The Lord wants us, His people, to know what He
desires for the Church in these last days. Jesus has a
perfect plan which is according to His Word. But the
Church has not always been willing to let Him teach us
from His Word, and by His Spirit. He has not been able
to reveal clearly to us what has been placed in it. We
must hear His voice! We must conform to that which the
Lord has decreed or we will not be able to stand in
the day that is coming. Everything that is built
according to man's ways will certainly fall.
Therefore let us consider carefully what the Lord
reveals regarding His Plan for His Church in this day.
The Lord wants His people to let Him join them
together into one body, but only He can do the joining
together, and only He can set each one in the place that
He chooses. We must not fry to fill a place that the
Lord has not chosen for us, or we will create havoc in
the body. We must let the Lord show us, as we wait
on Him and as the Lord ministers to us,
where our place is in the Body of
Christ.
The body is one, even as there is one Lord and
one faith (Eph. 4:4-6). But because of geographical
considerations, and because of the numbers involved, all
of the body cannot be in one place at one time, neither
can each member function as the Lord desires. Therefore
His Plan is to divide the members of the body into
individual cell units or local assemblies. Each cell or
local assembly may function as a complete unit in itself
with no official relationship with any other cell unit.
The only relationship between the cell units may
be the spiritual bond which ties them together, and
the fellowship which they may have with one another from
time to time. Each cell unit will be governed by its own
elders whom the Lord will set in by the directive of the
Holy Spirit through those apostles which are sent to
establish and set in order all things.
Now, let's look at what the Lord shows us
concerning this plan as it is revealed in His Word.
Let's consider Ezekiel 1 and the plan contained in it.
The Prophet Ezekiel had a vision in which he saw
the glory of the Lord. He saw the Lord sitting above the
firmament on a throne (1:26-28). A throne
symbolizes rulership, showing the authority which
the Lord exercises in His body. Christ is the Head of
the Body (Eph. 1:22-23), and the body must receive its
direction from the head. All of the body is to be in
absolute subjection to the Lord or what He plans to do
will not be accomplished.
Secondly, Ezekiel saw an expanse under the
throne and over the heads of the living creatures
(1:22). This expanse is a type of the spiritual
"atmosphere" which must pervade everything that is
done in the body. Without a spiritual "air" pervading
all the functions of the body, there can be no
spiritual operation of the Body. This is why it is
so important for God's people to seek His face
constantly, to be instant in prayer at all times, to let
their praises ascend continually to Him, and to
live daily in His Word. What the Lord is revealing
is a spiritual plan for a spiritual people. It cannot
work among those who are not living on a high spiritual
plane. It is not for those who are still walking as men
and living on the level of the carnal.
Let us proceed further in analyzing Ezekiel's
vision. Under the expanse, Ezekiel saw four
living creatures. These creatures are a type
of the Body of Christ as it functions at the direction
of His Spirit. Ezekiel saw these living creatures move
at the behest of His Spirit. The creatures moved only
when the Spirit moved. Otherwise they did not move
(1:12).
Next, he saw that each of these creatures had
four faces. The first face was that of a lion.
This is a type of the courage and boldness which the
Lord will give to his people. The lion is the one who is
recognized as king of the beasts. So will the Lord's
people, who are functioning in His body according
to His Divine plan, have a kingly bearing of power and
authority in what they do. They will go forth with
boldness and confidence and no one will be able to
withstand that which the Lord will put within them.
Next, the second face was that of an ox.
God's people are to consider themselves as servants one
to another. Jesus said that the greatest shall be the
servant of all (Matt. 23:11). This is to show how we
should serve one another, each counting the other better
than himself, and with humility and Godly fear in our
hearts. We should not seek to exalt ourselves or take to
ourselves that which does not belong to us. The Lord's
Plan will not work unless each one is willing to be the
servant of all.
