The Other Woman
Harold & Mona Warner’s wedding in 1972.
This last week, my wife Mona and I celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary. Today, I’m going to be talking about the “other woman” in my life and that is the church. Yes, the church Christ loved “and gave himself up for…to make her holy…and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Pastor Stephens inspired the next series of posts because he reached out asking me to contribute to his devotional series saying, “I’m asking because I know how much you love the church.” Ah, that’s what hooked me into saying yes. It’s also why the church has had such a principal place in my preaching ministry. From a theological perspective it is because the church is a profound mystery!
“Central to all that God does in history by the Gospel involves Christ and His new humanity, the church.”
The theme of the Book of Ephesians is The Church and six times it uses the word “mystery.” The word is not like trying to solve a crime, but it means a TRUTH PREVIOUSLY HIDDEN NOW REVEALED. A truth that can be known only by divine revelation in a manner and time appointed by God. (Ephesians 3:3-6) “The mystery made known to me by revelation… which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Central to all that God does in history by the Gospel involves Christ and His new humanity, the church. Over the next few days, my ecclesiology: the study of the Church, its relationship to Jesus and its role in salvation will move beyond abstract theology.
I want to point out the lived reality of the church: the various interconnected dimensions that make up the church’s foundational identity in our lives. This stretches all the way back to Jacob’s first exclamation in (Genesis 28:17) “’Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Saints, the church is a God-designed place! It is the place where when we assemble in Christ’s Name that God’s presence is wonderfully known to us in worship, in fellowship, in service, in the Word of God, and in the workings of the Holy Spirit. Yes, it is a place like no other. My love affair is echoed in (1 Corinthians 1:4-6) “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you.” When Jesus Christ found me, saved me by His grace, and put me in His church–I struck it rich!