All the local churches in the different countries are one new man; therefore, we all need to practice the church life in the consciousness of the new man.
It is actually shameful for the church in any locality to isolate itself from the other churches; whether consciously or unconsciously, we should not isolate ourselves but rather seek to fellowship and blend together.
Having the attitude that our church is autonomous and should be isolated from the other local churches is not good; those who insist on this attitude, having no consciousness of the new man, want to break up the new man in many little pieces.
Some churches, however, whether intentionally or unintentionally, have isolated themselves like a castle with a mote with crocodiles in it, and the bridge pulled up. It can be dangerous in the long run to insist that the administration is local without equally emphasising that the fellowship is universal, for the new man is universal.
In Col. 4:7-17 we see that both the saints in Colossae and Paul and those with him were members of the one new man in actuality, and they had the consciousness of the one new man.
Paul didn’t just greet a lot of people whom he knew; rather, in this portion he practically applied what he spoke of in Col. 3:10-11, the one new man.
It is so refreshing to see in this portion of Col. 4:7-17 how there is a practical illustration of the revelation of the one new man, and how the saints and the churches had the consciousness of the new man.
Today the Lord desires to gain the one new man in reality and practicality on earth; this doesn’t mean that we have to merely understand and agree with the doctrine of the new man but that we enter into the reality of this revelation.
And when the emphasis is on the one new man, this doesn’t mean that we “cancel the Body” or we no longer pay attention to the local church or the ground of the church; rather, these are steps that took us here, and today we come to the stage of the new man.
All the things happening on earth, including the world situation, the advance of the human technology, and all the conveniences in transportation that we have today, everything are for the Lord’s recovery to become the one new man.
Realizing that All the Local Churches on Earth are the One New Man Manifesting Christ
All the local churches on earth are not merely individual local churches but they are the one new man (Col. 3:10-11; 4:15-16). We can’t say that each local church is a new man; rather, all the local churches are the one new man.
Actually, all the local churches in time and space, in aggregate, comprise the one new man. The one new man is not merely a matter of individual localities or individual churches but of all the churches on earth corporately.
We do need individual localities because we are still in time and space, and we still need individual local churches because we live in different localities, but all the churches on earth are the new man.
When the one new man has been brought into full existence, we will not speak of the differences between the churches or of the jurisdiction and autonomy of the local churches (1 Cor. 1:2; 4:17; Rev. 2:1, 7; 22:16).
However, some today are still influenced by the matter of the autonomy of a local church and may take it to the extreme, insisting that the church has to be autonomous or independent.
Fifty years or so ago the Lord has recovered the ground of the church, and we still stand on this ground until the Lord comes; however, we are going on with the Lord and advancing with Him to enjoy the matter of the Body of Christ and enter into its reality, and even more to be the one new man in reality.
Do we put aside the ground of the church, now that we have the one new man? No; we still stand on the ground of the church, but our emphasis is on the one new man.
Today the Lord’s recovery has advanced; we do need all the previous recoveries of the Lord, but we also need to go on with Him and advance in His up-to-date move. The Lord’s recovery today is at the stage not of the Body of Christ but at the stage of the one new man!
Words like jurisdiction, autonomy, and differences…are they wrong? Maybe they are not entirely wrong, but if we hold on to these, we may unintentionally divide ourselves from others, and they can become a factor of division in the Body.
May we advance with the Lord and realize that all the local churches on earth are the one new man, and the only person manifested is Christ.
There’s no particular person standing out, there’s no superior or supreme leader among men, but there is Christ – He is all and in all.
When we realize this, when we see that the new man is being brought into full existence, we will no longer speak of the differences between the churches; we will no longer emphasise the jurisdiction or autonomy of the local churches.
Lord Jesus, grant us to see that all the local churches on earth are the one new man manifesting Christ, the One who is all and in all in the new man! Hallelujah, the one new man is comprised of all the local churches on earth, and all the believers in Christ are constituents of the new man! Amen, Lord, we want to advance with You; we want to go on and on until we are up-to-date with You in Your move. Hallelujah, when the one new man has been brought into full existence, there’s no more emphasis on differences, jurisdiction, or autonomy of the local churches, for we all are part of the one new man!
