The Church—a Work of God!

The Church—a Work of God!

The church—Christ’s body—is a work of God. Paul received this revelation from God, and it caused him to have reverence, respect, and humility in his heart. When he refers to this, he writes about the grace of God given to him, and that God made this mystery known to him by revelation. The church, as the body of Christ, is also a great mystery of godliness. Mysteries can be revealed and reported to others, but this mystery must be revealed to each individual believer if it is to be a true help and have a transforming and revolutionary effect on one’s future life and ministry in God’s kingdom. Paul had a desire to worship and admire God’s greatness and wisdom when this mystery was revealed to him.

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I wrote before in a few words, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all people see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eph. 3:1-11.

The mystery that Paul described with few words concerned the work that took place in Jesus’ body in the days of His flesh. Jesus partook of flesh and blood like the children. Heb. 2:14. God condemned sin in the Son’s flesh. He did this so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Here we see that Jesus, in His flesh, did away with the law of commandments contained in ordinances. When sin in the flesh was put to death, the law was fulfilled; it was abolished because it had nothing more to do. This is how Jesus consecrated a new and living way through the flesh. The Father gave Him light, and Jesus, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God. Heb. 9:14. All those who walk in the Spirit are led to the same sacrifices in the flesh. That produces the same death and the same life. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit so that He might bring us to God. 1 Pet. 3:18. We who are Gentiles according to the flesh were without hope and without God in this world. Because of the work that Jesus did, we have received a completely new hope: we can become new people! No one needs to try to patch the old person anymore! We can become completely new people in righteousness, goodness, and mercy—in all the virtues of Christ. The fullness of God can enter our bodies. This gives us great hope.

“That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.” Eph. 2:12-22.

Jesus rejoiced greatly when He understood that Peter had received this revelation. There were probably many thoughts as to who the Master was and what His work actually consisted of when He was here on earth. Of course Jesus noticed this, and therefore He also asked His disciples, “‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.” Matt. 16:13-20.

You and I are called to live, work, grow, and develop in this body. Here the mutual ministry of the members toward each other strengthens us. No member of this body is useless or superfluous. All those who are faithful to the workings of the Spirit in their life, and who do what He speaks in their inner man, will develop as a vessel unto God’s honor, a vessel that is pure and ready, and useful for the Master for every good work. 2 Tim. 2:20-21.

There is a great difference between the function and development of this body and that of a human, religious organization. The body grows by each member’s faithfulness and his connection with the Head, and by the mutual bonds and the fellowship he has with the other members of the body. Each member must listen to the Shepherd’s voice within himself and in faithfulness increase where God has placed him. Everything takes place naturally and quietly. God tests us, and by various circumstances in life our hearts are freed from this world, from other people, and from our own flesh. Each member must be sanctified to the Lord and circumcised from the world if he is to enter into the development—being conformed into Jesus’ image—for which God’s Word gives us such a strong hope. Rom. 8:24-37. God has handed out the talents in a diverse manner. That is God’s business. The talents are the opportunities God has given each person here on earth. When we are humble and stay within our measure of faith, we will grow the growth of the body up to Him who is the head.

“But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Eph. 4:15-16. By faithfulness and humility everyone can find his place and function in the body. God works by His Holy Spirit, and by the fear of God we grow into the work to which God has called us. All This takes place naturally and quietly, without elections and without fighting for position. We grow by each individual’s faithfulness and fellowship in life with Christ. In this way it is possible for each one of us to attain to all the fullness of God, whether we have received one talent or ten talents. Faith in this enables us to settle down in our place, and we become very thankful for the way God has arranged life for us. This is also how King David had it when he said, “You, O Lord, are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance.” Ps. 16:5-6.

A functioning member of the body of Christ will never feel a need to be anything else than what he is. Such useful members are occupied with what God has given them— (that is where their work is)—and they rejoice over God’s promptings and the works He has prepared for them. Eph. 2:10.

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Rom. 12:3. Stepping outside the area that God anoints and blesses will result in struggles and unrest. It is therefore important to understand our limitations, and keep within the measure of faith that God has dealt us. Do not give in to the lust to compete with the others. If you do, you will drift outside the area that God can anoint and bless!

All other organizing of church life is the work of man. We understand that in earthly affairs organization is needed, with practical work and administration. That is quite a different matter. But in God’s kingdom, no work of man can promote anything of spiritual value.

There is an inexorable requirement for purity in those who grow up as servants in this body. The church is built on God’s wisdom, and it is God’s wisdom that shall now be made known by the church to the powers and principalities in heavenly places. Therefore, the first quality of wisdom that is mentioned is purity. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” Jas. 3:17.

This cry for purity should resound like a strong echo within us in all of life’s circumstances. First and foremost pure! First and foremost pure! Not the least should this requirement for purity concern our relationship to money, honor, and power, or our relation to the opposite sex and sexual lusts. As a servant of the Lord there is also an inexorable demand for being pure in heart from seeking one’s own. In this area as well we must be pure and circumcised as far as the light shines. A hunger and thirst for a righteous life (Matt. 5:6) produces a desire to see new depths of the lust to seek one’s own—which has such strong roots in our self-life—and to be cleansed constantly from it. Those who seek their own are occupied with their own honor, their own name, their relatives and family, and they are restless because of it. God cannot reveal His wisdom in all this selfishness, and one cannot become a useful vessel in God’s hand. Be content with life as God has ordered it for you in your circumstances, and serve God with a pure and whole heart! Without this purity our lives will sink down into ruin and perdition. It was a sorrow and grief for the prophets in the old covenant to see that Jerusalem sank exactly for this reason.

“Her uncleanness is in her skirts; she did not consider her destiny; therefore her collapse was awesome; she had no comforter. ‘O Lord, behold my affliction, for the enemy has magnified himself! The adversary has spread his hand over all her pleasant things; for she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary, those whom You commanded not to enter Your congregation.’” Lam. 1:9-10.

The cherubim that served before God’s face had their hands under their wings. Ezek. 1:8. Never stretch out your hands for what the prince of this world has to offer. The Scriptures speak very seriously about these things, and each one of us needs to consider what kind of fruit we are bearing. “For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.” Heb. 6:7-8.

Paul also warns strongly against seeking the earthly things. Therefore he writes, among other things, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Tim. 6:9-10.

Brothers and sisters who in their circumstances of life preserve the simple, plain, and pure faithfulness to Christ build the church of Christ. 2 Cor. 11:2-3. Such people have also taken the words of Jesus to heart when He says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matt. 6:33.