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.
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
No comments:
Post a Comment