His body has tremendous, awesome powers, and I'm not just guessing, hyping or saying this out of tradition or cliché. God's body is the ultimate spiritual weapon against Satan and his kingdom. Worship and prayer are powerful and can markedly neutralize the enemy, but the body of Christ is something else. Hence, it was specially prepared to meet the specs of God's optimum war machinery. It's what we should get excited about.
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me." [Hebrews 10]
Photo by Andre Taissin on Unsplash.
To better understand this power, let's take the body's arm, for instance. The Lord's arm alone carries power to rule (both the enemy and his people), and included in that rule is reward the faithful and shepherd his people--the kind of "rule" we badly need in ministry. If only we realize the anointing on the body, and use it, the gates of hell shall not prevail against us. This will be fulfilled in the end times. Checkout God's arm here:
“Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young. [Isaiah 40]
Spiritual Body
Some will disagree and say the passage above is a metaphor or analogy, not literally applicable. God cannot be referring to his literal "arm" because he is spirit. Well, a spirit has no fleshly body but it does have a spiritual body, and that's what he means here. God sees with his "eyes," for instance, and at one time walked in the cool of the day when Adam and Eve heard him walking in the garden while they hid in their guilt. God has spiritual feet humans can hear.
In fact, a spiritual body is more real than a physical or earthly one. Our fleshly body is temporal, so limited and often has value only in our fantasies and wishful thinking. We need to see more the value of of a spiritual body, the one we will have on rapture day. Anyway, a spiritual body works in both the spiritual and physical worlds. Hence, God gathering "lambs in his arms" is literal in a very true spiritual sense. He really does gather them "in his arms" because he does have spiritual arms. Remember, nothing is impossible to him.
When religious experts say something is literal or figurative in the bible, they judge it by their human intellect, by what their bible schools and seminaries taught them, not the Spirit. The Spirit of God sees everything possible. EVERYTHING. Things figurative can be literal and vice versa. God and his Word have no limit. You cannot set limits on what God means with his Word using your theology, titles or degrees. The infinite cannot be judged or interpreted by the finite. Only the Spirit can interpret God's Word accurately.
...no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
[1 Corinthians 2.11]
Peter tried to interpret with his own understanding what God was saying, particularly using his Jewish tradition. In a vision, a blanket full of unclean animals was lowered and God told him to kill and eat. But he refused. He rejected unclean animals as food as written in the Old Testament. But God showed him HE alone has the correct interpretation of his Word, though it seemed wrong from a human point of view. Peter didn't get it till the third time.
Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. [Acts 10.13-16]
Imagine what could have happened if Peter simply obeyed and ate.
God's Hand
Now, let's take God's hand, for instance. His hand alone measures the total amount of water in the oceans and seas of the earth combined, and probably the exact salinity or pH in the different regions, the increase in amount during rain and decrease during evaporation, etc. The same hand also sustains the universe, making sure each galaxy, solar system, star and planet stay in their proper places as the whole Milky Way spins and moves forward. Nothing crashes against another. The power of his hand does that.
Plus more.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? [Isaiah 40]
See that authority, rule and power? And that's just God's one hand! Do you realize how big God is? And that big, powerful, almighty God is in you 100 % through Christ in you. God decided that we are his body on earth. More on this later.
God's Finger
Watch how powerful God's finger can frustrate all the devils' plans, as taught and demonstrated by Jesus, the Apostle. The enemy has power over non-believers but believers simply has to use God's finger to flick him out. Jesus did it and he is in us 100 percent.
But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. [Luke 11.20]God's finger can singlehandedly drive out demons regardless of number, rank or strength. At one time, Jesus drove out a legion of demons begging him permission to enter 2,000 pigs instead of being kicked out of their territory for good. That may mean 2,000 demons or more. One demon represented the 2,000---the one named Legion and who talked with Jesus---which may indicate the rank of this spirit. Probably the leader of a principality, territory or region. That's big-time.
But all it took was God's finger to put him and his minions out of commission. The demonic leader recognized Jesus at once as being the higher Authority because Jesus knew what he had from the Father, which is the Father's NAME, and which protects his disciples from Satan. Demons bow to those who have that NAME and know how to actually use it. Evil spirits can identify who does and who doesn't.
Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. [John 17. 11-12]What the Body Can Do
Jesus demonstrated what his body could do. He healed diseases on the spot and rebuked demons. He performed awesome signs and wonders, controlling nature and spiritual elements. These served as samples, giving the church a good idea of what believers could do as his body on earth after he ascended to heaven. To ensure the church can operate supernaturally as he did, being his body, he asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit in his name to empower and enable them as the Holy Spirit did him.
Specifically, Jesus showed how God's mere finger was enough to demolish enemy territorial strongholds. What more his whole body? What more his body wearing God's full armor? Yup, God not only decided the church to be his body on earth, he even gave the church his own full spiritual armor. Are we using all these supernatural equipment in ministry as Jesus did? Or are we limiting ourselves to what we can do? To our own efforts and understanding?
Earlier, God had demonstrated in the Old Testament what his arm and hand could do. His eyes could survey the earth all at once to see everything, see in the spirit realms, know accurately what the enemy is planning or doing. Or search, monitor or discern certain individuals supernaturally. His mouth could speak to dry bones and fit them with muscles and then blow on them the breath of life, transforming them into a mighty army.
