisters. Do not despise their youth, for there is something in them that can increase the flow in us. This is marvelous. We can tell them our difficulty and burden, and as we speak to them, the difficulty is removed. By the time we finish speaking, the heavy burden is removed. This is the flow of life in the Body carrying away difficulties and the fellowship of the Body solving our difficulties. Those who are experienced can all testify that once they stop seeing the brothers and sisters, they can no longer live. Similarly, if we are cut off from our Head, Christ, we will be unable to continue to live.
The Fellowship among the Members Often
Causing the Supply to Flow into Us
This shows two aspects of grace: one involves fellowship with the Head, and the other involves fellowship with the members. We cannot say which aspect is more important; both are equally important. When we touch the Head, we touch life; when we touch the members, we also touch life. The fellowship among the members often causes the supply to flow into us, and it discharges whatever should not be in us. For this reason a brother or sister who does not meet for a month will become weak and depressed inwardly.
We should never think that those standing on the podium are the only ones who can supply others and that they do not need the brothers and sisters. Actually, if the brothers and sisters are not there listening while they speak, they will probably finish speaking in only ten minutes. Hence, it is often not the speaker who is supplying the brothers and sisters but the brothers and sisters who are supplying the speaker. If there was no one listening, they would probably finish after ten sentences even if they wanted to speak over a hundred. However, if the brothers and sisters are gathered there, they may be unable to finish after a hundred sentences, even if they started with only ten. This is because the brothers and sisters are there. It is not that the more they speak, the more they are supplying the brothers and sisters; rather, the more they speak, the more they are being supplied by the brothers and sisters.
Some brothers come and thank me for giving good messages. I thank them, however, for giving me a supply. Without them I would have nothing. The brothers and sisters give me a good opportunity to release the Lord’s word by supplying me with their spirit in the meeting. This is the happiest and most satisfying thing to me. When the word is released, I feel satisfied and fed inwardly. When I go home, I can sleep very well. This is grace, and this is also fellowship. There is a flow, and it is a great flow of life in the Body.
Touching the Feeling of the Head
through the Members in Fellowship
Afterward, the facts proved that the way was of the Lord, of the Spirit, of light, full of wisdom, and of benefit to the Body. There are numerous testimonies like this, and we can say that this is our testimony almost every day. Even today, I can say that not one point of service becomes clear to me through my personal prayer. I fellowship thoroughly with the brothers concerning every move in the service. We touch God’s feeling in our fellowship; we touch the feeling of the Head through the members in fellowship. This is wonderful, yet it is also practical. The more we advance in spiritual matters, the more we see the practicality and necessity of this matter.
THE NEED FOR THE FELLOWSHIP
OF THE BODY AMONG THE CHURCHES
If a Church Despises the Fellowship of the Body,
That Church Definitely Withering
The fellowship of the Body is not only needed by the brothers and sisters individually; it is also needed by a church or the work. There is something wrong with a local church that claims to live before the Lord and to receive grace directly from the Lord yet does not need to receive help from any other local church. Without help from the brothers and sisters, we will wither; without fellowship from other localities, a local church will be like a withered foot. If a church trusts only in direct fellowship with the Lord and despises the fellowship of the Body, that church will definitely wither.
Although we emphasize the giving of messages in every conference, we treasure much more the fellowship with all the saints. At least once or twice a year all the brothers and sisters from each locality in Taiwan who are seeking the Lord, working for Him, and serving in the churches gather together. We are unable to count the blessings that we receive in these gatherings. Through the fellowship problems vanish, and much supply is received. Some saints can testify that during these conferences the help they receive from fellowshipping with the brothers and sisters is greater than the help they receive from hearing the messages. The fellowship solves more problems than the messages. This is truly a fact.
The Grace We Receive in Fellowship
Being Very Practical
Let us consider our situation. The raising up, building up, and growth of meetings in various localities, bringing them to their present condition of service, is the result of fellowship. There are now thirty-five localities on the island that have established bread-breaking meetings, which means that they are local churches. In addition, there are close to another twenty places that have prayer meetings. Thus, there are meetings in about fifty places. The meetings in these places were not established by the workers; they were raised up through the fellowship of the brothers and sisters. This shows the importance of fellowship. These places have been raised up one by one, and they are growing. Moreover, the saints in these places are serving the Lord and bringing other places into the service as well. This is the issue of grace in fellowship.
