Reason #2
"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made
known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms"
Ephesians 3:10
"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made
known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms"
Ephesians 3:10
Let me say it plainly.
The world wide church is most powerful entity on planet earth.
And the local church as a local expression of the worldwide church
carries that power. Some
churches look like they are old and dying and dysfunctional.
But be careful how you judge. It
may be that the prayers of two little old ladies in that church are what hold
the world together.
Think of the sheer size of
450,000 local churches in the US alone and the millions worldwide.
Add up all the practical service they provide for the world and you get a
power for good which is unmatched by any government or aid agency.
In fact read how The Message
paraphrase renders Paul’s words to the Ephesians.
This is mind boggling to me,
All
this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a
throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from
galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just
for the time being, but forever.
He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of
all this, Christ rules the church.
The
church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the
church.
Ephesians 1:20-23 (MSG)
Each and every time you
gather with other Believers for worship or service or fellowship, you are
participating in the most powerful entity on the planet.
"you
are members of God's very own family, citizens of God's country, and you
belong
in God's household with every other Christian."
Ephesians 2:19 (TLB)
in God's household with every other Christian."
Ephesians 2:19 (TLB)
For
more:
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