Please turn to the letter to the Colossians—Colossians 2:19. Instead of reading it negatively, we will read it positively, omitting the word not.
Holding fast the Head,
from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands,
increaseth with the increase of God.
I will read it again.
Holding fast the Head,
from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands,
increaseth with the increase of God.
Ephesians 4:15-16:
But speaking truth in love,
may grow up in all things into Him,
who is the Head, even Christ;
from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together
through that which every joint supplieth,
according to the working in due measure of each several part,
maketh the increase of the body
unto the building up of itself in love.
I will read it once again.
But speaking truth in love,
may grow up in all things into Him,
who is the Head, even Christ;
from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together
through that which every joint supplieth,
according to the working in due measure of each several part,
maketh the increase of the body
unto the building up of itself in love.
Let us have a little prayer.
Our heavenly Father, how we do praise and thank Thee for giving us Thy beloved Son. Through Him, we can come to Thee and even call Thee Abba, Father. We do thank Thee that we may gather here together in the name of Thy Son, and we believe that where Thy name is, there is Thy presence.
We look to Thee to open Thy Word to us, touch our hearts, and bring us into all truth, that we may live and glorify Thee. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
I understand that our brother has been here with you on this matter of the headship of Christ. As I was before the Lord, I felt probably it is the Lord’s will that I should continue with what he said.
So I was thinking of this matter of the unity and the supply of the Body of Christ. Now, I did not know that you were studying the Body of Christ, so I hope that it will be a strengthening to your study.
The headship of Christ is most essential—not only to us individually, but to us as a corporate Body. It is the will of God that Christ should be, and He is, the Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him who filleth all in all.
We cannot talk about the Head without thinking of the Body, nor can we talk about the Body without thinking of the Head, because the Head and the Body are one. Christ is the Head of the Body, and the Body has Christ as its Head. You cannot separate the Head and the Body. If you separate the Body from the Head, the Body is dead.
For, brothers and sisters, sometimes we think of the Body of Christ as a metaphor. In other words, instead of seeing the Body of Christ as a reality, we think it is merely figurative speech.
But in the Scripture, you will never find the Word saying that the church is as the Body of Christ. You find it mentioned as “the church, which is His Body.” So the Body of Christ is not a metaphor; it is a reality.
Just as our Lord Jesus, when He came into this world, took upon Himself a physical body—and in that physical body He lived for thirty-three years, taught, and did things—it was a real body to Him.
Then, after He died, was buried, rose from the dead, and ascended on high, the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost. One hundred and twenty believers in that upper room in Jerusalem were baptized in one Spirit into one Body.
In other words, on the day of Pentecost, this risen Head took upon Himself a corporate, mystical Body. That corporate, mystical Body is the church.
Therefore, you find that this corporate Body of Christ is just as real to Christ as when He was incarnated and took upon Himself a physical body. As He taught and acted in that physical body during those thirty-three years, so from the day of Pentecost up to the present, and up to the time of His return, you find that our risen Head has been, and still is, teaching and acting through the Body. And that is the church.
Brothers and sisters, we need to have a vision of Christ. You see, the problem with many believers is that their vision of Christ is so limited. It is so superficial, shallow, and small.
To many, they see Christ only as the Savior—He who forgives our sins and He who gives us heaven. That is their concept of Christ. And it is because of our limited vision of Christ that you find our Christian life becomes limited.
We need an enlarged, full vision of Christ. We need to see Christ as God sees Him: that He is Head over all things. Now, if we have a fuller vision of Christ, you will find that it will enlarge us, and our whole Christian life will be different. We will submit ourselves to Him in all things, acknowledging Him as our Head.
Brothers and sisters, we need a fuller vision of the church. The same thing is true with the Body. We may talk about the Body of Christ, but for many it is a metaphor. It is not real; it is merely used as an illustration.
We need a vision of the Body of Christ, seeing that it is real. It is vibrant. It is living. It is active. It is today; it is present. We are in that Body, and what a privilege that is—and what a responsibility it involves. Brothers and sisters, we need to have a vision of the Body.
You know, on the way to Damascus, the Apostle Paul—at that time Saul the Pharisee, the persecutor of the followers of Jesus—was given a heavenly vision when that light from heaven shone upon him.
You remember that even to the very end he testified that he was not disobedient to that heavenly vision. In other words, that heavenly vision explains Paul the man and also his history. It transformed him.
Now, what was the heavenly vision that he saw? To put it briefly, he saw Christ, the Head, in heaven. He saw the Body of Christ all over this world on earth. And there is a oneness, a unity, between heaven and earth, between the Head and the Body.
