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The Body of Christ - Part III SIB Metro Church
Bible Class – 04.09.2008 at 8.00 p.m. Conducted by Brother Ronny Cham, Leader of
the SIB Metro Church Preaching and Teaching Ministry The
Body of Christ – Part III In this third series of
our study on the Body of Christ, we develop the conceptual truth from
horizontal unity among members, i.e., “one out of the many” to the
vertical union with Christ, i.e., “the many in the one”. The truth is that, even though the head
is merely one body part among many parts, but the role of the head ensures the
intrinsic unity of the Body as a living thing, an organic unity. Likewise, there is no live in the Body
of Christ without the Head, which is Christ. It is when the members of the Body
connected to the Head, the Christ, then the Body of
Christ will grow and mature and has the Characteristic of a living organic
unit. In Ephesians 4:15-16, the Bible tells us,
“…but, speaking the truth in
love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ —
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.” First of all, we must note that the Body of Christ
“grows up”. Like a
human body, if one part of the body stops growing while other parts continue,
this will become an abnormality.
Secondly, we note that this “growing up” is centered on
Christ, the Head because every other part is connected to and drawing the
growth from the Head. Thirdly, for
all the members to grow as one, every part must be
functioning and every member must play its part in the process. Fourthly, the mark of the growth in the
Body of Christ is not marked by any physical denomination but in relational
quality of love. There are some parts of the Body of Christ which
think too highly of themselves, there may be certain member in a Body who thinks
he knows better than the others and he can serve the Lord better than the
others, such a member or part of the Body is “not connected to the Head”. This is what the Apostle Paul said in
Colossians 2:18, 19. Every part of
the Body must be connected to the Head because it is only from the Head the
whole Body receives nourishment, the Head is the provision of life. Only when all the parts are connected
and knitted together to the Head will there be increase or growth. I want to say a little more about verse 18 of
Colossians 2. A member of the Body will acknowledge and know that God has put
all things under His feet and gave Him to be the head over all things to the
Church (Ephesians 1:22). Paul in
Ephesians 5:24 admonished that the Church is subject
to Christ, because He is the head of the Body, the Church, who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the
preeminence. (Colossians 1:18) He gained His Headship because He gave Himself
for the Body (Ephesians 5:25). A
member described in Colossians 2:18 is one who does not recognize the Head and
who refuses to be connected to the Head, he is earthly, He
has not the Spirit of Christ and is not of Christ. But one who is connected to
the Head will know and appreciate the “process of growing together”
in Christ Jesus, he himself will be knitted and connected to other parts or
members of the Body. Paul in Colossians 3:3-4 said, “For you died, and your life is hidden with
Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear
with Him in glory.” Two
things we must know, first of all, the born again process involves “dying
to the old sinful self” and Christ through His Holy Spirit raised us up
from the dead to the newness of life in Him. A new inner spiritual being thus begins
to grow within us; Christ is hidden within. As we increase in the knowledge of
Christ through the reading and feeding on the Word of God, Christ is being
built within us. When He appears,
we shall then come to the full and perfect knowledge of Christ and shall appear
together with Him, we shall be one with Christ in one organic unity. Now, this is the final truth about the
unity of the Body of Christ. In Ephesians
2:6, Paul said, “…and raised
us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
(NKJV) My friends, this verse in
the Bible means something most significant. First of all, He wants to raise us up
together. This means that every member
and every part of the Body of Christ, must be raised
up together. Secondly, we will be
in one organic unity in Heaven in Christ Jesus. Now, think of this scenario, I have lived
my life in humility and love before Him, I knew and I have all the confidence
to know that I am ready to enter into Heaven’s gate to be with the
Lord. Indeed, I appear before
Heaven’s gate, but only to realize that I am alone. As I look down on earth and realize that
the many other members or parts are still down on earth, not ready to enter in
with me, then I shall remember the word of the Lord in Ephesians 2:6,
“… and raised us up together
and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”. I better hurried back to earth and pray and
help and encourage and support every member, every part of the Body to gather
together, to unit, to grow and to get raised up because the Body of Christ must
enter into Heaven’s gate one day as the Bride, together as one Bride, in
total unity. From time immemorial, the Lord has been
building this Body of Christ and getting the Bride ready. He does what He sees the Father is
doing, likewise, we do what we see the Lord is doing. He is building up the Body. Indeed, in
the process, He loves and cares enough to build me, an individual member of a
part of the Body up. We must likewise build each other up,
each member must play its part to cause growth of the whole Body. How shall we do that? In the local part of the Body, love each
other, serve each other and build each other up. As for members of the Body worldwide,
let us pray, we must pray for the saints the world all over. Paul in Colossians 1:9-12, said, “For this reason we also, since the day we
heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with
the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you
may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good
work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might,
according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in the light.” Yes, we must pray for the saints and all
those who will be called as members of this Body that they may grow and be
united together. For this reason
too, we pray for the Governments of this world, not for anything, but that God
will raise up Governments which will not hinder the growth
of the Body or that the members or parts of the Body in a particular place will
not be hindered to grow. Satan will raise
up its powers and principalities to stop the Body from gathering together, from
growing, so we have to pray to the King of kings and Lord of lords that He will
intervene so that every members of the Body will grow. We have to pray that
nothing will hinder the growth, nothing will stop the grouth. Whatever the
circumstances, we pray for the saints that they will grow so that the body will
be raised up together in His Time in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We shall enter in together. So, pray and help each other, love each
other enough to admonish, encourage and support and spur each other, and
everyone, to gather together, each member doing its own part, nourishing from
the Head, connected to the Head, growing and be raised up together as a Body,
so that we will enter in Heaven’s gate as His wholesome complete Bride. Everyone which divides or stifles or causes
another to stumble or which hinders the growth of another member of the Body is
NOT connected to the Head (Colossians 1:18), he is earthly, and not part of the
Body! Ronny Cham |
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