Jesus Christ is my God!
Issued 16.05.2005
One body
Those who belong to Jesus form one body which is the church of God, which will become the wife of Christ. Now she makes preparations for her wedding. What preparations does she make?
Community like one man
Individuals can experience how they form one entity where they are as members of one body. A good community acts like one person. Everybody knows his place and task and acts in harmony with each other. We understand that it is difficult to carry out this in practice. You can try to make a community act like one man in two different ways, either by organizing or by changing minds.
An organized community forms a hierarchy, which by rewarding and by punishing delivers the targets of the management to the whole community. A community of the right-minded forms a vessel, into which the right principles and attitudes have been poured through love. If all the members of a community are unanimous and like-minded, they naturally act for the same target. Their unanimity and their dissimilarity form a harmonious whole.
The church of Jesus is His family. His attitudes and principles have been poured in the love of the gospel into those who belong to Him. "You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1Cor.12:27 So the church of Christ is blood, flesh and bones and not church buildings and organizational activities. "We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." 1Cor.12:13
A body is based on the dissimilarity of its members and on love that has created dependence between the members. Instead, a hierarchical system is based on a multilevel control that forces the members to act in the way wanted. A biblical church cannot be built hierarchically, because it is based on the unity of hearts. God wants from us changed minds and not only a membership in a right looking organization.
Individuals can experience how they form one entity where they are as members of one body. A good community acts like one person. Everybody knows his place and task and acts in harmony with each other. We understand that it is difficult to carry out this in practice. You can try to make a community act like one man in two different ways, either by organizing or by changing minds.
An organized community forms a hierarchy, which by rewarding and by punishing delivers the targets of the management to the whole community. A community of the right-minded forms a vessel, into which the right principles and attitudes have been poured through love. If all the members of a community are unanimous and like-minded, they naturally act for the same target. Their unanimity and their dissimilarity form a harmonious whole.
The church of Jesus is His family. His attitudes and principles have been poured in the love of the gospel into those who belong to Him. "You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1Cor.12:27 So the church of Christ is blood, flesh and bones and not church buildings and organizational activities. "We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." 1Cor.12:13
A body is based on the dissimilarity of its members and on love that has created dependence between the members. Instead, a hierarchical system is based on a multilevel control that forces the members to act in the way wanted. A biblical church cannot be built hierarchically, because it is based on the unity of hearts. God wants from us changed minds and not only a membership in a right looking organization.
The Church of Jesus is One Body
Jesus is the head of the church in the same way as a husband is the head of his wife. So there are two different persons. Jesus without the church is not a mere head of a body and the church without Jesus is not a headless body. "The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Saviour." Eph.5:23
Some members of the church form its head. About them it is said: "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!'" 1Cor.12:21 It is very important that the leaders of the church have submitted themselves to the Lord of the church. "The elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail." Isaiah 9:15
The bodies of the believers form the church. We are one body, although we are many. Each of us belongs to all the others. We all are joined together by having given our body to Jesus, because He saved us. "There is ONE BODY and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called." Eph.4:4
When Paul speaks about calling he means our coming to faith. Then we gave ourselves to Jesus. The gospel of Jesus appeals to the conscience of its hearer. Jesus died for you. He suffered your punishment. If you repented your sins for the sake the sacrifice of Jesus, you are able to give yourself to Him. "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." Rom.12:1 "Offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness." Rom.6:13
Paul exclaims: "This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church." Eph.5:32 Expressly the oneness of the church is the secret which he is speaking about. There is only one church of Jesus, because the Bible says about it "one body"! Not even the Jews have their own church, but those who are saved among them are one body with those who are saved among the Gentiles. "Through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and shares together in the promise in Christ Jesus." Eph.3:6
The unity of the body of the believers is so strong a thing that the Bible speaks about the believers in the singular as the wife of the Lamb. "Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready." Rev.19:7 How has the church of Jesus prepared herself?
