========================================================================
  THE CHURCH - THE BODY OF CHRIST
  by Zac Poonen
========================================================================

Summary: The church is an assembly of people called out from the world
to be God's possession, and its purpose is to represent Jesus together
and reflect Christ in His totality.

Topics: "Church Unity", "Body Of Christ"
Scripture References: Matthew 16:18, John 13:35, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Ephesians 1:22, Colossians 3:14

------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zac Poonen emphasizes that the church is not a physical building or a
denomination but rather an assembly of people called out of the world to
be God's possession. Believers worldwide who have responded to God's
call to separate from sin and the world form the Body of Christ, with
each local gathering meant to express this unity. By reflecting Jesus
collectively, believers can show the world the totality of Christ, as
each member complements the strengths and weaknesses of others,
highlighting the importance of love and submission within the church.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENT
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The church is not a building, nor is it a denomination. The English word
`church' in the New Testament is a translation of the Greek word
`ekklesia', which means an assembly of people who are called out - in
this case, called out of the world to be God's own possession.

All over the world, those who have responded to God's call to be
separated from sin and the world, form the church - the Body of Christ.
In every locality, these members of Christ's Body should together become
a local expression of that body.

The first body of Christ was the physical body in which Jesus came to
earth. In that body God showed Himself to the world. Jesus yielded
Himself so perfectly to the Father, that at the end of His life He could
say, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (Jn. 14:9).

Now our calling is to represent Jesus together, to the world around us.
No one can represent Jesus adequately, all by himself. We need one
another. The best among us are still imbalanced. We have our strong
points, but we have our weak points too. We may be able to reflect
Christ well in one area, but very poorly in another area. But together,
we will find that the strong points of one balance out the weak points
of the other. And if we live in love and submission to one another,
Christ can be reflected in His totality through us, to an unbelieving
world. This is God's purpose for the church.

========================================================================
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/the-church-the-body-of-christ/
========================================================================