The third face was that of a man. The
end-time Body of Christ will come into the fullness of
the stature of the man, Christ Jesus, growing up in all
things into the Head of the Body, even the fullness of
Him that fills all in all (Eph. 4:13-15, 1:23). This
end-time Body shall be as one man functioning in
the fullness of what the Lord has planned for this age
and time. As the man Adam was brought forth in the image
and likeness of his God at the close of the sixth day of
the Creative week, so will the Lord bring forth His Body
in the fullness of His stature at the close of the sixth
day of the redemptive week or cycle. As Adam then
entered God's rest prepared on the seventh day, so shall
we enter that rest prepared for us on the seventh
day of this redemptive cycle, the great one thousand
year millennium which is at hand. But first, we must
reach that standard of perfection which the Lord has set
for us, and we must be brought into the image and
likeness of Jesus Christ. The Body will come to maturity
and be ready to show to the world that which the Lord
has determined.
Finally, we find that the fourth face was that of
an eagle. God's people will mount up with wings
as an eagle (Isa. 40:31). An eagle is able to soar at
heights where few creatures ever reach; the very heights
of the heavens. His people, in these last days,
functioning according to His Plan, will find
themselves soaring into the heavenly places in
Christ (Eph. 2:6). We must prepare ourselves, for the
Lord will have His people mount up, and we shall have
the vision of an eagle to see that which has never been
seen before, and we shall have the endurance of an
eagle to endure that which will come against us. Neither
shall we be afraid of the storm which is coming, but we
will set our "wings" and soar into the heavens on the
very winds which carry the power and force of the storm.
And we shall ascend to the heights in Christ where the
storm will not affect us, and we shall overcome all
things.
Next, Ezekiel saw that the living creatures each
had four wings (1:6,11). Two wings of each were
outstretched to touch the wings of the others and two
wings covered the body of each. The Lord will stretch
out His wings and cover us, and His wings will protect
us (Ps. 91:4). Also the woman (the Church) was given the
wings of an eagle to carry her into a place of safety
(Rev. 12:14). The Lord will protect and overshadow
His people. The Lord will be to us a protecting shield
to keep us from all harm in that day when the storm
clouds will be heavy on the earth.
Then Ezekiel saw the hand of a man
extending from under each wing on the living
creatures. This is a type of those ministries which the
Lord will set in our midst to minister to our needs and
to guide us in the right path. There are five of these
ministries as there are five fingers on the hand.
First is the apostle. The Lord has set in
His Church first a revealer of His Will and secondarily
an establisher of His people in His divine ways. He will
raise up apostles in that day who shall declare His Will
for His people. They will be used to set His house in
divine order, and they will keep His people from going
astray, for they will show His people what the Lord
requires of them. They will go from place to place to
establish that which needs to be established, and to set
in order the things that need to be in order. They are
first in the body because the body cannot function in
His divine pattern until the apostles have made known
His Will and revealed His truth to the people.
Second, the Lord has placed in His Body
prophets (I Cor. 12:28). The prophets also have a
foundational ministry (Eph. 2:20), usually in connection
with the apostle. However, at times the prophet will
function separately to reveal God's Will and to make
known His Plan. The prophet is especially endowed with a
ministry in the word of prophecy, for he will speak by
direct inspiration of the Spirit of God, and the word
will flow from his lips as the very word of God. I am
speaking here of matured ministries who have been tried
and tested and who have been called and sent forth into
the field, and not of those who are yet novices and are
only prophetic ministries in the making. The
prophet will also teach the deep things of His Word,
especially as they relate to the events of the hour and
the fulfillment of God's purposes in the earth. He will
also have a keen insight into the needs for the people
and be able to discern that which needs correcting or
changing. He will speak the word fearlessly, yet in
love and compassion as he seeks to minister to the
needs of the Body of Christ.
Thirdly, the Lord has set in the
Church those whom the Lord has generally termed teachers
(I Cor. 12:28). First in this class is the evangelist (Eph. 4:11). The
evangelist is a teacher of the redemptive truths of
God's Word as they relate to the needs of the Body
of Christ and the outreach of that Body to encompass
those who are unsaved. He will preach the Word with
power to exhort, admonish and encourage the people
in their witness for Jesus Christ. He will also unfold
to their understanding the ways and means of sharing
their faith with those around them. The evangelist will
also have a ministry of deliverance that the word which
he preaches will be confirmed and established in power.
