Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Acts 9:3-18
One of the most humbling truths revealed in the Word of God is that God uses you and I for the accomplishment of His purposes. That can truly be a staggering thought. The infinite, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God uses folks like you and I to do His work on this earth.
One man who was wonderfully used by the Lord was Ananias. He was privileged to seek out and lead Saul of Tarsus into an understanding of what God wanted the great apostle to do. We read about Ananias only twice in the New Testament, in Acts 9 and 22. He is presented to us as the type of believer, the Christ-like disciple, God can use.
A Member of the Body of Christ
The believer God uses must be a member of the spiritual Body of Christ. God works through believers and disciples who, by the miracle of the new birth and baptism of the Holy Spirit, have been made members of the Body of Christ. Jesus told Nicodemus that one needs the new birth to be a member of God’s kingdom (John 3:3). When a person is converted, a number of things happen. One is that the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the spiritual Body of Christ. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” – 1 Corinthians 12:13.
The clear teaching of the New Testament is that of a spiritual church and a local church. A person becomes a member of the spiritual church by trusting Christ as Savior. The moment a person is saved, or born-again, he or she is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the spiritual Body of Christ. The infilling or dwelling of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion, and is based on acceptance of Christ Jesus into your life.
An individual becomes a member of a local congregation by trusting Christ as Savior and publicly confessing Christ and usually demonstrating that belief by water baptism. Acts gives the divine order: “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them [the Church].” – Acts 2:41.
Jesus clearly told Saul of Tarsus that in persecuting Christians he had been persecuting the Lord Himself, for believers are members of the Body of Christ (Acts 9:4–5). Jesus is the Head of the Church, and we, as members of that spiritual Church, are members of Christ’s body. Thus, the disciples of the Lord and the Lord Himself are one.
During His earthly ministry, our Lord had an earthly body. He lived and worked through that earthly body. Now that Jesus is in heaven, at the right hand of the Father, so Jesus’ body on earth is the Church. From heaven, Jesus the Head, works through individual members of His Body, the Church, through the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12–13).
Ananias, a member of that Body, was greatly used by the Lord. If you and I are to be used by the Lord, the same must be true of us. Have you been converted? Have you followed Christ in New Testament confession and water baptism? Are you a member of a local church where you are actively working for Christ?
The question has often been asked, “Can a person be a believer without joining a local church?” I myself have thought about that a long time. The answer is yes, you can still be a believer without joining the church, but that would be like saying you are an employee without a job. It is easier to be used of God when you are with other believers so that you can encourage others and you can be encouraged. A hermit, would have a hard time encouraging anyone else in the Lord, if they were “off-the-grid” so to speak.
Yes, you can be a believer, a Christian, without being an actual member of the local church, but you need the fellowship of other believers to find and fulfill your spot in the spiritual Body of Christ.
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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