The Church - what are we called to?

[Vine Abider]

I'm musing about the ekklesia of Christ this morning and what His purpose is through us.

My contemplation starts with this verse, after Peter received divine revelation he answer that Jesus was indeed The Christ - and the Lord responded: 

"I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  Matt 16:18

Right here, the Lord reveals His grand purpose for the church is to have dominion over His enemy!  He will build this gathering of believers into a force that the gates of Hades will not be able to withstand! 

This thought is clearly also conveyed in Ephesians:

"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms."  Eph 3:10

And then this verse in Romans:

"The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly." Rom 16:20

In Luke 10, after Jesus has given His disciples authority to go out and preach the kingdom, they come back and are marveling that they even have dominion over the demons.  At hearing this Jesus says:

"I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightening!"  Luke 10:18

Revelation 12 tells us how this takes place:

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-lives unto death!" Rev 12:11

Brothers & sisters, we need to be clear that dominion over serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19 - the devil & demons) is a key role the church is called to - we, the body of Christ, are the instrument He uses to carry this dominion out! 

 

[NConly]

James 4:7-8

 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Gal 3:14

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

 

[Alive]

I do think it is important to understand that there has never been a time when Lucifer was not bound and limited by God. He is a creature and he is limited by precisely what God requires.

There has never been, nor will there ever be a time when God is not in total control.

[Vine Abider]

33 minutes ago, Alive said:

I do think it is important to understand that there has never been a time when Lucifer was not bound and limited by God. He is a creature and he is limited by precisely what God requires.

There has never been, nor will there ever be a time when God is not in total control.

True, in that I think He sets things up a certain way, and then delegates certain authority.  He created us with His image and likeness to have dominion over the earth and all on it, but we let that go to the enemy (since God also gave us free will).  This was a HUGE risk and and a seemingly insurmountable problem.  Only God could solve this gigantic problem, and He did so in Jesus Christ. 

Now we are in Christ and He is in us, recovered back to God's original purpose. This demonstrates and fully shows forth His unsurpassable wisdom, love and ability in rescuing those who were previously lost to what their real purpose was (dominion).

[Alive]

2 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

True, in that I think He sets things up a certain way, and then delegates certain authority.  He created us with His image and likeness to have dominion over the earth and all on it, but we let that go to the enemy (since God also gave us free will).  This was a HUGE risk and and a seemingly insurmountable problem.  Only God could solve this gigantic problem, and He did so in Jesus Christ. 

Now we are in Christ and He is in us, recovered back to God's original purpose. This demonstrates and fully shows forth His unsurpassable wisdom, love and ability in rescuing those who were previously lost to what their real purpose was (dominion).

I would just add a thought for consideration.

Adam had a will free and unencumbered by sin until the fall. Then his will became bound and chained by sin and its nature. His will was no longer entirely free as it was limited by the horrendous result of death.

In the same way, the enemy's will is entirely bound and limited by his nature. He is a sin filled creature that is incapable of any understanding of righteousness or holiness. He is blinded by that darkness and limited. He can do nothing that God--his creator doesn't give him power or permission to do.

His fate was sealed and he knows it, but he is insane and delusional. His chains are absolute!

[Vine Abider]

6 minutes ago, Alive said:

I would just add a thought for consideration.

Adam had a will free and unencumbered by sin until the fall. Then his will became bound and chained by sin and its nature. His will was no longer entirely free as it was limited by the horrendous result of death.

In the same way, the enemy's will is entirely bound and limited by his nature. He is a sin filled creature that is incapable of any understanding of righteousness or holiness. He is blinded by that darkness and limited. He can do nothing that God--his creator doesn't give him power or permission to do.

His fate was sealed and he knows it, but he is insane and delusional. His chains are absolute!

One could say God set this up (as you described) to create the most unsolvable problem ever. No one is found who can do it, and then He solves it.  In the process, all glory goes to Him, and it is fully seen by all that apart from Him, we can do exactly nothing that means anything whatsoever!