He will have a great compassion for the Christian, and
also for the unsaved that they might be brought into the
fold.
Second in the general
classification of teachers is that of the pastor. The pastor will be the
closest to the people in ministering to their personal
needs and in counseling with them concerning their
spiritual problems. The pastor has the true shepherd's
heart as he desires to wait on the people and patiently
lead them into the green pastures and by the still
waters. His ministry in the Word will primarily be one
of taking the general principles of Truth and making
them applicable to the personal lives of the people
so that they might enter into the reality of spiritual
blessing and power. He will be constantly on the lookout
for the little lambs who need attention, binding up
their wounds and caring for them in their time of
need.
The third in the general
classification of teachers is the one who is
specifically called a teacher (Eph. 4:11). As the
name implies, he will be a teacher par excellence. He
will be able to take the Word and make it real to
people, breaking it down into its many parts and showing
its application to all phases of life. He will be a
master at clarifying the many little understood passages
of Scripture and making them live for people. He will
have a great concern for the growth and maturing of each
member of the Body of Christ that each part might
function in its proper place and come into its full
ministry.
Now let's consider further what was
seen by Ezekiel. He saw that each living creature moved
straight without turning.
Whatever direction they went, they went straight ahead
without variation (1:9,12). This pictures what the
Lord demands for those who would be in His end-time
Body. They must go as the Spirit directs and they must
not turn to the right or to the left. There must be no
variableness or shadow cast by turning, even as the Lord
Himself (Jms. 1:17). They will set their face, even as
the face of the cherubim, in whatever direction the
Spirit shows and then proceed without wavering and
without turning.
And then we notice that Ezekiel saw
fire in the midst of the living creatures. So will the
Lord be in our midst constantly as a living,
consuming fire, to continually purge and cleanse. As a
refining fire will the Lord sit in this day that His
people may be purified from all defilement and be
prepared to offer to Him an offering in righteousness
(Mal. 3:3). So will the fire of His Spirit burn in our
midst, and no sin will be allowed to continue unnoticed
and unchecked, for a little leaven leavens the whole,
and the Lord will purge out from the midst of His people
all the leaven of malice and wickedness (ICor.
5:8).
Consider further: the legs of the
living creatures were as burnished brass and straight as
pillars. Likewise, the Lord is building His Church in
this end-time and He is placing in that Church those who
are to be pillars, even those who have overcome all the
defilements of the flesh. There will be those in our
Churches who will be recognized as pillars. They will be
strong ones in the Lord and those who can be depended on
and whom the weak ones can lean on. Notice that the feet of the
living creatures were like those of a calf (1:7). The
calf is one who is created to serve others by providing
milk and nourishment. Those who are pillars in the
Church will provide sustenance and support to all who
have need. They shall make the Body of Christ strong in
the Lord. They shall not waver in times of testing, but
they shall be steadfast and uphold all who are in need.
Now we come to what Ezekiel saw
beside each of the living creatures. There was that
which he described as a wheel within a wheel, and each
wheel had a rim full of eyes (1:15-18). These wheels
moved when the living creatures moved and stood still
when the living creatures stood, for the spirit of the
living creatures was in the wheels (1:20-21). This tells
us that they were one, picturing only a different phase
of the same truth. The living creatures picture His plan
for the Body of Christ as a whole, but the wheels
represent the individual units or cells of the Body
as they are gathered together in a particular
geographical locality. They are one with the whole Body,
and yet they are separate in location. The Lord will
cause His Body to find its expression and function in
individual cell units.
