«　WEEK 5　DAY 6　»

　　Philem. 7 For I had much joy and encouragement over your love, because the inward parts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

　　12 Him I have sent back to you—him, that is, my very heart.

　　If we have the sense of the Body, whenever any member in the Body of Christ is blessed, regardless of whether it is our locality, we will be very happy because another church has been blessed. Regardless of whether it is our local church, as long as the saints have hardships or have been blessed, we will identify with them and feel the same hardship or blessing. If we can reach this stage, the sense within us toward the Body will be rich. It will no longer be local but extra-local. The supply to the Body of Christ from this kind of sense is indescribable. (The Church as the Body of Christ, p. 207)

　　If we can bring the universal riches to the Body of Christ, our usefulness to the Body is universal. Thus, we may serve in one place, but the effect is universal, not merely local. We are often shut up in ourselves. Even when we come out of ourselves, we remain in our locality and do not allow the Lord to enlarge us. The Body is universal, and the life within us is universal. The Spirit within us is universal, the sense within us is universal, and the supply is universal. It does not matter what locality is blessed.

　　Everyone who serves God, everyone who serves sinners, and everyone who administrates the church must exercise to have a keen sense. If we do not exercise, we will not be of much spiritual use. We must admit that often the help we render to people is in faith; we do not need to be so clear. In fact, our being clear concerning the condition of people actually hinders us from helping them. At the same time, we cannot be foolish. When people come to us, we should be able to discern their condition in three to five sentences. Even if they describe a certain condition, our spirit should be able to sense their real situation. This kind of exercise is necessary. Although we are outwardly listening when we contact a brother or sister, inwardly we should be exercised to sense their true situation. (The Church as the Body of Christ, pp. 207, 200-201)

　　If we have Body consciousness, we immediately will see that the Body is one. Once we see this, we will not be individualistic in our spiritual work. If we want to participate in the Lord's work, we need to deal with this one matter—individualistic works.... Whenever God's children see the oneness of the Body, they will also see the oneness of the work, and they will be delivered out of individualistic work into the work of the Body. This does not mean that we no longer work by ourselves. It means that we no longer consider any work to be our own. It does not matter whether a work is done by us or not, as long as someone is doing it, we are satisfied. If we see the Body, we will see that the result is all for the benefit of the Head and the Body, whether we or others are doing it. All the glory goes to the Lord, and all the blessings go to the church.

　　The Lord has assigned a portion to each one of us. We should not consider ourselves greater than what we are. We should be faithful to the portion that the Lord has assigned to us, and we should honor the portion that the Lord has assigned to others. Those who see the Body will see that all the members have their functions; they will see that they are only one of the many members. They will not place themselves in a conspicuous position and make comparisons with others or usurp their places.

　　Once a Christian sees the Body, it will be impossible for him to be proud or jealous anymore. Since the Body is one, it will be the same if the work is done by others or by ourselves; there will be no difference at all. Whether the work is done by you or by others, the glory ultimately goes to the Lord alone, and the blessings go to the church. (CWWN, vol. 37, pp. 244-245)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 2, "A Thorough View of the Body of Christ," ch. 3; CWWN, vol. 36, pp. 243-248; vol. 37, chs. 35-36