The church is God’s multi-coloured wisdom!
It was these next two chapters of Ephesians that gripped me with a revelation of the glorious church that I have lived with for three decades, and will continue with me to my dying breath! I was so saddened at the ‘Word on the Wash’ meeting, to hear the speaker say, as a throwaway line, that some of you aren’t looking forward to going to church on Sunday.
We, you, need a revelation of God’s glorious church! It is the “manifold wisdom” of God – the word manifold literally means multicoloured. Paul uses that word because of the revelation that he received, the “mystery” that was hidden but that God has revealed – that the body, the family of God, the people of God, is now made up of Gentiles as fellow heirs, along with Jews – both of whom need the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul has been graced with God’s power to plant and build local churches – made up of people from all sorts of backgrounds who are together because of Jesus. The power of that shows God’s wisdom to the demons and the angels. We don’t go to church, we don’t ‘not look forward to going to church on Sunday’. We are the church! God’s glorious church – weak, messy people made strong by God’s grace and power.
We have bold, confident, access to the Father by faith. Don’t lose heart when it’s tough – God is doing something amazing!
In the light of that, Paul tells us what he is praying. He is praying that out of the riches of His glory – which are never ending – we would be…
Strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inner being – God’s Spirit dwells within to give you power and strength,
So that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith – the purpose is to be in Christ, to enjoy everything that he has done for us on the cross.
That we, being rooted and grounded in love – The Spirit’s power and Christ’s indwelling sink roots in us that hold fast in the storm. Roots that suck up all of God’s love for us,
may have strength to comprehend with all the saints – that gives us strength to know both in our minds and hearts how much God loves us.
what is the breadth and length and height and depth – God’s love is huge, immeasurably large,
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God – this enormous love of God is far more than head knowledge alone, it is experienced in the fullness of the Spirit (Rom 5:5).
God can do abundantly more than we ask or think by His power in us. That means that God wants to use you more than you think He can!
