folks, I am not going back and re-hashing my older posts. i totally missed the NEW TOPIC button...
So, the Body of Christ:
first usage:
Ephesians, 1:23 "which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all".
The context of the verse itself..the "big picture":
The best key I know of to understanding Ephesians is contained in Chapter 4:1 "that you walk worthy". As I understand it, the word "worthy" is the Greek word "Axios", which can be translated as fulcrum or balance. What it is is this..from Ephesians 1:1 to 4:1 the word "worthy' is what we ARE in Christ, what God WROUGHT in Christ, who we ARE in Christ..
Ephesians 4:1 the word "worthy" to the end of the epistle, 6:24, is WHAT we are to do About it. So, Ephesians 1:23 is in the "what we ARE in Christ part".
Lets go back a few verses prior to Ephesians 1:23...
"which he wrought in Christ when he (God) raised him (Jesus Christ) from the dead (the grave) and set him (Jesus Christ) at his (God's) own right hand (hey, God doesn't have hands..God is spirit, its a figure of speech, giving a human characteristic to God...why right hand?...it's the side of blessing...the left hand is the side of cursing, the side the folks in the Old Testament used to wipe their bottoms) in the heavenly places (in the Greek, it's "through" the heavenly places) far (ya, like real far) above all principality (number one) power (number two) and might (number three) and dominion (number four) and every name that is named (number five) not only in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things (number six) under his feet and gave him to be the head of the church (number seven - the number seven is "spiritual perfection") which is his (Jesus Christ's) BODY the fullness of him that filleth all in all"..
So, one Body.
Second usage...Ephesians 2:16 "and that he (Jesus Christ) might reconcile (bring together) both (Jews and Gentiles) unto God in one BODY by (or through) the cross having slain the enmity (the division between the Jews and the Gentiles) thereby... See in the Old Testament there was a physical wall separating the Jews and the Gentiles...that wall is gone, both Jews and Gentiles are one Body in Christ, we both have access to God now....this is the "sacred secret", the "mystery", the mystery hidden in God since time began..God knew Adam would blow it..God had a backup plan...the payment for sin is what...death...Jesus Christ had to be a human, he had to have a bloodline tracing back to Adam, he had to be a "perfect" sacrifice and he had to die.
Jesus Christ did die, he gave up his life for us, a payment for our sins, the sin nature that came into the world when Adam blew it....and now, Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God...the head of the church, you and I...the body of Jesus Christ...the ONE BODY...
Just Mikey and Magoo at Wal-Mart break room,breaking bread with Yeshua in their midst.
This is true FELLOWSHIP,
This is the body of Yeshua in action.
Shalom
Magoo.
Act 2:46 And continuing steadfastly with one mind day by day in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they shared food in gladness and simplicity of heart,
Loving said Jesus Christ did die, he gave up his life for us, a payment for our sins, the sin nature that came into the world when Adam blew it....and now, Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God...the head of the church, you and I...the body of Jesus Christ...the ONE BODY...
Ella syas Good post Loving. Yes. the Body of Christ ae ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for the remission of our sins and paid our sin debts, so that we might have a right to eternal life, and reign with Him in His jingdom! We are the Body of Chirst!:applause::glow::yay::peace::dancingp::bouncy:
Excellent, excellent question...lets look at that. I will answer the question and then provide "evidence" from the bible.
The ministry's you mention have been referred to as the "equipping ministrys".
First of all, every believer has a purpose, a calling, a "gift ministry". Each believer can even "operate", that is utilize the power of one or more of the "equipping ministrys" in our lives without ordination, as the bible talks about, a ceremony, the "laying on of hands", being a member of the Clergy.
Sometime when you have some time, just think about what your strongest ability is. I have asked people this many times, for instance, one person told me "mercy".
My ministry is the temporary operation of the "equipping ministry" of a Pastor..the Lord has directly contacted me, given me a specific message, a specific purpose in Colorado Springs. I am not a member of the Clergy, as of this writing, not called to the ministry of a Pastor...its like a temporary assignment, how long that lasts or will last I do not know. it doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things. Being called by the Lord, specifically is a very humbling thing, a sacred trust, it is without repentance...as in God doesn't take that back..there it is, its yours..
The "equipping ministrys" are specific callings. Those who have those callings are responsible just like you and I to know the whole word of God, apply the whole word of God and so on, however their lives for the most part reflect, in their behavior, as in what they do, that specific calling..a Teacher teaches, writes books, runs classes and seminars, the more you are around a Teacher the more you see that he or she in what is done by them falls right in line with what the word of God says about their ministry.
