Functioning in Coordination and doing Everything through the Cross and by the Spirit

In his epistles Paul speaks of the different functions that the members of the Body of Christ have, and in Ezekiel 1:9-12 we see a beautiful picture of the functioning in coordination which we need in the church life.

A picture is truly worth a thousand words, and when it comes to the matter of coordination in the church life and the building up of the Body, it is very helpful to see a picture of how to do this.

First of all, our coordination is not in ourselves but in God and by His divine power, His divine strength, and His divine grace, just as the four living creatures are joined and coordinated by means of two of their wings.

Our coordination is not in and of ourselves; actually, in ourselves we are divisive and do not want to coordinate, but when we enjoy the Lord, we spontaneously join wings with other saints and coordinate together in God.

The eagle’s wings is the resurrection power of Christ, God’s power in life becoming our grace. We can coordinate only if we enjoy God; when we exercise our spirit, turn our heart to the Lord, and enjoy Him, we spontaneously coordinate with the saints in spirit.

God Himself is the coordinating factor: He makes all the parts of the divine building to be one. Just as the thick layer of gold that overlaid the boards in the tabernacle made them one for God’s building, so the essence and element of God who is added to us causes us to be joined with the saints and be one with them for God’s building.

And, most importantly, the building is in love – God is life, the nature of His essence is love, and in the church life everything we do has to be in love and by love.

The more we love the Lord and love one another in the Lord, seeking to minister Christ to others for the building up of the Body, the more we take the most excellent way for the building up of the church, and we coordinate together in love, in God.

Whatever we do and whatever we are must be by the grace of the Lord and the power of the Lord; our boasting should not be how much we do for the Lord but how by the grace of God we have conducted ourselves in the world.

May the Lord be our enjoyment day by day, and may we allow His grace and power to overshadow us as we come together to fellowship and coordinate in the church life.

Seeing a Beautiful Picture of the Coordination in the Church as the Body of Christ

Ezekiel 1:9 and 11b-12 presents a beautiful picture of the coordination that we need in the church life. Each of the four living creatures faces one direction: one faces north, another south, another east, and another west; and two of their wings spread out to touch the adjacent creatures’ wings, thus forming a square.

Every one of the living creatures goes straight forward; as they move, they do not turn, but one returns, that is, moves backward, and the others go sideways.

For example, when the living creature facing north goes forward according to the leading of the Spirit, the one facing south goes backwards (without turning), and the ones facing east and west go sideways (without turning).

One moves sideways to the left, the other moves sideways to the right, and still another one moves backwards, returning; these moves may seem awkward, but they present a beautiful picture of the coordination that we need in the church life.

In the church life we are living creatures, believers who have been regenerated by God with His divine life, and we learn to enjoy the Lord as grace day by day. As we enjoy the Lord as grace and let Him overshadow us with His grace and power, we learn to coordinate by being joined to the saints and following the leading of the Spirit.

However, some brothers and sisters can’t tolerate being coordinated together – they like doing things by themselves, on their own, for they feel they are more efficient by themselves and it is such a suffering to do things with others.

It is true, there’s a certain amount of limitation and suffering once we are joined together in coordination, for there’s no personal freedom or convenience in coordination, but this is what the Lord wants to gain.

In coordination we don’t make turns – we simply follow the leading of the Lord in the fellowship, and we all go forward.

The picture of the four living creatures really speaks like a thousand words; Paul speaks of the principles in the Body, but in Ezekiel 1 we see the picture of how we as living creatures need to coordinate together in grace under the Lord’s leading for Him to have a way to express Himself, move on earth, and carry out His administration.

We need to see this picture of the coordination of the four living creatures and we need to learn to coordinate with the saints in the Body for the Lord’s interest.

Lord Jesus, thank You for making us members in Your Body with a particular function and measure for building up. We want to learn to coordinate with our fellow living creatures in grace, under the overshadowing of Your grace and strength. Save us from doing things in and by ourselves in the church life. Keep us in coordination with the saints, being joined together in grace, and doing everything in the Lord and in coordination. Amen, Lord, have a way to gain the reality of the living creatures for Your expression, move, and administration!