The grace we receive in fellowship is very practical. Some localities began with one saint who, after attending a conference, returned to his locality and raised up a meeting. In other places there were two or three brothers and sisters who received the fellowship and supply within from a conference and began meeting in their locality. After two to three months they began breaking bread, and there are presently twenty to thirty saints in their locality. This is marvelous; this is fellowship, and this is the result of fellowship.
In order for the Body to grow, we must have the fellowship of the Body; the more we fellowship, the better. The churches abroad and the churches in Southeast Asia can also testify to this. The reason they suffered loss in the past is that they lacked fellowship. This is the reason we are paying special attention to fellowship at this time. Many brothers and sisters from abroad admit that through this fellowship, they have received many things that they did not receive in the past, many unsolvable problems have been solved, and a way through many difficulties has been found.
The Growth of the Saints, the Growth of the Churches,
and the Propagation of the Work
Depending upon the Fellowship in the Body
We need to see that the growth of the saints, the growth of the churches, the propagation of the work, and even the nurturing of the workers depend upon the fellowship in the Body. For example, we feel satisfied when we eat enough food. During our exercise, however, when there is an increased circulation of the blood in our body, we may not have a full awareness of how much we are being supplied or how much is being discharged from us. However, the increased circulation through exercise is supplying us and discharging the negative things from our body. We may think that we receive much edification from hearing messages and obtain much help from reading the Bible, but we need to see that even more we are unconsciously supplied when we fellowship with others. The dissolving, the discharging, of our problems takes place unconsciously. The grace we receive is the grace of fellowship.
For example, if a person does not have light, he does not have the leading, and although he may seek light and the leading, he still cannot get them. However, he may attend a meeting, and marvelously, even before the meeting begins, light flashes within him. We often have this experience. When we come to a meeting, light comes. As we walk into the meeting, the light comes. Please remember that this light is in the Body; this light is in the sanctuary. When we remain in ourselves, we are in darkness; however, when we come into the fellowship of the Body, this fellowship brings in light, and this fellowship is the light. When we enter into this fellowship, we enter into light. We may be unsure of how to deal with an important matter, even though we may seek the Lord’s leading. However, as soon as we fellowship with some brothers and sisters, we become clear concerning the matter and have the leading. This is what fellowship brings to us. I hope that from these points we can all see the importance of fellowship.
FIVE CRUCIAL POINTS
CONCERNING THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE BODY
Not Making Distinctions in the Fellowship
Let us consider how to fellowship. First, we should be careful never to distinguish between who is experienced and who is young when we fellowship. If we fellowship only with those who are experienced and not with young ones, we will suffer much. Never despise the younger brothers and sisters. Although we may think that they are unable to supply us, they help our spiritual blood cells to circulate. They can be compared to a spiritual motivator; when we fellowship with them, our spiritual blood cells begin to “run” on a racetrack, and we receive a supply. We should never be so proud that we think that we are experienced and that newly baptized ones cannot understand our needs, and we therefore do not need to fellowship with them. If we maintain this kind of attitude, we will be dead inwardly. When we fellowship with newly saved believers, who were recently baptized, we can receive a fresh supply and be refreshed. The marvelous thing is that we may think that we are helping others when we teach them, but actually we are being helped by them. Moreover, the help we receive from them is greater than the help they receive from us. Hence, the first point is that we should never make distinctions in fellowship.
Fellowship Being Dependent on the Level of Life
Second, although we should not make distinctions when fellowshipping, there is still a matter of the degree of fellowship. We can have fellowship and receive a supply from anyone, as long as he is a believer. However, we need to realize that in order for us to comprehend others, to understand their fellowship, and to know exactly what they are talking about, we need to have a certain measure of life. Some people are deep in the Lord, and others are shallow. Although it is possible for there to be mutual understanding in fellowship, it is also possible to have a lack. It is also possible for one person to understand the story, but the other does not. Although one may be able to stimulate the circulation of spiritual blood, he may not be able to specifically respond to the fellowship, because he is not at that level.
