Personality is revealed in bodily presence. A handgrip tells one something of the character of the person you greet. Posture is revealing, and a man's speech will betray him or endear him. Eye contact reveals a purposeful person, or for that matter, an unreliable, shifty person. Our Lord's bodily presence was commanding, communicating, compelling and compassionate. Interestingly, the apostle Paul states in his letter to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ, ..."

Whatever the reason for the gathering of the Lord's people, Jesus is revealed in their coming together in His name. The Lord is revealed in His body members. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 teaches: many members - one body - one Christ. Each is important, different and necessary.

Paul illustrates this principle using the foot and hand and the ear and eye, and also the sense of smell (1 Corinthians 12:15-17 ). Member functions are manifestations of the one Christ. The many membered body needs each member in particular (1 Corinthians 12:18-24 ). Therefore, each should be appreciated and cared for, and there should be no divisions (1 Corinthians 12:25-26 ). Gift ministries and supernatural gifts to the Church are listed in Scripture, and we are urged to desire the best. Paul insists on the more excellent way of the functioning of love in the body (1 Corinthians 12:27-31, 1 Corinthians 13 ).

How are we part of a revealing body? Christ is seen in the group gatherings of His people.

The feet and legs of the human body contain a unique set of mechanisms that make it possible to maintain an upright position, and give wonderful balance and spring, which enable a person to walk without jarring the body. The Lord is manifest in the supportive members of His body, in both general and group gatherings. The foot members bring balance (order), freedom of movement (not license), and function so as not to jar the body (no grating actions). All this takes place through what would seem to be the least of the member functions. A disruptive member is brought in line and corrected by the majority of the obedient members support of order.

The manifestation of our Lord's love for the Father was in doing and obedience. It is worthy of notice that the only time Christ ever spoke of His love for the Father, was when He was to give the supreme proof of it, in total submission and obedience to His Father's command.

John 14:31 "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here. "

In the order and obedience of gathered body members, the Lord's love to the Father is shown. This results in balance (no extremes), freedom of movement (but not selfish insistence) and no jarring of the body (a sweet flow of the Spirit). Supportive foot members are essential to Home Fellowships. Christ is revealed when we,

Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. "

Selfish, self-centred behaviour is jarring to the body.

The craftsmanship of the hand is almost unlimited, but all its skill and use can never be equalled to the miraculous and meaningful use to which the Lord's hands were put. The Gospels show:

	His compassionate hand Mark 1:41 "Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed.'"
	His catching hand Matthew 14:31 "And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'"
	His contacting hand Mark 7:33 "And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; "
	His confronting hand Luke 7:14,15 "Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." 15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother."
	His communicating hand Mark 10:16 "And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. " The Lord is revealed in His body members in the laying on of hands (Hebrews 6:2 ), by the touch of compassion, by identifying with the needs of others, in the hands of intercession and the gift of helps (1 Corinthians 12:28 ).

As prophetically stated, our Lord's ear was the pierced ear (Psalm 40:6 ), yielded in love service - listening and obeying (Exodus 21:6 ). Our Lord's ear was the awakened ear.

Isaiah 50:4 "The Lord God has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. "

Isaiah 50:5-7 tells of His open ear, His obedience and sacrifice. The Lord is revealed in the awakened ear members of His body, who are yielded, listening, learning and hearing ears. It is important that ministers have an open ear to what the Lord is saying to His church. But it is clear that the Lord particularly addresses the lead minister of each church in the revelation, but concluded with an appeal for each member to individually hear. "Let him hear" (Revelation 2:7,11,29, 3:6,13,22 ).

While there are open ear members hearing and communicating what the Lord is saying by the Holy Spirit to the church, each is responsible to individually hear. There is no better place for sharing what the ear members hear than home fellowships, in that atmosphere of acceptance all that is said can be weighed with care and acted upon to the well being of the whole body.

This is the most cherished of human senses, the whole world is brought into our inner being through the eye-gate. Everything beautiful and ugly, enriching our existence. In 1 Peter 2:25, our Lord is called "the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (NKJV). Elders are also called "overseers", and the same word is used in Acts 20:28. The Lord gives the local body overseers - the eyes of the body. 'Overseer' is translated from a compound word of which the first part means "over", and the second part means "watcher". Literally, it is "one who watches over". The New Testament structure is stated in Philippians 1:1. Paul greets the saints together with the bishops (literally overseers) and deacons.

All home fellowships should be related to the main body, and the eldership is responsible for them through undershepherds, deacons etc. They should keep the spiritual oversight fully informed of their group. They should keep the elder or pastor responsible for the group, in touch with happenings, attendance and so on. No group is a law unto itself, it is a part of the whole body. If yours is a house church , overseers will be responsible for the whole body and in some cases they in turn will be accountable to a city eldership that they are in covenant with. The Lord is revealed in the responsible caring for each gathering of His people. Leaders of home fellowships should remind themselves and their group of the exhortation in:

Hebrews 13:17 "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. "

The sense of smell is a supernatural discerning of the Lord's presence.

Psalm 45:8 "All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad. "

This ability of discernment was evident in our Lord at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:17,23 ).

1 Corinthians 12:10 "... to another discerning of spirits; ..."

The sense of smell discerns the Holy Spirit and His manifestations, as well as the human spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

	The Word of God divides between soul and spirit.
	This "ability of the Spirit" (discernment), divides between soul and spirit.
	Angels and evil spirits are discerned, also the similitude of the Lord.
	The Lord reveals Himself in every gathering unto Himself.
	No part of the body is left without His discerning presence.

Because of the Lord's revelation of Himself in His body, the house fellowship gathering will be a meeting:

	of order, balance and sweet fellowship of the Spirit.
	of reaching out in helpfulness to another.
	in which there is a yielded listening and sharing in what the Lord is saying to the body.
	enjoying its relationship to the main body, and in submission to the eldership.
	enjoying the Lord's supernatural revelation of Himself, protected by the discerning of spirits in operation.