I.　The local churches are many in existence but are still one Body universally in element—Gal. 1:2; Eph. 4:4:

A.　In element all the churches are one; we are one church, one Body, one new man, and thus we cannot be autonomous—Matt. 16:18; Eph. 4:4; 2:15.

B.　In the spiritual element all the churches should be blended together as one.

C.　In the eyes of the Lord, all the churches are one; the Lord has only one Body— Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23.

D.　All the churches are and should be one Body universally, doctrinally, and practically—1 Cor. 4:17; 7:17; 11:16; 14:33b; 16:1.

II.　In the church life we should learn to have the consciousness of the Body; as members of the Body, we should have a feeling for the Body—1 Cor. 12:12-27:

A.　In order to have the Body life, we must care for our fellow members and must be full of feeling for the Body—Rom 12:15; 1 Cor. 12:26-27.

B.　We should take the feeling of the Head as our own feeling—Acts 9:4-5:

1.　Paul took care of the Body of Christ by taking Christ's feeling as his own feeling; Christ's feeling became his feeling for the Body—Phil. 1:8.

2.　If we as members have the feeling of the Head in everything and care for the Body, we will take the Body as the rule in our mind, thoughts, words, and actions—Eph. 4:15-16; Col. 2:19.

C.　Wherever there is Body-revelation, there is Body-consciousness, and wherever there is Body-consciousness, individual thought and action are ruled out.

D.　We should deny ourselves and identify ourselves with the Body—Matt. 16:24; Rom 12:4-5, 15; 1 Cor 1:2; 12:12-27:

1.　By doing this, there will be no separation or disconnection from the Body.

2.　If we do this, the life we live will fully be the Body life, and the Lord will gain the expression of the Body—Eph. 4:15-16; 1:22-23.

E.　Our enjoyment of Christ causes us to become conscious of the Body of Christ— Col. 2:16-17, 19:

1.　What we enjoy of Christ is actually something of the Head; thus, when we enjoy Christ, He causes us to become conscious of the Body.

2.　The more we enjoy Christ, the more intense is our desire for the Body.

3.　Since the Christ we enjoy as our everything is the Head of the Body, the more we enjoy Him, the more we become Body-conscious.

III.　Whatever we do involves the Body; therefore, whenever we do something, we must have a proper consideration of the Body—2 Cor. 8:21; Eph. 4:16:

A.　We should not do anything without taking care of the Body—1 Cor. 12:12-27.

B.　We need to consider how the Body would feel about what we are doing and consider how the Body, the recovery, will react.

C.　How we behave ourselves depends upon the degree of our seeing the Body.

D.　If we are in one accord only in our local church and do not care for the other churches, this kind of one accord is a sect, a division—Acts 1:14; 15:25.

E.　If we take care of the Body and are concerned for the Body, there will be no problems—Eph. 4:4, 16.

IV.　Among all the churches that compose the one universal Body of Christ, there is no organization, but there is the fellowship of the Body of Christ—Acts 2:42; 1 John 1:3; 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:16-17; 11:29:

A.　All the churches on earth are one Body, and within this one Body, there is the circulation of the divine life—the fellowship of the Body—1 John 1:3.

B.　Fellowship is related to oneness; the circulation of the divine life in the Body brings all the members of the Body into oneness—Eph. 4:3-4; Rom. 16:1-23.

C.　The local churches should fellowship with all the genuine local churches on the whole earth to keep the universal fellowship of the Body of Christ.

D.　Any local church that does not keep the universal fellowship of the Body of Christ is divisive and becomes a sect.

E.　If we realize what the fellowship among the churches is, we shall not have the concept that a local church should be altogether independent:

1.　According to the nature, essence, and intrinsic element of the church, no local church can be independent; to be independent is to be in darkness.

2.　Whoever has the intention, either consciously or unconsciously, to separate his area from the fellowship of the Body of Christ eventually will suffer darkness, confusion, division, and death.

F.　Although the administration of the church is separate and equal locally (Acts 14:23), the fellowship of the church is one universally; there are separate churches in many cities, but there is one fellowship in the entire universe.

G.　If we isolate ourselves from the fellowship of the Body, we are not qualified to partake of the Lord's body, because the one loaf on the table in the Lord's supper signifies the entire Body of Christ—1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:29:

1.　Our joint partaking of the one bread makes us all one; this indicates that our partaking of Christ makes us all His one Body—10:17.

2.　When we come together to partake of the Lord's table, we need to realize that the bread, the loaf, signifies all the churches—11:29:

a.　If the church in our locality or the churches in a particular region are isolated from the fellowship of the Body, we lose the ground and also the right to partake of this loaf.

b.　Whenever we come to the Lord's table, we come to practice the fellowship of the Body—10:16.

V.　All the local churches should be absolutely one in the realm of five crucial things: 1) the growth of life for the testimony of Jesus Christ; 2) the preaching of the gospel; 3) the spreading of the Lord's recovery; 4) the building up of the Body of Christ; and 5) the accomplishment of God's eternal economy—Eph. 4:16; Col. 2:19; Matt. 24:14; Eph. 3:9; 1:10.