Christ the Head, Church the Body #3 — Stephen Kaung

The Body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12

Will you please turn to 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. We'll read from verse 12 through verse 27. 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Verse 12. For also for even as the body is one and has many members but all the members of the body being many are one body so also is the Christ just as the body is one, yet there are many bodies and though there are many bodies, man is a body so is Christ.

For also in the power of one spirit we have all been baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks whether bondmen or free and have all been given to drink of one spirit. For also the body is not one member, but many if the foot say because I am not a hand I am not of the body is it on account of this not indeed of the body.

And if the ear say because I am not an eye I am not of the body is it on account of this not indeed of the body. If the whole body were an eye where the hearing if all hearing where the smelling. But now God has said the members each one of them in the body according as it has pleased him.

But if all were one member where the body. But now the members are many and the body one. The eye cannot say to the hand I have not need of thee or again the head to the feet I have not need of thee but much rather the members of the body which seem to be weaker or necessary.

And those parts of the body which we esteem to be the more void of honor these we clothe with more abundant honor and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness but our comely parts have not need.

But God has tempered the body together having given more abundant honor to the part that lack that there might be no division in the body but that the members might have the same concern one for another.

And if one member suffer all the members suffer with it. And if one member be glorified all the members rejoice with it. And if one member suffer all the members suffer with it and if one member be glorified all the members rejoice with it.

You are the body of Christ and you each make your own body. Let us have a word of prayer. Dear Lord, we rejoice in thy presence to be with us. We pray Lord, as we are here in thy presence that thou will once again speak to us.

Lord, we pray that our hearts may all be open to thee that thy word may really fall into good ground and will bear fruit a hundredfold for thy glory. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen. By now I think everybody knows that our theme is the head and the body.

Christ, the Church, and God’s Eternal Purpose

Christ the head, the church the body. I have been asked why do we choose this theme? Brothers and sisters, as we are approaching the end of all things it is time for us to return to the beginning because the end is for the beginning.

What God has purposed in himself before the foundations of the world shall all be accomplished at the end. So it is but right for us who live in the end time to go back to the very beginning not only to see whether we know what is in the beginning but also to be before the Lord to see if the end will reach the beginning.

Before the foundation of the world God has purposed in himself according to his good pleasure that all things will be summed up in Christ Jesus. This is the mystery of God a mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages but thank God that now it has been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

And then also before the foundation of the world God purposed a purpose in Christ Jesus and according to that purpose that God will give his son a bride to share everything with him. And that is also a mystery it is called the mystery of the Christ.

It has been hidden throughout the ages but thank God it has now been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit through the holy apostles and prophets. So this is the very beginning. In the very beginning there is such a glorious purpose and in that purpose there is Christ, the church.

As a matter of fact the whole Bible is this revelation. I remember when I was young I was told that if we catch a vision of Christ and the church then the whole Bible is an open book to us because the whole Bible tells us of Christ and his church.

So dear brothers and sisters we feel that it is very important when we are coming to the very end that we should be reminded of what was in the beginning and what is it that God is really after and how much this is real in our lives.

Paul’s Heavenly Vision and the Lordship of Christ

We mention about heavenly vision. On the road to Damascus he saw a vision and that vision changed his whole life. It changed his direction it changed his goal it gave him strength enabled him to endure hardship.

That is one thing that explained his whole life and his whole ministry. And towards the end he could testify. He said oh King Agrippa I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. Now dear brothers and sisters we mention already that this heavenly vision is not just for Paul it is a vision that is given through Paul to all of us.

And what is it that Paul saw in that heavenly vision. He saw Christ the glorious one Jesus of Nazareth is now and as he saw Jesus as Lord he capitulated completely to him and allowed Jesus to really be the Lord of his life.

And brothers and sisters we need to see this vision. We need to see that Jesus is Lord he is the Lord of all and he is the Lord of our life. And if we really see it in our spirit then we cannot help but yield our whole life to him and allow him to be Lord of our whole life.

And brothers and sisters after he saw Jesus as Lord then he found out that this Lord is related to a number a great number of people because the Lord said Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And Saul touched the members of the body of Christ.

He touched the head because the head and the body are one. So on the road to Damascus he also caught a vision of the body of Christ. And as he entered into the city of Damascus he also learned the reality the relatedness of the members of the body of Christ.

How he received help from another member of that body. And by the help of another member he came to the knowledge of God's will for him. So the body is not a theory to him but it is very real to him. So dear brothers and sisters we too need to catch that vision.

