Ephesians 4:11-12 mentions different gifted members perfecting the saints unto the work of the ministry for the building up of the Body of Christ. The work of the gifts is the perfecting of the saints for the work of the building up of the Body of Christ. This kind of practice and building is done locally rather than universally. Yet the local building is not for the building up of a congregation in a locality, but for the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ, though manifested locally, is not for locality. The Body of Christ is universal, with its practical building up being carried out in the various local churches. Without the practical, local building, the building up of the Body will be a term only; it will not be a reality. But the building up of the local churches in the various localities should not be for the realization of a congregation in the various localities, but for the Body of Christ in the universe.
All the churches can be different in the way they handle affairs. For example, when baptizing people after preaching the gospel, some places use bathtubs. Other places that are near the sea, and particularly during summer, baptize people in the sea. These are cases of differences in affairs.
All the churches can also be different in practices. For example, a certain church may have its bread-breaking meeting on the Lord’s Day evening, while another church would have it on the Lord’s Day morning. The various churches decide on their time of the bread-breaking meeting based on the local situation and the condition of the brothers and sisters. This is a difference in practice.
All the churches can also be different in customs. For example, some come to the meetings in large buses; others come in private cars; still others come on motorcycles. All these are differences in customs. In these matters we cannot unify.
Other than these differences in affairs, practices, and customs, the churches should be fully the same in the nature and testimony of their spiritual life. One cannot say that a certain church is golden in life and nature, and another church is brass in life and nature, while a third is silver in life and nature. This would make some churches silver, brass, or even iron lampstands. Of course, this is not right. All the churches should be golden lampstands. In nature and form they are exactly the same. Actually, the word “same” is not adequate to describe them. In nature and testimony, all the churches are not just the same, but are identical. The differences between all the churches are in the wrong or negative aspects. In the positive aspects, in their nature, they are all golden. Moreover, in form they are all lampstands. The seven golden lampstands are absolutely identical.
In Revelation, the Lord sent seven epistles to seven local churches. Although the negative words of rebuke were different for every church, at the end of every epistle He always said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). What the Lord wrote to one church was to be heard by the seven local churches. Hence, the seven churches had to listen to all seven epistles. For this reason, the seven churches were the same in their positive aspects. The seven lampstands were separate, yet they were identical.