Living in the Body of Christ - part 1

Ephesians 4:15b-16: ...we are to grow up in all aspects into him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

I think everyone knows that the Church of the Lord is not a building. But the church is not simply a couple of people either. Most rooms full of people may just be a crowd. And if the room is full of Christian people, it may simply be a Christian crowd, it may not be a church or The Church.

The most important thing about the Church is that it consists of people who choose to live in the Body of Christ. The Church is a living organism, composed of Christ and his people who are organised for the Lord’s work on earth. This image of us becoming part of a living body reflects how the church ought to function and that I ought to find my place in it.

This means that we do not go to Church - we go to be the Church, because we are the Church.
The Church we are, is the Body of Christ.
Being part of the Church, means that I live in the Body of Christ.
You therefore cannot claim to be part of the Body of Christ, if you choose to live outside the Body of Christ.

We are told in 1 Corinthians 11:29 that some people fail to “discern” the Lord's Body. This is found in a section concerning the Lord's Supper. There Paul is dealing with disharmony in the church when they celebrated the Lord's Supper. Some were “doing their own thing” when the congregation celebrated Communion, failing to recognize that they were part of the fellowship of believers under the Head, Jesus. So they did not take the time to get right with God and with one another, and as a result of this they failed to recognize the Body of Christ.
They failed to live by the principle of the Body of Christ.

The term “Body of Christ” is a picture. It is a graphic illustration of how the church is to work, and therefore how we are to live. It provides the principle for living our lives as God’s children. Consequently, it is of great importance that we learn to understand what Body Life is all about. In a five part series we are now embarking on a journey of learning how to live in the Body. How to truly be a member of the Church.

Prayer: Lord, I need to know how to live as part of your Body. I desire to find my place and function as part of this holy Body. Let your Spirit teach me who I am within your Church. Amen.