The Church

Posted in , , By brigitte 0 comments


What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word Church? Is it building, pews, steeple, people, Sunday?
 
While all these words are applicable, they don’t even come close to  the Biblical meaning of The Church. In Ephesians 1:22 Paul explains, “God placed all things under his (Jesus’) 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.”

Based on this definition, The Church is the body of Christ.

Well, what does that mean?

Go with me as I try to paint this picture for you and do realize that I am coming from a very literal and anatomical perspective.

The head, or more specifically the brain, is the control center for the body. Without the intricate neurological functions of the brain, the body is worthless and often times lifeless. The brain is so complex and in so many ways mysterious. And the shell that encompasses such a complexity –a skull; and painted on it a beautiful, one-of-a-kind original masterpiece, the face. How do we most commonly identify each other? By recognizing a person’s face. It’s usually the first thing we see when we look at a person. There are no two exactly alike. Such beauty. Such mystery. Such purpose.

Now can the body survive without a finger? Sure. How about a leg? Yep. Can it function without an appendix? Absolutely.

Yet it will never operate to its fullest ability or intention without ALL of its parts. The body will never look or work just right ever again.

Please hear me out…this is already a beautiful physical picture painted of the body of Christ in Ephesians…but you know there is always a bigger spiritual picture to behold. Oh man, that is something I love about the Scriptures. God will use a physical analogy to explain the depths of a spiritual one.

Paul wants for us to know that in God’s ‘big picture’ plan for the redemption of mankind, He chose to use The Church – the very people who have given their lives to follow Jesus Christ. God desires for a lost world to look into the face of The Church and see the reflection of the one true Savior, Jesus Christ. He’s one of a kind. He longs for The Church to display and outpouring of bleeding compassion, radical love, effortless humility and unparalleled unity.
God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. --Ephesians 3:10-11NLT
I fear that what most see is division, hypocrisy, angst, hatred, judgment…must I go on? Ugh! We are a pathetic people -- stubborn, dumb sheep that we are.

There is hope. The Holy Spirit continues to teach us how to function as the body of Christ. The world is in desperate need of its Savior. Let The Church not stand in the way of a lost world finding redemption and forgiveness in Jesus. We have a lot of soul-searching, Scripture reading, and on-your-face praying to do, Christians. Will you ask God to open your heart, your ears, and your eyes to see.

Ephesians 3:16-20 NIV I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.
(Happy birthday to my much older brother. I love you dearly. Your demonstration of the body of Christ led me to the feet of my Savior. May we always seek to glorify Him.)