Because when you touch any member of the Body, whatever that member may be, you touch the Head in heaven.
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?
It is Me.
Brothers and sisters, this is the heavenly vision, and we all need to see that vision. We need to see our Head in heaven, over all things. God has put all things under His feet. He is the Lord of all things. He is my Lord, your Lord, our Lord. We need to see the headship of Christ.
Then we need to see the Body of Christ. It is on earth. It is everywhere. It is wherever God’s children are. It is something that is our daily life. We live in it, and we live for it, as we live for our Head. There is a unity.
Now, as the Head is one, so the Body is one. We cannot have more than one Head, nor can there be more than one Body.
The unity of the Body comes from the headship of Christ. Therefore, you find both in Ephesians and in Colossians that it says, “from whom”—that is, from the Head. From the Head, the whole Body is fitly framed together. From the Head, all the Body is knit together.
The unity of the Body comes from the vision of the headship of Christ. The reason why you find God’s people today are so divided is because of the failure to see Christ as the Head.
People may give many reasons why God’s people today are divided. Some even say that this is a historical necessity. As the church begins to grow, it has to be divided. They can give you many reasons why God’s people today are divided. But, brothers and sisters, when you get to the root of the question, you will find that the reason God’s people are divided is because they do not see the headship of Christ.
You remember what Paul said to the Corinthian believers. He said that some say, “I am of Paul,” some say, “I am of Apollos,” some say, “I am of Cephas,” and some say, “I am of Christ”—that is, exclusively.
Some say, “I am of Paul. Paul is a great apostle. I came to the Lord through him. I believe in him. I follow him. I take him as my head.” Now, brothers and sisters, that is what it means: “I am of Paul.” I took Paul as my head. I gave my allegiance to him instead of taking Christ as my Head.
Then naturally others say, “I am of Apollos,” because Apollos is a great teacher. He has taught me a great deal of truth, and I believe in him. I follow him. I am for him. He is my head.
Then other people come and say, “No, no, no. I am of Cephas, because Cephas is the first apostle. I go back to the origin. I follow Cephas.”
And other people say, “We are more spiritual than you are. You follow Paul, you follow Apollos, you are for Cephas; we are for Christ”—but exclusively.
Paul said, “Is Christ divided?” Is Christ divided? If you take Christ as the Head, then the Body is one. If you take anybody else as the head, the Body is divided.
Of course, Paul himself would not lead us astray. He would always give us the truth. But listen to what Paul says: “If you are of Paul, was Paul crucified for you?”
Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but it is God who gives the increase.” We are nothing. We are but your servants. You are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
So, brothers and sisters, the reason why you find God’s people are so divided today is because of their lack of vision of the headship of Christ. If we really hold fast the Head—Christ as the Head—we cannot be divided. We are one. We are united. We are going together as one Body. This is evident.
Now, what do you mean by holding fast the Head? Holding fast the Head simply means that you submit yourself to His authority. You take Him as your Head.
Formerly, you were your own head. The head is where you direct your body. The head is where the order comes, where the command comes—the command post. Formerly, you were your own head. You decided what you wanted to do, and you got your body to do it.
But now you deny yourself. You submit yourself under the headship of Christ. You let Christ be your Head. You take your orders from Him.
You will find that your body reports everything back to the head and waits for the head to give the order. So, as the Body, we refer all things to the Lord. Instead of, when things happen to us, making our own decision and doing what we feel is right or good, we refer all things to the Head and let Him decide what to do.
In other words, the Body is to carry out the will of the Head. That is what it is to hold fast the Head.
When you apply it individually, that is what our life should be. We should submit ourselves to Christ, and our duty is to carry out His will. We should refer everything to Him and let Him make the decision. Then we obey and follow. That is personal Christian life.
The same thing is true with church life. In the church, we hold fast Christ as the Head. We refer everything to Him. We wait upon Him. We seek His mind, and after we know His will, we carry it out. That is holding fast the Head.
When we hold fast the Head, then you find that the whole Body—all the Body, that is, every member of the Body—finds his or her place in that Body.
We do not know which member we are in the Body of Christ. You know, people often ask this question: “How do I know which member I am in the Body of Christ? If I do not know which member I am, then I do not know my place in the church. And not knowing my place in the church, how do I know my function, my gifts?” This becomes a problem to many Christians.
But, brothers and sisters, if you really see the headship of Christ, if you really hold fast the Head, you will be placed in the right place in the church. You will know what place you are in the Body of Christ, and you will also know what your function is.
The reason why we do not know is because we do not hold fast the Head. Once you hold fast the Head, immediately you fall into place. The Bible says, “from whom the whole body [is] fitly framed together.”
