Psalms 51-53
Romans 2
“And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” — Ephesians 1:22-23
What is the Church of Jesus Christ? Is it a building of mortar, brick, vestibules, pews and stained-glass windows? Or is it made of flesh and blood? Scripture tells us that the church is the body of Christ, and as Christians, we are that body.
Think of your own physical body for a moment. You can touch it, see it, smell it, pamper it and hear it at times, but the body is not you. It is only the place in which you live. In 2 Corinthians 5:1, Paul describes the body as “the earthly tent we live in.” Though our earthly tents can be damaged, afflicted by illness or have missing parts, that does not change who lives in it. We remain the same person with the same likes and dislikes, the same character traits and personalities. We are also blessed with our own uniqueness, talents and abilities.
The church of Jesus Christ is intended to be the outward manifestation of the inward working of God. Jesus Christ has great plans for this world and His means of accomplishing them is through His church. Our bodies are His dwelling place through which He speaks His thoughts, fulfills His plans and performs His work. It is no longer the single body in which He lived for 33 years on earth, but an entirely new body given to Him on the Day of Pentecost. On that day, not only did 120 disciples plus 3,000 converts receive new life, but Christ received a new body. He received new hands to work with, new feet to walk with, new tongues to speak with and new hearts to love with.
This union with Christ is such that the church is described as being the actual physical being through which His life and His purposes are accomplished. The church is not an organization, but an organism, a living unit with all its members being united together by the indwelling life of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are the church and together we form one body of which Christ is the head. It is in dependence on Jesus and interdependence on one another, each with our God-given gifts, that the church of Jesus Christ is designed to function. Since the Day of Pentecost, the same Lord Jesus who had ministered on earth continues to do His work through us. God’s strategy in this world has always been through people. He has no other plans, and as Christians, we are the body of Christ at work in this world!
PRAYER: Precious Lord, there is no greater calling than to be partakers of Your work in a world that so desperately needs You. I ask that You use me in whatever capacity You choose. Thank You, God.
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