There may be differences not only among believers in a local church but also between local churches themselves. For example, the church in one locality may practice pray-reading, but the church in another locality may not practice it. If you visit a church that differs in practice from the church in your locality, do not try to correct it or to change anything. Wherever you are, you should simply be one with the church in that place. As long as it is a local church, you need to go along with it without imposing or opposing. I admit that it is easy to talk about this but that it is difficult to practice it. Nevertheless, we all must be willing to learn this lesson. Then we shall have not only the doctrine of the Body in Romans 12, but also the practice of the Body life in Romans 14.
Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” According to this verse, the kingdom of God is a matter of the Spirit. As long as we have righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, we should not be concerned about differences in doctrine or practice.
Romans 16:1 says, “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess of the church which is at Cenchrea.” This verse discloses a second aspect of the practicality of the Body life: the matter of the local church. If we would have the Body life in a practical way, we must not only receive the believers, but also pay attention to the church in the locality. According to Romans 16, the practicality of the Body life consists in the locality of the church. This chapter speaks not only of the local church, the church at Cenchrea, but also of the churches. In verse 4 Paul makes mention of the churches of the nations and in verse 16, of the churches of Christ.
In verse 23 Paul says, “Gaius, my host, and of the whole church, greets you.” Here Paul names a brother who provided hospitality to the whole church. Obviously, Paul is speaking of the local church, not of the universal church. It is important that Paul points out that Gaius was the host of the whole church, not of all the saints. There is a difference between showing hospitality to the church and showing hospitality to the saints, for we may care for the saints without caring for the church. But Paul’s concept in this book is related not mainly to the saints, but to the church. In our giving of hospitality, the church must be in our consciousness and concept. As you extend hospitality to others, what concept do you have? Do you hold the concept that you are providing hospitality to the saints or to the church? If you have the proper concept, you will realize that your hospitality is not simply to certain saints, but to the whole church.
In verse 5 Paul sends greetings to the church in the house of Prisca and Aquila. Using this verse as a basis, some say that the church in a house is different from the church in a city. However, if you consider this matter carefully in context, you will see that the church in the house of Prisca and Aquila was actually the church in the city of Rome. The church in Rome held its meetings in Prisca and Aquila’s house.
If we would have the proper practice of the Body life today, we must be general in receiving all kinds of believers. As long as a person genuinely believes in the Lord Jesus, we must receive him, even though his opinion may differ from ours with respect to doctrine or practice. Furthermore, we need to be in a local church and honor the locality of the church. How I thank the Lord for chapter sixteen! In this chapter the Holy Spirit clearly indicates that for the practice of the Body life, we need to be the local church. Wherever we may be, we must be in the church in that locality.