Many christians wax lyrical about the body of Christ in a mystical sense not realising that the apostle Paul actually brought the body of Christ to Corinth where it was fully on show to everybody.

This is the same Jeasus who walked the shores of Gallilee in His unique body of flesh, the only begotten Son of God, Paul told it in a mystery. "To [His saints] God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you the hope of glory." It is the very same message that Jesus gave to the other apostles "I am the Vine you are the branches.....abide in Me and I in you, he who abides in Me and I in him, he it is who bears much fruit.

But Paul describes the Body of Christ quite vividly in 1 Corinthians. 12:4-12.

Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit and there varieties of service but the same Lord, there are varieties of working but it is the same God who inspires them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the uttrance of knowledge according to the same Spirit. To another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit who apportions to each one individually as He wills.

For just as the body is one and has many members and all members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

This IS the body of Christ, to see it working and functioning together as it should function we can read the early pages of the acts of the apostles and we see the believers moving in mighty power and manifestation of the life of Christ within them, whether through gifts of healing or miracles, in word of wisdom and knowledge, in discernment and administration to the poor. This IS the life of Christ as He walked the streets of Nazereth, it is the same Christ working through His body the church. James says "as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.

Have YOU recieved the Holy Spirit, He will manifest His precious gifts through YOU today, He will show YOU how to let the very same Jesus-life manifest Himself through YOU to your needy, dying world all around you. Come in prayer to be cleansed of your sin and self-life, then be filled with God's Spirit today.