Church Life
Life in the Church of Heaven is very different from life in the world. In fact, life in the Church is opposite in many ways to the physical life each of us lives in the flesh. The Bible describes spiritual realities the way God sees them. Since physical eyes cannot see the spiritual realm, believers cannot see the Church the way God sees it. We can only see the Church through unquestioned faith in the word of God. We must trust God to reveal the realities of the spiritual realm through the inspired words of scripture.
Many churchgoers intuitively view life in the church as partly physical and partly spiritual, partly directed by men and partly directed by God, but the apostle Peter explained to the scattered believers of Asia Minor that life in the church is an entirely spiritual experience intended to produce spiritual fruit.
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Pet 2:5)
Peter was inspired to write that "ye," the collective membership of the church, are a spiritual house—a spiritual building—a spiritual body. Peter expressly described the spiritual nature of the local congregation and, by extension, the spiritual nature of the greater Church of Heaven. The universal Church is one spiritual house, and each local congregation is part of that one spiritual house. A church is not part of the world and has no physical aspect. This is God's perspective as He sees us in the spiritual realm, so we will need to put on our spiritual glasses in order to view the Church the way God sees it. Believers must be able to see the unified nature of the one spiritual house of God in order to understand how God expects us to conduct meetings of a local church.
The spiritual nature of a local church can only be seen by faith. We must trust Peter's inspired words above. The local church meets as a reflection of the true spiritual Church in heaven. In the world members are separated by distance and time, but, when we assemble for fellowship, we can more closely reflect the nature of the spiritual Church in heaven. In the spiritual Church we are all together in one place. Notice the spiritual reality Paul explained to the Ephesians.
"God has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Eph 2:6)
Can you believe the Bible? Can you see the spiritual reality? Many read this verse and assume Paul was delusional, but those who live by faith and believe what the Bible says are able to see all believers seated together in heaven. Those who live by faith are able to visualize the reality of the spiritual realm the way God sees it—the way it truly is.
Physical things are not part of the Church, because nothing physical exists in heaven. Notice how the members of the Church are described in the heavenly places—in the heavenly Jerusalem.
"But ye have come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and unto an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made [complete], and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant..." (Heb 12:22-24)
The author of Hebrews explains the spiritual reality that "ye have come" to the holy city in heaven. All the faithful of God have entered the heavenly Jerusalem, where God the Father, Jesus Christ and an innumerable company of angels are there. And who else is there? The spirits of just men made complete are there! The members of the Hebrew congregations had come to join the general assembly of the church of the firstborn to sit together with the spirits of just men previously made complete by faith. The spirits of all faithful believers are seated together in heaven.
Let me emphasize that only the spirits of the members are there. Their bodies are not there. Nothing physical is part of the Church. All the spirits of the members collectively form a new spiritual body for the Lord. They form the integrally connected body of Christ.
Another reality of the spiritual realm is unity of the Church in heaven. In the world we have separate bodies, but in the Church all the members are united into one body. We saw above that the Church is really one spiritual house, so we should not be surprised to discover that Paul explained to the Corinthians that the Church is one literal body—a unified spiritual body.
"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ." (1 Cor 12:12)
Once again the spiritual reality of the Church as one body is impossible to see physically, so most churchgoers intuitively transform the biblical concept of a unified body into the concept of an organization, and they completely miss Paul's point. The Church is one body in heaven, not on earth, so we cannot use our eyes to determine the nature of the Church. We cannot see spiritual reality through the five senses. The unity of the Church is a spiritual reality, so we must exercise faith and simply believe what God tells us about the nature of the Church. The Church is one unified body of believers living in heaven in Christ.
Life in the Church of Heaven also reflects a different reality in the way each member appears to God. On earth the members have distinguishing physical characteristics such as race, social standing and gender, but only the spirits of the members are in heaven, so the members do not have any distinguishing physical characteristics. They are being formed spiritually into the members of the body of Christ. One member may appear as an eye, another as a hand and yet another as a foot, but together we reflect Jesus Christ as His whole body. In the Church we lack the physical characteristics which distinguish us as physical human beings. The Bible teaches us that our appearance in the spiritual realm lacks any distinguishing physical characteristics visible on earth.
"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond or free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal 3:27-28)
Many churchgoers simply reject Paul's words and assume he was blind, but faith is required to believe what Paul says is true, because it is not true in the physical realm. It is only true in the spiritual realm. There are no racial, social or gender distinctions among the members of the Church of Heaven.
If we consider the nature of a physical body, we should be able to see why the apostle Paul said there is no gender, race or class distinctions in the body of Christ. Do the members of your body have different genders, different racial characteristics or different class distinctions? A heart cannot be described as being male or female. A liver lacks any racial characteristics. A leg or arm is not seen to have any social standing. These characteristics broadly describe the appearance of the whole person and are unrelated to the individual members of the person's body.
