If we would work with the Lord for the Body of Christ, we need to realize that in the Lord’s recovery there is only one work — the work of the Body. God has only one work that He is doing today – the work of building up the Body of Christ.
What we are doing today should not be “our personal work for the Lord” but the work of the economy of God — the building up of the Body of Christ! In our experience in the church life and in our work for the Lord we need to learn to work together with the Lord for the Body and in the Body.
We need to be one with the Lord in the divine romance, and in our experience we need to have the Lord as the Worker and being His co-worker.
The Son of God worked WITH the Father
The Lord Jesus Himself did not do His own work when He was on the earth – the work which the Father gave Him to do, this is what He did entirely.
We need to take the lead to work with the Lord for the Body by taking the Lord Jesus as our pattern. He was sent by the living Father and He lived by the Father (John 6:57) – so we who eat Him, we also should live and work because of Him.
What the Father taught the Son, this is what the Son did. What He heard from the Father, this is what the Son spoke. The Father is working, and the Son is also working (John 5:17) – this One is our pattern in working WITH the Father and not in Himself or by Himself.
The Christ who is our life in our mingled spirit today is this kind of a Person – He knows there is only only unique work in this universe, which is to produce and build up the Body of Christ (the corporate expression of the Triune God) consummating in the New Jerusalem.
What Christ is doing today in His heavenly ministry and as the indwelling Spirit in our spirit is working to build up the Body of Christ – and He wants us to WORK WITH HIM. To work with the Lord depends on our becoming a reproduction of the Lord Himself.
The more we are one with the Lord Jesus in an intrinsic way, the more our living is “Jesus Living Again”, and the more we can work with Him by knowing His heart, His will, His feeling, His intentions, and His ways.
There is only one work – the work of the Body
You may say that today in the sphere of the Body of Christ and in the sphere of the Lord’s recovery there are “many works” – but in the eyes of God there is only one work, the work of the Body. The governing law of our life and work is the Body, and God recognizes only this work!
We shouldn’t have “our own personal work” within the sphere of the Body but we should work with the Lord for the Body.
God’s unique work today in us, with us, among us, and through us is to build up the Body of Christ as the preparation of the Bride of Christ, for whom the Lord Jesus as the Bridegroom will return!
How much we need that the Spirit of reality would cause us to know inwardly, to have a realization of, the fact that in the Lord’s recovery there is ONLY ONE WORK! When we see that God today does only one work, to build up the Body for the preparation of the Bride for Him to return, we will work with the Lord for the Body and give up any of personal burdens and works for the Lord.
History tells us that, again and again, capable brothers with a big burden for the Lord do their own work in the Body of Christ and in the sphere of the Lord’s recovery, and this work is NOT the work of the Body, not a work in fellowship, and it leads to division. Oh, Lord!
The work of the Body versus our personal work
I have to admit that I am in fear and trembling before the Lord even as I am writing on this blog. I am really considering,
Lord, am I in the Body and am I in the unique work of the Body as I am writing these words? Lord, am I doing a personal work within the Lord’s Recovery? Oh, Lord, does this blog help build up a personal work or does it build up the Body of Christ?
As I was listening to the message by brother Ron Kangas on, Taking the Lead to Work with the Lord for the Body, I was exposed and even stripped of my natural desire to do anything without the Lord and without the fellowship in the Body.
It’s not a matter of WORK and doing something for the Lord, but it’s a matter of the FELLOWSHIP of the Body and the Working With The Lord for His Body!
It’s not that capable brothers desire to be reckless or defiant of the Body and they do their own thing, but it is so easy to be simply oblivious of the fact that you are doing your own personal work! For us to keep every principle of the Body we need to be an overcomer.
Only the Head of the Body knows – and many members who are in the Body in reality suffer also with the Head in this – to what extent the principles of the Body are broken by some who have “their own personal burden” and do “their own personal work”!
Oh, Lord Jesus! Is this “my burden” which “I carry it out on my own”, for which “I don’t need to fellowship with the Body” because “it is my personal work for the Lord”??? Oh, Lord, may even this blog and this article be for the Body and in the Body!