We need through Christ to see the body. Never see the body without Christ. If we try to see the body without Christ it is no longer a body it is something else. It is only in Christ that we see the body and we need to live in that body.

So this is why we feel we need to fellowship together on this theme. Now my part is on the body but again I want to remind brothers and sisters that we consider the body only within the context of the head.

Body Vision and the Corporate Calling of God

The first morning we mentioned about body vision we need to catch a vision of the body because God's purpose for us is not just personal and individual. God's purpose for us is corporate. We tend to be very individualistic.

Brothers and sisters even in spiritual pursuit we also pursue along the line of individual. How can I be spiritual? We want to be a spiritual giant. We want to be a monument for people to look at and admire.

But this is not God's purpose. God's purpose is corporate. He wants us to see the body and we are members in that body that will deliver us from our individualism. And that will enlarge our horizon and that will enlarge our vision.

And the second morning we consider this matter of body calling. We find that vision and calling are together. When God in His mercy gives us a vision then with that vision God always has a calling for us.

So when we see this vision of Christ and the church then we find that we are called into that vision. Calling makes our vision practical. And calling is nothing but call to enter into the vision that we see.

Because vision is not just something abstract something so heavenly that it is something you cannot touch. Vision is very practical and it is being practiced in the calling. So our calling and vision are actually one.

We are called into that vision so that we may be part of that vision and that vision becomes real in our lives. And we mentioned also that many are called but few are chosen to be the body of Christ. You know about calling it is not only personal but also a concept of what to do if I am called what I am called to do.

But brothers and sisters this is secondary. The primary in our calling is we are called to be. We are called to be the body of Christ and it is only being the body of Christ. And within that you find there are things to be done and everything that is done is for this body.

So we need to see this that we may respond to our calling. And as we respond to our calling then we will be chosen. That is to say that the calling will be real in our life. Now this morning we would like to go a little further and that is body principle.

The Body of Christ as a Spiritual Reality

We know that we are called to be the body of Christ. Now we must remember that the body of Christ is not just a figure of speech. We often think of the body of Christ as a metaphor a figure of speech.

Here is my human body. And God used this human body to tell us what the body of Christ is about. But the body of Christ is not really real. It is just a figure of speech a kind of explanation. But if you read the word of God you will find the word of God never put the body of Christ as a figure of speech.

The Bible when it mentions the body of Christ it does not say it as our human body. It says it is the body of Christ. For instance in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 22 and 23 God has made Christ to be head over all things to the church the fullness of him who fills all and in all.

It does not say the church which is like a body. The fullness of him who fills all and in all it is said the church which is the body. So do not take this term the body of Christ as just a kind of descriptive figure of speech.

Now to those who do not have revelation before we receive any revelation from above that is the way we look at the body of Christ. We look at the body of Christ. The church is like our human body. But it is not really real.

It is just a way of speaking to describe something. But dear brothers and sisters if you receive revelation from above then you begin to see that the body of Christ is so real. It is even more real than our human body.

Or to put it in another way our physical body is just a figure of speech to the body of Christ. We know that spiritual things are real. Physical things are not so real. You may feel it is very real. But you know physical things are temporary and they are changing all the time.

So they are not so real. But when you come to spiritual things you know they are real because they are the substance not the shadow. You know that they are eternal. You know that they never change. So spiritual things are the real things.

Therefore our Lord said I am the true vine. Therefore our Lord said I am the true vine. When you see the vine is it real? Physically yes. But it is not real because the vine will fade away and that vine is forever.

And we are the branches and our relationship with him will never change. It is permanent it is eternal it is everlasting. Dear brothers and sisters how real are spiritual things. Everything physical is just a type, a shadow of these spiritual things.

But we need revelation for that because with our naked eyes we see the physical as real the spiritual are unreal. But thank God when God opens our inner eyes and begins to see what is in the spiritual realm then we begin to realize that only the spiritual are real.

All the physical will pass away. They will just remind us of what the spirituals are. So dear brothers and sisters the body of Christ is not a metaphor. The body of Christ is so real that we need to use our physical body trying to describe it.

And for this reason we find how we need revelation. May God give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation to the full knowledge of God. And this is what we all need now brothers and sisters if it is the body then it cannot be an organization.

It must be an organism it must be living. It is not something dead. You know when we think of the church really is our understanding for most people the church is an organization. It is something that we can organize something that human beings can bring it into being.

But dear brothers and sisters whatever man made is dead it is mechanical it is technical but only what God has done. It is an organism it is living. I remember many years ago when I was visiting England I visited Westminster Abbey and we know Westminster Abbey was very famous and so I visited that place and do you know what my impression was when I left now Westminster Abbey was supposed to be a church.

