The Body of Christ can either Express Christ or Limit Him in what He wants to do

In order for His will to be done on earth and for His eternal purpose to be fulfilled among us, God needs our cooperation; the Body of Christ can either express Christ or limit Him in what He wants to do. Oh, Lord!

How much we need the Lord’s shining on the way we live, the way we make our decisions, and the way we do things, so that we may be those who no longer limit God but fully cooperate with Him in what He wants to do today!

This week we come to a new series in our Holy Word for Morning Revival, inspired from the 2021 fall ITERO; the general series is entitled, Meeting God’s Need and Present Needs in the Lord’s Recovery.

In particular, this first week we will focus on, God’s Need in the Present Age.

May we be open to the Lord to advance with Him and cooperate with Him for His move on the earth. May we allow Him to shine on us to show us that God has a need and that we as His Body either express Christ or limit Him.

May we be open to the speaking of the Lord in these last days so that we may advance with Him and no longer limit Him! God has a need.

This need varies from age to age. In our religious or theological concept we may think that, since God is almighty and omnipotent, He doesn’t need anything.

We surely agree with the fact that God can do everything He wants and has no need of anything; the creation of the universe, of all living things, and of man proves that God doesn’t need anyone or anything, for He is omnipotent and almighty.

However, if we consider what God intends to do today, the fact that He desires to gain the church as the Body of Christ to be His corporate expression and to represent Him with His dominion, we realize that human cooperation is very much needed.

We need to realize where we are today both in human history and in church history, and we need to see what is God’s need in this age today.

In human history, in world history, we are right at the end; human history is going to come to an end soon.

The world has always been a crazy and troubled place, but we all can testify that today we live in an exceptionally troubled time.

There is a pandemic raging on earth, there is a financial crisis, there’s social and racial unrest; the world situation is crazier than it has ever been, and it is unsustainable.

We may try to find out when is the time of the Lord’s return, but the Lord Jesus Himself said that only the Father knows; what we need to do is cooperate with the Lord for His will to be done on earth and for His purpose to be fulfilled among us.

If we consider church history, we will realize that we are toward the end of church history.

First, there was the first section of the church history from the first to the sixth century, from the time the church came into being to entering into full degradation.

Unfortunately, the church was conceived by the Spirit at the time of the Pentecost, but it began to degrade immediately, and it reached the depths of degradation at the beginning of the papal system with the hierarchy in the Roman Catholic church.

The dark ages began in the sixth century and lasted for ten centuries, for the Bible was locked and put away, without man having access to it.

Whenever the Bible is not available or read by man, darkness comes in. But praise the Lord for Martin Luther and many others who have uncovered, unveiled, and brought to light the word of God, thus bringing in the Reformation.

From the sixteenth century until now, we have been living in a period of recovery.

In particular, however, the Lord started to recover the truths in the Bible and the proper church life according to His heart’s desire from the time of Watchman Nee and later Witness Lee.

Today we live in the best time period ever, for we have not only the advancement of technology and science but also the latest and best practice of the church life.

Today all around the world, in all the continents and in many countries, there are genuine proper local churches that are continuing steadfastly in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles in every continent on the earth. Hallelujah!

May we today be those who see God’s need and cooperate with Him, realizing that, as the Body of Christ, we can either express Christ or limit Him on earth.

Before He can Act, God must Find a People on Earth According to His Heart and Mind to Cooperate with Him

In Isa. 6:8 God asked the prophet, Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? God already had something in mind, He wanted to do something, but He needed man’s cooperation; He simply wanted a man on earth who would be willing to cooperate with Him.

God already decided to speak to the children of Israel and work in their midst, but He needed to find someone on earth who would work with Him according to His mind.

This shows us an important principle in God’s work: though God is almighty and powerful, though He is omnipotent and nothing can stop Him from what He wants to do, He first must find and gain a people on earth who will cooperate with Him to work with Him according to His heart and mind.

God has something in His heart to do today, and He has a particular mind concerning how to do it; we need to be those who see what is in God’s heart and cooperate with Him to carry out what is in His mind.

If God cannot find men who cooperate on earth with Him for His purpose, He will still have His purpose in heaven, but this purpose will be hindered in its fulfilment on earth.

God can carry out on earth what He has in mind in heaven only when He finds a group of people on earth that cooperates with Him.

Before He can act and move, God must gain a people on earth who know what is in His heart, pray one with Him for what He wants to do and cooperate on earth for God to release what is in His heart and carry out His will on earth.

Yes, God is omnipotent; yes, God is almighty; yes, God can do whatever He wants to do. However, in His economy related to man, God’s omnipotence is subject to limitation because He must have certain conditions suitable for His working.

It’s not that we can help God or further what He wants to do; it is not that we lend a hand and volunteer to help God.

No, what God needs is a group of people on earth who know His heart and mind and cooperate with Him.

Through our sin, our unbelief, our living in the flesh, and living according to the flesh and working for God with our natural energy, we can hinder God in what He wants to do.

God’s power can do anything, but we can hinder Him from what He wants to do.

In order for His will to be done on earth and for His eternal purpose to be fulfilled, God needs our cooperation; we need to live one spirit with Him and pray on earth to release what He has released and bind what He has already bound in heaven (1 Cor. 6:17; Matt. 7:11; 12:50).

God created the whole universe and the angels and all the living things, including man, and He didn’t need anyone’s cooperation, for He is almighty and omnipotent.

