OUR FELLOWSHIP BEING DEEPENED
THROUGH THE CROSS
In our experience, however, there are always frustrations and obstacles between us and God. There are many obstacles to the divine fellowship in its vertical and horizontal aspects. What is needed to deal with these obstacles? In the whole universe, there is only one thing which takes away all the obstacles between us and God—the cross. Verse 6 of hymn #737 in Hymns says:
Fellowship is deepened
Thru the cross of death;
Fellowship is lifted
By the Spirit’s breath.
This verse says that our fellowship is deepened through the cross. Without the cross, our fellowship is superficial. The cross of death deepens our fellowship, and the Spirit’s breath as the resurrection uplifts our fellowship. Fellowship frees us from our sinful self through the cross. Without the cross, there is no release, freedom, or liberty from the self. In the previous message, we pointed out that hymn #737 speaks of the divine fellowship and its relationship with the Spirit and the cross. Without the Spirit and the cross, we cannot have real fellowship.
FIRST THE BLOOD AND THEN THE OINTMENT
I would like to call our attention to two hymns—#279 and #631. The word fellowship is not mentioned in these hymns, but both of them touch the Spirit and the cross. The first line of #279 says, "First the blood, and then the ointment." The blood is a strong sign of the cross, and the ointment is a type of the all-inclusive, compound Spirit. These two elements are mentioned in Leviticus 14:6-10, 14-18. In this portion of the Word, we are told that a leper is to be cleansed firstly by the blood. The blood is the base. Then upon the base of the blood, the oil, the ointment, is applied. The blood and the ointment are applied to the tip of the leper’s right ear, to the thumb of his right hand, and to the great toe of his right foot. The ear signifies our hearing, the hand signifies our working, and the foot signifies our walking. Our hearing is a big problem. We are troubled because we listen to many negative things. Because this is sinful, our ear, our hearing, needs the blood. In a sense, it is good for us to be "deaf" to many things. Our working and walking also need the cleansing of the blood.
Spiritually speaking, leprosy is composed of the wrong hearing, the wrong working, and the wrong walking. Because we are wrong in our hearing, working, and walking, we are lepers. Because we are lepers, we need to first be cleansed by Christ’s redeeming blood. Then upon the blood we need the anointing oil. The anointing oil with the blood consummates our cleansing. Consummately, our cleansing is by the divine fellowship of the Spirit based upon the cleansing blood of Christ.
(The Triune God to Be Life to the Tripartite Man, Chapter 19, by Witness Lee)