We, the body, have all these supernatural capabilities in Christ!
Through Christ in us, we are that body now. God chose to reveal himself through us as he did through Jesus, because Jesus lives fully in us 100 percent. What we see God's body doing in the bible, we can do now, if first we genuinely believe this with all our hearts. Second, if we truly unite as one body of Christ. This calls for a thorough understanding of what the body of Christ really is.
Crucified Body
Jesus' sufferings and crucifixion triggered God's power to crush death and its sting. His own body was prepared for this when he was here, and the church, as his body on earth, is likewise being prepared for this. Church persecution and sufferings because of the Word will pave the way to glory and more souls saved. Here's another awesome Kingdom reversal--the church (body of Christ) wields the power and authority of God in Christ, as it also suffers persecutions and trials in increasing measure in these ends times. The cross brings power to those who believe.
No wonder the sole individual who had the power and authority to open the 7 seals of the scroll in the book of Revelation was the lamb that was slain. It's a picture of meekness and severe persecution and yet powerful and authoritative to unleash the great power and wrath of God almighty.
Grave Misconception
The common mistake today is to refer to a local church or denomination as the "body of Christ." I often hear it and just shake my head in disappointment. They still don't get it. A local church is just a small, minuscule dot on the body, and so is a denomination. Or perhaps a tiny, tiny cell among trillions in the body. The true body of Christ consists of all Jesus believers both living and dead (though the dead in Christ are really alive).
And this body is a temple. We're all parts or members of it. Jesus was clear when he referred to his body as the temple when he was asked for a sign to explain his ire against money changers in the temple. When he did so, declaring the challenge to "Destroy this temple," he also ended the era of religious buildings as God's temple. Jesus ended the use of any material structure for worshipping God in John 2.19:
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body."
This is so important, you have got to get this. Jesus referred to his body as the temple and vice versa. It signaled from then on that the temple will be his body. No more physical temple buildings. There's no more use for them. Zero, Nada. Pfft! Sadly, Christians today still can't get it. They can't imagine ministry without a church building. They waste a lot of money improving or enhancing how their buildings look. They still think like Jesus' detractors who thought he wanted their temple building demolished, missing his point altogether. Lots of believers today are stuck to that time some 2,000 years ago.
It's Not an Alliance
When several church denominations get together for a cause, like a crusade, conference or national prayer meeting, they often refer to themselves as the body. They're not. I don't care how big the alliance is, an alliance or temporary assembly is NOT the body. Again, they're just tiny, tiny cells among trillions that clustered somewhere in the body, and let's hope they don't clog up the vascular system. I mean, free radical cells are also body cells, and they often unite to wreck body systems.
As long as these denominations and independent churches all have different doctrines, chopping off portions of the Holy Scriptures which their doctrines have no use for, they're not part of the body--yet. They're just religious organizations or clubs until they finally succumb to the will of the Spirit and meekly accept everything in God's Word and how the Holy Spirit (alone) interprets it. Genuine body parts are 100% organic, not artificial or man-made.
It's Not a Membership
Being a member of the body is different from "membership." Membership smells of man's organization and system. You join something. But being part of the body comes solely from God. God puts you in the body. You cannot "join" Jesus' body, fill up and sign some forms, swear allegiance and then have voting rights 😆. The apostles didn't do any of that. Jesus called them and they followed him. Well, the crowds did join and later crucified him.
I just laugh when I hear about so-called "apostles" and "prophets" today who claim their church network alone is legit in the Kingdom and others should join them. If you have to "join" them or anything, chances are it's not "legit" in the Kingdom. It's probably just another religious fan club or exclusive society calling itself "apostolic" or "prophetic." Nonetheless, it's almost there. It has great potential to become part of the body if it aligns itself with Jesus--demolish its organization and fully yield to the one body of Christ, which is without spot or wrinkle or any other blemish, holy and pure.
You become part of (not join) the body of Christ when you're genuinely born again, and it's the only thing you have to be part of, the body. Nothing else. Especially not a denomination, though you may linger there for a while. Meanwhile, you need to be nourished spiritually by someone--a genuine man of God--and see you grow up from being a baby in Christ to a mature believer. Then you, in turn, share the Gospel and disciple others. This naturally forms a group of believers which can be aptly called "local church." It is not concerned about membership increase but the multiplication of serious Jesus believers.
Again, local church is not a membership. It should be a gathering or meeting of believers in a locality for spiritual nourishment and ministry and it's God who brings people to this gathering. Today, they promote and advertise their local churches in communities and often grab people to their church membership. Jesus did not promote any local church. He preached and discipled. Period. There was no church name or membership.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." [John 6.44]
See? Jesus didn't bother promoting himself because it was solely the Father who did the promotion and brought or "drew" people to him. We should never change or discard this ministry principle. Yeah, promotions, advertising and gimmicks can increase membership dramatically, but that's all you'll have, membership of spoiled people with rights and privileges, believing they can meddle with (or control) the pastor.
Surrendering to Jesus
Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. In Jesus alone is salvation.
Jesus is: “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4]
Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.
