God’s Eternal Purpose Being Realized through the Local Churches

To Express God through the Sonship

Witness Lee speaks below of the importance of the local church in God’s plan to express Christ in localities all over the earth. The universal Church must appear as local churches in many cities for the Body of Christ to be realized today.

God’s plan is to have a Church in the universe as the Body of His Son for His expression. However, to carry out this plan, He has to set up local churches in the different localities. If He does not set up churches in the different localities, God’s universal plan for the church will be only an empty ideal with no way to be carried out. In order to carry out this plan, God has to set up churches in the different localities.

If you grasp hold of these two points, you will be clear when you read the New Testament again. There is a great vision in the New Testament that tells how the Church as the Body of Christ is the expression of the Son of God. This concerns God’s plan in the universe. On the other hand, the New Testament shows us that the Church appears in the localities. It is in the different localities that God’s plan is realized.

(Witness Lee, Elders’ Management, 12)

Just as Noah was standing for God’s goal despite all the negative outward circumstances, Witness Lee declares the local churches are likewise standing for God’s goal in this age to express and represent Him:

Furthermore, as I have already mentioned, Noah and his family were one because they shared one, unique goal. Neither Noah nor his sons were for their own interests. They were all for God’s goal. What was God’s goal? God’s goal was that man should express Him and represent Him. Noah and his family had no other God and no other goal. Their goal was not farming, education, or industry. Their goal was not their own self-interests. Their unique goal was to express God and represent Him. We must be deeply impressed with this. Although we have one God, we may have different goals. If we have different goals, we shall be divided. What is your goal? Is it to make a name for yourself or to be famous? Is it to build up something other than God’s purpose? We are here in Anaheim to express God and represent Him. We have a strong standing to declare to the whole universe, even to Satan and to all the rebellious angels, principalities, powers, and demons, that we, the local churches, are standing one with God for His purpose. Our unique goal is to express our God. We are here to express Him.

(Witness Lee, LS of Genesis, Vol. 2, 453)

As Witness Lee explains in this excerpt, Noah’s experience of having one goal to build the ark parallels our experience today of joining with the Lord to fulfill His one goal of expressing Himself through the local churches. This common goal unites believers in the local churches and safeguards them from division.

God’s Purpose

Corporate Body

Displaying God’s Wisdom

Satan’s Defeat

Expressing God through Sonship

Heading Up All Things

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