This past Sunday morning Darren preached for us on the title “The Power of Unity”  from passages in John 17 and Ephesians 4.  One of the points he made in connection to Paul’s letter to the Ephesian disciples was that maintaining unity in the church has to be theologically driven.  To that I say“Amen!”  (I didn’t say it Sunday morning, I should have, but usually Mike Broberg does that for me.  I should help him out with that more often…yet I digress.)

In our LIFE Group Sunday evening we discussed this point  and these passages and Darren’s sermon.  We noticed the admonition that Paul gave to the Ephesians to “maintain the unity of the Spirit.”   Darren rightly emphasized that God himself has created a unified body in the church.  This was true for the Ephesians and it is true for us Keizerites  (is that what we are?) as well.  Part of living a life worthy of the calling we have received, which is the appeal Paul is making in the letter, is to recognize and preserve this work of God amongst ourselves.

Paul is helping these earliest believers to catch a glimpse of the church, their church even, that is more than meets the eye.   The church is created, unified, and empowered by God the Father, in God the Son through God the Spirit.  It is not a human endeavor, nor just a peculiar social entity.  Earlier in the Ephesian letter, Paul describes the church as a structure joined together by God and growing into a dwelling place for God himself (2:21-22).  This is a tremendously high view of the church and it out to drive us to have a high regard for the church God has made us to be.

It is difficult to see the church the way God sees it.   Actually if we even catch a glimpse of the church as God has created it and can hold that in our minds for even a short time, it is tremendous blessing form God.  Let me make a suggestion, give this a try. This coming Sunday, when we are all gathered together for worship, take a moment and  look around the congregation carefully.  Then just repeat to yourself, “These are the people of God, for whom he sacrificed his Son.”   Then as we worship together, just repeat this to yourself from time to time.  Include it in your prayers as we share the Lord’s Supper, “These are the people of God, for whom he sacrificed his Son.”  It’s true, even about us, by the grace of God!  See you Sunday,  Howard