God’s central work today
If we as believers would like to work with the Lord for His Body, we need to know what is the central work of God (see Eph. 3:17; Phil. 2:13).
“God’s central work, His unique work, is to work Himself in Christ into His chosen people, making Himself one with them for the Body of Christ (Gal. 4:19; Eph. 4:16).” (brother Lee).
I have to admit that of myself and by I don’t see this, but in the ministry of the age and in the fellowship in the church life with all the saints I am enlightened, exposed, unveiled, and caused to see that God today does only this central work – He is working Himself into us to make us one with Him for the Body of Christ.
If we see what the central work of God is, we will realize that God today desires to gain persons through which He can have a way to go on for the carrying out of His economy (see Acts. 9:15; 13:1-2). First of all, to be these people we need to allow God to work Himself into us and be the Lord’s work first, by letting Him work on us, in us, and work Himself within us (see Eph. 2:10).
We first need to be worked on by the Lord before we can be His co-workers. Then, as we allow the Lord to work Himself into us, we can work with Him for His Body, allowing Him to limit the extent of our work so that it would be profitable for the building up of the Body.
What is Your Feeling Concerning This?
Dear readers, dear saints, and dear believers who are reading this article, I would just like to open up to you and ask you to write a comment on how do YOU feel about these matters. How do YOU feel concerning this blog and concerning the matter of working with the Lord for His Body?
I apologize for the length of this article – after listening to the message given by brother Ron on this matter I was stirred up, exposed, enlightened, and even stricken – is this blog a “personal work in the sphere of the Body”, yet another burdened one who writes his personal enjoyment? Or, is this for the building up of the Body of Christ?
Please leave a response on how do You Feel / Think about this…
Lord, have mercy on us and continue to shine on us. Save us from being oblivious in stepping over the boundaries of our work and when violating the principles of the Body. Lord, we want to allow You to work Yourself into us until we are fully replaced by You. Cause us to see the central work of God and make us those who learn to work with you for the Body. Lord, not a personal work but working With Christ For the Body!
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired by brother Ron’s message (the portion he spoke on the first point in the outline), and portions in, Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel (by Witness Lee, msg. 30), partially quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Taking the Lead as Elders and Responsible Ones, week 8.
- Hymns on this topic:
# In the stream! in the stream! let us work / for the Lord.
# Pray to labor with the Lord; / Self-ambition and self-will / We must ever cast away, / All His purpose to fulfill.
# Serve and work within the Body, / Never independently. - Picture source: working together with God.
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"… It’s not a matter of WORK and doing something for the Lord, but it’s a matter of the FELLOWSHIP of the Body and the Working with the Lord for His Body! "
Truly, If we "work" for the Lord without the "fellowship" of the Body, this will issue "different work", and thus issuing "confusion and as well division in the Body". Though I didn't hear Bro. Ron's speaking, but I can perceive what our brother Stefan is sharing to us in his blog. Truly, all of us, in our journey of our christian life, living in the church-life must be daily renewed. OH Lord Jesus! I need to be renewed day by day. Our work should be under the ruling of His Throne, taking Christ as the Head and taking the crucified life with the feeling and consciousness of the Body. Amen.
amen, brother, we need to be daily renewed and daily transformed. I want to learn how to serve the Lord in coordination, in fellowship, and in the Body even while blogging! This may seem almost IMPOSSIBLE since "something like this has never been done" – but even in such an unexplored territory as, blogging, social media, websites, etc – the Lord has to break through and gain some who write, share, and comment in the Body! Lord, have Your way and gain such ones! Make us those who live in the Body even while being online!
Thank U Lord Jesus for Your divine dispensing thru our brother s enjoyment we share in Your fellowship. May You be blessed and be glorified in all these
Stefan, I appreciate your re-listening to the message (we get more in a second time) and the deep concern about its application to you. Continue to open to the Lord about this. But, don't take this as an "all or none" matter; it is a life matter, dependent on growth.
“God’s central work, His unique work, is to work Himself in Christ into His chosen people, making Himself one with them for the Body of Christ.”
