Welcome back to VBVF Tuesdays…I am grateful for last week when we were briefly able to meet in person…and I’m grateful now that I can better picture you here in the room…we miss you and I know you miss each other and being together as the people of God…we’ll be back together soon…until then, to paraphrase Galatians 6.6, don’t become weary of livestreaming…stay with us and don’t give up!  

And we are so happy to join with our worship team, led by Charlie and Amy, as they lead us…

I know I speak for the entire church when I say how much we appreciate the quality of the worship Amy and Charlie bring to this fellowship…they are passionate worshippers themselves, and they communicate that to us, and lead us so well as we enter into the throne room of God in praise and thanksgiving…remember how important it is…worship is never secondary…His Word is how God speaks to us, our worship is how we speak to God

Tonight we continue our journey through the marvelous book of Ephesians…a book that gives us our most complete perspective on the transcendent Church as the body of Christ…other books certainly help us understand the local congregation and the struggles and corrections that apostles like Paul and Peter have to communicate to us as believers, but Ephesians, more than other books, lifts our sight and view not to the Church Militant, a term ancient church fathers used to describe the church here on earth, but to the Church Triumphant, who we truly are in God’s sight, who we will be when we are made complete in Christ, when we are united with Him as His body and bride… 

To review for a moment, as we look back at the first chapter, we see Paul’s praise to God for the work of the Trinity in our salvation, and then Paul’s prayer that we might understand and fully embrace that salvation, fully realizing who we are in Christ

Then in chapter two, Paul more fully describes who we were before that salvation -- dead in our trespasses and sins -- and then, thankfully, moves on to the salvation God provides for us by grace through faith…and he concludes that chapter revisiting the lost state of particularly the Gentile believers, emphasizing how far off we were from God and the covenant people of God, and the miracle God accomplished to bring us near -- to create us as His people, and then to embrace us -- in oneness and unity with the Jewish believers, who had long known who God was…but who in fact have to come to salvation by grace through faith, just as we Gentiles do…for indeed the ground is level at the foot of the cross

That brings us to tonight’s passage: Ephesians 3.1-13

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

Pray -- praise and thanksgiving, for wisdom and insight, and for forgiveness and reconciliation 

Let’s jump into the text!

An interesting beginning to the chapter…there’s a clear connection to the content of chapter two, as in most cases…but they had to put the chapter breaks someplace, so here is as good a place as any…but take note of verse 1 for a moment

It’s a sentence fragment -- not a full thought or idea -- he seems to be headed to some other thought, then instead turns to a description of the mystery of God, connected back to chapter two, coupled with a surprising amount of autobiographical information 

I. The Mystery of the Gospel Revealed to Paul                     1-6   

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Let’s start with that sentence fragment…

Paul’s original first name was, of course, Saul -- in honor of Israel’s first king, the founder of the unified monarchy, a tall, handsome, man, of the tribe of Benjamin, which was of course, Paul’s tribe as well -- an honorable name, a regal name, a highly respected name

Then God changes his name….to….Paul.

“Paul” or, in Latin, “Paulus,” means “small” or “little.” Tradition holds that Paul was also a small or short man in stature…so now he been named by God Himself as the “small man” -- and he has gone from being a respected scholar, teacher, and judge of Israel, a member of the Sanhedrin, a persecutor of the Way and Judaism’s most stalwart defender, to being an itinerant tentmaker, moving from place to place, disrespected and questioned by the churches he founded and loved, chased and harassed by his own people, the Jews, shipwrecked, beaten five times with 39 lashes, left for dead…but every time he wrote a letter, he faithfully used the name God had given him: little Paul.

“I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus…” -- true enough, for he was, at that moment, a prisoner in Rome, under house arrest

But for what? Why was he arrested? What was the charge? 

The verse tells us that Paul says it was “on behalf of you Gentiles” -- very true

Here’s the story…

Turn to Acts 21.1

Paul returns to Jerusalem on the third missionary journey, having passed near Ephesus (chapter 20) and talking with the Ephesian elders on the beach at Miletus, just south of Ephesus…Paul (with several others, including Luke) heads back to Jerusalem through Caesarea, and after arriving in Jerusalem, he visits with James, and talks with the brothers and the elders of the church

21.17 -- Paul reported on the ministry to the Gentiles, of many coming to faith, and those in Jerusalem “glorified God”

21.20 ff -- new Jewish believers were told (by whom, it doesn’t say) that Paul was telling the Jewish believers who lived among the Gentiles -- those outside Jerusalem -- to “forsake Moses, don’t circumcise your sons, don’t walk according to our customs”

