Tag: body of Christ

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Secure In Christ

The Mystery of Christ

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based on the LGG study, Secure in Christ, w3d1

Read: Ephesians 3:1-6: SOAP: verse 6

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles 2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly  4 When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ 5 (which was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit), 6 namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:1-6 NET or (KJV)

The third week of our journey picks up right where Paul left off. So the statement, “for this reason,..,”at the beginning of Ephesians chapter three, is a transition statement moving his readers from the teaching of salvation, grace, and Christ’s power to information on how to live as a follower of Christ. In other words, if we are to be a part of the whole building that Paul referenced in Ephesians 2:19-22, then we must know how to live like Christ and in unity with the rest of “the building,” the body of Christ.

Paul’s obvious desire, after being so radically changed by the gospel was to share the good news, build up the church, and challenge the believers to rightly seek after Christ. He even did this from a prison cell.1 As today’s journal entry points out, “Paul could have easily given into despair for his prison sentence, yet he chose to view himself as a prisoner for Christ. He looked at his circumstances as another opportunity to witness to those around him, pray for the churches he had founded, visited, or heard of, and to train up new believers.”

  • Paul identifies himself as “the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles.”
  • He clarifies that he had been given the responsibility to share the Gospel (the message of God’s Grace) with them.
  • Paul shares the insight he was given into the mystery of Christ, which was that Jews and Gentiles now shared in the same promises of God in Christ Jesus. Specifically, the gift of salvation through the blood of Christ.
    • We share in the inheritance of Jesus Christ. (fellow heirs)
    • We belong to the same body (fellow members) (see also Rom 12:3-4).
    • We all share in the promises of God through/in Christ Jesus our Lord (fellow partakers).
      • It should be noted that in each of these points, the pronoun “we” refers to those who belong to God, through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 1:16).

Friends, the Gospel – namely, the mystery of Christ, “changes everything. I know it did for me and we can see from Paul’s letters that it radically changed him. The journal leaves us with this question: “Have you been so changed by the gospel of Jesus that you can’t help but share it with others?” -and these words of encouragement: “Let’s not waste our days but diligently seek to share Christ wherever we may be.”

Consider this beautiful and helpful reminder from last week’s journey through Ephesians chapter 2:

The Church is being built and joined together on the foundation of Jesus, the apostles, and prophets. This foundation will last no matter what circumstances are faced. This foundation is unshakable and cannot be moved.

Knowing that Christ is the head of the Church, what, then, is the Church? The Church is made up of believers of all nations, tribes, people, and languages. It will remain solid and sturdy even in eternity (Revelation 7:9).

Our belief in Jesus is aligning and joining each of us together so that we form the temple of God. Each believer, whether you know it or not, has a purpose to serve through his or her spiritual gift. These spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of serving God and bringing glory to His name (1 Peter 4:10-11).

Believers are joined together as part of God’s family by grace through faith, regardless of our past or present circumstances.

LoveGodGreatly.com/blog post/August 15, 2025

“So as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men
but chosen and precious in God’s sight, you yourselves, as living stones,
are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood…”

(1 Peter 2:4)
The More We Know

Insightful Explanation of Ephesians 3:6

For more insight into today’s journey, read today’s LGG Blog Post –> HERE

Want to know how to share in the mystery of Christ? Click Here

https://mefromthensideout.wordpress.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/
  1. Secure in Christ journal entry/p93 ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, Firm Foundation, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

The Church: The Body of Christ

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based on the LGG Study, Firm Foundation / w6d1

Scripture: Our Road Map for the Journey
Read: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 1:22-23 (SOAP: 1 Cor 12:27; Eph 1:22-23)

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 12:27.

 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Ephesians 1:22-23
Observations from today’s Journey

Throughout this particular journey, centered around building a firm foundation on the truths of God’s Word, we have been searching for the key elements of our faith. Today’s treasure is the core belief that we are not only individual members of the body of Christ but together as a group as well. To not understand this is to put ourselves and the whole of the church in jeopardy.

When we work together as the body of Christ, we can have a greater impact. Each member, functioning in their God-given role, contributes to the health and effectiveness of the whole body. This collaborative effort, not only brings glory to God but also demonstrates His love and truth to the world.

LGG Journal: Firm Foundation, p171

This is what Paul is striving to help the Corinthians understand. He teaches them that while they have all been given spiritual gifts, not everyone’s gift is the same – and just as the various parts of our body aren’t meant to function alone – neither are our spiritual gifts. As the LGG Journal puts it: “We aren’t called to do it all, but we are all called to contribute in the ways He has equipped us.”God has a purpose not only for every believer but for every spiritual gift He gives. For this reason, as well as for His glory, believers must work together in order for the gifts God has given to work well and be effective for the cause of Christ.

If believers are willing to set aside their discontent about the role God has given to them in the church, and their arrogance about not needing other members of the body of Christ, they have the opportunity to thrive together to become what God
intended for the church to be.

Bibleref.com/1 Corinthians 12:27
Application of today’s discovery

As Paul taught the Corinthians, we are to set aside any discontent we have with the role God has given to us and others. We are to put away the idea that we don’t need the other members to succeed or that we don’t need to be a part of a local body of believers. We must understand that only together can we truly be what God intends for us to be – which is the Church, or the ‘body of Christ,’ “working together to reflect Him to the world.”1

The Love God Greatly team said it best in today’s journal entry:

When we come to faith in Jesus, we are not meant to live life in isolation or with a “Jesus-and-me” mentality. Instead, we are ushered into the family of God. Though this family is made up of all believers who have been saved by faith through all times, we also have access to the family of God here and now through the church.

LGG Journal: Firm Foundation, p171
Prayer of Response to the Journey

God, I am so glad to be part of the body of Christ, both as an individual believer and as a member of the local church. It is easy for me to get caught up with the day to day and fail to function or see/remember the need to function within the body. So thank you for reminders from Your Word of the importance of the “body of Christ,” and the importance of each member being active and engaged with the others. Teach me to work in unity with others so that I can have a greater impact for Your kingdom.2 – In the name of Jesus, Who is the head of the body – Amen!

The More We Know
Click here For more insight from the Lgg blog post
  1. LGG Journal: Firm Foundation, p171 ↩︎
  2. LGG Journal: Firm Foundation, p171 ↩︎