Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:11-16; Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28

DAY 1 & DAY 2 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 3 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 4 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 5 Outline　MorningRevival

DAY 6 Outline　MorningRevival

«　WEEK 3　DAY 1　»

　　Eph. 4:11-12 And He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.

　　In order for the church to be built up intrinsically, the ascended Head must first give the gifts. Second, the Head-given gifts, the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, perfect the saints. Then the perfected saints build up the Body directly. Some have taken the Lord’s promise in Matthew 16:18—”I will build My church”—to say that it is not we who build the church but Christ. They say that we are not qualified to build up the church. This concept and teaching is absolutely wrong.

　　Ephesians 4 reveals that the Head, Christ, builds up the church by making the saints gifts, and by giving these gifts to the church for the building up of the Body of Christ. This shows that the Head does not build up the church directly. Furthermore, the gifted persons, who are used by the Head to perfect others, do not build up the church directly either. They perfect the saints, and the saints do the direct building work. Many of us in the Lord’s recovery who have been under the watering, the perfecting, for a number of years have been enabled to build up the church in our locality directly. The perfected saints are the direct builders of the church. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, “The Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing Triune God,” p. 300)

　　The four categories of gifts were given by the ascended Head to His Body for a particular purpose.…The Greek word translated “perfecting” [in Ephesians 4:12] means “equipping, supplying the functions.” In order to be capable and sufficient to perform a certain task in any field of labor, people need to be equipped, or furnished, with certain things.…The apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers were given to perfect the saints by equipping them with what they need to do the work of the ministry. The perfecting of the saints by the gifts results in the work of the ministry.

　　The preposition unto is repeated in verse 12, and the work of the ministry and the building up of the Body of Christ are in apposition, indicating that these two phrases denote the same thing. The perfecting is carried out with a view to the building up of the Body of Christ. In brief, the gifted persons were given to the Body for the perfecting of all the members so that they could build up the Body…. Although the perfecting and the work of the ministry, which is the building up of the Body, are clearly revealed in Ephesians, we cannot see these things among Christians today. Regrettably, our church life has been lacking in these things as well.

　　Some of Christ’s gifts to the Body are apostles; others are prophets, evangelists, or shepherds and teachers. An apostle is a sent one. Evangelists preach the gospel to save sinners, bring them into the Triune God, and make them members of the Body of Christ. Shepherds and teachers continue the work begun by the evangelists by caring for new believers so that they will grow. We have found that the best way to do this is by having weekly meetings in the homes of the new ones to cherish and nourish them….Shepherding and teaching go together in raising up new believers. In the meetings of the church the prophets function by speaking for God and even speaking God forth. We can see this clearly in 1 Corinthians 14. Even the Old Testament books of prophecy like Isaiah are composed mainly not of predictions but of speaking for God. The brothers and sisters who speak in the meetings speak Christ. Even in a short word we can speak Christ to others. This is to prophesy. (CWWL, 1988, vol. 2, pp. 18-19)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, “The Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing Triune God,” ch. 3

«　WEEK 3　DAY 2　»

　　1 Cor. 12:28 And God has placed some in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then works of power, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.

　　Acts 13:1 Now there were in Antioch, in the local church, prophets and teachers…

　　The intrinsic building up of the church is by the Head-given gifts—the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers—perfecting the saints (Eph. 4:11-12). These are particular gifts such as Paul, Peter, Martin Luther, John Nelson Darby, and so forth. These Head-given gifts perfect the saints in the local churches (1 Cor. 12:28; Acts 13:1). When they are perfecting in the meetings, they are watering the members of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 3:6b). If we come to these meetings, we will receive much watering. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, “The Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing Triune God,” pp. 298-299)

　　Sinners need evangelists to preach the gospel so that they can be saved…. As these believers, who have been saved by evangelists, cared for and fed by shepherds and teachers, and ministered to by prophets, are growing, the apostles will begin to work on them in the way that the apostle Paul worked on Timothy to make him an apostle also. Paul was produced as an apostle by receiving revelation directly from Christ the Head, but Timothy was produced as an apostle in a different way. He was taught and trained to be an apostle.

