Christ’s Basic Bodies by Ralph W. Neighbour Jr

Author:Ralph W. Neighbour, Jr
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: TOUCH Publications
Published: 2016-12-12T16:00:00+00:00

The role of the Holy Spirit is to supplement the revelation of the Godhead, to be the “one called alongside to help,” to “guide us into all truth.” As Jesus said, the Spirit will “teach you all things, and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”30 Note that the teaching of Christ Jesus is recalled through the Spirit’s activity. The supreme revelation of the Godhead is always, first of all, the work of the Son, the Christ.

To summarize, God thinks and acts as community, not as separate individuals. God is community; therefore he thinks and acts corporately. We are self-centered, not community-based. Because of our propensity to individualism, we tend to define the Godhead as separate entities.

In South Africa, I attended a cell group in Cape Town. I joined in singing, “Jesus, I love You, I worship and adore You . . .” The song’s further verses focused on “Father, I love You,” and “Spirit, I love You . . .” I was struck by the way the Christ, the Anointed One, the Son, was missing from the song. As I pondered this, we went on to sing two more songs about Jesus. I have absolutely no problem in singing worship songs focused on Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Nevertheless, I realized that in nearly all sermons, songs, and conversations we stopped with Jesus.

After the worship time, I asked, “Do you ever sing about the Christ who dwelled in Jesus that also dwells in you?” Not a person knew of a song that emphasized this great truth. The fact of the matter is that today’s song writers seem to ignore the position of the Son, the Christ, and focus only on the incarnated Jesus. I asked the group, “Whose Spirit is in our midst as we gather here? Is it the Spirit of Jesus, or the Spirit of Christ?”

Blank stares revealed the confusion in the group. We entered into a discussion about the eternal Christ who existed from before the foundations of the world and who will reign over the coming Kingdom. As we reviewed the scriptures that pointedly teach that Christ dwells in us and together we compose His present body on the earth, it was obvious none of them had digested this central teaching of scripture.

I reminded them about the two who walked to Emmaus with the resurrected Jesus without recognizing Him. As He expounded the Old Testament scriptures He asked, “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” Even as Jesus’ identity was hidden to them, so we today seem to live in ignorance about the Christ who lives in us. A cell group that does not understand the importance of communing with the indwelling Christ is cut off from His headship and His leadership.

But how will they learn of the position of Christ in their midst? If our frequently repeated praise songs mention only the historical Jesus, how will believers grasp it is the eternal Spirit of

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