The Church Is The Body Of Christ
The Christian church officially came into being on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles gathered in a room in Jerusalem. After the apostle Peter preached about God’s plan of salvation, 3,000 people were baptized and became followers of Jesus.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, the great church planter Paul called the church the body of Christ, using a metaphor of the human body. The various parts–eyes, ears, nose, hands, feet, and others–have individual jobs, Paul said. Each is also part of the whole body, just as each believer receives spiritual gifts to function in their individual role in the body of Christ, the church.
Until the Reformation in the 1500s, there was only one church: the Roman Catholic Church. As Protestant churches were established, differences in doctrine led to a “them vs. us” mentality that carried well into the 20th century. However, ongoing efforts at ecumenism in the past hundred years have healed many rifts, leading again to the attitude of all Christian churches as the body of Christ.
History Of The Church
Church Body of Christ Filipinista has its roots from the Iglesia Filipina Independiente under the supervision of Monseigneur Gregorio Aglipay D.D who was the first Obispo Maximo of the Church, after the death of Msgr. Gregorio Aglipay, the Church was divided into two factions. The first one was under Msgr. Santiago Fonacier who created the Independent Church of Filipino Christians , second was Msgr. Isabelo de los Reyes Jr. of the Philippine Independent Church . During the breakaway the Bishop of Western Mindanao Msgr. Lucilo G. Miñoza D.D who was under the faction of Msgr. Santiago Fonacier made painstaking study of the Holy Scripture and made a months of fasting asking the Lord God about his true Church. Through his vision the Lord revealed to Him the only one Church which his Body and after then he made it known to the Filipinos the Church named Church Body of Christ- Filipinista because it is here in the Philippines. The Church has its rapid growth and planted many chapels, parishes and converted many Filipinos as well as many young men into priesthood through the Biblical Doctrines of the Church.
The Diversity Of The Members Of The Body
The Lord is a diverse creator and he created all things in diversity, but yet in harmony. The body has different parts and it serves its purpose according to the will of the head. The body of Christ is also a fellowship of members with different purposes to serve one another, to edify the church, to equip the church, and to be a blessing to every member of it. Not all are hands, not all are eyes. In the same way, not all are teachers or preachers nor prophets in the body of Christ . The Lord gave everyone different talents, strengths and purposes to be used for the kingdom of God. Each service is beautiful on its own and significant in the body of Christ. No one is unimportant. Every single member of the Body matters to the Head who is Christ.
God created men with individual purposes which only they can fulfill. It was specifically designed for them. Sometimes, we lose this purpose because of trying to be a certain part we are not designed to. Every part of the body of Christ is indispensable. Some may appear weaker and less significant but they arent . Christians thrust themselves to various ministries that look cool and avoid others that seem unpopular. The reality is, works in the body of Christ that we sometimes think is less honorable bestow greater honor. God has composed the body giving greater honor to the part that lacked it The Lord has done this so there will be no division in the body . Instead, there will be concern and compassion for each other.
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Five Lessons From This Analogy
1. Christ is the head of the church.
The church belongs to Christ, not because weve decided to make Him the head, but because He is the head and Hes decided to make us the body. The body serves at the direction of the head. Our calling is to be responsive to Him.
2. Every member of the body needs to be connected to the Head.
John Stott speaks about the grotesque anomaly, an un-churched Christian. We must be careful not to press any analogy too far. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. The thief on the cross arrived in heaven without ever being part of a local church, but thats an anomaly.
The film 127 Hours tells the story of Aron Ralston, an adventurer from Indiana who got trapped in a canyon in Utah. Nobody knew where Aron was, and he waited 127 hours with his dying arm trapped behind an unmovable rock. In the end there was only one solution. With a dull knife, Aron cut off his own arm. It was the only way to survive. Aaron can get along without his right arm, but he would surely be glad if there was a way for him to get it back. Thats how it is with the church.
Have you committed yourself as a member of a local church? If not, why do you stay detached? If youre an amputated Christian, a Christian disconnected from the body, youve been a lone ranger for far too long. Im praying that through the Scriptures you will hear the Holy Spirit saying to you, The church is where you belong, and I am placing you here to do my will.
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What Does It Mean To Be In Christ
The phrase I want us to focus on is the phrase, in Christ in verse 5a: so we, though many, are one body in Christ. What this phrase means is that the interwoven unity of all the members into one body is created and brought about in Christ. One simple way to say what that means is that as each of us is in relationship to Christ, we are therefore in relationship to each other. If I am Christs brother, and your are Christs sister, then you are my sister. By creating relationships with himself, Christ creates the relationships in the body.
But the truth here is deeper than that. What it means to be in Christ far more profound than the human analogy of family relations suggests. That would be precious enough. But its far more and far better than that.
What this phrase in Christ means is that when you trust Christ as your Savior and Lord and Treasure , a union is established between Christ and you in such a way that everything in Christ that can be shared will be shared with you. Everything that he is, and everything that he has that can be shared will be shared with you. And there is only one thing that cant be sharedhis deity, and its unique God-defining attributes . But everything else that Christ is and has is yours in him.
Consider a few examples from the way this little phrase in Christ is used. This is what it means for you to be in Christ:
Thats the first thing to see: The unity of the body of Christ is created in Jesus Christ .
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Bible Verses About Body Of Christ The Church
Jesus answered them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.The Jews then said, It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?But He was speaking of the temple of His body.read more.So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of Gods household,having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,read more.in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body for we all partake of the one bread.
but speaking the truth in love, 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 what 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.
