As believers in Christ, we are members of the Body, and we hold to truth in love so that we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ; then, out from Him, we’re being joined together and knit together, and we function for the building up of the Body. Amen!
It is very important for us to know that the direct building up of the Body is done not by the gifted persons but rather, by the perfected saints.
We all need to be perfected unto the work of the ministry so that we may do the direct work of building up of the Body of Christ.
This means that we all need to be open to the Lord and to the members of the Body to be perfected and trained so that we may function in our measure for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Our urgent need as believers in Christ and as members of the Body is to be perfected in our function; we need to be perfected by the gifted members in the meetings of the church so that we, the many members, the one-talented saints, would function.
Satan has worked in many ways throughout the ages to destroy the church, and one of the things he succeeded in doing is to annul the function of the members of the Body.
The church is the Body of Christ, but if we look around in Christianity, where do we see that all the members function in their measure for the building up of the church?
By functioning in our measure we don’t mean that we set up the chairs in the meeting, we visit the sick saints, or do all kinds of practical things or even pray for the activities of the church.
For us to function in our measure means that there is some perfecting going on, that is, we are being perfected and trained by the apostles, evangelists, prophets, and shepherd-teachers to do the work that they do but in a smaller measure, so that we may directly build up the Body of Christ.
We need more training and perfecting to participate in the unique New Testament ministry and be able to dispense Christ and supply the church for the building up of the Body of Christ.
When we all are perfected in this way, we will function in our measure, and we will grow in Christ until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13).
We are all in this process of going from the oneness in reality (the oneness of the Spirit which we all have and need to keep) to the oneness in practicality (the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God).
As we grow in life, we will drop any secondary doctrines, teachings, and practices, and we will focus only on Christ and the church in the economy of God, receiving all the believers even as the Lord receives them.
We need to hold to the Truth in Love to Grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ
For the building up of the Body of Christ, we all need to hold to the truth in love so that we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ (Eph. 4:15).
In His ascension, Christ gave gifts to His church; these gifts perfect the saints, and the perfected saints function in their measure to build up the Body of Christ directly until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God.
The fullness of Christ refers to the Body of Christ, which has a stature with a measure; when we become mature and arrive at a full-grown man by pursuing the growth in life, Christ will have a fullness, and the Body of Christ will have the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, which is a full-grown measure.
This will complete the building up of the Body of Christ.
Furthermore, we need to hold to the truth in love so that we may grow up into HIm in all things, that is, grow up into the Head, Christ (Eph. 4:15).
May we not be like little children tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching in the sleight of men, in craftiness with a view to a system of error.
So we need to pursue the growth in life by holding to the truth in love. We hold to the truth in the sphere and element of love; love is the very element and essence of God, for God is love.
Truth here refers to the things that are true, Christ as the mystery of God and the church as the mystery of Christ, which is the Body of Christ.
In this universe everything is empty and vain – nothing is real unless it has God in it.
According to Ephesians, three things are reality: God’s eternal economy, the all-inclusive Christ, and the church as the Body of Christ.
We need to hold to the truth in love by holding to God’s eternal economy, to the all-inclusive Christ, and to the church as the Body of Christ in love.
As we hold to the truth in love, we grow up into Him in all things; in both small and big things, we grow up into Him.
Oh, may we let Him grow in us and may our old man, our natural man, decrease, so that He may increase!
We need to hold to the truth in love; we don’t merely hold to the truth but hold to it in love, we present it in love, and we do all things in love for our growing up into the Head in all things.
To grow up into Christ is to have Christ increase in us in all things until we attain to a full-grown man.
There are many things in our lives, both great and small, in which we need to grow up into Christ by holding to the truth in love.
Our driving, our speaking, our handling the media, our being online, our sending messages to others or responding to them, and the way we behave – in all these things and many others we need to grow up into Christ.
Instead of focusing on the things themselves, we need to focus on Christ, hold to truth in love, and grow up little by little into the Head, Christ; then, something will come out from the Head for the building up of the Body of Christ.
As we grow up into the Head, something flows out from the Head through us into the Body, and this builds up the Body.
Our growth in life by the increase of Christ should be the growth of the members in the Body under the Head.
May we decrease so that Christ would increase in us so that we may grow up into Him who is the Head, Christ. In our daily life, our shopping, our getting dressed, our attitude toward our spouse, and at the office, in all things we need to grow up into Him who is the Head, Christ, as we hold to truth in love.