[Alive]

2 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

One could say God set this up (as you described) to create the most unsolvable problem ever. No one is found who can do it, and then He solves it.  In the process, all glory goes to Him, and it is fully seen by all that apart from Him, we can do exactly nothing that means anything whatsoever!

The Holy Spirit spoke with clarity right here.

Eph. 3:7 (NAS20S) of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. ⁸ To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; ¹⁰ so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and   confident access through faith in Him.

[enoob57]

Doesn't seem bound to me
1 Peter 5:8 (KJV)

[8] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

In fact it seems the majority of the world seeks him and not God

Matthew 7:14 (KJV)

[14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

[15] Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

 

[Marathoner]

The devil is not the adversary of the Lord, for no one and nothing can stand against Him (Nahum 1:1-17). God has no equal to oppose Him, for there is no one like the Lord (Isaiah 45).

No, the devil is our adversary instead. This suits the will and purpose of God. Enoob shared the passage of scripture from 1 Peter above where the devil is called our adversary.

[AdHoc]

8 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

I'm musing about the ekklesia of Christ this morning and what His purpose is through us.

My contemplation starts with this verse, after Peter received divine revelation he answer that Jesus was indeed The Christ - and the Lord responded: 

"I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  Matt 16:18

Right here, the Lord reveals His grand purpose for the church is to have dominion over His enemy!  He will build this gathering of believers into a force that the gates of Hades will not be able to withstand! 

This thought is clearly also conveyed in Ephesians:

"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms."  Eph 3:10

And then this verse in Romans:

"The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly." Rom 16:20

In Luke 10, after Jesus has given His disciples authority to go out and preach the kingdom, they come back and are marveling that they even have dominion over the demons.  At hearing this Jesus says:

"I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightening!"  Luke 10:18

Revelation 12 tells us how this takes place:

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-lives unto death!" Rev 12:11

Brothers & sisters, we need to be clear that dominion over serpents and scorpions (Luke 10:19 - the devil & demons) is a key role the church is called to - we, the body of Christ, are the instrument He uses to carry this dominion out! 

 

I judge that you've hit the nail on the head here in Ephesians 3:10. How did a vastly superior angel get beaten by man "made a little lower than the angels"?

Just a comment on Matthew 16:18. The meaning can also be construed by the fact that our BODIES make the BODY of Christ (1st Cor.6:15). When a man dies, his three parts are sundered. Body goes to the elements, spirit returns to God (Eccl.3:21, 12:7) and the soul of man, which is the man (Gen.2:7), goes to Hades. There is only one way past that gate - resurrection. And there is only one person with the authority to give life to the dead - Jesus (1st Cor.15:45). That is, normally, the death of a Christian is a massive damage to the Church as the BODY is gone. If there was no resurrection the Gates of Hades would prevail against the Church. 

So, in announcing His Church, our Lord Jesus only mentions three things.
1. It will be built on a Rock - the revealing of Jesus
2. It will suffer damage by God's enemy - death, but Hades, the place of the dead, will ultimately be defeated
3. Government. The Church will contain heaven's authority. If the Ekklesia sanctions a member on earth, heaven agrees and at the Bema, it will stand. If the offending one repents, the Ekklesia will lose this sanction and heaven will follow.

Point #2 contains another secret. In Jacob's dream in Genesis 28, which is expounded in John Chapter 1, the Ladder is set up ON EARTH; not heaven. The "angels" going first UP and then down, present a mystery. Angels cannot be saved, so how come they are on the Ladder which is Christ? Angels are heavenly beings. How come they start on earth and end on earth? Well, they don't. In Luke 20:34-36 men in RESURRECTION are like the angels. These are men in resurrection, and the resurrection is by Christ - the Ladder. They visit heaven by calling (Heb.3:1), rebirth ("born from above" - lit. Gk.) and Rapture (Rev.14:1-5), but RETURN. This is BETHEL - the House of God, or, the Ekklesia.

This mystery that Christ's Church will exist now, but only be built to ts final form after the resurrection is confirmed in New Jerusalem. The walls, built upon the Apostles, have the measure of a man - "that is, an angel" (Rev.21.17).