Therefore, when the congregation meets, we view ourselves as a literal body with many members, and we interact and function together the way a body functions. We view each member as a unique member of the body, not as an independent person. We must ignore any physical characteristics which distinguish the members of the church, so, when we meet, we all assemble as equals in respect to race, social standing and gender. There are no white or black members. There are no rich or poor members. There are no male or female members. Each member is simply a unique member of the body of Christ without physical distinctions. We are all members of one body, and we are all one in the Lord.
An organization and a body are two completely different things. Do not confuse them. A body is characterized by its integrity and the inseparable nature of its members, but an organization is characterized by the separateness of the workers in the organization. A body is governed by one head, i.e., the spirit living in the body, and each member receives its direction from the one head, but organizations are governed hierarchically by multiple heads, and orders are passed down through the chain of command until they finally reach those doing the work. The workers rarely receive orders directly from the head of the organization. Further, a body lives on food, water and air, whereas an organization depends entirely on money for its existence. A body can only be created by God, whereas an organization is created by men.
The Church is a literal body, not an organization. A body, whether physical or spiritual, cannot be organized by men, because men cannot even build a physical body, let alone a spiritual body. Therefore, men cannot organize the Church. Paul explained that God alone organizes the Church.
"But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it has pleased Him."
(1 Cor 12:18)
Since the Church lives in heaven, it is easier to realize that God alone has the ability to organize the Church and place each member into its proper place in the one unified body. As with every body, each member is unique, and each performs a unique function. So also in the Church. Every member of the Church is a unique individual, and God places each member into the body of Christ according to each member's unique gifts. A faithful leader of a spiritual church will make no attempt to organize the members of his or her congregation or to designate certain members to do certain jobs. God alone places members into the body of Christ and gifts each one to fulfill His will according to His pleasure.
The Spirit is the unifying substance of the Church, so we cannot use our eyes to see the members connected together into one body, because human beings cannot see spirit. "For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body." (1 Cor 12:13) The Spirit of God working through faith allows us to believe the spiritual relationships described by the apostles. Without faith we will see members and churches separated by distance and time, but we must see every member and every congregation united together into one body by the Spirit, each performing a unique function in the united Church of Heaven. Through faith we can see the one spiritual Church seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:6) Faith allows us to visualize spiritual reality. Is your spiritual vision improving? When we assemble with other believers, we must each function like a member of a body. Can you visualize unique members performing unique tasks in a unified body? Are you willing to live by faith?
A body is unified because each member is inseparably bound to the other members of the body, not because each member looks the same or is doing the same thing. Unity is a state of being which cannot be achieved by doing a certain prescribed set of activities, because the Holy Spirit is the unifying substance of a church. When a person becomes a member of a church, the Spirit instantly unifies the new member with every faithful member in the church as each spiritual church is unified with every other spiritual church. Thus, all are unified into one spiritual Church. The Spirit unifies every member and every church, while each member retains a unique personality and performs a unique function in the greater Church.
Our life in the local church must reflect the spiritual reality of our life in heaven, so, when a church meets together, the church must conduct itself in a way which reflects the reality of the Church of Heaven. The members of the church must work together and interact in a way which always reflects the way a body works, not necessarily the way an independent, self-directed, human being might function in a group. The nature of a body is different from the nature of a complete person. A body depends entirely upon the spirit living in the body for its direction, so all the members of the body of Christ depend on Christ to give them direction day by day and moment by moment. The members of a body cannot be directed externally the way an independent human being might be directed. Every action of the body of Christ must be directed from within the body by the Head of the body.
"...And he [God] gave him [Christ] to be the head over all things to the church." (Eph 1:22)
We saw above that the Church is one body, (1 Cor 12:12) and now we see that this body has a Head. There is only one head in any body, so Paul's words help us to understand that there is only one Head in the Church of Heaven. Jesus Christ is the Head of every member of the Church, (1 Cor 11:3) so human heads do not exist in the body of Christ. Each member is directed individually by the Head of the body, so the function of the body will be pleasing to the One living in the body. In the Church, members only take direction from the Lord. If you would like to be a member of the Church of Heaven, you must only take direction from Jesus Christ in your spiritual life—in your life as part of your local congregation.
The reality of the Church as a living spiritual body demands that all the members of the body are equals. There is no hierarchical structure in the body of Christ. There are no little heads to direct the members. Christ alone is the Head of His body, and all the members are equals before Him and dependent upon Him for daily direction. God is not a respecter of persons, (Rom 2:11) so members are not ordained to be authorities in the Church of Heaven. Therefore, no member, whether male or female, stands in authority when the church meets. Life in the local church reflects the reality of the Church of Heaven.
