«　WEEK 4　DAY 5　»

　　1 Cor. 12:24-25 But our comely members have no need. But God has blended the body together, giving more abundant honor to the member that lacked, that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same care for one another.

　　In order to be harmonized, blended, adjusted, mingled, and tempered in the Body life, we have to go through the cross and be by the Spirit, dispensing Christ to others for the sake of the Body of Christ. The co-workers and elders must learn to be crossed out. Whatever we do should be by the Spirit to dispense Christ. Also, what we do should not be for our interest and according to our taste but for the church.

　　When a co-worker does anything, he should fellowship with the other co-workers. An elder should fellowship with the other elders. Fellowship tempers us, fellowship adjusts us, fellowship harmonizes us, and fellowship mingles us….We should not do anything without fellowshipping with the other saints who are coordinating with us. Fellowship requires us to stop when we are about to do something. In our coordination in the church life and in the Lord’s work, we all have to learn not to do anything without fellowship. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “The Divine and Mystical Realm,” p. 160)

　　Among us we should have the blending of all the individual members of the Body of Christ, the blending of all the churches in certain districts, the blending of all the co-workers, and the blending of all the elders. Blending means that we should always stop to fellowship with others. Then we will receive many benefits. If we isolate and seclude ourselves, we will lose much spiritual profit. Learn to fellowship. Learn to be blended. From now on, the churches should come together frequently to be blended. We may not be used to it, but after we begin to practice blending a few times, we will acquire the taste for it. This is the most helpful thing in the keeping of the oneness of the universal Body of Christ. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “The Divine and Mystical Realm,” p. 160)

　　The secret of the practice of the church life is, first, the one accord in the local churches. Second, the secret of the practice of the church life is the oneness in the universal Body (Eph. 4:3; John 17:11, 21-23). The unique relationship, fellowship, and blending of all the local churches should be as much as practicality allows, without boundaries of states, provinces, or nations. If we are divided by any kind of boundary, the church becomes no longer a Body; rather, it becomes a corpse. A divided body is a corpse.

　　Are the churches in every area willing to be blended together as one?…We may like to be independent under the cloak of being local. I am not teaching that all the local churches should be united in a federation, like the federation of the fifty states of the United States. I am showing you that the Bible reveals to us that all the saints and all the local churches are one Body. No one can deny this.

　　Today, unlike in Paul’s time, travel and communication to nearly anywhere on the earth are very convenient. Because of this the churches today should be blended much more than they were in Paul’s time. Not only according to the revelation of the Bible but also according to the modern conveniences, we should be one, and we should be blended together as much as practicality allows.

　　The clustering and the moving together of neighboring churches should be as much as possible, without the abolishing of the local administrations in business affairs. Our blending together should not be in name only; we must take some action. The local administration still exists, but in the spiritual element all the churches should be blended together as one. (CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 4, “One Body and One Spirit,” pp. 431-433)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “The Divine and Mystical Realm,” ch. 6; CWWL, 1991-1992, vol. 4, “One Body and One Spirit,” ch. 1