The Body of Christ – The Divine Pattern
In your heart, do you feel that there is something not quite right or maybe there is something missing within the Church? When you look in a phone book under Church are you dismayed or possibly amazed when you look at page after page of “Churches”. When I read the letters in the New Testament, I see various “Churches” but they are the Church at Corinth, Church at Galatia, Church at Philippi, and so forth, but I do not find one denomination or theological group identified – why not. In the Book of Revelations the Lord Jesus Himself addresses 7 separate "Churches" by name according to their geographical location not their denominational affiliation. The reason is because these are contrivances birthed by men under the misguided reasoning for control and order, and in so doing they have assumed the role as the guiding hand or “Holy Spirit” to and for those within that organization.
Question: At the moment of conception how many cells are formed? Usually, when I ask this question, I get one of two different answers either "I am not sure" or "there are two", but the correct answer is ONE. At conception, with the union of the sperm and egg a single cell is birthed.
Now, look at your body and consider ALL THAT YOU ARE physically. Your complete physical body came from within that single cell. Every human at conception have in that one single cell all eleven physical systems, and each system will begin forming in its divine order to perform its divine purpose. Every cell, that is capable of reproducing itself, is physiologically the same, they only have separate and distinct functions that they perform within the individual system that they are part of. Within each human, there are 11 physical systems:
1. Integumentary system
2. Skeletal system
3. Muscular system
4. Nervous system
5. Endocrine system
6. Cardiovascular system
7. Lymphatic system
8. Respiratory system
9. Digestive system
10. Urinary system
11. Reproductive system (male or female)
Each is divinely created to operate independently of the other ten, but is at the same time completely dependent the other ten to live. Today people express loudly and often their confidence in their denomination and "their church". What has happened to believing in the Holy Spirit lead and empowered Body of Christ? There is NO one denomination that can claim that they are the body of Christ? The only reason that denominations exist as they do currently do is because of arrogance and self-promotion of men and women, having proclaimed themselves equal in authority to the Lord Jesus Christ they proclaim "their denomination" to be the "Body of Christ" or the "Family of God".
I am not saying that different groups (denominations) are not of God, just that they by themselves are not "the body of Christ". The Apostle Paul gave examples of what the "Body of Christ" or "the Church" should be by referring the human body various parts each working in doing what they were divinely created to do and working in harmony with the all the others. It is when you accept and apply the uncontroversial truth that a body CAN NOT live according to God's divine design unless all of it's systems are functioning in harmony as designed with one another that we will see Christ lifted up within your communities.
To illustrate what this might look like let's use this example of what it might look like? If the main line denominations in your community were to laid aside their denominational and theological differences and decided to function as a system within the body of Christ under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit instead of their “denominational covering” and representing themselves individually as "being the body of Christ” here is what it might look like:
MAIN LINE DENOMINATION = BODILY SYSTEMS
1. Baptist = Integumentary
2. Methodist = Skeletal
3. Catholic = Muscular
4. Presbyterian = Nervous
5. Lutheran = Endocrine
6. Episcopal = Cardiovascular
7. Anglican = Lymphatic
8. Assembly of God = Respiratory
9. Christian = Digestive
10. Church of God = Urinary
11. Pentecostal, Charismatic; House Churches = Reproductive
Now I would like for you to once again take a moment to consider the following scenario to bring into clearer focus what I see as seriously lacking in the Body of Christ. I want you to consider yourself as any bodily system, except the circulatory. Now I want you to consider what will happen when the circulatory system decides that it is going to decrease it overall functioning and divide its’ resources and become part of the muscular, digestive, respiratory systems because it believes they are not functioning as the circulatory believes they should be? Here are what results:
1. When the circulatory system took it upon itself to decrease it function it has put into serious danger all of the other 10 systems that depended upon it.
2. When it “invaded” the functioning of the muscular, digestive, and respiratory systems it has become just that “an invader” because it was not called to be part of these systems, and secondly it DOES NOT have the authority to change its’ position in the body. Because of this action, the immune system will see it as in invasion and will attack those cells to stop them. It will see the cells of the circulatory system as a form of cancer or an outcropping of an autoimmune disorder that need to be killed.
3. Now we don’t have one system in trouble but four and soon, it will cascade into all of the remaining systems.
This is specifically what the Apostle Paul was teaching that needed to be avoided when he wrote of the functions of the 5 fold ministry. They are NOT exulted leaders; they are to be servants, or “fathers” within the body divinely selected by the Lord Jesus Himself to represent Him in those positions within the body. They are to, disciple or bring up the children in the body so that they may be fitly joined into the system within the body to which they have been called, just as Jesus raised the twelve and the seventy.
QUESTION: If the eleven denominations, shown above, were actually bodily systems in the Body of Christ:
1. Which would be the most important?
2. Which one should have authority over the others?
3. The MOST important question is, “which one should be done away with because it just does not conform to the pattern of the others”?
I know in my heart that there are thousands of believers spread through-out the “Church” that truly want to begin performing their ministry within the body, but so long as they remain cloaked in the theological grave clothing of their denomination there will be NO TRUE life in their ministry. Is there a solution – YES!
Now consider the Bride or (Body) of Christ, she has many parts but only one purpose, that is to be joined with Her Lord to bring forth children, DISCIPLES. The Bride, CAN NOT conceive children unless she has completely surrendered to her Lord and He has become intimate with her. (It is a biological truth that women CAN NOT produce children, without the sperm that gives life to the egg within her, and only a man can produce sperm.) Those who truly make up the Bride of Christ earnestly seek a full and intimate union with their Lord and Savior, desiring to please Him. Jesus does not join Himself to every organization or Church calling herself the "Bride of Christ”, or one who sells herself for monetary gain.
Does the Lord look upon the various denominations and other groups of believers with favor, yes? But that does not mean that He has become intimate with them beyond taking care of the spiritual children within them. He has placed the 5 fold ministries throughout the Church to raise the children so that may grow into a mature bride with whom He may then become intimate. The Lord Jesus will NOT join Himself to a harlot, and this is specifically what He was speaking about in
Matthew 7:19-23 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
A primitive word; father in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application: - chief, (fore-) father ([-less]), X patrimony, principal. Compare names in “Abi-”
So where do we go from here:
1. First, is to acknowledge that all the members of the 5 fold ministry are necessary and allow them into your fellowship.
2. Secondly, we must acknowledge that (men and women) can be and are often faulty in our understanding of scripture. We must allow the Holy Spirit to bring all truth and understanding of scripture to the members.
3. Thirdly we must lay aside our denominational and theological misgivings and differences and embrace all those who call Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior.
Finally, the real Body of Christ in each community must unite in a single purpose allowing the Lord Jesus Christ to be the ONLY head of the Church so that they may be the vessel through whom He will manifest within their communities. The communities must see and know that Christians truly are Christ Ambassadors with all diplomatic privileges and authority that go with that position. It must be demonstrated that true Christianity is the only true answer to today’s problems that we all face each and every day in this satanically dominated world.
A DIVINE TRUTH: When the "denominations" tear down their doctrinal and legalistic walls of prejudice and simply become a functioning part of the Body within their community they will turn their communities "up-side down" just as the early Church did in the Book of Acts.