SHEPHERDVILLE COLLEGE

Talojongon, Tigaon, Camarines Sur

AY 2020-2021 (First Semester)

CE 5 – ECCLESIOLOGY

MODULE 7

THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST

Topic: The Church as the Body of Christ

Objectives:

After the lesson, the student should learn the following:

1. Describe the relationship of Jesus Christ as the head of the church to His body (church).
2. Identify the leaders and members of the body of Christ (the Church)
3. Differentiate the function of the ministers and the members of the Church
4. Discuss the importance of every member of the church

Motivation:

Human body though composed of different parts work as one. Wonderful things are done whenever the body is
strong and in good condition. Every part of the body should function in coordination with the whole part. The eye
cannot function independently from the rest of the parts of the body. Every member has a role in order to function the
whole body.

Introduction:

In order to carry out the mission of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ which to preach the Gospel and to make
disciples of the Savior, both ministers and members of the body should know their functions, responsibilities and
accountabilities. Church leaders and members should work as one body.

Definition of Terms:

For clarity and easy understanding of the lesson, some words are defined:

1. Great Commission – the command of the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples to preach the Gospel to non-believers
and to train the believers to become preachers also.
2. Gospel – the good news of salvation to those who are bound to eternal punishment to the lake of fire prepared
for the devil and his angels
3. Believer – a person who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord. After recognizing his sins and
failures he repents and forsakes beliefs and attitudes contrary to the Scriptures through the help of the Holy
Spirit who dwells in him.
4. Church – assembly of believers of the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Ministry – works perform by a believer according to the talents and skills given by God.
 6. Leaders of the church – refers to the five-fold ministers of the church: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and
Teachers
7. Clergy – officer of the church (term used by other denominations)

Presentation of the Contents:

THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST

While wise, Spirit-directed organization helps the Church to carry out her mission, the Church is not by nature an
organization, but rather, an organism. The Church is a living being, whose Divine life is provided by the indwelling Spirit
of Christ (Rom. 8:9).

Competency No. 1. The Vital Relationship to the Head.

The Lord Jesus, after His earthly mission, ascended to the right hand of the Father; but in a real sense He is
still in the world manifested through His Body, the Church. Paul expresses this relationship as follows: “And hath
put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the HEAD over all things to the church; which is his BODY, the
FULLNESS of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:22,23).

The Church is Christ’s body, by which He fulfills His earthly mission (Christ’s fullness). The last two verses of
Mark’s gospel express dramatically the relationship of Christ to the Church: “The Lord Jesus therefore, on the
one hand, after talking with them was taken up into heaven, and sat down on the right hand of God; they on the
other hand, going forth, proclaimed on every side, the Lord co-working, and confirming the Word through
closely following signs” (Mk. 16:19,20, Rotherham).

Jesus returned to the Father, but just before He left He promised, “Lo I am with you always.” He is with us, as
a head is with a body. He is still working on earth more powerfully than before (Jn. 14:12); the members of His
Church are His arms and legs and mouth. The Church is the extension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus expressed
this relationship with a different metaphor in John chapter fifteen: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that
abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5).

The branches are to the vine what the body is to the head; in fact, the branches are the body of the vine. As
the branches of the vine bear fruit, so the work of Christ in the world must be done by the body (the Church);
but also, as the branches can do nothing severed from the vine, so the body can accomplish nothing without the
life and direction of the head (the Lord Jesus).

Student Assessment Question (SAQ): (15%)

SAQ # 1. Why Jesus ascended to the Father in heaven? (explain) ____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 2. What was His promised to His disciples before He ascended to heaven? _______________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 3. Give the metaphor Jesus used to illustrate His relationship to His followers _____________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Competency No. 2. The Unity of the Body.

One of the strongest emphases of the “body” metaphor is that of the UNITY of the many members of the
Church. The Church (body) of Christ is not merely a collection of individuals who subscribe to its philosophy; the
Church is an organism, of which the members are interrelated parts. Paul describes the unity of the Church in 1
Corinthians chapter twelve:

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him… But now are
they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of you… And
 whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members
rejoice with it (1 Cor. 12:18,20,21,26).

