Msg. 3 The Body of Christ Being Organic

GENERAL SUBJECT:
CRUCIAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

Message Three
The Body of Christ Being Organic

Scripture Reading: John 15:1; Eph. 4:4-6, 22-24, 30; Col. 1:28

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:

A. The church is not an organization manufactured by man but an organism produced by the Triune God as life.

B. The true vine, a portrait of Christ, is an organism by which the Triune God accomplishes His eternal economy—John 15:1.

C. This divine organism is the structure of the union and mingling of all the believers with the Triune God—Eph. 4:4-6:

1. God the Father is the person—v. 6.

2. God the Son is the element of life—v. 5.

3. God the Spirit is the essence of life—v. 4.

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:

A. The growth of this divine organism and the organic building up of the organism by itself—Eph. 4:11-16:

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.

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:

a. Holding to truth in love and growing up into the Head, Christ, in all things—vv. 13b, 15.

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

B. The living of this organism:

1. Being the corporate and organic living of the Body of Christ—Rom. 12:5:

a. All the members live together by taking Christ as life—Col. 3:3-4a.

b. All the members care for one another—1 Cor. 12:25-27.

2. Being an organic living produced by the union and mingling of the Triune God with the tripartite man—Rom. 8:2-13:

a. By the law of the Spirit of life—v. 2.

b. First, by being made alive in the spirit by the Spirit of Christ—vv. 9-10.

c. Next, by being made alive in the mind of the soul by the spreading of the Spirit of God—v. 6b.

d. Finally, by being made alive in the mortal body by the indwelling Spirit of God—v. 11.

e. Setting the mind on the Spirit—v. 6b.

f. Walking only according to the Spirit—v. 4b.

g. By putting to death the practices of the body by the indwelling Spirit of God—vv. 11, 13.

C. The service of this organism:

1. Being the corporate organic service of the Body of Christ—Rom. 12:4-8:

a. Every member is necessary—1 Cor. 12:14-22.

b. Every member functions organically according to the operation in measure of each one part—Eph. 4:16.

2. Being the organic service of the New Testament priesthood of the gospel—1 Pet. 2:5, 9:

a. Preaching the gospel to save sinners and offering them as sacrifices to God—Rom. 15:16.

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.

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.

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.

e. Laboring and struggling in all wisdom to present to God every saint full-grown in Christ—Col. 1:28-29.

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.