In all the local churches, there are some local affairs. But many times the churches need to fellowship with one another to help each other in their affairs. The church in one locality may be wealthy, whereas the church in another locality may be poor. The poor local church may not be able to afford to pay for certain things. The wealthy local church may have the attitude that all the local churches are autonomous in their business affairs and that the poorer local church should endeavor to do something without depending on them. This understanding and attitude are not right. A certain financial matter may be a local administration affair, but even in such a matter, the churches should depend on one another. Sometimes a certain church should communicate, fellowship, with another church even in the matter of material needs. Sometimes the churches in Taiwan should have fellowship with the churches in France in the financial help. Even in material things, we cannot say that the churches are independently autonomous.

The churches should not be absolutely independent of one another. All the believers should depend on one another, and all the local churches should depend on one another. Especially in spiritual things, we should depend on one another. The church in a certain city may need help from the other churches in life and in its building up. The local churches should be in a situation of mutual dependence. The concept of autonomy is awful because it makes the churches separate from one another. We should not forget that all the believers in this entire universe are one man. This one man includes the believers at Paul's time, the believers at our time, and the believers who will be born in the future. This one new man includes all the local churches. The one new man is doing God's will, carrying out God's eternal purpose.

We have been created in Christ into one new man through His death to be God's household and kingdom, growing and being built into a temple as God's dwelling place (vv. 11-22). This masterpiece as the new man is a collective entity, a household, a family. It is also a kingdom, a commonwealth. We are no longer strangers and sojourners but God's household, participating in the divine life and enjoying the divine riches. We are also God's kingdom, sharing the kingdom right and bearing the kingdom responsibility (v. 19). Furthermore, this new man as the household of God and the kingdom of God is growing into a temple as God's dwelling place (vv. 20-22). To grow into a temple is to be built together into the dwelling place of God.

If the local churches were independently autonomous, our enjoyment of the one new man as God's household, God's kingdom, and God's dwelling place would be annulled. We have to grow and be built up together into a temple as God's dwelling place for His purpose. All the saints and all the local churches need to grow together and be built up with one another. Then we can be one temple, one dwelling place, in the one kingdom and for the one family. Thus, the Father will accomplish His heart's desire. We need the proper apprehension of what the church is. The church is the Body of Christ and the new man to accomplish God's eternal purpose by being God's family, God's kingdom, and God's dwelling place.