Serving as a Disciple

1. The Body of Christ: the Church

Key Scriptures

1 Corinthians 12:12–27

Ephesians 5:23–32

Romans 12:4–8

Hebrews 10:24

Colossians 1:18

Colossians 2:19

Ephesians 1:22–23

What is the body of Christ?

The body of Christ is that body of born again believers who have been joined to Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12–14), to fulfil the task of witnessing to and establishing the Kingdom of God which He began. Jesus gave to the believer the authority of His name and the power of the Holy Spirit (Mark 16:17–18; Acts 1:8) so that on His behalf, we may be involved in the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth. All disciples of Jesus are united in this task, with each disciple having a part to play. These disciples need to work together as a body of many members with Jesus as the Head.

Our loyalty, as disciples of Jesus, is first to Christ Jesus and His worldwide church, and then to the local church where He has put us. All the believers in God’s worldwide church obviously cannot meet together, so God has ordained that we meet together in smaller groups, whether in a city church (1 Corinthians 1:2) or a church in a house (Romans 16:5). This is the visible body of committed people. This local church does not consist of a priest or vicar (or performer) and people (or audience). It consists of born again believers, all of whom are priests (1 Peter 2:9). Jesus is committed to building His church on earth and He is not going to let Satan overcome it (Matthew 16:18). As disciples of Jesus, we should devote ourselves to the church, which is shared life in Christ (Acts 2:42).

Various pictures

There is no single picture which can adequately describe what God has in mind for His people. Paul uses several pictures to illustrate various aspects of God’s revelation about the church.

A temple

This reveals God’s intention of building a people together for a habitation of God by His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Corinthians 3:16). We are living stones built together into a spiritual house, so that we can be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:4–5).

A family

This enables us to appreciate God’s purpose in enfolding us in His family and making us joint heirs with our elder brother, the Lord Jesus (Romans 8:17; Hebrews 2:10, 14–17). The church is a lifestyle and not an activity. The church is not a religious club you opt to join, but rather it is God’s family to which you were added (Acts 2:47).

A bride

This enables us to understand the oneness that Christ and His church are to experience together in personal relationship and commitment together (Ephesians 5:22–32; John 17:11, 21).

A body

This enables us to understand Christ’s desire to use His present body, the church, to minister life and healing in the same way that He ministered in His earthly walk (1 Corinthians 12:1–31).

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

This is a tremendously rich calling which demands a body of people who are functioning in the same realms of power and authority in which Jesus ministered. Before men can ever be entrusted with such authority and power, there must be a recognition of the divine principles of headship and a submission to Christ, the Head of the body.

Remember, God did not originally plan denominations, e.g. Church of England, Methodist, Baptist etc., they have come because of human divisions throughout the history of the church. Jesus founded and is building one church, one body, to which all born again believers belong (Ephesians 4:4; Matthew 16:18).

Features of the church

The headship of Jesus Jesus established the church. He is building it and He controls and directs it (Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:19; Ephesians 1:22–23; Ephesians 4:15–16). We, as the body of Christ, share in His life and come under His control. The way the physical body functions is to act out what the head is telling it to do. This needs every part of the body to be working properly, obeying the signals coming from the head. The body of Christ functions in the same way. Unity of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12–13; Ephesians 4:2, 3, 32) All believers are part of one body and there is an invisible unity among them, because they all share in the same Lord Jesus. Jesus prayed for complete unity among all believers (John 17:20–23). Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ, we who are many form one body and each member, although having different functions, belongs to all the other members. We cannot be independent. This would be like removing your hand and expecting it to operate independently

Gordon, Bob. The Foundations of Christian Living (The Sovereign World Foundations Series) . Sovereign World Ltd. Kindle Edition.