But He created time and space and man, and when He did that, He established the principle that He will work only as man cooperates with Him.

God has set certain principles that govern the universe, and He even binds Himself by these principles or laws. He will not work unless man cooperates with Him.

God needs to gain people on earth who will cooperate with Him and work one with Him according to His mind (Phil. 3:15; Col. 3:2).

May we be such ones today. May we see what is God’s need, what He wants to do, and may we be infused with His mind to cooperate with Him on earth for Him to carry out what is in His heart.

Lord Jesus, cause us to see what is in God’s heart to do today in this present age. Infuse us with Yourself; infuse us with Your very mind so that we may be fully one with You. Amen, Lord, may we be joined to You as one to release on earth what has been released in heaven, and to bind on earth what has already been bound in heaven. May we no longer limit You in what You want to do. Here we are, Lord, send us; we give ourselves to You for what You want to do today. Make us the people who cooperate with You on earth and work with You according to Your mind. Amen, Lord, do in us and through us what You want to do!

As Members of the Body of Christ, we either Express Christ or Limit Him in what He wants to do

May we be before the Lord concerning what we are, what we do, and what we speak; may we realize that, as members of the Body of Christ, we can either express Christ or limit Him in what He wants to do today.

The Lord has to shine on us, the members of the Body of Christ.

As believers in Christ, we are part of God’s spiritual people, and He intends to do something; we need to be one spirit with Him and work according to His mind for Him to do what He intends to do.

But if we don’t cooperate with God, we can put Him into a position where He cannot do what He wants to do.

Think about it: the Creator of heaven and earth can be limited by us! May we allow Him to shine on us and expose anything in us that is hindering Him.

He may shine on our trust in ourselves, our leaning on what we can see and live in the natural man, and our lack of living and walking by faith.

The Lord may shine on our plans, our programs, and our substitutes for Him.

He will show us that we still do not trust Him to bring the dead back to life, and we still do not abide in Him moment-by-moment in our daily living.

May we exercise our spirit and abide in the Lord so that we may see the light. It is not by self-examination or introspection that we see the light; it is by being before the Lord, even being quiet before Him and listening to Him that we realize what our situation is.

As members of the Body of Christ, we are to express Him and represent Him; we are the actual members of the Body of Christ, and it is us that He has to be expressed through.

As human beings, our body expresses us; nothing outside our body can express us. Today Christ needs His Body to be expressed; however, as members of the Body of Christ, we either express Christ or limit Him in what He wants to do.

Throughout the ages, many believers have lived according to what they thought the word of God says, and many have led others into doing this or that for God.

But who seeks God’s heart and mind, and who lives one spirit with the Lord to fulfill what is in His heart? How great is our responsibility before God!

We are His only expression; the Body of Christ is the only expression that Christ has on earth.

For others to see God and touch God, they have to come to the church, the Body of Christ; the Body is THE WAY for Christ to be expressed.

But do we express Christ or do we limit Him in our living, speaking, and working? Oh, Lord! May we no longer limit the Lord or restrict Him in any way.

May the Lord have mercy on us to show us that, as members of Christ’s organic, mystical Body, we are either expressing Him or limiting Him (1 Cor. 12:12-13, 18-20, 27).

There’s no neutral position between expressing or limiting Him. We can’t say that we don’t express Christ, but neither do we limit Him; we either express Him and thus not limit Him, or we do not express Him and thus limit Him.

May we pray concerning this and allow the Lord to shine on us in this matter.

The Lord needs to bring us to the point where we have nothing to hinder Him from doing whatever He wills (1 Cor. 6:17; Matt. 6:10; 7:21; 12:50; Eph. 1:1, 9; 5:17).

May we be before the Lord concerning this and tell Him,

Lord, we want to be one spirit with You and no longer limit You in what You intend to do on earth today. Thank You for making us members of Your organic Body to be Your expression on earth. Save us from limiting You or restricting You in what You want to do. May Your light dawn on us to cause us to realize how great our responsibility is. Gain us to be part of Your corporate expression on earth. Gain us to be part of the group of people who fully cooperate with You for what You want to do. Keep us before You, Lord, opening to You and cooperating with You on earth for You to carry out what You desire. Amen, Lord, may Your will be done and Your kingdom come. May You gain the church as the Body of Christ to express You and represent You on earth!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a message by bro. Mark Raabe on this topic, and portions from, Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 46, ch. 183, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Meeting God’s Need and Present needs in the Lord’s Recovery, week 1, God’s Need in the Present Age.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – The principle of incarnation / Is but the blend of God and man, / Both acting in cooperation / To thus fulfill th’ eternal plan. / To God, the man is His expression, / And man is of God’s life possessed; / The man is wholly God’s possession, / And God thru man is thus expressed. (Hymns #740)
  – Let us work together with the Lord through prayer, / Praying every time and everywhere. / He will not accomplish His will on His own; / Seek Him ‘till His purpose is made known. / Make us those who’re one with You in prayer, / Echoing the things for which You care. / Lord, do make us one so that Your heart’s desire we share; / In this age, Lord gain Your men of prayer. (Song on, Let us work together with the Lord through prayer)
  – My soul, be silent, wait upon the Lord! / Learn thus to let the Spirit pray thru thee; / All of thy being with the Spirit move, / Thy prayer will thus God’s own expression be. (Hymns #793)