THE ISSUE OF COORDINATION
Becoming Burning Coals
The result of the coordination of the four living creatures is that they become the burning coals. They now look like something burning. There is a fire among them and with them. Because they are coordinated as one, God comes in as the fire and they become the burning coals. Every living creature becomes a burning coal. How can we know whether or not in a particular local church there is the proper coordination? We can tell by the burning coals. Is the church burning? If there is no burning, it is a strong proof that there is no coordination. Where there is coordination, there will surely be the burning.
The burning will do several things. First, the burning will burn out all the negative things. If you have a heap of coals burning together, what could exist among them? Whatever is put upon them will be burned. If in the church there is the proper coordination, there will be the burning to burn out the worldliness, the flesh, the self-aim, the self-goal, the pride, the boasting, and all kinds of negative things. Even all kinds of opinions, teachings, and doctrines will be burned out by the coordination. There will be the burning because everyone is in the proper coordination. Among them there is nothing but burning. No opinions can remain. No self, no flesh can remain. Sometimes the leading ones or some of the saints are just playing. But in a coordinated church where there is the burning, all the playing will be burned out.
Second, the burning of the coordination will make you fervent, hot, and on fire! There will be no coldness or lukewarmness. Everyone will be burned and burning. When people come in they will realize that they cannot stay unless they are willing to be burned. They will say, "Do not touch these people, these people are awful; they will burn you. Even if you shake hands with them you will be burned." The coordination brings in a real burning, a real fervency. This burning will not allow you to be like Laodicea. The church in Laodicea was lukewarm, having no fervency, no burning.
Third, the burning in the coordination will produce the power and impact of the church. The impact in the local church comes out of the burning. If you desire to have an impact, you must be coordinated. You need the burning of the coordination. Then, out of your burning there will be the impact and the power. The negative things will be burned out, you will be on fire, and you will have the power with the impact.
Becoming Burning Torches
Not only do the four living creatures look like burning coals, but they also look like burning torches. The coals are for burning, but the torches are for enlightening. From the proper coordination in the local church there will be not only the burning, but also the enlightening and shining. Whenever you touch the church you should be able to realize that there is nothing of darkness among these people. Every corner is thoroughly enlightened. Light is there. It may be that when you get into a local church, there is the sense of darkness. Nothing is clear; nothing is in the light; everything is dark and every part is under darkness. This is because the church is divided and does not have the proper coordination. If the church has the proper coordination, every corner will be under the light.
Having a Fire Going Up and Coming Down
Among the coordinated living creatures, while they are the burning coals and the burning torches, there is a fire among them going up and down. This fire is God Himself. Whenever the church is properly coordinated, burning as coals and enlightening as torches, there will be the divine fire going up and coming down all the time.
Not Walking but Running
The living creatures, having such a coordination, being the burning coals and the burning torches, and having the fire going up and coming down, will not walk but run (1:14). They run because they have the power and the impact. In some local churches there is no running, but fighting. In others they are not fighting, they are just squatting, just sitting. The proper church is the church that runs. They run because they have the proper coordination. They run like lightning, and as they run they give people the light. In their running there is the lightning. While they run they flash the lightning. This is the proper church life. Every local church must be like this. This is the coordination and this is the proper move of the local church. Without such a coordination there is no move of a local church. The move is in the coordination.
CONCLUSION
These verses show us how that we may have the proper coordination. We all must learn the four kinds of walks: the straightforward walk, the backward walk, the sideways walk to the right, and the sideways walk to the left. This will give us a good coordination. Then we will be the burning coals and the shining, burning torches, and we will have God as the divine fire among us going up and coming down. This will become our power and our impact. People will see the light in our running. Wherever we go and whatever we do, we will manifest the lightning. There will be the flashing of light, causing people to be enlightened. Such a running and such a moving is the proper church life. Coordination will bring in the Lord’s presence and the Lord’s blessing. Furthermore, such a practice of coordination will always keep the church in a proper balance. It will prevent us from going to any extreme.
We must apply the matter of coordination not only within a local church, but also among all the local churches. We all must love to be "followers of the churches" (1 Thes. 2:14). We are one body in one move of the Lord. When one church is taking the lead in a certain direction under the leading of the Holy Spirit, we all must learn to walk backward and sideways to follow.
(The Visions of Ezekiel, Chapter 5, by Witness Lee)