Lord Jesus, we want to hold to truth in love so that we may grow up into Christ in all things. Amen, Lord, may we grow up into You, the Head, in all things, both great and small! Grow in us, Lord! We want to hold to God’s economy, the all-inclusive Christ, and the church as the Body of Christ in love so that we may grow! Amen, may Christ increase in us in all things until we attain to a full-grown man! May our growth in life by the increase of Christ in us by the growth of the members in the Body under the Head. We open to You in all the things we do and we go through: grow in us, Lord, and keep us holding to truth in love so that we may grow up into the Head, Christ, for the building up of the Body of Christ!
As Joints or Parts, we Grow into the Head and Operate out from the Head for the Building up of the Body of Christ
As we hold to truth in love, we grow in life by growing into the Head, Christ; then, out from the Head we receive a supply and we can function and operate in our measure for the building up of the Body (Eph. 4:15-16).
To grow in life is to grow into the Head, Christ; to operate in the Body is to operate out from Him.
First, we need to grow up into the Head by holding to the truth in love; then, we will have something that is out from the Head for the building up of the Body.
The Body of Christ is joined closely together through every joint of the rich supply, and it is built up through the operation of each one part.
The joints of rich supply are the gifted persons such as the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers.
These joints are very much needed in the local churches. We may not be a joint of rich supply, but we are definitely a part of the Body, and our function and operation are very much needed.
As we hold to truth in love, we grow up into Him in all things; then, out from Him, we operate for the building up of the Body.
Through the growth in life and the development of the gifts, each member of the Body of Christ has its own measure, which operates for the growth of the Body.
Each member of the Body – every brother and sister, no matter where they live, what is their age, what kind of education they have, and what is their background, each of them is a member in the Body, and they receive something directly from the Head which only they can impart to the Body for the building up of the Body.
The more we come to know the Body, the more there is a longing in us for the function of every member of the Body, for we realize that each member is vitally necessary in the Body.
Even more, as members in the Body, our capacity to function may increase and we may become a joint of rich supply by our pursuing the Lord more, praying more, seeking the Lord more, and feeding on Him more.
The more we spend time with the Lord and are open to the perfecting of the gifted members, the more our capacity to function is increased, and we may become a joint in the Body.
Whether we are a joint of rich supply or a part in the body, our function is crucial in the body, for we can supply the body with the riches of Christ and we can operate in our measure for the building up of the Body.
First, we need to be supplied with life from the Head and from the joints of rich supply; then, we can function out from the Head with the supply we have received for the building up of the Body of Christ.
We shouldn’t do more than our measure, neither should we do less than our measure; we should simply hold to truth in love, grow up into Him in all things, and operate in our measure out from the Head to build up the Body.
The growth of the Body of Christ is the increase of Christ in the church, which results in the building up of the Body by the Body itself.
When the Body is joined and knit together through the joints of supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, the Body will cause the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love. Amen, in love!
Yes, we do hold to the truth, but we hold in love! And the Body is built up, but it is built up in love!
Lord Jesus, we want to grow into the Head, Christ, and receive the supply from the Head so that we may operate out from Him for the building up of the Body. We open to You, Lord, and we hold to truth in love so that we may grow up into Christ the Head in all things. Amen, Lord, may we as joints of rich supply and parts of the Body function in our measure for the building up of the Body of Christ! May we enjoy You more, spend more time with You, seek You more, and feed on You more so that we may become joints of rich supply in the Body. Recover the function of all the members in the Body! Recover the operation in the measure of each one part 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, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1988, vol. 3, “The Building Up of the Body of Christ,” chs. 1-4, 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:
– But holding to truth in love / We may grow up in all things / Into Him who is the Head / Christ is the Head / Out from Whom all the Body / Being joined together and / Being knit together through / Ev’ry joint of the rich supply / And through the operation / In the measure of each one part / of each one part / Causes the growth of the Body unto the / building up of itself in love, / in love, in love. (Scripture song)
– Truth we must be holding, which is Christ Himself, / That we be delivered from the sects of self, / That in all things growing into Christ the Head, / Built will be the Body and to fulness led. (Hymns #832)
– To the Head fast holding ever, / That we may together grow, / From the Head supplies incoming / Thru us to the Body flow. (Hymns #913)
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