Why Does God Have a Body?

Although we become accustomed to recognizing each other by the way we look, our physical appearance is a house for the real you. It's your spirit and your soul that people get to know when they think of you. Your personality, your mind, your unique way of seeing life and others all make up 'YOU'. You live in your body just like God's Spirit lives in His. Think about how exiting that is, but also think about the heavy responsibility to take His name. If you're married, chances are that one of you took the others' name. Similarly, taking God's name, as part of His family takes on the responsibility that you'll be a truthful ambassador, revealing God's true self. This is done without effort simply by having faith in Him. The miraculous manifestation is a body of world-wide believers who demonstrate who God is. Just like your neighbors know you when you step outside, the same is true when His body steps into the world.

The purpose of God's Spirit living in one person or a group of people isn't to make them prideful, but so He can express His nature to all the nations of His world. Unless you're an identical twin, or a doppelganger, your body is one of a kind. Even with identical twins there are differences, which are unique, based on the individual's life. As an example, if one twin is in a terrible accident and loses an ear, the other twin will still have their ear, so recognizing someone is based on more than genetics; it's also about scars from life experiences. The bottom line is that people know you when they "see" YOU and they know God when we show HIM to them. Being known by our love one for another isn't just a side effect; it's the blue-print.

On the television show "Cheers", we all remember Norm entering the bar with a joke. Everyone knew him, or did they? When people get to know you, they recognize you, and also begin to recognize your voice and sense your ways. The very same truth is with God's body, His Church. The purpose of God having a Church is to make Himself known. The question begs an answer, "To whom does He need to reveal Himself?" I would argue that we've preached to the choir enough. Maybe we should take the same meetings we're having on Sunday, and use them like a university, where we mature people rather than trying to be a hospital. Leaders, if we did our jobs correctly, we'd send the hospital to the sick.

God's body has the same function as your body; it carries you where you want to go. His "called out" are called to reveal God; so the world can "see" Him, and understand His ways. Without purpose "the church" would be just another group of people, who compare ourselves by ourselves. Our purpose is to show the world God, as He really is [He really does love you]. Local church government not founded with this foundational truth will always find itself in competition with God instead of in cooperation with Him.

If you think you're part of His church, it really boils down to one thing; have you taken His name in vain? If you're a leader in His church this topic is an apostolic truth that does not waiver.