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A seeking Christian must know the body of Christ:
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The church is the body of Christ, consisting of all the members of the body – Rom. 12:5.
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The church is the congregation called-out by God – Matt. 16:18.
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Not only must we know Christ; we must know the church as well – Matt. 16:15-18.
Bible Verses for Pray-Reading
Rom. 12:5 So we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.Matt. 16:18 …. upon this rock I will build My church, ….
The Church is the body of Christ, consisting of al
The purpose of God's salvation is to have Christ reproduced in millions of saints that they may become the members of His Body, not separate and complete individual units but parts of a living, functioning, coordinated, corporate whole. Although these parts have different functions, they are not detached from one another. Rather, they are “individually members one of another.” Each member is organically joined to all the others, and each needs the function of all the others. All the members must be coordinated together to practice the Body life that is revealed in Romans Chapter 12. (New Testament Recovery Version, Romans 12:5 footnote 2) The Church is the congregation called-out by God
The church is firstly an ecclesia…. denotes a called-out congregation. In ancient times when the city called its citizens together for a gathering, that congregation was an ecclesia. The New Testament, beginning with the Lord Jesus in Matthew 16, uses this word to denote the church (v. 18). The church is a congregation called out by God unto Himself. The Brethren prefer to use the word assembly. I believe this is a better word to use, because the word church in English has been very much spoiled. (The Basic Revelation in the Holy Scriptures, pp 65-66)Although there are several types in the Old Testament typifying the church, the word “church” is not found in the Old Testament. Therefore, in the Old Testament the church is a mystery hidden in God. None of the ones…. The Old Testament saints did not know why they were fearing and worshipping God and why God was caring for them…. They did not know that God wanted to obtain a church as the Body of Christ. In the New Testament, John the Baptist appeared, calling people to repent and to believe in the gospel. The Lord Jesus continued what John had preached, and as a result, Peter, James, John, and many others received it. Of these, the Lord appointed twelve as apostles and sent them out to preach the gospel, but none of them knew that all this was for the church.
Not only must we know Christ; we must know the chu
[One day the Lord brought the disciples] to the region of Caesarea Philippi.... There the Lord asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16)…. He received the revelation and saw that according to His ministry, the Lord Jesus is God's Anointed for the fulfillment of God's purpose, and that according to His person, He is the Son of God, the embodiment of God. Here Peter uttered some stunning words. Immediately the Lord told him that this was not revealed to him by man but by God the Father. Furthermore, the Lord said, “On this rock I will build My church” (v. 18). In this word the Lord showed Peter that it is not enough just to know Him as the Christ; Peter must also know that…. He will build the church. Christ is only the Head; He needs a Body, which is the church, to be His match. The Head and the Body cannot be divided; Christ and the church is a great mystery (Eph. 5:32). Not only must we know Christ; we must know the church as well. (The Economy of God and the Building Up of the Body of Christ, pp 54-55)