But when you visited Westminster Abbey you find that you walk over plates that bears the name of the dead and you find in different corners there are coffins there and even on the wall there are plates of those famous men who have died.

So after my visit to Westminster Abbey I thought well this is not the church of the living God this is the church of the dead. It is an organization it is an institution. It is a religion. It is not real, it is not living.

And you do not sense the presence of the Lord there but you sense the presence of many who have died. It really gives you a weird feeling. Brothers and sisters what is the church. It is the body of Christ it is living.

It is the church of the living God. It is not something dead. It is not something man can organize. It is not an institution. Now it does not mean because it is an organism not an organization. Therefore there is no order and we think of an organization how we organize it and we lay down some rules and regulations so that that organization can run very smoothly so that that organization can run very easily.

If there are no rules and regulations then how can the organization function. So you know that everything is done from the outside and you put these rules and regulations upon an organization so that it can run smoothly.

Now when you think of an organism we often say well our organism is not an organization. And does it mean that because it is not an organization therefore there is no order. Because it is not an organization therefore there is no order.

No, actually you will find the order in an organism is even stricter than the order in an organization. What is put upon cannot be compared to what is inborn. Because an organism has certain principles that are inborn and these principles or when they say these laws are not something that you try to put upon and try to carry them out mechanically technically carrying these things out.

No, you will find that in a living organism there are certain laws, certain principles that are born with it is within and it is something you need to discover and to follow. And if you follow these principles then the organism will be healthy.

If inadvertently you violate these principles then you corrupt your body. So dear brothers and sisters as we are talking about this matter of the body of Christ because it is a living organism there are certain principles, certain laws that are within that organism and we need to know these principles.

Otherwise probably we will unconsciously violate them and in violating them we are actually destroying the body. So I hope brothers and sisters can understand this. Now this morning we would like to mention several of these principles but remember these principles or laws are not something put upon the body.

These are not something that impose upon the body. These are something that is naturally or supernaturally naturally born within. So all you need to do is to discover them. You do not invent them. You discover them and you follow them.

And if you do you will find a very healthy body. Number one the first principle of the body is life. I think this is very evident because it is not an organization. In an organization life is not something involved.

The First Principle: Life Through New Birth

But if it is a body immediately you think of life. We are born into the body. Dear brothers and sisters in the body can we join it? Now with an organization you can join it. Any organization you need to join it and they may lay down certain conditions for your joining.

But the wonderful thing is this in the body of Christ there is no way to join it. You have to be born into it. He that is born of the spirit is spirit. Unless we are born again we do not see the kingdom of God.

But if we believe in the Lord Jesus if we believe in his name then we are given the right to be children of God. We are not born of blood, not of flesh but born of God. So thank God that this body of Christ is to be born into you remember in John chapter 19 when our Lord Jesus was crucified of his disciples, John was the only one there and after our Lord passed away because the next day was Sabbath so according to their custom nobody should be on the tree during the Sabbath because he that is on the tree is cursed.

So all these who are crucified had to be taken down. So the soldiers came and they broke the leg bones of the two robbers. Because these robbers were very strong so they were not dead yet. So their bones had to be broken to speed them to death.

But when the soldier came to the Lord he noticed that the Lord was already dead. But to make sure that he was really dead so instead of breaking his bones and it was a fulfillment of prophecy a soldier thrust his spear into the side of our Lord and most likely it reaches his heart and out of his broken heart there was blood and water and John saw this and he bore witness to this and he said what I witness is true.

He made it very emphatic as if it was something most important. Now why is it so? It is because our Lord Jesus with his side broken and out of the side came out blood and water. Blood for the remission of our sins and to give us life because he poured out his life like water.

Brothers and sisters with the blood and water God made these are the materials for the church. So here is because of his death his blood was shed his life was redeemed that our sins may be forgiven and we may receive his life.

And with that life we become the body of Christ. So brothers and sisters when you think of the body of Christ first of all you see the principle of life. Everything of that body is life. There is no death in it.

It is resurrection life. Death has been overcome because our Lord has entered into death robbed death of his power and he came out of death and he holds in his hand the keys of death and hating he is the living one.

So dear brothers and sisters you will find that is what the body of Christ is. The body of Christ is built on the principle of life and it is not just any kind of life. It is the life of Christ. Or to put it in another way the body of Christ is made of Christ himself.

He is who brings the body into being. And that is the reason why in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 12 though the body is one yet there are many members though the members are many yet there is one body.

