The Body of Christ is not directly covered in the four Gospels. Of course, in the Gospel of John the church is revealed as the Father's house in chapter fourteen. The Lord said that in His Father's house there are many abodes (v. 2). The many abodes are the many members of the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:5), which is God's temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17). This is adequately proven by John 14:23, which says that the Lord and the Father will make an abode with the one who loves Him. The church is also revealed as the vine tree in chapter fifteen and as the newborn child in chapter sixteen. But the church as the Body of Christ is not directly mentioned in the four Gospels. Without the Epistles, we cannot see that Christ desires to have a Body.

John 3 shows us that Christ is the Bridegroom and the church is the bride as the enlargement and increase of the Groom. Of course, the Epistles show that the bride, the increase of Christ as the Groom, is the Body of Christ, the enlargement of Christ. This is like Eve being the enlargement of Adam, the increase of Adam. Eve is a type of the church as Christ's counterpart to be His Body. Even though the bride is mentioned in John 3, we could not thoroughly understand who the bride is without the Epistles. The Body of Christ is clearly taught and unveiled in the apostles' teaching.

Acts 2:42 says that all the newly saved ones were together to continue their life in the apostles' teaching. The apostles' teaching became the very sphere and element of the building up of the church. Ephesians 2:20 says that the church is being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. The revelation the apostles and prophets received concerning Christ is considered the foundation upon which the church is built. The building of the church upon Christ as her foundation is according to the apostles' and prophets' revelation. I hope that we all can see this.

Many recognize that Christ as the rock is the foundation of the church. Christians today are divided, not over Christ as their foundation but by different teachings. The denominations are not built upon Christ according to the apostles' teaching, but the building up of the local churches depends upon the apostles' teaching.

Once we come together in the name of the Lord, taking Him as our foundation, what shall we do? To build up the church, the proper teaching is needed. When Brother Nee brought the recovery to us according to the revelation he had received at his time, he actually brought in the teaching. We all stood for the Lord according to his teaching. Of course, our standing and doing was according to the Bible. However, although the Bible is one, the interpretations are many. Christians have argued, for example, over the way to baptize people, and they have been divided because of this. This is just one example of many divisions over different teachings. The basic need for the building up of the Body of Christ is the apostles' teaching. We should have no particular teaching other than the teaching of the apostles, which is the teaching concerning Christ's person and redemptive work and concerning God's economy in faith (2 John 9-11; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; Jude 3; Titus 1:4).

If we do not have the apostles' teaching, what shall we do? This is like sailing without a compass. Without the apostles' teaching, we do not have the compass, and we do not know the direction to take. Thank the Lord that in His recovery, by His mercy, we do have the apostles' teaching. In the recovery He has given us this clear view.