In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 we see two main things: the Spirit and the Body. The Body actually comes out of the Spirit. First Corinthians 12:13 says, "For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit" (Gk.). We, as the many members, have all been baptized in one Spirit into one Body, and now we are all drinking of this one Spirit. The Body has come out of the one Spirit, and now the Body is drinking of this one Spirit.
I am burdened that everyone in the Lord's recovery would see the Spirit and the Body. Christianity has missed the mark because it does not care at all for the Body, nor does it care for the Spirit in the proper way. Many have talked about the Spirit, and since World War II there has been much talk about the Body. Actually, the believers do not care for the Body. If we care for the Body, we must care for the proper oneness, the genuine unity. The Body is one. There is one Head and one Body, one Christ and one church. The Body does not refer to a group of believers who come together for a specific purpose. That is a social gathering, not the Body. Whenever we speak of the Body, we must have a deep sense of realizing that the Body is uniquely one. The Body is not only one in a locality, but one in the universe. If we are in a division, not caring for the oneness of the Body, we do not know what the Body is.
In this message I would first like to say a word concerning the Spirit. Many among us have come to see that religion is not something positive, but I am concerned that some still have a wrong understanding of what it means to be religious. Many of those who would tell others that they are too religious are not clear themselves regarding what religion is. Religion is something related to God and to the service and worship of God, yet having nothing to do with God the Spirit. Although a certain thing related to God may be very good, it is religion as long as it is not related to the Spirit. Take the example of prayer. If you pray to the Lord without praying in the Spirit, your prayer has nothing to do with the Spirit and hence is something of religion. The same is true with studying the Bible. If your reading and study of the Bible have nothing to do with the Spirit, they are a religion. To be religious is not a matter of doing things in a particular way or of being old as opposed to being young. To be religious is to do something for God apart from the Spirit. The best thing done for God becomes a religion if it has nothing to do with the Spirit. I am burdened that all those in the Lord's recovery may be clear about what religion is.