The United Body of Christ

by Timothy Howe

Worldwide Movement

It is a blessing for Christians to be able to worship together each week. Every week in Canada & Congo; Israel & Iran; Russia & China; India, Nigeria, Argentina, Germany and so on, untold numbers of Christians around the world meet in worship services numbering in the tens of thousands or behind locked doors. Every week thousands of new believers are baptized, children learned Bible lessons and millions of prayers are offered up to the Heavenly Father in thousands of languages.  




How wonderful it has been for me personally to have heard the Lord worshiped in other languages throughout my ministry. This offers a hint as to what the Lord sees every Sunday as He scans across the earth and sees our brothers and sisters worshiping Him in every nation, across every land, and in every language.




The United Body of Christ
This week I would like to share about what it means to be a part of the UNITED body of Christ. As Christians, we have many blessings, much freedom and abundant joy offered to us through Jesus Christ. Paul tells about these freedoms and the blessings that God offers in the letter to the Ephesians.


In the first three chapters of the book of Ephesians Paul writes about the spiritual blessings that God has given to Christians, including the fact that God thought of us even at the beginning of time. Paul speaks of redemption, forgiveness, and grace. He tells us that we have an inheritance and purpose in this life and the next.


Paul goes on to point out that we were once dead, but because of God’s grace, we are now alive and that though we were once cut off from Christ, we are now one with Him receiving the Peace of God.


These chapters offer us the very basic principles upon which Christianity is built and those to which we as Christians are entitled – redemption, forgiveness, grace, faith, hope and love. Isn’t it wonderful to know that these things are automatically part of our Christian identity?


From Christian Principle
To Christian Practice
In the last three chapters of Ephesians, Paul changes his focus a little bit. After acknowledging what it means to be Christians, he now tells us how to live like Christians.  He switches from talking about Christian Principle to sharing with us how to live out a Christian Practice.


      I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a  
      manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 

(Ephesians 4:1 ESV)

How do we "walk in a manner worthy of the calling?"

We'll find out beginning tomorrow.