Concerning the authority of the Head, we must see that Christ is the Head, that we need to give Him the position of the Head, and that we need to recognize His authority. We need to recognize Him as the Head in all things, whether big or small. We need to give all authority to Him, submitting ourselves to His authority. If all the brothers and sisters would do this, there would no longer be friction between the members or any discord in our coordination. Friction often occurs because we do not submit to the authority of the Head. We have many opinions, and we like to enthrone ourselves instead of yielding the position of the Head to Christ. We need to recognize Him as the Head even in small things such as picking up gospel invitations. We need to grow up into Him in all things, that is, to submit to the authority of the Head in everything, to recognize Him as the Head with the authority in His hand, and to let Him rule. Then, spontaneously, the coordination among us will be harmonious, sweet, and beautiful.
Although these examples may seem trivial, we must pay attention to the basic principle. It should not be that we listen to the elders and that we listen to no one else when the elders are absent. If we listen only to the elders and certain designated ones, we are fundamentally wrong. Our submission to authority before the Lord is not submitting to the elders; it is our submitting to the authority of the Head. Our submission to the elders is the issue of our submission to the authority of the Head. We need to recognize that the authority of the Head is manifested in every member. Therefore, we should submit to every brother and sister, not only to the elders, because the authority of the Head is manifested in every member. We should submit not to man but to the Head and to the Head’s authority in every member.
A person who truly submits to the authority of the Head is one who grows up into the Head in all things. If this basic problem can be solved, all the difficulty in our coordination will be taken care of. Our flesh will lose its place, and we will be saved when we submit ourselves to the Head. Therefore, the basic requirement of the coordination of the Body is to submit ourselves to the Head and grow up into the Head in all things.
Ephesians 4:16 says, “Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.” Through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part both refer to each member having its own measure and functioning according to its measure. If one member does not function, it becomes a problem in the Body. For example, it may feel very natural to use our hands. But if our hand is injured and is unable to function, we will definitely feel that our hand has become a nuisance. In the same principle, if one member does not function, it will cause great trouble to the coordination of the Body.
The coordination of the Body is based on our relationship with the Head, our submission to the authority of the Head, and our growing up into the Head in all things. It also depends on our ability to function. We each have our own function, and our coordination depends on our functioning according to our measure. Our functioning depends on how much we have been dealt with, torn down, and how much Christ has been built up in us. According to Ephesians 4:16 every joint has its supply and function; the joints in the Body are for supply. Many in the churches have received grace to be the joints of rich supply so that there can be a flowing out to supply other members.
Furthermore, we each have a particular function and usefulness in the Body. The fulfilling of our function depends on how much we have been torn down by God and how much Christ has been built up within us. If we have not been torn down by God and built up by Christ, there can be no supply or usefulness; this causes the coordination in the Body to suffer loss. Our coordination is not merely to exhort and encourage one another with our words. When we all function according to our measure and release the rich supply from within us, a strong coordination of the Body will be manifested.
A brother may be a joint of supply in the Body. When he ministers the word, Christ the Head supplies the Body. However, there is only one way for him to minister the word to others: he must always allow God to tear him down and build Christ within him, submitting himself to the Head’s authority and growing up into the Head in all things. He will then be able to minister the words that the Body needs at the proper time, releasing God’s word, so that the Body can be joined and fit together unto the building up of itself. If the supply of the word is absent, the Body cannot be built up. The Body is supplied and joined through words of ministry. This is not merely a supply; it is a joining. If the Body lacks the supply, it is disconnected and cannot be built up.
The Body is disconnected when there is a lack of supply. Some local churches have lost the harmony and sweet coordination because they lack the supply of the word. Those who should minister the word do not fulfill their function. They do not allow God to tear them down or to build Christ into them; neither do they learn to grow up into Christ the Head in all things. As a result, they cannot richly supply others, and their function is not properly manifested. Hence, the Body spontaneously is scattered, and the Body’s joining and knitting together is weakened. The coordination of the church will be solid and beautiful when the brothers who minister the word manifest their function before the Lord to supply the saints with God’s word at any time.
The basic requirement for the coordination of the Body depends on our relationship with the Head and on the manifestation of supply and function. Although there are many people in the churches, they are weak because not much of their usefulness and function is manifested. According to Ephesians 4:16, the usefulness, the function, of every member is according to its measure and can neither be too much nor too little. When the function expressed in some brothers exceeds their measure, it is abnormal. We must speak the truth in the Lord. In some local churches, some brothers have stepped over their measure. They should leave certain things, which are outside their limit, for the other brothers, because God has not measured that much to them. We can use our physical body as an example. Our hands have a limit, and our feet also have a limit. Our hands step over this limit if they want to walk. God has not measured this function to our hands; the function and measure of the hands is to handle, to hold things. If the hands try to walk, replacing our feet, they will step over their measure. This will be very abnormal.
If we carefully observe the situation of the churches in Taiwan, we will discover that some brothers have truly gone beyond their limit because they are truly “hands” who insist on being “feet.” Their going beyond their limit paralyzes the coordination of the Body and causes the coordination of the Body to be abnormal. In the coordination of the Body, every member needs to stay within its measure and operate according to its measure. However, some brothers and sisters do not feel that it is safe to entrust things to others; they feel that they must do everything. Nevertheless, please remember that even the greatest member in the Body has its limit. We can neither replace the Body nor replace any of the members. We must take our hands off and allow others to function, even if they make mistakes. They will still learn after several mistakes. I hope the responsible brothers would see that the members cannot replace one another.
We can boldly say, “Brother Paul, you are a big member, and I am a small member, but you cannot replace me. You have your measure, and I have my measure. You have your portion, and I have my portion.” If a local church is in such a condition, the coordination in the church will be altogether different. Some members think that they can do everything, and other members think that they can do nothing, as if their existence is of no consequence. This is the main reason the coordination of the Body is paralyzed and not living. It is beautiful when the coordination of the Body is living; every member keeps its own limit and measure and operates according to its limit and measure. The word operation in Greek is in verbal form, indicating that the Body moves and works. Each member moves and works according to its limit and measure, not going beyond or falling short of its limit. In such a situation the Body has a strong, solid, and beautiful coordination.
The coordination of the Body depends on our relationship with the Head, our fulfilling our function as the members, and our operation within our measure, not stepping over or falling short of our limit. We should function according to the portion measured out to us by God. This will result in the solid coordination of the Body and cause the Body to grow and be built up. May the Lord have mercy on us that we may experience these truths in everything. May we hold to the Head in the smallest matter, supply the Body in the smallest matter without stepping over our boundary, and function according to the portion measured out to us by God. If we do this, the church in our locality will be living, beautiful, and strong and will experience daily increase and growth. This increase and growth is the building up of the Body of Christ.