Where Is God in His Church?

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If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. When Christ ascended to heaven—conquering death, sin, and Satan in his resurrection—he distributed gifts of grace to his people.

Now, it must be understood that spiritual gifts are not the same as talents. Talents are natural gifts received at birth. However, spiritual gifts are received at spiritual birth or sometime later, as Christ through the Spirit distributes them cf.

There is some controversy over this, as some believe people only receive spiritual gifts at salvation. However, several passages seem to indicate otherwise.

In 1 Corinthians It seems clear that Timothy received another spiritual gift after salvation. Therefore, I believe it is good to both desire and pray for spiritual gifts. God gifts believers to serve and build up the church. The five lists of spiritual gifts in the Bible, 1 Corinthians They include teaching, administration, mercy, exhortation, helps, tongues, faith, miracles, and giving, among others. However, it is clear that the authors do not mean these lists to be exhaustive. In fact, we see other gifts mentioned in the Bible.

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul talks about the gifts of singleness and marriage. In Exodus 31, Bezalel was gifted by God with craftsmanship in order to build the tabernacle. For this reason, many believe there could be numerous gifts not mentioned specifically in the Bible such as intercession, casting out demons, and leading worship.

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As we find our gifts and use them to build the body of Christ, the church grows. God empowers us with grace—unmerited favor—to build his church. This is his plan. Because spiritual gifts are given to build the body of Christ, we find them by getting involved and serving. As we serve, it becomes clear what our gifts are. Here are two tests to determine them. As one uses his gift of teaching, he will grow in faith and come to know God better.

As he uses his gift of mercy—listening and ministering to the hurting—he himself will be built up. Therefore, if you think you have the gift of teaching and as you teach you feel edified, good! But if nobody else is edified or encouraged by your teaching, it may not be your gift. Typically, spiritual gifts edify both the user and the receiver. One exception might be the gift of tongues.

When a person uses this gift, it only builds him up unless it is interpreted. That is why Paul places tongues last in the list in 1 Corinthians He implies that it is the least important gift. So how do you find your gifts? Find a way to serve the church. And as you continue to use your gifts, they will get stronger. Paul tells Timothy not to neglect his gift, but rather to stir it into flame cf. We are all responsible for developing our gifts to their fullest potential for the kingdom of God.

What are your spiritual gifts? In what ways has God called you to develop and use them? When Paul refers to Christ ascending on high, this is not just a change of location, but also a change of position. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And one day, he will rule it not only positionally, but actually—at his second coming.

In fact, Christ said this before his ascension in Matthew All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. God has given us the power and authority of Christ, which is why Paul teaches that we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Eph 2: And one day we will, along with Christ, even judge angels at the second coming 1 Cor 6: As mentioned, in the passage about Christ ascending on high, leading captives in his train and giving gifts to men, he pictures Christ as a conquering king parading through the city and distributing booty.

Bride of Christ - Wikipedia

Paul quotes Psalm Therefore, Psalm 68 is not a prophecy about Christ. Christ conquered sin, death, and Satan in his ascension, and he distributed spiritual gifts to his people, even as God conquered nations and gave gifts to Israel. The reformers believed it referred to the incarnation. But, at his resurrection, he ascended to heaven to rule.

THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS CHRIST

Support for this may be found in John 3: The early church fathers believed it referred to Christ going to hades during his three days in the grave. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison.

Further support is seen in Christ telling the thief on the cross that on that same day he would be with him in paradise Luke Hades, or sheol, had two compartments. One was paradise i. In the Old Testament, the righteous did not dwell in heaven but in paradise—across from the damned. In the New Testament, it is clear that believers now live in heaven. In 2 Corinthians He also teaches that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord 2 Cor 5: Many believe Paul is alluding to this in his conquering king illustration. They say that when Christ descended to the lower part of the earth—hades—to declare victory over the enemy, he took paradise and its inhabitants, the Old Testament faithful, back to heaven to be with him.

Figuratively speaking, the early church Fathers said that, after announcing His triumph over demons in one part of Sheol, He then opened the doors of another part of Sheol to release those godly captives. Like the victorious kings of old, He recaptured the captives and liberated them, and henceforth they would live in heaven as eternally free sons of God. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Christ descended to the depths of the earth in his death. Humbling himself and becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross—was the ultimate descent of Christ. And because of this humiliation, God exalted him and gave him a name higher than any other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee would bow in heaven and on earth. God exalted his victorious Son above every power and principality in heaven and on earth, and this enables him, as the conquering King, to give gifts to believers.

THE ORAL TRADITION OF THE APOSTLES

Believers have been raised with Christ, and his authority goes with them as they minister. We should not feel insecure, fearful, or incompetent as we minister, for Christ gives us his very own power and authority to build his church.

Indeed, Christ has given us his Spirit—a Spirit of power, love, and self-discipline to do his work 2 Tim 1: Jesus says the gates of Hades will not prevail against his church Matt We must remember this when the lion roars and tries to instill fear, doubt, or worry. Christ has anointed us to preach the good news, to proclaim freedom to prisoners, and to set the oppressed free cf.

Thank you, Lord, for your victory! Believers should desire this and pray for it. This is true not only for Christ but for us as well. The first will be last and the last will be first Matt Whoever wants to be first must be last—the slave of all Mark 9: We live in a world system where everybody wants to be served, and nobody wants to serve others. However, it is the humble—the ones who serve—that God exalts. How can we apply this truth in our daily lives and ministries?

Why did God establish the Church and how did it come to be?

What ministry leaders does Paul list in Ephesians 4: Next, Paul describes the gifts that the ascended Christ distributes. Certainly, each believer receives a gift s , but here Paul focuses on gifted leaders—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The apostles were the original twelve disciples minus Judas , Paul, James the brother of Jesus, Matthias, and a few others. They had to have seen the risen Christ so they could bear witness of him Acts 1: God authenticated their ministry through miracles Heb 2: Along with the prophets, they built the foundation of the church Eph 2: Since the foundation of the church is already built, there are no apostles in that sense today.

However, there may be apostles in a secondary sense. If there are apostles today, they would be missionaries, church planters, ministry leaders, etc. The next leaders Christ gave the church were prophets. They gave messages that were directly from God, and, like the apostles, built the foundation of the church by writing the New Testament and teaching its doctrines. There are, of course, no modern day prophets in this sense of the word.

However, there are prophets in a secondary sense. Paul describes them in 1 Corinthians The next gift Christ gave the church was evangelists. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, [Revelation In the above passages, John , the author of the Book of Revelation , speaks of seeing the bride revealed and refers to her as the New Jerusalem , first mentioned in Revelation 3: And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come.

And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

The context of Revelation She is simply a "woman" getting married - a bride. Rather, the author encourages the readers to constantly give thanks with song in their hearts because of what God has done for all in Christ. That prelude to the subject's text takes up again the theme of loving submission that began with the example of Christ in 5: That is approached in Ephesians 5: A major analogy is that of the body.

Just as husband and wife are to be "one flesh", [Eph. Just as the husband, when he loves his wife is loving his own flesh. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him". In the writing to the Church in Rome, Paul writes, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead , that we should bring forth fruit unto God" emphasis added.

While the most commonly accepted interpretation of the bride of Christ is the Church, there are other, uncommon interpretations. The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the , are the only ones who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven and as such believe the Bride is another term among many to refer to the , who will be allowed to enter. The earliest Christian tradition identifies Old Testament texts as symbolic of the divine love of God and people. The love poems of the Song of Songs and the Latter prophet Hosea have many references to the sexual correspondence of God and his people.

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