Saturday May 16th, 2015 Ephesians 1:15-23
And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (verses 22-23)
Hands up. Who is concerned about the future of the church? We all are. Our churches are mostly empty these days. Those who attend with any degree of regularity tend to be on the upper end of the age scale. Our seminaries are churning out fewer and fewer candidates for ordained ministry. Yes, our church is facing a crisis.
Hold on. Our church? Don’t we mean, Christ’s church? For the church is not ours, never was, never will be. The church is the body of Christ. That same Holy Spirit we read about on Thursday is the power of the church. It is the Spirit that gathers us into the church through the witness of Spirit-empowered believers (you and me). In the church, the Spirit fully forgives our sins, equips us for witness, then sends us out.
So back to the beginning. Who is concerned about the church’s future? Not me. Christ will always have witnesses, even if those witnesses are not in an institutionalized church. And secondly, ponder this: maybe the local expressions of the church are struggling because as witnesses we are mute.
We pray, Lord Jesus, make us effective witnesses for you. Amen. — DAB
Contributed by Christ’s Church
Hands up. Who is concerned about the future of the church? We all are. Our churches are mostly empty these days. Those who attend with any degree of regularity tend to be on the upper end of the age scale. Our seminaries are churning out fewer and fewer candidates for ordained ministry. Yes, our church is facing a crisis.
Hold on. Our church? Don't we mean, Christ's church? For the church is not ours, never was, never will be. The church is the body of Christ. That same Holy Spirit we read about on Thursday is the power of the church. It is the Spirit that gathers us into the church through the witness of Spirit-empowered believers (you and me). In the church, the Spirit fully forgives our sins, equips us for witness, then sends us out.
So back to the beginning. Who is concerned about the church's future? Not me. Christ will always have witnesses, even if those witnesses are not in an institutionalized church. And secondly, ponder this: maybe the local expressions of the church are struggling because as witnesses we are mute.
