Scripture Reading: Phil. 1:19; 1 Cor. 12:15, 21, 27; Rom. 12:5; Eph. 4:7; 2 Cor. 10:13

DAY 1 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 2 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 3 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 4 & DAY 5 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 6 Outline　MorningRevival

«　WEEK 4　DAY 1　»

　　Psa. 133:1-2 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell in unity! It is like the fine oil upon the head that ran down upon the beard, upon Aaron's beard, that ran down upon the hem of his garments."

　　Phil. 1:19 "For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ."

　　In Psalm 133 the believers' dwelling together in oneness is likened to the inestimable goodness of the precious ointment on the head of Aaron and to the incalculable pleasantness of the dew of Hermon on the mountains of Zion.(Psa.133:1, footnote 2)

　　The ointment is not for individuals; it is for the Body. It cannot be experienced by those who are separate and detached from the Body. According to the picture in Psalm 133, the ointment is upon the head. Then it spreads to the beard and goes down to the hem of the garment. This indicates that if we are individualistic, we cannot experience the ointment.…If we are one with the church, then we can properly contact the Lord alone at home. But if we separate ourselves from the church, our contact with the Lord will be altogether different. The reason is that the anointing oil is not for individualistic members; it is for the Head and the Body, even for the Head with the Body. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 2, “The Genuine Ground of Oneness, “p. 299)

　　[In Philippians 1:19] the phrase your petition indicates the supply of the Body. Apparently Paul was in prison; actually he was in the Body. Imprisonment did not isolate him from the Body or cut him off from the supply of the Body. Paul had the clear sense within that he was in the Body and that the members of the Body were supplying him, supporting him, and standing with him.

　　In 1:19 Paul speaks first of the saints' petition, then of the bountiful supply of the Spirit.…The reason Paul speaks of the supply of the Body before the bountiful supply of the Spirit is that the Spirit is upon the Body. Psalm 133 illustrates this: the ointment poured upon Aaron's head flowed down to the body. This portrays the fact that the ointment, the bountiful supply of the compound Spirit, is upon the Body. Paul realized that he was not the whole Body, but just a member of the Body. As a member, he needed the Body's supply. If the Body would be exercised to supply him, the bountiful supply of the Spirit would come to him through the Body.

　　We may often ask a brother to pray for us. But even if he prays for us and we pray for him, this prayer may have little effect. The reason for this lack of effectiveness is that in praying we may stand apart from the Body. Whenever we stand apart from the Body as we pray, even our prayer will be dry, and our intercession will be ineffective. The anointing is not upon us individually; it is upon the Body.

　　According to Exodus 30, the compound ointment was for the anointing of the tabernacle and the priests. It is very important to realize that the compound Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, is for the Body, God's tabernacle, and for God's service, the priesthood. Because so many Christians today are cut off from the Body and from the priestly service, it is extremely difficult for them to share the bountiful supply of the Spirit.

　　Paul lived in the Body. Although he was a wonderful apostle, he still needed the prayers and petitions of the saints. This is a clear indication that Paul had a right relationship with the Body. Furthermore, Paul also shared in the priesthood. Because he was in the Body, the tabernacle, and because he was part of the priesthood, God's service, he was in a proper position to receive the flow of the ointment which is upon the Body. If we are one with the church and stay in the priestly service, we enjoy the rich anointing of the all-inclusive Spirit. Even a little praying or calling on the name of the Lord, perhaps simply saying Amen, causes us to enjoy this anointing. (Life-study of Philippians, pp. 286-287, 291-292)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Philippians, msgs. 5, 33; CWWL, 1979, vol. 2, “The Genuine Ground of Oneness, “ch. 6

«　WEEK 4　DAY 2　»

　　Luke 11:2-3 "And He said to them, When you pray, say, Father, Your name be sanctified; Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread."

　　Luke 11:13 "If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father who is from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

　　Many of us have the experience that when we are dry and have no way to go on, we need other brothers and sisters to intercede for us before we can get through. Once I was sick for one hundred seventy-six days. I prayed for my own sickness every day, but it did not work. When I became exhausted, I asked a brother whom I did not think too highly of to pray for me. Amazingly, I received help from his intercession, and my condition became better within a short period of time.…The supply of the Body of Christ is a reality. You cannot get through in many things no matter how much you struggle. But once you give the matter to the Body, the problem is solved. This is the supply of the Body of Christ.…As members in the Body, we receive our supply through the other members. Therefore, it is foolish to try to separate ourselves from the other members. (CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “pp. 800-801)

　　In Luke 11:1-13 we have the Man-Savior's teaching on prayer. If we read this section carefully again and again, we shall see that prayer means that we pray ourselves into God. When the disciples saw [the Lord] praying, they wanted Him to teach them to pray. Then the Lord went on to say, “When you pray, say, Father, Your name be sanctified; Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us into temptation” (vv. 2-4).…If we would pray this way again and again, the result will be that we shall pray ourselves into God.… What shall we do now that we are in God? We shall simply receive Him with His riches into us.…We need to pray ourselves into God and then, as those in Him, receive Him and His riches.

