His Body

Ephesians 1:22-23 says:

"...He has put all things under His feet and made Him the supreme Head of the church, which is His body, that is being filled by Him who fills everything everywhere" (Williams)

"God has placed everything under the power of Christ and has set him up as head of everything for the Church. For the Church is His body, and in that body lives fully the one who fills the whole wide universe" (J.B. Phillips)

"...He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [ a headship exercised throughout the church ], which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all [ for in that body lives the full measure of Him who makes everything complete, and who fills everything everywhere with Himself ]. (Amplified)

"...He put everything under His feet, and gave Him as the Head of everything to the church, which is His body, having all that is in Him who fills everything in every way" (William F. Beck)

"God has put all things under His feet, and has appointed Him universal and supreme Head of the church, which is His Body, the completeness of Him who everywhere fills the universe with Himself" (Weymouth)

If we can visualize the image of a physical person, that has a head; shoulders; arms; hands; legs; and feet, then we have the visual picture presented by these verses of scripture.

Jesus is the head, we are the body, and the feet are in the body. If all things are under the feet of Jesus, then all things are under the feet of every member of the body of Christ, the church, because the feet are in the body.

Ephesians 5:23 says, "...Christ is the head of the church" and "we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones" (5:30) and "...two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church" (5:31-32).

WHAT MANNER OF MAN

When the disciples were afraid of their boat capsizing and drowning (Matt.8:23-27), Jesus "...rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm" (8:26). "But the men marveled, saying, 'What manner of MAN is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?' " (8:27; Mk.4:41; Lk.8:25).

When Jesus healed the man sick of the palsy (Matt.9:1-7), the multitudes "marveled, and glorified God, who had given such power to MEN" (9:8)

The scripture says that "Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and, being found in fashion as a MAN, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil.2:6-8).

Again, the scripture says, "...there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the MAN Christ Jesus" (1 Tim.2:5).

"...as the children are partakers of FLESH AND BLOOD, He also Himself likewise took part of the same that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage, for verily He took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed of Abraham" (Heb.2:14-16).

"But this MAN, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb.10:12).

"For since by man came death, by MAN came also the resurrection of the dead" (1 Cor.15:21).

"The first MAN, Adam, was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a life-giving spirit. The first MAN is of the earth, earthy, the second MAN is the Lord from heaven" (1 Cor.15:45,47)

"But, when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, MADE OF A WOMAN ..." (Gal.4:4)

JUST LIKE JESUS

When Jesus called His 12 disciples, "He gave THEM authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease" (Matt.10:1)

"and THEY went out, and preached that men should repent and THEY cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them" (Mk.6:12-13)

"and THEY departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere" (Lk.9:6).

"after these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent THEM two by two before His face into every city and place, where He Himself would come and the seventy returned again with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are SUBJECT TO US through your name" (Lk.10:1,17).

"and He said to THEM, 'I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I GIVE TO YOU power [authority], to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt YOU" (Lk.10:18-19).

When Jesus left the earth he told His disciples, "All authority is given to me in heaven and in earth. YOU go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen" (Matt.28:18-20)

"He said to them, 'YOU go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned, and these signs shall follow those who believe: in my name shall THEY cast out demons; THEY shall speak with new tongues; THEY shall take up serpents; and if THEY drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt THEM; THEY shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover' So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God, and THEY went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with THEM, and confirming the word with signs following" (Mk.16:15-20)

The whole book of Acts is a testimony to the fact that, not just the apostles, but ordinary Believers, went out and preached the gospel, and saw miraculous signs and wonders accomplished.

Stephen:

Stephen, who was not an apostle, but a man of "honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3) "did great wonders and miracles among the people" (Acts 6:8).

Ananias:

There was a certain disciple, [not an apostle], at Damascus, named Ananias (Acts 9:10). He went into Paul [called Saul] "and putting his hands on him said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord, Jesus, that appeared to you in the way as you came, has sent me, that you might receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit' and immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales; and he received sight, and arose, and was baptized" (Acts 9:17-18).

Agabus:

Agabus was not an apostle, but he "signified by the Spirit that there should be great famine throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar" (Acts 12:28).

Paul and Barnabas:

Neither were one of the 12 apostles, but they spoke "boldly in the Lord, who gave testimony to the word of His grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands" (Acts 14:3).

The authority that Jesus gave was not specifically to the apostles, but Jesus said, "these signs shall follow THOSE WHO BELIEVE" (Mk.16:17).

SECRET REVEALED

Jesus undoubtedly came to show us the Father. When Phillip asked Him to "show us the Father" (Jn.14:8), Jesus said, "Have I been such a long time with you and yet you have not known me, Phillip? He that has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn.14:9). Jesus went on to say, "the Father that dwells in me, He does the works" (Jn.14:10). In other words, all of these miracles; healings; multiplying fish and bread; walking on water; I didn't do any of it; the Father is the source of all the miraculous manifestations of power!

Jesus went on to say, "Amen, Amen, I say to you, HE/SHE that believes on me, the works that I do shall HE/SHE do also; and greater than these shall HE/SHE do" (Jn.14:12).

Hebrews speaks of this, "great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by THEM that heard, God also bearing THEM witness, both with signs and wonders, and with diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit" (Heb.2:4).

WHO WE ARE

Though Jesus obviously came and showed us the Father, so that everything that He did is forever, the will of the Father, in the earth; however, what He really demonstrated, is how we are made to function normally in the earth. This is our primary directive, that whoever "abides in Him, ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked" (1Jn.2:6) "because as He is, so are we in this world" (1Jn.4:17). Jesus came to SHOW US OURSELVES, with God living on the inside of us; the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

" For the Church is His body, and in that body LIVES FULLY the one who fills the whole wide universe" (J.B. Phillips) [Eph.1:23].

You Are God's Best and God's Best is Yours