Every Christian should know that he is only a member. If he does not have the other members, he will not survive. In the Body all the members must be joined together before they can become the Body. All the members in the Body are related to one another, and they cannot be separated from one another. Between the members there must be a mutual supply and a mutual relatedness. Only then can the members survive. If a Christian lives an independent life, sooner or later he will weaken and dry up. If I am an ear, I cannot see and neither should I expect to see by myself. The whole body is dependent upon the eyes for sight, and no amount of prayer will give sight to the other members. If I am an ear, what should I do if I want to see something? I should go to the eyes—a brother or sister who sees—and ask for help. In order to go on with the Lord, we must recognize His supply for us in the Body and avail ourselves of it. The whole Body is built up through the interdependence among the members.
When I was in Southeast Asia, I had a talk with some brothers and sisters. Someone asked, "Why am I not living as before? I have not committed any particular sins that I know of, and I have not disobeyed the Lord in any way. I have not taken back my consecration or changed my mind about the money I have offered to the Lord. Outwardly, there does not seem to be any change in my spiritual condition. But why I am not the same as before? I seem to have lost the joy and the vitality that I once had." I answered, "The reason is that you have lived in your self for too long. You have to get into the Body life." In order for a member to live a normal life, he must receive the supply from the other members. If a man is not living in the Body of Christ, he will not receive the Body's supply. No member can say that he does not need the other members. No member may detach himself from other members to live alone.
Romans 12:3 says, "Not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think." We should not think too highly of ourselves, and we should not think that others are inferior. We should not despise and reject other members of the Body. Peter thought that the other members would fall and fail but that he would not. But when the test came, he failed just the same as everyone else. Those who think highly of themselves and despise other members will end up in trouble sooner or later. In the Body of Christ everyone is a member and nothing more than a member. Hence, no member can live without the other members, much less despise them.