The organic function of the church is in the organic Body of Christ and in the local expressions of the organic Body of Christ; we must be organic and function organically in the church life, for we are members of the Body.
The church is the Body of Christ, an organic matter; the church is the organism of the Triune God, and through the church, God in Christ can be expressed in full.
Our human body expresses who we are, for it is our fullness; the Body of Christ expresses who Christ is, for the Body of Christ is the fullness of Christ.
Therefore, when we speak of the building up of the church we need to realize that this building up is organic, for the church is the organic Body of Christ.
On one hand, the Lord said that He will build His church; on the other hand, He gave some gifted members to the Body so that they would perfect the saints unto the work of the ministry, which is the building up of the Body of Christ.
How is the church being built up? It is not by having a great speaker or teacher who gives good sermons or does all kinds of works and wonders; it is by every member of the Body functioning in their measure.
Our human body is built up by the growth in life and by the function of every member; if even one member doesn’t grow or doesn’t function, our body is not built up properly, and special care needs to be given to that member.
Similarly, Christ has a Body, the church, and in the church as the Body of Christ, all the members need to function in their measure.
How can we function in the church if we don’t know what our function is, and how can we function if we’re not perfected or trained?
All members of the Body need to be richly supplied by holding to the Head, and out from the Head there’s something that comes out for each member to function.
Furthermore, each member needs to be open to the perfecting and training in the Body so that each member would function in a perfected way for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ.
In other words, we need to let the Lord build Himself into us in our personal time with Him, and we need to let Him make His home in our heart, working Himself into us in a personal way.
Then, we need to be open to Him and to the gifted members so that we may be perfected in our function; we may not know what our function is, but if we’re open to the perfecting in the meetings of the church, we will spontaneously function in our measure.
The intrinsic building up of the church is through all the perfected members of the Body of Christ; when all members are perfected and all function, the church as the Body of Christ is built up.
Today we want to go further and see that the organic function of the church is in the organic Body of Christ and in the local expressions of the Body and that we need to function organically in the church life.
As Members of the Body of Christ, we need to Function Organically in the Church Life for the Building up of the Body
Some Christians may think that, since the Body of Christ is universal, the building up and the function of the Body is also universal, somewhere in the spiritual realm, with no tangible aspect.
However, this is not correct according to the word of God, for the organic function of the church is in the organic Body of Christ and in the local expressions of the Body (see 1 Cor. 1:2; 12:27-28; Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11).
In all the local expressions of the unique Body of Christ, there should be much organic functioning of all the members of the Body.
We believers in Christ are members of the Body of Christ, and such members of the organic Body of Christ, we need to be organic and function organically in the church life (Rom. 12:4-5).
The organic Body of Christ is composed of many members, and all the members do not have the same function; we all have a particular function in the Body of Christ, and we are individual members one of another.
We all are members of the organic Body of Christ, and we should all function organically in the Body.
We need to ask ourselves, however, Are we functioning organically in the Body, or are we functioning in a mechanical way?
Sometimes, instead of functioning organically, we just do things mechanically.
We need to realize that we are either joints to supply others or parts who operate in their measure in the Body, and our organic function is necessary in the Body.
There may be two sisters who are of the same age both humanly and spiritually, but their function is different; we all need to function organically and also respect others’ function in the Body.
In the Body of Christ, we need one another’s function, and we cannot think more highly of ourselves, thinking that our function is much greater than others’ function and therefore we don’t need them.
Rather, we who are many are one Body in Christ, having an organic union with Him and being one with Him in life.
Also, we are one with all the members of the Body, for we are individual members one of another.
We are not separate units who function in this or that way, neither are we Christians who do a work for God in a mechanical or robotic way.
No, we are organic members of the Body of Christ, we grow with the growth of God, we hold the Head, we are richly supplied, and we function organically in the Body for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ.
When we all function organically for the building up of the Body, the Body causes the growth of itself, resulting in its being built up in love.
When all the members of the Body function organically, each part operating in their measure and each joint giving a rich supply, the Body grows and is built up in love.
May we bring this to the Lord and learn to function in our measure, being organic members of the Body who function organically for the building up of the church as the organic the Body of Christ.
All this takes place in the local church as the local expression of the universal organic Body of Christ; it is in the local churches that we learn to function organically, even function inter-dependently in the Body, and our function is for the building up of the Body of Christ.
This should be our view as we function in the local churches – we function organically not only for the building up of the local church we are in but for the building up of the universal Body of Christ.
