GOD
… Reconciling the world unto God …
The Scripture used throughout this study is quoted from the King James Version. Any explanatory insertions by the author within a Scripture verse are enclosed in brackets [ ]. |
© 1996 by Vincent C. Finnegan
P.O. Box 3098, Latham NY 12110, USA
| The Church |
| Christ the Head |
| How the Church Functions Today |
| Unity |
| Gift Ministers in The Church |
| The First Century Church |
The Church
Demetrius finally had had enough and decided to do something regarding the certain ruin of his livelihood. Paul, the apostle, and the other believers in Jesus Christ had so effectively spread the gospel that Diana of the Ephesians was losing preeminence. As a silversmith, Demetrius had a lucrative business of making silver shrines for Diana. Business apparently had dropped off considerably since the Christians invaded Ephesus. So he called together workmen of like occupation, a union meeting, and delivered an emotional and dynamic speech of which any union leader would be proud.
His oration was so arousing that the whole city of Ephesus was filled with confusion. He worked the people into such a frenzy that for approximately the space of two hours everyone was crying out, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” “Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” The town clerk had to get involved to calm the crowd by reminding them that riots were harshly frowned upon and could easily be considered sedition to the Roman government. The multitude dispersed.
A Greek word in this record has an interesting use and is important to our study of the Church today.
Acts 19:32:
Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly [ekklesia] was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together.
The word “assembly” in Greek is ekklesia, made up of ek, “out” and kaleo, “called.” Ekklesia literally means called out. In Ephesus the people were called out for a riot. The word “ekklesia” is used 115 times in the New Testament, most often translated into English as church.
When we hear the word “church” today, we may think of a building with a steeple or a denomination like the Baptist or Methodist church. However, the Biblical definition of “church” is the called out.
What or who is the Church today? We are told very clearly in the Book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:22 and 23:
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
The Church today is “his body,” the Body of Christ. Who makes up the Body of Christ?
Romans 12:4 and 5:
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Every born-again believer is a member of the Body of Christ.
I Corinthians 12:12 and 13:
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
Because we are all of one spirit, we are all one Body. Every born-again one has the same spirit as every other. We are all equal members of the same Body, the Body of Christ. Over and over the Scriptures tell us there is one Body (Ephesians 4:4 and 5:30) and, therefore, one Church.
Not only is the Church today the Body of Christ, but because we all have the same Father, God, the Church is also a family. “Born again” implies God is our Father and that we are a part of His spiritual family. Yet the Christian Church has moved in a very negative, unscriptural direction; rather than unity, sectarianism flourishes. God’s Word says we are all members of one Body, but the Church has been divided into sects and denominations.
One spirit means one Body. One Father means one family. But instead of the Church members loving and edifying one another, we have succumbed to biting and devouring one another. We have cleaved to our own little group or big denomination, adamantly convinced that we are right and everyone else is wrong. So many take the liberty to criticize, judge, and condemn fellow Christians who do not belong to their group. Is this ungodly liberty to be viewed as a righteous stand for truth?
There is nothing wrong with members of the Body of Christ associating with each other based on common under standing of the Scriptures. Also labeling ourselves as Methodist, Baptist, or another man-made name is not a problem. The problems arise when we think our group is “the” Church and everyone else’s is not. Every born-again Christian is an equal member of the one Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ is the Church today.
Christ the Head
Jesus Christ is the head of the Body. When God raised Jesus Christ and set him at His own right hand, He gave him a position of absolute authority with the exception of God Himself. God put all things under Christ’s feet.
Ephesians 1:22 and 23:
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God with complete authority of the Church today. All things are under his feet. He is the head of all principality and power. He is the head over all. He is the one that directs and coordinates the Church. As the human head directs all the activities, functions, and unity of the individual parts of the body, so does Christ his Body. Also, the growth of the Body comes from the head, Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:15 and 16:
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together...
Each member of the Body can receive direct guidance from the head; therefore, we can all be unified. When we received the gift of holy spirit, we received Christ in us making direct communication with the Lord available for each member.
Colossians 1:27:
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
No man could ever effectively coordinate and guide the Church. Christ can because he lives within each individual member.
God dwells in Christ, and Christ dwells in us; therefore, we are completely, complete.
Colossians 2:9 and 10:
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
The world has many schemes designed by the adversary to deceive the Church from acknowledging Christ as the head. We are cautioned not to allow man-made religion to deceive us from keeping him as the head.
Colossians 2:18 and 19:
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Again we are told that through Christ, the head, we are knit together and increase with the increase of God.