　　Christ, the Head, produces only a small number as apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. However, through these few persons many sinners are saved, many new believers are nourished to grow, and the prophets’ speaking in the meetings continues to nourish and edify these ones for their growth. At the same time the apostles work on some by perfecting, instructing, and educating them to make them apostles. In this way thousands more believers can function as apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. This enables every member of the Body of Christ to function. Originally, only a small number could do the preaching, shepherding, teaching, speaking, and perfecting, but now there is a mass production so that thousands more can do these things.

　　The perfecting of the saints by the gifts may be compared to what happens at a teachers’ college that has a few professors and many students. The professors teach various subjects, such as math, history, foreign languages, and science. At first, only the few professors know their subjects, but after four years the many students should be able to do the same thing that the professors do.

　　In organized Christianity only a few function, while most only attend meetings, doing nothing but listening. They are never perfected to function. Even a small fraction of their members could carry out many things if they were properly equipped and perfected. However, such perfected ones are not being produced.

　　In every local church all the saints should be perfected to function for the building up of the Body of Christ. We should not be selective but should bring all the members into the work of the ministry…. After a few years all the saints should be able to function as the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers do…. If we practice the new way to bring all the saints into function, we will win the victory and gain the earth. However, without the perfecting, the functioning of the members of the Body is annulled. The traditional practice of organized Christianity nullifies the functioning of most members. For this reason we need to have a turn and to change our way. All the saints need to be perfected so that they can function to build up the Body of Christ. (CWWL, 1988, vol. 2, pp. 19-21)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1988, vol. 2, pp. 15-21,23-31,35-40

«　WEEK 3　DAY 3　»

　　Eph. 4:3 Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.

　　13 Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

　　The word until at the beginning of Ephesians 4:13 indicates a continuation of the foregoing verses. Verses 11 and 12 reveal that Christ as the ascended Head “gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.”…The word arrive [in verse 13] indicates a process or way in which we are advancing in order to reach a goal.

　　The goal at which we all need to arrive is, first, the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God; second, a full-grown man; and third, the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. These three phrases in verse 13 all begin with at and are in apposition, which indicates that they are one.

　　In verse 12 Paul implies that we need to be perfected. In every meeting we are being perfected. Our perfecting will continue until we all arrive at the goal. The perfecting is the process and the way by which we progress toward the oneness, a full-grown man, and the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (CWWL, 1988, vol. 2, pp. 23-24)

　　The oneness of the Spirit in Ephesians 4:3 is the oneness of the divine life in reality, whereas the oneness in verse 13 is the oneness of our living in practicality. We already have the oneness of the divine life in reality. We only need to keep it. But we need to go on until we arrive at the oneness of our living in practicality. This aspect of oneness is of two things: the faith and the full knowledge of the Son of God. The faith does not refer to the act of our believing but refers to what we believe in, such as the divine person of Christ and His redemptive work for our salvation.

　　The full knowledge of the Son of God is the realization of the revelation concerning the Son of God for our experience. The Son of God refers to the Lord’s person as life to us, whereas Christ refers to His commission to minister life to us that we, as members of His Body, may have gifts for function. The more we grow in life, the more we shall cleave to the faith and to the realization of Christ and the more we shall drop all the concepts concerning minor doctrines which cause divisions. Then we shall arrive at, or attain to, the practical oneness; that is to say, we shall arrive at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

　　Many Christians do not know the difference between the oneness of the Spirit and the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God. The first is the oneness of reality, and the second is the oneness of practicality. Because the Spirit is the reality of our oneness, the oneness of the Spirit is the oneness of reality. Oneness is nothing less than the Spirit Himself. If there were no Spirit, then there would be no oneness. Although we have the oneness in reality, there is still the need for the oneness of practicality. This means that the oneness of reality must be practiced; that is, it must become the oneness in practice.

　　Between the oneness of reality and the oneness of practicality there is a distance. For this reason, there is the need to “arrive at” the oneness of practicality. The oneness of the Spirit is the beginning, whereas the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God is the destination. This indicates that we must journey from the oneness of the Spirit to the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God. In other words, we must travel from the oneness of reality until we arrive at the oneness of practicality. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 366-367)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Ephesians, msgs. 43, 45

«　WEEK 3　DAY 4　»

　　Eph. 4:15-16 …Holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.

