Ephesians 3:10-12 &; 20 &; 21 ESVUK
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…………………20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we
ask or think, according to the power at work within us 21, to him be glory in
the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever.
Amen.
I love the Church, I think it’s amazing; I love
Jesus more and more each day and love looking at, reading and studying His
written Word the Bible. and I love being a part of His amazing Church, When you
think about it That the Church belongs to Jesus and His written Word the Bible
explains to us how to live our lives as Christians who are the people who make
up the Church, it can revolutionise your love for the Church and our Saviour.
I was raised in a Christian Home and both my
dad and my late mum, with my late grandparents give me a love for Scripture,
the Church and our Lord and Saviour Jesus, I was * saved or * born again or *
accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour (*depends on your theological viewpoint!)
when I was 11 in a Children’s Meeting, Easter Monday 1981.
I was raised in a little church in Resolven,
which is near Neath, South Wales now called The Resolven Community Church,
which is part of a larger grouping also called the Apostolic Church which are
part of the Pentecostal Movement here in the UK the others are The Assemblies
of God and Elim, both of which are a real blessing to know. I spent the first 13 years of the Christian
Life within The Apostolic Church I thank the Lord for the privilege of being
raised in that denomination and the grounding and foundation I had there, and
the friends I have there today.
Those who know me know I love reading and one
of the things I love reading about is the Church. I devour books at the best of
times, but I’m always drawn to books about the Church. I’ve been inspired by
many godly writers such as Alan Roxburgh, Neil Cole, Floyd McClung, Bill
Johnson and Kris Vallotton amongst others and have been challenged by what God
has said through them. I’ve also been
inspired by some great Church Leaders like Keri Jones, Arnallt Morgan, Mark
Davies, Roger Aubrey, Mick Walford, Mike & John Sutton-Smith, Geoff Grice
and Steve Smith who have through the last 20 years have inspired and challenged
me to go on with the things of God, and go deeper with God. I would like this opportunity to say thank
you and to Arnallt diolch yn fawr.
When you think about it, there are various models
of Church and different perspectives on what the Church are, and what it should
or could be. My Spiritual grounding and heritage has been and still is the
Pentecostal/Charismatic/ Restoration stream/s which are part of the broader
Evangelical Spectrum although I admire and respect those whose Christian path
has been or is different from mine.
My background is of someone growing up in the
Welsh Valleys, although I now live in the North West of England, when I think
of my younger days that Church more or often or not was somewhere we went,
rather than something we are part of. I
thought of a Physical Building rather than a Spiritual Building, Yes Physical
Buildings are important but they serve the Spiritual Building, by the way
that’s you and me.
There are countless ways or models of doing and
being the Church such as Missional church, Simple church etc. ,etc. there are
large churches, small churches, medium churches, full churches, half full
churches, empty churches, traditional churches, free churches, Baptist
churches, Anglican churches, Pentecostal churches the list can go on and
on If you look in your Telephone
Directory or search online, how many churches are listed in your City, Town or
Village ?, * Note I use the word Church to describe the Church in general and
the word church to describe churches, that is in the local church or the church
grouping You or I are part of, and isn’t meant to diminish any one church or
group of churches *
I don’t believe that there should only be model
or type of church, I believe that each model or type of church is equally valid
and has an important and relevant part to play in our role to Evangelise those
who yet don’t know the Lord, The Lord has called us to work alongside in a
sense of co-operation not to compete against each other in attracting
unbelievers those who yet don’t know the Lord or have a relationship with Him.
I believe that different models or ways of
doing and being the church can reach different types of people. For one person
may feel comfortable in for example a more traditional type of church and for
another person may feel more comfortable in a more lively church, then someone
else may like a more simple way of doing church for example in a smaller
setting, then someone may feel more comfortable being amongst a crowd.
Our Lord, Saviour & Redeemer Jesus Christ
says in Matthew 16:18b ESVUK.
“I will build my church, and the gates of
hell[b] shall not prevail against it.”
The Apostle Paul, says in Ephesians 4:1-7 ESVUK
I
therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the
calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with
patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace.4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you
were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all
and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according
to the measure of Christ's gift
Our Lord, Saviour and Redeemer give his life
for One Church and He’s coming back for One Church, regardless of what part of the Church You or
I belong to we are One Church.
In part 2 onwards I will look in more depth
into the Book of Ephesians mostly and other books of the Bible to see what it
means to be the Church and how we go about being The Church, I’m hoping to
expand in more depth at a later point Ordinary Christians in the Hands of the
Extra –Ordinary God.
Yours in His Grace
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside, England
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