The Body of Christ

The Body of Christ

“Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. . . . Then I said, “Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.”’” Heb. 10:5, 7.

We know that Jesus finished His course and has been seated far above all powers and principalities, and that God has given Him to be Head of the church, which is His body. Eph. 1:20-23. Paul explains further that this body is to be built by the effective working of each member doing his share, according to how the Head joins them together and works in them. Ch. 4:11-16.

This is a great work that takes place now while the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. 1 John 5:19. It is our responsibility and our task, as co-workers of Christ and servants in the church, to build up a body under such conditions, a body that is able to do God’s will on earth as it is done in heaven. This is the body of Christ. This work had its beginning on the day of Pentecost when they were baptized with one Spirit to be one body. “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” 1 Cor. 12:12-13.

However, this body with its many members does not possess the complete fullness of Christ. It must be built up and grow up to Him who is the Head. Jesus has given servants in the church to help in this work. These servants are to help the saints to be “equipped for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

The building up of the body is a great victory over Satan. Therefore his only thought is to hinder and destroy this edification of the body of Christ. He himself is building up an anti-body, which will become the Antichrist. John says, “And as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.” 1 John 2:18. These two opposing movements have been active throughout all these years. Now we are living in the time when we are expecting Jesus to return in order to fetch His body. Then its time of missionary activity and endeavor will be finished, and the world will have matured to receive the Antichrist because of the work of his spirit.

All of us are either moving in the one direction or the other. Now let us take a look at their separate developments. Jesus came to fulfill the law. He learned obedience and became the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him. Matt. 5:17; Heb. 5:8-9. This is also the way for His body. For this purpose Paul received the apostleship to establish the obedience to the faith (Rom. 1:5), that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. Rom. 8:4.

The Antichrist, on the other hand, develops in a totally opposite direction. He is called “the lawless one,” and “the man of sin.” 2 Thess. 2.

Jesus renounced being like God. He did not count it a robbery. He took the form of a servant and humbled Himself. Phil. 2:5-8.

The Antichrist exalts himself and sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 2 Thess. 2:4.

You follow either one of these two directions to a greater or lesser degree. There is no middle road. Either you are along in the rapture, or you remain behind. No one will be left hanging in the air.

It is significant what it says about Jesus who gave servants for the edification of His body: “(Now this, ‘He ascended’—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some . . . .” Eph. 4:8-11.

The servants He gives to the church are those who go down, those who help the others to become servants; they do not consider their ministry a robbery, wanting to keep the ministry to themselves. They edify the body so the members can exhort one another and build one another up. 1 Thess. 5:11. Then they can all speak prophetically, the one after the other, so that they all have something when they come together. 1 Cor. 14:26-31.

The servants of Antichrist do the exact opposite. They do not want to give this liberty. They consider their ministry a robbery. Then they can rule, exalt themselves, and receive honor and gain. Already in Paul’s days it was the many who adulterated the Word of God for their own gain. 2 Cor. 2:17.

They organize their members and ordain their servants by majority vote. Those who do not receive authority start up new organizations if they see it as gain to receive a ministry, because Satan divides and destroys. And of course these servants do not neglect—just like Antichrist—to exalt themselves. When they build their churches and meeting halls, they have to reflect as much as possible the glory of this world. First and foremost they have to have a high platform on which they can sit and be seen by all the other members. They gag their members so they do not get an opportunity to serve. Satan is attempting to hinder the edification of the body of Christ through these servants.

Wake up, dear brother and sister! Are you one of the saints? Or are you a prisoner in one of these organizations??? There you will never experience the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer, that they may all be one! There you will always see strife and division. Make sure that you get out of this antichrist movement and be along in the edification of the body of Christ! Only then will you experience what it means to have fellowship and a glorious future.

You have become so used to this antichrist movement and development that you do not see what Paul prophesied, that “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers” (2 Tim. 4:3-4), “having an appearance of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” Ch. 3:5.

Believe the Scriptures! Obey Paul’s exhortation! Follow Jesus and the glorious apostles who humbled themselves! Turn away from this antichrist movement, and you will not be put to shame!