It is the Head that determines where you are in the Body. It is the Head that determines your function. And if you hold fast the Head, strangely, you will know where you are in that Body, and you will be fitted together with the other members of the Body of Christ.
If it does not fit, you know where the problem probably is: it is the flesh. When our flesh comes in, then you find that you will not fit with your brothers and sisters. You do not have that proper relationship.
In the Body, all the members are properly related because they are fitted together. They are a perfect fit. It is not loose. It is not merely thrown together. It is organic relatedness, and God has set each one of us in that Body.
If we do not fit, if we find ourselves strange in our relationships, it is because our flesh stands in the way. Whenever our flesh gets in the way, immediately you find that the proper relationship of the members of the Body of Christ is affected.
That is the reason why we really need the cross to work deeply in our lives. Brothers and sisters, if we do not allow the cross to work in our lives, we will never be able to be fitted and united together with our brothers and sisters.
For Body life demands discipline. Body life demands the deep working of the cross. Put it another way: there is no place where you can experience the cross more than in the Body.
Do not think that in the Body everything is rosy. You will find that before you can smell the fragrance of Christ, you have to deal with many thorns.
So, brothers and sisters, are we ready for that Body life? Are we ready to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow the Lord?
Unless we are ready, unless we are willing, brothers and sisters, talking about the Body is just a dream. It is a mirage. It is not real.
But when you are really willing to accept the cross, deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow the Lord, you will find Body life is so real, living, working, and most precious.
So first of all, we need to have a vision of the unity of the Body of Christ. As the Head is one, so the Body is one. This is an eternal fact.
Because of this, we need to stand in that fact. We refuse to accept any division in the Body of Christ. We believe in the unity of the Body of Christ, and because we believe in the oneness of the Body of Christ, therefore we are exhorted to diligently keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.
You know, brothers and sisters, if you do not have this vision of the one Body, you will not see the importance of diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. In other words, you will accept divisions as a matter of fact.
How many among God’s people today accept division of the Body as a matter of fact? Now, if you accept division as a matter of fact, what is the sense of maintaining the unity of the Spirit? You do not need it.
But if you really believe that the Body is one, then it is very, very essential for us to diligently keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.
Because of the oneness of the Body, God has given us the unity of the Spirit. The unity of the Spirit is the expression of the oneness of the Body. This is what God means. Because God knows that there is one Body, how can that one Body be expressed? It is through the unity of the Spirit.
The unity of the Spirit has been given to us. Because it has been given, all we need to do is keep it—and diligently keep it.
Now, you cannot keep anything that has not been given. It has to be given first; then you keep it. If you treasure it, you will keep it. If you do not treasure it, well, throw it off; put it anywhere you want.
But if you really see its significance, then you will diligently keep it. Keep it with diligence. Apply yourself consciously, energetically, purposefully. You keep the unity of the Spirit.
Now, what is the unity of the Spirit? Paul tells us that the unity of the Spirit is expressed by the seven ones—the seven ones that God has given to us:
One body,
and one Spirit,
even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling;
one Lord,
one faith,
one baptism,
one God and Father of all,
who is over all, and through all, and in all.
One Body: we are one Body, baptized in one Spirit into one Body, whether Jews or Gentiles.
One Spirit: the Holy Spirit is the One in whom we were baptized into one Body.
One hope of our calling: we are called. Now, what is the hope of our calling? According to Ephesians, we are called to be the Body of Christ, and the hope of our calling is that one day, when the Body is fully grown, it will become the bride of the Lamb. That is our hope.
So you find that these three ones are connected with God the Holy Spirit.
Then it continues: one Lord, one faith, one baptism. We have only one Lord. Jesus is Lord. He is your Lord, He is my Lord, He is our Lord.
One faith: that is the fundamental faith, the faith that saves us. It is our belief in the person and the work of our Lord Jesus. We believe He is the Christ, the Son of the living God. This is our faith, and this faith unites us into one.
One baptism: we were all baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus. He who is baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus is baptized unto Christ. In other words, we all belong to Him.
It is not the mode of baptism, but the principle of baptism: one baptism. We who believe and are baptized belong to the Lord. So here you find these three all related to God the Son: one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
And then, finally, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all—God the Father. God is not only our God; He is also our Father. We share the same God, and we share the same Father. He is over all, through all, and in us all.
So, brothers and sisters, you find that it is the Triune God who unites us into one Body. Think of it.
We are one Body because of the work of the Triune God. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit work together to bring forth this one Body. Think of our unity. Now, is that not precious?
