If you really ponder on this verse and think about it, it is a little shocking what brother Paul says in Phil. 1:19,
For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Isn’t our salvation from the Lord? Isn’t the Lord saving us? What salvation is he talking about here? Yes, the Lord is the One who saves us, and He has become our salvation; but on the other hand, He also placed us in the Body, so we need to fellowship and pray with the other members of the Body, even to visit and blend with other churches, so that we may be saved and perfected!
When we see something wrong in the church life or in the Lord’s recovery, if we are those who enjoy the fellowship of the apostles and the fellowship of the divine life, what we will do is not gossip or criticize, but we will rather fellowship and pray about it together with the saints, to seek the Lord’s leading to improve the situation for the benefit of all the saints.
We are in the Body of Christ for life – it is here that we live, move, and have our being.
We need to fellowship with one another, pray with one another, and blend with other churches. Just like the circulation of the blood in the human body which swallows germs, removes waste, and refreshes all the members – so it is in the Body of Christ: the fellowship among the members and among the churches swallows any negative thing and refreshes / strengthens / enriches the members and the churches!
The way to stay healthy is to “receive more blood and give more blood”, that is, to stay in the fellowship, the circulation, of life. If we fellowship with the other saints and blend with other churches, we will be saved ourselves and we will also promote the healing of the Body.
If there is any trouble or lack of peace, because of fellowship, peace is restored. If there are any situations that are not so positive or are troublesome, if there are some issues that seemingly cannot be solved, in the fellowship in the Body of Christ all these will be taken care of.
This is why Paul could say first that through the petition of the saints, he will be saved. When we fellowship, we open to the other saints and other saints open to us; when we blend and visit, we open our situation and we also see the others situation.
As we see / feel how others are, we pray for one another – we stand before the Lord and pray for them; in this way, the others and we ourselves are being both supplied and saved by our petition and by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ!
Some saints in some places may have some opinions about other saints in other places – through the circulation, the fellowship among the saints and among the churches, these opinions are being thrown away.
“The circulation of blood” in the Body of Christ – the fellowship among the saints and among the churches – removes the negative and local things, and adds the fresh new element of supply in the Body!
Try it – it is not until we have more fellowship with God’s children that the flow in us is increased, our difficulties are removed, and the “germs” are eliminated. When we fellowship with the Lord and touch Him as the Head, we touch and receive the divine life; when we fellowship and blend with the saints – the members of the Body, we also touch and and receive life.
The fellowship among the members often causes the supply of life to flow into us, and it discharges whatever should not be in us. The fellowship among the churches, in the blending of the Body of Christ, removes any difference and any opinions / negative thing, and supplies and strenghtens all the saints to go on together. There is something in all the saints, the members of the Body, that can increase the flow in life in us when we fellowship together…
[enjoyment from the Elders’ Training, Book 10: The Eldership and the God-Ordained Way, by brother W. Lee]
Lord, thank You we are members of Your Body! Save us from being cut from the fellowship of the Body! Rather, Lord, may we come together to pray and fellowship with the other saints! Thank You there’s life in the touch with the Head, and there’s life flowing when we fellowship with the members! Release the fellowship in spirit, Lord, among us and the other members! Release the blending among the churches! Lord, blend the Body together, and gain a built-up healthy strong Body for Your expression!
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