Seeing that there is one church in the universe and there are many local churches expressing this one church in the many localities, we need to realize that the local ground of the church is the unique oneness of the Body of Christ practiced in the local churches.
Our God is very wise in the way He ordained for His people to worship Him and meet together; He didn’t just tell us to worship Him however we want and meet the way we prefer – He gave us specific instructions and a particular design for us to worship Him and to meet.
In order for us to worship God, we need to be in the place chosen by Him, which is our mingled spirit and the church.
In the Old Testament, the children of Israel could worship God personally at home wherever they are, but when they were to worship Him corporately, at least three times a year, He ordained a particular place – Jerusalem – where they had to go and bring Him the offerings, feasting together with Him and with one another.
In the New Testament, we can worship God personally by being in our spirit, and when we come together corporately, we need to be in the church according to how He has ordained it.
The church has two main aspects: the universal aspect and the local aspect; both of these need to be held, kept, and practised, otherwise we do not properly worship God, neither are we part of His testimony on earth.
We need to meet in the local church in the locality where the Lord has placed us, having the realization that there is one church in the universe, which is the Body of Christ.
The Body of Christ is like the father to all the churches, and all the churches are like the children to the father.
The source and essence is the universal church, but the outward expression and practicality of this universal church is the local church.
The New Testament speaks a lot concerning the universal church, saying that the church is the Body of Christ and that Christ is building up the church, He is sanctifying the church, and He will present the church to Himself glorious (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 5:25-27).
There is no doctrine, however, concerning the local aspect of the church; rather, the New Testament simply mentions that all the believers in Jerusalem were the church in Jerusalem, all the believers in Antioch were the church in Antioch, and all the believers in a particular city were the church in that city.
This is so simple and so clear that it leaves no room for confusion or preference.
We may prefer to meet with some believers from a different city than our city, but according to God’s ordination, we need to meet with the saints in the locality where He has placed us.
We may not like some of the saints in our locality but we may like others more; still, we need to take the cross and be in the mingled spirit to meet with the saints on the ground of oneness, realizing that all believers in our locality are part of the local church, the local expression of the universal Body of Christ.
Seeing this is a vital factor for the recovery of the church life today.
The Local Ground of the Church is the Unique Oneness of the Body Practiced in the Local Churches
In Matt. 16:18 the church is singular, referring to the universal church; in Acts and in the Epistles, a number of times “the churches” are mentioned – this refers to the many local churches.
We need to realize that there is one universal church, and this universal church is expressed in many localities as the many local churches – one church in each locality.
The universal church is the totality of all the local churches, and the local churches are the local constituents of the one universal church.
The one foundation of the church is Christ Himself as revealed in the New Testament ministry, the teaching of the apostles; besides Him, no other foundation man may lay.
However, what is the ground of the church? For us to build a house we can’t just have the design of the house and all the materials ready: we also need to have a particular location in time and space, a ground; similarly, the church has a ground.
The local ground of the church is basically the unique oneness of the Body of Christ practiced in the local churches (Eph. 4:4; 1 Thes. 1:1).
The local ground of the church is the locality in which that church exists. For example, I live in London (England), and I meet with the church in London, for the universal church is expressed in London as one church, the church which is in London.
If Paul were to write a letter to the church in London, he would say, To the church of the Londoners in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (based on 1 Thes. 1:1).
Alternatively, based on 1 Cor. 1:2, Paul would write, To the church of God which is in London.
The church takes the ground of a locality for its practical existence. We cannot say we are part of the universal church if we do not meet with the local church on the ground of oneness.
Furthermore, as we meet in the local church in the locality where the Lord placed us, we need to realize that there is one universal church.
We are in the universal church by being in the local church in the locality where the Lord has put us. Both the universal Body of Christ and the local churches are uniquely one.
There is only one Body in the whole universe, and there is one unique local church in each locality respectively.
Oneness is an attribute of the Body of Christ, and the local ground of the church is the practice of this oneness; if we do not keep the oneness of the whole Body of Christ as we practice the local church life, we are not part of the Lord’s genuine expression.
The local ground of the church is not merely local; it is also universal, that is, it is the genuine oneness of the Body of Christ.
This unique oneness is the basic element in the church life (Acts 1:14; 2:46; 1 Cor. 1:10; Phil. 1:27; 2:1-2).
We may meet in different localities as the local church in that locality, but we are all for the universal expression of Christ (Eph. 1:23; Rev. 1:4, 11; 22:16a).
For example, the full expression of humanity requires all the >7 billion people on earth; similarly, to have a full expression of Christ through His Body, you need all the believers in Christ, all the local churches.
A local church that makes everything local and that expresses only its locality has become a local sect, a local division; they may call themselves the church in that city, but if they don’t have fellowship with the other local churches, they are a local division.
Such things exist, unfortunately, so we need to remain under the apostles’ teaching in the New Testament to make sure that we stand on the local ground of the church by practicing the unique oneness of the Body of Christ in the local church.
All the basic things for the Body are not local – the Spirit is not local, Christ is not local, God is not local, the Bible is not local, the apostles’ teaching is not local, and the apostles’ fellowship is not local – they are all universal.
