I'm personally convinced that for various reasons, the Church in Canada and the US have loss the vision of God's best for the spiritual Body of Christ. It's time to refocus on God's "prophetic vision", a vision that is as relative today as when He first released it. Over the years I've heard a lot of teaching, good and right teach on the Church as the Bride of Christ. It's a awesome truth for sure. I find it very interesting how God has chosen to picture one thing from various view points. Like the facets of a diamond each reflecting something different yet adding to the beauty of the whole. For example Jesus is pictures as both the Lion and the Lamb. One does not take away from the other but adds to the whole.
Seldom do we hear of the spiritual body of Christ, the Church on earth, as "The One New Man". It's great to see the Church as the Bride but do we see the Church as the spiritual body of Christ in the earth? Do we see "Him" the Church as the spiritual "Warrior" in the earth advancing and spreading the borders of God's Kingdom. I'll just say here that I do believe that it's when Jesus returns in power and great glory that the true Son's of God will be manifest and Christ's Kingdom is fully and physically established on earth. There is however a present aspect of God's kingdom on earth and it is being established in the hearts of people.
When we repent of our sins and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He, by the Holy Spirit comes to live in our heart (spirit). St the same time this is happening the new believers is spiritually baptized by the Holy Spirit into the spiritual Body of Christ, thus become an integral part of the "One New Man".
Eph 2:13-16 - But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create IN HIMSELF one new man in place of the two, so making peace,16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
What Jesus said to the Apostle Paul on the Damascus road to both very interesting and incredibly revealing. Paul had been on the rampage against the Christians. He was having them imprisoned and was very much an instrument of quite severe persecution. Listen again to what Jesus said to Paul as he was smitten by the Light that was brighter than the noon day sun. Act 9:3-5 - As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?" 5 "Who are You, lord?" Saul asked. And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! How could Paul be literally persecuting Jesus. He was in heaven seated at the right hand of the Father. He was well out of Paul's reach yet Jesus makes it absolutely clear that to persecute the spiritual Body of Christ, the One New Man is to persecute Him.
There was a book written a number of years ago called "Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth". How about this: "Jesus is Alive and Well on Planet Earth". How can this be when Jesus is in heaven? By His Spirit Jesus lives in the hearts of His people and by that same spirit He lives among His people on earth. Mt.18:20 - For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. To persecute the spiritual body of Christ is to persecute Jesus. The two are inseparable and because of the Holy Spirit they are one.
What is God's "prophetic vision" of the One New Man? There are two portions of New Testament Scripture that clearly reveal how God envisions the Body of Christ. They are Eph.1:23 and Eph.4:13
1) Eph 1:22,23 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
2) Eph 4:11-13 - And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
What is important to notice here is concept of "FULLNESS". Let's consider the use of this expression in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Col 1:19 - For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
Col 2:9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
Jesus fully and accurately revealed God to the world. He was God in physical human form. To see Jesus is to see God.
Heb. 1:3 - The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God,
Col. 1:15 - He is the image of the invisible God,
Jn. 12:45 - And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.
With the "fullness" of God in Christ in mind let's go back now to Eph.1:23 and Eph.4:13. The Church, the spiritual Body of Christ, the one new man is the "fullness of Christ". Just as Jesus fully and accuratley revealed God to the world so the "one new man" is to fully and accurately reveal Jesus to the world. All that Jesus is and did in word and deed is be accurately expressed through the Church. This is the "prophetic vision" of God for the spiritual Body of Christ.
Is the fullness of Christ presently being expressed through the evangelical Church in Canada or the western world? Far from it! Is there room for revival? Is there room for a powerful spiritual awakening? Is revival "vision casting" a legitimate and timely need in the Church today? Is it time to more fully embrace what God envisions for the spiritual Body of Christ?
With this in mind let's be reminded for God's "prophetic vision" for the nation of Israel. He purposed to bring them "up out of" Egypt and "into" the promised land. Was this an impossibility? Humanly speaking it was. The first generation of "exodus Israelites" failed to enter the "prophetic vision" of God. They failed to allow the LORD to demonstrate His person and power to the nations in Canaan Land. However the next generation chose to trust and believe the Lord. They did go in. They did experience God doing for them what they could never do for themselves. They honored God by allowing Him to fulfill His "prophetic vision". Will you be one of those who in this generation chose to allow Jesus to be fully expressed to the world through His spiritual Body, the "One New Man", His Church?