21.24 -- the elders convinced these new Jewish believers that Paul was observant of the Law; but for the Gentiles, the leaders of the church in Jerusalem instructed them only to abide by a short, four-point list of directions, which we call today the results of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15

   Abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols

   Abstain from consuming blood

   Abstain from eating what has been strangled

   Abstain from sexual immorality

When the purification rituals for Paul and his four companions were almost complete, “Jews from Asia” -- very likely from Ephesus, the leading city of Asia -- saw Paul in the Temple, along with Trophimus of Ephesus, a Greek, whom they thought Paul had wrongly escorted into the Temple, and a riot ensues

21.30 -- Paul is beaten and arrested by the Jews, taken into custody by the Romans; the tribune (leading Roman official) talks with Paul, who asks to speak to the Jewish people, the crowd who just were beating him

22.1-21 -- Paul’s testimony 

“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”

2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:

3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.

6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

22 Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” 

It becomes very clear what the real issue is…it’s Paul’s mission, at Jesus’s direction, to take the gospel to the Gentiles. That’s the cause of his arrest. And the remainder of Acts is the account of Paul’s journey to Rome, to be placed under house arrest, and to begin writing letters to the churches he and others had founded on the three missionary journeys…including the letter we’re reading tonight, in June 2020, almost 2000 years later

Paul wrote about this truth, he preached it, and he suffered for it…he wasn’t arrested for just following Jesus, or preaching the gospel, or just kind of generally being the apostle Paul…the singular reason he was arrested and taken to Rome was for preaching this exact truth in this book of Ephesians: that in His mercy and great love, God had reached out to the Gentiles, breaking down the dividing wall of hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles, that He had taken the Gentiles who were far off and brought them near, making one new humanity from the two -- the Jews and the Gentiles -- making powerless the law of commandments and ordinances, reconciling both groups to God in one body through the cross

This was why Paul was imprisoned -- for teaching the truth of God’s reconciliation of the Jews with and to the Gentiles, and the creation of a new humanity in which both would be accepted and loved and united with God

His is a remarkable testimony, as you’ve heard in part from Acts 22…and he was and is a remarkable man, as greatly used of God as anyone other than Jesus Himself…and yet this passage reveals an equally remarkable humility

He was a steward, only caring for a message given to him for the benefit of others, particularly the church in Ephesus…v 2 “given to me for you”…it was “…made known to me by revelation…” -- Paul makes no claim to originate this truth, only to have received it on behalf of others…he does say he was given insight, but only in order to reveal it to others, not keep it for his own benefit or for financial gain…and then he very clearly states what the “mystery” is:

6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

The word “mystery” -- “mysterion” in Greek, so it isn’t a translation, but a transliteration -- is not uncommon in Scripture -- used elsewhere by Paul, in different ways

In English today it represents something unknown, incomprehensible, puzzling…but in Greek, it means something unknown until it is revealed…used of the gnostic and pagan religions in which initiates were granted special knowledge, or gnosis, when they were accepted into the pagan cult

But today there is no spiritual elite, no special class of believer which is granted extra understanding, special knowledge, above and beyond all other believers…no, we all can know the contents of this mystery…as we can the other “mysteries” Paul writes about…

Romans 11.25

 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

I Corinthians 15.50-52

51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 

Ephesians 1.7-10

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

I Timothy 3.16

16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh,

   vindicated by the Spirit, 

       seen by angels,

proclaimed among the nations,

   believed on in the world,

       taken up in glory.

This single sentence in verse 6 captures the truth of this chapter and part of chapter two as he uses three very unusual words:

Paul takes three existing words -- “heir” “member” “partaker” -- and adds the prefix “syn” to them, meaning “together” -- to again communicate the uniting of the Jews and the Gentiles into a single body

Synkleronoma -- heirs together with

Syssoma -- members together with

Symmetocha -- sharers together with 

The Amplified Bible uses the word “joint” to capture this idea of “together” 

The Phillips translation says this: “the Gentiles, who were previously excluded from God’s agreements, are to be equal heirs with his chosen people, equal members and equal partners in God’s promise given by Christ through the Gospel.”

NLT: “6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.” 

NIV probably most closely gets the sense: “6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”

When biblical writers wanted to emphasize a word, they would double it -- “Truly, truly” -- but if they wanted to shout a word, to thunder a word for all to hear -- they tripled it -- “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty” -- and so they do here with the word-fragment “together”

This mystery might be summed up best as stated by scholar John Stott -- “the complete union of Jews and Gentiles with each other through the union of both with Christ.”

