I. CHRIST BEING THE HEAD
[Christ is the Head of the Body. In Ephesians 5:23 Paul says, “Christ is Head of the church, being Himself the Savior of the Body.’’ The Savior is a matter of love, whereas the Head is a matter of authority. We love Christ as our Savior, but we must also be subject to Him as our Head.
As the Head of the church, the Body, Christ is joined to the Body. Just as in one’s physical body the head and the body are one, so Christ, the Head, and the church, His Body, are joined and therefore are one. The Body is one with the Head in the divine life and in the divine Spirit.
All that Christ has accomplished, obtained, and attained as the Head is not only for the Body but also to the Body (Eph. 1:22-23). This means that what the Head has gained now belongs to the Body, for it is transmitted to the Body. The Body, therefore, comes into existence from the transmission of the Head. Whatever Christ has passed through, obtained, and attained is now being transmitted into the Body.]
II. WE BEING THE MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST
A body must have members. Who are the members of the Body of Christ? We are! We, the God-chosen, Christ-redeemed, and Spirit-regenerated people are the members of the Body. We do not join the Body by signing up. We become members by being saved and baptized into the Body. First Corinthians 12:13 says, “For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.’’ Therefore, the Body is organic, of life; it is not formed organizationally.
Like the human body, not one member is hired and not one member can be fired. Every member is of life. The Body of Christ is the same. We were not hired nor can we be fired. None of us were admitted into the Body, so we can not remove anyone from the Body. This is wonderful. We can be assured that we will remain in the Body of Christ forever.
We may have different functions in the Body, yet we are still one Body. The foot cannot say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the Body’’ (1 Cor. 12:15). Neither can the head say to the foot, “I have no need of you’’ (1 Cor. 12:21). Because we are organically in the Body we cannot be discharged. We are in the Body forever to enjoy all the riches of the Head.
III. THE BODY RECEIVING FROM THE HEAD
Ephesians 1:22b says, “And (God) gave Him (Christ) to be Head over all things to the church.’’ Christ is the Head of the church to direct the church’s every move; and in order for the church to express Christ as His Body, the church must be connected to Christ all the time to receive all that Christ is. The phrase “to the church’’ implies a continuous transmission from Christ the Head to the church His Body. All His divine riches are ours to enjoy continually. All that He is, all that He has, all that He has accomplished, and all that He has obtained and attained is being transmitted into all the members all the time. We need to open to Him to receive all these divine riches all day long.
When you get up in the morning, you may pray, “O Lord Jesus, You are my Head. I want to enjoy all that you are. Flow into me.’’ As you are praying, the Spirit will flow from the Head into you to revive your spirit. Then you should pray-read the verses for the day. The Head on the throne will be your rich supply for you to live Him out that day. God will be expressed in your manner of living. You will be energized to preach the gospel to save sinners that they may become new members of the Body. You and your newly saved ones, may prophesy and testify to exhibit Christ in the church meetings to build up the Body of Christ. The most enjoyable and fulfilling way to live our human life and our Christian life is to live as a member of the Body of Christ.
(Lesson Book, Level 5: The Church—The Vision and Building Up of the Church, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee)
