The Meetings and Spiritual Exercise of the Local Church |
Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee1. Lords Table MeetingsIn Christ as the Reality, Witness Lee declares that the Lords table is also a dining table for God: Every time we have the Lords table, it is also a dining table for God. Some of us have been meeting in the local church and enjoying the Lords table for years, but I do not believe that many of us have realized that the Lords table is also a dining table for God. It is not only the saints who come and dine, but God also who comes and dines. It is here that we present something to God which is so hidden and mysterious that we cannot apprehend it. But God can! This is the inward parts of Christ, the most tender and precious parts of His inner being. All the fat of the inwards and all the tender, sweet, and precious parts are for Gods appreciation and Gods enjoyment. Leviticus 3 mentions repeatedly that this is Gods food. (Witness Lee, Christ as the Reality, 176) Watchman Nee expresses the believers hope and expectation at the Lords table: Our breaking of bread is a remembrance of the Lord; this remembrance will last until He returns. Every Christians eye should be set on Christs second coming. While it is true that we preach obedience, praise, service, and many other subjects, it is not our only intention to be serving in this way forever. Our hope is that the church will become the bride of Christ one day. Everything we do is with the view of the second coming of Christ. Although we emphasize the local church and our work, we are not building anything on earth today. We are waiting for the Lords coming back. (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 3, Vol. 50, 914) In a lengthy discussion, Watchman Nee gives some details concerning the Lords table meeting in the local churches: In 1 Corinthians 10 and 11 the Bible speaks of two things concerning the bread-breaking meeting. When Paul speaks of the bread in 11:24, he refers to the Lords physical body, saying, And having given thanks, He broke it and said, This is My body, which is given for you; this do unto the remembrance of Me. Christs body was given up for us. Through this our sins were forgiven, and we obtained life. The basic thought in this verse is to remember the Lord. First Corinthians 10:17 provides another view, saying, Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one Body; for we all partake of the one bread. The bread in chapter eleven denotes the Lords physical body, while the bread in chapter ten denotes us. In other words, chapter eleven emphasizes our remembrance of the Lord, while chapter ten emphasizes our fellowship among Gods children. Hence, we see two significant aspects of the bread-breaking meeting. One is upward towards heaven; we remember the Lord. Another is centered on the bread on the table, which signifies us, the children of God, having fellowship with each other. Each one of us has a part in this bread. We are all part of this one bread. You have received the Lord and so have I. This entitles us to the same fellowship in the Lord. Hence, the breaking of bread signifies our coming to the Lord to fellowship with Him, as well as our coming together in fellowship with the children of God. |
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