If we see the Body of Christ we will realize that we need deliverance not only from our sinful and natural life, but also from our individualistic life. For us to know the Body life, we need to deny our self, because our self is the greatest problem and the greatest enemy of the Body.
Check with your experience – whenever you are in the self, you don’t want to be with the saints, and there’s no building up!
Just as the Father is versus the world (1 John 2:15), the Spirit is versus the flesh (Gal. 5:17), the Lord Jesus is versus the devil (1 John 3:8), so also the Body of Christ is versus the individual, versus the self. Lord, grant us a vision of the self and a vision of the Body!
We are nothing more than a member of the Body
If we realize that we are nothing more than a member of the Body, we will no longer be proud nor will we stay away from the other saints. In the spiritual realm, everything depends on our seeing – if we see that we are members of the Body, we will treasure the Body and we will honor all the other members of the Body.
When we really see that we are members in the Body of Christ with a particular God-given function, we will not despise ourselves and covet the work of others (1 Cor. 12:21-22). We will not say, Because I am not another member of the Body, I am not of the Body. No, we will treasure our portion and we will function in our measure.
Also, our seeing that we are members will kill our pride – we will not be proud of ourself, we will reject the thought that we are all-inclusive, and we will not despise others. We will realize that we are not “more useful” than the other members, nor are other members “less useful than us”.
We are only members of the Body with our own particular function, and we desperately need one another’s portion!
Being independent of the Body is being independent of God
The greatest problem to the Body is the self, the independent soul. We need to depend not only on the Lord as our life and life-supply (John 6:57), but also on the Body of Christ, on the other brothers and sisters. If we really see the Body we will realize that when we are independent of the Body, we are independent of God.
Being dependent on the Body means we are being dependent on God. In a very real sense today Christ is in all the members of His Body, and when we say, I depend on You, Lord! – we actually mean that we depend on Christ as the Head and we depend on the Body of Christ!
Our experience verifies this – whenever we are independent of the Body, whenever we are away from the fellowship in the Body, we had a clear sense that we are independent and away from God.
Our soul desires, yearns, and aspires to be independent, to “be left alone”, to do things his own way, live his own life, be on his own. But if we live isolated from the Body, we live isolated from God.
Individualism is hateful in the sight of God
Save us, Lord, from being independent and individualistic! In a world that teaches individualism and which builds you up to be an independent person to do things on your own, we need to take the lead to be dependent on God and to be dependent on the Body!
Individualism is a hateful thing in the sight of God. The independent “I”, the “ME!” who is independent, is versus the Body, and it needs to be condemned, denied, rejected, and renounced for God to have the Body of Christ (see Matt. 16:21-26).
We need to take the lead to be dependent not only on God but also on the Body, on the brothers and sisters (see Exo. 17:11-13; Acts 9:25; 2 Cor. 11:33).
“What I do not know, another member of the Body will know; what I cannot see, another member of the Body will see; what I cannot do, another member of the Body will do. Therefore, I must allow the other members of the Body to minister to my needs. We must avail ourselves constantly of the fellowship of the Body, for it is our very life.” (W. Nee, The Mystery of Christ)
Our supply is in the Body, and this supply is so real! We people and we Christians are made to be corporate, to depend on one another, and to be members of the Body of Christ. If a Christian says that he can be independent on the Body yet still remain a Christian, he will be dried up in no time.
Christ as the Head is all-inclusive, and His bountiful supply is in the Spirit in the Body of Christ.
If we see that we depend on the Body for our very existence, our very life, we will treasure the supply of the Body and we will love and appreciate every member of the Body. We will not refuse the help of our fellow members but rather allow Christ to minister to us through the members of the Body.
Lord Jesus, have mercy on us and unveil us to see the Body. We need the Body, and we need the function of every member of the Body. Save us from being proud of our function and from despising others’ function. Lord, save us from independence, from our independent soul. We want to depend on You and depend on the Body, receiving the supply daily in the Word and through the members of the Body.
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired from, The Mystery of Christ (by Watchman Nee, chs. 3-4), and, The Heavenly Vision (by Witness Lee, chs. 3-4), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Taking the Lead as Elders and Responsible Ones, week 7.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Build me, Lord, with other saints, / Independence ne’er allow, / But according to Thy plan / Fitly frame and join me now.
# Limit, Lord, my independence, / Let me to Thy Body turn; / Not just seeking light from heaven, / But the church’s sense to learn.
# I live, if you stand firm in the Lord. / You live, if I stand firm in the Lord. / My going on is for you, / Your going on is for me. - Picture source: great nature picture.
If we see that we depend on the Body for our very existence, our very life, we will treasure the supply of the Body and we will love and appreciate every member of the Body. We will not refuse the help of our fellow members but rather allow Christ to minister to us through the members of the Body. Amen and Amen.
Amen! Limit, Lord, my independence, / Let me to Thy Body turn; / Not just seeking light from heaven, / But the church’s sense to learn.
I enjoyed the quote referring to the fact that, if I don't see something, another member of the Body may see it. If others don't see something, I may see it. Each member has its function. If we depend on the Body, we depend the Lord as our Head because the Head is in all the members in the Body.
We need to be open to be adjusted, to be limited, to be tempered and to be balanced, so that we can be attuned in oneness and in harmony. Only by living in the body can our self and our individualism be dealt with faster. So Lord, deliver us from our natural self and from our individualism! Save us from our independence. Make us build-able and blend-able in the Body.