Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
The word ark has two applications in the Bible that are significant. The first is the ark that God asked Noah to build in order to save his family. The second is the Ark of the Covenant that confirms the covenant between God and His people to save them. Both arks are significant in our reasoning because they represent covenant. Both covenants carry the blood as a sign of God’s purpose for the redemption of man. Both carry with them the grace of God in preserving His people alive even though sin abounds. Both represent the mercy of God.
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1Pe_2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
The light that ensues from God is the playing field of the person that is called. 1Jn_1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Darkness on the other hand, is the playing field of the devil. The two cannot mix and light is superior to darkness. In order for your calling to be light, you must be rid of darkness. That is, darkness of the mind, soul and spirit. Because you are chosen and called, faithfulness to the call is imperative in handling the call while remaining in the midst of darkness on earth. Darkness will increase upon the earth but so must light, within ourselves though it does not like it.
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Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. Mat 10:25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
Who is Lord and who is Master? They are one and the same in Jesus but as an extension as the gifts to the Church that Jesus has given, they are also those who are above you in ministry and life. These people are placed there for a reason, to function in their capacity as ones who themselves are submitted to their Lord and Master. They hold no office of their own power but as it is given to them. Therefore, in conducting their ministry they must be ready to take on the humility of ministry rather than the pride of ministry.
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Gen 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
There are two forms of wrestling mentioned in the Bible. One is with God and the other is with the devil and his forces. The form of wrestling undertaken in both is different from each other as chalk is to cheese. The wrestling with God is a fight one can never win; whereas, wrestling with the devil is certainly a fight one could win.
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When God opened the heavens and looked down on man, He saw the pitiable state of man. He decided then, He would give man His Spirit on a permanent basis. However, it was to be a process by which man was to attain to this lofty position of becoming a container of the Spirit of God. Added to this, man was due for a fullness of his inheritance in heaven which would come after his natural death. In order for man to attain either two, the deposit of his inheritance and the fullness of his inheritance, he had to die in the flesh. No flesh can exist in the Spirit because never the twain shall mix. This is a mystery because Spirit dwells in flesh but flesh cannot dwell in Spirit.
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Rom 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
The coming generation is going to be so sinful that it will require the abounding grace of God in us to receive those who come. If God does not impute sin to them (on the basis of His love), we are nobody to reject them. However, in accepting the next generation of sinners, we must learn to walk in a way that Jesus Himself walked amongst sinners. He was untouched by the sin of humanity but gave a solution to mankind in his teaching and ways of power and finally through His own death on the cross. Therefore, we are to emulate Him in all our dealings with sinners because we ourselves were once sinners.
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1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
When we have a description of the Church as a body, we must recognise many aspects of such a concept in order to minister to it and through it. The lack of understanding of the body and its parts (members) is the prime reason for criticism of the Church. Anyone who looks at their own body and criticises it is not wise. On the contrary, one must honour the body parts. 1Co_12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
So, what do we know about the spiritual body of Christ?
- The body is both local and worldwide
- A body has many members
- The parts are different to each other in appearance
- Their functions are different
- They all belong in the body
- Some are stronger than the others
- They work together for the good of the body
- No one member is greater than the other as they all belong in one body
- Each body part is held together by their common purpose and reason for existence
- If one suffers, all suffer. If one rejoices, all rejoice.