But what made this idea, this revelation, so radical? It was this, as Stott describes it: “…that the theocracy, the Jewish nation under God’s rule, would be terminated as they understood it, and replaced with something new…this new humanity…an international and cross-cultural community, called the church -- that this church would be the very “body of Christ” and the “bride of Christ,” organically united to Him…and that Jew and Gentiles would be incorporated into Christ and His church on equal terms, together, by grace through faith, without any distinction.” 

II. The Ministry of the Gospel Given to Paul                     7-9

But the revelation to Paul, while earth-shaking, was not all there was…God now commissioned him to take that message to the ends of the earth

Paul now tells us plainly -- it wasn’t enough just to know this…I had to tell the world about this, even if it meant I would end up chained to Roman guards

Paul revels in the fact that, despite his weakness, he was “made a minister” -- he certainly never sought this out, never asked for the privilege of being a preacher of the gospel, never asked to be struck blind and near senseless on the road to Damascus -- there was nothing in it for him…he just kept making tents during the day while at night he’s writing the New Testament and preaching the gospel to the lost Gentiles and seeing them come to faith…

“according to the gift of God’s grace” -- this gift, this privilege of being the apostle to the Gentiles -- Paul now writes to the Ephesians and credits the “working of His power” -- not Paul’s own power, not his eloquence, which according to I Corinthians, he did not possess…

Paul was not concerned about whether or not he measured up to the expectations of the Ephesians, the Corinthians, or anyone else…what we know from his own words is this:

I Corinthians 1.20-24

20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 

There is another look into this new humanity God is creating…Paul knew he was given a ministry, a commission, by the risen Christ Himself…while he addressed many issues, and taught much doctrine to the early church, in truth he had but one message: “we preach Christ crucified”

Even though he was “small Paul” -- he was large in the ministry given him by Jesus. Yet he remained humble…look at what he says of himself in this passage

…though I am the very least of all the saints

It’s an interesting sentence construction -- he turns a superlative word into a comparative word -- “leaster” -- translated “less than the least” or “very least”

He also said, in one of his last letters, 

I Timothy 1.15

15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief

What did he mean? He was without a doubt the most educated, most intelligent, most energetic, hardest working apostle ever…a giant among the apostles, who the Sanhedrin recognized as “unlearned and ignorant men” (Acts 4.13)…Paul, by contrast, was the preeminent teacher of his day in Israel, with every credential one could ask for…

Philippians 3.4a-11

If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 

He was, in human terms, hardly the “very least of the saints” -- yet here’s what I think he meant by this inexplicable statement in this passage:

Paul understood, with Isaiah, that all our righteousness is as “filthy rags” -- that, in and of ourselves, in our flesh, 

Romans 3.12: no one does good, not even one.”

And that all that he had done in Christ was done “in Christ”, not by his own power or strength; and even then, Luke 17 is true 

Luke 17.10b

We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

To continue the financial metaphor of profitability, if you think of Paul’s life as a financial balance sheet, there were no assets there -- no righteous acts that would merit God’s approval or blessing -- however, there was an abundance of liabilities -- he had held the cloaks of those who murdered Stephen, and Paul himself had been, as he told Timothy,

I Timothy 1.13

a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.

Paul was very conscious of the fact that all the good that he had done had been only by God’s grace and strength -- and he was equally conscious of the fact that his life before Christ was filled with hate and rage and blasphemy and violence, so much so that Jesus Himself, as He struck Paul blind on the road to Damascus, said to Paul, 

Acts 9.5

“I am Jesus whom you are persecuting…”

I think it’s in that sense that Paul, in all sincerity, regards himself as the “very least of all the saints” -- and while we might not have persecuted the church, we should remain just as humble in our faith and walk as the apostle Paul was in his…

But yet -- to him this grace was given, to be the apostle to the Gentiles, to be, as Jesus says, 

Acts 9.15

“…a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 

His mission?

to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; 

His charge was to preach to the Gentiles this message -- the unfathomable, unsearchable, inscrutable riches of Christ, which he has done so well in chapters one and two…and to bring out into the light what had been held by God in darkness…now, after the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ and the birth of the church, God has revealed another mystery -- the union of both the Jews and the Gentiles with Christ, and their union with each other…so now, the “purpose” Paul speaks of in Ephesians 1.11 is no longer only an individual salvation, but a communal one…the creation of the “one flock with one Shepherd” that Jesus spoke of in John chapter 10

So what will be the role, the purpose, the mission of this “one flock,” the church of Jesus Christ? Let’s see in the next passage…

III. The Wisdom of God Revealed Through the Church                  10-13

10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

Do you recall from chapter one how God was going to display us as trophies of His grace, examples of what He does in the lives of lost sinners? God is going to do a similar thing with the church -- He will display His “manifold wisdom” in and through the church to the “rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” 

