WE, THE CHRIST BODY – By Duane Stewart
Daily, when reading the news as reported in the newspaper and hearing about world events on television or the radio, we are becoming more and more aware of the darken dangerous times in which we live. These times are pointing to the fact that many events are taking place, which will eventually and are even now shocking the entire world. These shock waves are beginning to affect the people of the world, especially among those of the carnal and religious world. Meanwhile, as these events take place, many spiritual minded people, those classified in the Bible as “the overcomers”, those living according to the Word of God, are going to enter what He, the Christ is.
As these come into a full measure of the Christ, these “overcomers” shall lay to rest the controversy of our day as to whom and what the true church really is. A trumpet is now sounding as the voice of God is declaring that a time for spiritual reality is upon us. A departing and moving out of the realm of just knowing about or believing about only, into the realm of becoming the manifestation of that which God has spoken. This means that these overcomers shall move from the arena of concepts and revelation only into the arena of realities.
This speaks to us of the cross on which Jesus died as He became our means of death to self, a death that now means that His glory can rest upon us. This means that His life has become ours because we are now dead to the sin-nature of self and alive in Him. This speaks to us of a realm of life wherein we enter to go out no more. Rev. 3:12a, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more ….” What a place to live, a dwelling in and with the presence of God Himself. In this, we should remember that our God is a consuming fire, a realm of life wherein the sin nature, the self-life nor rebellion can live. Thus, these people shall come to know the reality of “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me”.
The place wherein sinners and hypocrites fear to dwell has become a place of life for the overcomer. Isa. 33:14-16 declares, “The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gesture with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil: he will dwell on high; his place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure”. By considering the form of “death” as spoken of here, we are not speaking of going to the grave, but rather we speak of coming to the end of the self-life. We are not speaking of those who remain independent in their own self-will, their purpose, their desires and mind, but to those who are becoming willfully obedient to God in all things. In considering death, we must ask ourselves these questions:
- Does this death to self-mean a loss of our life? Rev. 2:7, “He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God”.
- Does this death mean a loss of credibility? Rev. 2:26, “And he who overcomes, and keeps my works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations”.
- Does this death mean the loss of home, lands, friends, even all things? Rev. 21:7, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son”. Remember Job.
- Does this death mean the loss of your good name? Rev. 3:12b, “… I will write on him [overcomer] the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from My God”.
In answering these questions, we find out that there is no true loss in Christ, but only gain. However, our gain is through loss concerning the realm of death, a living after the self-life. We gain life through death to self, the sin-nature. Glory takes the place of shame. Power is gained through weakness and we become exalted through abasement. This death is that which takes place at the cross and all that the cross accomplishes in a yielded vessel. This living unto the death realm was once lived through the saints but as they overcome, they are to be “sealed” unto Christ. Rev. 7:3, “Saying, do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”
God’s servants are those who are receiving the mind of Christ. The sealing in the foreheads takes us to Rom. 8:23b, which speaks of the time of our adoption, “even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our bodies”. Adoption, likened to the time of Jesus’ baptism, has the meaning of being “placed as sons”. It is at this time of adoption that the ministry of Jesus had its true beginning. Matt. 3:17, “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”.
Here we consider an often-asked question. What is being a “son” but not yet a “manifested son”? 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”. This word “children”, in this scripture is the Greek word “TEKNON” which has the meaning of “little child, an offspring but very young in maturity”. The reason given as the why God calls them children is because it has not yet been revealed to them what they shall be. This means a people who have not yet come to full age and the Christ is not yet been fully manifested to and in them. This means that these sons, these children have not yet known the “placement of adoption”. These have not yet come out from under the law of sin and death.
Gal. 4:5, “to redeem those who were under the law [religious laws and concepts], that we might receive the adoption as sons”. Son’s in this scripture is the Greek word “HUIOTHISIA” which speaks of “maturity and relationship. It speaks of authority and commitment, a commitment to that Father-Son relationship”. These are in the placement of adoption that means they have fully yielded to the sealing of the sons, receiving the mind of Christ. These are now taking their place as Gods manifested sons.
God’s promises are yea and amen, to those who overcome they become the in-Christed ones who now manifest the nature of Christ. Gal. 4:1-2 declares, “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the Father”. This inheritance is one that is neither received nor experienced by those who only know about Jesus Christ. But, it does belong to them who overcome and experience their new life in Christ. By remaining children, it makes us heirs, but being heirs does not make us the inheritors. The inheritance belongs to them who spiritual mature by overcoming of the realm of death, that is the self-life living unto the sin-nature.
This realm of death is that carnal realm which dictates from the fleshly nature of man. It makes prisoners of those who desire to maintain their independence from God in spirit, soul and body. Rom. 8:7, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be”. Thus, we have a key given whereby we can be, together with Him, glorified. That is to suffer (deny self) with Him as we fulfill the act of obedience.
In reading Acts 15:14-17, we see that God has always purposed to do more than save a few and damn the rest. We see that God’s purpose is to visit the nations and take out of them a people for His name, His nature. God’s purpose in this is that the residue or rest of humanity might then seek after the Lord. In the Old Testament, when the High Priest was dressing to fulfill his role in the activities surrounding the Tabernacle and the Temple, the last part of the Priest garment put on was the “MITRE”. This “MITRE” points to and signifies the sealing with the mind of Christ, declaring that the overcomers receive the authority of God and a commission from Him to act in that authority from the time of their sealing.
These shall also experience the redemption of their bodies. Let us remember that the first-fruits of the Holy Spirit are only the earnest of the inheritance, not the fullness. However, have we not come to a day, a season in God wherein events are taking place when we shall see the salvation of our God? Herein the Christ begins to appear in a full measure in and through His many-member body? To this, we say yea and amen. Who are you and what do you desire? God is gathering His body together in the now, for the time of the manifestation of Christ, head and body has come. Christ in you is the hope now manifesting through His many member body that are now in Him. We, an overcoming people, are the body of Christ and God has purposed to reveal the Christ with and through them to the nations. Christ in this people becomes their hope of glory as well as for the residue that would follow Him. Therefore, let the people awake, come out of their slumber and see Him as He is. This is the pre-ordained work of the Holy Spirit as He reveals Jesus Christ to us.
Duane Stewart
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