The purpose of the Christian church of and God's plan for it.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23) 

The Body of Christ is still present on earth in the form of the church and it is within this Body that His Spirit dwells. Jesus continues to live on earth in the body of a church, if the church receives the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended to earth in the name of Jesus Christ, and under the authority of His name leads the church, teaches and edifies, heals and liberates. The church that receives the Spirit of Christ receives His life and becomes the living embodiment of Christ, continuing His works although in a wider spectrum: You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. (John 14:28). Jesus Himself testifies that He will come again - and it does not mention here about the end - but specifically that He will come. His coming will be in the Holy Spirit for everyone, therefore, He says that believers will do even more works than Him: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14).

Since now the Spirit of Christ will be on many and not on one, as it was once on Jesus, then as the Body of Christ, the church has the Holy Spirit, the power of Christ and, moreover, the Christ who is resurrected and ascended, glorified, having received all rights in heaven and on earth: Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... (Philippians 2:9-10). This is now the purpose of the church of Christ and God's plan for it.

I want to share with you some thoughts about the Body of Christ which is in the image of churches. We can see that the Body of Christ passes through or lives through, as it were, seven stages on the earth. This is the image of seven kinds of ministries, seven types of churches, seven levels of churches in their cognition of and intimacy with God. The level of the church, or its growth, depends on the relationship with and on the cognition of the Spirit of Christ, on the closeness of the relationship with Him. The physical Body of Christ also had several stages of development and, because the body of the church shows the Body of Christ, a church will represent Christ at the level of spiritual growth it has attained.

The first stage is the newborn Baby Jesus. He was already in the Body and the Spirit of God was in Him, but He did not yet act because the newborn Jesus was at that moment a Baby. Everybody could see the Body of Christ, and even the shepherds and Magi came to worship and brought gifts, but the Baby's Body could only testify that Jesus had been born, that the Son of God is given to us and that the government is on His shoulder. However, there were no spiritual manifestations, despite the fact that there was a testimony about Him that the government was on His shoulder, even on the shoulders of the Child: For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6). This is how Isaiah describes the birth of Jesus. This is how some churches look today. Taking place within them is the worship and praise of Jesus Christ, as they bring expensive gifts and gather to worship, but in their view He is a Baby in the hands of the adult Mother Mary. Therefore, Mary is revered more than the Child Who is in need of Motherly care. Paul was faced with the same problem of the infantile age of the church: And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able... (1 Corinthians 3:1-2).

The second stage is the youth of Jesus, the Spirit of God was more liberated in the Body of Jesus. Jesus even taught in the temple and everyone was amazed at His wisdom, but He still walked in complete obedience to his earthly parents, although He was already gradually showing His Spiritual abilities. We see this from the fact that His Mother was confident that Jesus was able to perform a miracle in Cana of Galilee during the wedding feast and help with the lack of wine. This is the next level of the church. Teaching is present and even some manifestations of the Holy Spirit, but the church has not yet emerged from obedience to earthly parents, that is, from dogmas and rules established by people, It is more obedient to them and guided by earthly authorities rather than being led by the Holy Spirit and being subject to the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit cannot lead them, because they do not recognize His navigation.

The third stage is the ministry of Jesus in a mature Body, when He began His ministry of healing, liberation, casting out demons and preaching in power, with signs and wonders, making miracles of resurrection, multiplication of bread, deliverance from demons and leprosy, all while nurturing His disciples. All this is the glory of Christ in the earthly Body, this is a mature church, which is active and the Body of Christ is glorified in it.

The fourth stage is the Body wounded, tortured, hanging on the cross and, at the same time, interceding for the perishing world. At this time, Jesus did not perform miracles of healings, liberation and signs in His Body, it was a time of suffering and intercession. The Body of Jesus simply suffered excessively, carrying on Itself the sins of the world and, at the same time, Jesus loved sinners and interceded for those who were unaware of what they were doing by crucifying His Body. His Body was wounded, but the Spirit in Him fought for the salvation of the world, and it was there, on the cross, when the Body of Christ was nailed and visibly inactive, that the victory over hell and death was accomplished. This is also a mature church, but located in a place of persecution and oppression, for example, in China or North Korea. The body of the church glorifies Christ with suffering. Just as Jesus was laughed at and given the suggestion to remove Himself from the cross, supposedly in order for people to believe, similarly the church is invited to renounce her destiny in order to stay alive. This church performs feats of faith and shows the glorious victory of the resurrection over death.

The fifth stage is the death of the Body, when the Body of Christ was lifeless, lying in a tomb. The Spirit of Christ had left the Body but the Body of Christ remained, although it was lifeless. Unfortunately, even such churches exist, the dead, who have the Body of Christ without the Spirit of life. Just like in a tomb, they are bound by veils of a religious spirit. Any attempts by the Holy Spirit or the living teachings of Jesus to penetrate them are not accepted and even condemned. All dissidents are called heretics and condemned - this is a dead body: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:27-28). The entrance to it is closed by a rolled stone so that no one can steal this body and no ray of light has penetrated the tomb into which the lifeless body of the church has been plunged.

The sixth stage is the Body of the risen Christ, however, it is not yet ascended to the Father in heaven. It has already been changed so much that even the disciples of Jesus, who knew Him closely, could not recognize it. Through this Body of Christ the Spirit of God performs completely different miracles of a spiritual nature. What is written about the Spirit? The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8). Jesus, in His renewed Body, appeared suddenly, even in the place where the doors were locked, and disappeared in the same way. He also taught His disciples about the resurrection of the dead and the Kingdom of Heaven and called them to serve in the power of the Holy Spirit. He ascended on the clouds in this Body, fully completing His mission on earth. This is the image of the church of the last days, which will be taken up in the clouds in renewed bodies: ... who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11). Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall

all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

The church of the last days – that Body of Christ, which has been transformed into a new Body of the risen Christ - will have the Spirit of resurrection within itself, which is the Spirit of the Father, the Spirit of the Resurrected Christ. It will be taken from the earth in the same way as Jesus was once taken from the earth: But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11).

The seventh stage is the Body of Christ, glorified by the Father, that is what awaits the true church, the Body of Christ, in heaven. It will also be transformed from the glory of the Father by looking to Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2)

So, one can trace and see at what stage is the church, which is the Body of Christ.

Pastor Taysa Kotov