It is a pity that many Christians are still living in outward appearances! There seems to be a supply only when they work, but this supply stops once their work stops. When they open their mouths, they appear to be the best servants of God. But when they do not open their mouths, they are no longer the best servants of God. When others understand them, they can render others the supply. But when they are misunderstood, they cannot render the supply. They have not touched the spiritual reality before the Lord. This is the reason that they cannot render the supply of life to the Body of Christ. One brother may be in the company of others, and he may only open his mouth for five minutes in three hours, yet others receive his supply. The Body of Christ is a fact; one does not receive the supply only when there is the shaking of hands or face-to-face conversations. When a man experiences something before the Lord, and when he receives the “death of Jesus” from God’s hand, he has supplied the Body of Christ already. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we supply the church with our inward knowledge of the Lord. We do not have to consciously do something to supply others. We do not have to intentionally do something to supply others. We supply others spontaneously. Those who have not touched reality cannot supply others. Only those who have touched reality will supply others. There is no way to fabricate anything. In Paul’s experience, the supply to the Body of Christ is a reality; it is not an act. If we have passed through something in a real way before the Lord, and if there is the real thing in us, we will supply the church spontaneously. As long as we have the real experience, the church will spontaneously receive the benefit.

Paul’s word was quite peculiar. It would be easy to understand him if he had said that the death of Jesus operated in him and the life of Jesus also operated in him. But he said that the death of Jesus operated in him, and that as a result, the life of Jesus operated in others. It would be difficult for anyone who does not know the Body of Christ to understand this word. Since the Body is one, what operates in me spontaneously operates in others. This is life, and this is supply. If we see this, we will rejoice. Everything that the members receive from the Head is found in the Body. We are all enjoying the same Body. Brothers and sisters, if we touch this reality, we will not feel that the church is poor or in desolation. Of course, we admit that outwardly speaking, the church does manifest a condition of poverty and desolation. We admit that, outwardly speaking, individual Christians have failed and individual Christian groups have failed. But whenever we touch the reality of the church, we will say that the church is not poor and not in desolation. The riches of the church are not diminished through the failure of individual Christians and individual groups. Day by day, everything that the members receive from the Head is supplied to the church. Paul touched the spiritual reality. As a consequence, he could rebuke the church in Corinth on the one hand, and supply it on the other hand.

Ephesians 4:13 says, “Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” It is difficult to understand this according to our mind or according to outward appearance. Outwardly speaking, it seems as if the oneness of the faith is far away. It is difficult to say when the church will arrive at this. But when we touch the spiritual reality, we will feel that these questions no longer exist. We will know that the church is one in the eyes of God and that it has never been divided. Once we touch reality, all outward problems will go away. If we have not seen the reality, we will not have the supply. Once we see the reality, the supply to others will begin. Hence, supply is based on the experience of the cross, and it is also based on one’s contact with the reality of the Body.

We have to realize that the supply of the word is also based on what we have already imparted to the church in life. Brothers and sisters, if what we speak is what we have already given to the church, the Holy Spirit will testify to our words. But if what we speak is not something that we have before the Lord, the Holy Spirit will not testify to the words. If we have imparted a certain matter to the church in life and then speak about that certain matter, others will receive the help from our words. But if our words merely provide others with clearer thoughts and more knowledge, we will only have fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The food of the church is life; only the supply of life can be food to the church. The question is not what we can give to others, but what we have already given to the church. What have we contributed to the real church? What can we say is our contribution when we stand before that church? If we have not touched reality, we will have nothing to supply to others. Spiritual things and the reality behind the words supply the church.

Some Christians consider the Body of Christ to be an illustration. They do not see the reality of the Body. As a result they have no way to become a supply to others. If you do not see the Body, there is no way that you can be a supply. If it is the Body, the mouth’s eating will be the Body’s eating, the eyes’ seeing will be the Body’s seeing, and the ears’ hearing will be the Body’s hearing. One member receiving something is the Body receiving something. No matter which brother or sister, as long as one receives something, the whole Body receives it. We have to see that the Body life is not just a matter of corporate living, but a matter of life. If we do not touch the reality, the church will merely be a doctrine, the Body will merely be an illustration, and we will not receive any supply. Brothers and sisters, we have to remember that we are members of the Body, and we are all one Body. We are not alone. Paul said, “And whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Cor. 12:26). Was he speaking vain words, or is this a reality? Paul was a person who had Body-consciousness. If he had not touched the reality of the Body, he could not have said such a word. May God grant us to touch the source, and may He grant us to touch reality, so that we can supply the church in a spontaneous way.
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