Each cell unit or local assembly of
saints shall begin with what Ezekiel saw as a wheel
within a wheel. The inner
wheel comes first and corresponds to the nucleus of
a cell in the human body. That nucleus is the heart and
substance of the cell, around which the rest of the cell
is formed. Each local cell unit will begin with a
nucleus which the Lord will firmly establish and join
together. This nucleus will begin meeting in a specified
meeting place, often a home because of its
convenience and availability. This nucleus shall
meet to minister to the Lord in praise and in
worship. The Lord will join together those He wants in
each nucleus. Each person will seek His directive to
determine where the Lord wants him to be. No one will
seek his own will or desire but only God's Will. A
nucleus can begin with two or three families meeting in
a home on the Lord's day. Those meeting together will
subject themselves together in love, none seeking to
dominate or force his will on the others. Mutual
fellowship in the Lord and study of the Word will
constitute the basis for each meeting.
If not immediately available, in
due time the Lord will send one of His ministries to teach each
nucleus what the Lord would have them to know. In time
also the Lord will send one of His apostles to set this
nucleus in divine order and to appoint those who are to
be the overseers or elders of that group. They will be
willing to receive those the Lord sends to them and let
Him establish them as the Lord purposes. They shall not
try to do something in their own wisdom and strength,
but they shall wait on His counsel and leading and let
Him provide that which they need, and let Him minister
to them as He directs by His Spirit.
In the process of time, and only at
His direction, the Lord will have each nucleus that is
firmly knit and joined together, and firmly established
in His divine order with its local overseers, to move out into a more public
meeting place which will be accessible to all whom the
Lord would draw by His Spirit. The Book of Acts shows that the
early Church met in the Temple and broke bread from
house to house (Acts 2:46, 5:42). Also, Paul states to
the Ephesian elders that he taught them publicly
and in homes (Acts 20:20). The Lord would have two kinds
of meetings for His people. When they are ready, and at
His direction, the Lord will have them occupy a public
place of some kind where all will feel free to come and
where sinners will come to know the Lord. The Lord would
also have His people continue to meet in the homes of
one or more, depending on the size and need, in order
that they might break bread and let the whole Body
minister, with each having his part, as it is written in
the Word (I Cor. 14:26).
After the nucleus, or inner wheel,
has moved out at the direction of the Spirit to quarters
that are conducive to larger growth, and which is more
accessible to all, then the Lord shall begin to add others to the nucleus to
form a complete cell or unit. This corresponds to the
other part of the wheel which Ezekiel saw, revolving
around the inner wheel; one wheel but with inner and
outer components. This plan will not work until the
nucleus is firmly established and joined together, so
that nothing will be able to destroy it. Then, and only
then, is it ready to become the functioning center of a
larger cell which the Lord shall build around it. No
nucleus should move out to become the heart of a further
work of God until it has received the directive of the
Lord.
Now let's consider the eyes which Ezekiel saw on the
rim which stood above and encircled the wheel (1:18).
The eyes represent the local overseers or elders which
will have the oversight of each cell unit. Do we not
think that the Lord is capable of providing the
leadership which we need? Do we question His judgment in
raising up from our own number those who are to be set
in as the "governments" of His body? The time has come
for His house to be set in order according to His
Plan, that it might function according to His
direction and not according to the direction of
man. The time has come for His ministries to give up the
little kingdoms which they have built for themselves and
let Jesus use them to minister to His Body as He
chooses. His ministries are not meant to work only in
one place indefinitely and usurp the function given to
the local overseers of each cell. The Lord wants His
ministries to cease trying to build something for
themselves and let Him use them wherever He chooses. How
long a ministry shall serve in a particular place is
entirely up to the Lord and not according to his own
desires or wishes.
And now for a final factor in the
vision which Ezekiel saw. It is the way that the wheels
and the bodies of the living creatures functioned
together as one unit, moving only at the
behest of His Spirit. Let me repeat that this plan
is for a people who are willing to be completely led by
His Spirit. It will not work unless each ministry will
go only where the Lord directs, and unless each
member of the Body is willing to let the Lord set them
in the place He has chosen for them, seeking always
His mind in everything. So shall the whole body of
Christ everywhere function as one, with the ministries
following through and working with the whole Body
at whatever place the Spirit directs, and with the
mutual fellowship and participation of all the members
in whatever place and whatever function the Lord will
determine for them.