Because of the apostasy throughout Christendom, because of the high places and the divisions that are in Christendom today, there is the need for the recovery of the genuine ground of oneness, which is composed of the unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ, the unique ground of the locality, and the reality of the Spirit of oneness.
Everything is in Spirit and by the Spirit, but there is an outward, tangible component.
On one hand, the genuine ground of oneness is composed of the oneness of the Spirit which all the believers need to keep (Eph. 4:1-4).
On the other hand, there needs to be one church in one locality according to the principle set forth in the New Testament.
If we have both, and if we apply them in Spirit and by the Spirit, we keep the oneness of the Body, we meet as the local church, and we are on the genuine ground of oneness for the Lord to carry out His economy among us.
May the Lord have mercy on us and on all the saints that we may see what is in His heart and be joined to Him for His desire.
May we remain in and return to the divine revelation in the Word of God so that we may worship God in the way He desires and in the place of His choice, not putting forth our preferences and desires.
It is so sad to see the situation in Christianity today, with so many groups, so-called “churches”, “ministries”, and denominations.
Many of these entities have at their source the ambition of one or more persons, the lust of someone, and behind all these divisions there’s the enemy of the Lord, the one who operates as “the gates of Hades” (Matt. 16:18).
Every denomination and Christian group have something they exalt above Christ; some exalt the gifts of the Holy Spirit while others exalt preaching the gospel or having praise and worship.
Anything that is exalted above Christ and is elevated above the Lord Jesus as the Head of the Body, is a cause for division.
May we return to the genuine ground of oneness as unveiled in the divine revelation in God’s word.
May we refuse to build any high place in the church life, and may we be healed of any apostasy. Amen!
In this article today we want to see what is the genuine ground of oneness – what is it composed of and how we can return to it and experience it, and what is the relationship between the Body of Christ and the local churches.
What is the genuine ground of oneness on which the Lord wants His people to meet and worship God?
What is the relationship and distinction between the Body of Christ (the universal church) and the local churches?
Because of the Apostasy and Divisions throughout Christendom, there’s the Need for the Recovery of the Genuine Ground of Oneness
Our God is a God of recovery; though the church has failed God, though Christianity is fallen and full of mixture, division, and corruption, God comes in to recover and carry out His economy.
Because of the apostasy, the high places, and the divisions that pervade Christianity today, there’s the need for the recovery of the genuine ground of oneness (Eph. 4:2-6, 13; John 17:11, 14-23; 1 Cor. 10:16-17).
One of the most outstanding characteristics of God is that He is one; in everything, He is and does, He is one, though there is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
His expression, therefore, must be one.
Though the enemy has operated relatively successfully throughout the ages to damage the Body of Christ, the testimony of Jesus, in these last days the Lord is working to recover the genuine ground of oneness among His people.
According to the divine revelation in the New Testament, the ground of the church – the genuine ground of oneness – is constituted of three crucial elements.
1. The Unique Oneness of the Universal Body of Christ
The first element of the constitution of the ground of the church, the genuine ground of oneness, is the unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ (Eph. 4:4).
The Body of Christ is one, and the oneness of the Body of Christ is universal and unique.
This oneness is called, “the oneness of the Spirit” (v. 3).
It is for this oneness that the Lord prayed in John 17; He prayed that we all may be one so that the world may believe that the Father sent the Son, and so that God would be glorified.
This oneness is not just an agreement or an accord among people; it is the mingling of God with man.
The oneness of the Body of Christ is the mingling of the processed Triune God with all the believers in Christ.
In particular, as John 17 shows us, this oneness is in the name of the Father (vv. 6, 11), in the sanctifying word of God (vv. 14-21), and in the divine glory (vv. 22-24).
How can we be one? How can we have the oneness of the Spirit?
It is by being mingled with the Triune God and by having the divine life and nature of our Father.
We are one by being the sons of our God and Father – we are one in the divine life and nature of God.
This is the most basic aspect of our oneness; we are one simply in the life and nature of God.
We have the life of our heavenly Father and we also have His divine nature; in His life and nature, we are one.
Our oneness is in the Triune God through sanctification by His holy word as the truth.
When we allow the Lord to sanctify us through His word by being in His word every day, we are being made one.
The Word of God that sanctifies us is our oneness and makes us one. Ultimately, our oneness is in the divine glory for the expression of the Triune God.
The Father gave the Son His divine glory, and the Son gave us His glory that we may be one.
We are one in and for the expression of the Triune God.
If we live by the divine life and walk by the divine nature, if we remain in the sanctification by the holy word of the Father, we will express the Triune God corporately; this is glory.
