The Local Ground of the Church is the Oneness of the Body Practiced in the Local Churches

This week we are enjoying the spiritual significance and application of the local ground of the church. In the church life in the Lord’s recovery, we have been brought back to God’s original intention, which is to have the Body of Christ as His expression, and the universal Body of Christ is expressed in each locality in the local churches. The local ground is related to the truth and it is also related to life.

When we speak concerning the ground of the church there are two main expressions we use:

1. The ground of locality: this is the local ground of the church, the local expression of the universal Body of Christ, according to the pattern shown in the Bible.
2. The ground of oneness: this is not so easy to know – it takes more than the study of the New Testament to know the ground of oneness. We need to have an open and seeking spirit when we come to God’s word so that we may see the divine light and receive the divine revelation concerning the local ground of the church, which is the ground of oneness.

May the Lord show us something concerning the ground of the church which we have never seen before!

In order to Know the Church, we must Recognize the Ground of the Church

The key to knowing the church in today’s chaotic situation is knowing the ground of the church; the Lord Jesus spoke concerning the universal church in Matt. 16:18, “I will build My church”, and later He spoke of the local church (Matt. 18:17).

We all realize that the situation among the believers today related to the matter of the church is in complete chaos, and the main factor of this chaos is not knowing the ground of the church. Most believers know and believe in the universal church – the Body of Christ, but there’s much confusion, problems, and misunderstandings concerning the ground of the church.

Whether a person is in the church in reality and practicality has everything to do with recognizing the ground of the church. Yes, all the believers on earth are part of the Body of Christ, the universal church, and they are also in the church in the city where they live, but whether or not a believer is actually and practically in the church life in that city depends on whether he sees the ground of the church.

When we speak of “the ground of the church” we need to know that there’s a difference between the ground (the site, the location) and the foundation of the church. In 1 Cor. 1:2 Paul says, “To the church of God which is in Corinth” – here he recognizes the ground of the church, which is the locality of Corinth. Then, in 1 Cor. 3:10-11, Paul said, “as a wise master builder I have laid a foundation…another foundation no one is able to lay besides that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” – here he speaks of the foundation of the church, which is Christ.

As we are building the church, we are building on the foundation of Christ; the ground of the church, however, is the place where the foundation is laid. When we build any building we have to choose a location – we can’t build something “in the air”, we need a site. God, the owner of God’s building, chooses both the location, the foundation, the design, and the materials for the building up of the church.

We need to take heed how we build upon Christ as the foundation, and we need to take heed where we build. Just as we don’t have the right to choose the materials for God’s building so we don’t have any right to choose the ground.

In 1 Cor. 1 we see that in Corinth some believers would take Apollo, Paul, Cephas, or even Christ as the ground – all of which are the wrong ground, and thus brought in confusion and division. Christ is not the ground of the church; Christ is the foundation of the church, and the ground of the church is the city where that church exists.

The foundation is the lowest part of a building; the ground is the base, the site, where the building is placed. Since the church is the dwelling place of God, the building of God, it needs not only a foundation (which is Christ) but also a ground, a site; this site is the locality in which the church is established (see 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11).

Lord Jesus, may we know the church and be in the church life in reality and practicality. Lord, grant us an open and seeking spirit in coming to Your word so that we may realize and stand on the local ground of the church, the ground of oneness in the Body of Christ. Oh Lord, save us from any chaos and confusion regarding the church, and cause us to be those who build the church with gold, silver, and precious stones, upon Christ as the foundation, and on the local ground as the base!

The Ground is more Important to a Local Church than its Condition

This is quite a bold statement, but it is very true. We may be concerned more for the condition of the church – and we definitely need to pay attention to it, but we need to be more concerned for the ground of the church; if the ground is right, the Lord has a way – even if the condition is not up to standard. The condition of the church is something relative: it fluctuates, and it is not easy to determine what the current condition of the church is.

For example, some may say that if the spiritual condition of a group of believers in a city is good, then they are the church in that city. But how can you measure this? How can you evaluate the condition of the church?

This is something very subjective, and it fluctuates; our spiritual condition may be good today and tomorrow, but in 1-2 years it may not be so good – does this mean that “we are not the church”? Absolutely NOT! The ground of the church can never be based on some kind of a subjective standard, otherwise it would be impossible for us to practice the church life. The condition of the church may fluctuate, but the ground can never fluctuate.

