Is it possible that God added the believers of Acts, Chapter 2, to the Church which is the Body of Christ even though the formal revelation of the Church did not occur for another 30 years? Some would say no, because the Church which is the Body of Christ does not have sign gifts such as speaking in tongues and healing, and neither does it incorporate the practice of water baptism or communion in its worship. Today, we will explore this issue.

The revelation of the Church which is the Body of Christ in the prison epistles (Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians) was most definitely part of a specific dispensation from God. In Colossians, Paul called it the dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ.

Col 1:24-25
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; (KJV)

In Ephesians, Paul called it the dispensation of the grace of God.

Eph 3:2
2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, (NKJ)

The Church may have been in existence before the dispensation of the Church was revealed even as grace was in existence before the dispensation of grace. However, anyone who was added to the Church before Paul’s revelation of this particular dispensation would not have known how to live and worship in accordance with that revelation.

In our present age, believers have the great privilege of living according to the full revelation of the dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ. In this dispensation there is no evidence of sign gifts such as speaking in tongues or healing, just as there is no evidence of the practice of water baptism or communion.

In Paul’s pre-prison epistles, there are hints of the Body of Christ.

1 Cor 12:12-13
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 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. (NKJ)

But as long as the New Covenant Kingdom was being offered to Israel, the sign gifts continued as a means of validating the offer.

2 Cor 3:6
6 (God has) made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (NKJ)

1 Cor 12:7-10
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. (NKJ)

Therefore, as long as the New Covenant Kingdom was being offered to Israel, the dispensation of the Church which is the Body of Christ could not be fully revealed.

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