It is in this life, nature, sanctifying word, and glory that we are one. All these are ours.
Such oneness – the oneness of the Body of Christ – was imparted into our spirit at the time of our regeneration by the Spirit of life with Christ as the divine life.
The first element of the genuine ground of oneness is the unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ, which we all have in our mingled spirit. Hallelujah!
Praise You, Lord, for imparting the oneness of the Body of Christ into our spirit at the time of our regeneration! Hallelujah, we are one in the divine life and nature, in the sanctifying word of the Father, and in the divine glory! Praise the Lord, our oneness is in the Triune God who is mingling Himself with us! Amen, Lord, we exercise to keep the oneness of the Spirit. We have the oneness in our spirit: we just need to keep it! Amen, Lord, we exercise our spirit to keep the oneness of the Spirit, the oneness of the Body of Christ. Have a way, Lord, to recover the genuine ground of oneness!
2. The Unique Ground of the Locality in which a Local Church is Established and Exists
![And when they had appointed elders for them in every church and had prayed with fastings, they committed them to the Lord into whom they had believed. Acts 14:23 For this cause I left you in Crete, that you might set in order the things [which I have begun] that remain and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you. Titus 1:5 Saying, What you see write in a scroll and send [it] to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. Rev. 1:11](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/And-when-they-had-appointed-elders-for-them-in-every-church-and-had-prayed-with-fastings-683x1024.webp?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "And when they had appointed elders for them in every church and had prayed with fastings, they committed them to the Lord into whom they had believed. Acts 14:23 For this cause I left you in Crete, that you might set in order the things [which I have begun] that remain and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you. Titus 1:5 Saying, What you see write in a scroll and send [it] to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamos and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea. Rev. 1:11")
The second element of the genuine ground of oneness is the unique ground of the locality in which a local church is established and exists.
This is the second element of the church ground.
The New Testament doesn’t tell us that we should meet one church in one city, but the principle is clearly shown throughout the New Testament.
What we see starting from the book of Acts is the unique universal church being expressed in the many local churches.
There is one Body of Christ universally, and this Body is expressed in many local churches, one church in one city.
The local churches as the local expression of the universal Body of Christ are located in their respective cities.
In Acts 8:1 we see the church in Jerusalem, in 13:1 the church in Antioch, in Rom. 16:1 the church in Cenchrea, in 1 Cor. 1:2 the church in Corinth, and in Rev. 1:4 and 11 the seven churches in Asia, one church in one city.
In His sovereignty and for our convenience, the Lord allows us to meet in our respective localities.
It should be that all Christians come together to worship God in oneness, keeping the oneness of the Spirit, but it is not possible to do it on the whole earth.
Therefore, based on the locality we are in, that’s where we meet; if we live in a certain locality, we are part of the church in that locality.
Every city is the boundary in which a local church exists, and is the local ground of that church.
Such a unique ground of locality preserves the church from being divided based on the preference, ambition, and lust of the believers.
The unique ground of locality preserves the church from being divided by different matters and different grounds.
What we see today, sadly, is the many denominations in one city, the many Christian groups, and the many so-called “churches”, sometimes even two or more churches on one street.
The unique ground of the locality destroys our preference and ambition and causes us to meet in oneness in the local church.
The unique ground of locality causes us to be one with the other believers in Christ, no matter how different they are from us, and no matter what our or their preferences are.
If we allow the Lord’s ordained place, the place of His choice, to limit us and safeguard us, we will be preserved in the genuine ground of oneness and we will keep the oneness of the Body of Christ.
Lord Jesus, unveil us to see the genuine ground of oneness, the ground of the church. We want to take Your way to worship God and gather at the place of Your choice. Reveal to us and to many believers in Christ that there’s only one church in one city. May the unique ground of locality, as revealed in the New Testament, limit us and safeguard us, keeping us on the genuine ground of oneness in the Body. Amen, Lord, we want to keep the oneness of the Spirit and remain on the local ground to be Your testimony!
3. The Reality of the Spirit of Oneness expressing the Oneness of the Body on the Unique Ground of Locality
The third element of the genuine ground of oneness, the church ground, is the reality of the Spirit of oneness, expressing the unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ on the unique ground of a local church.
The church is a matter in the mingled spirit – the divine Spirit mingled with our human spirit.
Merely holding to and emphasizing the unique ground of locality without the reality of the Spirit of oneness will only cause us to be another local sect that divides the Body of Christ even further.
The reality of the Spirit is the living reality of the Divine Trinity (1 John 5:6; John 16:13).
