The Body of Christ (Love. Belong. Serve.)

The Body of Christ
Ephesians 4:11-16

1. God is creator of the universe. His goodness is directed toward the harmonious unification of all things!

2. Death is the malignant disruption of God's creation, tearing apart what God meant to be forever inter-connected with Himself.

3. Jesus came to conquer death and restore the life—God in everything. He unleashed the immense power of his resurrection!

4. Those who trust Christ become the "body" of which he is the "head," made fully alive with the breath of the living God.

5. We, the church, have been made the vanguard of God's universal restoration, when he will make "all things new."

Next Steps
1. Jesus completes us—our humanity cannot be fulfilled without him.
2. We complete each other—our purpose as Christ's body cannot be fulfilled with the variety of each other's gifts.
3. We complete Jesus—his work of restoring the ruined world depends on our cooperation.