　　There is no need to pray in detail concerning our shortcomings.…The prayer, “Father, forgive me as I forgive others, ” is inclusive. The more you pray like this, the more you will realize that you pray yourself into God. Then in God you will receive the life supply. The life supply is indicated in verses 11 through 13: “But what father among you whose son shall ask for a fish will instead of a fish hand him a snake? Or if he shall also ask for an egg will hand him a scorpion? If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father who is from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Here the life supply is indicated by the fish, the egg, and the Holy Spirit. In verse 5 it is indicated by the loaves. If we include the loaves, we have four items of the life supply. When we pray ourselves into God, we receive His riches as our supply. As we remain in Him, we receive His riches, the riches that are embodied in His Spirit. When we receive the Holy Spirit as our life supply, signified by the loaves, the fish, and the egg, we can feed ourselves, and we can also feed all those under our care. (Life-study of Luke, pp. 230-232, 234)

　　Every Christian should know that he is only a member. If he does not have the other members, he will not survive. In the Body all the members must be joined together before they can become the Body. All the members in the Body are related to one another, and they cannot be separated from one another. Between the members there must be a mutual supply and a mutual relatedness. Only then can the members survive. If a Christian lives an independent life, sooner or later he will weaken and dry up.…In order to go on with the Lord, we must recognize His supply for us in the Body and avail ourselves of it. The whole Body is built up through the interdependence among the members.(CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “p. 799)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Luke, msg. 27

«　WEEK 4　DAY 3　»

　　Psa. 73:16-17 "When I considered this in order to understand it, it was a troublesome task in my sight, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end."

　　1 Thes. 3:8 "Because now we live if you stand firm in the Lord."

　　Someone asked, “Why am I not [as] living as before?…I seem to have lost the joy and the vitality that I once had.” I answered, “The reason is that you have lived in your self for too long. You have to get into the Body life.” In order for a member to live a normal life, he must receive the supply from the other members. If a man is not living in the Body of Christ, he will not receive the Body's supply. No member can say that he does not need the other members. No member may detach himself from other members to live alone.

　　Romans 12:3 says, “Not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think.” We should not think too highly of ourselves, and we should not think that others are inferior. We should not despise and reject other members of the Body. Peter thought that the other members would fall and fail but that he would not. But when the test came, he failed just the same as everyone else. Those who think highly of themselves and despise other members will end up in trouble sooner or later. In the Body of Christ everyone is a member and nothing more than a member. Hence, no member can live without the other members, much less despise them. (CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “pp. 799-800)

　　What are the eyes, ears, hands, and feet? They are Christ Himself. The Head is Christ, and the Body is also Christ. Each member is a part of the life of Christ. If I refuse the help of my fellow members, I am refusing the help of Christ. If I am not willing to acknowledge my need of them, I am not willing to acknowledge my need of Christ. Just as I cannot be independent from the Head, I cannot be independent from the Body. Individualism is hateful in the sight of God. What I do not know, another member of the Body will know; what I cannot see, another member of the Body will see; what I cannot do, another member of the Body will do. Therefore, I must allow the other members of the Body to minister to my needs. We must avail ourselves constantly of the fellowship of the Body, for it is our very life.

　　In the Old Testament, being out of the fellowship was the most severe punishment that could be visited upon the children of Israel. They “shall be cut off from his people.” This is very serious. If it were God's intention for us to live as individuals, we could progress perfectly well apart from one another. However, He has made us members of His Body; therefore, we cannot possibly grow, apart from one another.

　　We have to see the reality of the supply in the Body of Christ, and we have to learn to live in the Body and to receive the supply in the Body. In the Old Testament the lampstand was placed in the sanctuary. In order for a man to see light, he had to enter the sanctuary. In the New Testament the sanctuary is the church. If a man wants to see light, he has to come to the church. In the church meetings and among the brothers and sisters, God's light is much stronger than in individuals. Today God's sanctuary is the church; God Himself dwells in the church. Hence, His light is in the church. A man can only see light if he comes to the church. Everything that Christ has is in His Body. He is a foolish man who claims that he can be a Christian alone. Sooner or later, all individual Christians will dry up. As long as we live in the Body, we will receive the supply of the Body, no matter what our condition is. Every member should learn to treasure the supply of the Body and to treasure every member. We must all learn to live in the Body, that is, we must all learn to live in the supply of the Body. (CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “pp. 801-802)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, ” ch. 99

