The Ground of the Local Church

The Ground of the Local Church

The material in this Website concerning the ground of the local church will be drawn mainly from Scripture and supplemented by the ministry of Witness Lee. To begin, the New Testament presents two distinct aspects of the church. There is the singular church of God (1 Cor. 10:32), which is the universal church, composed of all the genuine believers in Christ throughout the ages. There are also the plural churches of God (1 Cor. 11:16), which refer to the local churches, each comprised of all the believers meeting in a given city, or locality. The unique universal church of God is the mystical Body of Christ, of which all believers are members (1 Cor. 12:27); it is the fullness of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23), even the extension of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12). Though a spiritual reality, the universal church is largely invisible; it is a church apprehended only in spirit (1 Cor. 11:29). A local church, on the other hand, is the visible and practical expression of the Body of Christ on the earth, a lampstand shining out the testimony of Jesus among men (Rev. 1:20). The local church as the expression of the universal church is therefore the practicality of the universal church; the local church is the church that can come together in one place (1 Cor. 14:23).

In the New Testament record, all the believers in a city met collectively as the local church in that city, the biblically prescribed unit of locality (Acts 8:1, 13:1; Rom 16:1; 1 Cor 1:2; Rev. 1:11). Though the local churches in the New Testament were many, their plurality never detracted from the intrinsic oneness of the universal church. Rather, each local church existed for the purpose of representing and expressing the universal church in its respective city. There was at that time only one local church in each city, its uniqueness demonstrating and testifying to the oneness of the universal church. To maintain this testimony, the local church must not be divided, just as Christ is not divided (1 Cor. 1:11-13). Although there may be innumerable bases on which believers choose to congregate (e.g., race, language, doctrinal affiliation, preference as to practice), according to the invariable biblical pattern, all the believers living in a particular city simply met as the local church in that city. Thus the city, which is the scriptural, God-ordained, and God-appointed boundary and sphere of a local church, is what we refer to as the ground of the church. The ground of a local church is the city within which that local church is situated.

God has used Witness Lee, a faithful minister of Christ in the twentieth century, to raise up more than two thousand local churches across the globe. Earnestly concerned about the state of rampant sectarianism and confusion in present-day Christianity, Witness Lee devoted much of his ministry to teaching what he had seen in the Scripturesconcerning the ground of the local church. Witness Lee faithfully presented the biblical pattern of the early believers meeting simply as the local church in the city in which they lived. Witness Lee felt specifically commissioned by the Lord not simply to win souls, but to raise up genuine local churches meeting on the scriptural ground of locality, which would corporately stand as the united testimony of Jesus, to the glory of God in the church (Eph. 3:21) and to the shame of His enemy. This website presents selected portions from Witness Lee’s ministry concerning the definition and the importance of the ground of the church, including relevant illustrations and examples. Related excerpts from the writings of Witness Lee’s senior co-worker, Watchman Nee, will also be presented where applicable.

Site Map

A. Definition of the Ground of the Local Church (One Local Church, One City)

B. The Difference Between the Ground of the Local Church and the Foundation of the Local Church

C. Importance of the Ground of the Local Church

D. Illustrations of the Ground of the Local Church



Introduction to the Ground of the Local Church

 

Definition of the Ground of the Local Church

 

Ground of the Local Church and Foundation of the Local Church

 

Importance to the Ground of the Local Church

 

Illustrations of the Ground of the Local Church

 

Bibliography

 

Links

 

Introduction to the Ground of the Local Church | Definition of the Ground of the Local Church | Ground of the Local Church and Foundation of the Local Church | Importance to the Ground of the Local Church | Illustrations of the Ground of the Local Church | Bibliography | Links

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