The Perfecting Church

There are some sicknesses that are obvious and others that go undetected. It’s the sicknesses that go on undetected that often cause the greatest damage to our lives. One of the unseen plagues that goes on undetected and even accepted at epidemic rates for both christians and non-christians alike, is thanklessness. If we knew the effects thanklessness had on our lives we would go after it with more tenacity than we have towards almost anything else.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” In the polarizing times in which we live, one could not only choose the wrong side, but the wrong fight, and therefore, the wrong weapon. As followers of Christ, we must remember that our greatest power doesn’t reside in a weapon, but a message… the gospel, not only because it leads to our own salvation, but the salvation of all, empowering usto “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you!”

We are reminded that we’re a family at war, as we close our series Family Matters from the book of Ephesians. God’s family is an eternal, adopted family; each one of us has a cape - gifts, abilities and passions woven into our design; we carry the family name of Jesus, a name above every name that can be named; we are a family diverse in culture, ethnicity, and tongue, all made one in Christ; we are a family that is perfected in a place and action called prayer; we’re a family on a shared mission to reconcile all things to God; and we are a covenant family, loved by our Father in a way that changes how we love others. But all of these truths about our family are not clearly understood apart from understanding we are at war. And the stakes in this war are eternal.

God is a God of covenant and His family is a family of covenant. The only way God enters into a relationship is through covenant. Our understanding of covenant shapes the way we relate to God and the way we relate to God shapes us. We can not truly understand what it means to be in the family of God apart from understanding God’s covenant love.

Some of the great families that shaped our history have a clear common mission. Families like the Kennedys are known for their commitment to public service in government and the Jacksons are known for their influence in musical entertainment. However, the family of God has been called to a much broader mission – to reconcile ALL things to God. This is not a religious statement but a call for His sons & daughters to extend His influence in every domain of society. As a family we must understand what He has equipped us with and what we are to do with this “equipment”.