Divine Function
Seeley D. Kinne

The foundation of the Church is the living Lord Jesus Christ.

In its truest sense, the Church is a discoverable Body which functions and operates by the power of God.  The source of all activity in the Church is the power of God manifested through the movement of the Holy Spirit through its members.

The Church is God’s workshop, the place of His operation.  No other body, except one functioning in the Spirit, can properly be called the Church.

Aaron had a rod which budded.  Naturally, it was but a dead stick.  But the supernatural touch of God caused it to manifest life.  Spiritually, man is but a dead stick, but the touch of Jesus Christ causes life to be manifest.

Jesus, as the center magnet, draws everything spiritual to Himself.  The more spiritual one is, the more will his heart burn with love for Jesus, and for his brethren, and be drawn together with them as His body in the earth.

Doctrinal differences always arise from man’s judgment, and not from the Spirit of God; for God is love, and there is an attraction in Jesus Christ which draws men together.  The closer one is drawn to Jesus, the greater the attraction toward Him.  Therefore, if the Lord’s children will draw closer to Jesus, they must of necessity be closer to each other.

When Adam was created, God made him to be entirely under the control of His Spirit.  This was his normal state.  He was as at home in the Spirit as a fish is at home in the sea.  The full intention in the  atonement is to restore man to this state of being, with additional blessings of higher privilege.

However, the denseness of man, along with the wiles of Satan, have hindered the plan of God.  Since man in his redemptive, but spiritually immature state, is incapable of sustaining a life of fullness in the Holy Spirit’s power, the Lord devised the plan of gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are parts of Spirit activities divided to different individuals.

This baptized, gifted body, brought into one accord through the operation of the Holy Spirit, is the body of Christ, the Church.

The Word is Spirit and life.  As in the creation (Genesis 1:2), when the Spirit brooded over the unformed and void conditions, so the Holy Spirit, proceeding from Jesus Christ, hovers over the people of God, bringing them into divine order.

Our birth into this world ushers us into the beginning of a state of sense-relationship to earth environment.  In the natural state, the intellect, reasoning, and will-power, directs and controls the activities of each member.  Without direction from the Head, the members are unable to act.

Independent operations in members of the body of Christ are no more in place than they would be in the natural body.  But when united to Christ, they operate together in love, grace, and the power of the Spirit, for the good of all.

A child, when born into this world, is ignorant, helpless, and mentally inactive; so one born into the Church of Christ is a mere babe in spirituals.  Therefore, the need of care and training is very great.  So the Church should be a nursery of tender care.

In the supernatural realm, Christ is the Head, and without direction from Him, the members do not act.  However, the professed church often seeks useless remedies, neglecting and forgetting Christ, her true Head.  Therefore, she falls short of the divine intention.

“For it is under His direction that the whole body is perfectly adjusted and united by every joint that furnishes its supplies; And by the proper functioning of each particular part, there is brought about the growing of the body for its building up in love.” Ephesians 4:16 Williams Translation.

The Church is to set forth and discover to the world the glorious things which God would do for man.  The Church is God’s repository, the storehouse of His heavenly treasure.  To show to a fallen and wandering race, the love of a heavenly Father, is the high office of the Church.

At this present time, there is a mighty call coming forth to the people of God to return to Christ, the true Head; with each member of His body functioning in his appointed place.