Who is the Body of Christ?
From a Pastor's Heart

John 3:6-7 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
John 3:14-16 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Rom 10:8-10 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

John 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

1 Cor 3:1-9 "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers;"

1 Cor 12:12 "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ."
1 Cor 12:18 "But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased."

The Scripture verses presented above are but a few of the overall clear, plain teaching from God's word as it relates to Christianity. Jesus taught it, Paul taught it as well as all the other disciples and God inspired writers. As a pastor/shepherd of over 30 years my heart is burdened because of the divisions that exist among the Body of Christ, and why those divisions exist. I pray this will be received in the love of Christ and with the concern I have for the Body of Christ.

I. You Must Be Born Anew!!

What does that imply? Jesus clearly was speaking about an experience that everyone must experience. As He spoke to Nicodemus He said as one is born physically, so must one be born Spiritually. It is a birthing process. I feel many today try to separate 'SAVED' and 'BORN AGAIN' as two diferent things. For many, 'being saved' is a personal possession that can be misplaced or lost. While when I consider 'new birth' it is a position in a family, God's family.
When you were born into your present family, you where a joy to behold. You became a part of a family and were raised as a son or daughter. Do you honestly believe that by your conduct your position in the family would change? Of course not, because your parents loved you and care for you. You were born, you are here and you belong to a family.

So it is with the 'new birth' (John 1:12-13 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.") When you were born, all you had to do was come from the darkness of the womb to the light of existance in this world. Can you undo that? What work did you do in that process?
So, likewise, with the 'new birth' you must come from the darkness (void of the LIGHT) to the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. You become a member in particular of the family of God, the Body of Christ and God places you in the body where it pleases Him in order to complete His perfect plan and purpose

II. New Birth Process

The process of 'new birth' is plain and simple. BELIEVE by FAITH what God said. Believing involves accepting Jesus Christ as your redeemer, as your deliverer. As you believe that some doctor delivered you from the darkness of your mother's womb, believe also that Christ delivered you from the darkness of sin.

Can it be any simpler than that? Apparently, man and all our so-called wisdom, cannot accept the simplicity that is in Christ. We are bound to attach something to the new birth process.

Paul teaches us that, "by grace you have been saved (born again) through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Eph 2:8-10, (emphasis is mine). If the plain teaching of Scripture is by faith, then we are wrong when conditions are added to new birth.

III. Why Divisions?

I often wonder how many Christians are robbed of the joy and blessings of sweet fellowship because of religious traditions. John said, " that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." I John 1:3. Fellowship implies having something in common with another. John declared what he had seen and heard concerning Christ so we could all have something in common there fellowship with each other. Our commonality should be solely the finished work of Christ on Calvary and His Resurrection. Because of what Christ accomplished we can have eternal life. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you and the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.

If the common thread is the Spirit of God, the next question must be, "Did you receive the Spirit by your being obedient to the letter of the law, or by believing what you heard concerning Him?" You have to search your own heart and think back. What do you attribute your new birth to? If it is because you did or are doing something for it, that is technically 'the works of the law' and that is not taught in scripture. Therefore it must have come from man. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations; "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using; according to the commandments and doctrines of men? If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.

IV. Beginning of Divisions

Paul shows us that divisions among the body began early in his ministry as he wrote to the Corinthian believers, (1 Cor.3:1-9) These occured then because people were following certain men rather than Christ. Whoever they heard the word from they followed his teaching. Emphasis was placed on the messenger and not the message.
Today, things have still not changed. We are more apt to follow man's teaching and man's imposed requirements or restrictions rather than follow Christ. Following Christ involves love for one another and fellowship with one another. Sectarian beliefs cause division within the body of Christ. When we take a close look we find that it is not faith in Christ that separates but the additions to that faith that bring division.
Being in and with Christ results in a gathering or fellowship. Otherwise it is a scattering. Is that not what is occurring today? A separating and scattering of believers at the whim of so-called pastors. "Woe unto the pastors that scatter my flock" the Lord said.

The work of Satan is to diminish the work and effectiveness of the 'church' and for the most part he is succeeding because we let him. The unbelieving world sees division among the body. With the maze of differing doctrines, and each one saying their's is the right way, is it any wonder why people are "scattered."

Jesus didn't come to establish a new religious system. He came to build His church, His bride, His body to continue His work in reconciling the world back to God the Father. The world will never be reconciled as long as religion is shoved down their throats.

Christians, now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

My hearts prayer is that the body of Christ (all born again believers) grow up into Him in love, working together as fellow laborers in God's vineyard anticipating a fruitful harvest. And that in all things He may receive all praise and glory.