Therefore, when you fellowship with me, we may not be able to get through in certain areas, because I cannot understand you, especially if I do not have your experiences and my life has not reached your degree of life. You may be like a college professor speaking to a kindergartner about mathematics. We can understand one another when we speak of one plus one, but if the subject changes to algebra and geometry, I will not know how to respond. I may meet a brother who was baptized last week and say, “Praise the Lord, you are saved.” He can reply, “That is true, I am saved.” He can understand this. However, if I were to ask him a deeper question, such as how the Lord lives in him, he will be confused and puzzled.
Fellowship Being Limited
This shows that fellowship can be limited. I have been saved for many years, but because this brother has been baptized for less than a month, he is not as advanced in the experience of life as I am. Although we can fellowship, our fellowship will be limited. Thus, anyone who seeks fellowship cannot ignore the matter of growth in life. These two matters, fellowship and growth, have a cause-and-effect relationship. Because there is life, there is fellowship, and because there is fellowship, life can grow. The more life grows, the more fellowship there is; the more fellowship there is, the more life can grow. This is a cycle of life. Thus, we cannot say whether fellowship comes before or after growth. These two are interconnected.
Having More Fellowship So That Life Can Grow
If all the brothers and sisters in the church, as members of one another, grow in this way, our fellowship will be like water boiling in a pot. Whenever we gather together, whoever comes into our midst will be “boiled” and “burned.” Consequently, everyone will experience the stripping off of at least a layer of skin. Since the meeting is “boiling,” the water in this meeting is always “boiling,” always fellowshipping, and always growing. When I fellowship with you, you understand; also, when you fellowship with me, I understand. This kind of spiritual activity causes us to grow in life. However, if you cannot understand when I fellowship with you, and I cannot understand when you fellowship with me, then we will be inactive, and eventually the Body will suffer loss. Therefore, we all need to be responsible to have more fellowship so that life can grow.
Not Criticizing and Not Condemning
Third, never criticize or condemn others while fellowshipping. After fellowshipping, we may realize that we were unable to understand each other because our spiritual levels are different. At this point some may abandon fellowship. However, even though we are unable to get through in our fellowship, we still need to fellowship. But our fellowship should go only to a certain extent, not beyond; otherwise, some will feel condemned. At the same time, we should never condemn others and think that their experience is too shallow and that we can fellowship only low and shallow things with them, not high things. We should not inwardly criticize a certain brother or a certain sister who has no apparent progress; if we criticize, the fellowship in us will stop. Fellowship is a matter in the spirit, which is the most tender and sensitive part of our being. If we are rough, unrefined, unreasonable, and impolite, this will hurt the feeling of the spirit, and consequently the fellowship in our spirit will be damaged. Therefore, we should never condemn and criticize others in the fellowship.
For this reason we should not only avoid distinctions when we fellowship, but we should also not condemn others and not criticize them. We need to keep ourselves soft and humble before the Lord at all times. We should fellowship with each other, and then we should continue in fellowship; however, if we have difficulty fellowshipping, we should fellowship only to the extent that is possible. In any case, we should always maintain the freshness and liveliness of the spirit.
Learning to Accommodate Others
Fourth, we should learn to accommodate others when we fellowship. This means that if our level of life is higher, we should not go too high in our fellowship. If we go too high, our fellowship will not benefit them but will rather push them to death; if this is the case, there will be a loss. We need to realize that the brothers and sisters around us are like the wives, children, and flocks led by Jacob (Gen. 33:13-14). When they hurried on in their journey, Jacob had no problem because he was strong and could walk fast, but his wives, children, and all the cattle were tender and frail and were not like Jacob. If Jacob hurried without caring for his wives, children, and the cattle, he would have pushed them to death. Jacob was unwilling to do this. Although he could walk very fast, he did not; rather, he accommodated his wives, children, and cattle.
Our spiritual understanding may be deeper and higher than the ones with whom we fellowship. If we always fellowship in a deep and high way, they will be unable to understand us. Thus, our fellowship will be killed. We should learn to accommodate them and learn to speak what they can understand. For example, our praising the Lord in a child-like manner during the bread-breaking meeting is to accommodate others. Our accommodation can help others advance. Fellowship is often lost in the Body because those who are deeper and higher do not want to accommodate those who are not as advanced. We should never despise any member in the Body.