There are many ministries in the Church, but they are all coordinated by the Spirit to achieve one purpose:
“the equipping of the saints for service” (Eph. 4:12); there are many gifts of the Spirit, but they are all exercised
in harmony to accomplished one end: “the edifying of the body of Christ” ( Cor. 12:4-7; 14:5,12,26); there are
many methodologies employed by the church, but they have one goal: “that the gospel of the kingdom be
preached in all the world for a witness” (Mt. 24:14; 28:19,20; Mk. 16:15).

Student Assessment Question (SAQ): (10%)

SAQ # 4. Give the reason why the church is considered as an organism _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 5. State the one goal of the Church _______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Competence No. 3. The Importance of Each Member in the Body.

No member of the Body of Christ is unimportant or unnecessary: And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I
have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of
the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary… That there should be no schism in the body; but that
the members should have the same care one for another (1 Cor. 12:21,22,25).

Dr. F.F. Bruce, commenting on the above quotes passage from 1 Corinthians chapter twelve, remarks: “No
member is less a part of the body than any other member: all are necessary. Variety of organs, limbs and
functions is of the essence of bodily life. No organ could establish a monopoly in the body by taking over the
functions of the others. A body consisting of a single organ would be a monstrosity.”

Student Assessment Question (SAQ): (10%)

SAQ # 6. How you describe the importance each member of the church? ______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

SAQ # 7. State in your own words the comment of Dr. F.F. Bruce from 1 Corinthian 12: ___________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Competency No. 4. Submission in the Body.

There are many members of the Body of Christ; but there is but one Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. The
members cannot function properly without full submission to the Head who provides direction to the whole
Body (1 Cor. 12:4-7): “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the
church” (Eph. 1:22). There are four respects in which the Christian believer must practice submission:

1. Submission to God, and to His Son Jesus, Eph. 5:24; Heb. 2:8;12:9; Jas. 4:7.
2. Submission to the God appointed leaders of the Church, Heb.13:17; 1 Cor.16:16; Phil.2:12; 1 Thes.5:12,13.
3. Submission one to another in Christ, Eph.5:21-6:9; 1 Pt.5:5.
4. Submission to rulers of society, when such submission does not require disobedience to the plain teaching
of Scripture: Acts. 4:19,20; 5:29; Rom.13:1-7; 1 Pt. 2:13-17.

Student Assessment Question (SAQ): (10%)

SAQ # 8. Why do we need to submit to the God appointed leaders of the church? ______________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 9. What is the criteria in which we are not to submit to rulers of society? ________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Competency No. 5. The Body of Christ and the Local Church.

The Universal Body of Christ consists of the total number of genuine Christian believers of all ages, in Heaven
and on earth. It needs to be printed out, however, that the New Testament Scriptures address all earthly
believers as functioning members of some local church. Unfortunately, there are many professing Christians
who think of themselves as belonging to the “mystical” Body of Christ, who believe that local church relationship
is optional or unnecessary. The following facts argue for the needs of local church relationship:

1. Jesus assumed that His people would be related to a local church.

Because the Church’s founding was yet future, Jesus refers to it by name only twice. The second
reference pertained to cases of disagreements between brethren, in which Jesus instructed: “And if he
shall neglect to hear them (witnesses), tell it unto the CHURCH: but if he neglects to hear the church, let
him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican” (Mt.18:17). It is obvious that a church that can
arbitrate disputes among believers is a local church to which members are in submission in the Lord.

2. All the epistles of the New Testament are addressed to local churches or to leaders of local churches.

3. All ministries, which are God’s gifts, are given to the local bodies to equip saints for ministry to one
another.

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers can minister only to saints who assemble together in
fellowship (Eph.4:11-16).

4. Believers are commanded by Jesus to partake of the holy communion together until His Return (1 Cor.
11:23-26).

5. The operation of the gifts of the Spirit can function only in a local body.
Speaking of the operation of the gifts, Paul said: “Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church” (1
Cor. 14:12).