And because it is so precious, we need to diligently keep it. We should not allow anything to remove us from that ground.
Now, it is true that among God’s people there are many differences. Not only are we different temperamentally; we are different socially, educationally, racially, and even in our understanding of the Word of God. We are different even in our spiritual experience or calling. Brothers and sisters, we are all in different stages of development, and there are so many differences.
But remember one thing: no matter what these differences are, we must not allow them to move us away from the unity of the Spirit.
In other words, in spite of all these differences, we claim that we are one. And because we are one, we continue to fellowship with one another.
We may not be able to fellowship in all our differences, but at least we can fellowship in our sameness. We have the same Christ. We have the same Holy Spirit. We have the same Father, and we can fellowship with one another.
Through fellowship, gradually, we will become more and more one until we arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.
The unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God is something to arrive at. It is in the future; we have not arrived there yet.
In other words, this faith includes all the truth in the Bible—the faith that was once delivered to the saints. Every truth is included in the faith. The full knowledge of the Son of God is our full experience of Christ.
Brothers and sisters, we have not arrived at that unity yet. Some people have some understanding of some truth; others have a different understanding of the same truth. Some people have some experience of Christ in one way, and another may not have that, but may have another experience of Christ.
Now, we have not come into that unity yet, but that unity is something to arrive at. How do we arrive at that? We arrive at it by diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit that has already been given, continuing to fellowship with one another in spite of our differences, and never insisting on our own way.
Seek the Lord together. Be open to the Lord. When we do that, gradually we arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Then the unity of the Body is fully expressed.
So, brothers and sisters, holding fast the Head, from whom the whole Body is united together, is one thing. There is another aspect, and it is the supply of the Body of Christ.
The Scripture says, “Holding fast the Head, from whom all the Body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, increaseth with the increase of God.”
Here you find that the Body is not only united together and fitted together, but the Body is supplied. God has put every member in the Body of Christ with a purpose.
If you read carefully in Colossians 2, it says, “knit together and supplied through the joints and bands.” Now, joints are joints of supply. We find that in Ephesians 4. Bands are bands of unity. Some Scriptures render them as ligaments. They unite together.
So you find that every member in the Body is, on the one hand, a joint and, on the other hand, a band. Every one of us is a band. That is to say, we have a function to unite people together.
That is the responsibility of every believer. We are all bands, joining together.
Now, if you read Colossians 3:12-15:
Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved,
a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering;
forbearing one another, and forgiving each other,
if any man have a complaint against any;
even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye:
and above all these things put on love,
which is the bond of perfectness.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to the which also ye were called in one body;
and be ye thankful.
Now, brothers and sisters, I feel this is a description of what the band is. We are all bands in the Body, and as bands, you find that we should be full of grace. The grace of God makes us so.
Therefore, we need to have hearts of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint, forgive, as Christ forgave us. Above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.
We need to be those of love, and love unites us together. If we love one another, then you find all this forgiving, kindness, and compassion will be there. This is 1 Corinthians 13.
So by the grace of God, we are all bands. Brothers and sisters, do not think that there are only a few who are bands, and they are the ones who unite us together. No. Every believer is a band. We have a responsibility to join, to unite, and to bring God’s people together. It is through love.
The new commandment is: love one another.
But on the other hand, you find that we are not only bands; we are also joints. Joints are joints of supply.
To every member in the Body, God has given a function. And to that function, He has given a gift. Look at your body: every member of your body has a function to fulfill, a specific function.
When you are born, you are given these organs, and with the organs comes the gift: the eyes to see, the ears to hear, the mouth to speak, the nose to smell, the hands to touch, and the feet to walk. You find that it is given.
So, brothers and sisters, when God sets us in the Body of Christ as various members, at the same time the Holy Spirit gives us a gift, or gifts. With this gift, the manifestation of the Spirit, we are to serve one another and to serve the Body.
No one can say, “I have no gift.” No member of my body can say, “I do not have a gift, so I cannot function.”
If you say you have no gift, probably you have buried that talent. God has given some five talents, yes; some two talents; but to everyone, at least one talent.
But the problem is that the one-talent person tends to say, “Well, I am not like the two-talent or the five-talent person. Therefore, I have none.” He buries it. When you bury it, you do not have any; you do not see it. And that is our problem.
Brothers and sisters, every one of us has a gift, has a function, and the will of God is that we should trade with it. We should use it and let it increase, instead of burying it.
The problem with the church today is that we only look for people with five talents. When we do not have people with five talents, we say, “Now, what can we do? We have no supply, so the Body cannot be increased.”