Lord Jesus, release the organic function of all the members of the Body for the building up of the Body! May we realize that the organic function of the church is in the organic Body of Christ and in the local expressions of the Body! Amen, Lord, may we see that we are organic members of the Body and we can all function organically in the church life. Save us from doing things in a mechanical or outward way in the church life; bring us into the reality of functioning organically in the Body according to the measure of grace You gave us. We open to You, dear Lord, and to the gifted members to be perfected so that we may function organically in our measure in the church life for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ!
Growing in Life and Receiving Grace to have the Gifts in Life and Function Organically for the Building up of the Church
Rom. 12:5 says that we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us; grace is simply God in Christ as our enjoyment, and as we enjoy God, we have certain gifts in life to function for the Body.
When we enjoy the Lord as grace and receive grace day by day, something happens in us: the divine life grows and develops in us, and we develop certain skills and abilities, which are the gifts in life.
These gifts differ from the gifts given to the gifted members of the Body for the perfecting of the saints; these gifts are what the Lord gives us and develops in us through our growth in life.
This is similar to how the different members of our human body have different “gifts” or portions, functions, and abilities.
If our body is mature and developed in life, having the full growth in life, the overflow of life in the Body will produce abilities, and each member will function in its measure organically.
The measure of ability that we have in the Body depends on our growth in life and our receiving of the grace of God; the more we grow in life and the more we enjoy grace, the more our ability is increased and we can function organically for the building up of the church.
When the grace of God in Christ as the divine element comes into our being to be our life for our enjoyment, it brings with it the element of certain spiritual skills and abilities.
These spiritual skills and abilities, accompanying our growth in life, develop into the gifts in life that we may be able to function in the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:6-8).
Each member of the Body is a gift to the Body, and each member has a gift in life which he must exercise to function organically for the building up of the Body of Christ.
These gifts resemble what Rom. 12:6-8 speaks of; here we see a list of at least seven of them: prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and showing mercy.
We all can prophesy, one by one; we can exercise to speak for the Lord, speak the Lord forth, and speak the Lord into others in the meetings of the church.
As we study the truth, experience Christ, and receive grace to grow in life, we can develop the gift of prophesying and also teaching, for we can cut straight the word of God to teach others the sound and healthy word in the Bible.
We can exhort others based on what we enjoy in the word or in the meetings of the church, and in this way, we minister the life supply to the saints for them to grow together by God’s word.
Another ability in life is to give in simplicity; we can supply and take care of the needy ones in the church.
Such ones are able to impart material possessions to help the needy ones, speed the Lord’s work, and care for the practical needs of the church.
Another gift in life is being filled with mercy and showing mercy to others, sympathizing with them in their difficulties and troubles, especially in these difficult days.
May we all enjoy the grace of God and grow in life so that we may have these spiritual skills and abilities which develop into the gifts of life which enable us to function organically in the Body of Christ.
We all can function in our measure in the Body as we grow in life and partake of the grace of God, for this grace with the element of the divine life brings with it the element of certain skills and abilities which develop into the gifts of life for our organic function.
Lord Jesus, we open to You to enjoy You and partake of Your grace so that we may grow in life and have You as our life. Grow in us, Lord, and have a way to develop in us certain spiritual skills and abilities which develop into the gifts of life for our function in the Body! Amen, Lord Jesus, may the divine life in us grow and develop until our organic function is manifested in the Body. Increase the level of life in us so that there may be an overflow of the inner life in the Body for the manifestation of our organic function in the Body for the building up of the Body. Thank You, Lord, we are a gift to the Body! Hallelujah, each one of us has a portion for the building up of the Body and we all can function organically for the building up of the Body!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by the brothers for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Romans, msg. 26, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Intrinsic and Organic Building up of the Church as the Body of Christ (2021 International Chinese-Speaking Conference), week 3, The Intrinsic Building Up of the Church for Its Organic Function.
- Hymns on this topic:
– All the saints of Christ are / Members every one; / All coordinating / Into oneness come. / Though the gifts are many, / Yet the Spirit one; / Many too the functions, / But one Lord, the Son. (Hymns #854)
– All the preaching of the Gospel, / All the teaching ministry, / Every other kind of service / For the church alone should be. / Ministry is for the Churches, / Not the Church for ministry; / All the lampstands are the Churches, / Not a form of ministry. (Hymns #914)
– In our ministry and service, / From the Body, our supply; / If detached and isolated, / Out of function we will die. / ’Tis by serving in the Body / Riches of the Head we share; / ’Tis by functioning as members / Christ’s full measure we will bear. (Hymns #913)
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