The church is formed, as believers are baptized by Christ with the Holy Spirit. It is not the Holy Spirit’s baptism but Christ’s baptism WITH the Holy Spirit that gives us new life and places us into the body when we trust in Christ. It is not possible to be a Christian and not be baptized by Christ with the Holy Spirit, nor is it possible to have more than one baptism with the Spirit. By this baptism the Son places all believers into the sphere of the Spirit’s power and Person, into a new environment, a new atmosphere, a new relationship with others, and a new union with Christ. We are not told exactly how this is done, any more than we are told exactly how God creates a new life in the first birth. But what is true is that just as a new person is established at conception, a new creature is established in the new birth, by being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Jus as their are no partially saved Christians there are no partially indwelt Christians. When we trust in Christ we are completely immersed into the Spirit and completely indwelt by Him. Just as … READ MORE

The human body is by far the most amazing organic creation of God. It is marvelously complex yet unified, with unparalleled harmony and interrelatedness. It is a unit; it cannot be subdivided into several bodies, yet we can no more separate Christ from His church than we can separate a body from its head. When Christ is referred to as the head of the church it is always in the sense of mind, spirit, and control. When a body loses its mind and spirit, it ceases to be a body and becomes a corpse. It still has structure but it does not have life. It is for that reason that the New Testament speaks of our being IN Christ and of Christ being IN us. His is more than simply WITH His church; He is IN His church and His church is IN Him. The common denominator of all believers is that they possess the very life of God (John 14:19). There is no true church life without Christ’s life. The significance of this is seen in the reality that we do not serve the Lord in our own strength, but because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit … READ MORE

While illustrating the diversity of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 the apostle repeatedly stresses their one source in God. He also stresses their one purpose, to reveal the Holy Spirit’s work and power for the common good of the church. These unifying realities lead the apostle’s thought to a general discussion of the oneness of the redeemed community. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-19 he explains and illustrates the nature and importance of the unity of the church itself. The diversity of the church is a God-ordained means of bringing the fellowship to oneness, but unless each diverse member recognizes and accepts their part in the whole body, diversity will divide rather than unite, destroy rather than build up, and bring discord rather than harmony. As we serve the Lord we do so through the power and enablement of the Holy Spirit who divides to everyone as He determines. To fail or refuse to use our gifts within the church is rebellious disobedience, and to be frustrated that you don’t have the gifts you want is jealousy. Yet Paul says that while some gifts are more visual than others, there is no gifts that are unimportant. As a matter of fact … READ MORE