Is the church important?

Ephesians 3:14-21

¹⁴ When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, ¹⁵ the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. ¹⁶ I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

²⁰ Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ²¹ Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

This well-known passage of Paul’s letter speaks of the wonderful love and faithfulness of our Lord and God.

But his prayer is for the believers, Jew and Gentile, to search out and learn the fundamentals of being the new society God had always planned for, the church. The death of Jesus has given us each individually eternal life, but it has also brought into being the church, the body of believers.

What is the church’s purpose? V21 makes it clear – to give glory to God. Just as Christ Jesus has brought glory to the Father, that is what the church is also to do. Did you notice that? The church is called to as important a role as Jesus Christ, its head – to bring glory to God, just as Jesus did in his obedience and death. The church is vital to God’s plan of salvation for all.

If I am going to give God the glory like Jesus did, it is going to take my heart and soul, powered by the Holy Spirit. My effort won’t get me there, won’t see me “rooted and established in love” for God and others. It is only through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit’s power and grace that God will be able to count on me to be full-on.

I’m flawed, I stuff up. My natural desire is to get glory for myself, to be noticed, for people to say what a great job I have done. Why on earth would God waste his time using my life to show his glory and love to others? Satan is out to trap me into this type of thinking, but I am sealed with the Holy Spirit – marked out as God’s child, growing more like him together with my fellow believers. Even though we are all so different, from different backgrounds, countries even, together we will shine his glory.

Glory to you my Lord and King. You are the God who answers prayers, beyond my wildest dreams or imagination. Fill me to overflowing with your Spirit again today so I can bring you glory.

Amen

Written by Claire Moore