Although there are millions of Christians on earth today, very few have been built up with others. The reason for this lack of building is that so many believers still hold on to ordinances. Perhaps you were a member of a certain denomination. However, because of your ordinances, you were not one with others, and you were not able to be built up with them. Rather, you were waiting for the situation to change to fit your ordinances. When there was no change or improvement, you moved to another group, hoping to find there a situation to suit your preference. This has caused many to travel from one denomination to another. Some have testified that they were not satisfied until they came into the church life. Although it is true that we are satisfied spiritually in the church, we must be careful not to hold to any ordinances. In our experience Christ must be everything to us: our peace, our foundation, our cornerstone. We should not care for anything other than Christ. Whether the meetings are noisy or quiet makes no difference. We are not for noise or for silence—we are for Christ. By caring only for Christ, we can easily be one with others and be built up with them locally and universally on Christ as the unique foundation.
Recently I have been burdened of the Lord to give a number of messages dealing with ordinances. I believe that the Spirit of the Lord within us realizes how important it is for us to be clear about this matter. As more saints turn to the way of the Lord’s recovery, it is possible for ordinances to be brought in or for dissenting opinions to be expressed. Therefore, it is crucial that we learn to care only for Christ, particularly as we visit localities where the way of meeting differs from that to which we are accustomed. We should not evaluate a meeting according to whether or not the saints practice pray-reading, exercise tongues-speaking, or pray long prayers or short ones. We should care for Christ and for Christ alone. If we care only for Christ, we shall not have any problems with oneness. The more we care for Christ and drop all manner of ordinances, the more we shall be built up in Christ locally and also universally.
In speaking of the universal building, we must be careful to distinguish such building from organization. Although we are absolutely for the proper building, we are opposed to organization. The churches will be built together universally, but this does not mean that they will be universally organized.
According to the truth of the Body, the Body is universally one. For this reason, the local churches should not be isolated from one another. Isolation is contrary to the truth concerning the oneness of the Body. Because each local church is part of the Body universally, no local church should be isolated from the others. This is especially true today with modern means of communication and transportation that permit the rapid spread of news and information around the world. Something of life may be released in Los Angeles today and be known in dozens of other places within hours. How wrong it is for a church to try to be independent! The Body is receiving a continual transfusion. If we isolate ourselves from the other churches, we cut ourselves off both from the transfusion and from the circulation of life in the Body. Such a thing violates the law of the Body. Although we must shun organization, we need to be built up universally as the one Body.
In 2:22 Paul speaks of the local building: “In Whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.” The word “you” refers to the local saints. Furthermore, the word “also” indicates that the building in verse 22 is local. According to the context, the dwelling place of God in this verse is local, whereas the holy temple in the preceding verse is universal.
Paul is careful to point out that it is in Christ that the local saints are built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. They are not built in ordinances, in practices, or in opinions. We can be built up only in the all-inclusive Christ who is our peace, foundation, and cornerstone.