First Timothy 3:15-16 says, “But if I delay, I write that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. And confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh, / Justified in the Spirit, / Seen by angels, / Preached among the nations, / Believed on in the world, / Taken up in glory.” These two verses show that the pillar and base of the truth is the mystery of godliness, which is God manifested in the flesh. In other words, the house spoken of here is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth, and the mystery of godliness, which is God manifested in the flesh. Then the apostle continues by saying that God, who was manifested in the flesh, was “justified in the Spirit, / Seen by angels, / Preached among the nations, / Believed on in the world, / Taken up in glory.” All of these items refer to the Lord Jesus Himself.
Ephesians 1:19-20 says, “What is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength, which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies.” The power spoken of here is of two sides, one on the negative side, and the other on the positive side. On the negative side, this power raised the Lord from the dead, and on the positive side, this power seated the Lord at the right hand of God in the heavenlies.
Verse 21 says, “Far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” It seems that the Lord’s ascension is a matter of space—from earth to heaven, but verse 21 shows that the Lord’s ascension is also a matter of time. He not only ascended far above the earth with respect to space, but He also transcended this age, the past ages, and the age to come with respect to time. His transcending over space and time is the result of His ascension.
Verse 22 continues, “And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church.” Far above in verse 21 refers to Christ’s being far above Satan and his angels. Rule, authority, power, lordship, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in that which is to come refer to the power of darkness. Christ transcends all of them. Moreover, God has subjected all things under Christ’s feet; all things refers to all created things. Giving Him to be Head over all things is the issue of Christ’s transcendency.
Verse 23 says, “Which [the church] is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.” Here it clearly says that the church is the Body of Christ, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.
The responsible brothers in many local churches are very concerned about the matter of how to administrate the church. However, in order to administrate the church, we must first know what the church is. This is a simple truth. No matter what thing a person studies, he must first know its nature, use, and purpose. In order to administrate an organization or a company, we must first know its nature, use, and purpose. Whether it is a family, a shopping mall, a factory, a school, an orphanage, a home for the elderly, or even a jail, if we want to administrate an organization, we must first know its nature, use, and purpose. In the same way, in order to administrate the church, we must know what the church is, including the nature and function of the church and the purpose of the establishment of the church in the universe. We must have a fundamental understanding, because only then can we know what it means to administrate the church and how to administrate it.
We often see someone administrating the church in a faithful way, and we may not even sense an improper spirit in him. It is sad, however, if he does not truly know the church even though he is administrating the church. He is like a founder of a school who does not know that the purpose of a school is for education. He administrates the church, but he does not know the church, the nature of the church, or the origin of the church. This is a very solemn matter. If we want to know how to administrate the church, we must spend much time in the Lord’s Word to see, according to the Lord’s revelation, what the church is, what the purpose of the church is, and what the function of the church is in the universe.