For example, in Nehemiah we see the condition of the returned captives of Israel back to Jerusalem: they got wives from among the people of the land, their children did not speak the language of Judah, and both the priesthood and the kingship were defiled. Their condition was probably worse than of the Jews in Babylon, but they were on the right ground – they were in Jerusalem!

Because they were on the ground which God chose, God came in and honored their standing to the uttermost: His presence was with them, and His glory was manifested. The condition of God’s people is not as important as the ground on which they stand. The temple cannot be built on any other ground than the place God chose in Jerusalem – Mount Zion; the church can never be built on any other ground but on the genuine ground of oneness.

Our condition may be sub-standard, and there may be other groups of believers that are “more spiritual” than us, with a higher rate of increase than us, and doing a better gospel work than us, but if we are on the proper ground, God is with us, and we have God’s blessing!

The ground of the church is easy to determine: it is objective, and it is not affected by our condition. Our condition is relative and may change, but the ground is absolute and cannot be altered. The assessment of a church should never be based on its spiritual condition but on its ground, because whether a church is proper or genuine doesn’t depend on the condition of the church but on the ground of the church!

The Local Ground of the Church is the Oneness of the Body Practiced in the Local Churches

What is the local ground of the church? On the one hand, it is the locality in which that church exists, and on the other hand, it is the unique oneness of the Body of Christ practiced in the local churches (see Eph. 4:4; 1 Cor. 1:2; 12:27). The essence of the ground of the church is not an outward practice but the oneness of the Body practiced in the local churches.

For example, even though the condition of the church in Corinth was not so good, because they were on the genuine ground of oneness, they were the Body of Christ expressed in that city (1 Cor. 1:2; 12:27). The ground of locality is the ground of oneness; we cannot claim that we are one with the universal Body of Christ if we are not one with the saints in our locality.

Some believers may say that they practice the oneness of the Body, but they can’t stand some saints in the church – the Lord doesn’t accept this. The only way to be in the oneness of the universal Body of Christ is to be in the oneness in a genuine local church.

The local ground of the church is basically the unique oneness of the Body of Christ practiced in the local churches. Both the universal Body of Christ and the local churches are uniquely one. There is one unique Body of Christ in the whole universe, and there is one unique local church in each locality, respectively. This unique oneness is the basic element of the church life. (The Crucial Points of the Major Items of the Lord’s Recovery Today, pp. 21-22)

The Body of Christ is universal, and this universal Body has only one expression in a city, which is simply the church in that city (see Rev. 1:11; Acts 8:1; 13:1). The first church raised up was in Jerusalem, and was called “the church in Jerusalem” – this was not its name but where it was.

The church is simply the church – there’s no other name! It’s like the moon: the same moon is in the sky shining in every city, but if you’re in London it is “the moon in London”, and if you’re in Tokyo it is “the moon in Tokyo”.

When people ask us, What church do you go to? – this is a tricky question, and one answer can be: there is only ONE CHURCH, and that’s the one I go to. All the local churches on earth are one church; they are the local expressions of the one universal Body of Christ, the church.

Because of geography we are outwardly meeting in different localities, but we all are one as the Body of Christ! Hallelujah, there is one Body in the universe, and we express it here on earth by standing on the local ground of oneness!

Lord Jesus, may we see the universal church and may we stand on the local ground of oneness in the local churches. Recover us back from any division, confusion, and misunderstanding concerning the church. Lord, we stand one with You and one with the Body of Christ in the locality where You have placed us to practice the unique oneness of the Body of Christ in the local churches. Praise the Lord, there’s one Body in the universe, and we express it here on earth in all the localities by standing on the local ground of the church!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, brother Mark R’s sharing in the message for this week, and Lessons for New Believers, lsn. 16 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Crucial Points of the Major Items of the Lord’s Recovery Today (ITERO 2015 fall), week 8 / msg 8, The Local Ground of the Church.
• All Bible verses are taken from, Holy Bible Recovery Version.
• Hymns on this topic to strengthen this burden:
  # 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)
  # Hallelujah! The two aspects: / Universal and the local church. / The local ground preserves oneness; / Genuine oneness will be obtained. / One fellowship and one teaching / Throughout the earth, universal / Body expressed, body expressed / Locally. Locally. (Song on the two aspects of the church)
  # There is one Body in this universe, / And we express it here on earth; / We stand as one in each locality / For all to see, for all to see. (Hymns #1107)