Jesus is the head of the church in the same way as a husband is the head of his wife. So there are two different persons. Jesus without the church is not a mere head of a body and the church without Jesus is not a headless body. "The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Saviour." Eph.5:23
Some members of the church form its head. About them it is said: "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!'" 1Cor.12:21 It is very important that the leaders of the church have submitted themselves to the Lord of the church. "The elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail." Isaiah 9:15
The bodies of the believers form the church. We are one body, although we are many. Each of us belongs to all the others. We all are joined together by having given our body to Jesus, because He saved us. "There is ONE BODY and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called." Eph.4:4
When Paul speaks about calling he means our coming to faith. Then we gave ourselves to Jesus. The gospel of Jesus appeals to the conscience of its hearer. Jesus died for you. He suffered your punishment. If you repented your sins for the sake the sacrifice of Jesus, you are able to give yourself to Him. "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." Rom.12:1 "Offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness." Rom.6:13
Paul exclaims: "This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church." Eph.5:32 Expressly the oneness of the church is the secret which he is speaking about. There is only one church of Jesus, because the Bible says about it "one body"! Not even the Jews have their own church, but those who are saved among them are one body with those who are saved among the Gentiles. "Through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and shares together in the promise in Christ Jesus." Eph.3:6
The unity of the body of the believers is so strong a thing that the Bible speaks about the believers in the singular as the wife of the Lamb. "Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready." Rev.19:7 How has the church of Jesus prepared herself?
Purity of body
God thinks righteousness is beautiful! The wife of the Lamb has the same mind and thought as the Lamb of God. Usually we think that cleanness of a body only means washing outward dirt off. Jesus thinks that dirty thoughts pollute a body. "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean'." Matth.15:19-20
So Jesus wants to make the thoughts of the believers clean before He comes. "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." Eph.5:25-27
With what kind of water is Jesus going to cleanse His bride? That washing water is revealed to be a word, which removes stains from the thoughts of the believers, straightens wrinkled attitudes to be like-minded with God.
God thinks righteousness is beautiful! The wife of the Lamb has the same mind and thought as the Lamb of God. Usually we think that cleanness of a body only means washing outward dirt off. Jesus thinks that dirty thoughts pollute a body. "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean'." Matth.15:19-20
So Jesus wants to make the thoughts of the believers clean before He comes. "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." Eph.5:25-27
With what kind of water is Jesus going to cleanse His bride? That washing water is revealed to be a word, which removes stains from the thoughts of the believers, straightens wrinkled attitudes to be like-minded with God.
Clean speeches from clean mind
The presence of God revealed for the prophet Isaiah that his lips were dirty. "'Woe to me!' I cried, 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips." Isaiah 6:5 What had made the lips of Isaiah dirty? He doesn't tell how it had happened. Instead James, the apostle, tells us that "likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boats. The tongue is a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person." James 3:5,6
Paul, the apostle says that "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" 1Cor.5:6 The gospel of Jesus causes that "let him who boasts boast in the Lord". 1Cor.1:31
Isaiah was made clean when his mouth was touched with a live coal of the altar. This tells us about the offering altar of Golgotha, which must be allowed to burn off our boasting of ourselves. Look at Jesus on the cross! He is good and worthy of glory, but suffered our shame instead of us. Have you died together with Him? If Jesus is being mocked and dishonoured, though He would be worthy of praises, how could I receive praises that belong to Him, to the real benefactor!
Paul expresses the clean mouth of the wife of the Lamb by saying: "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Gal.6:14
The members of the body of Christ try "to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Eph.4:3 However that bond is surely broken, if the train of thoughts of the believers runs according to the old nature. Instead, if believers have the mind of Christ the unity remains.
A religion can be kept up and running by the power of traditions, but the church of God is held together only by the power of righteousness. The mind of Jesus obeys truth in love. A religious mind obeys orthodoxy in tolerance. "Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love." Eph.4:15-16
When believers live "in the futility of their thinking", they are unable to experience unity in Jesus. Then the unity can only be experienced on grounds of the membership of the church association, although they should feel unity on the grounds that they are the members of the body of Jesus.
