THE BEGNNING OF THE WAY PT 6

ESTABLISHED IN THE WAY PT 1 OF 2

It is important for followers of the Yahshua Messiah/Christ to become firmly established in Him

Like a tree, our roots need to go down deep so that we might become strong and bear much fruit

We need to be like a ship that sails under a strong command, with a powerful engine so that can sail right through the storms; and with an anchor that holds against the tides

We don’t want to be like a rowing boat that is tossed to and fro by every gust of wind

Our ship must be under the command of our Redeemer Master, Yahshua Messiah/Christ, and empowered by the mighty Holy Spirit

Our anchor must be the Word of Elohim (God), and our rudder, a faith that has developed through trusting the Redeemer Master in every circumstance

One of the prayers of the apostle Paul, in the book of Ephesians, is a prayer for all believers to be rooted, anchored, and established in Messiah/Christ: “For this reason, I kneel before the Father of our Master, Yahshua (Jesus) the Messiah, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, I pray that out of the riches of His glory, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith in Him

And I pray that you will be rooted and established in love, so that together with all the set-apart believers, you may be able to comprehend what is the width, length, height and depth of the Messiah’s love - and to know this love which surpasses knowledge so that you may be filled with all the fullness of Elohim.” (Ephesians 3:14-19) So, you see, we need to go deep into the faith, and not be shallow, and tossed to and fro

(By the way, there's a lot of “meat” in those six verses above.) To be firmly established, it is important that we become established in a Bible Believing of a local church or fellowship

We need to meet regularly with other believers to worship the our Heavenly Father, to have fellowship, and to learn together

(True fellowship means “friendship around the person of Yahshua Messiah/Christ.)

Some believers become “alone-ers” or drifters - they never have regular fellowship, and they usually do not become strong disciples

Now I want you to see the truth of what “the church” is: THE EKKLESIA – THE BODY OF CHRIST (EKKLESIA is the Greek word used in the New Testament to refer to the Body of Called-out Believers; the Assembly - local and universal, comprised of all who have been redeemed and brought into union with the Messiah

The word “church” is often used to translate the word Ekklesia

That is all right as long as we understand that the “Congregation (Church)” does not mean a building, a religion, or a denomination

The Church (the Ekklesia) is the “Body of Messiah/Christ,” and it is comprised of all true believers in the Messiah

They are not of any one denomination, but are believers from all over the world

The members are usually called “Christians” or “Messianic believers,” for they belong to, and follow Messiah/Christ

(Christ and Messiah both mean, “The Anointed One.”)

Not all “Christians” belong to the Body of Messiah/Christ

A person may call himself a “Christian” and he may be a member of a local “church,” but he may not belong to the Body which is the Ekklesia - “The Body of Messiah/Christ.” It all depends on whether he is a born again believer

If he is, then he belongs to Messiah/Christ and is automatically a member of Messiah's “Body.” The Ekklesia, then, is the Body of true believers

We become members of this Body the very moment we receive Messiah/Christ as our Saviour and are born again

There is absolutely nothing that another person, or a group of people, can do, to make us a member of the Body of Messiah/Christ

Other Christians can teach us and guide us, but it is the Holy Spirit who makes us a member when He comes to indwell our spirits

He joins us to the body - He links us to the Head (Yeshua Messiah/Jesus Christ) and to all other true believers

That's why the relationship between believers is so real and vital

Two strangers may meet "accidently," but as soon as they discover that they are both believers, they experience a oneness

That’s because the Holy Spirit unites them both to Yeshua Messiah/Christ, and to each other

This is not a theory or imagination, but a vital reality, and I’m sure that you have already begun to experience this oneness in your relationship to other believers

Now let's look at the Bible’s teaching about the church, in the thrilling book of Ephesians: “The Messiah is the Head of the Ekklesia (the church), the Body of which He is the Saviour … the Messiah also loved the Ekklesia and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of water with the Word, and that He might present the Ekklesia to Himself, a glorious Bride, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing - but that she should be holy and without blemish … for we are members of His body.” (Ephesians 5:23, 25-27, 30) We have already seen that the “Church” is a Body comprised of saved people - true believers; and that the Head of the Church - the Head of the Body - is Messiah/Christ Himself

(See also Ephesians 1:22-23) Now in the above passage, the church is referred to as “her.” This seems strange at first, but the Scripture is teaching a second truth here - that the Ekklesia is also the Bride of Messiah/Christ

The Bride is a corporate companion prepared for the Son of YAHWEH

It consists of millions of people who are called to share this intimate, eternal relationship with Yahshua the REDEEMER MASTER

In verse 27 above, we read of the time when the Congregation (Church) will be presented to the Messiah in all her glory.

...TO BE CONTINUED...