Christ is “that Rock” (1Cor.10:4). Each one of us needs to - TopicsExpress

Christ is “that Rock” (1Cor.10:4). Each one of us needs to build our life in Christ upon the foundations of repentance and faith, baptism in water and the laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit, and to walk in the revelational knowledge and practical reality of the doctrines of the resurrection of the dead and of eternal judgment. As well, the church needs to be built upon the foundation of Christ, apostles and prophets being the foundation ministries (Eph.2:20) that give the church a proper basis to grow and develop and become the perfect man of Ephesians 4:13. The mature church is represented by the five wise vir-gins in Matthew 25:1-13. This glorious church will be fully anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit; her lamps will be burn-ing brightly in a dark world given over to the anti-Christ. This church is prepared and ready for the coming of the Lord! This is the church that understands the mystery of the body of Christ (Eph.3:6) that is made up of Jew and Gentile, together, as joint heirs. Jesus Himself “has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation so as to create one new man from the two, making peace” Eph.2:14-16. This is the church that receives the deeper wisdom of God “which God ordained before the ages for our glo-ry” (1Cor.2:6-7). It is this corporate church, walking in maturity, that receives “the mind of Christ” (v.16). There is much teaching in the Scripture on the mature church, the church that is to grow up into perfection because that is God’s goal for us. Paul says that his major work as a minister was to preach Christ, “warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” Col.1:28.