Having a Straight Coordination under a Clear Sky, being Hidden under the Lord’s Grace

The four living creatures in Ezekiel 1 are under a clear sky, and they stretch out two of their wings straight to be joined together; as believers in Christ, we need to be in a straight coordination under an open, stable, and expanding sky, and our testimony should be coming from this coordination.

It is crucial for us as believers to maintain a clear sky between us and the Lord.

Maintaining a clear sky has to do with taking care of our conscience; when our conscience is spotted or clouded, we need to come to the Lord’s light and confess our sins and shortcomings, condemn our improper attitudes and motives, and apply the Lord’s precious blood, so that we may have a clear sky between us and the Lord.

We need to reach the point of having a clear, open, stable, and expanding heaven, with nothing between us and the Lord and nothing between us and one another.

Again and again we need to open to the Lord and fellowship with Him, allowing the flow of the divine life a free way in our being, and we also need to fellowship with the saints in a clear, frank, straight, and enjoyable way.

The divine fellowship is everything in our Christian life, and we need to have a clear sky between us and the Lord so that we maintain our fellowship with Him. Our God is faithful to take away and remove our idols and anything that replaces Him, so that we may be brought into the full enjoyment of Christ.

God’s faithfulness is a matter of dealing with all the idols so that we may come back to Him, drink of Him, and eat Him; the result is that we are constituted with Him and express Him.

He is faithful to draw us to Himself, and we need to be faithful to deal with anything that His light exposes in our being, so that we may have a clear conscience, a pure conscience.

May we be the living creatures who are in a proper coordination with one another and who have a clear sky expanding above them, so that the Lord may have a way to accomplish His purpose and fulfill His heart’s desire through us.

Having a Straight Coordination under a Clear Sky and being Hidden under the Lord’s Grace

Under the expanse above the living creatures, one pair of their wings went straight out, one toward the other; they each had a pair of wings covering their bodies on this side and on that side, and another pair went straight out (Ezek. 1:23).

It is very interesting that, right after speaking of the clear, expanding, open heaven above the living creatures, the wings going straight out were mentioned; this shows us that, when we have a clear sky, we have a straight coordination with the saints, and our coordination is under the open and expanding heaven.

The four living creatures stretch out two of their wings for coordination; when we are under a clear, open, stable, and expanding sky, we can have a coordination that is altogether straight, with nothing crooked.

We need to maintain a clear sky between us and the Lord, and we need to allow this heavenly atmosphere to spread, expand, and become stable and open; then, we can have a proper coordination with the saints.

In our coordination with the saints under the clear sky we need to be straight, with nothing crooked; there shouldn’t be any politics in our fellowship, neither should we say things to one brother which we can’t say to others as well.

We need to have a thorough fellowship with the Lord under an open heaven, and we need to have a clear and sincere fellowship with the saints; in our fellowship and coordination, we must be sincere, frank, earnest, and straight.

As we open to the Lord in our fellowship with Him, and we open to the saints in our coordination, we need to let the Lord deal with any ulterior motives, hidden desires, opinions, feelings, and anything that is crooked and not straight.

The four living creatures stretch out two of their wings for coordination, indicating that we shouldn’t display ourselves but rather hide ourselves under the Lord’s grace. On the one hand we need to have a straight and proper fellowship, and on the other hand we need to be hidden under the Lord’s grace.

Our God is a God who hides Himself – He doesn’t like to make a show of what He is and what He can do, but He hides Himself so that His seekers may find Him. In our fellowship and coordination with the saints, we should not display ourselves; if we are one with God, we will hide ourselves under the Lord’s grace.

In the church life we may notice that some saints, according to their temper, are quite unobtrusive and subtle when they help or serve, taking care of some needs without drawing any attention; on the other hand, there are some saints like to make a display whenever they do something.

We need to learn not to live according to our temperament or disposition but deny ourselves, hide under the Lord’s grace, let His grace overshadow us, and fellowship with the saints in a straight way under the open and clear sky (2 Cor. 3:5-6; 12:9; Phil. 3:3).

