A major issue in modern Christianity is confusion

about the true purpose and nature of the Church.

Many attend church but lack understanding of what the

Church is meant to be and how it truly functions.

    We can call ourselves whatever we wish and put

any label or sign on our churches, but the true Church is the

habitation of God by the Holy Spirit. If it is not, regardless of

what we call it, it is not the Church.

     If you truly understood the Church, you would

realize that you don’t have the freedom to go wherever you

want. You are a living stone, fitly joined together in a spiritual house that the Holy Spirit has placed you in. Your position in Christ is supported by those who have come before you, and your divine position will, in turn, support those who come after you.

     To better visualize this, consider that in the West, we see houses made of bricks held together with mortar. The mortar ensures the bricks remain in place and symmetrical. By contrast, the ancient temples Paul references were not built of brick and mortar. Instead, they used marble and stone, with each piece chiseled to fit precisely upon another. These stones are engineered to support one another so perfectly that no mortar is needed. In fact, when properly assembled—as seen in the ancient

pyramids—not even a piece of paper can be slipped between the stones. They fit perfectly together.

     This image illustrates how Jesus is building His

Church. Just as the stones in those ancient structures were

fit together with purpose, He fits us together to form His

spiritual house. Each of us has a proper place, crafted by the

Holy Spirit, as one of the living stones. Your position is

specifically designed to provide support to others and to

allow new lives coming into Christ to rest upon you. Failing

to remain where the Holy Spirit has placed you jeopardizes

the integrity of the whole temple.

 

YOU ARE NOT THE CHURCH BY YOURSELF

     Building on this, in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul illustrates

the Church as a functioning body, much like the human

body. This Body is uniquely built by the Holy Spirit: by one

Spirit, we are baptized into one body—whether Jews or

Gentiles, bond or free—and we have all been made to drink

into one Spirit.

     The body is not just a single part; it is made up of

many parts working together. Alone, you are not the

Church—the Church is not made up of just one person. The

Church, like a body, is made from many distinct members,

each contributing to the whole.

     People may say, “I don’t need to go to church to be

saved. I don’t need to go to church to go to heaven.”

I won’t argue with you, but you must understand:

if you’re not part of “The” Church, you’re not saved,

and you’re not going to heaven.

     “If the foot shall say, ‘Because I’m not the hand, I’m

not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear

shall say, ‘Because I’m not the eye, I’m not of the body,’ is it

therefore not of the body? And if the whole body were an

eye, where’s the hearing? And if the whole were

hearing, where’s the smelling?” But now has God set the

members, every one of them, in the body, as it pleases Him

(1 Corinthians 12:15–18).

     Reflecting further, whose pleasure determines our

place in the Body? God’s. Why? Because he is building

something enduring, not only for future generations but also

for the present one. His purpose is to establish a habitation for

the Holy Spirit. He builds it for His pleasure.

     However, if all were one member, where would the

body be? But the Body is many members, yet one body. The

eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” nor the head

to the feet, “I don’t need you.” Everyone is necessary—even

those members that seem less necessary. God gives them

more glory, more honor, and greater beauty, because every

part of the body is necessary.

 

THERE MUST BE NO SCHISMS IN THE CHURCH

     Because God’s care for His Church is intentional, there

must be no division in the body. All members should care for

one another because of His design.

     If you have a problem with the members of the Body

of Christ, your problem is not with them—it’s with the Head.

And the Head is Jesus. If you hold a grudge, your problem is

with the Head. The Head brings healing into the Body. Holding

a grudge is rebellion against the Head, not just another

member. Schisms damage the Body, as a human body is

damaged by a loss of communication with its head. At all costs,

we must not divide the Body. You cannot amputate it. The

hand cannot say to the foot, “I don’t need you. I’m cutting you

out of my life.” It cannot do that. It must not.

     Here’s a picture for you: I’m not a handyman, but I

try. And honestly, it’s not great. I know what it’s like to bust a

finger with a hammer. My right hand does the busting. Every

time I take on a project and must hold a nail or

something, it’s always my left hand that ends up in jeopardy,

taking the hit.

     Now, when I hit my hand, it doesn’t hold a grudge

against the hand that hit it. Why? Because of the Head. The

Head says, “It’s okay. Didn’t mean to do it. I’m going to

comfort you.” The Head takes the hand that did the busting

and holds the hand that took the beating.

     That’s how the Body of Christ must work. When

someone hurts you or fails, the Head, Jesus, keeps the

Body whole—reconciling, comforting, sustaining so the

Body functions. There is no room for grudges—only

restoration and unity.

     Many members struggle with where the Holy

Spirit has placed them. Wishing they were an eye

instead of a hand, some try to move themselves where

it pleases them. This leads to deformity within the Body

of Christ for that generation.

     We put noses where mouths should be or

hands where ears belong. Members go where they

want, serve as they want, and refuse the Holy

Spirit. Some stay at home, further deforming the Body.

The feet, feeling unimportant, go missing, and now the

Body is hindered, unable to function as the Spirit

intends.

     Given this, it is likely that this is how the Church

appears to demons, principalities, and powers. They

look on and mock, seeing a body that does not function

well—feet in living rooms, hearing impaired, the mouth

where the nose should be.

     This insight reveals the enemy’s strategy. Satan

cannot stop the Holy Spirit directly, so he seeks to

hinder the vehicle the Spirit uses—the Church. If Satan

succeeds, a generation will experience greater darkness

and peril. Creating schisms in the Body is Satan’s

method to hinder the Spirit and advance his cause. For

the love of God, we must not allow our lives to play

into Satan’s schemes.

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT BEGS US

     The Holy Spirit commands us to pursue peace

and unity in the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:3). This is

not optional or casual; living in peace, walking in unity,

and honoring one another are not merely good advice—

they are acts of obedience.

     The Spirit calls us to function this way, so His

mission to glorify Jesus through us may be complete,

unbroken, and glorious.

     The Holy Spirit urges us to walk in a manner

worthy of this lifestyle (Ephesians 4:1). This is

our calling. Therefore, be lowly, meek, and patient with

one another. Bear each other’s shortcomings in

love. What could possibly give you the excuse to

disrupt the unity of the Spirit and the peace in His

Body? He alone reserves the right to deal with His

Body, not you.

     You are commanded not to grieve the Holy Spirit

(Ephesians 4:30). Therefore, you are admonished to

be very careful with your behavior and your words

towards one another:

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your

mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits

the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you

were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:29-32, ESV).

     I don’t expect the religious, who attend our

churches, to live this way. The religious will always be a tool

of Satan to seek their own way, live in offense, and grieve

the Holy Spirit. But I do expect all who are born of God to

pursue this lifestyle. Because of your new nature in Christ,

being the beloved children of God, I expect you to live like

God (Ephesians 5:1). I expect you to walk in love, as Christ

loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and

sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2).

     If He lives in you, and if His habitation is the Church,

it is not consistent with your faith to live apart from the

Church. Do not do this to Him. Get in your place … be the

Church!