Jesus Christ is the Head of His body, because He is the Spirit living in the body. He gives life to each member and directs each member, because He lives in every member of the Church. He is the Boss of every member, because it is impossible for one member of a body to know what another member is doing, let alone give orders to another member of the body. Jesus explained in the Sermon on the Mount why there are no member bosses in the spiritual Church of Heaven.
"No man can serve two masters."
(Matt 6:24)
If you have ever worked in a corporation, you know how difficult life can be when your supervisor tells you to do one thing and his boss tells you to do something else. Such a situation can only occur in an organization, not in a body. It is ludicrous to imagine a leg telling an arm what to do—or an eye telling an ear what to do—or a tongue telling a mouth what to do. All the members of the body are unique, and each is directed by the spirit living in the body, so there will be no conflict or ambiguity regarding what any member might be required to do. God inspired Jesus to say these words, so every member of the body will know that there is only one Director in the body of Christ. The spiritual vision of the word of God helps us to understand that there are no human authorities in the Church, because no man can serve two masters. There are no human authorities in any congregation directed by Jesus Christ and led by the Spirit.
Let us now consider how a body is clothed, fed and hydrated. Do the members of the body provide clothing food and water for themselves? Do the individual members have any capacity to provide anything for themselves? An eye or an ear or a foot has no capacity to provide anything for themselves or for the body. The nourishment for the body comes to each member through the blood in the body, and all the members wear the same clothing provided by the spirit living in the body. Members of a body have no capacity to provide anything for themselves.
Since the Church is a spiritual body living in heaven, it should be obvious that God provides all the needs of the Church. The Church has no physical needs. Human beings have no power or ability to provide for the needs of a spiritual body. Since God provides all the needs of the Church of Heaven, God also provides all the needs of a local church. A church has no need of a physical house, because the church dwells in Jesus Christ in heaven, and there are no spiritual houses for the Church on earth. A church has no need of physical clothing or food or water, because a spiritual body wears spiritual clothing and lives on spiritual food and water. A church has no need of anything physical. A church certainly has no need of money, because there is nothing physical to buy in heaven. Each spiritual church lives in heaven as part of the unified body of Christ, where God alone provides every need for every church.
Just as a physical body has physical needs, so a spiritual body has spiritual needs. God alone has the power to provide spiritual needs, so God alone provides all the needs of a church. God blesses the church with spiritual blessings rather than physical blessings. Scripture says the church has put on Jesus Christ (Gal 3:27) as a garment, so the church is clothed in Him and reflects all the aspects of His character. Since we are in the Lord, we are clothed as He is clothed, so scripture says God has clothed the church with humility (1 Pet 5:5) and righteousness (Rev 19:8), so that the church is not spiritually naked. God has united the church by the Spirit, so the fruits of the Spirit are freely bestowed upon the church. When the congregation assembles, the members exemplify love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, faith, meekness and temperance, because God blesses the church with all of those attributes by the Spirit. Additionally, He provides the Word as our spiritual food, so the focus of a church meeting is to receive the word of God through inspired speaking. Any physical food available at a meeting is for the individual members, not for the church. God also provides Christ's blood as our spiritual drink. (John 6:48-58) The church lives by Christ's blood, not by physical refreshments. The collective church has no physical shelter on earth, because the church is a spiritual body. The individual members live in houses, but no dwelling exists on earth to house a spiritual body. The church is entirely spiritual and has no need of anything physical.
Since God provides all the needs of a church, Jesus knew the church would not need anything physical, so He prohibited any church from storing up any treasure on earth, where that treasure can deteriorate, be stolen or devalued by inflation. The individual members may store up treasures on earth, but faithful congregations may not lay up any treasures on earth. Notice Jesus' instruction for churches carefully.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matt 6:19‑21)
Few really grasp the grammar of this verse. Most Bible students overlook the plural pronouns and the explicit negative it contains. Jesus’ words entirely prohibit laying up any treasures on earth for those addressed in this context. Although we easily understand that all lying is sin when scripture says we should not lie, and we never consider that some stealing might be permitted when scripture says we should not steal, somehow the little word “not” eludes most Bible students in this context. Most Bible students seem to intuitively know that Jesus could not possibly forbid all savings of money or goods and demand we give every penny we earn to Him and live in continual poverty, but few are able to discern the context to determine exactly how these words should be interpreted and applied.
