Hallelujah - He Died & Rose to produce the Church!

[Vine Abider]

As we are embarking on the weekend when Christianity remembers the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, it is good to remember what He did it all for.  Of course He died to bring forgiveness, which His substitutionary death accomplished.  And then He rose from the dead and 1st Corinthians 15:45 tells us He became a life-giving Spirit.  Therefore, as the One Grain fell into the ground to die to produce many gains and one loaf, through rebirth His believers receive of His Spirit, making us His one body.

Wonderful! Astounding! Magnificent beyond comprehension! 

The church--Christ's Person and Work

"And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." Ephesians 1:22-23

The church is not an entity separate from the Person and work of Christ. We should not think of the church as something different from His Person and work. The church is a description of Christ with the fullness of His Person in His Body resulting in a testimony of all that He has accomplished in His work to produce us as His expression. So the church is simply a manifestation, an extension, of Christ's Person and Christ's work.

Coming from various backgrounds, we may have different ideas of what "church" means. The church is a building, or the church is an assembly of people, or the church is what we experienced for years and maybe were disappointed with. "Church" could mean many different things to us. But we need to see a simple and clear revelation of the church--it is nothing less and nothing more than the Person and the work of Christ embodied and expressed through His people. This is the way we need to consider the church.

Properly speaking, the church is an extension of Christ's Person and His work. When the Bible says that we are His Body, it adds, "the fullness of Him who is filling all in all." This is how we are Christ's extension. It is by His filling us. As we are being filled, there is an expression of all His riches. Look at His Person, look at His work. Then you know the church. The church is simply Christ Himself and all that He is dispensed into all of us, with all the riches of His Person and His work flowing from each one of us to express His fullness. What a marvelous realization of what the church is. It is just Christ and more of Christ filling all His organic members.

From The Supplied Life

[TheBlade]

NOW this is shouting time. Thank you Father!

[timf]

It was prophesied that he would die. However, it was a mystery that this would pay for the sins of the world and be the mechanism by by which people could be reconciled to God.

1Co_2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

1Jn_2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

[Vine Abider]

5 hours ago, timf said:

1Co_2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

1Jn_2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

And it occurs to me that one of the big reasons (that the first verse above is speaking about), is that the purpose of the One Grain falling into the ground to die, was to bring forth many after His kind (aka the church)!   Imagine how the enemy must have trembled when they say the image of Christ being reproduced in the early church!  To them, it was bad enough that Jesus was on the earth, but then suddenly there were hundreds and thousands of people walking around bearing His image!!!

Listening to a message yesterday at my local fellowship, a couple verses came to me along these lines:

"And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Col 1:18

"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Rom 8:11

God's purpose is with man and in Genesis 1:26, when He made man in His image and likeness, He gave us authority over the earth and what inhabits it.  He has restored this image and authority to us, who are His many grains --> which were produced in Christ's resurrection.

[AdHoc]

6 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

And it occurs to me that one of the big reasons (that the first verse above is speaking about), is that the purpose of the One Grain falling into the ground to die, was to bring forth many after His kind (aka the church)!   Imagine how the enemy must have trembled when they say the image of Christ being reproduced in the early church!  To them, it was bad enough that Jesus was on the earth, but then suddenly there were hundreds and thousands of people walking around bearing His image!!!

Listening to a message yesterday at my local fellowship, a couple verses came to me along these lines:

"And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Col 1:18

"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Rom 8:11

God's purpose is with man and in Genesis 1:26, when He made man in His image and likeness, He gave us authority over the earth and what inhabits it.  He has restored this image and authority to us, who are His many grains --> which were produced in Christ's resurrection.

Our Lord did many wonders in His lifetime. A man driving out demons is probably one of the highest displays of God's government. Raising Lazarus was probably one of the highest displays of power. But these are in answer to problems. The raising up of the Church is His Father's heart's desire. In one He served His Father by bringing in the Kingdom, in the other He gladdened a Father Who had had this desire from eternity. Both are required, but one is higher.
"The Church" is an unfortunate word. The Greek is so much more expressive - "Ekklesia" - "the gathering of the called out ones"! Our God is a social God. He loves fellowship. For being faithful God rewards Caleb with "Hebron", meaning "fellowship". The Tabernacle is the "Tent of MEETING". But more than this ...
... The members of His Church are His members - bone and flesh for men to openly display a hidden God
... At the same time it is a spiritual House for a God Who is a Spirit
... At the same time it is a physical WOMAN for the Father's SON - a MAN
... At the same time it is the Father's divine government here on earth for it has the KEYS of the Kingdom

In the Church, God realizes his deepest longing. And we, are the called-out ones who have been given the lofty honor of being part of the fulfillment. What dignity, what an inheritance, what profound privilege !!!

[Marilyn C]

On 4/19/2025 at 4:40 AM, Vine Abider said:

As we are embarking on the weekend when Christianity remembers the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, it is good to remember what He did it all for.  Of course He died to bring forgiveness, which His substitutionary death accomplished.  And then He rose from the dead and 1st Corinthians 15:45 tells us He became a life-giving Spirit.  Therefore, as the One Grain fell into the ground to die to produce many gains and one loaf, through rebirth His believers receive of His Spirit, making us His one body.

