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MainThe purpose of this website is to present and examine the two aspects of the church—universal and local. The universal aspect of the church will be presented as it was revealed by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 16 and by the apostles in the Acts and the Epistles. The local aspect of the church will also be presented as it was revealed by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 18 and by the apostles in Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation. Witness Lee clearly saw these two aspects of the church and testified regarding them: The universal aspect of the church is mentioned in Matthew 16:18. When Peter recognized that the Lord Jesus was the Christ and the Son of God, the Lord told him that He would build His church on this rock. The church here is universal, comprising all the believers of all times and in all places, including Paul, Peter, and all the saints throughout these twenty centuries (1 Cor. 12:13)....The local aspect of the church is referred to by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 18:17. The Lord Jesus in the four Gospels mentions the church only twice: once in Matthew 16:18, referring to its universal aspect, and the second time in Matthew 18:17, referring to its local aspect. In Matthew 18 the Lord Jesus said that if we have any problem that we cannot solve, we should tell it to the church. This refers to the church in a certain locality. It would be hard to tell a problem to the universal church....If we have any problem which needs the church’s help to be solved, where shall we go? We must have a local church that we are part of, from which we can get help and to which we may go with our problems....Universally, the church is one. But locally, the churches are many. In Acts 8:1 there is the church at Jerusalem. In Acts 13:1 there is the church at Antioch. Then there are churches mentioned in Acts 14:23 and 15:41; here the word churches is used because there were a number of cities in these regions. In Romans 16:1 there is the church at Cenchrea. There is the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2). In Galatians 1:2 we have the churches in Galatia; there were several, because Galatia was a province of the ancient Roman Empire with many cities. In Revelation 1:4 and 11 there are the seven churches in Asia. Asia was also a province...a local church equals a local city. To write to the church in Ephesus means to write to the city of Ephesus. These are local churches. A local church is not a term used as a name, but it describes the fact of one church in a locality. The church does not have a name, just as the moon does not have a name. There is no such thing as an American moon or a Chinese moon. The moon in China is the same moon as in other countries. When it is over China, it is the moon in China. When it is over Britain, it is the moon in Britain. It is the one moon. In like manner, the church is one; it is unique. The church is both local and universal. (Witness Lee, Basic Revelation, 66-68) In Fellowship with the Young People, Witness Lee remarks on the universal and local aspects of the church: Just as Christ has two aspects, His person and His ministry, the church also has two aspects, the universal aspect and the local aspect. Universally speaking, the church is the unique Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). Christ as the Head has only one Body....The second aspect of the church is the local aspect. In each locality there should be an expression of the Body of Christ (Acts 8:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11). This expression of the Body in a locality is the local church. The universal aspect of the church is revealed in the book of Ephesians, while the local aspect of the church is unfolded practically in the book of Revelation. In chapters 2 and 3 there are seven churches in seven cities, one church in each city. We all must see the one Body, and we must also see the local churches. We must see the universal aspect of the Body, and we must also see the local aspect of the church, the local churches. In every locality the church must be one as the local church. (Witness Lee, Young People, 23, 25-26)
The two aspects of the church, the universal church and the local church, are clearly defined in these passages by Witness Lee. The universal church is composed of all the believers throughout all of time and in all places. The local church, on the other hand, is the expression of the one Body of Christ in a specific locality at a given time. Universally, states Witness Lee, the church is one. Locally, the churches are many; i.e., there are many local churches, yet they are all one. |
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