The Body builds up itself by being joined together through every joint of the rich supply (Eph. 4:16b). These joints of the rich supply are the gifted persons, as mentioned in Ephesians 4:11: the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. These gifted persons are rich joints, full of Christ as the life supply. They are a factor to join the saints together. This is the first kind of joining together.
The Body builds up itself also by being knit together through the operation in the measure of each one part (Eph. 4:16b). This is the second kind of joining. The first kind of joining, the joining through the joints of the rich supply, is like putting pieces together to form the frame of a building. After framing a building, there are many openings that need to be filled. The second kind of joining, the knitting together through the operation of each one part, is like filling in all the openings after a building has been framed. Knitting is to interweave until all the openings are filled up by the interwoven pieces.
The parts of the Body that are knit, or interwoven, together are not the gifted persons but the common members of the Body. The gifted persons are joined together to form the frame; the common parts function in their measure to be knit and interwoven in order to fill up all the holes. This is not merely a doctrine; I have practiced this, I saw this, and I experienced this. It is possible. If you have the heart, pray to the Lord: "Lord, have mercy upon me and grant me the adequate grace. I want to live You organically." Then go and meet together with the saints in your place. There may be a number of other saints who are the same as you are. As you meet together there will be a growth among you. This growth equals the building. Some gifted persons will be joined together to form the frame, and the rest will do their part by functioning in their measure. In this way the church is built up.
The Body of Christ also builds up itself in love (Eph. 4:16c). The little phrase in love is used in the book of Ephesians six times (1:4; 3:17; 4:2, 15, 16; 5:2). God chose us in eternity in love (1:4). His predestinating us unto sonship in eternity past was also in love (v. 5). Without love God would not have chosen or predestinated us. Today we need to grow in love, and we also need to build up the Body in love. We love the Lord, we love the church, and we love every member. Regardless of how weak certain members may be, or even how evil they may be, we love them because they are members. Our attitude should be that we do not like to expose them. We desire instead to cover them in love. This is growth and this is building.