Wonderful! Astounding! Magnificent beyond comprehension! 

The church--Christ's Person and Work

"And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." Ephesians 1:22-23

The church is not an entity separate from the Person and work of Christ. We should not think of the church as something different from His Person and work. The church is a description of Christ with the fullness of His Person in His Body resulting in a testimony of all that He has accomplished in His work to produce us as His expression. So the church is simply a manifestation, an extension, of Christ's Person and Christ's work.

Coming from various backgrounds, we may have different ideas of what "church" means. The church is a building, or the church is an assembly of people, or the church is what we experienced for years and maybe were disappointed with. "Church" could mean many different things to us. But we need to see a simple and clear revelation of the church--it is nothing less and nothing more than the Person and the work of Christ embodied and expressed through His people. This is the way we need to consider the church.

Properly speaking, the church is an extension of Christ's Person and His work. When the Bible says that we are His Body, it adds, "the fullness of Him who is filling all in all." This is how we are Christ's extension. It is by His filling us. As we are being filled, there is an expression of all His riches. Look at His Person, look at His work. Then you know the church. The church is simply Christ Himself and all that He is dispensed into all of us, with all the riches of His Person and His work flowing from each one of us to express His fullness. What a marvelous realization of what the church is. It is just Christ and more of Christ filling all His organic members.

From The Supplied Life

Hi VA,

Yes, the highest calling in Christ Jesus. However, there are other groups that receive from Christ - the Old Testament saints, Israel and the Nations. Each have a part to play in God`s great kingdom over all.

To accomplish that the Father had to raise His Son to the highest.

`the Father of glory....raised Him (Jesus) from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come, and put all things under His feet...` (Eph. 1: 20 - 22)

May I suggest we put the Lord first before we focus on ourselves. Yes, the called-out ones are the many sons to glory, however, God`s purposes are much greater than that. Jesus, the glorified Son of Man and Son of God is the first human to be in the higher realms. He is the Worthy one, the One to be adored, worshipped and crowned sovereign ruler over all the Father`s estates. 

Then we can speak of who will be in God`s great kingdom because of His great sacrifice. 

[Vine Abider]

14 hours ago, Marilyn C said:

Hi VA,

Yes, the highest calling in Christ Jesus. However, there are other groups that receive from Christ - the Old Testament saints, Israel and the Nations. Each have a part to play in God`s great kingdom over all.

To accomplish that the Father had to raise His Son to the highest.

`the Father of glory....raised Him (Jesus) from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come, and put all things under His feet...` (Eph. 1: 20 - 22)

May I suggest we put the Lord first before we focus on ourselves. Yes, the called-out ones are the many sons to glory, however, God`s purposes are much greater than that. Jesus, the glorified Son of Man and Son of God is the first human to be in the higher realms. He is the Worthy one, the One to be adored, worshipped and crowned sovereign ruler over all the Father`s estates. 

Then we can speak of who will be in God`s great kingdom because of His great sacrifice. 

I believe seeing Christ in the members of His body is glorifying Him. A song we used to sing came to me recently with this one line in particular: "His glory broke upon us when we saw Him in the church!" 

[AnOrangeCat]

On 4/18/2025 at 1:40 PM, Vine Abider said:

Properly speaking, the church is an extension of Christ's Person and His work. When the Bible says that we are His Body, it adds, "the fullness of Him who is filling all in all." This is how we are Christ's extension. It is by His filling us. As we are being filled, there is an expression of all His riches. Look at His Person, look at His work. Then you know the church. The church is simply Christ Himself and all that He is dispensed into all of us, with all the riches of His Person and His work flowing from each one of us to express His fullness. What a marvelous realization of what the church is. It is just Christ and more of Christ filling all His organic members.

The body of Christ analogy Paul made is really one of my favorites in all the Bible. Not only does it elegantly illustrate the varied roles we can have within the church, it also illustrates how we should relate to each other and Christ. It was some really inspired and insightful explaining, and we'd all do well to think of it before responding to a fellow believer in anger or offense.

[Vine Abider]

1 hour ago, AnOrangeCat said:

The body of Christ analogy Paul made is really one of my favorites in all the Bible. Not only does it elegantly illustrate the varied roles we can have within the church, it also illustrates how we should relate to each other and Christ. It was some really inspired and insightful explaining, and we'd all do well to think of it before responding to a fellow believer in anger or offense.

Indeed! When I was a young Christian, the Lord gave me a vision. I was living in a large communal Christian house, in Berkeley, with about 45 other brothers. This was the early 70s and many of us had recently come off the street with long hair and bad habits galore. One morning he showed me that He was living in each and every one of these guys - the rough-looking ones and the more clean-cut ones. I saw a supernatural light in all their eyes and realized the one Spirit of Christ was dwelling there, in all of us.  It was astounding and lasted maybe a minute, but what an impression it made on me concerning Christ living in His body!

[Vine Abider]

There are some wonderful verses pertaining to who we are in Daily Light (evening) for today!

The blessed hope and glorious appearing of our
great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

When He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Titus 2:13; Heb. 6:19–20; 1 John 3:2; Col. 3:4