I have often made the statement that IF those identifying as Christians really understood who we are, it would totally remake the way we think and act as Church members. The problem is that most church members have very little conception of WHO they are and how we are suppose to conduct our lives as Christians. If they understood the depth of what happened to them at the point of salvation and if they realized and accepted exactly who and what the church really is, they would live and act differently. They would be much more dedicated to the Lord and to the worship of Him. The fact is that far too many people have an inadequate understanding of what happened to them at salvation and who caused it to happen. The church is made up of people and each local church will go in the direction of those leading it. That is one reason that so many of them are ineffective. That is also the reason that so many churches are travelling down the wrong path. They are seeking “success” according to man’s standards and that leads them to do whatever is required in order to achieve what their particular leader thinks is a success. This has and is leading the Christian world into trouble.
When a person gets truly saved, the morality of God lives inside of them because the indwelling Holy Spirit brings the proper morality and spirituality with Him when He takes up residence in their life. So, a saved human being is indwelt with God’s way of thinking and acting on moral and spiritual issues. Whether they realize it or not, they are equipped to live differently. Man can still choose to do evil but he always knows what is right and wrong because of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit who now lives inside of him in Christ. The Spirit instantly warns when sin looms in order to keep us in the right relationship with God on a moment to moment basis. This should be reflected in the life if a person will listen to the spirit as He warns us and if we would be obedient and turn from what He warns us about. This warning from the Spirit of God will take place an instant before a sin is committed so that if one is obedient, they would not commit that sin. The church is suppose to be made up of redeemed human beings who will be obedient to God on an instantaneous basis.
When a person is saved, they are not equipped to live the Christian life simply because God says they are (even though that would be enough.) They are equipped because God has given them His indwelling Holy Spirit which enables them to live pleasing to Him. A person cannot live the Christian life unless they are indwelt with God’s Spirit enabling them to live in a way which is pleasing to God. So, the point is made that Christians are given the power, the ability to live the Christian life. If that is true then why are more of them struggling and many (I might say most) simply failing?
What does it mean for it to be said that Christians who hold a church membership must “Realize Who We Are?” It means that most people in our Christian churches today do not understand who they really are or what the Church actually is. People who are saved are no longer a citizen of this world. They have become a citizen of heaven but they just don’t live there yet. They live in this historical, physical world but their citizenship is in heaven. They are now children of God, equipped to live a different kind of life on planet earth. Their salvation and Godly life are a testimony to their transformation that took place at the moment they were saved and God’s Spirit came to live inside of them. When salvation takes place, a person is gifted with a spiritual ability (gift) with which to serve the Lord by the exercise of that gift (Eph. 4:7-16). The church (the spiritual body of Christ) will function properly only if all the gifts given to people are exercised properly.
If Christian church members were ever to get in touch with the fact that the church is the spiritual body of Christ and that they are the “parts” of the body which are to make it function properly, it would make a difference in the way they look at their involvement in the Body of Christ; the Church. They would see their particular gift or gifts as a privilege which enables them to serve God. It would be a source of joy and eagerness instead of being viewed by many as a job which requires their time, energy and effort.
The main reason why so many churches are struggling and literally dying is that the people God has placed in that church don’t understand the way the church is designed to work. If your church is dying off then it just might be that the parts of the body are spiritually dead and not functioning. If a person’s physical body has a part that is not functioning properly, they get sick. It doesn’t have to be a major part that malfunctions or ceases to function. A small part of the body getting “out of sorts” will cause a major problem to the entire body. That is true in a church as well. If the “parts of the body“ don’t function, then the Body of Christ will not function well at all. It will exist but not prosper. And, that is what most churches are doing today….existing….just getting along.
All I have said in the article is scriptural. It is well grounded doctrine found throughout the writings of the Apostle Paul and other Biblical writers. Don’t be guilty of passing it off as just another article. It is telling you that the Body of Christ, the Church, is made up of many parts. Each part must function properly if the Spiritual Body of Christ is to function properly. You are a part of the body and are given a particular gift to be used in a properly functioning church. If all the parts don’t function properly the body will be sick. It will be listless. It will fail to be what God wants it to be. You and your gift are essential to a properly functioning Body of Christ of which you are a member having been placed there by the Holy Spirit to serve God in this place. I invite you to read, 1 Cor. 12:12-31. You will surely get the message I am trying to relay.
Getting saved and joining a church is a big move in life which should reflect in consistent service to God as one exercises their gift of the spirit in the context of the Body of Christ, the Church. It will result in happiness and completeness in the life which are two things we desperately need in today’s world. Study the scripture on the subject and it will help you Realize Who You Are since you got saved.
Wm F. Harrell….3-3-2025
