In this message we shall continue to consider the fellowship among the churches.
All the churches are the one universal Body of Christ. The one Body, the one universal church, comprises all the local churches. There may be thousands of local churches, but together they constitute one universal church. Each local church is a part of the universal church.
In Ephesians 4:4 Paul says, “One Body and one Spirit.” The Body is mentioned before the Spirit because the oneness among us is related to the Body and is for the Body. Furthermore, this verse not only reveals the uniqueness of the Body; it also shows that the one Body is determined by the one Spirit. Because there is one Spirit, there is one Body. There is not another Body because there is not another Spirit. We must keep the unique oneness of the Body because the Body and the Spirit are one.
The Spirit is the essence of the one Body. Without the Spirit, the Body is empty and has no life. The Body in Ephesians 4:4 is the Body of Christ, and the essence of the Body of Christ is the Spirit. Hence, the Body and the essence of the Body are one. It is impossible for the Body of Christ to have more than one essence. The unique essence of the Body is the Spirit.
Because there is one Spirit, there is only one Body. Moreover, there is only one circulation, one fellowship, of life in the Body. This circulation is the fellowship of the Body of Christ. All the local churches need to be in this unique fellowship.
Among all the churches that compose the one universal Body of Christ, there is no organization, but there is the fellowship of the Body of Christ. This means that in the proper church life there is no organization, but there is much fellowship. Just as the human body does not have organization but does have circulation, so we should not have organization, but we should have fellowship. If all the churches stay in this circulation, in the fellowship of the Body, they will be healthy. However, the natural human thought is either to have organization or to have nothing to do with others. On the one hand, we should not have any organization among the churches; on the other hand, we should be open to have fellowship with all the churches. However, the church in a certain locality or the churches in a particular region may not be willing to have fellowship with other churches. This attitude is absolutely wrong. All the churches should remain in the fellowship of the Body.
As indicated by the seven churches in Revelation 1 through 3, all the churches are on the same level, with none being the head church, nor any ruling over another. Among the seven churches in the book of Revelation, there is no church that is above the other churches and no church that is below the others. There is no thought of higher or lower. On the contrary, all the churches are on the same level. Furthermore, the churches are identical, each being a golden lampstand. The fact that the churches are identical indicates a prevailing fellowship among the churches, for without fellowship it is impossible for the churches to be identical.
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