Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee

Being related with all the saints keeps us from being sectarian, isolated, or divided. Regardless of their particular practices, we are related by God in Christ to every kind of Christian, and no matter where we are, we cannot be separated from them. Without this relationship we would become isolated and divided. If we have nothing to do with other believers, we are not a local church. Rather, we are a local sect, a local division. We must be open, and our openness must be in every direction. We are open to all those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, regardless of their particular practices.

(Witness Lee, Genuine Church, 10)

If a proper, genuine group meeting has the Lord’s table, that table will be the table of a local church, with the bread as a symbol of the entire Body of Christ. That is a practice that keeps the oneness of the Body. Suppose, however, that we have a group of believers who originally were meeting with the church, but because of certain reasons, they left the church and keep themselves separate from the church, without having any fellowship with the church. Suppose, further, that these believers have what they call the Lord’s table. Such a table immediately becomes a symbol of division, a symbol of a sect. Hence, 1 Corinthians 11:29 charges us to discern. When we partake of any bread on a table that is called the Lord’s table, we must discern carefully whether that bread signifies the universal Body of Christ, without division, or not. If it does not, we should not partake of it. If we do not discern, and partake of such a thing, this is condemned by the apostle, that is, by the Lord.

(Witness Lee, Eldership (2), 133)

The churches should not be absolutely independent of one another. All the believers should depend on one another, and all the local churches should depend on one another. Especially in spiritual things, we should depend on one another. The church in a certain city may need help from the other churches in life and in its building up. The local churches should be in a situation of mutual dependence. The concept of autonomy is awful because it makes the churches separate from one another. We should not forget that all the believers in this entire universe are one man. This one man includes the believers at Paul’s time, the believers at our time, and the believers who will be born in the future. This one new man includes all the local churches. The one new man is doing God’s will, carrying out God’s eternal purpose.

(Witness Lee, Body of Christ, 23)