We Are the Body of Christ

Ephesians 4:11 tells us that God has given gifts of Jesus Christ in the form of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:12-13(NLT) goes on to tell us, “12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” God never intended the life of a believer to be stagnant. He purposed us to grow in Christ continually. He wants every believer to study Christ to such an extent that we become the spitting image of His wonderful Son. God designed the human body to paint the perfect picture for us of how we are to function as the body of Christ. As believers and followers of Christ, we are his body. He is the head and as the body, we follow his direction and guidance. The five-fold ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are not the head of the body. Their function is to serve the body in a way that helps us become more like our blessed Savior. There is only one body of believers, one faith, and one head, who is Christ. God’s requirement is that we are singular in mind, unity, and purpose according to His divine Will and Plan. In Ezekiel 36:26(NLT), God told His people living in Old Testament times, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Many individuals living during this time lacked vision. They couldn’t see that God had a wonderful Plan for their lives. Like today’s society, their hearts were far from God, and they were interested in pursuing an agenda that was far from God’s heart. Heavenly Father tells us where the people were in their thinking and attitudes. They had stony and stubborn hearts, but He was going to fix that. Because of what God accomplished through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have a better covenant with God than those living in Old Testament times. Through Jesus Christ, we are new creations! We have received salvation and the gift of Holy Spirit, and he is living on the inside of us. The Spirit is changing us from the inside out. He is giving us a tender and responsive heart that yearns to do the Will of God. This means that the things that are important to God should be important to us. As Christians, we need to understand God’s Plan so we are not shaken or deterred by what is happening around us, but instead we will be able to pray effectively for it. Proverbs 15:29(NLT) tells us, “The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.” When a righteous person in God’s eyesight prays, it is effective. God acts on the prayers of those that are righteous because our faith pleases Him. There are too many individuals that think too much of themselves and their accomplishments, but there are also many believers that think too little about what they can accomplish through their faith in God. Often, we don’t realize the significant impact we can have on the lives of others and on the world. God has empowered us to be conduits of His love and power, and through our prayers and obedience, He will perform great miracles and wonders. Ephesians 3:20 (NLT) tells us, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” You and I don’t have any power to call our own, but through our faith and prayers, we can impact the earth for God’s Kingdom as we allow the Holy Spirit's power to work within us! Imagine what could be accomplished in the world if every believer all over the globe were united in prayer. Well, this is what our Heavenly Father has in mind. Our unity as the body of Christ is a pivotal part of His Plan. Ephesians 1:10 (NLT) affirms, “And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.” Even though we may visibly see it, we can rest assured that God's Plan is coming together with every passing moment. We live in a very divided society and world, and it may be hard to imagine that all believers will come together for the singular purpose of uplifting the name of Jesus Christ, but it will happen because God says it will. As members of the body of Christ, it is our responsibility to always keep God’s Plan in our prayers. We must pray that our brothers and sisters in Christ will wake up and come together in the way Heavenly Father has sanctioned. When we pray this prayer in faith, we can be confident that we are pleasing God, and He will bless us for being obedient to His Will and Plan. ● Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. “We Are the Body of Christ”, written by Vince Mack. Blessing Beads and More© 2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.