JESUS MODELED THE CHURCH

Jesus in his flesh as the Son of Man demonstrated and modeled the Church both as the Head and Body. Now from His throne in heaven, He is the Head and we as His Church are the expression of His Body on earth.

Just as Jesus did not say nor do anything except he heard the Father saying it or saw Him doing it, so we His Body today must not say anything nor do anything except we hear the Holy Spirit speaking it or see the Spirit doing it.

When Jesus was on earth in his flesh, he perfectly epitomized the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit. According to Luke 3 and 4, Jesus was Spirit baptized, Spirit filled, Spirit led and Spirit empowered.

He perfectly bore the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. He demonstrated perfectly the Ephesians 4 gifted servants to the Church, for He is our apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. He also exemplified perfectly the gifts of the Spirit: miracles, healings, prophecy, faith, teaching, exhortation, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits, languages and interpretation, service, giving, helps, mercy, hospitality, organization/government/rule, celibate life and martyrdom.

While Jesus was on earth equipping and training His disciples, He demonstrated how the Church should function as His Body. He went back to the Father to continue to be the Head and Builder.

When Jesus gathered with His disciples and ministered, He was setting an example for us to follow and model as His Body on earth. Jesus taught that where two or three are gathered together in His Name, He is in the midst of them. Just as He gathered with the disciples and ministered to them when He was in His flesh, so we His Body, the Church, whether gathered and scattered should minister just as Jesus did on earth before ascending to the Father.

Jesus experienced and knew what it was to have perfect relationship, fellowship, community and unity in eternity as Father, Son and Spirit. He demonstrated these attributes to His disciples during their three years of training. They in turn continued to express these attributes in their gatherings with Jesus in their midst as He taught them to worship in Spirit and Truth and that this could be experienced anytime and any place.

In the Book of Acts and throughout the Epistles, the New Testament Church continued to be the Body of Christ on earth with Jesus continuing as the Head. In the gatherings of the early disciples as the Church, they followed the example of Jesus by only saying and doing what they had heard and seen Jesus say and do while He was with them in His flesh. Thus whether gathered as two, three or more with Jesus in the midst, or scattered in obedience to His commission, we should continue to express His Body on earth just as Jesus had done when He was in His flesh as the Son of Man.

Jesus said that He is the builder of His Church and he will continue to build and fit us together as His Body. The Church is to function as His Body on earth, bearing His fruit and ministering His gifts, whether gathered or scattered, until He comes again to receive us as His spotless Bride!