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It is difficult to separate the historic church from what “church” meant in the first century – and for that matter, to Jesus Himself.
Jesus mentions the church only a few times (Matthew 16;18; 18:17), but He speaks of the Kingdom many times (Matthew 4:7,23). This is the story of the book of Ephesians. As people were forsaking their idols and embracing Christ’s Kingship (Acts 19/so awesome!), they were awakening to what it meant not merely to “go” to church but to “be” the Church.
The Story of Jesus clearly explains that He is the King of the earth. His Kingdom is coming alive in the hearts of men. As we are being “called out” of futility, we are made alive into His “body.” Dead to sin – and alive to God.
The Ephesian believers were Gentile pagans to their core. Just as we reason like Greeks, the Ephesian culture was immersed in the false religion of self. Paul spent a couple of years establishing this community of believers – long before there were church buildings on every corner.
Ephesians is telling us what has happened to us as we have believed and become a part of His Kingdom. It is a real challenge to once again embrace the “we ARE the church” paradigm of the first century. It is all too easy to lose our identity as sons and daughters of the Kingdom and see ourselves as passive attendees at a location.
The letter to the Ephesians reminds us of the riches we have because we have inherited God’s favor through Jesus. This is a “mystery” that is being resolved and animated into our hearts through personal faith in Jesus. The rich truth of the Son makes us able to become a part of a community which before was impossible to even imagine.
“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” – Ephesians 4:14-16
Deep waters here, my friend!
As the Gospel takes root among the Gentiles throughout the world, God’s purpose for the Jews comes to fruition. They experienced, recorded, and protected God’s Word to the world. In doing so they amplified the truth about humanity as well as God Himself. And through them the Savior of the world was brought into the world. And His own nation – His own people – then crucified the Son of God Most High. Chilling.
It is truly difficult to make sense out of our human history regarding philosophy, science, and theology. Philosophy in essence is our reflections upon what makes us tick – for better and for worse. Science is supposed to be “conclusions based upon weighing facts to prove what is irrefutable.” Theology is man’s organization of what is perceived to be true about God. Obviously there are many philosophies and theologies – and even views of “science.”
When I first began to read and study the book of Romans, I was amazed at the run-on sentence abilities of the Apostle Paul. I don’t mean this negatively – it just blew me away how so much could be stuffed into a sentence, a paragraph, or a chapter.
You can find our conversation on 1 Thessalonians in our Launch from Antioch post.