6. As members of the Body of Christ, believers are related not only to Christ, the “Head,” but they are
related one to another in the Body.
“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” (Rom. 12:5). An arm
that decided to sever all relationship with the rest of the body would be useless, even though it had
communication with the head; for it would need blood pumped by the heart and purified by the lungs and
kidneys. (1 Cor.12:14-17).

7. We are told that God places members in the Body as it pleases Him (1 Cor. 12:18).

8. In order for Christians to carry out the commission of Christ, there must be fellowship, growth of the
visible church, and the mutual work of evangelism and worldwide missions (Acts 2:41-47; 11:26-30; 13:1-
3).

Student Assessment Question (SAQ): (10%)

SAQ # 10. Describe the universal church. ______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

SAQ # 11. Is becoming of member of the Local church optional? _______, why? _____________________________
 ___________________________________________________________________________________

Competency No. 6. The Body Ministry.

The concept of the Church as the BODY OF CHRIST has been given new emphasis in recent years. This new
emphasis has led to important insights for worship and ministry. Too often ministry has been viewed as coming
exclusively from a rostrum or pulpit and only by designated clergy. When ministry is so conceived, the members
of the congregation become merely spectators, whose only activity is that of filling the pews. The Bible picture
of body life does not support such a limited view of ministry. God has, indeed, placed spiritual leadership in the
Church to preach and teach; but the object of their preaching, teaching and pastoral care is that of perfecting
the saints to minister one to another and to the world:

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors
and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children… but,
speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ (Eph. 4:11-25,
NKJV).

From this concept of body ministry as expressed by the Apostle Paul, several facts are clear:

1. It is the Lord’s intention that every member of the Body of Christ should have a ministry.
Every member of a human body contributes to the preservation, growth, health and activity of that
body; if some members do not function disease results. Many of the ills of the church have been the
result of a non-functioning membership. To achieve total participation in the work and worship of the
church, God has provided spiritual leadership to equip and mature the saints, and the gifts of the Spirit
to empower and give direction to them.

2. The central purpose of body ministry is that of the edification of the whole church (Eph. 4:12).
The test of the value and validity of body ministry, and of the exercise of the gifts, is in whether they
edify the Body of Christ. Peter wrote: “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same
one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pt. 4:10). Ministry and gifts are a
stewardship. The believer’s gift is not given primarily for his edification; it is a stewardship for others,
for the church family.

3. When the whole-body ministers in unity and love, the result is spiritual and numerical growth:
“From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the
effective working by which every part does its share, causes GROWTH of the body for the edifying of
itself in love” (Eph. 4:16, NKJV). Much is being said today about church growth. Optimum growth of
the church cannot be accomplished by the efforts of church leaders, pastors, evangelists and
missionaries alone; ideal growth results only when the entire church ministers.

4. When the whole church ministers, there must be present the adhesive force of LOVE.
Unless total church participation is motivated by, and carried out in, a spirit of love and submission to
leadership, the growth accomplished may be transient and the ministry performed may be less than
edifying. “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of
the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1 Pt. 1:22, NKJV). (See also, 1 Cor. 13;
Gal.5:13; Eph.4:2,3,15,16; 3:17-19; Phil. 2:1-5; Col. 3:12-15; 1 Thes. 5:12,13.)

Student Assessment Question (SAQ): (10%)

SAQ # 12. What is the main function of the Five-fold ministers (Eph. 4:11)? ___________________________________
 ___________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 13. What is the responsibility of each member of the church? ________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Summary:

