Coordination in the Local Church

Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee

The Body of Christ is not something abstract or unfathomable; the Body of Christ is manifested in the local churches. Anyone who wants to live in the Body in a practical way has to be in the local churches. He should fellowship with the local saints, be edified in the local church, and be built up together in mutuality.

(Watchman Nee, Mystery of Christ, 61)

The church’s gospel preaching needs all the saints. Because the local churches in the Lord’s recovery are standing on the genuine ground of oneness, we can have a very good coordination. We all need to learn so that we can have the best coordination.

(Witness Lee, Preaching the Gospel, 16)

Once there is coordination in the work, the local churches will be able to send people out, and there will be an increase in quantity and quality. Today, the preaching of the gospel should be a work in the Body. Men remain unsaved because they have not yet seen the power of the church. Once the Body appears, there will be the real recovery.

Today we do not have many Pauls. We cannot wait any longer for the spiritual giants to come to us. I believe the time has come for the church to rise up to serve, to work, and to preach the gospel. There is no way for us to go on individually any longer. Today is the time for us to take the way of the church.

(Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, Resumption, 323, 325-326)

The Body of Christ is built up by all the members of the Body, perfected in the local churches (Eph. 4:12). Now that we are regenerated, we need to be perfected in order to be renewed, sanctified, and transformed.

(Witness Lee, Satanic Chaos, 117)

For the church building, for the church life, we have to be open to one another in the spirit. I have to open to you in the spirit, but this needs the Lord’s grace and this needs the working of the cross. Our natural man has to be broken; then we will be open in the spirit one to another.

If the members in a local church are all “snails,” how can the church building be prevailing? For the Lord’s sake and for the building up of the church, we all have to be open one with another. We have to open ourselves to the other members. I have never seen two snails working together. Every snail is individualistic. There is the need of the divine breaking to break the shell of the self so that we all may have open spirits.

The final characteristic of Paul’s spirit is that his spirit was always coordinating with others. Our spirit might be tender, pure, and loving, yet not so cooperating or coordinating with other saints. The verses in the Scripture reading show us that Paul’s spirit was always coordinating with his co-workers, coordinating with the local churches, and even coordinating with those believers who did not treat him so well. He was coordinating all the time, trying to be one with the saints, one with the local churches, and one with the co-workers. He was so coordinating in the spirit.

(Witness Lee, Person in the Spirit, 74-75)

Main

Practical Expression

Practical Building Up

Practical Administration

Practical Work of Apostles and Prophets

Practical Coordination

Many Constitute One

Advancing to Know the Local Church

Bibliography

Links