The Lord Sets the Members in the Body as it Pleases Him., D.L.

Due to the efforts of my loving grandmother and God's sovereign management of my environment I was “saved” at an early age.

My parents, however, were not active Christians and the Lord seemed to remain buried deep inside until I left home when I was eighteen. Then the Lord arranged for me to meet a genuine Christian family as I was hitchhiking from Michigan to Missouri. This family unearthed the Lord in me and I had a dynamic salvation experience (from drugs and a hippie lifestyle).

This family also introduced me to the works of Watchman Nee. I was amazed at the light and truth that came to me while reading The Normal Christian Life and The Release of the Spirit. They also shared with me about the Body of Christ. This stirred up my being to the depths. I knew from Romans 12 that the Lord had a Body and I wanted to be fully in it. However, at that time in a small town in Missouri, I couldn't find any substantial expression of “His Body.” A few wonderful believers could be found here and there (and I went to any and every Christian group I could find), but the practical oneness of the Body was definitely not to be seen. Through the Lord's arrangement of the family that cared for me I was encouraged to go to Houston, Tx. In Houston, I contacted the local church after a short time. After going to some meetings (and especially after reading the book, The Orthodoxy of the Church), the inner eyes of my heart were enlightened and I began to see the Body in a practical way as expressed through the members of the local church.

Another realization I had concerning the Body of Christ was when I went to hear Witness Lee in Los Angeles. I went to that meeting with a critical attitude. But when I heard Witness Lee speaking, I realized this dear, dear, elder brother was just sharing the riches of Christ. I had the sensation that the Spirit was just flowing out of this member of the Body into the other members (me included). Then I realized the Lord had set me in the Body, and the reality of Romans 12 became my experience.

That was over 27 years ago. I am still enjoying that the Lord has placed me in the Body of Christ and that He can be expressed among us in the local churches.