MEMBERS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. The Priceless Church
a) We focus on more of Paul’s “snapshots” of the church. These perspectives help us to understand the importance of the church, the blessings of membership in it, and why we should treasure the church, and ensure that not only do we gain membership in it, but that we hold on to it at all cost.
Ephesians 2:16, 19
"...in one body... and of God’s household."
2. Members In The Body Of Christ
a) "That in himself he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, and so put to death the enmity..." (Ephesians 2:16).
b) The picture of the church in Ephesians 2 (and the most common in Paul’s writings) is that of "the one body" of Christ. We have become the members and parts of that body (Ephesians 4:16,25 Ephesians5:30). Christ is the head (Ephesians 1:22-23).
c) Perhaps the body metaphor is more than just a very good picture for helping us understand the purpose of the church and how it relates to Christ. We should probably connect this picture of the church with the fact that Jesus sacrificed his fleshly body and thereby "purchased the church" (Ephesians 5:25, Acts 20:28, 1Peter 2:24). Without his body on the cross, there could be no body of the church. For by the sacrifice of his fleshly body, he became "the Saviour of the body... the church" (Ephesians 5:23-24).
The End ...
1. The Priceless Churcha) We focus on more of Paul’s “snapshots” of the church. These perspectives help us to understand the importance of the church, the blessings of membership in it, and why we should treasure the church, and ensure that not only do we gain membership in it, but that we hold on to it at all cost.
Ephesians 2:16, 19
"...in one body... and of God’s household."
2. Members In The Body Of Christ
a) "That in himself he might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, and so put to death the enmity..." (Ephesians 2:16).
b) The picture of the church in Ephesians 2 (and the most common in Paul’s writings) is that of "the one body" of Christ. We have become the members and parts of that body (Ephesians 4:16,25 Ephesians5:30). Christ is the head (Ephesians 1:22-23).
c) Perhaps the body metaphor is more than just a very good picture for helping us understand the purpose of the church and how it relates to Christ. We should probably connect this picture of the church with the fact that Jesus sacrificed his fleshly body and thereby "purchased the church" (Ephesians 5:25, Acts 20:28, 1Peter 2:24). Without his body on the cross, there could be no body of the church. For by the sacrifice of his fleshly body, he became "the Saviour of the body... the church" (Ephesians 5:23-24).
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