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Life In
Connection With the Body of Christ
A relationship with Jesus
Christ is a spiritual relationship, but a
relationship with his body is an earthly
relationship. That is because his body is his
church, the community of believers who live out his
teachings in everyday life. The church was born of
God on the Day of Pentecost just 50 days after the
resurrection of Jesus. Its birth is recorded in the
book of Acts, which is a history of the early
church. The church was never meant to be an
organization or religious institution, but rather it
was to be the living, growing body of Christ living
upon the earth.
The head of the church is
Jesus. He is the source of its wisdom and
knowledge, its energy and life, its abilities and
giftedness. He has a close, spiritual union with
the church described by Apostle Paul in Ephesians
chapter five as being as close or closer than the
union between the husband and wife. He loves the
church and cares for her every need.
Because we are all in the body
of Christ and our gifts and abilities come from him
then this means that God has removed from us many of
the sources of competition and jealousy in human
relationships. The body of Christ is designed to
care one for another. Again it is Apostle Paul who
writes in I Corinthians 12: 26 “If one part suffers,
every part suffers with it; if one part is honored,
every part rejoices with it." We are designed to bring glory and
honor unto the Lord through our service to him and
by our relationships one to the other.
Spiritual life is tested by our
relationships as relationship provide us a necessary
"check" on our spiritual growth. You may say
that you are a loving and caring person, but it is
proved when you interact with the people of the
church. You may picture yourself as a
positive, optimistic person, but when you are
serving with others in the church how do you respond
to difficulty? The Bible says in Proverbs
27:17, "Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his
friend's countenance." So it also happens in
the church as your spiritual maturity is sharpened
by the people God brings into relationship with you.
Life,
continued
God also intends for the body
of Christ to be a place of spiritual growth and
maturity. There is an expectation that you will
apply the teachings of the Bible to your life, that
you will allow God to implement change in speech and
action which are out of place in the life of the
believer. This happens in the context of
relationships. Being able to share from your heart
your needs and not be condemned. To be able to
receive prayer from others in the church leads to
greater faith and greater obedience to God.
The body of Christ is a place
of encouragement and life. A place where the love
of God is shared one with another. The church is
the place where the negative effects of broken
relationships can be repaired so that inner joy can
be restored. It is a place of connections which
enhance life.
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