The presence of God revealed for the prophet Isaiah that his lips were dirty. "'Woe to me!' I cried, 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips." Isaiah 6:5 What had made the lips of Isaiah dirty? He doesn't tell how it had happened. Instead James, the apostle, tells us that "likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boats. The tongue is a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person." James 3:5,6
Paul, the apostle says that "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" 1Cor.5:6 The gospel of Jesus causes that "let him who boasts boast in the Lord". 1Cor.1:31
Isaiah was made clean when his mouth was touched with a live coal of the altar. This tells us about the offering altar of Golgotha, which must be allowed to burn off our boasting of ourselves. Look at Jesus on the cross! He is good and worthy of glory, but suffered our shame instead of us. Have you died together with Him? If Jesus is being mocked and dishonoured, though He would be worthy of praises, how could I receive praises that belong to Him, to the real benefactor!
Paul expresses the clean mouth of the wife of the Lamb by saying: "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Gal.6:14
The members of the body of Christ try "to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Eph.4:3 However that bond is surely broken, if the train of thoughts of the believers runs according to the old nature. Instead, if believers have the mind of Christ the unity remains.
A religion can be kept up and running by the power of traditions, but the church of God is held together only by the power of righteousness. The mind of Jesus obeys truth in love. A religious mind obeys orthodoxy in tolerance. "Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love." Eph.4:15-16
When believers live "in the futility of their thinking", they are unable to experience unity in Jesus. Then the unity can only be experienced on grounds of the membership of the church association, although they should feel unity on the grounds that they are the members of the body of Jesus.
Assembling churches
Although the body of Jesus Christ is one and undivided church, it naturally occurs as many assembling churches. Jesus defines it as follows: "Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matth.18:20 Immediately after this Peter asks Jesus how many times he must forgive his brother as though the words of Jesus would have reminded him of the difficulties of an assembled church.
When Paul speaks about the building of the church he always mentions the spiritual gifts and the services that God has given. "He gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to whole measure of the fulness of Christ." Eph.4:11-13 So the church is to be like Jesus. The church has a clear target, hasn't it? To act like one man, Jesus.
Notice this! Assembling churches build up the church of Jesus, about which it is said that it is one body! Although in a region there are many assembling churches, all the believers of the region are one church in Jesus.
When we assemble in the name of Jesus, He is present through the spiritual gifts He has given to us. The quality of the gift that a believer has received expresses what kind of a member of the body he/she is in the church. "When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." 1Cor.14:26
If assembling means that preachers give and the other believers only receive, the assembling doesn't take place in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When the spiritual gifts, given by Jesus, are displaced, one cannot assemble in His name. Assemblings, where human wisdom and lording are present, don't build the church of Jesus.
Assembling churches need associations for practical activities. Unfortunately the status of the church of God is often given to these associations. This kind of development starts from being a little ashamed of Jesus and His words and has often led to denying Him totally.
Everyone who belongs to Jesus is a member of His church on the grounds of the spiritual birth. One is joined to the church of God by coming to faith. Even so believers are often made to feel that they don't belong to the church of God, if they don't become members of a Christian association or a church. In this way a human organization has been made into the body of Christ. Woe to them! How great a sin it is against the gospel! Often those local associations are organized into a denomination whose members consider it the church of God. Woe to them! How bad a stain it is in the dress of the bride!
Now the bride of Christ is called to put off her sinful nature and to leave the unholy meetings. The bride-elect of the Lamb is called to be made new in the attitude of her mind according to the mind of her Bridegroom. Be intensively in private with Him. The church with the mind of Jesus will put on new deeds and the church of the righteous will appear as a dew from the womb of the dawn and will be frightful as a majestic army and beautiful as the moon.
Although the body of Jesus Christ is one and undivided church, it naturally occurs as many assembling churches. Jesus defines it as follows: "Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matth.18:20 Immediately after this Peter asks Jesus how many times he must forgive his brother as though the words of Jesus would have reminded him of the difficulties of an assembled church.
When Paul speaks about the building of the church he always mentions the spiritual gifts and the services that God has given. "He gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to whole measure of the fulness of Christ." Eph.4:11-13 So the church is to be like Jesus. The church has a clear target, hasn't it? To act like one man, Jesus.
Notice this! Assembling churches build up the church of Jesus, about which it is said that it is one body! Although in a region there are many assembling churches, all the believers of the region are one church in Jesus.