«　WEEK 4　DAY 4　»

　　1 Cor. 12:12 "For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ."

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

　　In the New Testament there are two ways to look at Christ. On the one hand, He is Jesus Christ the Nazarene—this is the individual Christ. On the other hand, He is Christ plus the church—the corporate Christ. First Corinthians 12:12 refers to the second aspect when it says, “All the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.” Anything apart from Christ is not the church. There is only one thing in a Christian that forms a part of the church—Christ. The church is the corporate Christ. In the church there is only Christ. During the bread-breaking meeting, the portion that we break off from the whole still signifies the Body of Christ, the church. The church is not what is added to Christ but what issues out from Christ.…The church is the composition of all the believers with Christ. The church is the corporate Christ. (CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “p. 787)

　　Being a Christian is something individualistic, whereas being a member is something corporate. Being a Christian is something one does for himself, whereas being a member is something for the Body. In the Bible there are many terms with opposite meanings, such as purity and uncleanness, holiness and commonness, victory and defeat, the Spirit and the flesh, Christ and Satan, the kingdom and the world, and glory and shame. All these are opposites. In the same way, the Body is in opposition to the individual. Just as the Father is versus the world, the Spirit is versus the flesh, and the Lord is versus the devil, so also is the Body versus the individual. Once a man sees the Body of Christ, he is free from individualism. He will no longer live for himself but for the Body. Once I am delivered from individualism, I am spontaneously in the Body.

　　The Body of Christ is not a doctrine; it is a realm. It is not a teaching, but a life. Many Christians seek to teach the truth of the Body, but few know the life of the Body. The Body of Christ is an experience in a totally different realm. A man can know the book of Romans without being justified. Similarly, a man can know the book of Ephesians without seeing the Body of Christ. We do not need knowledge; rather, we need revelation to know the reality of the Body of Christ and to enter the realm of the Body. Only a revelation from God will usher us into the realm of the Body, and only then will the Body of Christ become our experience.

　　If we realize that a Christian is nothing more than a member, we will no longer be proud. Everything depends on our seeing. Those who see that they are members will surely treasure the Body and honor the other members. They will not see just their own virtues; they will readily see others as being better than themselves.

　　Consider our human body. No member of our body can act independently. It is impossible for a body to depend on one hand or one leg. However, if the body loses a member, it will not be complete. The Body of Christ is composed of all the believers. Every believer is a member in the Body of Christ, and every believer is indispensable.

　　The Body of Christ is a reality. The church life is also a reality. The Word of God does not say the church is like the Body of Christ; it says the church is the Body of Christ. Nothing external can become part of our physical bodies. We may clothe our bodies, but the clothes do not become part of our bodies. Nothing that is of us can ever become part of the Body of Christ, because “Christ is all and in all” in the Body (Col. 3:11). Anything in us that is not a part of Christ frustrates our inward knowledge of the Body of Christ. Sin hinders us from seeing Christ, and the natural life hinders us from seeing the Body. (CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “pp. 794-795, 794)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, ” ch. 98

«　WEEK 4　DAY 5　»

　　1 Cor. 12:14-15 "For the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, it is not that because of this it is not of the body."

　　1 Cor. 12:21 "And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you."

　　If we truly see our position in the Body, it will be as though we were saved a second time.

　　First Corinthians 12:14 through 27 speaks of two erroneous concepts that members may have: (1) “Because I am not…, I am not of the body” (v. 15). This is to despise oneself and covet the work of others. (2) “I have no need of you” (v. 21). This is to be proud of oneself, thinking that one man can be all-inclusive and despising others. Both concepts are harmful to the Body.

　　We should all…[have] the consciousness of the Body so that we can live together with other members in the Body of Christ. Wherever there is Body-revelation, there is Body-consciousness, and wherever there is Body-consciousness, individual thought and action are automatically ruled out.

　　The adamic life is individualistic and independent. Even though everyone in Adam shares the same life, there is no fellowship among them.…Everyone in Adam lives as separate individuals. In Christ everything that is individualistic is ruled out. If we want to know the Body life, we need deliverance not only from our sinful life and our natural life, but also from our individualistic life. All individual elements must go because nothing that is individualistic can reach God's goal. (CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “pp. 794, 796-797, 794)

　　Seeing the vision of the self has much to do with the Body. Today we are in the Lord's recovery, and the recovery will eventually come to this crucial matter—the building up of the Body. The enemy of the Body is the self. The greatest problem, the greatest frustration and opposition, to the Body is also the self. When we have the self, we do not have the Body. When we have the Body, we do not have the self. In order for the Body to be built up, the self, the independent soul, must be dealt with. The self is the independent “I, “the independent “me.” When we are independent, we are in the self, the Body is gone, and we do not have peace.