So also is the Christ. Brothers and sisters we are told and probably we ourselves have discovered when you read this verse the body is one but has many members. Many members. But one body we will say so also is the church.

That is what the church is. The church is one body but many members. But the Holy Spirit says so also is the Christ. Why is it so. Because the body is not of the body. This is just a theory. This is a very very basic important principle.

What is the body of Christ. Is it you and me people say well we know the church is not a building. We know the church is not an organization. What is the church. We say the church are those called out ones gathered together.

That is the church now. Is it right. Right and wrong. It is right in one sense because the church is the called out ones gathered together. The church is different from the world is a people that God has called out of the world and they gathered together unto the name of our Lord Jesus.

Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in their midst. That is the church. That is true. But brothers and sisters if you go a little deeper you will find that this is not absolutely true.

Why. Because in the church you not only find Christ there you will find you there too. And you are the problem. You are the problem. There will be no problem. But let us look at today's church. Where did the problem come from.

From you and me. So brothers and sisters strictly speaking what is the church. The church is the Christ without you and me Sparks and myself and brother Frankie we were all speaking in a conference. And if you know brother Sparks you know with him everything is spiritual.

Don't touch the earth. If you touch the earth you defile it. And I was trying to explain the church. So I turned to brother Sparks. I said brother Sparks you have to forgive me. Because I am going to use a formula.

You know with him formula is taboo. But I have to use it as an illustration. So this is what I said. I said what is the church. Suppose there are only three Christians on the earth. Peter, John and James.

Oh they are good. Now when you put these three men together can you say this is the church. It is a gathering of two and three. Peter, John and James. Is that the church. Oh we said no that is not the church.

The church is the Christ in Peter plus the Christ in John plus the Christ in James. Equal to the church. Is that right? You are being wise. No the church is the Christ in Peter minus Peter plus the Christ in John minus John plus the Christ in James minus James.

Peter to the Christ now that is the body of Christ. Do not think that in the body of Christ you shall find you, me and Jesus. Do not think that in the body of Christ you shall find you, me and Jesus. Peter said on the Mount of Olives it is good to be here.

Let me make three tabernacles. One for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Now even though we do not have the tabernacle we three will just sleep open air. But we will be there because it is very good.

And when Peter said that God dismissed Moses and Elijah they saw no one but Jesus. Only brothers and sisters that is the church. So you find that the church is not something that we can take very lightly.

It is not something we can play with. What is the church? It demands that we allow the cross to cross us out. So when we come together the cross should already do its work. So what we bring in is nothing but Christ himself.

Why is there so much noise in the church? So much noise. The sound of hammers the sound of iron. It is because we bring ourselves together with Christ. We have not the secret dealing beforehand. So the church, the body of Christ is a serious matter.

How we need the cross to work in our lives so that it will be life. Christ only now that is the first principle. Anything that is not of life corrupts the body. Anything that is not of Christ destroys the body.

Brothers and sisters we need to repent before the Lord. How often we violate the first principle of the body. How we need to be in fear and trembling lest we bring ourselves into the church. Second the second principle of the church is the Holy Spirit.

The Second Principle: The Holy Spirit and the Body

You will find in 1 Corinthians 12 verse 13. We look at 1 Corinthians 12 verse 13. We are all in one spirit whether you are a Jew or a non-Jew a beggar or a free man. We are all made to drink of one spirit.

Dear brothers and sisters how comes that we are the body of Christ. We know that when the word became flesh and tabernacle among men full of grace and truth that is to say as the word he came into this world and he took upon himself a human flesh.

And in that human flesh in that incarnated body he lived for 33 years. And in that body he spoke and he worked in that body he accomplished the redemptive work. But then our Lord was buried and on the third day he was raised from the dead and after 40 days he ascended up to heaven.

But 10 days later on the day of Pentecost when 120 of his believers were gathered together in that upper room in Jerusalem they have been praying together for 10 days. And on the day of Pentecost suddenly a sound like hard breathing someone was breathing very hard and the breath swept over the whole room and filled the whole room.

And then you find a fire fell upon the head of the 120 and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Now as our brother already mentioned usually when we think of Pentecost we are all attracted by the sound and the sight.

And we want to see the sound and the sight repeated. And we thought that that was Pentecost. But no these are just secondary and they change all the time. But what is the real meaning of Pentecost. It is explained in 1 Corinthians 12 verse 13.

In one spirit you were baptized into one body. How do we become one body? 120 individuals. How can there be 120 members of one body? It is a tremendous transformation. How does it come about? In one spirit they were baptized into one body and they were all made to drink of the same spirit.

