His Full Expression by BF guest contributor Charles Razzell

I've been stuck (in a good way) on the word "fulness" for the past week, which led me to read the following scripture in a new light:

"And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way." (Ephesians 1:22-23, NIV)

What do you see when you consider the body of Christ, the church? We probably tend to think most about our experience with our church family, and perhaps other local churches we may have attended in the past. Those who have travelled and ministered internationally typically see more of the “abundance of the nations” than those who have stayed close to home. But the stunning truth revealed in this scripture gives us another perspective, (Heaven’s perspective). The word “fullness", which is being applied here to the church on Earth, can be translated as “completeness” or “plenitude”.Another translation of this verse that I like is... "which is His body, the full expression of Him Who fills all creation." (CJB) So the church is expected to be, (and in some sense is), the full expression / fullness / completeness of Jesus, who fills all creation! If, perhaps, we are feeling inadequate, under resourced, or numerically challenged, it’s time to get a heavenly perspective on just how glorious and stunning the church already is and must become! Some of us, when faced with the vastness of the heavenly perspective, get a bit intimidated, perhaps even depressed, by the apparent gap between what we seem to have and what we're told we've inherited! It is good to realize that no single, local body of believers is intended to be the "full expression" of Him on their own, but part of a wonderful mosaic that builds world-wide into a glorious picture. Nor, does any one local expression (such as Blazing Fire Church) depend on any individual for its glory, but "From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." -- Eph 4:16, NIV. I hope these thoughts can be encouraging to you today.                                                                                    Blessings! - Charles