　　Holding to truth [in Ephesians 4:15] means holding to what is real.…The real things in the universe are Christ as the Head and the church as His Body. We have to hold to these two things in love so that we may grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things.…The growing up is the building up.

　　We grow up into Christ, the Head, and then something issues out from Christ, the Head. “Into Christ” is for our growth. “Out from Christ” is for our function, our usefulness. On the one hand, we are growing up into Christ. On the other hand, what we do is out from Him as the source for our function, our usefulness. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, “The Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing Triune God,” p. 301)

　　The Body is joined closely together through every joint of the rich supply. These are the gifted persons such as the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers.…We need many joints in the local churches. If we do not grow up into Christ, He has no way to make us a joint. In order to become a joint, we need to pray more, seek the Lord more, read the Bible more, feed on Christ more, etc.…We would have morning watch more. Some may have a five-minute morning watch, but we would have a fifteen-minute morning watch. With this kind of exercise over a period of time, we may become a joint in the Body.

　　In the Body some are joints.…Others are parts, who operate according to their measure. Through these two categories of members, the Body grows, and this growth is unto the building up of itself in love. If we are not a joint, we must be a part…. We should not think that only the joints are useful. Every part in the Body is also useful. The thighs in our physical body are not joints, but they are great parts. We need our thighs to stand because they bear our weight.…We all should praise the Lord that we are either joints or parts in the organic Body of Christ.

　　If you are a joint, you should supply the Body with the riches of Christ…. If you are a part, you should operate.…Through the joints supplying and the parts operating, all the Body causes the growth of the Body, and the growth of the Body results in the building up of itself in love. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, “The Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing Triune God,” pp. 301-302)

　　Every member of the Body needs not only to be supplied but also to function. First, we are supplied, and second, we function. All the Body causes the growth of the Body through all the members being supplied and functioning, and this growth is the building up of the Body.

　　We cannot do more than our measure, nor should we do less than our measure. When every member is supplied through the joints and functioning according to its measure, the Body is building itself up. Christ, the Head, through His all-inclusive death and resurrection, fully accomplished redemption and produced the church. Through His death and resurrection He also constituted some of the saved members to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. These constituted gifts minister to perfect and supply all the saints, who then function to directly build up the Body of Christ. Regrettably, … in organized Christianity…we see great speakers working to build up congregations in order to make a display of their work. There is no organic building by every member. Therefore, the genuine building up of the Body needs to be recovered. (CWWL, 1988, vol. 2, p. 38)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1988, vol. 3, “The Building Up of the Body of Christ,” chs. 1-4

«　WEEK 3　DAY 5　»

　　Rom. 12:4-8 …Just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, whether prophecy,…or service,…or he who teaches,…or he who exhorts,…he who gives,…he who leads,…he who shows mercy…

　　In the organic Body of Christ there are organic functions (Rom. 12:4-8). Because we are in this organic Body, we should be organic…. Instead of functioning organically in the church life, we may do things mechanically. We must function either as joints of supply or as parts operating. We must have something with which to supply others, or we should operate in our measure. We must function organically for the building up of the organic Body. When the entire Body is operating, the Body causes the growth of itself, resulting in its being built up in love. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, “The Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing Triune God,” p. 302)

　　Grace is simply God in Christ as our enjoyment. When this grace, this divine element, which is the divine life, comes into our being, it brings with it certain skills and abilities which are the gifts…. [In Romans 12:6] “the grace given to us” refers to the grace we have enjoyed and assimilated.

　　The gifts in Romans 12 are like the abilities of the members of our human body. The measure of ability depends upon the amount of life in the body. If the body is mature with considerable growth of life and with a great amount of life, it will have an abundant overflow of life, and this overflow of the inner life of the body will produce abilities. These abilities resemble the gifts in Romans 12. All of the items included in verses 6 through 8 are gifts of grace in life. We may list seven of them: prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and showing mercy.

　　Prophecy, teaching, and exhortation are all speaking gifts…. Perhaps during a special conference or training a brother prophesies under the direct inspiration of God. Some brothers receive the revelation given in that prophesying, take it back with them to their locality, and teach others according to it. That is teaching. Then, based upon the direct speaking under God’s inspiration and the teaching according to this inspiration, some others may exhort. That is exhortation. These three kinds of speaking are for the building up of the Body; they minister the life supply to the saints that they may grow together by God’s Word.