“Manifold wisdom” renders ‘polupoikilos’ (4182) -- very diverse, abounding in variety -- His diverse wisdom, exhibited in endless variety -- ‘poikilos’ was the word used of Joseph’s “coat of many colors” -- only this is even more diverse, more variegated, more colorful

The church is going to be a demonstration of the “immeasurable greatness of His power”(chapter one), the “immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness” to us (chapter two), and now of His “manifold wisdom” in chapter three

God’s new humanity, His new society, is unlike anything else known in creation -- this multi-racial, multi-cultural community, created in both endless diversity and complete harmony, is completely unique…no other human community resembles it, composed of people from every tongue and tribe and people and nation, remade by the Father into a fitting Bride for His Son

To whom will the Almighty God display His creation? The text says the “rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” -- that certainly seems to indicate the spiritual powers Paul refers to in chapter six, the spiritual warfare chapter…Greek words are ‘arche’ and ‘exousia’

Ephesians 6.12

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

But there are still holy angels, those who did not fall into sin when they followed Lucifer, and they have an interest in God’s plan, too…

I Peter 1.10-12

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

When we consider those two references together, it seems God the Father is going to display His creative work in the church to all who are in “the heavenly places” -- all of His creation will see and marvel at what He has made out of fallen humanity -- the holy angels will shout in praise to the glory of the Father, and the demons, led by Satan himself, will know for certain that their plan to take down all of humanity into the pit of Hell has failed…for God has called out a people for Himself, for His own possession, and for all eternity we will display His power, grace, and wisdom -- His victory, and our praise, calls to mind the words of the psalmist

Psalm 115.1

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,

     for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

This was the Father’s “eternal purpose” when He sent forth Jesus Christ to be our Redeemer, our Messiah, our King -- to bring glory to God

John 17.1b

“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,

It is in the Son that we have boldness and access to the Father -- because of the work of the Son, we can know the Father, and we are escorted into His presence by His own Spirit, as we saw last week…Greek words indicate freedom in speaking and escorted access to a monarch

So Paul concludes his detour -- from verse 2 through verse 13 -- by urging the Ephesians not to lose heart

13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

His suffering is indeed for them as the Gentiles who are being brought into the Kingdom and family of God -- the gospel Paul preaches is the means, the vehicle the Spirit uses to bring about saving faith in the hearts of those who were “far off” but are now being “brought near”

But do you think Paul had any regrets for his work for Christ in the creation of the church? 

None whatsoever…this is the man who wrote Galatians 2.20…

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

He was all in -- and it didn’t matter if he was preaching on Mars Hill in Athens or the Temple in Jerusalem, or if he was writing as a prisoner from Rome -- he was forever captured by the Christ who had saved him that day on the road to Damascus, and who had set his heart free.

So the God who first revealed this mystery to Paul and a small handful of apostles and prophets, is the same God who sent them on mission to a lost world to bear the message of redemption and reconciliation, and He’s the same God who is even now, and will fully one day, display this new humanity, this new creation, the Church, to the watching spiritual powers, whomever they may be, indeed the entire universe …we will be His most beautiful, many-splendoured tapestry ever. To God be the glory!

So what do we do with this understanding of the Church?

Once again, we praise Him for His greatness and goodness as we affirm that His new humanity is central to history…that despite what the world says is important, what we believe is that God is doing a work in this world to raise up a people for His own possession, and that He will demonstrate His authority and power over all the forces of death and Hell who oppose Him, and the center, the focal point, of that miraculous work is His Son, Jesus Christ; it’s His story

We also learn and acknowledge that we have a part to play in that miraculous work…that we are not only members of His body and bride, that we are the living stones of His church who have been commissioned to take the message of the gospel, of His love and grace, and His authority and judgment, to a world that won’t always receive it with open arms of welcome…for as the world didn’t applaud the apostle Paul in his work, neither will they applaud our work 

And we also understand that the Church is central to the life we live as believers in this world…we encourage and strengthen each other as we seek to live faithfully as the hands and feet of Jesus in this fallen world…I think that’s an important reason why Jesus formed this body in the first place -- we are to be one flock, because sheep need each other, and we need to live together…as sheep are not solitary animals, neither are we to be solitary people…we are better together -- Jews and Gentiles, poor and rich, women and men, young and old…we are all one new people, one new humanity in Christ

Now more than ever we know that, we sense that…God willing, we will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as we are warned not to do in Hebrews 10.25…but instead we will remain close to each other, supporting and caring for each other, following the example of our Great Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.