Lord Jesus, we want to maintain a clear and open sky between us and You so that we may have a straight and sincere fellowship with the saints in our coordination in the church life. May we learn to be constantly under a clear, open, stable, and expanding sky, so that our coordination with the saints would be altogether straight, with nothing crooked! Amen! Keep us under Your overshadowing grace, and save us from making a display of what we know or are. Lord, we want to learn to hide under the covering of Your grace in our coordination.

Having a Proper Testimony in our Coordination to Fight the Battle for God’s Economy

The sound of the wings of the four living creatures, as heard by Ezekiel, was like the sound of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, as they went; it was the sound of a tumult, like the sound of an army (see Ezek. 1:24).

When we move in a straight coordination under an open and expanding heaven, we have a voice, a testimony; this voice comes out of coordination, and it is not the voice of a particular individual believer but the voice of coordination.

For example, before the day of Pentecost, Peter often said things by himself, but in Acts 2:14 he stood with the eleven and spoke, and his speaking was the voice of the coordination of the disciples, the voice of a corporate body.

We need to not seek to stand out, manifest what we know and can do, or display ourselves; rather, we need to hide ourselves under the Lord’s grace, have a straight fellowship and coordination with the saints, and when we speak, we should speak one with the saints in coordination.

No matter how great or how small our portion may be, we should remain in a straight coordination with our fellow believers, and we should speak one with the Lord and one with the saints, so that our testimony would be the testimony of a corporate Body.

If the situation in our local church is like that of the four living creatures in Ezekiel 1, our testimony will be strong and it will be corporate, not the sound of an individual believer but the tumult, the sound of many waters, even the voice of the Almighty.

Our testimony and speaking should not be in an individualistic way but as a corporate body, in oneness with the Lord, so that it may be the Lord’s speaking in our speaking. Wow, when the four living creatures move and speak, their voice is the voice of the Almighty!

When we have a proper coordination under the open and clear heaven, hiding ourselves under the Lord’s grace, our testimony and voice will be corporate, and it will be the Lord’s speaking in and through man.

This should be the testimony of our local church: not the voice of a particular individual but the voice of the Almighty, the Lord’s voice and speaking in our speaking. This voice, this testimony, is also the voice of an army fighting the battle for God’s economy.

Paul testified that he fought the good fight, he finished the course (2 Tim. 4:7); to fight the good fight is to fight against Satan and the kingdom of darkness for the interest of God’s kingdom.

To finish the course is to run the course for the carrying out of God’s economy according to His eternal purpose.

To keep the faith is to participate in the riches of God’s economy. When we are properly coordinated with the saints under an open heaven, stretching out our wings straight, we fight against Satan and his kingdom of darkness, we fight for the interest of God’s kingdom, and we run the course for the carrying out of God’s economy.

Lord Jesus, we want to hide ourselves under Your grace in our coordination with the saints, so that our testimony would be the voice of a corporate, coordinated body, a voice coming out of the proper coordination. Amen, Lord, gain the proper coordination in a straight, sincere, and frank way in spirit under an open heaven in the church life, so that You may have a testimony and You may speak in our speaking. May our collective testimony be the voice of an army fighting the battle for God’s economy.

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. 10 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Ezekiel (1), msg. 7 (week 7), The Highest Point in Our Spiritual Experience — Having a Clear Sky with a Throne above It.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Under His wings — oh, what precious enjoyment! / There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er; / Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me; / Resting in Jesus I’m safe evermore. (Hymns #565)
  # The living creatures joined, / Connected by their wings, / In four directions fly, / And God’s expression bring. / Lord as Your move today / As living creatures, we / Your radiance would express, / And Your authority. (Song on the four living creatures)
  # I have fought the good fight; / I have finished the course; / I have fought the good fight; / I have kept the faith. / Henceforth there is laid up for me / The crown of righteousness, / Which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, / Will recompense me in that day, / And not only me / But also all those who have loved His appearing. (Scripture song)