In order to know our own future as Christians upon the earth, we need to understand the future of the church. Our future as individual believers is connected to the future of the church. The church actually determines the future of the world, and when the church is ready, the world is going to be transformed by God’s power. (“Church” means the faithful remnant of God.)
God said, without vision, my people perish (Proverbs 29:18). We need vision in order to know where we’re going. When we see the way ahead, we can move into that. But if we lack vision and can’t see where we’re going, then we will perish. We must see what God’s plans are for the church so we know the direction we are going and what the church is ultimately going to be.
God also said, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Knowledge is essential to avoid spiritual destruction. Knowledge is the way to accomplish the vision. When we have knowledge, we know the practical steps we need to take to fulfill the vision.
For example we may have a vision of a great dinner made at home, but without a recipe we won’t be able to achieve that vision. The recipe is the knowledge we need to create that wonderful meal.
We may have a vision of taking a road trip to the Grand Canyon, but we need to know how to get there. We need a map. The map provides us with the knowledge we need in order to reach the destination, or to achieve the vision.
Knowledge and vision are connected. Knowledge is the way to accomplish the vision. Without knowledge, the vision will not be accomplished.
Both knowledge and vision come from God. He has shown us in his word a vision of where the church is going, and he has also given us the knowledge of what steps we need to take in order to get there.
The only place to find out what the future of the church is in the Bible. God has shown us his plans for his church in his word.
Three Pictures of the Church in the New Testament
There are three pictures of the church in the New Testament. These three pictures show us a clear vision of the future of the church, and they also give us knowledge in order to achieve this vision.
Picture 1. The church is compared to a house.
The church is God’s house (Ephesians 2:20-22). He is the owner and occupant of this house. The goal of a building a house is to complete that house. When the house is completed, the owner of the house will move in. The church is now being built into a dwelling place for God. God already dwells within his church, but when the church is built according to his standard, the church will be complete.
The vision of the house is to complete it.
We need knowledge to complete the house according to the owner’s design.
When a person builds a house, he creates a blueprint. The blueprint gives all the details of what he wants his house to be like. The blueprint of the church is found in the New Testament. The apostolic teachings and examples in the New Testament show us exactly how God wants his house to be. This divine blueprint is the knowledge we need in order to bring the vision of God’s completed house into manifestation upon the earth.
All of us have a role to play in the building of this house. The process of building God’s house is called edifying the church. The word edify just means to build. All of us are called to edify the church of God, or build it, until it is completed.
Jesus said that he would build his church (Matthew 16:18). That word build is the word edify. Jesus builds his church as he works through his people. His Spirit flows through us, and spiritual gifts operate through us so the church can be built.
A good builder will take the blueprint and execute it with precision. He will not deviate from the blueprint in any way. He will precisely follow the blueprint so he can build on the earth the exact house that the blueprint demands.
A sloppy builder may ignore the blueprint and build however he wants to. He may add an addition over here or remove some details over there. But these things will be rejected by the owner.
People have been careless with the church over the years. They have created church however they wanted to. They followed their own personal preferences or the culture around them, rather than following God’s word. All of these deviations from the blueprint of God’s word are hindering the building of God’s church. God rejects all these deviations. We must follow the word of God precisely, not adding to or taking away from God’s divine blueprint, so his house can be completed.
When a house is completed, the owner moves in.
When God’s house is complete, he will move in. He will come into his church in fullness.
Then it will be the end of the age.
Picture 2. The church is a body.
The church is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27).
A body is to grow into maturity. This is the vision of the church. The church is to grow into maturity. When a body becomes mature, it becomes capable to do many things it could not do before. When the church becomes mature, the church will become capable to do things it could not do before. The church will be able to fulfill its purpose of manifesting God’s order upon the earth.
The church as a body is growing until it becomes a “perfect man, the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:30). When this happens, the mature church will be able to fulfill its divine purpose of manifesting God’s kingdom in fullness upon the earth.
The church has not yet reached this stature, but it is growing into this. The church is growing according to the word of God, which is the divine DNA contained within the seed, Jesus. Jesus was the seed of God that was planted into the ground and died (John 12:24). He rose again and ascended into heaven, and we have become a part of him, of his flesh and of his bones. Now the body of Christ is growing up as a many-membered body in the earth.
The knowledge the church needs to in order to achieve the vision of full maturity is found within the word of God. The word of God is like divine DNA that controls the growth of the body of Christ. As God’s people obey his word, then the church will grow according to God’s plan.
People have often deviated from the divine DNA of God’s word. They have invented many things in church that are not based on the Bible. Many things in the Bible they have ignored.
All of this human tampering with the church is like genetically modifying the church’s DNA. As with all genetic modifications, these alterations often have good intentions, but they have unintended harmful consequences. We cannot improve upon the word of God. Jesus and his apostles gave us a perfect revelation recorded in the New Testament that tells us exactly how God wants his church to be. We need to stick to that. All deviations from that word are mutations within the church that will deform the body of Christ and prevent it from fulfilling its divine purpose.
When Christians build up the church according to the divine pattern of the word of God, then the church will be able to fulfill its purpose. She will accomplish her calling of manifesting God’s kingdom to the world. Power and heavenly capability will flow through the church in order to manifest God’s divine order upon the earth. Then it will be the end of the age.
Picture 3. The church in the New Testament is a bride.
The church is the bride of Christ, according to Ephesians 5.
The vision for a bride is to get married. The church is currently getting ready for the marriage supper of the lamb. She is being cleansed from spots, wrinkles and everything like that. The church is being made holy as God is holy.
The Bible says that the church is going to prepare herself for this marriage (Revelation 19:7). Someday, the church will have fully prepared herself for being married to Jesus. Then the marriage supper of the lamb will begin. This will be the end of the age.
Knowledge in order to achieve this glorious vision of the prepared bride of Christ is found in the New Testament. The church needs to specifically obey the teachings of Christ and his apostles, neither adding to nor taking away from these instructions, and then she will be prepared.
According to Ephesians 5, the church is being prepared to become the glorious bride of Christ by the washing of water of the word. As the church obeys the word of God, she is cleansed from defilement. She is delivered from spots and wrinkles. The church needs to be cleansed from all traditions of men and false teachings, in order to be pure and ready for the marriage supper.
At the marriage supper, what happens? The bride and groom become one (Ephesians 5:31-32). So it will be at the end of the age. The church and Christ will become one. The two will become one. Jesus will fill the church with his Spirit in fullness, and then his glory will radiate out from the church into the world.
And as it is written, in two places in the Bible, in both Habakkuk (2:14) and Isaiah (11:9), the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
This will happen at the end of the age.
These three pictures of the church give us a vision of where the church is headed.
The church is a house which is being built into completion so God can dwell in the church in fullness.
The church is a body which is being built into maturity so that she is capable to manifest God’s order upon the earth.
The church is a bride who is being prepared for the wedding supper, so she can be filled with God’s glory and radiate that glory into the earth.
All of these pictures of the church refer to the same thing, and show us the coming glory of God through his people.
Knowledge to achieve this glorious vision is found in the word of God. As we keep the blueprint, the house is built. As we follow the divine DNA of God’s word, the body of Christ is built. And as the church washes herself with God’s word, she is prepared for the marriage supper.
May God help us to achieve this glorious vision, by walking according to the knowledge found in his word.
Lincoln House Churches 