Scripture to Consider: the Church

Ephesians 1:18-23 “ I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."



We are called to be in community together. From the beginning God did not think it was good for people to be alone. The community we are called into is the body of Christ. Only the church has Jesus as its head, and it is the only true community. The Church will not pass away, and the community of the faithful is the eternal kingdom of God on earth. But we are not what we ought to be. We are fallen and sinful people who are in desperate need of God’s work in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Church only has one Jesus who is perfect at the head of the church, and the rest of us us are in desperate need of God’s help. The church is a hospital were the sick go to become well. The Church is not a place of perfect people but a place where fallen and broken people work together to become well. It is also a place where people come together to fullfill their destiny as worshippers of God. In one voice, we come together and worship God. This allows us to enter truly into one community and allows us for a short time to glimpse the heavenly realm of God. We enter into the church through the sacrament of Baptism. Though the church is vastly imperfect now, we believe that when Christ returns, He will bring all the churches together as one unified Church, and He will rule in perfect peace over all the world. In the meantime, we live in a season of waiting, during the time since Christ’s coming which started His kingdom, and we look forward in hope to the time of its completion with His return.

If you have questions about this, please contact adventpastor@gmail.com. This passage is taken from the New International Version of the Holy Bible.