We look for one or two, a few. But the will of God is that every one of us is a joint of supply. If everyone puts forth his one talent, brothers and sisters, we have plenty. If you have five with one talent and add them together, you have five talents.
We do not need those with five talents if only our one talent will all be traded. Then you will find the church is rich.
Oftentimes, we find that our church is in poverty. The Word is scarce. Vision is rare. We are poor. Brothers and sisters, has God forgotten to supply us with what we need? I believe wherever God’s people meet, there is supply—only if we are all faithful to bring it out.
Now, the reason why we do not know our gift, or do not exercise our gift, is because we do not hold fast the Head. Brothers and sisters, if you hold fast the Head, the Head will naturally guide you into your gift and its exercise. It is natural.
So the important thing again is to hold fast the Head. If you really yield yourself to the Lord and let His will be carried out through you, brothers and sisters, the Spirit of God will exercise your heart, remind you, allow you to see certain needs in the church, and lead you to supply them. It is natural.
When all these gifts are exercised under the headship of Christ, no gifts will clash; rather, they will supplement one another.
It is when these gifts are exercised independently of the Head that you find gifts clash. And the more gifts you have, the more dangerous you become.
But when all these gifts are exercised under the Head of Christ, brothers and sisters, there is increase. There is the increase of Christ.
Now, I understand that you are going to study Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Corinthians 12. I will add one more for you: 1 Peter 4:10-11.
According as each hath received a gift,
ministering it among yourselves,
as good stewards of the manifold grace of God;
if any man speak, speaking as it were oracles of God;
if any man minister,
ministering as of the strength which God supplieth:
that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
First Peter 4, in a sense, sums up Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Corinthians 12. It sums up what God has given to each—that we are to be good stewards of the varied grace of God.
You know, the gift is from God. No one can boast. None of us deserves it.
Now, in our ministry of the gifts, there are two basic kinds. One is: if anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.
One gift, or one function, is in the area of the Word of God. God raises up some people and gives them gifts so that they can minister His Word, like the prophets, the teachers, and those who exhort.
So He says that if God has given you this gift in relation to the Word, then speak as the oracle of God. Do not speak your own mind, but speak according to what God has revealed to you and according to the proportion of your faith.
That is one class of gifts.
There is another class of gifts: if anyone serves, let him serve as of the strength which God supplies.
Aside from the Word, there is service—affairs, things to do. In Romans 12, it says, “He that giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.” These are connected with what we call service.
So in the exercising of gifts, there are two groups: some are concerned with the Word; others are concerned with service.
When we are faithfully doing all these things, then what will happen? Two things. One is that the Body will be increased.
Now, how is the Body increased? Sometimes we think that the increase of the Body is the increase of numbers. When we have more people added, then we say, “Well, the church is growing. The Body is increased.” Not necessarily. Not necessarily.
We may merely increase our outward numbers, but God here speaks of increase by the increase of Christ in the Body.
Is Christ increased in the Body? Is God increased in the Body? If He is increased in the Body, then the Body is increased.
You may have lots of people, but it is all flesh, and Christ is not increased. Then there is no real increase at all.
But when Christ is really increased in the Body—in other words, everyone has a fuller measure of Christ, a fuller stature of Christ—when that happens, remember, this is the increase of the Body.
Increaseth with the increase of God.
Remember this. This is important.
And then finally, all this is for one purpose: that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, that is the ultimate end: that God be glorified.
How can God be glorified through Jesus Christ? Through Jesus Christ in the Body. And that is how God is glorified.
Is that not wonderful, brothers and sisters? God has put us in the Body, and there is a glorious working of the Spirit in the Body today toward that day when the Body is fully grown and united with the Head in eternal union. There God is wholly glorified.
Last Sunday, when I was in Washington, Brother Fox gave a very good, simple explanation of what glory is. He said, “Glory is when you can look at a thing or a person and say, ‘This is how it ought to be.’”
When you are doing something and it turns out to be how it ought to be, you feel a touch of glory.
When God looks at the Body of Christ and says, “This is how it ought to be,” it is the expression of Christ. There is glory. God is glorified. He is satisfied.
So, brothers and sisters, there is something very real before us: the Body of Christ. It is as real as Christ the Head is real. And we are today living in that eternal reality.
May the Lord help us. Shall we pray?
Our heavenly Father, we do thank Thee for revealing to us Christ the Head and the church, His Body. We thank Thee for bringing us into that Body.
Lord, we ask that we may really live in that Body according to Thy will, holding fast the Head, united together, and ministering to one another, that there may be the increase of God in the Body; so that Thou canst look at it and say, “This is how it ought to be,” and there be glory.
In the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.