The Church As Body of Christ - A Spiritual Reality

Here is another truth, information or revelation of the Bible that does not readily appear real, true or feasible to the physical or natural men, it is that the Church, body of believers and followers of Christ and His life, teachings or ways, constitute His mystical or spiritual body, just as our various fleshy component parts constitute (make up) body (house) for our spirits and souls. The Bible, God's word or revelation of His will and truths, variously alludes to or speaks about it (see 1Cor.12:12-28; 10:17; Rom.12:4-8; Eph.1:22-23; 4:12; 4:16; 3:6; etc.).

The Church (Body of Christ's Believers) being Christ's body or body for Him may not be physically or humanly comprehended or appreciated, hence it is a spiritual reality. It is a thing that is only spiritually comprehended or appreciated and that by only the "spiritual men", those that are spiritually-minded (l Cor.2:14). The truth however, is that The Church is the Body of Christ. The Church as Christ's body is the physical means of His expressing His will, feelings, mind, power, etc. to and. in the world (Matt.28:19-20; In.20:21; Luke 10:16). And no single individual believer, group or congregation of believers of Christ can constitute or should assume to be the body of Christ alone or unilaterally. It is a multilateral, joint or collective thing or responsibility. This is why the Lord prayed for and encouraged His believers or disciples on oneness (see Jn.17:11, 21). It is in this status of oneness of the Church (which also is a spiritual thing) that she constitutes a body for the Lord. And it is in such a condition or circumstance that Re will fully express or manifest Himself, His life and power and wisdom to the world and the kingdom of darkness (Matt. 16:18; Eph.3:10-12).

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It is unfortunate that the Church has not come to believe, appreciate and see herself as The Body of Christ which she is, and act that way. Meanwhile, some individuals, groups or congregations may be seeing themselves and act as bodies of Christ unilaterally, without reference to or recognition of any or some others. The truth remains that only one part or some parts of a body cannot make a whole body. It takes all the components.

Like we have said, the Church being the body of Christ is a spiritual thing. And the fact of oneness we said that makes or constitutes it has nothing to do with merger of Churches into one. It has to do with understanding and appreciation of the issue and acting and relating that way. It is something that should be borne in the mind of every believer or congregation and allowed to influence them. There should be that conscious spiritual understanding and appreciation by individual believers and congregations that they are not alone or the only body of Christ but just parts or components that need others to make up the whole (I Cor.12:14-25).

We must not wait until we are in the same place or under the same name or believe the same things, have the same doctrines and outlooks before we can recognize the existence of some other places as part of the whole - Body Of Christ.

This point, or teaching as a whole does not suggest or approve any form of compromise with proven erroneous, false, substandard and apostate places, people, beliefs and practices which we must distance ourselves from (2 Cor.6:14-17; Eph.5:11-12). We are only teaching the truth or whole counsel of God we have received the command to teach (Matt.28:20; Acts 20:27). Suffice it to say that this lack of appreciation or recognition of the Church by believers and Churches as one indivisible Body of Christ and living and acting with/as same has given the world and the kingdom of darkness upper hand against her (the Church) and continues to limit her influence and victory in the world. The kingdom of darkness continues to unite into one body and wax strong in evil. Let those of us who hear the truth begin with and from themselves to make a difference.

The Church As Body of Christ - A Spiritual Reality

Vitus Ejiogu is a writer and publisher with the Fire-Brand Int"l Ministries, a media ministry that is based in Nigeria.

He is the editor of FOUNDATION SATELLITE magazine also published by the ministry. He pastors a Church in Bauchi and is married with two children.

You can reach him at: firebrandhq@yahoo.com or: 234 80 8181 829.

Website: http://www.palmgates.com or http://www.firebrandhq.com

5 Essentials to Building a Spiritual Home

Building a spiritual home is a top consideration for most parents today. No matter what your religious orientation is, or even if you have one, you want to raise children with a strong sense of morals and a feeling of hope and being connected to something larger than themselves.

There are many things that go into building a spiritual home, but these five aspects are essential to building and sustaining a spiritual home.

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1. Compassion. To raise children with compassion, you want to set an example of being compassionate. Volunteering in your community is one way you can show your compassion--and take the kids with you. It's a wonderful way for them to learn about people who are less fortunate than they are and also help them be open to the diversity in the world.

2. Empathy. While compassion is a feeling for people, empathy allows you to put yourself in someone else's shoes and imagine how they feel, what their lives are really like. The ability to empathize is vital to ensuring that we will be able to understand others. And with the wide range of people our children will encounter during their lives, being able to empathize with them will help them act and react with understanding, rather than frustration and anger in many cases.

3. Discipline. To achieve anything, we humans need to have some discipline. We need it to enable us to get up each day and take care of our responsibilities. Discipline is necessary for setting goals and reaching them. It is also true that on occasions, disciplining our children and giving them the opportunity to reflect on their behavior is necessary. It helps them recognize what they've done wrong and discover what they need to do to correct it--and to see what not to do next time around.

4. Gratitude. The ability to be grateful for the wonderful things in our lives is an essential part of a spiritual life and home. We need to set an example for our children by taking time to talk about how thankful we are to have our families, health, homes and all the good things we're fortunate to have. We need to temper our tendency to complain by spending time reflecting on and talking about the good stuff too. Being able to see the good and be grateful for it is vital to maintaining a healthy attitude when things get rocky and obstacles mount up. Teaching your children to be grateful is something that will be of great comfort and strengthen them throughout their lives.

5. Golden Rule. The foundation of any spiritual home can easily be traced to this simple rule: treat everyone as you would like to be treated. It has been the bedrock of spiritual practices and major religions, practically since the beginning of time, and is a crucial part of any spiritual home. Live by this rule yourself, teach it to your children and expect them to live by it themselves, and your family will have the spiritual foundation it needs to become a strong spiritual home.

Copyright 2006 Pat Brill

5 Essentials to Building a Spiritual Home

Pat Brill is co-author of "Essentials for Starting a Womens's Group" http://www.womens-group.net and co-owner of Women's Group Busy Bites - http://www.womensgroupbusybites.com - a blog all about women. You can reach her at pat@womens-group.net.