It is by the Spirit of reality that the oneness of the Body of Christ becomes real and living.
May the Lord save us from over-emphasizing the unique ground of locality while ignoring the application and reality of the Spirit of oneness.
Yes, we treasure the local church on the unique ground of locality, but we practice the church life in the reality of the Spirit of oneness.
Through this Spirit the ground of locality is applied in life and not in legality.
There is no legality related to the local ground of the church, and the unique ground of locality should not be applied in a legal way.
Rather, we need to practice the church life on the local ground of the church in the reality of the Spirit of oneness.
By the Spirit of oneness mingled with our spirit the genuine ground of the church is linked with the Triune God (Eph. 4:3-6).
May we be those who return to the genuine ground of oneness and practice the church life in the mingled spirit in the local church.
May we exercise our spirit to live and meet in the reality of the Spirit of oneness, not despising or rejecting any believer in Christ but rather, seeking to fellowship and being built up with all the Lord’s people.
And may we remain in the divine revelation in the holy word of God so that all our preferences, ambitions, lusts, and desires would be put to death by the Lord’s shining and we would simply live in the mingled spirit for the building up of the church.
Lord Jesus, recover us to the genuine ground of oneness, the ground of the church according to the divine revelation in the New Testament. May we be those who live and meet on the ground of the church by having the reality of the Spirit of oneness. Amen, Lord, may the unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ be expressed among us as we meet and worship God on the ground of locality. Lord Jesus, we want the reality of the Spirit of oneness so that we may express the unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ on the unique ground of the locality of a local church! Amen, Lord, may we be those who return to the genuine ground of oneness so that You may have a way to dispense Yourself into us and carry out Your economy in us and through us!
The unique Body of Christ is Expressed in many Local Churches in the Divine Oneness with the Triune God as their Everything
May the Lord have a way to bring many of His chosen, redeemed, and regenerated people to see the genuine ground of oneness so that they would keep the genuine oneness of the church both locally and universally, without any division.
Seeing this ground with its three main elements will cause us to keep, in practicality, the oneness of the church both in its local and universal aspects, having no division.
We need to see the relationship between the universal Body of Christ and the local churches.
The church, the organic Body of Christ, is one; the church as Christ’s Body is undivided and indivisible.
This unique Body of Christ is expressed on earth in the many local churches in the divine oneness (Rev. 1:11; John 17:11, 21, 23).
The living Body of Christ, which is one universally, needs the local churches for its existence and function.
It is very impractical and quite theoretical to say that we’re in the Body of Christ if we don’t live in a local church.
Without the local churches, the Body of Christ has no way to exist or carry out its function in practicality.
The local churches are the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ is all the local churches.
The Body of Christ is universal, in the mingled spirit; the local churches are the many expressions in many localities (one city in one church) of the one Body of Christ.
Yes, the Body of Christ exists in the heavens, but its expression is the local churches.
If you want to see the Body, you must be in the local churches as the local expression of the Body of Christ.
The local churches have the Triune God as their everything – their life, nature, element, essence, expression, function, and testimony.
How do we build up the Body of Christ?
It is by functioning in the local church to build up the church; the building up of the local church is not for its own building up locally (1 Cor. 14:3) but for the building up of the entire Body of Christ universally (Eph. 4:12).
The Body of Christ is built up when the local churches are being built up.
The building up of the local churches is the building up of the universal Body of Christ, for the local churches are the Body of Christ as its expression.
If the local churches are not built up, how can the Body of Christ be built up? May we in the local churches learn to function in our measure by prophesying to build up the church as the Body of Christ.
Hallelujah for the church, the Body of Christ, the corporate expression and manifestation of the Triune God! Praise the Lord for the local churches as the local expressions of the one Body of Christ on the genuine ground of oneness in the Body! Amen, Lord, thank You for putting us in the local churches to build up the church as the Body of Christ. We exercise our spirit and remain on the genuine ground of oneness in the Body. Amen, Lord, we want to build up the local church so that the universal Body of Christ may be built up!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ricky Acosta in the message, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1993, vol. 2, “A Brief Presentation of the Lord’s Recovery,” pp. 408-412, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of 1 and 2 Kings (2022 summer training), week 11, entitled, Apostasy, the High Places, and the Recovery of the Genuine Ground of Oneness.
- Further reading on this topic:
– A list of epublications regarding the genuine ground of oneness via, Contending for the Faith.
– An Open Letter From the Local Churches and Living Stream Ministry Concerning the Teachings of Witness Lee, via, The truth of the Gospel.