Ephesians 4:11 "he (Jesus Christ or more properly, the arisen Jesus Christ, referred to as "Christ Jesus" in the epistles) gave some Apostles (an Apostle gives "new light", am sure there are Apostles operating the the third world, Africa, places where the word of God is a brand new thing) and some Prophets (a Prophet 'forth tells" or "foretells' the future, gives "divine guidance to others", basically spiritual "sees" the bigger picture of what is going on in the Body of Christ, he or she is really a messenger for God and delivers the message word for word that God gives them to speak to the Body of Christ...sometimes that message may even be a bit "cryptic"..remember Peter taking a nap on the roof, he gets a vision, he was not a Prophet, I am merely saying that Peer gets this vision and its kind of not clear and he attempts to understand it) and some Evangelists (those folks who focus on getting unbelievers to confess Jesus is Lord, believe that God raised him from the dead, salvation, body, soul, and spirit, completely complete..) and some Pastors (the folks for bring lost sheep, believers back into the warm fire and comfort of God's word, fellowship with God and other believers..and Pastors keep the "communication lines" open between the other equipping ministrys..the Pastor's ministry is leading by setting an example for others, applying self-control as a priority in his or her life) and Teachers (sort of talked about those earlier)". So that is a basic summary, there is way more to say about each ministry, way more...
lets continue... "for the perfecting of the saints (that is not referring to the spirit of God in each of us, the "Christ in you" talked about in Colossians...its talking about our daily walk with the Lord, taking us from where we are to a more perfect place, a more efficient walk with the Lord, a better understanding of what the word of God says to us, requires of us, how the Lord asks things of us..and so on) for the work of the ministry (in other words the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ, christ still has things for us to do...we are not going anywhere, like the return of Christ until every person who is going to get "born again" gets born again) for the edifying of the body of Christ (edifying is "building up" as opposed to "breaking down") until we all come in the unity of the faith (so that is going to take some time, you know..like mindedness in the entire body of Christ, every member operating at their full potential) and of the knowledge of the son of God (I believe that word knowledge in the Greek is experience knowledge, not head knowledge of the bible, like that we experience the knowledge of god's word in our lives) unto a perfect man unto the measure of the the stature of God (I believe that word measure in the Greek is the same word used in the Old Testament..pressed down, shaken together...its like when you fill some container with flour, then pack it into the container and there is still flour spilling over the edge of the container you use) that (the purpose being) we henceforth be no more children (like "babes in christ', only able to digest the milk of the word of God, rather than the meat of the word of God...for instance the reality of the Body of Christ) tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine (lot of that going around) by the sleight of men (you know all about sleight if you have seen a magic show) and cunning craftiness (i.e. "with subtilty", remember the serpent in the garden of Eden, the serpent appeared as this beautiful thing, something wondrous to look at, yet its purpose was to get Eve to question the word of God) whereby they (the bad guys) lie in wait to deceive (why would they do that? Oh, to get your money, to have sex with you, to control you, to pressure you out of what you know about the word of God, to pleasure you out of the word of God that you know...all the bad stuff) but speaking the truth in love (that is the truth of God's word) may grow up into him (the Lord Jesus Christ) in all things (the word "all" has two different meanings "all without exception" and "all without distinction"...this here is all things without exception, as in all things of the word of God).....
bless you ET...do read it for yourself...its all there..
Mat 18:15 But if your brother may sin against you, go and reprove him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he does not hear, take one or two more with you, "so that on the mouth of two" or "three witnesses every word may stand". Deut. 19:15
Mat 18:17 But if he fails to hear them, tell it to the assembly. And if he also fails to hear the assembly, let him be to you as the nations and the tax collector.
Mat 18:18 Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on the earth will be, having been bound in Heaven. And whatever you loose on the earth will be, having been loosed in Heaven.
Mat 18:19 Again I say to you, If two of you agree on earth as to anything, whatever they shall ask, it shall be to them from My Father in Heaven.
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.
In this Scritpure,which is the so-called pastor,evangelist,
prophet,teacher.
Where is the so-called worship band.
Answer:There are not any of these found here.
Just 2 PLAIN OLD believers.
Since james is big on assembly history (church not found in the Greek);How many Jewish men were necessary to form a synagauge,hmmmmmmmm let me see.
Oh yes 10 men.
Still the same for today.
Yeshua broke that tradition and established the assembly with only 2 believers being necessary.