LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Living Waters Magazine Nr. 41
September - October 2006
The Service of the Members
The highest revelation that can be received from God, that is, about Christ and the church, produces not only a higher and deeper vision of Christ, but also an appreciation of each member of His body.
The members are many, but the body is one. The gifts it has received are many, and many are the functions that it performs. But the body continues being only one.
The oneness of the body doesn't leave any members out, and none is dispensable. Even more, the smallest members are the most honorable and who are treated with more dignity.
The flat vision of the members of a whole – such as the numbers of votes in a democracy –should be substituted by an enriched vision of the multifaceted expression, beauty and function of the members of the body of Christ– each of them different from the other and showing a peculiar glimpse of Christ's beauty.
Undoubtedly, recognizing this requires a change of mind-set, a renewal of understanding. This means transferring the perspective from the just-a-few-centered ministerialism to the function of every member of the body of Christ.
We hope the articles included in this volume help clarify the understanding of this matter. We pray the Lord that His grace sustain the persons that give these messages out and the ones that receive them as well. For His glory.
Summary
COVER THEME
Toward the Life of the Body
A look at the letter to the Romans as a journey of faith that goes from the individual aspect to the corporate one.
Gonzalo Sepúlveda
Christ Transmitted to the Saints
What is the strategy of God to fill all things with Christ?
Rubén Chacón
Equipping the Saints
What is the edification of the body of Christ all about? Who are called to carry it out, and how?
Rodrigo Abarca
Servants of the Church
The ministers of the Word are not bright stars, they are church servants.
Eliseo Apablaza
BIBLICAL STUDY
What Is His Name?
The Bridegroom.
Harry Foster