Ⅳ
There should not be several works in the Lord's recovery; all the co-workers in all the regions should do the same one work for the unique Body, the universal one new man—Col. 4:11; 1 Cor. 15:58; 16:10; Phil. 2:30:
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“I hope that we will consider our present situation before the Lord. Are we doing the same one work for the recovery? If not, we should let the Lord have the freedom to adjust us” (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1991-1992, vol. 1, “Elders' Training, Book 11: The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (3),” p. 239).
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“In the Lord's move in His recovery, there should be only one work, not different works. Our situation is different from this. We have different works without any consciousness. This is dangerous” (pp. 239-240).
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As God's fellow workers, working together with Him, we should do only one work—the work of the Lord—2 Cor. 6:1a; 1 Cor. 3:9a; 15:58; 16:10:
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Although Paul and Peter worked in different regions, they did not carry out two works; instead, they had only one work; the regions of the work should not divide the churches.
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Concerning the work, the New Testament does not have the consideration of geographical regions; to bear a regional flavor is not scriptural, because all the members of the Body of Christ should bear the same flavor.
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“You must have the assurance that, wherever you are and whatever you do, you are building up the center, the reality, and the goal of the eternal economy of God, which will attain the New Jerusalem” (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994-1997, vol. 2, “The Practical Way to Live a Life according to the High Peak of the Divine Revelation in the Holy Scriptures,” p. 81).
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“Today on this earth...God wants to have another man, the new man...He wants to gain the one new man on earth…So we all need to rise up to take Christ as our corporate person. If we want to make a decision or live a certain kind of life, we cannot decide merely in ourselves; instead, we must take Christ as our person in the new man and with the new man. This requirement is great and high. In this way the new man grows and matures, and we will arrive at a full-grown man” (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1977, vol. 3, “One Body, One Spirit, and One New Man,” p. 325).
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This will be the ultimate church life—a universal new man taking Christ as his person and living out Christ; this will conclude this age, usher in the kingdom, and bring the Lord back—Eph. 4:24; Phil. 1:20-21a; Rev. 11:15.
Morning Nourishment
1 Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.16:10 Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without fear; for he is working the work of the Lord, even as I am.
All the co-workers in all the regions should do the same one work universally for the unique Body. We should do only one work. There should not be several works in the Lord's recovery. In the past there were several works in the recovery. This is still lingering among us. There is the risk and the danger that these different works will issue in divisions….The work should be just one. Even Paul and Peter did not carry out two works. Even though they worked in different regions, they had only one work to build up the Body of Christ.
I hope that we will consider our present situation before the Lord. Are we doing the same one work for the recovery? If not, we should let the Lord have the freedom to adjust us. Thank the Lord that due to the riches of the truth, the Lord's recovery is being welcomed everywhere on the earth. In the Lord's move in His recovery, there should be only one work, not different works. Our situation is different from this. We have different works without any consciousness. This is dangerous.
In Paul's time, because of the lack of modern transportation and communication, it would have been logical to have the work divided. However, there was only one work. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 1, “Further Consideration of the Eldership, the Region of Work, and the Care for the Body of Christ,” pp. 239-240)
Today's Reading
Today in the Lord's recovery we need to become the universal new man, and…to rise up together to take Christ as our person.The church is not merely the assembling of a group of Christians; the church is the fullness of Christ and the one new man on earth. There is a great old man on this earth, and this old man is the adamic race, the descendants of Adam. Today on this earth, however, God wants to have another man, the new man.
Today due to all the technological advances in transportation and communication, which are making progress monthly and even daily, all the peoples of the adamic race on the entire earth have almost become one….When America comes out with something new, Hong Kong and Japan get it immediately. This is the universal old man. The adamic race today has become the universal old man. All the components of this old man are the same in their corruption, evil, filthiness, fornication, and disorderliness.
The Lord's desire is to have the one new man on the earth, so we all need to rise up to take Christ as our corporate person. If we want to make a decision or live a certain kind of life, we cannot decide merely in ourselves; instead, we must take Christ as our person in the new man and with the new man. This requirement is great and high. In this way the new man grows and matures, and we will arrive at a full-grown man.
If you take Christ as your person, then you will surely take Him as your life. Taking Christ as your person is for the new man, whereas taking Christ as your life is for the Body. If you take Christ as your person, then you will be able to grow and mature. The result will be that the Body of Christ will grow and have the adequate measure of stature as the fullness of Christ. Thus, you can see that as long as we grow and mature, there will be the necessary measure of the stature of the fullness. In other words, if you take Christ as your person, then you will certainly have Christ as your life. Christ as our person is for the growth of the new man; Christ as our life is for the increase of the measure of the stature of the Body. (CWWL, 1977, vol. 3, “One Body, One Spirit, and One New Man,” pp. 324-326)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 1, “Further Consideration of the Eldership, the Region of Work, and the Care for the Body of Christ,” ch. 1; CWWL, 1984, vol. 2, “Elders' Training, Book 3: The Way to Carry Out the Vision,” chs. 4, 12