Being in Spirit to Live Christ and be the New Man, Manifesting Christ on Earth
Everything that the Lord is doing today is for the bringing forth of the one new man. We may look around us and enjoy all the developments in technology, transportation, and communication, but we need to realize that all these modern inventions and improvements are for the one new man.
Outwardly speaking, the world is becoming a small globe, with many easy ways to travel, communicate, and be together; spiritually speaking, all these developments are for the one new man to be brought forth.
Everything on this earth is for the perfection of the new man; the world politics, scientific inventions, modern transportation and communication, and even our ease of understanding of languages, all these condense the world into a small sphere, and the new man is being perfected.
We are at the end time, at the most golden time; this is the right time for the Lord’s recovery, so our view needs to be broadened.
However, we may live together with the saints or we may meet often, and we may not like the saints; we may be unhappy with them and not want to be with them.
But praise the Lord, the Spirit in our spirit is able to be with the saints, and this wonderful Spirit in us causes us to not only bear the saints but also consider them as lovely and lovable. We need to be in spirit, exercising our spirit to enjoy the life-giving Spirit, and we will live by Him; when we live by Christ, we will be happy with all the saints, and we will praise the Lord for the saints.
The only way we can touch the reality of the new man and be the new man in practicality is by exercising our spirit and being in spirit; in the spirit we are the one new man. When we are in the mingled spirit, we live Christ, and what is manifested among us is just Christ.
The new man is not merely a group of believers or many churches put together; the new man is Christ living in us as we take Him as our life and person.
When we take Christ as our life and person, when we are in the mingled spirit to live Christ, we will manifest Christ on earth. Then, whether we go to Brazil or to Britain, to Italy or to France, to Japan or to China, to Korea or the Philippines, we will see nothing else but Christ.
There’s even no need for us to say that we are one; we will be one spontaneously, for Christ is in us, Christ lives in us, and Christ is all the believers.
Our oneness will be the living out of Christ, and this lived-out Christ is what makes us one and is our oneness. We do not have to speak of oneness – we will simply live Christ and be one. This is the ultimate church life, a universal new man living out Christ.
This will conclude this age and usher in the kingdom to bring the Lord back. This new man expressed in a practical way all over the earth will become the loving bride of Christ, hastening His return.
The living of the new man is not the ecumenical way, which is to tolerate others with all the differences and do our best to be one with the others.
Rather, the one new man is taking Christ as our life and person, being in spirit, and living Christ; our speaking will be Christ, and we will all speak the same thing (1 Cor. 1:10).
Christ is our life; Christ is our person; Christ is our everything. He is the life-giving Spirit in our spirit, and we are all the time turning to our spirit, growing in this unique Christ, and we manifest Christ.
Hallelujah, in the mingled spirit we are all one, and in this spirit that we are in the one new man! Amen, Lord, we turn to our spirit and exercise our spirit so that we may live in the mingled spirit. We want to live by You and let You live in us; You make us one, and You are our oneness. Amen, Lord, we want to live this ultimate church life, the living out of the one new man, where all the believers live Christ to manifest Christ, the One who is all and in all in the one new man! Thank You Lord for being with our spirit to supply us and live in us the Christian life for the practical living of the one new man!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1977, vol. 3, “The One New Man,” chs. 2-3, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The One New Man Fulfilling God’s Purpose in Creating Man (2019 fall ITERO), week 9, Practicing the Church Life, Speaking the Same Thing, and Doing the One Work in the Consciousness of the One New Man.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Lord, bring forth the one new man; / Grant this vision now to us. / Gain in us Thy heart’s desire— / Thine expression glorious. (Song on, Lord, Bring Forth the One New Man)
– And now the corporate life we live— / Christ in His Body known; / Where every portion adds more Christ, / Until the whole is shown. / O Hallelujah, one new man! / Our portions blend as one; / In one accord, express the Lord, / And He will quickly come. (Hymns #1182)
– Hallelujah for life in the Spirit, / Hallelujah for newness within. / When we turn from our mind to our spirit, / We enjoy all the riches of Him. (Hymns #1141)
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