The Apostle Paul was a pattern of a lover of the church. The church in Corinth spoke evil concerning Paul behind his back. They said he was crafty in making gain, indemnifying himself by sending Titus to receive the collection for the poor saints (12:16). If the brothers in your locality were to say that you were crafty and that you caught them by guile, you might want to leave that locality. If you did leave, this would mean that you are not a real lover of the church. Despite the Corinthians speaking such an evil word about him, Paul still loved them. In 12:15 he said, “But I will most gladly spend and be utterly spent on behalf of your souls, even if loving you more abundantly, I am loved less.” For Paul to spend was to spend what he had, referring to his possessions. For him to be spent was to spend what he was, referring to his being. Paul was very frank, pure, and sincere, yet the church to whom he ministered said that he was crafty. He was not happy with this, but he was not offended. He still loved the church.

A real, proper mother could be unhappy with her children, but she would not be offended and leave them because she loves them. If we would be those following Paul, who is a pattern of the believers (1 Tim. 1:16), we have to love the church in spite of the way that we are treated by the church. If the church in your locality treated you in a bad way, it would be easy for you to have the attitude to withdraw from the church. Some saints do not come to the church meetings because they are offended by a certain brother. This shows that you have never seen what the church, the Body of Christ, is. You have never seen what the local expression of the Body is. If you do see this, you would never be offended because of the way the church treats you. You would still love the church. It may be that the more you love the church, the less the church returns to you. You may feel that you are “losing face” to continue meeting and going on with the church in your locality. This shows that you are not a church lover but that you love to save your own face. If you loved the church, you would not consider how to save your face. If you have the vision concerning the local expression of the Body of Christ on this earth in the place where you are, you will never be offended by the church.

In 1942 almost the entire church where Brother Watchman Nee was rose up against him. Some brothers came to Brother Nee suggesting that they begin to meet in other places since the saints treated him in such a poor way. Brother Nee told these brothers that if the church treated him well, it is the church, and if the church did not treat him so well, it is still the church. He charged these brothers to meet with the church and go on with the church regardless of how the church treated him. I can testify before the Lord that Brother Nee still loved the church during this time. He did many things secretly to help the church, which was so much against him. Praise the Lord that after six years, in 1948, the whole church repented to him. If you love the church, you would love it regardless of how it treats you simply because it is the expression of the Body of Christ.

The Apostle Paul said that he was so glad to spend whatever he had and whatever he was. He loved the church to such an extent. If we do not love the church as the Apostle Paul did, we actually have no position to talk about the church. If you are going to practice the church life and you do mean business with the Lord, you have to love the church with all that you have and with all that you are. You have to spend all that you have and all that you are on the church and for the church. May the Lord be gracious and merciful to us. If we mean business with the Lord in having a local expression of His Body, we cannot have it in a way of indifference. We should be able to tell the Lord that we love His Body more than ourselves. If you are this kind of person, you are in a position to talk about the church. We do not need theoretical teachings concerning the church, but we need the practical life of the church.

One brother I know of, who came to know the local expression of the Body of Christ, would spend all his time for the church life, using just enough of his time to make a living for himself and his family. This brother and his wife were wholly loving the church. They were willing to spend everything for the church and be spent. We should not be vain talkers concerning the church life, but we need to be involved in the practical life of the church. Do we really mean business to practice the church life on this earth today, or are we just talkers about some wonderful teachings concerning the church with no practicality? If we mean business with the Lord, we have to love the church with every drop of our blood. Paul was willing to spend and be spent on behalf of the church in Corinth in spite of the fact that the more he loved them, the less they loved him. This brother was a pattern as a lover of the church.

In 11:28 Paul said, “Apart from the things which are not mentioned, the pressure upon me daily, the anxiety for all the churches.” Pressure in this verse literally means the “crowd (of cares) pressing on me.” Paul loved all the churches in all the different cities. He had a real care and a sincere anxiety for all of them. If we want 2 Corinthians to be our experience, we must be one with the church and love it unconditionally.
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