THE CHURCH, CHRIST’S BODY

Theme: “All believers are part of the universal Church of Jesus Christ and are His body on the earth.”

There are many local assemblies and denominations, but there is only one Body of Christ on the earth today.

Ephesians 4:4:
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.

Any born-again Christian is part of this body, regardless of what church (if any) he attends.

You might think that there are several “bodies of Christ” on the earth by the way many churches don’t get along. But all believers are going to the same place when they die! It doesn’t matter if they go along with the teachings in this lesson; the only requirement is that they be born again.

Romans 12:4-5:
For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Paul urges us to keep “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). We will never have unity of doctrine; any two churches are going to disagree on something, even if it’s minor. Paul did not urge us to keep unity of doctrine; he urged us to keep the unity of the Spirit. You can fellowship with other Christians who don’t believe the same way you do.  There is power when churches dwell together in unity! Jesus prayed that we might be one (John 17:21-22).

Local assemblies don’t have to work together in common outreaches, though it’s great when they can. For example, if we have a healing crusade and we speak in tongues during it, it would not be helpful to us to have altar workers from other churches telling people, “Healing is not for today! Tongues are of the devil!” We may be able to fellowship with each other and encourage each other to win lost souls, but we would have chaos if we had people at our events telling the people different things.

On this note, please observe that not all groups that call themselves churches really are. Many are simply organized groups of sinners who get together Sunday morning and act religious.  If these people are not born again, they are not part of Christ’s church on the earth, even if they are a member of what some men call a “church”. There is no way to try to have “unity of the Spirit” with such churches because there is no Spirit in them to begin with.

God did not intend for us to be lone rangers who try to walk the Christian life alone. It is unscriptural not to attend church if you are able to get to one!

Hebrews 10:25:
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some…

It is also not unscriptural to attend church and not get involved when there is work that needs to be done. Please understand that if you are new at a church, they are probably not just going to plunk you up there on the worship team or let you teach the children before they spend some time getting to know you.  That’s fine, because you wouldn’t want to “plug in” like that at a church until you are reasonably sure you’re going to stay there a while! But once you’ve been attending consistently, you should try to find an area, even a minor one, in which you can get involved.  Every member of the body of Christ has something to offer!  Even if you think you don’t, you do, because the Bible says you do if you’re a Christian!  And you need the other members of the body, too, even if you don’t think you do, because the Bible says you do!

1 Corinthians 12:12-27:
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not one member but many.  If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing?  If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He pleased.  And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.  And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.  And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need.  But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.  Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

God’s plan is for each member of the body to do its part to build up the rest of the body.

Ephesians 4:16:
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

1 Peter 4:10:
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

One must be careful not to sow discord and strife in the church.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17:
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.  For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

The verses above have been used for years to tell people, “Don’t smoke!  Don’t drink!  Don’t overeat!” but they have nothing to do with that – the “you” in the verses is plural.  Paul was telling the church collectively that it was the temple of God, not telling John Doe in the church that he was the temple of God. (The Bible does teach that our bodies are His temple, but this isn’t where.)  Destroying the temple of God in these verses has nothing to do with drinking too much coffee or smoking cigars. This is talking about destroying the local church! God warns that if you defile the local church, God will destroy you. Such a thing happened to someone named Jezebel in Revelation 2, who tried to get the saints in the local assembly to sin with her.  Such a thing also happened to some of the Corinthians themselves who swiped each other’s communion elements, as we saw in 1 Corinthians 11 in a prior lesson.

Romans 16:17-18 tells us what to do with divisive people: “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.  For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” Titus 3:10-11 instructs us, “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.”  Jude describes such people, too:  “These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.” (Jude verse 19). And most stinging of all is a list of seven things God hates in Proverbs 6:16-19, the last of which is “one who sows discord among brethren.”

If you’re not happy where you’re going to church, do NOT run around murmuring and complaining about it to anyone who will listen.  If they obey the Bible, they won’t listen to you anyway, and will suggest that you fellowship elsewhere.  And that is precisely what you should do.  But if you can’t find any church anywhere that suits your fancy, chances are that the problem is YOU and not the churches. I suppose there are areas left that don’t have a good church, but there aren’t too many places where you couldn’t drive an hour or less to find a really good church. If you’re looking for a perfect church, forget it, because if there really were such a thing, you would wreck it as soon as you walked in.

What should the church look like?  It should look like JESUS, since it’s His body!

Ephesians 1:22-23:
And He [God] put all things under His [Jesus’] feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

The Church is the fullness of Christ!  We should look like Him as far as the world is concerned. That is our divine destiny.

Romans 8:29:
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren,

But, you say, Jesus laid hands on the sick and they got well.  So should we in His name! He said that laying hands on the sick and having them get well was one of the signs that would follow the believing ones – the Church! But He cast out demons!  So can we!  Casting out demons is another sign that follows believers. (You can see both of these in Mark 16:17-18).

Jesus said something so totally mind-blowing, I can see why He had to say “Most assuredly” before it (or Verily, Verily or Truly, Truly depending on your translation):

John 14:12-14:
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do will He do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

What did Jesus do? He wasn’t talking about setting up napkins at a church picnic or helping the elderly across the street, not that those are bad things.  He preached, taught, healed the sick and cast out demons. Those who believe in Him have the right to do the same, whether they are called to full-time pulpit ministry or not.

That is the only reason Jesus could say, “It is to your advantage that I go away” (John 16:7). We, by the same Holy Spirit who worked through Jesus, can see miracles worked through us.  Now, instead of having to find the one physical location on earth where Jesus was, people can receive help from His body all over the world! He is present everywhere, working through believers who dare to act in His name.

Were it otherwise, John 16:7 would have to read something like this: “It’s not really such a hot deal for you that I go away, because all kinds of nice miracles happen where I am, but after I go, the age of miracles will soon go with Me, and you’ll just have to hope you can afford a good doctor.  Today you can come to Me, but later, you won’t be able to get the same thing from My disciples that you got from Me.  So really, it’s not to your advantage that I go away; it’s actually quite a bummer.”

Christ’s church on the earth is “the pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). According to Ephesians 3:10, it is through the Church that God’s wisdom is displayed to the principalities and powers in heavenly places (this is talking about spirit beings).

Jesus promised that He would build His church and that the gates of Hades would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). In other words, the devil’s schemes will not stop His church from being built. I’m glad that the responsibility is not all on me to make our church grow, and any other pastor should be glad for the same reason! The pressure isn’t on the pastor, though sometimes people might try to put pressure on the pastor to make the church grow!  But really, the whole church grows itself in love, as we saw in Ephesians 4:16 above, it’s not all up to the pastor.  One minister plants and another water, but it is God Who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Different local churches will excel at different things, which is one reason the whole Body is necessary, not just one local church.  Also, even if you had the same doctrine everywhere, some people would prefer old hymns, while others might want music that sounds like Hank Williams, while others want every service to sound like an Aerosmith concert.  Thank God there is diversity in the body so that everyone can be happy somewhere!

The Lord nourishes and cherishes His church (Ephesians 5:29).   His Church is very precious to Him.

He is the Head and we are the Body.  Does your head roll around the street independently of your body? I hope not.  Likewise, the Body is joined to the Head. We are joined to the Lord and are co-workers together with Him (2 Corinthians 6:1). We do our part and expect God to do His part in touching people through us.

[On to Lesson 15: The Role of Good Works][Basics Index][Bible Study Index][Home]