The Body Of Christ Functions As One
The body has many members but it functions as one. Cut off the hand and it can never do any work on its own. Cut off any part of the body, and it will not move a single inch nor flinch. The Church of God is just the same. It is a unit. The body of Christ is one . The Bible emphasizes in 1 Corinthians 12:13, in one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodyJews or Greeks, slaves or freeand all were made to drink of one Spirit. Three times in this verse alone, the Bible mentioned One. It is consist of many members but is of one body .
The physical body has this amazing characteristic of perfect unity. The different systems and organs function smoothly according to their roles to keep the body in its normal shape and quality. It exists for each others benefit. The scripture demands the same unity in the body of Christ. One function for another and another for the other, and they are one. The perfect unity that binds everything together in the perfect shape is the love of Christ. This love humbles us towards others, understands others, and chooses to be kind and compassionate. It is willing to forgive and eager to help. Moreover, it seeks the best interest of the other members before ones self.
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Body Of Christ And Church
“And this body has a head, Jesus, who guides it, nourishes it and sustains it. This is a point I want to stress: if the head is separated from the rest of the body, the person cannot survive. So it is in the Church: we must remain ever more deeply united to Jesus. But not only that: as in a body, it is important that the vital sap flows so that it can live, so we must allow Jesus to work in us, that his Word guides us, that his presence in the Eucharist nourishes us, encourages us, that his love gives strength to our love for our neighbor. And this always, always, always!
Here I come to a second aspect of the Church as the Body of Christ. St. Paul says that just as the members of the human body, though different and numerous, form one body, so the Church is the Body of Christ.So we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body.
Conflict, if not overcome well, separates us, separates us from God. Conflict can help us to grow, but it can also divide us. We do not go down the path of divisions, of fighting among ourselves, no! All united, all united with our differences, but united, united always, because that is the way of Jesus!
Unity is superior to conflict, unity is a grace that we must ask the Lord to save us from temptationsWe are not only a people of the world, but also of the divisions, of the fights among us and of the selfishness, of the gossip”. Catechesis of the Pope 19 June 2013.
What Does The Bible Say About Being The Body Of Christ
The term Body of Christ is used in various books in the New Testament. From these references, we learn what it means to be the Body of Christ and why this term was used to help us understand the role of the church.
Believers have different roles, but all are necessary to the body of Christ.
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another .
Though we are individuals, we as believers are called to be onein unity, in Spirit, in Christ. We are called to be united in faith through the grace of Jesus.
There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift .
When the church, or the body of Christ, works together and is joined together in faith, we can function properly in the role that Jesus has given to the church. When there is disharmony in the church, it will be difficult to fulfill its mission.
From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love .
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Prayer To The Body Of Christ
Help us, Lord, to be members of the Body of the Church always deeply united to Christ help us not to make the Body of the Church suffer by our conflicts, our divisions, our selfishness help us to be living members bound together by a single force, that of love, which the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts.
Pope Francis.
“The members of the body of Christ follow Christ, who is the head of all.” .
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The bill, which has won support from Democrats and Republicans, is set for a test vote in the Senate Wednesday, with a final vote as soon as this week or later this month. It comes after the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, with Justice Clarence Thomas issuing a concurring opinion indicating that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could come under threat.
The legislation would repeal the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act and require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed. It would also protect interracial marriages by requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin. It makes clear that the rights of private individuals and businesses wouldnt be affected.
Utahs four congressmen who are all members of the church each voiced support for the legislation earlier this year.
The churchs public stance is a stark contrast from 14 years ago, when its members were among the largest campaign contributors in support of Californias Prop. 8, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman in response to cities such as San Francisco granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Troy Williams, the executive director of Equality Utah, said it was thrilling to see the church part of the coalition in support of the legislation.
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The Body Of Christ In Communion
Finally, the third use of body of Christ as a term is found in the communion doctrines of several Christian denominations. This is taken from Jesus’ words at the Last Supper: “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body given for you do this in remembrance of me.
These churches believe the real presence of Christ exists in the consecrated bread: Roman Catholics,Eastern Orthodox, Coptic Christians, Lutherans, and Anglican/Episcopalian. Christian Reformed and Presbyterian churches believe in a spiritual presence. Churches that teach the bread is a symbolic memorial only include Baptists, Calvary Chapel, Assemblies of God, Methodists, and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Eating this body of Christ unites the communicant with Jesus in a way most churches do not attempt to explain. For many people, it is the most sacred moment of the worship service.
What Is The Church
A common misunderstanding among those in Western cultures is that the church is merely a building where people attend services each Sunday.
These buildings are called churches, but biblically speaking, the church is the entire group of individual Christians who have professed faith in Christ .
The main terms and metaphors that are used in reference to the church in Scripture include the Bride of Christ , and the Body of Christ . Nowhere in the Bible is the church equated to a building or structure.
Historically, the church began on the day of Pentecost with the giving of the Holy Spirit . The church was not present in Old Testament times, as it is a mystery to this age of time . Salvation has always been by faith , but the church is not a continuation of Israel.
When Paul referred to the creation of the one new man in his epistle, he was clear that the church, involving both Jews and Gentiles, is a New Testament teaching and a new way that God has chosen to interact with the world .
Furthermore, when Jesus referred to the church in the gospels, he stated that I will build my church, implying something new in the future .
He did not say I will continue growing my church, which would have indicated that the church existed before Pentecost. Based on Scripture, the church is distinct from Israel and is unique to this time.
According to the Bible, Jesus is the Head of his church . No pastor, pope, bishop, or monarch has control of the Body of Christ.
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