So dear brothers and sisters you find the very formation of the body of Christ is through the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit dwells in that body. This body is concerned from the very beginning to the very end.

You find that it is the Holy Spirit that leads the way. If you read the New Testament you will find it is very strange because we are supposed to assemble according to the word of God. We who are called out have to be gathered together.

We need to meet together. It is not good that we do not assemble. We should be together. But it is very strange. The New Testament does not tell us how to meet. The only place you can find is in 1 Corinthians chapter 14.

Other than that you find God does not tell us how to meet. But God does not tell us how to meet. Why is this so? Because the Holy Spirit is there. He is the one who is guiding and leading. He will teach us what to do.

So you find there is no rule or regulations being given. There is no program for us. God says meet together. Now how do we meet? If you do not believe the Holy Spirit that He is present He is representing Christ then we are lost.

So brothers and sisters you will find because of this even though mentally we believe that the Holy Spirit is here but as a matter of fact we think He is here. So therefore we have to work it out. We have to program it.

We have to lay down some rules and regulations in order that everything may move smoothly. In order that everything may move smoothly. We do not see the authority of the Holy Spirit opposite to the Holy Spirit we know is our flesh.

Therefore if we do not follow the Holy Spirit then we follow the flesh. And if we follow the flesh it is death. If we follow the Holy Spirit it is life and peace. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of life.

He is the law of the spirit of life. He is the one who brings Christ into us. He is the one who begets us with the life of Christ. He is the one who glorifies Christ in us. He is the one who teaches us of Christ.

He is the one who transforms us according to Christ. He is the one who guides and leads us as we meet together. He is the one who directs our functionings. Brothers and sisters you will find it is the Holy Spirit.

This is the principle of the body. Or how we neglect the Holy Spirit. Even though today people seem to be seeking the Holy Spirit. But forgive me to say this what they are seeking is not the Holy Spirit.

They seek the power of the Holy Spirit. They do not seek the person of the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit. They just want His power. They do not want His control. Brothers and sisters I can go a step further.

They are not even seeking the power of the Holy Spirit. They are seeking an experience. They are seeking the speaking of tongues. I believe in the speaking of tongues. But do all speak in tongues? Speaking of tongues is not the sign of the Holy Spirit.

Speaking of tongues is the only manifestation of the Holy Spirit. So the Holy Spirit itself is neglected. Dear brothers and sisters we need to pay our respect to the Holy Spirit not only in our daily life we need to learn to obey the teaching of the anointing within us.

Because this is the only way we can abide in Christ. But even in this body life how we need to be guided by the Holy Spirit. How we need to wait for Him to guide and lead us as to what we should do. This is holding fast the head because the head is represented in us by the Holy Spirit and that is what the body is all about.

So may the Lord really have mercy upon us and see that how much we need to know the Holy Spirit as the divine person that will transform your life. That will transform our assembly life. If it is not the Holy Spirit then what is it?

It is the flesh. So how we need to deny our flesh in the church today we find so much flesh there. Your flesh, my flesh your opinion, my opinion your will, my will. Brothers and sisters we see flesh all over.

We do not see the Holy Anointing. So we need to seek the Lord and follow the principle of the Holy Spirit. Because this is the principle of the body of Christ. And then thirdly the principle of the body is love.

The Third Principle: Love That Builds Up the Body

God is love it is Christ. If it is the Holy Spirit then He will shed abroad that love within our hearts. Brothers and sisters what the Lord is looking for in the church is love. You know in the early church they have such a good testimony because when the world look at them they should see how they love one another.

Brothers and sisters is this our testimony. You know today in the church the church is almost like a court. Here you find we argue, we reason with another we accuse and defend. Thank God it's a family it is a household of God.

And in a household you find love is the principle. And brothers and sisters this is not just love of any kind not our natural love. You know our natural love has its limit but it is the love of God. Oh how we need to be filled with the love of God.

And when the love of God fills our heart then we cannot but love Him and love one another. You know our Lord Jesus on the night of His betrayal He loved His own and loved them to the uttermost. Then He expressed His love by washing His disciples' feet.

Then He gave us a new commandment love one another as I have loved you. Dear brothers and sisters what God is looking for in us is that first love. You may give God anything, everything. If there is no love you will be rejected.

His word to the church in Ephesus is you have all these things but you do not have. You have lost your first love. I oppose you. I oppose you. You need to repent. Brothers and sisters oh that we may ask the Lord to fill us with love.

You know in 1 Corinthians chapter 8 it says knowledge tops up. Love builds up. Seek for knowledge. But knowledge tops up. Some of the Corinthians they had knowledge. They knew that there is only one God.