　　The ability to give in simplicity is also a gift of grace in life. This denotes the giving which supplies and takes care of the needy ones in the church. In the church we need such givers…who are able to impart material possessions to help the needy ones, to speed the Lord’s work, and to care for the church’s practical needs. Therefore, we need many saints with such a measure of life that they may have the giving gift and be able to give in simplicity.

　　If you put together all seven gifts mentioned in Romans 12, you will discover that they are the gifts that are necessary for the practicing of the Body life for the local church. In the local church we firstly need the speaking for God under His direct inspiration. Based upon this inspired speaking we may have teaching, and based upon both prophesying and teaching we may have exhortation. Along with this we have the leadership of the elders and the service of the deacons. In addition, we have those that are able to give material things to the church, care for the needy, and further the Lord’s work. Finally, there are those who show mercy to others. In an age filled with difficulties and troubles, they can sympathize with others and show mercy to them. These seven gifts are adequate for practicing the church life. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 305-306, 308-310)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msg. 26

«　WEEK 3　DAY 6　»

　　1 Cor. 12:4-6 But there are distinctions of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are distinctions of ministries, yet the same Lord; and there are distinctions of operations, but the same God, who operates all things in all.

　　While we are functioning either as supplying joints or as operating parts, the Triune God, who is within us, moves together with us. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 the Triune God is mentioned. There are God the Father’s operations, God the Son’s ministries, and God the Spirit’s gifts. The gifts of the Spirit are to carry out the ministries of the Lord, and the ministries of the Lord are to accomplish the operations of God the Father. The Triune God does not move apart from us. He is waiting for us. When we move, He moves. When we speak, He speaks. If we do not speak in a meeting, God cannot speak. The Spirit exercises His gifts, the Lord carries out His ministries, and God operates while we are functioning. The organic function of the church by the move of the Triune God is for the building up of the church as the organic Body of Christ, the fullness of the all-inclusive One who fills all in all. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 4, “The Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to Be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing Triune God,” p. 303)

　　There are differences in the gifts for the manifestation of the Spirit; there are diversities [distinctions] in these gifts. The gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:4 refer to the outward gifts, the abilities or enablings for service. Some of them are miraculous, and some are developed out of the initial gifts mentioned in 1:7.

　　In 12:5 Paul continues, “And there are distinctions of ministries, yet the same Lord.” The ministries here are services. The gifts in verse 4 are for these services, and they are for the operations in verse 6.

　　Verse 6 says, “And there are distinctions of operations, but the same God, who operates all things in all.” The operations here are works. The ministries or services in verse 5 are for these works.

　　The gifts are by the Spirit; the ministries, the services, are for the Lord; and the operations are of God. Here the Triune God is involved in these three things: gifts, ministries, and operations. The gifts by the Spirit are to carry out the ministries, the services, for the Lord, and the ministries for the Lord are to accomplish the operations, the works, of God. This is the Triune God moving in the believers for the accomplishment of His eternal purpose to build up the church, the Body of Christ, for the expression of God.

　　In these verses Paul speaks of the Trinity. He speaks of the Spirit in verse 4, the Lord in verse 5, and the Father in verse 6. The gifts are by the Spirit, the ministries are for the Lord, and the operations are of God. The gifts are the enabling. When we exercise our gifts, the ministries come forth. Thus, the gifts are for the ministries. In Greek the word rendered “ministries” [in verse 5] simply means services.…When we use our gifts to function, spontaneously that function becomes a service.

　　God is the Administrator, the One who is administrating by means of the operations. These operations are the works to carry out the divine administration. These operations, these works, are accomplished by the services, the ministries. Jesus Christ the Lord, the anointed One, takes care of all these ministries. Hence, they belong to Him and are of Him. But how does the Lord obtain these services? It is by the Spirit’s gifts. Furthermore, the use of these gifts depends on our cooperation. If we do not speak, if we do not utter anything of the Lord and for the Lord, the Spirit has no way. The exercise of the gifts carries out the ministries, and the ministries accomplish the operations. These operations are for the carrying out of God’s administration, which is for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose. (Life-study of 1 Corinthians, pp. 513-515)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msg. 57