1. “The church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22-23).
The church being the Body of Christ not only speaks of her relationship to Christ but also of her function toward Christ. A body is the fullness of the head; it is the continuation of the head. Without a body, the head is incomplete. In the same way, the church is the fullness and continuation of Christ. Without the church Christ is incomplete. According to God’s thought, it was not good for Adam to be alone, and it is not good for Christ to be without the church (Gen. 2:18-24; Eph. 5:23-32). Adam needed Eve, and Christ needs the church. Just as Eve was the fullness of Adam, the church is the fullness of Christ. Just as the body is a continuation of the head, the church is the continuation of Christ. The church’s function with respect to Christ is to be His continuation. With respect to time, the church is the extension of Christ; with respect to space, the church is the enlargement of Christ. Without the church it would not be possible to know Christ today. Without the church it would not have been possible to know Christ outside of Judea. Without the church it would be possible to see Christ only in one place at one time; it would not be possible to see Him in many places at the same time. However, in this universe Christ has a Body, and this Body is the church. Although Christ ascended into heaven, He is on the earth through His Body. Through His Body He has extended Himself into every age and enlarged Himself throughout the entire earth. Through His Body people could see Him in the first century, and they can see Him in the twentieth century. Through His Body people can see Him in Taipei as well as in Jerusalem. Through His Body today people can see Him at the same time all over the earth. Just as the four Gospels show His living in Jesus the Nazarene, the book of Acts shows His living in the church. Actually, the book of Acts is not the story of the apostles; it is the story of the continuation of Christ. This story continues after the Gospels, and it records Christ’s movements in many places on earth through His Body, the church. Just as we see Jesus the Nazarene in the Gospels, we see the church in Acts. Just as Acts is the continuation of the Gospels, the church is the continuation of Christ, the fullness of Christ, and the surplus of Christ. The church is Christ continuing, Christ overflowing, and Christ with surplus. Christ conquered sin and death; He conquered the world and the authority of darkness, and the church has inherited these accomplishments. Christ went to the cross, fulfilled God’s purpose, and dealt with Satan, and the church inherits these matters on a universal scale. The church inherits Christ’s accomplishments and continues Christ.
The first function of the church in the universe is to inherit Christ, extend Christ, and spread Christ; the church does this in time and space—the universe—to be Christ’s fullness for the expression of Christ. The church is the development of Christ so that all things in the universe would know Christ’s fullness and riches. The millions of believers throughout the ages are part of His universal great Body for His full expression.
2. “All the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord...into a dwelling place of God in spirit” (Eph. 2:21-22).
The second function of the church is to be God’s holy temple, the dwelling place of God on earth. God’s dwelling place is in the heavens, but God wants to express His glory and to carry out His will on earth, so He needs a dwelling place on earth. In the Old Testament God used the tabernacle and the temple among the children of Israel to express His glory and to carry out His will. The tabernacle and the temple are types of the church. In the New Testament the church is God’s dwelling place on earth through which He can express His glory and to carry out His will. The church on earth expresses God’s glory and causes God’s will to be carried out.
3. “You...are being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices” (1 Pet. 2:5).
In the Old Testament the temple in which God lived was a building, and the priests who offered sacrifices to Him were a group of people, but in the New Testament both the temple in which God lives and the priests who offer sacrifices to Him are the church. The church is God’s dwelling place to express His glory and to carry out His will, and the church is also a holy priesthood that offers spiritual sacrifices to God, which includes praise, caring for the needs of the saints (Heb. 13:15-16), faith toward God (Phil. 2:17), the believers themselves (Rom. 15:16), and the practical service of the believers (12:1). Thus, the church’s function on earth is to be a group of people who are God’s dwelling place and who serve Him.
4. “The house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).
The church on earth is the dwelling place of God; the church is His house. As the house of God, the church speaks not only of the church’s relationship to God but also of the church’s function with respect to God. In a house one finds a dwelling, obtains rest, expresses his heart’s desire, and accomplishes his will. As the house of God, the church’s function toward God, is for Him to find a dwelling, obtain rest, express His heart’s desire, and accomplish His will on earth. In a proper local church, God will gain these four things.
When the church provides these four things, God is able to dwell and place all that He is in the church. In this regard the church functions as the pillar and base of all the truth related to God. On the earth the church supports and maintains all the truth concerning God. All the truth concerning God is supported and maintained by the church. If people on earth today want to know God and the things concerning Him, they must come to the church. This is another great function of the church with respect to God. On the earth today the church is a place for God to make His home, and the church also testifies concerning the things of God.
5. “To Him be the glory in the church” (Eph. 3:21).
All the functions of the church with respect to God are so that He may be glorified. To glorify God is to express God. The church expresses God in the universe. Although all things express a part of God, the church is the only thing that fully expresses Him. All the fullness of the Godhead—His heart’s desire, nature, wisdom, and work—is expressed through the church so that He may be completely glorified for eternity.
6. “In order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known through the church” (Eph. 3:10).
The church also makes known the multifarious wisdom of God to the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies, especially to Satan and the angels who followed him in his rebellion against God. Through the church, God wants to display His wisdom to Satan and his followers. Although Satan rebelled against God, damaged the man created by God, and hindered and damaged God’s works, God brought forth the church from among damaged humanity to be His dwelling place on earth for His habitation and fullness, to be mingled with Him to express His glory, and to carry out His purpose to deal with His enemies. This is God’s great wisdom! Through the church, God makes His wisdom known to Satan and his angels in order to put them to shame.
7. “My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).
The final function of the church is to deal with God’s enemies, which include Satan and the authority of Hades. Because of this function, Satan and the authority of Hades seek to damage the church in many ways, but the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. The church will overcome because the church is produced, built up, joined, and mingled with the overcoming Christ. The church on earth today has a great mission to deal with Satan and his authority by relying on the victorious Christ. This is another great function of the church with respect to God.