Not Neglecting Our Personal Fellowship with the Lord
Fifth, although we have fellowship with the members, we should never neglect our personal fellowship with the Lord. Never think that the fellowship of the Body is all that is needed. Some people make this mistake; they taste the fellowship of the Body and receive the blessing of the fellowship of the Body, but they neglect their personal fellowship with the Lord. After a period of time they develop a problem, because their situation is unbalanced. On the one hand, we need to fellowship with the Lord; on the other hand, we need to fellowship with the saints and the churches. (CWWL, 1956, vol. 1, “The Church as the Body of Christ,” msg. 19)
THE NEED OF CO-WORKS
FOR THOSE WHO WORKS FOR THE LORD
It is impossible for those who are working for the Lord to work alone. They need co-workers. However, as soon as “co” is mentioned, we think of an organization. The cooperation among the schools in a university depends entirely on organization. A board of directors hires a president who then selects the heads of the departments and hires the staff. This is the organization of a university. A person who enters such an organization is clear about his position. He knows whether he is a department head, a teacher, or an office clerk. This is the principle in every business. It is the same with the government. There is a representative body with its councilmen, and there are administrative units with their respective officers.
We do not have organization in the work. This does not mean that everyone can do his own thing. We do not have an organization, but we still co-work. This is something that human culture and society do not have. The human body has no organization, yet all its members co-work every day. Each member knows its position and exercises its function for the body. No one member acts alone. This is the principle that we live by in the Body of Christ.
One’s Business Becoming Everyone’s Business after Fellowship
Now that we know the principle of the Body, we should apply it. Suppose a brother is burdened to go to the villages for the propagation. Whom should he fellowship with first? He does not need to seek someone who is far away. He should first fellowship with those who are serving with him. Then he should seek those who have the same burden in order to fellowship and pray with them. Without fellowship, he is not living in the Body. This is not a regulation; it is something spontaneous. When he is burdened for the propagation, he must first fellowship concerning his burden with the ones whom he serves with. He can tell them that he is burdened for the propagation, but he is not clear concerning where to go. Then they can pray with him or pray for him privately. After such fellowship, his business becomes their business, and they can pray together concerning his burden. This is where we should begin our fellowship.
Later, he can approach the elders whom he is close to and who render him help in the Body. This is not a regulation. He is not handing over his responsibility to an organization, nor is he bidding them farewell. This is fellowship in the spirit. Fellowship of life is altogether a matter in the Body. We do not go to the elders to ask for advice nor to receive an order, and the elders should not be political. We must all learn to live in the fellowship of the Body and speak in the spirit.
Here is a further illustration. Suppose the brother goes to a town for the propagation and labors for three weeks. However, he only encounters difficulties on every side. What should he do? It is more than likely that a person who begins laboring for the Lord will encounter such a situation. We should not expect that everything will be smooth when we labor. When we go out in a pioneering way, there will always be adverse circumstances because no one has paved the way for us. Should he pack up his bags and leave, or should he fast and pray? Suppose the Lord seemingly does not hear him; should he return to fellowship with the brothers? We must not forget that we are not alone. We serve in groups of two or three. Instead of going to someone far away, he should first fellowship with the two or three who are with him. Then if the work continues to fail, he can fellowship with the co-workers in his initial locality. This is the proper relationship that we should have with our fellow workers.
The More Fellowship There Being, the Better
Suppose three saints go out for the propagation. After they pray and fellowship, one saint may want to do the children’s work, another may want to labor with the elderly saints, and the third may want to work with the young people and the young working saints. This way is not wrong as long as they have thorough fellowship.
We must endeavor to know the Spirit, know life, and know the Body. We should also do our best to live in the spirit, in life, and in the Body. If we coordinate with three saints, we should fellowship with them. If we coordinate with thirty saints, we should fellowship with them. The more fellowship there is, the better. When we fellowship in this way, the Lord’s blessing will come in. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 2, “The Vision, Living, and Work of the Lord’s Serving Ones,” msg. 20)
