Years ago, I read an article which said that before a believer can become a martyr, he must first have the attitude of a martyr. According to that article, every martyr has already been equipped with a certain attitude. Then when the time comes to be martyred, such a person can actually become a martyr by laying down his physical life. This principle applies to risking our soul in the church life. If we do not have the heart to sacrifice our mind, emotion, and will for the sake of the Body of Christ, we shall not be able to sacrifice our physical life in martyrdom. In order for Epaphroditus to risk his physical life, he first had to be willing to risk his soul.
In a very real sense, we in the church life need to be martyrs for the Body of Christ and for all the saints. If we desire to be one with the Lord for His recovery, we must be willing to sacrifice our mind, feeling, and intention. This is to risk our soul. In order to experience Christ to the uttermost, we need to be not only like-souled, but also to risk our soul by risking our mind, emotion, and will.
In 2:30 Paul said to the Philippians that Epaphroditus risked his life that “he might fill up your lack of service toward me.” Epaphroditus risked his soul in order to fill up what was lacking on the part of the Philippian believers toward Paul. This indicates that if we do not risk our soul, we shall not be able to fill up any lack there may be in the Body of Christ. Filling a lack in the Body affords us a splendid opportunity to experience Christ. We need to experience Christ to such an extent that we are able to fill up what is lacking in the Body. If we would experience Christ to this degree, we must risk our soul life by sacrificing our emotion with its desires, our will with its intentions, and our mind with its opinions. Whenever we sacrifice our soul for the sake of the Body, we have an opportunity to experience Christ in the Body. This is to experience Christ to the full extent.
If we daily risk our soul in the church life, we shall be ready for martyrdom should this ever be required of us. Those who risk their soul for the Body of Christ are able to lay down their physical life for the Lord. Furthermore, if we risk our soul, we shall find it easy to be like-souled with other believers.
During the years I was with Brother Nee in China, I came to realize that it was not easy for him to carry out what he had seen in fellowship with the Lord concerning His move on earth for His Body. The reason for the difficulty was that some of the co-workers were not like-souled with Brother Nee. Certain very crucial things concerning the Lord’s recovery could not be fulfilled in a practical way because these co-workers were not like-souled.
One clear illustration of this shortage involves the case of a brilliant young man who was about to leave China to study in the United States. This young man had just been saved and wanted to be baptized. Convinced that it was both right and necessary to baptize the young man, Brother Nee thought that the church should baptize him before he left China. However, a co-worker in that locality held an opinion to the contrary. This co-worker thought that because the young man had only recently believed in Christ, it was not safe to baptize him. When Brother Nee pointed out that the young man was about to leave for the United States and that they were not assured of another opportunity to baptize him, this co-worker still refused. From different angles Brother Nee tried to persuade him to change his mind. Eventually Brother Nee even said that he was willing to baptize the young man and bear the full responsibility of this action before the Lord. But because that co-worker still would not agree, Brother Nee was not able to do anything.
This case illustrates the differences in soul that existed between some of the co-workers and Brother Nee. At the time, I did not realize that the problem was due to the fact that they were not like-souled with him. But as I look back on the situation in the light of Paul’s word in Philippians, I see clearly what the problem was. Eventually, some of those dear co-workers who were not like-souled with Brother Nee were distracted from the Lord’s recovery. Their experience of Christ was limited. They did not go on to experience Christ to the uttermost in the Body.
Paul’s word about being like-souled is a warning to all who remain in the Lord’s recovery. If we are not like-souled with others, we shall not have the full enjoyment of Christ, even though we stay in the church life. Although we have no problems in our spirit, we may hold on to differences in our soul. According to your impression, the feeling you have in your soul is right. However, because you hold on to your differences, your experience of Christ is limited. Thus, it is crucial for us all to learn that in the church life we need to be like-souled. Do not allow the differences in your soul to hold you back from experiencing Christ in His Body. May we all learn to sacrifice our soul, to risk our mind, emotion, and will. Then we shall become like-souled with others in the Body of Christ. If this is our condition, how much we shall experience Christ and enjoy Him in the Body! In order to experience Christ to the full extent in the Body, we need to be like-souled and we need to risk our soul.