Perhaps the most common deception the Church faces in regard to holding Christ as the head is to follow a man instead. So many people are not content to belong to a spiritual body headed by Christ. Apparently, man has a misguided desire to belong to something in the senses realm with a man in charge. People want to follow people. The Church has been guilty since its inception of following men in the place of Christ. God implored Paul to confront this carnal thinking in the book of Corinthians.
I Corinthians 1:10-13:
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
For it hath been declared unto me of you, my breth ren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
For the Church to be divided was wrong, but to be fighting over which man to follow was and is most shameful. Christ is the head; to follow a man is carnal.
I Corinthians 3:3-6:
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
This same carnal behavior plagues the Church today. Again, we become adamant in our conviction to stand for or with a man in spite of that which God’s Word clearly states: CHRIST IS THE HEAD!
We are so blessed to be alive in a time when the called- out, the Church, is the Body of Christ, and Christ is the head. Before Christ and Pentecost, God’s called-out was basically only Israel. Christ was not seated in the heavenlies, nor was he alive in each believer. The people of Israel were very limited in comparison to the Body of Christ of which we are blessed to be a part.
If you were a Gentile before Christ, you were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, the covenants, the hope, and God.
Ephesians 2:12:
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and with out God in the world:
All of this changed with the accomplished work of Christ.
Ephesians 2:13-16:
But now in Christ Jesus ye [Gentiles] who sometimes were far off are made nigh [near] by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, who hath made both [Judean and Gentile] one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain [Judean and Gentile] one new man, so making peace;
And that he might reconcile both [Judean and Gentile] unto God in one body [the Body of Christ] by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Both Judean and Gentile are now reconciled to God in one Body.
How the Church Functions Today
The way God has set up His Church is that each member is vitally important and, therefore, very needed.
Romans 12:4 and 5:
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
The word “office” means function or things to do. Each member of the Body is unique. No other can take your place. No one else can do that which you can do because no one else is you. You are one of a kind. God says the function you render in the Body is unparalleled and absolutely needed. You are needed, I am needed, and every born-again one is needed. The way God designed the Church to function today is for every member to serve. We are all dependent on each other.
The Church is not designed for one man or woman to serve all the others as is so common in most groups today. Everyone is to serve! I Corinthians 12 expands the illustra tion given in Romans. The Body of Christ is again compared to a human body.
I Corinthians 12:14-16:
For the body is not one member, but many.
If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
For the members to be contentious or jealous of each other is foolish because everyone has a function and everyone is needed. The foot, hand, ear, and eye are all needed in the human body; likewise, every one in the Body of Christ is needed. If we all served in an identical way, the Body would have great deficiencies.
I Corinthians 12:17:
If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
God has called each of us to be a vital part of His family and has given us a function in the Body as it has pleased Him.
I Corinthians 12:18-25:
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
And if they were all one member, where were the body?
But now are they many members, yet but one body.
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
The divisions in the Body are absolutely senseless. We need each other. The last thing needed is fighting each other. The main reason the Body is divided here on earth is that caring and loving are not priorities, but rather some much less significant concern such as which man to follow.
God set the Body up so that the members would have compassion and love for each other.
I Corinthians 12:26 and 27:
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Romans chapter 12 verses six through eight communi cates that we have many ways of serving and should get busy serving. If you excel in prophecy, get busy prophesying. If your ability is ministering to others, get busy ministering; if it is teaching, teach; if mercy, get busy being merciful, etc.
We should never sit around wondering what our particular function is, rather we should just get busy doing whatever we are able to do, for at that time that is our function.
The Word of God is the truth. Each believer is to live and speak the truth in love. The Body of Christ is edified as each member ministers within the Body and does so in love.
Ephesians 4:15 and 16:
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
The minister stands up behind the pulpit or behind the altar. The congregation sits in the pews listening. At the end of the service, people casually greet each other then speedily run home to live solitary lives. This is how Christians often function, but this is not how God designed for us to behave. Each member has a function, and each has a ministry in the Body.
Colossians 2:19:
And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
“Joints and bands” is referring to the ligaments and tendons which hold the body’s members together. Ligaments and tendons are not really parts but connective tissues which join the parts. The members of the Body of Christ are likened to the members of the human body. To serve effectively and carry out our functions, we must have points of joining and communication. We must fellowship one with another. Fellowship helps us to be knit together, and com- munication (as in “speaking the truth in love” in Ephesians 4:14) nourishes us.
We live in a time when isolation and not fellowship (sharing fully) is common. People have become self-absorbed rather than reaching out and caring for others. Detachment and lack of involvement are far more common in the Church. We should constantly look for an opportunity to serve and love because He wants us to do so.
