Invest Your Disappointments by Paul Mallard

Author:Paul Mallard
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783595624
Publisher: IVP
Published: 2018-02-05T05:00:00+00:00

God’s view of the church

If I have been disappointed with the church, what should I do?

A good starting place is to develop a balanced understanding of the nature of the church in its present existence. The New Testament says many things about the church, but I’ll focus on two.

First, it stresses the mystery and majesty, the wonder and glory of the church. In this present age the church is central to the purpose of God and at the heart of all that he wants to do in this world. In just one New Testament book, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, there are at least ten passages that deal with the nature of the church:

Christ has been exalted to the ultimate place of authority in the universe and he now rules over all things for the sake of the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way (1:18–23).

The church is the place where human divisions are destroyed and people are reconciled through the cross (2:14–18).

The church is the spiritual temple where God now dwells by his Spirit (2:19–22).

In the church, God’s wisdom – the plan by which he will bring about the unity of all things under the headship of Christ – is displayed to the cosmos (3:10–13).

The church is the place where his glory is displayed (3:20–21).

The church has been created by God and is united by his Spirit (4:1–6).

The church is blessed with the gifts that God has bestowed on it and it is a place of amazing variety and healthy diversity (4:7–16).

The church is a place where wholesome talk and gracious relationships are to build us up in our faith (4:29 – 5:2).

The church is the bride of Christ. He loved her and gave his life for her. One day he will perfect her (5:25–33).

The church is a mighty army called to stand firm against the dark forces of this world (6:10–20).

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