The second person plural pronoun, "yourselves," is a vital clue to understand Jesus' direction in this passage. Plural pronouns address the entire congregation collectively, not individually. Jesus was not speaking to individual members of the church, but He was directing His collective body not to lay up any treasure on earth for the obvious reason that a spiritual body lives in heaven and has no physical needs. Therefore, a local church may not lay up any treasure on earth, because life in the local church on earth must reflect life in the Church of Heaven.
Therefore, no collection baskets are passed in a congregation patterned after the Church of Heaven. Money is not laid up for the church, because the church has no need of money. A body has no need of money. The individual members need money to live in this world, but a church does not live in this world. A body, whether physical or spiritual, has no need of money. A body needs clothing, food and water, but a body can't eat or wear money. Money is completely useless to a body, particularly a spiritual body, so the Lord prohibited storing up any money or other treasures for a church. You will not need to bring your wallet, when you assemble together with a local congregation of the Church of Heaven.
False teachers claim that giving to a church is like giving to God, but that is a subtle lie intended to pick your pocket. The Bible doesn't say that. Don't believe a lie. In fact, you really can't give to a church, because a church is a spiritual entity. A local church lives in heaven as part of the greater Church of Heaven, so it is impossible to give to a church. Any money you might attempt to give to a church will invariably end up in the bank account of an earth-bound organization.
Another instruction for churches is found in Paul's letter to the Corinthian church. Once again the second person plural pronouns in this passage have been ignored, and church leaders have misapplied this prohibition, assuming it applies to individual members. It does not. These words are for churches.
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Cor 6:14)
The "ye" in this verse is second person plural pronoun indicating the whole congregation as a body. This instruction was for church at Corinth and, by extension, for every faithful church. God provides all the needs of a church, so a faithful church should have no contracts with unbelievers, wherein a church might receive benefits from the unbelievers rather than depending upon God for all its blessings. Any contractual relationship between a church and any unbeliever violates that church's covenant with God and is evidence of spiritual fornication.
This instruction is not for individual members of the church. A member living in this world can sign a contract with any other person in this world. A member can be in partnership with an unbeliever. A member can be married to an unbeliever. A member can have a contract with a faithless corporation. A member can become a contractor for the government. Without contractual agreements, members could not function in this world. However, churches have no need to make any contractual arrangement with the world, so God has jealously and judiciously forbidden a church to enter into any covenant agreement with unbelievers—with the unrighteous—with those of darkness.
The misapplication of this instruction can have serious consequences for every member of the local church. The church as a body is forbidden to make contracts with any unbeliever. Any contract with an unbeliever, a corporation or a civil government will render the church's covenant with God invalid. Any intercourse with the world will violate the church spiritually and destroy its spiritual virginity. The church's garments will become spotted and wrinkled, and that whole church could be cast into hell. The salvation of every member of the church would be in serious jeopardy.
The prohibition against laying up treasure on earth (Matt 6:19) and the prohibition against making covenants with civil governments (2 Cor 6:14) are inextricably united in purpose. Both target the human inclination to trust in men and wealth for security. Both protect a church from trusting in what it can see. A church must live entirely by faith. As individuals living in this world, God allows a reasonable trust in what we can see, but, as a church, we must trust God entirely for all our protection, provision and care. A church requires nothing physical, so scripture forbids covenants with the world and prohibits storing up any treasure on earth. Do not misinterpret these words. Make sure your church does not store up treasure on earth or enter into contracts with the unbelieving world.
Life in a congregation of the Church of Heaven is very different from life in the world, because each member lives like the member of a body, not like a complete, self-directed individual. Members consume the Word of God as their food, and they depend on the blood of Christ for their drink. His blood also carries sin away from the body in order to keep the body pure and holy. God clothes every member in righteousness and humility, so it doesn't matter whether a member wears a suit or jeans to a meeting. There are no physical distinctions in the Church, so discrimination and respect of persons does not exist in a faithful church. Racism is condemned in the church. Social differences are ignored in the church. Women may lead and serve equally with men in a meeting of the church. No member sits or stands in a special place in the congregation or has a special entry into the meeting. Everyone is an equal in the church, so no member is ordained to any church office or placed in any position of authority in a local church. There is only one authority in any body, so there is only one Authority in a meeting of the local church. Jesus Christ alone directs the actions of the members in faithful congregations. The Church of Heaven cannot be organized by men, so the members of faithful churches do not allow anyone to organize the church. Men have no capacity to organize any body, let alone a spiritual body. God sets the members in the body as it pleases Him. A faithful church will not lay up treasure on earth or enter into contracts with unbelievers to increase that forbidden treasure. Life in a congregation of the Church of Heaven is a very different from what most churchgoers have experienced in the organized Christian community. Life in the spiritual realm is very different from life in this world. Freedom, equality and righteousness are among the characteristics which exemplify every congregation of the Church of Heaven.