To practice what is revealed in Romans 12 concerning presenting our bodies to live the Body life, we must learn the practical lessons of receiving the believers, as revealed particularly in Romans 14:1—15:13, that the church life may be all-inclusive, able to include all kinds of genuine Christians.
We need to be exceptionally general in receiving the believers to live the church life. To be general means that everyone is speaking and every home is doing the same thing; no one is particularly different.
This generality must be according to God’s receiving (14:1-23). God is very general; the most general one in the universe is God. Those whom God has received, you must receive; otherwise, your receiving is not general. We receive the believers according to God, not according to doctrinal views or religious practices.
This generality must also be according to Christ’s receiving (15:1-13). The most general ones in the universe are God and Christ. Therefore, remember these two statements: we must receive the believers according to God, and we must receive the believers according to Christ. As long as a person has God and Christ, we must receive him. If we do not receive him, our receiving is a special receiving; then we are sectarian and have become a denomination. Thus, we cannot maintain the oneness of the Body of Christ.
In receiving the believers to live the church life, we need to be exceptionally smooth and orderly. To be smooth and orderly is to not be quarrelsome but to be peaceful and easy. To some extent we can see this today in the Lord’s recovery. There is no quarreling among us; everything is peaceful, smooth, and orderly. When we are not general, there is no peace, smoothness, or order, and the result is something particular and sectarian. If we receive others according to God and Christ, the church life will be smooth and orderly, and the whole church will be in harmony.
Today our church life is the practical kingdom life. The kingdom life is not for eating and drinking, but for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; it is also for us to pursue peace and the building up of one another (14:17-19).
We need to be of the same mind toward one another according to Christ Jesus so that with one accord we may glorify God in receiving the believers to live the church life (15:5-7). Whenever we are in one accord, we speak the same thing; we speak with one mouth. The only way to be with one accord and with one mouth is to allow Christ the room to be everything in our heart and in our mouth that God may be glorified. We have said that God is the New Jerusalem. When we glorify God, we take Him as the New Jerusalem and give all the glory to Him.