Today we are not only in the age of grace in general, but particularly in the age of the Body. Under the Lord’s grace we have been ushered into the Body, and the Lord today, in His heavenly ministry, is building up His Body. This is the unique work the Lord is doing today, and this is the work of the ministry, and this is the work we must do as Christians.
Eph. 4:12 - For the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.
Not knowing this age and not caring for the Body is a grave ignorance under the blinding works of the devil. We need the Lord’s mercy, first of all, to know the age, and then to carry out the work the Lord desires in this age.
Rom. 12:2 - And do not be fashioned according to this age..
The age we live in, in this world is the present evil age. Negatively, we must be aware of the satanic blinding of today's generation and his destructive work as anti to the work of God. Even the religious, ethical, moral and good works in the eyes of man which are not according to God for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ are mere substitutes and blinding works of Satan that leads people astray in this present evil. Therefore, we must not be fashioned according to this age. Instead, we must positively look to the Lord for His enlightening to see the heavenly vision and must know the spiritual age we are in, the age of the Body. With the divine, spiritual and heavenly light from the Lord in the light of the scriptures, especially, in the epistles of Paul, we can see the vision of the age and thereby look to the Lord for His mercy to carry out the work of the Body.
The work of the Body today is the building up of the Body. Building takes place in the way of life ordained by God. The way of life begets, nourishes, perfects and builds up. Anything that has life takes the way of life. And life grows and builds up unto maturity and perfection. The principle in physical life applies to the spiritual as well. Therefore, in the age of grace, in the age of the Body, we must take the way of life ordained by God. All that we say and do must be for the growth in life for the building up of one another in love, for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Col. 1:28 - Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ.
The burden therefore is crystal clear; as Christians living in the age of the Body we must see the Body, know the Body and do the work of the Body. And for the building up of the Body, we ourselves must pursue the growth in life and carry out the work of perfecting the saints, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ.
This is what the Lord has been speaking to me these days. And I believe this is the up-to-date speaking of the Lord.
To this extend, whoever or whatever we are, wherever we may be, we must be Body conscious in all our living and service. More specifically this time, as we carry out the translation of the New Testament Recovery Version Bible into six Indian languages, we have taken all steps in fellowship with the Body and would not do anything in haste until a thorough fellowship, and, genuine and sweet one accord is perfectly realized among all the saints concerned. Certain practical decisions we withhold for further fellowship and take care of the feeling and oneness in the Body, particularly with the coworkers bearing the burden of the Lord's work in India.
These are the practical steps the Lord has been teaching me in my service to do the work of the Body.
Ultimately, all that we do is for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.
Lord, grace us to do the work of building up Your Body in the way of life as ordained by You in this age of the Body.
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