– The recovery of the local ground – the definition, keeping the genuine oneness of the church, and the base of the genuine fellowship of the believers (via, local church recovery).
– Assailing the Ground of Oneness (6): The Ground of the Church Being for the Building Up of the Body of Christ, via, Shepherding words.
– The genuine ground of oneness – portion from chapter 7, by W. Lee.
– The Ground of Locality being for Oneness not for Division, portion from Enjoying the Riches of Christ for the Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ, by W. Lee.
– Who and what is the church in Denver (see their website), the church in Miami (see here), the church in Washington DC (see the website), the church in Cambridge, the church in London (UK), to mention just a few.
– Principles Concerning the Lord’s Table in View of the Oneness of the Body of Christ, via, A faithful witness.
– An Appeal to the Young People in the Lord’s Recovery—Do Not Be Cheated From Your Inheritance! Article via, A Faithful Word.
– The Lord’s Recovery—The Life, Function, and Practical Oneness of the Believers, article via, An Open Letter. - Hymns on this topic:
– Eat the bread, ye people of the Lord: / Praise His name, for He has made us one. / Now we come to eat in one accord / As the church which He has made His own. / Eat the bread and drink the wine, ye saints! / We are one in Him fore’er. / Stand in oneness on the local ground, / Eat and drink in oneness there! (Hymns #1108 stanza 1 and chorus)
– Burning, burning, we are burning, / Ever to our spirits turning, / One for Thine eternal purpose, / in spirit one; / On the ground of locality, / We express our unity— / Many members, but one Body, / Christ as our Head. / Christ and the local church, / Christ and the local church, / Christ and the church, / Our reality and life, / Hallelujah! Hallelujah! / Lord, we’ve given our lives to You, / For the building of Your Body, / For our building up in love. (Hymns #1266 stanza 1 and chorus)
– We are for the Lord’s recovery / Of the local church; / We are for the Lord’s recovery / Of the city and the earth. / Standing on the ground of oneness, / Oneness in the Lord, / We are building up the temple / Of our glorious Lord. (Hymns #1255 stanza 1)
About aGodMan
The church ground is constituted of three crucial elements: The first element… is the unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ, which is called “the oneness of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3). This is the oneness that the Lord prayed for in John 17. It is a oneness of the mingling of the processed Triune God with all the believers in Christ. This oneness is in the name of the Father (vv. 6, 11), denoting the Father’s person, in which is the Father’s life. This oneness is even in the Triune God through sanctification by His holy word as the truth (vv. 14-21). This oneness is ultimately in the divine glory for the expression of the Triune God (vv. 22-24). Such a oneness was imparted into the spirit of all the believers in Christ, in their regeneration by the Spirit of life with Christ as the divine life.
The second element of the church ground is the unique ground of the locality in which a local church is established and exists. The New Testament presents us a clear picture that all the local churches, as the expression of the universal church—the universal Body of Christ—are located in their respective cities. Hence, we see the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), the church in Antioch (13:1), the church in Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1), the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2), and the seven churches in Asia in seven respective cities (Rev. 1:4, 11). Every city, as the boundary in which a church exists, is the local ground of that church. Such a unique ground of locality preserves the church from being divided by many different matters as different grounds in the way that divisive denominations… are divided. The third element of the church ground is the reality of the Spirit of oneness, expressing the unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ on the unique ground of locality of a local church… The reality of the Spirit… is the living reality of the Divine Trinity (1 John 5:6; John 16:13). It is by this Spirit that the oneness of the Body of Christ becomes real and living. It is also through this Spirit that the ground of locality is applied in life and not in legality. And it is by this Spirit that the genuine ground of the church is linked with the Triune God (Eph. 4:3-6). The above-defined ground of the church keeps, in practicality, the genuine oneness of the church both locally and universally (v. 3), without any division.
Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1990, vol. 2, “A Brief Presentation of the Lord’s Recovery,” p. 408
May the Lord unveil us to see the genuine ground of oneness, the ground of the church.
This ground is composed of the oneness of the universal Body of Christ, the unique ground of the locality where a local church exists, and the reality of the Spirit of oneness.
Thank the Lord for the local churches on the genuine ground of oneness where we function in our measure by prophesying to build up the church as the Body of Christ!
Let us rejoice for our God has gifted to us the clear vision concerning the ground of the church in its three crucial elements.
The church is the oneness of the mingling of the Triune God with all the believers.
We must be diligent to keep this oneness of the Spirit.
Every city in which a church exists is the local ground and boundary of that church.
The local churches need to be in the reality of the Spirit of oneness, the living reality of the Divine Trinity.
