Supernatural cooperation within the body of Christ

5.5 Supernatural cooperation within the body of Christ

Supernatural cooperation within the body of Christ
A Christian congregation consisting of individual "wilderness Christians" will never manage the difficult tasks required of the end time church. To fulfill her destiny, the end time church must choose to die to self (as seen among Chinese Christians) in order to live supernaturally in the "promised land." We must become willing to begin to "die" from the individualism which prevails not only in our society but also in our churches.

The "promised land" life is characterized by individuals who:

no longer let themselves be habitually controlled by their "old nature."

are willing to begin to live according to the kingdom of God's lifestyle of giving and service as members of the body of Christ.

train themselves to increasingly receive direction and instruction from the head of the body, Christ. By doing this, the members are together able to accomplish greater things than they could do as isolated individuals.

follow in love their master, Jesus Christ, wherever he leads them.

The way to enter this life goes daily through an ever-deepening experience of the cross in our lives.

Note 1:
When the communists took over in China, they attempted to eliminate Christianity by expelling the missionaries, throwing native pastors in prison and burning the Bibles. But the result was instead a great revival giving over 70 million new believers as the members of the body of Christ strengthened their contact with the Head. In many instances, the "sermon" at a gathering is brought by children or youth under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes one person speaks in tongues while another interprets. They also pray boldly for the sick to be healed, and have even seen the dead being raised back to life.

Note 2:
One time a pastor from the West came late in the evening to his Chinese friend in a remote village. He was asked if he would preach the next morning if they arranged a meeting. The pastor agreed, but wondered how they would be able to call together all the people at such late notice. "The Holy Spirit will do it," came the answer. The next day, in fact, hundreds of Chinese believers stood out in the yard, rejoicing that the Holy Spirit had assembled them for a big meeting with the guest speaker. Some of them had been travelling on their way for several days!