In this chapter we will discuss God’s building in a more specific way. We have repeatedly stated that God’s building is the building of God Himself into man and man into Himself. Here, however, we need to pay attention to one thing. God does not want only to build Himself into individual Christians or just to build individual Christians into Himself; rather, God’s desire is to build Himself into us as a corporate entity and to build us corporately into Himself. In addition, God intends to build all Christians together. Hence, in His building work God not only builds us together with Himself but also builds all of us together with each other.
The Scriptures clearly show us that the universal building of God is a great man, a universal man. The Head of this universal man is God Himself, and the Body is composed of all the redeemed ones built up together. This is why the Bible says that the church is the Body of Christ and that Christ is the Head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18). Christ and the church added together, joined together, are a complete man. The entire New Testament speaks concerning this universal man, portraying how God in His Son is the mysterious Head, how all the redeemed ones built up by Him in the Holy Spirit become the mysterious Body, and how the two are built together to be the mysterious, great man in the universe.
This universal man not only speaks forth the relationship between God and us, the saved ones; it also shows the relationship we have with one another. As members of the Body, we are mutually coordinated and built together. Not only is every member built together with the Head, but all the members are built together with each other also. Therefore, the Bible says that we are the Body of Christ, and members individually (1 Cor. 12:27). This being the case, we cannot be alone; we have to be together. Consider the members of our physical body. None of them is alone, and none of them can be alone. Rather, each one has to be joined to the other members. Likewise, as Christians we cannot be alone; we need to be joined to other Christians. Please remember that being joined together equals being in coordination, which is what we refer to as the building.
The Scriptures also say that the church is the house being built up by God and that we are the stones used in this building (1 Pet. 2:5). Just as a house is built with many stones, so the church as a spiritual building is also built with all of us as many living stones. Therefore, this building includes not only our being joined with God but also our being joined and coordinated with one another.
Hence, in speaking of the church, the Bible always shows us that God’s building is not only to build each one of us individually with God but also to build all of the saints together. In order to be in God’s building, we must be built together with all the saints.
From our experience as saved ones, we can realize that we can be independent if we are any kind of person other than a Christian. No one can be an independent Christian. I have met some brothers and sisters who tried to be Christians by themselves and live alone before God because they were dissatisfied with the church and the other saints in their locality. Their attempts, however, always ended in complete failure. Someone once said to me, “Brother Lee, I feel it is meaningless to have fellowship with the brothers and sisters here; their condition is so pitiful. In addition, the meetings here are so miserable. I cannot get any benefit from the meetings; instead, the situation often makes my heart very sad and sometimes even causes me to despise and condemn the saints. So I feel perhaps it is better not to go to the meetings. It might be better for me to draw near to God and pray before Him alone by myself.” This may sound very reasonable, but anyone who tries it eventually will discover the fact that the result of being independent is failure.
Brothers and sisters, we need to see that we cannot be Christians independently. No matter how weak and how poor the spiritual condition of the brothers and sisters in your locality is, if you leave them, you will end up weaker and poorer than they are. In fact, you will be in utter destitution. When that day comes, you will realize that even the most miserable meeting is beneficial to you and even the weakest and poorest brother or sister is helpful to you. You will discover that you cannot go on without the brother or sister whom you consider to be utterly useless. If you leave a brother or a sister whom you consider to be good for nothing, one day you will realize that it is you, not that brother or sister, who are good for nothing.
It is indeed a marvelous thing that the weakest meeting is still helpful to people and that a meeting which has the least to give still has something to give to people. In such a meeting you may not feel that you have received anything, but in fact you still have received something. Please remember that this is simply because Christians cannot be independent. God is not only in you but also in me and in all the other brothers. He is in all of His people. You cannot be independent. Once you become independent, you lose the presence of God.
Take my hand as an example. If my hand becomes independent, it will immediately lose the presence and the supply of my body. My hand is protected, supplied, and supported because it is joined to my body. Whenever my hand is detached from my body, it cannot function because it has lost its supply, its protection, and its support. Therefore, while my hand is joined to my body, it seems that my hand is responsible for whatever it does, but actually it is my body that is responsible for whatever my hand does.
How I wish that the responsible brothers and the brothers and sisters who are co-workers in all the localities would know and appreciate the support and supply of the Body. The elders should consider what it would be like if there were only a few elders and no other brothers and sisters in the church. I ask them, would you still be able to manage the church’s affairs? From this you can see that it is not you who are able to manage, but it is the saints who support you in your management. Likewise, the brothers and sisters who are co-workers are able to work in a certain place because there are brothers and sisters there who hold them up and support them in their work. Apart from this support they cannot do anything. It is because of this that I too can stand here and give a message. I always offer thanks to the Lord for this matter, saying, “Lord, I praise and thank You; if it were not for so many brothers and sisters supporting me, I would be dumb and would not be able to speak much.” Please remember that this is the principle of the Body. In the Body all the members support each other, and no one can be without others.
Let us use our legs as an example. Are our legs supporting us, or are we supporting our legs? This is hard to say. Apparently our legs bear all the weight of our body, yet little do we realize that our whole body also bears our legs. No doubt, after standing for a prolonged period of time our legs will be tired, but when we rest, is it only our legs that are resting? No. Our whole body needs to rest because our whole being is tired. This shows that when we are standing, seemingly it is our legs that are bearing our body, but actually it is our body that is supporting our legs and supplying them with the strength to bear our body.
I mention all these things in order to show you that the real building is not only a matter between you and God but also a matter between you and all the saints. You should be built not only with God but also with all the saints. One thing is certain-the more a Christian is built and joined with others, the stronger he is. The more he is separated and secluded from others, the weaker he is. Sometimes in the church certain brothers and sisters are just like drops of oil. They seem to be in the water, but actually they are only floating on the water, without being one with the water. They are in seclusion, in isolation. Please believe me, such a brother or sister will be very weak. On the other hand, there are also brothers and sisters who are always joined, coordinated, and built together with other saints. Such ones surely will be strong.
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