May we practice the unique oneness of the Body of Christ in the local churches to have the local ground of the church for the building up of the universal Body of Christ!
We praise You, Lord, for Your infinite wisdom in ordaining the universal church and the local churches. Hallelujah, there is one Body in this universe and there are many local churches, and both the universal Body and the local churches are uniquely one! Amen, Lord, we want to keep the local ground of the church by practising the unique oneness of the Body of Christ in the local churches. Save us from being a local sect by merely practicing the local church life without having fellowship with the other local churches on the whole earth. May we keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace, keeping the oneness of the Body as we meet and serve in the local church life. Hallelujah, the churches in different localities are for the universal expression of Christ!
We are in the Local Churches as the Procedure for God to gain the Reality of the Body of Christ
All the basic things related to the church are not local but universal; there may be some business affairs and local arrangements that are local, but all the local churches are part of the universal church.
All the local churches share the same Spirit, the same Christ, the same God, the same Bible, the same apostles’ teaching, and the same apostles’ fellowship.
Therefore, in our consideration, the Body should be first and the local churches should be second; we should realize that we are in the universal church by being in the local church, and the universal church is the goal.
We need to reconsider our present understanding of the church; we may still be under the influence of the old teachings and theologies in Christianity, and this may affect our view of the church and our practice of the church life.
Our understanding of the church may be imbalanced; we need to consider before the Lord what the church is, and what is the relationship between the universal church and the local churches.
In our consideration, the local churches should be the procedure for God to gain the universal church, the Body of Christ.
We need to know the Body in practice; the locality as the church ground for the local church separates the church in existence but it does not divide the church in essence.
Essentially, we are still just one Body on the entire globe, but in existence in time and space, we meet in different localities as the local churches.
We should consider our local church as a part of the universal Body of Christ, realizing that we need all the other churches in order to express Christ in full.
The local churches are the procedure for God to reach the goal of His economy – the Body of Christ (Rom. 16:1, 4, 16; 12:4-5).
His goal is not merely to gain many local churches; even if He has millions of local churches, unless He has the reality of the Body of Christ, He is still not satisfied.
Therefore, as we live the church life in the local churches, we should consider our local church as a part of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 1:2; 10:16-17; 12:12-13, 20, 27).
We are in the age of procedures; God has certain procedures in place as revealed in the holy word for Him to gain what He is after.
If we follow His procedures and touch the essence of these procedures, we will reach the goal, which is the Body of Christ.
The Lord wants to gain a group of people who follow His procedure but go further to reach the goal of God in this age and in their lifetime; He wants to gain the overcomers, those who live in the reality of the Body of Christ in this age.
Not everyone will do this, but some will do it; we need to be among those who reach the goal of God in this age – we want to be those who live in the reality of the Body as we practice the local church life!
As we live the church life on the local ground of the church, practicing the unique oneness of the Body of Christ, we realize that the local churches are the procedure God takes in this age to obtain the goal of the reality of the Body of Christ.
Our aim is to reach the goal in our lifetime, that is, for us to live in the reality of the Body of Christ in the local churches today for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Lord Jesus, we want to be those who live in the local church by living in the reality of the Body of Christ. Hallelujah, there is only one church, and all the local churches are part of the Body of Christ. Amen, Lord, we give ourselves to You to practice the local church life by living in the reality of the Body of Christ for You to gain the Body of Christ in reality. Make us the overcomers of today, those who know the Body of Christ and live in the local church life with the Body in view. Amen, Lord, gain many brothers and sisters who not only live on the local ground of the church by practicing the oneness of the Body, but also live in the reality of the Body for You to gain Your corporate expression! Do it in us, Lord, and do it soon! Gain the reality of the Body of Christ in us and among us in the local churches!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Mark Raabe for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1984, vol. 4, “Vital Factors for the Recovery of the Church Life,” pp. 490-493, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Vital Factors for the Lord’s Recovery of the Church Life (2021 ITERO), week 3, The Factor of the Church Being in the Triune God, the Local Churches Being Expressions of the Body of Christ, and the Believers Practicing the Church Life in the Consciousness of the Body.
- Recommended further reading: Assailing the Ground of Oneness (1)- the Genuine Ground of the Church According to the Teaching and Practice of the New Testament (via, shepherding words).
- Hymns on this topic:
– The churches are the Body / Of Christ on earth today. / They are His testimony, / That He may have a way. / They are the golden lampstands / In cities far and wide. / They are His fighting army, / And His beloved Bride. / The churches, the churches, / Upon the earth today; / Lord, stir our hearts for Thy desire, / And build us, oh, build us, / Lord, we pray. (Hymns #1265)
– One Body universal, / One in each place expressed; / Locality of dwelling / Her only ground possessed; / Administration local, / Each answ’ring to the Lord; / Communion universal, / Upheld in one accord. (Hymns #824)
– The Church within the universe / Is one as Christ’s possession; / The Church must therefore locally / Be one in her expression; / For all her elements are one- /One God, one Lord, one Spirit, / One faith, baptism, Body too, / One hope all saints inherit. (Hymns #831)
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