`His Body - God's strategy of mission',
by Rev Hyun Kim

25 November 2003 (Evening service)

"Eph 1:22 And God put all things under Christ's feet and he gave him to the church as head over all things. Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all".

What is community? Before the world was created there was the fellowship, the community, of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.There was love, fellowship and serving in the Trinity. Out of this came the decision (decided not alone but together in fellowship) to make humans. Man is a result of the community of God.

But man was not made to be alone but woman was made with him - again, a new community. This was to reflect God's fellowship. There was now a fellowship between God and man. This is His Kingdom. It is one of no division.

What happened? Satan attacked in order to break the fellowship. He attacked the weakest point - woman. She made her decision alone and not in fellowship, despite the fact that God's presence was available to her at all times. This is the characteristic of sin - deciding alone. (Out of this we must learn that doing things alone means being more vulnerable to attack. In community and fellowship is protection).

Adam avoided his responsibility. There was the breakdown of community between man and woman and between humans and God. Sin break downs fellowship. This was repeated between brothers with the murder of Abel by Cain. The breakdown continued - there was division between children and parents.

God's repairing of the damage of the fellowship is the salvation story through Jesus Christ. This is God's first strategy.

His second strategy is found in verse 22, with the church being His body. This is the essence of the church - the fellowship and communion of the saints. The body of Christ is the fullness of God, revealed to all creatures on earth.

After the resurrection of Christ there was the commission to reveal the fullness of God through the body of Christ - the church. Thus, the Kingdom of God can be restored.

If the church does not have the fullness of the Spirit, through intimate fellowship, there can be no restoration and reunification with God. Satan always tries to divide. That is why there are so many divisions. Since Satan cannot attack Christ he attacks the weakest link, the church (a pattern of the first woman).

God's strategy is the entire community of love, the body of Christ, displayed to the world. The two strategies run simultaneously - restoration through the Blood of Christ and through the display of the fellowship of His body. In Rev 20 we read about the new earth and heaven. These are completely one and not divided.

As Satan attacked the woman so too he attacks the body and he attacks Kwasizabantu mission. His aim is to break down this loving community. Christian community is not some special lifestyle but is God's strategy to restore the whole world. Kwasizabantu is not man-made but is of God. Persecution and attacks against Kwasizabantu are attempts to break this fellowship.

It is sad that many churches have lost the essence of fellowship, the spirit of family.

Our commission is not just to "go" but also to be able to say "come and see" and witness the fellowship among us. They must be able to see our life and believe.

Rev Hyun Jin Kim of the Presbyterian church of South Korea is completing his doctorate on Christian revival and community,including a study on Kwasizabantu.