Jesus Christ is God. He, being God, cannot save human-race from the rulership of Satan unless He became man.
The reason is the principle of delegated authority. Man was given the authority to rule over the fish of the sea, birds in
the air and in every animal on the ground. When Adam sinned, Satan took that rulership and all human-race become
followers of Satan except those who recognized God in heaven as the Only True God. These people became followers of
God through faith and obedience. God wanted not only few would become His sons and daughters but a multitude of
people from every nation, tongues and races. In order to carry-out that plan, God the Son (Jesus Christ) took a human
flesh to die on the cross so that the original state of man in the eyes of God would be restored and the chain of Satan
which are sin and death would be broken. Jesus Christ is the only Savior and Lord of those who shall come to Him asking
forgiveness and cleansing of sin. When Jesus Christ ascended back to the Father God in heaven He commanded His first
followers to tell others what He had done on the cross. He promised not only restoration of man to the original state but
to be His co-ruler for eternity. In order to prepare follower to that position, Jesus Christ established His Church as a
training ground on earth. Jesus Christ as the head of the church and church members as His body, both must work
together to do the great commission of preaching salvation to those who are lost. The Holy Spirit would guide and direct
the believers what are the things to be done so that the witnessing would be powerful and effective. The angels are
assigned to help believers in both spiritual and material needs. The followers should study the Scriptures as written laws
and rules of God so that life would be meaningful and purpose oriented. All questions of life are answered by the Holy
Book.

References:

Foundation of Pentecostal Theology

100 bible Lesson Alban Douglas
Wellmingston Guide to the Bible
Shepherd Staff
Bible.org

Test/Evaluation:

1. What are the three parts of the human body to which the Church members are compared to by Jesus Christ?
a. ____________
b. ____________
c. ____________

2. Enumerate the positions of the leaders of the church

a. ______________
b. ______________
c. ______________
d. ______________
e. ______________

3. What are the eight facts that show the need of believer to be in the local church?

1. _____________
2. _____________
3. _____________
4. _____________
5. _____________
 6. _____________
7. _____________
8. _____________
Assignment:

1. Make an interview to 10 members of your church about their particular work or ministry. (Interview must be
done online to protect us from COVID 19 infection).

Name Church Ministry Years in the ministry

1.________________________ _______________________ _____________

2.________________________
3.________________________
4.________________________
5.________________________
6.________________________
7.________________________
8.________________________
9.________________________
10._______________________
_______________________ _____________
_______________________ _____________
_______________________ _____________
_______________________ _____________
_______________________ _____________
_______________________ _____________
_______________________ _____________
_______________________ _____________
_______________________ _____________
 SHEPHERDVILLE COLLEGE
Talojongon, Tigaon, Camarines Sur

AY 2020-2021 (First Semester)

CE 5 – ECCLESIOLOGY

MODULE 7

THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST

By Bishop Joel A. Vergara

STUDENT WORK SHEET

4th week

September 16, 2020

Name:___________________________________________ Course:______________________Level:________________

Student Assessment Question (SAQ):

SAQ # 1. Why Jesus ascended to the Father in heaven? (explain) ____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 2. What was His promised to His disciples before He ascended to heaven? _______________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 3. Give the metaphor Jesus used to illustrate His relationship to His followers _____________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 4. Give the reason why the church is considered as an organism _______________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 5. State the one goal of the Church _______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 6. How you describe the importance each member of the church? ______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

SAQ # 7. State in your own words the comment of Dr. F.F. Bruce from 1 Corinthian 12: ___________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 8. Why do we need to submit to the God appointed leaders of the church? ______________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 9. What is the criteria in which we are not to submit to rulers of society? ________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 10. Describe the universal church. ______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

SAQ # 11. Is becoming of member of the Local church optional? _______, why? _____________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 12. What is the main function of the Five-fold ministers (Eph. 4:11)? ___________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
SAQ # 13. What is the responsibility of each member of the church? ________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Test/Evaluation:
4. What are the three parts of the human body to which the Church members are compared to by Jesus Christ?
a. ____________
b. ____________
c. ____________

5. Enumerate the positions of the leaders of the church

a. ______________
b. ______________
c. ______________
d. ______________
e. ______________

6. What are the eight facts that show the need of believer to be in the local church?

9. _____________
10. _____________
11. _____________
12. _____________
13. _____________
14. _____________
15. _____________
16. _____________