Functioning in Coordination and doing Everything through the Cross and by the Spirit

As believers in Christ we are members of the Body of Christ, and not all members have the same function; we are one Body, and individually members one of another.

We all have gifts and functions that differ according to the grace which was given to us. Some have the function of teaching, others of serving, exhortation, leading, shepherding, preaching the gospel, perfecting others, etc.

There are many functions from the same Spirit, and we all need to function in our measure (see Rom. 12:4-8).

However, as we function, we cannot say that, since we don’t have the same function as others, we are not of the Body; we should not despise our function and covet the work or function of others (see 1 Cor. 12:14-30). We should be satisfied and happy with the function we have in the Body.

Furthermore, just as the eye can’t say to the hand, I have no need of you! – so we cannot think or say that, since others have a different portion and function than us, we don’t need them. We should neither despise our function nor be proud of ourselves, thinking that we can do everything and we are everything in the Body.

All the members of the Body are precious and necessary, and the entire Body needs to be blended together.

The problem is that some saints either want to do everything or do nothing at all; what we need is learn to be in coordination as the four living creatures. In the church life we all have our own function and need to move in a straightforward direction to fulfill it, not turning to something else; however, only one living creature can move forward, and the others need to follow, and so we need to learn to coordinate.

When one member takes the lead to function in the gospel, for example, we all need to be joined with him and move with him; this means we may have to move backwards or sideways, so we need to do everything through the cross and by the Spirit to dispense Christ into others for the sake of His Body (see 1 Cor. 12:14-30).

When we come together to fellowship and coordinate, we need to learn to do everything through the cross, putting ourselves aside, and by the Spirit, exercising our spirit so that Christ as the life-giving Spirit may flow among us and dispense Christ to others for the sake of the building up of the Body.

If someone takes the lead in shepherding the saints, we need to follow and be one with him, doing the work of a shepherd so that the new ones would be cared for and brought into the church life.

As we coordinate and do everything through the cross and by the Spirit, fire burns among us, we are being burnt, and we run to and fro, following the Spirit, for God’s expression, move, and administration.

Coordination doesn’t slow us down; what slows us down is doing things independently, but when we are in coordination with our fellow living creatures, learning to follow them and follow the Spirit together, we will move like a lightning bolt.

Coordination speeds us up and makes us the means for God’s expression, move, and administration. This requires that we learn to follow the saints as they function; we don’t turn as we follow, but we learn to go backwards or sideways.

Lord Jesus, we want to learn to function in our measure in coordination with our fellow members in the Body. Make us willing to learn to follow the leading of the Lord by accommodating the other members and moving in the same direction, even if this means we move “backwards” or “sideways”. Oh Lord, may we do everything in the church life through the cross and by the Spirit to dispense Christ into others for the sake of Your Body! May there be fire burning among us in our coordination, and may there be a beautiful walk in coordination in the church life!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by brother Ed Marks for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 7 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel (1), msg. 4 (week 4), The Coordination of the Four Living Creatures.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # By Thy life and by its flowing / I can grow and be transformed, / With the saints coordinated, / Builded up, to Thee conformed; / Keep the order in the Body, / There to function in Thy will, / Ever serving, helping others, / All Thy purpose to fulfill. (Hymns #840)
  # I long for fellowship in spirit, / Long thus to know authority; / Long for true fellowship in service, / Coordinated thus to be. / O Lord, fulfill our hearts deep longing, / Saints for such fellowship inspire, / That we may realize Thy building / And soon fulfill Thy heart’s desire. (Hymns #847)
  # Have Your way! Have Your way! Do a building work we pray— / Hallelujah—in our life each day! / Through the cross of Jesus, / By the Spirit filled, / We are blending, building up! / We all are one! (Song on blending)