What is the circumference? It is the Body of Christ, the church, which will consummate in the New Jerusalem.
There is one more unique point to cover. In the New Testament in the first four books there is the one Christ. Then out of this Christ the apostles are produced. Then these apostles are the ones who bring the churches into being. One Christ produces the apostles, and the many apostles produce the churches. Now the final point is the unique ministry.
The ministry is one. In Acts 1:17 Peter says regarding Judas, “For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.” This is a strong indication that the twelve apostles had only one ministry. We may consider that the twelve each had their own ministry, but it is clear from this verse that they had only one ministry. That one ministry was to dispense the divine Trinity to produce the church, the circumference.
After the twelve apostles, more were added, especially Paul. Timothy and all the co-workers were also added. In 2 Corinthians 4:1 Paul says, “Having this ministry, as we received mercy we do not lose heart.” “We” refers to the apostles and their co-workers; they, plural, have received this ministry, singular. In the previous chapter it is clear that even the Old Testament ministry was one (2 Cor. 3:7-11). That ministry was one of condemnation and death. Now in the New Testament the ministry of righteousness and the ministry of the Spirit is also one.
Why is this so? It is because God is unique. His plan is unique. His work is unique. His way to carry out His work is unique. And the very instrument used for His way is the ministry. Thus this ministry is also unique. In the New Testament, there is the unique Christ, the unique way, and the unique focus to carry out the unique circumference, the church, by the unique ministry.
On the one hand the ministry is unique, but on the other hand there are individual ministries referred to (2 Tim. 4:5); the same word is used for both in Greek. It is the word used for the service of deacons (Col. 4:17). We all have our own service, but all our services should be part of the New Testament ministry. Not only an apostle, but even a deacon, serving for example in the business affairs of the church, is part of the ministry. In the Old Testament type, where the focus was on the tabernacle, the ministry there was also unique: caring for the tabernacle and carrying it from place to place. That ministry comprised the priests and the Levites. Most of the Levites took care of business matters. Such services were a type.
Nowadays there are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and the teachers and shepherds. In addition, there are the elders, the deacons, and also many others who are neither gifted ones nor responsible ones yet who are serving the church. Each has his own service. Every one, even if he is not an elder or a deacon, as long as he serves in the church, has his part in the ministry, which is properly called the service. If we add all these services together—those of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, as well as the services of the elders, deacons, and all the other saints—we have the New Testament ministry. This inclusive ministry is unique.
Let us look at the situation in Christianity. The Catholic Church has a ministry. The Anglican Church has another. The same is true of the Baptists, Presbyterians, and all the other denominations. Each one has its own ministry. The Catholic Church has thousands of priests, but they are all doing one thing. There are Jesuits, Dominicans, and Franciscans, yet all three groups are carrying out one objective, that is, to build up the Catholic Church. There is only one ministry among them. Yes, each one has his own service. Every Jesuit, every nun, every priest, has his own service, but all their services serve the purpose of the unique ministry of the Catholic Church. This principle is true even with a small denomination; each has its own ministry.
To have a separate ministry, then, is an indication of division. Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered” (1 Cor. 3:6). These are one ministry. Different ministers work on one thing for one goal; thus their ministry is unique. It is not that Paul took care of the entire plantation. He only did the planting; Apollos did the watering. Of course, Peter did another part. But all they did was part of one ministry, that is, the ministering of the focus, the divine Trinity to produce the circumference, the Body of Christ. It is only one ministry.
What is the Lord’s recovery today? It is a recovery of the unique plan, the unique economy, the unique way, the unique word, and the unique focus by the unique ministry. I hope this is clear to all of us and even that it could be printed in a clear way for others who are not here and for the future.
In the past on the mainland of China I saw some who were in the Lord’s recovery but who eventually began to do a separate work. This same thing also happened on the island of Taiwan. I still have some copies of the publications of some of these dissenting ones. They claimed that they saw the Antioch light, that the recovery was too old, that it was of Jerusalem, and that what they saw was something new of Antioch. They condemned James and even to some extent denied the Epistle of James. That “Antioch line” became a division.
Since the recovery came to the United States in 1963, there have been a few groups who were among us but who remained as a group until they left. There were those who said they saw the “Ephesian line.” This group still exists today. The second was with us like a drop of oil in water; then they left and have dispersed. A third group was with us for some years; they remain somewhere in the Midwest in another work. A fourth group was with us for a while, but they also stayed as a group until they left; they believed, among other things, that children should participate in the Lord’s table.
This survey, from the mainland of China to the United States, helps me to see what the Lord’s recovery is. It is unique in everything. It has the unique God, the unique plan, the unique economy, the unique work, the unique way, the unique Lord, the unique focus, and the unique ministry.