When we assemble in the name of Jesus, He is present through the spiritual gifts He has given to us. The quality of the gift that a believer has received expresses what kind of a member of the body he/she is in the church. "When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church." 1Cor.14:26
If assembling means that preachers give and the other believers only receive, the assembling doesn't take place in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When the spiritual gifts, given by Jesus, are displaced, one cannot assemble in His name. Assemblings, where human wisdom and lording are present, don't build the church of Jesus.
Assembling churches need associations for practical activities. Unfortunately the status of the church of God is often given to these associations. This kind of development starts from being a little ashamed of Jesus and His words and has often led to denying Him totally.
Everyone who belongs to Jesus is a member of His church on the grounds of the spiritual birth. One is joined to the church of God by coming to faith. Even so believers are often made to feel that they don't belong to the church of God, if they don't become members of a Christian association or a church. In this way a human organization has been made into the body of Christ. Woe to them! How great a sin it is against the gospel! Often those local associations are organized into a denomination whose members consider it the church of God. Woe to them! How bad a stain it is in the dress of the bride!
Now the bride of Christ is called to put off her sinful nature and to leave the unholy meetings. The bride-elect of the Lamb is called to be made new in the attitude of her mind according to the mind of her Bridegroom. Be intensively in private with Him. The church with the mind of Jesus will put on new deeds and the church of the righteous will appear as a dew from the womb of the dawn and will be frightful as a majestic army and beautiful as the moon.
Ironing attitudes
Impartiality is shimmer of the righteous clothing of Jesus! Partiality is an attitude that is a bad wrinkle in the clothing of a believer. Partiality considers itself better than the others. I have to consider my own sins as bad as the other's. I have to consider the needs of others as important as my own.
Self-pride, family pride, profession pride, nation's pride and church pride are wrinkles, which must be removed from believers before the rapture. Many hot words are needed to fight against our wrong attitudes.
Submission to God is sweet smoothness of the clothing of righteousness of Jesus! Trusting possibilities of man is an attitude that fights against the faith given by the gospel. Are you filled with your own ideas which you also offer to God? Be quiet and stop and listen to God. Trust the path God has planned for you and do not plan your own! When you hear properly what God is saying, it is easy for you to obey Him. Obedience comes from hearing, but you are able to hear God only when you do not hear your sinful nature any more.
The waiting for the new nature glitters in the dress of the bride of the Lamb. If you love this old nature so much that it has caused you to give up the waiting of the new nature, there is a bad wrinkle in your dress of righteousness. The wife of Lot looked behind her and therefore she was not saved from the devastation of Sodom, although she first obeyed the call of God. The things of this world are perishable. You must use them but do not love them. "Those who buy something should live as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away." 1Cor.7:30-31
Your mission is to be beautiful in the eyes of God! In the same way as a bride wants to please her bridegroom those who belong to Jesus want to please God.
Impartiality is shimmer of the righteous clothing of Jesus! Partiality is an attitude that is a bad wrinkle in the clothing of a believer. Partiality considers itself better than the others. I have to consider my own sins as bad as the other's. I have to consider the needs of others as important as my own.
Self-pride, family pride, profession pride, nation's pride and church pride are wrinkles, which must be removed from believers before the rapture. Many hot words are needed to fight against our wrong attitudes.
Submission to God is sweet smoothness of the clothing of righteousness of Jesus! Trusting possibilities of man is an attitude that fights against the faith given by the gospel. Are you filled with your own ideas which you also offer to God? Be quiet and stop and listen to God. Trust the path God has planned for you and do not plan your own! When you hear properly what God is saying, it is easy for you to obey Him. Obedience comes from hearing, but you are able to hear God only when you do not hear your sinful nature any more.
The waiting for the new nature glitters in the dress of the bride of the Lamb. If you love this old nature so much that it has caused you to give up the waiting of the new nature, there is a bad wrinkle in your dress of righteousness. The wife of Lot looked behind her and therefore she was not saved from the devastation of Sodom, although she first obeyed the call of God. The things of this world are perishable. You must use them but do not love them. "Those who buy something should live as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away." 1Cor.7:30-31
Your mission is to be beautiful in the eyes of God! In the same way as a bride wants to please her bridegroom those who belong to Jesus want to please God.
The Bible version used in references is NIV