Thus far in our fellowship, we have covered five main categories of items related to the history of the local churches: the revelations, the sufferings, the ministry, the work, and the churches. We saw that from the revelations plus the sufferings comes the ministry. With the ministry, we have the work which produces the churches. The work comes not out of certain doctrines, gifts, or practices, but out of the ministry. The ministry is composed, produced, and formed through revelations mingled with sufferings. This corresponds with the experience of the apostle Paul. First, he received revelations from the Lord. In addition to receiving these revelations, Paul passed through many sufferings. Out of this came the ministry. By and with the ministry, Paul worked, and that work produced the churches.
Today in this age the principle is the same. The Lord gives us the revelations. Then He puts us into a certain environment of sufferings so that we may have the ministry. With this ministry we work, and out of this work the churches are produced. The spreading of the practice of the church life comes from a work by the definite ministry, which is composed with sufferings and revelations. What the Lord has led us to pass through in His recovery is according to the record of the New Testament.
Our history is a history of being delivered from the present evil age. This is according to Paul's word in Galatians 1:4. The book of Galatians opens in a unique way. Actually, every book of the Bible opens in a specific way. Genesis opens by saying that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. John opens by telling us that in the beginning was the Word. First Corinthians opens by showing us that we can call on the name of the Lord to enjoy Him as our portion. Galatians, a short book of six chapters, opens with a word that cannot be found in any other book. In verse 4 Paul said that the Lord Jesus Christ "gave Himself for our sins, that He might rescue us out of the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." Some might expect Paul to say that Christ gave Himself for our sins so that we might be delivered from hell, but Paul did not say this. Paul said that Christ died for our sins so that He might rescue us out of the present evil age. This is according to the will of our God and Father.
The book of Ephesians reveals that the will of God is to have the church as a living Body for Christ (1:22-23; 3:10-11). It is not to have an organization but an organism. The will of God is not to have the Jewish religion or the religion of Christianity. The will of God is to have the organic Body of Christ. It is not to have circumcision or uncircumcision. The will of God is to have a new creation (Gal. 6:15). The new creation is the new man (Col. 3:10), and this new man is the church.