Unity
Each believer has the responsibility to walk according to his calling.
Ephesians 4:1:
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation [calling] wherewith ye are called,
The unity of the Church is based on each member loving God and one another. Colossians 3:14 tells us, “And above all these things put on charity [love of God], which is the bond of perfectness.” Love is our bond! The Christian Church will never come together on knowledge. We are learning, growing, and changing all the time. Romans 14 tells us to be loving towards those who know more or less than we do. When Christ comes back, then we all will have a full knowledge of the truth. In the meantime, love must rule if we are to keep the unity.
Ephesians 4:2 and 3:
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
“Lowliness” is humility. Humility is complete depend ence on God. “Meekness” is a receptivity to God and the things of God. “Longsuffering” is patience with people. These are the things needed to keep the unity. We are not told to make the unity but to keep or guard it. Christ, the head, made the unity. We have absolutely no reason to be divided because we are all one.
Ephesians 4:4-6:
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Gift Ministers in The Church
Every Christian has been given the same gift of holy spirit. No one received more, no one received less. We have seen that we are all equally important members of the same Body, and we each have a responsibility to serve. We are all ministers. No member of the Body is more important than another, yet God has appointed some to function as gift ministers.
Ephesians4:7 and 8,11:
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
These ministries are not gifts to the man or woman who is ministering but to the entire Church. There are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
Their purpose is stated in the following verse.
Ephesians 4:12:
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
These ministers help all the believers to carry out their ministry of service so that the entire Body of Christ is edified. These gift ministries will continue in the Church until Christ returns.
Ephesians 4:13:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
As these ministers serve, the Church is spared the decep tion which causes many to be tossed to and fro.
Ephesians 4:14:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
These ministers are very much needed in the Body, but those who operate these ministries are no more important than any other member of the Body in making up the whole. The service of the gift minister may often be more visible because of the nature of the function. In the world, the higher profile people are highly-exalted, while others are ignored or even thought of disparagingly. This should never be so in the Body. A genuine minister of God knows full-well that he is no better than any other member of the Body and always ensures that God, and not himself, receives the glory. He knows Christ is the head and is but a privileged, humble servant helping the Body to acknowledge Christ and God.
The First Century Church
God moved greatly among the believers in the first- century Church. The believers maintained a loving relation ship with their Father and each other. This relationship was called fellowship. “Fellowship” in Greek is the word “koinonio” which means sharing fully. The believers were involved in each other’s lives daily. They shared fully because they had genuine affection for each other. Brotherly love abounded. The believers cared about each other to such a degree they eagerly pursued ministering to one another.
Acts chapter two summarizes their activities. The first thing to note is that they continued steadfastly in: 1) the apostles’ doctrine, 2) fellowship, 3) breaking of bread, and 4) prayers.
Acts 2:42:
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doc trine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
The Word of God was first and remained so daily. They shared fully with each other, which included eating together, and they prayed. As a result, great fear or reverence came upon every soul, thus opening the way for miracles.
Acts 2:43:
And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
Notice no evidence of greed and selfishness was given in this account. People genuinely loved and shared of their abundance.
Acts 2:44 and 45:
And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
The lack which seems to be so common in the Church today was not prevalent among the first-century believers because people shared of their plurality.
Acts 4:34 and 35:
Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribu tion was made unto every man according as he had need.
Their commitment to God and each other far exceeded meeting in a building once a week. They fellowshipped daily.
Acts 2:46:
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart
“One accord” means unity of purpose. They went to the temple so they could witness to others about Christ. They met in each other’s homes to eat and fellowship together. They were blessed and happy because they were living their lives for God and loving each other. “Singleness of heart” indicates undivided loyalty. As a result of their lifestyle, God was able to add to the Church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 2:47:
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
The Church today consists of those called out by God to be in His family. Those who believe Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised him from the dead are born again and, as such, are part of the Church.
Christ is the head of the Church. He, and he alone, can guide and coordinate the Church because he lives within each individual member. Each member has the privilege and responsibility to serve. As we do this, the Church will grow and be edified.
The bond of perfectness for the Church is the love of God. There is one Body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, the Father of all. We are one; therefore, we should live as one. To do this, we must exalt God and live lovingly as we have read in God’s Word.
The gift ministers are provided to help the individual believers carry out their service in the Body. They are certainly not to be served or followed in place of Christ or God. The example of the first century Church stares us in the face. It confronts us to commitment. We have one life to live. Why allow it to be filled with meaningless activity when we can live our utmost for His highest?
Source: http://www.bibelcenter.de · E-Mail: editor@bibelcenter.de
Last changed: 01.01.1970