The extent to which Christ is formed in us is the extent to which we work in and for the Body. Daily we concentrate on eating Jesus to live Him. Then we respond to Him in confessing, opening, etc. Through the fellowship with the Father and the Son and the fellowship with one another, He will add Himself to us and this adding will adjust us.
amen, brother Don, thank you for your encouraging words. I have to admit that I am still learning what does it mean to live in the Body and for the Body, even when it comes to these matters of online stuff. I want that Christ would be formed in me through much fellowship with the Triune God and with the saints. Lord, keep us here, in the fellowship!
I really appreciate your feeling in this post–to do everything in the Body and for the Body. We do need to be enlightened by the Lord as to the source of our work. May the Lord have the way to freely shine on us as to the source of all our work for Him. Particularly with regard to our blogging our enjoyment of God's word. Is it something that honors Christ our Head and fits in the Body? May we learn to have more fellowship with both Christ our Head vertically and with the fellow members of His Body, horizontally in all of our service for the Lord. In this way we can be protected from doing anything that offends the Head or the Body and carry out a work that reaches the goal of God's consummation, the New Jerusalem.
amen, brother Tom, thank you for your comment. It is good to ask these questions, Lord, is this from You? Lord, is this for the benefit of the Body? Brother, I want to learn to fellowship with the Head and with the members more and more. Lord, release the fellowship, the traffic, and the flow in the Body of Christ! Have a way, Lord!
Praise the lord. I also enjoy the same phrase as what james enjoy.
"… It’s not a matter of WORK and doing something for the Lord, but it’s a matter of the FELLOWSHIP of the Body and the Working with the Lord for His Body! ". Either we are having our own burden or the Lord's burden is the matter of the fellowship with the Body. Without fellowship, we remain as individualistic, and our work would be depart from the vision of one unique work of the Lord which is the work of the body.
Amen, brother, that's right… We just need to learn to open for more fellowship. Without the fellowship we are individualistic, but as we open, we become corporate and our living and work will be in the Body and for the Body!
I think your posts help us enjoy the Lord, love Him and His purpose, be part of His economy and His Body. Thank You, Lord, for the portion of this brother in the building up of Your church.
amen, sister Beatriz. Yes, Lord, keep us in the organic union with You! Daily, Lord, may we enjoy You and flow You out!
Amen, may this blog and all our expression – online and offline – be for the building up of the Body!
I'm impressed that we can only work with the Lord to the extent that He works Himself into us. As Brother Don pointed out, this is not a matter of "all or nothing," but a gradual matter. The more we see God's central work, the more we will open to Him and allow Him to saturate us with Himself. Through this process, we are being made the same as Christ in life, nature, expression, and function, and spontaneously we can work with the Lord for His Body.
Generally speaking, I don't think that many of us would – or should – say that we've arrived, but we would humbly admit that we're in the process and that the Lord has much more work to do in us. We're simply learners. If this is our attitude, it seems that the Lord can adjust us as He sees fit, whether through His direct, personal dealing or through fellowship.
I appreciate your opening this matter to your readers in fellowship. May the Lord lead and bless you, and may your blog be a channel and means of dispensing the riches of Christ for the enrichment of the Body.
Thank you, John-Paul. From time to time I have the feeling to just "open up for fellowship" just to sense the pulse of the Body. Amen – we are on the way, we have not yet arrived, but we are heading towards being perfected to function together in our measure for the building up of the Body!
Lord, make us channels of life to the Body even in our blogging and sharing online!
As you have requested a response from your readers, I wanted to respond that I have enjoyed your blog posts. They have helped me get into the material from various conferences that I would not otherwise have been able to get into. I can testify that your posts are enjoyable, and that they have ministered life to me.
Hi Stefan,
I was really helped recently by a brother who shared about the Lord having only one work through His one Body. No matter what we're doing, we want to be taking part in the one work that builds up the one Body of Christ. May we all be those who serve Him in the Body and for the Body so that God can gain what He is after.
Grace and peace to you,
Joe