Words to Grow On

June 12, 2006

The BODY of CHRIST

By

Esther E. Wilson

These days I am thinking a lot about The Body of Christ, soaking up any scripture I can find and any articles that are helpful to my thought processes.  I am in awe of what the Lord Jesus has done for us.  The song that runs through my head almost every day is the one that Twila Paris sings so eloquently, “How Beautiful”  (“How Beautiful is the Body of Christ”).

The word "church" comes from ekklhsia meaning the "called out."

Picture a wedding… there is One Bride.  So as there is one bride, there is one church.  The church is composed of those who have been "called out" of darkness and into the light of Jesus Christ.  Such a called-out group of people is called the church in whatever location they find themselves.  The bride says, “My Beloved is in glory right now, as a glorified Man and as God.  He has been rejected by this world.  And because the world has rejected my Christ, my Lover, I can’t love anything here.  My heart is not in the earth.  It’s wherever He is!”  The bride’s heart is with her Bridegroom – seated in glory at the right hand of the Father!

The following New Testament truths describe this one church:

• The church is the bride of Christ (The bride belongs to the bridegroom.  The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice.  That joy is mine and it is now complete”.  John 3:23).
  
•  Christ owns the church (… and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”  Matt. 16:18b) and,
  
• The church is the body of Christ (And 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.  Ephesians 1:22-23)

Furthermore, God’s master plan is for unity among His church through His Son. In the book of John, Jesus prays for His disciples (chapter 17): “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you.  Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one.”   It was and is Jesus’ desire that His followers—Christians—be one.  Jesus prayed for the unity of the church and He expects us to strive for unity … to be one with the Father, as He is one with the Father.  You can be sure that since He expects unity in His church, He will provide us a way to accomplish it. That way is in the Gospel.  As Christians we are called to love, purity and oneness in His name.  I like to think that our church is lovesick for our Lord, known for our love for Him rather than our knowledge of Him.  In Ephesians 4:4-6, we read, "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.”

Where would we be without the blessed Body of Christ?  Try to think with me for a moment.  When you were going through that crisis last year, when your child was so sick, when your marriage was falling apart, when your job was on the line, when nothing you did seemed to be right… what would you have done without the love, the support and the prayers from the church – your church – our church – the Body of Christ? 

The church who believes in the saving power of Jesus Christ, and who professes him as Savior, is ONE.  We are all one body.  We all may have different ways of worship, different traditions and ways of Praise, but we have one thing in common:  A passion for Jesus!  We are brothers and sisters, we are a family.   What a wonderful and peaceful feeling that we are not among strangers.  It deeply blesses my soul to hear my family sing His praises.  In our church, we might not have a thousand tongues, we may not even have 100 voices on a cold day in Maine, but when we come together and sing O For A thousand tongues to sing …  I can just see God looking down on us with such love and grace – and saying, ‘Listen to My Kids!’  What a peaceful picture in my mind!

Are you facing some difficulties right now and you don’t know where to turn?  First, you turn to Jesus Christ who loves you with an unconditional everlasting love.  Your sense of whether or not Jesus is near to you cannot depend on how you feel.  When you feel down, depressed and blue and don’t have the energy to call on the Lord, the devil will flood you with feelings of guilt and unworthiness.  You will think that Jesus has left you and is saying to you, “I’ll come back when you make time for Me.”  Do not believe it!  The nearness of Jesus is given to you as you have faith in His fullness and power in your life.  It has nothing to do with how you feel.  So, when someone is pushing all your buttons, making you angry – and every day life is getting you down … just say, “Oh God, I believe by faith that You are here and You are near to me.  Protect me, Lord – keep me.  Don’t let this junk seep into my soul.”  And secondly, find a church that has this passion for Jesus and for each other.  It will make a difference in your life.  The church will be compromised of people who have given up trying to find help, solace, comfort or satisfaction from anything else on this earth. They have learned to depend wholly on the One they love and to fully satisfy their every hunger and thirst.

At work I have on my wall an artist’s depiction of our Savior with these words: “I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.”  I am telling you from my heart of hearts … in my life the church, (the BODY of CHRIST) has made life much easier to bear!

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!