THE SELF BEING THE GREATEST PROBLEM
TO THE BUILDING UP OF THE BODY
Because the self is something independent, the self is the greatest problem to the building up of the Body. We should be dependent not only on God but also on the Body, on the brothers and sisters. Whenever we are independent of the brothers and sisters, we are in the self, in the independent soul. For us today, being independent of the Body is equal to being independent of God. This is a matter not of doctrine but of experience. If you check with your experience, you will realize that when you were independent of the brothers and sisters, you had the sense that you were also independent of God. Likewise, when you were isolated from the brothers and sisters, you had the sense that you were also isolated from God.
When some hear this, they may say, "Isn't the Lord omnipresent? Since the Lord is everywhere, I can have His presence anywhere. I can have the Lord's presence in my home or in any other place." However, having the Lord's presence depends on whether or not you are dependent on the Body and are rightly related to the Body. If you are rightly related to the Body, you will have the Lord's presence in every place. But if you are not rightly related to the Body, then no matter where you may be, you will not have the Lord's presence. Therefore, having the Lord's presence depends on our relationship with the Body. If we are wrong with the Body, we will not sense that we have the Lord's presence. If we are right with the Body, wherever we may go we will have the sense of His presence.
In order to be dependent on the Lord, we must be dependent on the Body. If we are dependent on the Body, then we will also be dependent on the Lord. You may wonder why you do not have a deep sense of the Lord's presence. You do not have the Lord's presence, because you are isolated from the Body, because you are not properly related to the members of the Body. Endeavor to be built up and to be right with the Body. If you are right with the Body and are built up in the Body, you will surely sense the Lord's presence.
THE LORD HAVING REGARD NOT FOR WHAT WE DO
BUT FOR OUR DEPENDENCE ON HIM
We have seen that the self is the independent soul. In doing things, our motive, intention, aim, and goal may all be right, but if we are independent, we are in the self. This may be our situation even in preaching the gospel, for we may preach the gospel in the self and by the self. We may also do certain other works for the Lord, but we may do them in the self and by the self.
I am very grateful to the Lord for Matthew 16:21-26. Here Peter was not doing something evil to the Lord. On the contrary, he was acting out of love for Him and intended to do something good for Him. Nevertheless, because Peter was independent of the Lord, the Lord turned to Peter and said, "Get behind Me, Satan!" This indicates that no matter what we do, even if it is something very good, we are in the self whenever we are independent of the Lord.
From this we see that the Lord Jesus does not have regard for what we do; rather, He has regard for our dependence on Him. If we see this, we will pay attention not to what we do but to whether or not we are dependent on the Lord. We need to ask ourselves: Am I independent of the Lord or am I dependent on Him? If we are independent of the Lord, we are in the self. If we are dependent on the Lord, we are spontaneously dependent on the Body.
(The Heavenly Vision, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee)