　　We must be built up in the Body, but the hindrance to this building is the self, one of the last things in us to be dealt with by the Lord. If we would be built up in the Body, the self must be condemned, denied, rejected, and renounced. Day by day the self must be renounced in all things. Only when the self is renounced will we have the Body and be genuine members of the Body.

　　Because the self is something independent, the self is the greatest problem to the building up of the Body. We should be dependent not only on God but also on the Body, on the brothers and sisters. Whenever we are independent of the brothers and sisters, we are in the self, in the independent soul. For us today, being independent of the Body is equal to being independent of God.…If you check with your experience, you will realize that when you were independent of [or isolated from] the brothers and sisters, you had the sense that you were also independent of [or isolated from] God. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 3, “The Heavenly Vision, “pp. 198, 190, 195)

　　If you are simply a believer, you can act as you please, but if you are a member of the Body, then you must allow yourself to be limited by the other members.…It is essential for the development of the Body that we each recognize our measure and not go beyond it. This is a basic requirement for the growth of the Body. The Body of Christ is not only a protection to the members but a limitation to all the members. Every Christian is but one member in the Body of Christ and must accept the limitation of the Body. We should not allow ourselves to go our own way; rather, we should learn to be blended with other brothers and sisters. (CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “p. 805)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “chs. 99-100; CWWL, 1965, vol. 3, “The Heavenly Vision, “chs. 3-4

«　WEEK 4　DAY 6　»

　　Rom. 12:4 "For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function."

　　1 Cor. 12:18-20 "But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, even as He willed. And if all were one member, where would the body be? But now the members are many, but the body one."

　　We supply the Body with the life that we have received from Christ the Head. Yet when we function, we have to be proper and in order. Order in the Body is essential to growth and ministry.… In the meeting…you have to speak according to your measure of faith and according to the leading of the Spirit. You have to know whether there is any overstepping in your speaking, and you have to know whether your speaking is too long.…When we truly come under the authority of the Head, He sets us in our special place in the Body and appoints us to our special function. (CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “p. 822)

　　We should never boast without measure. In giving a testimony of what we have learned of the Lord, we should have a limit, a measure. The word measure in 2 Corinthians 10:13 indicates being ruled by God. God has allotted us just so much for our work and experience. Furthermore, He has given us just so much to enjoy. Therefore, when we give a testimony about our work, experience, or enjoyment of the Lord, we must testify within measure, that is, within a certain limit.

　　From verses 13, 14, and 15 we see that although we expect the Lord's work to spread, we must learn how to be under God's restriction. Do not expect a spread that is without measure. That kind of spread would certainly not be within the limit of a walk according to Spirit. From experience we can testify that if we spread the work according to the Spirit, there will always be a certain limit. Inwardly we shall have the consciousness that the Lord intends to spread the work only to a certain extent. Furthermore, outwardly, in the environment, the Lord may cause matters to restrict the spread of the work. Therefore, inwardly we do not have the peace to spread the work beyond a certain point, and outwardly the environment does not allow us to go beyond a particular boundary line.

　　The Lord is especially interested in restricting the young people. If the young ones do not have a heart to serve the Lord, He will stir them up to serve Him. But once they have been stirred up, He will limit them. Human nature does not like this kind of limitation.…God's way, however, is first to speed us up and then to slow us down, first to raise us up and then to lower us down. When we are down, He will lift us up. But when we get too far up, He will lower us down.…Many young people cannot tolerate God's ups and downs. After a few of these ups and downs, they want to quit.…God does not want us to be always up or to be always down. Even in nature the alternating of day and night testifies of this.

　　God has many ways to bring us down. Some young people have been brought down by their married life. Before a particular brother was married, he may have been like an eagle soaring in the air. He could easily talk about the wonderful, glorious church life. But not long after his wedding, it seems that the church life is no longer glorious. God is using his marriage to calm down such an excited brother. In some cases, such a brother may stay down for a long period of time after his marriage. But eventually he is up again, although not in the same excited way as before. This is a sign of improvement.

　　In the church service we need to realize that God has only measured out so much to us, and we should not overstretch ourselves. We need to know our limitation, our jurisdiction, and not go beyond it into others' territory. Like Paul, we should move and act according to our rule, that is, according to how much God has measured to us. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, pp. 447-450, 452)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “chs. 102-106; Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 51