LESSON FIFTEEN – THE BLENDING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

1 Cor. 10:17 — Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one Body; for we all partake of the one bread.

12:24 — Our comely members have no need. But God has blended the body together, giving more abundant honor to the member that lacked.

THE NEED OF THE BLENDING

The thought of blending is very strong in the Bible. In the Old Testament there is a type of the blending for the fulfillment of God’s economy. However, if we read the Old Testament only in letters, we will not be able to see it. This type of the blending is strongly referred to by the apostle Paul. In 1 Corinthians 10:17 Paul says, “Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one Body; for we all partake of the one bread.” Paul’s thought of the church being one bread was not his own invention; rather, it was taken from the Old Testament. The meal offering in Leviticus 2:4 consisted of cakes made of fine flour mingled with oil. Every part of the flour was mixed, or mingled, with the oil. That is blending. Paul tells us that the church is a bread, a cake, made of fine flour. This fine flour comes from wheat grains, and the wheat grains come from the one grain of wheat, which is Christ. John 12:24 says that Christ is the one grain of wheat who fell into the earth and died and grew up in resurrection to produce many grains, which are we, His believers. We are the many grains so that we may be ground into fine flour for making the cake, the bread, of the church. Here we can see the thought of blending in the Bible. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” p. 112)

BLENDING BY CLUSTERING THE CHURCHES

The neighboring local churches should be clustered as much as possible in the way of blending for the spiritual benefit in the mutual building up of the Body of Christ, as the Lord Jesus clustered the seven neighboring churches in Asia. (CWWL, 1993, vol. 2, “1993 Blending Conference Messages concerning the Lord’s Recovery and Our Present Need,” p. 19)

THE BLENDING OF THE UNIVERSAL BODY OF CHRIST

God has blended the  Body  together  (1 Cor. 12:24). The word blended also means “adjusted,” “harmonized,” “tempered,” and “mingled.” God has blended the Body, adjusted the Body, harmonized the Body, tempered the Body, and mingled the Body. The Greek word for blended implies the losing of distinctions. One brother’s distinction may be quickness, and another’s may be slowness. But in the Body life the slowness disappears, and the quickness is taken away. All such distinctions are gone. God has blended all the believers of all different races and colors. Who can make the blacks and the whites lose their distinctions? Only God can do this. A husband and a wife can have the harmony in their marriage life only by losing their distinctions.

In order to be harmonized, blended, adjusted, mingled, and tempered in the Body life, we have to go through the cross and be by the Spirit, dispensing Christ to others for the sake of the Body of Christ. The co-workers and elders must learn to be crossed out. Whatever we do should be by the Spirit to dispense Christ. Also, what we do should not be for our interest and according to our taste but for the church. As long as we practice these points, we will have the blending.

NOT DO ANYTHING WITHOUT FELLOWSHIP

Fellowship tempers us, fellowship adjusts us, fellowship harmonizes us, and fellowship mingles us. We should forget about whether we are slow or quick and just fellowship with others. We should not do anything without fellowshipping with the other saints who are coordinating with us. Fellowship requires us to stop when we are about to do something. In our coordination in the church life and in the Lord’s work, we all have to learn not to do anything without fellowship.

Among us we should have the blending of all the individual members of the Body of Christ, the blending of all the churches in certain districts, the blending of all the coworkers, and the blending of all the elders. Blending means that we should always stop to fellowship with others. Then we will receive many benefits. If we isolate and seclude ourselves, we will lose much spiritual profit. Learn to fellowship. Learn to be blended. From now on, the churches should come together frequently to be blended. We may not be used to it, but after we begin to practice blending a few times, we will acquire the taste for it. This is the most helpful thing in the keeping of the oneness of the universal Body of Christ. Today it is very convenient for us to blend with one another because of this modern age with its modern conveniences.

BEING THROUGH THE CROSS BY THE SPIRIT TO DISPENSE CHRIST

FOR THE SAKE OF HIS BODY

When we blend together, we have the cross and the Spirit. Without the cross and the Spirit, all that we have is the flesh with division. In ourselves it is not easy to be crucified and to do all things by the Spirit. This is why we must learn to be blended. Blending requires us to be crossed out. Blending requires us to be by the Spirit to dispense Christ and to do everything for the sake of His Body.

We may come together without much blending because everyone stays in themselves. They are afraid to offend others and make mistakes, so they keep quiet. This is the manner of man according to the flesh. When we come together, we should experience the terminating of the cross. Then we should learn how to follow the Spirit, how to dispense Christ, and how to say and do something for the benefit of the Body. That will change the entire atmosphere of the meeting and will temper the atmosphere. Blending is not a matter of being quiet or talkative but a matter of being tempered. We can be in harmony because we have been tempered. Eventually, the distinctions will all be gone. Blending means to lose the distinctions. We all have to pay some price to practice the blending.

FOR THE BUILDING UP OF THE UNIVERSAL BODY OF CHRIST

The blending is for the building up of the universal Body of  Christ  (Eph. 1:23) to consummate the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2) as the final goal of God’s economy according to His good pleasure (Eph. 3:8-10; 1:9-10). (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “The Divine and Mystical Realm,” pp. 159-162)

References: CWWL, 1994-1997,  vol. 1, “The Practical Points concerning Blending,” ch. 2; CWWL, 1993, vol. 2, “1993 Blending Conference Messages concerning the Lord’s Recovery and Our Present Need,” msg. 2; CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “The Divine and Mystical Realm,” ch. 6

AS MEMBERS OF THE BODY

Meetings—Functioning – 867

• As members of the Body
  Christ we would manifest,
  Each learning how to function
  His fulness to express;
  We would not be spectators
  But each as members move,
  None bringing death or damage
  But each our profit prove.

• As in a team we’d never
  Act independently,
  But in coordination,
  Each would dependent be;
  Not acting by our choosing
  But following the flow,
  Distraction never bringing,
  The Spirit’s way we’d know.

• On Christ we here would focus,
  No other center make;
  With Christ in sweet communion
  His riches to partake.
  He is our Head and content,
  His Body we express;
  Whate’er we do while meeting
  Himself must manifest.

• Built up in love together,
  Not one would criticize;
  To perfect one another,
  We all would exercise.
  Each one from self delivered,
  The natural life forsakes;
  In grace each trained in spirit
  The Body-life partakes.