08 The Excellency of the Church

[* As we have been considering "The Marks of a Healthy Church," we have seen that unity is a significant “Mark” for which to look. Jesus had prayed for His followers to be one as He, the Father and the Spirit were one; as a testimony to the world. * The goal of this Oneness is for each believer individually, and the assembly combined, to be conformed to the image of Christ. * The church is referred to as the "Body" of Christ. Last week we examined 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul breaks out this word picture further by revealing that the body of Christ is made up of many members, yet it is one body. Each individual in the assembly was brought by God into the assembly as He has seen fit. Each member has been gifted with a special gift from God, to be used for the "profit" of the whole assembly. * Today, we want to continue this examination of Paul's description of the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12-14, by considering The Excellency of the Church ... that which truly gives those within the assembly a desire to glorify God through the unity of His church. The Excellency of the Church is the expression of "agapao" love in its other-focusedness, or more specifically ... revealing the love, and mind, of Christ in elevating my love of others above my love for myself. * This message was presented on June 12, 2022 by Bob Corbin.