Only if we’re in the reality of the Spirit of oneness can we be the many local expressions of the one Body of Christ. Hallelujah!
The building up of the local churches is the building up of the Body of Christ.
Let’s hold fast to what we have and continue to plant genuine local churches throughout the earth.
It is crucial for us to see that the church ground, as the genuine ground of oneness is constituted of three crucial elements:
1) The oneness of the Spirit which is the mingling of the processed Triune God – which we have but must keep!
2) The ground of locality in which the Body of Christ functions and is practically expressed within the boundary of a city – according to life not legality;
3) The reality of the Spirit of oneness in which all the local churches together are the expression of the one unique Body of Christ.
Aaaaameeen! Do it Lord! Thank You for the Oneness of the Spirit, the ground of locality and the reality of the Spirit of oneness applying the ground of the church in life and in legality. Praise You Lord for the Oneness of the Body of Christ, the oneness You prayed for, the oneness imparted into our spirit! Build up Your Body more today!
Amen brother. Abba Father, in Your life, through Your word and in Your glory we are all one.
there 3 crucial elements of keeping the oneness of the body.
The first is the oneness of the body of christ which is the oneness of the Spirit which the Lord prayed in John, and unique ground of oneness in the local church and meeting in localities and finally the reality of the Spirit of oneness we cannot be in the reality being one with the triune God and with all the saints
may the Lord brings us into such oneness in reality
As long as the life giving Spirit, The Triune God, is in each of us, this one God in the form of three persons (for His eternal economy) will bring the oneness of His body for this universal oneness, the local churches, due to the limitation of our movement capacity, are, therefore, the main ground for the oneness of the universal church.
Amen brother, yes Lord bring us on to the unique ground of the locality where the church exists,and the reality of the Spirit of oneness.
Amen brother!
Eph. 4:3-4 Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the Eph. 4:3-4 **Being diligent to keep the* oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling.
This was the first church established in a locality (see note Acts 5:111b) within the jurisdiction of a city, the city of Jerusalem. It was a local church in its locality, as indicated by the Lord in Matt. 18:17. It was not the universal church, as revealed by the Lord in Matt. 16:18, but only a part of the universal church, which is the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). The record concerning this matter (the establishing of the church in its locality) is consistent throughout the New Testament (Acts 13:1; 14:23; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 8:1; Gal. 1:2; Rev. 1:4, 11). Acts 8:1, footnote 1, Recovery Version Bible
Aaaaameeeeen. Lord prepare us to receive our Brothers and Sisters your true seekers fed up with organised Christianity to come to Joseph storehouse to feed them in life and with life on the genuine ground of oneness that we all may experience the genuine ground of Oneness, the reality of the Spirit. May our eating and drinking be not to build up our own kingdom but for the genuine building up of the church as the reality of the Body of Christ
Eph. 4:3-4 Being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace: One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
Eph. 4:1-2, 5-6 …, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing one another in love, One Lord, one faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
RR:
“The church ground is constituted of three crucial elements:
1. The unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ (Eph. 4:4) called “the oneness of the Spirit”.
2. The unique ground of the locality in which a local church is established and exists (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Rev. 1:11)
3. The reality of the Spirit of oneness, expressing the unique oneness of the universal Body of Christ on the unique ground of locality of a local church (1 John 5:6; John 16:13
“The church of God, as the living Body of Christ, needs the local churches for its existence and function. Without the local churches the Body of Christ has no way to exist and to carry out its function in practicality. Actually, the local churches are the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ is all the local churches”.
“The church, the organic Body of Christ, is undivided and indivisible; this unique Body is expressed in many local churches in the divine oneness as it is with the Triune God and in the divine nature, element, essence, expression, function, and testimony (Rev. 1:11; John 17:11, 21, 23)
Eph. 4:3 starts with a very key phrase, “Being diligent…
We need to keep the oneness of the Spirit in all grounds with diligence.
Oh Lord Jesus, let me star with myself. Let me be diligent to keep my own self low and down, hence Your Spirit can deal with my flesh, transform me, shape me the way You want me to fit and joint me perfectly within Your Body, without noise, without rising any other level above you.
Then Eph. 4:3 ends with, “… in the uniting bond of peace:”
IF we are diligent and let Him deal with our flesh, when we gather, we will always be “… in the uniting bond of peace:” Keeping the oneness of the Spirit also allows us, “bearing one another in love.” Eph.4:2
Lord, destroy anything that wants to rise and shine above You. You are the only one that is above of all things, and above of all of us.
We praise You, we adore You, we glorify Your name, and only Your name. Amen!