Expression of the Body of Christ As we continue to study and meditate
upon God's location of revival, it's necessary for us to discover how
the mystical, supernatural Body of Christ expresses itself and reveals
Christ on the earth. As we study the epistles of the New Testament, we
see that each individual New Testament church is the local expression
of the one mystical Body. A distinction is made between the Church,
which is the Body of Christ, and the churches of the saints. In the
Ephesian epistle, the church is viewed as one magnificent whole, while
in the other epistles of Paul, the messages are directed to the local
established churches:
- To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called saints. Rom. 1:7
- Unto the church of God which is at Corinth … called saints. I Cor. I:2
- And all the brethren which are with me unto all the churches of Galatia … Gal. 1:2
- Paul and Timotheus … to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi. Phil. 1:1
There is no such thing as the local "body." I realize that in the authorized translation of I Corinthians 12:27, we read, "Now ye are the Body of Christ." The proper translation, however, is rather, "ye are Christ's body." That is, the local company of believers at Corinth were one part of the whole, and they were the local expression and representation of the whole. How glorious and solemn a truth! Wherever two or three gather themselves unto the Name of the Lord, they represent the whole Body of Christ, for they are in living spiritual union with every other member of the Body the whole world over.
Now, as the purpose of a body is to express the character of the person who inhabits it, so the peculiar mission of the church is to manifest the character and life of the Son of God. The Church is the visible expression of the invisible Christ to an ungodly world. Thus, the purpose of each local church is to manifest the glorious character of the Son of God.
Some years ago, I met an elderly pastor in the south of France whose ministry had been blessed of God in a singular way. As we talked together about his church, he made a profound statement which I shall never forget. "Our church has a great passion for souls," he said, "and a broad missionary vision, but I believe the greatest purpose Christ has for our church is that it should become a miniature Christ." What a lofty concept for a local assembly of believes; the whole assembly of redeemed, born-again ones collectively manifesting the character of the Son of God to the unbelieving world around them!
This is copyrighted material from James Stewart's book Come O Breath!, available from Revival Literature, PO Box 6068, Asheville, NC 28816.
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