Will the Body of Christ function fully on this earth?

 The new wineskin, is the “new and living way” set up as the container whereby the ecclesia can function best. It was provided when Jesus came and died, when the curtain was torn, with no partition between His followers and God. In the old, that partition were the restrictions laid down through the priesthood, as being the only ones who could go into the Holy of Holies. Now, the old is passed away and the new has come, and now all are invited in, by the blood of the Lamb. 

Since the presence of God is attainable now, it is that presence in which the Ecclesia can function fully, in those specific functions listed in Ephesians 4: 11-13. It is my belief that every one of Christ’s followers have been made to function in one of those categories, and when we as individuals walk in our functioning, then the Body as a whole will be conformed to His image, into full maturity. (Christ likeness) 

He has put in me to function as an evangelist mainly. It is in our area of function, as we do that, that the enemy hurls his flaming arrows attempting to stop that function, but ultimately to stop us from growing into the image of Christ, an outcome as we all start functioning. 

So, the “new and living way”is access to the presence of God, which empowers the Body to operate in it’s full purpose and intent. In the old, church model, it could not happen, because it still tries to function in a hierarchical fashion with pastor and other “staff” members leading, and not the Holy Spirit. These leaders, like the priests of old, are the pillars of this system, teaching by example, that only certain ones have access to God, just like in the temple system of old. The Body has not, nor can not, live and move and have it’s being in this restrictive system. Like a child who needs to grow, it needs certain environmental factors to obtain it’s best development. The Body, every member, needs the presence of God to grow, with each one functioning in His presence, to help each other mature. This means, not in the buildings, and it’s system. The Body is stifled there, because the Holy Spirit can’t freely flow because men and it’s leaders won’t allow it. They are trying to uphold the old system, or being the old wineskin, but the new wine of the free-flowing spirit cannot be contained by it. 

I do believe that it is God’s desire to have His Body fully functioning in the land of the living, (here on earth) but don’t get exactly how that will happen. In our current situation, gathering together is greatly inhibited, and may be by design. Perhaps, by each one getting alone with the Lord, that in those times, we open ourselves up to His refining fire, and as a result being able to see more clearly the things of the Spirit, we could then understand our functioning role in the Body. This intense communion could be paralleled to The Feast of Tabernacles, as we tabernacle alone with Him. 

The full functioning may be in the Spirit. In other words, if I am getting in the presence of the Lord, and more and more of the members do, out of that time, collectively we are in a mysterious way helping each other mature. Jesus said the Father is looking for worshippers who worship in spirit and truth, not in a geographical place, like the Samaritan woman at the well asked about. 

And this may be just a glimpse of what His plan is. I, too, have longed to see how the Father will bring this about. All I know to do myself is to keep myself open before God’s consuming fire presence so that He will continue to clean me up, individually, and then let Christ, who is in us, function through me as He ministers His gift of evangelism, and also be open to having His full way through me, as the Spirit blows, as it will. The result will be felt throughout the whole Body as we become closer and cleaner before Him. The “cleaner” is the result of us dying to our flesh so that He can come alive, and increase. 

Glory to God in what He is doing as He pours His new wine into the new wineskin. Again, not seeing the picture clearly, one thing we do know is that He has saved the best wine for last!!!!