The Meetings and Spiritual Exercise of the Local Church

Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee

The newly saved ones partake of the Lord’s table, as Watchman Nee explains:

When God blesses our efforts in any place to the salvation of souls, we must see to it that the saved ones understand, from the outset, that the meetings which resulted in their salvation belong to the work and not to the church, and that they are the church and must therefore have their own church meetings. They must meet in their homes or in other places to pray, study the Word, break bread, and exercise their spiritual gifts; and in such meetings their object must be mutual helpfulness and mutual edification. Each individual must bear his share of responsibility and pass on to the others what he himself has received from the Lord. The conduct of the meetings should be the burden of no one individual, but all the members should bear the burden together, and they should seek to help one another depending upon the teaching and leading of the Spirit, and depending upon His empowering too. As soon as believers are saved, they should begin to assemble themselves regularly. Such gatherings of local believers are true church meetings.

(Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 2, Vol. 30, 177)

In speaking of discerning the Body at the Lord’s table, Witness Lee says:

In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul says that if there are divisions among us, then in our coming together for the Lord’s table, we come together not for the better, but for the worse (1 Cor. 11:17). First Corinthians 11:20 says, “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.” We may attend the Lord’s table without discerning the Body (1 Cor. 11:29). Anyone who eats and drinks at the Lord’s table without discerning the Body eats and drinks judgment to himself (1 Cor. 11:29, Gk.). This, of course, is not a profit, but a loss. Whenever we come to the Lord’s table, we must discern the Body. In 1 Corinthians 11:29 the Body does not denote the Lord’s physical body that was crucified on the cross, but His mystical Body. At the Lord’s table the body has two aspects. One aspect denotes the Lord’s physical body, and the other denotes the mystical Body of Christ. We all need to discern Christ’s mystical Body. Whenever we touch the loaf at the Lord’s table, we must realize that the loaf denotes this unique Body. Because the loaf denotes the mystical Body, there should be no divisions among us. If we are still involved in division, yet we partake of the loaf, it will not be a profit to us, but a loss. Every time we come to the Lord’s table we must examine ourselves and ask, “Am I divisive? If I am, I should refrain from partaking of the Lord’s table. If I partake of the Lord’s table when I am involved in something divisive, it will not be a profit to me. I will not come to the table for the better [profit], but for the worse [loss].” This is an extremely serious matter.

Never consider division an insignificant thing. We must take the Lord’s table in a reverent way and in fear, lest we touch the Lord’s Body without discernment. We need to discern that what we are about to partake of is the unique Body of Christ. In this unique Body there must not be any division. If I am not involved in division, then I shall have the peace and a clear conscience to touch the Lord’s Body. May this matter be made clear to all the churches.

The Lord’s recovery is neither a movement nor a division. Those of every age must be together in harmony. We are not a division, and there are no divisions among us. Rather, we are the testimony of the one Body and the one Spirit. Whenever we come to the Lord’s table, we declare to the whole universe that we are one, that we have come out of division and that there are no divisions among us. When we touch the one loaf, which signifies the unique Body of Christ in the universe, we must have the witness in our conscience that we are not involved in division. If we do not have a clear conscience regarding division when we touch the Lord’s table, we shall suffer, for we shall eat and drink without discerning the Body. This will not be profitable to us. May the Lord have mercy upon us that whenever we come to the Lord’s table, we shall exercise our conscience to determine whether or not we are involved in something divisive.

(Witness Lee, Spirit and the Body, 215-217)

Main

Meetings

Lord’s Table

Prayer

Prophesying

Small Group

Gospel

Children’s

OT Type

Spiritual Exercise

Reading

Praying

Singing

Speaking

Thanksgiving

Praising

Serving

Calling

Pray-Reading

Bibliography

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