Outline
Ⅴ
According to the teaching of the Bible and our spiritual experience, there is something called the consciousness of the Body of Christ—1 Cor. 12:26-27; 2 Cor. 11:28-29:
A
The consciousness of the Body of Christ comes from the enjoyment of Christ—Col. 2:16-19:
１
The dear, precious One we enjoy as our food, drink, and breath is the Head of the Body—1 Cor. 10:3-4; John 20:22; Col. 1:18; 2:19.
２
What we enjoy is actually something of Christ as the Head; thus, when we enjoy Christ, that causes Him to be our Head subjectively and experientially—Eph. 3:8, 17; 4:15.
３
When we enjoy Christ, He, the Head, causes us to become conscious of the Body—Col. 2:19.
B
The consciousness of the Body of Christ is the sense of Christ’s life within us—3:4, 15; Rom. 8:2, 6, 10-11; 12:4-5:
１
The Body of Christ is formed by Christ as life in each of us, mingled with us—Col. 3:4; 2:19.
２
Concerning the consciousness of the Body of Christ, we need to begin with the sense of the divine life within us—Rom. 8:6.
C
The Body of Christ is universal, the life within us is universal, and the sense of the Body is universal—1 Cor. 12:26-27; 2 Cor. 11:28-29:
１
Once the divine life and the Spirit enter into us, we should have a universal sense—the consciousness of the Body—Rom. 8:2, 10-11; 12:4-5, 15.
２
The sense of the Body is a universal matter, but this sense has been restricted in us because of our own feelings and views—Prov. 14:10; 2 Cor. 6:11-13.
３
The more we experience the Lord’s breaking and are delivered from ourselves, the more we will discover that the sense of the Body is universal—11:28-29.
４
If we have the sense of the Body, when others suffer or are blessed, we will identify with them and feel the same hardship or blessing.
D
As members of the Body of Christ, we need to have the consciousness of the Body and a feeling of the Body—Rom. 12:15; 2 Cor. 11:28-29:
１
To live the Body life, we need to be conscious of the Body—1 Cor. 12:26-27.
２
If we have the consciousness of the Body of Christ and care for the Body, we will take the Body as the rule in our thoughts and actions—Eph. 4:15-16.
Morning Nourishment
2 Cor. 11:28-29 Apart from the things which have not been mentioned, there is this: the crowd of cares pressing upon me daily, the anxious concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is stumbled, and I myself do not burn?The sense of the Body…is a universal matter. Therefore, we should never despise the life that we have received. The sense in this life is a great matter. Regrettably, this sense has been restricted in us because of our own feelings and views.
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. (CWWL, 1956, vol. 1, “The Church as the Body of Christ,” pp. 181-182)
Today’s Reading
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. If the Body of Christ is blessed, we rejoice, and if the Body of Christ has a problem, we feel the pain. Like Paul, we should be able to say, “Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is stumbled, and I myself do not burn?” (2 Cor. 11:29). We feel this way because the anxious concern for all the churches is upon us. This is not merely a matter of an individual member; it is a matter of all the churches. This sense will save us and cause the Body to be supplied. (CWWL, 1956, vol. 1, “The Church as the Body of Christ,” p. 182)We have to learn to live in the Body and submit to the Head all the time, to care for the feeling of the Body, and to live together with all the members. We should not take our own spirituality, holiness, or victory as the center. This will make us particular and individualistic and will cause us to condemn others and make demands on them.
Since we are the members of the Body of Christ, we should have a feeling for the Body. First, we must take the feeling of the Head as our own feeling. In Philippians 1:8 Paul says, “I long after you all in the inward parts of Christ Jesus.” This means that Paul took the inward parts of Christ Jesus as his own inward parts in caring for the church. This also means that he took care of the Body of Christ by taking Christ’s feeling as his own feeling…We all should be like Paul, taking the feeling of the Head as our own feeling. This is most necessary for our living the Body life. Furthermore, we should not only take the feeling of the Head as our feeling but also do so in the principle of caring for the Body. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:25b-26 that “the members would have the same care for one another. And whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it.” In order for us to have the Body life, we must care for our fellow members and must be full of feeling for the Body.
If we as members have the feeling of the Head in everything and care for the Body, we will take the Body as the rule in our mind, thoughts, words, and actions. We should deny ourselves and should identify ourselves with the Body. By doing this, there will be no separation or disconnection from the Body. The life that we live will fully be the Body life, and the Lord will gain the expression of His Body. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 2, “The Oneness and the One Accord according to the Lord’s Aspiration and the Body Life and Service according to His Pleasure,” pp. 92-94)
Further Reading: Life-study of 2 Corinthians, msg. 44