Fall
1996
Divine Function
Seeley D. Kinne
The foundation of the Church is the living Lord Jesus Christ.
In its truest sense, the Church is a discoverable Body which
functions and operates by the power of God, and the movements
of the Holy Spirit through its members. No other body, except
one functioning in the Spirit, can properly be called the
Church.
The Church is God's workshop, the place of His operation.
The source of all activity in the Church is the power of God
manifested through the movement of the Holy Ghost.
Aaron had a rod which budded. Naturally, it was but a dead
stick. But the supernatural touch of God caused it to manifest
life. Spiritually, man is but a dead stick, but the touch
of Jesus Christ causes life to be manifest.
Jesus, as the center magnet, draws everything spiritual to
Himself. The more spiritual one is, the more will his heart
burn with love for Jesus, and for his brethren, and be drawn
together with them as His body in the earth.
Doctrinal differences always arise from man's judgment, and
not from the Spirit of God; for God is love, and there is
an attraction in Jesus Christ which draws men together. The
closer one is drawn to Jesus, the greater the attraction toward
Him. Therefore, if God's children will draw closer to Jesus,
they must of necessity be closer to each other.
When Adam was created, God made him to be entirely under
the control of His Spirit. This was his normal state. He was
as at home in the Spirit as a fish is at home in the sea.
The full intention in the atonement is to restore man to this
state of being, with additional blessings of higher privilege.
However, the denseness of man, along with the wiles of Satan,
have hindered the plan of God. Since man in his broken state
is incapable of sustaining a life of fullness in the Holy
Spirit's power, the Lord devised the plan of gifts of the
Holy Spirit, which are parts of Spirit activities divided
to different individuals.
This baptized, gifted body, brought into one accord through
the operation of the Holy Spirit, is the body of Christ, the
Church.
The Word is Spirit and life. As in the creation (Genesis
1:2), when the Spirit brooded over the unformed and void conditions,
so the Holy Spirit, proceeding from Jesus Christ, hovers over
the people of God, bringing them into Divine order.
Our birth into this world ushers us into the beginning of
a state of sense-relationship to earth environment. In the
natural state, the intellect, reasoning, and will-power, directs
and controls the activities of each member. Without direction
from the head, the members are unable to act.
Independent operations in members of the body of Christ are
no more in place than they would be in the natural body. But
when united to Christ, they operate together in love, grace,
and the power of the Spirit, for the good of all.
A child, when born into this world, is ignorant, helpless,
and mentally inactive; so one born into the Church of Christ
is a mere babe in spirituals. Therefore, the need of care
and training is very great. So the Church should be a nursery
of tenderest care.
In the supernatural realm, Christ is the Head, and without
direction from Him, the members do not act. However, the professed
church often seeks useless remedies, neglecting and forgetting
Christ, her true Head. Therefore, she falls short of the Divine
intention.
"For it is under His direction that
the whole body is perfectly adjusted
and united by every joint that furnishes
its supplies; And by the proper
functioning of each particular part,
there is brought about the growing of
the body for its building up in
love" Eph 4:16 Williams Trans.
The Church is to set forth and discover to the world the
glorious things which God would do for man. The Church is
God's repository, the storehouse of His heavenly treasure.
To show to a fallen and wandering race, the love of a heavenly
Father, is the high office of the Church.
At this present time, there is a mighty call coming forth
to the people of God to return to Christ, the true Head; with
each member of His body functioning in his place.